Arbiter of Worlds is the definite guide to building and running fantasy role-playing game campaigns. This primer will teach you how to build living, breathing worlds for your players to explore; how to host game and manage game sessions; and how to create powerful experiences of adventure that your players will talk about for years to come. Learn the secret to becoming a judge, an adversary, a worldbuilder, and a storyteller and become an arbiter of worlds! "Every Macris campaign starts with a rich, open world; the edge of a massive map; and the ability to find adventure in any direction. After playing in a dozen of his campaigns, I can assure you that Macris is the best prepared, most thorough GM on the prime material plane. He balances "deadly adversary" and "the party's greatest supporter" perfectly. I've been lucky to contribute to some renowned video game worlds, and to discus world design with some of the most accomplished writers alive. And I'm honestly not sure there's been someone more thorough at and passionate for world building than Macris since ... maybe Tolkien? (Okay, maybe G.R.R. Martin, but he's not as organized or efficient.) It takes organization, creativity, and careful technique to build a massive world efficiently and deliver it effectively, and Macris can show you how he does it." - Dr. Michael Capps, award-winning videogame executive, writer, designer (*Gears of War*, *Fortnite*, *Unreal Tournament, Unreal Championship*) "Armed with decades of experience as both a player and a designer, Macris cuts to the marrow with razor sharp insights inan unapologetic and often painfully insightful analysis of every imaginable facet of being a Game Master. From implicationof play inherent in a game's design, to world building, to the often delicate nature of unspoken social contracts inherentin the hobby, the guidance found in Arbiter of Worlds is a much-needed breath of fresh air to veterans of the hobby and aforged-in-the-fire bootcamp for those taking their first steps behind the screen." - James M. Spahn, Ennie and Origins Award Winning RPG Designer "A superb read. He makes his points the way you would expect a Harvard-trained lawyer to do. If you read this book, you aregoing to come out knowing real things you did not know before that will help you run games at the table..." - Courtney Campbell, Hack & Slash

“JK Rowling meets Georgette Heyer” in this series debut, a scintillating fusion of urban fantasy and court intrigue from the Hugo Award-winning author (The Guardian). Between Mundanus, the world of humans, and Exilium, the world of the Fae, lies the Nether, a mirror-world where the social structure of 19th-century England is preserved by Fae-touched families who remain loyal to their ageless masters. Born into this world is Catherine Rhoeas-Papaver, who escapes it all to live a normal life in Mundanus, free from her parents and the strictures of Fae-touched society. But now she’s being dragged back to face an arranged marriage, along with all the high society trappings it entails. Crossing paths with Cathy is Max, an Arbiter of the Split Worlds treaty with a dislocated soul who polices the boundaries between the worlds, keeping innocents safe from the Fae. After a spree of kidnappings and the murder of his fellow Arbiters, Max is forced to enlist Cathy’s help in unravelling a high-profile disappearance within the Nether. Getting involved in the machinations of the Fae, however, may prove fatal to all involved. “Between Two Thorns shows the darkness beneath the glamour of the social Season. Learning to be a young lady has never seemed so dangerous.”—Mary Robinette Kowal, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of the Lady Astronaut series “Emma Newman has built a modern fantasy world with such élan and authority her ideas of why and how the seemingly irrational world of Fairy works should be stolen by every other writer in the field . . . This book of wonders is first rate.”—Bill Willingham, Eisner Award-winning author of Fables

"She is too sinful to be Divineand too righteous to be Damned."Nocturna; a hybrid, an all around smart ass, and the owner of The Apothecary, a night club for all the denizens that walk the earth to play amongst humans, is about to have her life altered by the Creator of all. The last Arbiter has fallen and a new one must be chosen, one of both Divine and Damned blood. She will be both judge and executioner for the supernatural races, choosing how to punish or bless the souls brought before her.Within her first week with her new status, Damned from all over are disappearing and disturbing videos of Damned being tortured and killed are surfacing. When Lord Monroe, one of The Infernal leaders of the Damned, becomes one of those who are missing, the Damned begin to point their fingers at The Rites; the Divine soldiers who are part of The Order of Abel. The clock is ticking, and it is her responsibility to find who is responsible and pass judgement. With the help of Enoch, an Infernal of the Damned, and Larkan, a Rite of the Order, Nocturna travels to Lord Monroe's estate, hoping to find clues as to what happened to him and all the others.Her integrity and her heart will be pushed and pulled in all directions as she faces the biggest dilemma of her existence; can she make the decision that is right for the lives of all, not the decision that is easiest for her. Will she stay true and lead the world into peace? Or will she choose sides like all the Arbiters before her and lead them all to destruction? **This is a Reverse Harem Dark Romance that is recommended for ages 18+. There are elements of violence, such as torture and a body count, and steamy scenes that are sure to light you on fire. If you're into that sort of thing, then boy do we have the book for you!

