# Lord of the Rings-esque trilogy



## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

The Obloeron Trilogy is a Lord of the Rings-type story of destiny. Split up into three books, each stage of the protagonists' journey is described in extreme detail. The fight scenes will leave you breathless and wanting more. 

In the first book of the Trilogy, Obloeron: The Quest For The Chalice deals with Radamuck Rosar, 24th King of the Labergator dwarves, undertaking a quest to find the Chalice of Obloeron, the most magical object in all the realms. Going along with him on this quest is his nephew, Idan Rosar, as well as his trusted halfling advisor, Yanos Kingsfoil. After coming across a defeated village, Radamuck has Yanos go off and scout the enemy's stronghold, located deep within Mount Bastine.

Once there, Yanos is captured by Hedli Givaronian, a Bastine elf. The halfling is taken to Dumathon, where Lord Baeron, lord of the elves, tells Yanos that he is an old friend of Radamuck's and that the elves would join the fight with the dwarves. After the battle, the dwarves leave Bastine and continue their search.

After a vision beheld by Hedli, Radamuck orders the dwarves to head toward Kayiko, a township located in the mountains. The township had been overrun by orcs and other minions of the evil wiard Viktaar Dramin. It is there that Radamuck is introduced to Grumpet T. Paddymeyer, the heir of Krampel Paddymeyer, who fought in the Great Imperial Wars with Radamuck 50 years prior. Grumpet now owns Flad-rul, the Sword of the South, and a legacy unknown to him.

Together, Grumpet and Radamuck go up against Dramin in his domain determined to end tyranny and oppression in the northlands.

In Obloeron: The Return To Labergator, the chalice has been claimed. Radamuck, Idan, Yanos, and Grumpet and the rest of the Labergator dwarves return to the grassy vales of their homeland. But on the way, a highwayman threatens the king and tells Radamuck that he will take hold of the chalice when the dwarf least expects it!

In Laberdown, Radamuck introduces Grumpet to the dwarven people, as well as meets his newborn son for the first time. Idan gets reacquainted with his lost love, while Grumpet gets a loving surprise!

The chalice is stolen by Frampton, the highwayman who gets out of Laberdown by the skin of his teeth, but an old enemy claims the chalice for his own -- only to declare war on Radamuck!

Will the dwarves survive this aggrieved contest? Will Grumpet return to Kayiko, where his lovely Jussitere awaits him? And will Radamuck get his chalice back, or will a traitor prevent him from doing so? 

The Trilogy wraps up with Obloeron: The Fall Of Myrindar. After being captured by Tiks Rinyard, the evil archmage of Blen Duffel, Grumpet and Radamuck are freed by the Labergator dwarves, led by Idan Rosar. Acting on a tip from the wizard, Grumpet, Radamuck, Yanos and Jussitere sail to Oak Flats, where they convince the squirrellen princess, Princess Von Bushy, to join them in a siege against Ran Sheltar, who has broken out of Carackstine to take control of Myrindar, the great city of the southlands.

Aided by the visions of Kirkrik Dannell, the four friends break away from the combined army and head south to rally survivors and to try to get a read of Sheltar's army.

Will Grumpet defeat Sheltar to claim the destiny his grandfather, Krampel Paddymeyer, laid down for him when he handed him the great sword, Flad-rul? Will Yanos keep his promise and return to Deerkin? And what secret does Sheltar have up his sleeve? 

The Obloeron Trilogy is $4.99 on Kindle, while the separate novels are available for $1.99 each.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Here's the trilogy's link:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Obloeron-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B002LE6YOO/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_5

The link for Quest for the Chalice:
http://www.amazon.com/Obloeron-Quest-Chalice-ebook/dp/B003C1QMO2/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_8

The link for Return to Labergator:
http://www.amazon.com/Obloeron-Return-Labergator-ebook/dp/B003C1QMR4/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_9

The link for Fall of Myrindar:
http://www.amazon.com/Obloeron-Fall-Myrindar-ebook/dp/B003C1QMVA/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_10

Sorry I didn't post these earlier! Forgive me!


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Yes, that's right. Obloeron: The Quest For The Chalice is now only $0.99 on Amazon Kindle, the only place you can get it for that price. It's not a birthday special; that is the price!

