Aaron Hollingsworth

In rough-hewn worlds shaped by the mighty blows of rival gods, the most a warrior can hope for is a meaningful death. For ages uncounted, the Valkyrie have born these heroic souls to godly realms for divine reward and have even aided such mortals in times of unbalanced strife. Yet as wars the world over swell in magnitude, more Valkyrie are needed to become the Choosers of the Slain. Among the worthiest of mortals, new Valkyrie are being recruited and empowered to stem the tide of crushing defeat. Their hearts beat like great wings on stormy winds. They move with a swiftness unhindered by vestments of steel. They vanquish foes with the unlocked powers of rage and use divinely granted magic to aid their allies to victory The valkyrie class is a hybrid class for the Pathfinder RPG (with adaptations for 5E) that reforges shards of the unchained barbarian, the paladin, and the Bestiary valkyrie into a martial class of brutal glory and glorious fury. This sourcebook comes complete with a new class and abilities, archetypes, favored class options, as well as an expanded mythology on where the Valkyrie came from and how they serve the various deities. Onward to glory

When the only child of Hephaestus and Aphrodite is born as the spiritual embodiment of Temperance and Tact, Zeus commands that the new god be raised in turn by each Olympian for the fulfillment of his secret destiny. However, not all of the gods are content with this new addition to the family, as Cytherus repeatedly finds himself the target of Ares. To what lengths will the Instigator of Strife and War go to destroy this Last Son of Olympus? How can the holy power of Self-Restraint hope to win out against divine retribution? True to mythological tradition, this book contains twenty etiological tales detailing the origins of various natural and cultural phenomena, including which muses influenced Herodotus, the nefarious purpose of the Antikythera Mechanism, why the Olympians migrated to Italy, the singular geography of the Iberian peninsula, and the founding of Stoic philosophy. These stories also provide anecdotes and insights into the characters and behaviors of the classical divinities and monsters. Most importantly, it tells the story of a boy who grew up in a dysfunctional family, a boy who learned not only what he was taught, but what he needed to figure out on his own.

Worship takes many forms. For some who live by faith, a temple, shrine, or other religious symbols may prove unsatisfactory for expressing their devotion. Instead, such worshipers demand a physical representation of their deity to receive prayers and adoration. Idolatry is the worship of idols, statues that represent gods and other divine forces. Idolators are pious individuals who perfect this worship, thereby forging a magical bond that animates the idol. This enables a divine aspect of the deity or outsider to walk the mortal world and perform miraculous works for the idolator on behalf of a faithful community or society. The idolator class is a hybrid class for the Pathfinder RPG that encompasses cleric, oracle and summoner classes, yet melds them into something altogether different. This sourcebook comes complete with a new class and abilities, archetypes, favored class options, magic items and the complete stats for the iconic idolator on the cover.

What secrets lie beneath the many layers of Folded Steel? What impurities remain like ink on pages to tell tales of miseries endured and hardships faced? What cruel ironies can be fashioned from crude iron torn from a scorched earth? The answers are sheathed within this horrid collection of demented fantasy 1. The New Madrid Horror 2. Altar of Alternative3. The Laws of S nkrousi4. For the Hand of Kimbra5. Young Goat and Wise Walrus6. The General and the Spy

Laid out upon these frail leaves is a banquet of delectable misfortunes and savory tragedies. Partake of these melancholy morsels of bile and brine, of wrath and regret. Sample vintages of fermented tears and distilled blood. Lick the sharp edges of cursed blades, and nibble frail hopes set on platters of tarnished silver. Strange sorrows warp the palette of perception and bring about subtle ruin and uncanny vigor. Indulge in the filling robustness of TAINTED STEEL.1. Asmodeus and the Swordsman2. The Magick Sword That Slays Tyrants3. The Red Glade4. Locks of Sif5. Humphrey's Letter6. Bonsai Treant7. His Favorite Story8. The Pink Flower of Saint Zenobie9. An Assassin's Honeymoon10. The Man with Twelve Fingers11. You and John and the Snake12. The Apple's Journey (by Cassandra Lee Hollingsworth)13. Repunae14. When River Fought Sea15. Black Hole Constellation16. The Hare's Revenge17. Piasa: Rite of Talons

