Gaspi is an ordinary boy, living in the mountain village of Aemon's Reach, but life, for Gaspi, is forever changed the day magic erupts in him. He discovers he has a powerful gift - he is a Nature Mage, able to control natural forces and creatures and bend them to his will. It is a rare gift, and no-one has been born with it in centuries, but Gaspi's powers also have a dark side, and without training they will kill him. He is forced to leave his home and travel to the distant city of Helioport, where the Archmages of the College of Collective Magicks will teach him how to use his powers. Accompanied by his guardian and his best friends, Gaspi sets off on the long journey to Helioport. The journey is fraught with danger, and Gaspi and his friends discover that there are demonic creatures abroad, intent on finding and killing anyone with magical ability. As Gaspi begins his magical studies, a shadow hangs over him and over the city of magicians. Gaspi's story of a demonic attack is not an isolated incident.As these stories increase, Hephistole, the Chancellor of the college, is growing increasingly certain that someone or something is directing the demonic forces, but who, and to what end? As things unfold, Gaspi finds himself in the middle of dark and terrible times, and can only hope that his powerful gift will develop in time to make a difference when the time comes.

Book Two of the Nature Mage Trilogy. Shirukai Sestin has been defeated. His demonic forces have been destroyed, and peace has been restored to the city of Helioport. Gaspi begins his studies again, but Hephistole, the chancellor of the college, has an unusual task for him - Gaspi is to leave the college and spend several months living in the wild with a reclusive druid called Heath. Druids commune with spirits of earth, water, wind and fire, and while living with Heath, Gaspi is to learn the closely guarded secrets of elemental magic. Hephistole is convinced that the mysterious elemental spirits will be of help in their ultimate struggle against Shirukai Sestin and his demons. In the Ruined City of Elmera, Shirukai Sestin summons Bale-beasts from the lower planes of existence - the same creatures he sent to attack the city of Helioport. A Bale-beast is a feeder, slaughtering human magic-users and draining off their powers for a singular dark purpose: to horde that stolen energy until the demon is glutted, and use it to transform into something much more deadly - a Darkman.Sestin's Bale-beasts terrorise the pagan tribes of the North, slaking their dreadful thirst by feeding on the primitive, shamanic magic-users. If even one Bale-beast transforms into a Darkman, Sestin will gain control of the ultimate assassin, and send it to seek out and destroy his enemies. Blissfully ignorant of the impending danger, Gaspi doesn't realise that he must bond with the shy and beautiful spirits, and unveil the secrets of elemental magic, or all may be lost.

Discover a land of enchantment, legend, and adventure in this first book of the Immortals series, featuring an updated cover for longtime fans and fresh converts alike, and including an all-new afterword from Tamora Pierce. Thirteen-year-old Daine has always had a special connection with animals, but only when she’s forced to leave home does she realize it’s more than a knack—it’s magic. With this wild magic, not only can Daine speak to animals, but she can also make them obey her. Daine takes a job handling horses for the Queen’s Riders, where she meets the master mage Numair and becomes his student. Under Numair’s guidance, Daine explores the scope of her magic. But she encounters other beings, too, who are not so gentle. These terrifying creatures, called Immortals, have been imprisoned in the Divine Realms for the past four hundred years—but now someone has broken the barrier. And it’s up to Daine and her friends to defend their world from an Immortal attack.

DIVDIVComputer programmer Joanna Sheraton must rescue an imprisoned wizard to save the universe from destruction/divDIV /divDIVThere was a time when Joanna Sheraton knew nothing of the Void. She was an ordinary computer programmer, toiling in a cubicle in air-conditioned Southern California comfort, unaware that sinister forces had penetrated her universe. But from across the interdimensional divide, an evil mage had put in motion a scheme for eternal life, by transferring himself into a computer that feeds on Earth’s life force. Called upon to help by the wizard Antryg, Joanna could do nothing more than delay. At the end of her first sojourn across the Void, Antryg was imprisoned and their task seemed hopeless./divDIV /divDIVNow she must depart from Earth once more, to rescue Antryg and save humanity. She is friendless, and the dark mage’s forces hound her every step. But a good hacker is not easily deterred./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Barbara Hambly, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection./divDIV /div /div

