Cocop (Cale Plamann) | comedy | Complete
The Empire and the Church span almost the entirety of the known world, absent some pockets of lawlessness and the realms of the deceiver. They are governed as a despotic theocracy, ruled in name by the solitary and omnipotent God, Al'Shazan.In practice, Al'Shazan is bored, flighty, cruel and has little interest in ruling the Empire. Instead the Empire is run by the High Priest, Minister of the Treasury, and the Knight Commander of the inquisition. Their job is to make sense of the contradictory nonsense spewed forth by their living God while simultaneously ruling the greatest nation that the world has ever known. The entire time, they have to maintian the facade that Al'Shazan is a benevolent and loving God in order to maintain morale in the general populace. --------- The actual genre for this is more along the lines of a Fantasy Political Comedy/Drama/Thriller. It will not be 'crunchy' (minimal action, minimal descriptions of powers/abilities) but instead be focusing on world building and political maneuvering. As a warning, it is fairly dark.
34.52 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:40
Cheis of Veraleigh the Necromancer is a hero renowned throughout the realms, but that doesn't mean her social life is doing all that well -- she'd rather hunt monsters and write new spells than deal with the unpleasant reality of her impending middle age. But when an ancient evil awakens, she just may have to make up her mind about what she wants out of life -- and deal with what life wants out of her.
99.72 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 13:57
Etzoli | contemporary | Complete
Revised version now available! Amazon paperback, ebook, audiobook, Kobo, B&N, Google In the war-torn land of Cyraveil, four heroes strove to overthrow an empire. By cold steel and elemental sorcery, they brought peace to a warring land on the brink of destruction. As the flames died, the realm needed strong leadership, and who better than the champions who had saved the kingdom? But when the people sought out their saviors... they vanished. Matt, Blake, Jen, and Carl: the four mysterious companions, who together had deposed an insane ruler and saved countless lives, were gonespirited back in a whirlwind of magic to a sleepy suburb in Mellbridge, Oregon, never to return. The friends found themselves home inthe real world, exactly as they'd been the night they were taken, as if no time had passed... except only threecame back. Hi there! This was my entry for National Novel Writing Month, because why only write one series at a time? The more the merrier! (meanwhile, my keyboard bursts into flames...) I'm also the writer of The Last Science, an ongoing low-fantasy/speculative sci-fi series. If you're familiar with that, you know what to expect here: lots of character-focused drama and dialogue, not a whole lot of traditional action. However, I'm writing a bit differently than usual here, and in a very different structure, so there should be some surprises for returning readers. I hope you enjoy it! [Discord] for those of you who want to hang out and chat. Cover art (fullsize): Path of Revelation, by taenaron (Tobias Roetsch), modified by Etzoli. Normally I like to do my own cover art from scratch, but I was in a rush for the contest. Might be replaced down the line if I get time. [winner of the NaNoWriMo Royal Road 2018 challengeMost Favorites]
53.94 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:38
Benjamin Keyworth | contemporary | Complete
Definitive editions of Part 1 and 2 available in professionally narrated audiobook from Amazon. Get the audiobook! Get the ebook! Get the paperback! -- Matt Callaghan is in trouble. In a world where everyone has superpowers, he's got squat, and has spent the last five years faking being clairvoyant just to avoid getting caught. Unfortunately, Matt's lies have started to catch up to him, and when a desperate bluff backfires he'll need every ounce of cunning, conning and juvenile delinquency to stay undetected and alive. Jane Walkeristrouble. In a world where everyone is powerful, Jane stands alone and apart, hated for her ability to copy abilities and atrocities far beyond her control. But fate is a fickle friend, and a chance encounter soon finds Jane hurtling towards her lifelong dream - or prejudice, humiliation and a violent, painful death. Unbeknownst to them, Matt and Jane's paths are inextricably intertwined, and as each struggles to find their place an unseen force will draw them ever forward closer and closer to a secret whose existence threatens not just their lives, but the fate of the entire world. A loving homage to and twist on the superhero genre, Superworld is a fun, subversive story about identity, empathy, connection and courage which has been called "very entertaining and creative" and "an absolute pleasure" by readers, and "completely unreadable" by the author's blind grandfather.
