Soul of Skulls (Book 6) (44 page)

Glossary of Locations

AEGONATH ISLES - The ancient homeland of the Aegonar kingdoms. 

ARYLKRAD – Ancient stronghold of Old Dracaryl located at Red Valley, in the heart of the Great Mountains. Once the resting place of the Glamdaigyr.

BANNERED FOREST, THE - A forest in north-central Greycoast, north of the River of Lords. Its name comes from the numerous battles that have been fought in the forest.  

BARELLION - The chief city of Greycoast, and the stronghold of the Prince of Barellion. The largest and most prosperous port and city in the realm. 

BARREN POINT - A peninsula south of Castle Stormsea, home to minor lords and small fishing villages.

BLUEPEAK VILLAGE – A village in the eastern Stormvales, abandoned due to runedead attacks. 

BREAKSWORD - A castle on the northern borders of Knightreach, coveted by the Justiciar Order. 

CASTLE BRIDGE, THE - A fortified bridge over the River of Lords, and the only safe crossing over the River for a week in either direction. 

CASTLE CRAVENLOCK – Seat and stronghold of Mazael Cravenlock, located in the southern Grim Marches. Once home to a San-keth temple, which Mazael destroyed. 

CASTLE DOMINUS - Castle in Mastaria. Once the stronghold of the Dominiar Knights, now held by Lord Adalar Greatheart.

CASTLE STORMSEA – A castle in northwestern Greycoast, sworn to Prince Everard Chalsain of Barellion. Once prominent, but now falling into ruin. 

CRAVENLOCK TOWN – The town of Castle Cravenlock, a half-mile from the castle proper. Swollen to eight thousand people from peasants fleeing the Malrag attacks, the Tervingi invasion, and the Great Rising. 

CYTHRAUL URDVUL - The birthplace of the Demonsouled, where the corrupted Dark Elderborn attempted to summon a demon god. Pushed into the spirit world by the destruction of the demon god, and now the repository of the power of the slain Demonsouled. 

DRACARYL - Once a mighty realm that ruled what is now the Grim Marches, the Great Mountains, the barbarian lands, and many other lands. The high lords of Dracaryl were powerful wizards and necromancers, and commanded dragons and legions of the undead to enforce their will. Destroyed when Randur Maendrag attempted to cast the Great Rising. 

DEEPFOREST KEEP – A castle in the heart of the Great Southern Forest, home to human settlers and their Elderborn allies. 

EBEN'S HOLD -  A small village in northeastern Greycoast.

GREAT MOUNTAINS, THE - The massive mountains east of the Grim Marches. Few ever survive crossing the mountains, due to Malrags, dragons, and more natural hazards. 

GREYCOAST – Located northwest of the Grim Marches and north of Knightreach. The princedom ruled by the Prince of Barellion. 

GRIM MARCHES, THE – A plain located east of Knightcastle and the High Plain and west of the Great Mountains. Currently ruled by Mazael Cravenlock. The appellation “Grim” comes from the many battles that have been fought here. 

IRON RIVER, THE - The river that ran through the old Tervingi homeland, east of the Great Mountains. 

HIGH PLAIN – A broad plain northwest of the Grim Marches and northeast of Greycoast. Known for peaceful stability.

KNIGHTS’ BAY – A bay of the western sea bordering on Knightreach. Knightport and Tumblestone are the chief ports on the bay.

KNIGHTCASTLE – Seat and stronghold of Malden Roland, famed for its long and illustrious history. Located far to the west of the Grim Marches, and south of Barellion and Greycoast. 

KNIGHTPORT - A port town west of Knightcastle, located at the mouth of the Riversteel. Held by Lord Nicholas Randerly. 

KNIGHTREACH - A hilly peninsula west of the Grim Marches and south of Greycoast. Also the term for the lands sworn to the service of Knightcastle and Lord Malden Roland.

KYNOTH – A small village in Greycoast, a few miles north of Castle Stormsea. 

MASTARIA – The hilly country south of Knightreach. Once the domain of the Dominiar Knights, and now controlled by Lord Malden Roland of Knightcastle. Currently most of Mastaria lies under the control of the rebel Caraster and his armies of runedead. 

MONK'S REST - A small village in northeastern Greycoast.

MOUNT TYNAGIS – A mountain in the heart of the Great Southern Forest. A ruined High Elderborn temple sits atop its peak. 

