So You may already be familiar with Faithless from the amazing Cover reveal that I hosted last month. Read it here if you forgot.
So As you may know the first book in the Ironfire legacy introduced readers to the world of Sekastra, where shifter races dwell. Readers of Lawless are already familiar with dragon shifters. Today author Janeen Ippolito is here with a Be Our Guest Post about the second major shifter race. Unicorns.
When Peacemakers Go Dark: Death Unicorn World Building
In the world of The Ironfire Legacy, each continent or major area has their own shifter race: dragons, seals (re: selkies), (were)wolves, and (death) unicorns. Out of all of the races, the death unicorns have the hardest history—and my inspiration came from a combination of existing mythology and realities.
Unicorn horns. Unicorn hair. Powdered unicorn hooves or emulsified unicorn ears. All common ingredients in potions in a lot of fantasy and fairy tale worlds. But what if the unicorns were sentient? What if they were shifters? What if they had souls—in fact, what if they were the most soulful race on the planet? Suddenly, using their body parts as ingredients sounds downright barbaric and disturbing—similar to the persecution of those with albinism in Africa.
I explore the persecution of unicorns in my fluffy-with-a-dark-side short story in the humorous romance anthology How To Catch A Unicorn. But that story takes place hundreds of years before The Ironfire Legacy series, in the country of Elotrin, located to the south of Sekastra. And within those hundred years, a tenuous peace gives way to a genocide of unicorns, both for their body parts, and also to prevent them from opposing the bad guys who fear unicorn soul magic.
The unicorns took the adjective of “death” both to honor the losses of the genocide, and to own their new natures. They chose to use magical enhancement to weaponize themselves and protect their people from utter annihilation. Their soul-empathy, used to comfort, was turned into a method to induce terror. While unicorn blood still heals, death unicorns can also secrete a substance that coats their horns with deadly poison. In battle mode, their eyes flash red, their aura smells of sulfur, and they are foes to be reckoned with.
But as a people, they still deeply grieve what was done to them, and what they have now become. After their queen, Maira Ukerys, destroyed their foes, the death unicorns fled to Sekastra. At that time, they were received into the Scepter of Justice, the fifth city-state that had been the home of the dragons. The old dragon king and queen, as well as the ruling dragon-human council, were wary about the refugees, but finally gave them a reservation of land called the Lost Refuge and agreed to let history record that unicorns were extinct. And this is where the death unicorns have lived for fifty years, seldom venturing out of their refuge. Always careful and secretive and haunted by their past. Death unicorns live for at least two hundred years, so the genocide is fresh in the minds of the elders, and those memories are passed around in the herd as a whole.
Rather grim, hm? Well, within their herd, the death unicorns are still deeply caring and compassionate. During the dragon-human war, some death unicorn healers would emerge from the Lost Refuge and aid the injured soldiers and spies among the Lawless. And they refuse to fight on behalf of the Lawless, as they still hold true to the Rule of Harming: for every injury or death inflicted by someone, that person must equally heal or save another person.
Yet, there are some among the death unicorns who resent their refugee status. Who are wary of the dragons. Who see this time of wartime upheaval as a perfect opportunity to claim what was taken from them decades earlier. A home.
And such individuals are very dangerous, indeed…
About the Author
Janeen Ippolito believes words transform worlds. She creates writing resources and writes steampunk fantasy. She’s also an experienced teacher, editor, author coach, and the editor in chief of Uncommon Universes Press. In her spare time, she enjoys sword-fighting, reading, food, and making brownie batter. Two of her goals are eating fried tarantulas and traveling to Antarctica. This extroverted writer loves getting connected, so find her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and at her website: janeenippolito.com
Social Media Links
Website— Facebook—Twitter— Instagram
About Faithless
One wild night, Shance Windkeeper discovers he’s married to a death unicorn.
But that’s the least of his troubles.
As an agent for the Lawless, Shance is working with dragonshifters Kesia Ironfire and Zephryn Nightstalker, trying to end the dragon-human war and the organization that masterminded it. While on a mission in the Scepter of Knowledge, the Lawless is hit with a devastating death unicorn attack.
Out of the wreckage new allies emerge: Lirome Ukerys, and his twin sister Maira, the death unicorn queen – Shance’s long-lost wife.
Recently freed from captivity, Maira is fighting to regain control of her herd. Lurien Alistil, a rogue death unicorn, has bespelled the Scepter of Knowledge and taken Maira’s son. When Kesia unexpectedly challenges Lurien to a public debate over the fate of the city, the Lawless has a chance to break the usurper’s hold. To obtain vital information they must infiltrate her lair – and as the husband of the death unicorn queen, Shance Windkeeper is the perfect prize to go in.
But Lurien’s power is stronger and more insidious than they realize. And if the final pieces of her plan fall into place, not even Shance’s newfound Talents and knowledge will be enough to stop her.
A steampunk fantasy adventure with much intrigue, unexpected romance, sudden tragedy, and a snarky cat-dragon.
Purchase Links
Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Kobo – iBooks – Signed Paperback
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41743098-faithless
Facebook Party
For those who are interested there is a facebook party tonight (10/19/18) to celebrate the release of Faithless.
Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1123291547833648/
Celebrate the launch of Faithless: The Ironfire Legacy Book 2 with featured author Janeen Ippolito and guest authors Angelique Anderson and R.J. Metcalf! Get your fill of steampunk, dragons, adventures, and more (re: death unicorns and a cat-dragon) with this fun-filled evening that includes giveaways, games, and an exclusive reveal or two.
Hosted by Laura A. Grace of Unicorn Quester and Uncommon Universes Press!
C. O. Bonham 