Chronicles of Acadoria. Drek the Reckless.

By Justin Lamothe and Stéphane Jalbert

The Acadoria Chronicles tell the story of a young man. He would become one of the greatest knights of his time. It begins with a dream foretelling his great destiny.

Inspired by the Guide of Great Knowledge, written by the illustrious sage Taradussa the Wise, Drek leaves the family farm to begin his glorious adventure in Shalma, the beautiful blue city. It’s in this wonderful city, worthy of the greatest legends, that Drek realizes to what extent reality goes beyond fiction. It’s where he meets Kirka, the one who will secretly shape the young adventurer’s destiny.

Embark in the unimaginable and exciting story of Drek, the first of five Acadoria Chronicles.

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Acadoria features the stories, adventures, and chronicles of several characters in a medieval fantasy universe. Different races and cultures compete for different territories on several planes of existence.

The Dee, who are the divine figures, are the most powerful beings in this universe and live in a dimension exclusive to them. Being worshiped by beings on the lower planes allows these deities to feed on their spiritual energy. These divinities receive their nourishment from the religions, the prayers, and the special attentions of those who live on the material planes. Sometimes they manipulate the fate of the mortals, either for fun or to feed themselves that way.
Among the populations that inhabit the planes of physical existence, the Kentras are the most powerful. They are part of the Dee’s lineage. They can tap into different powers that they can develop. Depending on their choice or depending on where they have been sent to develop their skills. They can evolve according to four unique powers: spiritual energy, mental energy, brute force, or mana. Mana emanates in different ways from natural sources. To fight, the Kentras use kentrels, or spells, either to attack or defend themselves, increase their own strength or reduce their enemy's power.

We can find several specializations in these Kentras. We could recognize them under other names such as water or fire mages, warriors, knights of light, or paladins, enchanters... there are also shamans with their songs that can awaken powerful trances, healers with their power to heal near or far, the druids and the alchemists with their different potions.

The Kentras can use a variety of artifacts to increase a power they already have or add new powers to their arsenal. These magical objects can take many forms such as rings, bracelets, armors, magic weapons, or any other object that would have received a magic ability.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Productions Three Lives
• Release date: Mar 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005114725

Book preview

Prologue

The Guide of Great Knowledge

by the Illustrious Taradussa the Wise

The continent of Karen’der consists of a place where conflicts and peace have coexisted in a precarious balance since its creation. Many reckless travellers have found their end terribly because of their ignorance or because they weren’t cautious enough. It’s extremely risky for any adventurer to go there without knowing about the customs of the different people they could encounter.

An exceptional man, the illustrious Taradussa the Wise, succeeded in exploring this dangerous place from top to bottom. He listed and identified most of the minerals, plants, animals, and intelligent species that inhabit this vast land and its spiritual and religious beliefs.

His goal was to offer a guide which would include all the necessary knowledge to the strongest and brightest explorers to allow them to survive longer in Karen’der. The legend says that he could have hidden scrolls at the four corners of the continent for those who prove themselves curious and insightful enough to find them. To this day, nobody knows what they contain.

Among the intelligent species, there are the Kalweiris. These people thrive in the great ancestral forests that are all over the continent. At the south of Karen’der, it’s possible to encounter the mighty warriors of the Ikuan race, although it’s mostly recommended to avoid them. Then, there are the Magmiques. They’re experts at working on minerals and gems. They have lived for centuries in the deep caves under the magnificent mountains.

As for the great divine beings, the Dee, there are three of them that are followed by a religious organization on this continent. They’re the most powerful to exist in the Acadoria universe. They’re the creators and destroyers of those worlds. They represent the virtues and vices, life, and death. They’re the only revered entities of this universe. They are.

Dee Vispa, Supreme Master of Light.

Dee Draken’nor, Great Lord of Chaos.

Dee Mariela, Mother of the World, Spirit of Life. She’s the progenitor of Mana.

The Dee, in their great wisdom, have allowed some intelligent beings to possess a tiny part of their power. They’re called Kentras. According to Taradussa the Wise teaching, there are two ways one can become a Kentra.

Either you’re born in the bloodline of a Dee, which automatically makes you a Kentra, or you gain this power.