Just as there is a fine line between religion and folklore, there is a fine line between fantasy and horror.In this short story collection, a Turkish janissarry-turned-vampire becomes a saint, a succubus attempts to bring ruin to the Nativity, the story of Job is retold as a genie tale, and the origin of the Easter Bunny is finally revealed. Set in an alternate version of our solar system, this weird collection of tales spin myth and legend into new threads of narrative. From the author of Four Winds-One Storm, The Broken Bards of Paris, The Citheresia, The Apothecary of Mantua, Tainted Steel, and Folded Steel.

This is the story of a drug deal gone bad.Having committed the crime of selling a potent poison to a desperate youth, a destitute apothecary must decide how to spend his ill-gained fortune. Resolving to start his career afresh, he flees to the city of Verona to set up a new shop of medicinal healing and alchemical discovery. But plans go awry when he finds himself in the middle of a woeful tragedy he had unwittingly helped cause. Can his knowledge of nature's secrets and the inspiration of a fairy queen help restore the six lives lost? Will his exploits go undetected by a hellbent inquisitor and a noble assassin? Or was the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet only the beginning of Verona's doom?This sick-minded sequel is both travesty and tribute to Shakespeare's classic play. New characters are introduced as old ones are re-envisioned in a madcap escapade of murder, magic, mystery, man-eating, and malicious mayhem. No flesh is safe from the eerie evil hidden in the minds of men, not even the flesh of the dead...

When the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte is kidnapped by the mysterious Man in the Iron Mask, whom can he trust to get her back?The Broken Bards of Paris What three men, despite deformity and unrequited love, will unite to become a trio of heroic troubadours?The Broken Bards of Paris When France is in peril, who will sing the songs, fight the throngs, and right the wrongs?The Broken Bards of Paris Join Cyrano De Bergerac, Quasimodo the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Erik the Opera Ghost in their first daring ensemble adventure With special appearances by Voltaire, Joan of Arc, and Napoleon himself

Every town has a ghost legend. But within the borders of Wraith County, those souls preserved by death are multifarious. No one seemes to know for certain why the spirits of the dead remain in this cursed land. Did centuries of evil deeds bring ruin to this once prosperous territory? Or does the cursed land itself have a way of preserving the evil in the hearts of its people? A group of wandering outsiders called Four Winds-One Storm intend to find out.This second volume in the saga follows Will Foundling as he matches wits with the ghost of a bank-robbing dragon, Sir Roger Yamus as he hunts a fat-sucking fiend plaguing a town run by sacred harlots, Hindin Revetz as he battles an army of dead atop the Tombstone Dam, and Polly Gone as she delves into a labyrinth haunted by vengeful spirits. Together they must discover what these hauntings have in common. Standing in their way is a drug-running death cult biker gang, spiteful spirits, and a power mad wraith who is able to tap into the Zeroth Dimension. In the Geohex of Wraith County heads will fly, souls will shatter, hearts will break, and blood must flow.

A runaway blood theurge with a need to commit murder.A wandering chimancer with a thirst for knowledge.A master of the woodlands tracking criminals through a foreign city.A man in a silver helmet who keeps a dark secret.Every City has its dangers. In Embrenil, a gang of thieves are attacking citizens, seemingly at random, leaving their victims robbed, beaten, stabbed, and mystically blinded. How are common criminals capable of such theurgy? Four outsiders will band together to uncover a sinister plot that threatens this ancient city of fossils. With every truth they uncover, a new threat arises. In the cellular cosmology of Draybair, philosophy determines reality through a mystical art called theurgy. With no two philosophies exactly the same, arguments are sometimes resolved through supernatural combats of opposing wisdoms; often resulting in death or worse.In a world where anything is possible, the truth becomes harder to find.This is the first volume of the Four Winds-One Storm saga.