The Shield of Weeping Ghosts

The Shield of Weeping Ghosts is the third book in The Citadels series. It was written by James P. Davis and first released on 6th May 2008.

"The past will come back to haunt them...

A group of warriors from Rashemen escorts an exiled wizard to a ruined citadel in the City of Weeping Ghosts. Once there, the wizard discovers a barbarian tribe is trying to unlock the secrets of the citadel and the weapon that destroyed it two thousand years ago."

Summary
Seven children, fleeing their captors, make their way to Shandaular. They are welcomed inside, only for the demons inhabiting their innocent bodies to trigger the trap set by Narfell. The city falls.

Over 2,300 years later, in early Nightal of the, a felucca carrying a fang of Rashemaar berserkers of the Ice Wolf lodge, led by Duras; an Ethran named Thaena; and an exiled Vremyonni named Bastun, is on their way to the ruins of Shandaular to see the senior wychlaran there and to perform the traditional rite officially banishing Bastun from the lands of Rashemen.

They arrive to find that the city's wards, meant to keep the paths safe from the many ghosts that inhabit the ruins, have had their magic drained, and the ruins have been taken by a group of Creel warriors. Anilya, a Durthan who has been watching the city for her organization, is captured by the fang. Anilya proposes a temporary alliance to evict the Nars from Rashemen. Reluctantly agreeing, the fang and the Durthan's hired mercenaries march on the Shield where the city's wychlaran outpost is.

They arrive, finding the building's wards keeping the city's lesser spirits at bay, but all the hathran and their berserker guards are dead. Bastun's master had taught him many secrets of Shandaular, including that of the Breath, a sword, and the Flame, a ring, both enchanted by King Arkaius of Shaundalar, that were key to activating the Word, a gate between the Shield and the plane of Stygia. Those millennia ago, when Narfell had attacked the city, King Arkaius activated the Word in an attempt to pit the devils of Stygia against the demons of Narfell and in so doing, doomed his own city and it's people to death and an eternity of torment.

Anilya attempts to take the power of these three artifacts and use it to protect Rashemen in her own amoral way, while Bastun attempts to secure them so that they don't fall into the wrong hands. Meanwhile, without the witch's wards, the undead of the city replay it's final day over again until the animated corpse of Serevan Crell can get his hands on the artifacts and use them to rebuild his father's empire.

Characters

 * Anilya • Athumrani • Bastun • Duras • Keffrass • Ohriman • Serevan Crell • Syrolf • Thaena • Ulsera
 * Arkaius • Levistus • Thargaun Crell
 * Arkaius • Levistus • Thargaun Crell

Creatures

 * Bleakborn • Erinyes • Nar • Nighthaunt • Rashemaar • Rusalka • tiefling • varrangoin • wheep • zombie

Items

 * Food & Drink
 * Jhuild • Threskian thrallwine

Locations

 * Buildings
 * Hall of the Portal • the Shield
 * Dun-Tharos
 * Geographic Features
 * Ashenwood • Firward Mountains • Lake Ashane • Running Rocks
 * Erech Forest • Urlingwood
 * Regions
 * Ashanath • Rashemen
 * Ilythiir • Great Dale • Narfell • Raumathar
 * Settlements
 * Shandaular
 * Ilythiir • Great Dale • Narfell • Raumathar
 * Settlements
 * Shandaular

Magic

 * Miscellaneous
 * portal • Weave
 * Spells
 * Evard's black tentacles • Fire spiders • Transmute rock to mud

Miscellaneous

 * Art & Literature
 * Firedawn Cycle

Organizations

 * Bear lodge • Creel • Durthans • Ice Wolf lodge • Runescarred berserkers • Swords of the Cold Road • Vremyonni • Wychlaran