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53-400: 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. Throughout the series, Riverwind became

106-699: 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. 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,

159-529: A natural leader of men and generous, impressionable, a humanitarian . 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

212-558: A Celtic touch". 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

265-516: A long way to earn his regard. 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. He is particularly distrustful of those not of human race or magic users, and so Raistlin earned his constant mistrust while he

318-718: A magical artifact in hopes that Riverwind would die on the journey. Instead, he came back with the Blue Crystal Staff and PTSD. Both he and Goldmoon then left the tribe together to discover the origin of the staff." Riverwind appears as one of the player characters in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance . Riverwind was included in Ral Partha 's Dragonlance Heroes boxed figures set of lead miniatures. A reviewer for Dragon magazine felt that Ral Partha successfully matched their figures to

371-444: A stern look that is backed up by his raised runesword. Leather gauntlets protect both hands, and a plain shield is on his left arm. This shield has no engraving on it to match the illustration on the box. I recommend that you get a magnifying glass and carefully trace out a design on another sheet of paper before attempting the shield freehand." Sturm featured in the direct-to-video movie Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight . He

424-544: A trilogy by their outer appearance as well as by their title constructions. These novels are adaptions of the original Chronicles Trilogy to a format specifically targeted at young readers. The following two books are crossovers in which Lord Soth and others are transported to the Ravenloft world. Six novels set in the Spelljammer universe were published by TSR before TSR was incorporated into Wizards of

477-506: A true knight his entire life. Lauren Davis of io9 called Sturm a "would-be knight who masks his insecurities behind a strict code of honor", and commented that his flaws make him human and let readers recognize who he is: "an ordinary man who just means to do the right thing". Jeff Gerke called Sturm a great example of "The Principled Hero". Describing Sturm's actions as "maddening" to his compatriots, Gerke went on to write, "while people might object to Sturm's internal code of conduct, it

530-684: 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). 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

583-666: Is a buckskin-fringed quiver full of arrows, with individual shafts and feathers showing. His head and hair are unclad except for a headband. A look of grim determination is on his face as he holds a bow in his right hand. His arm muscles are clearly shown, as are the bow guards." Actor Phil LaMarr voices Riverwind and Gilthanas in the animated Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight movie, directed by Will Meugniot , written by George Strayton and produced by Toonz Animation , Commotion Pictures , Epic Level Entertainment , Kickstart Entertainment and Paramount Pictures . List of Dragonlance novels#The Chronicles Trilogy This

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636-461: Is a list of the published novels set in the fantasy world of Dragonlance , which was originally created as a setting for the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing game . The Dragonlance short story collections are mainly divided into the two publishing lines Tales and Dragons Anthologies . With most recent collections the dividing line has been somewhat erased. In the following are

689-524: Is all he has from his father, thus the greatest pride of his life. In the second novel of the Chronicles series, Dragons of Winter Night (1985), written by the same authors, Sturm Brightblade becomes a more active member of the Companions , as he helps recover a Dragon Orb, an ancient magical artifact able to control dragons . At the end of the novel he sacrifices himself to allow the defeat of

742-528: The Advanced Dungeons & Dragons franchise. The character was created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and is published by Wizards of the Coast . The knight Sturm Brightblade is one of the six Heroes of the Lance. Sturm appeared in the first novel of the Chronicles Trilogy , Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984). As with the other main characters of the trilogy, Sturm's proper creation

795-563: The Cataclysm , the event in which the Krynnish gods threw a fiery meteor against the world to punish its inhabitants for their pride. The authors determined that Sturm Brightblade, technically a Squire , a knighthood member who is learning the codes and skills needed to be knighted, would restore the honor of the Knights of Solamnia by sacrificing himself during a battle against the Dragonarmies of Ansalon , armies supporting Takhisis ,

848-459: 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. 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

901-640: The Oath and the Measure , the code of conduct every knight must fulfill. This marks a turning event in Sturm's life as, not bound by an earlier promise to protect his mother anymore, he decides to travel to Solamnia to learn more about his father's whereabouts. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman had decided, since the conception of the Chronicles Trilogy , that Sturm's appearances would end before any of

954-702: The Tower of High Sorcery of Wayreth 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. There are no books about

1007-534: The "Heroes of the Lance" miniatures box set, show him carrying a one handed sword. And in Dragons of Autumn Twilight it is described as a "....splendid, if old-fashioned, two-handed sword". Later Dragonlance supplements name the weapon as the Brightblade . It is inscribed with runes of friendship that give the sword's wielder a bonus to charisma checks. It is also said that the sword will not break unless its owner breaks first, strongly implying that as long as

