Realms of the Elves

Realms of the Elves, edited by Philip Athans, is the eleventh anthology of stories from the Forgotten Realms. It serves as an anthology to The Last Mythal trilogy.

"The story of the elves of Faerûn stretches from the dawn of history to the battle for the future of a world in constant upheaval."

Tears so White
By Ed Greenwood

The Bladesinger's Lesson
By Richard Baker

Comrades at Odds
By R.A. Salvatore

Tos'un Armgo finds himself without any allies since his three drow companions are all dead and he has become an enemy of King Obould Many-Arrows because of Kaer'lic Suun Wett's attempt to kill the orc while Obould and Drizzt Do'Urden were fighting. Tos'un knows that he cannot survive the journey back through the Underdark alone. Feeling helpless on the surface world, he lets out his rage by attacking orcs with the powerful sentient blade Khazid'hea.

On their journey to recover the body of Ellifain, Drizzt Do'Urden and Innovindil find that the orc hordes have not yet disbanded after the (so Drizzt and Innovindil believe) death of King Obould. Upon inspection, the two elves find that the orcs are building a gate upon a trail further fortifying the orc kingdom. Realizing their is nothing they can do, they continue their journey.

Tos'un Armgo becomes more powerful and dangerous under the subtle tutelage of Khazid'hea. In the battles the drow wages on unsuspecting orcs, the blade imparts the thoughts of "do not think", instilling to Tos'un to rely on his instincts and training without allowing his conscious thoughts to impede him. This was what Khazid'hea learned from Drizzt in the short time he wielded the blade.

The elves of the Moonwood find another scene where orcs were slain by Tos'un. Sinnafain and Albondiel discuss whether Tos'un is good or evil and that they will treat him accordingly.

Drizzt and Innovindil find and recover the body of Ellifain whereupon Innovindil performs a ritual asking the elven gods to rescue Ellifain from her anger. Innovindil comforts Drizzt and assures him that they will convene with the spirit of Ellifain upon their return to the Moonwood to ease Drizzt's own guilt.

As Tos'un is about to finish slaying an orc encampment, one orc falls to elven arrows. He meets with Sinnafain but she shows no signs of aggression towards him. Khazid'hea implores him to kill her but he resists knowing the he would have a dozen arrows in him before his first attack. An elven priest casts a spell to converse with the dark elf as well as a spell to detect lies. Khazid'hea assists Tos'un to deceive the latter spell. After the encounter, the blade tries to convince Tos'un to leave the elves but the drow knows he has no where else to go.

Drizzt and Innovindil return to the Moonwood where they encounter a patrol of elves. They recount their story to the patrol and also learn that King Obould is still alive and also find out that Tos'un Armgo is now residing in the Moonwood with the elves.

Upon finding out that Drizzt is in the Moonwood, Khazid'hea once again tries to convince Tos'un to leave. The blade tells him that Drizzt will recognize from the the battle with Obould and that at the very least he would take Khazid'hea back since it previously belonged to Catti-brie. Tos'un agrees to leave and the blade tells him to kill Sinnafain who is the elf near to his position. Tos'un strikes her to the ground and puts the blade to her chin but does not kill her. He tells her that he is not her enemy but Drizzt would not understand. After disarming her and moving farther from the camp of elves, he forces Sinnafain to the ground once again and runs away.

When Drizzt and Innovindil meet up with Sinnafain and she tells him of Tos'un's escape, he vows to find him. Later, a priest performs a ritual which allows Ellifain's spirit to possess Innovindil's body. Innovindil's body walks to the hut in which Drizzt is residing in, kneels next to him and confirms that she is the spirit of Ellifain. She embraces him and tells that now she knows the truth. After the spirit of Ellifain leaves, Innovindil returns to a Drizzt free of guilt and ready to face the obstacles before him.

The Greater Treasure
By Erik Scott de Bie

“The Greater Treasure” takes place in the month of Eleasias in 1362 DR, the Year of the Helm, in the city of Eversult on the Dragon Coast. The sun elf Yldar Nathalan and his wizardess sister, Cythara, both exiled from House Nathalan, or the House of the Crescent Bow, in Evermeet, arrive in Eversult just as the Scarred Eagle adventuring band defeats the Cowled Skull dynasty of Eversult, and the lady mage Yanseldara is crowned in the Skulls’ place; all the while the citizens of Eversult go about their daily business. Yldar is searching for an ancient magical elven relic known as Ynloeth’s Bracer, which was once worn by Coronal Ynloeth of Shantel Othreier, a hero of the Crown Wars.

