Feral Dao

Deep in the boonies, Hajin grew up surrounded by strange people and experienced mildly concerning to deeply concerning things; there was no inbetween—but whatever came later would make it all look remarkably normal in comparison. Old Bastard Doru: Half-deaf blacksmith known as the “Rusty Metronome.” Yim the Drunk: Deeply troubled alcoholic eccentric who cannot be seen without his wineskin. Sura the Gossip: Fat, lazy, loud-mouthed disaster on primitive makeshift wheels; she traded rumours for radishes, salami, and chunks of allerazom—the only cheese around that didn't give people the runs. Hajin privately dubbed her “Fence-Mouth.” The kids—his age, more or less. Koro, who picked his nose until it bled; Meeya, who tripped over air; Nurb, who bragged about his father's chickens like they were war beasts. Then there's Randy. Hajin's father was carving blood sigils into the ground with a blade like a deranged scholar. And somewhere out there is the Hysterical Frog Prophet. No one knows where he came from. No one knows what he wants.