The Ripple System

Corporate flameout Ned Altimer dives into the VRMMO Earthblood Online and never looks back. His advantages are twofold: exclusive access to the game's three-day Head Start period, and a ridiculously handsome talking axe named Frank who knows the game's deepest secrets—if he ever feels like sharing them. But those advantages also make Ned a target. Once the Head Start ends, his fellow players will stop at nothing to rip Frank right out of his hands. In seventy-two hours, the greatest manhunt in gaming history begins. It's gonna be a lot of fun.

The manhunt has begun. Now the target of a game-wide Holy War, Ned is forced to flee the Onyx Sands. Tyrann has tens of thousands of followers, a religion spreading like wildfire, and a god stepping into EBO in a matter of days. Meanwhile, Ned's allies are a squirrel-exploding bard, a literal-minded home security system, and the wildly unreliable Frank. But even as the inevitable conflict draws closer, an old power is stirring—bringing strange new enemies, fearsome challenges, and rewards every player will be vying to obtain.

The race for the Worldbranch Throne has begun. Now the site of EBO's first completed Red Cathedral, the Onyx Delta has become the center of the virtual world, and the entire player base is descending on Ned's city. A powerful, menacing guild is razing every city in the west—and it's only a matter of time before they sail east to burn down everything Ned has built.

The first wing of the Red Cathedral has been conquered, and the next phase of the Possibility King's invasion is on. Strange towers have arrived across EBO, bringing fragments of new and dangerous realities. In the midst of so much change, the Thousand Tower Tournament approaches—pitting Ned and Omen against other players, including a formidable new enemy whose cunning may put an end to the guild's quest for the Worldbranch Throne.

The last wing of the Red Cathedral is live, and the Possibility King awaits. The prize for defeating him is the ability to create a custom Ripple—a single change that will alter the fabric of EBO forever. As the frantic race heats up, old enemies are on the warpath and desperate choices must be made. This time, no one makes it out unscathed.

The Worldbranch Throne has been claimed, but the Lunar Empress now looms over EBO. Her arrival heralds a new era: a strange continent, powerful loot drops, and a catch-up event that drastically empowers those who have fallen behind the leveling curve.