Legend
📖 ↣ Title of Book: Chapter of Book
📜 ↣ Special Notes from Herald-Chronicler Assistant, Joshuah
📚 ↣ Special Notes from Collegium Historian Assistant, Trica
All entries are the combined efforts of Collegium Historian Assistant Trica and Herald-Chronicler Assistant, Joshuah (when he's not off on Circuit).
Calendar
According to Foundation the months are named based on the season and the moon: Midwinters Moon, Ice Moon, Thawing Moon, Budding Moon, and Flowering Moon.
Mercedes Lackey has stated that New Years begins on the 1st day of the Midwinter Moon.
Using these names and a 30-day moon cycle, the following Calendar has been officially approved by Mercedes Lackey and can be used for reference.
Moons | Modern Dates | Known Events During This Moon |
---|---|---|
🌑 Midwinters Moon | (January 1st to January 30th) | |
🌒 Ice Moon | (January 31st to February 29th) | |
🌒 Thawing Moon | (March 1st to March 30th) | |
🌓 Budding Moon | (March 31st to April 29th) | |
🌔 Flowering Moon | (April 30th to May 29th) | |
🌔 Mead Moon | (May 30th to June 28th) | |
🌕 Midsummer Moon | (June 29th to July 28th) | |
🌖 Foaling Moon | (July 29th to August 27th) | |
🌖 Harvest Moon | (August 28th to September 26th) | |
🌗 Wine Moon | (September 27th to October 26th) | |
🌘 Mourning Moon | (October 27th to November 25th) | |
🌘 Dying Moon | (November 26th to December 25th) |
History of Velgarth
1073 AF
- Herald-trainee Theran, Heir to the Throne is Chosen at the age of thirteen (13).
- Brightly Burning mentions that Herald Pol remembers when both Theran and Fyllis were Chosen.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Five
- Fyllis, daughter of the Duke of Brendan, is Chosen at the age of thirteen (13).
- Brightly Burning mentions that Herald Pol remembers when both Theran and Fyllis were Chosen.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Five
- Fyllis begins training for Empathy with Herald Pol.
- Herald Pol is forty-one (41) years old.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Five

1084 AF
- Malken is Chosen by Companion Hayka. He is nine (9) years old.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Six
Fall
- Lavan Chitward receives cloth-merchant tools from Guildmaster Howell. Lavan Chitward is sixteen (16) years old at this time.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter One
- Samael Chitward, Lavan Chitward’s older brother is already apprenticed to Master Guildsman Iresh.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter One
The Next Day
- Lavan Chitward is told he will be starting school the next day.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter One
The Next Day
- Lavan Chitward and his father, Archer Chitward, go to the school where they meet Master Keileth.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Two
- Master Keileth places Lavan Chitward in the Third Form.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Two
- Upon arriving in the classroom, Lavan Chitward is introduced to the Third Form instructor, Herewan.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Two
- Lavan Chitward meets Owyn Kittlekine (called Owly by the Sixth Form students), a fourteen year old student who is assigned to show Lavan Chitward around.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Two
- At lunch time Lavan Chitward meets a sixteen year old girl called “Froggy” and Lavan Chitward is bullied by students in Sixth Form. Two of the main leaders of Sixth Form are Tyron and Derwit.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Two
One Week Later
- Lavan Chitward tries to speak with a Fifth Form girl only to be turned down. He avoids all girls after this only to find the Sixth Form students have started calling him shaych.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Three
Two Weeks Later
- Lavan Chitward is sent home for being ill because his head was pounding and causing him pain.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Three
Ten Days Later
- Lavan Chitward is better and is sent back to school. It is now closer to winter.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Three
- Lavan Chitward is struck again by a blinding headache that causes him to pass out twice at school. A Healer takes him home to explain things to Nelda Hardcrider Chitward.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Four
Next Day
- Herald Pol, Chosen by Companion Satiran, turns fifty years old this month.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Five
- MindHealer-trainee, Elenor, is fourteen years old.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Five
- Healer Ilea is in service on the Southern Border.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Ten
- King Theran has one son named Clevis, who is five years old, a two year old, and another baby.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Five
- Queen Fyllis is two months pregnant with another baby.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Five
- King Theran and Queen Fyllis are both twenty-four years old.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Five
- Herald Pol gets a boost from Satiran to scan Haven for the traces of a Gift he felt the night before.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Five
Next Day
- Herald Pol plays cards at lunch with Herald Damina, Herald Tevar (youngest brother of King Theran), and Herald Melly.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Six
