Lords of Deception

Emperors and kings thought it had been buried long ago: the Order of the Candlestone was defeated, the grim deeds of its assassins forgotten and its dangerous alchemy shunned. But Arasemis, an eccentric warrior-scholar, is determined to revive the Order and return the continent to its primitive origins, if he can control his apprentices.

Arthan Valient is a young nobleman from a respected family who wrestles with providing honorable service to a weak king. Thrust into a powerful position before he is ready, Arthan must navigate the political intrigue of a court in slow collapse, while avoiding Arasemis's new assassins.

Arasemis, Valient, and their companions learn that help can be found in the most unlikely of places, even as the shadow of war looms across the continent. But trust is always elusive.

Christopher C. Fuchs writes the Earthpillar epic adventure novels and shorts with flavors of historical fiction,fantasy, and steampunk. He blends adventure, political intrigue, fictionalmaterials, with customized medieval and early modern technology. Chris takes aninterdisciplinary approach to writing that is influenced by extensive travel,degrees in history and political science, and a touch of engineeringexperience. He works with freelance editors and illustrators to bring theEarthpillar world to life. His debut novel, Lords of Deception, is theculmination of about a decade of obsessing over quality and a rapid releaseset-up of three novels, four short stories, and a deep world of much more. Read more at EarthpillarBooks.com.