Please read In Recent Years: Introduction before reading this post.
Year 1478
Aralim arrives in Lantern Town, a small island town on the southern edge of what most consider the “Known World.” The Walker of the Path—a devout pilgrim that believes in questing for sources of power and enlightenment—meets young Miresh, an orphan child whose parents have abandoned her, among the beggars in the streets of the religious town. She asks if she may walk the Path with him, and he agrees.
On their voyage north, toward a sea said to hold a great power, Aralim and Miresh speak of their pasts and get to know one another. Aralim is taken with Miresh’s insightfulness, especially after she tells him of a vision she has had, a peculiar dream of a thin knife and the woman that wields it. Aralim becomes convinced that Miresh’s dreams are magic, and that she is farther along the Path than he. He asks after magical mentors for his young friend, but ultimately allows Miresh to decide.
And so, Miresh chooses to seek the greatest magician of the era, the Eternal Emperor of Numa’nakres. Their voyage takes them far to the west, across the Orrish, the sea where once a great meteor fell on the world of Gethra. Three months pass before they set foot on the jungle shore of Numa’nakres. Soon after their arrival, Miresh dreams of the same knife, convincing Aralim—and one of their new comrades, Hayan—that they are going the right way.
In Rema, the capital of Numa’nakres, Aralim and his friends seek to meet with the Eternal Emperor—but first they must pass through the Three Courts. In the Third Court, a Selected named Mistress Athanu vouches for them and verifies that Miresh is, in fact, a magician. The Second Court takes more interest in Aralim: in terms of warranting meeting with the Emperor’s inner circle, a child magician is hardly cause, but a distant pilgrim who has seen much of lands beyond the borders of most maps…that might be more rewarding to the ministers of Numa’nakres.
At last, Aralim and Miresh meet with His Ascendance, Tag’na—an un-aging man worshipped as a god by his followers. Tag’na is immediately interested in both Miresh and Aralim and tells them that in his 277-year rule, he has never encountered a combination such as they. The duo meet his advisors, the First Court—among them is Greatfather Athanu, the father of the most influential family in the city; General Ro; Grand Mage Rattar, an old and powerful magician and Tag’na’s closest confidant; and Ovoe the Keeper, the Emperor’s spy master.
Miresh begins her tutelage at the Emperor’s behest, though he declares that Grand Mage Rattar will train her. As for Aralim, the Emperor expresses an interest in hearing more of his tales—and Rattar assures Aralim he cannot use magic. This does little to convince the Path-seeking pilgrim that his powers are stagnant. He had crossed the face of Gethra and met a most-powerful man, after all.
Year 1479
Aralim soon learns that the golden age of peace in Numa’nakres is not as unified as it seems. He is approached after only a couple months in Rema, by the spy master Ovoe and asked to provide his insights about the Emperor. Furthermore, a startling attack on the Iron Palace occurs. Aralim witnesses the strength of the quiet order of servants that serve the Emperor; the Emperor’s Aura—as the order is called—emerge from the shadows of the Iron Palace in ranks upon ranks. The incredible strength exhibited by the attacker is no match for the ceaseless spears of the seemingly tranquil Aura.
Despite these concerning occurrences, Aralim forms friendships with Greatfather Athanu and the Eternal Emperor himself, while Miresh masters some simple abilities with her magical gifts. Then, further confounding Aralim, the Emperor encourages Aralim when the Walker of the Path confides in him about the disloyal schemes of his own spies. Tag’na urges Aralim, “Destroy me, if you can.”
Thus, Aralim joins league with Ovoe and his ring of plotters, while maintaining his friendship with Tag’na, Grand Mage Rattar, and of course, Miresh. With the help of Rattar, Aralim is able to learn more about some of the activities of the conspirators. When one of the other First Court councilors acts against a citizen that once worked with the Emperor on a secret project, the councilor vanishes and is not seen again. Tag’na admits Aralim need not worry about her anymore, as he has seen to it. Aralim realizes that while the Emperor may wish to be defeated—due to boredom, age, or insanity—he wishes to be defeated fairly. As such, he will work against the schemers with all the skills he has mustered in his alleged 278 years.
The Three Courts adjust their ranks in light of the disappeared councilor and Aralim takes a position on the Third Court, as a Selected. Here, he aids in the resolution of minor disputes, arranges government contracts for consulting merchants and workers, and vouches for those his fellow Selected believe should see the Second Court, where matters of law are handled. Here, he meets Vaenuth, a fierce, one-armed caravaneer. He asks her for help to save the life of a woman that Ovoe the Keeper has tasked Aralim with taking.
