Prince of Lies (novel)

Prince of Lies, by James Lowder, is the fourth book of the Avatar series.
==Summary==
An adventurer, Gwydion "The Quick" is tricked into dying by Cyric to prevent his soul being claimed by another god. Mystra and Torm convene the Circle of Greater Powers to judge Cyric and Mask for killing Leira and claiming souls early. Mystra strips him of his magic, but the Circle does not pass judgment and Cyric continues with his plans, including searching for Kelemvor and creating the Cyrinishad, a false history of Cyric’s life that would force anyone who read or heard it to become a worshiper. 
Rinda, a scribe conscripted to pen the Cyrinishad and a helper to the unfortunates of Zhentil Keep, is recruited into a conspiracy to defeat Cyric by Fzoul Chembryl, General Vrakk, a merchant named Ivlisar, and a dwarven spy named Hodur, who posed as her ally for years, as well as Oghma, who hides the conspiracy from Cyric. 
In the guise of Cyric’s sword Godsbane, Mask absorbed Kelemvor’s soul and kept it hidden. Cyric frees Kezef the Chaos Hound to find Kelemvor, but Mask traps him with the sacrifice of Lord Chess atop Blackstaff Tower, who struck with Mask to avenge the death of Leira, who Chess worshiped. 
Cyric’s denizen servants grow to resent the fact that he is having them routinely executed as punishment for failing to catch Kelemvor, and Gwydion attempts to incite a revolt, but Cyric finds him and traps him in one of nine clockwork suits built by Gond, turning him into a powerful inquisitor. Hodur speaks against Cyric and is executed by Gwydion, ordered to kill all in Zhentil Keep who speak heresy. Ivlisar attempts to flee the city but is killed by Vrakk. 
Mystra traps the inquisitors with cages built by Gond, causing Cyric to accuse her of overstepping her bounds. The Circle forces Mystra to return Cyric’s magic, but she tricks him into believing the inquisitors are destroyed. Mask approaches Mystra and offers an alliance. Cyric completes the Cyrinishad and reveals he discovered the conspiracy, trying to force Fzoul to read the Cyrinishad and kill Rinda, but Mask reads it instead, becoming devoted to Cyric in the process. Cyric also reads the book, convincing himself of the mad notion that he is the central and most important figure in existence. As Cyric focuses on a forbidden spell gained from Oghma to find Kelemvor, an army of giants, dragons, and goblinkin, intended to force Zhentil Keep into greater worship, instead begins destroying the city when Fzoul reads from the The True Life of Cyric, while the Faithless and The False start a revolt in the City of Strife, led by the liberated inquisitors. Gwydion is tricked into freeing Kezef by Mask, and forces Dendar the Night Serpent to turn on Cyric. Cyric shatters Godsbane in rage, revealing it to be Mask and freeing Kelemvor, who destroys his avatar. The dead choose Kelemvor as their new god. Gwydion and Rinda go on the run with the Cyrinishad to keep it from Cyric's hands.
==Index==
===Characters===
: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 
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:: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 
===Creatures===
: • • basilisk • • • • • • • ( • ) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • unicorn • vulture • 
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:: • • beholder • carrion crawler • • centaur • • crow • • eagle • giant rat • gnat • • griffon • hare • hellhound • • • • • • • rabbit • ram • • • • • 
===Events===
: • 
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:: • • • 
===Items===
====Food & Drink====
: • • • • • • • 
====Substances====
: • • • • • • • • • 
====Miscellaneous====
: • • • 
===Locations===
====Buildings====
: • • • • • 
====Landmarks====
: • • •
====Planes of Existence====
: • • • • • • • 
====Regions====
:Anauroch • • • • • • 
====Settlements====
: • • ()
====Wilderness====
: 
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:: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • () • • • • • • • • • • • 
===Magic===
: • • • • 
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:: • 
===Organizations===
: • • • • • • • • • 
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::Army of the Alliance • • • Golden Quill Society • • 
===Religion===
: 
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:: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 
===Miscellaneous===
: • • • • • 
==Appendix==
===Gallery===
Prince of Lies map moonsea.png|The map of the Moonsea featured in Prince of Lies.
===References===
Category:Novels
Category:Books
Category:Works by James Lowder
Category:Published in 1993
Category:Published in 2003