Sylvestus

ID: a small banner promoting Sylvestus Vol I: The Fall, by Tatiana AS Webb, along with the publication date, August 2019. Text is black and white over a parchment background, with a small blood spatter and a stylised sketch of a tiger skull
ID: a small banner promoting Sylvestus Vol I: The Fall, by Tatiana AS Webb, along with the publication date, August 2019. Text is black and white over a parchment background, with a small blood spatter and a stylised sketch of a tiger skull. End ID
"He has known you, Sylvestus. He has known you, and no god can help you now.

There is something hidden in Anteria. Despite years of war, the Roman forces have been unable to overwhelm native resistance, and a fire-wreathed tiger stalks the dreams of the invaders. The new assault from Roma brings with it Sylvestus Atrox Nigrum, a man respected by his superiors, revered by his soldiers, and well-versed in the mastery of mortal things.

Sylv has as many secrets as the island, and his plans are ready to come to fruition - all he needs is a board on which to play his turn. As the tide of the invasion begins to turn in Roma's favour, there are whispers of a power that could destroy the invaders and restore the natural order of the island. Something is hidden, something with the ultimate power over all life. The natives whisper that Nahvo'que must be freed, and it has always been in Sylv's nature to conquer.

Anteria will bring to light all the secrets Sylv has spent a lifetime mastering. There are forces larger than the petty games of men on Anteria. What if he could master Death?"
 

 ID: a poster promoting Sylvestus Vol II: The Rise, along with the publication date, March 2021. Text is black and white over a parchment background, a blood splatter, indistinguishable text, and a stylised sketch of a moth. End ID

You are mine, Sylvestus... You have always been mine.

Nahvo'que has been freed. Were he to come into his full power now, all life on the island of Anteria would be destroyed, but while he remains weakened by the bindings of his siblings, there is hope. The balance of life and death teeters on the one person who can give Nahvo'que that power, the Roman officer Sylvestus Atrox Nigrum.

Sylv is a master manipulator, a con artist, always in control. He came to Anteria to finish his plans, but the island and its inhabitants have proven a difficult mark; his own secrets prowl from the shadows, while adversaries old and new close in around him. In the meantime, he is haunted by the spectre of the fiery tiger, the God of Death he has unwittingly released - Nahvo'que promises infinite power over all life on the island, but at a cost even Sylv may be unwilling to pay. He is determined to see his own plans through and escape, the fate of the island be damned.

Yet as secrets come to light, enemies draw close, and his world crumbles around him, Sylv may have no choice but to make a deal with this entity.

He is already damned to fall. Does not power make damnation a little more interesting?

 


Sylvestus is a novel in two volumes. The first volume, The Fall, was published in August 2019; paperbacks are available exclusively at Lulu.com for £11.99, while ebooks are available from any ebook retailer, including at Lulu.com and Amazon Kindle, for £5.99.
The second volume, The Rise, was published in March 2021. Paperbacks are again available exclusively at Lulu.com for £11.99, with ebooks available from Lulu.com, Amazon Kindle, and any other ebook retailer for just £4.88!

Both volumes of Sylvestus can be found on doesthedogdie.com, a free website and app listing dozens of potential triggers and content warnings. If you have any concerns about the serious nature of the novels, this is a great way to prepare yourself before reading.

All promotional material, including Q&A videos, the Anteria Unraveled series exploring the lore of Sylvestus, artwork, and character aesthetics, can be found on the Facebook page; click the link, or search for Sylvestus on Facebook.com.
A selection of this promotional material is shown below:




ID: a map of Anteria, the fictional continent on which Sylvestus is set. The centre of the map is a large forested area, marked Navokus/Nahvokea, with the silhouette of a tiger over it. The east is a mountainous area marked as Thulegara/Thulegarin, with the silhouette of a bear. Below this is a grassy plain marked Inuquia/Jinjouckae, with no animal silhouette. The west is a rocky desert marked as Namaculus/Namahae, with the silhouette of a snake. The north is an empty unexplored white space separated from Navokus/Nahvokea by a mountain range, labelled The Vishadi/Vishadii, with the silhouette of a wolf. The very south tip of the island is marked Æsonia/Eaysahchi, with the silhouette of an eagle. There is a small town here labelled as Leralania. Roads lead from Leralania to a fortress to the west, a farm to the east, and up into the forest. There is a second fortress and series of roads in Namaculus/Namahae. End ID


ID: an aesthetic board for the titular character of Sylvestus, consisting of six images. The top left is a scarlet cloak billowing in a step; the top right is the head of a silver horse; the middle left is a sword; the middle right is an SPQR sign from a Roman ruin; the bottom left is a large Anatolian shepherd dog wearing a spiked collar; and the bottom right is a broken mirror. End ID


