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"
Bury Me Honest
A lost chance for a cleaner ending.
"So let me go |
Where no one can follow |
Lost with my conscience |
Please bury me honest"
