Dragonlance 09 - Dragons of the Hourglass Mage

By Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

CHRONICLES

Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Dragons of Winter Night
Dragons of Spring Dawning

LEGENDS
Time of the Twins
War of the Twins
Test of the Twins
The Second Generation
Dragons of Summer Flame

THE WAR OF SOULS
Dragons of a Fallen Sun
Dragons of a Lost Star
Dragons of a Vanished Moon

THE LOST CHRONICLES
Dragons of the Dwarven Depths
Dragons of the Highlord Skies
Dragons of the Hourglass Mage

a cognizant original v5 release october 15 2010

This book is dedicated to the memory of our friend,
editor and mentor, Brian Thomsen, who would have
appreciated the irony.

Hear the sage as his song descends
like heaven’s rain or tears,
and washes the years, the dust of many stories
from the High Tale of the Dragonlance.
For in ages deep, past memory and word,
in the first blush of the world
when the three moons rose from the lap of the forest,
dragons, terrible and great,
made war on this world of Krynn.

Yet out of the darkness of dragons,
out of our cries for light
in the blank face of the black moon soaring,
a banked light flared in Solamnia,
a knight of truth and of power,
who called down the gods themselves
and forged the mighty Dragonlance, piercing the soul
of dragonkind, driving the shade of their wings
from the brightening shores of Krynn.

Thus Huma, Knight of Solamnia, Lightbringer, First Lancer,
followed his light to the foot of the Khalkist Mountains,
to the stone feet of the gods,
to the crouched silence of their temple.
He called down the Lancemakers, he took on
their unspeakable power to crush the unspeakable evil,
to thrust the coiling darkness
back down the tunnel of the dragon’s throat.

Paladine, the Great God of Good, shone at the side of Huma,
strengthening the lance of his strong right arm,
and Huma, ablaze in a thousand moons,
banished the Queen of Darkness,
banished the swarm of her shrieking hosts
back to the senseless kingdom of death, where their curses
swooped upon nothing and nothing
deep below the brightening land.

Thus ended in thunder the Age of Dreams
and began the Age of Might,
when Istar, kingdom of light and truth, arose in the east,
where minarets of white and gold
spired to the sun and to the sun’s glory,
announcing the passing of evil,
and Istar, who mothered and cradled the long summers of good,
shone like a meteor
in the white skies of the just.

Yet in the fullness of sunlight
the Kingpriest of Istar saw shadows;
At night he saw the trees as things with daggers, the streams
blackened and thickened under the silent moon.
He searched books for the path of Huma,
for scrolls, signs, and spells
so that he, too, might summon the gods, might find
their aid in his holy aims,
might purge the world of sin.

Then came the time of dark and death
as the gods turned from the world.
A mountain of fire crashed like a comet through Istar,
the city split like a skull in the flames,
mountains burst from once-fertile valleys,
seas poured into the graves of mountains,
the deserts sighed on abandoned floors of the seas,
the highways of Krynn erupted
and became the paths of the dead.

Thus began the Age of Despair.
The roads were tangled.
The winds and the sandstorms dwelt in the husks of cities,
The plains and mountains became our home.
As the old gods lost their power,
we called to the blank sky
into the cold, dividing gray to the ears of new gods.
The sky is calm, silent, unmoving.
We had yet to hear their answer.

Then to the east, to the Sunken City
scarred in its loss of blue light,
came the Heroes, the Innfellows, heirs to the burdens,
out of their tunnels and their arching forests,
out of the lowness of plains, the lowness
of huts in the valleys,
the stunned farms under the warlords and darkness.
They came serving the light,
the covered flames of healing and grace.

From there, pursued by the armies,
the cold and glittering legions, they came
bearing the staff to the arms of the shattered city,
where below the weeds and the birdcall,
below the vallenwood, below forever,
below the riding darkness itself,
a hole in the darkness called to the source of light,
drawing all light to the core of light,
to the first fullness of its godly dazzle.

his book,
Dragons of the Hourglass Mage
, concludes the
Lost Chronicles
series. Our goal in these books has been to tell the previously untold and unknown stories of the Innfellows during the War of the Lance, a period covered by the
Dragonlance Chronicles
. Although these books can be read on their own, readers will find that they will have a far more complete idea and understanding of what is happening to whom and where and why it is happening if they read the complete series of
Dragonlance Chronicles
before reading the
Lost Chronicles
.