Supernatural evil and magic collide as the Keepers are pulled into an epic struggle to protect the veil between two worlds from unseen forces threatening to doom them all in this complete five book spell-slinging, darkness chasing, devilishly haunting adventure fantasy set in the modern world. Join Truddie Mae, Gordy, Niles, and a complete cast of superpowered individuals as they battle a nefarious plot to destroy the universe as secrets uncover lies and friends turn to enemies. Danger lurks around every corner and, as the stakes are raised, the Keepers will need to join forces to face the greatest threats ever to slip into their reality. As the war rages on, will a thrown-together family save the day, or will sinister plans finally prevail? *Included in this set are all five complete eBooks of The Keeper Chronicles series as listed below. * Bitter Awakenings (Book 1): Southern charm meets devilish intent. Pulled from her tranquil existence by the veil’s calling out for assistance, Truddie Mae will once again dive headfirst into terror forcing her to reawaken old wounds and explore old haunts. Against a ticking monstrosity of devouring darkness, will she and the others stop new this threat, or will time run out for them all? Twisted Reunions (Book 2): Three people can keep a secret if two are dead. A simple excursion leads to a discovery threatening the Keepers on every level. Forced to act as leader, Truddie Mae must rally remaining teammates and dig deeper into the mystery of their magical lives. New threats and unseen forces strike back, this time with more bite. Sometimes the past rises to the top no matter how deep you bury the bodies. Struggling to maintain the veil while dodging a conspiracy, will her group unearth the agenda meant to end them before it finally does? Withering Haunts (Book 3): Danger has never been so close to home... safety never so far away. With everyone a possible threat, fear, and suspicion rule the day. Driven by duty to protect the veil, doubts soon become ominous when a late-night phone call of panic ends up being the tip of an even darker iceberg waiting to sink them all. New threats emerge, foes become friends, and truths become lies. A new global menace looms on the horizon. Can the remaining Keepers thwart the increasing danger or will nefarious plans finally bear fruit and force their magical lives to wither away? Jagged Remains (Book 4): Sometimes, to stop unspeakable evil one must battle themselves... Danger lurks behind every tree, every whisper. The veil is eroding while teammates remain lost. For Truddie Mae, abandoning safety for answers will soon find her plunging deeper into the magical darkness. As panic and desperation collide, will her magic find a way? Sinister players are finally revealed, and the truth is earth-shattering. The battle to save our reality is reaching its darkest hour. Will they be able to stop a doomed future, or will they all become jagged remains of a broken past? Frayed Endings (Book 5): For every start, an end. With every dusk, a new dawn. As old friends offer help and plans unfold to keep two worlds apart, Truddie Mae will soon find that stopping the coming storm may be a losing battle for them all. As the Keepers battle to prevent a universe-ending disaster, they'll learn that the coils of their supernatural lives are frayed on both ends and that sometimes the simplest of cuts are the deadliest.

A new Character Codex containing specialist fantasy character classes that are strange and unconventional adding new flair to any Dice & Glory campaign! This book is a great resource for both Players and Game Masters wishing to introduce some eastern flavor into their game! Among those classes that can be found within the new Character Codex's pages are the Dragon-Blood Warrior, the Leatherneck, the Leopard-man, Skull-Cleavers, Bookworms, High Sages, and Zombie Creepers!

Vindeon is a brand-new fantasy role-playing game focusing heavily on immersive acting and fast action rules, enabling players to get the most out of their game sessions. The Setting The world is not healed. The elves, dwarves and humans have just begun to recover and rebuild after the devastation wrought by conflict and change. But not all. Some realms fell in the chaos, and now lies in ruins or serve even darker purposes. In this time of instability, you are trying to find your place in the world. There is no telling what fate Vindeon has in store for you or your companions. No telling how small or grand adventure looming just beyond the horizon or behind the next bend of the forest trail. Player - Character You play a character in a darkening, torn world, who embarks on an adventure or campaign, forging your destiny along the way or die trying. The world is unforgiving an often brutal, but it is not yet bereft of love and joy. There will always be hope. Embark on these undertakings as one of the three playable races: humans, dwarves and elves, choose from nine unique human, dwarven or elven cultures and their culture-specific professions, to customize your character to fit your preferred play-style and acting. Or go rogue and create a profession of your own. Fate is in your hands! Welcome to Vindeon

Culture is dependent upon intertextuality to fuel the consumption and production of new media. The notion of intertextuality has gone through many iterations, but what remains constant is its stalwart application to bring to light what audiences value through the marriages of disparate ideology and references. Videogames, in particular, have a longstanding tradition of weaving texts together in multimedia formats that interact directly with players. Contemporary Research on Intertextuality in Video Games brings together game scholars to analyze the impact of video games through the lenses of transmediality, intermediality, hypertextuality, architextuality, and paratextuality. Unique in its endeavor, this publication discusses the vast web of interconnected texts that feed into digital games and their players. This book is essential reading for game theorists, designers, sociologists, and researchers in the fields of communication sciences, literature, and media studies.

Hugh of Emblin is, so far as he's concerned, the worst student that the Academy at Skyhold has ever seen. He can barely cast any spells at all, and those he does cast tend to fail explosively. If that wasn't bad enough, he's also managed to attract the ire of the most promising student of his year- who also happens to be the nephew of a king. Hugh has no friends, no talent, and definitely doesn't expect a mage to choose him as an apprentice at all during the upcoming Choosing. When a very unexpected mage does choose him as apprentice, however, his life starts to take a sharp turn for the better. Now all he has to worry about is the final test for the first years- being sent into the terrifying labyrinth below Skyhold.