Realms of the Arcane

Realms of the Arcane, edited by Brian M. Thomsen, is the fifth anthology of stories from the Forgotten Realms.

"Candlekeep boasts one of the finest libraries in the Realms, where the privileged few may conduct their research. But what about its secret collections? Volumes and scrolls long forgotten or hidden from the inquiring eyes of browsers. Volumes dealing with matters that can only be described as arcane. New tales of Toril past and present by favorite Realms authors, including: Ed Greenwood, Elaine Cunningham, Jeff Grubb, Mark Anthony and others"

Prologue
By Wes Nicholson

Wishing You Many More
By David Cook

A series of letters between the Perfect and Absolute Magister Pavish and his nemesis Grand Conjurer Torreb. Magister Pavish is searching for a magical artifact called the Greenwinter staff. He wishes to use this to rid himself of the people that are in his way, but he is not as clever as he thinks and Grand conjurer Torreb catches up to him before he is able to finish his plot.

Secrets of Blood, Spirits of the Sea
By Elaine Cunningham

Bread Storm Rising
By Tom Dupree

Interlude
By Wes Nicholson

When Even Sky Cities Fall
By J. Robert King

Josiah is a mage serving in the aerial cavalry of Tith Tilendrothael, a Netherese sky city. He and his unit are attacking Lhaoda, a rival sky city that is approaching Tith hidden in a thunderstorm. During their attack, Lhaoda falls from the sky. Josiah saves an old woman from Lhaoda who claims that the phaerimm trapped their city in the thunderstorm and caused it to fall. When the remains of the cavalry reach Tith, they find that it has also fallen, and the survivors must now make their living on land.

The Grotto of Dreams
By Mark Anthony

A Narrowed Gaze
By Monte Cook

The Whispering Crown
By Ed Greenwood

In the year 902 DR the Lord of Dusklake, in what is today Northern Amn, is slain by a dragon. When the ruler of the neighboring Grand Thentor, Rammast, declares war on the small realm of Dusklake, his young sister Aerindel Summertyn in desperation turns to Mystra for help. She is gifted the power of a magical item, the Whispering Crown, to fend off the attack. What she does not know is that with this power comes a test by the goddess herself.

Interlude
By Wes Nicholson

The Lady and the Shadow
By Philip Athans

Alashar is one of many assassins sent against the archwizard Shadow, only she is slightly more successful than most, managing to kill one of the Shadow's simulacra before she is magically paralyzed and sent to his demiplane. But before Shadow utters the final incantation that would send her there, she manages to break out of his spell long enough to drag him along with her. Once there, they work together to get back to the Material Plane, and Shadow begins to respect the young assassin, especially once it is revealed that she is being used by his rival archwizard Grenway, against whom they move together.

Shadows of the Past
By Brian Thomsen

Tertius and the Artifact
By Jeff Grubb

Epilogue
By Wes Nicholson