If you enjoy a fast-paced story full of action, not to mention elves, dwarves, orcs, a halfling with a Conan complex, and a goofy wizard to boot, you'll want to dive head first into this story.

http://www.amazon.com/Obloeron-Quest-Chalice-ebook/dp/B003C1QMO2/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_9

The other novels in the trilogy, The Return To Labergator and The Fall Of Myrindar, are currently $1.99. The entire trilogy is $4.99.

Thanks for considering it!


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## Virgoddess (May 1, 2010)

Just got a sample! Good luck to you!


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

If you like fantasy, this is the book for you! Start off with the first book, then work your way up!


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

John Fitch V said:


> If you like fantasy, this is the book for you! Start off with the first book, then work your way up!


We'll we're moving on upppppp....


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Last day of the month, and there's a $0.99 book just waiting to be read...


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

The first Monday in June is always a good time to pick up an author's book. Preferably mine.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Have a great Monday.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Good luck with your book, John!


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Thanks, Dan! You know, I just got this message! I must have been a little toooooo into the World Cup last Monday to see this.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

All three books will be bumped to $2.99 Wednesday night. If you like epic fantasy, you may want to grab these books at these low prices before the price goes up.

The Trilogy omnibus will stay at $4.99, however.


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## RonnellDPorter (Apr 20, 2010)

Hah, got ur message on FB


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Collusion! Collusion is what it is!


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## RonnellDPorter (Apr 20, 2010)

What? I don't know what you're referring to, but it definitely doesn't constitute conspiracy in any way...


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Conspiracies... never heard of one. Honest.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

The three separate books of The Obloeron trilogy are $2.99 each. The trilogy in one edition is $4.99.

Just saying.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

I spent the weekend going through the next Obloeron novel as well as some short stories that go along with the soon to be six-book series. It's a fun tale you'll enjoy reading.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Chapter 17 from Obloeron: The Fall of Myrindar, book three in the trilogy:

_Traversing the tunnels was an incredibly dangerous undertaking for Grumpet.

The human warrior from the northlands wished he had Kirkrik's lighting spell with him, so that he could easily make his way through the dark, dank passageways without tripping over himself. Not only that, he would have liked to see any attackers before they saw him.

Grumpet was definitely at a disadvantage. This was to be part of his lands, but right now, he was in enemy territory, a land that was controlled by a madman, in tunnels patrolled by the bloodthirsty orcs that would love to cut out his throat and hand Sheltar his heart.
Water dripped down from the ceiling and other than his breath and his heartbeat was the loudest noises that he could hear. He had Flad-rul out and at the ready, hoping he didn't have to use it while he was practically blind in the darkness.

While he walked, he began to think to himself: during the Battle of Statuary Tower, he had walked through the tower with Radamuck before Viktaar Dramin had shown himself, ready to duel Grumpet without the slightest provocation. Then, during the Battle of Labergator, he had the Imperialist, Semper Infidelius, with him to face the combined might of the resurrected overlord and the spy, Frampton.

Now, as he walked to face Ran Sheltar, he realized he had no one with him.

The thought stopped him cold. He exhaled slowly and felt his heart leap into his throat. He was all alone, and he didn't like that feeling.
Grumpet looked behind him to see if any of Radamuck's forces were behind him. Not that he could see anything, but he knew he'd be able to hear any of his dwarf friends before he saw them. He wished that Yanos were with him, just so he wouldn't be alone. The halfling was good in a fight, but he didn't think Yanos would be much help against Sheltar.

He would be good for moral support though, and that's what I need right now, he thought to himself.

Grumpet began to walk faster until the tunnel exhausted itself. He saw a torchlight around the corner, and he came to a broad expanse of room. He was in the manor now, and he felt the power of the room. Gray in color, the room was non-descript in any way, other than that it led to a staircase about 50 axe-lengths to his right. He knew he was still on the fourth level of the city and that Sheltar was at least two levels up: the manor was just below the summit. He was sure he would expect some semblance of resistance from the orcs or beasts that Sheltar had protecting him.

The thought of not seeing any of those beasts unnerved him.

Shaking his head as if throwing the thought from his head, Grumpet continued on, walking through the room to the staircase. Torchlight cast him in shadow, as night had fallen outside and the torches were the only source of light. Grumpet adjusted his eyes as he walked, as going from utter darkness to a dimly lit room made him feel as if he were walking in water over his head.

He had cleared his vision when he reached the stairs. And it was a good thing that he did, too-a pair of orcs was stopped at the top of the stairs, looking right at the human warrior.

