Realms of Valor

Realms of Valor, edited by James Lowder, was the first anthology of short stories from the Forgotten Realms.

"From the secret annals of Realms history come eleven never-before-published tales of valor, featuring the greatest heroes of that magical world—Drizzt Do'Urden, Arilyn Moonblade, Adon, Elminster of Shadowdale, Jander Sunstar, and many others—told by your favorite authors, including: R. A. Salvatore, Ed Greenwood, Douglas Niles, Troy Denning, Christie Golden, and others."

The Lord of Lowhill
By Douglas Niles

Date: before 1365 DR

Summary
The story follows two halflings, Pawldo and Stefanik, as they search for treasure in a dark, evil place.

Notes of interest

 * Characters
 * Ketheryll • Pawldo • Stefanik • Garius • Half-Ear

Locations

Moonshae Isles, Gwynneth, Lowhill

Plot [spoiler]
Pawldo, the halfling adventurer and resident of Lowhill is sought out by the youngling Stefanik, who found a strange, gemmed dagger in the nearby Llyrath Forest. They soon deduce the treasure to be from the Palace of Skulls, the home of Prince Ketheryll, tyrant of Gwynneth from the past. After a thorough search, they find the Palace, full of treasures. While they are hoarding the valuables, they venture deeper and deeper into the Palace, only to find lich-like remnant of Prince Ketheryll. It turns out, that the Prince himself lured them to his palace, so he can transform them into trinkets - the treasures in the Palace. In the ensuing battle they manage to escape the place and bring away the only real valuable - a pair of rings that Pawldo intends to give to King Tristan and Queen Robyn.

Elminster at the Magefair
By Ed Greenwood Year of the Dark Dragon, 1336 DR (date given in short story) Year of the Harp, 1355 DR (date given by Ed Greenwood online)

Summary
This short story chronicles the visit of Elminster, accompanied by Storm Silverhand (to serve as protector), to a magefair in 1336 DR and the subsequent events.

At the magefair, Elminster searches for a key, which he receives surreptitiously through a kiss by a new Harper, Duara. A man searching for the key accosts Elminster and takes his staff, which he assumes is the key. Elminster in turn challenges him to a fireball-throwing contest and wins hands down with an incredibly impressive fireball. Elminster and Storm then return to the Twisted Tower in Shadowdale, where the Old Mage reveals that the key belonged to his closet and had been stolen by one of his brief apprentices named Raerlin. Upon opening the closet, the pair comes face to face with Raelin, who has become a lich. A spell battle ensues, with Storm defeating the lich by burning the pages of a tome (possibly its phylactery). When Lhaeo returns with tea, all is well again, even if the combatants are a little singed.

Index

 * Characters
 * Dhaerivus • Duara • Elminster • Lhaeo • Raerlin • Storm Silverhand


 * Locations
 * Magefair (unknown location) • Twisted Tower, Shadowdale

One Last Drink
By Christie Golden

The story of how Jander Sunstar escapes the will of his vampire lord, Cassiar.

The Bargain
By Elaine Cunningham

Patronage
By David Cook

Summary
Koja is working on his new book in Procampur and seeks funding for its printing while he reminisces of Khazari.

Date: late winter, the Year of the Helm, 1362 DR.

Index

 * Characters
 * Aguul • Deneir • Foxe • Inkstain • Jozul Piniago • Koja • Orn Thavil


 * Wenslan Amthur • Azoun IV • Chih • Deara • Thom Reaverson • Talamic • Torg mac Cei • Ulin • Yamun Khahan


 * Creatures
 * dwarf • half-elf • human (Tuigan) • clay golem • ogre


 * dragon • wyvern


 * Locations
 * Buildings & Sites: Red Mountain Temple • temple of Deneir
 * Settlements: Procampur
 * Realms: the Vast • Khazari


 * Cormyr • Dwarves' Deep • Griffin's Claw • Heartlands • Inner Sea • Manass • Red Mountain • Suzail • Shou Lung • Thesk • Waterdeep


 * Spells
 * Sutras: Hundred Lotus • Pure Thought • Sunlight After Storm


 * Religions
 * Faiths: Deneir • Furo • Oghma • Path of Enlightenment • Tymora
 * Temples: Lady's Happy Hall • Red Mountain Temple • temple of Deneir


 * Miscellaneous
 * A History of the Tuigan • butter tea • courtesan • duke • gold lion • kumiss • lama • Life among the Tuigan • hierarch • high scrivener • History of the Crusade • Lay of the Purple Dragons • forgemaster • paitza • palanquin • paper • parchment • printer • printing press • scribe • scrivener • sutra • tsampo • Yanitsava


 * bard • cymbal • ironlord • king • prayerbook • prayerwheel • thultyrl

A Virtue by Reflection
By Scott Ciencin

King's Tear
By Mark Anthony

The Family Business
By James Lowder

Summary
While searching for a mark, Shadowhawk and his son, Artus Cimber save Prince Azoun from Zhent groundling assassins.

