Saga of Ebonheim [Progression, GameLit, Technofantasy]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Gods exist in this world. Having a god be a patron of a city is generally a good thing, but gods are usually self-serving jerks. A village with no patron god decides to come up with its own deity to cope, but never in their wildest dreams did they think that their deity would actually come to life. Ebonheim, the fledgling goddess born from their wishes, does her best to help her village prosper.

~This is a slow-burn technofantasy story with GameLit elements. It will eventually have a large cast of characters and detailed lore of the world, its gods, and even the System itself.

In a world where gods walk among mortals, governing their settlements and determining their fates, the outcasts and the forsaken forge their own path to salvation. They journey to the untamed frontiers and establish their new home within an ancient forest valley.

Shunned by the gods they once served, these outcasts forge a new path forward, led by elders who conspire to create a deity of their own. Through shared stories and collective beliefs, they breathe life into Ebonheim—a goddess born from their dreams and the embodiment of their hope for a brighter future.

As Ebonheim emerges into existence, she must earn the trust of her creators and grow in power to protect the village that brought her to life. But with enemies lurking in the shadows and the truth of her origins carefully guarded, Ebonheim faces a precarious existence. Can the people of the valley keep their divine secret hidden? Will Ebonheim's growing power attract unwanted attention from the gods who scorned her followers?

Follow the captivating story of a fledgling goddess and her devoted followers, as they struggle to survive in a world where the whims of the gods shape the lives of mortals, in an epic saga that spans generations.

This story updates every Monday and Friday

Saga of Ebonheim is my first foray into the GameLit genre and my first attempt to write a full series. There'll be some science fantasy/techno-fantasy elements in the setting later on. It'll be a slow burn at the start, and the story will have somewhat of a Kingdom Building element to it as the story progresses, though it won't be as mechanically involved as one would expect.

If you're a fan of "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime", "The Vision of Escaflowne", "Knights & Magic", and "Heroic Age" types of stories, then you might enjoy this tale. Any constructive feedback will be greatly appreciated.