With a venomous growl the orcs took their weapons out and charged down the stairs without thinking. Grumpet took several steps up and had Flad-rul up to parry the first blade without thinking, before he punched the orc in the face with a left cross. Grumpet spun on the stair and swung his sword over to his right to block the second orc's weapon. He gave another kick to the first orc, this time in the face, before spinning again and ripping off a left-right-left combination that the orc parried.

Grumpet thrust the orcan blade down before he twirled his own sword down and around. He brought it back up and slashed mightily down upon the orc's thigh, making it drop its weapon as it grabbed at the wound. Then, in one powerful backhand, cleaved the orc's head off before driving the point of his sword into the first orc's heart.

Grumpet pulled his sword forcefully from the orc's carcass. He leapt over the two bodies and took flight, rushing up the stairs two at a time, his powerful legs flexing as he ran.

He got to the top of the stairs and found another room, one with a staircase that looked as it crawled against the side of the mountain, and it was here that Grumpet found the most resistance.

The orcs had heard the clashing of swords and Grumpet wondered why they didn't come after him. He didn't care much, as he filled the entranceway to the room with his bulk and was letting them all know to either get out of the way or find death by his sword.

They saw him and grabbed their weapons, then charged toward him. The first one swung wildly, and Grumpet easily sidestepped it and let it tumble down the stairs. He then returned to an en guard form and parried a mad thrust with a flick of his wrist before bringing the Flame Thrower over and down across the orc's wrists. A flash of flame removed the orc's hands, dropping it to its knees. Grumpet snarled as he backhanded the orc's head off.

He twirled the great blade through his fingers as the fight continued, then crossed his sword repeatedly in front of him in an X, blocking an attack by an orc before spinning and driving the tip of Flad-rul into its throat, letting loose a spray of black blood from the main veins. The blood showered Grumpet's front, but he didn't pause to clean himself. He reached for the dagger at his belt and went into a crouch, before he sent it spinning through the air, watching as it collided with the head of an unsuspecting orc, driving into its skull with such force that it dented the orc's forehead. The orc dropped like a stone. Grumpet afforded himself a small smile.

Getting up from his crouch, Grumpet brought his sword up and smashed the blade across the sword of another attacker. Another orc came from the side and as Grumpet spun, he swung his blade over and caught the orc in the chest, creating a gash that wasn't there before. Grumpet then spun again, this time bringing his foot into the act. He caught his heel under the chin of the unsuspecting beast, sending it flying ten feet away.

Grumpet then sent the injured orc reeling by turning and thrusting Flad-rul into the wound it created, burning a hole in its chest as the magical sword came to life, twisting his wrists to make the hole larger.

He retracted his blade and rushed over for another brawl, which he quickly found to be no contest whatsoever. He moved his sword low to block an attempt at his legs before twirling the sword in front of him and sending a sweeping riposte the other way, cutting the ankles of the offending party off at the bone. Grumpet winced slightly as he heard the crack of the bone as it shattered. The orc dropped and Grumpet skipped over the body as it fell, bringing his sword up and over to sever the arm of another before spinning on his heel and holding his sword to the belly of it. With absolute precision, Grumpet sliced the belly open, the flames spewing from Flad-rul, consuming the cut.

Stepping away, the northerner crossed swords with another orc, this one larger than the others. It held two blades and it brought the left one over quickly, causing Grumpet to duck out of the way as it passed overhead, dropping his guard. It then swept the other down toward where Grumpet was, but the agile human rolled out of the way in the nick of time, as the orc's sword cut a deep gash into the wooden plank that served as the floor.

He got to his feet and quickly attacked the orc, slashing right, then left, then an uppercut that Grumpet was sure to take off the orc's face. He missed; the orc had backed out of the way as the sword passed in front. Grumpet then twirled the blade above his head and send a fiery riposte at the orc's midsection, but it jackknifed out of the way, sending the other sword around the back, slapping the flat side of it on Grumpet's backside, taunting the human.

Grumpet turned around and saw the orc grinning at him, his mouth sloped open, teeth missing. Gritting his own teeth in frustration and rage, Grumpet rushed in and went back into Krampel's old teachings and considered the beast in front of him to be two orcs-he was big enough to be two, for starters-instead of one, and started swinging Flad-rul in a circular motion. Grumpet was able to defend both swords, spinning the sword and moving his feet to anticipate the orc's strikes.

He brought Flad-rul around for a second time and blocked the first sword before he thrust it down and chopped at the other. He knocked it from the orc's hand.

