“It is time,” the Ravener’s resonated through the cavern, shaking every surface.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
Water churned below.
Ravener-spawn recoiled: hive-queens, behemoths, hives-as-one, blood-hydras, gibbering legions trembled, prostrating themselves on the banks of the lake. Only one being remained still: the corpse of Uldar, elevated on its stony ...
2024-05-03 21:55:54 +0000 UTC View PostFires blazed across the Fields of Cormac.
Ravener-spawn corpses—heaped high—burned beneath the evening sky, filling the air with thick black smoke and a foul odour. Even now—hours after the battles of Cormac and Welling had been won—members of the Thameish army were still gathering fallen monsters, incinerating them on great pyres.
To the south, the remainder of the army—i...
2024-05-02 20:58:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe sun rose over a forest to the east, its rays piercing the sea breaking on a beach to the west.
A beach choked with corpses.
The stench of putrefying flesh hung heavy in the air, while the sound of metal cleaving bodies, and beasts roaring echoed over the wind. Ravener-spawn writhed on the vast fields between the trees and sand. Chitterers struck improvised weapons against ...
2024-05-01 22:19:00 +0000 UTC View PostAlex’s voice, deep and commanding, cut through the din of the tavern.
Grizzled mercenaries, ferocious warriors, and conquerors imposing in their jewelled armour, gave him their attention. Some faces were young, some old. Some bodies were hulking. Some lean. Their races and species were as diverse as their equipment.
And yet their eyes were the same.
Hard.
Piercing.
... 2024-04-30 21:57:09 +0000 UTC View PostAlex stood in the doorway of the Whetstone Tavern.
Though many of the bar’s patrons were clad like any common mercenary or itinerant warrior, some carried one or more objects that radiated great power.
A sword encrusted with glyphs was belted at the waist of an elven woman. An enormous axe—of oddly familiar, yet mysterious metal—radiated power from where it was strapped to the...
2024-04-27 19:58:30 +0000 UTC View Post“Nothing? Not one trace?” Alex asked, floating high in the Thameish sky.
“No, archwizard,” spoke one of the twelve astral engeli hovering in front of their summoner. “We did not sense a single thread of divine energy in the swamp.”
He gestured to the expanse of Crymlyn below, with its steaming bogs and twisted trees. The other astral engeli shook their heads grimly.
<... 2024-04-26 21:28:01 +0000 UTC View PostThameland’s springtime was usually a season of endless rains, cloudy skies, and chilling mists that covered the realm, seeming to last for days on end. But lately, nature had been kinder, sharing the Generasi skies with these northern lands.
The sun had been unusually bright and warm, beaming down in all its glory. From coast to coast, the heavens were clear, the air warm and filled wit...
2024-04-25 21:31:10 +0000 UTC View Post“A Clan…Duncan…was it?” asked Lord von Anmut, his voice terribly strained. “I seem to be unfamiliar with such a family. Praytell, what is the, er, lineage of Clan Duncan?”
“Father,” Isolde hissed.
“I, erm, am simply curious about the large, baaaaarbari…” He paused as his daughter’s expression turned demonic. “Er, baarrr…barrel chested 2024-04-24 20:56:24 +0000 UTC View Post
Note: Again, this chapter is very long. Apologies! I try to stick to chapter lengths for Fool.
Isolde von Anmut turned beet red before turning pale. Her hands shook. Her body tensed.
She looked to the sky, eyes fixed on the clouds to steady herself before returning her attention to the stage.
The young noblewoman took a deep breath, rose to her fu...
2024-04-23 21:34:21 +0000 UTC View PostThe young archwizard’s name was etched on his chair.
Literally.
Golden, glowing letters—written on the surface of transparent force magic—spelled the name ‘Alexander Roth’ in all of its glory. The young man from Alric paused, taking it all in.
‘Alexander Roth’.
Just over three years ago, that was the name of a simple, orphaned baker’s assistant from a tin...
2024-04-20 21:49:49 +0000 UTC View PostCedric winced, scratching at the green tunic trimmed in golden filigree. It clung to his shoulders and chest, pulling at the seams, its sleeves were a half–finger width too short. “Haven’t worn this thing in five years. Feels like I'm ‘bout to sweat m’self t’death.”
“Then take it off!” Alex suggested. “You look weird wearing a shirt! Why are you wearing it anyway?” T...
2024-04-19 22:52:58 +0000 UTC View PostA powerfully built figure appeared in the centre of the lecture hall, drawing the attention of those waiting there.
Alex Roth—just teleported in from the countryside—adjusted his crimson robes as his loved ones materialised seconds later. Around the room, a cluster of graduating students, their friends, and family were a sight to behold, dressed in their finest clothing to honour the ...
2024-04-18 21:23:34 +0000 UTC View PostNote: I'm very sorry, but this is one of the longest chapters in Fool. I tried to get it down to size but just couldn't
Morning sunlight streamed through shuttered windows.
Drawn curtains stopped neither bird-song, the chattering of children on their way to school, nor the tempting aroma of baking bread from drifting into the bedchamber.
Yet, the room’s...
2024-04-17 16:58:51 +0000 UTC View Post“Good job, Cedric!” Alex clapped for the Chosen, giddy with excitement. “You're close!”
“Aye, I’d be a lot closer if’n you’d be so kind t’not break me bloody flow wit’ yer lip flappin’!” The Chosen snapped from between clenched teeth. Cedric’s eyes were shut tight, his breathing was laboured; he weaved his body through the Spear-and-Oar Dance in the middle of the...
2024-04-16 19:52:04 +0000 UTC View PostChancellor Baelin handed Alex several sheets of parchment. “Here you go; your exam results,” Baelin said solemnly. "You did well, to the surprise of absolutely no one."
The young archwizard took the papers from his mentor, quickly searching for his marks.