- Herald Pol has dinner with Heralds Jonotan, Kiela, Lerrys, Wernar, and Charis.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Six
- Herald Charis tells the others that she has just finished reporting to the King that they have found out that Karse will be starting a full-blown war by Midwinter, or next summer at the latest.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Six
- Herald-trainee Malken has his Gift of Foresight fully awaken and he has a vision of thousands of people burning and somehow Herald Pol is in the middle of all of it.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Six
- Herald Pol goes back to his room to find Herald-trainee Malken crying in his room.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Six
- Herald-trainee Malken is almost ten years old.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Six
Next Day
- Lavan Chitward is sent back to school.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Four
- Lavan Chitward stays in his classroom during lunch thinking it a good way of avoiding Tyron and the other Sixth Form students.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Four
Four Days Later
- Owyn asks Lavan Chitward if he can join him in staying in the classrooms during lunch to avoid the Sixth Form students.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Seven
Next Day
- Lavan Chitward and Owyn are joined in the classroom during lunch by Liss.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Seven
- Companion Lada, with two moons left in her pregnancy leaves to go find her Chosen.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eleven
Several Weeks Later
- Herald Pol is riding Companion Satiran when a tree falls on the two of them.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Seven
- Wrenlet is Chosen by Companion Lada.
- Hypothesis: Wrenlet is thirteen years old
One Day Later
- Lavan Chitward is caught by Tyron, Derwit, and the other Sixth Form bullies and is taken to a dark room to be whipped and beaten.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Seven
- Lavan Chitward is caned by Tyron and the fear and anger burst from Lavan Chitward and he manifests his Firestarting Gift, igniting Tyron, Loman, and Derwit instantly. Another boy gets instantly burned when he tries to escape. The other boys simply cower and when Lavan Chitward tries to control the flame it starts to burn him. Lavan Chitward passes out and the fires are extinguished.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Seven
Three Days Later
- Herald Pol wakes up and discusses with his Healer about his injury and the news of the fire at the school. The Healer mentions that the supposed victim is in his care and hasn’t woken up yet. Herald Pol asks the Healer to quickly heal him so that he can go talk to this boy (Lavan Chitward).
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eight
A Day & A Half Later
- Herald Pol is healed.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eight
- Herald Pol goes to the Captain of the Guard, Captain Telamaine, to discuss the case of the fire at the school.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eight
- Captain Telamaine asks Herald Pol to take over the whole investigation. Herald Pol agrees.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eight
- Herald Pol goes to speak with Owyn Kittlekine.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eight
- Owyn opens up to Herald Pol and tells him all that he knew about what had gone on at the school.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eight
- Herald Pol interviews several more students regarding the school and becomes very angry.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eight
- Herald Pol returns to Captain Telamaine and gives him the bare-bones facts of the interviews. The Captain of the Guard closes down the school.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eight
- Herald Pol returns to the Palace to bring his notes of the interviews to the Seneschal’s Herald, Trevor. Herald Trevor tells Herald Pol to interview Lavan Chitward as soon as possible.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eight
Three Days Later
False Summer
- Lavan Chitward wakes up and after eating is approached by Herald Pol.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Nine
- Lavan Chitward gets angry at the questioning and the memories and ignites some torches and a few bushes. Just when he is about to give up Lavan Chitward is Chosen by Companion Kalira, daughter of Satiran, Companion of Herald Pol.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Nine
- Herald trainee Lavan Chitward is sixteen years old.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Nine
- Companion Satiran tells Herald Pol that he believes the bond between Lavan Chitward and Kalira is more than a bond between a Herald and his Companion. He believes that the bond is a lifebond.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Nine
- Upon entering Heralds Collegium Herald Pol is accosted by Captain Telamaine, the Lord Marshal and his Herald, Marak – Seneschal Greely and his Herald, Trevor – and the King’s Own, Herald Jedin. They begin to argue until Herald Pol tells them to shut up and go to the Lesser Council Chamber.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Ten
