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T O P I C    R E V I E W
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 03 May 2012 : 07:19:19
The following are several Wizard of War NPCs I've created for use in my Realms games and for my own enjoyment.

The inspiration for many of them came from Volo's Guide to Cormyr, as well as other sources of Cormyr Realmslore.

I hope they are of some use to you, whether for your own games or as something interesting to read for a few moments here at the 'Keep.

NOTE: I constantly tinker with these write-ups. If something seems slightly different, it's likely because I changed it.

Thank you for reading and please feel free to leave comments or suggestions, and let me know if/how you use these NPCs.

**********
**********

WAR WIZARD NAMES LIST:

Baerdrin Ongalor

Ombrier Thurlkast

Tashlara Shimmerstar

Jathos Indemeir

Jorbril Rammastar

Forthin Andramar

Authkant "Old Codpiece" Melevor

Anduala Jhansibur

Mindala Jhansibur

Orthos of Greatgaunt

Orgreth Dinsimer

Faerthin Seshore

Eltagar Ironhand

Almarr Massingham

Bindil Blackfeather

Imdar the Stout

Haerldoun "Six Fingers" Hornscar

Mindra Theld, War Wizard Out Of Time

Interlude: Unknown War Wizard

Taltar Battlestorm

Tanthil Oakfist

Jassur Bralhost

Ulskan Hammantle

Alorae Ruldragon

Feldran "Doraunk" Durvorkar

Lhornara Blacktower

Imcharla "Windyrobes" Darphon

Savander Kiriag

Welvore Hammerfist

Ammandra Jhansibur

Dornal Thresk

Calador Arcandle

Worwand Gauntblade

Haspra Handmane

Haelrorn Fireweather

Allastra Redhorn

Dantar Blackbrook

Bramas Downjack

Shaltara of Dawngleam

Samdras of Athkatla or Samdras the Peacemaker

Imbre of Mistrim or Imbre of Westgate]


Mod Edit: Added some adhesive to the scroll.
30   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
Misereor Posted - 05 Feb 2016 : 12:01:04
quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer

Dantar Blackbrook

Dantar Blackbrook can recall with perfect accuracy the details of everything he has done, observed, heard or said since the day he turned four years old.

Many War Wizards possess impressive recall ability, but only a handful have the ability of absolute recall that Dantar is learning to wield with precision in the Royal Court where he is assigned as a quiet observer of sensitive activities.

Dantar's most recent assignment is to the Chamber of the Purple Dragon, where he observes and mentally records the ceremonies of investiture, royal proclamations, weddings, and funerals that occur there.

Dantar has witnessed King Foril quietly defuse factions of feuding nobles, the appointment of new Wizards of War, the creation of Highknights and other ceremonies.

The Mage Royal intends to test Dantar's loyalty, by having agents (read: trusted adventurers) offer him coin and valuables in exchange for information of what he has seen and heard.

As a young boy Dantar created an imaginary company of Purple Dragons. With each day that passed, he gave them names, histories, achievements in battle and personalities. The stories he overheard and the tales he read in chapbooks all served to inform his imaginings.

With age and time the unit of soldiers grew into an army, one supported by Wizards of War and courtiers--every individual imagined in full by Dantar.

When not busy with His War Wizard duties, Dantar gives his full attention to his imaginary world, reciting out loud conversations between Purple Dragons, imagining the thoughts and deeds of Lionars and nobles whose actions will have an effect on Dantar's Dragons and thinking up new recruits who will replace soldiers lost to old age and battle.

Dantar is perfectly sane, if a bit obsessed, and makes use of empty rooms and hallways in the Royal Court as much has his own personal accommodations when thinking out loud about the ever growing imaginary world he has created and maintains to this day--sometimes going so far as to conjure illusionary images and give them voices that carry through the halls as though they were flesh and blood people.



I like this guy.
I could see him trying to solve a crisis by submitting it for discussion by his imaginary cast, and succeeding. Of course as the years went by and he used the technique time and time again, it might start to have some side effects.

Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 27 Jul 2015 : 15:13:23
I have like five minutes of free time. Totally awesome!

Doing minor edits.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 14 Jul 2015 : 06:08:22
Bramas Downjack

A man of middle years. Possessed of a slender face, close-trimmed mustachios, a receding brow and hair that sways out over his ears like a pair of bird’s wings.

Bramas is circumspect in both his personal and professional life; he lives alone and has few friends. He obeys orders and readily faces danger, but he does not strike out on his own, follow hunches or deviate from orders (unless his orders become impossible to follow).

