The War of Broken Mirrors
Andrew Rowe
In the city of Orlyn, godhood is on sale to the highest bidder. Thousands flock each year hoping for immortality, but the claims of the local faith hide a conspiracy that could ignite war between the world's three great powers. Knowledge sorcerer Lydia Hastings, spy Jonan Kestrian, and Taelien Seeresson — who undergoes the Trials of Unyielding Steel to become a paladin — must navigate sorcerous murders, immortal legacies, and world-shaping machinations across a land where dominion sorcery and attunement-based magic define power.
Progression: Explicit tiered magical advancement central to the plot. Dominion sorcery and attunement system: sorcerers are ranked by attunement marks that grant access to mana types (e.g., Enchanter, Guardian, Mender) and progressively unlocked sorceries. Advancement is measured through formal Trials of Unyielding Steel (paladin entry trials), master-disciple training with immortal sorcerers (Edrick Theas, Valia, etc.), and dominion-level spells that require climbing from basic mana manipulation to dominion sorcery. Power tiers are quantified via mana density, sigil mastery, and military/magical ranks (Queensguard, Paladins of Tae'os, immortal sorcerers). Each volume shows characters training, passing ranked trials, and unlocking higher dominion abilities.
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