Pool of Radiance ( novel ) Pool of Radiance , by James Ward and Jane Cooper Hong , is the first book of The Pools trilogy . The novel is based on the very first Forgotten Realms computer game , Pool of Radiance . Summary . When Shal Bal of Cormyr ' s master , Ranthor , receives a message from his old friend and fellow mage , Denlor of Phlan , whose tower is under siege by hundreds of monsters , Ranthor rushes to aid him . Shortly , Shal receives a message from Ranthor via crystal ball , during which he warns ' beware the dragon of bronze ' and is murdered by an unknown assailant . Shal inherits Ranthor ' s familiar , a white horse named Cerulean , and Ranthor ' s various magical items , including a staff of power and a ring of three wishes . However , along the way to the Moonsea , when she wishes she were able to lift a large pack , she is turned into a hulking , seven - foot - tall giant by the ring . In her rage , she wishes she were at Phlan , and is teleported there instantly . Meanwhile , the cleric of Tyr , Tarl Desanea , watches his fellow clerics of Tyr killed by the undead of Valhingen Graveyard . Tarl and his mentor Anton are the only survivors , and Anton is grievously wounded by a vampire , who also steals the Hammer of Tyr , which the clerics were transporting from Vaasa . Though he manages to escape , the clerics inside Phlan can do little for Anton , aside from keeping him alive . Tarl , saddened and lost , goes out for a walk along the docks . He sees Shal crying and they soon become friends . Later , in the Laughing Goblin Inn , they meet Ren o ' the Blade , a ranger - thief from Waterdeep . Shal looks remarkably like his murdered love , Tempest , and they too become fast friends . However , when a brawl breaks out in the inn , the guards arrest the three and take them to the Council of Ten . Porphyrys Cadorna is on night duty , and , seeing these are fairly strong adventurers , orders them to travel to Sokol Keep , a small island and keep in the harbor of Phlan , which is rumored to be haunted by undead . They clear Sokol Keep of orcs , and free the undead from their curse . Following this , Cadorna gives them several more missions , using them as his personal servants . In their spare time , they explore Denlor ' s Tower , and put Ranthor ' s body to rest . In their final mission from Cadorna , they are sent to kill the mad mage Yarash and end the poisoning of the Stojanow . Yarash , fearing they will discover his secrets , disembowels himself before their eyes . However , going through his archive , Shal finds several letters from Cadorna , promising him the ioun stone s which are encrusted within Ren ' s dagger s . They quickly return to Phlan , only to discover that Cadorna has murdered the First Councilman and in turn became the First Councilman . He attempts to have the three arrested , though they escape into Valhingen Graveyard . There they reclaim the Hammer of Tyr and set off to Valjevo Castle , the home of the mysterious ' Lord of the Ruins ' . There they find Tyranthraxus , a possessed copper dragon . With the final power of the ring of three wishes , Shal wishes the dragon dead . However , Cadorna appears soon after , along with his court mage , Gensor . Cadorna is possessed by the spirit of Tyranthraxus , and dives into the Pool of Radiance , a mysterious pool filled with blood , to repower himself . He disappears in its depths . Gensor casts invisibility , and is not heard from again . The book ends with Shal trying on a dress for her wedding with Tarl .