Derek Alan Siddoway's Blog

Most years feel like they fly by. This year landed squarely in the “appropriately lengthy” category (balanced out by quick months and weeks that stretched for years).   Reflecting on the past 12 months, my biggest challenge of 2024 was implementing (or failing to implement) new systems and habits to adjust to growing from a […]

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Here’s to another year in the books and the unwritten chapter ahead of us! November 2023 marked my ten-year anniversary as a published author. It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since a young indie author first uploaded Out of Exile to Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Reflecting over the past decade of my …

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Intro It’s becoming a standard line in these posts for me to exclaim how fast the year has gone. With 2022, it was probably because the year was such a fantastic one. I’ve got many things to be grateful for in my author career and amazing readers are at the top of the list. In …

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Does anyone else feel like 2020 and 2021 blended together into a weird mega year? Certainly many amazing things happened in 2021, but much of the stress and anxiety of the previous year held on like a guard dog grabbing a burglar’s leg. As I reflect on the past twelve months, I have a greater …

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I’m thrilled to share this recording of the Beast Mage description and announce the narrator for the Mana Beast series.…

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I think enough has been said about the wild ride that 2020 was, so I won’t linger on it. I…

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Intro My, what a year! Once again, the State of the Siddoway is the only blog post up on ye…

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Blows cobwebs away and wipes off dust

Anybody there?

Man, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve updated the blog (if you want to get the most current news and updates about my books, you should sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter) but I’m a sucker for tradition and nothing is more traditional around here than my State of the Author and Author Resolutions posts! That being said, I’m combining tradition with a bit of a new approach for these two updates. They’ll both be rolled into one called — if you haven’t guessed based on the title of this post — State of the Siddoway. Yes, I know Brandon Sanderson does State of the Sanderson. No, I didn’t know that when I started writing State of the Author a few years back. Yes, I am paraphrasing with my last name now but hey, great artists don’t copy, they steal!

Now back to the stuff you actually care about.

2018 quick recap

This year will go down as one of the most pivotal of my life. First and foremost, I married the most amazing woman who is my #1 fan and a huge supporter of my writing career. Sometime between wedding plans and beginning a new life I managed to keep writing. Although I didn’t have any new releases this year, I published the Gryphon Riders Trilogy Boxed Set and released the series out in audio form as well! After the crazy grind of 2017, I had a hard time getting back to writing my 3,000 words per day and as such, the rough drafts of Djinn Tamer 1 and 2 took longer than I had planned. The entire series was supposed to be finished by October, but we’re just getting ready to do book 3 now (more on that later).

Overall, though, I think I managed to strike a healthy balance between life, the day job and writing. It’s a lot to take in but being consistent with the same amount of manageable words each day goes a long way.

January – February: Djinn Tamer Planning March – July: Djinn Tamer: Starter rough draft, Gryphon Riders Trilogy Boxed Set publication August: Wedding bells September – November: Gryphon Outcast Trilogy planning, Djinn Tamer: Rivals rough draft, Gryphons Riders Trilogy audiobook launch December: Holding Out rough draft, 4 book Teutevar series planning



2018 by the numbers

Estimated rough draft words written (books only): 165,000+

Books published: 4

The Gryphon Riders Trilogy Boxed SetWindsworn (Audiobook)Windswept (Audiobook)Windbreak (Audiobook)



Best of 2018 (in no particular order)



Movies

Ballad of Buster Scruggs
This was just some gorgeous storytelling all around that covered the spectrum of human emotion. Plus I love westerns! Check out this movie on Netflix

Hostiles
A masterful, heart-wrenching film with an amazing cast. (And another western!)

Bohemian Rhapsody
A great look into the foundations of Queen, this movie inspired me as a creative. The soundtrack was going to be great regardless, but was really utilized to full effect.

Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse
I didn’t expect to love the latest Spider-Man as much as I did. An all around fantastic blend of animation, writing and acting. My favorite Spidey installment so far.

Books

Age of War (audiobook) by Michael Sullivan, narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds
What an end to this book! I’m eagerly awaiting the fourth

Ready Player One (audiobook) by Ernest Cline, narrated by Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton was a phenomenal narrator and I just loved this book all the way around. The movie, sadly, was not at the same level.

