Review: Mistress of the Night by Don Bassingthwaite and Dave Gross

 This is a great novel in two ways: First it is a well written, standalone novel set in the Forgotten Realms, particularly in Sembia which gets little attention in lore as a setting. Second, it fits into one of the most beloved Realms series: The Sembia and Erevis Cale books. This book works perfectly as a sequel to Dave Gross' Black Wolf from the Sembia series, and doubles as a prequel to The Twilight War Trilogy by Paul S. Kemp. 

Watch the video version of this review here.

Mistress of the Night is a 2004 novel by Don Bassingthwaite and Dave Gross. It is part of The Priests series, book two, but those are all standalones focusing on different faiths. This story puts it on Shar and her twinly opposite, Selune. The stage for this dark rivalry is Yhaunn, a port east of the capital Ordulin. The place much of the story will take place is Moon Shadow Hall. 

We are quickly introduced to two opposing forces, Variance, a Shade of Thultanthar, who we will actually see very little of; and Dahanna, aged high priestess of Selune.

Feena is a character those who have read Black Wolf may recognize. She is a priestess of Selune, she is also a werewolf. For those unaware, she is a good aligned werewolf, as a evil aligned were creature would likely follow Malar, the Beast Lord. She has recently lived in the Arch Wood but returns to Yhaunn at the behest of Dahanna whom seems at the end of her life.

Keph is another character, he is a scion of a house in Yhaunn. His house is made of entirely of mages besides young Keph. This causes him to be resentful and to fall into dark ways, particularly when it comes to Shar and her cult. This will devolve into acquistion of a certain artifact called the Leaves of One Night.

This is a dark novel, like many have been that are set in Sembia. We explore faith and deception, and are led down a well paced and exciting plot. This is overall a fun and worthwhile excursion into the Forgotten Realms, one you could even say is Exceptional when compared to some others I have read recently. 

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You can track my current progress here.

Review: The Godborn by Paul S. Kemp

The Godborn is the second book of The Sundering, the cosmological, world shaking series that brought Realms lore from fourth edition to fifth edition. It is also the final iteration of The Legend of Erevis Cale (I may have made that up), being a sequel to the Twilight War Trilogy. This is my fourth review for The Sundering, and you can read my thoughts for the others at these links: The Adversary, The Sentinel, The Herald.

The only two I have yet to read now are the first and fourth in the series. The Companions is also the 30th novel in the Legend of Drizzt; I have only read the first ten so far. The Reaver I will read soon.

Naturally, being a sequel to the previous Erevis Cales series, do expect spoilers if you have not read them. This book does work as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend reading the previous books beforehand.

“When the shadows descend,

In Hell-sworn covenant unswerving

The blighted brothers hunt,

And the godborn appears,

In rose-blessed abbey reared,

Arising to loose the godly spark.”

- Excerpt of a prophecy by Elliandreth of Orishaar

The prologue takes us to 1450 DR, Varra has been transported through time seventy years. She finds that her previously flat belly is now bulging with a presently due baby. She is found by warriors of Amaunator/Lathander who take her to the local abbey where her son, Vasen is born, destined to be a shadow in the light. I really enjoyed this prologue, and while not his best, Kemp is a master of drawing the reader in a dark and awesome world. 

Sembia is a protectorate of Netheril, and dark clouds cover the land, twisting and fouling it. Aberrations wander the shadowed land, tainted rain kills and twist crops and vegetation. People hold onto hope that one day the Sun will shine on the land again. Though not all hope is good, some of it is evil, and other nihilistic.

“A light in the darkness”

Zeeahd and Sayeed are an interesting duo introduced early on. They are brothers afflicted by the Spellplague and they search for the abbey where Vasen makes his home so they can be healed of their afflictions. Though of course there are other things about the two. There is a deva character, a kind of aasimar (like the one in Circle of Skulls, book six of Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep).

We also have Riven who was great to see again. It's been a hundred years, and he has lived with divinity all that time. He meets up with Mags early on, the tiefling mind mage who set up shop as a tavern owner in Derlun after the Spellplague. 

Brennus and Rivalen Tanthul also have an interesting dynamic, brothers; one semi-divine, the other full of hate for the murderer of his mother. I really enjoyed how this played out.

“He existed in the nexus of light and shadow, a creature of both, but a servant of only one.”

This has easily been the most disturbing D&D book I’ve read. Some parts were horrifying and disgusting, though thankfully this is only for a small section in the middle of the book. I'm also sort of a wimp, but it did affect my overall thoughts.

The Godborn is Exceptional, though this helped a lot by the last 50 pages.

I feel this could have been helped by being a trilogy instead of a single book slightly longer than average. There was in-fact supposed to be a trilogy, The Cycle of Night, but Wizards of the Coast axed it and we got The Godborn instead. From Cale’s first appearance in 2000 in The Halls if Stormweather to 2014 with The Godborn, this is finally the end of the dark tale. It’s sad, I can’t believe it’s over. This series alone has made reading Forgotten Realms novels worth it, we will see what other great novels are in store on this quest.

"Ages turn, the work changes, but there is always horror"

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You can track my current progress here.

Review: Realms of War

 Realms of War is an anthology edited by Philip Athans and released in early 2008. It accompanied the Twilight War trilogy by Paul S. Kemp that I recently finished (review here), and fell in-between the releases of the second and third books. This is only my second anthology set in the Forgotten Realms that I have read, the first being The Halls of Stormweather that introduced the Sembia series (review here). Like many "Realms of ..." anthologies, this one focuses on wars of Faerûn, spanning millennia of conflict.

