Genre: Adventure Fantasy
Rating: 13+
Pages: Two 150 page graphic novels, the Book of Tradition, and the Book of Revolution

Deep in the Swamps of Aidan, a village of nomads known as Prometheans struggle to keep their bonfires lit with only Bronze Age technology to assist them. Those bonfires must always remain strong, as Fire is only force keeping the ominous Fog that surrounds them at bay. Long ago, the Fog seeped into their once temperate forest and transformed it into a sweltering, humid swamp filled with extremely hostile beasts known as Fogspawn. Any who breathe the Fog painfully mutate into Fogspawn and turn on those they once called kin.

Retrieving fuel for the protective flames is a dangerous task. Each week, five brave warriors ban together to form a Ring and venture into the heart of the swamp to harvest materials vital for the village’s survival. Earthy, spiritual Alastrina, or Trina for short, joins a Ring with her best friend Caylan. Trina is young and idealistic, but she possesses an unfaltering will and an unbreakable loyalty to her people. Taking up her sword and shield, Trina plunges into the wild with her Ring, teeming with anticipation. Unfortunately, her first mission doesn’t go as smoothly as she expects; the Ring soon becomes overwhelmed by Fogspawn. Wounded and terrified, the team barely makes it back to the village… all except their Keeper, who was slain despite Trina’s desperate attempts to protect him.

Trina has trouble forgiving herself for her failure, but with some encouragement from Caylan, Trina gathers the courage to try again. This time around, the Fogspawn take a backseat to the stress as Trina is swept into a cluster of social conflicts. Trina perseveres, and over time, she develops expert command over her role as the Defender and learns to befriend and unite the members of her quirky Ring.

Trina eventually begins to question the unyielding traditions of her people. Once a very spiritual person, she becomes skeptical. Where did this Fog come from? Why does Fire repel it? For that matter, where did Fire come from? Perhaps too soon, Trina begins to the stumble upon the answers. She learns of other beings known as the Enlightened, a race of technological superpowers that live in colossal cities outside the swamps. The Fog is a by-product of their gargantuan mining facilities, which are littered all around the outskirts of Promethean lands. The Fog’s repulsion when faced with heat is due to a complex chemical reaction. It has nothing to do with spirits or magic, as she once believed.

It takes some convincing, but once Trina wins her people over, every Ring in the village joins forces to assault one of the mining facilities, hoping to put a stop to the Fog once and for all. They set the building ablaze, then return to the village to plan the next siege. Trina, however, suddenly realizes that beings who had the power to bend ecosystems would never allow this defiance to pass. She stays vigilant for days, but just how the Enlightened planned to retaliate, she couldn’t even begin to predict.

The Prometheans awake one morning to discover their entire swampland engulfed in the fiercest inferno they had ever seen. In horror, they powerlessly watch the one thing that kept them safe all these years consume everything they had ever known. With no options left, the Prometheans gather up anything that can be salvaged and flee the Swamps of Aidan, never to return.

Trina is racked with overwhelming guilt. After all, it was her idea to fight the Enlightened. She had failed her people, just as she failed her first Keeper. However, everyone agrees that it was better to fight and die as a free people than live trapped in a sphere of darkness with fear. They praise Trina for her bravery and assure her the fight is not over yet.

The Prometheans begin their task, not to just save themselves, but to save the entire world. Boldly, with no regrets, they cast aside their traditions and turn toward a new foe: the Fathers of Fog, the Swampsbane, the Enlightened.


All characters and concepts relating to The Prometheans © 2009 Aaron Stavely