Wysard: For a dozen years—almost half his existence—Ryel
Mirai has dwelt in the fog-clad citadel of Markul, learning the Art
from his kinsman Edris. His life has been one of rigorous self-denial
and discipline, and his studies have been hard, perilous, and seemingly
to no purpose. But Edris' mysterious death forces Ryel to comprehend
the real truth of his own origins, and the part he must play in the
World outside Markul's grim walls. A great and cruel power in the Art,
Dagar, dwells in the wraithworld of the Void, seeking to return and
wreak vengeance on the World that loathed and feared him when
he lived centuries before. Dagar has enlisted the aid of Ryel's unruly
rival in the Art, Lord Michael Essern in whose blood runs daimon-bane,
to find the long-lost spell that will free him from the Void. But to
escape the shadow-realm, Dagar requires a human form in which to embody
his spiritual essence—his rai—and the form he lusts for is none
other than Ryel's.
Lured by Dagar's wiles, Ryel returns to the World, embroiling
himself in all its dangers, joys, and temptations. He soon
realizes that he has the chance to discover the Spell of Joining first,
thereby forever thwarting Dagar's machinations and bringing Edris, also
imprisoned in the Void, back to life again. Great as the young wysard's
hopes are, however, the dangers are greater still, for Dagar's minions
are powerful and many. But Ryel discovers that he has strong allies to
help him in his cause, and finds that he may well gain all that he
wishes...although perhaps not as he wished it.
Lord Brother: In the quest begun in Wysard, Ryel forsook the mist-enwrapped towers of Markul and returned to his steppes homeland, and from there was drawn to great Almancar, a place of beauty, corruption, and peril. In Lord Brother, Ryel's nemesis Dagar draws the young wysard even deeper into danger. Compelled Northward, Ryel becomes equivocally allied with Lord Michael’s elder brother, the Count Palatine Yvain. As Commander of the Sword Brotherhood, a cult sworn to the Goddess of War, Yvain Essern is the keeper of secrets crucial to the wysard's quest, but the price Ryel must pay for that information proves terribly high.