The Reaver ( novel ) The Reaver by Richard Lee Byers is the fourth novel of The Sundering ( series ) . Summary . In 1486 DR , endless and torrential rain afflicted the Sea of Fallen Stars , also known as the Inner Sea , and the coastal regions surrounding it . Harvests failed , travel and trade was disrupted , and civilized forces began to give way to the deluges caused by the storms . In panic and despair , many people began to turn to Umberlee , the Queen of the Depths , the evil goddess of the sea , offering her sacrifices in the hope that they would be spared the inevitable reckoning of the perpetual tempest , which had become known as the Great Rain . Unbeknownst to the people of the Inner Sea , the rain was neither a force of pure destruction nor a weapon forged by Umberlee to impose her creed on the region . The Great Rain was fundamentally how that part of Toril was mending the damage inflicted by the Spellplague . The undead pirate captain Evendur Highcastle soon rose from the depths of the Sea of Fallen Stars to become Umberlee ’ s Chosen and took advantage of the people ’ s desperation to strike for both spiritual and temporal power in her name . Vying with Evendur for the hearts and minds of the people was Stedd Whitehorn , a young boy and the Chosen of a deity thought lost to time : Lathander , the Morninglord , the god of the dawn . In a time of such upheaval , Stedd ’ s message of renewal and hope was in stark contrast to the savage beliefs of Evendur and the Umberlants . Umberlee commanded Evendur to capture Stedd and kill the boy prophet in a sacrificial ritual that would augment the undead pirate ’ s mystical power , discredit the reborn faith of Lathander to those people who supported the Morninglord ’ s message , and ensure the supremacy of the sea goddess ’ s church throughout the Sea of Fallen Stars . Evendur offered a considerable bounty to whoever could capture Stedd and deliver the child to him on Pirate Isle . Meanwhile , the lich Szass Tam , the supreme ruler of Thay , ordered two Red Wizards , the vampire Kymas Nahpret and the human Umara Ankhlab , to apprehend Evendur and bring him to Thay . Szass wanted to kill a Chosen and harness his or her power in order to increase his own strength . Also at that time , the Turmishan pirate Anton Marivaldi , the captain of the " Iron Jest " , and his corsair crew attacked a village near the port city of Teziir to capture Stedd . Anton ’ s reavers defeated the villagers and Stedd ’ s bodyguards , the Moonstars , and then seized the young Chosen . Afterward , the pirates of the " Iron Jest " mutinied against Anton , knocked him unconscious , and severely beat him . Kymas and Umara traveled on a Thayan ship to the settlement of Immurk ’ s Hold on Pirate Isle , where the undead mage , who was the senior of the two Red Wizards , instructed Umara to speak with Evendur . Umara met with Evendur in the temple of Umberlee to present him with Szass Tam ’ s offer of an alliance between Thay and the Umberlants . Evendur rejected the proposal , but the true purpose of the meeting was for Umara to assess the Chosen ’ s power . When Umara then used magic to secretly explore the temple , she learned about Evendur ’ s extensive search for Stedd . Kymas and Umara decided that it would be easier to pursue and capture Stedd than to try to abduct Evendur . Anton and Stedd were held prisoner on the " Iron Jest " , which sailed toward Pirate Isle to deliver the boy prophet to Evendur . Anton was told that he was going to be sacrificed to Umberlee before the ship reached the island . Stedd used his clerical powers to heal Anton , who then freed himself and the child . The two managed to escape from the " Iron Jest " on a rowboat and made their way to the coast . Although Anton had rescued Stedd , he still intended to bring him to Pirate Isle so that he could collect Evendur ’ s bounty . While traveling east toward the port city of Westgate , Anton and Stedd passed near a small village where a priest of Umberlee was forcing the inhabitants to sacrifice an old woman to the sea goddess . Stedd immediately entered the settlement to stop the villagers before they hurt the woman . Stedd preached Lathander ’ s message to the villagers and confronted the Umberlant priest , who summoned three sahuagin to slay the Chosen . Anton protected Stedd and fought the sahuagin and the evil priest , and after he killed them , he and the young prophet were welcomed by the villagers , who decided to not sacrifice the elderly woman . Stedd and Anton rested briefly in the village before continuing their journey east . After their ship departed from Pirate Isle , Kymas and Umara used magic to discover Stedd ’ s approximate whereabouts . The two wizards learned that Stedd was in the western part of the southern coast of the Inner Sea , and they immediately ordered their galley to head to that area . To increase the Thayan ship ’ s progress , Kymas motivated the vessel ’ s sailors to row harder and for longer periods of time by killing a slave rower , transforming him into a zombie , and threatening the other crewmembers with the same fate . When Anton and Stedd reached Westgate , they discovered that the church of Umberlee was quickly becoming the most powerful faith in the city . The pair made their way to a tavern where Anton met with the halfling Dalabrac Bramblefoot , an officer in the Fire Knives , Westgate ’ s strongest criminal fraternity . Anton arranged for a ship to transport him and Stedd to Pirate Isle , but Lanthander ’ s Chosen overhead the reaver speaking with Dalabrac and realized that his companion had deceived him . Stedd immediately left the tavern and began wandering the streets of Westgate . Once Anton discovered that Stedd had departed , he again met with Dalabrac and negotiated a new arrangement with the Fire Knives . Anton and the criminal organization agreed to work together to apprehend Stedd and then split Evendur ’ s reward for the child . Shortly after Stedd made his way to Westgate ’ s marketplace , a violent riot over the lack of food erupted , but the prophet was able to stop the brawl by using his powers to multiply the food supplies . Stedd spoke with a crowd of well - wishers until the arrival of a group of warriors who served the House of the Sun , the temple of the sun god Amaunator in Westgate . The men - at - arms asked Stedd to come with them to Amaunator ’ s temple , and the young Chosen accepted their offer . Around the same time that Stedd was escorted to the House of the Sun , the Thayan ship arrived in Westgate . Umara and Kymas soon learned that Stedd was in the temple of Amaunator , and the vampire ordered his female associate to retrieve the boy . Stedd met with Randal Sweetgrove , the First Sunlord of Westgate , and explained to him that since the world was in need of hope and new beginnings , Amaunator had changed his incarnation and once again assumed the role of Lathander . Randal did not believe that Lathander had returned and thought the boy ’ s notions were heretical . Randal ordered the temple ’ s warriors to imprison Stedd , since he intended to give him to the Umberlants in order to guarantee tolerance for Amaunator ’ s church in Westgate . That night , Anton , Dalabrac , and two Fire Knife agents infiltrated the temple of Amaunator to seize Stedd , and Umara entered the building at the same time . Umara found Stedd first and freed him , but they were then attacked by a band of silvery female angelic creatures that had been summoned by the temple ’ s priests to prevent the pair ’ s escape . Anton and his comrades quickly joined the fight in order to aid Stedd and Umara , and together they defeated the silver women , though one of the Fire Knives was slain . Before the intruders could be confronted by the priests and warriors of Amaunator , they fled the temple . While hurrying away from the House of the Sun , the group was joined by Kymas , but they then discovered that an astral deva had been summoned by Amaunator ’ s clerics and was pursuing them . Anton and Umara stayed behind to fight the powerful angel , while the others continued to flee from the temple . Once the two managed to kill the astral deva , they fled the area and tried to catch up with their companions . While fleeing down Westgate ’ s streets , Dalabrac and his Fire Knife associate attempted to kill Kymas , but they were swiftly slain by the undead wizard . Stedd then used his mystical power to try to stop Kymas , and although he hurt the vampire , he was overwhelmed and knocked unconscious . Kymas hastily took Stedd to the Thayan ship , which he ordered to immediately set sail from the city . When Anton and Umara reached Westgate ’ s harbor , they discovered that the Thayan vessel had departed without them . Knowing that the church of Amaunator , the Umberlants , and others were seeking them , Umara and Anton quickly departed from the city on the gnome smuggler Falrinn Greatorm ’ s ship in pursuit of the Thayan galley . Umberlee was enraged that Evendur had allowed