What Happens in The Inheritance?
The complete story of The Inheritance, from the first scene to the last, in 355 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout.
Spoilers ahead
In the magical land of Alagaësia, peace was once maintained by the Dragon Riders, an order of humans and elves bonded to dragons. This stability ended when a rider named Galbatorix, driven to insanity by the death of his dragon, betrayed the order. He formed an alliance with the ambitious Morzan and created the Thirteen Forsworn, eventually murdering the Elder Riders and seizing the Eldunarí (dragon hearts containing their consciousness) to fuel his own power. Galbatorix declared himself King, forcing the remaining Riders into hiding or death.
Centuries later, a young man named Eragon discovers a polished blue stone that hatches into a dragon, whom he names Saphira. This event marks him as a new Dragon Rider. Following the tragic death of his uncle Garrow at the hands of the Ra’zac, Eragon flees his home with Brom, a mysterious storyteller who is eventually revealed to be Eragon’s biological father and a former Rider. Under Brom’s tutelage, Eragon learns the ancient language and the art of sword fighting.
The journey leads Eragon to rescue an elf named Arya from the city of Gil’ead and eventually join the Varden, a rebellion led by Ajihad and his daughter Nasuada. Along the way, Eragon encounters Murtagh, the son of Morzan and his own half-brother, who has been twisted by Galbatorix into becoming a Rider himself.
Throughout his quest, Eragon undergoes rigorous training with the Elder Rider Oromis in the elven capital of Ellesméra. After battling the forces of the Empire and witnessing the fall of many leaders, Eragon eventually confronts Galbatorix. Using the collective power of the Eldunarí and a decisive mental battle, Eragon forces the tyrant to commit suicide.
In the aftermath:
- Nasuada becomes the High Queen of Alagaësia.
- Arya becomes the monarch of the elves and hatches her own dragon, Fírnen.
- Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn, retreat into exile.
To ensure a future of peace, Eragon rewrites the ancient pact to allow dwarves and Urgals to also become Riders. Believing that Alagaësia is too dangerous for the new generation of dragons, Eragon and Saphira depart the continent forever to establish a safe haven for training future Riders.
The Inheritance Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
25 key events in the order they happen, from “Founding of the Dragon Riders” to “Farewell to Alagaësia”. 18 events name a place, across 11 locations.
- 1
Founding of the Dragon Riders
In the magical land of Alagaësia, an order was created to oversee its countries and bring peace to the world. Its members were known as the Dragon Riders, for they rode dragons and formed deep bonds with them in accordance with a pact made between elves and dragons millennia earlier. Humans were later brought into the Riders as well.
When:Millennia before the main story Where:Alagaësia
- 2
Death of Jarnunvösk
The Dragon Rider Galbatorix suffered the death of his dragon, Jarnunvösk, at the hands of a group of Urgals, brutish humanoid creatures. Her death pushed him into insanity, and when the Council of Elder Riders denied him another dragon, he blamed them for his loss. Consumed by fury, Galbatorix resolved to destroy the order of the Riders entirely.
- 3
The Thirteen Forsworn and the Fall of the Riders
Galbatorix allied with an ambitious young Rider named Morzan, slew another Rider with his help, and enslaved the dead Rider's dragon, Shruikan, by breaking his will with magic. Gathering more traitorous Riders, he formed the Thirteen Forsworn, seized the Broddring Kingdom's capital Ilirea, destroyed the Riders' centre at Doru Araeba, and killed the Elders, including their leader Vrael. He claimed many Eldunarí, the gems in which a dragon's consciousness can remain even after death. When the remaining dragons learned that the betrayal had been aided by one of their own, they cast a spell preventing the Forsworn's dragons from ever being named.
Where:Ilirea and Doru Araeba
- 4
Survivors and a New King
Elder Rider Oromis and his dragon Glaedr fled to Ellesméra, the capital of the elves' kingdom hidden in the forest Du Weldenvarden. Morzan confronted his old friend Brom, slew his dragon Saphira, and then inexplicably showed him mercy, allowing Brom to escape. With the Riders destroyed, Galbatorix declared himself King over all of Alagaësia, yet he could never locate the hidden elves and dwarves to finish his conquest.
