Lord of Chaos

A timeline of Kane's adventures

Version 3.0

Disclaimer: the following is a probable timeline using the sources in the Kane saga by Karl Edward Wagner. The numbers on the left are Kane's age, except for the last seven, which are dates. Nothing in this chronology should be considered official, although I attempted to make it as accurate as possible. At the bottom of the list are the facts that I had to work with, along with a discussion of the 2.0, 2.1, and 3.0 updates.

Notes on the Timeline

Special note on the Version 2.0 Update:-Last year, when I first developed the timeline, I stated to my friends that I would change it only if I recieved proof that my timeline was wrong in any way. Last week, I recieved a copy of an article about Kane that Steve Trout wrote back in 1979. Attached to the article (and its timeline) was a letter from Karl Edward Wagner critiquing the article. While most of Wagner's letter talks about how the Kane stories are "free-standing" and not meant to be read in chronological order, he did provide a glimpse into how the stories are arranged:

"This is not to say that a chronological order does not exist - rather, that it's a far more complex pattern than most fans realize. The novels can be placed in order easily enough, again keeping in mind the gulfs of time and distance. Also, within the story collections (DEATH ANGEL'S SHADOW, NIGHT WINDS, and the projected SILVER DAGGER volume) the stories are arranged in chronological order; but again there is a gap of time - about a century in DAS, over a thousand years in NW and SD - so that the stories straddle the novels and the stories of the other collections. The stories are gathered to center on a mood or a theme, and not a specific connected period of events. Thus the novels would run IN THE WAKE OF THE NIGHT (still in progress), BLOODSTONE, DARK CRUSADE, DARKNESS WEAVES, with the stories scattered in between, from "Undertow" to "The Other One" - keeping in mind that the stories in each collection are in chronological order within that collection itself. Simple, isn't it?" K.E.W.

Well, yes and no. It meant I needed to move Raven's Eyrie forward to fit after the events of Lynortis Reprise. That was easy enough (although I noted on the Steve Trout timeline that he had it placed in the same order that I placed it; a pretty clear indication that the internal evidence of the story argued for a later placement). I moved The Other One to immediately in front of Darkness Weaves (it fits much better here than where I had it; I'm really happy about this one). I had to squeeze all of the events between Reflection for the Winter of My Soul and Mirage into a space of less than a century (I think I've got it into ninety years), which created a fairly drastic renumbering of the years of the events after Dark Crusade, not to mention a few before. All of this was fairly simple.

Unfortunately, there is one story that I could not reconcile with Wagner's chronology. Sing a Last Song of Valdese cannot be placed as the final chronological story in NIGHT WINDS. It has to take place before the events of Lynortis Reprise. Here's why. Reflection for the Winter of My Soul states that the Serranthonian Empire fell one hundred years prior to the story, and that Kane was in Lynortis when it fell a century earlier. Dark Crusade states that the Dualist Heresy that fanned the flames that brought down the Serranthonian Empire occurred several centuries prior to the story. Now Reflection for the Winter of My Soul takes place only five years after Dark Crusade so this means that the Dualist Heresy started at least one and possibly two hundred years before the Serranthonian Empire fell. Since in Sing a Last Song of Valdese the Dualist Heresy is well underway, it HAS to take place before the events of Lynortis Reprise(remember Kane was in Lynortis when the Serranthonian Empire fell, and Lynortis Reprise takes place thirty years later). A placement after Raven's Eyrie guts the timeline and makes it for all intents and purposes useless. This isn't to say that Wagner was wrong; he could have fixed the timing of the other stories to fit his chronology. Unfortunately he died before he saw fit to do this, so we are left with a chronology with an artifact in it. Whether this matters or not I will leave up to you.........

***

Update 2.1, May 1, 1999:-I received an email from Scott Wyatt (who worked on the bibliography for EXORCISMS AND ECSTASIES) and he was kind enough to relate to me that Karl Wagner did indeed know that Sing a Last Song of Valdese was out of order in NIGHT WINDS. It seems it was placed as the final story for artistic considerations. He also provided me with a much more logical reordering of the "modern-day" Kane stories, which I have adapted for this timeline. I should never have to change it again. Thank you, Scott!

***

Update 3.0, April 22, 2002:-After reading and re-reading the various Kane stories, I came to the conclusion that The Gothic Touch is not one of the modern tales. See my article "Rethinking The Gothic Touch" to see how I came to my conclusions.

***notes on the stories***

Bloodstone:-Kane is found to be 450-500 years old (Teres is 25, and she estimates that Kane was twenty years older than she was. He claimed to be over ten times that number in years, hence 450-500). The voyage of Kethrid was over 400 years before events in the story.

