About

Welcome my name is Lazarus Carpenter, I live in Wales and I am the author of the adventures of Crach Ffinnant, a dwarf, prophet, and seer to Prince of Wales, Owain Glyndwr

Since 2018, a new volume of Crach Ffinnant’s adventures has been released yearly. Four volumes are in print, and I am working on the fifth.

VOLUME I

CRACH FFINNANT – THE PROPHECY

Crach Ffinnant is a dwarf, and we begin our adventures together in 1375. Crach Ffinnant’s apprenticeship as a prophet, seer, and healer is now at an end, and his old master, Llwyd ap Crachan Llwyd, sends Crach to London to further his training with Master Healan, an Apothecary who boasts a secret identity. Ready and able with sacred scrolls hidden deep in his bag, Crach begins the long journey across the mountains with Fwynedd the Shepherd, a guide, and later becomes a friend for life. Saying farewell outside Shrewsbury, Crach encounters an enormous awakening in his current reality. He could not speak English, not a word, although there was much he understood. A ‘dumb’ Crach is born as he joins a travelling circus and makes the long journey to London and his destiny. Along the way, Owain Glyndwr defends his dignity, and their friendship begins.

VOLUME ll

CRACH FFINNANT – RISE OF THE DRAGON

It is 1399, and twenty-five years have passed since Crach Ffinnant, dwarf, prophet, and seer, began a quest to serve the Prophecy. Henry Bolingbroke imprisoned Richard ll, taking the throne of England. Hating Glyndwr, Henry refuses to honour a debt and seeks revenge, sending an assassin to kill him. Tan-y-Mynedd the Dragon meanwhile searches endlessly in the deep caverns for the lost dragon eggs, and with hope in his heart, they exist. Unrest in Wales is at fever pitch, common folk and lords alike, gathering under the banners of the Red Dragon against the tyranny of King Henry and the English Lords. Within the year, unity would strike across the country, led by Owain Glyndwr. War loomed on the horizon, and King Henry’s wrath would be avenged.

VOLUME III

CRACH FFINNANT – RAVENS AND DRAGONS

It is late summer in 1400, and the Welsh Rebellion is gaining pace as the army gathers strength under the leadership of Prince Owain Glyndwr. King Henry, marching to Scotland with ten thousand men, turns swiftly back from the borders and invades North Wales. In an attempt to suppress the uprising, King Henry is greeted by the guile and guerilla tactics of the Welsh. Crach Ffinnant, ever at the Prince’s side, must juggle his time as there is much to do now Tan-y-Mynned has found the dragon eggs. King Henry is concerned about the chatter and natter of dragons and sends Lord Edmund to investigate. Meanwhile, Welsh soldiers capture Conwy Castle from the English without spilling blood. Even baby dragons grow, and though their species may now be certain, their future may be left much better forgotten.

VOLUME IV

CRACH FFINNANT – JUSTICE PREVAILS

Late winter 1402, the weather is bitter and harsh, biting into every pore like ice needles. Heavy snow and freezing temperatures almost slowed the English invasion to a full stop, except for the repeated attacks from Welsh raiders keeping them alert. Baron De Grey is captured and held for ransom whilst Fellows is found again, and this time, there is no escape as Glyndwr buries him alive in a tree. Meanwhile, the rogue dragons are creating havoc for Welsh and English alike. Tudur Glyndwr and Crach are captured whilst the Welsh continue to raid and slaughter the English as if they were marauding ghosts. Crach is full of anxiety as there are tough decisions to make, and no amount of magic can help this time.

COMING SOON

VOLUME V

CRACH FFINNANT – STRONGHOLD OF ILLUSION