- 5
Brom Builds the Varden
Over the next century, the Forsworn were whittled away by battle, power struggles, and suicide born of madness, while Galbatorix shut himself away for more than forty years bending the Eldunarí to his will. His negligence even allowed the southern region of Surda to gain independence from the Empire. In this time, Brom created the Varden, a rebellion meant to oppose the Empire, and he personally killed three of the Forsworn, including Morzan, while orchestrating the deaths of five more.
When:Over the next century
- 6
The Birth of Eragon
While working undercover for the Varden within Morzan's staff, Brom fell in love with Morzan's wife, Selena, who had already borne Morzan a son. Selena became pregnant with Brom's child and returned to Carvahall, the home of her brother Garrow, to give birth to a boy named Eragon. After begging her brother and his wife to raise the child as their own, she left to return to Morzan and her first son, and died soon afterward. When Brom needed to disappear, he settled in Carvahall disguised as a storyteller to stay near his son, who had no idea of their relationship.
Where:Carvahall
- 7
The Shade's Ambush
A Shade named Durza, a servant of Galbatorix, ambushed three elves named Fäolin, Glewin, and Arya, who were carrying a dragon egg. Arya attempted to send the egg to Brom, but the remaining Eldunarí, hidden in the Vault of Souls on the island Vroengard, altered the spell and redirected the egg because they believed it might hatch for Eragon. The egg thus came to Eragon while he was on a hunting trip. Only two other dragon eggs remained, kept in the citadel of Ilirea, which Galbatorix had renamed Urû'baen.
- 8
Saphira Hatches
A few days after Eragon found the egg, it hatched, and when he touched the dragon inside he received a silver mark on his palm called the gëdwey ignasia. The bond made Eragon a Dragon Rider, and the hatchling chose the name Saphira from a list of dragon names Eragon recited to her from Brom. Around the same time, Eragon's cousin Roran left for the nearby town of Therinsford to earn money to start a family with his beloved Katrina.
When:A few days after finding the egg Where:Carvahall
- 9
The Ra'zac Strike Carvahall
Galbatorix's monstrous servants, the Ra'zac, murdered Eragon's uncle Garrow. Eragon fled Carvahall with Brom, intending to hunt down the Ra'zac and unaware that the old storyteller was in fact his father. Before their departure, Brom gave Eragon Morzan's sword, Zar'roc.
Where:Carvahall
- 10
Brom's Lessons and Dying Secret
On the road, Brom taught Eragon sword fighting, magic, a minimal understanding of the ancient language, and the ways of the Dragon Riders, and the two became close friends. The Eldunarí acted once again, sending Eragon dreams of Arya languishing in prison in Gil'ead. Halfway through the journey, the camp was ambushed by the Ra'zac, and a stranger named Murtagh rescued them, but Brom was mortally wounded. With his dying breath, Brom revealed that he had once been a Dragon Rider and that his own dragon had also been named Saphira.
Show the other 15 events of The Inheritance Hide the last 15 events
- 11
Rescue at Gil'ead
Following the dream visions, Eragon chose to go to Gil'ead, where he and Murtagh rescued Arya, though Eragon had to battle the Shade Durza. When Arya remained unconscious for days on end, Eragon took the risk of communicating with her thoughts, and she told him how to find the Varden. The group fled toward the rebels while being chased by Kull, overlarge Urgals.
Where:Gil'ead
- 12
Trapped and Brought to Tronjheim
As the Kull trapped the group, Murtagh was revealed to be Morzan's son, and a dwarf named Orik saved them with the help of some of the Varden. One of the Twins, two nasty bald men, examined Eragon's memories, but Murtagh refused to let anyone into his head, so Varden leader Ajihad imprisoned him despite recognizing his voice. Eragon and Saphira were taken to Tronjheim, the city-mountain at the centre of the hollow mountain Farthen Dûr, where Eragon was introduced to Ajihad, his daughter Nasuada, dwarf King Hrothgar, and Orik.
