Twilight of the Damned

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

On one side stands the ancient Vashall Empire—a monarchy long-entrenched, proud, and rigid. Once a vast and fearsome power, the Empire’s influence stretched across oceans, dominating faraway lands through might and magic. But that age has passed. The overseas territories, weary of exploitation and the cold grip of undead enforcers, have broken free. Colony after colony slipped the bonds of imperial rule, and the Empire, bloated and rotting from within, began to crack.

Now, even the heartland is breaking.

The East, having watched and learned from the revolutions abroad, has risen in defiance. These former subjects no longer recognize the Emperor’s crown or the cold mandates of the necromancer-states. They seek to build something new—something alive. In the place of necromantic tradition, they turn to the strange and shimmering science of the future: Alchemy.

Still in its infancy, alchemy is raw and unrefined, but it burns with promise. It could be the tool they need to win the war, to challenge the ancient sorceries that have long propped up the throne. Yet for every breakthrough, there are mistakes. Catastrophes. Deaths.

This is the crucible in which the East must forge its future.

The Empire, meanwhile, rallies what strength remains. Its armies, bolstered by necromantic legions, march to reclaim what was lost. They do not see themselves as villains. To them, they are loyalists—protectors of an ancient order that once held the world in balance. They believe that if the corpse of the Empire can be kept intact just a little longer, then perhaps, after the war, it can be restored. Rebuilt.

At the center of it all are people. Fragile, flawed, and tired.

Argalia, a soldier of the Empire, isn’t dreaming of glory. She just wants to survive. To make it home. But war rarely leaves the soul untouched, and hers is already burning.

State Necromancer Heinrich serves the Empire with grim resolve. Bound by duty and belief, he commands the dead with skill unmatched—but even he feels the weight of what is asked of him. Of what must be sacrificed.

And Desmond? He only wants to return home. To feel his husband’s arms around him once more. He doesn’t care whether that reunion happens in life or in undeath—only that it happens.

Updates get posted at 11am CST every Monday.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2025
Author: Baskerville

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.9/ 5.0
Followers: 12
Views: 4,419

Chapters(18 total)

What readers say about Twilight of the Damned

“The opening chapters of this story plunge the reader headfirst into the grim reality of Four Rivers, a city under siege. It immediately establishes a tone of weary desperation and highlights the brutal cost of conflict within a compelling fantasy framework.…”
Apollo149Royal Road5.0 / 5
“This is an intriguing start to a story with dark steampunk vibes—or maybe we should call this one necro punk? :) I enjoyed the worldbuilding, the realistic feeling of war, and the characters. Style: Dark, impressive, and personal, providing a close narrativ…”
K.WrangRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(5)

