I haven't updated this in a bit. So a quick one.
The Dregs a Vermin of the Old Empire novella came out on November 30th. The ebook is available for .99c
Here is the link to my Linktree page, which can direct y'all to all of my book pages and social media nonsense
https://linktr.ee/thomasjdevens
THE PAWN
War has ravaged Volgsland. Blood soaks the soil upon which the lords have fallen.
Those that have survived the Battle of Torglen seek purpose. Lost souls wandering a desolate land.
A former conscript awakes amid the chaos in a foreign land.
Will they find their peace?
Or will the cycle of violence continue?
I'm proud to announce the release of a new short story set in my series of standalone gritty fantasy tales. This has been an extremely fun project to work on and I look forward to sharing it with everyone. I can't thank Livia J Elliot and Prowess Games enough for this opportunity!
If you don't already have the Unearthed Stories app on your phone, use the links below to download it and have it ready for release!
Android link: https://bit.ly/unearthedstories
iPhone/iPad: https://apple.co/48IcnYm
Thank you all for checking this out, enjoy the story!
Howdy folks, I have a few things in the works and details will be announced when the time comes. Planning to get a proper website set up in the near future.
I've been working on a short story for a project that has been a lot of fun so far. I'll spread the word on the details soon!
The second novella in the Vermin of the Old Empire is nearly done.
The third novel in the Fall of Emros should be out by the end of the year.
For now, here's are the links to my books, so everything is neatly in one convenient place:
The Scroungers
A Vermin of the Old Empire Novella
ebook releases 4/27 pre-order your copy now here The Scroungers pre-order
The Lords have fallen.
It
was the war to end all wars.
Violence
had plagued the Fractured Kingdoms since the fall of the Old Empire.
But
as the generals and the lords died in the Valley of Torglen, the folk looked
beyond their allegiances. Beyond their nations.
The
bedraggled masses that survived the battle flocked to the nearest town with
hopes of a new life.
One
in which their rulers remained rotting in the mud.
Brigge
led her company of sellswords to foreign lands.
Now
she seeks to lead the dispossessed into a new life.
Ebar
was forced into duty. Conscripted by the war machine of Volgsland.
Though
the war is over, his service is not.
A
killer stalks the streets of Bright Hollow. Tortured by their past and longing
for vengeance.
Disparate
tales intertwine as the lives of the survivors collide.
Bright
Hollow is a small town, brimming with newcomers.
I'm excited to announce the new cover art for Stone & Shield and Split Paths, the first two books in the Fall of Emros.
Pick up your copies here: Fall of Emros
It's been a while since I've updated this site. Times have been a bit hectic this past year. With 2024, though, there are a lot of plans underway. I prepare to move into a new home in the coming days and look forward to getting an office set up and plunging headlong back into my writing.
2024 will finally see the release of The Crooked Lord, book III in the Fall of Emros.
There are many more plans on line for the year, including an anthology, in the early stages, with several wonderful authors. I will make announcements for each project at the appropriate times, but the coming year will be a busy one.
In the meantime Stone & Shield and Split Paths are available in paperback and ebook at:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KDPQH1G
Until next time, cheers all,
-Thomas
Here's a nice write up from Steve, over at Steve Talks Books, about Stone & Shield.
We had another chat last weekend about the first book in the Fall of Emros Saga, after he had the chance to read it.
https://www.creepingdeath.org/forum/index.php?/blogs/entry/933-stone-shield-by-thomas-j-devens/
And here's the video of our conversation First 14 minutes are spoiler free. After that, be warned if you have not yet read Stone & Shield
Seeing as I have a tendency to overlook adding to this here blog from time to time, I thought I'd pop by and add a general update for everything that has been going on. Toss some links down, add some news, and that sort of stuff. Without further ado, here's a list.
