Steel Brightblade

Steel Brightblade is a fictional character from the Dragonlance universe.

Background

Sturm Brightblade and Kitiara uth Matar left Solace in 346 AC and traveled towards Solamnia. While Sturm's goal was to find clues about his missing father, Kitiara joined because she had heard that an army to the north was recruiting.

Their different personalities brought them endless problems. Kitiara seduced Sturm to probe his lack of faith, and when Sturm offered marriage as a way of atoning for his misbehaviour, she refused and left him.

While recovering from swamp fever at the house of Sara Dunstan, Kitiara learned she was with child and would be forced to stay there until she gave birth. When the baby was born, Kitiara (as a joke) named him Steel Brightblade, and left him with Sara.

Childhood

Little is known about Steel's childhood. When he was four, Sara decided to move to Palanthas to give Steel a better life. She was afraid he would be more like his mother, and so spent a great deal of time talking to him about the Knights of Solamnia and about Sturm Brightblade, without telling him who he really was.

Recruitment

When Steel was twelve, Sara was approached by Ariakan, son of Ariakas and the goddess Zeboim. He had heard of Steel and wanted to recruit him. Unable to refuse, Sara decided to travel with Steel, as one of Ariakan's maidens, hoping Steel would change his mind about becoming a Knight of Takhisis. At one point she kidnapped him along with Caramon Majere and Tanis Half-Elven to visit his father's tomb in the High Clerist's Tower. This was an important event in which Steel realized who his father was, and in which Sturm's spirit gifted his son with the Starjewel and his sword, Brightblade.

After being knighted, Steel became a dragon rider and was given a blue dragon named Flare as mount.

Early battles

When the Knights of Takhisis disembarked and slaughtered a small company of Knights of Solamnia, it was discovered that the only survivor was Palin Majere, Steel's cousin. As honour debt, Steel was given the task of delivering the bodies of Palin's two older brothers, Tanin and Sturm and collecting a ransom for Palin's freedom.

Steel led Palin to the Inn of the Last Home, where the bodies of his cousins were entombed, and then to the Tower of High Sorcery of Palanthas. By using their combined will force, the Starjewel and the Staff of Magius they managed to enter the Tower, where Palin was able to open the Portal and entered the Abyss. Steel went back to the Knights of Takhisis encampment, where he was court-martialed and found guilty of losing his hostage. He was however, given a stay of execution, allowing him to participate in the battle of the High Clerist's Tower.

With the battle finished, Steel was scheduled for execution. However, it was interrupted by the reappearance of Palin Majere, who came back in order to save his cousin's life and his own soul.

Lilith, Knight of the Thorn, who had always opposed Steel's knighthood, prepared a trap where Palin and Steel were seen as plotters against the Knighthood. At that same moment, though, Chaos opened a rift from nothingness into space and enters Krynn, looking to destroy it.

Chaos War

After a meeting between Ariakan and Takhisis herself, Steel and his Wing were assigned to stay as backup forces hidden in the High Clerist's Tower. Takhisis had planned to win the battle against Chaos and use Steel's forces to quickly conquer key cities of Ansalon while the forces of good recovered. However, Chaos was successful, and the Knights of Takhisis were defeated.

Steel had an encounter with the spirits of his parents and decided to follow the path of sacrifice that his father suggests. Joining a small force of Knights of Solamnia who had been kept as prisoners in the Tower and some silver dragons sent by Huma Dragonbane, they traveled through the rift in the ocean into the Abyss where he was joined by Palin.

The encounter against Chaos was bitter. Toward the end of the battle, Steel's dragon Flare was killed, and Steel was badly injured. He died shortly after the battle ended. His body rests in the Last Heroes' Tomb.

References

• Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (2002). The Second Generation. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-2694-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (2002). Dragons of Summer Flame. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-2708-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)