"Continuum" by Paul S. Kemp

Our first story is about Rivalen Tanthul, Prince of Shade Enclave. It starts off in -365 DR, in the beautiful woods of Arnothoi, the lands that will one day become Sembia. He is in a meadow with his mother, whom he plans to murder to complete his devotion to the Goddess of Darkness, Shar. The story jumps to 1374 DR, during the events of the trilogy. We see more of Rivalen, as well as his brother Brennus. We also see some of Varra, Erevis Cale’s lover. This was a nice story that showed some things not explained beyond a sentence or two in the novels. We also get Rivalen’s thoughts on Elyril. Like most things from Kemp in the Realms, this story is Exceptional. You could read this in between Shadowstorm and Shadowrealm.

“Weasel’s Run” by Lisa Smedman

We meet Weasel, a spriggan trapped by a Ghostwise halfling cleric of Malar the Beastlord for the High Hunt. We discover he is a scout for the armies of Luiren, and we get to see some of his early days in this position in a flashback to -68 DR, while the rest of the story takes place in -65 DR. This is during the Hin Ghostwars in Lluirwood. It’s interesting as these Ghostwise halflings still speak, and it’s only after the war is over and they’ve moved to Chondalwood that they take their silent ways we know of in the modern Realms. We see some creatures I honestly haven’t ever experienced playing at the table or in my reading. This story is Exceptional.

“The Last Paladin of Ilmater” by Susan J. Morris

We find ourselves in 902 DR at the Chondalwood. Jaeriko, a druid, is our POV as she follows Maze, an assassin in service of the city-state of Reth during the Rotting War. This civil war split Chondath into loosely allied city-states and allowed their Sembian colonies, Chondathan and Chauncelgaunt, to gain independence. The duo face undead raised by the necromantic general of Arrabar, a fallen adherent of Ilmater, god of suffering. This is an interesting tale, somewhat disturbing, with an intriguing ending: overall it is Good.

“Black Arrow” by Bruce R. Cordell

Spring of 1095 DR in Sarshel, a port city of Impiltur, a kingdom of the Easting Reach. The story begins with a letter of condolences to a Madame Feor about the death of her son Jotharam. This letter is from Imphras Heltharn, who in a few short years will become the first king Impiltur has had in 100 years. We then start our story following a young Jotharam. This sense of doom hangs over you as you read of the naive young man and his dreams of grandeur as a warrior defending the walls of Sarshel. A surprise attack from a goblinoid army sends people scrambling. This was super fun for me, I’m a big fan of Triad worshipping Impiltur but had actually yet to read any fiction set there before this. I had chills and tears come to my eyes, I was honestly really surprised. This reminded me of some of the memorable prologues from Jordan’s Wheel of Time. This short tale is nothing short of Amazing. 

“Too Many Princes” by Ed Greenwood 

A tale of Mirt the Moneylender, during his time as mercenary when he had the moniker “the Merciless”. The year is 1333 DR, and Amn is in a war of succession. Mirt is in Ombreir, a citadel of the Araunvols. A wicked vizier means to trap Mirt and others: it was fun to read how he saves their skins, though one of the Seven Sisters does most of the work. A Good story from Mr. Greenwood, unsurprisingly.

“The Siege of Zerith Hold”  by Jess Lebow

Goblins from the High Peaks and Kuldin Peaks threaten Erlkazar. Zerith Hold in Duhlnarim (the home of Atreus from Faces of Deception) holds fast against the onslaught as the crusaders wait for help from Korox. The year is 1358 DR, the Goblin Wars rage in the newly Independent country. Our characters are Jivam Tammsel, a half-elf, half-steel dragon ranger, and Lord Pudrun who leads the efforts at Zerith. This is the same country the Cleric Quintet takes place in for the most part (though Salvatore seems to have forgotten that), if you want more stories in this country, Lebow also wrote the novel Obsidian Ridge, which takes place in Erlkazar less than a decade after these events. Valon is incorrectly refferred to as a Baron rather than Duke before coming King. Beyond this, this short tale was a nice opening course and I want more. It is Good.

“Mercy’s Reward” by Mark Sehestedt

Gethred is someone in or near Rashemen, though he is not a rashemi, he seems to be running from Tuigan. The year is 1359 DR, an these events can be further explored in the Empires Trilogy. Persistent pursuing enemies abound, shape changers face off, this is one wild ride. It’s a decent, Good tale.

“Redemption” by Elaine Cunningham 

Ferret, an elf of the Wealdath in Tethyr during the Reclamation War, puts her people first in 1368 DR. The transition from one character to the next at the beginning of this tale was so expertly done I was hooked. We see Cunningham‘a famous characters Danilo, Elaith, and Arilyn. Oddly enough there is also a lythari in this tale, just as there were in the last. We learn some of Myth Rhynn and Mallin, a lich. This is a Good story, though I still need to read the novels involving these characters.

“Changing Tides “ by Mel Odom

Rytagir Volak was an explorer on the Sea of Fallen Stars in the year 1369 DR. A lover of the sea, he is in search of the shipwreck for Peilam’s Nose. A bargain with sea elves is made, something I wasn’t quite expecting but was realistic and fun to read. A fun introduction to the Threat From the Sea series by Odom, and the Twelfth Serôs War. A Good tale in Odom fashion.

“Chase the Dark” by Jaleigh Johnson 

The year is 1370 DR and Devlin Torthil is a trickster magician in Amn during the Sythillisian Uprising. Ogres have been attacking the western cities. Dev is an interesting character, and learning his background like the character design. Overall he was a little too blustery and slightly annoying more than charming. Still a decent story, this one was Acceptable.

