Path of Stones is the title of an unpublished novel that was planned to be written by David Cook circa 1989. It was to be set in Kara-Tur and likely would've been the eleventh novel of the Forgotten Realms line.[1][2]
Development[]
According to D&D researcher Shannon Appelcline, David "Zeb" Cook (who had worked on much of the Oriental Adventures setting) had proposed a Kara-Tur novel for Forgotten Realms. It was being considered by Jean Black, the head of TSR, Inc.'s fiction department at the time.[3] The characters of Path of Stones were presented in Hall of Heroes in 1989, with write-ups by Mike Pondsmith. These were intended as a preview of the novel, alongside the characters of the then-forthcoming The Avatar Trilogy.[1][2]
Cover art appearing in the 1990 Forgotten Realms Calendar.
Cover art by Jim Holloway was also intended, depicting the Earth Spider clutching an unconscious woman, likely Onoye, and a warrior presumed to be Sanehiro. This artwork was included in the Forgotten Realms 1990 Calendar under the title "Path of Stones" with a quote from Dragon Lord Mei Lung about the Celestial Bureaucracy and was later used for two unrelated AD&D Trading Cards in 1991: Goblin Spider and Seiroku Ashida.
However, plans for Path of Stones were halted for various unspecified reasons.[1] Appelcline speculates it was lost or shelved when Mary Kirchoff replaced Black as head of TSR's fiction, as is common in publishing.[3]
Nevertheless, the desire for a Kara-Tur novel remained, leading to The Empires trilogy beginning in 1990, with Cook writing Horselords, although not set in Kara-Tur, and Troy Denning writing Dragonwall, which would be the sole Kara-Tur novel.[1] A few of the characters of Path of Stones also made cameos in the adventures Ronin Challenge and Test of the Samurai earlier that same year.[3]
Index[]
- The following index is taken from Hall of Heroes and is included here for reference, but may not reflect plans for the novel itself.
Characters[]
Referenced only
Shin Gisen • Shin Lu
Creatures[]
Referenced only
bear
Locations[]
Organizations[]
Magic & Religion[]
Referenced only
Celestial Emperor • Bear God • kami • Kwan Ying • Owl Woman • Way of Enlightenment
abjure • aid • animal companion • animate water • animate wood • bless • call • castigate • cloudburst • commune with greater spirits • commune with lesser spirit • cure light wounds • deflection • detect evil • detect shape-changer • dream sight • elemental burst • ghost light • immunity to weapons • kung fu • levitate • mind control • possess • power word, kill • protection from spirits • raise dead • scry • secret signs • shield • shout • speak with dead • speak with plants • stone shape • Trance • true sight • whirlwind •
Miscellaneous[]
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 James Lowder (November 1990). “Bookwyrms: Building Troy Denning's Dragonwall”. In Jean Rabe ed. Polyhedron #56 (TSR, Inc.), p. 18.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ed Greenwood, et al (1989). Hall of Heroes. (TSR, Inc), pp. 1, 2. ISBN 0-88038-711-4.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Shannon Appelcline. FR7: Hall of Heroes (1e/2e). DriveThruRPG. Archived from the original on 2017-05-23. Retrieved on 2023-06-24.