![Pyre of the Blind Gods [Dark Fantasy]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.royalroadcdn.com%2Fpublic%2Fcovers-large%2F152193-pyre-of-the-blind-gods-slavic-fantasy-morally.jpg%3Ftime%3D1782038459&w=640&q=75)
by AricThorne
“If we’re going to die, I’d rather you do it quietly.” A sacred rite fails. A Zmey tears free beneath a winter village. And Nayden, a young soldier of the Solar Order, survives only by binding himself to the white-eyed Whisperer he was trained to kill. Their only hope is a novice priestess carrying the creature’s corruption in her blood. To save her—and stop it from spreading—they must cross hungry forests, bargain with silent gods, and survive oaths that refuse to stay buried. Their journey will carry them through a full Slavic calendar year, one season and one sacrifice at a time. No leveling. No UI. No respawns. Just brutal combat, ancient folklore, psychological warfare, and a deeply dysfunctional group trying to save the world before they destroy one another. Expect blood, betrayal, dangerous tenderness, and a slow-burning toxic obsession that may prove deadlier than any monster. Updates every Thursday, with occasional bonus chapters. Also available on AO3 under AricThorne.
| # | Title | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapter 0 — Before You Enter | 0 |
| 2 | 1.1 — Echoes of Fire | 0 |
| 3 | 1.2 — The Silence of Perun | 0 |
| 4 | 1.3 — When the Oak Broke | 0 |
| 5 | 1.4 — The Raven’s Bargain | 0 |
| 6 |
| 1.5 — The White-Eyed Stranger |
| 0 |
| 7 | 1.6 — The Blood That Boils | 0 |
| 8 | 1.7 — Beneath the Black Linen | 0 |
| 9 | 1.8 — A Heart Is Not Enough | 0 |
| 10 | 1.9 — The Watch Is Over | 0 |
| 11 | 1.10 — Where There Is No Exit | 0 |
| 12 | 1.11 — A Dog on a Chain | 0 |
| 13 | 1.12 — Little Flame | 0 |
| 14 | 2.1 — Bearer of the Taint | 0 |
| 15 | 2.2 — When the Voices Stop | 0 |
| 16 | 2.3 — Breathe in Silence | 0 |
| 17 | 2.4 — A Clean Slate | 0 |
| 18 | 2.5 — A Drop of Sun | 0 |
| 19 | 2.6 — Louder Than the Dead | 0 |
| 20 | 2.7 — Unburnt Fuel | 0 |
| 21 | 2.8 — Two Hearts, One Fire | 0 |
| 22 | 2.9 — Only Mortals Pay | 0 |
| 23 | 2.10 — A Predator Chooses | 0 |
| 24 | 2.11 — No Bells, No Smoke | 0 |
| 25 | 2.12 — Before the Vessel Breaks | 0 |
| 26 | 2.13 — A Place in His Shadow | 0 |
| 27 | 3.1 — The Ruined Monastery | 0 |
| 28 | 3.2 — Useful Again | 0 |
| 29 | 3.3 — My Thief | 0 |
| 30 | 3.4 — What Followed Him Back | 0 |
| 31 | 3.5 — No Clever Answer | 0 |
| 32 | 3.6 — Until the First Quarter | 0 |
| 33 | 3.7 — Not Your World, Soldier | 0 |
| 34 | 3.8 — The Hand at the Window | 0 |
| 35 | 3.9 — The Man Without a Leash | 0 |
| 36 | 3.10 — The Liar I Trust | 0 |
| 37 | 4.1 — Brittle Vessels | 0 |
| 38 | 4.2 — Where the Rot Leads | 0 |
| 39 | 4.3 — A Contract for the Dead | 0 |
| 40 | 4.4 — When the Moon Let Go | 0 |
| 41 | 4.5 — A Fuse of Flesh | 0 |
| 42 | 4.6 — A Shield, at Least | 0 |
| 43 | 4.7 — A Wall Without Cracks | 0 |
| 44 | 4.8 — The Dead Have Ears | 0 |
| 45 | 4.9 — A Light That Casts No Shadow | 0 |
| 46 | 4.10 — Winter Is Not an Argument | 0 |
| 47 | 5.1 — The Alchemist | 0 |
| 48 | 5.2 — The Weave That Breathes | 0 |
| 49 | 5.3 — No Answer from the Dark | 0 |
| 50 | 5.4 — The Road That Wasn’t There | 0 |
| 51 | 5.5 — Out of My Way | 0 |
| 52 | 5.6 — The Stolen Path | 0 |
| 53 | 5.7 — Exclusive Rights | 0 |
| 54 | 5.8 — A Guide on a Leash | 0 |
| 55 | 5.9 — A Voice That Sounds Like You | 0 |
| 56 | 5.10 — The Gods Answer | 0 |
| 57 | 5.11 — The Inverted Rune | 0 |
| 58 | 6.1 — Beneath the Threshold | 0 |
| 59 | 6.2 — The Shadow Remembers | 0 |
| 60 | 6.3 — One Minor Favor | 0 |
| 61 | 6.4 — The House Has Better Hearing | 0 |
| 62 | 6.5 — A Year in One Night | 0 |
| 63 | 6.6 — The Rift Looks Back | 0 |
| 64 | 6.7 — All Six Bottles | 0 |
| 65 | 6.8 — The Circle Drinks | 0 |
| 66 | 6.9 — A Thread Between Worlds | 0 |
| 67 | 7.1 — Before Time | 0 |
| 68 | 7.2 — Not at the Same Moment | 0 |
| 69 | 7.3 — Out of Order | 0 |
| 70 | 7.4 — Where the Trail Ends | 0 |
| 71 | 7.5 — His Own Name | 0 |
| 72 | 7.6 — I Don’t Want Him to Die | 0 |
| 73 | 7.7 — The Other Shore | — |
| 74 | 7.8 — Too Early | — |
| 75 | 7.9 — Only the Living | — |
| 76 | 8.1 — Where You Stand | — |
| 77 | 8.2 — What You Remember | — |
| 78 | 8.3 — I’m Not Coming Back | — |
| 79 | 8.4 — He Returned Against Orders | — |
| 80 | 8.5 — Where the Water Thins | — |
| 81 | 8.6 — Home | — |