“Bones and Stones” by R.A. Salvatore

This tale is also set in 1370 DR, the aftermath of a battle outside Mithral Hall has left both the dwarf Thibbledorf Pwent and the orc G’nurk with the pain of loss. We also get Drizzt’s journal entries throughout, they’re not annoying this time around . This was actually really nice, I was admittedly a little scared since the last handful of books I’ve read by Salvatore haven’t been the best. This, this was nice. Though the fight did last a tad too long, it was well written as always. It’s a Good tale. I’m not actually this far in the Legend if Drizzt yet: this is somewhere around The Thousand Orcs or The Two Swords. This story was later republished in The Collected Stories: The Legend of Drizzt Anthology.

“Second Chance” by Richard Lee Byers 

The year is 1375 DR, and Kemas is in Thay. This likely corresponds with Byer’s The Haunted Lands Trilogy set in the same year in Thay. Kemas is a member of the Order of the Fire Drake in the church of Kossuth. He teams up. involuntarily, with Bareris against Szass Tam’s coup. This is a tale of a young man finding courage in the face of truly terrifying odds. It is Good.

Overall I’m happy with this anthology. I hope that future compilations of this sort as as rewarding. It was a little bit of a trudge getting through with all the notes I had to take since the characters and setting changed so often. Overall, this was a refreshing, Good exploration of many of the Forgotten Realms.

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You can track my current progress here.

Completed Series: The Twilight War Trilogy by Paul S. Kemp

The Twilight War trilogy is a series of novels written by Paul S. Kemp as a sequel series to The Erevis Cale trilogy (my review of that here), as well as a transition in story to fourth edition lore, the third book being released after the core rule books for fourth edition were. The City of Shade is come and Netheril has returned, as so detailed in the Return of the Archwizards series by Troy Dennning. The Twilight War also has an accompanying anthology, Realms of War, that I will be reading and reviewing separately later. (Update: Review here!)

I read first two books in March and the third in June, they are my 51st, 53rd, and 54th Realms novels completed.

Cover art by Raymond Swanland

Shhadowbred (2006) - Amazing

Shadowstorm (2007) - Exceptional

Shadowrealm (2008) - Amazing

“The air itself is an enemy.”

Shadowbred 

The highly anticipated sequel to the Erevis Cale Trilogy. It’s 1374 DR and a new shadow is over Anauroch, Netheril has returned, and what better setting than the proximal Sembia, home of the Realms best Shade and Chosen of Mask to fall under its shadowy gaze.

If you would like to read specifically about how Thultanthar returned, I suggest The Return of the Archwizards series by Troy Denning. If you want to know how the Leaves of One Night was retrieved, read Mistress of Night by Dave Gross and Don Bassingthwaite. None of these are necessary reading, they’re just tendrils that touch Twilight War in the intricate web of novels set in the Realms.

At the start of Shadowbred, we get a prologue from a young halfling boy named Aril. This is one of the best introductions I’ve read in ages, I had chills reading it. We then follow events started in Sakkors during The Erevis Cale trilogy when the Source cried out when the Sojourner’s servants encountered Ssessimyth. Our first main character is actually Rivalen Tanthul, a Prince of Shade set on conquering Sembia. Then we meet Elyril, a woman, a somewhat mad worshipper of Shar, goddess of darkness, living in Ordulin, capital of Sembia.

Finally we meet someone from the previous Erevis Cale books, the tiefling psionicist Magadon Kest on the Dragon Coast. And on page 82 we finally get a point of view chapter from Cale.

The political maneuvering in this book is great fun, and I’m reminded of the vast depth of history that is present for the Forgotten Realms. This helps with immersion, but is nigh impossible to keep a firm grasp on because of how expansive it is.

We also revisit Selgaunt and Stormweather Towers of the Sembia series, which didn’t feature much in the Erevis Cale Trilogy, so it was almost like coming home, though almost like a home with a stranger in it: the city has changed quite a bit and has a very different feel than before.

This books ends the tale on a cliffhanger, but not a bad one. This tale is clearly the first part, but it does it’s job well. Lots of things happen in this book, and though a large chunk of it is setup, it pays off and we get good action, character development, politics, magic, and more. I was extremely happy with this novel, and ate it up.

“‘Where are you going?’. . . ‘To kill a god.’”

Shadowstorm 
War looms in Sembia, back-dropping a dark fantasy tale of Faerûn.
I first noticed the excellent map at the front of the book. This story doesn’t start off as well as the first book, but nonetheless we find a trio of poor friends in a freezing hellscape. 
An encounter with Mephistopheles, Lord of Cania, saves their skins when a bargain is struck, a surprising one with shocking addendums.

Elyril is still a fun antagonist to read about, made more interesting as she descends into madness. Kefil is a unique companion for her, and I'm not entirely sure he is anything more than just a normal dog.

Chapter two returns us to Sembia politics with Abelar at a monastery dedicated to Lathander, and Mirabeta in Ordulin. Enticing details, juicy and intriguing, a nice contrast to the tough deadliness of Cale. 

The whole plot-line with Phraig was played out very well, and it was something that I was not expecting at all.

At times the books plot seems to be at the pace of an infant’s crawling, other times things flow rapidly. We also get to see some higher ups on a cosmological scale, mostly of nefarious alignment and reputation. The worshippers of Lathander in this series shine a good light on the faith, almost making up for their gods brash arrogance.

Lots of intense events happen closer to the end. We see a third Prince of Shade during the climax of the story, Yder, the same from The Sentinel. This climax was extraordinary, and bumps a novel that was somewhat suffering from sequel syndrome, but was still good, into higher territory. In fact the ending was even more epic than that of Shadowbred.

The juxtaposition of the fates and gods working in Saerb and Selgaunt makes an interesting contrast for peoples on the supposed same side of civil war.

