Hm, not quite. Its a bit cliche in my mind because really, it is. But Eragon was blatantly the hero from the get-go. In this case, its more like events push him upon that path, even though he seems to make all the choices, or atleast is given the illusion of choice in those matters.
Thank you for the idea of starting off, perhaps in the prologue, with the coach and whatnot. That's not something I had had in mind before, but looking at it now, it does make alot of sense. Also, for a bit more background, Midrealm is high in mineral content, metals and even precious gems and the like. Most of the population deals with metalcrafts or rough trade, with very few 'farms' and ranch-style set up in specific areas.
Also, tradition wood is all but non-existant in Midrealm, so stonework is extremely important for building materials and projects. At the same time, though, several areas where mass graves are have become home to a type of fungus called Deadwood, which can grow to be quite big (20 feet tall, 5 feet thick) and the stems are fiberous, almost like a wood, while the tops bloom once a season, creating a flower that's quite potent magically, and a type of fruit that is poisonous to Livers, but can be consumed by Deaders instead of their traditional food.
Speaking of the Deaders for a moment, because Midrealm is seperated from the true lands of the dead, and yet is distant from the true land of the living (Highrealm and Lowrealm, respectively), Deaders can survive in Midrealm, but only by mostly consuming a substance known as Emptimus, also called Eus (E-us) as its slang name. Emptimus is a crystal that grows in the presense of the Summoner King, and slowly solidifies in gaint vats of water within the throneroom of the Dread Palace. Its used as an energy source in magics, as well. Emptimus 'Shards' are the official curancy of Midrealm, ranked via quanity as well as quality, depending upon how 'pure' the shards are. The purer Emptimus is, the lighter in color it is, and the more potent. Highly pure Eus is deadly to Livers, and prolonged contact can cause sickness or immediant death.
Deaders, on the other hand, consume it to keep their existance in Midrealm. Zombies, liches, and the like munch on it in a parody of ingesting it. Ghosts and spirits on the other hand simply touch it to consume it. The more a Deader consumes, the stronger they become, as well. A spirit for example that consumes a massive quanity of it... Lets just say the Summoner King himself had to deal with one several centuries before the start of the story and it created a region called the 'Pit', where the destruction and energy released there created the Scourge, the collective name for a race of demonic-like beings of primitive intelligence and unsatable hunger. Demons are seperate entities both in their biology and creation than the other beings.
Also, to touch a bit upon the Prophecy, I'm using it as both a common element, and a plot device. No one has seen the true Prophecy sense Midrealm was created. Only the Summoner King, the Judges (Lesser Deities), and the Archeon know its true purpose and its rough whereabouts. Instead, most people in Midrealm know it only through collective information, much in the form of a book or a script, like a Bible. This though is all second hand, and over time has been re-written and re-drafted by different individuals and Summoner Kings to misguide the general population to the truth.
The Prophecy is partially a living, sentient thing that balances out the world of Midrealm. Midrealm was a distaster that never should have happened, but did anyway, and thus had to be kept in balance between the true lands of the living and the dead. Its both the keystone of all existance within Midrealm, the encoding of its laws and traditions, and also partially its own author. As times change, so do the Prophecy, and it can indirectly influence some things within the world, acting like Lady Luck in some cases.
Anyway, thanks again!