Forest Mage by Robin Hobb

This text details the life of Nevare Burvelle, a soldier son navigating the collapse of his military ambitions after surviving a devastating plague. As he struggles with a mysterious weight gain and a loss of social standing, he becomes entangled in a conflict between the technological Gernian civilization and the magical Speck people. Banished to a remote outpost at Gettys, Nevare serves as a cemetery guard while grappling with the supernatural influence of the forest’s ancestor trees. His journey is marked by personal failure, familial rejection, and a deepening connection to Speck magic that alienates him from his own culture. Ultimately, he faces unjust criminal charges and the violent consequences of the plague's lingering power over both the land and his own body.