This is a crazy story

So, I’m on an Ashen Shard kick and trying to figure out what is going on with this weird story.  I did some digging around and found this master timeline. I made some changes to it to reflect updates (Lanthriel was still Progolo in this version @_@ ). Good grief I forgot how robust/complicated this story is, and I never even worked out the meat of the real conflict.

BACK STORY

These events occur before the actual narrative.  They are revealed through flash backs or through characters recounting them.

• A human civilization begins conquering extensively and threatens to overthrow the world
• Glaivannath and the Lunescens are marked, and its leaders are turned into shades
• Glaivannath somehow survives the curse, and because of its effect, becomes a terribly powerful black mage
• Glaivannath revitalizes the reign of chaos, but is now nigh immortal
• The world’s most powerful sorcerers band together and use their powers to seal him and his followers into the Realm of Shadows. His followers, the Lunescens, carry on, but Glaivannath is sealed into a deep sleep.
• centuries later, the barrier of the Shadow Realm is breached, and Glaivannath is freed
• He learns of the Sentinels and the spell that prevents him from taking the power from the Vessel
• He learns that he will have an “Heir” that will have his same powers
• He begins tracing his bloodline to find his descendants, and over the course of several generations, brings them into power. He meets and recruits Mystan, a rogue Marid, to help him protect his descendants and ensure their heath. (he possibly also recruits some of the Elect?)
• Preathew , a descendant of Glaivannath’s and the man designated as the father of Glaivannath’s heir, comes into power as Lunescen prince. He has three children with his wife before she dies.
• Preathew is forced to marry Be’thani, the young daughter of a noble, due to cultural requirements Glaivannath put into place
• Preathew leaves Lunesca and has an affair with a Daemon ambassador before returning home. The Daemon woman gives birth to a halfblooded Human named Ehric.
• Ehric is abandoned shortly after birth and is given Breath by a sylph.
• The sylph seeks out a nursemaid for Ehric so that he will survive
• after Ehric is weaned, his nurse smuggles him to relatives to be raised instead of returning him to the Sylph (whom she believes had stolen him).
• Be’thani gives birth to Imrien. Glaivannath knows that his Heir will be Preathew’s fifth child, but since he doesn’t know about Ehric, he doesn’t realize that Imrien is the Heir.
• Ehric is given the iron ring that mutes his changeling qualities, and he begins training in a Daemon military
• Preathew receives word of his illegitimate child. Wishing to make Ehric’s life better, he recruits Ehric as a palace guard and assigns him specifically to watch over Imrien, after using advanced sorceric technology to disguise him as a Lunescen.
• Ehric begins working as Imrien’s guardian
• Glaivannath becomes frustrated with Be’thani, who has had multiple miscarriages since Imrien’s birth, despite having had many infusions of Mystan’s divine blood. He plans to kill her so that Preathew will have to take another wife and, hopefully, produce his Heir
• Preathew finally confesses to Ehric that he is his father. Glaivannath overhears this.
• Glaivannath orders Mystan and his other followers to bring him Imrien immediately.
• Mystan captures Imrien, but not before Glaivannath’s other followers kill several soldiers. Ehric attempts to rescue Imrien and engages Mystan in battle. She unintentionally destroys the illusion device, revealing that he is a Changeling human.
• Mystan wounds Ehric but spares his life, both because she is impressed and intrigued by his bravery and appearance, but also because she is horrified by the number of deaths.
