I had an absolute blast writing this volume. As much as I love some chapters in the first two volumes (the very first chapter of volume 1, the meeting with Dionil and the time spent in Fitseren in volume 2 come to mind) I feel like Marsolin as a setting just spoke to me. The inn with the beautiful outside area, the storytellers, the manor, the libraries and of course the romance. This volume went in several different directions compared to what I planned for it, but I like the end result. Are there things I still want to change? Yes, quite a few. But the core story of this volume will mostly stay the same to what it was where the second volume will probably see a fair bit of revision. So with that all out of the way, let’s recap volume 3 so that we’re all perfectly ready for the fourth volume.
We start off volume 3 in the city of Marsolin. Nestled within a dense forest on the eastern reaches of the Rilodar kingdom lies the third of their big cities. With Jasodar being the trade capital and Rildar being the military capital, Marsolin is the capital of culture and knowledge. Located within the city limits are three giant towers that serve as libraries. The Ruby Observatory serves as a haven for books on magic and other strange phenomena. The Topaz Slumber is much more focused on historical works and more practical writing and the last of the three libraries, the Sapphire Respite, is built to house art, musicians and fictional stories. It is in this city that Eliana, Mana and Cobal meet up with Kayzel, an old friend of Eliana and their ticket into the library. After a quick meeting they are introduced to senior librarian Lysa Drant, a woman who has been at this library for a long time. With her blessing, they get started on their research. With many different topics to go through, they might be here a while.
Cobal gets assigned the help of Salandra Fevezar, a young scribe who is more versed in the books in the Slums – their name for the Topaz Slumber – than Lysa and the two become quick friends. Mana spends most of her time studying different sorts of magic and not succeeding nearly as much as she would like. Cobal and Salandra find a cure for the magic that has gripped Dylon – the guard that came with them to Feaseral Cove – and start digging into a place called Solin Manor, which Eliana is scouting out while the others are studying. Grac mostly stays out of town to make sure no one sees him. It’s not that he would not be welcome in town, but someone of his size would at least stand out and if the people who hold his wife captive see him, they will know something is up.
Early during their stay, Lysa tells them about an old cult called the Jasmine Order. Their aim was to revive someone they considered a deity. In the long history of this world, immortality has been considered impossible besides one notable exception. A once powerful mage named Shifeth became the first and only person to shake off the boundaries of aging and receive an immortal body. Despite age no longer being a problem, his enemies still were and he ended up dying. His followers then worked hard to revive him and they even succeeded. But the returned Shifeth was a changed man and vanished soon afterwards, presumed dead. Despite this, there are still followers of his to this day and the Jasmine Order is where they gather. Cobal and Eliana believe that these Jasmine Order people might be hiding out at Solin Manor and keeping Grac’s wife captive.
After much studying and preparation it’s finally time to raid the Solin Manor. With Eliana’s fighting prowess they make quick work of the outside guards, freeing Grac’s wife from the shed she was being held captive in. With the Irkan free to go on a rampage – which is against his nature, but the anger from being held hostage so long is a great motivation – the others sneak into the manor. To Cobal’s surprise he comes face to face with Selvia, his childhood friend. Her father told her that she went to Rildar to sell some jewelry, but he had no idea he would find her here. It turns out she was approached by one of the cultists and then forced to create a very specific piece of jewelry for them. Leaving Selvia where she was, the party traveled through the manor into the main hall where they found the cultists they were looking for. It seems like there was something they wanted to retrieve from Solin Manor and they just about found it. A mysterious hooded figure sits on a bench and eventually reveals himself to be Sapher Blueyerd. Mana’s fears were right and he did indeed join the cult of his own accord, claiming that his eyes were opened to the blasphemy of summoning other dangerous people to their world. One of the goals of their group is to eliminate all of the outsiders to protect the realm from a great danger. And to do so they need Shifeth the Undying to return to his former glory. After a short scuffle the cultists – Sapher included – escape from Solin Manor, leaving our party to recover. Not all is lost though as they’ve saved Selvia, Grac’s wife and they’ve also found a way to cure the paralysis that Dylon and some others were suffering from. Before saying goodbye to everyone in Marsolin and starting their journey back to Saphestan, two more important things happen. Mana receives a gift from Dionil. It’s a quill that used to belong to famous poet Jerech Sez. It’s supposed to hold some sort of magic and might be useful. And Cobal spends his time well, going on a date with Salandra. The two hit it off in their time together and end their short relationship with a night together. Unfortunately each of them has different things to do in life, so they say goodbye for now, hoping to see each other again. With everything taken care of in Marsolin, the gang returns home.
I hope I managed to cover all of the important parts from the first three volumes. We start next week in the palace in Saphestan where the aftermath of a war and the realisation that the crown prince is truly gone from the kingdom are still echoing through the halls. New adventures are on the horizon and big changes are coming. I hope you will join me here next week for the first chapter and I cannot stress enough how happy I am that you made it this far! Thanks for reading
Opal Kaharis 