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"Kings in Darkness" is a sword and sorcery short story by English writer Michael Moorcock. It was first published in Science Fantasy No. 54 in 1962. It has been reprinted as part of the Elric sagas and also reprinted in the anthology The Spell of Seven , edited by L. Sprague de Camp.
The story picks up the saga of Elric as he and Moonglum of Elwher barely escape with their lives from Nadsokor, the city of Beggars and find themselves in the cursed forest of Troos. Elric is able to collect various sorcerous herbs that grow only there, and they meet the young and beautiful Lady Zarozinia of Kaarlak, sole survivor of a massacre by the physically and mentally twisted Orgians. They agree to escort her to safety, but are further attacked by Orgians and escape. Leaving their treasure behind.
The trio, now protected by Elric's magic, bluff their way into the citadel of the Orgians, in the guise of messengers of the Gods, but King Gutheran and his son Prince Hurd see through their lie and imprison the travellers.
Elric is chained at the entrance to the barrow, beneath which live the Hill-Folk, the undead ancestors of the Orgians. About to be eaten alive by the gibbering ghouls, he prays to Arioch the Demon God who sends a lightning-bolt to shatter his chains, allowing his escape. Moonglum thus far has escaped capture, but Zarozinia has been imprisoned. She is released by Gutheran's brother, the blind minstrel Veerkad, who plans to sacrifice her and use her blood to complete a spell to raise the Hill-Folk. He is interrupted in this devilish work by Prince Hurd and it's Veerkad's blood that completes the magic. The Hill-Folk, led by their Hill-King, arise and invade the Great Hall to massacre the Orgians.
Gutheran, who fears the arrival of the Hill-King more than anything, dies of a seizure. Elric can do nothing against the Hill-King, who is proof against even his sword Stormbringer, but with Moonglum's aid, he lures the undead King into a blazing fire. As the Hill-King finally perishes and the massacre continues, the castle falls into blazing ruin and the trio make their escape from Org.
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Corum Jhaelen Irsei is the name of a fictional fantasy hero in a series of two trilogies written by author Michael Moorcock. The character was introduced in the novel The Knight of Swords, published in 1971. This was followed by two other books published during the same year, The Queen of Swords and The King of Swords. The three novels are collectively known as the "Corum Chronicles trilogy". The character then starred in another trilogy of books. the "Silver Hand trilogy", and has appeared in other stories taking place in Moorcock's multiverse.
Elric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by English writer Michael Moorcock and the protagonist of a series of sword and sorcery stories taking place on an alternative Earth. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VIII, 428th Emperor of Melniboné. Later stories by Moorcock marked Elric as a facet of the Eternal Champion.
Stormbringer is a magic sword featured in a number of fantasy stories by the author Michael Moorcock. Created by the forces of Chaos, it is described as a huge, black sword covered with strange runes carved deep into its blade. It is wielded by the doomed albino emperor Elric of Melniboné. Stormbringer makes its first appearance in the 1961 novella The Dreaming City.
The Eternal Champion is a fictional character created by British author Michael Moorcock and is a recurrent feature in many of his speculative fiction works.
Barrow-wights are wraith-like creatures in J. R. R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth. In The Lord of the Rings, the four hobbits are trapped by a barrow-wight, and are lucky to escape with their lives; but they gain ancient swords of Westernesse for their quest.
Sabriel is a fantasy novel by Garth Nix, first published in 1995. It is the first in his Old Kingdom series, followed by Lirael, Abhorsen, Clariel and Goldenhand.
A Storm of Swords is the third of seven planned novels in A Song of Ice and Fire, a fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on August 8, 2000, in the United Kingdom, with a United States edition following in November 2000. Its publication was preceded by a novella called Path of the Dragon, which collects some of the Daenerys Targaryen chapters from the novel into a single book.
The Dragonbone Chair is a fantasy novel by American writer Tad Williams, the first in his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. The saga follows a young man named Simon as he is caught up in an epic adventure.
Law and Chaos are the dominant metaphysical forces in the fantasy stories of Michael Moorcock. Law and Chaos are in constant struggle, but they are kept in check by the Cosmic Balance, an even more powerful force for neutrality. The Eternal Champion acts to balance the advances of Law and Chaos as a servant of the Cosmic Balance, reincarnated or summoned to the worlds of the Multiverse where Chaos or Law is becoming dominant.
The Swords Trilogy is a series of fantasy novels by Michael Moorcock about Corum Jhaelen Irsei, an aspect of the Eternal Champion. It consists of three books published in 1971: The Knight of the Swords, The Queen of the Swords, and The King of the Swords. In the UK the trilogy has been published under the titles The Swords of Corum, Corum, and most recently Corum: The Prince in the Scarlet Robe. The Swords Trilogy is the original title in the US where it has more recently been published as Corum: The Coming of Chaos. It is followed by a second trilogy about Corum, The Prince with the Silver Hand.
Live Chronicles is a 1986 album by Hawkwind recorded of a live performance of their The Chronicle of the Black Sword concept album based on the Michael Moorcock character Elric of Melniboné.
The Old Kingdom, or Abhorsen in North America, is a fantasy series written by Australian author Garth Nix. It originated in 1995 with the novel Sabriel and has continued in the novels Lirael (2001) and Abhorsen (2003). The series has continued with the prequel novel Clariel (2014), and the latest installment of the series, Goldenhand, was released in October 2016. The Old Kingdom also consists of the novella The Creature in the Case (2005) and other short fiction.
Hellboy: Darkness Calls is a comic book limited series created by Mike Mignola and published by American company Dark Horse Comics. Parts of the story arc were adapted for the 2019 Hellboy reboot directed by Neil Marshall.
This is a bibliography of the works of Michael Moorcock.
Elric of Melniboné is a 1972 fantasy novel by Michael Moorcock. It is the first original full-length novel to feature Elric, the last emperor of the stagnating island civilisation of Melniboné who wields the cursed, soul-drinking sword Stormbringer.
Erekosë is a heroic warrior in different fantasy adventure stories by Michael Moorcock. The character repeatedly assumes different forms and identities during adventures across Moorcock's multiverse. He first appeared in the 1962 novella The Eternal Champion, which was later expanded into a novel of the same title in 1970. The book became the first of the Erekosë book series, which includes the novels Phoenix in Obsidian and The Dragon in the Sword. The Erekosë canon The Swords of Heaven, the Flowers of Hell, is a graphic novel plotted by Moorcock that was scripted and illustrated by Howard Chaykin. In Moorcock's novels The Vanishing Tower and The King of the Swords, Erekosë is described as a man with "jet black skin", often wearing a bear-skin cloak.
"The Dreaming City" is a novella written by Michael Moorcock, which first appeared in Science Fantasy issue 47, in June 1961. It was the first story to feature the character Elric of Melniboné.
Stormbringer is a 1965 novel written by Michael Moorcock and featuring the character Elric of Melniboné.