"Arvendale" by Roman Zlotnikov, summary Automatic translate

This book is the coming-of-age story of a simple man from the imperial outskirts, who, by the will of fate, challenges powerful mages and high-born nobles. The novel was written in 2004. The plot is structured as a long flashback: the narrative begins with the finale, when the hero has already received the title of baron, and the rest of the text consistently describes his difficult path to this victory.

The work won the Strannik (Wanderer) genre award in 2006 for best magical fantasy. The text opens the Arvendale cycle of the same name and is considered the first book in the series. The series includes direct sequels: The Duke of Arvendale, The Emperor of Men, The Daring Raid, and The Long Sea. Later, the prequel books Unholy Blood and Roots of Darkness, co-written by the two authors, were published.

An unexpected victory at the tournament

Troy achieves a surprise victory at the Grand Imperial Tournament. A simple mercenary wins the title of Baron of Arvendale. At the Fangs and Horns tavern, he celebrates boisterously with his sworn brothers. Seated at the table are the one-armed dwarf Gmalin, the mute elf Earless, and several mercenaries. The boisterous celebration is interrupted by Duke Egmonter. The nobleman was Troy’s last opponent in the tournament. The nobleman summons the newly crowned baron to a secret meeting.

The Duke openly admits to the winner a cunning plan. The tournament was a death trap, prepared by Prime Minister Lagar specifically for Egmontaire. The Duke was laying claim to the wealthy domain of Leconsour and the hand of Princess Lyddith the Terrible. The Emperor had offered a completely different prize for the tournament. The winner received the devastated Duchy of Arvendale, overrun by dark creatures. By losing to Troy, the Duke escaped certain death in the cursed lands. As a parting gift, the nobleman gives the young man a ring. Egmontaire discreetly places a deadly curse on Troy. He hopes to eliminate the commoner who has unlawfully seized the noble title.

Childhood on the outskirts of the empire

The narrative then returns to the distant past. The text reveals the life story of Troy. Two surviving soldiers arrive in the remote settler village of Dry Valley. The mercenaries, Rugir the Lizard and Tristan the Hammer, miraculously escaped a brutal skirmish with orcs. They bring with them an infant child. The village elder, Amir, allows the strangers to stay. The soldiers settle in the village. Tristan takes up blacksmithing. Rugir trains the locals in military skills. The boy is named Troy in honor of the mercenaries’ fallen commander.

Troy grows into an incredibly strong, agile, and resilient young man. Rugir reveals to his protégé the secret of his origins. Troy’s mother belonged to a very noble family. She died while fleeing from orcs, giving birth to a son. The mercenary undertakes the boy’s rigorous physical training. Rugir prepares the young man for the inevitable dangers of the big world. Troy trains for hours until he sweats. He masters the use of a heavy two-handed sword. The young man forges his own weapons in Tristan’s forge.

Meanwhile, the ambitious Duke Egmontaire conducts brutal interrogations in his castle. The nobleman constantly weaves political intrigues. He has long dreamed of taking the imperial throne. With the help of the thief Benevier, the Duke steals an ancient magical stone. Egmontaire performs a dark ritual in a secret refuge hidden in the abandoned Gwendi Tower. The nobleman desires to uncover a secret: he searches the world for a living bearer of the pure blood of the first Emperor of Marelborough. The ritual yields a positive answer.

Destruction of Sukhoi Dol

Troy’s life changes forever during a quest to Briarfield. The young man is accompanying the merchant Trimenthal. Suddenly, a large band of orcs mounted on enormous wargs attacks the travelers. Troy displays phenomenal combat prowess. The young man kills several powerful enemies, then suffers a powerful blow to the head. Merchant Trimenthal dies in the fight. Upon awakening, Troy returns to Drydale. He discovers a charred ruin. The village has been completely burned by savage orcs. All the inhabitants have been brutally murdered, including Troy’s beloved Celia and the old blacksmith Tristan.

The only survivor is Rugir. The orcs have brutally mauled the warrior, cutting off his mentor’s arms and legs. Troy quickly constructs a simple drag. The young man drags his dying teacher through the wild forests to the city of Palangea. Near the charred ruins of the city, he encounters soldiers of the regular imperial army.

The Path of the Mercenary

Centurion Dargol recruits Troy into his military detachment. The mercenary commander turns out to be an old sworn brother of Rugir’s. The young man finds it difficult to get along with his stern comrades. Troy nearly kills the insolent Gag, who dared to insult his dying mentor. At the forge, the young fighter meets Gmalin. The one-armed dwarven master recruits the strong man as his loyal assistant. Soon, the human army, led by Count Zamelgon, encounters a massive orc horde. The shamans’ treachery is revealed. The orcs were securely concealed by powerful dark spells.

The monster attack breaks through the human army’s first line of defense. Troy, Gmalin, and several experienced mercenaries quickly fall into line. They halt the terrifying advance. The young man desperately hacks with his heavy two-handed sword. The dwarf skillfully wields a sharp axe. For his courage, Dargol appoints Troy as a foreman. The peasant Marel, the crossbowman Glav, the swordsman Aril, and the dwarf Gmalin himself are placed under his command. The foreman immediately begins intensive daily training. The warriors master the dwarven combat "way" flawlessly. They learn to move and attack in close formation.

