The Path of the Storm

1. The Lord of the Night Returns: A Ruthless Quest for Power

He would need to conquer the people of this Tingaran Empire, and to harvest the energy of their souls.

An ancient evil awakens. Sentar Scythran, one of the Evermen, returns to Merralya after eons of exile in the nightmare world of Shar. Stripped of his essence and powers, he is forced to rely on his cunning and ruthlessness, a stark contrast to his former god-like status. His singular goal is to reopen the portal to Shar and bring his brothers back, but first, he must secure a source of essence and build an army.

Ruthless ambition. Sentar quickly identifies the Akari, a reclusive ice-dwelling people, as the only source of essence in a world where the great machines of Stonewater have been destroyed. He manipulates and coerces a hunter's son, Druin, to guide him north, demonstrating his cold pragmatism by later killing Druin for sustenance and blankets. This early act foreshadows the brutal methods he will employ to achieve his ultimate objective.

A plan for conquest. Sentar's vision extends beyond mere survival; he intends to conquer the entire Tingaran Empire. He seeks to harvest the life energy of humans to fuel his essence vats, creating an army of revenants. This strategy is designed to ensure his brothers return to a world already subdued, ready for their dominion.

2. A Wedding's Ruin: The Poisoned Heir and a Desperate Search

Lord of the Sky, it had been a perfect day to end with such horror.

A joyous day shattered. Lord Marshal Miro Torresante and enchantress Amber's wedding, a symbol of hope for the newly unified Empire, is tragically interrupted by a mysterious explosion. A gift, disguised as a shrine from Evrin Evenstar, detonates, unleashing a deadly chemical explosive and a potent poison.

Innocence afflicted. While many dignitaries are spared by the quick actions of Ella and Bartolo, Miro and Amber's young son, Tomas, and High Lord Rorelan are critically poisoned. Layla, a Dunfolk healer, confirms the unnatural nature of their illness and offers little hope without a specific cure. This personal tragedy ignites a desperate quest for the antidote.

The trail of clues. Ella, Miro's sister, begins an investigation, discovering a link between the poison and an ancient explorer's journal, Toro Marossa's Explorations. The journal describes similar symptoms from a black powder found on abandoned ships in the "Ochre Isles," far to the west. This revelation sets Miro and Amber on a perilous voyage across the Great Western Ocean.

3. Ella's Audacious Plan: Resurrecting the Past to Save the Future

To come here and bring you home, I had to find someone with your powers, someone who shared your blood, and the blood of the Evermen.

Unveiling Killian's heritage. Ella's investigation into the Evermen's return leads her to the Akari, where she learns of a necromancer, Renrik, who fled with essence and a ship, confirming Sentar's presence. Simultaneously, her search for Killian's origins reveals a shocking truth: he is the son of Lord Aidan Alderon and Lady Alise, Emperor Xenovere's sister, making him the rightful heir to the Tingaran Empire.

A forbidden art. Realizing that only an Everman or someone accompanied by one can cross the portal to Shar, Ella seeks out Barnabas, an exiled Akari necromancer. Defying the conventional teachings of Aldrik, Barnabas instructs Ella in the forbidden lore of animating ancient bodies and restoring personality, a dangerous art that risks creating berserk revenants.

The ultimate sacrifice. With the Empire facing an existential threat, Ella devises a daring plan: she exhumes Lord Aidan's body, uses the combined power of three Lexicons and Akari necromancy to resurrect him, and then, with her friends Shani, Bartolo, and Jehral guarding the portal, she steps into Shar with her reanimated father, determined to bring Killian home.

4. Veldria's Sacrifice: A Nation's Stand Against the Undead Tide

I will destroy my body, my city, and as many of my people as I can before I allow us to become slaves.

A hidden civilization. Miro and Amber's journey leads them to Veldria, a technologically advanced continent whose people fled Merralya during the ancient Evermen wars, vowing to shun lore. Emir Volkan, Veldria's ruler, reveals their history and the existence of the Alchemists' Guild, the source of the poison that afflicted Tomas.

The revenant invasion. News arrives that Sentar Scythran's barbarian horde, now revealed to be an army of revenants, has conquered Narea and Gokan, and is rapidly advancing on Emirald. Miro realizes Sentar's ultimate goal is to seize Veldria's vast fleet to cross the ocean and invade Merralya.

