AcolyteEarth and Eshkashia were connected by seven rifts (portals) beginning in 1971, when they were first discovered by Edward Furnish after his friend wandered mysteriously into thin air. It is unclear what caused them, but they can be identified by their large gravitational pull that can be monitored and detected around the world. The planet that lies beyond the portals is a world called Eshkashia.
On that planet there are two dominating forces, the Paladins and Priests, two religions that fight endlessly. Political relations were met friendly, neither desiring war or peace; the rifts sealed off. It wasn’t until the 2000’s that the people started rallying for peace and prosperity with the other government, and so they enacted a program of foreign exchange, where students exchange between the world and become ambassadors for it.
When Dorian Bronze and fellow classmate Ariadne Spungen are chosen to do it, they accept happily, and they are to be attending the prestigious Bronzon academy for Paladins. Even though the families are both frightened, he is allowed to go, as is Ariadne. On the day of their departure, they are met by Ternes Winlock, an Eshkashian who will be escorting them to their destination.
They meet the students who will be going to their school, who are in awe of Ariadne’s blonde hair, an apparently royalty in their world. Dr. Vale runs them through various diseases and gives them vaccines, and if they are to have but one symptom to report it to Ternes immediately. As they get ready to go through the rift, they’re alerted that something came up with and that they won’t be able to stay with Sicily, their would-be guardian for the time. They’d have to stay with someone named Andromache Crow, until Sicily is ready for them to stay with her in Augusta Taurinorum, the capital city of the Paladin Empire and the location of Bronzon. Once at the portal, Dorian says goodbye to his family, and him and Ariadne enter the portal with Ternes, a great clear patch of area that seemed to pull them to it. They appear on the other side, much in the same room that was on Earth. Immediately Dorian feels homesick. There is no going back.
Ternes explains that the rift they entered is very near Andromache’s town, in the Northern Petran district. They leave the building to find a snowy terrain, with a caravan the size of a house, pulled by four large Intrik which looked like giant horses. It turns out the caravan is much like a house, with a kitchen, bathroom, and a couple bedrooms. Once they take off, it’s just a short journey; Ternes knows how to drive the thing. They eventually come onto the city and are taken to a peak with a giant castle. Andromache Crow is there and she tells them it’s called Alterschrofen Hall.
One notable difference to the world is that they use crystals that can be used in everyday life. Such as ice crystals that cool drinks but never melt; and a water crystal that if cracked lets out an enormous amount of water. Andromache enlightens Dorian and Ariadne she owns a large crystal harvesting factory that collects pods of ice crystals – some of the finest in the land. The town, Kaj, was actually formed by the large ice crystal deposits. She says she’ll take them there tomorrow.
They have dinner where they meet Durand Crow, Andromache’s son, who will be going to stay with Sicily once Bronzon is about to start. They get along very well. Their eating Intrik meat with a strange green drink that sparkles, called Emerald Sapphirus. Once they go to bed, Ariadne and Dorian go out and watch the snow fall quietly onto the balcony. They notice that the fire has large embers in it, and Dorian uses the fire pick to take one of them out; it’s just like the water crystals but searing orange.
It begins to crack oddly and they drop it, where it bursts onto the ground. From the burning ashes and cinders a human starts to take form, and when completely formed, thanks them in a deep voice and evaporates into the air. Ariadne decides they should probably get some sleep, as that was extremely strange, and they’d just tell Andromache in the morning.
They get up for breakfast and explain it to her – she seems very reserved about the subject and decides they were dreaming. She takes them to her factory and they watch how people pick out the ice crystals in the ice and put them in buckets to be hauled to the clarification rooms to be judged. She mentions they’ve had many break-ins lately and have had to hire extra security. She shows them her most prized possession, a large crystal three times the size of the others, which she calls Aquasil – Andromache puts it into a cylindrical tube and hands it to Dorian, saying it’s her gift to them and to take very much care with it. Ariadne later tells Dorian that the break-ins most likely had been to steal the large crystal.
As the week progresses, they get to know Durand pretty well, and play a game called snatching with him on a frozen lake; they also meet Andromache’s husband, who they only see a couple times after that. They meet Sustertian, a foreign diplomat apparently, who gives them a book, and he says a token of Eshkashia, where the key will reveal itself when it’s time; the book is locked shut.
The week ends and Dorian, Durand, and Ariadne are sent to Augusta Taurinorum. The trip is long and their escort, Sotirios, shows them many sites along the way, such as the city Mingrastrasa and the Arbore temple – a giant spider god.
