Goldmoon

Goldmoon by Nick Barfuss.
Alias	Lady of the Plains Chieftain of the Qué-Shu
Birth	February 5, 322 AC
Death	Summer, 421 AC
Race	Human
Gender	Female
Nationality	Qué-Shu
Hair Color	Silver-gold
Eye Color	Sky-blue
Height	Unknown
Weight	Unknown
Class	Cleric
Occupation	Hero of the Lance
Spouse	Riverwind
Children	Wanderer Moonsong Brightdawn
Parents	Arrowthorn Tearsong
Siblings	None

Goldmoon (gold-moon) (February 5, 322 AC – Summer, 421 AC) was born the first and only daughter of Qué-Shu chieftain Arrowthorn and his wife Tearsong. She is a descendant of Larken and Stormlight. After marrying Riverwind, she gave birth to one son named Wanderer and twin daughters Moonsong and Brightdawn.

She was slim and tall in her younger years, with silver-gold hair, a pure face, sky-blue eyes, and buttery tan skin. She kept her youthful appearance until she was into her eighties, and even then she was more vibrant and youthful looking than most people of that age. One thing Goldmoon had always been was afraid of heights.

Early Life

Goldmoon grew up in a life of luxury. She was pampered as a child and spoiled beyond belief. In the Qué-shu tribe, the chief and his wife or daughters were known as the ones who spoke to their Gods. Goldmoon was raised with the belief that upon her death, she would become a goddess of the tribe.

Her beliefs were tested when she met Riverwind, a shepherd whose family was banned from the tribe for their devotion to old and supposedly blasphemous gods. Riverwind did not view Goldmoon as a goddess, but as a vain and spoiled girl. Goldmoon didn’t want Riverwind to view her like this and wanted to be beautiful in his eyes. Riverwind and Goldmoon’s hearts were sealed together when Riverwind gave her a steel amulet of two teardrops.

Although Riverwind won Goldmoon’s heart, he could not claim her hand in marriage without Arrowthorn’s consent. Arrowthorn considered Riverwind’s beliefs to be an affront to the tribe, and decreed that Riverwind may only wed Goldmoon if he found proof of the old gods’ existence. Riverwind and Goldmoon promised to wait for each other until the quest was completed. Goldmoon was furious with Arrowthorn but could do nothing about the situation. While Riverwind was gone, Arrowthorn grew very ill and Goldmoon took over as Chieftain of the Qué-Shu in all but name.

Riverwind returned from his quest in the summer of 351 AC bearing the Blue Crystal Staff. Goldmoon was delighted to see Riverwind again, but he was very delirious and thought he was only gone a short time. Riverwind gave Goldmoon the Blue Crystal Staff, which she then used to heal Riverwind of his malady. They were attacked by their own tribe and forced to leave.

War of the Lance

On their way to Solace they met Sturm Brightblade, who escorted the pair to the Inn of the Last Home. While resting at the Inn, they were confronted by the drunken Hederick, High Theocrat of Solace. Hederick subsequently fell into the fireplace, and the kender Tasslehoff Burrfoot tried to knock down Hederick with a disguised Blue Crystal Staff. This caused two things to happen: Hederick was healed of all injury, and the staff’s true nature was revealed. An old man yelled that Goldmoon and Riverwind were wanted, since the local lord Toede had been seeking the Blue Crystal Staff.

Goldmoon and Riverwind ran with the other Companions to escape capture, and the newly-formed group made their way back to the Qué-shu village only to find it destroyed. They made their way to Xak Tsaroth, the ruined city where Riverwind originally found the staff. In Xak Tsaroth, the black dragon Khisanth nearly killed Riverwind, but Goldmoon used the staff to save him from the brink of death. In a second battle, Goldmoon destroyed Khisanth with blue flame and collapsed the dragon’s lair, but Goldmoon herself was presumed dead. In reality, the goddess Mishakal had removed Goldmoon from the fight. When the Companions found Goldmoon again, she had become a Cleric of Mishakal, but she was not the first since Di An, an elf Riverwind met on his quest, was the first.

After escaping from Xak Tsaroth, the Companions returned to Solace and were captured by Lord Toede’s men. They were sent to Pax Tharkas in a slave caravan that was freed by Qualinesti elves. They journeyed to Qualinesti and were given a mission to break into Pax Tharkas and free the prisoners. The Companions freed eight hundred refugees, and Goldmoon’s newfound faith led to the defeat of Dragon Highlord Verminaard.

On the last day of autumn in 351 AC, as the Companions were moving the refugees to Thorbardin, Goldmoon and Riverwind asked Elistan, the first cleric of Paladine since the Cataclysm, to marry them. As part of the ceremony, Goldmoon gave Riverwind a ring made from her own hair and banded with silver and gold. Riverwind gave Goldmoon a perfectly smooth ring formed from a vallenwood branch.

After recovering the Hammer of Kharas for the dwarves of Thorbardin, the refugees of Pax Tharkas were allowed to stay in the underground dwarven realm for the winter. The Companions traveled to the city of Tarsis to try to commission ships to transport the refugees back to Abanasinia. The Companions reach Tarsis only to find it landlocked and under the tacit control of the dragonarmy. The Companions are split up shortly after their arrival, and survive an attack on the city by the Red Dragonarmy and a detachment of blue dragons commanded by the Blue Lady.

Goldmoon and Riverwind, along with Caramon, Raistlin, Tanis, and Tika, were rescued by Alhana Starbreeze, princess of the Silvanesti Elves, and taken to Silvanesti. There they confronted Lorac Caladon’s nightmare and the green dragon Cyan Bloodbane.

