Lord’s War: The Marquis’s Youngest Son

Lord + nobility + armies + conquest + magic + knights + orcs + elves + dwarves + dragons + giants + hobbits + demons + Middle-earth. Emperor, duke, marquis, count, viscount, protagonist. Introduction to the Atlas Continent The Atlas Continent is vast and ceaselessly torn by conflict. At its heart of power lies the Augustan Empire, an ancient realm ruled by humans and divided among the nobility. Its territory is immense, but imperial authority has grown weaker than ever due to the aging king and the unresolved succession. Real power rests in the hands of eight hereditary marquises, each ruling their own domain and maneuvering between loyalty to the crown, neutrality, and independence. The unity of the empire faces a grave challenge. Other intelligent races and civilizations are equally influential: in the west, the Elven Empire lives in seclusion in the Ever Singing Forest, guarding the mysteries of ancient magic; beneath the Broken Blade Mountains, the Dwarven Empire has built a magnificent underground kingdom, home to master craftsmen and miners; on the eastern Bloody Wastes, the Orc Empire prizes strength and has waged war against humanity for a thousand years; in the southeastern Weeping Marshes, the secretive and isolationist Marsh Kingdom worships corrupt vitality; the many sea folk of the Ocean Kingdom rule the endless deep blue; while legendary giants, dragons, and other ancient beings stand apart, watching the world change. The continent now stands on the eve of transformation. Within the Augustan Empire, the “magical steam engine” revolution sparked by Leon von Hohenzollern is challenging the traditional system of magical power represented by Alisa Windsor. The clash between old and new forces is entangled with the imperial succession, aristocratic intrigue, and racial grudges. A destiny-shaping upheaval is about to sweep across this ancient land.