The Tales of Elveron: Book One

By D.J. Price

The Tales of Elveron: Book One is a sword-and-sorrcery fantasy set in the magical world of Elveron. The high preistess Lady Clair Everrose and her childhood friend Valin Hawkwing embark on an epic quest pursuing a race against time as the evil tyrant King Velro Othrom seeks to restore his powers… But are his plans deeper than that, or is there something else in the shadows awaiting to reveal itself? The perils of their quest are filled with dangers of all sorts hidden around every corner.

Journey through the mountains, forests, and the vast lands in the world of Elveron as Lady Clair and Valin forge countless friendships, discover many relics and treasures of untold power, are faced with the greatest challenges of their lives. Will they become our heroes and rise to become legends for all of time? Or will the tyrant king prevail against our “heroes”? But with a fall of one evil, another always rises in its place.

With new horizons, the “heroes,” having attained new powers, now face a mysterious group of necromancers with plans to unleash an evil unlike anything seen before in the world of Elveron. Will the new threat be more than what the heroes can handle? If they are, will the outcome be without loss on both sides? Mystic visions have been foretold of a time when Lady Clair would become queen and bring hope of everlasting peace to the world of Elveron. Lady Clair hopes it is so…but doubts such a peace can last as the fate of two worlds may be intertwined together in a mystery waiting to be revealed. In a land of adventure, full of tales and wonder of unending stories. That is the Epic Saga of The Tales of Elveron…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781645848158

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The Tales of Elveron

Book One

D.J. Price

Copyright © 2021 D.J. Price

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2021

ISBN 978-1-64584-814-1 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-64584-815-8 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Prologue

The Shadow over Sharunedar

The Quest Begins

To Betray the King

Into the Maze and Beyond

The Beast in the Midst of a City of Fire

Humble Greetings to Expand the Quest

The Dungeon of Doom

Battle after Battle the Quest Goes On

Another Adventure Begins and the Mystery of the Phantom Mage

The Witch Queen and the Orbs

Into Danger's Hands

An Impossible Challenge

The Fate of Elveron

The New Kingdom and the Adventures of the Gem Warriors

New Beginnings

The Phantom Conflict

On Dark Horizons

The Revealing

The Relics of Solomon the Great

The Shadows of Despair

The Summoning

Releasing Damnation

Looming Darkness

The Order of the Red Skulls

The Coronation of Crowns

A City Hidden in the Mist

The Betrayal

A Return of Peace

About the Author

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Acknowledgments

This book is written in dedication to my beloved daughter, Haley. I want to show her that no matter how much is against you, through determination, prayer, and hope, one can always succeed in making your dreams come true. I am grateful to all that took part in making my dream of publishing a book come true, as well as supporting me and encouraging me to persevere and to finally publish it.

Writing a book is harder than I thought and more rewarding than I could have ever imagined. None of this would have been possible without support from family and friends.

I would like to thank, my dear sister, Nina Heard, who made it possible to see this book come to fruition.

I would like to thank my family—specifically my dad, Darcell, and mom Evon (who passed from cancer in 2013)—for teaching me discipline, tough love, manners, respect, and so much more that helped me in life. I would also like to thank my sister Karon, my brothers Darcell/Pookey, and DeAndre, and close friends who encouraged me along the way. And last, but not least, I would like to thank Holly Ickes, Ariel Jordan and Brian Droste of Page Publishing for working with me to see everything through and making what was once just a dream come true. I would like to thank Page Publishing Group and the editing team, and all those of who purchased this book—I owe the biggest thanks. Without all of you, this book would not have been possible.

Prologue

It was the ninth age of the ninety-ninth century. In six months the ninth moon will appear, marking the dawn of a new age and the start of the one hundredth century. The last ninety-ninth moon risings had been the same, but the events soon to transpire would make this one of the most memorable ones to come. It all started here in the city of Gondar in the lands of Gralanthea, the homestead of a rebel resistance army with plans to overthrow a long-standing rule of a tyrant. The leader of the rebellion was lieutenant Karun Hawkwing, who led an army of over two thousand five hundred elves, men, and dwarfs willing to stand up against the cynical tyrant. Meeting together outside the borders of Kane, the valiant warriors had freed the lands of Argonia of the grasp of oppression by defeating most of the patrolling royal guards around the lands. However, the power and control were still strong with guardsmen still in every city except Gondar and a massive army of orcs, dark elves, goblins, trolls, and undead at the evil tyrant's command. War was the only option left.

