Welgar the Cursed - Sword and Sorcery collection


In 2025 Tule Fog Press published my Welgar stories under the title Welgar the Cursed. 

From his raw beginnings as a carefree mercenary, Welgar had no idea that his future would lead him into a dark, demonic nightmare. Although he had always instinctively hated sorcery, it was into the depths of what magic could create that he found himself entangled when he unwisely crossed swords with some of its most malign practitioners.

Follow Welgar’s quest as he struggles to rid himself of his horrific curse, which brings death and terror to anyone close to him, friend or foe. Travelling from the hot jungles and grim temples of feared Agrypt in the far south to the forbidden, demon-haunted city of Cyramon in the arctic north, Welgar is willing to sacrifice it all to become again the man he once was.

“For those enjoying the current surge of interest in Sword & Sorcery, David Riley’s Welgar is definitely one to follow. Skillfully crafted, spiced with lively action and a healthy dash of humor, these yarns are a delight, and stand out on a crowded battlefield.” – Adrian Cole, author of The Voidal Trilogy, Dream Lords Series, and Elak, King of Atlantis.
 
To give an indication of what to expect in my collection Welgar the Cursed from Tule Fog Press, here is my Introduction:
 
“Ossani the Healer and the Beautiful Homunculus” was the first story I wrote involving Welgar, a young mercenary, short of funds, who enlists in the city watch in Assabarr, which just happens to be undergoing a puritanical revolution at the time.
 
The main character in this story, though, is Ossani the Healer, who previously made a brief appearance at the end of “The Storyteller of Koss” (published in Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy, 2022). Ossani has been hired by the city’s merchants and the prevailing priesthood to help bring an end to these puritanical disrupters.
The inspiration for these was based on the Florentine monk Savonarola who, along with his fanatical supporters, plunged Florence in 1497 into a similar plight, culminating in the infamous Bonfire of the Vanities, an event mirrored in this tale.
 
Unlike any of the other Welgar stories, “The Dark Priestdom” (published in Savage Realms Monthly, 2023) is narrated by Nadrain the Storyteller, who previously appeared in the above mentioned “The Storyteller of Koss.” In this tale I wanted to give Welgar a bigger role, showcasing his heroic capabilities, and also to explore the dark, demon-haunted city of Agrypt, which I had previously alluded to in other tales without any of them visiting it.
 
I realised after “The Dark Priestdom” I could not leave Welgar like he was and had to continue his blighted saga. In “Welgar the Cursed” (published in Swords & Heroes, 2023) Welgar realises how cursed he is, not only in becoming the image of an unwrapped mummy, but in the extreme bouts of insane violence the demon god that has possessed him makes him carry out.
 
Again, Welgar was left at the end of “Welgar the Cursed” in a predicament that needed further exploration, and thus came “Mask of a Mad God” which serves to reveal even more vividly how unmitigatedly evil the demon god that has possessed him is.
 

At the end of “Mask of a Mad God” Welgar is determined to end his life or destroy the Agryptian demon god that has possessed him. Afraid to be anywhere near people because of the mad god’s murderous tendencies, he can see only one course of action: to trek to the arctic north and find the demon-haunted city of Cyramon. For me, the story related in “The Forbidden City of Cyramon” represented the logical outcome to what poor Welgar had undergone.
 
The final story in this collection, “Emerging from Their Twilit Realms,” was a difficult one to write and I have to admit I made several false starts. In the end, I decided to come full circle with Welgar meeting Ossani again. The old sorcerer-cum-healer has moved to Oriaska, where he awaits the mercenary’s return, having divined what happened to him in Cyramon. Along with Ossani, though, another character from Welgar’s past is awaiting him, one the mercenary is far less pleased to meet.
 
There are a number of interesting reviews for my sword and sorcery collection Welgar the Cursed on Goodreads. If you are curious, please just click on this link: https://www.goodreads.com/.../227836196-welgar-the-cursed
 
Crimson Quill Quarterly reviewed my collection in their 6th issue. They gave me permission to quote it in full:
 
"David A. Riley’s chronological collection of his Welgar the Northerner’s/Cursed adventures compose a gripping collection of new-age sword and sorcery with enough of the golden age flavor to bring readers new and old to the revived S&S genre. Each tale within stands as their own separate pieces, but when told one after the other, as Riley has finally been able to do here, they build upon each other, with the next tale being that much more enjoyable by having just finished reading the one before. Brutality and action are balanced with poignant periods of introspection that is equally haunted and lethal.
        "What impressed me most as a reader, however, was Riley’s ability to blend real world tyranny into tales of fantasy in a way that was not preachy or allegorical, but rather by revealing hints of what may have inspired him to write these incredible pieces of S&S in the first place. Furthermore, the depths of Riley’s story-telling prowess is on full display when viewing the collection as a whole, as it shows that this was no random string of wandering escapades. There is a slow and compelling evolution that allows readers to experience the world, as well as rummage through Welgar’s own thoughts, alongside him.
        "Welgar the Cursed is an extravagant tapestry of the struggle to survive and overcome, led by one of Riley’s most compelling characters that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. One can only hope there is more planned for him in the future."
 
I must express my thanks for the artwork of Rizky Nugraha for the cover and interior illustration, plus to Aaron Rakuu for his map of Welgar's world. 
 
 
 


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