“How can you not feel awe as you watch a sun die?”

Shadowrealm 
Cynical characters abound in this dark tale. We brought back to a shadowy tale, as the events of the last book settle over the land. Having taken a few months of a break, it was soothing to be back into the story. It starts at the beginning of the month of Nightal, basically our December.

As far as evil goddesses go, I much enjoy the philosophy of Shar and her followers over that of Lolth. Cynicism over unavoidable entropy seems more natural and believable to me. Every page of this book is a joy, even if it is dark. Seeing all the surviving pieces come together in such a beautiful show, an epic battle I don’t think I’ve seen rivaled in any other D&D novel so far. Cosmology shifts, divinity traded and lost. It's hard to write much since I do not want to spoil the story.

The epilogue takes place in 1479 DR, over a hundred years later, and likely was to setup the trilogy that later got condensed and made part of The Sundering: The Godborn.
Overall this trilogy is much darker than the first. There isn’t brightness from Jak in this one, and with Magadon’s deteriorating status, all seems to be descending into shadow. It’s nothing short of  Amazing honestly; The Twilight War trilogy now stands as my favorite Realms series to date.

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You can track my current progress here.

Review: Haunted: A Tale of Sembia by Dave Gross

 Haunted: A Tale of Sembia is a short story by Dave Gross that can be found in Dragon Magazine issue 304, published February 2003. The story is on pages 68-77. This is the last Sembia tie-in short story, both to be read by me and it is also the last published, as this was a month before the release of  The Lord of Stormweather. You can check out my thoughts on other tie-in stories to Sembia through these links: And All the Sinners, Saints, Memories, Shamur's Wager, Another Name for Dawn, and Garden of Souls. 

The story takes place mostly over a two day period in the month of Flamerule 1374 DR, The Year of Wild Magic. There is also flashbacks to Flamerule and Uktar in the Year of the Crown, 1351 DR. This story is a good story to read if you are a fan of the hideous aquatic vampire, Stannis Malveen, and his formidable brother, Radu, from Gross's Sembian novel, Black Wolf. 

story art by Marc Sasso

The tale starts in Selgaunt, unsurprisingly, but our characters are not on the bustling streets or in an opulent manse, but instead are in the fetid sewers beneath the port city. The characters, the shade Chaney and cursed Radu soon come across  "Nightcarter[s]", another term for dungsweepers. I forgot how much I enjoyed their odd companionship.

There are a few flashbacks in this story, bringing up to Radu's youth when his mother was accused of piracy and the family stripped of holdings by the high probiter and held with extreme prejudice by the Old Chauncel. This story is the origin of the odd relationship that Radu has with his aquatic vampire elder brother: seeing the story art really shows just how hideous of a mephitic, nocturnal creature these are. 

This story is Exceptional, and largely because the contrast between Radu and Stannis. Radu is human, though maybe a little tainted at this point, but is largely a monster with how terrible he acts and murders. Stannis is somewhat of a fop, and seems more human than his younger brother even though on the outside he is a grotesque creature with a monstrous appetite for feeding on living beings. Package this with the comedic relief of the shade of the Dandy Chaney Foxmantle, and we have a fun story on our hands.

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You can track my current progress here.

Review: Memories: The Year of the Wave by Lisa Smedman

Memories: The Year of the Wave is a Sembia tie-in short story by Lisa Smedman about Larajin, half-elf maid in service to House Uskevren of Selgaunt. The story can be found in Dragon magazine issue #299 from September 2002, pages 84-94. It takes place in , the Year of the Wave, 1364 DR, eight years before the events of Heirs of Prophecy, which means Larajin is seventeen years old.

We find Larajin going about her daily duties and being a klutz during those duties. She encounters Talbot and Brocklin, a stable boy she fancies, sparring. From there, it seems that there is a potent and maybe magical liqueur, magic moss, and memory lost all around a sacred Revel to Sune, goddess of love and beauty.

This is a fun story, one to decipher. The story seems to be going one direction before swiftly changing to another. It shows Larajin become friends with the dwarf, Kemlar. We alos see the start of her relationship with Sune, which is a nice glimpse. I would recommend reading this after Heirs of Prophecy, but it would not hurt too bad to read it before. It was great seeing Larajin again, as she was one of my favorite characters from Sembia.

Larajin by Jeff Laubenstein

This story is swift and not a pain in the slightest to read. It's about a good character that is already established in the books in a similarly established place. Lisa Smedman keeps on showing that her works are nothing if not Exceptional.

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You can track my current progress here.

Review: Never a Warpig Born by Ed Greenwood

 Never a Warpig Born is the first Spin a Yarn tale. In 2001 Ed Greenwood started this series, writing one every year for the next decade or so. The tale was woven together from pieces requested by attendees of Gen Con. This results in some odd tales, but Ed Greenwood is the perfect storyteller for such things. It can be found here free for your reading pleasure.

Greenwood at Gen Con 2001

Never a Warpig Born takes place in Ordulin the capital of Sembia where the Red Wizards of Thay are trying to establish an enclave. We go to Hallowmere House, where the lady Haugratha of the place hosts the Red Wizards. This story is a little absurd, as The Simbul (Witch-Queen of Aglarond), Durnan (proprietor of the Yawning Portal), Alustriel Silverhand (High Lady of the League of the Silver Marches), Elminster (Sage of Shadowdale), Mirt (the Moneylender), and the Srinshee (of Myth Drannor fame) all appear.

No date is giving but I would guess somewhere between 1368 DR and 1374 DR, though this is of course conjecture.

We are quickly introduced to an unlikely pair of half-orc and talking boar, named Orokh and Warpig respectively. We also meet Dalance Shareth, a name I have not heard before, supposedly the leader of the Sembian Church of Mystra.

