The Knights of Emerald: This epic tale takes place in a forgotten world in a time of great unrest as Amecareth, the Dark Lord of the Insect People, attempts to take over the known universe. It is the story of Kira, the purple child, born of the rape of Queen Fan of Shola by the despicable Emperor, who will ultimately bring about his downfall, and of the brave Knights of Emerald entrusted with her safety. Book 2 of the saga The Knights of Emerald, The Dragons of the Dark Emperor: Now nine years of age, the only thing Kira wants is to become a Squire and learn to fight under the tutelage of a full-fledged Knight so she can avenge the death of her parents to the hands of the Dark Emperor. But in order to protect her from the Lord of the Insect People, Wellan and the wizard Elund turn her down. Deeply hurt, Kira decides to take her fate into her own hands. She conjures up the spirit of a Knight of Emerald who died hundreds of years before and begs him to teach her how to use her weapons. Unable to force his way into the continent by the coast, Amecareth finds a new way to introduce his dragons into the human territories and the Knights of Emerald with their new squires are forced to hunt down the monsters. At the same time, the Dark Lord sends his sorcerer to attack the soldiers and bring his daughter back to him. Wellan quickly realizes that he must increase his own magic if he wishes to vanquish the sorcerer. He travels to the Kingdom of the Shadows hoping to become the apprentice of the illusive master magicians. There he will discover a darker secret ...

Just a few years ago, people spoke of the US as a hyperpower-a titan stalking the world stage with more relative power than any empire in history. Yet as early as 1993, newly-appointed CIA director James Woolsey pointed out that although Western powers had "slain a large dragon" by defeating the Soviet Union in the Cold War, they now faced a "bewildering variety of poisonous snakes." In The Dragons and the Snakes, the eminent soldier-scholar David Kilcullen asks how, and what, opponents of the West have learned during the last quarter-century of conflict. Applying a combination of evolutionary theory and detailed field observation, he explains what happened to the "snakes"-non-state threats including terrorists and guerrillas-and the "dragons"-state-based competitors such as Russia and China. He explores how enemies learn under conditions of conflict, and examines how Western dominance over a very particular, narrowly-defined form of warfare since the Cold War has created a fitness landscape that forces adversaries to adapt in ways that present serious new challenges to America and its allies. Within the world's contemporary conflict zones, Kilcullen argues, state and non-state threats have increasingly come to resemble each other, with states adopting non-state techniques and non-state actors now able to access levels of precision and lethal weapon systems once only available to governments. A counterintuitive look at this new, vastly more complex environment, The Dragons and the Snakes will not only reshape our understanding of the West's enemies' capabilities, but will also show how we can respond given the increasing limits on US power.

Dark, High Fantasy campaign setting for the Dice & Glory tabletop RPG.

Naofumi Iwatani continues his adventure in this second volume. But his task is not yet complete and obstacles mount as the increasingly ominous waves of destruction approach. He finds a new friend and new powerful abilities that may prove to be too dangerous for the companionship. Will Naofumi live up to his role as the Shield Hero and save the world from its prophesized destruction? Or will his dark side consume him?