My head is spinning with theories how Athans could've come up with such a weird script.

1) His friends played the story as D&D group. This is my go-to theory on all D&D products. Be it the Drizzt books (the Underdark parts being the extensive backstory, the actual older books being the campaign and the newer books being some kind of solo adventures since his group doesnt play anymore) or the Dreaming Dark trilogy of Baker (Jode the Jorasco healer being killed because his player left the campaign early, and with the Drow Amazon joining much later). Being of this nature you can explain all kinds of shenanigans by player whims. Jaheira & Khalid starting as couple because the players were a couple. Later on, the players cheat on each other and the stuff gets retconned. Abdel is the guy always up in the clouds not paying attention to his character. Sarevok is the DM's fetish for torture porn. Xan pays attention and ignores any and all people telling him that healing magic removes pain. He is hellbent on playing a snooty and tender elf. He has badgered the DM to get a Moonblade but won't use it anyhow.

2) Athans wrote the script in chapters, then wrote numbers on small pieces of paper, tossed them in the air and arranged the chapters accordingly. He is a weird fellow. He believes in karmic writing and that the cosmos will make his first book a hit from pure coincidence rather than skilled arrangement. He writes and pours every ounce of his - often times conflicted - emotions into the book. He then arranges the chapters in an order he deems "harmonic". The poor editor tried to make it work but it only went well in a few parts. Honestly, a writer cannot be so all over the place with his quality, except he either didn't care or he had a co-writer.

Then again, my writing isn't better:

grazeful half-elf
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Stay strong out there. You need it. I know you can do it (so we won't have to).