Volume 1: The Light We Carry
From Ur’s crowded markets to mountains where gods dwell, nearly a hundred souls follow Azariel’s vision through storm, river, and wilderness. Tested by wolves, hunger, and doubt, they discover strength not in walls but in each other. At journey’s end, a valley awaits—fertile, unclaimed, and destined to become more than refuge. Forged by trial, bound by fire, they carry not only hope, but a light the gods themselves might honour.
In the shadow of Ur's ancient walls, a dreamer named Azariel climbs onto a merchant's platform and speaks of the impossible: a city built not by conquest or divine decree, but by human intention alone. His words ripple through the marketplace—touching scribes, smiths, healers, and wanderers—igniting something long dormant in their hearts. But visions demand more than eloquence. They demand sacrifice.
When Azariel gathers his followers in the hidden chamber of the Ruby Chalice, the conversation shifts from poetry to practicality. Kiya the engineer unrolls blueprints of breathable architecture. Eadric the pathfinder maps rivers, ruins, and wolves. Amara the healer catalogues wilderness remedies whilst Malik the merchant counts costs in grain and bronze. Around a worn oak table, doubt wrestles with determination, and one by one, they pledge themselves to a future that exists only in imagination.
Nearly a hundred souls—families, artisans, scholars, and dreamers—abandon certainty for a valley that may not welcome them. They carry tools forged in Torren's smithy, herbs gathered by Amara's careful hands, and maps traced by Eadric's wandering feet. They carry their fears, their hopes, and a fragile belief that something better lies beyond the horizon.
The wilderness tests them mercilessly. Mountain passes demand ingenuity and "star-metal" bronze fashioned from melted heirlooms. Rivers challenge their courage. Wolves stalk their camps. Hunger gnaws at resolve whilst doubt whispers in the darkness. Yet through storm and trial, these disparate individuals begin to forge something unexpected—not just a path through the wild, but bonds stronger than blood.
This is not a tale of heroes ordained by prophecy. It is a story of ordinary people choosing the extraordinary, of engineers and healers, merchants and wanderers, discovering that their greatest strength lies not in walls or weapons, but in one another. At journey's end, a fertile valley awaits—unclaimed, unspoiled, and destined to become more than refuge.
Forged by trial, bound by fire, they carry not only hope through the wilderness. They carry a light that even the gods might honour.
