Showing results by author "Sami" in Action & Adventure

I was the Rift Magus—master of space and time, protector of worlds. For decades, I defended my realm with unmatched power. But when an unspeakable creature threatened everything I held dear, I was forced to create a rift to nowhere—a trap designed to seal it away for all time. It worked, but the creature was not without power itself.

Celebrate a decade of Critical Role with this anthology featuring the perspectives of ten characters who fought alongside – and against – Vox Machina, with a foreword by cast member Liam O’Brien. In these ten stories, see the legendary adventuring party anew through the eyes of some of the most memorable characters whose lives were touched by Vox Machina.

Only months ago, Hector was on his deathbed. Now, he's fled his home, abandoning everything he's ever known to protect his family. But in Nemeda, Paris and Helena don't need their older brother to provide for them. Unmoored, Hector struggles to find his purpose until a conniving Nemedan chief questions their legitimacy in the clans. The three refugee siblings must each serve a year on the wall, fighting in the unending war with Nemeda's southern enemies. But Paris and Helena have carved a place for themselves in their new home; Hector alone is unanchored.

At the end of his tether, the gravedigger's son desperately tries to help his lord, Knight Emicho. An urgent mission, over the treacherous Western Mountains and into the mysterious Swamplands, is his only option. Yet the greatest dangers he faces are betrayal, distrust, and despair.

The crow hissed: "Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t cut your throat here and now. One single damn reason." The prince froze with fear and said nothing. At last, his behavior was logical. His facial features had lost any order. Shivering, he closed his eyes in expectation of certain death. But then there was a whispering. "Could there be three reasons maybe?" She suppressed the reflex to laugh—she hadn’t laughed aloud for years and was not sure if the muscles needed were even still functioning.

Can a legendary warrior become a mage? Can a master of the sword take up the staff? With a little help, one swordsman intends to do just that. Master swordsman Leo Faulkner travels to Crestmarch, a frontier town, where he hopes to learn wild magic. Fortunately for him, the beautiful Mage Seer Elizabeth Kincaid agrees to be his tutor.

She is abandoned by all evil spirits. Instead of cutting the prince's throat, she simply let him go. Now she is supposed to bend the knee before King Tedore in the throne room. Not with her. Never. Better to kill standing than to live kneeling. The swordmaster is in the late autumn of his life, far from home, fleeing from his guilt. A deceased son, a lost daughter, a forfeited title. What remains is to sit on the beach and count the waves. Then the old swordmaster rises and sets out on his last great journey.

Cal Kestis has built a new life for himself with the crew of the Stinger Mantis. Together, Cal's crew has brought down bounty hunters, defeated Inquisitors, and even evaded Darth Vader himself. More important, Merrin, Cere, Greez, and faithful droid BD-1 are the closest thing Cal has had to a family since the fall of the Jedi Order. Even as the galaxy's future grows more uncertain by the day, with each blow struck against the Empire the Mantis crew grows more daring.

For decades, the four families who rule the Summerlands have been locked at an impasse. No one is fighting, but neither has anyone been speaking. We don't have time for that anymore. Mount Slate, the volcano that sits in the middle of the Summerlands, is threatening to erupt, and only the four family heads working together can avert disaster.

The murderess crow longs to return to freedom and independence. But the shadows of the past, the encounters of the present, and the tasks of the future are deadlier than ever. Not only an old enemy, a little girl and a whole nation drain her strength... At Castle Cragwater, Karek finds no peace. The king is fighting a deadly disease, the smoldering civil war and the unrest at court are hardly controllable, and then his comrades also make a terrible discovery.

Five milksops sticking to her heels like horse manure. On a ship with a captain who cannot be trusted. On a voyage into the heart of enemy territory, teeming with cutthroats. In search of a lost legend that could vanish into thin air like a camel fart. Time is crying out for change. A mysterious parchment finally leads Karek and his companions to their destination. But what they find there knows no laws, no faith, no mercy.

The Swordmaster's hand clenches into a fist. Before going to war, the five friends seek the magic spear. Without warning, the small and the inconspicuous are faced with almost impossible tasks.

