Aberrant

Over the last four decades, the once turbulent Kingdom of Ghlastir has enjoyed an uneasy peace. The Cults of the many Gods worshipped throughout Ghlastir’s lands are just powerful enough to keep each other in check without direct intervention from the Crown, risking open conflict. More importantly, the number of Aberrants, monsters brought into the Mortal Plane through rituals, have dwindled in recent years as the Cults focus not on magical power, but stability. Now, however, sensing a turning tide, the Cult of Flame seeks to upend the balance of power in Ghlastir. After performing a deadly ritual in enemy territory, they may just get their wish, but the more powerful the ritual, the bigger the consequences, and the ripple effects will be felt all the way to the capital. Though successful, the Cult of Flame unleashes an Aberrant, a creature of pure magic crafted in the dominion of the Gods, which now stalks the shores of Salt Harbor, threatening to rip the port town in two. As the only person to survive an encounter with the magical serpent stalking the bay, Theron Brim is of immediate interest to Orin Lapwing, the local Aberrant Hunter.  But the serpent is just a symptom of a much larger problem simmering beneath Ghlastir's verdant surface.  If Theron wants to keep the country from fracturing, he'll need to figure out what the Cult of the Flame is planning while learning to master a power he barely understands. When he finds his mentor suddenly missing, Theron will be the only one left standing between the magical firepower of the Cults and the might of the Empire armed with no allies and a power he can’t fully control. A magical gift will keep him from being totally alone, but Theron will soon have to decide if it’s one he should keep, or if giving up the gift is the key to keep the kingdom from falling into open war.