Ana Metremte is an Inquisitor – or a witch-hunter, to most. A representative and right hand to the Church of the Sepulcher, and a faithful servant of the Saints and of the Godhead. Still, she has her secrets – and when she has a fateful encounter with a witch, all of what she's built unravels. Meanwhile, her partner is saddled with her own horrific duties and obligations as she begins to investigate the grander plans afoot in an aching, bloodied country.
Heresiarch is the first Web Serial Novel written by Jay A Hult, an ongoing web serial with a focus on horror, action, romance and the occasional theological debate, set in a fantasy world. A fair warning: due to the nature of Heresiarch, it will contain mature themes such as violence, swearing, sexuality and the use of tobacco products. A more comprehensive list of triggers and content may be found in the FAQ, but as always, reader discretion is advised. Heresiarch should update around every Sunday.
It can be read here
.
Tropes for Heresiarch include:
- Abusive Parents: Gema's father kept her as a servant and threatened to torture and kill her to keep her compliant.
- Alternate Universe: Set in a world where magic is real and studied, Devils tempt mortals with boons of power, and Vampires once ruled entire countries.
- And I Must Scream: The fate for some of those that the old Nobility take a special interest in. The worst part is that it's considered an honor to an extent.
- Anguished Declaration of Love: Ana and Edam. Complicated by them being on the opposite sides of the faith.
- Bad Boss: The Devils. Even "nice" ones like Tros can be cruel in punishing those who disobey her edicts. Ana finds this out the hard way when she's cursed.
- Berserk Button: Edam absolutely brutalizes a member of the old Nobility after seeing his victims and his uncaring attitude toward them.
- Blessed with Suck: Most of those who take a boon from a Devil. They might get fantastic powers as a result, but that does mean the Devils can attach awful twists to the boon or punishments for lack of worship.
- Body Horror: Too many examples to count. The Maggot baby birth might take the cake.
- Crapsack World: A world where the Church seems to have intense amount of power, Devils empower people with cruel abilities, and the old Nobility of Vampires lurks about to cause trouble.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Ana tends to be dour individual favoring darker clothes and enjoys the challenge of battle, along with being a patron of a Devil... but she's one of the more well-meaning individuals in the series.
