The Nations of Nirendia So Far (Book 3)

The Age of Magic focuses on events on a world called Nirendia, but really, we’ve only seen the innerworkings of two of the 27 active kingdoms that I’m aware of so far. Let’s go over the various sovereign nations that you’ll see by the end of Book 3, The Dragon Prince, which finally releases at the end of this month.

What Nations are in the Surdel Region?

 

The main sovereign people here are of course the humans of the Kingdom of Surdel, but within the map we see here are four nations north of the Small Sea (and I’m lumping the orc groups into one nation because when you leave orcs to their own devices they fracture into their own groups all the time until Bloodhand comes back to reclaim his territory). The oldest nation here is the Etyria Empire, home of the dark elves and Prince Jayden’s royal family. It’s at least 50,000 years old, but because of the demon invasion below Surdel, only one city remains: Uxmal. The area covered by the Nomintaur Forest is the domain of the wood elves under King Calenanna and defended by the fierce Captain Liritmear. Technically, the paladins at Mount Godun are an autonomous nation that has been denied its citizenship to the Kingdom of Surdel due to events at the dark elven city of Xhonia some 500 years ago.

What Nations are in the Visanth Region?

The Visanth Region is dominated by The Visanth Empire. Two thousand years ago, it was actually called the Visanth Kingdom, but the Rasalased family renamed its holdings the Visanth Empire after it conquered several neighboring kingdoms along the west coast of the Great Ocean and made them into vassal states. You haven’t seen these states yet, but the Visanth Empire has long been interested in expanding its holdings, including ambitions on Surdel, with raids into the Surdel mainland with increasing frequency over the past few hundred years.

Up until 1,000 years ago, a dark elven nation also existed within the confines of the region now dominated by the Visanth Empire. Whereas the northern dark elven empire was decimated by demons, the dark elven nation of Harenyadae (“Southern Shadow” in the Elven Tongue) was destroyed by the Visanth Empire in a surprise attack west of Scythica. According to the histories in Visanth, the dark elves attacked the Visanthi people. However, several tomes in the Kingarth Library mention that homed pigeons had been sent to the south from the Etyria Empire repeatedly requesting aid after the fall of Shamat 2,000 years ago and the disappearance of Selenor the Seer, who was presumed to have died at Shamat.

The Eytria Empire condemned the action and claimed the massacred people were a relief force of men, women, and children to help with the fight against the demons in the north. The Visanth Empire didn’t believe in demons and instead sensed weakness. They slaughtered the inhabitants of Suwenga and Kristil within five months of the battle. The pikemen then assaulted Halispata and Zeligawna before moving north to take out Velenztu and Vaerua. During the siege of Zeligawna, a group of human sympathizers from Corellin protested the actions, claiming the dark elves were good neighbors and traders. The army broke up the protests and sent the sympathizers into the southern desert, where they were labeled rebels and separatists by the Visanth Empire under the name “Crelloni”, itself a jumbling of the name of the Corellin protestors. Because of its remoteness, Gelzvani didn’t fall until 2 years after the battle of Scythica. The last embassy of the Etyria Empire closed in Scythica shortly after the fall of Gelzvani, and no dark elf has been seen in the Visanth Empire since (over 1,000 years).

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to lay out some of the history of the series so far and the people who populate it. Maybe I’ll follow this up with some recaps of the histories that you can read about so far in the series. In truth, the history that will be told in this series goes back to the creation of the fantasy universe, back when Mekadesh was born, many billions of years ago. But we’ll also dive into the time of Sven (10,000-15,000 years ago), and the first contact between Selenor the Seer and Mekadesh (20,000 years ago). The majority of the series will concentrate on this more recent period (20,000 years ago until now), but several important artifacts (e.g., The Eye of Maddox and the Arm of Maddox) arrived on Nirendia several million years ago, forming the craters you can see in Surdel just north of the Small Sea and forming the valley where all of the nations of Surdel thrive.

All part of the arc of the series! More to come. Stay tuned!

The Dragon Prince Preorder

The Dragon Prince - eBook smallThe Dragon Prince is up on most outlets for preorder in eBook. Paperbacks and audiobooks are expected to be released by March 31st, release day for the third novel in The Age of Magic series.

Outlining is mostly complete for The Red Poet, the Fourth Book. Initial drafting should start this month.

Get ready for a wild ride!

Catch up on the series:

The People’s Necromancer | The Dark Paladin

About the Dragon Prince

A father murdered. An empire imperiled. A son coming for vengeance.

