A BREAKING OF REALMS (REALM BREAKER #1)

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​In the remote glaciers of the Divine Republic of Aranor Elondris, our tale begins with Skalda Branwright dreaming of falling in the dark. A voice calls out to her for help before she wakes.

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Skalda is the 19-year-old impoverished daughter of the local madwoman. To survive, Skalda hunts wild animals, particularly the small white wolves near home, for income. Her home is a dragonpost that was built under the elvish rules of the Realm-Building Enterprise, and is overseen by the fatherly post leader, Jofreid Anders.

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Skalda's greatest dream has been to hatch a dragon so she can start building realms as a rider. But no dragon has ever hatched for her - and the egg she wins as a prize during the local rite-of-passage does not hatch for her either.

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This discourages her immensely, but her best friends, Kael and Mat, cheer her up at the mead hall. That same night, her estranged brother, Eyrek, comes to visit to celebrate her winning the rite.

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She's shocked to find out that in the decade since Eyrek was gone, he bonded a dragon and climbed up the ranks under the Realm-Building Enterprise to become the continent's most renowned and powerful Dragonlord. He's even on the verge of meeting the Enterprise's eligibility requirements to form his new realm in the north. Eyrek is about to become the first self-made king under the Enterprise; all it takes is waiting for his riders to "level up" their dragons in a battle campaign to meet the final requisite. He reveals that his pending kingdom is called "Teralynn" and its capital called "Tera Beren," where he now spends most of his days.

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While he visits, they share a tender reunion. Eyrek encourages her to find a way to leave home and join Realm-Building. He insists the only reason why she hasn't been able to hatch a dragon is because she's not found the right one and must leave the impoverished ways of home. However, Skalda can't bring herself to abandon her mother, for whom she's been the primary caretaker. Eyrek gifts her with Aracir, a rare elvish-forged axe, before he parts to return to Exar'forda, the Realm-Building headquarters.

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We follow Eyrek's story as he returns to his shadowy overlord, the Lord Prince, who runs Realm-Building and is known to be the highest-ranked rider on the continent. While Eyrek waits for his riders to finish their battle campaign, he receives a distress report. His riders back at his dragonpost, Tera Beren, are under attack from the Northern savages. Little is known about them besides that they are called "Wereguild" and their leader, the Were King, refuses to bend the knee to the Republic.

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By the time Eyrek returns to his home post, it's too late. He's shocked to find that everything he spent his life Realm-Building has been burned, and his riders killed by the Wereguild. As the most decorated champion-rider in the Republic, he has now been left with nothing.

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Meanwhile, Skalda, unaware of these events back at home, considers joining the Realm-Building Enterprise until what appears to be a meteor falls from the sky. It leaves the glacial villages in devastation. Against her post leader's wishes, she insists on finding the source of what fell and spends the next few days trekking into the remote woodlands north of home.

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In the heart of the wilderness, she finds what she's looking for - and is shocked to see it's a black dragon hatchling. But she's even more stunned when he speaks into her mind, "Help." It's the same words she heard in her falling dreams days before he fell from the sky.

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Skalda binds the helpless creature and brings him back to Anders and the dragonpost. She eagerly entertains bonding with it to become a rider, but Anders warns her against the dire consequences of bonding a wild dragon. Kvael, or "rogues" of any fashion that operate outside the Realm-Building Enterprise, are swiftly put down by the Lord Prince. This extends to wild dragons. By law, they will need to report it to Exar'forda, the High Post, and relinquish it to be killed by the elves.

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Overtaken by guilt, Skalda defies her post leader and secretly rescues the hatchling from the nursery. But shortly after bringing it home, it escapes.

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The next day, when Anders finds out, he's extremely alarmed. Not knowing her part in the hatchling's escape, he explains to her that he's already contacted the elves. They are on the way. If they arrive and Anders doesn't have the hatchling ready for them, the consequences will be dire. He begs Skalda to help him recover the runaway hatchling.

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Skalda is torn between morality and her duty to her post leader. She agrees to help hunt the hatchling and calls upon her best friend and love interest, Kael, for help. But she's dismayed to find him gone. His teacher reveals he was a human with the affinity for magic (an "affinite"). By Republic law, human affinites must be put to death or sworn into some distant and mysterious place called the Arcaenum. When Kael's magical affinity came out and revealed himself, his teacher rushed him to the Arcaenum before the Republic could get wind of it and arrest him.

