Immortal's Ascent

Gavin fights for freedom, Sadira for glory. Together, they will face death. In the Domains, those born with magic have only one place to prove themselves: the brutal pits of the arena, where they grow in power with every victory or face dishonor and death in defeat. Gavin is an unlikely warrior trying to find his place in the savagery of the arena. Sadira is a star Gladiatrix already favored by all. When happenstance brings them together, the pair set out to earn themselves a place at the Grand Championships. With survival and immortality on the line, can they hold together against the vicious realities of the fighting grounds and the machinations of the Chosen? The white sands call for blood.

Gavin, sundered from his band, seeks to survive the trials of a minor Gladiator — forgotten by most, but still drawing the hate of Valaran diVolcanus, the most vicious fighter among his peers. Meanwhile Sadira reaches the zenith of her career, but jealousy and betrayal mar her ascent, and she soon discovers she is only a pawn in the Great Games. The people call for their Champions. The powerful place their final wagers. Who will win the ultimate prize?

As Gavin and Sadira assume their roles as Chosen, their friend Vintia joins her father's old Legion to escort an ambitious expedition across the ocean. Upon reaching Ithal'Duin — thought lost since The Reckoning — she discovers that neither the reason nor the motivation for their quest is as it appears. Back at the empire's heart, a righteous mistake lands Sadira in trouble with her new peers, sending her and Gavin on a mission across the sea to find the now-missing Legion — assuming both still live.

A Chosen has fallen. While Gavin and Sadira struggle to find allies for the war against the Vvath, the death of a Chosen sends the capitol into a frenzy. A new Grand Champion will shift the balance of power, and the road to victory runs through the bloody sands of the arena. The greatest Gladiators of the empire seek fans and patrons while political players lay their hands, seeking to influence who will win and who will die. The fate of two empires hangs in the balance.

The Dwarves of Khazak Khrim thirst for war against the Chosen and their allies. The only way for Gavin to prevent a war that will drown the continent in blood is to lure the Vvath into a decisive engagement — but his allies have plans of their own. Facing the invincible warriors of The Blood, the fanatic Sword-Bearers, and the lurking Shugothoth, the Chosen and their Legions must stand against an army of fortress-bred conquerors as the drums of war beat and the Hundath howl.