The Travels and Adventures of Estyn of the House of Wolfheim - by David Schoenenburg (Paperback)

Slayer A4 Estyn wanted to be a tinker and inventor, instead of one of the Slayer special forces, and became a Master Tinker. But when her human master and the owner of the shop where she worked died of old age, his aging widow sold it, and Estyn applied for an assignment. She didn't have the commando training that the other Slayers did, but she got an assignment anyhow: The world of Torrid. (No, the other Slayers didn't tell her it was a steambath of a tropical world. But she found out when she stepped into it.) Once there, she found much that she could do to improve the lot of the citizens. Magic works, and there are two classes, those who have access to it, and those who don't. King Sutthvin (Quote: "Sometimes I wish I were the King of somewhere else.") is trying to rebuild an organized civilization on the ruins of whatever went before, but he needs all the help he can get, and a slightly crazy Elf who's hard working and needs a job might be just the right person to help. The story takes place in and around the city of Dawgandar, the Kingdom capital. The judicial system is based on a somewhat creative evolution of the Code of Hamurabi or something similar, as Estyn finds out when she joins the City Guard. The city is multicultural, incorporating elements of ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, the Phoenician states, and a few other places. Estyn begins tackling some problems that the locals either didn't notice or didn't want to, for the sake of justice, rewards, and to cut down on the really nasty crimes to be found in a pre-Third World, pre-modern society. This book is written in a slower, calmer paced, descriptive style, like some of the mid-20th Century epics. Specifications: 273,415 words, 667 pages not including title page, maps, diagrams, etc. The story includes typical behavior from these societies, including parties, judicial behavior, and violence and fantasy violence. Background: When the Werewolf Wizard invented his interdimensional transit system, he began establishing a vast empire, which wasn't an alternate reality, but which he intended to connect to all realities. Forced into another dimension by a disloyal lieutenant, he waited for an opportunity to return. The way was paved for him by the Master Slayer, an Elf dissatisfied with the lot of female Elves, a brilliant intellect, and a gifted assassin. (Quote: "Why should I sit around in a hollow tree and wear gossamer and spin lace? Do you know what gossamer is? It's gods damned spiderwebs ") The Master Slayer also liberated the Werewolf Wizard's technological fortress, including his cloning equipment. Now, more than 86 years later, there are a lot of Slayer Elves, and Slayer A4 Estyn is one of them.