The following is meant only as a quick, high-level refresher of the events in The Fall and Of Blood and Fire, rather than a full synopsis.

As such, I will gloss over many important occurrences and characters during this recap, and some – in a few cases – are not mentioned at all.

I will try to catch you up on the events and characters that are the most important to Of Darkness and Light.

 

This refresher will contain spoilers.

 

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THE FALL

 

Every four hundred years since the dawn of time, the Blood Moon – a time when the veil between gods and mortals is at its thinnest – casts its light over the world. But when the Blood Moon rose in the year two-six-eight-two After Doom, everything changed. 

It was on this night that The Order was betrayed by those who had sworn to protect it, and their fortress city of Ilnaenwas laid siege by the forces of Fane Mortem – a mage of immense power. 

Upon discovering the betrayal Alvira Serris, the Archon of the Draleid – warriors who were soulbound to great dragons – attempted to ensure the safety of The Order’s council. But Alvira arrived in the council chamber to discover that her closest friend and First Sword of the Draleid, Eltoar Daethana, had aligned himself with the traitors. In the ensuing battle, Eltoar with the aid of two Fades – dark servants of the traitor god, Efialtír – and his dragon, Helios, slew Alvira and the dragon to which she was bound.

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Feeling the sickly Taint of blood magic radiating from the city of Ilnaen, the Knights of Achyron – a pious order of knights sworn to the warrior god, Achyron – travelled through the Rift to drive back the forces of the Shadow. But they were too late. The city was already lost, the Archon was dead, and The Order had fallen. Only seventeen knights survived the battle of Ilnaen, and they returned to their temple, broken and shattered.

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Amidst the raging battle, Coren Valmar – an apprentice Draleid – and her dragon, Aldryn, fought for their lives against those they had once called brothers and sisters. Under instructions from her master, Coren and two other Draleid, Dylain and Farwen, raced to Ilnaen’s western hatchery to secure the dragon eggs held within. But she was too late. Dylain’s dragon, Soria, was slain in the fighting while Coren and Farwen were lucky to escape the tower with their lives.

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While walking through the wreckage of the western hatchery, Eltoar Daethana discovered the Uraks had betrayed their word and had destroyed the dragon eggs that rested within the tower. Seeing this enraged Eltoar. When he stumbled upon Dylain fighting for his life against a group of Uraks, Eltoar slaughtered the beasts, utilising the dark power of blood magic to do so. However, once Dylain discovered Eltoar’s betrayal of The Order and denounced him, Eltoar slew Dylain in a fit of rage.

 

Struggling to come to terms with his betrayal of those closest to him, Eltoar watched as Fane Mortemtook advantage of the thin veil between worlds and, emboldened by the powers given to him by Efialtír, ripped the continent of Epheria in half. 

 

OF BLOOD AND FIRE

 

In the aftermath of The Fall, Brother-Captain Kallinvar and his knights find the last Sigil Bearer – a young man close to death, who is to take the last remaining Sigil of Achyron and finally restore the Knights of Achyron to their full strength.

Four hundred years after the events of The Fall, Fane Mortem now rules the Lorian Empire and holds dominion over the High Lords of the South. After the events in The Fall, the continent of Epheria is split in two, divided along the centre by both the Darkwood and The Burnt Lands. Only nine Draleid have survived the centuries since The Fall, but they now support the empire and have taken on the name Dragonguard.

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Our story begins in The Glade, one of seven villages that lie at the very edge of the province of Illyanara, in Epheria.

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On the cusp of his eighteenth summer, Calen Bryer will soon take part in The Proving – a trial of courage and skill that not at all survive. But as he waits, he struggles to come to terms with the death of his brother, Haem. Haem was killed two years prior when he led the town guard in chase of Uraks – monstrous creatures with grey and brown skin, heavy muscles, and a thirst for blood – who had attacked The Glade.

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While Calen is preparing for The Proving, his sister, Ella, is preparing to leave The Glade entirely. Secretly, Ella is in love with a young man named Rhett Fjorn – Haem’s best friend and the man that her father, Vars, blames for Haem’s death.

When time for The Proving finally comes, Calen, along with his friends Dann Pimm and Rist Havel, enter Olm Forest together. While in Olm Forest, Calen, Rist, and Dann face many obstacles. On the first night, they are attacked by a bear which they successfully kill and skin to bring back the pelt. However, on the second night, the trio are set upon by another group – Fritz Netly, Denet Hildom, and Kurtis Swett. While attempting to steal the bear pelt Fritz injures Rist with an arrow and drives Calen, Rist, and Dann further into Olm Forest.

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With Rist injured and the group exhausted, the journey back through Olm Forest is a long and slow one. On the way back, Rist, Calen, and Dann cross paths with two Uraks. In the ensuing battle the boys manage to slay the beasts, more from luck than skill. It is here that Rist has the first inkling of his ability to touch the Spark – the source of magic in the world – but he keeps it quiet, afraid of what the others might say.

