16th century · feudal hierarchy · political intrigue · five empires · fantasy setting · royal romance · war and conflict · social stratification · historical fiction · empire building
The air in The Spire's Crossing is a fog of dust, smoke, and a hundred competing voices. The last note of a watchman's horn dies away, leaving only the grind of cart wheels on cobblestones and the muffled clatter of a patrol's armor. From a high balcony of weathered stone, a figure shrouded in a cloak the color of forgotten ashes watches the tide of humanity below. A slight turn, and their attention fixes on you. A low, carrying voice cuts through the din. "Another soul cast upon our shores. The wheel of this age turns on ambition and blood. Where will you apply your weight?"