The orc then brought his hand over and grasped the other sword and began to chop madly at Grumpet, bringing plenty of weight and power behind every swing. Grumpet used his own brand of spend and tenacity to block the blade, ducking out of the way as he parried the sword, rolling into somersaults and backflipping out of the way.

Grumpet then thought the charade had gone on long enough. With a cry to the dwarven god of Dausonne-the first time he had ever done that-Grumpet plowed in, swinging the sword back and forth and then up and around, ducking under the big orc's broad arm and ended up behind him. He had Flad-rul up by his shoulder, and he watched as the orc lumbered to turn around.

The orc had a huge surprise waiting for it, as its right arm fell completely off and out of the hinge with the shoulder blade! Down with the arm went its sword, and suddenly the powerful orc was defenseless.

Grumpet grinned slightly before he started swinging Flad-rul over toward the orc's missing arm, but it brought its left arm over to deflect the blade, only to have its hand burned as Flad-rul erupted in flames. It howled in agony as the flames licked the hand.

He then saw the opening come and wound up, swinging the Sword of the South above his head before bringing it down upon the wide-eyed orc's neck. It cut through easily, and the orc's last whimper was drowned out by the ignition of flames that torched its flesh. The head didn't go far-it just dropped behind the corpse.

Grumpet took a deep breath as the orc fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes. He then turned his head and saw several orcs making their way down the stairs from the next level up-where Sheltar had to be hiding from him.

He sped around the banister and up the stairs, bringing his sword down low and up to take out the knees and then the sword arm of the first orc before he ducked a wild swing from the other, before he then drove the point of Flad-rul into the orc's groin. It tumbled harmlessly down the stairs, not making an attempt at getting back up to fight: Grumpet thought he heard its neck snap on the way down.

With no one left to face him, Grumpet looked around before he wiped the sweat from his brow. He then stalked quietly up the stairs to the next level of the manor.

The room at the top of the stairs was nearly empty, Grumpet saw. A long table stood in the center, with several chairs around it. A smaller table sat off in the corner, and there was broken glass on the other side of the room. The floor was covered in dust and thick blood. Torches burned aimlessly on the wall, unaware that within minutes a sword could cut it from its mooring and set the entire building ablaze.

And then he saw him, igniting a fire in his gut.

At that moment, Ran Sheltar looked like a weak old man, slightly hunched over, swaddled in a gray robe that flowed from his hair down his back to the floor. He looked liked a man defeated, but Grumpet knew this was hardly the case. He knew that the man was incredibly dangerous: the pointed bulge on the man's left side indicated to Grumpet that he had a sword on his belt, let alone knives or other sharp weapons.

Sheltar was staring out the window looking to the north. Grumpet couldn't see it, but Sheltar was looking out at Arborway and its majestic trees, looking peaceful and serene in the darkness.

"I never get to see the view while it's dark," he said softly, acknowledging that Grumpet was in the room. "The moonlight helps, though. The way the light mirrors with the dark, as if one depends upon the other. Do you understand that, Paddymeyer?" He finally turned and regarded the warrior. "Darkness will always be here, even if there is light to shut it out."

Grumpet looked at the man and pondered his words carefully. He immediately saw the truth behind them: there was always darkness where there is light, just like there is always evil where there is good. The analogy was extremely profound.

But Grumpet knew he could turn the words around.

"Is that why you became a criminal then? Because of that factor alone? That's a not a good reason to turn to a life of crime and living outside the law," he said, still not moving from the doorway.

Sheltar stared at him, and Grumpet could see the cogs of his brain churning, trying to find an answer to the question. Sheltar moved away from the window, and Grumpet could see the hilt and handle of the criminal's sword inside his robe.

"I became a criminal because I was an outcast; shunned from a proper life because of my heritage. My family became disgraced after the Wars. Surely, you know the reason why," Sheltar replied. Grumpet didn't even grimace, for he knew that Sheltar was trying to bait him into showing pity for his new adversary.

No chance of that happening, Grumpet thought.

"You could have reclaimed the family name," he said. "Could have turned against the grain that your grandfather set for you." Grumpet began to walk to his left, mirroring the criminal's movements; he still had Flad-rul out and in his right hand. "But you didn't. You did exactly what was expected of you from the outset."

"Like you haven't, Paddymeyer? A good boy with no knowledge of his history, of his legacy, come to find that he holds a great destiny in his hands without even knowing it!" Sheltar spat. "And when you found out, you did what was expected of you-you toed the line and played into everyone's hands: the wizard, the dwarf, and your wife. They all expected you to become something bigger than you are, yet after today you will be nothing but a notch on my blade."

