Synopsis - The Rogue King

Koral is a young boy who has been raised on tales about Earth. Although he lives among humans, his often wonders why his lizard-like appearance isn’t all that similar to theirs. He overhears the humans discussing about having him killed and flees the crashed spaceship into the surrounding desert, where he meets two nomadic people.

The men take him back to their camp where their priestess decides to make him part of the band of murders, rapists and thieves known as Rogues. She gives Koral over to her lust-driven, blood-thirsty god, Lorric. The god possesses him, giving Koral the new name of Vengeance, and uses him to kill and rape.

Regaining control once the god has left his body, Koral demands answers from Lorric, only to be told he belongs to the god and is now damned. Thinking if he’s bound for hell anyway, he’ll live up to his new name and seeks vengeance upon those that have given him this fate. Starting with the priestess.

He returns to the camp, killing anyone he meets before facing one of the men that found him. The man convinces Koral – or Veng as he now prefers – that he could hide among the others Lorric has taken. Veng heads north where he comes across a Rogue. Seeing this man has wings, he wishes for his own in order to fly out of the desert. His wishing summons the devil, who gives him wings in exchange for his shadow.

Veng tries to fly into the Kingdom of Predonia, only to be stopped by Lorric. The god lands and kills the guards in the nearby sentry tower.

Lorric controls Veng for a year before leaving. He lives alone for two more years before coming across Klara. Klara lives with him, drugging and convincing Veng to become the Rogue’s leader. He treks to the desert’s mighty fortress – known as Rogue Rise – and calls himself king.

Fifteen years later, news comes to Veng that a Flyer – an ancient metal craft akin to a plane – has landed by the old human wreckage. He flies over to the site and, searching the place, finds the remains of two humans, a diamond amulet bearing his name and a small, native-born girl, Lasil.

He convinces her to follow him to somewhere safe, using the human language when she doesn’t understand. They arrive at Rogue Rise where Lasil is reluctant to enter the fortress. Persuaded she’ll be safe, she moves into a chamber with Laccindy, a woman Veng saved as a young girl.

In the middle of her teenage years, Lasil feels the urge to isolate herself and leaves Rogue Rise. She survives for three years before being discovered by two Rogues, one of which she kills. Veng, having been patrolling nearby and seeing what happened, kills the second man, getting injured in the process. Lasil tends to his wounds and attempts to show her gratitude, only to have Veng rebuke her.

They travel back to Rogue Rise where Lasil confides in Laccindy. The woman suggests joining the Roguess initiation and picking Veng. Lasil does so and he accepts, although Veng wonders how he can get out of it.

The All Mother appears, commanding he produce a son and Lasil is the best option. The goddess informs Veng that he is to give his soul to Evalka, the Star of Darkness. Veng refuses, but his soul is still taken.

Veng eventually hears Lasil is holed up in his chambers by several dozen men. Fighting those hovering outside the windows, he manages to get inside where Lasil awaits him.

Lasil awakes the next day to be told by Veng that they’ll be stuck in the room for a number of days and also offers to make her his solitary partner, she accepts. After ten days, they’re finally able to leave. Veng fetches a high-ranking women to mark the pair as solitary partners – the closest thing a Rogue can get to a marriage.

Klara returns during the New Year celebrations to find Veng with Lasil. Klara again drugs Veng, convincing him to kill Lasil. After chasing Lasil down to the pools, he has his head held underwater, breaking the drug’s hold on him. Three months later Veng learns Lasil carries his child.

Hearing a diseased Rogue has escaped execution, Veng heads off to kill the man. Klara reappears while he’s gone and feeds a heavily pregnant Lasil a tonic, forcing her to give birth prematurely. Veng returns to find Lasil has departed for the nomad camp, leaving him to raise their son, Kael. A power-mad Rogue tries to kill the boy, nearly succeeding.

Two years later, Kael finds a young vampire horse, Klif, and wishes to keep it. Veng agrees, but sends both into the Predonia Kingdom. Kael ends up in a boarding school where he meets Carine, a young noblewoman, and Friskal, a wealthy merchant’s son. Kael tries his hand at magic and finds he can’t do much, but he discovers he’s a Shadow Speaker.

His parenthood is uncovered and Kael flees the school, only to be trapped in the city. Becoming a thief, he is eventually caught. Word reaches Veng who frees his son and takes him back into the desert. Not wanting to be there, Kael tags along for a while before Laccindy catches up with the pair and Klif drags Carine and Frisk out into the desert. Veng decides that, after eight years, his son should meet Lasil. Arriving at the nomad camp, Veng discovers that Lorric has taken Lasil. Determined to free her, he risks his life by entering the Kingdom of Maxia to reach the Goddess of Truth, Tiyad.

