The Dargonesti
By: Paul B. Thompson and Tonya Cook
The Lost Histories Volume 3
Synopsis:
Vixa, a Qualinesti elf princess and soldier, is waiting to rescue Ambassador Quenavalen, who has been trapped between the Knights of Solamnia and Ergothian army, off the coast of Ergoth. The ship that she and her contingent ride, the Evenstar, becomes surrounded by a mysterious fog that sails in without wind. The fog pulls them far off course and deposits them on what they assume is an island. When Vixa and a small party go to explore it, however, they find out it is actually a living creature (once they are inside). This creature, the Kraken, brings them deep underwater, and when they escape from its blowhole, Dargonesti in the shape of dolphins rescue them. Vixa and Armantaro are taken into the city of Urione to be questioned, while Vanthanoris and Harmanutis are taken to the Slaves’ Grotto.
Vixa finds out that Queen Uriona, assisted by her general, Coryphene, plans to take over Silvanost. When she refuses to give them any information or help, she is also sent to the Slaves’ Grotto. There, she meets up with her companions and the twin dwarves, Garnath and Gundabyr. She finds out that the Dargonesti have been using the Kraken to capture ships and take slaves for the purpose of building a wall to keep out the attacking Chilkit. The Slaves’ Grotto is invaded by Chilkit who the slaves attack with Gundabyr‘s creation of Gnomefire. They are successful in killing off some of the Chilkit, but they are unable to stop the invasion. Garnath is killed, and the cave is flooded. Vixa leaves the cave at the last moment, but nearly drowns. She is saved by Naxos, the head of the Brothers of the Sea. He is able to bring her to the surface, but he has no way to bring her to safety. The only way he can save her is by making her a Sister of the Sea. Vixa agrees without fully understanding the consequences.
Vixa swims into Urione, and changes back into an elf just before a Dargonesti elf finds her. She finds out that many of the slaves have died in the battle, and many of the Dargonesti have as well. The Dargonesti seem to be out-powered by the Chilkit. As Coryphene walks her to the rest of the slaves, she mentions the gnomefire that the slaves used to battle the Chilkit. Coryphene orders Gundabyr to make as much gnomefire as possible, and Armantaro comes up with the idea of mounting the jars of gnomefire on firelances.
The Dargonesti take the firelances into the battle against the Chilkit, and Vixa joins the battle in dolphin form. The Dargonesti win the battle, but Coryphene pushes on, virtually exterminating the Chilkit and causing more Dargonesti to die than otherwise would. Coryphene discovers what Naxos has done when Vixa talks to him in dolphin form, and he declares Naxos a traitor after the battle. Naxos challenges him, but the Brothers of the Sea desert him, and Coryphene wounds him with a spear and leaves him to swim away in pain.
Vixa searches secretly for weeks until she finds Naxos hiding in the Slaves’ Grotto. Kios, Naxos’ second in command of the Brothers of the Sea, follows her and heals Naxos. He explains that the Brothers of the Sea didn’t back Naxos up because it wasn’t the right time, but says that time will come. Naxos leaves, and Vixa returns to her friends at Urione, who are being celebrated for their work. Armantaro goes to investigate why he, Vixa, and the other slaves haven’t been freed, and is killed by Coryphene. When Vixa investigates later and finds his body, she and Gundabyr escape, aided by the Brothers of the Sea.
Vixa and Gundabyr make it to the coast of Silvanesti after a few harsh days of her carrying him on her back at sea. They meet a small band of Silvanesti elves who take them to Thonbec, the fortress at the mouth of the river Thon-Thalas. The Silvanesti are skeptical of the story that Vixa and Gundabyr tell, and do not believe it until the Dargonesti attack. They do well at first because their fortress is so solid, but the Dargonesti bring in the Kraken to destroy it. Very few of the elves escape alive, but they all meet up with Vixa and Gundabyr to travel to Silvanost to tell their tale to Speaker of the Stars Elendar.
They find the Speaker to be rather non-traditional, especially since he befriends Vixa and Gundabyr immediately. It is not long before the Dargonesti attack. They attack only at night, because the daytime sun is too strong for them. They do not use the Kraken, because the river is too narrow, but they use every other weapon they have, including their height, the firelances, and the Priests of Zuru. The Silvanesti fight back by defending their walls, and lowering the level of the river Thon-Thalas that hides the Dargonesti during the day. The Priests of Zuru summon a fog to rain on Silvanost and hide the movements of the Dargonesti. The Priests of Zuru also create bridges out of the fog so that the Dargonesti can easily scale the walls without being thrown down.
Vixa leads a band of elves down one of the ramps, and they find the Priests of Zuru, and kill them. With the Priests dead, the spells are broken and the battle is won. Coryphene and Uriona are both captured and taken prisoner. Elendar is taken by Uriona‘s beauty, and marries her. When Vixa tells Coryphene, he kills himself. Vixa and Gundabyr both return to their homes. Uriona soon makes Elendar miserable with her plots, but he is comforted by the fact that his older brother’s children will rule after him, not his own. Vixa eventually grows progressively sicker until she realizes the cause and returns to the sea, where she is greeted by Naxos.
Quotes: The Dargonesti
Time story takes place: A few generations after the elven Kinslayer Wars
Important Characters:
Coryphene
Elandar
Garnath
Gundabyr
Naxos
Queen Uriona
Vixa
Important Places:
Silvanost
The Slaves’ Grotto: an underwater, air-filled cave that the slaves live in
Thonbec: the fortress gaurding the mouth of the river Thon-Thalas (which leads into Silvanost)
Urione
Important Items:
Eelweed: a seaweed that grows deep in the oceans of Krynn
Evenstar: the ship taken by Vixa and her contingent
Firelance: Many strands of seaweed were braided, dried, and treated with minerals to create the shafts, and the pots mounted on top “were cylindrical, with a socket on one and and a lid on the other” (131). The socket held the end of the lance, gnomefire was poured in, and the lid was sealed with a jelly made from mashed kelp that was sticky and waterproof. These lances were used to hold the gnomefire underwater so the Dargonesti could battle the Chilkit.
Gnomefire
Longreacher: A sword Silvanos had made for Balif to make up for his lack of height. It is always carried by the marshall of Silvanost. It reaches the extra distance towards the enemy.
Songs from the book: There are no songs in this book.
This book focuses on these races:
Chilkit
Dargonesti
Kraken
Qualinesti
Silvanesti
Vocabulary:
The Brothers of the Sea: A group of Dargonesti who are able to shape change into the form of dolphins.
The law of clouds: This is slightly related to what is known as “the bends” by scuba divers, and is used to explain what happened to a person in a bends related case. The theory is that air expands when it rises, meaning that any object that rises holding air will likewise expand and possibly explode. This meant that the prisoners of the Dargonesti could not make a quick escape to the surface.
Shades or Priests of Zuru: Undead priests that serve the Goddess Zuru, or Zeboim, the evil Goddess of the Sea. These priests control the Kraken and have other powers.