- Zanafar

Link todiscord

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: Zanafar

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 1,928
Views: 1,163,525

Chapters(265 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

keeganashleyliveRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
What I enjoyed most about this book was the main character---they kept me flipping through the metaphorical pages with speed! The premise has a very unique feel to it, but I’d argue that the thing that stuck out more to me (and made the biggest impact on my complete enjoyment of the story) was the approachability of the god. Often, deities are portrayed with an ‘epic’ or ‘all-encompassing’ vibe which kind of sucks the relatability straight of out them. Not in this story! The goddess has a casual, quirkiness that immediately drew me in. We hear her human-like thoughts---even comparing herself to the level of humans in one chapter. I thought this really made the story unique and something I could really connect with.
There were no glaring grammatical errors or anything that interrupted my reading experience. In fact, I found the casual and flowing writing style to be incredibly fun to read.
The world the author is building feels vast and well-fleshed out with different creatures and a whole host of characters to get to know without detracting from the main character. The frequent stats (and level menus etc) also really added to the story, giving it that LitRPG flare we all love (at least, I do!). This one’s a great read! Try it out!
(GW)GamerwolfRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A very nice story. Found it through an ad and i dont regret anything. Easily one of my favs rn.
Style:
A normal LitRPG story with some interesting turns. Like as of now a weather arc which i weirdly never see in other storys, even though its a completely normal thing. All in all its perfect to relax and doesnt get boring at all.
Story:
The Story begins with some Villagers having enough of Gods taking over villages and rule them then. They create their own Village "Ebonheim" in the Ebonheim Forest and imagine for fun their own (fake) Goddess, which they name after their Village (Ebonheim) after a very long discussion. Funny thing is, that they get that exact goddess later in the Story, but not as expected..........lets say, shes lvl 1, while they imagined a lvl 100 goddess lmao xD
The Worldbuilding is also very nice. Same goes for the pacing of the arcs (not too long nor too short).
Characters:
Very likeable. No matter which character in the story, all have a great and enjoyable personality, which lets you create a connection to them. No matter if main character or side character.
Grammar:
There arent any usually, but if there are some, they get fixed very quickly :D
BroMandoFettRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Please everyone stop whatever you are doing and read this!
Cute adorable Goddess come to life in a quiet little wooden village, and then the world goes nuts and she has to learn quickly to overcome bigger problems than one little Goddess can handle. Thankfully she has some good friends and a solid head on her shoulders!
The magic is amazing and fun, and I love the semi-base building aspect and leveling. Not too heavy not to light, just right!
Lemon snakeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is criminally underrated.
So, for any new readers or reading addicts like me who are in search of a nice light novel, Ebonheim is a go to.
My arguments? Simple:
- First, the structure: the length of each chapters is consistent, they not too long nor too short. It may be a bit long but who complains about more gold than less ? The writing quality is also consistent.
- Second: Lore and characters: The protagonist is at a satisfactory balance where her powers are justified, there is growth but since it's not a grimdark type of novel, there is still some plot armour involved.
The side characters have more or less importance in the story, and as far as it is, they're not useless NPCs who exist just to add text. Note that some are more recurring than others, and author is adding more of them. As of now, it is balanced, not too much side characters to the point of overdose. They also have their POV chapters that are not just a transition from the usual omniscient POV for the sake of padding, they play a role in lore building and helps us follow their development.
As of Ebonheim's origins (warning spoiler ahead for people who did not start yet)
The idea of an artificial god summoned by the will of people instead of being placed by a system is kinda interesting, a "Man made divine". I hope I'm not just looking into it too much, but I think the story suggest that Ebonheim may be an already existing goddess in parallel timeline.
The world/ environment as of itself slowly reveals itself. Not by force, more of circonstance, which make their introduction flow well. The surrounding area+ village and villagers is described in details, which gives greater immersion.
- Third, since we're talking about a LitRPG type, the system structure is a bit stereotypical but the author did well by not doing the classical "OMG HALF A MILLION PTS OF DMG + BURNING WHOAAAA AND NEXT UPGRADE IS A BIL AND OMG WHAT is thaaaaat?! A THOUSAND OF TRIBILLIONS POWER LEVELED SKILL?" kind of approach. Ther
ManlorRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I normally try to wait for a story to have 100+ chapters before I start reading it. This one seemed interesting so I gave it a try even if there are just two dozens chapters. And I'm happy I did.
It's a cool setting. It's fun to see things more from the point of view of gods. It's not something we see often.
The MC is super cute and wholesome. The world building is nice. Something is going on with the system, and with her. I can't wait to see what happens next!
musicONgakuRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I've been following this story for quite some time now and have enjoyed the innocence, naivety and growth of our Goddess. It reads easily and - as a non-native english speaker - uses some expressions that make me go "ohoho that sounds nice." Maybe it's just me, but I really appreciate that particular tone.
However! There's just too many characters for my personal taste? I understand it's dear mr. Author's personal decision and that some people are completely fine with that, but I have difficulties remembering who is who and did what. For some stories it works just fine (look at Overlord for example, I love that series), but for Ebonheim I would love to have a bit of a faster pacing and more focus on our main character. I like Evelynn in the sense that she plays a crucial role for Ebonheim's growth as a person, Kelzryn as he is a mysterious powerhouse and the Lord's because of their unnatural yet fun dynamic. But the dozens of others that each seem too... normal? to have a lasting impression makes me press a long sigh through my nose each time they hog too much screen time.