Magic Lore: 100%. Alex nodded, pleased with his mark. The exam was probably challenging for most, especially...
2024-04-13 21:00:55 +0000 UTC View PostHart Redfletcher pushed himself up off the ground, then helped Alex to his feet.
“That was something.” The Champion cracked his neck. “Felt like when I first got my Mark, but…not as painful.”
“Merzhin and Drestra said something similar,” Alex replied. “I'm glad it didn't hurt much…I mean that fall kinda hurt but—”
“You're breaking our deal, Alex,” Har...
2024-04-12 21:58:32 +0000 UTC View Post“You have done well,” Alex heard the whisper in his ear.
“You have earned my full approval,” the god of Thameland said. “A new technique to enhance the Sage. Something from another discipline growing what you already possess. That is my way. With my second-in-command, the General, granting you his approval, I empower you fully. Go. Destroy the Rav...
2024-04-11 21:01:55 +0000 UTC View PostRed scales layered Drestra’s body from snout, to claw, to spear-tipped tail. She towered over Alex and most of the nearby trees as she stretched her long neck, taking her to full height.
Flame burned between her fangs.
Drestra, of Crymlyn Swamp.
Drestra, the Sage of Thameland.
Drestra the dragon.
As Alex took in the full majesty of her draconic form, he had to sh...
2024-04-10 22:19:03 +0000 UTC View PostPrince Khalik had first heard the common tongue in infancy.
His very first memories of hearing any language were of his mother, brother, father, nanny and nursemaid speaking Tekish, and on some occasions, the common tongue.
When those close to him spoke to members of the household staff who’d hailed from abroad, he would hear the language. Well before he turned six, on days when h...
2024-04-09 20:56:53 +0000 UTC View PostBrilliant white radiance blazed through the cavern, emanating from Merzhin’s hand as he applied pressure to Birger’s stump. A joyful noise arose, sounding like a hundred voices—filling the air with song from the celestial planes and the cavern with choral harmony. The melody built, deep and powerful like a tidal wave breaking against the shoreline.
Everyone near, bu...
2024-04-06 18:11:01 +0000 UTC View Post“Who’s there?” Birger shouted through the cottage door. “I warn you, I’m armed. If you’re here for my son—”
“Birger! It’s me! It’s Alex!” the General of Thameland cried. “We come in peace!”
“Alex?” the old firbolg asked. “Why are you back so soon?”
There were sounds of fumbling about inside the cottage, then the clack of a crutch quickly mov...
2024-04-05 20:41:37 +0000 UTC View PostThe Mark of the Saint flared as brightly as the noonday sun, sending Alex stumbling back, shielding his eyes.
“What's happening?” he cried. “Merzhin, what’s happening?”
All around the startled archwizard, came cries of alarm.
Watchers of Roal and their fellow guards scrambled to the top of the Castle wall. From the courtyard below, people were calling to each other.<...
2024-04-04 21:42:21 +0000 UTC View PostWarning: This chapter has darker than usual subtext.
Even in Thameland, the First Apostle’s interdiction had only reached Uldar’s Rise, only reaching that distance because Uldar’s Rise had a uniquely potent connection to the god.
How in all the hells then, was someone supposed to cover all of Thameland with an interdiction?
“It would be diffi...
2024-04-03 21:52:44 +0000 UTC View Post“Incorrectly?” Alex asked. “What do you mean by that? I remember you saying that divinity works by channelling a god's power through a gate in the soul. That means it could be channelled out in the same way, couldn’t it?”
“It is possible,” Merzhin said. “But I do not think that the way you are going about this is going to work. You are treating divinity too much like mana....
2024-04-02 21:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostAlex and his guest materialised inside the courtyard of the Research Castle. They made an odd duo, one broad shouldered, tall and powerfully built, the other short, slight, and looked at least five years younger than his actual twenty years.
Saint Merzhin looked around the courtyard with a melancholy expression. “So this is where you and the others would train. This was where Carey live...
2024-03-30 20:32:05 +0000 UTC View PostAlex blushed at the ancient archwizard’s praise. “Thanks, Baelin. And you don't have to apologise, you have your own—many lives—to live. The reason why you owed your cabal a favour in the first place was because you helped me, and I'll be forever grateful for that; I think it’d be pretty damn unreasonable of me to blame you for having to repay a favour they did for you because of me. ...
2024-03-29 21:43:16 +0000 UTC View Post“Does everything have to be a puzzle, Baelin?” Alex sighed. He remembered Professor Jules’ words about old beings turning everything into a riddle. At this moment, he found himself agreeing with her complaints.
Strongly.
“To make a point, it often does, though for my own amusement can also be a side benefit, but more to the point…” the chancellor smiled. “Let us ...
2024-03-28 20:07:00 +0000 UTC View PostHello everybody! Just as promised, I'm here to give ya the link to Mark of the Fool 5, narrated by the always amazing Travis Baldree. I know some of y'all have been waiting for this, so here it is, for your listening pleasure:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Mark-of-the-Fool...
I cannot say how deeply the connection runs, Alex.” Baelin turned, leaning against the window ledge and facing the young wizard. “Though I imagine it must be fairly deep if the Ravener’s mana is present throughout the entire island. Why? What are you thinking?”
Alex gripped the armrests of his chair. “Professor Jules explained how certain creatures, like liches, are able to rege...
2024-03-27 15:48:17 +0000 UTC View PostRecently, Alex had been feeling like he was walking through a mist of nostalgia. Since he'd come home to Generasi, he’d been experiencing things that he had missed terribly when he was in the Empire.
Conversations with his professors, time at home, time with his family, being on campus and in the city, in Greymoor, and being back in the lab doing research on the Ravener.
And...
2024-03-26 20:25:35 +0000 UTC View Post