Aliotas “For I have stood amongst the swirling of the Spores, felt their kiss upon my skin. For that alone I am a man changed.” Upon impact from sufficient height, water was no better than stone. Senna had told him so once, as they looked down over the sea from the cliffs back home. “I want to drift down, just break the surface and cool off.” The heat had been stifling that summer. Dram was stripped down to nearly nothing, still baking while he dreamed of cold ale and a s

Leviathan “They say Hallowed are immune to the touch of Madness, but with each passing day, I am not so sure.” The first rule for fighting a Leviathan is simple: Don’t. The second rule is simple in theory, but nearly impossible in practice: Run. Out on the open ocean, caught between Leviathan-infested water and the rocky cliffs that would smash their ship to pieces, their options were limited. Still, taking their chances with the cliffs was preferable. Captain Emil snappe

Of Gods and Men “Is it a singular moment of fleeting lucidity? Or does it occur gradually, so that when it finally arrives, it takes us wholly unaware?” The seas were restless but not roiling. Aevar found enjoyment in the journey; Dram did not. Was it Tritum’s Blessing that drove Aevar’s affinity for the sea? Or was it memories from childhood? Dram’s own upbringing in Sol Septis gave him a healthy appreciation for the ocean and its many treacheries. But from up so high, h

Unto Dawn “How will I know when I’ve finally gone Mad?” Dram sol Verias sat at the edge of the world and waited for it to end. Morning stole across the cliffs. Streaks of light, pale and red, flowed down the sheer stone face. Wind and waves were mute as they flowed below, the soundlessness catching like fire as the world was set ablaze. Dram stared far out over the water, watching it shuffle ever inward, constantly endeavoring to change but somehow remaining the same. He

Prologue – A Fate Worse Than Death They were still dancing in the square when the first Spores began to fall. Breath misted and crystallized around Pylia as she laughed and spun. It had been so long since she had felt like a girl. The burden of rule weighed on her like a stone, heavier each year since standing across from Goran all those years ago by the Morning Throne. Time had beaten those smiles out of them. Recently she had begun to fear they may never wear them again.