Date: the Year of the Snow Winds, 1335 DR

Index

 * Characters
 * Artus Cimber • Prince Azoun Obarskyr • Scoril Cimber


 * Oric Cimber


 * Creatures
 * groundlings • humans


 * Locations
 * Wildernesses: King's Forest
 * Realms: Cormyr


 * Irath • Suzail • Waymoot


 * Organizations
 * Families: House Obarskyr
 * Groups: Zhentarim


 * Religions
 * Oghma


 * Miscellaneous
 * Thieves' cant

Grandfather's Toys
By Jean Rabe

Date: 1362 DR

Summary
The druid Galvin is asked to search a magician's tower for a little girl, only to find the task surprisingly grueling - and dangerous.

Notes of interest
Dragon Coast, Sea of Fallen Stars, Sea elf, Druid

Plot (spoiler)
At the request of the illusionist Drollo, Galvin tracks down the old mage's great-granddaughter, Isabelle, whom he finds deep in the Sea of Fallen Stars in a sea elven contraption known as a mechanical water spider.

The Curse of Tegea
By Troy Denning

Date: 1360 DR

Summary
Two clerics of the church of Mystra enter Tegea, in hopes of lifting the curse that affects the village. The clerics need not only to face the source of the evil, but their inner selves too.

Notes of interest
Adon, cleric, Mystra (Midnight), Time of Troubles, Dragonjaw Mountains

Plot (spoiler)
Adon''and Corene, both priests of Mystra, travel to the cursed town of Tegea at the urging of their goddess. Despite discovering that Duke Gorgias had laid a ward upon the town making it difficult for clerics' prayers to reach the divine realms, they manage to defeat him. With the ward mostly broken, Adon opens a temple to Mystra.''

Dark Mirror
By R.A. Salvatore

Summary
Mithral Hall has just been retaken from Shimmergloom and the duergar occupying it. Drizzt Do'Urden has been invited inside Silverymoon and is on his way there when he finds some monster tracks, possibly escorting prisoners. He joins with a band of villagers from a tiny community called Pengallen, led by Rico Pengallen, who pursue the same goal. Together they find the camp but before Drizzt's plan to free the prisoners without a fight can be achieved, the humans are spotted and a fight breaks out. With Drizzt and Guenhwyvar's help, the monsters are defeated, but one of the prisoners, a goblin named Nojheim flees. Rico asks Drizzt to bring Nojheim back to Pengallen and Drizzt agrees, but suspects that something odd is going on.

Drizzt finds and retrieves Nojheim, bringing him back as promised but rather than continue to Silverymoon, Drizzt elects to stay and have a meal. Talking to the locals, Drizzt discovers that Nojheim is Rico's slave. Then he makes a mistake. Hating slavery even more than he hates goblins, he goes back and starts talking to Nojheim. After talking with the obviously abused but highly intelligent and good-hearted goblin he realizes that despite the hopelessly depraved nature of most of his own species even in comparison to goblins, it's his drow-borne mystique and seeming beauty that allowed him a foothold in the world, while that individual goblin, who was of similar principles to his own, clearly stood no such chance. Drizzt learns to feel less prejudice towards goblins and other brutish races.

He decides to try to free the goblin by appealing to Silverymoon. But when Drizzt returns, he finds Nojheim dead, executed by Rico on some pretext after he overheard Drizzt and Nojheim's conversation. Leaving, Drizzt greatly steels his resolve against slavery.

Date: late winter, the Year of the Worm, 1356 DR.

Index

 * Characters
 * Aganis • Drizzt Do'Urden • Guenhwyvar • Jak Timberline • Rico Pengallen • Tharman • Nojheim


 * Alustriel Silverhand • Bruenor Battlehammer • Catti-brie • Shimmergloom • Wulfgar • Zaknafein Do'Urden


 * Creatures
 * drow • human • goblin • orc • ogre


 * bugbear • dragon • duergar • mind flayer • shield dwarf


 * Locations
 * Buildings & Sites: River Surbrin
 * Settlements: Pengallen • Silverymoon
 * Realms: Silver Marches


 * Astral Plane • Nesme • Menzoberranzan • Mithral Hall • Faerûn • River Rauvin • Spine of the World • Sundabar • Underdark


 * Religions


 * Lolth • Ilmater


 * Organizations
 * Clan Battlehammer


 * Miscellaneous
 * Icingdeath • figurine of wondrous power • infravision • ranger • Taulmaril • Twinkle

Afterword
By Jeff Grubb