Dungeons & Dragons/Commercial settings/Dragonlance/Riverwind

Riverwind (also known as Riverwind of the Que Shu tribe or Riverwind of the Que Shu) is a fictional character from the ../../Dragonlance/ series of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game supplements and novels, created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and published by TSR (and later by Wizards of the Coast). Riverwind made his first public appearance in the first novel of the original Chronicles Trilogy, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, in 1984. However, the character's proper creation was during a tabletop role-playing game session where Tracy and Laura Hickman, Margaret Weis and Terry Phillips, between others, developed the basic storyline of Dragonlance. Weis Margaret foreword by Tracy Hickman. The Soulforge 1998 January 5th Wizards of the Coast 0-7869-1314-2 Foreword Throughout the series, Riverwind became a well known character and, in 14 years, authors made him the protagonist in two novels, Riverwind the Plainsman (1990) and Spirit of the Wind (1998). Introduction Patrick Lucien Price, author of the "Bertrem's essay on numerology" short story, published in Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home (1987), describes Riverwind as a character that demands change, seeks variety and new opportunities to develop himself, also a natural leader of men and generous, impressionable, a humanitarian. Patrick Lucien Price Michael Williams, Kevin Swan, William Wells, Roger E. Moore, Jeff Grubb, Douglas Niles, Kate Novak, Mike Breault, Michael Dobson, Bruce Heard, Harold Johnson, Mary Kirchoff and Kris Bartyzel edited by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman developed by Mary Kirchoff, designed by Kristine Bartyzel Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home 1987 February 2nd Wizards of the Coast 0-88038-465-4 Bertrem's essay on numerology 172 Few facts are given about the early life of the character itself, a shepherd living just outside the village of Que Shu, a barbarian settlement in Ansalon, in the fictional world of Krynn. Laura Hickman and Kate Novak detail, in the short story "Heart of Goldmoon" published in the Love and War (1987) recompilation, Riverwind's faith in the ancient gods and especially in Mishakal, goddess of healing, although the common belief in the tribe was that the high priestess's ancestors become gods. Laura Hickman Kate Novak edited by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman Love and War 1987 October 9th Wizards of the Coast 0-88038-519-7 212–216 Heart of Goldmoon Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman give a reason in the short story "True Knight", published in The Cataclysm (1992) recompilation, as Riverwind's family is not a native from the Que Shu tribe, but instead his ancestors, Michael, a cleric of Mishakal, and Nikol, daughter of a knight, travelled to the plains shortly after the Cataclysm, the event in which the gods threw a fiery mountain to punish Krynn arrogance, and kept practicing their religion. Margaret Weis Tracy Hickman, Mark Anthony,, Tonya R. Carter, Todd Fahnestock, Richard A. Knaak, Roger E. Moore, Douglas Niles, Nick O'Donohoe, Dan Parkinson, Paul B. Thompson, Michael Williams, Teri Williams The Cataclysm 1992 July 6th Wizards of the Coast 1-56076-430-9 True Knight 343 In "Heart of Goldmoon", Hickman and Novak also inform the reader about the journey to the Hall of the Sleeping Spirits, in which Riverwind acts as a bodyguard to ../Goldmoon/, protecting her life when Hollow-sky, the other bodyguard traveling with them, tries to force her to marry him. With Riverwind and Goldmoon declaring their mutual love, the story ends with Riverwind affirming his intention to request a Courting quest, which would give him the right to marry Goldmoon. Paul B. Thompson and Tonya C. Cook give details of such quest in the novel Riverwind the Plainsman (1990), in which the character, needing to find proof that the ancient gods existed, travels to Xak Tsaroth and retrieves the Blue Crystal Staff, a holy relic blessed by Mishakal herself, guarded by Khisanth, a black dragon. Paul B. Thompson Tonya C. Cook Riverwind The Plainsman 1990 January 1st 1987 TSR 0-7869-3009-8 300, 310–313 Chapter 26, "Whom the gods favor is a hero born—Astinus, the Iconochronous" Although the novel ends with the delivery of the staff, in Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984) the authors explain, through Goldmoon, that the tribe tried to stone him when he could not explain how the staff could prove the existence of the old gods. Margaret Weis Tracy Hickman Dragons of Autumn Twilight 1984 April 4th Wizards of the Coast 0-7869-1574-9 73–74 Chapter 7, "The story of the staff. Strange clerics. Eerie feelings." However, before they started stoning, Goldmoon embraced him, and both vanished from the tribe. Margaret Weis Tracy Hickman Dragons of Autumn Twilight 1984 April 4th Wizards of the Coast 0-7869-1574-9 Chapter 3, "Knight of Solamnia. The old man's party." 35 Development through the series Chronicles Trilogy As in the "Heart of Goldmoon" short story, Riverwind is given the role of Goldmoon's protector in Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984). Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman kept his involvement at a minimum, only describing him as a character with a serious demeanor. The War of the Lance sourcebook (2004) indicates that he is a man of few words, proud and wary of strangers, who does not make friends easily and people have to go a long way to earn his regard. Tracy Hickman Margaret Weis, Jamie Chambers War of the Lance 2004 April 1st Sovereign Press 0-7869-1574-9 273–274 Chapter Six: Personalities It is only after ../Sturm Brightblade/—Squire of the Knights of Solamnia and one of the members of a group of friends who met them in Solace—feels his honor has been insulted that Riverwind's behavior is modified, becoming somewhat friendlier. Margaret Weis Tracy Hickman Dragons of Autumn Twilight 1984 April 4th Wizards of the Coast 0-7869-1574-9 61–62 Night in a cave. Dissension. Tanis decides. Understandably, it is in battle sequences where the authors give him more protagonism, effectively drawing on his past as a trained warrior. It is in one of those sequences, against the black dragon Khisanth in Xak Tsaroth, where Riverwind is mortally wounded by the dragons' acid breath. However, Goldmoon, after meeting the soul of her mother and the goddess Mishakal, goddess of healing, is able to restore him to health. It is at the end of the first book, when Riverwind marries Goldmoon just outside Pax Tharkas after defeating Lord Verminaard, that Riverwind receives more attention from the authors. Margaret Weis Tracy Hickman Dragons of Autumn Twilight 1984 April 4th Wizards of the Coast 0-7869-1574-9 The Wedding 431 Weis and Hickman continue diminishing the protagonism of Riverwind in Dragons of Winter Night (1985). In the second half of Dragons of Spring Dawning (1985), the authors reveal that Goldmoon is pregnant, and the couple decides to stay in Kalaman, ending their participation in the Chronicles Trilogy. Lost Chronicles Trilogy In Dragons of the Dwarven Depths, Tanis leaves Riverwind in charge of the safety of the refugees from Pax Tharkas while the rest of the companions search for an entrance to the underground dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin. Riverwind oversees the refugees as they evacuate to Thorbardin ahead of an attack by the remnants of the Red Dragonarmy. Legends Trilogy As the Legends trilogy, written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman in 1986, focuses on the twins Caramon and ../Raistlin Majere/, Riverwind's appearance is small. In Time of the Twins (1986) Riverwind visits Caramon and Tika Majere at the Inn of the Last Home to refuse to escort Lady Crysania to the Tower of High Sorcery of Wayreth Margaret Weis Tracy Hickman Time of the Twins 1986 February 3rd Wizards of the Coast 0-7869-1804-7 41–42 Chapter 2 and to inform them that his son, Wanderer, is already three years old, and the birth of his twin daughters, Moonsong and Brightdawn. By wearing the Mantle of the Chieftain, the authors point that he has been named Chieftain of the Que Shu and a number of other tribes like the Que Teh and Que Kiri, which must mean that he was successful in bringing peace. Margaret Weis Tracy Hickman Time of the Twins 1986 February 3rd Wizards of the Coast 0-7869-1804-7 32–34 Chapter 1 Chaos War series There are no books about the attacks of Chaos's armies to the Abanasinian tribes. Chris Pierson's novel, Spirit of the Wind (1998), informs that the Knights of Takhisis, knights under the service of Takhisis, goddess of evil, invaded the area bringing brutes, barbarians from northern isles, forcing some tribes to join the Que Shu village to repel the attack, while others separated and left for the mountains. He also hints that at least shadow wights, creatures that possess souls, vanishing them from the world of Krynn, including others' memories of them, attacked the tribe, as Moonsong and Brightdawn explain that their brother, Wanderer, has a three year old son, but nobody, not even Wanderer himself, remembers his mother. Pierson Chris Chris Pierson Spirit of the Wind 1998 July 1st Wizards of the Coast 0-7869-1174-3 73–74 Chapter 6 Age of Mortals series In Spirit of the Wind (1998), Chris Pierson covers the last weeks of Riverwind's life. Afflicted by a terminal illness that had been the cause of his father's death, and without Mishakal, who left Krynn after the Chaos War, to give clerical powers to Goldmoon to heal him, he travels to the Inn of the Last Home to inform Caramon and Tika about it. Pierson Chris Spirit of the Wind 1998 July 1st Wizards of the Coast 0-7869-1174-3 Chapter 2 34 The novel continues explaining that a couple of kender arrive requesting Caramon's help to stop Malystryx, the red dragon overlord, from destroying their home town, Kendermore. Riverwind decides to help them, and is involved in the defense of the city. With the imminent invasion of the dragon and the ogre armies supporting her, Riverwind and Brightdawn travel to Blood Watch, where Malystryx's Peak was situated and her only egg was laid. Brightdawn dies on her way to the lair while fighting the nest's guardian, Yovanna, Pierson Chris Spirit of the Wind 1998 July 1st Wizards of the Coast 0-7869-1174-3 304–308 Chapter 24 but Riverwind is able to crack the egg open and slay the embryo within it, forcing Malystryx to go back to the lair and slay him. With Riverwind's sacrifice, the kender were able to flee safely to Hylo, as Malystryx was too depressed to chase them. Pierson Chris Spirit of the Wind 1998 July 1st Wizards of the Coast 0-7869-1174-3 334–337 Chapter 26 Dragonlance movie Actor Phil LaMarr voices Riverwind and Gilthanas in the animated Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight movie, http://www.dragonlance-movie.com/movie/cast/ Cast 2006-09-23 Cinemagine Media Ltd. directed by Will Meugniot, written by George Strayton and produced by Toonz Animation, Commotion Pictures, Epic Level Entertainment, Kickstart Entertainment and Paramount Pictures. References 2 External links Riverwind at Dragonlance Nexus. deep