Elminster
Elminster Aumar | |
---|---|
Archmage | |
Alignment | Chaotic good |
Home | Athalantar, Shadowdale |
Elminster Aumar is a fictional character appearing in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He is also known as the Sage of Shadowdale, and is depicted as a powerful wizard featured in several novels by Forgotten Realms creator Ed Greenwood. Certain aspects of his appearance and demeanor seem to echo Gandalf, Merlin, or Odin.
Elminster was one of the first characters that Greenwood created for the Forgotten Realms. Information about him can be found in virtually all Forgotten Realms game products, but the novels in
Basics
Appearance
Elminster appears as a gray-bearded man of weathered visage, with a hawk-like nose and alert, dancing eyes. He speaks in a gruff tone and generally wears nondescript attire. He is almost always smoking a meerschaum pipe that spouts vile-smelling blue or green smoke.[1]
Personality
Elminster is normally a witty, clever, and very charming man. He can, however, be imperious, grave, and terrible. Furthermore, he is a natural storyteller and a consummate actor. He rarely reveals the full extent of his true nature to anyone who is not an extremely close friend. He can portray himself as a
Family
Readers learn that Elminster has several daughters at the end of Elminster's Daughter. Besides Narnra Shalace, two others are Laspeera of the War Wizards and the
Allies
Elminster's allies included the
Media
In Dragon Magazine articles written by Ed Greenwood, Elminster often appeared as a wise sage imparting knowledge to a fictional interviewer. He divulged lore on various Dungeons & Dragons monsters in "The ecology of ..." articles, such as "The ecology of the ochre jelly".[2] He was used as a source of information for Greenwood's "Pages from the Mages" articles in which various spells were described,[3] as well as various miscellaneous articles such as "Cloaked in magic".[4]
"The Wizards Three", a series of short fiction pieces in Dragon, featured Elminster holding meetings with wizards from other Dungeons & Dragons settings. The
Novels
The Making of a Mage
The first novel in
He soon realized that he had no taste for killing, and gave it up when he went to become a burglar in the city of Hastarl, the capital of Athalantar. He met and became friends with Farl, a local thief, who knew Elminster as Eladar "the Dark". They worked together frequently, eventually forming a gang dubbed the Velvet Hands in opposition to another local gang, the Moonclaws, who were servants of the magelords. Later, while eavesdropping on a possible thieving mark, Elminster met that era's Magister, the wizard who bore the mantle of
While in a temple, Elminster was visited by Mystra, the Goddess of All Magic. She spoke to and left the awestruck Elminster with the message that he should learn of magic and worship her. Soon thereafter, while he was still a young adult, Mystra transformed Elminster into a woman named Elmara to strengthen his bond with magic and to know what it is to be a woman. This change also allowed him to move within his enemies' circles without their knowledge that he was in fact the last surviving prince of Athalantar. For a few years, Elmara was a priestess of Mystra. Later, an avatar of Mystra (who went by the name Myrjala "Darkeyes") trained Elmara in the ways of a mage and brought her to an ancient Netherese arcanist who taught Elmara a spell that would transform her back into Elminster. In the time that followed, Elminster learned much about magic from Myrjala, reaching the point where he could finish taking his revenge against the evil magelords who had usurped the kingdom. After a terrific battle, Elminster persevered and assumed the throne of Athalantar.
However, after regaining his kingdom, he passed the monarchy to Helm Stoneblade, a knight of Athalantar, stating that he had wanted to avenge his family's death, not rule. As he and Myrjala left the kingdom, the so-called Mage Royal, Undarl, attacked them, and the sorceress revealed herself to be Mystra. She offered to make Elminster one of her Chosen, and he readily accepted.
Elminster in Myth Drannor
A sequel to Making of a Mage,
Elminster remains in Cormanthor for over two decades, and is present when the mythal is raised and the city is renamed
The Temptation of Elminster
The Temptation of Elminster[8] moves the timeline ahead several centuries. At the outset of the novel, Elminster emerges from a dusty tomb, after being trapped there in stasis for many years.
During much of this book, Elminster restricts his use of magic (on orders from Mystra) and he must again learn to survive by his wits and the skills he picked up earlier in his life. He later undergoes further magical training under the tutelage of a wicked sorceress who seeks to tempt him away from Mystra's path.
