Emperor's Shadow
Publisher: Ink and Quill Press
Published: August 14, 2023
ISBN-13: 9798396148420
Description: The Sunset Empire is the bastion of humanity on Scera, revered by all and guided by the firm hand of the Undying Emperor who rules from his golden throne hidden within the Citadel of the Sisterhood. Beyond the mountains surrounding the empire lies darkness and chaos, held back by the will of the Emperor and the might of the Imperial Army.

Deep in the heart of the Empire’s Capital, Sunset Isle, a mismatched quartet comes together under unusual circumstances and finds themselves pressed unwillingly into service as members of the Empire’s elite Black Hand. Talia Lorraine, a young highborn daughter of the Empire who serves as a junior sister of the cloth; Elbaf Elbainsen, an orphaned half-orc raised in the slums by other outcasts, who has since risen to protect his neighborhood as the Brawler Of The Brine; Arcus D’ari, a far-from-home ranger out of the frozen tundra of the Far East; and Darko Branislav, a disabled elven wizard isolated from his people by circumstance and his laconic nature, who serves as an instructor at the Imperial Academy for wizards.

Now serving under pain of death – and under the command of an increasingly violent zealot - they must work to protect themselves and their soldiers from her wrath and that of their enemies. Together, they will struggle to overcome physical and mental obstacles as they hunt for traitors and heretics. Meanwhile, dissent grows as a mysterious “prophet” sows discord in the people of the Empire and the companions are forced to confront the most difficult question of all – is the Empire truly what it seems?

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