Books & Stories

The Steam Knight

The Steam Knight is a collection of four novellas and short stories following James Gentry through his early career as an apprentice and journeyman with the Knights of the Crystal Spire, set in the kingdom of Rislandia during the war against the Wyranth Empire. The book is narrated in first person by James and takes place after the events of For Steam and Country.

The Steam Knight

The Steam Knight

Author: Jon Del Arroz Series: The Adventures of Baron Von Monocle Narrator: James Gentry (first-person) Setting: Rislandia City, the Rislandian countryside, and Wyranth Empire-occupied territory

The Steam Knight collects four sequential entries—Knight Training, Guard Training, Hazing, and Spy Training—chronicling James Gentry's rise from apprentice to journeyman knight. The events begin after For Steam and Country and run through the period covered by The Fight For Rislandia. Each part is prefaced by a Rislandian Timeline note placing it within the broader series chronology.

Plot Summary

Part I: Knight Training

The events in this story take place after For Steam and Country.

Chapters 1–4 — Apprentice life and a suspicious encounter

James trains as an apprentice at the Crystal Spire in Rislandia City under Master Knight Cid. He consistently outperforms his peers—including fellow apprentices Tristan and Reginald du Current—but is socially isolated and resented. During an unsanctioned late-night training run up the two-thousand steps of the Spire, James overhears a knight named Lou meeting secretly with a civilian named Marcus and passing Rislandian troop-movement intelligence. Lou and Marcus spot James; he flees, is pursued, and escapes into the barracks. He confides nothing to Cid immediately. The following day, Princess Reina visits James during sword practice; he tells her of his troubles with the other apprentices, and she mentions that King Malaky XVI is upset because the Wyranth have been learning Rislandian troop movements. James connects this to what he overheard.

Chapters 5–6 — Tavern surveillance and injury

James follows Lou to the Dovetail Tavern, climbs onto the roof, and eavesdrops from the rafters. He hears Lou confirm to Marcus the location of the Grand Rislandian Army near Loveridge and accept payment. A rat James accidentally kicks falls onto Lou's table, exposing him. A tavern brawl erupts; James is knocked unconscious and wakes in the infirmary with a dislocated shoulder and head wound. He reports everything to Cid, who confirms suspicions about Lou but cautions James against acting alone. Because of his injury, James cannot compete in the apprentice skills competition.

Chapters 7–9 — Competition, capture of Marcus, and a royal assignment

During the competition James cannot enter, Reginald wins after Lawrence Holdwood suffers a suspicious broken leg. James, walking away from the arena, spots Marcus in the street and pursues him with journeyman Ethan von Lantern, who has just arrived. Ethan disarms Marcus at swordpoint; James binds him with twine from Ethan's satchel. Marcus reveals Lou is hiding in a derelict house north of Loveridge. They deliver Marcus to the knights. King Malaky XVI visits Cid's office and personally tasks Ethan and James—accompanied by two Grand Rislandian Army soldiers, Sergeant Lansing and Lieutenant Fearson—with capturing Lou, authorizing an aether-powered rotary gun for the mission.

Chapters 10–11 — Night before departure; Princess Reina

The night before the mission, Princess Reina wakes James by throwing paper at him and leads him to a palace study. She tells him she wanted to see him before he left, takes his hands, and embraces him. James departs at dawn with Ethan, Lansing, and Fearson, receiving his first real sword and pistols from Cid, who sends them off with the words "For steam and country."

