“There is a man in Ninjago. He lives in an abandoned temple near the peak of the highest mountain. ... These people call him – the lone hermit in the temple – THE WISHMASTER, though he goes by many names as his tales are passed from one wanderer to the next”
— Lloyd, Chapter 1
The Splinter in the Blind Man's Eye is a could-be-canon spin-off of Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu. It was originally released on July 28th, 2018. Lloyd is the focus Ninja of the novel, and the main antagonist is Fenwick the Wishmaster. The Sky Pirates are this series' villainous faction. It was cancelled after one of the co-writers left the public eye.
It is intended to be a midquel between the Oni Trilogy arc and the Book of Elements arc. It centers on Lloyd's journey to the Hanging Temple at the Wailing Alps in search of a mysterious man called the Wishmaster. It is split into four phases, two of which have been released thus far. Phase 1: The Ascent released in July 2018 and the second phase released July 2022.
It is preceded by March of the Oni and followed by Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu.
Plot Summary[]
Set between 'March of the Oni' and 'Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu', 'The Splinter in the Blind Man's Eye' tells a could-be-canon story of two desperate souls in pursuit of identity, hope and answers.
Characters[]
- Alps barkeep
- Dogshank - Nicole Oliver
- Doubloon - Brent Miller
- Captain Soto - Alan Mariott
- Clancee - Ian James Corlett
- Fenwick - Paul Dobson
- First Spinjitzu Master - Jim Conrad
- Flintlocke - Paul Dobson
- Gertrude
- Lloyd Garmadon - Sam Vincent/ Jillian Michaels
- Monkey Wretch - Ian James Corlett
- Nimbus
- Pokee
- Quanish the Elder
- Yana
Battles[]
- Destiny's Bounty vs. Misfortune's Keep (flashback)
Locations Visited[]
- Ninjago
- Wailing Alps
- Clancy's Tavern
- The Blind Man's Eye
- Hanging Temple
- Temple of Ice
- Yogen Mura
- Wailing Alps
- Endless Sea
- Departed Realm
Chapters[]
Phase 1: The Ascent[]
- TSitBME #1
- TSitBME #2
- TSitBME #3
- TSitBME #4
- TSitBME #5
- TSitBME #6
- TSitBME #7
- TSitBME #8
- TSitBME #9
- TSitBME #10
Phase 2[]
- TSitBME #11
- TSitBME #12
- TSitBME #13
- TSitBME #14
- TSitBME #15
- TSitBME #16
- TSitBME #17
- TSitBME #18
- TSitBME #19
Phase 3 (cancelled)[]
Phase 4 (cancelled)[]
Notes[]
- The novel was first announced by Tommy Andreasen on Twitter on July 25, 2018. Three days later, Andreasen released the first section that would later be used as the introduction of the first chapter. He stated that, like Way of the Departed, the story was non-canon in order for him to keep his creative freedom when writing it.
- However, there were no further chapters released for the next three years. When asked in 2020, over two years after the release of the first chapter, if he would continue the story, Andreasen stated, "We’ll see. The idea is too good to go unused."
- The project was re-initiated by Lachlan Jansen when he proposed to finish Way of the Departed for Andreasen. Andreasen responded, "'Hell no!' ...but I have another idea!" In 2021, it was announced that the novel would be releasing in weekly intervals, with the first phase consisting of ten chapters with one chapter releasing every Friday starting on July 30. The canon status was also changed from "non-canon" to "could-be-canon".
- According to Andreasen, the project was meant to be very collaborative with other writers being involved. However, Andreasen believes they created such a complex story that he needed to be finished with Jansen.
- The name is a reference to first Star Wars Expanded Universe novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye.
- According to Jansen, the story especially draws upon Possession, Skybound, and Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu.
- According to Jansen, he was responsible for writing the chapters with an odd number while Andreasen was responsible for writing the chapters with an even number.
- According to Jansen, the drink that Lloyd had in Chapter 1 was juice, even though he previously told Kai in "The Invitation" that he should not drink too much juice.
- According to Andreasen, they plan on writing 30-40 chapters in total. However, he doesn't know at the moment.
- They may explore how Clancee lost his leg in the book.
- In chapter 4, Clancee narrates a difference between Serpentine in Ninjago and real-life reptiles: that being cold-blooded makes him more resilient to the effects of cold weather, only sitting by fire to replicate Lloyd. In reality, being cold-blooded does not make an animal less vulnerable to cold any more than a warm-blooded animal, such as a human, would inherently be comfortable in extreme heat. Both types will eventually die in extremities. While warm-blooded animals maintain a consistent internal temperature, cold-blooded animals' fluctuate depending on the environment. A real snake would become sluggish and perish in a frigid area, unless it retreated.
- Andreasen intends for the novel to "set up certain things" for Season 15, though he admits it will most likely not be finished before the season airs
Continuity[]
Like Way of the Departed, this novel is not canon to the television series, it does offer some possible explanations and additions to the main storyline.
