The Challenge: Circle of Conspiracy Trilogy (Artesans Series Book 4)
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Brianne. Baby daughter of Anjer and Torien.
Corbyn, Lord. A northerner, one of Lord Tikhal’s nobles.
Deshan. The Hierarch’s Master Healer, also a Master Artesan.
Ephan. General in the Hierarch’s forces, overall commander of the Velletian Guard.
Gaslek. An Andaryan Baron, secretary to the Hierarch.
Heron. Sonten’s Artesan Commander who perished at the siege of Hyecombe.
Idriana. Deceased wife of Timar Pharikian.
Idrimar Pharikian. Daughter of Timar Pharikian.
Jaskin. Sonten’s nephew, killed by Taran.
Kethro. Artesan son of Lord Corbyn.
Ky-shan. The leader of a band of pirates from Andaryon’s eastern seaboard.
Liyan Tamilane. One-time Hierarch and the last known Supreme Master Artesan.
Nazir, Lord. One of Duke Marik’s nobles, made Lord of Durkos after Sonten’s demise.
Norkis. Senior page to the Hierarch of Andaryon.
Rand. Artesan son of Lord Tikhal.
Rykan. Deceased Lord of Kymer province, one time aspirant to the Andaryan throne.
Sonten. Deceased general to Duke Rykan. Former Lord of Durkos Province.
Tikhal. An Andaryan Lord, also known as the Lord of the North. Pharikian’s premier noble.
Timar Pharikian. The Hierarch, Supreme Ruler of Andaryon.
Torien, Lady. The wife of Lord General Anjer.
Torman Vanyr. Deceased commander of the Velletian Guard.
Ty Marik. Former Count of Cardon Province, now Duke of Cardon and Kymer.
Verris. Deceased commander of Rykan’s forces.
Realms of the World.
First Realm – Endormir.
Endormirians are sometimes known as ‘Roamerlings’ because of their itinerant habits. They are small and slim, dark skinned, with brown or black eyes showing hardly any whites. The Artesan gift runs only through the males, and gifted males always become clan-leaders. As Endormir suffers from severe winter conditions, its people cross the Veils into the other realms for the winter months, where they are well known as traders.
Second Realm – Sinnia.
Sinnians are tall and milk-haired, with pale skin. They live in clans and were once nomadic but now live in settlements. All are born able to control their metaforce up to the rank of Adept and are thus considered ‘sports’. Their race often produces highly gifted musicians and storytellers.
Third Realm – Relkor.
Relkorians are small, fierce and stocky, notorious for raiding the other realms for slaves to work their mines and quarries. Their Artesans, both male and female, invariably become slave-lords.
Fourth Realm – Albia.
Albia is the human realm. The Artesan gift runs through both male and female lines, each gender being equal in potential. The craft is currently out of favour due to raiding by both Relkorian and Andaryan Artesans. Albians widely believe that all Artesans use their powers only for gain and control.
Fifth Realm – Andaryon.
A warlike race characterised by eyes with slit pupils. They fight constantly amongst themselves, vying for position within the Hierocracy. The Artesan gift passes only through the male line and females play a minor and downtrodden role. Only the most powerful Artesan can become and hold the rank of Hierarch. Their battles for supremacy are governed by strict, ritualistic laws.
Terms
Artesan. A person born with the ability to control metaforce and master the four primal elements.
Brine-rum. Strong liquor, drunk by pirates on Andaryon’s eastern seaboard.
Codes of Combat. Strict laws governing any conflict between Andaryan nobles.
Demons. Derogatory term used in Albia to describe those of the Andaryan race.
Earth ball. An explosive sphere of Earth element formed by an Artesan for use as a weapon.
Fellan. A dark, aromatic and bitter beverage brewed from the seeds of the fellan-plant.
Firefield. A barrier formed from the primal element of Fire, through which only Artesans can pass. Firefields formed by those of inferior Artesan rank can easily be destroyed by those of a higher rank.
Firewater. Incredibly strong liquor.
Free traders. Another term for pirate.
Kingsman. Term used to describe members of the High King’s fighting forces.
Matria Church. The Minster in Port Loxton, seat of Albia’s primary faith, the Faith of the Wheel.
Metaforce (also called life force). The force of existence pertaining to all things, both animate and inanimate.
Perdition. A state of non-being for the soul—a place where souls with no ultimate destination reside.
Primal elements. Earth, Water, Fire, and Air.
Primal Sacrament. Andaryan name for the Pact, an agreement brokered between Andaryan nobles. Used to settle wars ending in stalemate, it involves the willing suicide of a powerful Artesan.
Portway. Structure formed by an Artesan from a primal element, usually Earth or Water, which gives its creator access through the Veils.
Psyche. An Artesan’s unique and personal pattern through which they can manipulate metaforce and channel the primal elements.
Roamerling. Slightly derogatory term for the nomads of Endormir.
Sally port. A small door within a larger fortified barrier, allowing only one person to pass through at a time.
Substrate. The medium in which the primal elements reside, and in which the world and all things have their being.
Tangwyr. Monstrous Andaryan raptor trained to hunt men.
The Pact. (See Primal Sacrament).
The Staff. Mysterious and terrible weapon capable of stealing and storing metaforce. Can only be used by Artesans.
The Veils. Misty barriers separating the five Realms of the World. Only Artesans have the power to move through the Veils.
The Void. Dark abyss at the end of life into which all souls pass before reaching their final destination.
The Wheel. Central principle of Albian faith.
Velletian Guard. Personal guard of the Hierarch of Andaryon.
