The Dream Spheres

The Dream Spheres is the fifth book of the Songs & Swords series by Elaine Cunningham.

“

Welcome to Waterdeep.

Here, everything imaginable is for sale. Even dreams can be purchased if one is willing to pay the price

When the sale of dream spheres threatens the life of his newfound half sister, Danilo Thann joins forces with Arilyn Moonblade to uncover the source of this deadly trade. Their search leads them into the dark heart of Waterdeep, and to personal secrets that could destroy them both.

”

Summary[]

Lilly Thann, maid at the Pickled Fisherman and a thief, uses a magic item called a Dream Sphere to dream of wealth and importance, and forges a partnership with Isabeau Thione.

Danilo Thann greets Arilyn Moonblade, who has just returned to Waterdeep after being called by her Moonblade to aid forest elves. The increasingly frequent calls from the moonblade have begun to drive a wedge between the two, but Arilyn attends the Gemstone Ball with Danilo at Thann villa, where a miscast spell summons a monstrous rosebush. The bush fades, but Arilyn’s outfit is torn and she leaves Danilo to change. On her way back, she gets lost and overhears Oth Eltorchul talking to a group of powerful figures, including Khelben Arunsun, Maskar Wands, and Cassandra Thann. Oth attempts to convince them of the value of the Dream Spheres, but they decline to help him find ways to sell them. Arilyn leaves and descends a staircase, eventually encountering tracks of tren, a race of lizardlike assassins. Meanwhile, Elaith Craulnober, also at the party, is accosted by Mizzen Doar, a gem merchant who drunkenly boasts of an “elf gem.” Elaith receives a map from a servant which leads him to Arilyn, who has discovered a tren ambush. Together, they slay all but one tren. Isabeau Thione, having left the Ball with Oth Eltorchul to spend the night at the Silken Sylph, is given a Dream Sphere and experiences a vision of herself in Zaranda Star’s courtroom. The vision convinces her that she deserves power, and even to be queen of Tethyr. She robs Oth.

Danilo points out to Arilyn that the moonblade has not been reliable since entering the city, and thinking that he is the cause, attempts to break up with her. Danilo learns from Khelben Arunsun that the Thanns have elvish blood. When Oth berates Elaith for being robbed, Elaith learns of the Dream Spheres and surmises that they are being created by an elven artifact. He plans to take this artifact for himself. Arilyn convinces Danilo to remain together as they investigate why the magic of her moonblade is unreliable. They begin to share a night of passion but are interrupted by a tren. They pursue the creature, ending up in Oth Eltorchul’s tower, where they discover his hand- a telltale sign that the tren have killed him and devoured the body. They visit Elaith Craulnobur, but he does not explain what he has learned of the dream spheres. Isabeau Thione sells the spheres she stole to Diloontier, a perfume merchant and fence for illicit goods. Danilo and Arilyn surmise that Elaith is not revealing all he knows, so they recruit Bronwyn to follow him. Mizzen Doar joins a noble-sponsored flying caravan to Silverymoon, as do Elaith, Bronwyn, and Bronwyn's dwarven ally Ebenezer. On their way back from reporting Oth’s death to the Eltorchuls, Danilo and Arilyn are attacked once more by tren. Knowing that the tren were involved in the Guildwars, Danilo asks his mother about them, but she warns him not to ask any more questions.

