The thing about traveling the planes is this. Time does not elapse at the same rate in all places. It is possible for one minute in one place to equal one year in another. It is possible to leave one place, teleport to another where you research a particular subject for multiple days, and then reappear in your original location suddenly learned on that subject with seemingly no or little time passed.
For creatures with short lifespans, this technique is of limited use. For creatures with long or infinite lifespans, the possibilities are limitless. The Lords of Light are immortal, at least insofar as they do not age, and there are several stories of one Lord injuring another, the injured Lord teleporting away to a faster place, healing, and then coming back fully healed before you would expect.
The manipulation of time is an essential skill in the planar traveler’s toolkit.
Thus is Nyneve received back into her family’s embrace. She is quickly ushered to a faster place where she undergoes significant training in all the important things that have been missing from her dark education. She learns the structures of the Courts of Chaos and the First House’s place in it. She learns more about the Logrus power she acquired after walking the pattern in the lowest levels of ThunderRock. She learns about the creatures that inhabit the Abyss and the shadow worlds. She learns military tactics and how to lead an army in war. She learns dark magics.
When she returns, not much time has elapsed, but Nyneve is much changed. She is ready to provide powerful assistance to the causes of the First House.
——-
Dragons are long-lived creatures and generally speaking they rank themselves on the basis of age. There are, however, royals among them who gain great status despite having lesser age. General Nyneve is such a creature. As the only daughter of the mighty Morgan, she has distinguished lineage.
Still, the red dragon army will not follow her until she proves herself in combat. Thus, she is summoned to Susurrus (The Palace of Whispers) where Queen Vlaakith sits upon her throne.
When Nyneve meets Queen Vlaakith, she sees nothing left of her mother, Alandra de Winter. What she sees before her is a sorceress who has unnaturally extended her life beyond death through dark magics. There is nothing in their interaction to suggest that Queen Vlaakith recalls being Alandra de Winter, or recalls being Nyneve’s mother.
Morgan stands beside the Queen and he remembers everything. Since joining the First House, Morgan and Nyneve have spent time together. Some of her new training has come from him. By the time of her audience before the Queen, Nyneve feels close to Morgan.
“As you know, the Lanterns of Light are a threat to this House,” Queen Vlaakith declares. Nyneve nods her understanding.
“There are six of them.” Nyneve nods again but remains silent.
“Your former crew members have so far gathered four of them.”
“We must get to the fifth Lantern of Light before they do.”
“The sixth Lantern is in a most secure place.”
Here Queen Vlaakith takes an even longer pause than the long pauses she already takes between her sentences.
“If we fail to destroy the fifth Lantern, we will have to destroy the Sea Ghost and kill its crew.”
“Do you understand?”
“Yes, my Queen. I understand,” Nyneve responds.
Queen Vlaakith gives Morgan an approving nod as though she approves of his pupil.
“The fifth Lantern of light is a living one.”
“It is Lord Gilead.”
Nyneve already knew this so the information does not surprise her.
“You must travel to the shadow world you once ran away to, find Lord Gilead there, and kill him.”
“Do you understand?”
“Yes, my Queen. I understand,” Nyneve responds.
[In the middle of story post 003, Ash and Lord Gilead barely escape Queen Vlaakith’s forces as they descend upon the tower by the river. General Nyneve was driving those forces.]