Even in its early days, Althas has been a land shaken by conflicts. In the early days, these conflicts pitted the Anointed Kingdoms of Men against the dark and demonic forces that threatened them. However, with the passage of time the world has changed. With the Anointed order eroding away and new powers rising, another war looms on the horizon, a war brought on by Man's own actions. Thenodar, a burgeoning new kingdom in the North, and Anorthile, one of the last of the three remaining Anointed Kingdoms, now prepare for a war that will shake all of Althas. Old demons and new enemies gather in the shadows of both lands as each sets their sights on the ruined wilderness known as the Feralands.

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This is the second chapter of the story Hawk and the Stone. The file is a PDF format. Illustrations by: Joan Maldonado, Owen Yulefield, and Ruo Yo Chen

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The Hawk and the Stone - Chapter 2
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Beskamir
Beskamir - - 7,007 comments

What the heck did I just read... I assume (hope) that Tholig knows what he's doing but still that was quite a surprising turn of events. Also, since slavery sounds common place in Althas, I'll probably end up trying to abolish it much like Daenerys attempts to in A Song of Ice and Fire. Even if doing so would be really difficult I'm still going to go on a bloody crusade murdering every slave master I find :P

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Nuvendil Author
Nuvendil - - 924 comments

hehehe, got you on that ending I see :P I hope the chapter was enjoyable aside from the shock of the final scene xD
Slavery is common but already technically illegal in all major kingdoms (Thenodar, Nosmalos, Vishethas, and Anorthile specifically). However, only Thenodar and Anorthile are aggressive in investigating and punishing it. Nosmalos has it very dark underbelly and a market for household servants and Vishethas has a less conventional use for them.
However, slavery is very common in the Feralands and at times a desired fate. People selling themselves in general is not too uncommon, or selling one's children, usually with the goal of landing them a safe job in Nosmalos as a servant, mistress, or even a spouse to a wealthy lord rather than scraping by in the wilderness. The Feralands can be a very dangerous place. As for what made his offer unusual, you will have to wait and see ;)

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