Outside the walls of Silverymoon, Rhep, head of the caravan, attempts to assault Bronwyn. When Elaith intervenes, she uses the opportunity to slip away and have Ebenezer delay the resulting battle while she enters the city and buys the enchanted ruby that Mizzen has and Elaith seeks. Elaith reveals the gem is the Mhaorkiira Hadryad, a corrupted Kiira gem. He is seeking the gem with the hope that it will reject him, proving he has regained his honor. He pursues the caravan, planning to rob it to regain the kiira, but finds it is being attacked by bandits. Arilyn meets with Arlos Dezlentyr, whose wife, an elf named Sibylanthra, was killed mysteriously, investigating the possibility that someone is using assassins to prevent elves from marrying into Waterdeep’s nobility. She discovers a tunnel that leads to Diloontier Perfumery. Elaith helps defend the caravan, but the kiira is stolen by the bandits, who are led by Isabeau Thione. Isabeau is also working with the tren, who she has kill and consume the surviving bandits, much to the horror of Lilly, who facilitated the attack by stealing details of the caravan from a noble named Simon Ilzimmer. Danilo and Arilyn encounter Cassandra in Diloontier Perfumery. Lilly is paid with dream spheres and the kiira, which she sells immediately despite promises to Isabeau not to do so. Isabeau discovers this, robs her of her coin, and injures her. She is discovered by two men who notice her resemblance to the Thanns and send her to the Thann estate, where she meets with Rhammas Thann, her father. He agrees to help her leave the city, asking Danilo to do so to prevent Cassandra from learning of his illegitimate child.

Elaith purchases the kiira from the fence who bought it from Lilly. When it accepts him, he slips back into his darker ways. When Rhep leads a group of mercenaries to warn him against expanding into Skullport, he decides to respond violently. Arilyn traces Diloontier’s supplier to a shop in Skullport called Pantagora’s Poisons, where they discover everyone inside has been killed. Arilyn notes that they have been sadistically killed with fine elven weaponry, and suspects Elaith. They interrogate Diloontier, who arrives shortly after them, but he claims that, though he is a middleman for the tren, he doesn’t know any of his clients, and the lady Cassandra visits his shop for youth potions. Danilo and Arilyn meet with Lilly and arrange to have the Harpers help her leave the city undetected. However, Isabeau incapacitates Lilly and takes her place, and both Lilly and the Harper who was supposed to impersonate her are killed by a shapeshifting creature, who threatens to blame the attack on the caravan on a “secret love” of Lilly’s. Lord Gundwynd accuses the Thanns of facilitating the attack, accusations that are exacerbated by Lilly’s death and the reveal that she was in possession of a Dream Sphere. Arilyn tracks down Isabeau and learns she is connected to the caravan attack, but she claims she wanted to flee the city to avoid Elaith. After Arilyn is discovered and forced to flee, an unknown figure appears to Isabeau and tells her she should return to Tethyr, but she decides she needs to reclaim the treasure from the caravan raid first. In Waterdeep, Arilyn and Danilo attempt to use magic to speak with Lilly, but discover Lady Cassandra has had Lilly’s body burned, violating a promise to Danilo to have her buried in the family crypt. Elfshadows begin to appear unbidden from the moonblade. Elaith kills Rhep with Amcathra weapons. Arilyn and Danilo realize that the dream spheres are responsible for their magic malfunctioning. They learn that a young noblewoman, Belinda Gundwynd, has been found dead alongside an elven groom with whom she was having an affair. Arilyn suspects the killer of Lilly was not actually a tren, since they didn't eat the bodies, but rather a shapeshifter. They suspect Simon Ilzimmer, a mage who was present when Oth pitched the dream spheres at the Gemstone ball and who has a dark reputation among the city courtesans, but their interview with him is cut short by another elfshadow appearing, and shortly afterwards Elaith frames Simon for the murder of a courtesan. He then meets with Danilo and blames Lilly’s death on Regnet Amcathra, Danilo’s longtime friend, hoping to send Danilo down a false path, but he concludes Regnet is not responsible after meeting with him. Regnet tells him he plans to marry Galinda Raventree, which prompts an attack from Myrna Cassalanter, a jealous suitor who lets slip that she has knowledge of Lilly. Danilo is attacked by mercenaries and saved by Elaith. They pursue the mercenaries but end up being arrested for trying to avoid the Watch as they chased.