Stedd to be captured by Thayans and harshly reprimanded her Chosen . The evil goddess ordered Evendur to personally stop the Thayans and seize the boy prophet . The undead pirate used his mystical abilities to view different areas of the Sea of Fallen Stars until he found the " Iron Jest " . Evendur magically transported himself to the sea near the pirate ship , boarded the vessel , and commanded the crew to help him capture Stedd by catching the Thayan galley while it was sailing in the straits between Pirate Isle and Gulthandor . As Greatorm ’ s ship was sailing east across the Inner Sea , friendship developed between Umara and Anton . When the smuggler ’ s vessel caught up with the Thayan galley , the trio discovered that it was being pursued and attacked by Evendur and the " Iron Jest " . Anton and Umara used magic to secretly board the corsair ship and ignited several enchanted incendiary catapult projectiles . The resulting explosion significantly damaged the " Iron Jest " , and following a brief fight against Evendur and the pirate crew , Anton and Umara escaped from the vessel . After the " Iron Jest " sank , the two companions boarded the Thayan galley , which was then magically assaulted by Evendur , who refused to halt his pursuit despite the loss of his ship and its crew . Since Evendur could not be stopped by the two Red Wizards ’ magic or the Thayan men - at - arms ’ conventional attacks , Anton released Stedd from his magical imprisonment so that the boy could use his powers against Umberlee ’ s Chosen . Stedd was able to seriously wound Evendur and force him to flee , but he was then once again imprisoned by Kymas . Anton opposed Stedd ’ s incarceration by dark magic and tried to stop Kymas , but the reaver was quickly incapacitated by the vampire and Umara , and he was imprisoned himself . After being wounded by Stedd , Evendur had fled to Umberlee ’ s otherworldly ocean to recover his strength . The Queen of the Depths later appeared and threatened to annihilate Evendur if he failed her again . Stedd soon convinced Umara to free him and Anton and assist him in completing his mission for Lathander , who wanted the boy to quickly journey to the Turmishan port city of Sapra . Anton had also befriended Stedd by that time and decided to help the young Chosen accomplish his task . Once Umara released the two , she and Anton confronted Kymas and managed to kill the vampire following a vicious fight on the ship ’ s deck . The Thayan galley had been irreparably damaged in the clash against Evendur , but it was able to reach the coast near the wilds of Gulthandor . Shortly after they landed , Anton and the others noticed that the " Octopus " , a pirate ship loyal to Evendur , was approaching their location . To avoid a confrontation with the corsair vessel , the group hastily left the coast and began traveling through Gulthandor toward Turmish . Mourmyd Jacerryl , the captain of the " Octopus " , was unwilling to pursue Stedd and his companions into the forest , so he immediately led his crew to Pirate Isle to notify Evendur that the Chosen of Lathander was in the Gulthandor region . After speaking with Mourmyd , Evendur commanded all the corsairs of Immurk ’ s Hold to hunt for Stedd , and he specifically ordered the captain of the " Octopus " to take control of the Turmishan village of Morningstar Hollows , since anyone journeying east through the northern reaches of Gulthandor would naturally head there . As Stedd , Anton , and the Thayans were traveling through Gulthandor , they were followed and often attacked by a pride of magically - controlled lions . While the band was encamped that night , they were assailed by the lions , and the leader of the pride , a gigantic lion with a mane of blue fire , attempted to abduct Stedd . Anton and Umara managed to stop the monstrous lion from escaping with Stedd , and the young prophet was able to then use his powers to cleanse the creature of the magical flame . The giant beast revealed himself to be Nobanion , the lion lord of Gulthandor , and commanded the pride of lions to stop their attack on the Thayan camp . After thanking Stedd for healing him , Nobanion told the boy , Anton , and Umara how he had been afflicted by the blue fires of the Spellplague , and how being in that weakened state had allowed him to be magically enslaved by Malar , the Beastlord , the god of the hunt . With the help of Nobanion , Stedd and his companions swiftly journeyed through Gulthandor , and they then headed to