Portalarium broke with their tradition of posting lengthy updates to the Shroud of the Avatar website late in the evening on Friday, and instead pushed out an update this afternoon. The lead story from that update was that the first installment of Blade of the Avatar — the Shroud of the Avatar novel co-written by Richard Garriott and Tracy Hickman — has been released:

The first installment of the serialized SotA novel, Blade of the Avatar (BotA), written by Tracy Hickman & Richard Garriott, is now available for download! Digital version of BotA is included as an Early Founder reward at all pledge levels $25 or higher, and is also available in the Add-On Store for everyone. Early Founders can download the first installment at the new Early Founder Rewards area in the community forums (accessible to Early Founders only; Early Founders are backers that pledged any amount by May 20, 2013). If you are a Kickstarter backer you’ll need to have your Kickstarter account linked to the SotA website (click here for instructions to link your Kickstarter account).

If you purchased BotA in the Add-On Store, then you will find a download link for the first installment on your personal SotA account page (log into SotA website and click on “Account” in the top-right corner).

This segment of Blade of the Avatar is evidently the book’s Prologue, and a tiny sample of it was included with the update:

The End is the Beginning of us all.

Hear the soundless lamentation of the ages lost! The past is hidden from the eyes of the weary, blanketed beneath ash and tears. The old world is passed away, its mountains shaken, its rivers torn from its courses, its plains rent with fire and the shining towers of man tumbled to ruin. The orb of night is broken, its black shards falling from the dome of night to fall as judgment’s cruel, black rain. The music of daughters fails to resound, the proud boasts of men are as dust in their mouths and fear reigns in the dark silence that follows. The flesh is turned to dust and all that we once were is forgotten and lost in the shuttered past.

Where now are the virtues of the world now fallen? Were they taken from us or were we taken from them? Were they abandoned or were we orphaned by them? Was this not the blade of too fine an edge that cut between the light and night; between me and thee? Avatars of our dreams or nightmares, did you steal away from us in the night or…

And yes, that’s Denis Loubet artwork, above.

To download the Prologue, either hit up this forum thread if you pledged to Shroud of the Avatar prior to May 20th of 2013, and are thus a Founder. Non-Founders should head on over to their account pages at the Shroud of the Avatar website instead. (And actually, if my account is any indication, Founders should be able to find it there as well.)