Sheltar's right hand flashed to his hip and within seconds a sword emerged from the robe. He was around the table within seconds, but only needed to walk a few feet as Grumpet, Flad-rul tightened in his hand, had come forward to meet the criminal. Grumpet's first attack, a slight slice to the criminal's neck, was parried before a lightning quick riposte to Grumpet's waist was stopped as Grumpet turned his wrists and the sword down to the floor.

A twirl of his sword caused Grumpet's attack to flow forth from his fingers as he fired off a left to the head, a spinning sweep low to the legs on the right side that Sheltar deftly jumped over, before bringing the sword up to parry a killing blow from Sheltar, an two-handed overhand chop that certainly would have chopped Grumpet's head in two had it landed. Pushing the criminal backward, Grumpet walked in and pounced, sending Flad-rul teeming through the air, his chops coming effortlessly. Sheltar did everything he could to stop him, angling his blade just right, keeping Grumpet's sword at bay.

Then Sheltar got more aggressive. He pressed his attack against the northerner, slashing at Grumpet's left arm with his sword coming in tight with a two-handed chop. Grumpet got Flad-rul over in time before spinning the blade in his hands up and over to the right to block the man's strokes again. Backward they went as Sheltar hacked hard, until Grumpet was backed into a wall. Sheltar's eyes danced in the torchlight as he screamed, lifting the sword up and bringing it down quickly at Grumpet's head. He ducked just in the nick of time, and sparks showered him as Sheltar's sword grazed the stone wall.

Grumpet flicked his sword up to parry while he was in his crouch, putting enough force behind the move to send Sheltar's sword flying upward, where it met the bracket that held a torch. The sword snapped it like a twig.

The torch dropped to the floor, where it immediately ignited the wooden floorboards. Grumpet turned and ran out the door and rushed down the stairs, followed hard by Sheltar.

At the next landing, Grumpet turned and gave two quick swings, both at Sheltar's ribs: the first came at the left before he spun and swung at the other side. Sheltar parried both, but could get a move off as Grumpet fled.

"Coward! Just wait until I sink my blade into you!" Sheltar said. He followed him through the smaller room, then to the stairway that edged down the mountain.

Grumpet was waiting for him at the foot of the stairs, where the air wasn't as foul. Their swords clashed as Sheltar continued the offensive. He was expelling so much energy that Grumpet knew the old man would tire quicker than he would. Grumpet grinned inward, not letting his emotions play on his sweaty face.

With a twist of his wrist, Grumpet brought Sheltar's blade down and around, before he pounded him hard with two-handed thrusts that seemed to come from the gods themselves. He could see the fear in Sheltar's eyes as he turned the tide so quickly. Grumpet's own eyes smoldered with hatred, which fueled his attack.

Grumpet was trying to push Sheltar up the stairs, back into the smoky upper levels, but Sheltar held his own and pushed Grumpet down onto the landing. The two executed a pair of similar spins, bringing their blades crashing together as Grumpet was on his heels, walking backward while continuing the battle. Grumpet crossed his sword in front of him, a trail of fire following it as its magic guided it.

Sheltar was hard-pressed to beat off Paddymeyer's attack. He kept his own sword flowing in the heat of battle, parrying and countering with moves that his opponent blocked with unconventional speed and agility.

But when he had thrown the orb and shattered it, its power gave him some unconventional powers, too.

He decided the time was right to show Paddymeyer what he could do.

Paddymeyer swung hard low at Sheltar's legs, but the criminal was able to leap and somersault in mid-air, landing behind the northerner. Paddymeyer spun and brought the sword around, but Sheltar was there to bring his own blade forward, and the two blades connected right in the middle, right between their faces. Sheltar swore, spun, and then brought his sword around to the right with such speed that Paddymeyer nearly lost his left hand. But the black-haired warrior just barely dodged the strike, causing him to blow a brief sigh of relief.
Sheltar's next swing caused Paddymeyer to flip backward, as it too was a low sweep meant to take out his legs. Sheltar looked at the man hard, but was impressed all the same.

He leapt and spun in a cartwheel-ish fashion before bringing his weapon over to Paddymeyer's right. Paddymeyer turned his blade over and over again in a circle, blocking Sheltar's first attempt before spinning around with the swords against each other, then ripping off a series of left-right-left moves that had Sheltar utterly baffled.

