Elminster

"There are worlds beyond worlds - cold, hot, light, dark, watery and earthen.
They all share one basic need - a need for Heroes."
- Elminster the Sage

Overview

"Weary of the world around ye? Welcome to my world where magic rules and dragons fly.
Beauty meets the eye often here, and anyone can try to win a throne. Oh, aye, ye can do that in your world too - but it's all more fun here." - Elminster

Elminster the Sage was one of the most famous wizards native to Realmspace. He resided in the tiny farming community of Shadowdale on Toril, though he was often away, traveling throughout the continent of Faerûn (or across the planes) in his relentless pursuit of knowledge.

He was considered one of the most knowledgeable and well-informed individuals on Toril (an opinion he himself promulgated wherever he went). His areas of specialization included the continent of Faerûn and its peoples, various creatures and their ecologies, magical items and their histories, and the known planes of existence. He was also remarkably knowledgeable regarding spelljamming technology and was the leading authority on the subject on Toril. He also knew the location of most of the more important spelljamming ports and bases in Realmspace. However, unless he was approached by someone he considered a close friend, getting any information out of him was next to impossible.

Elminster resided in a small, unpretentious tower overlooking a fishpond in Shadowdale, along with his scribe and aide, Lhaeo. He also maintained a small hidden keep located high in the Thunder Peaks, as well as a hidden refuge known as Safehold located near the heart of the gas giant Coliar.

Personality

Elminster was impulsive and whimsical, and delighted in helping the needy and the lovelorn, and dispensing poetic justice to those who deserved it. He had a deep seated need to bring low the tyrannical, the pompous and the cruel. Elminster was a passable fighter and a thief, and was also a consummate actor, a superb dancer, and a natural storyteller who enjoyed dropping in on his friends without notice in order to tell tall tales or to offer advice. Though he seemed to prize his independence and solitude, he had been known on many occasions to welcome visitors into his tower who were in the midst of some harrowing quest.

Possessions

Elminster was a very old and very powerful wizard, and he had access to vast resources which allowed him to make or acquire any magical item he needed, given time. That being said, he typically wore an amulet of natural armor, a pair of bracers of defence, a mantle of spell resistance, a ring of protection and a ring of regeneration. He also carried a smoking pipe, a staff, and various ioun stones.

Activities

As the preeminent Chosen of Mystra, Elminster had spent his life confounding the ambitions of various nefarious groups, such as the Zhentarim and the Red Wizards of Thay, as well as any number of overly ambitious and morally suspect rival spellcasters. Over the years he had confronted rebel Chosen, helped found the Harpers, and raised several of the Seven Sisters. During the Time of Troubles - a cataclysmic period when the gods of Faerûn were forced to walk the land in mortal avatar forms - Elminster saved his homeworld by containing the power of Mystra within himself.

Elminster's influence often reached beyond the confines of Toril. When the mercenary Firebrand Flametongue decided to retire, he immediately flew to Elminster's tower in Shadowdale, where - after extensive negotiations involving a lot of discussion and the smoking of pipes - they came to an understanding. Elminster would seek out a place where Firebrand could live out his days in peace; in return, Firebrand vowed that he would no longer lay waste to the lands of Toril. The solution that Elminster eventually settled on was to teleport the dragon to the center of the air world Coliar, where the ex-mercenary established his new home on a large floating island. A few months later, Elminster built his own retreat on Coliar, from where he could keep an eye on his former enemy (and escape the constant interruptions from his friends and family).

As Elminster grew older, he rarely moved directly against his foes, preferring to recruit younger and more vigorous heroes to act in his stead. When the powerful pirate-mage Meredith became increasingly unstable to the point where she threatened the very balance of the cosmos, Elminster felt it necessary to intervene when she discarded her crew as so much trash. He was on hand to save the winged warrior Jasmine from the jaws of a bichir, and convinced her to aid him against her former captain.

Relationships

Mentors

It was believed that Elminster had learnt the art of magic from Arkhon the Old, who had died over 500 years ago in what is now Waterdeep.

Apprentices

Over the years, Elminster had mentored and trained a long succession of apprentices who had gone on to become superb spellcasters in their own right, including the Royal Magician of Cormyr, Vangerdahast, and many of the Seven Sisters.

Allies

Elminster counted some of the most important and powerful individuals and organizations on Toril among his allies, including the Lords of Waterdeep, the Simbul (ruler of Aglarond), the Harpers, and many other powerful spellcasters.

Appendix

External Links

• Elminster article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
• Elminster article at the Dungeons and Dragons Lore Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from every edition.
• Elminster (1991 Card Set) article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.

References