She’s an icy elf noble.
He’s a human commoner.
They came to the Raloren Academy of Magic and Natural Sciences to unlock the secrets of magic.
Extra-curricular activities included conspiracy, sabotage, and murder.
I’ve always had a soft spot for magic academy stories, and the seeds of such a tale have been growing for many years. I personally enjoyed much of my schooling, especially my time in college. With The Blade Baroness, I sought to capture those feelings: the allure of a new city, meeting new people, and the challenge of various academic subjects. Even those quiet, cozy moments such as evenings out with new friends. But on the fantastical world of Arvia, we take things even further with mysteries of magic and monsters! Some of the lessons and teaching how magic works is based on my own experiences (my experiences learning mundane subjects, not magic, regrettably.)
I’m delighted with the cover art, thanks to my (human) artist Aleksandra Petruk for the illustration. In paperback form, the colors turned out especially vibrant. I also did a few fancy things for the paperback chapter titles. I had an Art Nouveau aesthetic for the academy and wanted to incorporate this into title and decorative elements, which I think it turned out great.
Available in Ebook or paperback.
Lady Sephimara Arazniros strode through the doomed ship with a determination that said it could have been on fire, sinking, and had kraken tentacles writhing through every porthole, and she’d tell the kraken to leave a message.
And I was an idiot for trying to help.
Just a common human man, I trained, studied, worked my ass off to be accepted to the Raloren Academy of Magic. I expected to work twice as hard as the magically gifted elves. I expected hardship, disdain, and a mountain of homework. I did not expect to encounter the mysterious, icy, elven lady aboard a sinking clipper ship on the voyage to the academy. The corpse in the hold she claimed to know nothing about? Also unexpected. Being assigned an obnoxiously flamboyant gnome roommate? Yeah, it was one of those days.
We were both strangers in a city where appearances and propriety reigned supreme. Those subtle innuendos and furtive smiles from her as we crafted magic artifacts in our after hours study sessions couldn’t possibly mean… nah! And stop gazing at her legs, Theodore!
I know nothing about noble politics, even less about conspiracies. But if we can’t find a way to trust each other, we may both get an education in murder.
The Blade Baroness first appeared in Men’s Romance Gallery. This version incorporates seven additional chapters, including a spicier ending. Caution: contains graphic study sessions, gratuitous woodworking scenes, and explicit architectural language.
