Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad, by Troy Denning, is the fifth and last book of the Avatar series.
Who betrayed his friends Midnight and Kelemvor and sought to destroy them.
Who ascended to godhood and now spreads his lies and intrigues into every corner of Faerûn.
Who is the Lord of Murder, the Prince of Lies... and insane.Summary[]
Malik el Sami, a follower of Cyric, finds the Cyrinishad after watching Candlekeep for years. Cyric raises an army to recover it, but the army destroys itself with infighting before it can attack, depriving Ao of a battle and offending the followers of Shar and Talos who were willing to join.
Mask convinces Tempus to gather the Circle of Greater Powers, who agree to destroy Cyric. Despite realizing that Cyric has become more powerful than they knew, Tyr charges him with Innocence.
Cyric sends Malik to recover the Cyrinishad, intending to present it as evidence so the other gods will be forced to listen to it, but he instead recovers Rinda’s journal, somehow singlehandedly breaking into Candlekeep, finding Rinda and Gwydion's chamber in the most secure part of the library, and killing her and Gwydion in the process because they inexplicably left the window open.
Cyric convinces Tempus to expand his charges to Kelemvor and Mystra, as they are too benevolent, but they convince Tyr to separate the charges so they are not tried together. Cyric exposes Adon to Cyric's own mind, driving him insane. Kelemvor realizes that he has not been as impartial as befits a god.
Mystra begins attacking Cyric and realizes that Mask has been scheming against them, such as getting Kelemvor to reclaim the soul of Avner despite the fact that he was False to Mask, so Mystra lays a trap for him with a magic sword that could protect him from Kezef. However, when she attacks Mask, Tyr and Helm intervene and imprison her. Mask retrieves the sword.
Meanwhile, Malik is protected by Tyr, and uses his invincibility to try and recover the The True Life of Cyric, as reading Rinda’s journal made him realize Cyric’s madness and the way to cure it. Malik’s wife cheats on him and Cyric kills her. Kelemvor tries to return Avner to Mask, but Mask gives him the task to free Mystra from Helm, which he inexplicably is able to do. Malik steals the True Life of Cyric. All gods are found innocent and Malik cures Cyric’s madness, while Mask keeps the sword that protects him from Kezef.
Index[]
Characters[]
- Adon • Agenor • Ao • Armod • Avner • Balas • Baldemar • Buorstag Hlammythyl • Carl • Chandra • Chauntea • Cyric • Darshan • Durin • Formult Blacksun • Fzoul Chembryl • Glota • Gormstadd • Gusta • Gwydion • Haroun • Halah • Helm • Iyachtu Xvim • Jabbar • Jergal • Kezef • Lodar • Malik el Sami • Mask • Kelda • Kelemvor • Lathander • Mandra • Mystra (Midnight) • Nadise Bhaskar • Oda • Oghma • Pandara Bhaskar • Pelias • Rinda • Risto • Ruha • Selûne • Shar • Silvanus • Silvercloud • Sune • Svanhild • Talos • Tang • Tempus • Tethtoril • Thir • Torm • Ulraunt • Usreena Juepara • Vaerana Hawklyn • Tyr • Yanseldara • Zale Protelyus
- Referenced only
- Baldemar • Bevis • Darshan • Diancastra • Elminster • Ganesh Lel • Goodwin • Indrith Shalla • Mandra • Orgauth • Raunshivear • Tavis Burdun • Thunsroon Frostbryn • Vrakk • Wycliff
Creatures[]
- banedead • dog (mastiff) • eel • elf • giant fly • goat • griffon • hippogriff • horse • human (Bedine, Shou) • kraken • orc • spider • will-o'-wisp
- Referenced only
- ass • badger • banshee • bull • camel • cobra • cricket • elephant • demon • djinn • dragon (black) • drow • eagle • fiend • firbolg • giant (fire) • gnoll • gnome • jackal • kobold • lion • lizard • mummy • ogre • ox • pig • pixie • rat • scorpion • sheep • snake • titan • troll • weasel • wraith
Events[]
- Month of Disasters • Reevaluation • Rites of Joy • Trial of Cyric
- Referenced only
- Eternal War • Night of Despair • Time of Troubles • Voonlar Debacle
Items[]
Armor & Clothing[]
- aba • chainmail • Cowl of Hatred • maitung • scale mail