The criminal needed just one opening, and he would then be able to concentrate on ridding his lands of the dwarves, elves and squirrels.

He didn't get it.

Grumpet's spinning sword-again, falling back to Krampel's teachings-was a necessary defense as soon as Sheltar began his acrobatics. He needed an edge against a formidable offense.

He stepped back and then lunged forward with Flad-rul, swinging it to the left with a two-handed grip. Sheltar reacted by bringing his sword to his left, then up and over as he spun. But Grumpet was ready for such an offense, and as Sheltar tried to jab his weapon into Grumpet's throat, Grumpet quickly batted that attempt aside.

Grumpet stepped back after that quick-thinking act and sneered at the criminal with a curl of his lip that suggested more of a smile than anger. Sheltar cursed as he rushed back in, his sword snapping back and forth. Grumpet easily stopped him every time.

He wished he had Idan's second sword at that very moment, but that's when the thought struck him-I don't need Idan's sword! There are several swords lay here unused!

Grumpet dropped into a roll as Sheltar chopped hard diagonally, getting out of the way and rolling toward the sword of an orc that he had killed minutes earlier. He came up with it in his left hand, and immediately he set to work.

First with Flad-rul and then with the orc scimitar, Grumpet cut in and out as he pirouetted in place, bringing the swords around quickly, trying to dislodge Sheltar's line of thinking. At first it worked, as Sheltar needed to backflip away. But when Grumpet looked up, he saw that the smoke from above was making its way downstairs as the manor continued to burn.

Grumpet rushed off toward the next staircase, but instead noticed a door that led out to flat ground. He barreled his way through it with Sheltar hot on his heels.

They continued to fight in the dark, as moonlight shone down upon them. This is going to be very treacherous, Grumpet thought. First, they were fighting at night, with a burning manor next to them and the moon giving the only light. Second, they were on the side of the mountain on a narrow path that wound its way around it. The path was only about two axe-lengths wide, which left very little room for the pair to maneuver, unless they found flatter and wider ground elsewhere.

And by the looks of it, Grumpet thought some more, flatter and wider ground was in short supply.

Gritting his teeth, he decided he needed to be on defense to let Sheltar expel more energy and to get his body away from the embers that were dancing around the conflagration, which was in the process of consuming the entire manor.

He let Flad-rul's magic guide his actions while bringing the orc scimitar into play against Sheltar, who was unable to pick up another sword before exiting the building. Sheltar, meanwhile, let the magical energy of the orb flow through him as he swung and chopped.

As soon as they were away from the fire, Grumpet halted his feet and began to slice at Sheltar's midsection. Sheltar jackknifed out of the way as the sword cruised through air, then smiled as he brought his sword down in another diagonal cut. Grumpet tumbled forward, getting behind Sheltar.

He heard the criminal curse as if he knew Grumpet would do that.

Grumpet came up from his somersault and spun quickly toward Sheltar. He then intensified his attack against him, hacking madly from left to right, turning his wrists on an axis to keep Sheltar off-balance. He moved forward, constantly walking and swinging, which kept Sheltar walking backward, constantly parrying.

Sheltar moved to his right, close to the edge of the path that overlooked a rocky embankment on the fourth level of the city. He knew that the drop would not kill, but it would certainly break limbs. Sheltar kept his footing even as he swatted Grumpet's strokes away, but the human warrior from Kayiko screamed as a powerful swing from right to left knocked Sheltar's sword to the side.

Grumpet took the advantage and spun on his heel to the right, bringing his left heel around quickly. His ankle made contact with the side of Sheltar's skull, which knocked the man off-balance. His sword went flying, and so did Sheltar-right over the edge.

Grumpet heard Sheltar's body bounce off the rocks as it went down the embankment, hearing grunts and pains of agony as he tumbled.
He walked over and looked down. He couldn't see a thing. Not knowing if Sheltar survived the fall or not, he would have to see the body to know if this was a victory or just a short intermission.

Grumpet let a hoarse scream escape him. Seconds later, he heard the collapse of the burning manor. Hoping the route to the third level wasn't cut off, Grumpet sped back the way the pair had came from, looking for a way down.

He decided to take his chances walking down the steep hill. Skidding down the incline and kicking up rocks and dirt as he went, Grumpet came to a stop just above the cobblestone road. Leaping over a small bush and landing on the road, he looked over to where he thought Sheltar would have landed. Setting off a trot, the warrior hurried a few axe-lengths over. The rocky outcropping jutted out a bit from the mountain, but Grumpet saw no sign of the criminal.