- King Theran enters the Council Room to help calm the situation.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Ten
- Companion Lada brings her newly Chosen, Wrenlet, to the Herald’s Collegium.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eleven
The Next Day
- Herald-trainee Lavan Chitward meets Healer-trainee Elenor for the first time.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Ten
- Lavan Chitward meets up with Herald Pol, Companion Satiran, Companion Kalira and Healer-trainee Elenor in the gardens.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Ten
- Lavan Chitward learns that his parents have been there every day checking on him and waiting to see him well.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Ten
- Archer Chitward and Nelda Hardcrider Chitward arrive that moment to see Lavan Chitward.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Ten
- Lavan Chitward walks with his parents in the Royal Gardens after his mother apologizes for not believing him about the bullies at school.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Ten
Six Days Later
- False Summer ends and Autumn returns with a vengeance.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eleven
Several Days Later
- Pol helps Lavan Chitward move from the Healers Wing to his own room in the Herald’s Collegium.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eleven
- At lunch Lavan Chitward meets Herald-trainee Tuck Chester, who was Chosen by Companion Dacerie, and Herald-trainee Fyllia.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eleven
- After lunch Lavan Chitward sees Companions Field for the first time and rides Kalira for the first time as well.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eleven
- During their ride, Lavan Chitward meets Companion Rolan for the first time.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eleven
- After Rolan examines Lavan Chitward’s memories Lavan Chitward meets King’s Own Herald Jedin for the first time.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eleven
- Companion Lada is in foal and probably will drop tonight. Herald-trainee Wrenlet has only been here a fortnight.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eleven
Next Day
- Lavan Chitward starts classes at the Herald’s Collegium.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eleven
- In Field’s Investigation class, taught by Herald Artero, Lavan Chitward correctly guesses the answer to a difficult problem.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twelve
- Odo is the Weaponsmaster at the Collegium.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twelve
Three Days Later
Morning
- Tori is the Housekeeper of the Collegium.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Thirteen
- Tuck and Lan leave to spend Midwinter Holiday at Tuck’s parents.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Thirteen
- Tuck mentions that his dream is to one day become Herald Chronicler.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Thirteen
Sunset
- Tuck and Lavan reach the Chester Farm.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Thirteen
Midwinter Holiday
- Lan arrives at his parents for Midwinter Feast.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Fourteen
- Macy Chitward gives Lan a beautiful piece of embroidery that she had done. “It was very much a miniature tapestry; a perfect copy of the crest of Valdemar, with every star in the background picked out in silver, every link in the Windrider’s broken chains delineated completely.”.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Fourteen
- Jisette Jelnack attacks Lan and Kalira, accusing Lavan of murdering her son, Tyron. Her husband tries to stop her, though not very well, and fails. Before Lavan could lose control of his Gift, Kalira slips loose and runs away.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Fourteen
Next Morning
- Herald Pol calls for an emergency meeting with the Seneschal, Greeley; Captain Telamaine, and King’s Own Jedin. The Captain assigns two Guardsmen to escort Pol to retrieve the bridle stolen from Kalira by Jisette Jelnack.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Fifteen
- Herald Pol and two Guardsmen confront the Jelnacks at their residence and demand the bridle back.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Fifteen
- Lan is already en route back to Chester Farm. He arrived later that evening.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Fifteen
- Lan learns from Pa Chester how to milk a cow.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Fifteen

1085 AF
Third Week After Midwinter
- Lan gets a note from his sister, Macy, asking if she can come visit.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Sixteen
2 Days Later
- Macy arrives for her visit with Lan and Tuck goes with them on their tour of the Collegium.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Sixteen
- Macy meets Elenor for the first time at the Healers Collegium.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Sixteen
- Lan receives his first lesson from Herald Pol on controlling his Gift.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Sixteen
- Kalira reveals that Companions are “born in energy and live in it all the time…” and that is why they are white.
