Thrain: Chapter Summaries
Chapter summaries of Thrain
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1 (Parts 1-3)
Tylen: While knitting with his mother Irene, Hal arrives, and they are interrupted by a Haelstran invasion, the first in over 18 years. Irene makes Tylen hide in a well, and upon returning to his home, he discovers his mother is dead and Hal is gravely injured.
Thrain: A warlord of Jarda, he invades Haelstra by attacking Wrenfeld. However, he hesitates in battle when confronted by a Priestess, something about her reminding him of the past. Some animosity is felt between him and General Haverth, who Thrain out-ranks.
Njalor: He leads Urheim warriors in an ambush against Fjellsyn and Skogrull forces, but the Skogrull betray them, leading to a brutal battle and forced retreat. Following the death of Yurk, Njalor becomes the new Thar of Urheim amidst defeat.
Chapter 2 (Parts 4-6)
Tylen: Overwhelmed by grief for his mother and Hal, he refuses to leave the ruins of his home but later finds his father's Crestguard emblem. He decides to join the Warcrest in Ildris and seeks help from Marn the blacksmith.
Njalor: Back in Iskraheim, he takes on the responsibilities of Thar, recording the names of the fallen. Discovering their food stores are critically low, he proposes the unprecedented idea of trading precious Ice Pine with Haelstra for sustenance.
Thrain: He marches towards Tradavar, offering terms to Keeper Cadrin, who refuses to yield the fort. Thrain then uses the Trigrynt's amplified magic to swiftly overwhelm Tradavar's defenses and capture the fortress.
Chapter 3 (Parts 7-9)
Tylen: He endures a difficult journey to Ildris, marveling at the city's advanced infrastructure and glowing Old Runes. He is enlisted in the Warcrest as "Tylen Sixty-fourth" and attempts to make friends at the Silver Spoon tavern, but is mocked and rebuffed by Baeumont and his companions.
Thrain: From the ramparts, he spots the Priestess escaping, and to catch her imbues his horse with magic to give it unnatural speed, something Serbus his horse seems to hate. Catching her, he subdues her magic with Snouf, and takes her captive.
Njalor: He leads a desperate delegation to the Haelstran border, carrying Ice Pine for trade, despite his warriors' skepticism. They are seemingly welcomed into the Haelstran gate, which becomes yet another ambush.
Chapter 4 (Parts 10-12)
Tylen: After the tavern incident, he is befriended by Torp, who retrieves his stolen bag from thugs in an alley by Runecasting. He agrees to teach Tylen magic.
Thrain: He confronts the captured Priestess, named Adalyn, initially seeking to discover if she had revealed his true magical abilities to Haelstra and to gather strategic information about their forces. When Adalyn defiantly refuses to answer, he moves to begin torture but experiences another moment of hesitation. He leaves, warning of less reserved methods if she continues to resist.
This same scene then plays out from Adalyn’s perspective.
Njalor: Ambushed by Haelstran forces at the gate, they lose all but three. He and the remaining Urheim warriors are forced to retreat after Fyellukiskrin makes a powerful, fatal sacrifice using Sklal's Rage to ensure their escape.
The northerners appear to use Imbuing to a degree far outpacing that of the southern countries, while they eschew the outward control of the Weave.
Chapter 5 (Part 13)
Tylen: He stays with Torp at an inn, learning about the dangers and informal "weeding out" practices at the barracks before Muster. Tylen is amazed by the inn's running water from a "sink" and asks Torp why he is helping him, to which Torp replies that Tylen reminds him of his younger self.
Torp falls uneasily to sleep; it seems he let someone die long ago, and sees Tylen as a chance to not make the same mistake.
Chapter 6 (Part 14)
Tylen: He wakes to Torp using Runecasting to cook eggs and is taught the three fundamental rules of Weave: Reservoir, Focus, and Emotion. Tylen successfully summons the Weave for the first time, but does so only by drawing on his grief and anger, which he feels as a dark shadow in his mind.
Chapter 7 (Part 15)
Tylen: Exploring Ildris with Torp, he is awed by the city's vastness, vibrant commerce, and the majestic Old Runes that permeate the ground. He successfully Traces a Rune at the Runium, which draws the unwanted attention of Kalovame, prompting Torp to change their training plans and lead Tylen to meet Rivall, a swordsmith.
Torp avoids letting Kalovame see him.
Chapter 8 (Parts 16-18)
Thrain: They march towards Yerickton, reiterating his belief that the captive Priestess Adalyn will be valuable for information or as leverage to acquire a piece of the Trigrynt. Haverth strongly disagrees, and tension grows. He discovers a pilgrimage route suggesting Adalyn might have a sister. He thinks this could be useful even after he succeeds.
Tylen: They meet Rivall at his sword shop. While chatting, Baeumont enters and cruelly mocks his mother and his grief, leading to a physical altercation. Tylen is knocked out, but glimpses Torp's green Runecasting as the fight begins.
Njalor: The heads of Urheim decide, begrudgingly, that seeking out a dangerous ancient power might be their only recourse. This they only agree to let Njalor do if he seeks the Elder’s approval. Erik elects to travel with him.
Chapter 9 (Parts 19-21)
Tylen: He awakens to discover Torp's true name is Kiernan and that he was a Warcrest comrade of Tylen's father, Arthin. Torp recounts the tragic story of Arthin's death, revealing Kalovame's direct responsibility for the wall's collapse, which intensifies Tylen's determination to kill Kalovame.
Torp/Kiernan is stricken by news of Irene’s death; Tylen continues to flirt with the growing shadow in his mind.
Thrain: They summon Leon up to the front to discuss how they might fake getting too close to a scout tower, thereby provoking Haelstra to deploy one of their two Trigrynt pieces. Adalyn attempts to escape by crashing her horse into Leon, and Thrain discovers Leon is missing a knife.
Njalor: Entering Sklal’s Tomb, they make their way to an iced-over river to get water. The noise of breaking through attracts a Northbear, which charges them.