lands beyond time
1. At the Broken Places
Aylen and Kosal have traveled together ever since they helped each other escape from a notorious gang of bounty hunters two years ago. When they come upon and save a young man from his attackers, they have no idea he is the heir to the powerful Seba Guild which is based in the coastal city of Soki. The assassins on their tail tip them off that their new traveling companion is not what he seems. Though reluctant to be pulled into what could become an ugly turf war, the mercenaries ultimately decide they can’t abandon Bako to fend for himself. Keeping him alive and helping him take back his birthright will require calling on the help of some old friends and relying on the skills they’ve gained from their own harsh pasts. 2. Through the Labyrinth After leaving Soki, Aylen and Kosal decide to visit the tourism capital of Norash, a large city called Jaipur. They intend the trip to be a vacation, a break from the often frenetic pace of their lives. Yet almost as soon as they arrive, they get mixed up in the plans of a gang leader named Ravi, who has consolidated power in the slums of the city. As far as Ravi sees it, the rising tension in Jaipur has everything to do with a mysterious masked woman named Prita. She arrived in the city about a year and a half ago from the old continent of Astan. The authorities say the governing council invited her to act as an adviser but Ravi isn’t so sure her ambitions stop there. Aylen and Kosal help him by infiltrating the upper ranks of society to tease out Prita’s real intentions but they wind up uncovering far more. 3. Crooked Timber Though they escaped Jaipur with their lives, Aylen and Kosal are weighed down, both by guilt for their unwitting part in its descent into chaos as well as their knowledge of the plot that threatens to engulf the continent. They decide to make their way back to Soki to pass their knowledge along to people who can try to halt it. Unfortunately, they don’t find the calm they seek. In fact, the city is once again on the verge of turmoil, this time as a result of a tragic death that also affects the mercenaries on a personal level. Inevitably, events begin to spiral out of control as competing interests battle each other and even people trying to do good pull in different directions. Aylen and Kosal find themselves in the unfamiliar position of being on the edges of power, forced to act as mediators, advisers and strategists. Yet with the events of Jaipur fresh in their minds, it is hard not to doubt even their own judgment. 4. Dance of Shadows It’s been some months since Aylen and Kosal helped prevent Soki from spinning out of control. So naturally, those unhappy with the new order try to kill them. When the assassination attempts finally get out of hand, Bako and Nemia decide the two mercenaries need to get out of the city. Bako sends the mercenaries to the other side of the continent to check in on the key city of Rankai, which needs to remain stable if they are to have any chance at thwarting the plot to throw the entire continent into upheaval. On the trip, they encounter plenty of evidence that nothing they do can stop the plans already in motion. By the time they get to Rankai, they are feeling demoralized. On top of that, Aylen is also grappling with parts of her past never fully put to rest. Those old wounds are only torn further when she realizes she has unfinished business in Rankai and unfulfilled promises that must be put aside if she and Kosal are to have any chance of doing good. 5. Dust Descend Aylen and Kosal leave Rankai behind, having done their best to wrest it back from the brink of war. Though its fate is uncertain, they have reason to hope for peace. Yet as they travel to Soki, they hear some disturbing rumors indicating the plot to plunge the continent into chaos is proceeding apace. The Indoran army lands on the western shore of Norash after a long trip over the ocean and quickly amasses a significant amount of territory. Like the colonizing forces that attempted to swallow Norash two hundred years ago, they are attracted by the possibility of spreading their influence amid the upheaval gripping the continent. Meanwhile, another army led by the High Queen of the tribes inhabiting the northern end of the continent is moving south on a collision course with the Indorans. The tribes keep the memory of the last wave of colonization alive and their new High Queen will stop at nothing to prevent it from happening again. Since Aylen and Kosal are destined to go without rest, they agree to mix in with the mercenaries the Indorans are hiring so they can investigate the foreign army seeking to overrun their continent. |
Under the Vault of Heaven
Floating Isles
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