Reflection for the Winter of My Soul:-This story takes four years after the events of Dark Crusade. Kane spent one year recovering from Yslsl's Lair. The Serranthonian Empire fell one hundred years prior to the story. Kane was in Lynortis a century earlier, when the city fell.

Cold Light:-Kane was practicing sorcery in the Myceum Mountains 5 years prior to the story. 10 years previously Kane was a pirate attacking the Thovnosian Empire. The year prior was spent raiding caravans in Lomarn. The cities of Lartroxia seem to be independent city-states.

Mirage:-One year prior to the story, Kane was a lieutenant in the army of Talyvion of Chrosanthe. 200 years previously, Chrosanthe experienced a terrible civil war.

Dark Crusade:-The story takes place during the Age of Shattered Empires. The Dualist Heresy that fanned the flames that brought down the Serranthonian Empire occurred several centuries prior to the story. Kane was a general in Sandotneri one year previously. Ashertiri was destroyed a millenium prior to the story.

Undertow:-Kane is practicing magic at the height of Carsultyal's glory.

Two Suns Setting:-Kane has been alive "a few centuries." Mega-fauna (sabertooths, great sloths, cave bears, woolly mammoths) have been extinct for some time. Carsultyal has started into decline.

The Dark Muse:-The Old City was abandoned two hundred years before the story. Kane's familiarity with the city implies his having visited it before it became deserted. The mage Amderin sculpted the Dark Muse centuries ago during Carsultyal's declining years.

Raven's Eyrie:-Kane has been a bandit in the Myceum Mountains for the past ten years. He destroyed an inn and fathered Klesst 8 years prior to the story. Lartroxia's cities have combined into an alliance. Kane has talked to the Demonlord previously.

Lynortis Reprise:-The fall of Lynortis occurred thirty years prior to the story, placing it some 70 years prior to Reflections. 15 years before the story, Kane and Jeresen put Roderic on a throne.

Sing a Last Song of Valdese:-Kane aided the Serranthonian Empire in its imperial wars and his keep was destroyed "centuries ago". Valdese was raped and killed 49 years prior to the story. The Dualist Heresy is in full swing.

Darkness Weaves:-Kane claims to have only recently come into the Lartroxian Combine and has had some successes as a general in several campaigns to the east of the Combine (part of this is recounted in The Other One). The tale of Red Kane the Pirate Lord takes place two centuries prior to the story. Lynortis Reprise, Bloodstone, and the stories of Death Angel's Shadow all take place before Darkness Weaves. The book also has vignettes about Kane fighting a demon, as a necromancer, as king of a country, and killing his brother, Abel.

The Other One:-The story takes place in the eastern part of Lartroxia South, because of mention of jungles, veldts and Banyan trees. I placed the story as I did because Karl Wagner stated in a letter written in 1979 that this was the last of the short stories when placed in chronological order. It also fits in really well as occuring immediately preceding the events of Darkness Weaves.

Misericorde:-While the historical parts of the story suggest an early placement in the saga, the latter part sets the tale firmly at the time of the Southern Kingdoms, after the fall of the Serranthonian Empire. Kane also states that the stars have changed since he was born, which would seem to indicate a considerable period of time. The kingdom of Chrosanthe is in the midst of a lengthy civil war, quite possibly the one mentioned in Mirage.

In the Wake of the Night:- This story takes place shortly after the founding of Carsultyal.

The Midnight Sun:- This poem is the first of the 20th century stories. I dated it as 1974, the date it was first published.

The Gothic Touch:-It is difficult to date this story until you realize that Kane is carrying his Carsultyal Blade, can travel to parallel worlds through space and time, and is seeking a spaceship transducer. It is dated to shortly before Kane kills his Creator.

Lacunae:-A modern story that seems to take place before At First Just Ghostly because of Kane having just recently joining up with Blacklight, and still trying to perfect his special drug.

Deep in the Depths of the Acme Warehouse:-Not much to report about this story. Kane is a record producer in New Orleans. Blacklight makes an appearance.

At First Just Ghostly:-This story takes place in London during the Harmonic Convergence. Klesst, Blacklight, and the special drug all make appearances in this story. Full scale war with Sathonys. Fun stuff!

Special note on Ashertiri:-While it never states anywhere in the saga that Kane was the King of Ashertiri, several items make me assume so. First, in Dark Crusade, Kane digs into the ruins of Ashertiri, at the exact spot where he knew a fire elemental was imprisoned. Second, in Reflections, the bard sings a song pointed directly at Kane in the language of Ashertiri knowing full well that he will understand it. Third, there is the vignette in Darkness Weaves that shows Kane as a king on an obsidian throne shortly after the events of Bloodstone. Finally, Carsultyal destroyed Ashertiri when it attempted to create an empire on the Great Northern Continent. If that doesn't sound like something Kane would do, I don't know what does.

04/22/02

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