A magician, an alien mask, thousands of gods... What could possibly go wrong? Born an orphan and known throughout the empire as a powerful magician, Paul is on a lifelong quest to find answers about his past. Jack is a historian obsessed with the famous Face of Xian--an alien mask which has puzzled the universe for thousands of years. An obsession his friends can't understand, and which he himself cannot explain. Along with a detective, an archaeologist, and others, their destinies cross on a world brimming with alien artifacts. A world where thousands of gods walk among men, and where fanatics consider offworlders as heretics and raiders. Some might call this a recipe for disaster, and they'd be right. NOTE: This story is now COMPLETE. NOTE: The entire novel is available with select retailers. READER ADVISORY WARNINGS 1) There are elements of horror in this story. Not enough to warrant tagging it as a genre, but enough to warrant this warning. 2) There is ONE rather graphic scene (more gross than gruesome), toward the end. 3) There is some mild nudity, but NO sexual content. I'm not even sure it's worth mentioning, but when in doubt, I prefer to err on the side of caution. NOTE: Chapters in this novel vary greatly in length. The first chapter being the shortest (180 words) and the last chapter (#68) being the longest (4400 words).