Mistborn – The Final Empire, The Alloy of Law, Shadows of Self, The Bands of Mourning (audiobooks) by Brandon Sanderson, narrated by Michael Kramer
I only started my Sanderson journey in 2017 but loved the end of the first Mistborn trilogy and enjoyed the western flare in the second era series almost as much. Michael Kramer brings these books to life!

Dragon Age: The Calling & Dragon Age: Stolen Throne by David Gaider
Any fan of the Dragon Age games will love these books and the author is one of the writers from Dragon Age: Origins!

Fire and Blood by George RR Martin
I was wary going into this but there have been several nights when I’ve stayed up way too late reading up the history of the Targaryens in Westeros. It’s not Winds of Winter, but still an excellent read for GOT fans.

The Bear and the Serpent by Adrian Tchaikovsky
An intriguing second book in this series that took some twists I wasn’t expecting. I enjoyed the continued exploration of this quasi- North American fantasy world with shape-shifting tribes. I’ve already got the third on pre-order when it releases in January.

Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
A solid narrator takes a great book to a whole ‘nother level. Such was the case with Kings of the Wyld, one of my favorite books of 2018 and quite possibly in my all-time list.

Orconomics & Son of a Liche by J Zachary Pike
I don’t read many humorous books and I don’t want to bill this series as such. Instead, I’d call it clever, hilarious fantasy with realistic, enjoyable characters and a more complex storyline than you might expect at first glance. Bring on the third!

Games

Pokemon Let’s Go
Yes, this game is a bit dumbed down but it’s just fun to play. Loved returning to the Pokemon Yellow of my childhood and hope this offshoot of the franchise continues making installments. A great, nostalgic game.

Most anticipated of 2019

GOT final season
I’m sure the grand finale will be well worth the wait…I suppose that applies for the books, too ;). Excited to see how everything shakes out.

The Hyena and the Hawk by Adrian Tchaikovsky
As I mentioned above, this series took some unexpected twists in book two. I love this world and can’t wait to see what the author does with the direction

Star Wars IX
I didn’t hate The Last Jedi but I didn’t rave over it, either. The last installment in this trilogy will make or break all three, in my opinion and I’m curious to see how JJ Abrams ties up all these loose ends floating about.

Age of Legend by Michael Sullivan
Age of War ended in an interesting place and it almost feels like Age of Legend will begin a new trilogy of sorts within the series. July is too far away!

What went well

Read more books
I really started leaning more into audiobooks in 2018 which allowed me to take a hack out of my wishlist on Amazon (that’s exclusively made up of books). At any given time, I’m probably in the middle of two print books, two ebooks and one audiobook. My non-fiction backed off a little this year, but I think listening to the written word and reading more fiction has helped to improve my writing voice.

More intentional with projects
It may not feel like it looking at my production schedule, but I’ve really narrowed my focus over the last year. All of the shiny, distracting ideas still pop up, but I’ve done a much better job filing them away for future reference. I can’t remember where I heard this from, but one author talked about how you never need to worry about forgetting an idea — the good ones always come back to you. While I’m still in the habit of chalking most of my idea down, I’ve definitely noticed that some characters and books refuse to be stored away.

What didn’t go well

This wasn’t exactly a negative, but I definitely had a hard time getting back into the swing of things after the furious pace of Gryphon Riders. There were plenty of things going on in my life to distract from writing (and many deservedly so) but even when I made time to crank out some words, it hit my flow much less frequently. I attribute this to a burnout from my production in 2017. I finally got past it in October-November and learned the importance of striking a balance. In order to keep the books rolling, I’ll be working with a number of authors in the coming years (see below for details).

A look at 2019

Man, this part is always fun to write, even if I can just look back at it in December on next year and get a good laugh. That being said, I’ve got a solid, achievable plan in place for 2019. It’s a little surreal to reach the point in my author career that readers are asking when I will be getting back to different series. It also make deciding what to write next harder, because I want to do it all! That being said, whether you’re a fan of the Gryphon Riders Trilogy, Teutevar Saga or anticipating the upcoming Djinn Tamers books, you should be able to get your hands on all three in 2019. I hope this will clear up some of the questions I’ve been getting lately about when I’ll be writing what:

Gryphon Riders

The bad news: I originally anticipated writing a three-book novella series in the Gryphon Riders world January through April. That project has been put on hold as I finish Djinn Tamer: Evolution (Book 3) and go into the planning and outlining for another series we’ll discuss in a minute.

