Hello once more! It’s me again (Robin, Michael’s wife), and if you are reading this recap, I’m going to assume you’ve read the first three books of the Legends of the First Empire. You’re halfway done! In many ways, this six-book series is two trilogies that are closely tied together. I’m going to change the format of this summary in an attempt to make it shorter and easier to digest. If after reading this, you feel it’s missing some crucial information, please write to me at Michael’s email [email protected], and let me know what needs to be added. Since this is an online file, it’s no problem to update it.

In many ways, the first three books take us to the beginning of the conflict between the primitive Rhunes (humans) and the much more advanced Fhrey (elves), and a lot has been revealed. First off, we’ve learned that the war was not the result of Raithe killing a Fhrey (Shegon), but was actually orchestrated by Nyphron (leader of the Galantians), who destroyed two Rhune clans (Nadak and Duryea) and convinced the Rhunes that those were just the first to die, and their entire existence was at stake. Why did Nyphron do this? Well, it’s pretty simple. His god forbids Fhrey on Fhrey killing, and as such, he needs the Rhunes to eliminate his leader. Nyphron wants Fane Lothian dead because he killed Nyphron’s father, and the fane has forced Nyphron’s tribe (the Instarya), to live in exile on the frontier to keep the Rhune horde in check.

Now, there’s only one Rhune that knows that Nyphron was behind the massacres, a young Dureyan named Tesh, who has made it his mission to become the best warrior in the world so that he can avenge the death of his clan, his parents, and everyone he held dear. He’s started on his path of annihilation by secretly killing Sebek, Nyphron’s bodyguard. But he plans to kill all of the Galantians and as many elves as he can.

By the end of Age of War, the first real battle between Fhrey and Rhunes ended in a surprising way. By all accounts, the Fhrey should have destroyed the Rhunes (who had taken control of Alon Rhist, one of the Instarya outposts). But the Rhunes were aided by the invention of bows and arrows, the theft of iron technology from the Dherg (dwarves), use of the Orinfar (markings that nullify Fhrey magic), and by a mystic named Suri, who is a Rhune that has become quite powerful in the use of magic (known as the Art).

The Rhune victory was not without its casualties. Arion, a Miralyith who was trying to broker peace between Fhrey and Rhunes was killed by Lothian’s son, Mawyndulë. Persephone, leader of the Rhunes, was severely wounded by a raow attack sent to eliminate her and Nyphron.

Toward the end of the fighting, it appeared that the Rhunes were doomed. The majority of Alon Rhist was destroyed, many were killed, and only a small contingent of Rhune fighters was left. In a desperate attempt to prevent complete genocide, Persephone sent a pigeon to Estramnadon (the capital of the Fhrey people) pleading for mercy. Since Fane Lothian was still on the frontier, this message was received by Imaly, the curator of the Aquila who is tasked with determining the succession of power when a fane dies. She has been quite concerned that the Miralyith’s magical ability has made it so that no other tribe will ever be able to take the Forest Throne, and she’s been looking for a way to restore the balance between the tribes of her people. To this end, she took in Makareta, a rebel who killed several Fhrey and attempted to murder Fane Lothian during an uprising because having a Miralyith at her beck and call could prove to be quite advantageous.

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Back at Alon Rhist, the battle was finally turned in favor of the Rhunes by two events. The first was the unlikely ride of Gifford, a Rhune cripple, who lit a signal fire that brought thousands of Gula- Rhune warriors to Alon Rhist while it was under siege. Gifford used The Art for the first time, although he is still very much a novice.

The second event occurred in a smithy where Malcolm (the Rhune ex-slave of Nyphron’s father) revealed himself to be more than a mere man. With extensive knowledge of the past and the future, he convinced Suri to take the life of her newest best friend, Raithe, so that an indestructible, dragon- like creature known as a gilarabrywn could be created. Few witnesses were there that night, but the ones who were included Roan (a talented inventor), the three dwarfs rescued by Persephone in Age of Swords (Frost, Flood, and Rain), and Tressa (the widow of a man who had tried to kill Persephone in Age of Myth).

With no way to combat the beast, and Gifford’s Gula troops pouring onto the battlefield, Lothian had no choice but to fall back to Estramnadon.

And that’s where we are. Alon Rhist is destroyed, but the Rhunes won the first melee and sent Lothian and Mawyndulë into retreat. Arion is dead. Raithe has been transformed into a dragon. Malcolm’s true identity is starting to be exposed. Persephone is wounded, and Nyphron’s secret is known to Tesh. Back in Estramnadon, Imaly is hatching plans of her own, and she plans to use Makareta in the future. Many of the threads have wrapped up. But there is still much more to come.

Oh and before I leave you, I should bring up a few relationships, so you aren’t confused when you come across them in Age of Legend. Moya (Persephone’s bodyguard) and one of Nyphron’s Instarya (Tekchin) have started living together. Brin (the keeper of ways and inventor of writing) and Tesh have become romantically involved. And Persephone, who avoided Raithe during Age of War (because becoming romantically involved would make it difficult for her to rule) has been considering a union with Nyphron for purely strategic reasons.

Lastly, I should remind you that each book has an updated glossary of spoiler-free terms and names. So if you run across something you aren’t familiar with, you can look it up. You can even scan the entire glossary if you feel a need for additional refreshers.

So that’s it. I hope you find this helpful, and if you’re still scratching your head and confused, drop me a line, and I’ll update the file.