Vallisheim: Iron and Ashes

Ward was preparing to enlist when the world disappeared. Transported to an alien forest with nothing but his reenactment gear and a cryptic message about fulfilling a purpose, he wakes to a world of oversized predators, glowing veins of energy beneath the soil, and a sky of unfamiliar stars.

Survival should have been enough—until he stumbles upon a civilization built on slavery and fear, where demi-humans are branded like cattle and caged. Ward doesn't believe in destiny, just duty. And some lines can't be ignored, even in a world not his own.

His act of mercy sparks rebellion—and marks him for death. The people he frees begin to rally, and Ward's strange affinity with the world's energy reveals itself: he can see and reshape matter itself. As refuge becomes resistance and resistance becomes war, Ward is thrust into the role he never wanted—leader of an army that shouldn't exist.

In a land where magic is power and obedience is law, one man who refuses to look away might be exactly the catalyst needed to break the chains. Or die trying.