Repairing and filling wood damage and defects

[scottie56005]

I know the pore filling thing has been beat day in and out so lets do it one more time eh? Im working on a old radius glass display case and need to mend its wounds. There are nail holes, cracks, dings, dents, and some pretty viscous end grain on the top of it. I am going to be staining is a medium brown/amber color and satin poly for top coat for now. The idea of using a gloss keeps haunting me and telling me to do it, but the good side says to not do it because it will be brushed on and I can just see the disaster already. That being said here is the deal, I want the "damage" flush with the surface and cleaned up but obviously it is going to get stained. The top has some pretty rough end grain and it is also shaped. I do not want to take away the profile by sanding it down to 220 smooth. Can I use a filling process to build this up and yet still look good with stain? I would like to try the gloss route but the way it sits now I would never do it. Should I just fill everything with oil n varnish a couple times, then build up the sealer coats to get everything flat, then poly? Also I would like to add I do not own any tints or dyes as of now and I am trying to keep it that way.......for now