Ominously the last words of the Queen Mother hung in the air about the chamber. A tear, single and crystalline, shimmered down Queen Mother's cheek. Tiny though it was, it conveyed a feeling of deepest sadness.
Galan clasped Seth's hand tightly; his will had nearly drained away. Her heart raced and her tears flowed ceaselessly.
Adrina gripped Seth's other hand, feeling it grow from warm, full of life, to cool and balmy. Her anguish matched the deep unbroken lines of tears cascading down her cheeks.
My son, you have done all that you could. You have done what you must, what you were meant to do. You shall be remembered, you shall not be forgotten, the sacrifice shall not go unaccounted for… and in a barely audible voice Queen Mother added, … may the Great Father grant you passage into his very house, so that you may sit by his side, my son.
The Queen Mother's voice faded away and the link was broken. All eyes remained in place, focusing now on Seth. A smile touched his lips at the gift of his mother, words of praise reserved only for the very great, said only at the passing of a king or queen.
As he breathed his last breath, the smile broadened to the corners of his lips. He fancied the smell of the kingdom garden he had been in earlier and revelled in the flow of nature he had felt. With that one last thought of peace, of life, and of nature, Seth collapsed to the table. No one doubted that he was indeed dead.
Galan whispered into their minds, This is the holy light of the Great Father reclaiming his son, as are all at the last. She let the faithful see the wondrous—but otherwise invisible—shimmering light surrounding Seth's fallen form. Few are able to see the spirit pass thus, so if you can see it, you are truly blessed. You have found faith and sincerity in your heart.
A pitiful wail, almost a plea, filled their minds as Galan unleashed her sorrows to all in the room. No! she cried out, Please, no!
Further words were broken by long sobs, followed by an unsettling calm. She held back the tears and the pain, saying As such is the way of my will, I cannot allow this to happen.
A blast of icy air defiled the chamber. Galan reached her hands upward chasing after Seth in thought, forcing her will to take her to the place where the Father gathered up his son, knowing she had to hurry because the journey was almost complete.
She pursued the last shard of his life, the tiny light hurtling upward into the heavens. Her own brilliant light, full of life, quickly caught and surpassed it.
Father, I must, she begged. Father, hear me!
Responding to a voice only she heard, she replied, "Yes, I understand." These words were spoken aloud and in thought.
The thread that guided Seth's way severed, and his soul plummeted back earthward. His spirit collided with his body, taking with it the light of Galan's life and the place Galan had occupied suddenly emptied.
The council hall was absolutely quiet. No one moved, no one said a word, until Adrina took Seth's hand and led him from the room. King Andrew spoke then, and he said four words, "It shall be done."
Enter the world of Ruin Mist
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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RUIN MIST:
The Essential Reader’s Guide, 2nd Edition
This is a work of fiction. All the characters, names, places and events portrayed in this book either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual locale, person or event is entirely coincidental.
Encyclopedia of Ruin Mist:
The Essential Reader’s Guide
2nd Edition
Copyright © 2014 by Robert Stanek.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Reagent Press LLC, Attention: Permissions Department, P.O. Box 362, East Olympia, WA 98540-0362.
Original edition, text and illustrations copyright © 2008 Robert Stanek.
Revised edition copyright © 2014.
All rights reserved. Published by Reagent Press LLC. RP BOOKS, REAGENT PRESS, RUIN MIST, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Reagent Press LLC.
Printed in the United States of America.
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Chapter 1
An Introduction to Ruin Mist
Ruin Mist is the name used for the fictional universe of Robert Stanek. The name “Ruin Mist” is the common language translation of an ancient elvish word, which means “the lost ages” or “the ruins of time.”
The history of Ruin Mist is divided into four ages:
The First Age: the Age of Titans
The Second Age: the Age of Men, Elves, and Dwarves
The Third Age: the Age of Men and Elves
The Fourth Age: the Age of Men
During the early ages of Ruin Mist, travel between the realms was accomplished using the Gates of Uver. Uver is one of the great elven kings of old and the founder of Greye in Under-Earth. In all, there are believed to be seven gates fashioned by the Uver from a magic substance once mined from the deepest, darkest reaches of the Samguinne.
Each gate is fashioned for a different purpose and a different kind of traveler. Two gates are recorded in the histories of men. The gate in the Borderlands, fashioned for men, is opened with the following words of power: “Eh tera mir dolzh formus tan!” The only other known gate is located in the Twin Sonnets. Both gates are masked from the world by a veil of illusion.
History of the Ages
In an age long since lost to myth and memory, a race of supreme giants, known as titans, ruled over all the lands of Ruin Mist from their homes on Over-Earth. Without question, titans were the masters of the gates. They moved freely between realms and across lands.
Darkness came to mark the end of age of the titans as surely as there was ever light at the beginning. During this time of darkness, known as the Great Purge, it was the greatest of all titans, Ky’el, who gave the lesser races (men, elves, and dwarves) their freedom—at a great cost to himself and his people. Before the Great Purge, the lesser races were slaves to the greater races (dragons, titans, and eagle lords).
