Dragon Princes

In the cities of Tirenia, Salvationism is the most common religion, but in the countryside, folk religions are still widespread. For thousands of years, the commoners have had rituals to propitiate the elemental spirits that dwell in the land around them. They have perceived the effect of the three moons upon the invisible aether, and the ley lines of energy that flow across the land. They have come up with charms to protect themselves against fairies and demons, and encourage the fertility of the land. All rural communities have a church, and many have a patron saint as well, but this may just be the local dryad, naiad or other genius loci by a different name.

Art: Detail from 'Primavera.' Sandro Botticelli, c. 1482./

As early man encountered elementals and fairies in the world around them, they often thought them to be gods. Before long, Tirenia had a wide range of different regional deities. These gods would often be associated with each other - two regional war gods would be considered different names or aspects of a single, greater god. This syncretism was completed when Auromia conquered the rest of the subcontinent; their gods were then accepted as the 'standard' pantheon.

The leader of the classical gods was Sole Pater, Father Sun. His wives were the Three Sisters, who represented time and fate. Their children were the other goddesses: Fortuna, the goddess of luck; Bellona, the goddess of war; Tellaia, the goddess of the wilderness; Genia, the goddess of the hearth; Musa, the goddess of the arts; Urbina, the goddess of law; and Morta, the goddess of death.

The Gold Dragons of Auromia encouraged the worship of these gods, but used it as a state religion to maintain their rule over the…

The dwarves of Tirenia are the only community that refuses to follow salvationism. They have their own ways, which are older than those of the humans. In fact, according to the Storia, the beliefs of the Auromian Church are based on the dwarven mores. Unlike humans, dwarves see no difference between the religious and the secular. Their faith is with them always, tied up fundamentally with what it means to be a dwarf.

Dwarves believe in following the way of their ancestors. They do not believe in a god, or in reincarnation, but they do believe that their illustrious forefathers are with them always, watching over them. In fact, the dwarven ancestors are very similar to the human saints. Dwarves wish to live virtuous lives so that they may join the ancestors and watch over future generations. They also believe in virtuous actions and sinful actions. For dwarves, right actions are those which are for the good of the community; sin is promoting the self at the expense of the community. Th…

Salvationism is the belief in the teachings of La Salvatrice, as expressed in the holy book, the Storia. It is the most common religion in Tirenia, with almost everyone paying at least lip service to it.

Salvationism teaches that there is one God, who is nameless. Il Divino created the impermanent material world and the immortal spiritual world. Every human's soul is immortal, and will be reborn after the death of the body. Certain behaviours, the seven virtues, can refine and purify the soul; on the other hand, the seven sins will corrupt it. Over multiple lifetimes, the virtuous soul will eventually be reborn as an angel in heaven. Those with pure souls are often able to manifest miraculous powers, such as healing magic. On the other hand, a soul that is burdened with too much sin will go to the Inferno, to be tortured by demons for eternity.

Devotees of the Auromian Church go to church on Sunday for a mass prayer session and sermon, which everyone attends. The faithful may go m…

During the War of the Host, angels and demons both experimented with creating life to swing the balance of the war in their favour. Ultimately, however, the war was in a stalemate. Since both the angels and the demons were immortal spirits, any setback was only temporary, and neither side could achieve victory.

And then dragons were created.

The demons were the first to create the five broods of dragons. In response, the angels soon created their own broods. Dragons immediately changed the course of the war. They were able to fight the angels and demons on an even footing. More terrifying by far, though, the devastating breath of the dragons was able to destroy souls - permanently. An angel or a demon that was incinerated by a dragon was annihilated, and a human that was killed would never be reborn, never go to heaven or hell. Furthermore, the dragons grew more and more powerful with time, until they were as strong or stronger than even the most powerful lords of heaven or hell.

This…

I often feel like there's three genres of historical books. If it's for men, it's a war story; if it's for women, it's a romance. If it's for everyone, it's a murder mystery. The Phoenix of Florence starts off as a murder mystery. Onorio Celavini investigates the brutal murder of a serial seducer and his latest mistress in Renaissance Florence, but soon the investigation starts to feel personal. About a third of the way through, there is a massive revelation about the character - so massive I wonder if it should have been revealed on the back of the book, because it's what the entire rest of the book is about. The middle third gives us Onorio's backstory, and the final third wraps it all together. It's also at this point that the genre changes: ultimately, this is an action novel with a fairly straightforward revenge plot.

I can't help but feel that this book is inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire. Its main character seems highly inspired by …