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 behind the faith lies conspiracy. Knowledge sorcerer Lydia Hastings—able to extract information from anything she touches—travels to Orlyn to validate the local religion and discovers a prisoner who resembles the long-missing leader of her pantheon. Rescuing him risks her cover, but his execution could end everything she holds dear. Across three volumes, Lydia, spy Jonan Kestrian, Taelien of the Trials of Unyielding Steel, Velas Jaldin and the legendary immortal sorcerers unravel murders, imperial conspiracies and world-shaping magic that connects directly to the Arcane Ascension universe (same world, earlier era).
Progression: Dominion Sorcery + Essence/Mark Advancement + Trials Rank System: Magic is structured around Dominions—conceptual domains (Knowledge, Motion, Shadow, etc.) that grant sorcerers scalable abilities via Dominion marks bonded to flesh. Advancement is explicit and central: Lydia grows via Knowledge Dominion extraction depth and controlled essence use; Jonan scales via espionage sorcery and enchantment mastery; Taelien progresses through the martial/magical ranking of the Trials of Unyielding Steel (entry into Paladins of Tae'os, duels vs Velas Jaldin who manipulates motion at will), each trial tier unlocking higher dominion access and shroud control. Immortal sorcerers (Edrick Theas lineage, three figures who toppled Xixis) represent the apex—century-long accumulation of Dominion mastery that apprentices chase via supervised training (Wrynn Jaden, Witch of a Thousand Shadows), sorcerous murder investigations, and battlefield sorcery. Power tiers, mark levels, and trial ranks drive every volume's training arcs and political stakes, verified via Goodreads descriptions central to series progression.
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