When she refuses to flee with the caravan as Aralim had schemed, the woman is killed by Ovoe, who reveals that she was dear to the Emperor for her resemblance of his long-dead first wife. Ovoe is ultimately unimpressed with Aralim’s attempts to avoid crossing the line, and tells him that he is no longer a friend of Ovoe’s. The Emperor is troubled by the loss, but does nothing, despite the fact that his Aura was witness to the whole ordeal.
Intent on learning more about the Aura, the Eternal Emperor, and the ongoing schemes of Ovoe, Aralim meets with General Ro. After all, Greatfather Athanu told Aralim that General Ro might know something of Grand Mage Rattar’s flawed Crux—that is, a weakness to his magic. General Ro is unwilling to offer Aralim any answers, but, at Aralim’s behest, speaks of what he hopes to accomplish in his position. He tells Aralim a story of another of Ovoe’s ruthless crimes: as a young soldier, Ro was blackmailed to turn a blind eye to an important robbery. When he did not, his wife was slain, presumably by Ovoe and his ilk. Aralim and Ro agree that the only way to catch Ovoe for such a past crime would be a confession, and that would be unlikely to happen. General Ro dismisses the conversation and continue to perform his duties in the hope that the Emperor might one day reward him with closure.
Tag’na, after many long conversations with Aralim about religion, philosophy, and distant lands, begins to reconsider his stance on distant lands. For many years Numa’nakres has been entirely self-sufficient and as such, little state influence has reached beyond its borders. With Aralim’s ambitious and unending quest for personal power and the Path, Tag’na feels inspired to branch out once more. He conscripts Aralim to serve as the first ambassador Numa’nakres has had in many years.
As Aralim considers his new role, General Ro goes missing. Unlike his depressed lethargy in light of the death of a woman he had cared for, Emperor Tag’na acts swiftly this time. He leaves the Iron Palace in person—an unheard of action—and marches through the streets of his city ahead of his scrambling guards. With Aralim in tow, the chaotic entourage arrives at Ovoe’s river yacht, where the Emperor bodily seizes the whimpering spy master and demands why killing Ro’s wife was not enough—why he now has to capture such an honourable and dutiful man himself, just to try to find Tag’na’s weakness. Ovoe manages to stab the Emperor with a concealed blade, but the god-like man barely seems to react, except to swiftly snap Ovoe’s neck.
In the aftermath, Aralim notices that Tag’na is bleeding from his gut wound. He is healed by Grand Mage Rattar in the privacy of the palace—but by the next day, he does not even have a scar, which seems contrary to the things Rattar had taught Miresh about magic. The mending of scars should take months, if occurring at all.
A letter is delivered to Aralim’s estate in Rema, and General Ro reveals that he is very much alive, having never been captured by Ovoe. His ploy, which framed Ovoe for his capture, succeeded beyond his wildest dreams—it revealed that Ovoe was guilty of his wife’s murder and took Ovoe’s life for justice. General Ro informs Aralim that his duties are now done, and that he will be leaving Numa’nakres to live out his remaining days in peace. As a thanks for Aralim’s small role in baiting Ovoe, General Ro answers the question of the “flawed Crux.” It seems that Grand Mage Rattar’s Crux—that is the focal point that allows him to perform magic—is not a staff, a weapon, or a trinket. It is the Eternal Emperor himself that is the key to Rattar’s magic. Aralim burns the letter and continues to observe his usual duties.
As Ambassador, Aralim decides on his first destination—the distant desert city of Tal’lashar. Amid Aralim’s many farewells, the Emperor—apparently unaware of the secrets Aralim has already learned—confides one more secret to him. According to himself, Tag’na can be killed. He is truly un-aging, but his death-by-harm would be permanent. Tag’na tells Aralim this as a test of his trust, and as an experiment of whether or not it is Tag’na’s secrets that hold him back from his own walk on the Path.
As the year draws to a close, Aralim sets off on his adventure—the first time in two years he has been away from Miresh. He leaves his young friend amid her tears but both agree to continue walking in their own ways.
As they travel out of Numa’nakres and into the lands of the Elder Coast, Aralim survives an assassination attempt and begins to befriend his new comrades: the head of his guards, Grendar; the chronicler sent along with him, Devran; the noblewoman-turned-adventurer, Dullah; and, of course, a quietly watching member of the Emperor’s Aura.
Year 1480
The next struggle along the road involves the Crimson Highway—the only road maintained in the heavily forested lands of the Elder Coast and Radregar. It is a great order of glorified bandits that protect this road: the Highwaymen. Among them, Aralim faces robbery—he and his friends kill those that threaten them—and then must convince another group of Highwaymen that they only acted in self-defense. At last, Aralim and his fellowship reach distant Tal’lashar.