- Chapter 2 reveals to the origins of the Teapot of Tyrahn, one identical to that of the Golden Weapons.
- The Teapot was forged at the Temple of Light from the gold of the Golden Peaks by the First Spinjitzu Master.
- Clancee makes his return in this novel, last having appeared during The Dark Island Trilogy being imprisoned in Kryptarium Prison. Since then, a deal was made by Master Wu that said the Sky Pirate crew could go free, so long as they stayed on the Dark Island. The Sky Pirates broke this deal at some point, having heard the tale of the Wishmaster. Each one ventured to the Wailing Alps to find him, hoping it was their old captain Nadakhan, until only Clancee remained. This is meant to explain why none of them are ever seen locked up during the events of the show.
- It is revealed that Lloyd's Titan Mech was designed for his mission to the top of the Wailing Alps, but it didn't get finished in time for his ascent.
- Apparently, Misako sent Lloyd letters while he was enrolled at Darkley's School for Bad Boys.
- This novel reveals that Lloyd struggles with the trauma he has experienced since he was a kid, fighting his evil father, his encounter with Harumi, and Morro's possession. He also has the persistent dream of meeting the First Spinjitzu Master in the Departed Realm, but he can't make heads or tails of it.
- On Lloyd's ascent he comes to the conclusion that the Ninja must make it their priority to track down Pythor. This explains why in the beginning of Master of the Mountain, Lloyd asks if he has been found.
- The events of Pythor's Revenge, a canon comic book, are referenced as Pythor's last encounter with the Ninja, taking place between Day of the Departed and The Hands of Time.
- Lloyd returns to the Hanging Temple, a location he has only been to under the possession of Morro.
- In the Hanging Temple, Lloyd finds a map of Ninjago that is so old that the island is a complete circle, meaning it was drawn before the Dark Island split off from it.
- Inside the Hanging Temple, through the walls of the Wailing Alps, Lloyd and Clancee discover the Temple of Ice. Inside it is decorated the ice statues of all of the former Masters of Ice, and a scroll that tells the tale of the First Master of Ice ascending the Wailing Alps and defeating a dragon within its nest, turning it into the very temple they are in.
- Lloyd reveals that there is a temple like this for all four Elements of Creation. This is the third we have seen so far, after the Fire Temple in the Forest of Tranquility ("King of Shadows,") and the Heart of the Mountain in the Dungeons of Shintaro ("Masters Never Quit.")
- The Wishmaster, who Lloyd seeks in the first phase, is made out to be revealed to be Nadakhan, however it’s revealed to be Fenwick, the Master Writer of the Cloud Kingdom. It is revealed in the eleventh chapter that he is seemingly trapped inside of the Ice Temple and has been planning his escape by luring the Ninja there for some time.
- In Chapter 14, Clancee discovers the Teapot of Tyrahn in the Ice Temple, confirming that Nadakhan may have been released once again.
- This means that between Season 6 and Season 11, the Teapot went missing aboard the cargo ship in Stiix, and somehow found its way to the Wailing Alps, where Nadakhan’s fate is left unknown. Some events during this novel lead to the teapot being lost inside of Beohernie in the Desert of Doom, and the rest of its trail is documented in the following seasons.
- It is revealed that after the Ninja altered his fate so that Nimbus would attack him, Fenwick attempted to gain the support of the Sky Pirates by altering their destiny, but before he was able to make the changes he and Nimbus fell through the clouds and Fenwick's face was ripped off. This is when Fenwick made the Ice Temple his base, where he altered the destiny of Clouse to bring the Sky Pirates to him.
- This reveals that the entire reason Clouse was able to find the Sky Pirates to use for his army during The Dark Island Trilogy was because of Fenwick's intervention, purposefully altering history so that the pirates would come his way after they were dealt with on the Dark Island.
- In Chapter 14, Clancee discovers the Teapot of Tyrahn in the Ice Temple, confirming that Nadakhan may have been released once again.
- Lloyd cleaning windows in Season 15 after the sacrifice of Nya was foreshadowed in a chapter where he tells Clancee, "Clancee, I am not going to be cleaning any windows or anything else. My priorities are greater than that."
- Quanish the Elder, a character mentioned in "Farewell the Sea," is revealed to be the monk that Jay and Cole mistook for Wu in "The Mask of Deception." He is later revealed to be Fenwick's brother, who once ruled the Cloud Kingdom with him before he was banished.
- Lloyd meets a girl named Pokee who seems to be proficient in using the Element of Wind. She remarks that since the "fall of Stiix," people tend to be afraid of the Element of Wind, referencing Morro and the events of Season 5.
- Due to this series being written by Tommy Andreasen, and him not being involved in the series Dragons Rising, Pokee being the new Elemental Master of Wind is contradicted in that it is later revealed to be a woman named Euphrasia who lives in the Cloud Kingdom.