The lichs, undead spirits of powerful wizards that refused to rest when their mortal bodies had passed from the realms of the living, had gathered to create the most vile artifact ever made, an evil that fed and flourished off of that which the purveyors of good considered most precious-the light of the sun.īut they had gone beyond even their own considerable powers.
The demon knew the power of the artifact Errtu had been serving seven lichs when they combined their evil magics and made the Crystal Shard. With the shard in its grasp, Errtu could rise over an entire layer, maybe even several layers.Īnd Errtu had come so close to possessing it!
Crenshinibon pervaded all of the demon’s thoughts. “Where are you, Telshazz?” the demon hissed, expecting news of the relic. Sludge slurped and rolled around the rock island, the eternal oozing and shifting that marked this layer of the Abyss.Įrrtu drummed its clawed fingers, its horned, apelike head lolling about on its shoulders as it peered into the gloom. He demon sat back on the seat it had carved in the stem of the giant mushroom. Since you moved away (and took the pipe smoke with you) the atmosphere around the gaming table just hasn’t been the same.
My thanks also to my personal opinion-givers, Dave Duquette and Michael LaVigueur, for pointing out strengths and weaknesses in the rough draft, to my brother, Gary Salvatore, for his work on the maps of Icewind Dale, and to the rest of my AD&D® game group, Tom Parker, Daniel Mallard, and Roland Lortie, for their continued inspiration through the development of eccentric characters fit to wear the mantle of a hero in a fantasy novel.Īnd finally to the man who truly brought me into the world of the AD&D game, Bob Brown. Savoy, who loaned me his software expertise in smoothing out the rough edges. I consider myself lucky to have a friend like Brian P. In the case of The Crystal Shard, luck once again worked on my side. Writing in the 1980s has become a high-tech chore as well as an exercise in creativity. Therefore, my greatest thanks go to TSR, and especially to Mary Kirchoff, for taking a chance on a first time author and guiding me throughout the process. The first two elements can be controlled by the author, but the third involves being in the right place at the right time and finding an editor who believes in your ability and dedication to the task at hand. Publishing a novel involves three elements: a degree of talent a lot of hard work and a good measure of luck. The writing of The Crystal Shard was no exception. Whenever an author takes on a project like this, especially if it is his first novel, there are invariably a number of people who help him accomplish the task.
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