By the end of the purge, the only known gate to Over-Earth was sealed for all time ushering in a new beginning. A new age. An age of men, elves, and dwarves. Over the millennia, knowledge of Over-Earth’s existence faded from the memory of the living, even that of the long-lived elves and dwarves until there came a time when most believed it was a place of myth and that it never truly existed.
After countless wars waged against themselves and the other races, men, elves, and dwarves settled in to an uneasy peace within their divided lands. In time, like titans before them, dwarves became folk of myth and legend, leaving only absence like a darkness where once there had been great presence and a light.
The age of men and elves had arrived, its arrival marked by the coming of the Great War. Some would call this war: Dnyarr’s war after the elven king who started it. Others would call it the War of the Thousand Year Siege. Those that fought and died would call it the War of Ten Million Tears. Victory for men above all others brought little joy though it did usher in a new age. The age of men.
After the Great War that divided the peoples, the kingdoms of men plunged into a Dark Age that lasted 500 hundred years. To heal the lands and restore the light, the great kings decreed that magic and all that is magical, be it creature, man or device, shall be cleansed to dust. Creatures born of magic were hunted to extinction. The cleansing raged for so long that no human could recall a time without it and it is in this time that the Dark Lord Sathar returned from the dark beyond.
The one hope of the peoples of Ruin Mist was Queen Mother, the elf queen of old. She saw a way out of everlasting darkness, a path that required the union of the divided peoples. Yet the Elves of the West did not share her vision. They thou
ght her mad and answered her call for help with a call to arms. Now for the first time in recorded history, the armies of the West are marching toward the sacred city of the East and an unholy war where elf must fight elf is inevitable.
Though despair abounds and evil seeks to reign, there is hope. Queen Mother sees hope through a union of the divided peoples: an alliance of men and elves to fight against the forces of darkness. But between men and elves, there is no love and little trust. Only truth and faith can guide their destinies.
Some fear this age to be Ruin Mist’s last. For if men succumb to darkness there will be no beginning and darkness will surely rule forever. It is in this time at the twilight of the age of men that those long lost have returned to thwart the darkness. They are the fallen sons of ages past and present. They are the keepers, the watchers, and the guardians. They are those who hold the key to Ruin Mist’s future.
Inhabitants of Ruin Mist
Ruin Mist has many inhabitants. The Beastmen of the Hunter Clan first appeared during the Great Wars. Little is known about them except that they are for-hire hunters and trackers. They are half human and half animal—the type of animal is unknown but suspected to be that of a black tiger or black wolf.
Saliva dripping from the upturned canine fangs of beastmen indicates they are on a hunt and may have sighted their prey. They frequently lick their hair-covered faces with their long, sticky tongues and ride magical horses that have the power to bend time and distance. No other race has been able to tame the Beast Horse, but many have tried.
Long ago extinct, or so it is thought, dragons are the stuff of myth and legend in Ruin Mist. Stories say dragons are a hundred times the size of man and that titans rode from the heavens upon their backs. The only true facts regarding dragons, recorded in an early text, is that there were once many races of dragons and each was as unique and distinct as men, elves, and dwarves. Over-Earth is the ancestral home of the dragon races.
Dwarves dwell in many areas of Under-Earth. They are friends to the dark elves and loath the forest elves, which are aligned with the Gnomec Dwarves. They are highly regarded for their prowess in battle and their ability to mine ore from deep within the earth.
Gnomec Dwarves, sometimes referred to as gnomes, are an ancient line of dwarves whose ancestors once had great powers of divining and magic. Magic in dwarves is rare and was regarded suspiciously by other dwarves until the Rhylle/Armore wars, when the gnomes were driven out of the known lands.
The exile sowed the seeds of discontent and thus a cycle of hatred and revenge between Gnomec Dwarves and other dwarves was born. This led to the Gnomec Dwarves aligning with the kingdoms of men against Under-Earth.
Of the Eagle Lords, it is said that eagles once looked more like men than birds. Known for their great wisdom, able to speak, to fight and to fly, they were formidable allies and deadly enemies. Many clans of the great eagles existed. One of the greatest clans was the Gray Clan, and their mightiest warrior, their liege lord, Ayrian, ruled the skies over the Rift Range for hundreds of years.
The dark elves of Under-Earth control Greye. Their gray skin, dark hair and pointed ears are unmistakable. Since the fall of the three kings of Greye, the lands of the dark elves are organized into fiefdoms, loosely allied to the old kingdoms.
The forest elves live in the Reaches. Although their skin is silvery or bronze, and they tend to have fair-colored hair and lavender eyes, forest elves can blend into their surroundings and change the color of their hair, skin, and eyes at will.
Of the giants, six clans are known to exist: hill, stone, mountain, ice, fire and storm. Giants are a secretive lot and do not often mix affairs with any other races. Giants are incredibly strong and untiring of will.