For centuries, the Believer cult has preyed on arcane mages from their place in the shadows. Now, for better or worse, Sage has taken arcane magic public, and all eyes are on him. While he’s not comfortable in the spotlight, neither is the cult that wants him dead. But the Believers aren’t quite ready to give up yet. In this fifth and final book in the Fantastic Fluke series, they’ll take their shot at burning down Sage’s whole network of friends and associates, by whatever means necessary.

Der Müllersohn Raffael verdient seinen Lebensunterhalt mit vielfältigen Gaunereien - stets darauf bedacht, nicht einer Hand oder eines Kopfes verlustig zu werden. Denn nur die Strafen für Diebstahl sind noch härter als das Leben. Eine verhexte Landkarte, sein treues Pferd Diego und sein handzahmer Regenwurm Borsti begleiten ihn auf seinen Abenteuern. Der alte Söldner Brocken gilt als lebende Legende, seitdem er als einziger Streiter die große Schlacht im Nebelmoor überlebt hat. Seine Grantigkeit wird nur von seiner Garstigkeit übertroffen.

Almost as exciting as the chance to have archeologist Brian Harris' dig sites modeled in an interactive virtual reality is the chance to alpha-test the newest Terramyr Online game for the company providing the tech. The arrangement is simple, test the game, play the main storyline, and report any glitches. In return, the game's main designer will render fully virtual models of the dig sites that will not only ensure Brian's successful graduation but set him up for life as he uncovers the secrets hidden within a trio of ancient Chilean volcanoes.

Leo Faulkner continues his study of the wild magic in Crestmarch, a frontier town on the edge of civilization. He has made a name for himself as the wraith-slayer, earned the adulation of the townsfolk, and the favor of several beautiful and strong-willed women. But a new threat looms over Crestmarch. Leo will have to contend with an ancient, eldritch evil if he wishes to defend his new home, friends, and lovers.

Die Auftragsmörderin sehnt sich zurück nach Freiheit und Unabhängigkeit. Doch die Schatten der Vergangenheit, die Begegnungen der Gegenwart und die Aufgaben der Zukunft sind tödlicher denn je. Nicht nur ein alter Feind, ein kleines Mädchen und ein ganzes Volk zehren an ihren Kräften.

Wenn im Winter der Fluss gefriert, wird der Schattenstaub über das Eis kriechen und gierig das verbliebene Leben des Kontinents verschlingen. Eine Prüfung, so unerbittlich und tödlich wie dieser Feind, soll Rettung bringen. Die Magier des Lichts suchen nach drei Helden, auf deren breiten Schultern, die Hoffnung des ganzen Volkes lasten kann. Drei Recken, die aus blutigen Spielen hervorgehen - kampferprobt, tollkühn und entschlossen. Bei der Göttin des Lichts! Was haben der alte Mönch, die betrunkene Räuberin und der junge Ziegenhirte nur in der Prüfung verloren?

Ihre Vergangenheit - ein einziger Albtraum. Ein Blick in ihre Zukunft zeigt: Es geht noch schlimmer. Sie setzt alles dran, um diese zu verändern. Der Prinz hat seinen Vater, seine Heimatburg, sein Land verloren. Reich ist er nur an Feinden. König Schohtars Übermacht stürmt die letzte Mauer. Dagegen helfen diesmal kein Artefakt und keine Magie. Bolkan Katerron findet sich dort wieder, von wo er einst geflohen ist: mitten im Spiel von Mord, Macht und Verrat.

Sie ist von allen bösen Geistern verlassen. Anstatt dem Prinzen die Kehle durchzuschneiden, ließ sie ihn einfach laufen. Und nun soll sie auch noch im Thronsaal vor König Tedore das Knie beugen. Nicht mit ihr. Niemals. Lieber stehend töten, als kniend leben. Im Spätherbst seines Lebens, weit weg von der Heimat, geflohen vor seiner Schuld. Ein verstorbener Sohn, eine verlorene Tochter, ein verwirkter Titel.