A faint floral decoration under the text. The cover of Shadow Herald. The cover features golden filigree framing remniscent of illuminated manuscript detailing, and a cartoony art style with textured pen strokes. Navaeli, a girl with a purple headscarf folded down around her neck, stares nervously at the reader. Her hair is made of feathers, and an ominous wind kicks up feathers around her. Behind her is a looming shadow of a woman with wings.

Shadow Herald

Heralds of Rhimn, Book 1

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View Content Notes?

This book depictions of includes blood and wounds, parental abuse (neglectful, emotional, and (meta?)physical), implied underage drinking (Gildhe), animal injury (Crislie unwisely fights a sea serpent), incarceration, a small child having a very bad time of it, something between divine possession and body theft, a (cathartic) minor character death, and systemic wrongs. This is a queer book, and it sometimes touches on queer themes.

If more content warnings are relevant to the book than what we have listed here, feel free to let us know! Proceed thoughtfully.


In the world of Rhimn, a Herald is a god’s highest servant, expected to carry out their god’s will until the day of their death.

Navaeli of Nowhere knows this all too well. Bound in service of Silamir, a resurrected goddess of death and rebirth, her life has been one of constant cowering. Irongardhe knights hunt her down on the orders of Gardhe, the sun god who killed Silamir so long ago. Unfortunately, Silamir is eager to fight these battles herself, even if that means taking Navaeli’s body for her own.

For the longest time, Navaeli has been resigned to her fate as either a corpse or a vessel for her vengeful goddess.

Fate has other plans.

An ugly encounter with a knight’s patrol puts her at the mercy of Crislie Crimsworth — a handsome, headstrong girl who solves her problems with her fists, and is dying to escape the disapproval of her mother. When Navaeli’s goddess forces her to move on before she’s fully healed, Crislie seizes the chance to follow her out into the world. But what starts off as an exciting opportunity becomes a desperate flight as the budding attraction between her and Navaeli forces Crislie to confront the crimes of her country.

As if Crislie wasn’t enough trouble on her own, a chance meeting makes the two of them responsible for Meparik, a young feyrie thief with more trust in glamour than kindness.

Together, the three will contend with the machinations of Rhimn’s pantheon, the cruelties of the Irongardhe, and the ugliness within themselves. There might be people worth surviving for after all! But is it possible to free Navaeli from her divine yoke, or will she be the first casualty in the oncoming war between the gods?



Teaser Links

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A chapter header designed in a floral style reminiscent of illuminated pages from medieval manuscripts. There is a portrait section surrounded by vines; the character within is a nervous girl wearing a headscarf secured at the bottom with a bead. She stands in a dark forest.
A chapter header designed in a floral style reminiscent of illuminated pages from medieval manuscripts. There is a portrait section surrounded by vines; the character within is a beaming girl with long, slightly-curly hair, standing in a bright forest.
A chapter header designed in a floral style reminiscent of illuminated pages from medieval manuscripts. There is a portrait section surrounded by vines; the character within is a pointy-eared boy in a patchy mantle cloak. He glowers suspiciously over a dark cityscape.

A map of Rhimn from the book, set in a floral frame on a page with a gently aged texture.
A chapter header page sample from Shadow Herald. The chapter is chapter five, and the floral header image frames a picture of Navaeli. She smile shyly from a room with a wooden walltrim.
A glossary page sample from Ember Warrior. It explains the etyomology between several character names as follows; Ainzel (ain-SUL) — A name of mixed origin, often translated as “one hero,” and known best from “Ainzel feyrietales” orally recited by Ulluic courts. An Ainzel tale features an anonymous feyrie protagonist, always dubbed “Ainzel,” who tricks someone unpleasant and lives to tell the tale. Folklorists debate endlessly about which tales are grounded in real events, which tales are morality lessons, and which tales are pure fancy. Alevar (al-LEH-var) — A Gadhian name associated with butterflies. Alluari (ah-LOO-ah-ree) — An Ulluic name meaning “of the stars.” It belongs to the goddess of starlight and rain who is worshiped broadly across Ullua. Atevia (ah-TEH-vee-uh) — A commoner’s surname with origins in the Old Gadhin word “Attiva” or “attic-dweller;” someone who lives in a rented attic.



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