• Mystan delivers Imrien to Glaivannath, and learns of Glaivannath’s plot to use the Heir to storm the Guardian’s palace. Mystan renounces her alliance with him and leaves.
• Ehric, now wounded and in his true form, is brought into custody. The disappearance of Imrien, the murder of the soldiers, and the evidence found of the attempted poisoning of Princess Be’thani are mistakenly blamed on him and he is arrested by the High Court as a spy and sentenced to death.
• Glaivannath performs the ritual needed to turn Imrien into a Dark Mage. Imrien transforms into a berserk shade and attacks the Guardian’s Temple because he is irresistibly drawn to its power
• Mystan, after finally coming to terms with herself, rushes to the Guardian’s Temple in an attempt to sabotage Glaivannath
• Many of the Sentinels are destroyed and guardians killed by Imrien, Glaivannath, and his followers as they tear through the palace towards the Sentinel’s pyre, which is under the safekeeping of the current Vessel, Thystle.
• Imrien attacks Thystle and begins to draw out the power that guides the Sentinels
• Mystan arrives too late to save Thystle, but she breaks Imrien hold of her and thereby shatters the power. The temple (and the whole world) shakes as the pyre plunges into chaos and rogue sentinels begin to spawn
• Imrien reverts to his human form, but through the process of draining the power from Thystle, he has absorbed part of her essence, which has altered his appearance dramatically. Mystan and Glaivannath engage in combat as the temple begins to deteriorate.
• Glaivannath claims Mystan’s eye, but he is at last driven away by her fierce might and the uproar in the Temple
• Imrien flees to the Hall of Gates, which contains portals to every realm. Mystan tries to catch him, but his hindered by her wounds and the collapsing of the temple.
• Imrien escapes into the Eternal Forest. Mystan becomes buried under debris and knocked unconscious.
• Mystan eventually awakens to find the Temple in ruins and Imrien gone. She finds Thystle’s body, which has been ruined by Imrien’s black magic. Thystle, however, still possesses a fragment of the power and is miraculously alive, but severely damaged.
• Mystan takes Thystle with her in her search for an alchemist rumored to live in a remote glen called Silk Hollow.
• Imrien is taken in by an Elven hermit. Afraid he will be captured again, he takes on an alias and claims his name is Took A’vahn.
• Thystle is reincarnated as a homunculus. Since neither the alchemist nor Mystan know who or what she was, the alchemist creates her a body that has aspect of all of the five pure races. Thystle proves to have lost much of her memories, so the Weaver calls her Kalarune and begins to raise her as an apprentice and a daughter. Mystan, believing her to be safest in Silk Hollow, permits this, unsure as of yet what to do with the reincarnated Vessel.
• Mystan begins calling in old favors from friends and assembles a small army of warriors and researchers as she comes to learn about the full effects of the Shattering. She eventually establishes a base of operations in the ruins of an abandoned and centuriesold Lunescen fortress, which she names JanniHarrii. Her followers begin to call themselves Mystivians, and Mystan takes on the title of the Bearer.
• The Bearer and the Mystivians begin fighting against the rogue (“tainted”) Sentinels. As news of their exploits increase, more warriors begin to join until it is necessary to form a training ground.
• When not fighting, Mystan travels the realms, trying to find Imrien. Wondering if perhaps he managed to return home, she searches for him in Lunesca, where she learns of Ehric’s arrest. Enraged that Imrien’s kidnap had been unfairly blamed on him, she storms the palace and rescues him from prison, a few days before his execution. She brings him back to JanniHarrii and puts him in Gembri’s care so that he may recuperate from being tortured in prison.