While other Wizards of War consider him paranoid, Bramas is not. Rather, he carefully weighs and measures the behavior of others, he observes the world around him, and then he estimates risk. He is more likely than other war wizards to spend time making preparations and to discuss tactics and review contingencies. Thus he annoys the younger mages and not a few of the elders.

When faced with the threat of imminent death, Bramas casts to kill in as swift a manner as possible. He prefers spells of the variety that slice and dismember. Bramas wears a torc of wound mithral around his neck that allows him to cast spells that produce sonic effects at will, without the need for somatic, verbal or material components.

The care and keeping of war wizards unfortunate enough to have had their minds scrambled or their sentience burned away has occupied much of Bramas’ time. Ever since the Weave returned to Faerûn, a handful of these mindless mages have stirred to life, only to collapse to the floor and resume drooling while staring ahead at nothing. The intelligence of a few lingered long enough for them to cast spells at random, while others gave forewarning of future events—all of which came true.

Bramas has the permission of the Mage Royal to experiment on the fallen wizards of war, to try and awaken them permanently. Failing that, to awaken their ability to foresee future events. He takes no unnecessary risks, and he prays to Mystra regularly for guidance.
Fellfire Posted - 24 Apr 2015 : 12:56:54
I tried that. All I'm getting is something called penandpapergames. Only a homepage, nothing more.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 23 Apr 2015 : 20:46:47
I would suggest searching for Loremaster.org on the Wayback machine and going back as far in time as it will let you. Ed started answering questions pretty early in that site's history, so if the info is there you should not have to look through too many iterations. Of course I tried all of this, but could not find anything. Still, it's worth another look.
Fellfire Posted - 23 Apr 2015 : 20:04:38
quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer

Give it a try. Couldn't hurt.



Do you have a ballpark for me to begin looking in? I admit my skills in using that site may not be up to the task.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 23 Apr 2015 : 20:02:51
Give it a try. Couldn't hurt.
Fellfire Posted - 23 Apr 2015 : 18:02:46
Are you saying, Jeremy, that it would be fruitless to search the Wayback Machine for the aforementioned article? Twould be difficult without knowing the approximate date of the entry.
Fellfire Posted - 23 Apr 2015 : 17:51:59
At least they show you some fancy graphics when they tell you that they've lost what you're looking for. Sorry, Jeremy.
Wooly Rupert Posted - 23 Apr 2015 : 17:35:20
quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer

The web folks at WotC could learn a thing or three from Candlekeep in this regard.



It is my opinion that their web folks could stand to learn a thing or three, period. With their consistent failure to update any links whenever they revamp the site, I honestly believe that not even they know what content is where.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 23 Apr 2015 : 15:13:59
I never archived the original replies from Ed to questions that were posed to him at the first iteration of Loremaster.org.

Same goes for all the lore collecting and posting I did on the revised Loremaser website.

Nowadays I try to copy everything to the internet wayback machine, and write material primarily at Candlekeep because it has proven to be the most reliable over the years. The web folks at WotC could learn a thing or three from Candlekeep in this regard.
Fellfire Posted - 23 Apr 2015 : 12:56:08
[1] Ed Greenwood talked about the Bel's Blade and other haunted ships that ply the waters of the Realms over at Loremaster.org, but sadly that post was lost. Thanks go to Matt James for hosting that Ed Q&A as I got some pretty good ideas from it.

Do you, Jeremy ( or anybody else) have a copy of this post from the Great Sage and can you get permission to reproduce it here?
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 20 Apr 2015 : 05:59:19
4/19/15: Completed Dantar's entry.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 19 Apr 2015 : 06:44:53
Dantar Blackbrook

Dantar Blackbrook can recall with perfect accuracy the details of everything he has done, observed, heard or said since the day he turned four years old.

Many War Wizards possess impressive recall ability, but only a handful have the ability of absolute recall that Dantar is learning to wield with precision in the Royal Court where he is assigned as a quiet observer of sensitive activities.

Dantar's most recent assignment is to the Chamber of the Purple Dragon, where he observes and mentally records the ceremonies of investiture, royal proclamations, weddings, and funerals that occur there.

Dantar has witnessed King Foril quietly defuse factions of feuding nobles, the appointment of new Wizards of War, the creation of Highknights and other ceremonies.

The Mage Royal intends to test Dantar's loyalty, by having agents (read: trusted adventurers) offer him coin and valuables in exchange for information of what he has seen and heard.