- Hypothesis: Companion Satiran mentions that he has always known how the Weaponsmaster felt, in regards to training someone to be sent out to battle. This alludes to him possibly being a Weaponsmaster in his previous life.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Sixteen
Several Days Later
- Pol is now a member of the Privy Council.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Seventeen
- Pol tells Elenor about Lan being lifebonded to Kalira.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Seventeen
- Lan is practicing setting fire to arrows singly and in volleys.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Seventeen
- A note is found, by Lan, under his door stating that Macy would like to talk to him that evening and to come straight to the house.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Seventeen
- Lan and Kalira are attacked in a blocked alley! Kalira is shot with an arrow in her hind quarters. The pain and danger activate Lans Gift. Lan confines the attackers between walls of fire until the Guardsmen and another Herald arrive to take over.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Seventeen
- Lan meets Herald Sharissa who helps escort him and Kalira back to the Collegium.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Seventeen
- Halfway to the Collegium, they meet with Pol and Satiran who use a weight bearing device to help take pressure off of Kalira.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Seventeen
2 Days Later
- For the first time in 50 years, maybe even a hundred, a King of Valdemar is holding an open Judgement, in the Great Square, in front of City Hall, for all to see, on the seven hired thugs, and Jisette Jelnack, who had attempted to murder Lavan.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eighteen
- King Theran publicly names Lavan Chitward as Firestarter.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eighteen
- Lan is placed under Truth Spell by King’s Own Jedin, in front of everyone in the Great Square, to answer questions regarding the school fire.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eighteen
- Jisette Jelnack is condemned and sentenced to “imprisonment” in the cells of the Cloistered Order of Kernos-Sequestered.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eighteen
- After passing Judgement, King Theran announces to all that Karse is attacking Valdemars borders and that Valdemar was now at war!.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Eighteen
Next Day
- Ten Trainees are hustled into their Whites and sent to the South. They will finish their training in the old way, as it was in Vanyels time, each paired with a Herald with the same Gift.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Nineteen
- That same week twelve Companions present themselves to be tacked-up to go make their Choices.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Nineteen
- That same week Lan gets a letter of apology from his uncle who had disparaged Heralds and the Collegium at Midwinter.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Nineteen
One Week After King’s Judgement
- During more practice, Pol believes that one day, due to Lavan’s vast power, Lan will be known as Firestorm.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Nineteen
- Tuck is studying Karsite in order to be prepared to go with Lan when they are sent to the frontlines of the war between Karse and Valdemar.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Nineteen
- Pol attends another Privy Council meeting, this time to discuss the reports from the frontlines and how the new Trainees that were sent out are helping.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Nineteen
- During the meeting King Theran decides that it is about time to send Lan and his friend Tuck, along with Pol’s daughter Elenor, to the frontlines where Lan might be able to turn the tide of the war.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Nineteen
One Week Later
- Lavan, Tuck, Pol, and Elenor leave at dawn to make their way to the frontlines of the war.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty
- Lavan and Tuck have graduated to their Whites. Elenor is now a full MindHealer.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty
Two Days Later
- New Sun-priests, called the Dark Servants, arrive at the frontlines and during the night, they call upon demons that cross to the Valdemar side and take/kill people right in/from their tents.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-One
Two Days Later
- Lavan meets Herald Pols wife, Healer Ilea, for the first time.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty
Next Day
- The small party is attacked by a lone assassin from Karse. He jumps from a tree to land behind Pol, pulling him down onto the ground. Lan freezes until the man slices across Pol’s eyes. Then Lan lets loose and burns the attacker to ash.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-One
Midafternoon the Next Day
- Pol has revived enough to force the group to continue their journey to the battlezone.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-One
- After communicating to others about the attack, Pol and Satiran get notified that there is trouble on the frontlines and they need to hurry there.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-One
- The group gallops into camp at sunset.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-One
- Herald Turag is the Lord Marshalls Herald. He has replaced Herald Marak, who had been one of the first non-fatal casualties and would be months in recovery, though he may lose a leg.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-One
