What is your favourite scene from a D&D novel?

[Brakkart]

A couple of my faves are:

From Forsaken House (Book 1 of The Last Mythal trilogy) by Richard Baker

"If you believe that the time of our People is done in Faerûn, I do not want you. If you fear that your strength will be missed too much here, that your duties are too important to lay aside, then I do not ask you to abandon them. If you simply do not care what becomes of kinsfolk who live thousands of miles away, then I despise you! But if you think, as I do, that it is an act of cowardice and complicity to name something evil, and refuse to oppose it with all your might and will and power, then I call on you to join me in this crusade."

"Make your farewells, sons and daughters of Evermeet. Lay your affairs in order, walk with your children, your lovers and your parents in the sacred glens of this blessed isle one last time. Then gird yourself in mail and take up your bows, swords, and lances, and come to me at Elion. There I will gather my host. In ten days' time we will pass out of Evermeet back to Faerûn, and we will show our enemies whether or not we have any strength left to do good in this world. But know this: Whether I lead a mighty host of ten thousand, a legion of a thousand, a brave company of a hundred, or none but myself, I will go."

"I will go my friends. This is what Corellon Larethian has put in my heart." Seiveril paused and gathered his strength for a mighty cry. "Who is with me?"

Lord Seiveril Miritar addressing the Council of Evermeet in the Dome of Stars. An elf cleric who has realised that no matter how far the elves run from the world, there will always be those in the world who seek their destruction and who will find a way to hurt them.

I love this whole speech (of which this is just the end of it), as a brilliantly written example of one man pushed just too far. And he ain't alone, thousands of Evermeet's warriors, archers, wizards and priests join him, as the elves return to Faerûn in force!

Another great quote I love is this:

From Knight of the Black Rose by James Lowder

Soth's fist struck the tabletop like a dwarven hammer hitting the finest elven crystal. At the blow, the worm-eaten wood broke into hundreds of fragments. "On Krynn I am a favoured servent of the dark goddess, Takhisis," the death knight said, taking a step towards Strahd. "There she is my master. In Barovia, I recognise none as my better."

Soth lashed out at the vampire lord, but Strahd caught his wrist. The vampire held him fast, and the two dead men locked gazes.

"No-one, not even your dark goddess, has the power to challenge me here." The vampire smiled viciously. "All who dwell in Barovia serve me, as you will soon learn, Lord Soth."

I just love this for the sheer imagery of it, the angry Soth, one of the most feared characters in the world of Dragonlance, meeting one who can equal him. It nicely conveys both the characters of Soth (raw brutality and anger) and Strahd (smugly vicious superiority) in a very concise way.

What are everyone elses fave scenes/speechs?

 

[Endur]

My favorite D&D scenes are from the early Dragonlance and the early Drizzt novels.

Although I've read most of the D&D novels, only the first few DragonLance books and The Crystal Shard and Drizzt series impressed me.

Favorite Scenes
Crystal Shard
Bruenor forging the Hammer for Wulfgar
Wulfgar and the Dragon
Wulfgar and the Barbarians
Drizzt and the Demon
The Shard itself

Menzoberanzan -- first book of Drizzt's upbringing, many scenes

DragonLance
Many Scenes, including:
The Black Dragon
Death of Sturm
Tasslehoff & Paladine

Time of the Twins
Fistandantilus & Raistlin
Raistlin's Death

Draconian Dragonarmy Engineers

Lord Toede & the Juggernaut

 

[Stone Angel]

I love the begining of Chapter 13 of Forsaken House. It just shows how war is waged with magic and air troopers and such, great imagery.


The first few chapters of Dragons of Autumn Twighlight, just really gives you a feel for the season and attitude and emotion in the air.

The Pre-Lude in White Plume Mountain. Lets you know right off the bat that this is a bad Mamma Jamma. The Justicar Cometh.

In Dawn of Night a one eyed assassin named Riven is offended when a half orc pirate named Egris and his thugs are going to kill a dog for pissing on their captains boot. There is a verbal exchange, riven throws a dagger wounding Egris and then this.

"You're a dead man, human," Egris promised.
Keeping his weight on primarily on his unwounded leg, Egris tossed Riven's dagger to the ground, burying it's point in the street, and drew his oversized cutlass. Armed, he shot Riven a fierce grin that showed his orc's canines. His two companions drew their own blades, gave the tavernkeeper one last kick each, and hopped forward to stand beside their captain.

At that Jak started to pull his own blade but both Cale and Magadon stopped him with a hand to either shoulder.

"But there's three of them," Jak protested.

"This is the way he wants it little man," Cale said.

Magadon nodded and said, "Not going to matter."

Jak hesitated for a moment then let his hand fall off the hilt his blade.

Despite three opponents armed with larger blades, Riven didn't even break stride. He walked toward them with a throwing dagger in his hand and blood on his mind.

"This is your last chance to walk away," Riven said.

The Pirates shared a grin.

"Ain't no walkin away from this," the half-orc said.

"I'm going to cut him, Captain," said the thinner of the two sailors.

The sailor faked a lunge at Riven. He stuck out his tongue and leered.

Cale, standing beside Jak, said "All three have been drinking, Riven will take the one who spoke first, just to make a point, then the other. The half-orc he'll save for last." .....Interaction between tavernkeeper and dog.....

Riven's dagger flashed and embedded itself in the man's throat. The pirate clutched futiley and didn't even manage a gurgle before he fell over dead. Only a slight trickle of blood squeezed from around the buried blade.

"Dirty Bastard," said the other pirate, though he didn't charge.

"He'll be next," Cale said from beside Jak.

Riven said not a word, only continued to advance. He was not visibly armed.

When the assassin got within two strides, the smaller pirate lunged at him drunkenly, crosscutting with his cutlass at Riven's throat. Riven ducked under the blade, leaped in close, arm locked the sailors sword arm, and wrenched it at the elbow. While the sailor squeeled, Riven slammed the crown of his head into the man's nose. Blood sprayed. With his other hand Riven drew a punch dagger from a sheath on the back of his belt.

Jak marveled at the assassin's fluidity.

Beside Jak, Cale called the combat as though he and Riven were one and the same.

"Lung, lung, heart," he said, and Riven did exactly that with the punch dagger, penetrating between between between the links of the sailor's light chain shirt.

The sailor sagged. His mouth opened but no sound emerged.

Moving quickly, the assassin spun the dying sailor around and stabbed the awl point of the punch dagger in the base of his skull.

"Brain" Cale said.

Magadon uttered a low whistle.

Blood soaked the front of the sailors tunic. His eyes were open, but his body was already dead. Riven kept him upright with a hand on his shoulder and the dagger stuck in his head like some bloody marrionette.

The entire exchange had taken less the five heart-beats.

"Now the half-orc," said Cale.

Jak looked to Cale and remembered then the words that Cale had said to him many times before: Only an assassin knows an assassin. His friend-his best friend-was seperated by Drasek Riven by no more than edge of a blade, if that.

The Seraph of Earth and Stone