King Jofka Rasalased of the Visanth Empire is a man who grabs life by the horns. No woman is safe from his allure. No kingdom can intimidate him. The empire prospers in his shadow… until an assassin’s blade ends the reign of the ambitious, charismatic king.

Prince Jandhar finds his dying father and the same deadly knife at his own throat. The killer utters a warning that the prince will never heed. As the assassin leaves, the Kingdom of Surdel cheers at an empire retreating, but Visanth is not a nation in decline. It is a snake recoiling.

The prince looks for a weapon to strike back at the kingdom across the sea. He finds inspiration in the volatile, winged beasts of the Dragongrounds. If he can reverse a god’s curse, the dragon riders of old may return.

Years later, Surdel burns. Undead roam the southern lands and feed on the living. A lord protector is made fiendish by the Demon Lord Orcus. Together, the master and his apprentice decimate the besieged citizens of the Croft protectorate. In the north, the Necromancer Ashton Jeraldson searches for an artifact that might turn the tide of the demon invasion. Around him, the forces of the Holy One ready themselves for the arrival of the Prince of Demons. Elves and orcs come to Croft Keep to crush the ghoulish invaders and fight a demon lord, just as a strange man from a foreign land steps onto the northern shores of the Small Sea.

The murder of King Jofka has gone unanswered for long enough. The response is finally coming, and the world will tremble at the war cry of the Dragon Prince and the might of the Visanth Empire!

Audiobook Winners

The People's Necromancer - AudioSo, the entries are in, and three winners have been selected for an Audible Code for a free audiobook copy of The People’s Necromancer. Big congratulations go out to Em, Jen, and Penny! I’ll be emailing you with your codes later today.

Thanks to everyone for entering, and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you probably haven’t joined my newsletter. If you thought you did but didn’t see the giveaway notification on Sunday/Monday, check your spam filters/box for rex@rexjameson.com. You’ll need to unspamify me to get messages on contests, giveaways, new releases, etc.!

For those who signed up to be ARC readers for The Dragon Prince, things are moving The Dragon Prince - eBook smallalong. I’m hoping to get drafting wrapped up in the next couple of weeks–depending on my workload. The robots aren’t going to create and program themselves… at least… not yet! As soon as I get the drafting done and a few editing passes, I’ll let you know. If you are as surprised about the ARC reader mention as the giveaway, well… you’re not on the mailing list then! Get to it! How else are you going to get contest and insider scoop stuff?!

The Dark Paladin audiobook recording is moving along. We’re hoping to release in September. Fingers crossed! Here’s Chapter 1.

Audiobook for Book 1 is now available

The People's Necromancer - AudioIt’s been a busy week, but I’ve got some great news for readers who have been asking about an Audible version of The People’s Necromancer. Adam Gold and I are proud to announce that The People’s Necromancer has been released in Audiobook on Audible, Amazon. I believe it’s also on iTunes or on its way!

In its first week of availability, it already has 5 reviews and a 4.8 rating with 5 stars for performance on each review. That speaks volumes to Adam’s talent in bringing the story to life. Great job, man! We’re already started on Book 2, and I’m really excited about this one. There’s so much action and adventure in Book 2!

Anyway, here’s what you need to know.

The People’s Necromancer Audiobook is now available on Amazon and Audible. 7 hours of high fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, elves, demons and undead goodness! Narrated by the amazing vocal talent of Adam Gold!

Audible: http://bit.ly/tpn_audible_codes
Amazon: http://bit.ly/tpn_amz_audio
iTunes: http://bit.ly/2nrc8wl

Free Audiobook Samples for The People’s Necromancer

Audiobook Prologue: http://bit.ly/tpn_aud_pro
Audiobook Chapter 1: http://bit.ly/tpn_aud_ch1
Audiobook Chapter 2: http://bit.ly/tpn_aud_ch2

Universal Book Links

The People’s Necromancer: http://books2read.com/peoplesnecro
The Dark Paladin: http://books2read.com/darkpaladin

The Dragon Prince Cover Reveal

The Dragon Prince - eBook smallHis name is Jandhar Rasalased. You killed his father. Prepare to die!

King Jofka Rasalased is a man who grabs life by the horns. No kingdom can intimidate him, and no enemy can predict where his armies and navies will strike next. The Visanth Empire prospers in his shadow…  until an assassin’s blade ends the reign of the ambitious, charismatic king.

