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Hex | End: Conflux Error
Life is what they make it—even if it’s already dead.
Despite their common interests in the fictional and fantastical, Edgar and Lucretcia are two long-time friends who can’t seem to agree on much when it comes to the question: Is real life too dull?
It just so happens, they don’t have to reach a consensus—at least not on their own.
A typical afterschool gaming session with their buddies in the EIDOLON tabletop role-playing club, takes a turn for the grave with a few rolls of the dice. The stakes go from practically nothing to unimaginably high when the six friends are bafflingly imbued with their fictional characters’ magick and abilities. And if that weren’t enough to turn their minds’ inside-out and worlds’ upside-down, Yaldovrath, a lich from their Gateways: Swords & Sorcery campaign traverses the impossible gulf between their fantasy world and reality, and he’s got a major bone to pick. To make matters worse, he’s being abetted by allies in both worlds: a sinister death cult and an imprisoned eldritch monstrosity.
As Yaldovrath’s tide of undead soldiers rises in the heart of the shining capital metropolis of Ephialtes, EIDOLON and company have to get their act together if they want to survive, let alone figure out the mystery at the heart of these unfortunate events to put a stop to them—if that’s truly what they want.
Despite their common interests in the fictional and fantastical, Edgar and Lucretcia are two long-time friends who can’t seem to agree on much when it comes to the question: Is real life too dull?
It just so happens, they don’t have to reach a consensus—at least not on their own.
A typical afterschool gaming session with their buddies in the EIDOLON tabletop role-playing club, takes a turn for the grave with a few rolls of the dice. The stakes go from practically nothing to unimaginably high when the six friends are bafflingly imbued with their fictional characters’ magick and abilities. And if that weren’t enough to turn their minds’ inside-out and worlds’ upside-down, Yaldovrath, a lich from their Gateways: Swords & Sorcery campaign traverses the impossible gulf between their fantasy world and reality, and he’s got a major bone to pick. To make matters worse, he’s being abetted by allies in both worlds: a sinister death cult and an imprisoned eldritch monstrosity.
As Yaldovrath’s tide of undead soldiers rises in the heart of the shining capital metropolis of Ephialtes, EIDOLON and company have to get their act together if they want to survive, let alone figure out the mystery at the heart of these unfortunate events to put a stop to them—if that’s truly what they want.
651 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2021
2 people are currently reading
About the author
Scott L. Reavy Jr.
2 books2 followersLover of wisdom. Player of drums. Reader of books and manga. Watcher of anime. Listener of metal and obscure podcasts. Appreciator of philosophy and religious studies. Proponent of free-market economics (Austrian School). Hater of politics and political correctness. Eleutheromaniac. Ordonaturalist.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 9, 2021
I mean, of course I like it. I wrote it. 😎
December 28, 2024
A novelized twist on the isekai anime format with D&D framework, Hex End: Confluence Error, by Scott Reavy, Jr. (@projecthexen on Twitter/X), follows a group of teenagers who, amidst a crisis of underworldly proportions, acquire the powers of their tabletop RPG characters. The novel’s plot hinges on the TTRPG lore written by the character Edgar—which invades Edgar and his friends’ world. Following the perspectives of Lucretcia, Edgar, and the antagonist, the lich Yaldovrath, Reavy’s debut incorporates many of the best elements of RPGs and anime.
This book has a lot of content. From fully articulated villain lore, to a world map (only a fraction of which is used in this volume), to schematics of how the different magic elements interact, Reavy has given us more than we could have asked for. Add to that artwork by the author and you have plenty of content for the price. Furthermore, for those who know a bit about and have interacted with the author online, there are subtle references to Plato, Ayn Rand, and others (as well as easily recognizable pop-culture references from our world) to be found, not to mention themes and tropes from various anime.