Chapters 12–16 and Epilogue — Capturing Lou

The party walks two days toward Loveridge. They test the rotary gun on a tree during a rest stop; James is not permitted to fire it. On the second evening they camp short of Lou's location. Ethan and Fearson scout the house while James keeps watch; an unknown assailant grabs James in the dark, and he shouts a warning before escaping back to camp. Fearson does not return. The next morning the three remaining men approach the house in daylight, enter through a basement hatch, and are met with a smoke bomb. Fighting through the house, they kill two of Lou's associates; Lansing is shot in the shoulder and Fearson is found dead upstairs. Lou enters through the front door and engages Ethan in a prolonged sword duel. James, badly concussed from Lou kicking him in the head, crawls to the jammed rotary gun and uses it as a club to strike Lou's shoulder, allowing Ethan to run Lou through with his sword. James loses consciousness. Ethan rides to Loveridge for a doctor; Lansing is treated and survives. After four days of recovery the survivors bury Fearson and the enemies, then ride back to Rislandia City in a hired carriage. Back at the Spire, James is welcomed by his bunkmates—including Albert, who defends him from Tristan's mockery. Cid later summons James and Ethan and announces a new mission: Zaira von Monocle has persuaded King Malaky XVI to send an expedition to the Zicree continent, and both knights are assigned to accompany the Liliana.

Part II: Guard Training

The events in this story take place during The Fight For Rislandia, beginning after Chapter Nine.

Chapters 1–3 — Evacuation to Lake Avily; the Atreblan ambassador

With the Wyranth Empire advancing on Rislandia City, King Malaky XVI evacuates to a lakeside estate at Lake Avily. James has been assigned as a guard at Princess Reina's request. The guard retinue includes apprentice Reginald (Reggie), journeymen Tanner and Handley, and Matthias du Gearsmith. King Malaky privately tells Reina to stay away from James, calling their association unbecoming. Ambassador Sheila McRose of Atrebla arrives to negotiate aid. She hints at a marriage between Reina and the Atreblan Prince Gregor in exchange for military support. Scientist Dr. von Breech arrives unexpectedly, having been turned back from Rislandia City by the Wyranth advance. He demonstrates two inventions: a hand-cranked flashlight and an aether-fueled auto-electrocuter arm-weapon. James is chosen to test the auto-electrocuter and destroys a woodpile with it. King Malaky considers offering the inventions to Atrebla in lieu of airship technology.

Chapters 4–5 — Wyranth assassins in the forest

Reina insists on an evening walk with James as her escort. In the forest near the lake, James spots a shadowy figure and tackles him; a second Wyranth puts a sword to James's throat. James sweeps the first attacker's legs, engages him with his sword, and mortally wounds him. The second Wyranth fires at James but is struck in the head by a rock thrown by Reina, who refused to flee. James kills the second assassin with his blade. He takes the dead man's pistol and notices Handley moving suspiciously along the side of the estate. Reina and James return inside.

Chapters 6–8 — King Malaky's private counsel; the ambassador departs

King Malaky debriefs James and the guards. Matthias du Gearsmith raises the possibility of a traitor. King Malaky privately tells James he must not pursue Reina, explaining that a marriage alliance with Atrebla may be necessary for Rislandia's survival. James is devastated. The next morning McRose rejects all offers short of airship technology and prepares to leave. King Malaky refuses to surrender the airship technology; McRose departs empty-handed. Reina will not be sent to Atrebla.

Chapters 9–11 — Handley's assassination attempt

That evening Reina and James share a private moment on the deck; James kisses her. He then spots Handley climbing a rope up the exterior wall toward King Malaky's bedroom window. James rams the bedroom door with the auto-electrocuter, breaking the lock. Inside, Handley has already fired at the king's pillow—King Malaky rolled clear in time. Handley holds James at gunpoint and forces King Malaky to send Reina away. James stalls; King Malaky stomps on Handley's foot, causing a shot that wounds the king in the shoulder. James engages Handley with his sword; the king falls between them. Handley escapes through the window. James pursues, drops from the rope onto Handley's shoulders, and the two fight on the ground. Handley beats James badly; James fires the auto-electrocuter at close range, killing Handley. Reina and the other guards find James outside. King Malaky survives but loses significant blood.

Epilogue — The king's blessing

After a night of anxious waiting, King Malaky's doctor reports the king is awake. King Malaky summons James first, thanks him for saving his life, and—with Reina present—gives his blessing for James to court her. Reina declares she loves James. King Malaky asks James to take care of his daughter.

