Beastborne Chronicles
James T. Callum
The Founders were the first Marked, and they used those powers to build kingdoms, subjugate the land, and enrich themselves. Hal, a newcomer Lost in a world with Levels, stats, and monsters, fights to survive and escape execution from its rulers. Ingenuity and courage won’t be enough — with Marked powers he doesn’t understand, he’s easy prey for goblins, bandits, aberrations, and foul monsters. He must abandon his humanity by embracing the beast within to Level Up. Freedom and safety cannot be achieved alone: Hal forges bonds with fellow adventurers, koblins, dwarves, Reapers and monsters alike, builds a Sanctum around a Manaseed/Manatree in the Shiverglades, crafts enchanted weapons, sates appetite for monster essences, and masters Bonecrafting, Wyrd Strain, and Class powers while weathering Manastorms, Dungeons, Towers, and tribal wars to secure a lasting kingdom.
Progression: Explicit LitRPG Levels/Stats/Class progression central to every volume. Core mechanics: Marked Founders at top of hierarchy; Hal as Beastborne with Levels, stats, monster-essence consumption, Bonecrafting, Wyrd Strain, and evolving Class powers. Sanctuary/Manaseed leveling via building, fighting, crafting and Elysian powers. Settlement and Manatree Level Up through construction, fortification, and resource generation. Dungeon crawling (Fathomway), Tower climbing (Tower of Blight 6 floors with loot/essences), essence-based body reforging (Besal Eldritch), star crucible experimentation, and monster-power bait per floor. Tiered advancement verified via Goodreads descriptions noting 'Level Up,' 'monster essences,' 'Bonecrafting,' 'Class powers,' 'Wyrd Strain,' 'Manastorms,' and settlement building across 7 volumes (2020-2025) with page counts 600-1270 and ratings 4.33-4.64.
Goodreads