• Without the gifts of Life energy that Glaivannath would give her, Mystan’s youth quickly deteriorates and she becomes a ghoul. As her strength wanes somewhat, she find it necessary to remain more often at JanniHarrii, where she establishes “Masters” and a ranking system to help train recruits. JanniHarrii becomes a fullfledged dojo as “Mystivia” becomes recognized as a “special ops” force. JanniHarrii begins actively recruiting, and gradually the land becomes slightly safer.
• After Ehric recuperates, Mystan offers him a new life as a Mystivian. Unable to recognize her as Imrien’s kidnapper, he accepts. Most people call him by his last name.
• Took is taken to Chen by his reluctant caretaker, who pulls strings allowing Took to attend an academy for science and sorcery.
• Glaivannath recovers and begins recruiting his Elect to build his powers. He also searches fervently for Imrien, who he believes now holds the ability to control the Sentinels. Additionally he builds his arsenal of disguises and powers by hunting down powerful beings. Among his targets is the entire race of Marids, because they alone possess the gift of foresight.
• Took begins to excel in his school work. Because the Lunescens are far more technologically advanced, he is able to plagiarize Lunescen inventions as his own. He also begins experimenting with his newly awakened powers and dabbles in black arts.
• Took “invents” teleporters, which become the commodity no city can live without, since the attacks of the rogue sentinels have desperately hindered travel and commerce. Took becomes very wealthy.
  Between the teleporters and the efforts of the Mystivians, the land becomes slightly more stable. Still, peace is very shaky as Glaivannath wrecks subtle havoc of his own by killing off important beings and gaining more Soulbound.
• Took begins seeking out a way to force entry into the sealed Lunesca (unaware of the breach through the Daemon lands) by building a horrifically powerful teleporter. After many failed attempts, he realizes he needs a steadier supply of Ether (the magic that operates the teleporters–a power to which djinn are natually attuned).
• Took travels to the Djinni realm in the hopes of recruiting a djinni to harvest Ether for him.
• Took meets Vahaadi, an infamous thief. Vahaadi sells his soul to Took in exchange for invincibility, which Took is able to supply due to his black magic power of harvesting life energy.
• Vahaadi begins siphoning Ether for Took, but quickly becomes greedy for more power and annoyed with the conditions of his servitude.
• Vahaadi succumbs to his blood cravings after seeing Took cut himself while fiddling with an invention. By licking the blood from Took’s hand, he briefly suspends Took’s power over him.
• Vahaadi takes the opportunity to terrorize Took by placing a “spell” on him. Vahaadi tells him that if Took doesn’t supply him with an amulet imbued with a certain amount of stolen life energy before the rune appears in its full force, Took will die.
• Took reacts by blasting him unconscious and then wiping his memory, with the belief that by doing so he will make Vahaadi’s spell fail. Took, however, is the one who fails, and the rune remains.
  Took begins fulfilling Vahaadi’s request by seeking out people of strong energy (which he is able to sense due to his black magic) and attacking them. Meanwhile, he brainwashes Vahaadi into believing he is a homunculus Took created. His treatment of the djinni becomes brutal.
• Glaivannath kills the last adult Marid aside from Mystan. Mystan, by default, suddenly regains the power of a seer (an ability which she lost when she became rogue, because she wasn’t worthy of it any more).
• Mystan has her first vision, which reveals that the “Heir” is being held captive by a thief named Vahaadi. Mystan doesn’t know who Vahaadi is, but she recognizes that it is a djinni name and recruits an adventurous Wraith, Iryl, to investigate Vahaadi and rescue the Heir.

