The Aberrant Archives
An Index of Worlds by Elorviel
Cohesion and Chaos
Book 1 of the Shadows of Edros Series Releasing December 20, 2025
Books
Weigh the cost. Measure the worth.
Ysella's diplomatic mission to prevent a war in Edros is halted as she is captured by the bounty hunter Ilai. Bound by chains and carted through the unforgiving lands of the Grey Hinterlands, she must battle the frigid cold of Winter and the apathy of her captor to survive the journey and discover who desires diplomacy nullified.Twenty gold heads. That is her worth, and that is what motivates Ilai to press forward despite his acquisition. The details or purpose of the wanted poster is unimportant. What matters is the sum of the reward is enough to live off of for the rest of his life. But perhaps the reward is too good to be true.The constant threat of death pulls the two opposites to set aside their differences in an effort to survive. From the beasts that hunt in the night to humans with nefarious intent, Ysella and Ilai discover their budding feelings and a threat that not only imperils their union but risks darkness upon the land. The weight of thousands rests on her shoulders. She must survive the journey to Ethyrnon Tower and find cohesion in the chaos.
The Characters
Ysella of House Ronasin
Ysella of House Ronasin is a diplomat from the underground kingdom of Bastillos. Determined to return honor to her family name, after a shameful incident left House Ronasin tarnished, Ysella endeavors to complete her diplomatic mission, regardless of the cost. Ysella is a refined, ambitious woman, willful and cautious, but ultimately defined by her nurturing, compassionate nature, but a life of privilege has left her somewhat naïve to life's cruelties.
Ilai
Ilai is a bounty hunter of the Grey Hinterlands. He’s ruthless for the means of his survival, and distances himself mentally from his acquisitions. Long ago, he was taught to remember everyone is a person, but after the death of his mentor, he found it easier to be as cold as the Grey.
The Project
Many years ago, Meredith started roleplaying with Elle, and they became fast friends, bonding over the storytelling and collaboration within the activity. One of Elle’s strongpoints is romance, and Meredith enjoyed the challenge as it was not her strongest point at all. Through their collaboration, Meredith became more interested in writing romance, and she eventually approached Elle for a 1x1 specifically to explore the idea of enemies to lovers.Enemies to lovers is a challenging trope, and Meredith loves a challenge. By this point she had developed two countries within her ever-expanding world and wanted to explore the country of Edros more, as it had been mentioned in a lot of her other roleplays.The roleplay of Cohesion and Chaos started out in a forum and eventually moved to an online document where the two could allow the flow of interaction more easily. Because it was a roleplay, a lot of the elements were not present, such as the chapters showcasing the villain, Wraith, or insight into the politics of Edros. The main goal was just to have fun developing two characters together.Eventually, Elle and Meredith played the “what-if” game, and asked, “What if we self-published this story?”Elle had already had self-publishing experience at this point, but it is Meredith’s first adventure. Once the two agreed to take this journey together, they worked on formatting and editing the roleplay to become the book that it has become. What was once a 60k word roleplay has bloomed into a 106k word novel.
Co-Author Elle Joyner
Elle Joyner is the self-published author of the novels The Tree of Life (supernatural thriller) and Fires in Winter (period romance). She has been writing since the dawn of time (so roughly 30 years) and enjoys nothing more than exploring and expanding new worlds to create beloved stories like those she grew up reading. Currently, when not working on the kickstarter, Elle is writing an epic dragon-centered fantasy set in her own realm, Calion.Elle lives with her beloved (and immeasurably patient) husband and her two adorable Wild Things, and when she isn't writing can probably be found endeavoring with a new craft, playing video games or, well, thinking of more things to write. Elle exists (barely) on Tiktok and Instagram (though don't expect her to know how to use any of them). Her books can be purchased on Amazon and Kindles everywhere.
The Aberrant Vaults
THE ABERRANT VAULTS is an Adult Epic Fantasy novel currently still in the process of being written. The story follows three main Points of View: Eiry of Neremun, Agent Lock of the Order, and Kvasi Idi'Alman.Eiry is a Scribe, a mage who wields magic written from spells. After the two factions of Ruane declare war, she volunteers for a secret mission alongside her two best friends, Lock and Kvasi, where they must locate powerful magical weapons before the warring factions can find them.Their journey sends them across the entire continent where they first have to locate fractures of a key that will unlock a portal to the Aberrant Vaults. By the time the reach the weapons, they will have to decide if its best for the world to destroy them, or find a way to secret them once again.Their war is not the Great War to come.
The Characters
Eiry of Neremun
Kvasi Idi'Alman
Lock
Eudicia
Nameless is an exiled Blood Mage called back to society in order to perform a risky Soul Summoning Ritual on the woman she killed. The terms of her return do not guarantee her exoneration unless she survives the ritual and solves the case regarding the kidnappings and disappearances within the province of Thol. She takes on the task alongside her best friend and Aegis, an official protector of the province people, in hopes of returning to her old life.Upon her return to the magitech city of Redden, she meets a mysterious member and Shadow Caster of the Tenebris, Viandroux, who has ulterior motives for his interests in the disappearances. Despite their hesitancies, Nameless and her best friend work with Viandroux with a common desire for answers.
The Characters
Nameless