War in the Arruin Mountains

Dargol’s Hundred is hired to guard merchant caravans for the trading house "Ergrai and Partners." Their route passes through the northern foothills of Arruin. During the arduous journey, the detachment learns of the outbreak of open war. Local traders are at odds with clans of savage mountaineers known as the Stone Foreheads. The savages demand the immediate departure of the people, who want to take all the valuables extracted from the mines for themselves.

While crossing a turbulent stream, the Stone Forehead shamans collapse a high cliff. Several people are captured by the savages, including Marel and a mute elf who has joined the group. The dwarf warns the commander of the captives’ terrible fate. The shamans plan to sacrifice the elf as a blood sacrifice. The ritual will help the highlanders replenish their depleted magical mana. Troy flatly refuses to abandon his loyal comrades. The group makes its way deep into the mountains along secret paths.

Along the way, the young man encounters a large pack of carrhams. These ferocious predators are led by the old chieftain Rrgykhnak. Troy once saved this beast from certain death in the forest. The young man negotiates with the predators for a joint, powerful attack. The detachment swiftly breaks into the highlanders’ Sacred Place. The shamans are already preparing to slit the elf’s throat. Sharp-witted Glav kills the lead shaman with a heavy crossbow. The carrhams suddenly strike the stunned savages from the rear. The prisoners are saved from death. The warriors also free the old idsh, Benan Izhor. The elf and the idsh voluntarily become Troy’s sworn brothers.

The destruction of the ancient Sacred Site drives the Stone Forehead clans into a frenzy. The enraged savages storm the mountain fortress of Hunchback Rock en masse.

The strong walls withstand the fierce onslaught. The highlanders suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of armed mercenaries and the sturdy dwarven fortifications.

In the capital of the empire

Meanwhile, in the imperial capital of El-Severin, Princess Lyddite is bringing order to the tangled affairs of state. The formidable princess comes into conflict with Prime Minister Lagar. The dispute stems from the arrest of the mercantile treasurer of the Trade Guild.

Emperor Eonteus is slowly fading from a long-standing curse. The ruler is deprived of the possibility of conceiving a son. The sovereign demands a swift marriage for his wayward daughter. The ruler suggests the ambitious Duke Egmonter as the most suitable candidate.

Dargol’s Hundred arrives in El-Severin. The mercenaries are escorting the valuable cargo of merchant Tavor Ergrai. Troy sees the bustling capital for the first time. The grandeur of the vast city genuinely impresses the simple man. That evening, the head steward generously treats the young man at the tavern. On the way back, Troy single-handedly deals with four armed bandits in a dark alley. The young man rescues a beautiful young woman. The rescued stranger identifies herself as Lykketa. She gives the hero a light kiss and quickly disappears.

Troy instantly loses his head over sudden love. He spends all his savings on an expensive waistcoat. The lovesick foreman wanders the city for days, unsuccessfully trying to find the mysterious girl. Gmalin and Benan Izhor help the young man with all their might. Finally, Likketa herself comes to the tavern to visit the resting mercenaries. It turns out the girl comes from a very noble family in the capital. Likketa is a member of Princess Lyddith’s personal retinue.

The dwarf sternly warns Troy of the possible consequences. A commoner can never officially marry a high-born noblewoman. Strict imperial laws strictly forbid any unequal marriages. The only slim chance for happiness is to perform an unprecedented feat in the name of the crown. Then there is hope of receiving legal nobility from the emperor himself.

Preparing for the tournament

Duke Egmonter survives a daring assassination attempt in his own torture chamber. The dying prisoner uses powerful, forbidden blood magic. The spell instantly kills the executioner and several guards. Egmonter clearly recognizes the presence of powerful and secret enemies. The nobleman orders Benevier to immediately find all accomplices of the deceased spy. The cunning thief sets off for the city of Estogon in search of the mysteriously vanished shoemaker.

Troy accidentally learns of the upcoming Grand Imperial Tournament. The main prize is declared to be the right to own a domain and a hereditary noble title. Gmalin zealously dissuades his foreman from this crazy idea. The dwarf reminds his friend of the tournament rules. All deadly magic is permitted in the arena. Troy’s opponents will be the most powerful and wealthy lords. However, Troy remains adamant in his decision.

Before the battle, a mute elf secretly leads Troy beyond the high walls of the High City. The friends approach the sacred elven tree, the melliron. The elf gives his sworn brother a magical light cloak and the Silver Leaf. This ancient blade is one of the twelve lost magical swords of the elven kings. A dwarf also comes to his aid. In one short night, the craftsman forges an indestructible suit of armor for his sworn brother. The armor is made of the legendary, malleable metal Blue Flame.

Troy and his ten faithful companions arrive at the tournament heralds’ tent. The young man formally issues a personal challenge on behalf of a commoner. The surprised herald enters the brave man under the resounding name of Troy the Brother-in-Arms. The long-awaited day of the deadly competition arrives. The wooden stands of the lists quickly fill with a buzzing crowd. The junior herald rushes into Troy’s tent. An attendant informs the young fighter of the name of his first opponent: Troy will face Baron Grondig. The brave commoner’s fight will be the second, immediately following the brief duel of Duke Egmonter.