This is a sort of thematic portrait of the three main characters in the fantasy series I've been planning. Mind you, they're never together like this until the fourth story, if I ever even get around to writing out the first three.

Left to right, the first character is Dastendes, the Korvolk laech working as a doctor within a city in the plague-stricken human kingdom of Andon. His story focuses on the idea of healing, not just physical, but emotional as well. Stuck in the middle of horrible sickness, civil unrest and racial tensions, he must endure to heal his own wounds and those of the people around him, including an orphaned human girl who he takes into his care. The very idea of a human and reptilian living together enrages humans and reptilians alike, forcing Dastendes and his companion to stand up as a bridge between the races.

Second is Alyk, a member of the Talranden tribe of Dunaas, which spearheads the fight for freedom against the oppressive Calivite Elves. His struggle is to find and keep a sense of morality amidst the tides of war. Put off by his family's insistence on reflecting the harshness of the Calivites and his father's unwillingness to accept his modest nature, he flees north. Despite trying to escape conflict, he meets an exotic stranger, a dragoness, at a monastery in Reugen; she pleas for his help settling a conflict embroiling her family the western mountains. Alyk reluctantly agrees to help, promising himself to make it something worth fighting for.

Last, but certainly not least, is Hauldcrey, the Sarvolk Markgrave of Vomorel. His territory is locked between human, wovlen and orcish lands. Luckily he is fair and noble as a governor, despite personal troubles that might otherwise distract him: the recent death of his wife and his emotional entanglement with both his manservant and a vixen who he discovers later to be a prostitute. Regardless, he finds comfort in the one thing he loves unconditionally: his people, reptilian or not. Hauldcrey's benevolence towards other races often viewed as "lesser" by his fellow Sarvolk rulers lends him enough support to hold his land against the encroaching enemies.