-Layla-

The Queen of Mahersland lays in a tomb. An ashen horror, she burned in bed at night without explanation but freak tragedy… or blood magic.

-Khorial-

       After a life spent climbing the steps of power, Khorial becomes king. No sacrifice is too grave for him. In a world rife with corruption, Khorial offers everyone equal rights. He’ll shield the helpless, bring the slavers to justice… and unify the shattered survivors of war in the effort to rebuild. Anonymously. With face covered in armour, and true name kept hidden.

       “The Phoenix King. The Great Catalyst.” In truth, he is a visionary, transforming his people’s hearts into instruments of rebirth. But behind black doors, he’ll wield every strategem and deception to divide his rivals.

       Khorial scrambles for leverage over the island nations, charging his warriors to sow mistrust between great leaders, and sunder their alliances in darkness. By dawn, crowds gather to his golden voice. Street folk chant the burning words of change. Khorial must ignite them, before the brewing wars boil over.

        Even as cheering swells, the rotted remnants of the druid rebellion, the hideously hungry draysks, devour any who cannot hide behind stone walls…

       Under the guidance of the traitouros druid Summer, Khorial learns to use blood magic. Upon a string of ritual murders, he and Summer summon a deity.

-The Red Star-

       Nym appears to be a feint red star, hiding inside the brilliance of clustered constellations. It burns brighter after it’s fed, growing huge and ruddy, and hungry with desires. 

       Nym’s red rite ignites unquenchable burning, destroying people in moments. The Rite of Fire finishes battles before they can begin. Only blood sacrifices can fuel this new weapon, and even Khorial cannot plan for the irrevocable chaos the rite shall unleash. Only a few scattered druids fathom the apocalyptic magic of the Rite of Fire. 

-Helena-

       Helena is more comfortable among wild beasts than with other people. A seasoned druid and spy, she’s dedicated to her leader, the Guardian. But she’s tempted to stray from the Guardian’s strange instructions when she begins piecing together the bloody work of her lost sister, Summer. As the dark remains of Summer’s betrayals are revealed, old black hatreds reignite.

       Together with Giri, a brave boy driven by his dreams of draysk slaying, he and Helena will run to face the Red Star, and be the first to damage it, if they can.

-Blay and Aleena-

     Blay is a folk hero saught by all. Since childhood, he and Khorial were best friends. Their bond was made of shared ambitions. Sundered, when Blay discovered Khorial using blood magic. Tormented by his unhealing wounds, Blay wanders the wastes and woods alone. He hunts the freakish draysks, hoping to die with a bloody sword.

       Aleena is a sheltered druid, hidden deep in the wilderness of Deepthicket. A genius herbalist, her potions are versatile and able to heal almost anything.

       Blay and Aleena struggle to trust each other. She feels overwhelmed, having known no life outside of planting seeds and healing animals. She’s terrified by the hugeness of society, feeling helpless to the corruptions and trickery of humans, which Blay says are normal.

        When she becomes Gaurdian, she’ll inherit millenia of ancient memories, magic, and grave responsibilities.

       Together, Blay and Aleena feel renewed. He arouses Aleena’s magic. She senses the wound Khorial left burning in his chest, infused with Nym’s red magic. Blay’s terrifying memories of that day burn deeper than Khorial’s swordcut in his ashen chest. But if Blay can expose his tender wounds and dark memories to Aleena, she might hold the power to heal him.

       Together, Blay and Aleena could sow the seeds of Khorial’s defeat. But until fear is put down and enemies forgiven, it may be impossible to slay the Red Star.