Torliana is an elf who seeks the ways of order. She enters the temple of Hellavar - Lord of Order and Fire to train as a monk in his service.
Despite four years of training, she still finds herself desperate for acceptance in the temple and when she fails in her testing to become a Flame Dancer she is seduced by Thynitic, The Lady of Chaos.
The Lady of Chaos uses the elf to call a chaos storm down on the temple destorying it and all those who are there. Torliana confronts the High Priest, Brular, whom she feels rejected her, and sends him to Thyntic's Citadel in the abyss to be a toy for the goddess' Chaos demons as she accepts her place and begins her own Descent into Chaos
Torliana stood with the other new acolytes; Kindling was the proper title, as the ranking members of the temple waited for the arrival of the new High Priest of Mount Veri. She chided herself again, he was the Keeper of the Flame, she had been here two days, she should at least be thinking with the proper titles. She forced herself to focus on the events she was to be a part of, despite wanting to enjoy the antics of a small purple fairy dragon that was flitting near the right wall. Dragons were rare in Shokar and considered a bad omen when they appeared. She, however, thought the creature was beautiful and worthy of admiration. Besides, she didn’t believe in omens--good or bad. Fate was what you made of it; not something preordained.
She had felt uneasy since coming to the temple of Hellavar, but she was determined to succeed. She knew the task she had set herself would be difficult, particularly as an elf, whose very nature rebelled against strict order. Yet, here she was seeking that order.
She watched as a man came riding into the courtyard, his horse held to a slow walk. His armor while emblazoned with the fires of Hellavar seemed loose as he slowly slid from the saddle. One of the Kindling dashed forward, bowed and took the reins of the horse and led the mount to the sables. So, this is the one everyone has whispered about since I got here. Torliana studied him beneath veiled lash. How can this man be the one they call the Great Bringer of Law, Hellavar’s Blazing Judge? She suppressed a smile when the man seemed to stumble a bit as he took a couple of steps. Saddle sore and yet he travels the length and breath of Shokar, a respected judge even by Tormasus’ High General and Dh’Mark’s King. This cannot be the one who will be taking over leadership of the temple.
She fought the frown she knew was on her face as Rynalia, Mistress of the Brotherhood of the Flame, the order of monks Torliana had been accepted into, stepped forward, bowed her head to the priest, and then offered to escort him into the temple. The priest nodded to the Mistress of the Flame, then let his gaze wander over those assembled in the courtyard. His eyes widened as they met Torliana’s and she bowed her head slightly. She had enough discipline to recognize that despite her opinion of him, his position was still that of Keeper and she would respect the position.
A half-zythian bard gets caught up in an affair with the Duchess of Highlake. The Duke wants him dead and our hero is forced to flee through a forest that no one has ever returned from.
A pirate/mermaid love story fantasy set in the 17th - 18th centuries the Golden Age of pirates. A thrilling adventure that creatures a new and unique mythology - Book 1 of the Gemstone Series.