Once at Augusta Taurinorum they meet Sicily, who is a nice woman who has a giant house on the side of a hill. Looking down on the city it reminds Dorian of Rome, with many red ceilings and lots of gold. Sicily takes them on a trip through the city and shows them a few temples, and the high temple itself, where the grand paladin sits. Dorian finds someone who monitors humans who enter the world, and this is where a large plot of the book is revealed. About ten years ago Dorian’s father went on a mission to Eshkashia as a scientist and never returned; part of Dorian wants to find his father. Also, a deadly assassin by the name of Amity Sparks greets them in a bazaar while Sicily is off shopping. Amity says she knows they have Aquasil hidden somewhere and will find it – so they better watch out.
The next day Bronzon begins and they follow Sicily to the lavish academy to a large church room where clerestory windows bath the room in golden light. The headmaster of the academy, Bixquixil speaks, and is soon rudely interrupted when a man bursts in and says the Magisters have returned. Everyone rushes outside to find that three large scarlet ships are ascending toward the city – Sicily says they’re able to float using large pods of heavy floating crystals that carry the ships off the ground. Sicily rushes them all to the Great Library and to a room with a giant oculus. Already in the room are Bixquixil, some politicians in white robes, and Turin, the grand paladin. Floating in the middle of the room is an opened book.
Sicily says it’s called the Stega. She takes it and runs when Turin tells her to hide it. She hands Dorian a note before she does and tells him to return to the house. Soon a man bursts into the room and calls himself Talbadar, leader of the Magisters and that they’ve come for the Stega.
Dorian, Durand, and Ariadne are instructed to leave so they return to the house to find Ektoras waiting for them, and apparent friend of Sicily’s – he is there to watch over them. He says the Magisters are here to search for the Divine Chapters and return magic to the land. Ektoras says before the rifts opened Sommeil came upon the land and swept the magic away – he describes how Meglawisps used to glide above dead vegetation and bring it back to life – how dragons used to fly high above the clouds.
He says that he’s the courier in charge of finding the Divine Chapters before the Magisters do, for whoever possesses them all can return magic to the land. Dorian doesn’t know what to think until he reads the letter Sicily gave him, it says to trust Ektoras, and so that’s what he does. The next day they go to visit Berta Atreb at the Seven Chalices, a tavern that Sicily often went to. Berta Atreb is very friendly to them all.
The next day when they wake up, they can’t find Ariadne anywhere. She’d gone missing. They checked the Seven Chalices, and even Ektoras said he had no idea. Berta says that she was taken by the Falcon Marauders and sold to the Laguishan District to use in the upcoming Gladiator Games. She says with Ektoras’s permission they can come with her as she is moving the Seven Chalices to Laguisha for the great business she can get at the games. They do not get the permission of Ektoras, but they go anyway.
On that planet there are two dominating forces, the Paladins and Priests, two religions that fight endlessly. Political relations were met friendly, neither desiring war or peace; the rifts sealed off. It wasn’t until the 2000’s that the people started rallying for peace and prosperity with the other government, and so they enacted a program of foreign exchange, where students exchange between the world and become ambassadors for it.
When Dorian Bronze and fellow classmate Ariadne Spungen are chosen to do it, they accept happily, and they are to be attending the prestigious Bronzon academy for Paladins. Even though the families are both frightened, he is allowed to go, as is Ariadne. On the day of their departure, they are met by Ternes Winlock, an Eshkashian who will be escorting them to their destination.
They meet the students who will be going to their school, who are in awe of Ariadne’s blonde hair, an apparently royalty in their world. Dr. Vale runs them through various diseases and gives them vaccines, and if they are to have but one symptom to report it to Ternes immediately. As they get ready to go through the rift, they’re alerted that something came up with and that they won’t be able to stay with Sicily, their would-be guardian for the time. They’d have to stay with someone named Andromache Crow, until Sicily is ready for them to stay with her in Augusta Taurinorum, the capital city of the Paladin Empire and the location of Bronzon. Once at the portal, Dorian says goodbye to his family, and him and Ariadne enter the portal with Ternes, a great clear patch of area that seemed to pull them to it. They appear on the other side, much in the same room that was on Earth. Immediately Dorian feels homesick. There is no going back.
Ternes explains that the rift they entered is very near Andromache’s town, in the Northern Petran district. They leave the building to find a snowy terrain, with a caravan the size of a house, pulled by four large Intrik which looked like giant horses. It turns out the caravan is much like a house, with a kitchen, bathroom, and a couple bedrooms. Once they take off, it’s just a short journey; Ternes knows how to drive the thing. They eventually come onto the city and are taken to a peak with a giant castle. Andromache Crow is there and she tells them it’s called Alterschrofen Hall.
One notable difference to the world is that they use crystals that can be used in everyday life. Such as ice crystals that cool drinks but never melt; and a water crystal that if cracked lets out an enormous amount of water. Andromache enlightens Dorian and Ariadne she owns a large crystal harvesting factory that collects pods of ice crystals – some of the finest in the land. The town, Kaj, was actually formed by the large ice crystal deposits. She says she’ll take them there tomorrow.
