The Summoning

The Summoning by Troy Denning is the first novel in the Return of the Archwizards trilogy.
==Summary==
Galaeron Nihmedu and a party of elven tomb guardians from Evereska, including the wood elf Takari Moonsnow, encounter a group of humans in a tomb beneath the Anauroch. The humans are armed with strange black blades and using a captive eye tyrant to tunnel through the stone. They encounter the Sharn Wall and engage in battle with each other and a phaerimm, which emerges when a clash of spells makes a hole in the barrier. Ultimately, Galaeron escapes with Vala Thorsdotter, the leader of the humans, and Melegaunt Tanthul, a wizard who crossed over from the other side of the barrier. 
The captive humans are brought to Evereska. Galaeron points out that they killed no one and stole nothing, and the tomb they breached belonged to the hated House Vyshaan, while Melegaunt insists that they need to send high mages to fix the gap in the barrier. The elders of Evereska send forces to the breach but do not allow Melegaunt to accompany them. The humans stay with Galaeron, his sister Keya, and his father Aubric. Galaeron encourages Takari to return home to her tribe. More and more phaerimm escape as the elves are unable to patch the breach, until Evereska is cut off from contact with the guards and high mages, as well as the rest of the world. Aubric sets off to lead the Blades of Evereska while Galaeron takes the humans to help join the fight, even thought they are technically still prisoners.
Melegaunt teaches Galaeron how to use a new form of magic that the phaerimm are unable to detect or absorb. Together with Vala and her humans, they rescue Kiinyon Colbathin, leader of the Tomb Guard, and Lord Gervas Imesfor, a high mage and father of one of the elves who died under Galeaeron’s command, as well as several wounded tomb guards.
The group separates, with Kiinyon leading Vala’s humans and the wounded elves back to Evereska, Imesfor teleporting to Blackstaff Tower to request aid from Khelben Arunsun, and Galaeron and Vala accompanying Melegaunt to Dekanter. On the way, Vala explains that years ago Melegaunt raised her home, the fortress of Granite Tower, and armed twenty warriors with black blades in exchange for a promise of a future service. The group encounter various creatures in the service of the Phaerimm: bugbears, mind flayers and beholders.
Melegaunt leads the others through Dekanter and into the Greypeak Mountains, where they encounter Malik el Sami.Lord Imesfor recovers from an ilithid attack that had left him unconscious and tells Khelben, Laeral Silverhand, Elminster, and Piergeiron Paladinson about the phaerimm situation. They are suspicious of Melegaunt’s motives and how the Sharn barrier was breached, and speculate that he might be a Netherese survivor, possibly from Shade, a flying city rumored to have survived the Fall of Netheril by teleporting into the Plane of Shadow.
Galaeron’s group saves Aris, a stone giant, from phaerimm-enslaved beholders. They travel to the High Forest, encountering Turlang, who is reluctant to let them pass due to Melegaunt's dark magic but agrees at the mention of Galaeron's mother, Morgwais Nightmeadow. Turlang leads them to Morgwais, who is with Elminster and Takari. Takari joins the group and guides them to the Dire Wood.
Aubric and the surviving Noble Blades meet up with Khelben Arunsun and the forces from Evermeet sent to open a portal for reinforcements to arrive. The portal is opened, but Aubric is killed. Galaeron’s group travels to the ruins of Karse and finds the remains of Karsus. Khelben and the surviving elves arrive at Evereska. When bargaining with Jingleshod, an undead knight who extracted promises from Galaeron’s group, it is revealed that Melegaunt is seeking to return the Netherese city of Shade to the Realms. 
Melegaunt brings the Twelve Princes of Shade through into the Realms. Concerned that Elminster will prevent the return of Shade, six of the princes go to Shadowdale to lure him out. When Elminster and Storm Silverhand battle them, Storm’s silver fire connects with one, ripping open a portal to the Nine Hells, which Elminster enters to prevent devils from overrunning Shadowdale.
Melegaunt is slain in battle with a lich, and makes Galearon promise to let the princes bring back Shade. However, the phaerimm attack and Galaeron is forced to bring the city back himself.
This novel is an excellent opening to the Realms-shattering events that the trilogy is mainly about. It features heroes old and new, villains so powerful and mysterious that even require the combined forces of the Chosen, including Elminster himself (though his part in the series is very much limited). While a reader new to the Realms can still manage to understand the scope and intricacies of this book, as there are allusions to several character background, he/she is advised to read first at least all the books in the Netheril Trilogy, which provides a good background story of the this book's arch-villains.
==Index==
===Characters===
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===Creatures===
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===Locations===
:;Buildings & Sites:
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:;Settlements:
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:;Wilderness:
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===Organizations===
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===Miscellaneous===
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==Appendix==
===Further Reading===
*
===Gallery===
RofAW 1 1024x768.jpg|Promotional wallpaper.
RofAW 5 1024x768.jpg|Promotional wallpaper of the cover art from the anthology and the Return of the Archwizards trilogy.
The summoning map.png|The map features in The Summoning.
===References===
Summoning
Category:Works by Troy Denning
Category:Books
Category:Published in 2001