The Earthrin Stones 2 of 3: Trials of Faith
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Scriptum Verash – A Book on the Philosophies of Evil. Made by several dark gods, and by Foyul for the sake of balance, this tome is the exact opposite of The Codex. It details greed and lust, power and glory, and encourages the strong and cunning to take what they will. It is in every way a document of “evil”, yet at the same time it also has a life of its own. These clerics practice in secret, with no room for honor or compassion. In the past they have lead armies filled with hate against enemies for no more reason than the cleric’s own selfish needs.
Taekbol – God of Underworld. This dwarvish and gnomish god favors those who dwell under the ground, away from the light of the sun. This god also spreads gems and metals under the surface of the world, sometimes in competition with Mothrok’s stone empire. Some human miners even claim worship to him.
Westrealei – Elven Goddess of Wind and Air. This goddess communicates with her followers by means of various flying creatures. Her own image is painted in the shape of a pegasus, whose head and neck is replaced by the upper half of a beautiful elven female. This elven deity is of the sky, and a force of nature. Elven arrows need to ride her winds to strike true to their targets. In this respect, a windy day is said to be a bad omen for going into battle, as the archers will have a harder time hitting their targets.
Yestreal – God of the Sun and Weather. This nature deity, worshipped by many who till the soil, exerts his influence on harvests and crops. Many times this puts him in direct competition with Mothrok for the success of farmers, but the two gods were once allied during the Godswars. The sunflower is often used as his symbol. His followers often come from agricultural regions, and are generally good at farming. Clerics of this god never condone weddings on rainy days, as they feel their god shuns the marriage. Elves also have numerous followers to this nature god.
Yurtash – God of Spirits. It is hard to define what spirits are to the common man, due to superstitions and drunken fireside chats. In short, spirits are creatures neither living nor dead that perform specific tasks in the world. They are the after images of once-living creatures. While the soul may depart to another world, a part of the spirit may remain in the world, trapped, only to be harnessed by magical means. Yurtash seems to store and nurture these lost energies of forgotten souls until they have a use in the world again. Mystics, greenmen and some arcane casters call upon the spirits in spells. Many of this god’s clerics share the powers of mystics over these spirits.
Appendix C – The Calendar of Dhea Loral
The calendar of Dhea Loral is four hundred days long. That reflects the time it takes for one year to pass for the planet of Epos Goth. The calendar is divided into five seasons, with two months in each season, as follows...
Planting season: Primus, then Florum
Summer season: Jherad, then Doyal
Harvest season: Othgar, then Novak
Waning season: Tiquierum, then Norgrad
Winter season: Vientula, then Icethule
Each month is forty days long. Each week is ten days. The civilized societies of the land do tend to observe two-day weekends, however much work is still done on these days. The value of a weekend in Dhea Loral is seen more as a time for socializing and public events, but even on these days many merchants are still doing business. There is also a midweek day by which many government offices in the civilized lands take half of the day off. The evening on these days is usually reserved for balls, feasts, religious observations, or other relaxing endeavors. Note that many people do not observe such luxuries, as the struggle to work and survive has bred a strong work ethic into a number of cultures.
The New Season Day, which commemorates the start of the New Year, is held at the traditional end of winter. Usually it begins to snow in most of the lands by mid to late Norgrad, and by the first of Primus the snow is melting away.
The calendar is measured by an important date in Dhea Loral history. In a time when war was sweeping the lands, several immortals and demigods were taking sides. Several were trying to attain more power, while some defended the common man. Several gods lent their powers to affect the outcome as well. It was a dark time in the world when great civilizations fell and new governments arose. During the waning season of 1 BC, (Before Covenant), the fury of the demigods and the use and destruction of several artifacts led to the destruction of the last great empires. The winter season that followed was a struggle for survival for many races. Even those living in the vast cave and underground systems of the world, while not affected by the surface winter, were weak and foraging for meager foods. The major powers, those gods who exerted the most influence in the world, stepped in and forced an end to the conflict. On the first of Primus, in the year now called 1 AC, (After Covenant), the gods and demigods signed a pact regarding the involvement of the deities in the future of the world. Although the gods were capable of controlling the world much more directly, restrictions were placed and honored by all. In this way they voluntarily gave up several privileges, and bound their oaths. Even the most chaotic of gods can never break the Covenant.