Following the events of the novel, Elminster served as a foster parent to three of Mystra's other Chosen:
The Time of Troubles
Elminster was instrumental in forming the Rangers Three, who aided him in recurring battles with the mysterious Shadowmasters during this time. Elminster also took time to defend
The Avatar Crisis
The forces of evil tried to rally in Elminster's absence, but the other Chosen, the Knights of Myth Drannor, and the Rangers Three held them at bay until he returned. With the present crisis averted, all seemed calm, but the Shadowmasters had other ideas. Elminster and the Rangers Three, along with their allies, managed to frustrate and foil the plans of this race of shapeshifters.
Elminster also confronted the overgod,
He recruited one of the Rangers Three, Sharantyr, and they equipped themselves from Elminster's cache of magical items. The two of them were later reunited with the other two members of the band, Itharr and Belkram, but even the Rangers Three could not prevent Elminster from being wounded in battle. Despite this setback, Elminster and the rangers, along with their allies, freed High Dale and defeated Manshoon of the Zhentarim. They also outlasted the Time of Troubles, and Elminster regained his magic.
Elminster in Hell
In the opening of Elminster in Hell, Elminster narrowly managed to close the portal at the expense of much of his magical strength. Once in Hell he was abducted and enslaved by an outcast Arch-Devil known as Nergal, who wished to discover the secret of Mystra's silver fire. In the most graphic scenes of
Elminster's Daughter
Narnra is a thief who was raised by a single mother in Waterdeep. She eventually finds her way to Marsember and becomes involved in the intrigues of the Cormyrean nation. She also meets an old man who turns out to be Elminster, and learns that he is her father.
Effects of the Spellplague
Following the events of the Spellplague caused by the destruction of his patron, Mystra, Elminster lost much of his power but remained unaging. He continued to live in Shadowdale, but he became bitter and withdrawn.[11]
Other media
Video games
Elminster is a featured character in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons "
In the Baldur's Gate role-playing video game series, Elminster made brief and sporadic appearances to check on the protagonist's progress and impart words of wisdom.
Elminster was added to Dungeons & Dragons Online in the Menace of the Underdark expansion.
In Neverwinter Online, Elminster ran the store for the "Protector's Jubilee" event. He also appeared as the primary quest giver in "Well of Dragons".
Comic books
Elminster is involved in the story arc "Dragonreach"[12] in the Forgotten Realms comics. He assists another wizard, Dwalimor Omen, in stopping an individual who was slaying dragons in the Realms.
Reception
In the Io9 series revisiting older Dungeons & Dragons novels, Rob Bricken describes Elminster as "the most powerful, important, and smartest wizard in the Forgotten Realms, and one of the setting's most important characters [...] more Merlin than Gandalf, which makes him less enigmatic and prone to tomfoolery than other major fantasy wizards, which I count as a good thing."[13]
References
- ISBN 0-7869-0412-7.
- ^ Greenwood, Ed (1985). "The ecology of the ochre jelly". Dragon. X (#104). Dragon publishing: 33–36.
- ^ Greenwood, Ed (1984). "Pages from the Mages III". Dragon (#92). Dragon publishing: 33–36.
- ^ Greenwood, Ed (1986). "Cloaked in magic". Dragon (#112). Dragon publishing: 33–36.
- ISBN 0-7869-0203-5.
- ^ Baker, Richard, Ed Bonny, and Travis Stout. Lost Empires of Faerûn. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005.
- ISBN 0-7869-1190-5.
- ISBN 0-7869-1427-0.
- ISBN 0-7869-2746-1.
- ISBN 0-7869-3199-X.
- ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
- ^ [Forgotten Realms #5 - 8 (1989), DC Comics]
- ^ Bricken, Rob (July 28, 2020). "Dungeons & Dragons & Novels: Revisiting Azure Bonds". io9. Archived from the original on 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
- Greenwood, Ed. The Code of the Harpers (TSR, 1993).
- Greenwood, Ed. Shadows of Doom (TSR, 1995).
- Cloak of Shadows(TSR, 1995).
- Greenwood, Ed. All Shadows Fled (TSR, 1995).
- Grubb, Jeff, Kate Novak, David E. Martin, Jim Lowder, Bruce Nesmith, Steve Perrin, Mike Pondsmith, and R. A. Salvatore. Hall of Heroes (TSR, 1989).