Marching strong under the blue-yellow-and-white banner bearing the Red Eagle crest of the old king of Argonia. Karun mounted upon his brown horse beside the dwarf lord Gurhelm, who was mounted on a great boar, who was next to Captain Hedrick Maldark of the city Valaria in the lands of Eishmar. The goblin scouts saw the army heading their way. Scurrying back toward their command post, one goblin blew a horn, signaling that an attack was coming. Out from the keep came a horde of nine hundred goblins bound and ready for war. Marching in from the east was an army of three thousand orcs from the ruined city of Gudinburg. The two forces stood just ten miles apart each side and signaled their troops to attack with both sides. Charging in, the small phalanx of dwarves lowered their shields as the legion of elf archers readied their arrows as a few hundred men broke ranks, splitting forth from each side of the formation. The goblin archers let their arrows fly as most hit the dwarfs' shields while the elves released their arrows as orc rhino-mounted spearmen charged in, breaking the wall like formation of the rebellion. The pack of men soldiers clashed with the mix of goblin and orc forces as the second wave of two hundred elves charged in from the west as a surprise attack. They threw the orcs off, but only for a moment. While the rebellion had been successful at dispatching the goblins, the overwhelming numbers of the orcs dwindled the rebel forces numbers down to only six hundred. They continued to fight for five days till only eighty-five had remained; they were outnumbered by the orcs five to one. The orcs soon slaughtered all but eight, whom they captured. One was the skillful archer and rebel leader Karun Hawkwing. The orcs bound and beat their prisoners mercilessly for two hours before taking them to their leader.

There was a large orc who said, My lord, what shall I do with these prisoners?

He replied, Take them to the dungeons to await execution.

Very well, master, the orc replied as he bowed.

The guards took the prisoners away, having stripped them of their weapons and armor. For two weeks, the young warrior was beaten and starved, being forced to give up his name and where he came from. But he was not specific, so they left him to rot as he had to watch all his friends being killed before him. Time passed on, and no one came to his aid.

In the not-so-distant city of Gondar, a high elf priestess stood staring out to the lake from the castle balcony with a burden of sadness upon her face. What could be bothering her? As she began to cry, visions of a terrible event began to come over her in waves of flashes of great destruction and death to fall over Elveron. What did these strange visions mean? It was in that moment a knight stepped out onto the balcony.

My lady, is everything okay? he asked her.

She replied, No, I'm afraid not. I need to speak with the counsel of the ninth moon immediately.

The knight replied, Then I shall escort you, my lady.

The two then made their way to the Hall of Moons.

Take care, my lady. I must check on the whereabouts of my brother, Karun, the knight said. The knight left the hall to meet his captain, who just returned on a scouting mission looking for the rebel army. What news of my brother and our soldiers do you have, my lord? the young knight asked the captain.

None good, I'm afraid, it seems that your brother is either dead or has been captured. Of which I do not know.

Our men lost the battle!

Nothing but corpses scatter the lands of Kane now covered in blood, said the captain.

We must not let the king get away with this, said the young knight.

Do not worry, I shall think of something. For now go finish your training in the temple of trials, the captain commanded him.

Yes, master, the young knight replied.

The young knight left to finish his training. As the captain was about to return to his quarters, a guard came up, meeting him in the hallway.

Captain, the council requests an audience with you, the guard said.

I hope this is important, the captain mumbled under his breath.

When you are done training, Valin, wait in the great hall for further order, the captain told the knight.

Valin entered the training temple. Inside the other knights were sparring and practicing archery. Into the lowest level of the temple Valin went, entering into a lower dungeon, thus beginning his last trials to become a master knight. A thick, lowly fog rolled into the tunnels of this old dungeon ruins. The young knight unsheathed his sword as he grasped the handle firmly in his hands. Fear began to take hold in his mind as his thoughts raced on in his mind about his brother's well-being. Then as he crept through cave-like tunnels, a sound was heard of grunts and growls; the light of fire lit the area ahead. On guard, the young knight didn't know what sort of things were in this place with him. Peering from around the corner, he saw an ogre near the fire with a large wooden club at its side.