Upcoming Events:
-Next Friday (November 19th, 2021) I will be having a conversation with Steve from Steve Talks Books & Stuff over on his Youtube channel. So be sure to check that out. It will be live at 7pm EST
Check out his channel, subscrube and follow and all that stuff, and stop by for the conversation on Friday. Steve Talks Books & Stuff
Current Projects:
-The Gods Are Fallen- For the month of November this novel has become my priority. I've been taking part in NaNoWriMo this year, working on this in the process, and it's coming along quite nicely.
-Set around 2,400 years before the Emrosian Empire of the Fall of Emros Saga, this will be a standalone novel set within the same world.
-While one will not need to have read any of the main series to enjoy this book, there will be little bits here and there that connect them (for example, anyone that read Split Paths may recognize the significance of the time frame.)
-This novel is a heavily Norse inspired book. Following several characters from the Isles of Glass as their lands are ravaged by war among the clans. And the subsequent exodus/discovery of the southern continents.
-Honor & Ruin- Book III of the Fall of Emros Saga I've put this on pause for a moment during NaNoWriMo but will be back to it afterward. Already I'm quite far along in the novel, but at a point where I have to make some judgement calls. Currently, this will be the longest entry into the series, perhaps doubling the length of Stone & Shield. There are also two major storyline being followed throughout. In the end, I need to decide whether it would be best to split into two novels and separate the two storylines, or keep it as one longer book.
-Picks up during the winter after Stone & Shield.
-This will be the point where most of those plot threads brought up in Split Paths come together.
-Untitled- Lastly I'm working on a short story to submit to an anthology. I currently don't have much information to give on it. Especially since its no guarantee of it being accepted. But, either way, it's a fun little story so far, and I'll be publishing it in one form or another when it's complete.
-Tells the tale of a woman with a gambling problem that has had an odd shift of luck. Whether that luck is good or bad is difficult to tell, even as the body count begins to add up. Strange things happen, and they have the stink of the gods about them.
Already Available:
-Stone & Shield- If you haven't already, grab the first book in the Fall of Emros Saga. Now available in the audio format!
-Split Paths- Book II of the Fall of Emros.
Other Links:
And finally, you can follow or reach out to me on all the following platforms:
I think that's everything, thanks for reading. Remember if you like my books, please leave a rating and review, it helps a lot.
I'm happy to announce the audiobook of Stone & Shield, written by Thomas J Devens and narrated and produced by Kevin Sharp is now available
Get your copy on Audible now. Also available for whispersync (if you be the ebook for 99c you can get the audiobook for the reduced price of $7.49)
Grab you copy here! Stone & Shield Audiobook
A good day, today. Received my author copies of Split Paths (and a few more of Stone & Shield). Also got some new bookmarks. Going to be setting up a local release event.
Very happy with the way everything looks together!
Thinking over plans for the future, to put a bit more work into this blog as well. Try to get back onto a semi-frequent posting schedule. Perhaps articles about various bits of history, lore, and such from the world of Emros. Any ideas of content that could be added feel free to contact me with ideas, questions, or whatever. I will always try my best to reply in a reasonable period of time:
fallofemros@gmail.com
Everyone likes maps. Here's the newest version of the map of the Emrosian Empire that appears in Split Paths (It's hard to see you say? Not big enough? Well I'm shit with computers and don't know how to fix that, but I'll post it over on my facebook page as well, and perhaps it can be enlarged there... Trust me, it looks good in print! But head over to the facebook page for a better look Fall of Emros)
***Edit*** After publishing this post I realized the image can be clicked on and enlarged... that known, I could have just removed the nonsense above about it being difficult to read, instead I just did this... Why? Well... fuck it, that's why.
Split Paths Book II of the Fall of Emros
Paths
split, sometimes to merge once more. Sometimes only to stray ever further.
Friends and comrades are made, lost, and sometimes, against all odds, found
again. None can predict the turns one’s life may take. None can predict the
losses to come. One can only hope.
A killer
seeks his path to freedom. A path away from the blood that has haunted his
life.
A young
warrior, journeys to a new world in search of glory, only to find himself
forgotten.
A sellsword
searches for an easy job.
