Some are born with magic. Some without.

Matteo, un-magical counselor to the mighty of Halruaa, has devoted his life to the truth - until he finds that he may have a hidden spark of magic after all. Now, with only a street waif for a companion, he's on the run from the mysterious Cabal. In the dismal Swamp of Akhlaur, Matteo will seek his own truth while battling a creature out of his nightmares.

But something even worse is on his trail: a relentless persecutor of magic. The Magehound.

In the south of the magical continent of Faerûn lies the hot, humid land of Halruaa. Mysterious figures come and go on strange errands and unspoken deeds. Mighty wizardlords vie for power. In this land of intrigue, only the Jordaini, a society of counselors impervious to the effects of magic, can keep order. And standing guard over the Jordaini is Kiva the Magehound, an elven wizard who ensures the purity of all who serve Halruaa's wizardlords. Yet among the jordaini there may be one in whom the magic spark lies hidden. Will the magehound destroy this flaw, or exploit it?

When Matteo, a young and idealistic jordain, rescues a street waif from Kiva's minions, he begins to realize that nothing in Halruaa is quite what it appears to be. His new friend is Tzigone, an impish girl with light fingers and a dark past. Matteo is torn between his vows to the Jordaini Order and the magehound who seems bent upon destroying everything she has vowed to protect.

After a fight, some warriors seek to return home. Others seek revenge.

The battle of Akhlaur's Swamp is over, and its heroes part ways. One becomes a wizard's apprentice and tries to unravel her mysterios lineage. Another hero returns to his queen, only to find that all is not as it was.

Hidden from them both, the Magehound broods. She cannot forgive those who drove her from power, and she will stop at nothing to be avenged. Her bitterness ensures that Akhlaur's Swamp was only the beginning for them all.

Two hundred years ago, a Halruaan necromancer disappeared, leaving a bitter legacy and the deadly swamp that bears his name.

Now the battle of Akhlaur's Swamp is over, its monsters vanquished. But Kiva, the treacherous magehound, is far from finished. With her are the jungle elves, the Crinti - the brutal, drow-blooded Shadow Amazons - and Andris, a jordain whose search for truth turned into a quest for vengeance.

In the calm that follows victory, the heroes of Akhlaur's Swamp part ways. Tzigone becomes a wizard's apprentice; Matteo resumes his duties as queen's counselor. But their paths soon converge with Kiva's, and it seems that Akhlaur's Swamp was only the beginning for all of them.

Soon, they may have to face Akhlaur himself.

The Floodgate is opened when Halruaa's orderly society begins to devolve toward chaos. Matteo, hero of The Magehound, embarks upon a quest in search of the dark truths behind the respectable facade of Halruaa. Meanwhile, the magehound Kiva forms deadly alliances in order to exact revenge upon Matteo.

Defeat breeds anger. Hatred breeds revenge.

Once again, the counselors of Halruaa have beaten back an attack by the wizard Akhlaur. Once more, the kingdom has been saved from its enemies.

But victory comes at a terrible price. The aged king is weakened, his powers dimished. His chief counselor Matteo is torn between his duty and his heart. Tzigone, the hero of the battle of Akhlaur's Swamp, has been hurled into a dark world from which she may never escape. And at the edge of time, Akhlaur and his ally, the Magehound, plot their final revenge.

The exciting conclusion to the latest Elaine Cunningham trilogy.

The Wizardwar completes the Forgotten Realms Counselors & Kings trilogy, which deals with characters and events in the kingdom of Halruaa. The order of counselors described throughout the series is unique to Halruaa and to this trilogy, thus making this set of titles the only place Forgotten Realms fans can find information on these characters and this setting.