Thinking that he continued to roll, Grumpet went over to the edge of the pathway and looked down. Still unable to see anything other than the pink bubble that covered Kirkrik's home a short distance away, he frowned in wonderment and shook his head slightly. Where could he have gone? he thought.

He got his answer soon enough.

A scream to his right alerted Grumpet that Sheltar still lived. He expected the battered man to hold his limbs gingerly from such a fall, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that Sheltar still had vigor in him.

The man rushed in and attacked wildly, over swinging and causing Grumpet to duck out of the way of Sheltar's fumbled attacks. It wasn't until a backhand that passed right over Grumpet's head that caused the northerner to rise up and punch the criminal dead in the face, dropping him to the ground.

He was sure he had broken Sheltar's nose, as he was holding it while blood poured from it. Sheltar had dropped his sword, and then he tried to reach for it.

Grumpet saw what he was doing and quickly rushed over and toed the sword a few feet away, his boot catching the hilt near the handle.

"No, no, no, no, no, my friend. I have you at my mercy right now, and don't think I'm not enjoying this. After all you've done to the citizens of this city and the southlands as a whole, I'd be honored to take your life," Grumpet said, circling his downed adversary, Flad-rul held at ease and low. "I've waited many weeks, ever since I first heard your name in the dungeons of Briskey Bucktooth, for this very moment. The moment that I get to cut you down to size."

Sheltar attempted to get back up, but Grumpet gave him a kick to the gut, the force behind it flipping the criminal back to the ground.
"Please, don't get up on my account," he spat, taunting Sheltar unmercifully.

But Sheltar looked up into Grumpet's face with an angry look on his own.

"I thought you were a man of honor, Paddymeyer," Sheltar said as he tried to slowly scurry away toward his sword. "Certainly you wouldn't take an advantage like this. It's not the honorable way now, is it?"

Sheltar's words caught Grumpet off-guard. He was all about honor, and the only way to earn honor in battle was to kill an armed man, not one whose sword had been knocked away. Grumpet's lip curled as his thoughts betrayed him, which gave Sheltar plenty of time to get to his sword.

Grumpet cursed himself for letting his mental guard drop. Sheltar had just gotten to his feet when Grumpet realized what had happened: he realized he had given Sheltar an opening, the opening he desperately wanted to avoid giving.

The criminal rushed in and went for Grumpet's neck. Grumpet ducked and then brought Flad-rul up from his left, only to find the way stopped as Sheltar reversed his thrust and came the other way. A twist of Grumpet's wrists brought the two blades down and around, before Grumpet spun and swung hard.

Flad-rul came around and connected with Sheltar's blade, but Sheltar swatted it away with a flick of his wrist and then turned and rushed off. Grumpet was quick to follow him.

Around a bend they went before Sheltar turned around again and, with eyes blazing in the darkness, unleashed a flurry of moves, none of which got through as Grumpet's sword was up in a split second, turned diagonally to the left, then the right, before Sheltar tried to get the drop on Grumpet's skull. A two-handed overhand chop by the criminal went for naught as Grumpet got Flad-rul angled perfectly over his head, but the amount of force behind the blow staggered the warrior slightly.

Grumpet gritted his teeth again and swung hard, barely catching Sheltar's sword near the tip. He reversed motions, bringing the sword back the opposite way and this time, the blow rang true against the blade. He pushed the two swords down before taking his right hand off the handle and leveled Sheltar with an open backhand across the face. Sheltar responded with a right-handed punch that Grumpet leaned to his right to avoid.

Grumpet's sword flashed to the right, prompting Sheltar to spin away and swing hard the other way. Grumpet deftly got his blade over, a trail of flame following. But as the two steel swords connected, a blossom of fire erupted from the spot where they connected, the flames shooting two feet into the air. Neither man flinched.

The two just stared at each other as the flames bisected them. Grumpet knew that just from the stare alone, the rest of the fight would take every ounce of cunning he possessed._


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Obloeron feels neglected.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Hopes everyone had a fantastic weekend. I certainly did.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

From what I understand, my editor is reading the first prequel, and of course, the newer novels are much better than the older ones.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Thinking about a complete three-book re-write of this series, but you never know....


