Wars of Light and Shadow

Background of the Series

Story Arcs

• Arc 1
• *Curse of the Mistwraith
• Arc 2
• *Ships of Merior
• *Warhost of Vastmark
• Arc 3 - Alliance of Light
• *Fugitive Prince
• *Grand Conspiracy
• *Peril's Gate
• *Traitor's Knot
• *Stormed Fortress
• Arc 4 - Sword of the Canon
• *Initiate's Trial
• *Destiny's Conflict
• Arc 5
• *Song of the Mysteries

  Short Stories

• Child of Prophecy

• Reins of Destiny

• The Sundering Star

• The Decoy

• The Gallant

Suggested Reading Order

• The Gallant can be read at any time, independent of the main series.
• Child of Prophecy, Reins of Destiny, and The Decoy should be read anytime after Curse of the Mistwraith, and can be read in any order.
• The Sundering Star is best read after Warhost of Vastmark.
• Black Bargain is best read after Stormed Fortress.

  Characters and Organizations

Old Bloodlines

• s'Ahelas -- Family name for the royal line appointed by the Fellowship Sorcerers in Third Age Year One to rule the High Kingdom of Shand. The half-brothers Arithon s'Ffalenn and Lysaer s'Ilessid have the same s'Ahelas mother. Gifted geas: farsight.
• s'Brydion -- Ruling line of the Dukes of Alestron. This family was the only old blood clansmen to maintain rule of a fortified city through the uprising that defeated the rule of the high kings.
• s'Callient -- Lineage of the caithdeinen of Melhalla, this family was Fellowship-chosen to succeed s'Dieneval after the fall of Tirans.
• s'Dieneval -- This family was the lost lineage of the caithdeinen of Melhalla. The bloodline carried strong talent for prophecy, and was decimated during the sack of Tirans in the uprising, with Egan s'Dieneval's pregnant wife the sole survivor. Her daughter, Meiglin was mother of Dari s'Ahelas, crown heir of Shand.
• s'Ellestrion -- Lineage of the High Kings of Melhalla, the last member of the s'Ellestrion family died in exile in the crossing the Red Desert, following the uprising.
• s'Ffalenn -- This family was the royal line appointed to rule the High Kingdom of Rathain. Arithon s'Ffalenn is the only surviving heir.
• s'Gannley -- This family bears the responsibility of caithdein for Tysan.
• s'Ilessid -- This family was the royal line appointed to rule the High Kingdom of Tysan. Lysaer s'Ilessid is one of several living heirs at the time the story begins.
• s'Lornmein -- This family was the royal line appointed to rule the High Kingdom of Havish.
• s'Taleyn -- This family bears the responsibility of caithdein for Shand.
• s'Valerient -- This family bears the responsibility of caithdein for the kingdom of Rathain.

  Main Characters

• Arithon s'Ffalenn — A protagonist of the series, Arithon is private, reclusive and resists closeness from most people as a result of his gifted geas of empathy. He possesses the gift of elemental shadow, allowing him to create darkness, extreme cold and shaped illusion on a scale limited only by will and imagination. Like Lysaer, Arithon's lifespan and youth is magically extended by five hundred years.
• Lysaer s'Ilessid — Another protagonist of the series, Lysaer is Arithon's opposite - charming, warm and inspiring. His gifted geas is justice, forcing him to pursue his version of justice against all odds. Lysaer's gift is of elemental light, allowing him to create intense heat and light on a similarly grand scale. Lysaer's life has been lengthened by five hundred years after drinking from Davien's Five Centuries Fountain.
• Dakar the Mad Prophet — Initially in the series, Dakar was an inveterate drunk, who befriended Lysaer and was suspicious of Arithon. Dakar has the gift of prophecy, in which he foretells a conditional future while in a trance.
• Elaira — Elaira is a member of the Koriathain Order.
• Jieret s'Valerient — Arithon's caithdein, Jieret has known Arithon since childhood.
• Lirenda — A member of the Koriathain Order, Lirenda hates Arithon and has designed numerous traps to snare him for use by the Order.
• Morriel — The ruler of the Koriathain Order, Morriel is close to the end of an already unnaturally long life Physically weak but capable of powerful magic, she acts in what she believes to be the best interests of the humans living on Athera, to the detriment of the planet itself.

