Publication:Darkness and Light

Darkness and Light is a fantasy novel by Paul B. Thompson and Tonya R. Carter which is set in the world of the Dragonlance campaign setting and is the first volume in the Preludes series.

Plot summary
Darkness and Light begins in the town of Solace at the time the companions decide to pursue rumors of war and embark on their own personal quests for five years. Sturm Brightblade and Kitiara Uth Matar both decide to go north to Solamnia to learn more about their families.

Shortly after they leave Solace, they encounter a group of gnomes who are in the final stages of building a flying ship. The two companions decide that taking the flying ship to Solamnia would be much faster than on horseback or walking, so they assist the gnomes in finishing the ship. The flying ship is a success—but too much of a success, as mechanical problems lead the ship up and up until it eventually touches back down on the red moon Lunitari. While on Lunitari fixing the ship, they meet a deranged king and a brass dragon. Something unexplainable happens to the companions and the gnomes while on the moon in that they inherit magical powers. The magic takes their biggest dreams and somehow gives them the power to achieve them. Kitiara becomes much stronger and Sturm is plagued with visions of his father and the downfall of Castle Brightblade. The deranged king attempts to capture them, but they managed to escape, however, they lose one of their party, a gnome. The brass dragon is imprisoned inside a gigantic marble tower, as he is to guard the eggs of other dragons. Conversing with the dragon, Sturm learns of the birth of Draconians. Also, Kitiara forms an alliance with the dragon, that if she can free him, he'll become Kitiara's dragon partner. The gnomes attempt to set him free, but they continue to fail, until they think of vitriol. Using vitriol that they had on board, they destroy the marble tower and set the dragon free. After fixing up their ship, they head for home with the dragon. Unfortunately the air is too thin to support the dragon, so he is forced to remain on Lunitari. As they fly higher and higher, they spot the dead gnome walking again, a magical power in which nothing can die on Lunitari, but they can't return to rescue him. The gnome then goes to live with the dragon.

After weeks and weeks of butting heads over individual ideals on Lunitari, Kitiara and Sturm decide that they will go their separate ways and sever their ties of friendship. Sturm returns to Castle Brightblade—now abandoned—and finds his father's armor and sword.

Characters in "Darkness and Light"

 * Kitiara Uth Matar
 * Sturm Brightblade

Release details

 * 1989, United States, TSR ISBN 0-14-012631-7, Pub date 28 September 1989, Paperback
 * 1999, United States, Wizards of the Coast ISBN 0-88038-722-X, Pub date 01 May 1999, Paperback
 * 2003, United States, Wizards of the Coast ISBN 0-7869-2923-5, Pub date 29 April 2003, Paperback