Witch. Derogatory term for an Artesan.
Artesan ranks and their attributes.
Level one: Apprentice.
Person born with the Artesan gift and the ability to influence the first primal element of Earth. Able to hear other Artesans speaking telepathically but unable to initiate such speech.
Level two: Apprentice-elite.
Has some skill in influencing their own metaforce. Has attained Mastery over the element of Earth. Able to initiate telepathic speech but only with Artesans already known to them. Able to build substrate structures, identify a person by the pattern of their psyche, and counter metaphysical attack to some degree.
Level three: Journeyman.
Has Mastery over Earth and is able to influence Water. Able to build portways and travel through the Veils. Has some skill in using metaforce for offence. Also able to initiate psyche-overlay and converse telepathically with any other Artesan. Possesses some self-healing potential.
Level four: Adept.
Has Mastery over both Earth and Water. Able to build more complex substrate structures such as corridors. Able to influence where such structures emerge. Possesses stronger offensive and defensive capabilities. Able to merge psyche fully with other Artesans. Increased healing abilities.
Level five: Adept-elite.
Has Mastery over Earth and Water and is able to influence Fire. Possesses great healing powers which can even aid the ungifted (with their permission). Able to initiate powersinks and merges of psyche. Able to construct such structures as Fire-fields.
Level six: Master.
Has Mastery over Earth, Water and Fire. Able to control the power of an inferior Artesan against their will. Control over personal metaforce now almost total. Possesses incredible healing powers.
Level seven: Master-elite.
Has Mastery over Earth, Water and Fire and is able to influence Air, the most capr
icious primal element. Able to absorb a lesser or even equal-ranked Artesan’s power and metaforce provided some link or permission (however tenuous) can be found.
Level eight: Senior Master.
Has complete Mastery over all four primal elements. Is able to absorb another Artesan’s power by force, even sometimes without a link. Possesses a high degree of metaphysical (and usually spiritual) strength.
Level nine: Supreme Master.
Supreme Masters are supposedly able to influence Spirit - largely regarded as the mythical ‘fifth element.’ No Artesan has attained this level in over three hundred years.
Sport, or lay-Artesan.
Freaks of nature, sports are thought to be able to control their own metaforce from birth, to whatever level of strength they inherently possess. As they receive no training their working is often undetectable. They are also believed to be able to ‘hear’ the thoughts of those around them, gifted or ungifted, and directly from the mind without using the substrate.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank everyone who has given me help and encouragement since I formed Albia Publishing to reissue my Artesans of Albia trilogy and to publish the next two trilogies, Circle of Conspiracy, and Master of Malice. I’m not sure what I’d have done without you.
To my husband, Dave, for unflagging encouragement and for getting involved in the ‘business end’ of this venture. Also for constructive and valuable content suggestions.
To my parents, Barbara and Dennis, for always being interested and supportive.
To Gordon Long, for picking up all my sloppy habits and enabling me to accept valuable criticism.
To Diane Dalton, for expertly editing the final result.
To Mikey Brooks, for another wonderful cover. Sullyan and Drum keep getting better and better!
To my brother, David Snell, and to David Shepherd, for helping make the songs associated with my books so memorable and such fun to write and record.
To everyone who has left me a review, and especially to those reviewers whose words appear at the front of this book. Thank you! I am humbled by your level of enjoyment.
And to all the other fans and readers who I know have enjoyed my books but who haven’t (yet!) left a review. I’ll come asking soon!
And lastly, very special thanks must go to Janet Morris, for allowing me to use her wonderful endorsement of my Artesans of Albia series.
Please do visit my website to hear and download the songs associated with each book. You can also listen to some interviews recorded with various radio stations.
I really hope you enjoy this first novel in the Circle of Conspiracy trilogy and, as ever, I would very much appreciate an Amazon review. Reviews really do help authors sell their books.
Cas Peace was born and brought up in the lovely county of Hampshire, in the UK, where she still lives. On leaving school, she trained for two years before qualifying as a teacher of equitation. During this time she also learned to carriage-drive. She spent thirteen years in the British Civil Service before moving to Rome, where she and her husband, Dave, lived for three years. They return whenever they can.
As well as her love of horses, Cas is mad about dogs, especially Lurchers. She enjoys dog agility training and currently owns two rescue Lurchers, Milly and Milo. Cas loves country walks, working in stained glass, and folk singing. She is currently working on writing and recording songs for each of her fantasy books. The song associated with King’s Envoy is “The Wheel Will Turn”; for King’s Champion it is “The Ballad of Tallimore”; and for King’s Artesan it is “Morgan’s Song (All That We Are).”
For The Challenge it is “Meadowsweet”.
All Cas’s book songs can be found at and downloaded from her website, see below.
Cas has also written a nonfiction book, “For the Love of Daisy,” which tells the life story of her mischievous and beautiful Dalmatian.
Details and other information can be found on her website: www.caspeace.com.
Other Books in this series
available from Albia Publishing:
Trilogy One: Artesans of Albia
King’s Envoy, Book 1 (2013)
King’s Champion, Book 2 (2013)
King’s Artesan, Book 3 (2013)
Trilogy Two: Circle of Conspiracy
The Challenge, Book 1(Spring 2014)
The Circle, Book 2 (Winter 2014)
Full Circle, Book 3 (Spring 2015)
Trilogy Three: Master of Malice
The Scarecrow, Book 1 (Winter 2015)
The Vagrant, Book 2 (Spring 2016)
The Gateway, Book 3 (Winter 2016)