"Darkness. Dawn of Darkness" by Sergey Tarmashev, summary Automatic translate

The novel was written in 2010. The author blends classic fantasy with science fiction. The magical world conceals the direct consequences of a nuclear war. Ferocious orcs, skilled elves, and humans turn out to be mutated descendants of earthlings. Powerful necromancers operate from the shadows, revealed to be operators of underground bunkers in the former United States. Magic is a biopsionic mutation. Spells serve as a process for working with the residual physical fields of the destroyed planet.

This novel opens the author’s "Darkness" series. The series has been extensively continued, including the novels "Darkness Glow," "Darkness Twilight," and "End of Darkness." The author later expanded the universe with prequel books. This novel is the first book in the main storyline.

Conspiracy in Redonia

King Edryong the Just of Redonia leads a vast army against a vast horde of k’Zird. Chancellor Geordin betrays the monarch, obsessed with absolute power. The Chancellor secretly kills Edryong with a cursed blade. The dagger was obtained from the enigmatic necromancer Kyon’L’Zheysn. The kingdom’s army suddenly perishes under a hail of Sandman arrows and enemy magic fire. The blue mage Rodbong opens a portal. He pays for it with his own life. The mage wishes to save Queen Arilla and the newborn prince. Necromos disrupts the teleporter’s stability. The fugitives find themselves in the wild, green steppes of Rugodar. A detachment of mercenary soldiers overtakes the queen. The brutal warriors kill her. The little prince is left lying in the thick steppe grass.

The chieftain’s son

The mighty orc chieftain, Trorg Crushing-Fist, finds a human child. Clan shaman Gnurd Piercing-Gaze senses colossal magical power in the infant. The orcs name the boy Trorg and raise him as a true warrior. His gift of magic makes Trorg invincible in battle. Geordin ascends to the throne in Redonia. Viscount Vaydin Ruald, who survived the massacre, refuses to serve the usurper. He gathers the remnants of the Royal Scouts. The warriors retreat into the impenetrable forests. A band of rebels wages guerrilla warfare for years. The soldiers fiercely defend the plundered peasants. The old healer, Lonren, sustains the warriors with his healing spells. Vaydin treasures the glowing medallion. He took it from the slain king.

Unification of tribes

Three decades later, Trerg has matured into a skilled fighter. He wields heavy orcish swords with mastery. His magical gift allows him to crush entire armies single-handedly. The man with the orc’s heart begins to unite the warring clans of Rugodar. Rathash prepares to unleash the millions of k’Zird. The serpent tongues have become overwhelmed by the parched desert. Trerg forces the neighboring clans to make peace. He slays the recalcitrant chieftain Rgord in a fair duel. The warrior proves the undeniable strength of the Union of Free Clans. Shaman Gnurd reveals to his acolyte the secret of his origin. An elven seal firmly blocks most of Trerg’s powers. Only an energy pulse can remove it. This pulse will arise from the victory over the ancient demon Ashk’Harra.

Palace secrets

In Redonia, the young princess Ailani discovers the gift of the White Mage. She spends her days in the filthy barracks of the capital, healing the crippled poor. Ailani learns of the poverty of her subjects. The princess demands an explanation from her father. Geordin confesses to his daughter his long-ago betrayal. The king confirms his alliance with the necromancers. Kyon’L’Jeysn demands the monarch wage war on neighboring Sabiya. Geordin refuses to obey. Necromos offers the throne to Crown Prince Darnet. He poisons her older brother, Darnel. Ailani miraculously saves her brother from certain death. Darnet stages an armed coup. The guards who seize the palace kill Geordin. The princess hastily flees the capital. She is assisted by her mentor, Tervis, and her lady-in-waiting, Limmi.

Escape across the ocean

Ailani, Tervis, and Limmi are rescued by the Vakrian merchant Tim. The Vakrian seafolk are renowned for their finest ships in all of Parn. The merchant smuggles the fugitives aboard, hiding them in fetid crates once used to contain spoiled clawpods. In the ocean, they are overtaken by pirate ships. The corsairs have been generously bribed by necromancers. A brutal boarding battle ensues. Ailani actively employs healing magic. The princess restores the fallen Vakrian sailors to life. The ship escapes the bloody pursuit and heads for one of the rocky islands. Enraged pirates lay siege to the harbor. The fugitives resort to a stratagem to escape. They are placed inside the sealed stomachs of sea urchins. Vakrian swimmers secretly tow these bladders of people underwater. The heroes reach Sabiya safely.