Prince Jandhar finds his father and the same deadly knife at his own throat. The killer utters a warning that the Prince will never heed. As the assassin leaves, the Kingdom of Surdel cheers at an empire retreating, but Visanth is not a nation in decline. It is a snake recoiling.

Years later, Surdel burns. Undead roam and feed on the living. A lord protector is made fiendish by the Demon Lord Orcus. Together, the master and his apprentice decimate the besieged citizens of the Croft protectorate. In the north, the Necromancer Ashton Jeraldson searches for an artifact that might turn the tide of the demon invasion. Around him, the forces of the Holy One ready themselves for the arrival of the Prince of Demons. Elves and orcs come to Croft Keep to crush the ghoulish invaders and fight a demon lord, just as a strange man from a foreign land steps onto the northern shores of the Small Sea.

The Dragon knows neither friend nor foe. For him, all are prey, and the only path forward is vengeance. He hears not the screams of the desperate and the damned—only the echoes of past wrongs long festered. The response is finally coming, and the world will tremble at the war cry of the Dragon Prince and the might of the Visanth Empire!

Release expected: Late 2018.

Audiobooks Delayed

Adam Gold has fallen ill with pneumonia, and we must delay the release of the Audiobook for The People’s Necromancer. We all wish him a swift recovery!

Series Sales Update

The Age of Magic has been my most successful series launch so far. Amazon.com is delayed in royalty payments, but the results have been simply stunning. To all of the fans who have discovered my writing, my sincere thanks. Don’t forget to join my newsletter, as I will be doing more paperback giveaways soon!

May Sales: The People’s Necromancer (Amazon: 3474, D2D: 290)

June Sales: The People’s Necromancer (Amazon: 1474, D2D: 60), The Dark Paladin (Amazon: 1600, D2D: 118)

Thank you so much for sharing the series with friends and family. Also, thank you very much for leaving reviews and helping fellow readers figure out if the series is right for them.

 

The Dark Paladin is here!

The Dark Paladrin - eBook smallThe Dark Paladin is coming for the wicked and the damned!

In less than 12 hours, The Dark Paladin will become available worldwide.  Get ready for a book that is going to absolutely blow your socks off! I can’t wait until you guys get a chance to see the tenacity of the wood elves and the brute strength of the orcs under Chief Bloodhand. This book is probably going to make you tear up a bit–I know it does with me every time I have done a read through. It will also hopefully be a bit inspiring and exciting!

 

Ebook vendors: Amazon | B&N | Apple | Kobo , Paperback: Amazon

Want a shot at a paperback? There are two left in a giveaway I did for my newsletter subscribers.

Enter for your chance to win one of two The Dark Paladin paperbacks!

adam_gold_actorThe People’s Necromancer Audiobook Preview

The audiobook for The People’s Necromancer is in the works. Adam has provided me with the first 2 chapters and prologue of the final product. I think he does a great job, and it’s a lot of fun to listen to. Hopefully, you guys enjoy this preview. We expect the full audiobook to be ready by the end of June, and we’ll start recording The Dark Paladin soon after.

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

The Dragon Prince is coming!

My hope is to have The Dragon Prince out late this year. I’m still drafting, but cover art is being commissioned. I’ll let you know when I have something for you to look at!

 

I hope you all enjoy The Dark Paladin!

Reviews and New Books

The People's Necromancer - Ebook SmallSales Update

After nearly two weeks of release, The People’s Necromancer has racked up nearly 2800 unit sales across Amazon, B&N, Apple and Kobo. There have also been over 5 paperback sales. It has been a very successful run so far, in terms of volume. It also has a 4.25 average score on Goodreads right now out of 20 ratings (which is amazing!) However, what’s really unfortunate is that The People’s Necromancer has only received 6 reviews so far on Amazon, with only a 3.7 rating. Usually, my Goodreads ratings are LOWER than my Amazon ratings because of the grading scale that Goodreads recommends (5 is amazing, and 4 is really liked it, while 3 is liked it and 2 is it was ok).

One of the reasons for the 99 cent pricing was so that I could use the various newsletter and author service programs (e.g., ENT, RobinReads, KND, etc.) that only send out discounted books to their lists. These have undoubtedly helped with the release week. However, I’ve also been rejected by a few of these providers because even after a week, the book only had 3 reviews on Amazon (at the time, over 4 stars). What this ultimately means is that without reviews on Amazon, authors like myself cannot use the services that are out there to help us promote books so more readers can be aware of new releases and new authors to try.