1060-583: The Cataclysm", and all that is left of his inheritance. Raistlin revealed to Steel that he could not stand Sturm, who was always preaching, always telling the 'correct' course of action. Raistlin told the young man, however, that he liked Sturm better after he discovered the man was only made a knight shortly before his death, that Sturm had all his life been living by a code to which he was not bound—a code that many so-called true Solamnic Knights were only playing lip service to. In Raistlin's opinion, Sturm had been

1113-634: The Coast . The novels were interconnected and formed "The Cloakmaster Cycle". The novels tell the story of Teldin Moore, a 'groundling' farmer on Krynn who has a powerful and apparently cursed magical cloak that was given to him. The series puts the character on a quest, and showcases the Spelljammer universe. Sturm Brightblade Sturm Brightblade is a fictional character from the Dragonlance series of role playing games and novels , based on

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1166-454: The Knights are now despised because they couldn't stop the Cataclysm from happening, which seems rather unfair. This might be why Sturm is frequently depressed, sometimes to the point he's nearly catatonic. Been there, Sturm!" Bricken commented that in Dragons of Winter Night , "It's [...] satisfying for Sturm to have things to do in addition to brooding, such as when he's unwillingly caught in

1219-551: 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. 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

1272-603: 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

1325-460: 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. However, before they started stoning, Goldmoon embraced him, and both vanished from the tribe. Character art for Riverwind was first created by Larry Elmore . According to Elmore, Margaret Weis appreciated Keith Parkinson 's attempt to incorporate Weis's vision of Goldmoon as "Native American with

1378-534: The authors reveal that Kitiara had in fact seduced Sturm during their travels together, seeking to corrupt him after Sturm had repeatedly berated her for her unscrupulous ways. Unknown to Sturm, Kitiara later bore him a son named Steel Brightblade . Michael Williams 's novel The Oath and the Measure (1992), fourth in The Meetings Sextet series, gives more information about Sturm's father during Sturm's quest to meet Lord Wilderness , Lord Vertumnus,

1431-516: The character's end caused an uproar between fans which surprised the authors, Weis explains in the Annotated Chronicles, to the point of being accused of "not caring" about Sturm. In this book, however, both state they cried while writing the scene. Books refer to Sturm Brightblade as a major hero of the Knights of Solamnia, at the same level of Vinas Solamnus, founder of the knighthood, and Huma Dragonbane , who defeated Takhisis in

1484-412: The descriptions of the characters in the novels, and described his figure: "Riverwind is dressed simply with buckskin and a furred shirt showing a lot of detail, stretching from his shoulders to below his waist. From waist to boots, he is clad in a tight-fitting material that shows hints of the muscles underneath. A simple belt holds a breech cloth, a sheathed sword, and a buckskin-fringed pouch. On his back

1537-439: The descriptions of the characters in the novels, and described his figure: "Sturm is a typical example of a knight or high-level fighter. He is dressed from neck to boots in a chain-mail shirt and leggings. The boots are heavy leather with plates protecting the front of the ankles and shins. Plate also protects his thighs and shoulders, with an ornate breastplate and groin protector. He is wearing an engraved horned helmet, and he has

1590-407: The earlier books. We essentially had a character and had to make up a lot of background for him". 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 . Although the novel ends with the delivery of the staff, in Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984)

1643-603: The enemy army, ending his participation in the series. Paul B. Thompson and Tonya C. Cook's novel, Darkness and Light (1989) featured Sturm Brightblade and Kitiara uth Matar , working together to reach Solamnia, as Sturm travels to seek news about his father; the pair eventually admit that they are attracted to one another. This travel would be used as a background for Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman 's short story "Kitiara's son", published in The Second Generation (1995), with an already dead Sturm, in which

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1696-699: The final battle at the end of the Age of Dreams . In Dragons of a Lost Star (2002), the second book of the War of Souls trilogy, Weis and Hickman write that Laurana Kanan , Queen Mother of the Qualinesti elves, prayed to Sturm moments before confronting Beryllinthranox, the green dragon overlord, while in Jeff Crook's The Rose and the Skull (1999), Crysania of Tarinius , head of Paladine's church, name him along with

1749-464: The goddess of darkness. The decision is hinted during the first book of the trilogy, Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984), when the group of friends meet the Forestmaster , the unicorn protecting the mysterious Darken Woods, with the paragraph: "Be at ease, warrior," she said. "The deer fulfills his purpose in life by providing sustenance for the hunter—be it wolf or man. We do not mourn

1802-432: 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, 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,

1855-748: The kender were able to flee safely to Hylo, as Malystryx was too depressed to chase them. Lauren Davis of io9 commented on how the heroes of the Dragonlance Chronicles feel like a dysfunctional family, describing the Plainsfolk Riverwind and Goldmoon as "so-called "barbarians" in a strange land", and noted that Riverwind "is proud and protective of his wife above all". In the Io9 series revisiting older Dungeons & Dragons novels, Rob Bricken commented that "A regular barbarian who loves Goldmoon. Goldmoon’s father sent him to find

