Dragons of Autumn Twilight
By Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Originally published Dec. 1984
This beginning to the Dragonlance Chronicles series brings the Heroes of the Lance together, and is a well-crafted
introduction to the setting and characters of Chronicles, like The Fellowship of the Ring was to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and A New Hope was to Star Wars. The Heroes are introduced, and the main story arc begins -
that is, the battle against Takhisis and struggle for control of the mighty Dragon Orbs and Dragonlance.
Concise plot summary, using headings from the book:
Book 1:
1: 'Old friends meet. A rude interruption.' (Goblins interrupt the reunion of Tas, Flint, and Tanis.)
2: 'Return to the
Inn. A shock. The
Oath is broken.' (Kitiara will not be arriving at the Inn.)
3: '
Knight of Solamnia. The old man's party.' (Sturm Brightblade arrives, as do the barbarians. Fizban manages to ruin everything.)
4: 'The open door. Flight into darkness.' (The Heroes make acquaintances with the barbarians,
Riverwind and
Goldmoon.)
5: 'Farewell to
Flint. Arrows fly. Message in the stars.' (The Heroes barely escape Solace via boat. The constellations of Paladine and Takhisis have disappeared.)
6: 'Night in a cave. Dissension.
Tanis decides.' (Arguments and discord; Tanis exerts leadership.)
7: 'The story of the
staff. Strange clerics. Eerie feelings.' (Goldmoon tells her story.)
8: 'Search for truth. Unexpected answers.' (Draconians trick the Heroes.)
9: 'Flight! The
white stag.' (Sturm sees the white stag; the Heroes head into Darken Wood.)
10: '
Darken Wood. The dead walk.
Raistlin's magic.' (Raistlin communes with spectral spirits of the Wood.)
11: 'The
Forestmaster. A peaceful interlude.' (A unicorn advises the Heroes.)
12: 'Winged sleep. Smoke in the East. Dark memories.' (Pegasi take the Heroes to the plains-land of
Que-shu.
13: 'Chill dawn. Vine bridges.
Dark water.' (While traveling through the swamps, the Heroes are again ambushed by draconians.)
14: 'Prisoners of the
draconians.' (Tas plays Dragon-Dress-Up.)
15: 'Escape. The well. Death on black wings.' (The Heroes reach the ancient city of Xak Tsaroth - and meet a black dragon!)
16: 'A bitter choice. The greatest gift.' (
Mishakal blesses Goldmoon's staff, and tells her of the Disks.)
17: '
The paths of the dead. Raistlin's new friends.' (Raistlin befriends a gully dwarf, Bupu.)
18: 'Fight at the lift.
Bupu's cure for a cough.' (A brutal battle at Xak Tsaroth's lifts - Bupu gives them a way out.)
19: 'The broken city.
Highbulp Phudge I, the Great.' (The dragon has officially learned of the Heroes' intrusion. The Heroes speak with the great gully dwarf Highbulp.)
20: 'The Highbulp's map. A spellbook of
Fistandantilus.' (Raistlin tries to recover one of the great wizard Fistandantilus' spellbooks.)
21: 'The sacrifice. The twice-dead city.' (Goldmoon shatters the staff, bringing destruction and chaos upon the city of Xak Tsaroth.)
22: 'Bupu's gift. An ominous sight.' (Goldmoon, now a true Healer of Mishakal, has the disks. Bupu gives Raistlin the spellbook. Solace has come under siege.)
Book 2:
1: 'Night of the dragons.' (The Inn of the Last Home has been occupied by marauding draconians.)
2: 'The stranger. Captured!' (The Heroes return to the Inn. An elf,
Gilthanas, enters the Inn, causing a brawl that ends in the capture of the Heroes.)
3: 'The slave caravan. A strange old magician.' (The Heroes are caged in a caravan. They are joined by
Theros Ironfeld and Fizban.)
4: 'Rescued!
Fizban's magic.' (Elves ambush the caravan in a rescue effort. Fizban melts the cage's lock with a mighty fireball. The Heroes are freed and head into the elven lands.)
5: '
The Speaker of the Suns.' (They enter the elven city of
Qualinost; Gilthanas reports on the destruction of Solace.)
6: 'Tanis and
Laurana.' (Tanis speaks with his childhood love, an elven maid named Laurana.)
7: '
Farewell. The companions' decision.' (The meeting of the
High Council. The Heroes decide to travel as a group to the draconian-controlled city of
Pax Tharkas.
8: 'Doubts. Ambush! A new friend.' (On the road to Sla-Mori, they find a wounded man, Eben, and are ambushed again by draconians.)
9: 'Suspicions grow. The
Sla-Mori.' (They enter the tomb of
Kith-Kanan, a great elven king. The Heroes battle a giant slug, and discover that Laurana has been following them.)
10: 'The
Royal Guard. The
Chain Room.' (Goldmoon's
medallion helps the Heroes get past spectral guards. They pass the Chain Room, and barely survive the attack of a
malevolent dark elf spirit.
11: 'Lost. The plan.
Betrayed!' (Fizban and Tas are separated from the group. While the others plan, they discover the plans of Lord
Verminaard and the powerful red dragon,
Pyros.
12: 'The parable of the gem. Traitor revealed. Tas' dilemna.' (The principal Heroes dress up as women in an attempt to free prisoners. Tas looks at a painting and learns of the
Dragonlance. Goldmoon teaches
Elistan that the gods still exist. A traitor to the Heroes (
Eben) is revealed.)
13: 'Questions. No answers. Fizban's hat.' (The Heroes try to determine who is the traitor in their ranks: Raistlin, Eben, or Gilthanas. Fizban and Tas save the gully dwarf,
Sestun, but are discovered. They try to escape from the angered dragon. Meanwhile, the rest of the heroes begin a revolt.)
14: '
Matafleur. The
magic sword.
White feathers.' (Thanks to Tanis' sword, the Heroes are discovered by a grandmotherly red dragon, Matafleur. The traitor, Eben, fouls the escape of prisoners and discovers the
Green Gemstone Man,
Berem. However, the Heroes stop his treachery. Matafleur battles Lord Verminaard, in a twisted attempt to save her 'children'.)
15: 'The
dragon highlord. Matafleur's children.' (Goldmoon saves Caramon, Sturm, Raistlin and Tanis from certain destruction. Verminaard is defeated. Matafleur dies, but takes Pyros down with her.)
The Wedding. (Riverwind and Goldmoon are married. Raistlin warns of future dangers.)
Decided to use 'Heroes' instead of 'Companions of the Lance'.
Info from my Autumn Twilight and Krynnwoman's Dragonlance Resource.