 The Briar King provides a fantasy explanation for the mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke Colony in 16th century Virginia, suggesting the colonists had been abducted by the dimension-crossing Skasloi and enslaved.Virginia Dare was a real person, dubbed the "first English child born in the Americas".With subtle linguistic change, "Virginian" became "Virgenyan", which translated in the language of the slaves as "the born men".