Kickstarter’s going live soon – in the meantime, here’s the prologue 🙂

 

Prologue

 

The creature is dead.

It cost the Empress twenty-three of her finest men but it is done. Pieces of his body are scattered not just within the Imperial Cemetery, but beyond it too. I myself dumped a hunk of the thing’s torso in the ocean, though it turned my stomach to touch even the wrappings.

I mark these details now, here in my own journal, so that knowledge of its death is not lost. Empress Feyania wanted no official record of the man – or beast, if the truth were known – and while I agree with much of her reasoning, I must acquiescence to my fear, and act against her decree with these words.

We have done our best to ensure it does not rise again, but should such a dread event reoccur, let these warnings ring true: do not believe that one arrow or lunge will kill such a man. He took over a dozen of each before he fell – and prior to this, we had already managed to burn his wings to ground him. Even then, he continued his destruction for his very blood can suck the life from a man or sear flesh from bone. The creature continued to burn us until my Lieutenant severed the man’s head.

Only then did it stop.

It is a miracle that we cornered the creature in the first place. But he did have a weakness of its own; his appetites for flesh were well known – if Sergeant Trapelo hadn’t tracked it from the brothel to the ruin we would have lost its trail once more. Among many regrets is that I cannot properly honour Trapelo’s work today, nor bring comfort to his widow.

Still, I will write this now and entrust the words to my successors.

Pacela, My Lady, please spare your golden land from another Thing such as he – if not forever, at least in my lifetime.

 

Hodenva

Captain of the First Imperial Guard

Signed in the Reign of the Empress Feyania of Marlosi