ID: an aesthetic board for Lavikogwen'chulicatl, a character in Sylvestus, consisting of six images. The top left is a leafy green jungle; the top right is the head and shoulders of a jaguar; the middle left is a very zoomed in image of a woman's eye, nose, and lips, wearing dark war-paint; the middle right is a fallen log in a green jungle; the bottom left is a straw doll; and the bottom right is a blurry photograph of a native Indonesian woman holding a spear. End ID


ID: a promotional poster for Sylvestus Vol I: The Fall. The background is a very dark forest background with a moonlit sky. The foreground is a tiger seemingly made out of flame. Its jaws and paws are made of blue flame, while the rest is yellow and orange. Text in the same fiery text reads, "Are you ready for The Fall? Sylvestus Vol I: The Fall available now". End ID

ID: a screenshot of a Spotify playlist labelled Sylvestus. The songs on the playlist are: This Night, Black Lab; Warriors, Imagine Dragons; Wolves Without Teeth, Of Monsters and Men; Which Witch - Demo / Bonus Track, Florence + The Machine; Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), Eurythmics; Control, Halsey; Fair Game, Sia; I Fought Piranhas, The White Stripes; Wolves - Single Version, Rag'n'Bone Man; Arsonist's Lullabye, Hozier; Unstoppable, Sia; Ready to Let Go, Cage the Elephant; Glory & Gore, Lorde; Emperor's New Clothes, Panic! at the Disco; Life In Her Yet, Rag'n'Bone Man; Third Eye, Florence + The Machine; Run Boy Run, Woodkid; Alive, Sia; It Only Gets Much Worse, Nate Ruess; Foreigner's God, Hozier; Seven Devils, Florence + The Machine; and The Sound of Silence, Disturbed. End ID

ID: a painting of the titular character of Sylvestus. He is in a Roman bath, facing the camera but looking past it, and is leaning back on the tiles behind him. He has tanned skin, and his arms and shoulders are covered in long winding scars. He has wet brown hair and pale blue eyes. Behind him is a tiger, laying on the tiles with its paws wrapped around his shoulders, one over his heart, seeming to whisper in his ear. Sylvestus has one hand around the tiger's neck as if embracing it. The tiger has dark blue eyes with no iris or pupil. The reflection in the water shows Sylvestus but does not show the tiger, though where its claws dig into the skin above his heart, the reflection shows blood. End ID

ID: a painting of a Lucia Lorem Lupa, the She-wolf, a character from Sylvestus. She is a woman with pale skin, wearing a flowing pink dress, with waist-length brown hair, standing with her legs apart staring into the camera. She has a gold belt, gold necklace, and gold armband, as well as lacy leather sandals, and a leather strap on her thigh, within which is sheathed a silver dagger. The hilt of the dagger is carved into the head of a wolf. The background is black with lilac smoke. End ID


ID: a drawing of the titular character of Sylvestus. He is a man wearing a tunic and cloak, seated on a throne, facing the camera, leaning casually to the side with one leg extended toward the camera. One hand is resting on the arm of the throne, while the other is raised beside his head; flames burst forth from this hand. His entire body is illuminated as if by firelight in shades of yellow, orange, and red, except for his eyes, which are very dark blue, and have no iris or pupil. There is no other colour in the image. End ID


ID: a photo-edit. A man wearing a silver Roman optio's helmet with a red plume, and a red hooded cloak, stands in the foreground with his arm resting on a stone wall. His arms are scarred and his back is to the camera so that his face is hidden by the shadow of his helmet. He is looking between two trees over rolling hills covered in dense rainforest. Nine birds fly overhead. The entire image is filtered to appear cold despite the bright sunlight. End ID


ID: a digital painting of Sylvestus and Lavikogwen'chulicatl from Sylvestus. They are framed like the mirrored images on a playing card, with Lavi upright facing to the left, and Sylvestus upside-down facing to the right. Both portraits are from the shoulders-up. Lavikogwen'chulicatl is a brown-skinned south Asian woman with dark brown eyes, her long hair bound in thick dark red braids. Her expression is troubled. Sylvestus is a white man with blue-grey eyes and short dark brown hair in a side-parting, wearing a brown tunic and red cloak with silver clasps. His expression is equally troubled. Both of the portraits are shaded with dark blue and highlighted with yellow, making it appear as though they are both facing a fire. The background is a photograph of Roman ruins laid over parchment like a faded photograph; the photo has been inverted over Lavikogwen'chulicatl but is upright beneath Sylvestus. End ID
 
ID: a digital painting of Romulus from
Sylvestus. Romulus is a large cream dog resembling an Anatolian shepherd dog. His ears, paws, and muzzle are dark brown and his eyes are golden. He is wearing a chain collar. He is painted running to the right and seems happy, with his tail high. The background is light blue with dark blue blurs in the background indicating speed. End ID
 


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