Realms of Shadow, edited by Lizz Baldwin, is the eighth anthology of stories from the Forgotten Realms, published in April 2002. The stories follow the Return of the Archwizards trilogy and many are about the lost nation of Netheril and the Shade Enclave.
When Shade Enclave returns from thousands of years of exile in the Plane of Shadow, all of Faerûn is open to its dark designs.
When a tribe of kenku confront the archwizard who gave them magic but kept them as slaves, the skies rain death.
When a knight of Cormyr journeys to the ruins of Tilverton, he begins to understand the terrifying power of the archwizards.
When phaerimm roam the world, enslaving orc and human alike, the great powers of the world must depend on an ally as deadly as their enemy.
Featuring new stories by best-selling Forgotten Realms authors, including R. A. Salvatore, Troy Denning, Ed Greenwood, and Elaine Cunningham.
Contents[]
Realms of Shadow contains the following short stories:
- "Trial by Ordeal" by Lisa Smedman
- "Assassin's Shadow" by Jess Lebow
- "Too Long in the Dark" by Paul S. Kemp
- "Darksword" by Troy Denning
- "Liar's Game" by Jessica Beaven
- "That Curious Sword" by R. A. Salvatore
- "A Little Knowledge" by Elaine Cunningham
- "Astride the Wind" by Philip Athans
- "The Fallen Lands" by Murray J. D. Leeder
- "When Shadows Come Seeking a Throne" by Ed Greenwood
- "King Shadow" by Richard Lee Byers
- "The Shifting Sands" by Peter Archer
Trial By Ordeal[]
By Lisa Smedman
Date: The Year of Perditions Flame
Lord High Justice Andoris Derathar of Karsus Enclave must solve the mystery of a crime—the theft of a wizard's notes concerning the Nether Scrolls—committed by either an enchantress or her shadow double, but neither have any memory of the events.
Assassin's Shadow[]
By Jess Lebow
Date: The Year of Emerald Groves −467 DR
In a musty cellar Olostin met with a veiled figure, they reminisced about Olostin's successes over the years thanks to the knowledge and power the figure gave him. Olostin vowed to end the archwizard's rule, and the figure asked him to eliminate the archwizard Shadow before he could learn more about the Shadow Weave and become a significant threat. The action shifted to Cy, one of Olostin's raiders. During an attack on the Low Netherese village of Kath, Cy killed a powerful, chain-wielding man. Having seen his valor, Cy's commander Lume recruited him to assassinate Shadow. Cy took a two day long griffon ride to the floating city Karsus. He failed to assassinate Shadow but learned Shadow had a powerful wand, before he escaped while another group attempted to kill Shadow. When he returned to Lume, the commander revealed he had sent countless others to accomplish the same task, and Cy was the only one ever to return. They went together to try again, against Cy's better judgment. Lume stole and used the wand, but it backfired and killed him instead of Shadow.
Too Long in the Dark[]
By Paul S. Kemp
Date: The Year of Sundered Webs −339 DR
The powerful Netherese archwizard Zossimus is content in his lavish mansion on Shade Enclave, even as the Princes of Shade have straddled it on the border of the Plane of Shadow, leaving the enclave to float in eternal twilight. But as Karsus challenges Mystryl for her divinity and the Weave fails the twelve princes draw upon the Shadow Weave to keep the city flying, pulling it wholly into the dark demiplane. Yet Zossimus' wife despairs of living forever in the dark..
Darksword[]
By Troy Denning
Date: 20 Flamerule, the Year of the Moat 1269 DR
Melegaunt Tanthul a Prince of Shade Enclave and powerful shadow mage seeks out Bodvar of the Moor Eagles. Bodvar is a proud Vaasan, leader of his clan. The powerful wizard saves Bodvar, but the wise northlander is wary of the mages mysterious magic, and rightfully so. And as the Vassans take up the darkswords crafted by the archmage to defend themselves against anihilation, the clan enters into a dark bond with Shade Enclave.
Liar's Game[]
By Jessica Beaven
Date: The Year of Starfall 1300 DR
In preparation for their return, members of Shade Enclave find descendants still in Faerun and begin to corrupt and command them. One, a wizard-druid woman, is sent to find some notes that may have power to help Shade Enclave. She finds them with a man living alone in the woods. A type of love ensues.
That Curious Sword[]
Date: The Year of the Shield 1367 DR
Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle are offered a job by a barman in a tavern in Heliogabalus to recover an idol. They break in and find it but are confronted by a shade and his shadow mastiffs. He forshadows the return of the netherese and offers an alliance with them in exchange for Charon's claw, revealing it to be a netherese item. Entreri refuses and they begin to fight. Seeming to want to go back to a shade, Charon's claw resists Entreri so the assassin kills his opponent with his vampiric dagger instead. Jarlaxle holds up a mirror to the victorious human to reveal his skin has turned slightly grey, theorizing that he has absorbed some of the shade's essence.
