The Stone Beneath
About
Pieter Hertgers is a giant even among Landsknechts, a mercenary whose towering strength and zweihänder have earned him fame in the blood-soaked fields of the Spanish Netherlands. He marched for silver and adventure, not faith or flag—but war demands only bodies, never beliefs.
When his regiment is slaughtered in a haunted forest, Pieter finds refuge in a strange fortified manor. There, survival becomes a battle not for his life, but for his soul. An ancient power stirs beneath the foundations, hungry and patient, and the house itself reaches for Pieter as its chosen weapon.
Caught between a cursed bloodline and the dark force they have kept buried for centuries, Pieter must decide: will he become their champion… or the instrument of their destruction?
Praise for this book
Pieter Hertgers stands out as a formidable presence even among Landsknechts a mercenary defined by towering strength, a zweihänder, and a reputation forged in the blood-soaked campaigns of the Spanish Netherlands. His motivation feels refreshingly grounded: he marches for silver and adventure, not ideology, fully aware that war demands bodies, never beliefs.
The turning point, when Pieter’s regiment is slaughtered in a haunted forest, shifts the story into something far more unsettling. His refuge in a strange fortified manor feels less like salvation and more like a slow tightening snare. What resonated strongly is how survival stops being a purely physical struggle and becomes a test of identity and will. The idea that an ancient, patient power stirs beneath the foundations watching, waiting, and reaching for Pieter as its chosen weapon gives the setting a suffocating, ominous presence.
What stands out most is the moral tension at the heart of the story. Caught between a cursed bloodline and a dark force buried for centuries, Pieter’s conflict is no longer about battlefield loyalty or survival for pay, but about choice. Whether he becomes a champion of the power beneath the stone or the instrument of its destruction turns the narrative inward, transforming brute strength into a question of the soul. The blend of historical grit and creeping supernatural horror feels deliberate and deeply atmospheric.