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    Shroud & Sword
    Shroud & Sword
    Shroud & Sword
    Ebook78 pages1 hour

    Shroud & Sword

    By Matt Di Spirito

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    About this ebook

    "Shroud & Sword" is a legend of Myrmidya, a story from an age lost in the upheaval of cataclysms.

    In a past age, artifacts of godly power determined the fate of kings, heroes, and nations. The burial shroud of a dark god--known as the death mask--found its way into the hands of a sorcerer; a reign of darkness swept over the world. Standing against the tide of shadow, the sword called Mooncleaver came into the possession of a young warrior. Magic determined these two should meet and the outcome would pave the way to the future.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMatt Di Spirito
    Release dateApr 12, 2011
    ISBN9781458180384
    Shroud & Sword
    Author

    Matt Di Spirito

    Well, I'm just an average joe. I don't have a great career or do anything that contributes to society in a meaningful way. I go to work, pay my bills, and raise my family.Life is an interesting journey. I've spent time in the military; it wasn't my cup of tea, but it was a worthwhile experience. I went to college for a few years, acquiring the credits for an Associates' degree in General Studies. There weren't too many subjects I didn't take. That's my life story: experience. I'm interested in so many things, it can be hard to focus on one thing for too long.My myriad hobbies include writing stories, reading books and e-books, surfing the web, watching blu-ray movies, drawing, discussing philosophy or religion or politics, playing xbox games, dungeons and dragons, and probably a few more. If only I could figure out how to make money off of hobbies!Writing is a hobby I've enjoyed since I became literate. Notebooks went hand-in-hand with computers. I used to write down little stories about my action figures, scenarios about school mates, and anything else to cross my mind. I used to make up games for my friends to play, and roll dice to find out who would win. Creativity, imagination, and technology are intertwined--at least to me.Smashwords, Amazon's createspace, and kindle publishing opened the door for self-publishing, especially for authors--like myself--with little or no start-up capital. For all the woes of technology, there are some wonders to be had.

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      Book preview

      Shroud & Sword - Matt Di Spirito

      SHROUD & SWORD

      A Tale of Myrmidya

      By

      Matt Di Spirito

      © 2011 Matt Di Spirito

      All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without the consent of the author.

      This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, places, or events is coincidental.

      Smashwords Edition

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      CONTENTS

      Part 1: The Last Ancient

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Part 2: Awakening

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Epilogue

      Author's Note

      PROLOGUE

      Beneath the Black Temple

      Three decades of plague, famine, and despair: the slow death of Myrmidya. To prevent his permanent demise, the feral demigod Sedt bound his soul in an artifact: a burial shroud, a mask of ebony horror. Sedt etched ancient runes - symbols from a veiled age - to bind his soul with the mask until time’s end.

      Drawn by whispers of power, an ambitious sorcerer discovered the Black Temple. Without hesitation, he breached the burial room, opened the coffin, and took the burial mask for himself. Though the form of Korasil, sorcerer and scholar, remained intact, the mask consumed his soul: his will crushed by the demigod’s spirit. Through Korasil, the savage deity spilled ages of pooled malice upon the world.

      As the dead rose, the living became the damned. Terrible things – things unspoken and glimpsed only in sleeping terrors – gained form, manifesting on city streets. Monsters driven out from civilized lands returned with renewed fervor. The burial shroud of Sedt roused the dark corners of Myrmidya, freeing the shadows from the rule of light.

      Seeing their empire crumble, seven great and noble leaders gathered to confront Sedt’s vessel. Little written lore survived the veiled ages, a time when gods reigned as mortal kings; no clues existed to show them the means of undoing Sedt’s power. Led by the wizard Forlock, the seven leaders set out to face Korasil.

      In the heart of Tental Swamp they breached the ziggurat, once known as the Black Temple. Lizard-folk infested the swamp and temple complex, forcing the party to battle through the beasts to reach the inner sanctums. Two of them fell to the fangs of the lizard-folk, flesh roiling in fever and muscles seized with cramps.

      Korasil waited in a central chamber, drawing power from the spirit of Sedt. The party entered, and Forlock sealed all tunnels leading to the chamber. Korasil woke the keepers: the skeletal forms lumbered from the tombs, grasping weapons still sharp despite the passage of time.

      Forlock and Korasil engaged in spell-battle, locking their eyes as energy crackled and snapped around them. Combat raged: the five remaining heroes crushed and sliced the bones of Sedt’s reanimate followers. The spirit of Sedt prevented Korasil from becoming weary, filling him with endless will and fortitude; Forlock struggled to keep pace with the blitz of incantations swirling between the two spell-casters. Sweat poured from every available pore of his body.

      Toro, a young warrior of human and dwarf parentage, sensed the impending doom. Tightening his sword-grip, Toro hacked a path through the undead. The pommel of his sword, set with a flawless stone, flared in brilliant azure light, singing a song of glorious anger. The song grew to such intensity that Korasil’s focus on Forlock broke – only for a second – and turned to Toro.

      Summoning his will and gathering arcane symbols in his mind, Korasil formed a deadly curse to loose upon Toro. Toro swung the mighty blade Mooncleaver in an upward arc, slicing through Korasil’s ribcage and sternum, and sheared the burial shroud of Sedt in two. The cloven pieces slid from the sorcerer’s face, clattering to the dusty floor. Korasil collapsed to his knees, gazing at Toro through eyes robbed of life, and fell.

      Forlock collected the pieces of Sedt’s shroud, wrapping them in a strange, iridescent fabric. The mask survived, severed from mortal contact, and Sedt’s soul persisted. Forlock lacked the power and knowledge to undo the will of a god. He sought a place to hide the mask, a sanctuary, until a means to destroy it became available. The shroud came to rest in the volcanic palace of Emberhome. There, under the watch of Feurdane, lord of the fire giants, it remained for forty years.

      Toro’s sword became a weapon of legend, renowned as the only blade capable of challenging an artifact of the gods; some wondered if it, too, was an artifact wrought by the

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