This was a great, lighthearted read, fun like the scene in Innarlith from Lord of the Darkways, but for the entire story. This is an Exceptional tale.

"Whatever you do, do it with love."

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You can track my current progress here.

Review: Garden of Souls by Richard Lee Byers

 Garden of Souls is a short story that ties into the Sembia novel series by Richard Lee Byers, just like Shamur's Wager. It can be found in Dragon Magazine issue 283 from May 2001. The story can be found on pages 72-80.

This story takes place well before the Sembia books, as Shamur Uskevren has more recently married Thamalon Uskeveren, and her first child Tamlin is but an infant. Shamur finds herself with an apparition of her grand-niece, who she has been impersonating, appearing in the home of the Karn family. From there she finds herself in otherworldly circumstances, held captive by a fiend.

story arty by Mark Zug

While it was fun to watch a quick situation which Shamur unsurprisingly dominates, it was a tad confusing at first and lacked great entertainment. The conversation at the end made the story worth it, but overall its not Byers best work. I would say it is Acceptable; Fans of Shamur should read this.

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You can track my current progress here.

Review: And All the Sinners, Saints by Paul Kemp

From Dragon Magazine issue 297 from July 2002 we have another Erevis Cale story from Paul Kemp: And All the Sinners, Saints. This story takes place after Shadow's Witness, of the Sembia series, and before The Erevis Cale Trilogy. If you have read the latter you may remember references to this short tale in the trilogy. It can be found on pages 68-77.

Erevis Cale is the butler at the Halls of Stormweather, the home of the noble house Uskevren of Selgaunt, Sembia. He was a former assassin of the Night Masks who escaped (the story of which is told in Another Name for Dawn) and later worked for the Night Knives. He is awoken in the night after receiving dreams from the god Mask.

Riven is an assassin who was an associate of Cale's in the Night Knives. He also is getting unsettling dreams from Mask.

Cale attend's with his master, Thamalon Uskevren, to the Hulorn's Palace with a meeting with the Hulorn, the ruler of Selgaunt whom plans to announce a new Proxy. We learn of a handy Sembian word: wolmoner, literally "vigil man" and over time a term that denoted a bodyguard, advisor, spy, or servant. I'll probably add it to my Sembian word usage article.

story art by Greg Staples

An unlikely partnership is stuck temporarily has Mask has need of a certain servant of the rival god, Cyric, out of the picture. In the story political intrigue intersects with street toughs, and evil gods and magical items: ideal Dungeons & Dragons.  This story is peak Kemp writing, it is Exceptional.

"We work well together, Cale."

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You can track my current progress here.

Review: Shamur's Wager by Richard Lee Byers

 Shamur's Wager is a short story by Richard Lee Byers from Dragon Magazine issue 273 published in July 2000. The story follows Shamur Uskevren lady and rogue of Sembia fame and protagonist of The Shattered Mask published June of the following year (my review of the whole series can be found here). The story can be found from pages 56 to 63.

The story is not given a proper place on the timeline but it likely takes place before the Sembia book series. Shamur has a fierce competition with Chenna Talendar, a lady of a rival house, to gain a brooch that belonged to Shamur's old trainer in the roguish arts, Errendar Spillwine; it also may include an exhilarating griffon race over Selgaunt.

story art by Therese Nielsen

It's a fun read with a surprising outcome. There is something special about this story I found common among the tales from Sembia that bring out the joyful magic present in the Forgotten Realms. This story is somehow Amazing as Byers is able to squeeze in meat and juice into this exciting short tale.

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You can track my current progress here.

Review: Another Name for Dawn by Paul Kemp

Another Name for Dawn is the origin story for Erevis Cale, and a good read for fans after reading The Erevis Cale Trilogy. The story can be found on pages 72-80 of Dragon Magazine issue #277 from November 2000, the same time that Shadow's Witness, the book of  Sembia series starring Cale was released.

The story follows Vasen Coriver as he seeks to escape Westgate, a city on the Sea of Fallen Stars coast, and the Night Masks guild of cut-throats, assassins, and thieves. This is a great read for those who are fans of Westgate, Sembia, the Dragon Coast region, or anyone reading the novel Night Masks (book 3 of the Cleric Quintet by Salvatore) which is me on all accounts.

story art by Carlo Arellano

The story takes place in The Year of the Serpent, 1359 DR. It's a quick read that gives a good glimpse of the character of Vasen as he makes his swift escape during the night. Though it is short it's Exceptional glimpse into the world of the Forgotten Realms and I recommend it for those who can't get enough of the premier setting for the worlds greatest role-playing game.

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You can track my current progress here.

Completed Series: The Erevis Cale Trilogy by Paul S. Kemp

 The Erevis Cale Trilogy by Paul S. Kemp is a follow up to "Resurrection" in The Halls of Stormweather and Shadow's Witness, books one and two of the Sembia series. It is the story of Erevis Cale, the Chosen of the shadow and thievery deity, Mask. He is joined by his friends, Jak the halfling rogue who serves Brandobaris, halfling god of thieves; and sometimes ally Riven, who is also a chosen of Mask; the tiefling psionicist Magadon joins later in the first book.

I read the entire trilogy from August to the beginning of November. It is full of thrilling twists, exciting action, and fantastic characters. It is a step up from the last series I finished, and I believe that the Legend of Erevis Cale will be to me better than that of a certain drow rangers. Beware of spoilers below.

