The Rebel Heir - plot points and key elements
Keystone: Keystones are
sine, or trinkets, made directly from the nexus crystal, thus holding its essence and being the most powerful. Keystones are used in scepters, spears, swords, shields, jewelry, crowns, and other finery held by the royalty to amplify their power. When the Keystone for Umbralta was given to the priestesses to preserve it (it's a ring of charoite), it became the only vessel for the Vode Crista left in the physical world. Keystones are aptly named because they are the only pieces that can grow a new nexus crystal under the correct conditions (conditions met at the axis). Only wielders of the keystone's specific magic can touch the keystone without being killed or driven mad (which is why it's important for Orithia to be bestowed with light powers before receiving the Empire's crown, aka the Light Keystone). This is why, when Orithia's mother wears the shadow keystone ring (which she doesn't know is the shadow keystone), meets an early demise.
The Shadow Keystone: a piece of the original Void Stone/Vode Crista embedded in a ring. The shadow keystone is meant to be the beacon to find the Vode Crista and bring it back from the Void when the time is right, to restore the Umbralti people. It's been passed down for generations by priestesses of the Last Umbralti Order who, upon successfully infiltrating the Light Court, gifted the keystone ring to the Empress in hopes of producing the shadow heir of prophecy. The shadow keystone's power fell into myth, and it became another trinket to be passed down ceremonially and lost its original meaning. It has since been passed down through the royal Solassi bloodline, until reaching Orithia, who is the one prophesied to break the cycle and be "Umbralta's new champion" by wielding shadow power (by Umbralti priestesses).
The Shadow Keystone - power: it can activate any shadow crystals around the continent and in each queendom, which activates the dormant wielders (Feriori) and any natural mayhem that was lying dormant when the balance was thrown (magical creatures). Since the Empress was wearing the keystone during her pregnancy with Orithia, it caused Orithia to be born with the shadow power... and also the essence of the Vode Crista, causing her to become a new Vode Crista herself. The keystone causes the Light stone to break when Orithia touches it with her ring hand during her Light Day ceremony, and it activates Orithia's shadow powers.
The Void Stone/Vode Crista: when the nexus crystal was removed/destroyed, the power centers of Umbrys dried up, and the power dries up/weakens too. Pieces of the Vode Crista will call to each other and will activate any dormant "streams", which is why the keystone activates the crystal wherever it goes. When the Lys Crista is subsequently destroyed by Orithia, the power of darkness and the Vode Crista is activated; because the power is at an imbalance, it becomes threatening. It will take Orithia restoring all of the nexus crystals at the original axis point to restore balance.
Galatea: a high priestess of Solassia who is secretly the leader of the last Umbralti Order, who desires to carry out her duty to her Umbralti sisters - to avenge Umbralta by crippling the Solassi Empire, led by the shadow heir. She sees Orithia as the champion of Umbralta heralded in all the prophecies, but upon realizing Orithia's intention is to restore balance to all the crystals and not exalt the shadow, Galatea decides she will take fate into her own hands and take the empire for herself.
Galatea - her goal: Galatea wants to avenge her fallen people by destroying the Light Court with shadow power. With the Lys Crista destroyed, the Vode Crista's power is strengthened, thus giving those Chosen with shadow power an advantage.
Keystone Ring: Galatea gifts Orithia with the keystone ring, not knowing that it would activate her shadow power. After Orithia destroys the Lys Crista and her shadow powers activate, Galatea puts the pieces together that the keystone is the key to opening the Void, where the Vode Crista was hidden centuries ago.
The Feriori: Born without Chosen power to Chosen parents, some Feriori have physical disabilities caused by the power within them attempting to manifest, but being unable to.
Alistair: As Orithia's twin brother and apprentice to the High Priestess Galatea, Alistair is a Feriori of status. His learning of the mythology of Arkanis and his subsequent corruption by Galatea make him a formidable enemy to Orithia, until he realizes the error of his ways. Born as twin to the heir, he and Orithia share a connection to shadow power; thus, when Galatea gifts him "sight" in her presence, he really is tapping into his dormant "Void Sight" abilities - he sees the world through the lens of the Void, the "world between realities".
The Coronation: Orithia's journey begins when Orithia is named the heir to the Solassi Empire officially and is given the opportunity to gain her powers. The Queens and their entourages are all there to acknowledge her as their sovereign. Orithia is gifted the Empress's ring by the High Priestess, then touches the Lys Crista to receive her powers... when the Lys Crista explodes. The empire is there to witness it, and power is thrown out of balance.
The Quest: Orithia, determined to restore power to the empire and the Lumine Chosen, travels to each queendom to gather the necessary crystals to restore the Lys Crista and thus restore balance to the land. As the shadow power grows more and more, Orithia realizes she must go to the Void to retrieve the Vode Crista from its place of hiding in order to restore true balance; however, the only way she may return from the Void is through her opposite saving her (in this case, her brother's light power).
Orithia - her journey: Orithia journeys around the continent to all the different countries to get rid of her shadow power and restore the light. However, she realizes that the shadow power is a "neutralizing" and "equalizing" force, where her presence brings the world back to life and resolves conflicts happening in each queendom she visits. She travels in search of keystones (an old Umbralti lady tells her how and where to find them and of the legend and prophecy) and in order to restore the Lys Crista and balance, she must take each keystone to the axis of the continent to grow new nexus crystals. Meanwhile she discovers the original Vode Crista is in the Void; she Void travels, but doesn't find it, thinks it was actually destroyed... until she realizes that SHE is the new Vode Crista.
POINTS:
- The keystones are the "keys" to restoring any nexus crystal
- The nexus crystals of each queendom suffer when the light and shadow crystals are gone. With the Light gone, the Shadow, which has remained dormant in the Void for centuries, grows, amplifying the dormant power in the country and threatening the peace. It's only by restoring both Light AND Dark that balance is restored - this is Orithia's task.
- Orithia must not only convince each queendom to restore the light crystal, but also to give up a keystone, and a Chosen champion of their country to wield it, to restore the balance before the world plunges into chaos
- Galatea is actively against Orithia's mission, determined to let the Shadow power become the dominant force. She spreads lies about Orithia's journey, saying she is an "agent of darkness spreading chaos" but in reality, Galatea is the one trying to prevent the Lys Crista from being restored.
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