Men are the primary inhabitants of the kingdoms. Their peoples are organized primarily in kingdoms. They tend to keep to their own affairs and don’t like to get involved in the affairs of other races. During the Blood Wars, mankind drove all the other races out of the kingdoms and severed all ties.
Titans are a mysterious and secretive race of super giants that inhabit Over-Earth. Their time of power and rule came at the dawn of the First Age. During the Great Purge, the titans were overthrown and thus ended the First Age. In many parts of the kingdoms, titans are remembered as wicked, foul and evil, but there are those who say this is a great misjudgment, for the greatest of all titans, Ky’el, is the one who gave men, elves and dwarves their freedom.
Swamp trolls live in swamps and unlike their cousins the wood trolls they are quite civilized. While they prefer to live in mud-built homes on the edge of swamps, many have ventured into the lowland plain areas of Under-Earth.
Wood trolls are nasty creatures who hunt in packs and live primarily in trees. They are ugly, smelly creatures and the strike of their claws can be deadly.
Wolmerrelle are shape changers, the half-animal and half-human race that worship Arr. Wolmerrelle are known to have 2, 3 or even 4 heads. The strongest, those linked most directly to their nearly human past, have a single head and they are the largest of the wolmerrelle in body size.
Other inhabitants include many other creatures from the ancient past. There are several cross breeds of races as well, including a race of half trolls and half giants known as troants.
Languages of Ruin Mist
Robert Stanek created multiple languages for the inhabitants of Ruin Mist. The language of the reach elves has origins in the romance and Slavic languages. The language of the eagle lords has origins in Native American Indian languages. The language of the dark elves has origins in far eastern languages (primarily Korean and Japanese). There also is a common ancient language used from the time when the titans ruled over all of Ruin Mist.
Other languages spoken include the language of the Ice, spoken by the peoples of North, and the kingdom tongue or common speech, the language of the kingdoms.
What are the books about?
The Ruin Mist books are foremost a story of a struggle for power. In the kingdoms, King Andrew and King Jarom fight for control, and there is intrigue, plotting, and scheming.
King Andrew is the patriarch of House Alder. The main characters in this family are King Andrew’s children:
Adrina……….Youngest daughter of King Andrew. She is becoming a woman and has many concerns for her future and that of her family.
Midori……….Daughter of King Andrew who has been exiled. Her given name is Delinna. She took the name Midori after becoming a priestess.
Valam……….Only son of King Andrew, also known as the Lord and Prince of the South.
Calyin……….Oldest daughter of King Andrew. She lives in the far north with her husband the Lord of the North.
King Jarom is the patriarch of House Tyr’anth. In the early books, not much information is provided about this powerful family. That changes as Emel makes his way through the southern kingdoms, and as King Jarom’s plots become bolder.
Other characters in the books hail from places within and beyond the kingdoms. These characters include:
Emel……….Young guardsman who is one of Adrina’s closest friends.
Galan……….Elf from East Reach across the great sea.
Jacob……….A priest of the father and friend to House Alder.
Martin……….A keeper of the lore, and guardian of the ancient texts and knowledge.
Seth……….Elf from East Reach across the great sea.
Vilmos……….Young boy from Tabborrath Village in Sever. Sever is one of the southern kingdoms.
William……….Prince of Sever who becomes king after his father’s death.
Xith……….Vilmos’ benefactor who rescues him and leads him away from his homeland.
These characters have significant parts to play in the books, but they are not the only characters in the books. Other characters you’ll see include Edward Tallyback, the troant, Myrial, the servant girl, and Ansh Brodst, captain of the Imtal guard.
How does the author manage so many characte
rs?
It is a challenge to create so many diverse characters and maintain their identities, but the many characters help breathe life into the story. The characters’ lives are interesting, and they each have their own concerns, likes, and dislikes. They give the plot depth and make the world feel real.
Whenever readers write to Robert Stanek, they tell him about their favorite characters. Sometimes they tell him how worried they are for a particular character. He especially likes hearing about characters that readers can really identify with.
The character everyone seems to identify most strongly with is Adrina. Most readers understand her great sadness over the loss of her mother and how it has affected her life. In the third book, there is a dark scene where Adrina faces her demons, and Robert Stanek has heard from more than a few readers about that scene.
Seth, Emel, and Vilmos also have many fans. Of these three, the one character that the author was initially unsure of was Emel. Emel is Adrina’s dearest friend. They’ve been getting in trouble together since they were toddlers. In the original planning for the first book, he had a small part, but as the author got into the writing, there was so much chemistry between Adrina and Emel that he expanded the role. Emel is a favorite of many readers.
It gladdens the author’s heart when readers also understand and sympathize with minor characters. Many readers love Edward Tallyback and they want nothing more than for him to come back and play King’s Mate with Vilmos. Unfortunately, that would be difficult given Edward’s current condition, so the only thing we can tell these fans is that Vilmos will play King’s Mate again and the game will have a much more significant role in the story when he does.
Ruin Mist Chronicles Bundle Page 187
