The Glass Empires: Adventures of Pipen the Aristocrat: The Glass Empires, #1

By S. C. Coleman

It is the eve of the ceremonial signing of the Treaty of Molina, a pact signed by all the nations of the Greater Continent. The dark forces, that once ravaged the continent, now threaten to engulf its inhabitants once more. Four champions stake their claims upon this world, but which will choose between selfish greed and a greater good for all. The mysterious priest from Molina, who calls himself Pipen, travels to the far reaches of a cursed kingdom. Surviving a journey through the Grey Wastes, a feat that is almost inhuman, our intrepid priest will face many perils along the way.  The priest's troubles will plague him through a journey of suffering and difficulty, as he is sent out on a difficult mission. Accompanied by a band of disloyal followers, Pipen cannot know which danger will claim him first. Will he succumb to the Grey Fever, which has already killed so many? Perhaps, he will be slain by one of the enemies that stalk their footsteps. None can say what shall claim him, or if he will survive and complete the task given to him. This story takes place opposite three other heroes: Doron Snake Keeper, the Red Dove, and Brouder.

"To my fellow kingdoms, we gather in my halls of this great city of Molina to bring an end to this discourse that has torn our beloved land apart. Let this treaty, our signatures affixed, stand in protection of our realms; that our subjects might live in peace, that we may replace dread with hope, and our dead with children. Thus, I decree, Nicolo of the Rose Flower, King on the Mountain, Champion of the Waste, and Red Skeleton of the Shadow, that every autumn this treaty shall be renewed, with an accompanying feast."

-The Treaty of Molina, Signed beneath the last moon of the Age of a Hundred Kings and the Great Period of Shadow

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: S. C. Coleman
• Release date: Mar 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393695936

Book preview

Summary:

It is the eve of the ceremonial signing of the Treaty of Molina, a pact signed by all the nations of the Greater Continent. The dark forces, that once ravaged the continent, now threaten to engulf its inhabitants once more. Four champions stake their claims upon this world, but which will choose between selfish greed and a greater good for all. The mysterious priest from Molina, who calls himself Pipen, travels to the far reaches of a cursed kingdom. Surviving a journey through the Grey Wastes, a feat that is almost inhuman, our intrepid priest will face many perils along the way.  The priest’s troubles will plague him through a journey of suffering and difficulty, as he is sent out on a difficult mission. Accompanied by a band of disloyal followers, Pipen cannot know which danger will claim him first. Will he succumb to the Grey Fever, which has already killed so many? Perhaps, he will be slain by one of the enemies that stalk their footsteps. None can say what shall claim him, or if he will survive and complete the task given to him. This story takes place opposite three other heroes: Doron Snake Keeper, the Red Dove, and Brouder.

To my fellow kingdoms, we gather in my halls of this great city of Molina to bring an end to this discourse that has torn our beloved land apart. Let this treaty, our signatures affixed, stand in protection of our realms; that our subjects might live in peace, that we may replace dread with hope, and our dead with children. Thus, I decree, Nicolo of the Rose Flower, King on the Mountain, Champion of the Waste, and Red Skeleton of the Shadow, that every autumn this treaty shall be renewed, with an accompanying feast.

-The Treaty of Molina, Signed beneath the last moon of the Age of a Hundred Kings and the Great Period of Shadow

Chapter One

A Rocky Paradise

Atop sloping ground , at the edge of the long arm, sits the once great fortress of Lluwaire. Its high stone walls cast a foreboding and hollow shadow over the grey countryside. While the old crag has not changed for centuries, with wind ceaselessly howling across its surface, the inhabitants of Lluwaire have changed many times. The ancient rulers have not seen their old city in nearly three hundred years and the current occupants just barely maintain their hold. The once mighty city lies in ruins around the old grey walls, as the battlements bristle with the mouths of iron cannons. The guards that steadily patrol the walls wear grey cloaks to protect against the biting northern winds. While these men stare out into the rocky desert around them, waves crash upon the sea wall to the north. The tide always threatens to one day carry an invasion force, but the inhabitants of the fortress have become complacent, believe any attack to be unlikely. The previous rulers of this land, pushed off onto the western islands long ago, eye the mainland like hungry wolves. Any sign of weakness will bring their ships.

The fortress flies the skeleton arm of General Farenda the First, crossed by a field of red and grey, which are the colors of the Molinese House of Karolina. General Farenda, sent out to command the eastern armies, recently suffered a defeat and lost the fortress of Laene, which lies to the south west. The long road, now guarded by the bandit army and other inhospitable creatures, is almost impassable, forcing General Farenda to hide behind the walls of her sea fortress. Laene has fallen to the self-styled King of Bandits, cutting off the only road to General Farenda’s home country and that of her soldiers. Corralled behind the walls of Lluwaire, Farenda’s starving and depleted army sees only a hopeless expanse of grey. The grave that awaits all seems to loom ever closer to the beleaguered general and her men. Following Farenda’s retreat, a cloaked figure arrives outside the stronghold’s walls.

A figure approaches from the rocky expanse beyond, not from the long road to the south, but rather from the wastes to the west. This person, with a cowl protecting the face from biting wind, stumbles along at a very slow pace. The stranger’s horse was lost many miles back and the individual seems to be continuing the journey alone. Likely starving and dehydrated this person hobbles along like an old crone nearing the end of life, in fact the stranger just might be. What would cause someone to brave the expanse to come here of all places? This question perplexed the guard that first spotted the stranger.

Kylio, come here, the veteran guardsmen, Syllio, had walked these walls over a thousand times, but never seen a soul come from the waste. Likewise, his patrol companion was awed by the sight. The two wore the typical Molinese grey and red uniforms. However, from their grey watch caps to the cloth boots on their feet, the clothes they wore were weather bitten and moth eaten.

Do you think it is a spirit? Not even animals travel through those lands. They are cursed.

No, you are thinking of the actual cursed lands to the south. Not even a curse could survive in the waste. Whoever, or whatever, they are, it must be something else.

I think the General will want to see this. Syllio, what do you think we should do?

Call the Sergeant of the Guard, he will want to see this as well.

The captain is sleeping though, surely we should let him rest. After all, what if we are imagining this?

If we are, then he will understand. Have you ever known Captain Hameln to be unreasonable? Sure, he is Hohen, but the image doesn’t fit him.

It fits him plenty well, but I think neither of us gives a shite at this point.

What about the General?

She is a hard man. The two guardsmen laughed as they continued down