Valderia

Slayer:Few can do what I do. Even entire armies fall short, compared to me. The Elementals I slay are too dangerous to fight without the magical and physical skills I have earned over years, through sacrifice and tireless dedication. Even Zom-Ka, the Chaos Child who has travelled to my continent in search of adventure, can only do so because of his training and innate magical skill. And Koshidi? The hook-wielding young woman from the Mountain Clans? She barely manages. But we must slay them for Lady Molvik to make it to the sanctuary of the savannah city of Sharnich before the forces of The Old King catch up with her army. And his people are after us too. Tracking us. Hunting us. And the Elementals are getting stronger, better, more dangerous. Seemingly adapting to Zom-Ka and me. They are using tactics I have never seen before. They are combining with each other into glorious and dreadful new forms. And while Koshidi is careful, Zom-Ka is relishing the challenge. Always seeking out the most dangerous. Feeling rather than thinking. And using death magic. His skill is undeniable. But so is the danger he poses. Not only to our foes but maybe even to us.NOTE:This is the original version, which uses colour-coded text. A greyscale version, optimised for greyscale devices, is also available. This coloured version may not display correctly in certain e-reader night modes.Books in the Valderia series:V00 OvertureV01M01 Chosen MissionistV02M02 Heretical MissionistV03M03 Hellbound Missionist Writer. Philosopher. Human. In that order. Valderia is a series of fantasy novels, written by A.C.Karzun.

"Being Chosen does not mean one was chosen for something one will like." - Fi-LanBra-Non is Chosen. Or so says the newly crowned Leader of the Valderians. Interpreting his Divine Vision as approval to go ahead with his bold plans, To-Rin changes the missionists' tasks. As Bra-Non is sent on missions, Fi-Lan joins the order, pressured by his father, but in the end, he runs away. Years later the Kuran tribes start to gather together, seemingly to invade the Valderian lands. Bra-Non is sent to find out who is leading them and on the way meets Fi-Lan, now on his way back home. Fi-Lan decides to join him and they speak with two wizards, Zha-Kro and Arikana, who know who leads the Kuras, the Demon Evriadon, The Warbringer. They also have a plan to defeat him using a powerful staff, which will need to be reassembled. But Fi-Lan does not fully trust them, as much as he might like Arikana. For the staff itself they need to perform a task for a spirit. So they travel to the islands of the water-serpent-like beings, the Sillnaks, where they will also be able to find the first of the three gems they will need. As it turns out, it is in the depths of the ocean, in the possession of a powerful and immortal sorceress. After that, they head deep into the Dwar'Doga Mountains for the second gem, only to learn that it has been stolen by the Froonts, the beings the Dwar'Das use for slave labour. Their leader believes himself to be a prophet and now leads an uprising. So they will have to venture into the mines if they wish to retrieve it. Meanwhile, despite the Valderian army's best efforts, the Kuran armies are at the gates of the Valderian capital. But the last gem should be easy, simply steal it from an Alavaran noble's home. But things are never easy. As a Demon once told Bra-Non, "When playing in the province of the Divine, only those Chosen can conquer and achieve Victory." And he is not convinced he is Chosen.Books in the Valderia series:V00 OvertureV01M01 Chosen MissionistV02M02 Heretical MissionistV03M03 Hellbound Missionist Writer. Philosopher. Human. In that order. Valderia is a series of fantasy novels, written by A.C.Karzun.

"Always look before you leap. But always leap." - Al-ArkaOne thing is clear about Missionist Al-Arka, people like her. She is, on the surface, nothing but trouble. She drinks too much. She has no respect for anyone or anything. She flaunts the rules. And she is good at everything without any discernable effort, which should have made all around her envious. But when one scratches that surface, she appears to be something special. For all her disrespect, she never seems to rub people the wrong way. Except for the Missionist Council, or maybe just anyone with authority. And she has Faith. Because of this, she was not kicked out of the Academy when she murdered a fortrin but instead banished to Karzunidat. Now, seven years later, Kup-Nawzh is sent to bring her back and write a report on her. Her mentor had a mission for her, to find out where the karzunoid animal creatures that have been encountered are from but her banishment has postponed that. The Council feels that now is the time to send her on that mission. Eventually she gets to the Red Forest, following in Bra-Non's footsteps, and there she meets the lizard beings he had encountered and they invite her to the Eastern Continent for answers. After that, two thing become clear. Firstly, the fortrins still want 'justice' for what she has done. Secondly, something is happening to her, she keeps going into a trance where she writes out strange and esoteric things about the Kosmos. Things she should not know about, such as The Three Forces of Creation, Preservation and Destruction. And about Deities divorcing. And once on the Eastern Continent she learns even more unbelievable things. Things that can only be described with one word, heretical.Books in the Valderia series:V00 OvertureV01M01 Chosen MissionistV02M02 Heretical MissionistV03M03 Hellbound Missionist Writer. Philosopher. Human. In that order. Valderia is a series of fantasy novels, written by A.C.Karzun.