The
mercenaries of the Stone and Shield have suffered great losses, their numbers
decimated, many comrades lost. The bulk of the surviving mercenaries return to
their home in Frostmoor on the edge of the Norwaldian Wilderness. Eager to
begin a period of rest while they winter in.
Others
survive, scattered across the world. Whether arriving on the distant western
shores, far from the reaches of the Emrosian Empire, or in the capital of the
troubled kingdom of Talres. For some of the surviving mercenaries, there will
be anything but a time of rest.
Howdy folks,
It has been quite some time since I last posted here. So I thought I'd toss up a general update. Lots of news, lots going on!
Probably the biggest news. Split Paths Book II of the Fall of Emros Saga will be releasing at the end of the month! You can pre-order the ebook here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093G6S2S1
1075th
Year of the Great Emrosian Empire
Frost’s Dawn
Raston
An
axe swung down. His axe? An arm was severed. Blood spattered his face.
Hands pushed at his back. Another person dropped to the blood-soaked mud.
Corpse trampled by the press. Another axe swung. Sword stabbed. Shield raised.
Arrows peppered the field. Shields lowered. Axe swung. Limb severed. Blood
spattered. Corpse trampled.
Again.
Again. Again.
Axe.
Limb. Shield. Arrow. Corpse. Forward. Axe.
His
body was numb. His mind was numb. His world was a blur. Shouting and
screaming deafened him. He swung his axe, again and again, sinking its blade
into flesh and pushing forward. He slid his feet through the mud, shins pushing
against fallen enemies. Comrades? It became difficult to tell. His axe
came down, biting into flesh. Whose flesh? He could not always be sure.
The
world swirled around him. Shields went up. He ceased his forward push, ducking
beneath the nearest shield bearer. Arrows rained around them. His heart raced.
His skin tingled. Shields dropped. Axe swung. He pushed forward; fresh corpses
pushed aside.
His
world took on a red tinge, his arms began to tremble. He lunged forward,
pushing past the shield bearer to his side. He threw himself into the center of
the press. Swung. Swung. SWUNG! Arms numb. Head numb. Heart battering his ribs.
Blood and sweat and mud smeared down his face.
Arrows
rained down. No shields. He’d gone too far. Pain lanced through his shoulder.
He ignored it. Step forward. Swing. Pain forgotten. Body numb. Axe. Swing.
Sever.
It
was marvelous. He’d heard the tales from the old folk back home. Those that had
survived their life of raiding. Returned to the Isles of Glass to spin tales by
the campfires at night. They always told tales of their first voyage. The
stories were nothing in comparison.
Axe.
Blood. Push. Ignore the pain.
Age of
Conquest
The Dawn of the Great Emrosian Empire
Emros City
King Keltan stood beneath the moons of the Great Hunt as
Ghanray slowly slipped beyond Skelis, avoiding his grasp, and beginning their
endless pursuit once more. His hands gripped the battlement of the keep as he
looked out over the great western city-state.
“I have seen glimpses of possible futures,” the old seer
said, “a great empire shall be born. Spreading between the oceans, embracing
all of this land under its banner.”
The Emrosian King turned toward the seer, looking in the
gaunt man’s pale eyes. Why should he trust this old wizard?
The
Death of Wonder
Approximately 2,400 Years Before the Emrosian Empire
Alhu
The
great central city burned. Those few survivors dispersed into the surrounding
forests hoping to find succor somewhere far from these devastated lands. The
charred soil was littered with the corpses of the slain. Alheen and Firlosii
warriors, their allies the stout folk of the distant Mountains of Ice, as well
as the southern demons.
The
trail of the dead led south, a hundred miles of carnage. A swath of destruction
carved into the land, leading to the mountains from whence the demons spewed
forth.
Deep
below the ruined city a dozen figures surrounded another. They each carried
their exhaustion plainly.
“Are
you sure of this?”
“There
is no other option. They must be kept at bay. This power must be controlled.
They cannot handle it.”
“Then
so be it.”
“I
am sorry my friend.”
“It
is the only way.”