146.93 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:36
Fresh_Pursuit | contemporary | Complete
Completed Story. Texas Lawman Cash Renshaw gets pulled into a world of magic and mysticism that he never knew existed but finds himself uniquely suited to handle. Alhambra Sheriff's Office Detective Cash Renshaw is about to wake up. He learns that there is another world out there where all the creatures of nightmare and magic are real. Not only that but he finds that he is a special type of person called an "Archetype" that derives powers from the collective power of human imagination. Now he will join his new partner in the Agency for Metanatural Investigation to investigate a strange new type of Runic Tattooing that allows normal humans to tap into magic powers, at the cost of their lives. Cash will learn that his new reality is as deadly as it is mysterious, and his first case might be his last.
51.07 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 14:16
T. A. Cambel | contemporary | Complete
Keep Breathing follows lung cancer survivor Eury as she returns to her sleepy hometown, dreading coming home to her parents and the complicated past that still haunts her. Even with every amenity afforded to her by modern society, Eury has a hard time staying alive. But when the townspeople are driven insane and begin attacking one another at random, Eury is cut off from everything and everyone she holds dear, and left with a dwindling supply of oxygen. Hardships and heartaches, bloodshed and violence, once she's through it all, will Eury be able to Keep Breathing?
53.55 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 14:25
backoff | contemporary | Complete
Superpowers ... without capes. A man produces narcotic gas in his lungs, a woman turns into a wall of corrosive flesh. One girl creates tiny stinging 'mayflies' while another is assaulted by the emotions of anyone she touches. After the mysterious 'Seventeen Seconds' sweeps the globe, a handful of people develop extraordinary abilities. Rachel's father is one of them--and that's why she shoots him. But four years after she's charged with his murder, he reappears. He's rich. He's connected. And he's plotting to destroy a city. To stop him, Rachelenlists the help of Lark Larson, an easygoing slacker with bizarre abilities of his own. She doesn't have any powers herself, except for her unflinching willingness to put herself on the line. As far as Lark can tell, that's more than enough.
41.64 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 14:22
Sake Vision | contemporary | Complete
Long Dong is a young cultivator whom everyone underestimates! "That boy has no power!" his seniors say. Little do they know that his resolution will not break so easily! "I"ll show you all, and build a harem of jade beauties!" exclaimed the young man, pointing his fist at the moon. "Misha, calm down, do you want to fail another year?" "I don't care, as long as I have this demonic power!" Long Dong whips out a pack of over-the-counter codeine, leaving his friend in shock and awe. And thus a cultivation journey of eastern European delinquent begins! Wrtten for Fast Food Frontpage Competition, this novel is trash and don't take it as anything else.trigger warnings: all
8.78 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:36
Kira Hawthorne was just another teenage girl until the day a 'god' told the world their 'realm' was getting assimilated, since they lost some War no one on Earth even knew about. A System is installed on the whim of a very old and capricious god. Kira immediately gets trapped in a pocket dimension, and emerges to find a once familiar world turned foreign... And very hostile.
87.82 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:43
"Your first death is always the hardest." Miguela was the third-born child of a well-off merchant family and knew from around the time she could speak that her life's path was already decided for her by her father. She was to become an Orator, as was Xandran tradition. However, Miguela had an affinity with the magikal arts and somehow found herself studying at the Academy. One fateful day, the government offers Miguela an opportunity to join a team tasked with the mission of gathering intelligence via scrying magik. The catch is that Miguela and her associates can only scry the deceased. Miguela finds the memories of the dead haunting but is adamant not to fail because the prospect of regaining control of her life and using her magik to help others gives her a purpose in life that she never had before. Of course, Miguela soon discovers her new job has an exorbitant cost. Will she be willing to pay when the bill comes due? Welcome to Five Kingdoms of Cordizal! What is the Five Kingdoms of Cordizal? I often get asked this type of question about my stories by friends, bloggers, and potential readers. The Five Kingdoms of Cordizal is a high-fantasy epic universe that is the setting for most of my stories. The foundation of the universe is its multicultural, multiracial setting with several sentient races attempting to carve their legacy and survive. The world is fully fleshed out and vibrant with a rich and mysterious history not based on Tolkien mythology. This brings me to magic. To me, magic is an essential part of the fantasy genre, so, of course, there is magic in the Five Kingdoms universe. However, one critical part of the Five Kingdoms universe is that magic is an abundant commodity that is a part of everyday life and not some plot device used to drive the story. In short, the Five Kingdoms universe is the setting of epic fantasy stories with deep characters and world-building. I try to tell as many different types of stories as possible in the universe, and hopefully, you can find something for you in it.