NARRATIVE 1

The story opens with this narrative, which follows the adventures of Kalarune at JanniHarri. Portions of this will narrative will alternate with portions from narrative 2, until they eventually meet up.

• Mystan sends Lanthriel to fetch Kalarune
• Silk Hollow is attacked by Sentinels
• Lanthriel finds Kalarune amid the attack and tries to whisk her away, but becomes caught up in fighting the Sentinels. Kalarune, meanwhile, unaware of his intentions, attempts to escape him but fails.
• The Weaver, also unaware of his intentions, intervenes. Lanthriel tells her he is there on behalf of the Bearer. The Weaver allows him to take the frightened Kalarune with him back to JanniHarrii.
• Kalarune begins training as a Mystivian under Lanthriel’s watch.
• Vahaadi, now completely brainwashed and victimized, tries to drown himself in the hopes of escaping Took
• Lanthriel saves Vahaadi. Vahaadi runs away.
• Mystan hires Took to build a teleporter in JanniHarrii so that the Mystivians will be able to deploy and return faster.
• Took meets Kala, whom he realizes possesses unprecedented levels of life energy
• Took commands Vahaadi to spy on her.
• In the course of spying on Kala, Vahaadi recognizes Lanthriel as his rescuer
• Vahaadi approaches Lanthriel to thank him
• When Lanthriel asks for his name, Vahaadi tells him to call him Ali Sahin (an alias he used to use when he was a thief), because that’s the only name he can remember
• Lanthriel and Sahin become friends. Sahin can only meet him in secret so that Took will not find out. Lanthriel gradually teaches Sahin to read
• Kalarune gets into many scrapes as she tries to unravel the mysteries of the sentinels, JanniHarrii, and her own existence. There are probably some of Glaivannath’s Elect involved.
• Took learns more about Kalarune’s power and plans to steal it.
• Sahin asks Took to spare Lanthriel
• Took realizes that Sahin has been sneaking out to meet Lanthriel, and becomes enraged because he fears that Sahin has told Lanthriel about the people Took has been stealing life energy from.
• Took and Sahin (under Took’s control) attack Lanthriel and Kalarune.
• Sahin fatally stabs Lanthriel
• Took grabs Kala and begins to drain her energy. His touch triggers her memories (which he unknowingly holds) of the Shattering and draws out her phoenix powers
• Kalarune, overcome with the phoenix power, blasts Took away from her and then attacks Sahin.
• Sahin and Took retreat, leaving the transformed Kalarune and her dying guardian
• Kalarune’s tears revive Lanthriel
• Sahin returns and helps care for Lanthriel
• Kalarune has to use alchemy to repair her body, which magically “cracked” from the revival of her phoenix powers. From here on out, she can change her body at will using alchemical potions.
• Sahin confesses to Lanthriel that he is in love with him
• Lanthriel rejects him
• Sahin, bitterly disappointed, returns to Took’s home and, in a fit of rage, tears it apart.
• Sahin finds Took’s journal, which details Took’s recruitment of Vahaadi.
• Sahin sounds out the name “Vahaadi.” Hearing his real name spoken breaks the memory spell.
• Vahaadi stabs Took and licks the blood from the blade, once more suspending Took’s power over him for a short time. He forces Took to surrender the amulet and his soul
• Took demands that Vahaadi remove the curse he put on him. Vahaadi snidely tells him “You’re a smart boy. Figure it out.”
• Vahaadi leaves Took and seeks out Lanthriel, who has gone to the ruins of an ancient Lunescen portal on the grounds of JanniHarrii to think over what has transpired. Kalarune is…somewhere.
• Vahaadi tells Lanthriel that he is free, and that he is going home. He asks Lanthriel to come with him, because there he’ll be safe from the enemies (including Took) that are trying to take Kalarune.
• Lanthriel refuses to leave Kalarune to save himself
• Took tries to find Lanthriel, thinking that Vahaadi is with him. He finds Kalarune first and takes her hostage as he continues to search for Lanthriel.
• Took and Kala find Lanthriel and Vahaadi. Took attacks Lanthriel, putting a memory spell on him and then sealing him into a deathlike trance to prevent Vahaadi from restoring his memory. He claims he won’t lift the spell until Vahaadi fulfills his demands.
• Vahaadi and Took begin to battle.
• Vahaadi almost kills Took, but Kalarune intervenes. She knows that he is somehow linked to her and fear that if he dies, she’ll never know what it is.
• Vahaadi tells Kalarune to back out, or he’ll kill her too. Kalarune holds her ground, so he attacks.
• Took and Kalarune manage to subdue Vahaadi for a moment.
• Vahaadi surprises them by using the amulet to transform into an Ifrit beast. He grabs Lanthriel’s body, and then activates the dormant Lunescen portal and escapes into the djinni world.
• Took and Kalarune follow, but end up losing him. They end up lost in the djinni world.
• Vahaadi takes Lanthriel back to his lair in a mountain cave, where he tries to revive Lanthriel but fails.
• Took and Kalarune are attacked by Sentinels. Kalarune is knocked over the edge of a cliff, and Took is taken captive. ==End Part 1==
• Took escapes from the Sentinels. He begins building an army of golems to help him find Vahaadi. He also dismantles a massive portal so that he can use its pieces to create mini teleporters to send golems through. (this is not revealed until later)

NARRATIVE 2

This narrative will follow Lanthriel’s and Iryl’s adventure in the Djinni lands.