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Upon arriving back at The Glade with the head of an Urak, the group faces an inquest, led by one of the village elders, Erdhardt Hammersmith. After the inquest, Calen, Dann, and Rist are declared victors of The Hunt, and Calen dances with the girl he pines after, Anya Gritten, while listening to music from a Narvonan bard called Belina Louna.

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A few days after the celebrations, Calen’s father gifts him an elven sword that he himself was given a long time ago. After receiving the sword, Calen goes with Dann and Rist to the nearby town of Milltown to deliver a shipment of weapons and armour for Vars, and to spend some of their winnings.

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While in Milltown, Calen purchases a silk scarf for his mother before meeting back up with Rist and Dann at The Two Barges inn. At the two barges, Calen and Dann play a game of axe throwing with a group of men from Drifaien – Alleron, Baird, Kettil, Leif, Fell, Audun, and Destin. While playing axes, Calen is approached by a young man named Erik. After showing immense skill at the game, Erik unceremoniously leaves. Seeing that Erik left his mantle behind, Calen went after him to return it.

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Outside the inn, Calen, Erik, and Erik’s father and brother – Aeson and Dahlen – have a violent encounter with empire soldiers, which results in Calen killing a man for the first time. Calen, Dann, Rist, Erik, Aeson, and Dahlen flee into Olm Forest.

Meanwhile, back in The Glade, unaware of what has happened, Ella and Rhett finally set off on their journey to Berona, leaving only letters behind.

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In Olm Forest, the group are saved from an Urak attack by Asius, a Jotnar – giant – with pale blue skin, and a natural affinity for the Spark. Later that night, camped in Olm Forest, Calen hears a voice calling to him from within a satchel that is in Aeson’s possession, whispering the words ‘Draleid’ and ′n’aldryr’.

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With the knowledge that the empire might continue looking for them, and could potentially threaten their families, Calen, Dann, and Rist sneak off in the night and ride back to The Glade.

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Unbeknownst to Calen, Aeson is aware of the voice Calen heard and believes him to be the first free Draleid since The Order fell. With this knowledge, Aeson sends Asius and the other Jotnar to deliver messages to their Allies in preparation for war against the empire. Then, Aeson, Dahlen, Erik and Therin – an elf, thought by Calen to only be a bard, but in truth is a lot more – ride after Calen, Rist, and Dann.

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Now back in The Glade, Calen, Rist, and Dann separate to go and seek out their own families. Calen finds that his parents are being questioned by imperial soldiers. He recognises two of the soldiers from the fight outside The Two Barges – a man in a red cloak, Inquisitor Rendall, and a man in a black cloak, Farda Kyrana. In the altercation that follows, Rendall kills Calen’s father, and Farda kills Calen’s mother. It is only by Aeson, Erik, Dahlen, and Therin’s intervention that Calen escapes.

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After escaping back into Olm Forest, Calen confronts Aeson as to why the empire is chasing them. Aeson reveals that within his satchel is a dragon egg. This revelation changes everything, as not a single Epherian dragon egg has hatched in the four centuries since The Fall. But the egg that Aeson has in his possession is not an Epherian dragon egg; it is a dragon egg from the northern icelands of Valacia. Believing his entire family dead, including Ella, and the empire chasing him, Calen agrees to go with Aeson and the others to Belduar – a city of legend that has defied the empire for centuries. Unwilling to let their friend go alone, Dann and Rist also join the group.

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In the city of Camylin, Aeson meets an acquaintance and arranges for letters to be sent across the continent to his allies, informing them that he has found the Draleid that will be bound to the dragon within the egg, and readying them for the rebellion to come. That night, the group are attacked by empire soldiers and chased through the streets of Camylin. During the attack, Rist and Dahlen are separated from the rest of the group and are subsequently attacked by a Fade, who takes Rist captive and leaves Dahlen unconscious.

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Meanwhile, Ella and Rhett have also arrived in the city of Camylin, only just missing Calen and the others. It is here that Rhett receives a letter from his uncle, Tanner Fjorn. In the letter, Tanner tells Rhett that he has purchased a ticket for both Rhett and Ella to travel north, from the port of Gisa. Due to Epheria being split by The Burnt Lands and the Darkwood, almost all travel between the North and South is done by ship. There are only two ports in the South that make this journey, Gisa and Falstide. As Rhett and Ella could never have afforded a ticket for the relatively safe journey from Gisa to Antiquar, they had initially intended to travel the breadth of Illyanara and sail along the Lightning Coast from Falstide to Bromis.

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When Dahlen re-joins the group in the woods outside Camylin, Calen blames him for Rist’s capture, and a split forms between the two young men. That night, the dragon egg hatches for Calen, revealing a small white-scaled dragon whose consciousness and soul are indelibly intertwined to Calen’s.

