Brief

Tilli, a young, female humanoid-like Num, and her Altered Creatures companions must make it to the E'rudite Temple where Tilli must complete her mission and fulfill her destiny while coming to terms with her past.

What We Liked

From page one TIME WILL TELL weaves a vivid and immersive tale of high fantasy and adventure set in a fabulously exotic world so foreign from our own. The author's deft world-building is in its own way subtle and each new insight is well placed within the narrative. This makes the book a spellbinding read as we, bit by bit, learn more of this strange yet complex world the characters inhabit. And while the setting and characters are so different from our own world and most fiction, the characters in TIME WILL TELL and particularly protagonist Tilli are relatable and sympathetic, and we care about them as much as want to learn more about this fascinating world. Young people and particularly young girls will relate to Tilli's struggles in a world where the powerful rule over the weak and one must fight hard to prove one's worth. Based on how incredibly popular other such fantasy works are, such as THE LORD OF THE RINGS, HARRY POTTER, Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer, etc., the intricate high-fantasy story world of TIME WILL TELL could certainly become one as well loved as the aforementioned and therefore a franchise based on this and other connected books could have a very large fanbase indeed.

Film: THE LORD OF THE RINGS meets THE WIZARD OF OZ in a fun and fantastical Hero's Journey plot that is modern in its representation of women and relatable in its characters and themes. A high-budget adaptation of TIME WILL TELL would be fun for the whole family and solo adults and teenagers, too. Because this fascinating, well drawn story world offers potential for myriad story possibilities set in a fun, frightening, fascinating world, and therefore offers major franchise potential.

TV: TIME WILL TELL offers huge potential for a successful TV adaptation as the story world has so much depth the possibilities for plotlines and characters feels infinite. The information provided on the story world stretches back for thousands of years and also into the future; there are whole races of species, languages, magic and myth any one of which could provide fodder for an entire season of a show. And based on the popularity of high-fantasy shows such as GAME OF THRONES, THE WITCHER and the anticipation for Amazon's forthcoming THE LORD OF THE RINGS series, there is a huge appetite for a TV show such as an adaptation of TIME WILL TELL.

Key points:
1) Fascinating, complex, infinite-feeling story world
2) Relatable characters and themes
3) High fantasy is highly popular currently
4) Strikes the right balance between humor and drama
5) The story world manages to separate itself from much of high fantasy and feels fresh

Synopsis

Lighting strikes and rain pours as TILLI fights off Altered Creatures—deformed beasts left behind from the war between the E’rudites and Alchemists in a magical glade. Tilli is victorious with the crude weapons she can find such as sticks and rocks.

A small black dragon named MEL’TAYN arrives to attack her. She runs from it into the magical glade and bumps into a large sloth-like creature called PRUVA. His species is known for their wisdom and passive slow responses. She asks him for help. The dragon tries to take Tilli’s bag of Runestones, telling her that they belong to his master IRLUK. Tilla says they were once Irluk’s but now they belong to the Mountain King.

A Blothrud warrior (huge, dragon-wolf-humanoid creatures, immensely strong) saves her but then picks her up and carries her away, despite her screams as she fears she’s going to be eaten. Curious, Pruva follows.

The Blothrud, named GOOTHR, takes Tilli to his hut. His species is known as aggressive fighters, but he is a simple-minded tower of strength with a heart. There, he gives her food and Tilli calms down. Pruva says he was looking for her but won’t explain why. Tilli says she was abandoned at the end of a great battle. Her master, SCHULLIS, escaped through a portal and she has been waiting for him to return for her ever since. Tired of waiting, Tilli must go to the E’rudite Temple. Master Schullis is one of the greatest E’rudites and she is his personal servant in training to become the first Num E’rudite. She feels she is ready to undertake the trials to become an E’rudite apprentice. Tilli is determined to achieve this because she was abandoned by her father as a child and needs to prove her worth to herself. She also wished to never be dependent upon anyone else for her safety.

Tilli says all is in jeopardy if she does return all the Runestones to her master. They are critical for the Mountain King to find thousands of years from now and then use them to return to their past to save her people from becoming slaves. The three set out for the temple together which will lead them through the forest toward the mountains and the White Summit.

In the forest, Mel’Tayn swoops in and snatches the satchel of Runestones and flies away. Tilli is distraught but Mel’Tayn doesn’t make it very far before Pruva’s actions stop the dragon and Tilli reclaims her Runestones.