- The Lord Marshall is named Weldon.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-One
- Lan calls down the fire and causes the bonfires of the Dark Servants to erupt and sweep across to other fires on the Karsite side, engulfing the priests. Soon the wall of fire began to slowly push the Karsites back towards their own border, burning everything in its path.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-One
- Lord Marshalls Herald Turags’ Companion is named Adan.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-One
The Next Morning
- Herald Turag requests and is granted permission to resign as Lord Marshalls Herald and be placed back on duty with the army. He is replaced by Herald Pol, who becomes the new Lord Marshalls Herald.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Two
Next Day
- After finally waking, Lavan is approached by member so of the army, picked up and carried to the Lord Marshall where, among cheers, he is proclaimed Lavan Firestorm.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Two
- Among those to go over maps and plan strategy are Lavan, Pol, the Lord Marshall, Herald Fedor, and Commander Releigh. Lavan is assigned to work with Herald Fedor, Scout Calum, and Herald Tuck.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Two
- Lavan meets Diera Ashkevron and Ben Dotes, the retired Horsemaster of Forst Reach. Ben notes that Barnebin is the name of the new Horsemaster.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Two
Several Days Later
- Lavan has been travelling with a scouting party to find and root out nests of Karsite troops hidden in the hills.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Three
- Lavan destroys an entire farm and part of a mountain when he tries to burn a silo and ignites the grain chaff and fumes inside.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Three
- New orders come in and the scouts must now find a spot for Lavan so he can see around the area and hold back the Karsite army, giving the Valdemar army time to get to them.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Three
Next Morning
- The scouts and Tuck find the perfect spot for Lan to be where he can see the pass and be able to block the Karsites as they approach.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Three
- Lavan stops the advance, for the time being, with a wall of fire.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Three
- Heralds with archers on Companion-back arrive to help hold the pass from any Karsites Lan lets through.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Four
- As the Valdemar army arrives and Lan lets the fire-curtain down, he changes tactics and starts bursting fire from out of the snow at random locations. This slows the Karsite advance allowing the Valdemar army to handle the rush from the enemy.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Four
- Pol and Satiran look up to where Lan is and notice movement from behind them.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Four
- Heralds with Foresight begin calling for retreat. Suddenly the whole Valdemar army is scrambling in fear as fast as they can away from the battle. A premonition of impending doom sweeps the Heralds and soon the army is retreating as fast as it can.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Four
- An assassins crossbow bolt slams into Kalira’s chest killing her within moments.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Four
- Lavan Firestorm lets loose with a mental howl of anguish just before he lets loose the dragon within him. “Fire, elemental, unstoppable, came to earth. It exploded down out of the sky and drove down on the Karsites like the very hammer of the gods. It spewed up out of the snow to meet the down-rushing flames of the sky-fires. In a single moment, it transformed the entire side of the mountain to a furnace, an inferno, and it spread from there faster than a man could run.”.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Four
- The Death Bell tolls for Lavan Chitward, known as Firestorm.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Four
Two Candlemarks Later
- The firestorm comes to an end having destroyed everything on the mountain and in the pass below it.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Four
Five Days Later
- Pol and Satiran have recovered enough from their grief to slowly get back to their duties.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Four
- The Valdemaran army has finally finished piecing itself back together after a hasty retreat from the inferno.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Four
- Tuck, Fedor, Elenor, Ilea, Pol, Satiran, and Wulaf, their guide, all make the journey to the spot where Lavan died to see what is left. They find the path to the spot is too blocked for further travel, though Wurlaf is able to scramble up and recover some ashes.
- Brightly Burning: Chapter Twenty-Four
One Month Later
- Elenor recovers from the loss of Lan and begins to move on.
- Brightly Burning: Epilogue
- Tuck and Macy help each other and Macy moves into the Palace as a member of the Queen’s household.
- Brightly Burning: Epilogue
- Thanks to the efforts of the Healers and Ilea, Pol is able to see again, though not as well as he used to.
- Brightly Burning: Epilogue
Two Months Later
Spring
- Pol, Ilea, Satiran, Tuck, Macy, Elenor and Wurlaf all go back to the now cleared spot on the mountain where Lavan and Kalira died. There they discover a firecone growing in the ashes of the fires.
- Brightly Burning: Epilogue
- Each of them say their goodbyes to Lavan and Kalira, in their own way.
- Side Note: If my math is correct, the events within Brightly Burning took place in roughly 2 years.
- Brightly Burning: Epilogue