Pugs-Lofa knows she is special, everyone on the Missionist Council has told her, including the High-Missionist of Cormona. It is a heavy burden though, to have such expectations placed upon one's shoulders. It has been a long while since the last Chosen Missionist and people seem to be expecting her to be the next one. So they keep sending her on missions, each one harder than the last because she has a talent for surviving them. She has to, for her lover, Gazho-Hula. If she dies, the woman she loves might move on. She might find someone else and arrive in the afterlife in love with someone else. That is the only things that she truly fears. Her death could cost her, her love. If the God of Strength has some special fate in mind for her, she will gladly accept it. But if He does not, that would suit her just fine. As long as she can be with Gazho-Hula, the rest is unimportant. For all her religious faith, the only thing she truly believes in, is their love.And then her lover leaves. After all those missions she went on, Gazho-Hula finally has one of her own: an expedition to the Northern Continent. The Gorths uncovered a settlement of sorts as well as mass-graves. They found grosses of skeletal remains from at least nine different karzuns. And no one knows what happened to them or why they were there in the first place.After a few months, Pugs-Lofa is finally allowed to travel to the Northern Continent and spend time with her love. Her life. But when she arrives, she finds that the place is empty and there are no signs of any struggle. But she does find the telltale signs of people falling over and there are strange footprints everywhere. They seem to have been made by feet that have talons instead of toes. She knows of only one karzun on this continent that has those: the Northern Korrosin. A viciously intelligent people, dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. As part of that pursuit, they perform terrifying and horrible experiments on living subjects. And they do so in their underground lands, known to the outside as 'Hell'.A cold takes hold of her. The devils took her lover.She whispers it to herself. "The devils took my lover." Then she repeats it, again and again, until warmth returns to her. And that warmth becomes a fire, raging in her soul.They took her life from her.She sneers at the world. No worries, she will just have to take her back.Books in the Valderia series:V00 OvertureV01M01 Chosen MissionistV02M02 Heretical MissionistV03M03 Hellbound Missionist Writer. Philosopher. Human. In that order. Valderia is a series of fantasy novels, written by A.C.Karzun.

The Celestial Castle of Dreams. Most people will recognise its name or symbol, the moment they see it, even if they cannot quite place where they know it from. And then most wish to seek it out, even if they do not understand why.Giney grew up in The Fortrin Order but has never been sure that it is where he belongs. Tisk has always been a thief, even when she was a prostitute. So, where else would she end up but in the Thieves' Guild? But for the whole of her life? Eyna tried to keep that dark part of himself hidden, until, one day, he decided not to. And so, he ended up as a torturer for Valderia's assassins' guild, the Black and Red Blades. And though he is happy there, he wishes for more. Dof was once a soldier, now he fights in The Pit and breaks legs for a loan shark. He needs out, he needs a better life, one worth living. Ornu joined the monastery because she did not want to stand out, and then, by accident and talent, she did. Until she got older, now she wishes she had never discovered that talent. All five come to discover the existence of The Castle and all feel it might be the answer to their problems. If they can pass through its chambers and pass its trials, they will each be rewarded with one thing. What that thing will be? That is up to them. Power? Love? Immortality? It is all possible.Unka is an az-kani and a very powerful sorcerer. She heard about The Castle as a child and when everything was taken from her, she made finding it her goal. Reluctantly, she lets the others join her not only in finding it but also in entering it. But only after they have helped her defeat the powerful being that holds the key to The Castle. They might die doing that. They might die in The Castle. She does not much care, as long as she gets the one thing she needs. Writer. Philosopher. Human. In that order. Valderia is a series of fantasy novels, written by A.C.Karzun.

The word used was 'Tribute'. As King Mirrus' great conquest of Unification swept across the Gorthsian continent, new-born children were taken as his Chosen. Raised in the Royal Castle, they were trained from birth to safeguard that Unification.Dann was born in Brinkon, just across the sea from The Kingdom's Capital. His parents had been executed for speaking out against High King Mirrus, so when Gayle Wintereyes started his revolution in Brinkon, he joined him.As the Chosen continue to protect The Kingdom from whomever they deem to be a threat –often using cruel methods– the revolutionaries try to get their victories where they can. After robbing military shipments, they set their sights on liberating the slave city of Sharnich. They believe that taking the city will be the clarion call for a Kingdom-wide revolution.At that same time, the commander of the Chosen, along with his lover, and his best friend, are in Sharnich to quell the brewing uprising there. To the Chosen, losing Sharnich would be the beginning of the end. They must ensure that the city remains part of The Kingdom, as well as make sure that the Kingdom-wide rebellion ends before it can even begin. By whatever means they deem necessary. Writer. Philosopher. Human. In that order. Valderia is a series of fantasy novels, written by A.C.Karzun.

Following the events of The King's Chosen, El'Fury, Lance and Cat travel to the city of their births to find out who they really are. After finding the items left by his parents, El'Fury discovers that they were in fact members of an alien race, part of a team of explorers. Hoping to learn more about both his parents and his people, the three of them travel across several continents, looking for the items that the explorers have left behind. Along the way, they talk to Deities and Demons. They meet up with some of the remaining members of the Rallicean expedition team. They spend time in the colourful and exotic lands and cities belonging to the various peoples that populate the world. And travel by new forms of transports, such as trains and steamboats. Eventually ending up at the spacecraft that brought the Ralliceans to this planet.As they travel, they hope to make peace with their past, trying to not only work out who they are now, but who they wish to be. Writer. Philosopher. Human. In that order. Valderia is a series of fantasy novels, written by A.C.Karzun.