NexLord: Black Chains

Black Chains is the second novel of the NexLord Trilogy. A young man has suddenly become a NexLord, without knowledge of what that means or the powers it conveys. Opposing him are all the evils of the world Dreadbeasts, Wraiths, evil cults, and dark prophecies. The epic adventure continues as the NexLord and his friends battle a world that has gone mad, where everyone seems to be their enemy.

The NexLord series is a traditional fantasy. The focus of this epic fantasy story are four young people who are caught up in a deadly struggle that started long ago. The magic system is based on emotion and deals with the power of group beliefs and self-fulfilling prophecy. The setting of the story is a unique planet where all normal human emotional tendencies are magnified. Humans are not alone there; four other intelligent races inhabit the lands. Prejudice runs rampant and wars based on racial hatred have plagued the lands for hundreds of years.

The emotions of hate and fear have coalesced into one place and continuously inhabit the body of a human, known as the Dreadmaster. This being continuously gathers and wields these evil powers. The ever-growing power exists independently of the human vessel it inhabits and when the body is destroyed it is only a matter of time until the power inhabits a new vessel.

To combat the Dreadmaster's power all free humans gathered to create Knights of the Realm, known as NexLords. The NexLords and their Bondsmen are the one counter to the Dreadmaster's power. But with the ending of the Final War, the last of the NexLords disappeared into the east after warning that the Dreadmaster's power was still out there. However, no one listened or believed.