Twilight Falling (2003) - Amazing

Dawn of Night (2004) - Good

Midnight's Mask (2005) - Exceptional

“Today is a new day”

Twilight Falling starts off in a fantastic blur of activity. Cale is where we left him at the end of the Sembia series. While Shadow's Witness is a true prequel to the Erevis Cale Trilogy, reading the last book in Sembia, Lord of Stormweather, really sets up the scene at the start (while Cale is not the main character there are multiple parts from his POV). Times are changing, as the blurb on the back states: "The day's end finds Erevis Cale serving a new master". The intrigue is deep and there is only one man for the job: Erevis Cale. The story starts strong and doesn't slow; the first pages in-and-of-themselves tout gods, madmen, assassins, and demons, so you know it will be exciting. 

The main villain is Vraggen, a worshipper of the evil goddess, Shar. He is seeking one of her temples, the Fane of Shadows to transcend his humanity. He is aided by a gang of minions, who have secret purposes of their own. You slowly find out that Vraggen is ignorant that he is a pawn of a certain gith: the Sojourner.

Cale is resolved to leave Stormweather and the service of House Uskevren but that proves hard when a band of fanatics endanger the residents of Stormweather in their schemes to find the Fane of Shadows. These fanatics turn out to be Vraggen's shape-changing buddies, slaadi.

There is a lot that happens here. Including a trip across the sea to Starmantle. We even learn that, on page 109, that there are intact dung sweepers in Selgaunt and that they are not only in Waterdeep!

Funnily the whole story involving Cale and Riven was by Vraggen’s miscalculation, thinking they were already involved somehow and trying to push them out of the picture. He even realizes this fault but the error is still his doom of course. This shows the consequences for most of the series.

Overall we receive a great cast of characters: Cale, Riven, and Jak as well as Vraggen, Dalgor, Azriim, and Sephris. This is a fantastic novel, one any fantasy fan, Dungeons & Dragons or Forgotten Realms fans should read. From start to finish it is an exhilarating ride. In short, it is amazing.

It does end on a hefty cliffhanger, I believe it’s well deserved, but beware.

Dawn of Night continues right where the cliffhanger left us in Twilight Falling (though the prologue is a little removed, but gives us a good view of the antagonist, the Sojourner). To contrast, Dawn of Night is not quite as exciting as the first of the series. The party find themselves in the Plane of Shadow for a good chunk of the book while Cale figures out his predicament he is thrown into at the tail of the first book. It is drab, and a little taxing. For those who found the Abyss interesting in Shadow’s Witness you will probably enjoy the time spent in the Plane of Shadow in Dawn of Night. I surely enjoyed the time in the Material Plane more, particularly the time spent in Skullport.

One thing the reader will probably note is Cale's use of big words, generally in his thoughts. He is a linguist, he knows nine languages. This adds a fun twist to the already deadly and intelligent assassin.

About 2/3 mark, we meet Varra, and I really enjoy the connection of a random person from the start, though sadly she is a victim of a wretch when she is introduced. We don't see much of her, but I feel she will be important, and a sort of replacement for Cale's feelings for Tazi.

It’s interested to see Cale adapt to his new predicament. It’s quaint that the Sojourner just wants to stand under the Sun, and this can symbolically be related to Cale's willingness to do so even though it pains him after the events of Twilight Falling. The Sojourner doesn’t have any problem doing bad things because he believes there are no consequences and set path of the universe. Everything is random, and allows those who are able to do what they want, to do what they want. He doesn’t believe in morals, but he believes in math.

Dawn of Night ends on a cliffhanger, though one that feels less intense and not as immense as that of the first book.

“Cale and Riven might be separated by only a blade’s edge, but that edge was keen and clear. Cale showed mercy. Riven did not."

Midnight’s Mask starts off better than Dawn of Night. There are some interesting twists and good action from the get-go. It becomes apparent to our would-be-heroes that the Sojourner is powerful, maybe even more so than the likes of an archmage such as Elminster of Shadowdale.

If you like Netherese ruins, and sea going adventures; a tiefling companion that isn't the generic blood of Asmodeus kind; an sea-going adventure, that is what this book brings. It is emotional, and there are some great twists, at the start to the end. I actually got teary-eyed at the end of this ones, for reasons I won't spoil here, but the sentiment is summed up by a phrase from Jak Fleet:

“If we get the chance, let’s be heroes.”

There are some parts where it becomes apparent that the slaadi’s arrogance really are going to be their downfall. It's also interesting that the Sojourner does evil things for personal gain, to walk on the surface. He does not try to conquer the world or anything. The fact that Cale and Friends don’t know what The Sojourner wants and what he is doing to get it is intriguing. While the reader has an idea of Vhostym’s desire, the means are slowly revealed to be world shaking, but petty. It's interesting to think of what could have been avoided.

Ssessimyth is an interesting addition in the last book he makes certain parts dealing with Sakkors, an ancient netherese city, more fun. His relationship with a certain mythallar may pop up again in the future; maybe concerning a certain Shadovar in the next trilogy involving our titular character.

Over all, The Erevis Cale Trilogy is exciting and action-packed. I appreciate the Realms talk, appropriately in-world language helps with immersion. The world around the Sea of Fallen Stars is unveiled a bit-by-bit to show the reader more and more of the great, massive Forgotten Realms. This starts off exceptionally well, and though it slows down a little, it overall is a rewarding ride. The Erevis Cale Trilogy is Exceptional. 

This trilogy is followed by another, The Twilight War. I plan to in due time to explore the rest of Cale's story, from The Godborn to the short stories in Dragon magazine. As of now, he stands as one of my singular favorite Realms characters; who is yours?

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You can track my current progress here.

