Drachar S Demons

Drachar, banished by his own people, forges an unholy alliance with the demons by offering them ten thousand souls, but the demons demand one hundred thousand and without quibbling Drachar accepts. War threatens. A war like no other.

Astalus has returned. He has found an Eldric spell book and, in particular, a spell to summon dragons. The allies march north to confront the Trosgarth’s growing might. Warrior priests can now communicate across the battlefield using their shaol, death knights have been resurrected, and in the air grakyn are supported by a new threat — a demon/dragon hybrid. To make matters worse, Astalus discovers that the power that Kaplyn recovered so long ago can open a permanent gateway to the demon world. Drachar is finally free and his minions will march from the very depths of hell. Astalus knows all of this through a demon that has possessed him. The army marches to its fate, unaware of the trap awaiting them. Prince Fiad leads them. Will he be the army’s salvation or damnation? The men mutter, uncomfortable in the knowledge that, at the final battle, a king will not lead them against the tides of evil. Drachar is poised, his death knights ready to tear the army apart.

Vastra is a man possessed. Where other men require food to sustain them, his craving is for power. He seeks an Eldric talisman, ensnaring two men to aid him. Fate guides his hand and, unwittingly, he chooses Kaplyn, who is seeking to escape his own destiny and Lars, shipwrecked and friendless, an outcast on the Allund shore. An unlikely trio, they form a fragile alliance but, recklessly ambitious, Vastra will betray them in a heartbeat. Throughout their journey, there are clear signs that demons are active, stealing souls to slake their hunger. Their journey takes them to a mysterious tower, beset by traps, where Kaplyn triggers a chain of events unleashing the full power of a prophecy that could doom them all. Deep in the heart of a mountain lays a power that not even Vastra has the audacity to envision. But who really is guiding Vastra’s destiny? Kaplyn has the talisman and, for all of Vastra’s threats, he is unwilling to part with it.

Tibetan Buddhism teaches compassion toward all beings, a category that explicitly includes animals. Slaughtering animals is morally problematic at best and, at worst, completely incompatible with a religious lifestyle. Yet historically most Tibetans—both monastic and lay—have made meat a regular part of their diet. In this study of the place of vegetarianism within Tibetan religiosity, Geoffrey Barstow explores the tension between Buddhist ethics and Tibetan cultural norms to offer a novel perspective on the spiritual and social dimensions of meat eating. Food of Sinful Demons shows the centrality of vegetarianism to the cultural history of Tibet through specific ways in which nonreligious norms and ideals shaped religious beliefs and practices. Barstow offers a detailed analysis of the debates over meat eating and vegetarianism, from the first references to such a diet in the tenth century through the Chinese invasion in the 1950s. He discusses elements of Tibetan Buddhist thought—including monastic vows, the Buddhist call to compassion, and tantric antinomianism—that see meat eating as morally problematic. He then looks beyond religious attitudes to examine the cultural, economic, and environmental factors that oppose the Buddhist critique of meat, including Tibetan concepts of medicine and health, food scarcity, the display of wealth, and idealized male gender roles. Barstow argues that the issue of meat eating was influenced by a complex interplay of factors, with religious perspectives largely supporting vegetarianism while practical concerns and secular ideals pulled in the other direction. He concludes by addressing the surge in vegetarianism in contemporary Tibet in light of evolving notions of Tibetan identity and resistance against the central Chinese state. The first book to discuss this complex issue, Food of Sinful Demons is essential reading for scholars interested in Tibetan religion, history, and culture as well as global food history.

Astalus has returned bearing good news. He has found an Eldric spell book and, in particular, a spell to summon dragons. The allies march north to confront the Trosgarth's growing might, but the people of Trosgarth have been busy. Warrior priests can now communicate across the battlefield using their shaol, death knights have been resurrected, and in the air grakyn are supported by a new threat--a demon/dragon hybrid. To make matters worse, Astalus discovers that the power that Kaplyn and Vastra recovered so long ago can open a permanent gateway to the demon world. Drachar is finally free and he and all his minions will march from the very depths of hell. Astalus knows all of this through a demon that has possessed him. The army marches to its fate, unaware of the trap awaiting them. Prince Fiad leads them. Will he be the army's salvation or damnation? The men mutter, uncomfortable in the knowledge that, at the final battle, a king will not lead them against the tides of evil. Drachar is poised, his death knights ready to tear the army apart.

Armies are gathering but Astalus, the Thracian court wizard, is in a quandary. Shocking news has arrived from an unlikely source. A spy, arrested brazenly entering the city, claims to be a prince from a royal household that was overthrown, the family members murdered over sixty years ago. Intriguingly, the spy's claim to be from Allund is more than a coincidence, for the army marching against them is also from Allund. Who indeed to trust? The stranger brings with him news of an army from Trosgarth, which can only mean one thing. Drachar's shade has been summoned and the Prophecy is coming to pass. Old alliances are broken and many monarchs slain. No sign yet exists of the king predicted by the Prophecy, who will save them all. Astalus, normally so certain and confident, is suddenly plummeted into his worst nightmare, for soon Thrace could be threatened by demons and, against them, there is no salvation. In a land fraught with betrayal, fear and death, the shadows are deepening.

Originally published in 1997, Religions of Tibet in Practice is a landmark work--the first major anthology on the topic ever produced. This new edition--abridged to further facilitate course use--presents a stunning array of works that together offer an unparalleled view of the Tibetan religious landscape over the centuries. Organized thematically, the twenty-eight chapters are testimony to the vast scope of religious practice in the Tibetan world, past and present. Religions of Tibet in Practice remains a work of great value to scholars, students, and general readers.