Elminster's archenemy, the vampiric Lord Manshoon, thinks he has destroyed Elminster at last. But Elminster survives in the form of magical ash, and with the help of his scion, a fop who is growing into a true nobleman, and his longtime companion Storm, he still has a chance to counter Manshoon's insidious plots.

When the goddess of magic was murdered, Elminster’s world shattered. Once the most powerful wizard in the world, immortal, beloved of the goddess of magic, and the bane of villainy, he is now a tired old man. He is powerful but mortal, and with all the enemies a man who makes a habit of saving the world tends to accumulate. To make matters worse, Elminster has needs - feeding powerful magic items to the Simbul, his lover, is the only thing that keeps her sane - but their increasingly risky collection leads his enemies right to him.

All her life, Narnra of Waterdeep wondered who her father is. Amid the squalor of the streets, through the danger she faces daily as a thief in the City of Splendors, she speculates on whom the mysterious wizard might be who left her mother to raise a fatherless child. Now she's discovered that it's no less a person than Elminster of Shadowdale, mightiest mage in all Faerian. And her anger is as boundless as his power.

Rumors race around Cormyr regarding the mythical "lost spell", a powerful enchantment designed centuries ago by the presumed dead god of spells - a spell long thought lost to the ages. Found by some magicless merchant, rumor has it the lost spell is to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

In ancient days, sorcerers sought to learn the One True Spell that would give them power over all the world and understanding of all magic.... The One True Spell was a woman, and her name was Mystra - and her kisses were wonderful. It is the time before Myth Drannor, when the Heartlands are home to barbarians, and wicked dragons rule the skies. In these ancient days, Elminster is but a shepherd boy, dreaming of adventure and heroics. When a dragon-riding magelord sweeps down upon him, though, the boy is thrust into a world of harsh realities, corrupt rulers, and evil sorcerers.