The king is dead, long live the king

Meet Pinch, a man of many titles: scoundrel, thief, criminal extraordinaire, ... heir to the throne?

Manferic III, Pinch's guardian and the former ruler of Ankhapur, has died without a direct heir. By ancient law, the crown will pass to the relative "chosen by the cup", a family relic, in a ceremony whereby the rightful heir is selected and pretenders and other rejected can candidates meet their deaths.

Pinch's outlaw days have prepared him for life on the mean streets... but is he ready for the dangers that lurk in courtly hallways, among royal relatives and dagger-bearing shadows?

The Business of War...

Zaranda Star never intended to bring the incessant Tethyrian Civil War to a head. All she wanted to do was take a caravan of goods into the war-torn capital. But then the ambitious would-be king, Baron Hardly, confiscated her shipment.

Little did he reckon with Zaranda, retired warrior... and wizard.

Marshaling a motley company of angry peasants, an adolescent mage named Scab, and an orcish paladin, Zaranda declares her own private war.

But Zaranda must reckon with the machinations of the mysterious wizard Nyadnar... and the unearthly evil that lurks deep within the city of Zazesspur.

A vast and deadly labyrinth...

Beneath the city of Waterdeep lies a city of another sort, created by a mad wizard in ages past. Its subterranean byways are home to all manner of creatures, human and otherwise.

When Artek the Knife is offered release from prison in exchange for one small errand, he leaps at the chance. All he must do is retrieve one missing nobleman from the twisting corridors of the dungeon that lies beneath the city.

Accompanied by comely but klutzy Beckla, a small-time wizard who may not be exactly what she claims to be, Artek must go deeper into Undermountain than anyone else has gone before.

Getting in will be the hardest thing he's ever done. Getting out will be impossible...

Volo is Back...

Mulmaster -- a center for commerce and industry . . . where an innocent man is imprisoned, his identity obscured bye a magically forged iron mask.

Mulmaster -- benevolently ruled bye a council of nobles called the Blades... whose leader, the High Blade, brutally murdered his own father in order to succeed him on the throne and whose marriage to the Tharchioness of Eltabbar draws an uneasy alliance with the Red Wizards.

Mulmaster -- nicknamed "the City of Danger"... the next stop on Volothamp Geddarm's research trip for his upcoming Guide to the Moonsea, and maybe his final resting place when the bailing out of a friend from the Mulmaster prison embroils Volo in a sinister plot that threatens the tenuous political stability of all Faerûn.

Enter The Blade Kingdoms...

Isolated lands where grand armies fight bloodless battles in the ultimate "princely game", while art and science flourish under royal patronage.

But war cares little for the troubles of the aristocracy. As a terrible new weapon obliterates the age of courtly battle, an intelligent but plain princess and her companions -- an addled young inventor and a kleptomaniac firebird -- find themselves forced into a battle for survival in a suddenly very deadly world.

When the entire kingdom is placed in jeopardy by court intrigue and conspiracy, it's up to the Vilhon Reach's answer to the "Three Musketeer" to save the day.

The perfect gift.

Is it the one given or the one received?

The Simbul, Storm-queen of Aglarond, is unhappy. Though she has triumphed over her enemies, she lacks an heir to the throne -- a child to love and nurture. But now she's found the perfect father for her child: Elminster, the old mage of Shadowdale. All she has to do is win his consent.

And she has the perfect gift with which to accomplish this: A mysterious colt called Zandilar's Dancer.

Unfortunately, the colt belongs to Ebroin of the Cha'Tel'Quessir. And getting it away from him won't be easy, even for the Simbul...

The legendary Storm Queen of Aglarond, in an effort to gain further favor with Elminster, has a special horse raised for him as a gift. Unfortunately, Thayan assassins, spies, and the affections of a young man throw a monkey wrench into her plans, and place her beloved Aglarond - as well as her own life - in jeopardy.