The end of the War of the Lance was chronicled by Astinus of Palanthas in a volume that came to be known as
Dragons of Spring Dawning
. In that book, we follow the adventures of the Heroes of the Lance: Tanis Half-Elven; Flint Fireforge; Tasslehoff Burrfoot; Caramon Majere; and their friends Laurana, the Golden General; Tika Waylan; Riverwind; and Goldmoon; and we recount how they finally defeat the Queen of Darkness.

This book deals with one of the heroes of the Lance, Raistlin
Majere, whose story was never told, but without whom the other Heroes could never have succeeded.

If you would like to follow the complete tale, Astinus suggests that you read
Dragons of Spring Dawning
first then read this book after. If you would just like to share Raistlin’s dark and perilous adventures, then simply keep on reading.

At the time this book begins, the Heroes of the Lance have been separated by the war. Tanis; Caramon and Raistlin; and Tika, Riverwind, and Goldmoon travel to the nightmare land of Silvanesti and from there to Flotsam. Laurana, Sturm Brightblade, Flint, and Tasslehoff travel to Icewall and from there to the High Clerist’s Tower, where Sturm sacrifices his life for the cause of Light. Laurana helps defeat Kitiara and her dragonarmy at the battle of the High Clerist’s Tower. She, Flint, and Tas travel to Palanthas, where Laurana is made the Golden General, in charge of the human and elf forces now battling Takhisis.

Once in Flotsam, Tanis meets his former lover, Kitiara, and is shocked to discover that she is now a Dragon Highlord in Takhisis’s evil army. But though she is on the side of evil, he cannot resist her dark eyes and crooked smile. The two again become lovers.

Kitiara urges Tanis to join her army. He cannot abandon his friends and the cause of Light. Torn by guilt, he leaves Kit and joins his friends on a ship fleeing Flotsam. On board the ship is also Berem Everman, sought by the Queen of Darkness. Hearing the Everman is on this ship, Kitiara flies her dragon in pursuit. Desperate to escape, Berem steers the ship into a maelstrom.

Raistlin Majere believes the ship is doomed, and he uses the magical dragon orb he obtained in Silvanesti to save himself, leaving his twin brother and friends to die. His magic carries him to the Great Library of Palanthas. The spellcasting proves too much for him. He is on the verge of death when Astinus accidentally provides Raistlin with the key that will not only restore him to life, but unlock the mystery of his divided soul.

Raistlin arrives in Palanthas on the twenty-sixth day of the month of Rannmont. We take up his story several days later, on the first day of the month of Mishamont.

Astinus, Chronicler of the History of Krynn, writes:

On the Twenty-sixth Day of the Month of Mishamont, Year 352 AC, in the city of Neraka, the Temple of Takhisis falls. The Dragon Queen is banished from the world. Her armies go down to defeat
.

Much of the credit for this victory is given to the Heroes of the Lance, who fought valiantly for the Forces of Light. History should note, however, that the Light would have been doomed to failure if not for one man who chose to walk in Darkness
.

wo legends of Krynn are essential to the understanding of the plot. Many variations of these legends can be found. Every bard tells them somewhat differently. We have chosen these versions as being the closest to what actually occurred, though, as with most legends, the truth of the matter will likely never be known.

Excerpts from “A Child’s Garden of Tales of Krynn,” translated from the Elvish by Quivalen Soth:

The Story of Berem and Jasla
A Tale of Love and Sacrifice

Long ago, at the end of the Second Dragon War, the valiant knight, Huma Dragonsbane, drove Queen Takhisis into the Abyss. He forced her to swear an oath before the High God that she would not return to the world to upset the delicate balance between good
and evil. The gods believed that an oath taken before the High God was so powerful that not even the Queen of Darkness would dare break it. Sadly they were mistaken.