The good news: I’m currently writing a short story in the Gryphon Riders world for an anthology coming out late spring/early summer 2019. Holding Out features a familiar golden gryphon and his rider, but I don’t want to give away anything else ;). The anthology as a whole should be excellent — there are some amazing authors joining in.

More good news:

Aside from Holding Out, I am also working with an author to produce a second Gryphon Riders Trilogy. I say produce, because I won’t be the one writing it but the project will be under my direction and revision to ensure everything fits right into the world. The Gryphon Outcast Trilogy featuring A.J. Cerna (my co-author on the Djinn Tamer series) will be released late summer/fall 2019. We’ve already completed a decent amount of the outline and I’m excited to share more in the coming months. The story takes place a few decades after the events of Windbreak and features a new cast of characters. Don’t worry, though, plenty of familiar faces will make appearances, too!

Teutevar Saga

It’s always great to hear from someone who wants to know when Teutevar Saga Book 3 is coming out. My answer as of now (December 2018) is probably not until 2020 or 2021. But don’t call me George R. R. Martin just yet!

I’ve wanted to get back to the world of Peldrin since the completion of the Gryphon Riders Trilogy and am happy to announce that a quartet of books (not just three, but four) are in the works. Outlining will take place late spring 2019 and writing the rough drafts of all four from June – December. Anticipated release of book one is January 2020. I’m working with another author on this series and there’s still a lot to work out so I can’t give away too many details but here’s a little snippet of the story premise: a coming of age story featuring a Valkyrie girl and her Amarok wolf.

I’ve also got a novella about Shamus and Brinhold that I would love to release when it makes sense. The rough draft has been completed since…2014, I think. It needs a solid revision and some edits but is otherwise good to go. If 2019 is the year that happens I’ll be sure to spread the word in advance.

Djinn Tamer

It’s a really great feeling when I’m reading the finished draft of a book and I can’t stop turning the pages. That’s the way I feel reading Djinn Tamer: Starter. I can’t wait to get it published on February 8. This series has been delayed a few months but the wait has made the books better. It will also result in them being released closer together, too! If you haven’t caught the synopsis in one of my emails yet, have a read:

Tame. Train. Battle.

Fans of Pokémon, Digimon, and Monster Rancher will love this monster-battling take on the LitRPG genre!

Jackson Hunt wants nothing more than to be a professional monster tamer — skilled trainers who raise and battle magical creatures called djinn. He longs for the day when he comes of age and can leave home to pursue his dreams of taming djinn.

Unfortunately for Jackson, dreams and reality don’t always coincide.

To help his grandmother make ends meet, Jackson spends his days doing manual labor on a breeder’s ranch — just about as far removed from the bright lights and roaring crowds of the (Djinn Fighting League) as it gets. But no matter how hard Jackson and his grandma try, it’s never enough.

Facing bank foreclosure, Jackson is desperate to save his home but has no idea how… until he discovers a young, untrained djinn left behind for him by his dead mother.

As time runs out, Jackson works tirelessly to raise and develop a bond with his djinn. But monster taming isn’t as easy as the pros make it look. Along the way, Jackson and his friends will delve into the shady world of underground fighting, experience the agony of defeat and learn what it takes to be a true monster tamer.

Will Jackson and his djinn level up fast enough or is his dream destined to die before it even truly begins?

We also did a redesign of the covers and now that they’re all done, here’s a first look:

Other plans

In addition to planning, writing and producing all of the books above, I really want to make Patreon happen in 2019. I’ve already been working on a plan for the different tiers and rewards and am really excited to share. When complete, my Patreon will showcase exclusive art, and some really awesome patron-only rewards. Stay tuned for more!

Another interesting project I’ve been dabbling in and want to do more consistently next year is hand-copying passages from my favorite authors and books. I’ve found this to be a great way to study writing styles of other authors.

Conclusion

2018 was a huge step forward in my career and 2019 is shaping up to be even more amazing. I’m involved with several really exciting projects and can’t wait for readers to experience all three of the worlds that will have new books out in the coming year. Whether you’re a fan of Gryphon Riders, an old school Teutevar reader or you’re looking forward to Djinn Tamers, it’s going to be a fun ride!