Arilyn bails out Danilo, and they go to see Myrna Cassalanter, saving her from a poisoning. She tells them that seven noble families secretly oversee illicit trade between Waterdeep and Skullport, and that they view Elaith as a threat. Isabeau robs Myrna and sets off for Tethyr. Arilyn meets with Elaith, discovering that the stone he has is not the kiira, but a crystal. They realize that Errya Eltorchul has stolen the real Mhaorkiira and that Oth’s death was an illusion to avoid the seven families from cracking down on his dream spheres, that he still lives and was responsible for Lilly’s death. Belinda Gundwynd is revealed to have been killed by the Ilzimmers after Elaith set the families against each other to distract from himself, using the Amcathra dagger (a weapon stolen from a Gundwynd caravan) to kill Rhep, an Ilzimmer retainer. Oth sought to put the Eltorchuls among the families that controlled the trade, and Danilo, Arilyn, and Elaith realize that he likely had Sibylanthra Dezlentyr assassinated due to his inability to accept the fact that he cannot control elven magic. Elaith reveals that he poisoned Myrna Cassalanter, after she sent the mercenaries who attacked Danilo outside House Amcathra. Elaith reveals that he has learned through the dreamsphere of a massive tren attack planned on houses Thann and Ilzimmer, planned by Oth to weaken them enough to let the Eltorchuls join the other families’ conspiracy. Danilo learns that Cassandra had a half-elven mother, and always opposed his marriage with Arilyn because their children might expose her elven blood. Danilo says he will defend house Thann and warns Cassandra to stay out of it. To defend against the tren, Arilyn rallies the elves of the city, including Foxfire and a group of forest elves who were called to her aid by the moonblade. To assuage their doubts, she attempts to kill Elaith with the moonblade, which stops her heart, judging Elaith to be honorable- possibly because its magic was being disrupted and possibly because Elaith truly did reclaim his honor. Elaith gives her chest compressions to restart her heart, and the elves agree to fight against the tren. The tren are defeated, and Danilo destroys the mhaorkiira, defeating Oth and leaving him mindless. Danilo negotiates a peace between Elaith and the families, and he and Arilyn set out for Tethyr to help advocate for the forest elves under the new rule of Haedrak Rhindaun III and Queen Zaranda. Elaith also accompanies them, helping them hunt for Isabeau.

Index[]

Click here for page index

Characters[]

Amnestria • Arilyn Moonblade • Arlos Dezlentyr • Belinda Gundwynd • Lord Boraldan Ilzimmer • Bronwyn Caradoon • Lady Cassandra Thann • Corin Dezlentyr • Corinna Dezlentyr • Cynthia • Danilo Thann • Diloontier • Ebenezer • Elaith Craulnober • Elton • Errya Eltorchul • Foxfire • Galinda Raventree • Garelith Leafbower • Gunthur • Haedrak • Hamish • Hector • Hildagriff • Isabeau Thione • Judith • Julian • Khelben Arunsun • Knute • Laerel • Lilly Thann • Lord Thesp Eltorchul • Lord Gundwynd • Marice • Maskar Wands • Mizzen Doar • Monroe • Munson • Myrna Cassalanter • Nelson • Orwell • Oth Eltorchul • Peg • Regnet Amcartha • Lord Rhammas Thann • Captain Rhep • Sibylanthra Dezlentyr • Simon Ilzimmer • Thasilier • Thassitalia • Violet • Zorn

Referenced only

Azoun • Bran • Hannali Celanil • King Zoar • Mystra • Oghma • Piergeiron Paladinson • Queen Amlaruil • Queen Zaranda

Creatures[]

archmage • dwarf • elf • giant eagle • griffon • half-elf • half-ogre • half-orc • halfling • hedgehog • homunculus • kobold • minotaur • narwhal • pegasus • tren • yeti • zombie

Referenced only

centaur • Illithid • manticore • red dragon • trout

Locations[]

Bodies of Water

River Rauvin

Brides

Moonbridge

Buildings & Sites

Dryad's Garden • Greenglade Tower • The Laughing Mermaid • The Monster Pit • Mystra's Arms • Pantheon Temple • Pickled Fisherman • Silken Slyph • Soaring Pegasus

Businesses: Balthorr's Rare & Wonderous Treasures • Pantagora's Poisons • The Curious Past • Diloontier's Fine Perfumes
Residences: Blackstaff Tower • Blackstone House •Eltorchul manor • Thann villa

Dungeons

Sewers of Waterdeep

Landmarks

North Gate

Settlements

Silverymoon • Waterdeep

Streets & Alleys