Ynys Môn - The Sacred Isle (ənɨs ˈmoːn)

Sacred to the ancient Druids of Celtic Britain, Ynys Mon, or Anglesey as it is known today, is a haven for magical energy and creatures escaping the rule of first the Romans and then the Anglo-Saxon invaders that overran the British Isles over 500 years ago. The Roman writer Tacitus, himself a senator and a historian, described how when the Roman army, led by Suetonius Paulinus, attacked the island of Mona (Anglesey, Ynys Môn in Welsh), the legionaries were awestruck on landing by the appearance of a band of druids, who, with hands uplifted to the sky, poured forth terrible imprecations on the heads of the invaders. Only recently has their ancient religion and way of life been attacked by more outside invaders on long ships and fierce raiders from Scandinavia. It is here, with the last vestiges of this once thriving and fearful race of druids, hunters, and gatherers, that my protagonist, Syres, stumbles upon one of the last of the great magical creatures in this world - A dragon. The island has always been associated with magic, the home of an ancient shrine that dates back to the Neolithic stone haulers that built wonders like Stonehenge in Wessex. My protagonist becomes familiar with this race of people who place value on the mother goddess and the role of a woman as protector and progenitor of magic for future generations. The island itself is a geological center for powerful earth magic, Syres learning his second and the most difficult magic yet here on the island. It is also home to ancient copper and silver mines that have drawn the attention of drakes, wyverns, and dragons for thousands of years.

Finally, the magical race of Celtic Britains know a long extinct magic that they refuse to teach Syres. They know humanoid transformation, something Syres has only ever read about or heard rumors of. They can shift into specific animals depending on the family or lineage. One family can transform into eagles and others deer and when Syres tries to perform the earth-related magic on himself, he loses control of the demon within him. He ends up killing a child in his madness and must be put on trial before the council of elders. This is a brutal test of his character, soul, and magical abilities that ends up revealing the origins of the demon within him. Ynys Mon is covered in rolling hills to the north and low lying farmland and forests in the south. The island is separated from the mainland by a strait that stands, in the 10th century, 500 yards wide. The land is fertile and there is a sacred olive grove that was planted so long ago there is no knowledge of how it got there. Some believe the dragons planted the large trees for the mother goddess who created them as the first defenders of the earth and wilderness. The sweeping island is temperate and not far from another holy island which the Christians have claimed.