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Whew. This year passed by in a crazy, wild blur of words. I’d be lying if I said I’m not a little glad that it’s over but I wouldn’t change the experiences I gained writing the Gryphon Riders Trilogy for anything. The series is doing really well so far! The majority of feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and the issues I did have (namely ensuring the least amount of typos made it to final publication as possible) were cleared up with each successive book.

I know I say it all the time but THANK YOU to each and every reader who read/bought/reviewed/told a friend/sent me a kind email about one of the Gryphon Riders books. You inspire me to keep pushing and to work harder to be a better author. If you want a recap of how my author career went in 2017, you can read that here.

2017 by the numbers

Estimated rough draft words written (books only): 215,000+

Estimated words published: 319,000

Estimated words revised: 225,000+

Books published: 4

– Lone Wolf Anthology

– Windsworn

– Windswept

– Windbreak

(and one poem)

2018 goals
Read more books

It feels like this is my goal every year and in 2017 I actually improved on this. Still, I’ve got a huge TBR pile and when I did an audit on my time, I realized I’m wasting hours each day on my phone, checking things just for the sake of checking them in 5-10 minute increments. My life is busier now that it used to be when I read more, but I believe another problem is that I’m wasting my reading time here and there each day. I’d much rather be reading a book I’m interested in than mindlessly surfing Facebook.

Be intentional with my projects

“Intention” is my word for 2018. What this means is that I’m not going to do anything unless I have a legitimate reason behind it. This might sound kind of obvious, but, as I mentioned in my 2017 recap, it’s easy to get distracted by shiny object syndrome, especially when you’re in the middle of tedious, time-consuming project. Before I say yes to things, I’m examining to see if they fit in with my overall plans and goals or if they’re just something that sounds good to avoid doing the work that matters.

Revisit/study nonfiction

I made a resolution in the second half of 2017 not to consume any new nonfiction material, whether that was a book, audiobook or course. My plan is to continue that into 2018. I’ll only be consuming material I’ve read/listening/watched before or that I’ve previously purchased. The reason for this is twofold:

 I’ve built up a debt of materials that I haven’t had time to get through and don’t want to keep buying new stuff until I can get through and apply what I already have. It’s easy just to buy courses and books thinking they’ll help you but unless you take the time to learn and apply the information it’s worthless.
I learn almost as much reading a book the second time as I did the first. I am hoping by re-consuming some content that I can pick up on things I missed and get a few reminders about some things that I’ve forgotten.

In doing this I’m also applying the just in time learning principle. Basically, if it isn’t pertinent or something I need right away, I’m going to save it for later when it’s more applicable to my immediate plans and needs.

2018 Writing Plans

When I published Windbreak, the concluding book in the Gryphon Riders Trilogy, I wasn’t sure exactly where to go next. And by not sure I mean that my plans wandered aimlessly like a ship caught in the ocean with no wind to fill the sails. I debated going back to the Teutevar Saga or writing another trilogy in the Gryphon Riders world. What I settled on, however, is doing another new series in another new world. I don’t want to give away too much information yet but it will be co-authored and in the litrpg genre.

And don’t worry! Yes, it will be available on other platforms aside from Amazon (probably only for a short time but I’ll give you readers plenty of heads up). Also, because I’m co-authoring the title, I’ll have time to get another project underway — I’m thinking that will either be outlining the rest of the Teutevar Saga or starting a new trilogy in the Gryphon Riders world.

On top of writing, I’m planning on releasing the Gryphon Riders Trilogy as a bundle and am in the process of finding a narrator to begin working on audiobooks for the series!

Oh yeah, and I’ve got something else that’s pretty awesome in the works as well. But…I can’t announce anything until it’s official. Stay tuned for more!

Best of 2017

For my list of Top 10 movies, go to flickhit.com  and scroll down to the “D-Sidd” section. (Spoiler alert: My top three in order: 1. Logan, 2. Coco, 3. The Last Jedi — yes I realize the Last Jedi had its issues but I still thought it was a solid film overall)

Books

Star Wars Aftermath: Empire’s End by Chuck Wendig

A solid conclusion to a phenomenal trilogy, Empire’s End covers the Battle of Jakku and fills in a few more mysteries between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

Star Wars: Bloodline by Claudia Gray

I swear I did more than watch and read Star Wars. This book takes place as the New Republic attempts to establish itself and the main character is Leia. The book is a political thriller with some surprising twists and turns and details the birth of the Resistance and the shadowy origins of the First Order.