Completed Series: Sembia: Gateway to the Realms

Sembia: Gateway to the Realms is a large series, and the largest to date that I've read. There are seven books, including an anthology and then six novels written by five different authors. Each novel focuses on a different character, though they all deal with House Uskevren; either members of the family or house servants. While technically being standalone novels (and they even jump around a little) I would recommend reading them in order. Each book is exciting in its own right, and Sembia is a highly enjoyable series, a hallmark of the Forgotten Realms.

I started the series in early March with the second book, and in the middle of the month I went and read the rest in order, finishing in early April.

These are the reprints done a couple years after the initial releases.

The Halls of Stormweather by various authors and edited by Philip Athans (2000) - Acceptable
Shadow's Witness by Paul S. Kemp (2000) - Exceptional
The Shattered Mask by Richard Lee Byers (2001) - Acceptable
Black Wolf by Dave Gross (2001) - Good
Heirs of Prophecy by Lisa Smedman (2002) - Exceptional
Sands of the Soul by Voronica Whitney-Robinson (2002) - Mediocre
Lord of Stormweather by Dave Gross (2003) - Exceptional

Sembia: Gateway to the Realms is apparently what WotC wanted as an introduction to those interested in the Forgotten Realms. From the blurb on the back of the first book reads: “This anthology of seven stories introduces not just one realm of good and evil, not just one family of troubled heroes, but the whole of the remarkable Forgotten Realms world. Their adventure, and yours, begins here.” Each of these stories acts essentially as a prologue to the succeeding six novels. Each story also has really good foreshadowing for things revealed in the following stories. 

The vast majority of the stories spend most of their time in Selgaunt, a port city in Sembia, but we do get to see the Yhaunn, Ordulin, the Arch Wood, and places outside of Sembia like the Dalelands, Cormanthyr, and even far off Calimshan, and other planes.

Now, let's start at the top.

The Halls of Stormweather  is an anthology, one of eighteen in the Forgotten Realms, and the first I have read. I have only ever read one other anthology before, and I'm still a fan of more fleshed-out novels. There are eight stories in the particular anthology, so lets go over them in order.

The Patriarch: The Burning Chalice by Ed Greenwood 

This story is about Thamalon Uskevren, the Lord of Stormweather Towers. It Goes back in time to explain how Thamalon inherited his families leadership, seeing as he is not the oldest son of his father. The story starts in a scene where a pretender is trying to say he is Perivel, Thamalon’s older brother. The story jumps around quite a bit from the present situation to flashbacks of Thamalon's youth. The story ended differently than I expected, but nonetheless satisfying and the story makes a lot more sense after a few of the books are under your belt. 

The Matriarch: Song of Chaos by Richard Lee Byers.

The second story in the anthology is about Shamur Uskevren, the Lady of Stormweather Towers. This story also jumps around a lot but for different reasons. With her daughter, Tazi, Shamur is trapped in a theater hall with a foul opera causing all sorts of chaos to erupt around the place. Part of this magic initially causes Shamur to be spat back in time a few minutes. Odd, disturbingly freakish events happen as the magic of the Hellish opera progresses. For the sake of the potential reader, I will say I didn't immediately remember a gorgon is a bull in D&D and not the traditional mythic creature, though it can still petrify(but not with its sight). The jumping also has Shamur reliving pivotal moments of his past (and the future?), which are fun to read and digest.

The Heir: Night School by Clayton Emery

About Tamlin Uskevren and a secret business deal his father has sent him on. Tamlin is incompetent and it is quite amusing as he blunders along, though the story is not that interesting besides.

The Daughter: The Price by Voronica Whitney-Robinson 

About Thazienne “Tazi” Uskevren. She lives a double life as a pampered noble with suitors at her heel, and a more hushed and cloaked life at night. Tazi reveals herself to be quite young and naïve. I felt this was not the last we’d see of these characters at the end.

The Second Son: Thirty Days by Dave Gross about Talbot Uskevren. An awry hunting trip sets young Tal on a ride he hardly expected to experience. That's about it, don't want to spoil it. I will say that Mistress Quickly (noted on of page 226) is oddly similar to the Wife of  Bathgap by having a gap in her teeth and five husbands. To this point in the anthology I found Talbot the most likable from such a short story.

The Butler: Resurrection by Paul S. Kemp

Introduction to the much loved Erevis Cale, Butler to the Uskevrens and trained killer and rogue. He finds himself in a pickle of loyalty; protecting the Uskevren’s and keeping the ruse of spying on them is about to get a lot tougher, and bloodier. Great intro to a favorite Realms character.

The Maid: Skin Deep by Lisa Smedman

About Larajin. The story is about discovery as Larajin finds out more about herself. Lots of revelations here, and they were satisfactorily foreshadowed. Though not my favorite character form the Anthology she really grew on me during the novels focused on her.

Shadow's Witness is the second book in the Sembia series and is actually the first book I read. It takes place during the month of Hammer, The Year of the Unstrung Harp (1371 DR) for any interested in the timeline.

At times it was quite Disturbing, dark and awesome. Quick faith seemed a little quick but not too unrealistic, though we were only told he was godless not shown it. Jak makes a great companion. The demons make really disturbing foes. Cale’s thirst for vengeance and justice is what propels the fast flowing progression of Shadow’s Witness. Kemp does a fantastic job of showing a man not particularly proud of his younger self and his dark past, which reminds me a bit of Dalinar Kholin from the Stormlight Archive.

The Shattered Mask Takes place in late Hammer, The Year of Wild Magic (1372DR), a whole year after the previous book. This book focuses on Shamur Uskevren. Byers utilizes lots and lots of uncommon vocabulary in place of standard words, every couple of pages even. Words like palfrey and destrier, passé, tercet, mufti, ambuscade, egress, timorous, fracas, attenuate, taverner, scrofulous, venery, lickerish, somnolent, clangor, staid and so on. It’s a little excessive, I had to stop often and my vocabulary is rather decent to begin with. 

