Dawn of Destruction

By Sasan Shabrou

Hyaterra is a world much like ours was before the civilized world as we know it except with magic and wizards and helpful elves and amazing sword smiths. Now that the last great beast has been slain and the final horde of goblins and orcs have been shoved in a deep hole in the ground guard by the knights of Oshtex and Orichoro, the real monsters slither in the courts of Kings and the minds of powerful warlords. The eternal war between Sumrila and Vussaui rage on, the King Zephkletos plots of a new world based on freewill, and the sea dogs of Deruwa have talk of being free folk unchained from the powerful kingdom of Gycrun. This is the world of Hyaterra.

In this book you will meet Grandki, a towns leader in Deruwa, as he tries to take the noble course and making sure his children have a better future. Will Deruwa be successful in their goal of freedom or will the rebels be defeated by the might of Gycrun? Will surrounding kingdoms watch the battle unfold or will they pick a side and fight?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sasan Shabrou
• Release date: Oct 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370971428

Sasan Shabrou

Sasan Shabrou lives in Fairbanks, AK with his wife, two beautiful daughters, two dogs, three cats, and lots and lots of snowy mountains...

Book preview

Table of Contents

Brief Histories of the World

Homecoming

Whispers of Fire

Between Sea Dogs

The Start of a Nation

A Tighter Noose

Calls for a Council

Sparks of War

A Message for Free Men

Wind and Fire

Price of War

You know him by the Trail of the Dead

Council of Kings

Chapter 1



image-2.jpg

Brief Histories of the World

He stood by the road and waited. At first glance upon him it looked as if he was a beggar waiting for a ride into town or the next temple. He was a man who just stood in the sun. Carantos had just three items with him, the clothes he wore, his deep faith in the religion Barracuda, and a knife.

Damn the gods of Hyaterra, he thought to himself.

Hyaterra is a world much like ours long ago but with wizards, elves, dwarves and things that go bump in the night. After the last beast slain and the last goblin shoved in a deep hole in the ground where the knights of Oshtex and Orichoro stand a vigil to the horrors of Hyuro; the real monsters slither in the courts of Kings and the minds of powerful warlords. But in the mind of Carantos the evil lay inside the temples of the Gods of Time.

As vast as the lands of Hyaterra, the Gods of religion kept things in order amongst the Kings. There were the Gods of Time, Adamant for the Earth, Nidhoggr for water, Redtin for fire, Lead for wind, Gangrene for Death, and a recent addition Shinryu who was seen as a giant God and therefore ruler of the Gods. His steps caused earthquakes, his anger the thunder, and pretty much filled the space of everything the other Gods could not do. All this Canrantos ignored and called lies.

Prima, according to legend and songs of old is where life began, whether you were man, elf, dwarf, or troll. There you would find the great temples of old that reached to the sky. The priests of all races stayed to keep an eye on the temples and communication with the Gods for alls benefit. The wealthy would pilgrimage to Primwa to pay respects to the Gods and in doing so generating some sort of revenue for a dying land as all resources had naturally washed away. It were these pilgrims that Carantos waited for.

There are those in Primwa, like Carantos, who do not follow the Gods of Time but follow a new order of religion. A small following of Barracuda, whose belief that Barracuda is the God of life and therefore the God of Earth, water, wind, and fire. This small group of religious people have a distinct unlike for the worship of the Gods of Time and the money generated from travelers who seek the enlightenment from the Gods.

Finally it seemed as if Barracuda had answered his prayers. He saw movement in the distance. He felt in his heart that they were pilgrims heading towards the nearby temple. He knew they would follow the path he stood by as their road. In the past the prayers had been silent and unanswered. The followers of Barracuda felt hopeless in their goal for salvation. Carantos could not wait to get back and share the news of how Barracuda had answered his prayers.

The movement in the distance turned out to be a small caravan of a husband and wife and their son who had just come of age. They kept a good pace with their wagon and two horses. They followed the road straight to Carantos.

Can we help you good sir? the husband asked.

Carantos just smiled as he lifted the knife above his head. It was a ceremonial knife stolen from the nearby temple that he had taken after strangling the priest and two priestess who lived there. He knew it would be blunt so he knew to use more strength in his swing. After watching her husband be hacked apart, the wife just froze shocked at the horror she just witnesses. She gave no reaction when Carantos used the knife on her to take away her life. The son was a different story as he had pulled the knife they had carried for protection on their journey. He jabbed at Carantos but it had no effect. Carantos could tell the boy was better used holding the ropes of a plow than the handle of a weapon. All effort was used knocking the boy down on the ground. From the ground Carantos could hold the boys head up by the hair exposing the flesh of the neck. It would give for a nice thick cut. It wasn't as clean as Carantos had planned it to be but it was thick enough to let the blood squirt out quick enough to not let the boy have too much pain. A cough or two and then he quickly became just a third lifeless body by Carantos's feet.

Far from the lands of Primwa, lie the country of Atbythia with its righteous ruler Zephkletos, who happened to be a devout follower of the Gods of Time and believed all men should be free. Atbythia was safe from any danger and the citizens lived to prosper, Zephkletos worried though.

Hyus, the mage, stands close to Zephkletos as he eats his breakfast. Hyus is quiet and speaks very little; he is more of an observer and will speak with his eyes. Besides being skilled with magic he can also read people. He knows the ego of Zephkletos will get to be too big and if he wants to keep his spot next to him it is best to stay silent. Adelapatros, the general, enters the room. Adelapatros stands at attention at the end of the table.

Sit, Zephkletos commands. Adelapatros looks at Hyus who still stands behind the king. Hyus nods in agreement with the king. Adelapatros sits in a nearby chair at the table, the king slides a plate of fruits his way.

The reports from the boarders are in my lord, Adelapatros says before picking up a grape.

Any danger? Zephkletos asks as he pours a cup of milk