Plague of Spells

Plague of Spells is the first novel in the Abolethic Sovereignty trilogy by Bruce R. Cordell. "29 Tarsakh, 1385 DR

THE HORIZON WAS ON FIRE

Raidon Kane emerges from the Spellplague with a sapphire tattoo burned into his flesh, strange supernatural powers, and eleven missing years.

"The world had ended. How could he forget that?"

His daughter dead. His home has been destroyed. His life is empty save for one thing.

"Everything faded to blue, then to nothing."

REVENGE"

Summary
Plague of Spells takes place after the Spellplague through the years of 1385 to 1396. It follows the Shou monk Raidon Kane, a survivor of the Year of Blue Fire; Japheth Donard, a young warlock who gained his post-Spellplague powers through a mysterious pact; and Anusha Marhana, a naive young noble whose curiosity gets the better of her.

Synopsis
In 28 Tarsakh, the Year of Blue Fire (1385 DR) the Shou monk Raidon Kane was traveling across the Sea of Fallen Stars back to his adopted daughter Ailyn, after a long absence while looking for any hints of his mother as well as hunting aberrations using the Cerulean Sign, his amulet that could detect them. The following day Raidon was hired by a trading company heading to Nathlekh. As the caravan was leaving Starmantle they were caught by the disastrous wave of what came to be known as Spellplague. As everything and everyone around Raidon was mutating suffering and dying consumed by the blue fire, the monk himself was encased in crystalline columns created by the calamity.

Around ten years after the Spellplague in the Year of Silent Death (1395 DR) deep in the Sea of Fallen Stars, a kuo-toa whip of the Queen of the Depths - Nogah along with her junior whip Curampah were traveling towards a drowned Illithid city. Confusing the luring call of the aberrant artifact called the Dreamheart for a call of Blibdoolpoolp, the Sea Mother they embarked on the perilous quest. Curampah did not survive, but Nogah reached what appeared to be an illithid archeological dig. As she picked up the Dreamheart, her fingers tingled, then her arms. The artifact started burrowing into her mind, filling it with visions and suggestions.

A year later in the year of the Secret (1396 DR), Anusha Marhana a rich heir to Marhana Trading company in New Sarshell, was plagued by weird dreams. In reality, what she assumed were dreams was her uncanny spell-scarred ability to assume an astral dream-like state while her body was in slumber. While in her dream form she wandered her family mansion and the city until she discovered that she was unable to venture too far away from her physical body. Going back to sleep and back into her dream form, she stumbled across Japheth Donard, a warlock employed by Anusha's brother Behroun Marhana. The girl followed Japeth into a shadier part of the city and into a salvage trader's shop where she witnessed the warlock buying an illicit substance called Traveler's dust. Having her interest spoked by said revelation, she continued following Japeth back to the Marhana Manor in her invisible dream form. Anusha spied on the warlock's meeting with her brother during which Japheth was instructed to meet Captain Thoster on the Green Siren ship to secure an alliance beneficial to the Marhana with an unknown party.

Meanwhile, Raidon Kane woke up from his crystal stasis disoriented by the alien surroundings twisted by the Spellplague. The half-elf managed to break free from the brittle confinement realizing that his chest was adorned with a tattoo of blazing cerulean color, the Cerulean Sign merged with the monk as a result of spell scarring. Upon reaching the now destroyed Starmantle, Raidon faced mutated ghouls with monstrous maws gaping from their stomachs, even though his leg was badly damaged he managed to destroy the monsters discovering that the Cerulean Sign's powers now coursed through him, he was able to tap into the amulet's abilities.

In Olleth, Nogah has accumulated a following of fellow kuo-toa, and preaching about the visions granted to her by Dreamheart and using its power to enthrall them. When the Morkoth Arcanum staged an assault on Noga's temple she summoned the kraken Gethshemeth to aid her via the power of Dreamheart. She did not realize in time that Gethshemeth arrived not to help her, but to claim the aberrant artifact for himself.

The crew of Green Siren, including Japeth, left New Sarshel heading towards the mysterious future ally, as the warlock ingested more Traveler's Dust reminisced about his past in Candlekeep. Back when the Spellplague swallowed the land the great library of Candlekeep was in disarray, Japeth gained access to an ancient tome "Fey Pacts of Ancient Days" which led to the warlock pact with Nefion the Lord of Bats. His addiction to the nefarious drug started when he was just an acolyte, and he knew that he was on the perilous one way Crimson Road heading toward the Abyss. The pact allowed Japeth to avoid certain doom. The warlock's reverie was interrupted when shouts of a "ghost" came from the bowels of the ship.

Unknown to the crew of the Green Siren, Anusha out of the desire to foil her half-brother's possibly villainous plans, altered the ship's loading manifests to include a trunk, the one in which she slept while projecting her dream form on the ship. Anusha accidentally touched the hulking first mate Nyrotha and it hurt him, leaving him convulsing on the ship's floor. The young noblewoman realized that her mere touch in the form was dangerous and that she was invisible to non-magically affected eyes but still reflected in mirrors. Her form was that of a humanoid, black silhouette outlined in pulsing white and blue flashes. Anusha was attacked by Seren thinking she was a ghost of a drowned victim, the magic was able to hurt the girl in her dream form.

