Avern is Part of the Beverly L. Anderson Universe.
The Legacy of the Phoenix
In an uncertain and godless world, a princess becomes one with the Mother of Gods. The quest begins to find the missing gods and release them from whatever fate binds them.
Avern. A beautiful world full of diverse populations and immense possibilities. With magic and the beginnings of technology starting to bloom, there are many ways to make a life. However, underneath all the beauty and possibility lie darkness threatening to overtake this world.
The world itself was thrown into chaos a thousand years ago when the gods mysteriously disappeared. No one understood why they would abandon Avern, though some believed that was the case. Others feared some great force had destroyed or imprisoned them, and still others simply did not know what to believe.
Then, the Maker and Unmaker send what is either salvation or damnation for the people of Avern. The Phoenix of six parts is returning. The first person holding a piece of these immensely powerful beings is Keiara, a princess without a throne. The Dark Phoenix becomes one with her, and thus, the Mother of Gods is reborn to walk the world of Avern.
The Dark Phoenix knows her children are in dire straits and need to be rescued before their power drains completely and they cease to exist. She has one year—no more, no less. And in that year, she must gather the other parts of the phoenix, each slumbering in a mortal body, and rescue the gods.
Along the way, a dire plot reveals itself. With puppet queens, an egotistical godling, vampires, and an unknown force after them, will Kieara and her allies succeed in freeing the gods?
Dark and the Sword
The world of Avern has moved on. It’s been nearly a millennium since the day when the whole pantheon vanished, a day no one will ever forget. Since the Abandonment, the mortals have learned to live without gods and goddesses. The world became mundane, with little magic and even less hope. Tyrants have emerged, while those possessing magic hold immense power. Forces surge in the darkness, threatening to topple the already fragile world. However, Avern’s world plight is not unknown, and distant watchers will intervene. The mortals are sleeping, however, unknowing that two great powers will soon vie for control.
Then something happens that changes things. A young princess makes a bid for power by murdering her father. She then attempts to murder her sister, the crown princess of Lineria, Keiara. Despite a true strike aided by dark powers, Keiara doesn’t die. Instead, the strike pierces the barrier between her human soul and the soul sleeping within her, the soul of the Dark Phoenix. More than a goddess, the Dark Phoenix is the legendary mother of the gods. She is a part of the Eternal Phoenix that brought life to their world eons ago, one of the primal forces of the cosmos.
Book One
Air and the Crown
Even though the world of Avern has moved on, changes have been set in motion. It has been almost a thousand years since the Abandonment and disappearance of the gods and goddesses of the world, but the Eternal Phoenix has begun awakening. The first, Keiara, the Dark Phoenix, has gathered two groups of adventurers to release the first of the divine powers: the Keepers. Dark forces have imprisoned the Keepers of Life, Death, Magic, and Nature in the darkest corners of Avern. The secret to their release is unknown, yet they hope that finding them will lead them to those answers. The Mother of Gods has gathered and split her followers into two groups, each setting in a different direction to search for the imprisoned Keepers.
Sanna leads her group north, taking Jovan, Miira, Syera, and Elmlock. Together, they are on a mission to find the Crown of Life, the artifact they believe will free the Keeper of Life from captivity. To do so, though, they must first cross the frozen lands of Phomean and find someone to take them across the Pass of Solace to the home of the water-kin elves, Zeri T’ves. The water-kin elves may not welcome them, and they must take their chances with who they can trust among the Pirates of Pass. Of course, along the way, they will make new friends and perhaps new foes.
Book Two
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