Since this capacity is almost useless at its raw state, it’s necessary for a Kentra to learn how to use it in a Kentric school. This is where he or she will be taught to manipulate the physical energy, the mana, the spiritual or mental energy.

Two forces fight to control the northern part of the continent. There are at the east the armies devoted to Dee Vispa, and at the west, the armed forces that have sworn fidelity to Lord Drokanor, who worships Dee Draken’nor.

The Starry Night

Nothing. It was dark. In front of him, behind him … all around him was only nothingness, vast, empty, and lifeless space. Nothing existed, not even the whisper of a memory. He was moving, without having to do anything, in the infinite darkness. He became conscious that it was night-time. Stars were in front of him. So much more than he had seen in his entire life. He realized that he was moving at an unimaginable speed. Then, life … it was there, it spread into infinity. He looked down and saw a continent. No! It was a city! It was so big that it spread all over the land. He instinctively knew that it was the canvas on which he would create a world according to his own vision, his own desires, and his own ambition. Nothing would compare to this extraordinary creation. The fire from the torches swung from side to side on the horizon. Men and women danced for him. They all celebrated his presence. The echo of their voices sang his name, his greatness, and his glory. They were there, in front of him, behind him … everywhere around him. He became conscious of everything that was. Nothing escaped him. Nothing.

**

The young man woke, his senses still immersed in what he had just experienced. He tried to hold in his memory the magnificent images that had come to him in his sleep. He went to the kitchen and saw that his dad was already there, eating.

—Dad, I dreamed, he said. And he told him in every detail what he had seen: his glory and his extraordinary destiny.

—Very nice, Son … as you said, it was a dream. Now, it’s time to wake up and to go finish yesterday’s work. Try not to fall behind today … harvest is coming fast, his father replied, pulling the young man back into the sad reality of life on the farm.

—Very well, Dad, the boy answered, trying to hold on to these fabulous images.

The Western Dream

The young Drek could finally see Shalma’s great gates. He had started his journey twenty days before and discovered some of Esquora’s vast territory. The many colours that nature, in its splendour, had given him to admire in the never-ending fields and the vast forests had amazed him.

He had worked all his life with his parents who owned a small farm. They had died when an epidemic hit the centre north part of the continent and had wiped half of the population. After that, all the community’s survivors had helped each other to keep their farms operating. After a few years of this regimen, seeing that their survival was insured, Drek had decided that they could manage without him. So, at twenty years of age, he left to discover the vast world. He left behind his farm and the people who had become his new family to pursue the extraordinary dream he had when he was young.

The dream had stayed vivid in his memory all these years and had lit in him the desire to unveil the mystery he considered his life to be. He had decided a long time ago that one day, he would go on his great journey and that he would fulfill his own destiny. A traveller he had given shelter to, added to his burning desire.

Mundane tasks filled Drek’s days. It was far from the adventurous life he was dreaming of. One evening, while he was preparing his meal, someone had knocked on his door. He offered him a bed for the night, food and even a bath, luxury the man accepted gladly. The visitor apologized for having nothing to pay him for his hospitality.

—You don’t have to. It’s a duty to give shelter to those who need it, he said.

—If you absolutely want to repay me, tell me about your travels! He replied, hoping to learn more about life outside the farm.

The traveller told him about his extraordinary journey for hours, reigniting the young man’s desire to leave and to discover the unknown.

—This is my story. I would also like to give you something that will keep your longing to see the world alive. It’s a book. I’ve been told that it’s extremely precious. I’m offering it to you as a payment for your attentive ear, for a meal equal to what we can find in the finest inns of the continent and for your friendship. I don’t think I would have survived another night of solitude, you know, he had said as he gave him the manual.

However, he warned Drek that it was risky to travel with it. The authorities didn’t want the masses to have access to the knowledge contained in it. He had heard that people caught in its possession disappeared without leaving a trace.

The young man was touched to receive this gift. Before even opening it, he noticed that it was of exceptional quality and might be of great value. The cover had been crafted from a thick and soft leather. A leather cord kept it closed with a simple knot. Drek opened it slowly. On the cover page, expert hands had written the title: The Guide of Great Knowledge. And just below it: By the Illustrious Taradussa the Wise. Upon reading it, he realized that it was filled with treasures of knowledge. It painted the world as vast and full of wonders, and described new races and extraordinary animals. He learned about the