Raidon reached Nathlekh, his hometown where he left Ailyn. The city was changed by the Spellplague. The Shou ward where Raidon's home used to be was raised several hundred feet higher than the rest of the city. Upon entry, the east-born monk discovered the citizens of Nathlekh developed xenophobia towards the elves and fey in the past years. He was reluctantly gained entrance though. Three days later Raidon managed to discover the fate of his adopted daughter: she perished in the earthquakes created by the Spellplgue, abandoned by the hired caregivers she died alone under the rubble. Devastated, Raidon found her clay grave marker in the Nathlekh's city of the dead. While grief-stricken the half-elf was confronted by an angry mob craving fay blood. The violence ended abruptly as Raidon was whisked away to Stardeep and its small demi-plane in the Ethereal Plane. The dungeon's construct guardian Cynosure was the cause of the planeshift. Cerulean Sign was placed on the golem's chest similarly to Raidon's. The construct was the last guardian of Stardeep, it was connected to the powers of the Cerulean Sign, and Raidon now was a breathing manifestation of it. Cynosure was exhausting the arcane powers of Stardeep and pledged to help Raidon fulfill the Cerulean Sign's purpose in wiping the world of the aberrations of the Far Realm represented by the Abolethic Sovereignty waiting to be awakened with the help of the Dreamheart. But the only thing on Raidon's grieving mind was his daughter...

Back on the Green Siren, Japheth discovered the sleeping body of Anusha and recognized her as Behroun's half-sister. He moved the chest with Anusha into his cabin on board of the ship. Under the influence of Traveler's Dust, the warlock saw Anusha's invisible dream form being struck with Seren's magic and zipping away into the traveling chest with Marhana crest on its side. Behroun hired Japheth to aid Captain Thoster's mission securing the mysterious alliance as well as to secretly gather intelligence about Thoster's privateer business to make certain the pirate wasn't cheating Behroun. Japheth thought Anusha to be another spy sent by her brother. The girl was not waking up, Japheth poured a potion of healing down her throat to help with the magical trauma. The warlock explained to Anisha that her abilities were likely the result of a spellscar, not fully convinced yet of her true intentions he decided to keep her hidden from the pirates and gave her a Potion of somnolence to help with going into a deep sleep and activating her dream form.

The Green Siren reached the recently risen from under the Sea of Fallen Starrs isle and tower named Hegruth where they were to meet with their mysterious contact. The meeting was with none other than Nogah of Olleth. The disgraced kuo-toa whip was seeking the pirate's help to retrieve her beloved Dreamheart from Gethshemeth, and she couldn't do it alone. She promised the pirate and Marhana Shipping company an alliance and safe trade routes in exchange. Reluctantly the crew agreed but not before the group was attacked by aberrant kou-toas, sea hags, sea trolls and other servants of the kraken and the Dreamheart. A savage battle ensued, Anusha used the addictive potion given to her by the warlock and joined the fray bravely going against nightmarish creatures. Facing a sea hag along with a sea troll she rode, Anusha learned to shape her dream form, she shaped her dress into a set of armor that Impras I wore, and she created a Marhana family sword. The pirates suffered some casualties, but the group survived. Nogah pointed the crew of the Green Siren towards a kuo-toa colony Taunissik, that was taken over by the kraken's corruption. The journey was still far from being over.

Raidon was haunted by his daughter's death. That didn't stop Cynosure from sharing the purpose of the Cerulean Sign and Raidon being its last Keeper. The golem conveyed to Raidon that Kiril and Delphe were part of the order sworn to protect the world from the aberrations and that that Abolethic Sovereignty of Xxiphu was nigh. The colonies of the original aboleths were locked away safely undergrown at the time but that was about to change. Raidon meditated on the Sign that was part of his being, he witnessed the crew of the Green Siren besieged by the aberrant kou-toas, the month perceived the aberrations were merely pawns of something else, something bigger. he knew where the foe responsible for waking of the aboleths was. Cynosure told Raidon that he needed to track down Kiril in the area known as the Plague-wrought Land. She was in possession of a Cerulean Sign blade, called Angul. The monk needed the sword if he wanted to stop the kraken.

Onboard the Green Siren Japheth Donard confided about his pact with the Lord of Bats, told Anusha Marhana about his pact stone, and about the dire consequences of using Traveler's Dust. The same pact stone Behroun threatened to break if the warlock didn't do as he was told. Japheth invited Anusha to see Darroch Castle, where the Lord of Bats was trapped, deep in caverns of Feywild. The warlock used the black bat cape that he stole from the archfey to serve as a portal. To the warlock's shock, his benefactor had company: a mysterious eladrin woman and Anusha's half-brother himself. Neifion sent out his loyal subjects to find the pact stone that held the archfey trapped, and they brought back Lord Marhana. Behroun wanted the Dreamheart for its power, Malyanna the winter eladrin wanted to protect Behroun, and the Lord of Bats wanted the pact stone. As Neifion sat magically bound to his chair, Malyanna's superiority complex prompted her to attack the warlock. In the chaos of battle, Japheth and Anusha escaped back to the Green Siren.

