Land of Shadows
Don Amoruso
let the shadows emerge...
Fall 2025
It started with a foolish boy...
In the walled city of Irongrass, where a person’s worth is determined by the strength of their shadow’s power, seventeen-year-old Cosmo has the misfortune of possessing one that does… nothing.
Powerless, orphaned, and branded as a failure by his city’s rigid society, he longs for the freedom to explore the world beyond the impenetrable walls. But when an act of rebellion leads him to a mysterious key—a relic of the long-lost Architects—Cosmo accidentally unleashes a forgotten shadow with terrifying abilities. In an instant, time freezes, his city’s Queen-Margrave is murdered, and Cosmo finds himself branded as a traitor.
Now forced into hiding and relentlessly pursued, Cosmo must uncover the truth behind his past and the power he never knew he had. His own shadow holds dangerous secrets, and as he pieces together the mystery of the long-lost Architects, he realizes that the answers may cost him more than he is willing to pay. As war threatens to reignite between Irongrass and its former enemy, Lunaris, Cosmo must decide whether to challenge the system that condemned him or embrace the darkness that might finally set him free—if it doesn’t consume him first.
Explore the Continent of Talia
"I have spent my life searching for the answers that eluded my father, and his father before him. Who were the Architects? Where did they come from? How did they bestow the vast and mighty powers of the Shadow upon us…and why did they disappear?"
ASHGARD,
SAGE OF THE MAGISTERIUM
"Our family has upheld the Irongrassian values of productivity and order for generations. Our fortified walls symbolize the discipline and hierarchy that have sustained us. Those that challenge the stability I have fought to preserve will meet a cruel end."
BERNHARDT,
MARGRAVE OF IRONGRASS
"Needlepoint is a city of whispered deals and veiled intentions, where fortunes are won and lost over the flip of a coin. Merchants peddle their wares with honeyed words while gamblers clutch their last hopes in trembling hands. Needlepoint is a game, and I play it well."
AGATHA,
WITCH OF NEEDLEPOINT
About the Author
Hailing from Yardley, PA, I have always been captivated by the depths of the human psyche and the power of the unseen. Inspired by Carl Jung’s concept of the shadow, I grew fascinated with the parts of ourselves we repress—the potential hidden in darkness, waiting to be understood. As a child, I spent hours imagining and illustrating new worlds, but as I grew older, I realized the greatest mysteries weren’t just external—they were within us. That curiosity led me to craft a story that explores identity, fate, and the tension between light and shadow, a journey I’ve been shaping for over seven years. With a background in creative writing, poetry, and internal communications, I continue to explore the complexity of human nature through storytelling, embracing the unknown and the truths we often fear to face.