From an Aurora Award-winning author, a new sci-fi novel follows three intrepid humans caught up in a conflict that stretches across time and space. Biologist Julie E. Czerneda's new standalone science fiction novel, To Each This World follows a desperate mission to reconnect with long lost sleeper ships, sent centuries earlier from Earth to settle distant worlds. A trio of Humans must work with their mysterious alien allies to rescue any descendants they can find on those worlds. Something is out there, determined to claim the cosmos for itself, and only on Earth will Humans be safe. Or will they? The challenge isn’t just to communicate with your own kind after generations have passed. It’s to understand what isn’t your kind at all. And how far will trust take you, when the truth depends on what you are?

Spanning over nine hundred thousand years, this epic tale chronicles the rise and fall of the Galactic Empire, from the enigmatic creation of the Origin Worlds to the cataclysmic event known as the Desolation. In a galaxy where interstellar travel is monopolized by the Church and power is divided among vast empires, a single ship is dispatched on a mission shrouded in mystery. Its crew is tasked with preventing a prophecy that foretells the end of all life in the Galaxy. But as they journey through the stars, it becomes clear that not everyone aboard is who they claim to be. Hidden among them are Agents with a sinister agenda—to ensure the Desolation occurs. With time running out, the crew must navigate treachery, uncover hidden truths, and face unimaginable dangers to save the Galaxy from annihilation. Will they succeed, or is the Desolation inevitable?

Retired press spokesman Dickie Arbiter recounts his experiences as a Buckingham Palace press secretary for Queen Elizabeth II, beginning with his appointment in 1988 until his retirement in 2000.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - "loved it! engaging characters, great action, honor, and insurmountable odds- An Arbiter's Gift is everything I look for in fantasy and more..." - Susan, Goodreads Reviewer Ezrah is sixteen and a rapscallion denizen of the Citadel--a school of magical wizards called Reavers--and unfortunately, failing his studies miserably. On the verge of being kicked out, Ezrah has little hope but to pass a final test of magic. However, the test soon becomes the least of Ezrah's concern, as a nefarious woman kidnaps his childhood friend in a plot to seize immeasurable power. At the same time, the city is slowly dying of thirst, the people abandoned by those meant to protect them. Ezrah, untalented and far out of his league, must find his hidden spark of magic within himself in order to conquer a mythical maze of elemental magic, save a dying people, rescue his kidnapped friend, and become the legend he is destined for... or will fall to ruin. Return to the magical world of Farhaven in An Arbiter's Gift, a riveting, fast-paced novella taking place in the bestselling series The Ronin Saga.

An original full-length novel set in the Halo universe and based on the New York Times bestselling video game series! Just hours following their climactic battle on the Forerunner planet Genesis, the Spartans of Blue Team and Fireteam Osiris find themselves running for their lives from the malevolent machinations of the now-renegade artificial intelligence Cortana. But even as they attempt to stay one step ahead, trouble seems to find Spartan Edward Buck no matter where he turns. A secret mission enacted by the Office of Naval Intelligence could possibly help turn the tide, and has Buck reluctantly agreeing to reform his old team, Alpha-Nine. Because if the band is really getting back together for this one, that means everybody—including the Spartan who Buck never wants to see again, the one who committed the ultimate betrayal of trust…

No one contributed more to the artistic eminence of 'Age of Elegance' than Robert Adam (1728-92), the pre-eminent architect of his day whose expertise and imagination extended also to interior design, furniture and garden design. His legacy has echoed through design ever since, his name synonymous with elegance, the Enlightenment, of the best features of the eighteenth century. In this fascinating biography, Roderick Graham follows Adam's life and career from schooldays in Edinburgh through study in Italy and the establishment of his architectural practice in London. It explains his passionate ambition, not only to excel as an architect, but to be accepted as a gentleman in that most snobbish period of our history.