Welcome to the first in a detailed, epic fantasy trilogy. A sheltered faithful rancher's daughter becomes the victim of a terrible conspiracy. She must band together with a diverse group of lost souls to survive and unravel this dark plot. They must tread carefully, however, as this scheme may trace its roots to the very heart of the theocracy. On her journeys, she will meet a stir-crazy idealistic nobleman, a former slave turned impossibly skilled warrior, a fast-talking infamous con artist, a melancholy scout of a foreign feline race, and a verbose non-humanoid anthropologist.
Our tale plays out against the backdrop of the strange and unique Ruehai setting. Some of the worst qualities of human nature are juxtaposed against a colorful alien world with endless wonders. Ruehai sets itself apart by incorporating non-deterministic technological, evolutionary, and cultural development. A mysterious all-seeing secondary character narrates our story. She is quite aware the reader is from Earth and helpfully explains some of Ruehai's odder elements. Even so, the sheer volume of alien creatures and foreign concepts can get overwhelming. Thusly, each book contains a handy reference of people, locations, species, and terms at the end.
Disclaimers: This series contains heavy themes such as corruption, bigotry, slavery, and violence. It is also a slow-paced, lore-heavy series, especially early on. Readers are advised to avoid if this is not to their liking. This series is entirely self-published. It is purely a gift to my younger self who wrote it before I gave up on being an author. Otherwise, it would vanish on a discarded hard drive as so many books do. Despite its amateur origins, readers may find value in exploring this setting's complex, imaginative, and sometimes disturbing world.