It feels very much like a Realms novels, overflowing with characters, are often scene to character death; swifly and mercilessly so. The main characters seem a little overpowered and lucky. While focus is on Shamur, a multitude of POV are present.

Exciting, with a pleasant conclusion.

Black Wolf by Dave Gross focuses on Talbot Uskevren. It starts in Hammer 1371, ends Mirtul 1371. Very dark and nocturnally focused; I would have loved it as a teenager. Werewolves and aquatic vampires (apparently a thing) abound. An important notes is that there are two main characters, Darrow and Tal. Darrow is the sad and pitiful counterpart to Tal's relatively good fortune. I really enjoyed Darrow as a character, and I found Gross to be a good worldbuilder and storyteller.

Heirs of Prophecy by Lisa Smedman is set in1372 DR.

As Larajin strives to understand the elven part of her, we gain a plethora of insights on elven culture, especially that of the Forest Elves of the Tangled Trees. At this point this book was Easily the biggest tale and the one that spends the most time outside of Selgaunt, and the only one going outside of Sembia. I’m a little partial to the story because it prominently involves twins. To creatures I appreciate appear too, a tressym which is a winged cat, and an avariel which is a rare, winged elf 

It’s main hindrances are length, I felt it could have been considerably longer. The second is how everything goes almost always perfectly for Larajin’s. She tries and succeeds even though she’s never done the things before, it turns in her favor.

The villain of Drakkar is well done though I think he could get more spotlight, though he is present in the last book of the series, he is not present enough.

I would love to see a sequel of this, I think Larajin and her brothers would make a great adventuring party

Sands of the Soul by Voronica Whitney-Robinson takes place in Marpenoth 1372 DR

Thazienne goes on a quest, and how the previous entry travelled out of Sembia to the lands just north, here the adventures goes far to the south and west to the desert kingdom of Calimshan. In Calimpprt about 15 years after the Companions of the Hall. Most of this time is spent underground in the Muzad, which is kind of one of the upper layers of the Underdark ,sort of like Downshadow for Waterdeep.

The first chapter is homage to Jak’s escapade at the start of Shadow’s Witness and I appreciated it. I will complain about the strong crude innuendo present near the start. I found it more unsettling than funny. Also the characters' incompetence for the obvious and competence for unobvious is laughable. Not what I was expecting from Tazi, who otherwise seems extremely capable. This book actually slowed by reading so exponetially, it was not all that fun like I hoped it would be.

Lord of Stormweather by Dave Gross (and for some reason not Clayton Emery, who wrote Tamlin’s story •The Heir” in THoS). It takes place in Alturiak 1373 DR which is the Year of Rogue Dragons. I laughed out loud at Tamlin’s beginning parts a handful of times. The story grows more serious and we have POV's from Erevis, Thamalon, Tamlin, and Chaney Foxmantle. The story is super fun and a great conclusion and sequel to the dull sixth book. The characters showcased are phenemonal and Gross really shows how good an author he is. Radu Malveen, from Black Wolf,  is a more interesting and compelling assassin than Artemis Entreri. Feel free to debate that though, I am only on Siege of Darkness.

Overall, I really enjoyed Sembia: Gateway to the Realms, and I'm glad an acquaintance recommended it to me. Though there are many authors involved in the series, the batch really is a cohesive whole and I would recommend reading all of the books and in order, though it is not necessary. I hope some other novels take place in the nation of Sembia, for I certainly am not done exploring it. Sembia: Gateway to the Realms is Good. The books ebb and flow in quality, but overall keep a positive position in my mind.

“Long live the Lord of Stormweather!”

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You can track my current progress here.

Oddities In Sembia Word Usage?

I am currently making my way through Sembia: Gateway To The Realms and am on book four of the seven part series. So far I am enjoying the series but today I wanted to point out some oddities in some Realms' specific words.

I first noticed them in The Butler: Resurrection by Paul S. Kemp, one of the short stories in The Halls of Stormweather(THoS) the anthology and book one of Sembia. Kemp uses the word "lurienal" to refer to the halfling language. For those who don't know, if the halfling language ever is referred to by name it is generally "luiric", and is presumably named for the nation of Luiren whose vast majority of its population being hin (ethnic term haflings use to refer to themselves by). Mayhap Kemp was just unaware of the already existing term of luiric, which seems to have existed at-least by 1999, THoS having been released in early 2000 both of these terms may have come into existence around the same time. Lurienal itself looks as if it tries to be the language of Luiren, but puts the i after the r instead of before. So far, I have not seen this word anywhere else.

Another word found in the same story by Kemp is "thayvian" in reference to a person of Thay. Not as obscure, Thay gets more attention in lore, this may sound queer to any familiar with the vastly more popular term "thayan". Again I thought that belike Kemp had simply created his own term because of the absence of knowing the common word. Thayan can be attested at least as far back as 1992. I thought these were all flukes of Kemp's but in Black Wolf by Dave Gross (Sembia #4, 2001) the author refers to a thayvian rug. Note that in Lord of Stormweather (Sembia #7, 2003), also by Gross, he instead uses the more popular Thayan. Again, maybe Thayvian exist elsewhere, but I have yet to encounter it outside of the Sembia series.

It could be that these are dialectal terms used by Sembians. What are your thoughts?

One we know is a word of "ancient Sembia" is the word wolmoner which literally means "vigil man" and originally meant bodyguard and advisor but as of the 14th century DR it generally meant a servant but could also be a bodyguard or even a spy.--

You can track my current progress here.