The Exorcist's Dagger

The elderly thief Piotr has been accused of murdering a local exorcist in the mining town of Kazark, but he needs help to prove his innocence. With few options, he tells his apprentice Grigori to contact Wrathgar, a wandering barbarian from the Snowfell Mountains and convince him to help Piotr. Fortunately, the barbarian remembers Piotr from the time they stayed in the same inn during the winter. Together with the young thief Grigori, Wrathgar needs to find the real murderer: A Xarsian priest who is looking for the exorcist's dagger.

But Wrathgar isn't the only one looking for the Xarsian priest. Svetlana, the exorcist's apprentice, is also looking for him, and she wants to kill the priest and avenge her master's murder. She doesn't care if this means letting Piotr hang from a noose for murder, so long as she gets her vengeance. Can Wrathgar find the evil priest and keep him alive long enough to prove Piotr's innocence? And why does the priest want the exorcist's dagger in the first place? What is so special about it?

The priest isn't the only one looking for the dagger either. Corrupt town guards, the captain of the town guard, and a criminal underground of Xarsians who love their gladiator fights and crucifying people are also looking for the dagger. They will stop at nothing to get it. Trapped in the middle is the prizefighting boxer Boris, the traumatized smith's apprentice Burian, and the gnome Bizbald, who always seems to show up when trouble or gold is involved.

A fantastical crime drama by Charles Moffat set in the kingdom of Korovia. Learn more by visiting fiction.charlesmoffat.com