This was more or less the start of the churches and clerics, at least in their modern day incarnation. Clerics are the necessary vessels through which the gods move the races, although the gods retain the necessary powers over nature and magic to make the world run smoothly and stay in balance.
About the Author…
Douglas was born on Nov 28th, 1971. He got the chance to live in many different places while growing up, courtesy of the assignments the US Army offered to his father. Too quiet and too shy for too long, there were always dreams of other worlds and places…and the desire to write about them. He got into fantasy role-playing games in his mid-teens. To this day he has friends whom he meets in tabletop role-playing games, as well as online adventures. Many of his characters evolved in games, and each developed their own personality.
Having to rely on self-publishing for his first novel, Douglas was surprised at the amount of good reviews and publicity it has received. Since going back to revise the trilogy, and re-release his titles under a new publisher, he has been surprised again at the amount they have sold. Trials of Faith continues the story set into motion in Inheritance of a Sword and a Path. The work continues on several other stories set in the world of Dhea Loral.
Douglas lives with his wife and two sons in Minnesota. He works in health care, serving people’s needs in medical imaging. When most people see him, he is wearing scrubs.
Learn more about the author and the Realm of Dhea Loral at…
Website – DheaLoral.com
Facebook – Dhea Loral
Twitter - @ThaminDheaLoral
Want to experience more of the world of Dhea Loral? Explore the dwarf homelands through the eyes of revolutionary Duli! The Widow Brigade opened on Amazon with five critiques praising the story, and each giving it a perfect 5 stars! This story features strong women, in a fantasy setting, rebelling against the traditions of a male-dominated society.
"I felt the plot was well developed, well paced, and the motivations of the characters really drew me in, caring about what happened as the plot progressed. I felt the main character was not your typical shiny hero, or dastardly anti-hero. She just felt real. I highly recommend this book..." - Tom H
"This book is very well written and as always with his stories, the battle scenes are intense, with details that pull you in and fully immerse yourself in the story. The characters are well developed and allow you to enjoy loving and hating them." - Lockhart
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 “Embarking”
CHAPTER 2 “Trestan’s Challenges”
CHAPTER 3 “Cat Brings Sorrowful Tidings”
CHAPTER 4 “Homecoming”
CHAPTER 5 “Petrow’s Family”
CHAPTER 6 “Lindon, Minstrel of Orlaun”
CHAPTER 7 “Young Vengeance/ A Debt Repaid”
CHAPTER 8 “Katressa’s Elven Side”
CHAPTER 9 “The Chase”
CHAP
TER 10 “Sanctuary for Those in Need”
CHAPTER 11 “Reunion with Korrelothar”
CHAPTER 12 “The Launching of Doranil Star”
CHAPTER 13 “The Darkest Day of Her Life”
CHAPTER 14 “Cauldron Sabotage/ Cat’s Key”
CHAPTER 15 “An Unexpected Showdown”
CHAPTER 16 “Panic and Chaos Spread”
CHAPTER 17 “The Sacrifice of the Chosen”
CHAPTER 18 “From Orderly Evacuation to Thwarted Escape”
CHAPTER 19 “A Clash on the Deck of Doranil Star”
CHAPTER 20 “An Eye for an Eye, a Throat for a Throat”
CHAPTER 21 “Abandon Ship”
CHAPTER 22 “Revelations in the Mist”
CHAPTER 23 “Taleweaver”
CHAPTER 24 “Into the Hands of the Faer’Seelie”
CHAPTER 25 “Interrogations in the Trees”
CHAPTER 26 “A Little Understanding…”
CHAPTER 27 “The Raging Firbholg”
CHAPTER 28 “Test of the Butterfly/ Challenge of the Beast”
CHAPTER 29 “Final Resting Place of Doranil Star”
CHAPTER 30 “We Should Kill Their Healer First…”
CHAPTER 31 “The Charmed Elf Warrior/ Images in the Mind”
CHAPTER 32 “Ganden’s Servant/ The Chiaso’s Vendetta”
CHAPTER 33 “Trestan, Where is Your Sword?”
CHAPTER 34 “Recovery and Future Plans”
CHAPTER 35 “In the Gardens of Serud’Thanil”