I imagine it is a huge hassle to keep up with that many characters - I write from time to time too so I know it would be a huge pain in my buttocks at least - so I really respect the amount of work and time that is spent on that. But maybe the time would be better spent on other aspects of the story? Maybe to reduce the stress of worrying about "what everyone is doing," they could decide on a many-year-long expedition for a the sake of the village? Then narrowing it down and showing why the characters that remained are special and interesting and why we should care about them would be very fun to read. And even if this was just taken from the top of my head, I do hope you get my point (as I'm sure you do because you've mentioned similar worries in your last season 2 thoughts).
All that said, I wrote all this to show my appreciation for the already long ride and what's to come. I really like this
Rookie12Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This review is based on the first twenty-five chapters that were available at the time.
Before you, we have a unique story. A group of people, spurned and bitter at the gods of their world, had gathered together to build a small paradise for themselves with honest work. To unite themselves, they made up a goddess for themselves, one who would be kind and helpful to them rather than demanding and oppressive like the other gods. For a while, their delusion held, but one day, a system and their faith brought the goddess to life. And now her adventures and studies begin! Along with the very hard first task of persuading her own people that she is, in fact, a divine being.
Style. The descriptions are short, but the author clearly worked on their brevity. Even with a few lines, you can easily picture a character or their surroundings, and the clever use of several POVs helps build the tapestry of this setting. Five stars here.
Story. The worldbuilding is excellent. At first, you expect this to be the usual level-up type story, but the MC truly cares about her duties and about the people under her rule. And even the rest of the gods do not come as overwhelmingly evil; some of them are nice, while others are jerks. It's just that their faiths did not suit the people in the village. The System comes into play quite often, but it is not overbearing and serves as a genuine tool for the story's progression. All in all, five stars here too.
Grammar. I am a non-native English speaker, so take my opinion with an even bigger grain of salt here, but I have found next to no mistakes, and the author's rich vocabulary and research complement the story. Five stars.
Characters. The author made the correct choice by making characters come from various nations and kingdoms before forming this village. This allows us to learn more about the world without leaving it at first and presents us with various interesting points of view and a mix of traditions that have managed to cohabit with one
ZagarothRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Must Protect! ;)
Seriously, our MC here is adorable and sweet, and a touch naive though getting better about that part. *Gasp!* Character growth!
I can't help but be a bit silly in the review, the story currently has a very light-hearted feeling. There's more than a few clues that things will not remain near-idyllic forever, but right this moment it feeling like a nice romp with a newborn goddess trying to figure out how this whole thing works. And I like it.
I am trusting that the author will handle the inevitable transition to more serious story elements gracefully. It does help that the author has already proven that they can take criticism and feedback well.
wingmanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
So this story is incredibly. Virtually a masterpiece that put it in one of the most memorable story I have ever read, never in my life have I thought that I would enjoy a litrpg. As it been over done soo ,any time by thousands of author with differing quality of work. But now I get in to the review.
style: while it just a word on a white back ground. And different author can have different way to format the story with success or just a flop that requires fixing or a rewrite, but this story manage to do what I never thought was possible to create a easy to read and enjoyable format without overwhelming the reader with stat or just a blue box every paragraph.
grammar: never been my best topic but I don't see any critical mistake that can take the reader out of the story. But would recommend you used grammar or any proof reading website or a beta reader to get rid of the mistake that slip through the crack.
story: it a slow burn with incredible dialogue and plot with a city building type of story as of chapter 25 with the road being build. It mange to get the right amount of world building to create a believable world while still leaving just enough to be a mystery making the reader wonder what is it like further dragging us into the story and immersing our self even more.
character: believable and have a personality is there more to ask for in a story.
overall: a masterpiece with a amazing story and character.10/10 would recommend to other and it a lot better then most litrpg.
BrGastlRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
I try keeping it short.
This is a great novel. Grammar is impeccable and even when names are thrown arround like candy on a kids party, it is easy to follow the authors thoughts and imaginations, I had an espacially easy time imagining thr scenes written in the book.
So the necessary steps to create a decent book are already made.
My Issue comes from a different angle. The Novels feels PEGI 6, while there are interesting fights which even contains blodshed, they feel like there isn't a gravitas to them, maybe even censored. When I tried to followe the image the author creates all the wounds felt more like somehow censored. We get a very vivid imagination in this book, but the fights, even though lengthy, are always somewhat toned down, more focused on the happenings than how it feels, how wills clashes or emotions.
This is not necessarily bad, but combines itself with other rather unfortunate points in my eyes to be an overall dull book.
The MC being a goddess, if you consider it closely even a extremly overpowered one, combined with her children like persona manages to make every fight look so irrelevant. Comparable to someone running from a wasp, just without the implicit comedy. The comedy we get comes more from interactions between villagers, which as a sidenote are humorous. Anothe rpoint is is the world building and overall implications which are just scratching the surface area and while reading I eoiher have questions or doubt the world building system as somewhat inconsistent.
Overall we have: OP MC+underwhelming worldbuilding and social trickery (naivety and good intention rule supreme though they are also the balancing fsctor for the MC) + focuses on fights, but has a more Slice of Life Novel feeling to it or that it was meant for a smaller audience.
I can see that some people might enjoy it, in my childhood I would have definitely enjoyed this book. In which case I'm not sure, if the book was correctly advertised. Since I had expected it to be more a li