The Paladin of Tarrthála

A traumatised priest, recovering in a customised seminary, is introduced to a world he cannot credit. The world is full of strange and familiar creatures. He encounters scenarios he has read from books, some he had not imagined, and some he is afraid to examine closely. Guided by an inhabitant he seeks a resolution, using all his skills in succession, even to the extent of the brutal ultimate of his martial arts training, intended to focus the negative violence he battles. The characters of the world are in the midst of an aeons-long struggle, yet accept his help only with reservation. They see in him an ancient danger they had forgotten, only existing at the edge of consciousness. Yet one of their most revered sages has stood for him, and the talisman of Ashark has validated his worth. Above all, they are desperately short of time and forces to save their friends and family from a fate undreamed of since the age of The Eternals. They must trust talisman and its bearer to find the Xoal, a conundrum containing the essence which defines and maintains their existence, for only this conflicted warrior brings the long lost talisman to life.