Where:Farthen Dûr
- 13
The Battle of Farthen Dûr
The Varden were attacked by an army of Urgals. Eragon became separated from the main fighting and found himself in a one-on-one duel with Durza, in which he received a large cursed scar on his back. Arya and Saphira shattered Isidar Mithrim, the Star Rose, creating a distraction long enough for Eragon to stab Durza through the heart and kill him. In the aftermath, Ajihad was slain by a band of stray Urgals, and Murtagh and the Twins were captured.
Where:Farthen Dûr
- 14
Roran Defends Carvahall
Meanwhile, Eragon's cousin Roran found himself wanted by the Empire, and with his supporters' help he fortified and defended Carvahall. The village was eventually destroyed by the Ra'zac, who also captured his beloved Katrina. Roran led most of the villagers on an evacuation to the independent country of Surda, intending to join the Varden.
Where:Carvahall
- 15
Training in Ellesméra
Eragon, Saphira, Orik, and Arya set off for Ellesméra, the capital of the elves, to finish Eragon's training, and they met Queen Islanzadí, who was revealed to be Arya's mother. Eragon was tutored by the Rider Oromis and his dragon Glaedr, the same pair who had survived the fall of the order. During the Agaetí Blödhren, or Blood-Oath Celebration, honoring the pact between elves and dragons, Eragon was changed by a symbolic dragon, gaining elf-like abilities and the complete healing of the scar on his back and all of his other injuries. Eragon then revealed his true feelings to Arya, but after much persistence she angrily rejected his suit.
Where:Ellesméra
- 16
The Varden Move; Carvahall Arrives
Nasuada moved the Varden to Surda, ruled by King Orrin, and allowed the Urgals to join the rebellion's ranks despite heavy opposition. The next day a great battle was fought against Galbatorix's minions, and a ship arrived carrying Roran and the entire village of Carvahall. During the fighting, Roran killed the Twins, who were revealed to have planned Ajihad's death.
Where:Surda
- 17
Murtagh and Thorn
Amid the battle, Eragon and Saphira confronted an enemy Rider who killed dwarf King Hrothgar. The foe turned out to be Murtagh, bonded to Thorn, who hatched from the second dragon egg and whose growth Galbatorix had accelerated until he was almost as large as Saphira. Speaking in the ancient language, in which one cannot lie, Murtagh declared that Galbatorix had extracted oaths of fealty from him and Thorn and that he and Eragon were brothers. He took Zar'roc from Eragon but showed him mercy, interpreting the King's orders in a different way.
Where:Surda
- 18
Assault on Helgrind
Eragon, Saphira, and Roran traveled to Helgrind, the Gates of Death near Dras-Leona, where they freed the captive Katrina. Eragon and Roran slew the Ra'zac while Saphira killed the Lethrblaka, the creatures' adult forms. Eragon stayed behind when he discovered Katrina's father, Sloan, who had betrayed the villagers of Carvahall to the Ra'zac, and he used Sloan's true name to force him to depart for Ellesméra. Eragon then caught up with the rest of the Varden.
Where:Helgrind
- 19
Brisingr and the Truth About Brom
Eragon went to the Beor Mountains and helped Orik become king of the dwarves, while Saphira fulfilled her promise to mend Isidar Mithrim. Back in Du Weldenvarden, Eragon forged his own sword, Brisingr, which bursts into flames each time he speaks its name. Oromis and Glaedr then revealed that Brom was Eragon's real father, meaning Eragon and Murtagh were only half-brothers, and taught him of the Eldunarí, the hoard of dragon hearts that is the source of Galbatorix's power.
Where:Du Weldenvarden
- 20
Oromis Falls; Nasuada Captured
As the Varden captured several cities of the Empire, Oromis and Glaedr were killed by Murtagh and Thorn, though Glaedr had already given his Eldunarí to Eragon and Saphira to further their training. After the defeat of one of the Empire's cities, Nasuada was captured by Murtagh. He grew attached to her and healed her of her injuries, and the bond that formed caused an identity switch in him, breaking his oath to Galbatorix.