The Tiger and The Wolf by Adrian Tchaikovsky

One of my favorite books overall, not just in 2017. The story takes places in pre-European North American-like land where the inhabitants are divided into tribes based on the animals they can turn into. A clever story with some AMAZING worldbuilding elements that don’t overwhelm the plot but leave you wanting more. Can’t recommend it enough. You can read my full review here.

The Legion of Flame by Anthony Ryan (audiobook)

The Waking Fire made my list last year ((LINK) and the second book in this series is just as good if not better. I love the concept of a steampunk world filled with “blood-blessed” who imbibe dragon blood to gain special powers. Trust me, this book will take you for a ride to places you never expected.

Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull (audiobook)

Not only a great business book but an awesome behind the scenes look at Pixar from founder Ed Catmull.

#AskGaryVee by Gary Vaynerchuk (audiobook)

Chock full of great advice and read by the one and only Gary Vaynerchuk himself. This book covers a wide variety of business topics but also delves into overall strategies for life. Gary calls it how he sees it and doesn’t sugarcoat anything.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight (audiobook)

Like Creativity Inc, Shoe Dog offers some awesome insights into starting a business from scratch as well and providing plenty of interesting backstory on the founding and growth of Nike. A bit of a long listen but the journey was well worth it.

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

A YA/NA western about a girl on the hunt for her father’s killers. The story is almost as good as True Grit and isn’t afraid to pull any punches with character or plot. There’s also elements of mystery and western folklore woven in.

The Rookie by Scott Sigler

An interesting concept — professional football in the future. But not just on Earth. The galaxy is chock full of a variety of alien species in a post-war world. The gridiron is more brutal than ever with humans and various extraterrestrials competing in life or death games of football. The main character came off a little annoying but a great read if you love football at any level.

(Note: Above book title links are affiliate links to Amazon)

Most Anticipated of 2018

I’ve yet to get to many of my most anticipated books from 2017, but here’s what I’m on the lookout for:

Han Solo: A Star Wars movie

With Ron Howard at the helm, I have a hard time believing this won’t blow the socks off even the whiniest, fan-boyish Star Wars fans. Alden Ehrenreich is a phenomenal actor as well.

Hostile

Coming in two weeks. I love Christian Bale and I love westerns. This promises to be just as good or better than 3:10 to Yuma.

Mortal Engines

Don’t anything about this franchise except for the teaser trailer. That was enough. I’m going to read the book.

Black Panther

Same director as Creed. I don’t need to say anything else. Oh, wait, Chadwick Boseman is excellent in this role and Ander Serkis is sure to be a hit as well.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindewald

Fantastic Beasts was good — I hope they up the ante this one. Interested to see the chemistry between Jude Law and Johnny Depp.

But what about the books?!

I’ve got a humongous TBR pile that I want to get through before I worry too much about new releases. That being said, I definitely won’t be missing The Empire of Ashes, the sequel to The Legion of Flame by Anthony Ryan and the concluding book in the Draconis Memoria trilogy. More reading recommendations to come throughout the year!

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Pre-order your copy of Windbreak here!
Get an uncut first look at Windbreak, the concluding title in the Gryphon Riders Trilogy, below:

Before anyone could stop her, Eva joined the fray. The complete chaos of her first pitched battle nearly topped her in her tracks. There appeared to be only twenty to thirty of the smoke-colored Smelterborn, but each fought with the ferocity of ten men. Gryphons screamed and dropped like arrows from the sky. Juarag raiders, Sorondaran knights, Windsworn and Scrawl rune mages fell like trees beneath an iron avalanche

“Aim for the eyes!” Eva shouted as a burst of flame shot from the hands of nearby Scrawl. She knew their magic might be the only thing to turn the tide. “Aim for the eyes — it’s the only way to bring them down!”

