John White
The world is a wasteland devoured by corruption, greed, and lust. The laws that once upheld it have been twisted, and every living being bears the scars of a brutal deformity. Perpetual clouds cover the sky, suffocating life and forcing humanity to cling to the Runic Arts and Alchemy to survive. In the darkest heart of Vharenn stands Mürhast, a city that has made excess and decay its sole religion. In its streets, the miserable wander among ruins and hunger, while in the Noble District, lust, luxury, and sin reign as capricious gods. On Crimson Lotus Street, deep inside a brothel called The Broken Flower, an ancient artifact comes to light during an auction: The Alchemy of the Diamond, a gem capable of transforming flesh into pure diamond at the cost of a curse so powerful it can tear the life out of its possessor. Desiring to be rid of his rival on the Hermetic Council, an immortal alchemist, Lord Vareth acquires the gem with a single purpose: that its curse might achieve what even time could not... put an end to his existence. But in Mürhast, every ambition demands a price, and the diamond’s curse never grants a clean ending.