The city on the edge of the Expanse is bounded by a breathtaking mountain range, a receding inland ocean, and a dark city of necromancers in the rough lands to the south. As he meets with the leaders of Tal’lashar, who are competing to build the greatest towers in the city’s incredible panorama, Aralim befriends an open-minded academic named Nilless. Soon, however, a group of animated corpses surround and threaten the city’s security in an attempt to extort them of resources for Yarik, the mysterious city of the dead.
The leaders of Tal’lashar have little choice but to comply, though Aralim deems this not a decision of the Path, as it relinquishes their power. Soon after, Aralim decides it is time for him to return to Numa’nakres and report what he has seen to the Eternal Emperor. To his surprise, Nill asks to accompany him. The Ambassador of Tal’lashar, a man called Whiteleaf, assures Aralim he wishes to make a similar journey to Rema when he is afforded the time.
The road back to Numa’nakres proves no less treacherous. Despite the promise of safety after having paid the fee to the Crimson Highwaymen, an unrelated group of robbers seek to capture the group and sell them into slavery. When finally cornered, Aralim is forced to burn Grand Mage Rattar’s gift in his pilgrim’s lantern staff—the powder bursts into a gout of flame and incinerates one of the bandit leaders, as well as severely burning Aralim’s hand. In the chaos, they manage to escape…until the bandits corner them once more. This time, a skirmish ensues and Aralim’s royal soldiers manage to drive the bandits off for good, though one guardswoman, Lerela, is gravely injured by a war hammer to the head.
The next city en route is known as the Eye of Maga. The eponymous lake around which the city is built boasts healing waters. Unused since the untimely death of Maga’s former Queen, obtaining access to the lake requires a measure of bartering and persuasion. Aralim carries the injured Lerela into the healing waters a few times to no avail, but finally he slips into the water too deeply—and is greeted by a confusing vision. He sees a waste of sand and skulls, a green eye as painted by an artist, and an iron statue of a man, standing at the front of a galley. He sees himself, shrouded by darkness, writing instructions onto a gravestone—instructions to Miresh, to seek the lesser master in the city of flame and stop the young, old one… Aralim bursts from the waters once more, and Lerela has been healed. Unsure what to make of the vision, Aralim keeps it to himself. Furthermore, Aralim’s burned hand is healed, just as was Lerela’s battered scalp. They continue their trek across Gethra.
In Maykren, on the edge of the Empire of Numa’nakres once more, Aralim meets with a former travelling comrade who has now started his own lantern-house and a new chapter of Path-followers.
When Aralim and his friends reach Rema once more, they are at least reunited with Miresh and the various councilors of the Three Courts. Tidings from beyond the city have brought grave news of war on the Great Isle, and of a mighty lawless army. For some reason, Grand Mage Rattar has departed Rema to aid in efforts to contain the chaos from crossing the Grey Sea and the Orrish. In his absence, Rattar has left Aralim a letter—to provide his advice and companionship to the Emperor, lest the Emperor begin distancing those around him once more. He also informs Aralim that he can find more answers, should the Emperor prove difficult, by seeking the prisoner in the Opal Valley.
Miresh has grown during the year Aralim was abroad and has made more friends. Among them is Riela, the daughter of two Selected, and Master Enarrin, Miresh’s replacement tutor in Rattar’s absence. Aralim joins Tag’na for tea but does not notice any differences in his behavior; the Emperor, always eager for Aralim’s insights, asks the Walker to speak with General Vanra—General Ro’s replacement—to be made aware of the current issues in Rema. From Vanra, Aralim learns that gangs prowling the streets are targeting the Emperor’s soldiers specifically and that His Ascendance is considering declaring martial law.
Aralim searches for information—he questions one of Ovoe’s old allies, Aglo the Industrialist, and follows up on a lead that Riela’s parents might be involved with sordid folk. Another suspect is mentioned, a man called Soot, who serves on the Second Court and has criminal roots deeper even than those of the long-dead Ovoe the Keeper.
Year 1481
As Aralim continues his investigations, his old friend Hayan marries a fellow actress, Arith. Not far from the wedding, another attack unfolds against the city watchmen. When Aralim arrives on the scene of the crime, he meets Soot at last—seemingly the target of the attack. After a conversation with Riela’s mother, Wella, Aralim learns that she is part of an organization that Soot seems to helm.
At last, Aralim seeks out Soot at the Iron Palace; the councilor unabashedly tells Aralim that he helms an organization intent on overthrowing the Emperor, but denies any involvement in the attacks on the citizens and guards of the city. Instead, Soot admits with genuine regret that he had the conversation that started the attacks—he tells Aralim of a conversation with one of Ovoe’s minions, Paneran. Paneran had claimed that Ovoe’s grand scheme had been to kill all that Tag’na cared for, thus targeting the metaphorical heart of the man whose physical heart could not be reached. Soot had responded that it was a terrible plan, for Tag’na had already lost all that he cared for many times over—all except Rema itself. As far as Soot believes, Paneran is behind the attacks and his aim is to jeopardize the one thing that the Emperor has never lost—his home.