Time passed. The Kingpriests of Istar, acting in the name of the Gods of Light and with their blessing, rose in power. The world was at peace. Unfortunately a man may be blinded by light as well as by darkness. The last Kingpriest looked into the sun and saw nothing but his own glory and dared to proclaim himself a god.

The Gods of Light realized to their sorrow that
they
were now threatening the balance that causes the world to keep turning. They sought the help of the other gods, including Queen Takhisis. The gods determined that in order to restore the balance and teach mankind humility, they would cause a great Cataclysm. Before they acted, they sent the Kingpriest many warnings, urging him to change. The Kingpriest and his followers turned a deaf ear, and the gods, greatly grieving, hurled a fiery mountain down upon Krynn.

The blast leveled the city of Istar and cast it into the sea and destroyed the Temple of the Gods of Light. Or so the gods believed. But although the Temple of Istar lay in ruins at the bottom of the sea, the Foundation Stone upon which the Temple was built remained intact, for that stone is the foundation of faith.

After the Cataclysm, the gods hoped men would acknowledge their faults and seek out the gods. To the gods’ sorrow, men blamed the gods for their suffering. Word spread that the gods had abandoned their creation. The world erupted into chaos. Death stalked the land.

Takhisis, Queen of Darkness, was still imprisoned in the Abyss. All the exits were guarded. If she tried to break free, the other gods would know and they would stop her. Still, she never quit seeking a way back into the world, and one day, in her restless roaming, she came upon a great prize. Takhisis discovered the Foundation Stone. The other gods did not know it still existed. She realized that she could use the stone to return to the world.

True, she would be breaking her oath to the High God. But she was cunning and she counted upon the fact that the world was already in peril. Men had lost hope. Plagues, pestilence, famines, and wars had killed millions. Takhisis could enter the world and wake her evil
dragons and launch her war. When she conquered Krynn, she would be so powerful that the other gods would not dare to punish her.

Takhisis, cloaked in darkness, slipped into the world through the gate left open by the Foundation Stone. She woke her evil dragons and ordered them to steal the eggs of the good dragons, who slumbered in their lairs. She prepared to prosecute her war with all her might and power. Then she discovered one day that her way into the world through the Foundation Stone had been blocked.

A man named Berem and his sister, Jasla, were walking together when they came upon the Foundation Stone. They could not believe their good fortune. Rare and precious gems, embedded in the stone, sparkled and shone in the light of creation. Berem was a poor man. One gem could relieve his family’s poverty. One gem, one perfect emerald, out of so many would not be missed. Berem began to pry the emerald loose.

His sister, Jasla, was horrified by the theft. She grabbed hold of her brother to try to stop him. Berem flew into a rage and flung her away. She fell and struck her head on the stone and died, her blood staining the Foundation Stone.

Berem loved his sister, and he was appalled at his crime. And he was afraid. No one would believe him when he said that killing his sister had been an accident. He would be executed for murder. Instead of confessing his sin and seeking forgiveness, he turned to flee. As he did so, the emerald that he had been trying to steal sprang from the Foundation Stone and embedded itself in his chest.

Berem was frantic with terror. The spirit of his sister grieved for him. She assured him she still loved him, but he refused to listen. He tried to tear the gem out with his fingers. He was so desperate, he sought to cut it out of his own flesh with a knife. The emerald remained a part of him, the everlasting reminder of his guilt. Berem covered up the gem with his shirt and fled, closing his ears to the pleas of his sister to seek forgiveness even as she had forgiven him.

Takhisis had been witness to this tragedy and had reveled in Berem’s downfall … until she tried to cross the Foundation Stone. She found her entrance barred by a chain forged of love. Jasla’s spirit blocked her way. Now only the Dark Queen’s shadow could be cast
over Krynn. Her power over man was reduced; she would have to rely on mortals to prosecute her war.

Takhisis had to find Berem. If she could destroy him, his sister’s spirit would depart and the Dark Queen would once more be free. She had to be careful in her search for him, however, for if he returned to his sister and redeemed himself, her entry into the world would be blocked for good.

