Pieces of this story are forming in my head and re-ordering themselves. Starting to build on what I wrote a few weeks back and make it have a better hook, more dramatic storyline, character conflicts, etc.
*There is a queen/baroness (still Megwyth) who is our evil, power hungry character. She is after the place where the magic is locked up (the amethyst spire I’m thinking of calling it now, I like the sound of that). She’s managed to find a way into the portals and the moonplane that connects the skylands….by seducing and controlling a weaker Guren who can open it for her. She travels secretly with a small group through the dark, twisted world of the moonplanes against Guren wishes and visits Skylands, furtively building a group of spies and traitors willing to help her. The Guren are on to her and looking for her, but can’t find her. She needs something to find where the magic lies….one of each race who, when together, will feel it calling to them.
*On the skyland where the temple is with the religious race (the Catrans), a Guren visits with Belnas the priest, discussing the future as Eret struggles to uphold the Guren’s way of life while feeling that it is no longer right to keep the magic away from Catrans and Eowastans. The Guren are visiting because of some strange occurrences which may be linked to Megwyth. A higher order Guren has come as well to investigate. During the night the older Guren is murdered (by another Guren in Megwyth’s thrall), but Eret and Belnas are implicated. They are brought to the forbidden ruins to be killed. Belnas student Chathik, recklessly sneaks behind and watches the attempted execution, which Eret manages to stop and the two escape, going through the portal. Chathik (and a friend?) debate following the two and the Guren guards that went in as well, when a bizarre creature attacks them. They jump through the portal as well.
*Lost in the moonplanes they are attacked again but a resident of the planes helps them. The person is twisted, ugly, and has bizarre ways, but is good of heart. Chathik’s friend dislikes him, and is angry they are caught in such a place, lost, and very likely to be punished by both their village and the Guren.
*In trying to catch up with Eret and Belnas, they run into some of Megwyth’s people who offer them help out of the place and protection from the dangers there. She takes them back to her castle and begins to feed lies to Chathik’s friend (eventually turning him to her side). She promises she can track down Eret and Belnas and lies to them, bringing them to an Eowastan skyland (in hopes of finding a pair between Chathik and someone on the skyland who will lead her to the amethyst spire).
*they meet a girl who is open and caring for them, but the townsfolk are frightened and angry by outsiders, threatening to burn them at the stake. Despite a frantic attempt to escape, the two are tied up and set to burn. As the girl sadly sings a song to bend nature’s power,Chathik chants a prayer of protection. Together the two pull the little magic left in the world together and stun the villagers by shunning the fire (one of Megwyth’s spies on the skyland sees this and realizes they have their couple)
*On the run,they escape into the portal and Megwyth’s spies meet up with them again. She begins to hint at the prophecy and the power they could unlock. Chathik and the girl are turned off by it, wanting only peace and to find Belnas, but his friend is intrigued. Finally, they leave her with her ‘help’ in which direction to go, but the friend runs away in the night back to megwyth. They meet back up with the moonplane person, and the girl at first scared learns to accept him for who he is.
*Eret and Belnas meanwhile have made it back to a Guren city but are not safe there either as they are being searched for. Hiding, they roam the skylands searching for the truth. Coming back to Belnas’ home skyland, they find that the boys are missing as well and try to trace their path as well.
*eventually they learn of megwyth and her plans and realize they must stop her. In their investigation, they travel via the portals as well as the winged folk and visit many strange peoples and lands.
*Meanwhile Cathik and the girl are feeling more and more lost and frightened. They emerge on a desolate skyland where a seer helps them find the path towars Eret and Belnas, but are warned that by finding them they may bring about great chaos and change in the world. She tells them some of the prophecy and they realize what Megwyth is after
*Meanwhile Megwyth is trying to follow the trio with Cathik’s friend in tow
*It all gets to a head when they find Eret and Belnas in an ancient Guren city, left in ruins. She has planted rumors and spies to make them think she was already in the amethyst spire, when they actually led Cathik and the girl to them, and thus megwyth. All of them meet up in the ancient city where ghosts run wild
*In the confrontation, Megwyth reveals a secret of her people: denied the powers of magic for so long, they have turned to bizarre mechanical sciences. Her body has been supplanted with steam-driven mechanical arms which spider out to attack (is this too weird? just struck me as interesting to put the retro-mechanical into fantasy to shake things up). She challenges Cathik’s friend to kill Cathik when Cathik refuses to aid her, but at the last moment he kills himself in shame and anger. Cathik enraged attacks viciously but futilely at Megwyth.
*Eret, Belnas and the girl realize a glimmer of hope: they persuade Cathik to work with Megwyth and seek out the spire. They realize the prophecy will (hopefully) unlock magic for everyone, not the person there who controls things.
*They break through the maze and traps of the spire and unlock the power, but Megwyth is distraught to find her simple spells and amulets to enthrall the power do not work as the spirit of Gayara comes forth and smites her
*At the end, the magic is free for everyone and the portals are opened. The guren are beyond angry at their upset of power, but the different skylands begin to interact and learn their newfound powers. Hopefully a good setting for future stories
*Character growth/conflict: Cathik’s friend realizes true friendship, The girl discovers the xenophobia of her people and herself when she meets the moonplane person, the two main characters discover love for each other
*Unusual settings/characters, etc: the skylands, Megwyth’s abilities, the seers, the moonplane creatures and people