But while the better-known Laurence Gardner has received fame, fortune, accolades, and numerous book contracts as a reward for his work, a lesser-known figure has lurked quietly ion the shadows up until the present. As the Sovereign Grand Master of the Imperial and Royal Dragon Court and Order, Prince Nicholas de Vere von Drakenberg provided the inspiration, the research, and a hefty portion of the writing for Gardner's Genesis of the Grail Kings and Realm of the Ring Lords.