- 21
The Vault of Souls
Eragon traveled to the Vault of Souls, a secret cave hidden on the island Vroengard near Doru Araeba, where a massive amount of Eldunarí and dragon eggs had been kept hidden from Galbatorix. Taking the Eldunarí with him, Eragon gained the collective strength of countless dragons. He then moved to face the King himself.
Where:Vroengard
- 22
The Fall of Galbatorix
Facing Galbatorix, Eragon was opposed by the King using the true name of the ancient language against him. Eragon first dueled Murtagh and bested him, then entered a fierce mental battle with Galbatorix himself. The struggle ended when Eragon accidentally forced the tyrant to commit suicide with an improvised spell, toppling the Empire's reign of terror.
Where:Urû'baen
- 23
A New Queen for Alagaësia
Murtagh and Thorn retreated to somewhere in the north to have some time to themselves, but Eragon tracked him down, and Murtagh told him the name of the ancient language. After a heated debate with the other leaders of the rebellion, Nasuada became the High Queen of Alagaësia and changed Urû'baen's name back to Ilirea. Arya returned to Du Weldenvarden to help choose a new monarch for the elves after Queen Islanzadí died in battle, and the elves ultimately chose Arya herself.
- 24
Arya Becomes a Rider
Arya took the rescued green dragon egg with her to Du Weldenvarden, and it soon hatched for her, with the dragon being named Fírnen and making Arya a Dragon Rider. Near the end, she revealed this to Eragon as well as her True Name. Saphira decided to test Fírnen to see if he had the iron in his bones and the fire in his belly to match her, and the two dragons became mates shortly thereafter.
Where:Du Weldenvarden
- 25
Farewell to Alagaësia
Eragon reworked the magic of the original pact between elves and dragons to include both dwarves and Urgals, allowing future dragon eggs to hatch for members of their races. Concluding that there was no safe place in Alagaësia to raise the dragons and train new Riders, he planned to take most of the Eldunarí and eggs to a distant region while keeping two eggs in Alagaësia, one for the dwarves and one for the Urgals. At the end of the story, Eragon and Saphira departed Alagaësia forever, with new eggs to be sent back to hatch for future Dragon Riders, who would travel to Eragon's new home for training.
Where:Alagaësia
How Does The Inheritance End?
The last act of The Inheritance and what it means, in 307 words. Big spoilers: read the plot summary first if you have not seen it.
The final act, in full
In the end, the story reveals that Nathan, who appeared as just a charming real estate agent, was actually the complex villain behind Dennis’s death. It turns out that Nathan was Dennis’s secret or adopted son, motivated by a deep hatred for the privileged and wealthy, which drove him to manipulate and ultimately kill Dennis to claim his inheritance. Nathan’s resentment stemmed from his perception that the wealthy, like Dennis, had unfair advantages, and he sought to even the odds through his twisted sense of justice. His plan involved not only killing Dennis but also framing Susan, Dennis’s wife, who had loved and cared for him. Nathan’s true identity as James, the return of a figure from their father’s past, and his jealousy of the family’s wealth all played into his scheme. The series suggests that Nathan was responsible for Dennis’s death and the death of Susan, driven by his warped desire for revenge and wealth.
Throughout the story, the series plants clues about Nathan’s true nature, but it doesn’t clearly pay off until the very end. The revelation that Susan herself had loved Nathan, or at least had a complex past with him, adds depth to his motivation. As Nathan sets fire to Dennis’s house in a final act of destruction, the siblings are left with nothing but ashes and unanswered questions, unsure if they will ever receive their rightful inheritance. The ending underscores themes of deception, the destructive power of revenge, and the tragic consequences of secrets kept hidden. Ultimately, the story suggests that evil sometimes comes from the most unexpected places—such as the trusted, seemingly ordinary real estate agent hiding a dark nature. The series wraps up with the image of the burning house, symbolizing the destruction of both the inheritance and the family’s stability, leaving viewers with a haunting sense of unresolved tragedy.
Quiz
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