Food & Drink[]
Literature[]
Substances[]
- alabaster • basalt • brass • bronze • copper • ebony • iron • ivory • leather • poison • silk • silver • steel
Plants[]
- ginkgo • lasal
Miscellaneous[]
Weapons[]
- chien • stiletto
Locations[]
- Buildings
- Black Altar • Dungeon Tower • Ginger Palace • Keeper's Tower • Sign of the Shield • Temple of Mystra
- Landmarks
- Crystal Throne • Force Bridge • Hall of Judgement • High Horn Pass • High Road • Shadow Gap • Wall of the Faithless
- Planes of Existence
- Abyss • City of the Dead (Pax Cloister)• Crystal Spire • Cynosure • Dweomerheart • Everwatch Castle • Fugue Plane • House of Knowledge • Limbo • Mechanus • Mount Celestia • Pandemonium • Supreme Throne • Trueheart • Watchful Tower
- Regions
- Cormyr • Faerûn • Heartlands • Sword Coast •
- Settlements
- Arabel • Candlekeep • Elversult • Voonlar • Zhentil Keep (Foreign Quarter • Harbor Ward)
- Wilderness
- Cloakwood • Storm Horns • Tun Plain
- Referenced only
- Amn • Anauroch • Aphrunn Mountains • Athkatla • Berdusk • Beregost • Boiling Acid of Bliss • Boiling Sea • Calimshan • Calim Desert • Chasm of Narfell • Cloud Peaks • Dalelands • Elturel • Elventree • Escalant • Gehenna • Hartsvale • Hartwick • Haywood • Hillshadow Lake • Hlondeth • Iriaebor • Iron Wheels of Duty • Maze of Alleys • Moonsea • Mount Talath • Mulmaster • Najron • Nine Hells • Palace of Eternity • River Tesh • Road of Betrayal • Sea of Petark • Sembia • Shadowdale • Shind Road • Shou Lung • Swamp of Nether • Swords Meet • River Tun • Tegea • Teshwave • Tethyr • Tilverton • Toril • Towers of the Moon • Trollclaw Forest • Vaasa • Waterdeep • Way of the Lion • Wood of Sharp Teeth • World Forge • Yûlash
Magic[]
- Items
- Cyrinishad • Harper pin • ring of chameleon power
- Miscellaneous
- manna • Magic Weave
- Spells
- Referenced only
- Tablets of Fate
Organizations[]
- Avowed • Believers of Zhentil Keep • Company of the Ebon Spur (Black Helms, Purple Lancers) • Caliph's Sabers • House Bhaskar • Church of Cyric • Church of Mystra • Circle of Twelve • Harpers • Maces of Elversult • Monks of the White Rod • Sable Daggers • Scarlet Fellowhood • Tunland's Ravagers
- Referenced only
- Celestial Bureaucracy • Church of Sune • Cult of the Dragon • Flaming Fist • Hellriders • Knights of Myth Drannor • Purple Masks Guild • Silent Rain • Zhentarim • Zhentilar
Religion[]
- avatar • The Balance • chosen • faithless • false • Plurality of Being
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Despite that Seven Millennia of Realms Fiction states that this novel occurs in 1369 DR, the novel is actually set later than this. Page 359 states that the events in the novel are "3 years" after the events of Prince of Lies (itself set in 1368 DR). Furthermore, in the first couple of chapters, Malik el Sami states to have lurked near Candlekeep for "years" after the events Prince of Lies (this must be true because the caliph received a letter detailing the events of Prince of Lies prior to sending Malik on his mission). Specifically, the following is written in a letter: "Oghma gave the tome to a mortal and bade her travel forth and hide, blessing her with a diamond amulet that would conceal her from all the gods of Faerûn", which happened in 1368 DR (in the previous novel). This is further supported by Malik claiming that he "had returned from years of spying" and even his superiors stating that "el Sami has, of necessity, been blind to the progress of the One Church over the last few years".
Further Reading[]
- Troy Denning (March 1998). “Rogues Gallery: The Heroes of the Trial of Cyric the Mad”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #245 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 65–68.
References[]
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd, Ed Greenwood, Steven E. Schend (2000). Presenting...Seven Millennia of Realms Fiction. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2003-06-21. Retrieved on 2015-08-12.