The Avatar Trilogy
A novel series about the Time of Troubles in the Forgotten Realms.
The Avatar Series, originally called The Avatar Trilogy, is a sequence of Dungeons & Dragons fantasy novels set in the Forgotten Realms. It chronicles the Time of Troubles, a cataclysmic event in which the gods were cast down to the world of Toril.
Quick Facts
- Books
- Shadowdale (1989)
- Tantras (1989)
- Waterdeep (1989)
- Prince of Lies (1993)
- Crucible (1998)
- Author
- Richard Awlinson (pen-name for Scott Ciencin and Troy Denning), James Lowder
- Cover artist
- Jeff Easley
- Clyde Caldwell
- Brom
- Alan Pollack
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Genre
- Fantasy
- Publisher
- TSR
- Published
- April 1989 – February 1998
Facts from the source article.
Novels
The first three works follow the remaining members of the Company of the Lynx—Kelemvor Lyonsbane, Adon of Sune, Midnight (Ariel Manx), and Cyric—as they search for the Tablets of Fate during the Time of Troubles. The theft of these tablets, which list the gods and their roles in the balance of Law and Chaos, caused the event. The final two books cover the aftermath after the Tablets were returned to Ao, including the ascension of Midnight to the mantle of Mystra, Kelemvor becoming god of the dead, and Cyric going mad after taking several vile deities' portfolios.
Role-playing modules
The original trilogy had counterpart AD&D adventure modules written by Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms. These three adventures—Shadowdale, Tantras, and Waterdeep—were not intended as precise retellings of the novels and could be played individually. Their objective was to transition the Forgotten Realms scenario from first to second edition AD&D rules, similar to the Fate of Istus adventure for Greyhawk. The modules and novels were written simultaneously to allow publication alongside the core rules transition, and the adventure format was more plot-driven than traditional dungeon crawling.
More in Lore & History
Elsewhere in Forgotten Realms
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