28.01 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:40
Admiralmonkeyman | drama | Complete
The mind is a fragile thing. One slip and the shattered pieces are so innumerable that reconstruction is impossible. One such Theodore Chatwood is unfortunately very familiar with that sentiment. From a young age, frequent visions of horrid, incomprehensible beings plagued his mind, and it only became worse with time. They speak in colors, whispering in ageless language... They wait in corners, watching intently. The world harbors much more than meets the blind eye. Do not fret, though. Simply take the syringe. Hold your breath. Close your eyes. It will all be finished soon... Cover by: Tentacles and Teeth
37.92 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:52
NothingnessAbove | drama | Complete
There were two things I knew instantly when I began to exist. The Number was 1922916.12. And I had to make the Number go up. [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
31.42 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 15:59
After Dr. Hawthorne Crenshaw's university experiences a terrorist attack, he undertakes a titanic effort to colonize a new planet in an effort to rescue some small part of humanity from what he suspects is an unstoppable spiral into a Dark Age on Earth. Subjecting himself to tens of thousands of years of repeated cycles of cryogenic freezing and unfreezing to monitor his passengers, he and his AI T.I.A. shepherd Earth's first, and perhaps only effort into colonizing a new planet. Cover by Ana Ristovska
125.13 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 15:43
InadvisablyCompelled | fantasy | Complete
Read the series on Amazon! Dungeon: A place full of monsters, traps, treasure, and death. Those are the Great Dungeons, with unplumbed depths below the roots of the mountains. That's not for me. Dungeon: A place of rape, torture, and death, to control and corral enemies and slaves. These are the Red Cores, from which the mage-kings draw their power. That's also not for me. I don't like monsters. I don't want adventurers. I want to stay well away from enemies and slaves. Fortunately, there are alternatives... (Includes explicit and consensual sexual content. Chapters containing such will be marked.) Join our Discord!
1,462.59 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 17:03
Samer Rabadi (aka 3seed) | historical | Complete
Hallon Nilsdotter was born in 1268 and trained in the magics of the shamans of old Sweden. Now, in 1924, she hunts for the Calamity, a prophesied disaster. Along with her spirit allies and the young scientist Milo Rabbit, Hallon forces open a tear in the boundary of their universe to travel to another. An old war has ruined this land, breaking its weather systems, and a new war is brewing between the Untainted and those who show strange mutations. On the run after being identified as abnormal, Hallon and Milo must navigate this new world of machine guns, gas attacks, and fallen spirits. All the while, the Calamity looms over them. ----- The book is complete at 46 chapters, although I may revisit with short stories in the future.
66.65 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:04
rkgoff | historical | Complete
In May, 1899, a hundred and fifty unassuming envelopes are delivered to households across the city. Most of them will be picked up by butlers and carried on silver trays to their recipients. All of them contain invitations to the wedding of Lady Eleanor Serrs to Mr. Ryce Penn. When the newspapers hear about it, they start buzzing. Who can blame them? This would be the wedding of the century! She's the daughter of Duke Erravold Aubrey-Serrs, and the Marvelous Mr. Penn is one of the most famous men in the country. But Penn is famous for being the city's most notorious thief. He's an unrepentant attention-seeker with a taste for gems and danger. And Eleanor swears that she's never met him. Chief Inspector Lucas Haley, Penn's long-time nemesis, is called in to protect the Aubrey-Serrs family and try to figure out what the master thief is planning. He'll need all his experience and tenacity for this case, as it quickly becomes obvious more is at stake than the reputation of an innocent woman.
