I am back here with more information to give on my second book, The Tempter’s Bane. In my last post I put the artwork for the book cover up, and this time I will give a brief plot description.

Before I do so, I will give just a couple small updates, the first being that I received my first copy of The Tempter’s Bane in the mail last week, and I must say that I think the book looks quite good. The second thing is that I think I will be able to give the release date within the next week.

But for now, I am happy to share a short description for the second book to The Drifters’ Road:

“The company has been separated.

The goblin chief has been defeated, but the goblins have regrouped and resumed their search. Adroegen has taken a fall over a cliff and may be gone, while Caitren is captured and will be brought before the evil lord Vyroun, who will soon wage war upon the kingdoms in the north. Gleowan and Vaenn search for Caitren, while Edelbir and Kattalin must find Adroegen, as well as a hidden kingdom of dwarves to aid them against Vyroun.

The Tempter’s Bane is the second installment of The Drifters’ Road series, in which Adroegen’s friends lose their guide in lands unknown to them. On their own, they despair over the coming assault from Vyroun, and over fear that their friends might be gone.”

The first major difference in this book compared to The Fleeing Company is that while this company was together for the entirety of the first book, in The Tempter’s Bane they will be separated. And to go further into this difference, while the first book was entirely from Adroegen’s point of view, the second book will be told from everyone’s perspective rather than just one character.

While I would consider Adroegen to be the main character for this story, the plan in the long run is for all six characters to have their own story and their own heroics. In The Fleeing Company, the tale worked a little better with it was only told from Adroegen’s perspective, and so there was perhaps little chance for the reader to really get to know the other characters. In The Tempter’s Bane, the reader will get to know Caitren, Edelbir, Kattalin, Gleowan, and Vaenn better.

The fun part I would say to working on The Tempter’s Bane was being able to enter the minds of six different characters rather than just one. Each of them is a little different, and so I have to think like they would in whatever situation they might be in. Gleowan and Vaenn are a little more comical, so I must keep that in mind in chapters with them. Edelbir has interest in simple work and yet has some qualities of a leader, or a king, while Kattalin may be a little quieter, has interest in venturing to the sea, and likes to daydream. And Caitren, well, I think she will stand out the most of all the characters in this book. I once noted, regarding Caitren, that she presented some complications, which one might see between The Fleeing Company and The Tempter’s Bane. In the second book, while Caitren might be very likeable, she will arguably be a different character from what she was in the first book. I best not say any more here, but I will say that she and Adroegen are ultimately who will carry the whole story, and in this book, their paths will grow clearer.

The story itself, as well as the series as a whole, will be about themes like courage, friendship, selflessness, and family. I do not quite consider the story to be a ‘plot twist’ kind of story, but instead more of an epic of good and evil.

Among other notes, while the goblin chief was the main enemy in the Fleeing Company, his master, Vyroun, will be the enemy in The Tempter’s Bane. I would not consider him to be a ‘gray’ sort of villain, but rather a pure embodiment of evil. Yet even as that kind of villain, I still think Vyroun will have a uniqueness that the reader will see from when he appears in the book.

I don’t think I should say any more here. At some point I will have a post with the illustrations that appear in the book, of which there are four in total. Then who knows what I will post here next. I look forward to the book’s release though, which I should know very soon.