Sentinelspire (novel)

Sentinelspire is the fourth and final book of The Citadels series. It was written by Mark Sehestedt.

"The Fortress of Sentinelspire looks down from the canopy of the world, ready to sow the seeds of destruction.

Death flows from the Fortress of the Old Man hidden in the canyons of Sentinelspire, a vast and dormant volcano. The secret paradise of Faerûn's most dangerous assassins, the Fortress specializes in high-profile murders that leave no witnesses.

But with the powers of an archdruid at hand, the mad master of the fortress will bring death to more than just the enemies of his patrons–he will call down doom on all of Faerûn.

Sentinelspire has been waiting to complete the cycle."

Prologue
On 2 Mirtul, 1365 DR, assassins from Sentinelspire sent by the Old Man of the Mountain are routed during an attack on Chereth, one of the Masters of the Yuirwood. One of the assassins, Kheil, is tortured to death by the vengeful woodsmen. Soon after, he finds that Chereth himself has revived him, offering to teach him new ways.

Part I: Assassins
On 14 Tarsakh of 1374 DR, Kheil, now a servant of Silvanus named Berun, is tracking a steppe tiger with his apprentice, Lewan. They discover that the tiger, which has slain a shepherd, has boot prints next to its own in some places. In one such place, they discover a message written in the Thorass alphabet. Berun sends Lewan away, believing that assassins are after him. His suspicions are proven right as he is ambushed and captured by Sauk, a half-orc Malarite hunter and other assassins of Sentinelspire, who kidnap Lewan to ensure his cooperation.

Sauk reveals that they plan to kill the Old Man of the Mountain, believing him insane. He also reveals that the assassins' leader has captured Chereth, draining him of power in order to fuel strange sorceries. Berun reminisces about Chereth leaving abruptly five years before, after they came across an orphaned Lewan. He is also informed that the Old Man wants a trinket Chereth bequeathed him, the Erael'len, which Sauk immediately takes from him. Berun refuses to go willingly as long as Lewan accompanies them. Using his animal companion, Perch, Berun contrives an escape plan for both himself and his apprentice to get away from Sauk's men. Berun kills some of Sauk's assassins while trying to get away, but is wounded and caught in the jaws of a shambling mound, soon disappearing. Lewan falls unconscious during the fight.

Part II: The Fortress of the Old Man
Lewan wakes up in the Fortress of Sentinelspire after sleeping for three days. He meets Talieth, Kheil's former lover, who requests his help in uncovering the secrets of the Erael'len. She claims that the the Old Man of the Mountain is trying to cause the mountain to erupt in a world-catastrophic explosion by using the power of his captive druid, Chereth, and ancient sorcery from Imaskar, so that their only opportunity is to use the ancient relic to thwart him. He falls for one of the servants of the fortress, a young woman called Ulaan; despite his initial misgivings, he agrees to help Talieth and her co-conspirators.

Lewan begins to suspect, after repeated failures, that he needs to purify himself before Silvanus in order to get the Erael'len to give up its secrets. Talieth accepts his terms, and sends Sauk with him; during his rite, Lewan is interrupted by the Old Man of the Mountain, who wants his help. He relates their entire conversation to Sauk later, with the Old Man's blessing, and in turn Sauk relates the situation to Talieth. Lewan has a nightmare that night, where he sees all of Faerûn plunged in catastrophe and famine due to the eruption of the Sentinelspire covering the sky with ashes for over a year. Ulaan wakes him up, warning him that Sentinelspire is under attack.

Part III: The Return
Berun awakens before the night of the Jalesh Rudra, realizing that while the earth spirit smothered him, he had a vision of Chereth calling for his help. A dryad named Lebeth comes to him for the ceremony of the Jalesh Rudra; she furnishes him with weapons, and warns him to distrust these visions. Berun then makes for the Fortess of the Old Man in Sentinelspire. Once there, he makes his way in, slaying several of the guardians along the way.

Part IV: The Old Man of the Mountain
Berun fights his way through the Old Man's assassins and Sauk. Finding unlikely help from Talieth, he and Lewan manage to stop him from completing his ritual, at great cost.

Index

 * Characters
 * Creatures
 * • •  •  •  •  •  &bull;  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  &bull;
 * Locations
 * Magic
 * Items
 * Spells
 * Organizations
 * Religions
 * Customs
 * Languages
 * Musical Instruments
 * Clothing
 * Ethnicities
 * Food and Drinks
 * Gemstones
 * Items
 * Materials and Substances
 * Flora
 * Weapons
 * Miscelaneous
 * Customs
 * Languages
 * Musical Instruments
 * Clothing
 * Ethnicities
 * Food and Drinks
 * Gemstones
 * Items
 * Materials and Substances
 * Flora
 * Weapons
 * Miscelaneous
 * Ethnicities
 * Food and Drinks
 * Gemstones
 * Items
 * Materials and Substances
 * Flora
 * Weapons
 * Miscelaneous
 * Items
 * Materials and Substances
 * Flora
 * Weapons
 * Miscelaneous
 * Flora
 * Weapons
 * Miscelaneous
 * Weapons
 * Miscelaneous
 * Weapons
 * Miscelaneous
 * Miscelaneous
 * Miscelaneous
 * Miscelaneous