They have dinner where they meet Durand Crow, Andromache’s son, who will be going to stay with Sicily once Bronzon is about to start. They get along very well. Their eating Intrik meat with a strange green drink that sparkles, called Emerald Sapphirus. Once they go to bed, Ariadne and Dorian go out and watch the snow fall quietly onto the balcony. They notice that the fire has large embers in it, and Dorian uses the fire pick to take one of them out; it’s just like the water crystals but searing orange.
It begins to crack oddly and they drop it, where it bursts onto the ground. From the burning ashes and cinders a human starts to take form, and when completely formed, thanks them in a deep voice and evaporates into the air. Ariadne decides they should probably get some sleep, as that was extremely strange, and they’d just tell Andromache in the morning.
They get up for breakfast and explain it to her – she seems very reserved about the subject and decides they were dreaming. She takes them to her factory and they watch how people pick out the ice crystals in the ice and put them in buckets to be hauled to the clarification rooms to be judged. She mentions they’ve had many break-ins lately and have had to hire extra security. She shows them her most prized possession, a large crystal three times the size of the others, which she calls Aquasil – Andromache puts it into a cylindrical tube and hands it to Dorian, saying it’s her gift to them and to take very much care with it. Ariadne later tells Dorian that the break-ins most likely had been to steal the large crystal.
As the week progresses, they get to know Durand pretty well, and play a game called snatching with him on a frozen lake; they also meet Andromache’s husband, who they only see a couple times after that. They meet Sustertian, a foreign diplomat apparently, who gives them a book, and he says a token of Eshkashia, where the key will reveal itself when it’s time; the book is locked shut.
The week ends and Dorian, Durand, and Ariadne are sent to Augusta Taurinorum. The trip is long and their escort, Sotirios, shows them many sites along the way, such as the city Mingrastrasa and the Arbore temple – a giant spider god.
Once at Augusta Taurinorum they meet Sicily, who is a nice woman who has a giant house on the side of a hill. Looking down on the city it reminds Dorian of Rome, with many red ceilings and lots of gold. Sicily takes them on a trip through the city and shows them a few temples, and the high temple itself, where the grand paladin sits. Dorian finds someone who monitors humans who enter the world, and this is where a large plot of the book is revealed. About ten years ago Dorian’s father went on a mission to Eshkashia as a scientist and never returned; part of Dorian wants to find his father. Also, a deadly assassin by the name of Amity Sparks greets them in a bazaar while Sicily is off shopping. Amity says she knows they have Aquasil hidden somewhere and will find it – so they better watch out.
The next day Bronzon begins and they follow Sicily to the lavish academy to a large church room where clerestory windows bath the room in golden light. The headmaster of the academy, Bixquixil speaks, and is soon rudely interrupted when a man bursts in and says the Magisters have returned. Everyone rushes outside to find that three large scarlet ships are ascending toward the city – Sicily says they’re able to float using large pods of heavy floating crystals that carry the ships off the ground. Sicily rushes them all to the Great Library and to a room with a giant oculus. Already in the room are Bixquixil, some politicians in white robes, and Turin, the grand paladin. Floating in the middle of the room is an opened book.
Sicily says it’s called the Stega. She takes it and runs when Turin tells her to hide it. She hands Dorian a note before she does and tells him to return to the house. Soon a man bursts into the room and calls himself Talbadar, leader of the Magisters and that they’ve come for the Stega.
Dorian, Durand, and Ariadne are instructed to leave so they return to the house to find Ektoras waiting for them, and apparent friend of Sicily’s – he is there to watch over them. He says the Magisters are here to search for the Divine Chapters and return magic to the land. Ektoras says before the rifts opened Sommeil came upon the land and swept the magic away – he describes how Meglawisps used to glide above dead vegetation and bring it back to life – how dragons used to fly high above the clouds.
He says that he’s the courier in charge of finding the Divine Chapters before the Magisters do, for whoever possesses them all can return magic to the land. Dorian doesn’t know what to think until he reads the letter Sicily gave him, it says to trust Ektoras, and so that’s what he does. The next day they go to visit Berta Atreb at the Seven Chalices, a tavern that Sicily often went to. Berta Atreb is very friendly to them all.
The next day when they wake up, they can’t find Ariadne anywhere. She’d gone missing. They checked the Seven Chalices, and even Ektoras said he had no idea. Berta says that she was taken by the Falcon Marauders and sold to the Laguishan District to use in the upcoming Gladiator Games. She says with Ektoras’s permission they can come with her as she is moving the Seven Chalices to Laguisha for the great business she can get at the games. They do not get the permission of Ektoras, but they go anyway.
Minstrel
