The origin story of a legendary friendship: When his new companion is accused of murder, Flint Fireforge must find a way to clear the half-elf's name When Flint Fireforge, dwarf and metalsmith, receives a wondrous summons from the Speaker of the Sun, he journeys to the fabled elven city of Qualinost. There, he meets Tanis, a thoughtful youth born of a tragic union between elf and man. Tanis and Flint, each a misfit in his own way, find themselves unlikely friends. But a pompous elf lord is mysteriously slain, and another elf soon meets the same fate. Tanis stands accused, and if his innocence cannot be proven, the half-elf will be banished forever. Solving the mystery will be a perilous task. Time is on the murderer's side—and he is not finished yet.

Long before he stood among legends, Tanis Half-Elven was a reluctant outcast in the elven city of Qualinost—tolerated but never truly accepted. Born of a tragic union between a human man and an elven woman, Tanis lives in a delicate limbo: raised among the proud and reclusive Qualinesti elves, yet never fully one of them. Haunted by the circumstances of his birth and scorned by many around him, Tanis grapples with questions of identity, loyalty, and belonging.

When a young elven woman named Lauralanthalasa (Laurana) begins to show interest in him, the tension between Tanis and her older brother Gilthanas comes to a head. As their feud intensifies, Tanis finds himself accused of a crime he did not commit—a charge rooted in prejudice as much as fact. With no hope of justice, he chooses exile over humiliation, leaving behind the only home he’s ever known.

Cast out into the broader, unpredictable world of Krynn, Tanis wanders the forests and roads beyond elven borders. It’s here he encounters Tasslehoff Burrfoot, a curious and fearless kender whose insatiable fascination with “borrowing” shiny objects lands them both in trouble more than once. Though their personalities couldn’t be more different, the two form a bond that defies logic—a friendship built on trust, laughter, and mutual survival.

As Tanis and Tas travel together, they stumble into a plot involving bandits, corrupt officials, and a village threatened by ruthless mercenaries. Despite his desire to remain a passive outsider, Tanis is drawn into the conflict—and begins to find purpose in defending those who cannot defend themselves.

Throughout the journey, Tanis confronts not just external foes, but the inner struggle that has long defined him. Through Tasslehoff's unshakable optimism and a series of hard-won battles, Tanis begins to accept his dual heritage—not as a curse, but as a strength. By the end, he is no longer the uncertain half-elf boy of Qualinost, but a man beginning to forge his own path—a path that will one day lead him into the heart of a war, a fellowship, and a destiny far greater than he can yet imagine.