At night, the companions are asleep but Tilli is lured off into the woods and is captured by a tentacled Altered Creature. A wagon approaches. A tall, thin human Alchemist woman named HLYNN emerges from it, and frees Tilli. But, loyal to Irluk, Hlynn threatens Tilli. The war between the Alchemist and E’rudites is near it’s end and only a few remain on each side. Hlynn wishes to destroy the E’rudite temple to scatter the remaining few of her enemies, including Tilli’s master. Tilli is willing to bring her to the secret location of the E’rudite Temple so Hlynn can negotiate with her fair-minded master Schullis in an effort to end the war peacefully. Hlynn explains to Tilli that she has been used by her master who actually wants absolute power. Hlynn says Tilli has been abandoned by her father, mother, and now her master. Not only did her master leave her after the war but he never planned to teach his powers to a peasant Num such as Tilli. Hlynn says Schullis knows Nums can’t perform his powers and he’s been leading her on. Tilli says it’s not true, she’s not skilled enough yet to just perform E’rudite powers but someday she will. Hlynn transforms herself into a Blothrud within seconds to demonstrate the powers of Alchemists. She encourages Tilli to join the Alchemists as they believe in a world where these powers are available to all and not just the elite, arrogant E’rudites who wish to rule over all others.

Tilli refuses to believe her master is evil, so Hlynn turns up the pressure. She can kill Tilli now or Tilli can help her destroy the temple and allow her master to escape with his life. Hlynn shows Tilli a red crystal that will spread poison throughout the temple, killing all who do not evacuate. She wants Tilli to leave it in the temple so that the E’rudites will scatter across the world and become divided. She places Tilli in a cage and gives her until dawn to decide, though if Tilli refuses, she will be fed to Hlynn’s creatures. Overnight Tilli befriends a Quix - a six-legged mouse-like creature - who helps her escape. As Tilli and the Quix race into the woods they meet up with Goothr and Pruva.

Avoiding the forest paths, the companions take the mountain pass but get caught in a snowstorm. Tilli uses one of the magical Runestones to shield them from the storm, which bends around them. Eventually they can see the White Summit in the distance, where the temple waits on the other side.

They reach a river too fast-flowing to cross on foot. They build a raft but the muscular Goothr falls off and is tangled underwater. Tilli goes under and blows air into his nose while Pruva attempts to free him. Goothr is freed at the last minute. He is upset that he had to be saved by Tilli and not the other way around; he feels useless and in her debt.

In the war room at the temple, Master Schullis is blinded and scarred from the war and uses magic to sense people’s energies. He receives an update on their progress: three of the four of Irluk’s high council members have been captured with demands to join the E’rudites, and each has firmly rejected. Hlynn is the fourth, yet to be captured. Schullis is furious to learn that his men attempted to kill Hlynn by burning her in her cabin, but her body wasn't found. Frightened of Hlynn trying to attack, Schullis orders his people to make sure the temple is as secure as it could ever be.

Tilli and her companions reach the temple. There a friend of Tilli’s named HUGH is now Schullis’s personal servant having taken Tilli’s place. He informs her that Schullis is leader here now and his new rules prevent all other species from entering, so only Tilli.

She has a bath. Hugh enters, ignoring her pleas for privacy. He threatens her, saying her poor background and family history means she does not deserve to be Schullis’s servant or have his ear. He will be watching her and will make things difficult for her here if she does not comply with his demands.

Hugh brings Tilli to see Schullis. Her master is stunned that Tilli has returned, impressed with her survival skills, and thrilled that she has the Runestones. In private, Schullis tells her that Hugh will remain his servant seeing that Hugh knows too much to discard; and Tilli must complete her mission with the Runestones, for the only person who knows the location to place the Runestones will tell no one except Tilli, for it is her father. She hates the idea of facing her father again, but it is imperative that the Mountain King finds the Runestones in the future. He shows her a coffer that contains the Mountain King's letters from the future which tell about the future of the E’rudites. He says that they will need them later, after she returns.

In the great hall, Schullis sits at the head of the top table in this room filled with warriors. He tells Tilli that the servants now sit at their own table, including his personal servant, and ignores her protests to sit beside him like normal. Tilli’s seat is now all the way in the far corner, facing away. In bed later, Tilli cries about her fall from power.

Setting out on the remainder of the journey, Tilli tells her companions they should go home but an old woman named GLUIC who seems to know everything Tilli is doing and will do, argues this. Gluic says that Tilli cannot go alone and what’s more Gluic must go with her as well. Reluctantly, Tilli agrees.

The companions reach the little village of Farbank where TILLI’S FATHER lives. They go to Tilli’s father’s house and her father, shocked to see Tilli, pulls her into an embrace and tells her that she looks like her mother. But Tilli does not hug him back. Tilli argues with him, telling him that his actions of stealing from the Mountain King led to Tilli’s mother being beaten to death and Tilli cast out to die. She tells him she is here because he must take her to where the Mountain King lies. Her father says he will do it under the condition that Tilli allows him to explain his side of the story.

