Thornhold by Elaine Cunningham is the fourth book in the Songs & Swords series and the last book in The Harpers series.
Roguish Harper Bronwyn is sent by Archmage Khelben Arunsun on a mission to meet her long-lost father and reclaim her bloodline's dangerous heritage. She uncovers a family secret that threatens to destroy not only Bronwyn, but the Harpers themselves!
Summary[]
Khelben Arunsun and another wizard, Renwick Carradoon, use powerful rings to destroy a fortress. Khelben wants to take the rings, but Renwick entrusts them to an order of paladins so that he cannot.
Centuries later, descendants of those paladins, the Holy Order of Samular, have the rings. One of their members, Hronulf, found his village attacked by bandits and his family killed, although his son Dag Zoreth and his daughter Bronwyn survived.
Years later, Bronwyn is a Harper and jewelry trader, and Dag is a priest of Cyric working for Malchior, a Zhentarim leader, who sets up a deal with an amber necklace to lure in Bronwyn and attempts to kidnap her. The deal attracts the attention of the Harpers, who have kept a close watch on Bronwyn through Danilo Thann, and they help her escape while retrieving the necklace.
Khelben reveals to Danilo that Bronwyn is the daughter of Hronulf, and he sent him to recruit her because of this, expecting them to become lovers. He also explains that he has told nothing to Bronwyn and expects Danilo to continue using seduction as a Harper despite his relationship with Arilyn Moonblade, so Danilo, angered, strikes him.
Dag gives one of the three rings to Gareth Truesilver, a fallen paladin who has remained in the Holy Order through deceit. The paladin recruit Algorind discovers a dying messenger with news of another child of Hronulf, and Gareth has him sent to recover her.
Ebenezer Stoneshaft, a wandering dwarf, returns home to his clan’s stronghold, where he discovers humans and that his uncle is missing. Bronwyn learns the name of her father from Malchior. Ebenezer is captured by Dag, who is planning to take over Thornhold. Ashemmi appears to Dag and discuss the child that they have, and Dag's plan to conquer Thornhold, where Hronulf is in command. Ebenezer escapes.
Gareth sends Algorind to Thornhold with Dag’s daughter after Algorind kills her foster parents. Bronwyn learns that Alice, her employee and close friend, is a Harper, and feels betrayed, but forgives her when Alice tells her everything and agrees to work together. Ebenezer steals Algorind’s horse to warn his clan, but he is too late, as Dag kills most of them and captures the others as slaves. Ebenezer finds his family dead and goes to Thornhold.
Bronwyn reunites with Hronulf, but realizes he only cares that she might continue the bloodline of Samular. Dag conquers the fortress and kills Hronulf, but he sends Bronwyn away with the ring. Bronwyn meets up with Ebenezer and returns to Waterdeep, as does Aglorind and Jenner, a Zhentilar he hopes to redeem.
Ebenezer and Bronwyn sail out of Skullport after the slave ship holding Ebenezer’s family. Malchior and Dag unite and travel to Waterdeep, searching for Dag’s daughter and Bronwyn, and paladins begin gathering to retake Thornhold. Ebenezer and Bronwyn rescue the dwarves and Cara Doon, Dag's daughter, who Gareth had sold into slavery.
Bronwyn starts looking for Dag, and Algorind is arrested when chasing after Cara, who is given Gemjump stones by Danilo. Bronwyn learns of Dag’s identity and drops off Cara with Laeral Silverhand at Blackstaff Tower, leaving for Summit Hall with Ebenezer. Gareth turns Piergieron suspicious of Bronwyn.
Cara uses the gemjump stones to follow Bronwyn. Bronwyn retrieves the third ring from a lich at Summit Hall and learns the location of the Fenrisbane, a magic siege tower that is the artifact controlled by the rings, in Gladestone, becoming hunted by Algorind and another paladin, Corwin, for disturbing the tower. They slaughter some orc children, causing the orcs to attack Gladestone. Algorind find Cara and Bronwyn, but Cara sends him to Blackstaff tower with a gemjump spell and Khelben returns him to Summit Hall.
Cara returns to the tower as Bronwyn and Ebenezer reclaim the Fenrisbane from the orcs. Ebenezer leaves to join his clan, riding to retake their hold. Khelben obeys an edict from Piegrieron to turn Cara over to the paladins, causing a rift between him and Danilo and Laeral. Cara is first taken by the paladins, then captured by the Zhentarim and taken to Thornhold.
Gareth manipulates Bronwyn into using the Fenrisbane to retake Thornhold. Bronwyn joins up with Ebenezer and his clan. Along with Algorind, she infiltrates Thornhold, using the Fenrisbane to smuggle in the dwarves. They were able to shrink down by staying inside the tower when it used its ability to shrink, and grew to full size once the tower was deployed again. The dwarves take the fortress from the Zhentarim. Algorind defeats Dag but Bronwyn prevents him from killing Dag. Dag pursues Cara, but Cara and Bronwyn trick him into the Fenrisbane tower when it shrinks. Bronwyn lays claim to Thornhold, returning one ring to the paladins and leaving another in the hands of her brother, and sending Fenrisbane itself to Blackstaff Tower. Gareth attempts to blame everything on Algorind, thinking him dead, but Danilo and Khelben return him to Piergieron in his shrunken state. Despite this, Piergieron loses faith in the Harpers.
Index[]
Characters[]
Creatures[]
Locations[]
- Buildings
- Blackstaff Tower
- Settlements
- Waterdeep
- Referenced only
- Anauroch • Myconid Forest
Religions[]
Miscellaneous[]
- Armor & Clothing
- elven chainmail
- Classes
- Strifeleader
- Items
- easel • harp • saddle
- Materials & Substances
- amber
- Plants
- oak
- Referenced only
- linseed oil
Appendix[]
Gallery[]
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.