A ploy by the Emperor launches a counter-attack—a warehouse used as a meeting place by the shadowy group targeting the guards and politicians of Rema is raided by General Vanra. Though they fail to catch Paneran or any leader among their enemies, the raid seems to delay the plans of their enemies.
Aralim returns to Soot and learns more about the Opal Valley—where Rattar had suggested he might find more reasons for Rattar’s absence. Soot agrees to help him reach the Valley if Aralim will tell him what he learns there.
The Opal Valley, Aralim learns, is the birthplace of the Emperor. Most of Aralim’s time there is spent touring various sites from the Emperor’s youth, such as the ruins of his family’s fortress and the meditation grounds where he conversed with the Spirit of the World Bal’nored and was reborn as a god. Aralim’s search for “the prisoner of the Opal Valley” is fruitless—he learns only that Grand Mage Rattar would sometimes explore the slopes to meditate.
Certain that it is vain, Aralim spends a day zig-zagging the forested slopes of the valley until he nearly finds his end in the jaws of an alligator in one of the lower swamp areas. Saved by a forest-dwelling stranger, Aralim soon learns that the stranger was expecting Rattar to send someone. The man, Gil, invites Aralim back to his camp—and to speak with the prisoner. The prisoner, it turns out, is an elderly member of the Aura, kept in a secret ravine amid old, ruined buildings in the remote reaches of the Valley. He is tended by another, younger man of the Aura—one of those authorized to speak.
The confusing conversation that follows reveals many mysteries Aralim had long sought. Aralim learns of the Isle of Dusk, a neutral meeting place for all magicians—and of the Tether, a relic on the Isle that enforces secrecy of those that swear by it. He learns that Tag’na is not a magician, and has thus never been allowed to visit the Isle of Dusk or hear its secrets. As a clever means of shirking the Tether, Rattar had a member of the Aura swear by it. Anything Rattar learns on the Isle can be spoken of only to those that swore by the Tether; thus Rattar may speak of the Isle’s secrets to this elderly Aura, and the Emperor would learn them from his own connection with the Aura.
Of Rattar’s absence, the Aura tells Aralim that he has gone to stop Tarro, a great and terrible magician trained by the old sorcerer Bal’nored. Aralim cleverly words his questions to learn that Tarro may be behind the attacks in Rema as he fears what the Emperor might do—because he shares the Emperor’s weakness. Lastly, Aralim asks what Tarro’s weakness is—assuming it is the same as the Emperor’s weakness. The Aura tells him that each day, Tarro resembles an un-aging middle-aged man, but each night he reverts to his true age, well over a hundred years old. During this time, he would be vulnerable to any manner of attack.
Aralim’s return to Rema is far from what he had hoped. He is apprehended by the Emperor’s personal guards and brought to an imprisoned investigator—one he had previously spoken to in his attempts to learn of the gangs that prowled on the city watch. The Emperor delivers a note to Aralim: if he fails to learn what information the crooked investigator is holding, he will not regain Tag’na’s favour. Aralim succeeds, but does not hear from the Emperor for several weeks. He learns that another man—Tussom, who was also allowed to visit the Aura in the Opal Valley—is involved in the ongoing war in Rema’s streets.
Unwilling to waste his time on the pouting of a man supposedly further along the Path, Aralim, once more, seeks out Soot—a man of ambition. Soot explains that Tussom is a magician overseer in Maykren. Without shame, Soot goes on to explain his own ambitions to Aralim. He recounts his troubled childhood: son of a Selected and his prostitute, Soot was laughed and beaten instead of being granted his birthright. It was the Eternal Emperor who lifted him up once more and robed him in silk; Soot will rest at nothing to gain the power to make a joke out of those who once mocked him. Aralim resolves to call Soot by his true name—Riyaza—instead of the jeer the others had called him.
Without a word from the Emperor, Aralim resolves to investigate Tussom himself. With Miresh, her Aura-guard Narr, and Nilless in tow, Aralim sets out from Rema. As they depart, another member of the Aura arrives—sent by the Emperor to witness their investigation.
In Maykren, they learn that Tussom allegedly fell overboard in the harbor…a likely story. Aralim arranges to meet with both the Magistrate of Maykren and a criminal information source, a local gang led by Mad Raely and Nalembar. The latter two become available first—they agree to tell the story about Tussom if the Emperor delivers a small fortune to one of their contacts in Rema. Aralim passes the deal along to the Emperor, wordlessly hoping that the Emperor would pay it…instead of leaving Aralim out in the rain to learn a lesson about respecting the boundaries of a self-made god.