  The Mistwraith

Fellowship of Seven

• Asandir — His secondary name is Kingmaker since his hand crowned every High King of Men to rule in the Third Age. After the Mistwraith's conquest, he acted as field agent for the Fellowship's doings across the continent. He is also called the Fiend-quencher, for his reputation for quelling iyats; Storm-breaker and Change-bringer for his past actions when Men first arrived upon Athera.
• Ciladis the Lost — He is the greatest healer among the Fellowship. He left the continent in Third Age 5462 in search of the Paravian races after their disappearance following the rebellion.
• Davien the Betrayer — He was responsible for provoking the great uprising in Third Age Year 5018 that resulted in the fall of the high kings after the Mistwraith's conquest. Rendered discorporate by the Fellowship's judgement in Third Age 5129, he has lived in exile since then by personal choice. Davien's works included the Five Centuries Fountain near Mearth on the splinter world of the Red Desert through West Gate; the shaft at Rockfell Peak, used by the Sorcerers to imprison harmful entities; the Stair on Rockfell Peak; and also, Kewar Tunnel in the Mathorn Mountains.
• Kharadmon — Kharadmon has been discorporate since the rise of Khadrim and Seardluin leveled Paravian stronghold at Ithamon in Second Age 3651. It was by Kharadmon's intervention that the survivors of the attack were sent to safety by means of transfer from the fifth lane power focus.
• Luhaine — Luhaine has been discorporate since the fall of Telmandir in Third Age Year 5018. Luhaine's body was pulled down by the mob while he was in ward trance, covering the escape of the royal heir of Havish.
• Sethvir — He has been The Warden of Althain Tower since Third Age 5100, when the last centaur guardian departed after the Mistwraith's conquest.
• Traithe — Traithe was solely responsible for the closing of South Gate to deny further entry to the Mistwraith. Traithe lost most of his faculties in the process and was left with a limp. Since it is not known whether he can make the transfer into discorporate existence with his powers impaired, he has retained his physical body.

• Verrain sen Dient — Master Spellbinder and Guardian of Mirthlvain, Verrain resides at Methisle Fortress and keeps watch over the dangerous predators in the swamp. He was trained by Luhaine.
• Dakar — Apprentice Spellbinder to Asandir, Dakar is sometimes called the Mad Prophet.

  Koriathain Order

Paravian races

• Athlien Paravians — Sunchildren, akin to elves or pixies
• Ilitharis Paravians — Centaurs, though of enormous stature
• Riathan Paravians — Unicorns

  Timeline

• Era of Creation
• Era of Destruction
• Era of Redemption is the era where the stories occur and has three ages:
• * First Age - Marked by arrival of the Paravians
• * Second Age - Marked by the arrival of the Fellowship Sorcerers
• * Third Age - Marked by the arrival of Mankind, where the main story takes place
• Era of Exaltation

Locations of Note

• Alestron — Home of the s'Brydion family, this was one of the few cities not to fall in the uprising against the clans after the invasion of the Mistwraith.
• Althain Tower — BuilT in the second age by the Paravians, Althain Tower houses many records and artifacts from Athera's history, and is the current home of Sethvir of the Fellowship.
• Erdane — A significant city in Tysan.
• Etarra — A post-rebellion city in Rathain.
• Jaelot — Formerly a Second Age town, it is currently occupied by townsmen with a reputation for bad taste and bad manners.
• Marak — The world beyond the South Gate, which has been overrun by the Mistwraith.
• Methisle — The site of a keep where Verrain keeps watch on Mirthlvain Swamp.