The book opens not with the protagonist teens, but with Yalodovrath, through the backstory of the TTRPG campaign the teens will soon play. Though initially disparate plots, the interplay becomes central to the book’s theme about the reality of stories (even those crafted for little more than after-school entertainment). While I had a time inferring and remembering which teen played which tabletop character, I really enjoyed the dynamic—and it left me wanting more scenes with the tabletop characters (especially action ones). The detectives Lucretcia’s uncle Dani and Emilia, who serve as a normal adult reader’s entry into the plot, provide us everything from the first inklings of the undead menace entering the “real” world to a non-RPGer’s struggling to grasp the jargon thrown around by the teens (not the only comic relief in the book).
Now, of course, the book isn’t perfect. Characters’ thoughts, while fleshing out those characters and their world, do tend to slow down what is an action-oriented plot. The narration also lives in the superlative, with extreme descriptions throughout; a part of the this at times frenetic tone is the pervasive use of vulgar language, consistent across the narrator and all characters. There’s also a skepticism of religion and government, taken for granted among the characters, which I felt extreme and out-of-character for average teens who aren’t parroting specific books, podcasts, or their parents, etc. Some details are given to explain it later on, but until then it can be a bit jarring.
Nonetheless, if these kind of things don’t bog you down (or if you prefer them!), then you’ll have a great experience with Hex End. I’m glad I read it, and I look forward to the sequel that the ending of this volume sets up.
This book has a lot of content. From fully articulated villain lore, to a world map (only a fraction of which is used in this volume), to schematics of how the different magic elements interact, Reavy has given us more than we could have asked for. Add to that artwork by the author and you have plenty of content for the price. Furthermore, for those who know a bit about and have interacted with the author online, there are subtle references to Plato, Ayn Rand, and others (as well as easily recognizable pop-culture references from our world) to be found, not to mention themes and tropes from various anime.
The book opens not with the protagonist teens, but with Yalodovrath, through the backstory of the TTRPG campaign the teens will soon play. Though initially disparate plots, the interplay becomes central to the book’s theme about the reality of stories (even those crafted for little more than after-school entertainment). While I had a time inferring and remembering which teen played which tabletop character, I really enjoyed the dynamic—and it left me wanting more scenes with the tabletop characters (especially action ones). The detectives Lucretcia’s uncle Dani and Emilia, who serve as a normal adult reader’s entry into the plot, provide us everything from the first inklings of the undead menace entering the “real” world to a non-RPGer’s struggling to grasp the jargon thrown around by the teens (not the only comic relief in the book).
Now, of course, the book isn’t perfect. Characters’ thoughts, while fleshing out those characters and their world, do tend to slow down what is an action-oriented plot. The narration also lives in the superlative, with extreme descriptions throughout; a part of the this at times frenetic tone is the pervasive use of vulgar language, consistent across the narrator and all characters. There’s also a skepticism of religion and government, taken for granted among the characters, which I felt extreme and out-of-character for average teens who aren’t parroting specific books, podcasts, or their parents, etc. Some details are given to explain it later on, but until then it can be a bit jarring.
Nonetheless, if these kind of things don’t bog you down (or if you prefer them!), then you’ll have a great experience with Hex End. I’m glad I read it, and I look forward to the sequel that the ending of this volume sets up.
December 18, 2023
I got it directly from the Author himself at a Con.
The Characters and both worlds the "Real" and the "Fantasy" are well thought out and very well done. The story can and does engage you, and I mean it grabs you from the very beginning, or at least it did that for me.
If you like Fantasy, Isekai, Manga, D&D, or whatever I truly think you should give this book a try. You won't be disappointed.
I can't wait for the next one.
The Characters and both worlds the "Real" and the "Fantasy" are well thought out and very well done. The story can and does engage you, and I mean it grabs you from the very beginning, or at least it did that for me.
If you like Fantasy, Isekai, Manga, D&D, or whatever I truly think you should give this book a try. You won't be disappointed.
I can't wait for the next one.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews