Book 1

- discover white root

- meeting with counsel

- get supplies, say goodbye to family, family dynamics, describe village more, giant tree at center of village, festival proceedings, love interest, main weapon, very democratic

- main character raped by elder, seed implanted

- meet with traveling crew, add in sickly youth character, stag guardian, peri, aster

-------main pressures, youth dying, animals asking for help ----

- travel to first checkpoint, cat shows up in the night to ask for help and offer warning, storytelling at night, healing Jaks wound, youth getting sicker

-- (storytelling: ancient and giant and scary creatures going mad, other animals getting sick, asters role and abilities, the village they are traveling to (larger, less concerned about the poison, more healers, doesn't know who to ask for help, closer to empire), fairies/ stag history, festival magic, elders

- Jak starts having dreams as the seed demon in her back becomes a part of her. The other dying animals start trying to visit them in the night (analogy to zombie homeless drug users) and are really fucking scary. They are really just asking for help from aster however. They are sensitive to light and only come out at night. Some get too close and the stag most protect them and teach them to fight. He doesn't want to hurt them, knowing that they are like his own village which is dying.

- describe different abilities. Peri is good at soothing other trees.

- pass the edge of the forest protected by Giant trees from festival

- arrive at large forest village, put into luxury guest lodgings, aster doesn't like them, stag feels uncomfortable, they take the baby from peri. They have an escort who is supposed to keep them entertained until meeting the counsel, which is just 3 trees who do the judgements of the village, Giant tree on edges of village for protection rather than the center.

- customs are very different from home, fae move faster. There is panic in the air. A crazy fae refuses to drink water (Assuming it is poisoned). Aster works with local healers on baby. Aster noticed that there are a ton of sickly fae in the hospital. None of the other healers want to talk to her about why. The other healers are old with young assistants. Oldest doctors are white like aster. The baby dies finally.

- there is a tree bark that makes the water drinkable but it is rare and hard to grow. There begins a fighting over the bark. A piece is given to the crew before they continue traveling. Only a few know about it. Peri starts getting sick.

- They present the white root to the counsel who deliberates on meaning. They hear the stags full story of his village dying, and the other. Jak understands that they sent the group away to keep quiet about the problem. There are others from home who have been sent here to deliver messages, a few are still there and aster will return home with them. They give the counsel a long note from the home village.

- they are told to return home. That night, the edge of the forest is attacked by a giant metal golem. The stag goes and Jak follows. The fae warriors let it retreat with one of their biggest defending trees chopped down. The village is devastated and vulnerable and they start soothing a new wall.

- the village is mourning. Aster decides to return home with an escort and deliver the news and take the dead baby. Jak is fully healed at this point and learning to heal herself. She learns that aster takes the pain and injury from others she heals. Jak asks aster to let her crush know that she is all right.

- they join the warrior crew to follow the metal golem (sun beast).

- peri and stag start getting closer. Peri doesn't like to fight but wants to stay close to Jak.

- the stay at a safe distance from the golem who is easy to track. The golem doesn't seem to care that he's being followed. But does attack them once in the night to try to deter them (some warriors die). Peri gets injured but used the shield to defend himself. Jak tries healing him but it's barely anything. He's relatively slow carrying this giant tree.

- the other fae don't act super interested in them but it's just cultural differences. They begin to understand the entire peninsula is being poisoned. There are more trees starting to turn white and more zombies. Jaks dreams get worse.

- they pass through a field of fairies and Jak recognizes her eyes in them for the first time. Jak confides in peri that she doesn't know what this means (she's mixed race).

- they are moving closer and closer to the mountains where Ember is being held hostage. The mountain is covered in Golem who are smaller than the sun beast. The fae climb a Giant tree to rest in and guard but have to clear out a family of sickly and deadly raccoons. They make a plan to investigate and learn more about what is going on in this mountain and why the tree was stolen

- there is inner turmoil because the fae troupe was given healing bark and they know what is making everyone sick but they are hoarding it for themselves. They decide to only stay and investigate for one night and then turn around for safety.

Part 2 -- mountain, begin embers journey

- ember is being held hostage by the golem and used to smelt metals. The golem are chopping down trees to feed to her. She is near the center of the mountain-- it's an inactive volcano that is warmer near the center. She is basically being tortured

- clay is picked on and bullied by the other golem, the children of the clan leaders. They have already started their transformation. He gets forced to eat metal and starts under going a transformation. The clan leaders have been corrupted by metal and how shiny it is.

- they arrive at the edge of the empire by the end of the book.

Book 2 fortress

Book 3