MORSEN VILLAGE – Village in the hill country west of Castle Cravenlock. Once the fief of Sir Gaith Kalborn, San-keth proselyte. Destroyed by Malrags during Corvad’s search for the Glamdaigyr. A San-keth temple lies hidden beneath the village.

MORVYRKRAD - The crypt of the high lords of Dracaryl, located deep in the caverns below the Great Mountains. Once the resting place of the Wraithaldr. 

NORTHWATER - A river two days' ride west of Castle Cravenlock, flowing north into the Lake of Swords. 

PRINCE’S REST – A village in northern Greycoast. Famed for its inn, where one of the Princes of Barellion once spent the night.

RIVERSTEEL - A river flowing west past Knightcastle. 

RIVER ABELINUS - The river marking the traditional border between Mastaria and Knightreach. Fordable in only a few locations. 

RIVER OF LORDS, THE – The river flowing through Greycoast, terminating in the harbor of the city of Barellion. 

STILLWATER - A castle in the hills east of Knightcastle, held by Lord Tancred Stillwater. 

STORMVALES – The land northwest of the Grim Marches. Known for its hilly terrain, deep rivers, and frequent banditry. 

SWORDGRIM – Once the castle of Lord Richard and the ancestral seat of the House of Mandragon. Destroyed during the aftermath of the Great Rising.  

SWORDOR - The stronghold of the Justiciar Knights. Located north of Knightcastle and south of Barellion. 

SWORD TOWN – The largest town in the Grim Marches, rivaled only by Cravenlock Town. Directly south of the ruins of Swordgrim. 

TRAVIA – A princedom north of the Grim Marches, Knightcastle, and Barellion. Currently in the midst of a civil war after its ruling Prince was killed during the Great Rising. 

TRYSTING WAYS, THE - A maze of secret passages and hidden galleries threading through Knightcastle, built gradually over the centuries by generations of Roland kings and lords. 

TUMBLESTONE - A port town south of Knightcastle, held by Lord Agravain Rainier. Near the River Abelinus and Mastaria. 

Other books by the author

The Demonsouled Saga

MAZAEL CRAVENLOCK is a wandering knight, fearless in battle and masterful with a sword. 

Yet he has a dark secret. He is Demonsouled, the son of the ancient and cruel Old Demon, and his tainted blood grants him superhuman strength and speed. Yet with the power comes terrible, inhuman rage, and Mazael must struggle to keep the fury from devouring him.

But he dare not turn aside from the strength of his blood, for he will need it to face terrible foes. 

The priests of the San-keth plot and scheme in the shadows, pulling lords and kingdoms upon their strings. The serpent priests desire to overthrow the realms of men and enslave humanity. Unless Mazael stops them, they shall force all nations to bow before the serpent god.

The Malrag hordes are coming, vast armies of terrible, inhuman beasts, filled with a lust for cruelty and torment. The Malrags care nothing for conquest or treasure, only slaughter. And the human realms are ripe for the harvest. Only a warrior of Mazael’s power can hope to defeat them. 

The Dominiar Order and the Justiciar Order were once noble and respected, dedicated to fighting the powers of dark magic. Now they are corrupt and cynical, and scheme only for power and glory. They will kill anyone who stands in their way.

To defeat these foes, Mazael will need all the strength of his Demonsouled blood.

Yet he faces a far more terrible foe.

For centuries the Old Demon has manipulated kings and lords. Now he shall seize the power of the Demonsouled for himself, and become the a god of torment and tyranny.

Unless Mazael can stop him.

Read 
Demonsouled
 for free. Mazael's adventures continue in 
Soul of Tyrants
, 
Soul of Serpents
, 
Soul of Dragons
, 
Soul of Sorcery
, 
Soul of Skulls
, and 
Soul of Swords
, along with the short stories 
The Wandering Knight
, 
The Tournament Knight
, and 
The Dragon's Shadow
. Get the first three books bundled together in 
Demonsouled Omnibus One
.

The Ghosts Series

Once CAINA AMALAS was the shy daughter of a minor nobleman, content to spend her days in her father’s library. 

Then sorcery and murder and her mother’s treachery tore her life apart.

Now she is a nightfighter of the Ghosts, an elite agent of the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar. She is a master of disguise and infiltration, of stealth and the shadows.

And she will need all those skills to defend the Empire and stay alive.

Corrupt lords scheme and plot in the shadows, desiring to pull down the Emperor and rule the Empire for their own profit and glory. Slave traders lurk on the fringes of the Empire, ready to seize unwary commoners and sell them into servitude in distant lands. Yet both slave traders and cruel lords must beware the Ghosts.