A desperate alliance. Emir Volkan, recognizing the shared threat and Miro's sincerity, agrees to a grim bargain: Miro will lead the evacuation of Veldria's women and children on some ships, while the remaining fleet is destroyed. Volkan, in a final act of defiance, plans to detonate Emirald, sacrificing himself and his city to cripple Sentar's army and buy Merralya time.

5. Killian's Ordeal: Forged in Shar, Heir to a Broken Empire

Having a daily struggle for my life made me strong. In a way, I'm now like one of them.

A world of nightmares. Killian, trapped in Shar, endures a harrowing existence where time flows differently and the line between dreams and reality blurs. He battles "wraiths"—the transformed, non-corporeal remnants of the wrains, Shar's original winged inhabitants, who sacrificed their physical forms to deny the Evermen essence.

Unleashing latent power. Forced to survive in this hostile environment, Killian discovers and develops his inherent Everman powers, learning to wield lightning and fire. He studies the Evermen's abandoned libraries, uncovering the brutal history of Shar's conquest and the wrains' desperate resistance.

A painful reunion. Ella's arrival, accompanied by the reanimated Lord Aidan, initially throws Killian into a state of confusion and rage, mistaking her for a vision. The reunion is further complicated by Lord Aidan's descent into a berserk state, forcing Killian to destroy his own father to protect Ella, a tragic testament to the dangers of Akari lore.

6. The Revenant Horde: An Unstoppable Plague on Merralya

The Lord of the Night's army was like a plague, feeding on those they killed and growing larger in the process, in a cycle that wouldn't end until Sentar Scythran stood inside the Sentinel and opened the way for his brothers to return.

An army of the dead. Miro witnesses Sentar Scythran's terrifying army firsthand during the siege of Wengwai. He realizes the horde is composed entirely of revenants—dead warriors reanimated and controlled by Akari necromancers. This army is relentless, feeling no pain, needing no sustenance, and growing with every conquest.

Sentar's brutal strategy. Sentar, now calling himself the Lord of the Night, uses psychological warfare, offering false promises of mercy to divide the populace and threatening genocide. His goal is to enslave or kill every human in Merralya, converting their life energy into essence to fuel his vats and raise more revenants.

The ultimate threat. Miro understands that this is not a conventional war. Sentar's army is a self-sustaining plague, consuming nations and growing stronger. Without lore, the technologically advanced Veldrins are doomed, and Merralya, weakened by internal strife and a lack of essence, faces an existential threat unlike any before.

7. Miro's Impossible Bargain: Saving a People, Destroying a Fleet

Emir Volkan would have destroyed a good portion of the army, but there are many towns on this continent yet to be enslaved.

A city's last stand. Miro and Amber reach Emirald just as Sentar's revenant army lays siege. The city's walls, though strong, are insufficient against the overwhelming numbers and relentless nature of the undead. Miro realizes Emirald is doomed, but sees a chance to cripple Sentar's grand invasion plan.

The Emir's grim resolve. Emir Volkan, facing the annihilation of his people, agrees to Miro's desperate plan: evacuate as many women and children as possible on a portion of the fleet, while Miro and his men destroy the remaining ships. Volkan then commits to a final, devastating act: detonating Emirald's catacombs, filled with oil and black powder, to destroy a significant portion of Sentar's army.

A bittersweet escape. Miro and Amber, with Commodore Deniz, successfully destroy hundreds of ships, creating a fiery inferno in Emirald's harbor. They escape on the Seekrieger with a convoy of refugee ships, witnessing Emir Volkan's ultimate sacrifice as Emirald explodes, buying Merralya precious time to prepare for the inevitable invasion.

8. A New Dawn: The Heir's Return and a Glimmer of Hope

I'm a Tingaran. These are my people.

Return to Merralya. Ella and Killian, having survived Shar, emerge from the portal into the Sentinel. Killian, now possessing formidable powers, immediately senses the turmoil in Seranthia. He uses his abilities to fly across the harbor, leaving Ella and their friends to follow.

A leader for the people. In Seranthia, Rogan Jarvish struggles to control a volatile mob, incited by Bastian, who demands the return of the Evermen and denounces Rogan's rule. Lady Alise, Killian's mother, arrives but refuses to engage with the Empire she despises, seeking only news of her son.

Hope from the sky. Killian descends from the sky, confronting Bastian and the mob. He reveals his identity as Xenovere's nephew and heir, a Tingaran by birth, and uses his newfound powers and charisma to calm the crowd. He offers a vision of unity and strength, a new leader for a fractured Empire, just as Sentar Scythran's revenant horde prepares its invasion.

Last updated: December 3, 2025