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Skalda is devastated to hear this, but in Kael's place, a murky elvish Ranger meets her in the library where Kael studied. He has been sent by the Elf Queen to investigate the titanic runes that have appeared in the glaciers north of home. In private, the Ranger - Aesir Luthonder - reveals old elvish history. Only one species of dragon was ever black, and those that were are remembered as Realm-Breakers. She's dealing with an otherworldly god-being thought to have gone extinct long ago, and is capable of of breaking entire worlds when it grows up.

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After learning this horrifying truth, she flees the Ranger to search for the hatchling. At the same time, the elves that Anders called from the High Post have arrived. Their leader, Judge Rystendal, is displeased when Anders meets them empty-handed. Skalda finds the hatchling at the last moment and hides in the barn while the meeting takes place. 

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The hatchling begs her once again for help. And once more, Skalda feels in her soul that she's intimately bonded to this creature. Whether it's a Realm-Breaker or not, she can't bring herself to give him up to the elves for execution. Her mother finds out about the stolen hatchling, but to Skalda's surprise, gives her advice on young dragon care and urges her to run.

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Skalda meets the Ranger Aesir during her flight into the woods. They strike a bargain, and Aesir ends up joining her side while Judge Rystendal and his enemy Rangers hunt her. When the Judge finds out someone has been hiding the hatchling all this time, in his fury, he burns Anders's dragonpost and the villages he oversees under the Realm-Building Enterprise. Skalda's friends are taken prisoner and she loses all trace of her mother.

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Aesir helps her escape out of the glaciers with the hatchling while the Judge actively hunts her. They agree to look for "Traust," an underground order in the Freeholds far to the south. Aesir believes the Brother-Mages there will be able to help Skalda return the hatchling back to its home world from where it fell. 

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It's also during this time, on the road, that Skalda accidentally discovers her affinity for magic. Aesir is stunned and no less horrified. Elves are the only ones permitted to live as free mages and if anyone finds out about Skalda, she will be put to death. But she's determined more than ever to stay the course with returning her hatchling to his home world, even if it means dodging the ruling elves and becoming an outlaw.

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Meanwhile, Eyrek returns to the Republic's capital in shock and panic. He begs the leaders for reinforcements to retake Teralynn, which continues to be sacked under the mysterious Were King and his followers. Instead of offering to avenge his slaughtered Dragonlords, the Republic votes against allowing Eyrek to Realm-Build a new realm ever again. Due to his "failures," he is also barred from ever becoming king under the Enterprise.

 

In private, the Elf Queen suggests he take his riders from his remaining dragonposts within Republic borders to kill the Were King and put out the political unrest growing in the Deep North.

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Before he leaves, she requires him to take her heir, Prince Rhysaeran, along with him. Rhysaeran is betrothed to the Queen's daughter, the Crown Prince Vhalentae, whom Eyrek has been courting in secret. It feels like a trap, but Eyrek has no choice but to bring his rival with him to the Deep North.

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Upon arriving to Teralynn's warzones, Eyrek and his riders are ambushed. He suffers heavy losses against the Wereguild. At one point, he even meets the Were King face-to-face, though he can't see the face behind the helmet. But with Rhysaeran's help, Eyrek gains victory and routes his enemies. He also finds and abducts the young heir of the Northern king whose lands he stole to Realm-Build Teralynn on.

 

Despite his victory, Eyrek is going halfway mad from the murder of his riders and the permanent loss of his status as a king-in-waiting. In his brash need for vengeance, he demands a meeting with Leondran Astoraine, the King of Fjorland. Eyrek is convinced the king, who is anti-Realm-Building, provided arms to the Wereguild. It's during this time that King Leondran reveals what few know - that Eyrek built his reputation and career on the bones of fellow brothers and sisters of the faith. The king has intelligence networks that knows Eyrek massacred the Northerners that used to live in Teralynn before he built his dragonpost over it. Leondran warns him that this immoral and illegal slaughter will reach Republic ears - and when it does, Eyrek will be put to death. Eyrek scorns him but threatens to kill the king if he reveals anything to the Republic.