Part III: Hazing

The events in this story take place after The Fight For Rislandia.

Chapter 1 — Abduction

James is woken in the apprentice dormitory by footsteps. His bunkmates are absent. More than twenty figures in black robes and white masks seize him in the hallway, gag him, and carry him through the courtyard of Rislandia City—still partially ruined from the Wyranth invasion—to the Crystal Spire. They force a women's blouse over him and photograph him. They march him up the Spire's stairs to the top platform.

Promotion ceremony

At the top of the Spire, James is made to kneel before a small altar holding a locked wooden box. A commanding voice reads out "charges" of protecting Rislandia—breaking into the Wyranth capital, exposing a spy, and foiling the assassination of King Malaky XVI. The leader removes his mask: it is Cid. The other masked figures are Ethan, Tanner, and fellow journeymen. Cid taps James on each shoulder with a sword and promotes him to journeyman knight. James opens the box to find a sword forged specifically for him, engraved with the Crest of Malaky. The knights explain this hazing ritual is performed for every promotion. They celebrate and return to the barracks, with Cid promising cake in the mess the next day.

Part IV: Spy Training

Chapters 1–2 — Briefing and preparation

Cid briefs James and Ethan von Lantern—now a full knight—alongside Lieutenant Edwin Ral, former pilot of the Liliana. Their mission: infiltrate Wyranth Empire-occupied Loveridge disguised as Wyranth soldiers to investigate Dr. Metzengerstein, a scientist from Nyanzi believed to be conducting human experimentation and possibly holding stolen airship design plans. Ral describes having previously seen a spider-armed woman at Metzengerstein's farm. James and Ethan are fitted with Wyranth uniforms and forged papers under the names Klaus and Hans. Before departure, James meets privately with Princess Reina; they exchange declarations of love. She mentions King Malaky's worsening fever.

Chapters 3–6 — Infiltration of Loveridge

The pair ride to Greenhorne and walk south through the plains. Passing through the ruins of Plainsroad Village, James is overcome with grief at the destruction of his hometown and the memory of his parents' deaths. In Loveridge, they are met by Wyranth Corporal Gustaaf and Sergeant Bram, who accept their papers and invite them on patrol. In the forest, the patrol encounters feral Wyranth soldiers suffering serum withdrawal; Ethan kills one at Gustaaf's order when James hesitates. Gustaaf mentions a strange scientist south of town. That evening in the tavern, a drunk Wyranth soldier named Vance picks a fight with James; James knocks him out. Ethan chastises James for drawing attention. After dark, Ethan and James slip away to find Metzengerstein's farm.

Chapters 7–9 — The laboratory

They find a newly rebuilt farmhouse south of Loveridge. Ethan knocks; an older Wyranth officer answers, inspects their papers, and identifies them as forgeries. A struggle ensues; Ethan knocks the man out and then shoots him when he calls for help. James and Ethan flee through a window as Wyranth soldiers pour in. They evade pursuit in the forest using a clockwork grenade Ethan carries, killing several soldiers. They return to the farm, now cleared of guards, and break in. In Metzengerstein's laboratory James finds a folder of papers including a sketch of the spider-woman experiment, designs for an unknown energy weapon on a tripod, and a letter from a Mr. Stephen Nava describing prototype "mechanized units" developed from Metzengerstein's power systems. Wyranth soldiers surround the house; Gustaaf addresses them by their real names.

Chapters 10–11 and Epilogue — Escape and debrief

James shoots out the Wyranth's searchlight. He starts the laboratory's steam furnace by firing bullets into the coals, powers up the energy-beam device, and uses it to destroy the Wyranth horseless carriage and scatter the soldiers outside while Ethan fights the soldiers who breach the door. The overloaded engine begins to fail; both men grab the document folder and escape through a window moments before the house explodes. They run through the night, reaching Rislandian lines at dawn where they are detained by Grand Rislandian Army infantry before being cleared. Back in Rislandia City, Cid reviews the recovered documents, confirms Ral's spider-woman account, and notes the absence of airship plans. He mentions the rebuilt Liliana cannot achieve lift due to a missing element in the engine, and that its original designer, Dr. Lawrence du Brass, is long dead. Cid commends both knights and assigns them next to escort civilians to Plainsroad Village for farming resettlement. In the courtyard, James encounters Zaira von Monocle, who tells him King Malaky's health has taken a serious turn. James resolves to keep fighting for Rislandia.