She sent secret word out to her most trusted servants to seek a man named Berem who had a green gemstone embedded in his chest. A man with an old face and young eyes, for the gem gave him immortality. He could not die until he was either redeemed or his soul was utterly lost.

Berem was always on the move, running not only from the Forces of Darkness, but also from his own guilt. Time and again, Takhisis was thwarted in her efforts to capture him. She launched her war, which became known as the War of the Lance, and still Berem had not been found. But by now, his tale was becoming known to more and more people and, eventually, was bound to come to the attention of those fighting Queen Takhisis.

Berem Everman would become men’s greatest hope. And their greatest fear.

The Story of Fistandantilus
A Cautionary Tale

Long ago there lived a powerful wizard named Fistandantilus. He was so powerful that he came to believe that the rules and laws, which governed other, lesser men, did not apply to him. These included those laws of his own order of magic, that of the Black Robes. Fistandantilus left the order and became a renegade, subject to death at the hands of his fellow wizards.

Fistandantilus did not fear his fellow wizards. He had amassed such knowledge and skill in magic that he could destroy any who came to try to bring him to justice. Such was the fear and respect in which his fellow wizards held him that few tried.

Fistandantilus flaunted his power in the face of the Conclave, even taking on apprentices. What no one knew was that he was
feeding off his pupils, sucking out their life-forces and using that to extend his own. He had created a magical gem, a bloodstone, for this purpose. He would press the stone to the heart of his victim and drain him of life.

As Fistandantilus’s power grew, so did his arrogance. He decided to enter the Abyss and overthrow the Queen of Darkness and take her place. To this end, he crafted one of the most powerful and complex magical spells ever created. His arrogance proved his downfall. No one is certain what happened. Some say Takhisis found out and her wrath brought down his fortress on top of him. Others say that his spell escaped his control and blew the fortress apart. Whatever the cause, Fistandantilus’s mortal body died.

His soul, however, did not.

His soul refused to leave Krynn, and the evil wizard remained on the ethereal plane. His existence was tenuous, for he was constantly under siege from Takhisis, who continued to try to destroy him. He kept himself alive by leeching off the life-forces of his victims, even as he hoped someday to find a living body he could inhabit and return to life.

Fistandantilus had managed to retain his bloodstone and, armed with that, he lay in wait for victims. He sought out young magicusers, particularly those who were leaning toward darkness, for they would be most likely to succumb to temptation.

The Conclave of Wizards knew Fistandantilus was searching for prey, but they were powerless to stop him. Whenever a young magic-user took the dread Test in the Tower of High Sorcery, the Conclave knew there was a chance that Fistandantilus would seize him. Many who died taking the Test were thought to have been his victims.

Five years prior to the start of the War of the Lance, a young mage and his twin brother came to the Tower of Wayreth to take the Test. The young man had shown great promise in his studies. Foreseeing a time of war and evil coming to Krynn, the head of the Conclave, Par-Salian, hoped that this young mage would assist in defeating the darkness.

The young mage was himself arrogant and ambitious. Although he wore the red robes, his heart and soul tended toward darkness
and his own choices led him to strike a bargain with Fistandantilus.
^*
The evil wizard did not intend to keep his side of the deal; he meant to drain the young man of his life.

Raistlin Majere was not like others before him. He was in his own way as skilled in magic as Fistandantilus. When the evil mage came to seize the young man’s heart and rip it from his body, Raistlin grasped hold of the heart of Fistandantilus.

“You may take my life,” Raistlin told Fistandantilus, “but you will serve me in return.”

The young man survived his Test, but he was shattered in body, for Fistandantilus was continually draining him of life in order to sustain himself on his magical plane. In return, however, Fistandantilus had to keep Raistlin alive and would come to his aid by feeding him knowledge of magicks that were far advanced for such a young wizard.

Raistlin did not remember any of his Test, nor did he remember his bargain. He thought the Test had ruined his health, and Par-Salian did not tell him otherwise.

“He will know the truth only when he comes to know the truth about himself, confront and admit the darkness within.”

Par-Salian spoke those words, but not even he in his wisdom could foresee how the dark and strange alliance would, in the end, be resolved.