Mark of the Dragon (Ruin Mist Chronicles #4) (Ruin Mist Chronicles - Hundred Worlds Universe)

Mark of the Dragon is the continuation of Robert Stanek's multilayered epic fantasy adventure begun with Keeper Martin's Tale, continued with Kingdom Alliance, and last told in Fields of Honor. In his acclaimed Keeper Martin's Tale, he introduced us to the story of Ruin Mist, an extraordinary world of magic, adventure and intrigue. Now in the eagerly awaited follow-up to Fields of Honor, he once again proves himself a wonderful storyteller with a gift for fast pacing and believable storylines. Already hailed as a classic, Robert Stanek's powerful series has been enjoyed by readers all over the world. Against a backdrop of treachery and intrigue, murder and mayhem, the price of free will is high. Many will pay with their lives. Many will succumb to imprisonment and enslavement. For when alliances shatter, old hatreds rise anew and the plotting and scheming begin. Bold, inventive, brilliantly imagined, Mark of the Dragon is a novel of magic and wonder--a tale of pure excitement you will not soon forget. *** Enter Ruin Mist Officially, Ruin Mist is the name used for the fictional universe of Robert Stanek. The name "Ruin Mist" is the common language translation of an ancient elvish word, which means "the lost ages" or "the ruins of time." Ruin Mist has three distinct realms: Over-Earth - the home of dragons and titans. But don't forget about the eagle lords. Those three are the great races of Ruin Mist's past. Under-Earth - an otherworldly realm that has blood-red skies, and no sun or moon. Mid-Earth - the home of elves and men. During the early ages of Ruin Mist, travel between the realms was accomplished using the Gates of Uver. Uver is one of the great elven kings of old and the founder of Greye in Under-Earth. In all, there are believed to be seven gates fashioned by the Uver from a magic substance once mined from the deepest, darkest reaches of the Samguinne. Each gate is fashioned for a different purpose and a different kind of traveler. Two gates are recorded in the histories of men. The gate in the Borderlands, fashioned for men, is opened with the following words of power: "Eh tera mir dolzh formus tan!" The only other known gate is located in the Twin Sonnets. Both gates are masked from the world by a veil of illusion. ***History of the Ages In an age long since lost to myth and memory, a race of supreme giants, known as titans, ruled over all the lands of Ruin Mist from their homes on Over-Earth. Without question, titans were the masters of the gates. They moved freely between realms and across lands. Darkness came to mark the end of age of the titans as surely as there was ever light at the beginning. During this time of darkness, known as the Great Purge, it was the greatest of all titans, Ky'el, who gave the lesser races (men, elves, and dwarves) their freedom--at a great cost to himself and his people. Before the Great Purge, the lesser races were slaves to the greater races (dragons, titans, and eagle lords) . By the end of the purge, the only known gate to Over-Earth was sealed for all time ushering in a new beginning. A new age. The one hope of the peoples of Ruin Mist was Queen Mother, the elf queen of old. She saw a way out of everlasting darkness.