The Magisterium, the Imperial brotherhood of sorcerers, believe themselves the rightful masters of the Empire. With their arcane sciences, they plan to overthrow the Empire and enslave the commoners, ruling all of mankind for their own benefit. Only the Ghosts stand in the path of their sinister plans. 

And the Moroaica, the ancient sorceress of legend and terror, waits in the shadows, preparing to launch a war upon the gods themselves. She will make the gods pay for the suffering of mankind...even if she must destroy the world to do it.

Caina Amalas of the Ghosts opposes these mighty enemies, but the cost might be more than she can bear. 

Read  
Child of the Ghosts
 for free. Caina's adventures continue in 
Ghost in the Flames
, 
Ghost in the Blood
, 
Ghost in the Storm
, 
Ghost in the Stone
, 
Ghost in the Forge
, 
Ghost in the Ashes
,
Ghost in the Mask
, and 
Ghost in the Surge
, along with the short stories 
Ghost Aria
, 
Ghost Claws
, 
Ghost Omens
, 
The Fall of Kyrace
, 
Ghost Thorns
, 
Ghost Undying
 and 
Ghost Dagger
. Get the first three books bundled together in 
The Ghosts Omnibus One
.

The Third Soul

RACHAELIS MORULAN is an Initiate of the Conclave, the powerful order of mighty mages. But to become a full Adept of the Conclave, she must first survive the Testing. Those who survive the Testing never speak of the trials they endured.

Those who fail the Testing are never seen again.

And now the Magisters of the Conclave have come to take Rachaelis to undertake the Testing. And there she shall face perils to both her body and her sanity.

And creatures that yearn to devour her soul.

If Rachaelis survives the Testing, she will face even more dangerous foes. The demons of the astral world watch the world of mortal men, desiring to rule it for themselves.

And some Adepts of the Conclave are eager to help them. 

Read 
The Testing
 for free. Rachelis's trials continue in 
The Assassins
, 
The Blood Shaman
, 
The High Demon
, 
The Burning Child
, 
The Outlaw Adept
, 
The Black Paladin
, and 
The Tomb of Baligant
. Read the entire series in 
The Third Soul Omnibus One
 and 
The Third Soul Omnibus Two
.

The Frostborn Series

A thousand years ago, the last grandson of Arthur Pendragon led the survivors of Britain through a magical gate to a new world, a world of magic and high elves, of orcs and kobolds and stranger, darker creatures. Now the descendants of the exiles rule a mighty kingdom, peaceful and prosperous under the rule of the High King.

But a shadow threatens to devour the kingdom.

RIDMARK ARBAN was once a Swordbearer, a knight of renown. Now he is a branded outcast, stripped of his sword, and despised as a traitor.

But he alone sees the danger to come. The Frostborn shall return, and unless they are stopped, they will cover all the world in ice and a neverending winter. 

CALLIANDE awakens in the darkness, her memories gone, and creatures of terrible power hunting her.

For she alone holds the secret that can save the world…or destroy it utterly.

The secret of the Frostborn.

Read 
Frostborn: The First Quest
, followed by 
Frostborn: The Gray Knight
, 
Frostborn: The Eightfold Knife
, and
Frostborn: The Undying Wizard
, along with the short stories
The Orc's Tale
and
The Mage's Tale
.

The Tower of Endless Worlds

THOMAS WYCLIFFE just wants to finish his dissertation in peace and quiet. So when a man in a black robe appears in his closet, claiming to be the last of the Warlocks, Wycliffe figures it is a bad joke.

But he soon realizes the last of the Warlocks can give him power beyond imagining.

And all it will cost is his soul.

SIMON WESTER needs a job. Badly. So when a rich and powerful Senator offers him employment, he jumps at the chance. Sure, Simon expects to find some corruption, some shady deals.

He doesn't expect to find black magic.

LIAM MASTERE is a Knight of the Sacred Blade, defender of the mortal races. But can swords stand against guns? As bullets and bombs destroy his kingdom, Liam must risk everything to save his homeland's one chance of salvation.

By daring the horrors of the Tower of Endless Worlds…

Read 
The Tower of Endless Worlds
 for free. The saga of the Tower continues in 
A Knight of the Sacred Blade
, 
A Wizard of the White Council
, and 
The Destroyer of Worlds
.