From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Title The Inheritance

The Inheritance book cover
Author	Nancy Varian Berberick
Cover artist	Bradley Williams
Country	United States
Language	Classics
Series	Dragonlance
Genre(s)	Fantasy novel
Publisher	Wizards of the Coast
Released	May, 2001 (mass market paperback)
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	308 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0786918616

The Inheritance is a fantasy novel set in the Dragonlance campaign series and is in the Classics series.

The setting is Qualinost, Pax Tharkas, and the borderlands between Qualinost and Thobardin.

The book begins with Elansa Sungold going to the border to heal some trees with her Blue Phoenix, a magical artifact passed down since the Age of Dreams to woodshapers in her family. The Blue Phoenix is a symbol of Habbakuk, and the artifact may be a holy artifact of Habbakuk. She is guarded by twenty elves. When they reach the stone lands, they are ambushed by goblins, which were hired by human brigands. Elansa is taken for ransom, and one of the guards is mutilated and sent back to Qualinost to inform them of the ransom demand, two cartloads full of the best weapons that the elves have. Elansa is taken to one of the bandits secret hideouts, and is guarded by Char, the dwarf. Brand also takes Elansa's Blue Phoenix from her. In the hands of a human, it didn't pulse with magic at all, so humans would think it's just a pretty shaped gem. Brand kills the son of Gnash who was sent to assist the ambush, making him an enemy of the goblins. They run from the goblins into many different secret hideouts, then hole up in one for the winter.

In the sprain, Brand's demand for two wagons full of weapons has been acknowledged. Prince Kethrenan, and his cousin, a female warrior, drives the wagons, while other warriors hide in the woods. Their plans is to slaughter the humans when they come to take the weapons, however, there plans are foiled when goblins, this time enemies of both, appear. Brand and his band get away with Elansa and the two wagons, leaving the elves to "mop up" the goblins. Brand stores the weapons in caches all over the stone lands, so that they won't be discovered. A goblin "turncoat" decides to help the elves, and with his help the locate all of the weapon caches. The weapons that can't be recovered due to transportation issues are destroyed. By plotting the caches on a map, the elves discover an arrow pointing to Pax Tharkas, perhaps the last safe house for the brigands, so the elves head to Pax Tharkas. Brand and his band know that they are being hunted, but not by whom, so they decide to go to the abandoned Pax Tharkas as a safe haven. During this time, Char becomes a friend of Elansa's. The goblins amass an army and also head to Pax Tharkas, following Brand. Brand and his followers arrive in Pax Tharkas, and manage to rouse the undead guarding Kith-Kanan. Elansa uses her Blue Phoenix to destroy the undead, but she faints from the strain afterwards. The elves and goblins fight outside Pax Tharkas, and the elves destroy the goblins. Prince Kethrenan comes in to rescue Elansa, but Elansa wants him to spare Brand. He refuses, kills Brand, and at the same time Char kills Kethrenan. Elansa runs away with Char, before the elves come to investigate. She's pregnant with Brand's child, and Char convinces her to claim that she was raped to protect herself and the child. She returns to Qualinesti. The child is known as Tanis Half-Elven.

• Brand - A human mercenary fallen on hard times who leads a band of other bandits.
• Elansa Sungold - An elven woodshaper with a magical artifact, the Blue Phoenix, who is the wife of Prince Kethrenan.
• Prince Kethrenan - Elansa's husband.
• Gnash - A hobgoblin with a wizard's fireball staff who is an enemy of Brand.
• Char - A mountain dwarf who is a member of Brand's band, and a friend to Elansa.