After defeating the nightmare, the companions traveled north to the occupied town of Flotsam, where they hire a boat called the Perechon to take them to Palanthas. However, the boat was pursued by the Blue Lady and several blue dragons across the Blood Sea of Istar, and the ship was forced into the Maelstrom. The whirlpool destroyed the ship, but the companions were rescued by sea elves living in the ruins of the city of Istar. There they met a Red Robe by the name of Zebulah, who called Goldmoon the Lady of the Plains.

The group was released and woke up near Kalaman, but didn’t remember much of what occurred under the sea. While Tanis, Caramon, Tika, Flint, Tas, and the mysterious Berem Everman left to confront evil in Neraka, Goldmoon and Riverwind decided not to continue because she was with child.

Post War of the Lance and Pre-Chaos War

Goldmoon and Riverwind returned home to try to reunite their people. In 352 AC, Goldmoon gave birth to a son and named him Wanderer after Riverwind’s father. Four years later, in 356 AC, Goldmoon gave birth to twin daughters named Moonsong and Brightdawn.

By 360 AC, Goldmoon and Riverwind had restored the Qué-shu tribe and rebuilt their destroyed village. Both were chosen to lead their people as chieftains, and took the Mantle of the Chieftain. By the year 380 AC, Goldmoon and Riverwind are considered the overall leaders of all tribes in Abanasinia.

Chaos War

During the Chaos War, Goldmoon and Riverwind united the tribes against the Knights of Takhisis who invaded their lands. Shadow Wights attacked the plainsmen when Chaos returned to Krynn, and their family suffered a great loss when Wanderer’s wife was killed by a shadow wight, which left them all wondering who she was. Wanderer took Cloudhawk, his son and Goldmoon’s grandson, from Abanasinia to the Plains of Dust.

Age of Mortals

In 385 AC, Riverwind went east with Moonsong and Brightdawn to investigate the appearance of the Dragon Overlord Malystryx. Both Riverwind and Brightdawn were killed by Malys, and Moonsong returned to Goldmoon, heavily scarred from the ordeal.

Three years later in 388 AC, Goldmoon gained back what she has called Healing of the Heart. Her first patient was Jasper Fireforge and this was the first known instance of magic returning to Krynn since the Chaos War. After Goldmoon honed her skills and taught Jasper, she went to the Isle of Schallsea and built the Citadel of Light near the Silver Stair. Here, Goldmoon taught people to heal from the heart and gained many followers. Goldmoon personally greeted every one of them.

In 414 AC, Palin Majere approached Goldmoon and asked her to form a band of heroes to save the people of Ansalon from the Dragon Overlords. She appeared before a man named Dhamon Grimwulf who was making a pilgrimage to the Last Heroes’ Tomb in Solace, and bade him to seek her on Schallsea. He formed a group of adventurers known as the Heroes of the Heart, who were overseen by Goldmoon. During this time, an orphan girl washed up on the shore near the Citadel of Light. Goldmoon took in this girl, named Mina, as her own daughter. She brushed Mina’s hair every night and told her stories of the old gods.

When the Heroes of the Heart returned to Schallsea to show Goldmoon the dragon scale on Dhamon’s leg, Malystryx took control of Dhamon’s mind, forcing him to kill Goldmoon and nearly kill Jasper. Goldmoon met Riverwind in death, who told her that it wasn’t yet her time to die. Goldmoon was restored back to life.

War of Souls

In 421 AC, a Great Storm raged across Ansalon. At the Citadel of Light, Goldmoon’s youthful beauty was returned to her, even though inside she still felt very old. She deeply resented this change thinking it would not allow her to meet Riverwind in death anytime soon. Goldmoon heard Riverwind’s voice and left the isle on Conundrum’s Submersible Indestructible.

Goldmoon later confronted Mina in Nightlund, where it was revealed that her youth was brought about by the One God, who Goldmoon recognized as Takhisis. Goldmoon rejected both Mina and Takhisis, and the Dark Queen took away the restored youth. Goldmoon died in Mina’s arms, though her body was placed inside a coffin of amber. Takhisis sought to use Goldmoon’s body as her vessel upon Krynn, but the return of the other gods foiled her plans.

Skills

Goldmoon had a beautiful voice and could play the lute. She was the first cleric of Mishakal since the Cataclysm. After her youth was restored in the Age of Mortals, she was able to see the spirits of the dead and talk them or order them to do her bidding. She wore a Medallion of Faith, as other clerics did.

Kender Tales

In one story, she is said to have come from the Plains of Dust, but this is not true. She came from the Plains of Abanasinia.

References

• The Annotated Dragonlance Chronicles, Autumn Twilight, p. 45, 59, 67, 235, 462, 464
• The Annotated Dragonlance Chronicles, Winter Night, p. 734, 755, 966
• The Annotated Dragonlance Chronicles, Spring Dawning, p. 1084, 1111, 1124
• The Dark Queen (Novel), p. 313
• DL1: Dragons of Despair, p. 4
• Dragons of the Dwarven Depths (PB) p.16, 35-40, 122, 263-264
• Dragonlance Campaign Setting, p. 206-210
• Dragons of a Fallen Sun (HC), p. 327, 386, 390-391, 443, 452
• Dragons of a Lost Star (HC), p. 14, 453, 456
• Dragons of a Vanished Moon (HC), p. 291
• Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home, p. 173
• The Silver Stair, p. 18-21, 26, 54, 57