How am I going to slay that? he pondered to himself as he stood with his back to the wall.

As he thought about it, a rage began to grow inside him. He knew that he had to pass the trials to become a master knight. He began to imagine his brother in pain at the king's hands and as if he was calling out to him for help. Valin, with a grin of hate upon his face, slowly put down his sword and drew his bow and ready an arrow from his quiver. He then stepped out of the shadows, placing his aim at the ogre's foot, who was too busy eating a piece of the roasted cave bear that was roasted over its fire. The young knight let the arrow loose, shooting the ogre in the foot. When the arrow pierced its foot, the ogre let out a snarling roar of pain. Guurrhh, it cried out.

The attack startled it so badly it stood up so fast that it bumped its head on a stalactite and almost knocked itself out. As it shook the daze off, it grabbed the club and it turned toward the young knight, letting out a savage scream of rage. It trampled over to Valin, swinging the huge club at the knight, who got sideswiped, sailing into the air and crashing into the cavern wall. As the knight's body slid down the wall, hitting the rocky ground below him, the ogre made its way quickly over to him, trying to finish the young knight off, but Valin although in great pain mustered up the might to roll out of the way in time, grabbing his sword of which the ogre kicked closer to him as it was charging toward him. He got up as the ogre stepped back to make another attack. The valiant knight ran toward the ogre, sliding between its legs as it yet again almost crushed him. Valin, with the most remarkable timing, thrust the sword into the groin of the ogre as he reached midpoint and slid under the ogre. The ogre moaned in utter agony as it was struck down by the knight. The ogre did not seem to be down for the count, so for good measure, the young knight decided to slash at its back before leaping onto its back and driving the blade of his sword into the ogre's skull. With the fatal blow struck, the ogre fell face down with the knight on its back, crashing onto the ground hard. The knight gasped for breath, winded from the battle with the ogre.

I've got to be more careful, that was to close for comfort, Valin said.

He stood to his feet to retrieve his blade from the ogre's corpse. He then continued onward deep into the heart of the dungeon, coming to a chamber with a flat top pyramid in the center of the room. Valin walked up the steps to its top, gazing at the stone altar as the sun light beamed indirectly on it from a crack in the roof. Upon it lay a bust with an amulet around its neck. He removed it from the bust to claim it as his own. After he got it, he heard an odd voice, Souls of the dead arise from beyond the grave.

What sort of hex or spell has been placed on this trinket? Valin questioned the voice, but it did not respond.

Strange green lights flickered in the distance of what appeared to be an old throne. As he descended the steps before him, the sounds of opening tombs could be heard as blue streaks of light brought the skeleton inside them back to life pouring from the direction of the glowing green light peering through the veil of darkness.

A foul magic indeed this is, the young knight spoke softly to himself.

The skeletons from the ground before him also began to rise up as the others wielding weapons stepped out to fight the young knight. Valin ran, trying to reach the other side, only to find himself surrounded by a horde of undead skeletons armed and looking to do him in. Soon the knight found himself fighting for his life as the glowing blue-eyed skeleton horde attacked Valin. The knight cut down one after the other, wave after wave, sustaining cuts and light stab wounds on occasions during the battle. After what seemed like an eternity of fighting he bested the horde. However, it was far from over as the green-eyed skeleton hovered over to meet him for battle.

Oh, come on now, an undead necro lord. Give me a break, the knight said as he raised his sword up. Although weary, Valin prepared for a most challenging bout.