A Little Knowledge[]
Date: 19 Marpenoth, the Year of Wild Magic 1372 DR
Set in the village of Ashtarahh in Halruaa after the events of the Counselors & Kings Trilogy. The diviner Ursault the All-Seeing saw all possible futures, causing him great distress. While with his outcast, malformed friend Gnarfling, Ursault divined trouble which appeared in the form of a young wizard, Landish the Adept. A magehound and shadow adept, Landish had grievously wounded Mirabella, Gnarfling's adopted mother, and planned to steal Ursault's powers using a spellfilcher ring in a plot to overthrow his master, necromancer Hsard Imulteer. Ursault challenged Landish to a duel, and countered every spell until his powers were gone. While Landish was also weak, another group of wizards led by Suzza Indoulur, niece to Lord Basel Indoulur and killed Landish after he attacked them. Cured himself, Ursault was able to provide Suzza with the recipe to an ointment that cured Gnarfling of his own lifelong curse. Gnarfling became a handsome man, and Suzza gave him her family sigil, requesting he check in with her in Halar.
Astride the Wind[]
Date: 7 Alturiak, the Year of Wild Magic 1372 DR
High above the Anauroch, the Kenku (winged) Soaring Heights Clan, led by their chief, Astride the Wind, attacked a Netherese flying ship under command of the arcanist Kaeralonn Jurneille. The Soaring Heights Clan were the decedents of kenku that 1700 years ago had lived high in the Columns of the Sky, and would raid the town of Conch. In the Shade Enclave Kaeralonn resurrected one of these kenku, Amidst the Blue, and used him to enslave and train the rest as scouts and spies. Eventually, after a botched raid that left many kenku dead, Amidst the Blue rebelled, grievously wounding Kaeralonn before he led his people to freedom. They hid in the Turnback Mountains for centuries passing down the legend of their ancient enemy before the Shadovar returned. Faced with their greatest foe again, the Soaring Heights Clan killed all of Kaeralonn's soldiers, before Astride the Wind killed Kaeralonn, nearly dying himself in the effort.
The Fallen Lands[]
By Murray J. D. Leeder
Date: 19 Ches, the Year of Wild Magic 1372 DR
An adventurer tries to join the forces gathering to aid a besieged Evereska, but his company is attacked by mesmerized orcs and killed before they get there. He is saved by a clan of Uthgardt barbarians who allow him to attack the orcs and their controller. Along the way, he learns to question his preconceived notions about the values of magic.
When Shadows Come Seeking a Throne[]
By Ed Greenwood
Date: 1 Kythorn, the Year of Wild Magic 1372 DR
In the wake of the revelation of Shade Enclave's role in climatic troubles in Cormyr, they are banished. A phaerimm takes the opportunity to reach out to noble families banished in the wake of the last attempted coup. Meanwhile Caladnei is just beginning to learn how to act as the new Mage Royal and a Malaugrym is loose and unnoticed in the palace.
King Shadow[]
Date: 11 Kythorn, the Year of Wild Magic 1372 DR
The Purple Dragon Knight Ajandor Surehand and his squire Kevin rode from Kirinwood to Tilverton after its fall to find traces of Ajandor's son Pelethen. On the first day they fought a cat-like shadow beast that only Ajandor's sword Gray Dancer hurt, and fought more shadows before they made camp. Ajandor regretted not being there for his son, and not being able to pass Gray Dancer to him. The next day they fought more shadows, and it became clear Ajandor intended to fight them until they killed him, and they see a massive "King Shadow" in the ruins. After the set camp that night, Kevin decided to jar Ajandor out of his malaise by putting himself in danger, and he set out to find the Shadow King. Instead he found a group of prisoners being led by shadows. He helped some of them escape, but passed out and was captured. Kevin woke in a tower guarded by the Shadow King with a few other prisoners. He set about creating a distraction so other prisoners could escape, and Ajandor showed up. Ajandor used barrels of oil to gravely injure the Shadow King, and tossed Gray Dancer to Kevin who finished it off. Ajandor's spirits were greatly lifted, and he recognized Kevin as his son and fitting heir.
The Shifting Sands[]
By Peter Archer
Date: 13 Kythorn, the Year of Wild Magic 1372 DR
In the Anauroch, the merchant mercenary Avarilous and his companion Garmansder were caught in a dust storm with lightning that killed their camel. While they bemoaned their fate, a tribe of Bedine arrived. Their leader Sheik Omar Lhassa Bin-Daar had been looking for Avarilous, and Avarilous knew this. The Sheik hired the pair to stop a Zhentarim excavation looking for magic items near ruins of Hlondath, and prevent them from allying with the newly arrived Shadovar. The pair faked their way into the Zhentarim camp, and killed the leader after discovering he was not smart enough to be behind the operation. On death, the lieutenant who had been pulling the strings was revealed to be a Shadovar agent, and the real purpose of the site was to create an access to one of the Buried Realms, and gain a horde of ancient Netheril magic there. Garmansder collapsed the scaffolding using smokepowder charges, and the two escaped, with potential plans to sell the information about the foiled plot to Khelben Arunsun in Waterdeep.
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