Raidon arrived at Ormpetarr, Vilhon Wilds (formerly Vilhon Reach). The area was devastated by the Spellplague, turning it into a dangerous alien landscape where the blue fires of Spellplague still burned. And this was the place where Kiril Duskmourn and her sentient blade Angul were seen last. Raidon ventured into the dangerous and unpredictable territory together with a group of pilgrims who were searching desperately to acquire spellscars.

The Green Siren, guided by Nogah reached the colony of Taunissik, and it was swarming with aberrant kuo-toas and enslaved morkoths... flying in the air. Nogah recognized that it was a display of power by the Dreamheart. The party infiltrated the kuo-toa village without being noticed and headed through a temple-like structure decorated with carved fish heads and gleaming yellow eyes, down below the water level. In the center of a large chamber, the group had to proceed into a pool of water passaged deeper under the waters of Taunissik, to Seren's discomfort as she did not know how to swim. Nogah reassured the crew that there was nothing to worry about. The tiny glowing albino fish in the underwater passage were rune-charged creatures, in the fishes' presence land creatures could stroll underwater as if on the surface. The chamber became Nogah's tomb when the monstrous aberrant creatures ambushed the party. Poisoned crossbow bolts plunged into the whip's chest and eye. The ambushing forces of mutated kuo-toas were joined by a deadly ooze that rose from the underwater passage, and Scathrys, the fang dragon. In the fight, the hulking first mate was killed, Nyrotha's face was melted away by the caustic ooze acid.

Raidon traversed the ever-changing plague-wrought Land of Vilhon Wilds. His traveling companion Hadyn perished, consumed by the blue fires of the Spellplague, and Finara turned back in fear. The monk continued alone towards the giant ancient tree - Grandmother Ash. The fabled blue leafed tree was living and sentient being, awakened by the Spellplague. Grandmother Ash was benevolent and lived stories of brave heroes and adventures, she considered helping Raidon in his quest to be an honor. She escorted the monk to the last place Kiril Duskmourn was seen. The lair of an alien being brought to Toril by the Spellplague called the Chalk Destrier.

As the crew of the Green Siren fled deeper, Anusha woke up back on the ship. They strayed too far away from her sleeping body for her to follow. Her heart raced in fear, she couldn't fall asleep again even if she tried. The young woman needed to move closer to her companions. To remedy and stress and anxiety she drank the potion of somnolence the warlock gave her. Anusha resumed her dream form and dragged her body in the same old traveling chest across the beach to get it closer to the battle. She enlisted her friend Lucky the dog's help in guarding her as she left her body behind. Meanwhile, the surviving crew consisted of Japeth, Captain Thoster, Seren. They ended up deep inside the colony's temple underneath the sea level. A statue of the Sea Mother greeted them. It was an eidolon that was brought to life by the power of the Dreamheart. The animated statue made the encounter short by spraying the crew with red caustic seawater that entombed them alive, preserving the heroes for sacrifice.

Back in Vilhon Wilds Grandmother Ash led Raidon to the edge of the Chalk Destrier's domain in the chaos of spellwrought lands. Raidon witnessed what could only be described as a celestial body, a moon, stuck on earth between two canyon walls. The Destrier was an alien being that greeted Raidon telepathically, asking for a gift in exchange for its help. It informed Raidon that the member of the Cerulean Order departed Toril, but left behind the sought after Angul as a gift for the being. The monk was granted entrance into the chalky moon inside which the true form of Destrier met him. Chalk Destrier was a centaur-like being completely made out of the same substance the moon was shaped out of. It could control and shape the surroundings with its thought. Chalk Destrier guided Raidon through his lair toward the gallery where it kept its treasures, magical items, trophies, and various monsters and alien creatures preserved for display. The Blade Angul was one of the exhibition's items. But Chalk Destrier had no intention parting with the blade and instead claimed the monk as the "gift" to be added to the collection. Raidon managed to survive long enough to grab the sword and using the last bits of Cynosure's power, escape certain doom.

Back on Taunissik Anusha witnessed Raidon plummet from the sky engulfed in cerulean flames. Raidon arrived to destroy the aberrant artifact and Anusha knew exactly where to go. The ghost girl and the wielder of a sentient sword joined forces. The couple reached the pool that led deeper into the colony, now waterless with all the albino fish laying dead. Scathrys confronted them, the scuffle was quick as the adventurers ran towards the bigger threat - the kraken. Anusha's dream form was able to free the entombed Seren, Thoster, and Japheth. Gethshemeth attacked the party, the fight was desperate and unwinnable. Anusha was unable to wake up as her dream form was absorbed into the Dreamheart that the kraken wielded. She was gone. Raidon managed to sever the tentacle holding the artifact as the kraken himself retreated. Now Raidon was met with a dilemma, save the girl, or destroy the Dreamheart, now in Jhapeth's possession, as he was tasked.

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