The Black Wing Review

Join me as I review The Black Wing by Mary L. Kirchoff, live! Share your thoughts on this second novel in the Dragonlance Villains series, released on January 1, 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. You can buy a copy here: https://amzn.to/46my4vL

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About The Black Wing

Presents the story of the black dragon of Xak Tsaroth, ruins that lie in the heart of a murky and dangerous swamp, detailing the origins of the creature and its role as a minion of the Dark Queen. Original.

Review

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga review episode. It is Kirinor, Reapember the 27th. My name is Adam and today I am going to give you my review of The Black Wing by Mary L. Kirchoff. I would like to take a moment and thank the members of this YouTube channel, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. This is my perspective only, and if you have any thoughts or disagree with mine, I invite you to share them in YouTube chat.

We begin the tale with Khisanth sitting in Xak Tsaroth, reading Fistandantilus’ spellbook. She grows bored and begins reflecting on her life, and resenting her being stationed here to guard a staff that she isn’t even supposed to look at. She did transform into a mouse and saw the staff, unimpressed by it. Then we go back in time to when she was first awakened from her sleep before the war.

Khisanth was awoken by two Nyphid’s who needed her help to rescue the last female Nyphid named Dela. Apparently humans caught her and she is dying. The two Nyphids are Joad, Dela’s father and Kadagan, the betrothed to Dela. Khisanth is groggy and in a sour mood for being woken prematurely. She expected Takhisis to wake her. She refuses to help and threatens them. They leave but as she is unable to use her atrophied arms and wings to climb out, they lift her with magic from an artifact named Maynus. This object feeds power to Dela, but can be used by others. Now they feed and bandage Khisanths wounds from trying to leave the cave earlier, she is still obstinate, but eventually relents. 

They trade knowledge of Qhen, or shapeshifting. It’s a very zen-like practice that Khisanth doesn’t take kindly to, and as the months pass, they finally realize they have to go after Dela or she will die. So Khisanth transforms into a human and adopts the name Onyx. She is met by an old woman who takes her to an inn. In the inn she meets Led, the man who took Dela and is planning on selling her for a fortune. Onyx pretends to be a magic using mercenary and joins Led’s band. They end up sleeping with each other and Onyx dreams of having Led ride her into battle, believing it is an omen from Takhisis. 

They spoke of joining the fledgeling Dragonarmies as rumors have sprung up, and Onyx likes the idea. She goes to rescue Dela who is locked in a wagon they are escorting, but she is caught by the lieutenant Yoshiki Toba who Onyx traps in the Maynus globe. Led is furious that he is gone though they continue traveling to Kernen. They come across a band of Knights of Solamnia led by Sir Harold Stippling who demands to see what's in the wagon, but they refuse leading to a standoff. The standoff lasts a couple heartbeats as Led attacks the Knights horse and pandemonium ensues. Near the end of the battle Onyx burns a knight in his armor with magic who runs off, and an ogre jumps from a cliff to the wooden card, busting it up and revealing Dela the Nyphid, sick and dying.

The Knight of Solamnia goes to save her and is electrocuted,