Apollo149Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The opening chapters of this story plunge the reader headfirst into the grim reality of Four Rivers, a city under siege. It immediately establishes a tone of weary desperation and highlights the brutal cost of conflict within a compelling fantasy framework.
The writing style is effective and direct, creating a palpably tense atmosphere. The narrative excels at balancing moments of character introspection with sudden, visceral action sequences, from terrifying artillery barrages to brutal close-quarters combat. The integration of unique fantasy elements. Diverse races, distinct magic systems, and specialized military tech. Overall, to me, it feels organic, weaving seamlessly into the actions of the characters and the challenges they face. While the prose is generally strong, minor polishing could tighten occasional phrasing and correct small errors.
A major strength lies in the compelling cast of characters. Within a diverse military unit, individuals quickly stand out: the weary, scarred commander; the private caught between duty and personal connection; the tough sergeant with a surprising, formidable ability; the darkly powerful combat necromancer; and the pragmatic healer. Their unique magical and supernatural abilities are showcased dynamically through action, adding layers of excitement and strategic depth to the conflicts.
The worldbuilding feels fresh and intriguing. The besieged city itself is a convincing backdrop, brought to life by details of destruction and scarcity. The magic systems are particularly noteworthy, presenting a fascinating contrast between dark necromancy tied to souls and sacrifice, a seemingly divine or lycanthropic power, and distinct healing magic.
Overall, there is a strong foundation for a promising series. With high stakes, intense action, a unique blend of fantasy elements, and a diverse cast of compelling characters, the story immediately hooks the reader and leaves them eager to discover if this unit can survive the overwhelming
K.WrangRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is an intriguing start to a story with dark steampunk vibes—or maybe we should call this one necro punk? :) I enjoyed the worldbuilding, the realistic feeling of war, and the characters.
Style: Dark, impressive, and personal, providing a close narrative to the character’s challenges. The style fits well with the grimdark atmosphere. Passive voice is a bit heavy in places, even in the middle of action, where it slows the narrative. (Example: ‘On reflex, a trigger was pulled.’)
Story: The story is immersive and proceeds fluently. The plot follows several characters fighting (or trying to survive) in the same war. The viewpoints are clear, and the characters and scenes are easy to follow and distinguish from each other. The book is rich in technology/lore, which is introduced organically as the story proceeds, excellent job there!
Grammar: The text conveys the story in a fluent way. The edit I read had occasional typos and confused verb forms, but they were not a distraction.
Character: The characters belong to different races and are from various backgrounds. The significance of these traits is yet to be seen, but they add color to the story. The characters are realistic in their setting and reliable in their motivations.
Nemo BlancRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
At first, I thought it might be another gritty military fantasy with some edgy necromancers, but it turns out to be way more than that. There’s emotional weight behind the action, a grimy lived-in setting, and a clear sense of despair pressing down on every character and that’s what makes it work. It reads like a war diary set in a crumbling arcane empire, where the soldiers happen to be necromancers, foxfolk, or literal skeletons held together with brass and spite.
Plot-wise, it’s tight. There's no wasted motion. You’re dropped into the ruins of Four Rivers, surrounded, out of supplies, under siege and instead of the usual save-the-day stuff, the story leans into survival horror and moral erosion. I liked that even small victories felt costly. Argalia’s countdown of shots was a high point: anxious, tactical, and personal. You could feel her slipping, then bracing anyway.
The necromantic mechanics were sick (in a good way). Like, “shield domes made from bone and sinew that drain life from the casters” sick. And the gear details, class distinctions, and racial anatomy stuff made the world feel weirdly grounded for something this magical. Also, the characters are actually distinct. Falkenhayn is cold but commanding, Quint’s a messy wreck, and Argalia’s this stubborn, grounded soldier who maybe wanted to be an artist. It hit me in the feels a few times.
As for grammar/style: mostly strong. A few spots have repetitive phrasing or missing commas, and dialogue could flow smoother if the speech tags were cleaned up or dropped. A little trimming would help the pacing breathe. But overall, it’s atmospheric, immersive, and pretty damn memorable.
Final thoughts: If Black Company and Fullmetal Alchemist had a baby and raised it in a trench, it’d look a lot like Baskerville. Gritty, magical, and honestly kinda beautiful in its own dead-eyed way.
StudioBunBugRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Twilight of the Damned is the love child of Steampunk and Necromancy science. Even Libris Mortis failed to deliver such a scientific approach to the workings of necromancy. The steampunk side has been explored less, but the aesthetic is 100% spot on where it appears. It takes place around the headquarters of a heavily-shelled Empire army, and explores the desperate lengths they go to in order to survive.
Style: atmospheric and intense, it dives deep into the physical experience of a world utterly unlike our own. The first chapter has you contemplating the meaning of things, the second provides context and then by degrees you’re immersed in the lore. Very impressive.
Story: I try to take notes on chapters I read as I go, to provide feedback in a PM. By chapter five I was so engrossed in what I was reading that I was just hitting the button to read the next chapter wanting to know what happened next. The story is immersive and grips you firmly by the lapels.
Grammar: there are some places where punctuation is missing or a homophone was used, nothing major and the story is entirely legible in its current form.
Character: the author balances a relatively large cast with aplomb, using center-headings to indicate a switch between perspectives, with two or three characters on intersecting paths every chapter. The characters have unique styles of talking and different skill sets with which they approach the business of war.
Maddox StanfordRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
This is a gritty story. The description of the war-torn city of Four Rivers is a standout. The story’s strength lies in its vivid worldbuilding and its varied anthropomorphic races. The narrative is dark and compelling. Doing multiple POVs is always tricky, but it's done with great care here: Heinrich, Argalia, Hostetter, and a bit focused on Lupo. I've never seen the combination of dark and gritty with fantasy done so well (well, I don't usually read fantasy. LOL). The pacing is fantastic and the action is well done even though the transitions can feel abrupt sometimes. I would have liked the River and nethergy parts to be described more through dialogue. This is an awesome introduction to a complex world.
The prose is effective and absolutely visceral! All the characters have their own unique voice. I especially love Argalia! The realism and fantastical elements are described well. I would have loved a streamlined description of the nethergy though. The exposition about the magic is dense sometimes in the otherwise awesome pacing. The dialogue is natural and believable. I loved the military banter and cursing.
The story follows Heinrich, a top-brass necromancer, and his soldiers, Argalia, Hostetter, and others as they're defending the city against rebels, and they're struggling with starvation, ghouls, and compromised defenses. The plot is awesome and does a good job of showing the desperation of a city under siege. It's setting up high stakes and a complex conflict, but the transitions could be smoother as could the lore details be less dense (Looking at you, nethergy!)
I loved the characters, especially Argalia. Heinrich is awesome too (for a necromancer. LOL). But Argalia! Man, I don't know, there's something about her that's so frikkin' relatable. And, Hostetter’s a religious werewolf! The supporting characters do their job and understandably underdeveloped. I'd like to see Lupo developed further.
There's some awesome atmospheric worldbuilding here with the de