55.02 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:15
GrimDux | historical | Complete
A young provincial thief of no particular renown has his life of crime changed in a day. He stumbles' upon a huge pile of gold for starters and soon after a dead man carrying a letter of 'royal' interest. Literally. While at it he earns' a title of sorts, along the promise of a life out of the gutter. Before he can properly appreciate the dramatic turn of his fortunes, he's drawn into a dangerous conspiracy that threatens to embroil two continents in a devastating war. The whole affair seems to cry out for a gallant hero of old, or failing that a cunning diplomat, but he's neither. Perhaps a lying scoundrel, which our lad definitely is, would have to suffice. He does acquire' a dagger that knows a dead language after all and that must count for something. Touch O' Luck is the prologue (or opening act) to the Old Realms series of novels The Old Realms series: Touch O' Luck (Finished) Hint O' Magic (Finished) Lure O' War (Finished) Wings O' Fate (Ongoing) First chapters will be uploaded immediately. After that there will be updates every 3-5 days. Cover artwork by @IntheBlackveil Maps of the Old Realms are available here Greater Map of the Realms this is a very large image (thrice reduced in size from original, but still it might not load immediately) The Old Realms - Chapter specific maps The Old Realms All tags are relevant but most chapters are not too extreme. Fair warning dear reader, this is an 'unfiltered' story, sometimes sweet, others bitter, touching some heavy subjects or problems, like crime, war, betrayal, pride, politics, revenge etc set in a Epic Fantasy backdrop with shades of Grimdark. In its heart of hearts though, it is an adventure. The Old Realms saga is only published on RR for free. It is in the author's plans to publish it on Amazon and other platforms at some point. If you see it offered anywhere else, or someone tries to charge you for it, please report him. It is illegal to sell, or take advantage of intellectual work without the author's permission.
49.95 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:19
kivrin_js | historical | Complete
A war between order and chaos has been waged for time eternal. The unlikely Enid is the last champion of order. She must overcome her past in order for the world to have a future. This a series of short stories and novella's exploring the past that Enid Aurelius must confront to save the world. The story begins in Medieval Rome, moving forward to Modern day Canada.
214.94 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:26
A Writers Refugium | historical | Complete
The heroine is good and the villainess is evil. That was the absolute truth. That rule was undeniable as well as the fact that only the heroine would receive true love and her happy ending. Likewise, the malicious villainess would always suffer and leave the stage to clear the path for the perfect heroine in the end. So, for Blanche, it felt like her world came crashing around her when she remembered the truth about her life. As the villainess in the typical romance novel "To Be Empress", she was fated to be condemned and abandoned by her lover. No matter how devoted she was to Theodore Estien, the emperor of Artias, she would only be the bratty concubine that would obstruct the heroine, who happened to be Theodore's lawful wife and the empress. In the end, the villainess would be deserted and executed. It was destined to happen like this, and yet she couldn't give up. She had to change the future. Preventing the romance between the main characters would get her killed. Much like trying to steer away from the enemies' intrigues, in which she was already caught up, would. But neither the heroine nor the emperor's political rivals would change the fact that Blanche loved the man that was supposed to be the heroine's. And no matter what happened she would always stay by her lover's side. So she wouldn't just follow the book's storyline and let her own doom arrive. Blanche would survive while trying to suppress all of the selfish desires that had made her the villainess. But was she truly fine with that? Did she not desire more than just surviving? Did she even have the right? Could the villainess ask for a happy end? Was she too brazen if she just wanted to stay with the man she loved and receive his affection? And wasn't there a bit more to this novel than she remembered? She didn't know and in the end that mattered little when the world around her changed with each day as more and more questions about the future and the past arose. *The Profanity tag was added due to the characters' occasional swearing, which should not happen too often.
982.28 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-11 13:58
In a world of sky islands orbiting around a core of mist, humanity is besieged with countless threats. When a young girl from the slums unwittingly becomes one of those threats, she finds herself capable of horrific things that she can't help but learn to love... Vigor Mortis is a lighthearted story about existential terror. Come for the horror, stay for the hope. Updates Fridays. Enjoy the read!
456.61 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:39