In the chaos, she wasn’t sure anyone heard her. To her left, a man screamed as he flew through the air before smashing into two of his fellow soldiers. Eva pushed her way forward, ignoring her friends’ shouts for her to stop. A Smelterborn loomed out of the blizzard in front of her.

Pushing aside her terror, Eva summoned her training. The Smelterborn swung at her with a sword the size of a lance. Eva raised her weapon and braced to parry the blow. Aleron’s rune-inscribed blade cut through the golem’s weapon. The Smelterborn registered no surprise or shock at having his sword cut in two. Instead, it tossed the hilt aside and raised its shield in both hands, then charged.

Eva dove to the side and shifted the grip on her sword. She swung hard sideways and sparks filled the air as the blade scored the iron face of the shield. Pivoting with the momentum of her swing, Eva severed the golem’s arm at its elbow. But the Smelterborn registered no pain. With its remaining hand, it hefted its shield overhead in a crushing blow.

Eva stumbled backward and lost her footing. She looked up just as the Smelterborn’s shield swung toward her. She gritted her teeth. So this was how it would end.

At the last moment, a figure collided with the falling shield, forcing the edge inches to the right of Eva’s head. Tahl rebounded off the shield and hit the ground hard. Scrambling, Eva swung low and severed the golem’s leg. The Smelterborn toppled over backward. Before it could recover, Eva buried her blade in its armored chest.

An all-too-familiar bone-chilling wail split the air and a dark shape shot out of the ruined helmet, like a streak of black tar in the snow-filled sky. Eva ran to Tahl’s side as he stood, using his shield to steady himself. The tumult of the battle around them faded into the back of Eva’s mind as she searched him for any serious wounds. A relieved sob tore from her chest upon finding him okay.

“Gonna be…sore tomorrow,” he grunted.

“I had it handled,” Eva said and they shared a grim laugh.

Pushing her soaked hair out of her face, Eva saw about two-thirds of the Smelterborn were down, although the humans’ superior numbers wore thin. Not far off, Sigrid, Iva, Wynn, and Chel toppled another Smelterborn after a blast of Ivan’s ice kenning struck it in the head. When they joined Eva and Tahl, the Scrawl bent over, hands on his knees like he’d just ran up the mountainside.

“Everyone alright?” Eva asked them.

“No thanks to you,” Sigrid said, hefting her notched ax. She grinned. “I’m supposed to be the one who rushes into a fight without thinking it through.”

Chel held a broken spear in her hand and nodded. Wynn only stared, face as pale as the snow.

“Wynn,” Eva said, seized by concern. “Are you okay?”

Before she could answer, Ivan, bent over again and spewed his breakfast at their feet.

“Sorry,” he muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

The westerners and the Juarag fought side by side as a wall of weapons and shields, herding the remaining golems toward the cliffs. Shouting and screaming, the unlikely allies drove the band of golems off the edge. Only two Smelterborn remained. Both charged the king and Arapheem. Once again, Eva charged forward, leaving her friends to follow.

The first golem fell beneath a blast of fire from a Scrawl kenning. The last, instead of retreating from the lost battle, went berserk. The Smelterborn hit the first wave of knights, armor smashing into armor as it abandoned its weapon, tossing the men and women aside with both hands. Nearby Juarag sprinted to the defense of their war leader and were crushed beneath the golem’s iron fists.

A shot of ice hit the Smelterborn in the shoulder sending it spinning. Faster than Eva could blink, the golem recovered as if the defeat of its fellow somehow added to its strength and speed. Several kennings hit the golem all at once, a storm of ice, fire, wind, and earth. The Smelterborn absorbed each blow, in turn, wading through the rune magic. More soldiers died as they crossed in front of its path.

Although nothing could stop it, the golem’s progress slowed just enough. Eva struck. Her overhead slash cut deep, leaving a gaping line of heated metal, curling back on itself. Dropping to its knees, the golem continued to crawl forward and a horrifying, guttural chant filled the air.

Eva screamed and swung down again with all of her might. A blast of ice struck the Smelterborn’s helmet. It didn’t stop crawling. Summoning the last of her strength, Eva raised her sword in both hands and drove it through the back of the golem’s head. The dark spirit trapped within burst free, knocking everyone within an arm’s length of the Smelterborn to the ground. The now-empty suit of armor gave a last twitch and lay still.

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