While in the Splitskull inn in Eversult, Yldar and Cythara meet a beautiful and humorous moon elf thief who goes by the name Fox-at-Twilight. She is later revealed to be a shadowdancer (she can walk through shadows) and a former lover of Erevan Ilesere, the Fey Jester, the elf god of mischief and rogues. Twilight agrees to help them obtain the bracer, and she takes them to the House of Coins, a temple of Waukeen, Lady of Merchants and goddess of commerce. The basement of the temple is used by the Deep Coven, a cabal that worships the demon prince Graz’zt, who has been holding Waukeen captive since the Godswar. While in the temple of Graz’zt, Cythara, seeking more power and tired of following in her younger brother’s footsteps, betrays Yldar and Twilight. Twilight takes the bracer, and she and Yldar flee, leaving Cythara behind with the demon worshipers. Cythara defeats the lamia Leis’anna, leader of the Deep Coven and Chosen of Graz’zt, and becomes the new leader and Chosen.

Yldar and Twilight fall in love. Yldar asks Twilight to help him save his sister, but Twilight says he cannot ask that of her. When Yldar awakens the next day, after the last night he and Twilight lay together, Twilight is gone. She leaves with him the Bracer of Ynloeth and a note of parchment reading, “Farewell, and remember.”

Necessary Sacrifices
By Lisa Smedman

The Staff of Valmaxian
By Philip Athans

This story begins in −7628 DR in the gold elven realm of Siluvanede. Valmaxian is a young gold elf mage who has trouble mastering the creation of magic items. His frustration and thirst for magic leads him to steal one of his master's scrolls to summon the demon En'Sel'Diren. Valmaxian asks for magic, and En'Sel'Diren agrees to grant it, for a price none of them yet knows.

Six hundred and sixty four years later Valmaxian is the most sought-after and pompous magic item crafter, when he hears that his old master, Kelaerede, is on his deathbed and has sent for him. Master and student had not spoken to each other since Valmaxian's bargain with the devil, but the student still visited his master. Kelaerede wanted Valmaxian to admit that his ways were flawed and repent in order to rest in peace, something that Valmaxian himself did not agree upon, but he finally gave in after the prompting of Chasianna, Kelaerede's granddaughter.

Two years later, Valmaxian and Chasianna are now lovers and Valmaxian is working on his masterpiece staff. His demon magic is not enough to complete it, though, while Chasianna's magic of self-sacrifice fares better on it. For that, Valmaxian summons En'Sel'Diren once more, but before striking a new bargain, En'Sel'Diren asks for Chasianna as payment for their previous bargain. Valmaxian refuses, but his magic is not enough to stop the demon from taking her anyway. Valmaxian follows them into the Abyss, and after fighting off En'Sel'Diren's minions he faces the demon himself. In the end, he has to sacrifice his masterpiece staff and his demon magic in order to save him and his lover from the demon's clutches.

Traitors
By Richard Lee Byers

This story begins in −25,090 DR, a time when dragons are bringing the entire continent of Faerûn under their rule. The main character is an elf mage named Rhespen Ash, Royal Councilor and Magician, who serves the colossal gold dragon King Orchtrien. The capital of Orchtrien’s kingdom is a beautiful city called Dawnfire, the Bright City, and the majority of the king’s subjects are humans and elves. The different realms ruled by dragons are often in conflict with one another, and Orchtrien is at war with the neighboring green dragons and has plans for the red dragons.

Three noble elf houses—Vilirith, Starfall, and Duskmere—take part in a rebellion against Orchtrien’s rule. As a result, Orchtrien commands hostages from the rebel houses be brought to Dawnfire and treated as guests so as to win their fealty. Lady Winterflower Duskmere, daughter of the Count of Duskmere, is one such hostage sent to the royal city of Dawnfire. Rhespen and Winterflower soon fall in love, but the lady catches the eye of Orchtrien. Unbeknownst to either Rhespen or the king, Winterflower is in fact working as a spy for the rebels. She eventually serves as mistress to Orchtrien.

Winterflower convinces Rhespen to join the rebel cause, so Rhespen magically copies several of Orchtrien’s spell books, grimoires, and other books of lore, and Winterflower takes the copies to the rebel stronghold hidden in the forest. When Orchtrien learns of this, he sends his royal army and lays siege to the rebel stronghold. Rhespen and Orchtrien then have an aerial spell battle, and Rhespen is killed by the massive gold wyrm. A month later, the siege still underway, Winterflower discovers that the copied tome in her possession is not a spell book but in fact an abstract metaphysical treatise on the fundamental nature of dragons and their links to the forces of creation, the elements of nature, and the stars.

Eighty-nine years later in the late spring, Orchtrien and his court are gathered outside to watch the spectacle of a red comet on the horizon. The sight of it drives Orchtrien mad, and he ransacks his own palace and has his first taste of human flesh. He is killed after he smashes his way into the fortress where much of his army is quartered. Right before he dies, Orchtrien whispers, “The red star murdered me.”

In the days that follow, all the dragons in Faerûn go insane at once, slaughtering those closest to them, and the red comet comes to be called the King-Killer.