So, what am I trying to say here? If you liked or loved the book, please be sure to leave a review on Amazon. Readers are often very cautious about trying new authors, and your opinion may help them decide to try an author like me out. Readers very much rely on this kind of feedback system, so please leave reviews! It’s extremely appreciated by everyone (not just me).


adam_gold_actorAudio Book

The Audio Book for The People’s Necromancer is under production with actor Adam Gold voicing the series. There were over 50 auditions for The People’s Necromancer on ACX, and there were so many fantastic auditions that it was hard for my author friends and beta readers to choose. However, we narrowed it down and readers decided.  You can listen to the winning narration by Adam Gold here.


New Releases Coming Up

The Dark Paladin is less than two weeks away (June 4th)! The book is just amazing, and it has so many emotional and action-focused arcs. If you love female heroines, there are two that are introduced in this book that you are going to absolutely die for. Captain Liritmear of the Wood Elves undoubtedly steals the show. Allison Arrington is the fierce paladin wife of Cedric Arrington. There’s also a tease of the powerful sorceress Princess Cassandra before she comes into her powers, so you won’t quite get to see her kicking ass just yet. Cedric and Prince Jayden make their presence known, and Ashton and the demon lord Orcus are set on a collision course of undead, demons and dragons!

The Dark Paladrin - eBook smallIf you are interested in being an ARC reader, email me at rexjameson@gmail.com or reply to this thread. ARC readers are people who receive “Advance Reader Copies”. The hope is that you can read through the book before the release, provide feedback and/or leave a review on Goodreads, Amazon, or any other vendors when the book goes live. Please let me know if you can be responsive in emails and are willing to read through the books quickly, before release.


The Third Book The Dragon Prince

In The Dark Paladin, you also get a glimpse of The Dragon Prince Jandhar Rasalased. Jandhar is the son of the late King Jofka of the Visanth Empire, and this young man is on a quest for vengeance that transcends such pesky things as demonic armageddons! I’m in the process of drafting, and I expect this third book to be out in October or November of this year. Stay tuned for cover art and release information!

New Releases (May and June)

The People's Necromancer - Ebook SmallThe People’s Necromancer will be released on May 7, 2018. The second book The Dark Paladin will be released on June 4, 2018. For a very limited time, each of these books will be 99 cents. Due to advertisements slated in June, the People’s Necromancer is going to be 99 cents for a few weeks into June. However, I’m not going to make any guarantees about how much longer than that the price will hold.

For those who managed to pick up a copy of The People’s Necromancer, this will be a slightly different version with an additional prologue and tighter story and flow (as well as fixes to typos and the addition of an inline map). I’m incredibly excited to share these stories with you, and I hope you’re excited to read about Nirendia and Ashton Jeraldson’s journey across Surdel. You’re going to meet the dark elves as their civilization is dying beneath the mountains. You’re going to ride with the paladins as they smite their way back into the good graces of the people. You’ll watch the murdered commoners come back from the dead for vengeance. Elves, orcs, humans, undead, demons, and even dragons make appearances! Get ready for a tale that throws you into the battles, love affairs, politics, highs, lows, and chaos of The Age of Magic!

The Dark Paladrin - eBook small

You can find fantasy maps of the kingdoms on the Maps page. You can find descriptions of the books on the Novels page.

 

The Age of Magic is Released!

The-People's-Necromancer - 05Title: The People’s Necromancer
Purchase: Exclusive in Wrath and Ruin Box Set (ebook: Amazon | Apple | Nook/B&N | Kobo)
Series: The Age of Magic (1)
Genre: High Fantasy
Release: January 2nd, 2018 (Release Week @ 0.99, after which is at the mercy of the publisher). Edit: The box set is coming down April 19th. The book will be re-released on May 7th
Word count: 60,000
Status: Preorder
Maps: Surdel (Black & White | Color)

Amidst the darkest days of antiquity, mankind discovers a new kind of hero.

For thousands of years, mankind warred without magic. Peculiar abilities were buried in history along with the storied paladins and the mysterious dark elves who rarely ventured into human towns.

That all changes at the end of the Tranquility Era, when a young man named Ashton accidentally raises his murdered best friend Clayton from the grave. Because of his mistake, Ashton becomes the focus of manhunts, armies, and the King’s judgement, but Ashton is not the biggest problem in the Kingdom of Surdel.

