Master Rez approached the manor on the side of the large hill. It was snowing and the path was frozen. He wore a glistening cape of gold, and was driven by a team of sixty white horses. The god and deviless had been kind to him for delivering them unto the world. Shamath rewarded him with a purse of endless gold, and Farhide laid a curse upon those who …

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Derian woke in a chair, wearing baggy clothes over armor, holding a short pipe and a fork in his mouth. He was at a large table, in a kitchen that was as large as the rectory he had been weaned in. A large woman, who could have been the twin of the Lord Sayn, protector of the Hopeless Marsh and the Western Fields of New Delm Province, moved in the room,…

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Derian had never gone against his master’s word, and told himself he would change course after another ten steps. But the light kept moving and he kept following. He waited to see if there was another strange step, or an archway that they would move through. He peaked his ears to listen to their chatter.

“…no armor can’t…”

“…prepared, he’ll have to…”

“…pro…

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“Master Rez!” Derian shouted, looking at the figure in the freshly carved entrance. He was silhouetted by a bright lantern behind him. Rock dust floated in the cave, sent up by the falling rock.

Yet even in hazy profile the master was apparent. He stood well over normal height, and had a beard that ran down and was kept pinned by a belt. His head was sha…

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Outside the rectory, Derian leaned against a large tree amongst the gravestones and tried to catch his breath. Breaking the bead with one hand had sent large pieces of pottery deep into his flesh, and he shook as he removed the sharp curved earthenware slivers.

He sucked the webbing between his thumb and forefinger, tasting the iron of his blood.He sat b…

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The horses that had been stabled beside the homes were mummified as the rabbit had been, with no sign of consumption from bird or beast. Only flies swarmed them, and they climbed in and out of their mouths and nostrils as if they were caves of rock instead of flesh.

The beasts laid dead with their heads cocked up against their food troughs, the stables s…

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Derian smelled the food before he saw the gate. He had fasted for two days, as was appropriate for the job he was taking on. There was cooking pork on the air, cloves and garlic from the western Wagoneer nation. The scent of fresh bread ran under it. Sharp smoke ran above it. Smoke was the smell of people. Yet he saw that the smells were deceiving as th…

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The monk, Derian, rode in the back of a wagon with Lord Sayn, protector of the Hopeless Marsh and the Western Fields of New Delm Province. The monk was short and wore simple brown robes tied around his waist with a braided cord. Around his neck, eight beads as large as his fists were strung with heavy steel chain. The four orbs at the bottom of the neck…

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Overture

Black haired men in tattered smocks felled trees from the forest and pulled them in front of the broken wooden gate. Behind the gate was a village devoid of life, where nothing but the wind stirred. In front of the gate a fire raged in a pit, and waist-high pyramids of stone had been stacked at the pit’s ends. The flame was one pace across and f…

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But for those who love the fantasy, you’re in luck! In two weeks, the Overture (what I’m now calling my introduction chapter, as introduction implies something else in my head (the author introducing…

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