The Path Through the Desert

Trerg sets out for the Cursed Temple. The warrior crosses Avlia and Mergia. Along the way, the shaman saves Count Raynor’s detachment from destruction. He then hires himself out to the Mergian merchant Rumaki’s trade caravan. In the city of Chong Chun Kin, the warrior finds the K’Zird sorceress Chun Ying Pat. She is terrified by the shaman’s power. The sorceress gives him an artifact of invisibility and a necromancer’s staff. She reveals the location of a medallion buried in the sand. This magical item is necessary to open the Gates of Death. Trerg returns to the ruins of Mergia. The warrior punishes the self-proclaimed Baron Chedian. The powerful shaman incinerates the tyrant’s castle with forked lightning bolts. After this, Trerg retreats back into the desert.

Prisoners of the Tower

Ailani seeks an audience with Emanor, the High Mage of Galtania. The fugitives hope to seek aid from the elves. Emanor tricks the princess into entering his stone Tower. The Blue Mage conducts horrific medical experiments. He surgically transforms healthy people into weak-willed, obedient zombies. Emanor tortures Lord Tervis with fire. He forces Ailani to assist in brutal surgeries. The White Mage keeps the unfortunate victims alive. Emanor dreams of overthrowing the elves. He wants to divide the world into three controllable parts. Vaidin skillfully tracks the captives. The princess casts a zombie spell on herself. She leads her companions out of the Tower. The Viscount covers their retreat with well-aimed archery. The group heads for the borders of Galtania.

Collision in the sands

The fugitives hire the cunning slave trader Kosta. They need an experienced guide to reach the Dorgalind dwarven caves. Kosta treacherously betrays his employers, selling them to an armed detachment led by the k’Zird ukhtan Las Vu Kish. Sandmen attack a handful of people. Tervis is seriously wounded by blunt arrows. Ailani is bound in strong trapping nets. Trerg suddenly appears nearby. The shaman single-handedly destroys the k’Zird detachment with a firestorm and a meteor shower. Vaidin recognizes the stern savior as the rightful heir to the Redonian throne. The Viscount swears him eternal loyalty. The princess heals the wounded Tervis. Ailani begs Trerg to take her with him. The shaman agrees. Vaydin and Limmi set off for Rugodar along with the arriving detachment of orcs of Kryrd Broad Palm.

Demon’s Abode

Trerg and Ailani discover ancient stone ruins. The necromancers set a cunning ambush. The shaman burns the attacking black-cloaked fanatics. The captive k’Zird points the precise path to the Cursed Temple. The structure rises from the hot sands with a roar. The necromancers’ medallion activates the mysterious Gate to Death. Inside the dark portal, the heroes are immediately attacked by guardian artifacts. A colossal Iron Golem appears. The steel monster unleashes a barrage of meteor showers on the shaman. Trerg suffers grievous wounds. Ailani quickly creates a sphere of Lifebeat, instantly healing the warrior. The shaman destroys the golem with the Tear of Necros. Trerg bravely enters the mind of the energy demon Ashk’Harr. The powerful will of the orcish acolyte mercilessly breaks the creature’s resistance.

The True Face of the Gods

Behind the mystical backdrop, a harsh reality reveals itself. Evil necromancers turn out to be active operators of the US intelligence services. Colonel Jason operates a massive underground bunker in the US state of Colorado. Earth experienced a nuclear war in the distant past. Biodestructors completely destroyed the natural biosphere. The surviving Americans are saved in cryogenic sleep. They awaken according to a strict duty schedule. The Syrians have taken refuge in African shelters. Residual radiation has spawned mutants on the surface. Elves, dwarves, and orcs have become the altered descendants of earthlings. Biopsionic abilities have replaced their familiar earthly science. The Arabs suffer from genetic degeneration. They buy the blood of savages to create a vital regenerative serum. The Americans secretly use mutants to aggressively fight the Syrians. Jason, incognito, has initiated civil strife in the Kingdoms. He is deliberately preparing an army of K’Zirds for a brutal cleansing of the continent.

Preparing for the strike

Trerg rips the shining control unit from Ashk’Harr’s chest. The shaman sends the princess back into the glowing portal. An American operator appears and shoots the girl with a plasma discharge. Trerg absorbs the deadly plasma stream with his bare hand. He kills the American lieutenant with a powerful electrical pulse. Colonel Jason carefully reviews the video footage of the incident. The officer clearly understands the growing danger of powerful, uncontrollable mutants. Jason activates a code red alert. It immediately awakens the sleeping Green Beret squads. The colonel prepares a backpack thermonuclear charge. This powerful bomb is intended to obliterate the enemies of democracy. The secret Operation Retribution enters its active phase.