The Griffin Mage Trilogy

The Griffin Mage Trilogy is a series of fantasy books by Rachel Neumeier, centered around the actions of the titular Griffins, and the widespread effects their action have on the kingdoms of Feierabiand, Linularinum, and Casmantium. With the exception of the mage Kairathin the griffons themselves are minor characters, whose actions drive the plot but are never used as protagonists, and in fact serve more often as antagonists. Each book shifts the narrative to a new location focused on new point of view characters, and each book can be seen as a stand-alone novel, though their plots intertwine enough that they should still be read in the proper order.

The books are basically High Fantasy, with large-scale conflicts mostly decided by the actions of extremely powerful mages. Somewhat unusually for the fantasy genre, diplomacy tends to be a major component of each book's finale, and there is no overtly evil villain for the heroes to face.

• Book 1: Lord of the Changing Winds: The peace of the small village of Minas Ford in the kingdom of Feierabiand is shattered when hundreds of griffon refugees flee over the border of the nearby kingdom of Casmantium, seeking refuge from enemy Cold Mages. Kairathin, the last surviving griffin mage, seeks out the local girl Kes to aid him in healing his wounded allies. In response to this threat, the king of Feierabiand sends his loyal servant Bertaud to evict the griffins from their land, sparking a dangerous confrontation.

• Book 2: Land of the Burning Sands: In the aftermath of the Feierabiand-Casmantium war the city of Melentser has been swallowed up by the desert. Taking advantage of the chaos, Gereint Enseichen, a slave bound by a Cold Mage's geas, escapes from his master and attempts to flee to Feierabiand. But he is soon found by a mage who appropriates his geas, and sends him to the capital of Breidechboden to meet his daughter, an eccentric philosopher who is studying the science and magic of building and breaking. Meanwhile, the desert in the north is growing, and it soon becomes apparent that the griffins are preparing for some large-scale action.

• Book 3: Law of the Broken Earth: Six years after Tehre, Geireint, and Kairathin created the wall separating the griffins desert from the lands of man, the wall is starting to crack. Bertaud has returned home at last to take up his position as Lord of the Delta. But during the visit of king Iaor, confidential agent Tan returns from Linularinum with a packet of stolen state secrets. While recovering in the estate, he meets Bertaud's cousin Mienthe. Another conflict between griffins and man is coming, and the two of them are stuck in the middle of it.

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This series provides examples of:

• Adorkable: Tehre.
• Ambiguous Disorder: Kes doesn't understand other people at all, talks as little as possible, and is treated almost like a child by the rest of the village. It seems pretty likely she has some sort of social disorder.
• Ambiguously Gay: Bertaud.
• Curb Stomp Battle: The first battle between the Feierbiand army and Griffins. The soldiers hugely underestimate the griffins, thinking them as dumb animals and completely disregarding the possibility that they would attack both from the air and ground. Bertaud is the only survivor.
• Blue and Orange Morality: The griffins do not think like humans at all, which makes diplomacy between the two races a difficult and dangerous task.
• Darkskinned Blonde: Said to be a common look in Feierabiand.
• Decoy Protagonist: Kes in the first book. Although she is very important to the plot, most important events are shown from Bertaud's perspective.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Kes. At the start of the first book, she's a simple, peaceful girl who agrees to heal the griffins because she can't stand the thought of letting them die when she has the ability to help. By the second book, she's basically an Evil Overlord bent on completely destroying the nation of Casmantium and anyone else who gets in the way.
• Idiot Ball: Justified. The magic of Earth and Fire are intrinsically opposed, and anytime mages of these opposing elements meet, their magic causes them to become overwhelmed with irrational hatred and distrust. This typically leads them to make very rash decisions which have negative consequences. By the end of the second book, everyone has pretty much figured out not to let opposed mages in the same room with each other during negotiations.
• Lack of Empathy: A major characteristic of the griffins. After being made into a being of fire, Kes becomes this way too, feeling no emotional attachment to the man that loves her or the sister who raised her.
• Lensman Arms Race: Magical version. Each book has at least one immensely powerful mage come into their power over the course of the book, each allied to a rival group.
• Geas: Cold Mages can instil a geas in a person by implanting silver rings between their ankles and tendons. Once a strand of cloth or chain is fitted into these rings, the victim is forced to obey any orders their master gives them. This is used as a punishment for certain crimes in Casmantium, in particular murder or rape. Geireint begins the series under control of a Geas.
• Mass Teleportation: Both fire and earth mages have this power.
• Multiple Choice Past: Geireint. Every time he is asked what crime he committed, he tells a different story. After saving Amnachudran's life, he is asked one last time, and it seems to be implied that he is telling the truth at last. However, less than a 100 pages later, his Inner Monologue contradicts this story (when he thinks that he has never killed anyone before).
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Both king Iaor of Feierabiand and the Arobern of Casmantium.
• Story-Breaker Power: First we have Kes's ability to completely heal every griffin who is injured, infinitely, from a safe distance away. This essentially makes the griffins immune to standard armies. Then there's Tehre's making ability, which allowed her to break an entire mountain range from dozens of miles away. And Bertaud has arguably the greatest power of all, since he can command any and all griffins to do as he says. The narrative handles these powers by shifting to another location each book, preventing them from turning up to again.
• White and Gray Morality: Pretty much everyone has an understandable reason for the actions they take, and wars are ended as quickly as possible and with as little bloodshed as possible. Starting with the second book, the griffins plot to completely destroy the nation of Casmantium, but since this is done as a response to attempted genocide on the part of the Cold Mages, it is somewhat understandable.