Congruent Mage

Young wizards coming of age in a time of war.... Will they be ready? Eynon was excited to leave his village and set off on his wander year. He'd turned 16 today, and hoped for at least a few adventures. At high noon, he arrived a crossroads and saw a shimmer of silver in the mud. It was a thin and dirty oval, about the size of his palm. He washed it with squirts of water from his goatskin, then marveled at what was revealed. It was a silver amulet, worked with complex, interlaced designs. An oval blue gem more than an inch across, with deep facets, was set in its center. The silver danced with reflected sunlight and the gem seemed to be filled with sparks. It was the most beautifully crafted thing he'd ever seen. Eynon noticed strange writing on the back of the amulet. As he raised it to eye level for closer inspection, one of his fingers inadvertently pressed a small stud on the edge. A tremendous blast of blue fire shot out from the gem on the opposite side, striking an ancient leafless oak and turning it into a flaming torch. Someone behind him whistled. Eynon dropped the amulet, afraid of what else it might do, and turned to see an old farmer, leaning on a shovel. "Well, young man," said the farmer. "It looks like you're going to need a wizard."

Kingdoms are at war and young wizards Eynon and Merry are thrust into a complex web of conflicts, conspiracies, and long-hidden secrets as they learn more about the true threats facing Dâron, including an invasion by 500 dragonships from the northern kingdom of Bifurland. On the Bifurlanders' flagship, Eynon demonstrates his magic for their king. "What would you like to see?" asked Eynon. "Something big and showy", said King Bjarni's young daughter Sigrun. It will have to be a fireball, thought Eynon. He twirled his staff a few times, trying to look impressive, then realized he'd need a lot more practice before he could. Eynon held up his staff and concentrated, calling on his red magestone for power and his blue magestone for control before releasing a concentrated blast of energy skyward. Seconds later, everyone was tossed to the deck by a tremendous explosion overhead. Concentric rings of blue fire surrounded a glowing red ball. A massive boom like the loudest peal of thunder ever heard assaulted their ears. Waves of heat beat down, almost setting the ship's sails alight. "Oops", said Eynon.

Young wizards Eynon and Merry suddenly have to cope with a huge, scaly, ill-tempered fire-breathing problem allied with their worst enemy. "What. Is. That?" asked Merry. "Fly higher," shouted Nûd from the back of his wyvern. Merry and Eynon were side by side on their flying disks, hovering close by. The wyvern was already following Nûd's recommendation and gaining altitude. Eynon and Merry did likewise until they were 100 feet up and could witness the terrifying scene unfolding below. The floor of the quarry buckled and split, revealing a huge, green-scaled monstrosity. Rocks from the quarry floor were sliding off the beast's back, crashing down into piles of jagged stone. A cloud of greenish dust rose from the quarry as boulders the size of milk cows sailed skyward, tossed up by snapping layers of stone. Then, the great beast's long neck came free, releasing a wedge-shaped head with a mouth large enough to swallow them all in one bite and teeth the size of scimitars. The head moved left and right, using long-dormant muscles. Intelligent dark green eyes with vertical black pupils blinked in the sunlight. Their depths seemed to spin in a hypnotic pattern. "Well," said the great green dragon. "Is it time?"

Young wizards, Eynon and Merry, and their friends prepare for an unexpected invasion by a deposed Roma emperor bent on conquering Orluin with her vast fleet and forty legions.