One his way, he meets an old contanihian – bird-like people that jealously guard and pilot the metal crafts known as Flyers – who declares Veng as part trexen, a species many believe extinct, and reveals his diamond amulet is worn by the heir to the throne.

Using a Flyer, he tries to travel to Tiyad. It crashes and he ends up having to walk across half the continent before reaching her. The goddess tries to find Lasil, but fails and declares that only Evalka can help Veng.

Travelling to a moon via the Flyer, Veng is told that Lasil is in hell, only he can’t get there because he is soulless. He fights the creature that controls his soul and gains it back.

They come across a vampire horse herd as they try to leave. The herd leader traps Kael’s mind, forcing Veng to challenge the animal. Before either side can attack, the herd is scattered by the arrival of the Flyer and a large fighter.

Aboard the fighter is Tiyad and her priestess, they reveal that Carine’s father has traced her ‘kidnappers’ to Contra – the city of those that the pilot the Flyers. Disgusted he can’t leave the moon for fear of being captured and killed, he turn to the moon kingdom of his parents.

They’re escorted to the palace where his mother, Janjo, confirms him as her son. Veng is told that he won’t be allowed to leave the moon until he’s king. He agrees and suffers the strict teachings of the royal scribes. Kael convinces the rest of their group to leave for the port city of Mezan, where a ship waits. Veng tries to stop them and is too late. He continues with his studies until crowned several months later.

Tiyad begrudgingly lets the others board her ship. They sail towards an islet in the middle of sea serpent-infested waters, fighting off monsters as they go. In the quiet spaces between attacks, Kael decides that Carine – having been pursued by the girl for some time – would make a good wife for him.

The ship reaches the islet at the same time as a small fighter containing Veng. Veng confronts his son, but upon seeing he can’t stop him, allows Kael and the others to follow.

They enter hell and are faced with a maze. The first cavern collapses, taking Kael with it. He escapes without harm and Veng flies down to rescue his son, only to become a target for the beast down there. The beast roars, bringing the rest of the roof down on itself. They eventually navigate the maze and enter the catacombs where Frisk is poisoned. Laccindy and Klif head back to the ship with the boy while the remaining trio head on.

They reach three tunnels all the same size where Veng goes on ahead down one tunnel and finds Lasil. Trying to free her from the chains, he is attacked by a demon controlling his shadow. He fights the shade, suffering a potentially deadly wound before killing it and regaining possession of his shadow. Freeing Lasil, Veng tries to carry her unconscious form and makes it back to where he’d left the others. Klif is now with them and Veng places Lasil aboard the animal, ordering Kael to leave. Knowing the wound to be fatal, he resigns himself to dying.

The All Mother appears and tells him he can’t die yet as his son isn’t safe. He demands her to heal him if she wants him to live. Instead, the goddess tells him he must use the fire stick – a contanihian weapon. He uses the weapon to seal the wound and catches up with the others.

Kael finds the way out blocked by undead. They’re saved when Veng appears and uses the fire stick to destroy the beings in their path. They race out of hell where Veng overloads the weapon, blowing up the open pit entrance.

Lasil regains consciousness as they board the ship. She argues with Veng about what exactly happened – believing he sent her away because she had a daughter. He passes out due to blood loss from his reopened wound. Lasil uses her limited healing knowledge to mend him. Veng discovers Klara was the reason behind it all, while Lasil learns about her son and Veng’s heritage.

They return to the moon where Lasil confesses that she can’t marry Veng, who demands a reason. Knowing she’s been tricked by Lorric, but bound by the deal she made, Lasil refuses to tell. He still proposes to her in front of all the nobles and they marry not long after.

The day after the wedding, Lytain takes Veng to a secret room where he overhears talks of killing Lasil. Troubled that someone would wish to harm his wife, he returns to her side and tells her the news. Lasil refuses to have more children, but her anger is lost when Veng discovers she bears a tattoo declaring her as Lorric’s priestess. Lasil tries to explain, but he refuses to listen.

Veng decides to face Lorric and summons the god, bringing all three priestesses with him. Lasil, finding herself whisked along, kills Klara. Veng taunts Lorric, allowing Laccindy to kill the other priestess. The god attacks the woman, killing her with one bite. Veng finds himself possessed by Lorric. He fights the god when Lorric attempts to kill Lasil, destroying Lorric with the god’s own power. With the god dead, Veng is free to live his life in peace.