The golden age of man is coming to a close and enemies surround the civilized world. Lulled into a false sense of security by isolation and pervasive peace, human lords hatch petty schemes to weaken their rivals and gain favor with the throne. Meanwhile, an ancient darkness stirs beneath the Great Northern Mountains and the orcish hordes grow restless just beyond the Southern Peaks. Out of the chaos at the end of the Tranquility Era, a new breed of hero arrives to forge an age of sorcery and mayhem. And into this chaos comes the Necromancer!


The second book in the Age of Magic series, The Dark Paladin, is almost through first drafting. The expected release date is late April or early May 2018. Here’s the story summary for The Dark Paladin:

Sometimes, you have to fight fire with fire. Or demons with demons.

The paladins have a storied history, but one tainted by a twisted sacrifice. To fight the demon lords intent on taking over their world, they had to make a deal with one.

Under this pact, paladin Cedric Arrington is forged into a weapon. Wearing his signature black armor to signal to all of Nirendia his dark allegiance, he is a man beset by shadow on a quest to send all demons back to the Abyss.

As a demon lord named Orcus emerges from the underworld, the foundations of the human kingdom of Surdel begin to fracture and weaken. Undead rise without the Necromancer. Demons pour out of Mount Godun at the heart of the tranquil realm, and no one but the paladins can smite the fiery creatures back to where they came from.

Cedric is joined by Prince Jayden of the dark elven Etyria Empire, who have fought their share of undead and evil creatures under their ancient, fallen cities for thousands of years. They search for hope. They search for a weapon capable of defeating a demon lord.

As King Aethis Eldenwald searches for answers to his demon and undead problem, old enemies from the south seek vengeance for recent wrongs. Meanwhile, in the capital Kingarth, the Necromancer Ashton Geraldson is held hostage by a father grieving the loss of his famous son. When Ashton’s pleas for release fall on deaf ears, he is given a tantalizing choice: stay prisoner while the world burns or make his own deal with the darkness.

The People’s Necromancer Release

PeoplesNecromancer_WrathNRuin_BlueFantasyThe People’s Necromancer is finished and set for release on all vendors as part of the Wrath and Ruin box set. 24 exclusive sci-fi and fantasy novels from award-winning and USA Today Bestselling authors for just 0.99 during preorder. This is a limited edition set that is only going to be available for sale for 3 months (down by April). We are trying to get this out to as many people as we can. Our goal is to hit New York Times Bestselling status, which requires tens of thousands of sales (we’re actually inching our way toward 10,000 total sales during preorder alone). We’re quite a bit short on the Apple and B&N sales though, so if you have $0.99 and you want to help us reach our goal of possibly hitting NYT Bestseller status, we would REALLY appreciate your help! Please, oh please!

Anyway, here’s the final info on The People’s Necromancer, my new high fantasy novel which is being released exclusively with this brand new set.  4 cents per novel during the preorder period. Amazon bestsellers, USA Today bestsellers, and award-winning fantasy and sci-fi! It’s an absolute steal. Help us out!

Here’s the info on my novel as well as purchase links to Amazon, Apple, and Nook/B&N!

The-People's-Necromancer - 05Title: The People’s Necromancer
Purchase Preorder in Wrath and Ruin Box Set (ebook: Amazon | Apple | Nook/B&N | Kobo)
Series: The Age of Magic (1)
Genre: High Fantasy
Release: January 2nd, 2018 (Preorder @ 0.99)
Word count: 60,000
Status: Preorder
Maps: Surdel (Black & White | Color)

Amidst the darkest days of antiquity, mankind discovers a new kind of hero.

For thousands of years, mankind warred without magic. Peculiar abilities were buried in history along with the storied paladins and the mysterious dark elves who rarely ventured into human towns.

That all changes at the end of the Tranquility Era, when a young man named Ashton accidentally raises his murdered best friend Clayton from the grave. Because of his mistake, Ashton becomes the focus of manhunts, armies, and the King’s judgement, but Ashton is not the biggest problem in the Kingdom of Surdel.

The golden age of man is coming to a close and enemies surround the civilized world. Lulled into a false sense of security by isolation and pervasive peace, human lords hatch petty schemes to weaken their rivals and gain favor with the throne. Meanwhile, an ancient darkness stirs beneath the Great Northern Mountains and the orcish hordes grow restless just beyond the Southern Peaks. Out of the chaos at the end of the Tranquility Era, a new breed of hero arrives to forge an age of sorcery and mayhem. And into this chaos comes the Necromancer!

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