Morningstar Hollows , which they discovered was being occupied by the pirates of the " Octopus " . Anton and the others ambushed and killed the reavers , and after the fight , they took control of the " Octopus " . The group soon set sail for Sapra , but before they departed , they learned from the villagers that all of Turmish was starving due to the perpetual rains . When the " Octopus " arrived in Sapra , Stedd , Umara , and Anton made their way to the House of Silvanus , the main stronghold of the Turmishan druidic order known as the Emerald Enclave . The order was led by the Elder Circle , which consisted of three Chosen of Silvanus , the Forest Father , the god of nature . Stedd and his friends met with two members of the Elder Circle , the half - elf Ashenford Torinblow and the human Shinthala Deepcrest . Stedd informed the druidic leaders that he had come to save Turmish in its time of need by working together with the Emerald Enclave . However , Stedd and the druids could not complete the magical rituals that would end the famine in Turmish without the assistance of the third member of the Elder Circle , the elf Cindermoon , who had been driven insane by the Spellplague . While Anton distracted Cindermoon ’ s guards , Stedd , Umara , Shinthala , and Ashenford were able to incapacitate and heal the elf , who then assumed her former name , Shadowmoon . Stedd , the three Chosen of Silvanus , many other druids of the Emerald Enclave , and a variety of nature spirits and forest creatures soon gathered together near the House of Silvanus and performed two intricate magical rituals to save Turmish . The first rite made the Great Rain ’ s healing effects work faster and repair the damage inflicted on Turmish by the Spellplague . The ritual reestablished the natural order in Turmish and restored the Emerald Enclave ’ s magic to its level of potency before the catastrophic event . The second magical rite ended the Turmishan famine by causing food to instantly grow throughout the nation . Although the rituals saved Turmish , completing the great works of magic drained Stedd and the Emerald Enclave of a lot of their mystical strength , and Lathander ’ s Chosen was so weakened that he even fell into a coma - like state . Umberlee was infuriated that disaster in Turmish had been averted , and in her rage , she nearly destroyed Evendur . However , the undead pirate was able to convince Umberlee to allow him to gather the forces that served her and lead them against Sapra . The Queen of the Depths wanted her Chosen to slaughter first the people of Sapra and then all of Turmish . When the Elder Circle learned that Evendur ’ s fleet was moving toward Sapra , they hastily assembled the city ’ s forces and prepared to meet the enemy in battle on the sea . Stedd was still unconscious , but Anton , Umara , and the other Thayans joined the Turmishan navy that was going to engage Umberlee ’ s minions . Since the Elder Circle ’ s main responsibility was to protect and nurture the wild lands of Turmish , only Shinthala decided to directly participate in the battle , while the other two Chosen of Silvanus would lead a group of druids in providing magical aid to Sapra ’ s defenders . As Evendur ’ s armada approached Sapra , the Turmishan fleet set sail from the city and confronted them . Although Umberlee ’ s forces outnumbered their opponents and were fighting at sea , the martial skill and divine power of the druids allowed the Turmishan navy to withstand them . The outcome of the battle was ultimately determined by a fight in which Evendur faced Shinthala , Anton , and Umara . The three companions fought courageously against Evendur , but Umberlee ’ s Chosen was too formidable and their defeat was inevitable . However , at that time , Lathander showed himself to Stedd and healed him , and the young prophet then found a way to get magically transported to the naval battlefield . After Stedd healed Anton and Shinthala of their serious wounds , he used his connection with Lathander to give the reaver the power to destroy Evendur . Once Anton killed the undead pirate , the Turmishan forces had a significant advantage over Umberlee ’ s fleet and soon achieved victory . Following the battle , Stedd chose to stay in Sapra for a time to learn from the three Chosen of Silvanus , and Anton decided that he would accompany Umara when she returned to Thay . Also at that time , the rains that had fallen in Turmish for months finally ended , and the sun emerged over the realm . References