The Age of Mortality

**The Age of Mortality** is the first installment of the *Warbringer* fantasy series written by aspiring author CJ Mann III. While certain elements, characters and ideas in the series originate back to the mid 2000's during CJs highschool years, the series wasn't seriously considered by CJ until 2018.

## **Epigraph**

Owning, enslaving, and conquering; The Gods plot and scheme.

Turning to stand their ground; the mortals endure it no more.

What chance, against mortals, do the mere Gods have?

## **Limbo**

The Realm of Limbo; the unbaptized and exemplary heathens. (A Reference to Dante's Inferno and the Nine Rings of Death).

## The Cast

AristaAristaAuriannaAuriannaAemannanAemannanBoareBoareChipoChipoCyriiaCyriiaDesdemonnaDesdemonnaFronnaFronnaGorius ArinngiGoriusHyperiaHyperiaKirusKirusPirus SilasPirusZanntheZannthe

## Synopsis

A brief overview of the major points of a written work, either as prose or as a table; an abridgment or condensation of a work.

## Summary

**Below is a condensed presentation of The Days of Mortals. While this was written to avoid spoilers as much as possible, some spoilers ensue. Peruse at your own risk.**

An unnamed woman, wounded and left for dead, is laying atop a desolate cliff with a sword piercing her gut and pinning her to the earth. The young child Annaias is adopted by Lucretius, The Alchemist, along with Aura and another boy. Rias is dying in childbirth, and has produced a stillborn son. Tapping into The Holy Desert's power she uses her lifeforce to push into her stillborn son. Her son is revived and she names him Rinnga Roudonnas, before succumbing to a final sleep. Desdemonna, The Head Consort of Aemannan, Prophet of the One True God leading The Children of Righteousness, arrive to a vast new earthen realm, after traversing The Wasted Lands, ready to baptize and cleanse all. At The Libertine in Liridonnia Arista The Rogue is offered an unparalleled bounty on Boare Warbringer, which she accepts. Sannthibury falls to The Children of Righteousness. In the Earthroom of Ionne, Queen Eslannda is defiled, deposed, and beheaded.

During an extended stay in The Estates, Aurianna's ailing adopted father Lucretius passes away. Aurianna returns home to Olynnthius to inherit her adopted father's business empire and continue his legacy. Catelinn Orlenna hangs for crimes she didn't commit. An unnamed Rogue assumes the name of Avanni after watching an innocent woman hang for the crimes she committed.

Lieutenant Kirus and his Platoon arrive to the far-western town of Jirius in the Kingdom of Sannthibury, to begin baptizing the locals and converting the town into a part of New Godsland. He orders a squad to shut down the local tavern named Poor Jorann's. Fronna and her men are enjoying a round of drinks at Poor Jorann's and keeping an eye on their bounty Arista The Rogue, when their other bounty Boare Warbinger also enters Poor Jorann's. Sensing the tension in the air, Fronna and her men leave, but she orders one of her men to go back and keep an eye on her fortune. After ordering a round at the bar, Boare is interrupted by a squad of the Children of Righteousness. Tensions boil over, a skirmish ensues, and a mysterious Warbringer woman from a dark corner of the bar rushes to his aid. After disposing of the Squad with ease, the woman names herself as Arista.

Gorius Arinngi and part of his troop (Zannthe, Brenna, Arse, Chipo The Chin, and Arsenius Arse) witness the two Warbringers massacre the squad of Children of Righteousness in Poor Jorann's. Jorann himself has passed out, and Gorius orders his troop to help clean the place up and dispose of the bodys and any evidence of the massacre, or else the Children of Righteousness will baptize the whole town in blood. After working through the entire night, Gorius's troop does the best job they can in cleaning Poor Jorann's, but they know its not good enough.

Fronna's man returns after helping Gorius and his troop clean away the signs of the massacre at Poor Jorann's. He claims that Arista and Boare are working together and have left for the great Warbringer Caravan stationed some distance outside of town. They prepare to flee town, and join the caravan's ranks. Still soaked in blood, Boare returns to his Warbringer Caravan and orders Yiva to pack it up and get it back on the Olde Road and heading West towards The Riverlands. Fronna and her men slip into the Warbringer Caravan as it takes to the Olde Road leaving the town Jirius behind. Kirus learns the Warbringer Caravan is West of Jirius and on the move, but also learns that Gorius the Outrider might be in town. He divides his Platoon in hopes of achieving both his objectives.

After returning home to Olynnthius, Aurianna visits her father Lucretius's alchemical business, and begins restoring it for a reopening. She is visited by her driver and father-figure Callistius, and she decides she wants to inherit her father's Senatorial Seat in Olynnthius and try to do more for the Olynnthian citizens. At The Libertine in Liridonnia Pirus Silas recieves a letter from his adopted sister, Aurianna, informing him that their father has peacefully passed away. Suspecting his adopted sister of being up to something nefarious, Pirus Silas decides to return home to Olynnthius to claim his inheritance.

In Jirius an unnamed Sibyl gives a Reading to young man with a notable chin. Gorius's troop tries to motivate him into starting a resistance against the Children of Righteousness and retake Sannthibury. Gorius declines. Frsutrated with Gorius, Zannthe takes the rest of the troop and starts the resistance in Gorius's name. The troop begins killing the Children of Righteousness stationed in Jirius, who have taken over the local kirk and renamed it a church. Searching for The Shepherd, the one overseeing the conversion of Jirius, they are ambushed. Gorius tracks his troop to the old kirk and in an attempt to save his troop, inadvertantly kills The Shepherd, thus oficially starting the resistance.

Aemannan is baptizing Sannthibian souls, in the Earthroom of Ionne. Dysus and Desdemonna are in attendance. God's Champion Petrus arrives, and Aemannan takes him to discuss a secret mission that Petrus must depart on immediately. Desdemonna begins testing the waters with Dysus seeing where he stands, and the early stages of her plan begin.

Visiting the Capitol Building in Capital City, and using one of the many lessons that her father Lucretius tried teaching her brother Pirus Silas, Aurianna bribes a clerk named Brannon into pushing through a request to inherit her late father's Senatorial Seat. Desdemonna is visited by a timid Dysus who fears he overplayed his hand with Aemannan earlier, and that Desdemonna figured him out. Desdemonna manipulates Dysus, and secures him in her pocket.

The grueling weeks upon the Olde Road have seen Boare's Caravan thinning, as they suffered a brutal pace, and continual attacks from Rogues attempting to claim the bounty on his head. Taking Aristas advice, Boare prepares his caravan for a large attack of Rogues. Fronna and her men, perpare to make a move against Arista in the coming chaotic skirmish. Breaking off from the caravan, Boare discovers a small group of Rogues preparing to lay a trap on the caravan, and finds damning bounty letters for Arista on one of their bodies. The Rogues attack the caravan. Fronna and her men, begin to make their move on Arista until they see the way she can fight, and decide otherwise. Boare reaches the caravan as the skirmish ends and the Rogues are defeated and flee. The caravan can't wait for long, as the dust settles from the skirmish they see the dust of a large force of Children of Righteousness approaching.

Kirus and his Platoon

## Copyright

© 2018 CJ Mann III: The Warbringer Series is an original work created by CJ Mann III in 2018