Riley is the host of the Fangs of Valmar, which he has come to share with Xander Lowell through an anomaly that Riley refers to as a "terrible love miracle." The Fangs demand an ongoing series of blood sacrifices, a mission that Riley and Xander don't relish, but have resigned to, traveling the land in search of victims. At a first meeting, Riley may seem to be an amiable Drifter with a playful sense of humor; some may even know him from his pre-Valmar life where he was a simple adventurer. But rumors do follow the pair, and they are wanted in some towns in connection with a series of murders resulting in graves that bloom with red flowers. Riley fights with a bow and dagger, as well as having the power to summon a darkly magical... shovel, which he seems unwilling to discard despite the fact that it is blatantly, palpably cursed.
Riley fights with a bow imbued with the power of Valmar to shoot magical arrows, as well as a frequently poisoned hunting dagger. In situations both dire and mundane, he may call upon what he calls the 'Shovel of Valmar,' a death-aligned ritual tool and polearm weapon. Riley also has the capacity to summon flowers from the Blood Garden, a symbolic space representing Valmar's hunger for blood that the Fangs must appease. The flowers themselves, however, can have very real effects, ranging from blood-drinking to releasing various poisons and toxins.
Taking Over the World
It's not the kind of adventure they had in mind.
"I say we fight, we crawl, we stand,
We make our own way home.
We are the only people who grow flowers out of bones"
[1]
A lost chance for a cleaner ending.
"So let me go
Where no one can follow
Lost with my conscience
Please bury me honest"