1908-483: The loss of those who die fulfilling their destinies." It seemed to Tanis that the Forestmaster's dark eyes went to Sturm as she spoke, and there was a deep sadness in them that filled the half-elf's heart with cold fear. Weis and Hickman had explained, throughout the first two books of the Chronicles series, that a number of factions divided the Knights of Solamnia, making them unable to take decisions to prevent

1961-476: The only person who informs the true story about the Brightblade castle's fall and his father's death. At the end of the novel, Sturm is formally accepted as a Squire of the Knights of Solamnia . Several books mention Sturm's mother, Anna Brightblade. Margaret Weis in the novel The Soulforge (1998), reveals how she died when a plague struck Solace, while feeding the poor and tending the sick as written by

2014-442: The other characters, as explained by the authors: We did not "kill" Sturm arbitrarily. The noble Knight of Solamnia was intended to be a tragic hero from the first inception of the project. According to the Dragonlance timeline defined by the authors, the Knights of Solamnia were an association of honorable knights fell in disgrace as the regular citizens of the fictional world of Krynn blamed them for not being able to stop

2067-560: The political machinations of the Knights and forced to watch Derek lead most of them away in a failed suicide charge against the armies of Takhisis. Then he has to lead his few remaining soldiers to hold a tower against three blue dragons and a High Lord." Sturm appears as one of the player characters in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance . Sturm was included in Ral Partha 's Dragonlance Heroes boxed figures set of lead miniatures. A reviewer for Dragon magazine felt that Ral Partha successfully matched their figures to

2120-631: The refugees as they evacuate to Thorbardin ahead of an attack by the remnants of the Red Dragonarmy. 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

2173-566: 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 . 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

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2226-462: The short story collections listed in chronological order of their publishing dates. Although some versions refer to these three books as the Tales II trilogy, others refer to them belonging to the original Tales trilogy, continuing from volume IV (this is because they were originally published as two trilogies and later renumbered as one six-book series). These three collections are presented as

2279-400: 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. Weis and Hickman continue diminishing the protagonism of Riverwind in Dragons of Winter Night (1985). In

2332-508: The spread of the invasion by the Dragonarmies of Ansalon, successfully describing a world where hope was almost nonexistent. However, by using his sacrifice, they were able to put an end to the internal quarrels of the association, turning it into the only armed organization able to stop the forces of evil. Sturm is killed by Kitiara while defending Solamnia. In The Annotated Chronicles (1999), Hickman reveals that, while working with

2385-495: 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), which takes place in the five years before the Companions were reunited at Solace. According to Thompson, in contrast to some characters in the series, "Riverwind wasn't fully developed in

2438-427: The story, he came across a Norse legend in which a king, while standing in the battlements of his fortress, saw an arrow coming his way. A vision flashed in the king's mind, informing the arrow would kill him but, because of it, his warriors would fight courageously until winning the battle. This story was used as inspiration for Sturm's final battle. Although the authors had foreshadowed his death through two books,

2491-403: The two previously mentioned heroes. The character has a major role in the development of another Dragonlance character, Steel Brightblade , as described by Weis and Hickman in The Second Generation and Dragons of Summer Flame (1995). The type of weapon Sturm carries is a two-handed sword, although much of the artwork depicting Sturm, as well as the figurine released by Ral Partha in

2544-468: The wielder remains strong in the face of adversity, staying resolute and not breaking either in fear or principle, the weapon will never break. Later Steel Brightblade , a Knight of Takhisis , uses his father's sword, the Brightblade, in the Chaos War . Sturm's long, thick mustaches, the age-old symbols of the Solamnic Knights , are a source of pride. His armor is old, dating "almost back to

2597-444: 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. 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

2650-497: The year of Love and War's first publication, Tonya R. Carter and Paul B. Thompson finally cover his childhood in a short story. We see Sturm again as an adult in Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman as a typical paladin of the D&;D type. Sturm soon meets Caramon Majere , Tanis Half-Elven and Raistlin Majere , revealing to them that his ancient suit of armor (later receives his blade as well)

2703-477: Was during a role-playing game session where Tracy Hickman , Laura Hickman, Margaret Weis , and Terry Phillips, between others, developed the guidelines and main story for the Dragonlance setting. Although Sturm Brightblade is introduced by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman in Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984), this and the other core Dragonlance novels do not cover his childhood. However, in 1987,

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2756-478: Was impossible not to like the man." Gerke argued that Sturm's strong code of ethics makes him a character with whom the reader can connect, whether or not the reader agrees with his decisions. Montse Sant in her work The Book of the Dragon called Sturm "the brave noble". In the Io9 series revisiting older Dungeons & Dragons novels, Rob Bricken commented that "A Knight of Solamnia, much like Huma, except

2809-466: Was surprised the first time Tanis was introduced as the leader of the Companions. 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

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