Shadow of the Abaddon

Shadow of the Abaddon is the first book in the Tales of Sheol'gotha series, taking place between Prince Valon Eurynome's departure from the city of Nazrin and culminating with his arrival in Reitan in the west. It is part of the four-book series detailing his battle against his father Abaddon Tynan.

Chapter List

 * 1)  The Return To Nazrin
 * 2)  Caravan's Return
 * 3)  Family Divides
 * 4) The Abaddon's Council
 * 5) The Bloodied Depths
 * 6) A Throne of Skulls and Blood
 * 7) Preparations For War
 * 8) The March West
 * 9) Visitors In The Night
 * 10) The Hollow In The Teeth
 * 11) Surtur's Guests
 * 12) Aberrant Behaviour
 * 13) Ever-Patient Observers
 * 14) In Plain Sight
 * 15) Dark Appetite
 * 16) Unforeseen Circumstances
 * 17) Chasing Dead Ends
 * 18) A Toast To Victory
 * 19) Any Excuse
 * 20) Licking Wounds
 * 21) An Overextended Family
 * 22) Finding The Army
 * 23) The Other Prodigal Sons
 * 24) The Abaddon's Right Hand
 * 25) Crippling Consequences
 * 26) Valon's First Lady
 * 27) Paths Less Traveled
 * 28) A Call To Arms
 * 29) The Mountain Dwellers
 * 30) Light In The Mists
 * 31) The Commoner's Coup
 * 32) The Flesh-Render's Sanctuary
 * 33) The House of Stone Heroes
 * 34) Patriarch's Design
 * 35) Friends In Reitan
 * 36) The Perfect Plan
 * 37) The Council
 * 38) Maintaining the Separation
 * 39) Beneath Reitan
 * 40) Voices On The Wind
 * 41) A Show Of Faith
 * 42) Through Water And Fire
 * 43) Cellars Beneath Cellars
 * 44) Crescent Daybreak
 * 45) The Heart Of The Matter
 * 46) Breaking Down Of Negotiations
 * 47) Nenokharkhum
 * 48) Of Bone And Flesh And Fear
 * 49) A Royal Return
 * 50) Two Commanders
 * 51) The Eye
 * 52) Motherly Concerns
 * 53) Lack of Royalty

Synopsis
In a time of change in the demonic kingdom beneath Abaddon Tynan, Prince Valon Eurynome is caught in familial rivalries which would see him executed for the murder of his half-sibling, Shozir De-jin. Through political allies and good fortune he is sent out into the wilds far from the city with soldiers and tasked with squashing rebellions in the surrounding regions. The group departs, picking up Valon's long-term love interest, Imma, and arrives at Flagstone where they meet with Lord Kkagar Surtur. Revelations into Surtur's past has Valon, Palus and Haebin discover a hidden realm within the city which leads to them to a hidden cell with imprisoned baalhes, ladies and daughters of nearby nobles.

Following Surtur's demise, Valon takes control of the keep and is soon visited by his half-brothers from Shozir's family. The siblings were bringing another victim for Surtur and attempt to run, but one is caught and dragged back for mutilation at Valon's hands. The group travels into the God's Teeth mountains, where Valon follows a torch in the mists which takes him into the Ebonmire. After being chased by the creatures of the marsh he finds himself in a cathedral of Aranicus, guest to shifters which promise him shelter. However they discover he is not a pure-blooded shifter and drug him, binding him in the cellars and cutting him to slowly bleed him dry.

Meanwhile, the army traveling through the army splits up and moves through the roads carefully. Haebin and Soltas leave the main group to find the siegemasters and behemoths, encountering a keep in the mountains where one of Haebin's old friends, and Soltas' father is staying. Riddled with suspicions, Haebin determines to keep a close eye on Soltas as they seek out the group, eventually culminating with their arrival at Reitan where they camped just outside the city. Palus is invited inside to speak to the council of the city, but when it is apparent that Valon is not present with the army he is arrested and the royal siblings depart the city.

Kareshh and a small group looking to get some enjoyment out of the city encounter Palus and free him, escaping towards the river and stealing one of the pleasure vessels which belongs to one of the families of the ruling council. Battle soldiers and avoiding fire, they crash the first and board a second, using it to travel beyond the city walls. They run the rest of the way back to the camp, arriving to find that the group of royal siblings who had turned the city against them were going after Valon. Palus dispatches Maire to chase them down.

Valon, after suffering a vision from delirium, escapes the cellars. Finding a bone spike embedded into his right arm, he is discovered by Maire and her riders who were sent after the other princes. They escort Valon back quickly, arriving with the rest of the army as the third legion shows up between Valon's army and the city. They engage the seventh legion, though Haebin and the vampires of the seventh withhold themselves as they cite that the red moon in the sky is a sign that Do'zen forbids bloodshed. Following a raiding sortie through the use of the behemoths and the cavalry, Valon incites the third legion commanders to come to the center to talk. They draw their weapons, battling fiercely, though the two commanders are killed. Soon after Valon collapses, and the corpses of vampires in the third legion, and across the battlefield, begin to burst into flames, soon followed by live ones.

In Nazrin Sharess works with her children to find ways to help Valon from where they are. She enlists the aid of her friend, Lyn'sust, who says that Abaddon had two brothers in court with him when he would see no one else. The situation grows more and more dire until tensions rise beyond the point of the guards being able to handle it, and the Eurynome family is confined to their dormitories. However it becomes apparent that Abjuris, the eldest son, is not among them, and that he has decided to lay his loyalties with the De-jin family.