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Eyrek then returns to Exar'forda, the High Post, to council with his overlord. We meet the Lord Prince for the first time. Vharyn Morghul is the youngest child of the Elf Queen and politically disgraced. However, when Eyrek tells him what happened between him and King Leondran, Vharyn proves himself a cunning and dangerous politician. The Lord Prince refuses any notion of losing Eyrek, as his best friend and most powerful rider. Together, they plot how they will quietly assassinate King Leondran, who is unfortunately one of the most influential leaders in the Republic.

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When Vharyn reveals his plan at last, Eyrek is dismayed. Vharyn tells him that according to reports, King Leondran will be travelling to a dragonpost in the northern region of Fjorland. This post - Dellfast - will be hosting dragonriding regionals. Since it lies within his own kingdom's borders, King Leondran will bring few guards with him. Vharyn urges Eyrek to take his Great Dragon and burn everything - the king, the people, the post - to the ground, and frame it on the Were King. Vharyn insists this is the only way to cover up the crimes King Leondran threatened to have him sentenced for. Eyrek is deeply disturbed by this plan, but he agrees with Vharyn that they must keep Realm-Building alive for the protection and safety of the Republic.

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While Eyrek departs for Dellfast alone on his dragon, Skalda and Aesir continue to travel east with the hatchling. He has imparted his name to her - Baelaeryx - though she's shortened it to his nickname, Bale. They encounter the Rangers at an obscure village, and Skalda solidifies her friendship with Aesir when she risks herself to rescue him from the vengeful elves.

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After they reconcile and rest, Aesir turns them toward Dellfast. It's a teeming dragonpost where they will be able to resupply at. 

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Skalda privately slips away into town and discovers that Anders and her friends have been transferred to the prison here by Judge Rystendal. Dellfast's post leader has been ordered to hold them until the Judge returns to continue transferring them to Exar'forda, the Lord Prince's estate, for execution.

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Skalda tries to save them, but unfortunately, the Judge's Rangers intercept her. During her chase, she accidentally bumps into King Leondran's visiting retinue. As one of his subjects, he invites her under his protection. When he finds out that the Lord Prince's elves have burnt Skalda's home - lands within the king's borders - he is furious and promises to bring the matter to the Republic. Once the Republic's leaders hear about this, they will put an end to the Lord Prince's hunt and perhaps even the Lord Prince himself.

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Unfortunately, just when everything seems to be working out, Dellfast comes under attack. The Wereguild brings battle to the streets. Skalda joins forces with the previously antagonistic riders of Dellfast. Along with Bale and Aesir, they defend the town until they gain victory and force the Wereguild to retreat.

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The city is left in ruins, and the post leader and his second, Faelan Pranathor, are devastated. They also wrestle with whether to turn Skalda in to the elves, as duty and law call for. Yet Faelan defends her, saying that despite her being a kvael-akar (rogue rider), she risked herself, and her dragon's life, to save Dellfast. In the end, the post leader agrees to free her friends - his prisoners - against the will of the Order and its elvish riders.

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Skalda reconciles with her friends and is waving goodbye to King Leondran when the ground collapses all over again from Wereguild tunnels. It swallows the king and his retinue before she can save him. Skalda, Aesir, Faelan, and her friends watch alongside young Bale as a Great Dragon and an unknown rider appear to bury the last of Dellfast in flames. Faelan's post leader and wingmates perish in the attack. 

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Skalda comes to the realization that the Order and its elves will stop at nothing to keep the rules, and humans subservient to them. She can never forgive this evil and vows to embrace her new status as kvael-akar. Above all, she stops wavering over the morality of defending her Bael and makes the firm decision then to go all in and protect him from the Order, even if it means openly rebelling and fighting against the Lord Prince and all his loyal riders.

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Just when the Great Dragon is about to swallow them with dragonfire, the ground beneath Skalda collapses from a last Were tunnel. It seems fate spares her to put her new oaths - and her new identity as the first Baelrider in history - to the test.

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A BANISHING OF KINGS (REALM BREAKER #2)

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In progress...

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A BUILDING OF EMPIRES (REALM BREAKER #3)

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In progress...

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A BATTLING OF CONTINENTS (REALM BREAKER #4)

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In progress...

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A BLEEDING OF HEAVENS (REALM BREAKER #5)

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COMING SOON...