Sovereign Stone

The Sovereign Stone series is a trilogy of novels as well as a Role-playing game set in the same universe. Both the books and the game were primarily written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

The novels are:
 * Well Of Darkness (2000)
 * Guardians of the Lost (2001)
 * Journey into the Void (2003)

The first book was set during the reign of King Tamaros of Vinnegael, the most powerful Human kingdom and the father of Prince Helmos and his younger half-brother, Prince Dagnarus. The next two were set approximately two hundred years later and followed Dagnarus in his bid to take over the world as well as the story of his allies and those who would try to stop him.

There are four races on the main continent, Loerem, with fifth and sixth races that appear in the second and third book, one from a distant continent or world. The main four races are each primarily dedicated to one of the four elements. The Humans are associated with earth/stone, the Elves with air/wind, the Orks with Water/the Sea, the Dwarves with fire. The fifth race, the Taan, are associated with the void. The sixth race, the Pecwae, apparently rely on earth magic drawn from stones such as turquoise. Each race's magic-users are able to draw power from their element, as well as outside their racial element. However the vast majority stick to their primary element.

The races each have their own god or gods. The Humans worship a pantheon always referred to as a group "the gods" not as individual gods. The Orks worship the gods who live in their holy mountain and pay special attention to signs read by their shamans. The Elves worship the Father and Mother, and the Dwarves worship the Wolf. The Taan also have a pantheon of gods, however, unlike the other races, they seem to separate them as individuals representing or having power over various events. The Pecwae are never really discussed, but frequently refer to simply the gods, similar to humans. It is not made clear in the books if all the gods are one group or separate groups. However, since the gods gave the Sovereign Stone to all the races through the King of Vinnegael it is likely that there is one pantheon perceived differently by the different races.

The gods had originally rewarded King Tamaros for his faith by giving him the power to create Dominion Lords, a group of holy warriors who were to promote peace and understanding among the four main races. As strife continued, the King went to the gods and asked them for something to help with peace among the races. They gave him the Sovereign Stone which could be split into four portions each representing one of the four elements. The King took this gift and gave one portion to each of the races so that they could create their own Dominion Lords. A fifth portion of the Stone that was unseen, save by the young Prince, Dagnarus, was the Dagger of the Vrykyl, representing the void in the center. [The dagger of the Vrykyl is not part of the Sovereign Stone but a separate artefact that has similar powers to create the antithesis of the Dominion Lords.]

Races

 * Humans: In this world Humans are in tune with the magic of earth. This power is controlled through the church. While once having been a largely unified race in the nation of Vinnengael, war and time have split them apart into varying nations and ethnic groups.
 * Vinnengaelian: Similar to medieval England. Once had the largest empire in all of Loerem, now they civilization is on the decline.
 * Dunkargan: An Arabian people. Basically a third world nation, a terrible civil war tore their nation in two.
 * Karnuan: A Persian people. A militaristic offshoot of the Durkargans they are attempting to conquer the world. They dislike all races, and bear a great hatred for the Durkargans.
 * Nimran: An African people. They are not really disscussed in the books, all that is known is they are allies to the Orks and a sea-trading people.
 * Nimoreans: An offshoot of the Nimran. The Nimoreans share a border with the elves and are the only human race the elves truly call friend. They emulate the elven culture as well as the nimran culture.
 * Trevenici: A celtic people. The Trevenici are fierce warriors and hire themselves out to other nations as soldiers. They have no formal government and live in small villages. They share a symbiotic relationship with the Pecwae race.


 * Orks: In this world Orks are excellent seafarers in touch with the magic of the water. They are master engineers and are dedicated to the reading of omens. The authors specifically stated that they wanted the Orks in this world to be more then the "usual cannon-fodder", and thus made several changes to the average fantasy orc.


 * Dwarves: In this world the Dwarves are associated with the element of fire. They are master horsemen, living as nomads on the great plains. Any dwarf who is unable to ride with the tribe or is convicted of a crime is sentenced to be "the Unhorsed" and cast off in one of the three "Cities of the Unhorsed". The dwarf god is "the Wolf" and they believe that if they lead a good life their soul is reborn in the body of a wolf, so they can run in the pack of their god.


 * Elves: In this world, Elves segregate themselves from the rest of the world. They are ruled by the Divine, the religious authority, who is aided by the Shield of the Divine in all matters relating to military. Power struggles between the Shield and the Divine are frequent. There are Twelve noble houses of elves of which everyone is either a member or a follower of, as well as an exiled house that appears in the second and third books. The Elves live in very dense family homes where generations of elves will live in one home. Elves practice a form of ancestor worship, and seem to have a faintly Asian feel to their culture.


 * Pecwae: A race of wee-folk. Pecwae are skilled earth mages and always live near a Trevenici tribe. They have a symbiotic relationship with the Trevenici. The Pecwae are weak and preyed upon by other races, and the Trevenici protect them. In exchange the Pecwae offer magical aid and healing to the Trevenici who shun magic.


 * Taan: The Taan are a beastlike race that have a way of life similar to the Trevenici. They worship The Lord of the Void, Dagnarus. They embed gemstones believed to posses powerful magic in their thick hides. Taan are unable to speak the human language 'Elderspeak' and humans are unable to speak the Taan language. Instead, the Taan rely on half-Taan to speak both languages.

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