On Indefinite Hiatus.

Public Service Announcement #1: Please Read The Whole Synopsis. There's Important Information Here That May Not Be Reiterated Elsewhere.

Blurb:

Magick, the power to bend the very laws of reality. Its fuel, an oft misunderstood substance known as mana—the divine clay of the gods, the formless ether from which existence is wrought, and the most vile of druggae in all of Creation Neverending.

Mages follow the Paths to achieve power, for there is no more addictive chase. Each Path winds and twists, forcing mages through the flames of adversity and challenge.

Though the operative word is "path", the reality is far less straightforward. Instead of a road, Paths are like the branches of world trees: erupting into the heavens, intertwining, and ending in abrupt snaps. Only the strongest reach the sky. There are several Paths, and many Ways to walk them—variations of the same Path, and like the stars, they are endless.

Magick is the sacred flame that scours the fat, rendering the truest self. Superfluous flesh melting away to show the skeleton of one's being. A chance for ascension—apotheosis. Though not every mage works to godhood, if they survive long enough, It is inescapable.

Witness the lives of those that tread the knife's edge of self-destruction. Each one intertwined in their search for answers, revenge, and, most of all: power.

These individuals have all lost something precious—irreplaceable—and in search of filling the void left behind, they have taken up the mantle of a mage.

Per aspera ad astra.

Ad mortem vel divinitatis.

(Through adversity to the stars. To death or divinity.)

How To Read:

This is a multi-lead character fiction, with foci or PoV (Point of View) characters called Tarots whose supporting cast revolves around them in some manner or another. These Tarots are the main characters, in effect, and you can tell them apart by the tag on each chapter. For example:

[Fool], [Magus], [Popess].

Yep, the tags are based on the major arcana of a cartomantic tarot deck, hence Tarots.

Though formulated to give you the best experience by reading all Tarots, you can focus on any number of them you like. There are, as of now, 2 Tarots. The story arcs are self contained enough that, this is in effect, 2 different novels. So, if you don't like [Fool], you may find something you like in [Magus] instead and vice-versa.

What To Expect:

This story is a slow-burn progression fantasy, so expect a healthy dose of training and molasses-quick pacing. It's also heavy on slice of life, and it isn't entirely overarching-plot-driven. Expect characters to live their lives and meander along their Paths rather than always be on some quest to save the world—I don't say this as a judgement; I, too, will probably dabble in an apocalypse or two in this fic when the (end) time is right.

There's a lot of magic theory and discussion in the story, too. So, if you don't like impromptu lessons on sorcerous theory by traveling monster slayers, this might not be for you. But if you do like it, rejoice! For there is a lot of it.

This is also heavy on prose, purple as a bruised eye. I use outdated and sometimes-unnecessarily-collegiate-level terms, and play around with the writing style just for the heck of it. I find it fun to wax and wane poetic, and that might grate on you—if it does, be it in the excessive grandiosity for describing apples or some passage that just ends up boring or a slog to read through, put a comment under the chapter and I'll see what I can do.

For the esoteric, defunct and archaic spellings and terms that I cannot part with, I have made a glossary! For miscellanous lore that cannot be fit into a full and dedicated chapter, there will be an index down the line.

Long story made short: I am a very self-indulgent writer but thankfully not incorrigible.

Onto The Viewer Discretion Is Advised Parts:

This is grim-dark/ grim-heart/ noble-dark; i.e., there's a lotta dark and/ or grim.

Take the tags seriously.

There will be combat scenes that are brutal and horrifying. Fights to the death tend to be. This is a tale about medieval mercenaries (quite literal killers-for-hire), man-eating monsters (and transhumanist, monster-eating men), and eldritch gods beyond the confines of effable reality whose spoken names inspire insanity by the mere uttering thereof.

Besides that, there will be traumatic events that are best left unread. I do not detail certain acts I find heinous enough, instead leaving some parts unwritten but still alluded to if not outright stated; there is simply no graphic narration thereof.

This is not for the faint of heart. You have been warned.