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Back in The Glade, Farda Kyrana learns of Ella’s existence from Fritz Netly, despite Inquistor Rendall insisting that Calen’s entire family was dead. Farda sends soldiers to both Gisa and Falstide in search of Ella and also sends Fritz along with the soldiers.

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When Calen and the others reach the city of Midhaven, they learn that the empire has set up a blockade around the city of Belduar, which forces them to change their plans and instead travel through a mountain pass at the edge of the Darkwood. On the way, Calen learns that due to his connection with the dragon he has the ability to touch the Spark. This is also when he learns his first words of the Old Tongue and decides on the dragon’s name: Valerys – Ice.

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When in the Darkwood, the group are set upon by Uraks. During the fight, Calen draws heavily from the Spark and almost kills himself, but is saved by Therin and the group are rescued by a patrol of Elven rangers. After the rescue, the Elven captain, Thalanil, fails to convince Aeson to seek refuge in the elven city of Aravell – a secret city at the heart of the Darkwood that has been hidden from the world since The Fall. Instead, five elven rangers – Ellisar, Gaeleron, Vaeril,Alea, and Lyrei – swear oaths to protect Calen with their lives.

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On the journey through the mountain pass, Therin reveals to Calen that Aeson was once a Draleid and that his dragon, Lyara, was hunted down and killed by the empire. With Lyara’s death, Aeson is now known as Rakina – ‘one who is broken’, or to the elves, ‘one who survived.’

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While Calen and his group travel along the mountain pass, Ella and Rhett are stopped by empire soldiers along the merchant’s road to Gisa. When the soldiers learn Ella’s name, a fight breaks out and Rhett is killed. Ella only survives when Faenir – the wolfpine that her family raised – appears and kills the last two soldiers.

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In the mountain pass, exhausted from the constant training he is being put through by Aeson and Therin, Calen is visited by the Fade, who discovers that the dragon egg has now hatched. With the knowledge that the Fade now knows the egg has hatched, Aeson pushes the group even harder to reach Belduar.

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Thousands of miles away, in the embassy for the Circle of Magii in Al’Nasla, Rist awakens in a room to be greeted by a mysterious man by the name of Brother Garramon, who proceeds to tell Rist that he is in fact a fledgeling mage, and has the power to touch the Spark.

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Upon arriving at Belduar, Calen and his group are greeted by King Arthur Bryne and his close friend and advisor, Lord Ihvon Arnell. Soon, Calen, along with Asius, Arthur, and Aeson, is brought to the Durakdur – one of the four kingdoms of the Dwarven Freehold – to speak to the dwarven rulers: Queen Kira of Durakdur, Queen Elenya of Ozryn, King Hoffnar of Volkur, and Queen Pulroan of Azmar. Calen, Asius, Aeson, and Arthur journey through an intricate tunnel network to Durakdur on a dwarven machine known as a Wind Runner, that is piloted by a skilled navigator called Falmin Tain.

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After the meeting with the dwarven rulers – which ended in a heated shouting match between Calen and Queen Kira – assassins attack Durakdur and attempt to kill Calen, Aeson, Asius, and the dwarven rulers. When the attack is thwarted, Calen, Asius, and Aeson race to Belduar to ensure the safety of Arthur Bryne. Before they board the Wind Runner, Queen Kira arrives with a small army of her Queensguard and travels with Calen and the others to Belduar.

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While Calen and the others journey through the mountain, Ihvon Arnell opens the entrance to the mountain pass and allows the Fade, along with a force of imperial soldiers, into the city of Belduar. Upon realising that the Fade had used the memories of his dead wife and child to manipulate him, Ihvon has a change of heart and realises that he has made a terrible decision and sounds the city bells to warn of the attack.

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By the time Calen and the others arrive in Belduar, the city is already under attack. Many of the Bolt Throwers – enormous crossbows that have long protected Belduar from the Dragonguard – are in flames and the streets are flooded with imperial soldiers. They fight their way through the city, finding Ellisar, Dann, and Therin along the way.

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When they finally reach the great hall, they find that the Fade has killed Arthur and holds Arthur’s son, Daymon, captive. In the fight that ensues, Ellisar is killed and Dann is badly wounded, before Valerys finds his fire and burns the Fade from the world. In the aftermath of the battle, Daymon is crowned king of Belduar.

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However, the victory is short lived as Tarmon Hoard – the new Lord Captain of the Kingsguard – informs Daymon that the imperial forces that had been holding the blockade are now marching towards Belduar, and the Dragonguard are with them.

In the city of Gisa, Ella and another survivor of the attack on the merchant’s road, Shirea, mourn over those they lost, finally deciding to continue on to the North using the two tickets that Tanner had purchased for Rhett and Ella. After initially running into trouble bringing Faenir aboard the ship at Gisa, Ella is helped by an unknown stranger – Farda.