Tilli’s father takes her to the old home. Under the floorboards is hidden a full set of the Mountain King’s Runestones. Tilli’s father explains that E’rudite Master WYRLYN asked him to steal them to keep Master Schullis from finding them to modify the future to his desires. Tilli protests but begins to realize Hlynn was correct, and her master is simply using her.

Her father had taken the stones out of loyalty to the Mountain King and to his family; to ensure that Tilli and her mother did not become slaves. Tilli realizes that his actions that caused her so much pain and suffering were done for the greater good but still caused him just as much pain. He agrees to help her place the original Runestones in the correct place if she promises to never tell anyone their location, including Master Schullis.

The companions, with Tilli’s father, place one set of the Runestones at the location for the Mountain King, which is a cave. There, a tragedy occurs; Tilli’s father is crushed by a fallen rock with no chance of survival. Tilli forgives her father and tells him that she loves him; at last, she is at peace with their relationship. She buries her father beside where the Mountain King is buried.

Tilli returns to the temple alone while her companions wait outside. The only thing she has left is her pursuit to learn magic. There, Master Schullis again refuses to take on Tilli as an apprentice, claiming the war takes priority over her training but it is clear that he has no intention of ever doing so. Upon discovering that Tilli’s companions know of the secret location of the Runestones, Master Schullis instructs her to bring them to the temple so they cannot divulge this information to anyone else. Tilli argues against it as she fears for their life. Master Schullis tells Tilli that if she wants to be an apprentice, she must make hard decisions. Tilli leaves the room agreeing to bring her companions while actually planning on warning them, but Hugh tells Master Schullis that he knows what the companions look like and suggests rounding them up in case Tilli cannot be trusted with the task. Master Schullis agrees.

The companions are captured and thrown in cells. Tilli visits them and her six-legger mouse-like Quix races to her to hide. Gluic tells Tilli that it’s time Tilli fulfilled her destiny and brought down Schullis so that the people can choose their own leader and this war for power can be ended at last. Gluic explains that being an E’rudite is just a title; Tilli already has the powers. Hugh arrives and informs Tilli that Master Schullis intends to execute her companions.

Tilli goes to Master Schullis and begs him not to carry this out, but Schullis ignores her. He then admits to never having any intention of training her as an E’rudite. Tilli takes her Quix from her shoulder and places it off to the side onto the floor, declaring that she should be allowed a fighting chance. Tilli is willing to fight to the death to save her friends. Schullis and Hugh laugh at the pitiful sight. Suddenly the Quix transforms into a human: it’s Hlynn. All are shocked, including Tilli. Hlynn had been traveling with her as the Quix, waiting for a chance to get into the temple.

Hlynn magics everyone except Schullis out of the room. She casts a spell so Schullis can’t bend time in here. Schullis says that Hlynn was waiting for Irluk to fall so she could take power. Hlynn admits this but claims that what she wants is an end to Schullis’s rule as she believes in a society of personal freedom. While not a utopia, in Hlynn’s vision, nobody would be free under Schullis’s thumb. Then they begin to battle.

The temple quakes from the ferocious battle being waged. Tilli rushes to her companions and finds that they escaped and locked the guards into the cells. Hugh attempts to stop Tilli. She punches him, breaking his nose. She grabs a portal crystal, opens a portal, and sends Gluic and Pruva through it but it closes before Tilli and Goothr can go through. Goothr declares he must protect Tilli and fights to do so.

Almost defeated, Hlynn smashes a red crystal – the same one she had tried to give to Tilli in the forest - which immediately disintegrates herself and spread throughout the temple. It reaches Schullis who feels its effect but manages to time-jump away. It reaches Hugh, killing him as it spreads quickly. Tilli clutches onto the Runestone that protected her from the snowstorm, hoping she can muster enough magic to be protected.

After all life has vanished from the temple. Tilli finally releases her spell and is relieved to not be harmed. She finds something of Goothr’s and realizes that the red crystal’s magic must have killed him too.

Tilli takes Schullis’s box of notes from the future and then makes it to the magical Glade where she finds Pruva and Gluic and, to her surprise, Goothr, alive and well. Goothr had watched how she used the portal crystals and did the same to save himself. Gluic informs Tilli she is the granddaughter of the Mountain King and has more to do; one of the Runestones was lost and she must travel with Pruva and Goothr into the magical glade to go into the future to reclaim the Runestone. As they move through the time portal the black dragon Mel-Tayn swoops in as it closes behind them.

Schullis arrives into the distant future where he time-jumped to in a haste unwittingly. There, a great many Nums now live control of the temple. Schullis explains that he is the Master of the E’rudite Temple and the Nums think he has lost his mind for to them the E’rudites are merely ancient myth.

About The Author

Anthony G. Wedgeworth spent 40 years taking notes for a new realm as an avid fan of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and has since written over a dozen stories set inside this unique, fantastical world.