The necro lord cast a spell, bringing all the bones of the defeated skeletons together to form a giant construct warrior made of all the bones. The construct stalked about as it tried to step on the young knight. Valin held up a good defense despite his condition. He got behind it. As he rolled out of the way, he noticed the necro lord controlling the construct, waving its arms around, using sorcery like a puppeteer. He had an idea in that very moment, but he knew that somehow he had to get to a vantage point, but none was in sight. So he did the next best thing: he ran at the construct, dodging its fist that smashed the ground. Quickly he leaped onto its arm and climbed up it to its left shoulder. The massive skeletal giant tried to remove Valin from off him. Valin stuck his sword into its neck bone to avoid falling to his death. He then pulled himself back up, securing his place long enough to switch to his bow and fire eight arrows at the necro lord, causing him to lose his concentration of the spell long enough that the construct began to break apart. Landing in the pile of bones, Valin stumbled to get his footing as the outraged necro lord hurled green flames at him. He saw out the very corner of his eye an old shield made of wood and steel. As the flames came to engulf him, using his reflexes he took the shield to block the attack, just in time to protect him from any harm. The shield, however, was destroyed by it after being hit just three times as it split apart into halves, knocking the knight prone for a short moment. As he regained his composure, Valin with a rage attacked the necro lord. But the necro lord evaded his attacks then returned, blasting him with a shock wave of green and purple spirit energy sending the knight flying backward only to land skimming across the ground. He dislocated his shoulder in the process. The force of being blown away caused him to lose the amulet. With his vision fading, he saw the glimmer of the gold necklace just feet away from him; he crawled over to get it. The necro lord formed a ball of green flames in his hands; preparing to launch it at the young knight. Valin somehow managed to reach the amulet and put it on, hoping it would help him. The amulet began to glow with that same green, glowing light. The strange green flames of light engulfed the young knight, but it harmed him not. Instead, his wounds healed, and power took over him, as soon only his right hand burned in the fire. With the anger in his heart, he outstretched his arm and released the blast of fire at the necro lord. The fire consumed the necro lord as it burned slowly away. Having defeated the necro lord, the young knight knew at last his trials were complete. Tired but still much alive, Valin went to return to the training hall; he all most collapsed. The other knights in training rushed to his aid, taking him to the great hall. There the cleric ran over to him, casting a spell of reviving on Valin, restoring him from his faint spell.

Are you okay, young knight? asked the cleric.

Yes, I'll be fine, said the knight.

The young knight sat in the chair resting and awaiting word from the captain. Meanwhile, in the Hall of the Nine Moons, the elder, the captain, and five other council members assembled in its courts.

What is the meaning of this meeting? one of the five asked.

The priestess stepped forth to address the council. I requested the presence of you all because my visions have come, showing me a great death to all of Elveron. I saw the ninth moon and glowing red eyes overshadowing it and a wave of fire burning everything in its sight. I also saw Mana holding an orb-like gem sparking of a bright-pink light reflecting off it as it turned black, said the priestess.

What brings such burden to thee heart? the elder spoke. (Wonder do I of what this means, tell me, my dear child.)

The priestess replied, Sorrow, Pain and Death is what troubles me. Some dark force will soon wipe us all out, and the ninth moon will have something to do with it.

So what can we do, we do not even know who is the one behind it? said another of the five elect.

Silence, Relyn! the captain yelled. Tell us of who do you think is the face of this great evil child, he asked the priestess.

The king, I believe, she replied.

I believe we need to strike now, surely there is something we can do, a scruffy-looking old elf shouted.

Maybe a spy will do, said the captain.

I do agree, but who is there to send? the priestess asked the captain.

The captain then commanded a nearby guard to retrieve the young knight.

The Shadow over Sharunedar

Chapter one

The Quest Begins

In a land where heroes and magic dwelled and the grasps of untold evils ruled the lands—the province of Sharunedar had been plagued by the darkness for over four hundred years ruled by a powerful Lich King, who controls the eight kingdoms of Argonia. It includes the kingdom of the ancient elves called Gralanthea, who was once ruled by King Galithur, the mighty elven knight that slew the dragon of Kunash that lived in the Fairhaven mountains keep, stronghold of the human barbarian clans of Eishmar. The grand descendant of King Galithur, maiden Lady Clair Everrose, high priestess of the star moon order, had come of age and had received a grand vision of the days to come where all in the lands would be destroyed by a great and terrible evil magic on the rise of the ninth moon, which happened once every one hundred years when the twelve realms lined up and revealed the bright radiant violet moon from out of nowhere, shining forth bright as the flash of fireworks in the sky when they first explode. Lady Clair knew the only one who could do such a thing was King Othrom, but