• Iryl finds Lanthriel. It believes he is the Heir, because he appears to be Vahaadi’s captive.
• Iryl breaks the trance spell on Lanthriel, but fails to break the memory spell.
• Iryl and Lanthriel escape. Vahaadi tries to stop them, but before he can call out to Lanthriel, Iryl seals his voice, thinking to prevent him from using an incantation.
• Iryl and Lanthriel travel to a world portal, only to find that it has been dismantled by “the puppeteer.”
• Iryl and Lanthriel travel to a city under the puppeteer’s control, defeat the golems, and reclaim a portal fragment.
• Took recognizes Lanthriel and notices that he is still under the effects of the memory spell. He tries to capture Lanthriel, thinking that he will be able to lure Vahaadi to him that way, but fails.
• Took hires Fawzild and Marrik to hunt down Lanthriel
• Lanthriel and Iryl continue on their journey, trying to purge the puppeteer’s control and restore the portal, while avoiding being captured by the bounty hunters, Vahaadi, or Took’s (“the Puppeteer’s”) golems
• Vahaadi finally catches up to Lanthriel and Iryl. He uses his unusually strong Djinni magic to force Iryl through a portal, breaks its lantern, and regains his voice. Lanthriel, who only knows/believes what Iryl has told him, grabs him by the throat to try and keep him from speaking. He doesn’t want to strangle him, but he doesn’t know what else to do. Vahaadi barely manages to gasp his name, “Ehric…Lanthriel…!” and restores his memories of his identity as Lanthriel.
• Vahaadi explains who he is and how his memory was erased, but doesn’t explain why. He also mentions that now that he’s no longer Soulbound, Took doesn’t have any reason to hurt Kalarune, so she is probably safe.
• Lanthriel tries to figure out what Iryl had to gain from brainwashing him.
• Lanthriel and Vahaadi are captured by Fawzild and Marrik. Fawzild takes Lanthriel to the puppeteer, and Marrik takes Vahaadi to the self-proclaimed Grand Sheik to collect the massive bounty on his head. ==End Part 1==
• “The puppeteer”, realizing that Lanthriel’s memory curse has been broken, reveals himself as Took and explains his intentions of luring Vahaadi to him. Lanthriel reacts with scorn towards Took’s obsessiveness, and Took then explains the reason suppressed Vahaadi’s memories and has been hunting people like Kalarune. When Lanthriel asks about her, Took tells him that Kalarune was killed by Sentinels.
• Lanthriel is devastated by the realization that Vahaadi is the one who is truly to blame and wants to confront him. He tells Took that his plan won’t work because Vahaadi was captured by Marrik, and he faces execution, in the hopes of goading Took into using his extensive powers to help break Vahaadi out.
• Took releases Lanthriel, and they team up in an attempt to rescue Vahaadi from prison so that Took can force him to lift his killing curse and so that Lanthriel can hear the truth from Vahaadi.
  Lanthriel and Took manage to rescue Vahaadi.
• Lanthriel demands that Vahaadi tell him the truth. Vahaadi, seeing no way out, confesses that Took is right.
• Lanthriel renounces his friendship with Vahaadi and tells him that he’s ashamed that he ever sided with him. Still, Took, Vahaadi, and Lanthriel stick together for some reason.
• They meet up with Iryl.
• Lanthriel explains to Iryl who he really is by telling his life story. He has had time to figure out Iryl’s mistake and realizes that Iryl was actually looking for Imrien. Imrien listens in amazement but doesn’t reveal himself.
• Took secretly reveals to Lanthriel in private that he is Imrien.

…THEN WHAT HAPPENS?!

Whew! Part two will theoretically deal more heavily with the actual villains, (Glaivannath and his cronies) once the Took/Vahaadi fiasco is sorted out. These are some elements that need to be figured out, still…