Watchers, Dreamers, and Chosen. The real world needs attention, and, unfortunately, this means I will be pausing publishing for the rest of 2023 at minimum. I hope to be back in 2024 with more of the journey. Whether on RR or somewhere else entirely, the story is not done, and will continue. Be safe, be well, be happy. The Scribe will return. Cal is being hunted. Stranded at the edge of the world, apprenticed to a madman, he spends his days training. Always training. When strangers appear in the remote mountain village asking questions, violence and danger follows. Can he use his skills to make safe those around him? Can he save himself? Ren is marked by Death. Everyone on the farm agrees, and they won’t let him forget it. But murderous cultists with a penchant for kidnapping young men are abroad, and the boy the farmers blame for their troubles might be the only one who can help them. Sara is in danger. Recently arrived in the ancient city of Uldoroth to enter the service of the Queen, she is beset on all sides by the scheming ambitions of the court. War criminals, murderers, cultists, even her own family; nothing is as it seems, and she must learn to play their game, and play it well, if she is to survive. Each of them struggle to survive this vast fantasy world, as yet unaware that their stories are bound by a common thread; the abilities, schemes, and bloodlines of the almost mythical Chosen... ... And someone is watching, in the deepest of darks. Who is the Scribe, and what will they see, before his story is told? The Book of the Chosen is something new for Royal Road. It's an epic fantasy series; light on exposition, heavy on experience, cinematic action, and patient storytelling. If you like traditional, rich, literary fantasy with vast worlds and deep characters, and want to make a home for stories like this online, this is the place for you. Book I is already written, and will run from Chapters 1 - 57, in two parts (Part I, Chapters 1-33). It's structured like a traditional novel; expect the chapters to be longer than typical Royal Road stories. It's a slow burn, with multiple threads, but the wait will be well worth it. New chapters every Monday, with the occasional bonus, and you can read a full 10 chapters ahead on Patreon. The Scribe has begun. Join the journey. ‘The Blackbird lifts its head, As it sings, Then disappears, Forever.’