Metamor Keep stories are presented chronologically for the sake of clarity.
Lightbringer
by Raven Blackmane -- A character
intro story I wrote for Copernicus' Metamor
Keep universe. This is the story of Raven hin'Elric, the Lightbringer, last
in a long line of clerics who have inhabited the Keep since time immemorial.
Discover the challenges and dangers of priesthood in a universe where magic
exists, the supernatural is often tangible, and the "gods" manipulate mortals
and play politics like old-guard Washington senators. It's not a job for the
faint of heart...
Rites
of Ascendancy by Raven Blackmane
-- Rites of Ascendancy introduces us to Merai, a young Keeper girl who
dreams of becoming a Lightbringer. But in the world of Metamor Keep, the only
job more dangerous than being the Lightbringer ... is being the Lightbringer's
apprentice... (Note: This story contains two scenes -- one near the beginning,
one near the end -- that contain what are commonly called "adult situations".
I have endeavored to make these scenes as non-graphic and inoffensive as possible,
and some of my beta-readers have said that I succeeded; but all the same, I
would recommend parental guidance for any potential readers under the age of
15. Please trust my judgment in including these story bits -- though the first
of these scenes may seem superfluous as you first read it, you will see towards
the end why it plays such a key role in the story.) Part One of The Starchild
Prophecy.
The
Lessons Trilogy by LoveBear,
Wanderer, and Raven
Blackmane -- This is a series of three stories that Wanderer, LoveBear and
I wrote to follow up on the events covered in LoveBear's MK stories, Fetish
and Ward. They are presented together because they wouldn't make
much sense apart from each other. (Well, mine wouldn't, at least. :-) LB and
Wand are two of the best writers in the MK universe, and I wholeheartedly recommend
these stories. (Continuity Note: These stories take place in 706 CR,
the same year as Rites of Ascendancy.)
For
I Am Lost by Wanderer --
A follow-up to the events of The Lessons Trilogy. Thinking he may see some glimmer
of hope for Wanderer's return, Chris sets out to jog the poor wolf's memory.
But is there yet any hope for the erstwhile bard?
Clearing
Away by Wanderer, with LoveBear
& Raven Blackmane -- Christopher
and Raven have to do a bit of spring cleaning in Wanderer's room, a job that
neither of them is looking forward to...
Winter
Assault by Numerous Authors -- It's the eve of Christmas, when the Followers
celebrate the birth of their Lord, Lightbringers ponder the mysterious Creator-god
Iluvatar, and a whole lot of everyday Keepers get ready to party. It is a time
of feasting and celebration, and of meditation and reflection, for all the people
of Metamor ... until the unthinkable happens. Nasoj, the dark wizard who failed
to destroy Metamor twice before, launches a surprise attack on the Keep in the
dead of night, during the fiercest blizzard in recent memory. Caught off-guard,
now the Keepers must fight a desperate battle for survival in the very halls
of Metamor itself. (This is the Big One, folks -- hundreds and hundreds of pages,
by more authors than you can shake the proverbial stick at. It's still undergoing
editing, and at the moment only the RTF files are available online, but we hope
to have it in HTML soon. Anyone interested in receiving a copy containing only
my parts of the story is welcome to email me and request it -- but personally,
I'm very impressed at the dedication showed by all the authors to put together
a collaborative story of this magnitude. Well done, everyone!)
A
Cold Day In Hell by Raven Blackmane
-- The ashes are beginning to settle from the Winter Assault, and the
consequences of the battle are being felt in places that Metamor could scarcely
imagine -- places such as the Second Hell, where a young imp has been summoned
to his mistress's chambers for a mission of great importance. A little experiment
with dark humor that sets the stage for the next story in the Starchild Prophecy.
Picking
up the Pieces by Raven Blackmane
-- Sometimes the hardest part of war isn't the fighting; it's what comes after.
Daria paid a high price for Metamor's victory against the Winter Assault, but
now she and the other Keepers face the even greater challenge of putting their
lives back together ... and coming to terms with everything, and everyone, they
have lost. A requieum for the Winter Assault, and the beginning of a
new story arc for the young squire.
Misericardia
by Wanderer & Raven
Blackmane -- Wanderer's mind has been restored, but his body is still stuck
in full wolf form -- and his heart is in even worse shape, once he realizes
what he did that left him stuck like this (see The Lessons Trilogy for
more details). Devastated, he seeks a way to make penance for his sins, even
though Raven tries to assure him that he is forgiven and does not need to do
anything to prove his love to her. With tensions and angst running high and
neither of them able to really reach the other, Raven takes drastic action to
save their fractured relationship: a ritual of Velena that could save their
love ... or destroy it forever.
Koinonia
by Raven Blackmane & Wanderer
-- The events of Misericardia as seen from Raven's perspective. Read
this one second -- neither story is really complete without the other.
A
Road Into Darkness by Raven
Blackmane -- A mysterious dream leads Raven and Merai eastward to confront
a new and dangerous enemy. But the Midlands aren't the safest place for a pair
of Keeper priestesses, and they soon find that reaching their destination may
be a challenge in itself. And what does all of this have to do with the prophecy
hanging over Merai? Part Two of The Starchild Prophecy.
Signs
and Portents by Raven Blackmane
-- Rickkter is not a stupid man. He has seen enough in the last year to know
that the gods have something big in the works for Metamor. He wants answers,
and he knows the best place to look for them is the Lightbringer Archives. Merai
wants answers of her own, and insists on joining him -- but will either of them
be prepared for what they find? An epilogue, of sorts, for A Road Into Darkness.
Dances
by Raven Blackmane -- While Tessa,
the Lightbringers' newest initiate, demonstrates her combat skills for Master
DeMule, Raven and Wanderer try to make up for lost time by spending the day
together. Two parallel tales that earn their name for very different reasons.
In
the Absence of Martyrs by Raven
Blackmane -- It is the fall of 707 CR. Nearly a year has passed since the
death of the Ecclesia's beloved Patriarch, Akabaieth, and the religious unrest
in the Midlands is only increasing. When reports reach Metamor of a Follower
priest burning Lightbringers at the stake, Raven is reluctant to get involved
in a matter outside her own jurisdiction -- that is, until she learns that the
priest and his "holy" soldiers are headed straight for her mother's
home town. Raven hasn't been in the village of Anthaly since before the Curse,
but now she'll risk everything to save her people from a horrible fate. She
soon discovers, however, that not everything is as it appears... Part Three
of The Starchild Prophecy. (Hosted off-site at the TSAT
archives.)
The MK2K Project
What would life be like in Metamor at the end of the 20th Century CR? Click here to see the beginnings of my modern-day spinoff of the MK universe...