Epilogue

Anyara With all my heart, I would be with you now. I try not to fear for you. I remind myself that you were always the stronger of us. Even when there were three of us, I think perhaps you were the strongest, though I did not understand it until later. Rothe died. Torcaill can tell you how and why, if you want to know. We are the last of home now, you and I, the last of Kolglas. I look around me, and I see familiar faces, but I miss those I knew in Kolglas. I want more than anything to walk with you through the market in Kolglas again, and to go hawking with you along its shore, and to steal warm bread from its kitchens. That is what I mean to do. It is what I hope to do. But that may not be how this ends. I do not know if I can make any difference in any of this, but I think I see at least the outline of something that perhaps needs to be done. And I choose to try to do it. You do not deserve the burden, but there is no one else. If I am gone, I leave to your care our Blood and our home. I think now, looking back, that we all die, little by little, as each of those we love departs before us. Forgive me, sister, if I have gone before you. Orisian

the passage of time

The First Age Began when the Gods made the world and put the One Race in it to inhabit it. Ended when the One Race rose up against the Gods and was destroyed. The Second Age Began when the Gods made the Five Races: Huanin, Kyrinin, Whreinin, Saolin and Anain. The Huanin and Kyrinin made war upon the Whreinin and destroyed that race, and were thereafter named the Tainted Races for their sin, and forfeited the love of the Gods. Ended when the Gods departed from the world. The Third Age Began with the absence of the Gods, and with chaos. Year 280 The Adravane and Aygll Kingships arose 398 Marain the Stonemason began the construction of Highfast, at the behest of the Aygll King 451 The Alsire Kingship arose, and the era of the Three Kingships began 775 The three Huanin Kingships united against the Kyrinin clans and the War of the Tainted began 787 Tarcene, the Aygll King, was bound, his mind enslaved, by the na’kyrim Orlane; his own daughter, in despair, killed him 788 Tane, the Kyrinin’s Shining City, was captured by the Huanin armies, the Deep Rove was raised by the Anain, and the War of the Tainted ended 792 Morvain’s Revolt, a rising against the faltering Aygll Kingship, culminated in a failed siege of Highfast 793 The last Aygll monarch—Lerr, the Boy King—was slain at In’Vay, and the era of the Three Kingships ended; Aygll lands descended into chaos and the Storm Years began 847 The Bloods—Kilkry, Haig, Gyre, Ayth and Taral—were founded in Aygll lands, and Kulkain oc Kilkry became the first Thane of Thanes; the end of the Storm Years 849 Kulkain oc Kilkry bade Lorryn the na’kyrim establish at Highfast a library for the preservation of learning and knowledge 852 The last Alsire King was slain, and the first King of the Dornach line took his throne in Evaness 922 The Black Road heresy arose in Kilvale; Amanath the Fisherwoman, its originator, was executed and the creed outlawed by the Bloods 939 Avann oc Gyre-Kilkry, Thane of the Gyre Blood, adopted the creed of the Black Road 940 Civil war broke out amongst the Kilkry Bloods, between the adherents of the Black Road and those opposed to the creed 942 Following their defeat in battle at Kan Avor, the Gyre Blood and all adherents of the Black Road were exiled beyond the Vale of Stones, and founded there the Bloods of the Black Road: Gyre, Horin, Gaven, Wyn and Fane 945 The Lore and Battle Inkalls were founded by the Bloods of the Black Road 948 The last attempt by the Kilkry Bloods to crush the fledgling Bloods of the Black Road in the north ended in failure; their armies retired south of the Vale of Stones and the fortification of Tanwrye began 959 The Hunt Inkall was founded by the Bloods of the Black Road 973 The Lannis Blood was founded, in reward for Sirian Lannis dar Kilkry’s defeat of the invading forces of the Black Road at Kolglas 997 Haig replaced Kilkry as first amongst the True Bloods 1052 The Dargannan Blood was founded 1069 The Lannis-Haig Blood defeated Horin-Gyre in the Battle of the Stone Vale, near Tanwrye 1070 Tavan oc Lannis-Haig died, and his son Croesan succeeded him as Thane of the Lannis Blood 1097 The Lannis-Haig Blood was afflicted by the Heart Fever, which killed almost one in six 1102 The Dargannan Blood rebelled against the authority of Haig, and Gryvan oc Haig, Thane of Thanes, summoned the armies of the True Bloods to march against them