Sorceries
flared from the dozen figures, wrapping about the central figure, his body
contorted with pain as he was lifted from the ground. He aged millennia over
the course of mere moments. Wisps of light spiraled about the man as he was
locked into a timeless prison of agony.
Fall of
Empire
Approximately 3,800 Years Before the Emrosian Empire
Eastern Coast of the Imperial
Peninsula
The
followers and worshipers of the Emperor of Ash fled their homes, setting off
into the unknown ocean waters to the east. The Empire’s once great cities
smoldered once more, though this time they would not be rebuilt.
He
stood engulfed in flame, facing the seven sorcerers, grinning wildly. He raised
his arms to the sky. With a flick of a tall woman’s wrist a mighty wind picked
up. The flames wavered and died out. The Emperor’s face twitched as his fingers
danced, sparks igniting along his hands.
The
bald sorcerer stepped in. The air grew chill. The wind continued. The Emperor
of Ash was no fool. He knew his time had run out as the sorcerers closed in.
These sorcerers’ power had grown, the bald man barely moved as he willed his
power toward the Emperor of Ash. Ice burst forth from the ground, dousing the
last bits of flame as it incapsulated the Emperor.
He
stood there frozen, watching as the remains of his city crumbled. Soon the
ashes would scatter and the cities would be lost to the world. A sea of grass
would take their place marked only by crumbling towers and decayed ruins where
once stood great cities. But beneath the land would sprawl the catacombs of his
greatest achievements. The city even these sorcerers knew not of. He would
escape his prison, he would rebuild after all.
“Not
this time,” a shrill voice spoke from behind a scarred mask of wood as he
approached the Emperor within his tomb of ice.
I
could grant you power, greater than any you have known. The Emperor of Ash willed his
thoughts to this one. You could become a god.
The masked figure paused a moment. He let forth shrill laughter as he resumed his approach.
“I shall,” he rasped as he reached the Emperor of Ash, raising the black-bladed dagger. A green gem, gripped in the maw of the serpent-like hilt, glistened as the man used it to carve out the heart of the Emperor of Ash.
Age of
the Legends
Approximately 4,000 Years Before the Emrosian Empire
Southern Firlos
The
gathered warriors assembled near the border with Alhu. The Chieftain of the
Drakniir Isles held her axe high, her commands carrying across the winds to all
the warriors that followed her. This night their march would begin down through
the mountain passes and into the Alheen territories to the central settlement
of the Alheen tribes. As the moons waned their march would begin. And when the
sky lacked the light of either moon, their battle would begin against the
demons of the south.
The
woman pointed her axe southward and gave a final roar. A heavy, chill wind blew
from the north kicking up colorful autumn leaves in its wake. For the first
time the Firlosii clans had united into a singular army against a common
threat. The winds of change stirred in the south.
The Age
of Kelril
Approximately 5,000 Years Before the Emrosian Empire
The Eastern Lands
Rain
poured over the expanse of grasslands. Thunder echoed across the land. Heavy
black clouds filled the sky, blotting out the light of the moons. Lightning lit
the sky above the stone walls surrounding the sprawling City of the Plains. A
fire raged at its center, spreading rapidly outward. People ran about in a
panic in their desperate attempt to flee.
Atop
the largest tower of the city the Emperor of Ash stood, arms raised toward the
sky as lightning crackled around him. Flames danced about his fingertips as he
cackled maniacally. As he brought down his right hand, gouts of flame burst from
the ground below. One building to the north of the city remained untouched.
Within its walls, deep below the ground, awaited those of the city the Emperor
deemed worthy to survive.
Those
that ran through the streets below had earned his wrath. He had built this
Empire on the ashes of the previous, doing so again would be but a minor
inconvenience.
A
lone figure walked the streets below, unhindered by the walls of flame closing
in. Their pace was slow and never quickened even as flames licked at the
trailing hems of a dark robe. The figure sought the charred remains of those
too slow to escape the fire. A dark hand extended in a warding gesture at each
corpse. And each corpse withered to dust upon the figure’s passing.