Sequel

Main Characters

  • James Gentry — Protagonist and first-person narrator; an orphaned farm boy from Plainsroad Village progressing from apprentice to journeyman knight across all four parts.
  • Ethan von Lantern — James's journeyman mentor and later fellow full knight; leads the missions in Knight Training and Spy Training.
  • Cid — Master knight and trainer at the Crystal Spire; James's primary authority figure throughout the book.
  • Queen Reina I — Princess and sole heir to Rislandia; James's romantic interest, present in all four parts.
  • King Malaky XVI — King of Rislandia; wounded in an assassination attempt in Guard Training and increasingly ill by Spy Training.
  • Matthias du Gearsmith — The king's senior advisor at the Lake Avily retreat in Guard Training.
  • Dr. von Breech — Royal scientist who arrives at Lake Avily with the flashlight and auto-electrocuter in Guard Training.
  • Zaira von Monocle — James's childhood friend and captain of the Liliana; appears briefly in the epilogues of Knight Training and Spy Training.
  • Lou — Wyranth spy and traitor knight; the primary antagonist of Knight Training.
  • Handley — Journeyman knight and traitor who attempts to assassinate King Malaky XVI in Guard Training; killed by James with the auto-electrocuter.
  • Reginald du Current (Reggie) — Rival apprentice from Highview City near the Oler Mountains; antagonistic toward James in Knight Training and Hazing, more cooperative in Guard Training.
  • Sergeant Lansing — Grand Rislandian Army soldier accompanying James and Ethan in Knight Training; wounded but survives.
  • Lieutenant Fearson — Grand Rislandian Army soldier on the same mission; killed by Lou's associates.
  • Marcus — Wyranth civilian spy working with Lou; captured by James and Ethan in Knight Training.

Settings

  • Rislandia City — The capital; site of the Crystal Spire, the knights' barracks, the royal palace, and the Dovetail Tavern.
  • The Crystal Spire — The knights' headquarters and training ground; site of James's promotion ceremony in Hazing.
  • Countryside north of Loveridge — Location of Lou's derelict hideout in Knight Training.
  • Lake Avily — The king's lakeside retreat estate; primary setting of Guard Training.
  • Loveridge — Wyranth-occupied Rislandian city; setting of Spy Training, including Dr. Metzengerstein's farm laboratory.
  • Plainsroad Village — James's destroyed hometown, passed through in Spy Training.

Themes

  • Earning one's place — James repeatedly refuses shortcuts and insists on proving himself through merit rather than patronage.
  • Duty versus personal feeling — James struggles throughout to subordinate grief, romantic attachment, and moral hesitation to his obligations as a knight.
  • The cost of war — The destruction of Plainsroad Village, the deaths of Fearson and Frances, and King Malaky's declining health illustrate war's toll on individuals and institutions.
  • Loyalty and betrayal — The traitors Lou and Handley, both knights, force James to confront the fragility of institutional trust.
  • Coming of age — Each part marks a stage in James's maturation: from isolated apprentice to journeyman to a knight capable of independent leadership.

In A History of Rislandia

According to A History of Rislandia, The Steam Knight series was created by Jon Del Arroz in direct response to reader requests for a male protagonist's perspective on the events of the broader Adventures of Baron Von Monocle setting. The sourcebook identifies James Gentry as the series' protagonist and frames the work as a deliberate authorial choice to expand the viewpoint characters available to readers of the Rislandian saga.

The sourcebook offers no additional historical, geographical, or institutional context for the events depicted in the novellas beyond what is established in the novels themselves.