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

My editor is deep in the edits for the first Obloeron prequel novel, THE RISE OF THE DARK FALCON. A fellow Kindleboarder is hard at work on the artwork.

T-Minus eight/nine weeks and counting....


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## Imogen Rose (Mar 22, 2010)

Will you be doing a reading from this book as well (on the Amazon boards) tomorrow?


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

I just have to ask: Where did the name Obloeron come from? And in your mind, how would you pronounce it?

_Every single time_ I see that word on the boards, I want to read it as "Oberon" or maybe "oblong" or "Toblerone". It's driving me crazy. So maybe understanding the made-up etymology will help me get over that.....


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Imogen Rose said:


> Will you be doing a reading from this book as well (on the Amazon boards) tomorrow?


I may actually open with a scene from the new book... 



Susan in VA said:


> I just have to ask: Where did the name Obloeron come from? And in your mind, how would you pronounce it?
> 
> _Every single time_ I see that word on the boards, I want to read it as "Oberon" or maybe "oblong" or "Toblerone". It's driving me crazy. So maybe understanding the made-up etymology will help me get over that.....


Obloeron -- pronounced Oh-bluh-ron -- was just something that came to me as I wrote; I explain it in the afterward of the Trilogy. It originally spurned from the Eberron series, sort of like Dungeons & Dragons, as well as Eragon, Christopher Paolini's first book. Change the start to an O, fiddle with the middle, and there you have it.

As I write in the afterward: _In fact, it wasn't until I began writing the upcoming prequel series that I began calling this world by its name. Obloeron was just the name of the chalice at first. Then the series became known as the Obloeron series. Finally, the whole world became known as Obloeron._

These books are the first three I ever wrote. Sure, they aren't the best thing in the world; my style was just developing into what it is now. The third book, in my mind, is much better than the second, and the second is much better than the first. I needed to put these out there so the reader knows what I'm talking about when the next series of Obloeron novels come out starting in October.

Hope that helps, Susan.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

John Fitch V said:


> Obloeron -- pronounced Oh-bluh-ron -- was just something that came to me as I wrote; I explain it in the afterward of the Trilogy. It originally spurned from the Eberron series, sort of like Dungeons & Dragons, as well as Eragon, Christopher Paolini's first book. Change the start to an O, fiddle with the middle, and there you have it.


Ahhh.... thank you. That does help.



Spoiler



Though I think the _Toblerone Trilogy_ would have been just fine too, what with the alliteration and all...


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Susan in VA said:


> Ahhh.... thank you. That does help.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


LOL Well if you'll remember one of the Davids came up with Toblerone superplanted onto the Trilogy in one of their funny threads.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

No, I missed that!!  And here I thought that was my idea...    oh well.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Yes, it was pretty classic. I'll have to find the link somehow. It's in the Cafe, buried.

EDIT: FOUND IT! Scroll down a bit

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,29976.25.html


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

I'm getting so excited: the newest Obloeron novel is on its way... but you need to know what happens in the first trilogy (this one) before you find out what happens in the second. 

Weird how things work out, though.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

John Fitch V said:


> Yes, it was pretty classic. I'll have to find the link somehow. It's in the Cafe, buried.
> 
> EDIT: FOUND IT! Scroll down a bit
> 
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,29976.25.html


How the heck did I miss that?


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

You must sleep walk through the threads. :-D


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Considering my hours, that wouldn't be a surprise...  

Actually, I think it's more likely that that particular thread had me in a this-can't-be-happening daze.  It still has that effect sometimes.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Sort of like when Darth Vader shouts Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! at the end of Episode III?

(Quick aside: Let's see how many Google hits we get from mentioning Darth Vader.)


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

I can feel the end coming... Very soon, the next book will be released...


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## Imogen Rose (Mar 22, 2010)

John Fitch V said:


> Today is the last day for the Smashwords 50 percent off discount on this title for all eReaders; some people don't know you can hook your Kindle up to your computer and download a book through Smashwords.
> 
> The Amazon placement has THE OBLOERON TRILOGY for $3.89 thanks to the Kobo discount. With the Smashwords discount, my three-books-in-one edition is $2.49.
> 
> ...


Are these suitable for YA readers? What would you say is the minimum age (asking because my daughter is nine and I am wondering if they are suitable for her)?


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

They would probably be a little too advanced for her, especially with the gore and blood. But for 13-and-up, yeah, go right ahead.


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## emily91 (May 13, 2011)

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11433
Is it worth buying it to a 14 years old boy?


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