As a young boy Dantar created an imaginary company of Purple Dragons. With each day that passed, he gave them names, histories, achievements in battle and personalities. The stories he overheard and the tales he read in chapbooks all served to inform his imaginings.

With age and time the unit of soldiers grew into an army, one supported by Wizards of War and courtiers--every individual imagined in full by Dantar.

When not busy with His War Wizard duties, Dantar gives his full attention to his imaginary world, reciting out loud conversations between Purple Dragons, imagining the thoughts and deeds of Lionars and nobles whose actions will have an effect on Dantar's Dragons and thinking up new recruits who will replace soldiers lost to old age and battle.

Dantar is perfectly sane, if a bit obsessed, and makes use of empty rooms and hallways in the Royal Court as much has his own personal accommodations when thinking out loud about the ever growing imaginary world he has created and maintains to this day--sometimes going so far as to conjure illusionary images and give them voices that carry through the halls as though they were flesh and blood people.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 22 Dec 2014 : 02:07:07
December additions and edits:

12/18/2014: Added a quote for Alorae Ruldragon.
Moved a block of paragraph for Haelrorn Fireweather's writeup to the footnotes from the main body of the writeup.
Reworded a paragraph for Haspra Handmane.
12/21/2014: Added Allastra Redhorn.
12/22/2014: Minor edits to Allastra Redhorn. Added a footnote to
Ombrier Thurlkast's entry. Minor edits to Tashlara Shimmerstar's entry.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 19 Dec 2014 : 05:27:12
Allastra Redhorn

Allastra Redhorn is a tall, flame-haired Wizard of War of middle years and sharp memory. She carries herself with a commanding presence while on duty and speaks with the confident tone of someone who understands how things are supposed to work and has no patience for anyone wishing to violate the regular order. She is just as capable of melting into the background and remaining completely silent when in the presence of those who outrank her.

The daughter of two minor courtiers, Allastra grew up within spitting distance of the Royal Court, and spent her formative years serving in a variety of capacities in that sprawling edifice.

Allastra's parents made a game out of naming the endless number of rooms and passages in the Royal Court, and rewarded her with spending coin and small gifts when she correctly named several rooms in succession.

Her knowledge of the Royal Court served her well, as she found herself thrust into the role of errand runner, page, doorjack and gentlewoman usher. In time she became an all-purpose assistant to a variety of minor courtiers, such as the numerous underclerks, underscribes and undercooks that populate the Royal Quarter.

She gained a reputation for reliability thanks to her unwavering focus on the task at hand. Many of the courtiers she assisted found her to be intelligent and comfortable in her work, no matter the orders they gave to her.

Unless guided through them, she avoided the secret passages and hidden pathways between chambers that are ubiquitous in the Royal Court and Palace, keeping to the common ways whenever possible. This lent her an air of trustworthiness amongst Purple Dragon guards and palace watchers.

A chance encounter with an eccentric Crown mage[1] awakened Allastra to the fact that she possessed a budding skill at Art: in a dimly lit hallway the mage was tinkering with a set of Wards long forgotten by the living mages that frequent the Royal Court. The mage noticed Allastra shielding her eyes as she hurried past him, and called out to her, “My dear! My dear! Fear not, I have things under control. Hear, allow me to bring down the glare.”

What followed was a long conversation punctuated with humor and stories that disguised the mage’s questions. The mage warned Allastra about the dangers of the many wards to be found in the Royal Court and Palace and gave her clues to where useful magic was hidden that could be used if she were in danger. He determined she was unaware of her talent, and managed to teach her a pair of cantrips that he promised would serve her well before bidding her farewell, and a minor word of magic.[2]

In the decades that followed she became a Wizard of War, earned the trust of the Mage Royal and numerous courtiers, and spent many, many days and nights quietly studying the wards active in the Court and Palace, and searching for signs of the eccentric Crown mage that set her on the path of magic.


[1] The Crown mage’s name was Orthos of Greatgaunt.

[2] A spell to hide small objects or pieces of paper for a few breaths; a spell to silence one's footsteps for the length of a palace room or as long as a breath can be held (whichever ends first; regardless, one must be walking when this spell is enacted and it ends when one stops walking, even if the breath is still held and more paces are required to reach the end of the room); a word of power that allows the speaker to borrow a sliver of magic from a ward without shattering it, that can be used to power a cantrip or to provide the energy to activate a minor magical power stored in a magic item held by the caster (note: this word of power also allows the speaker to give a sliver of magic to a ward in order to strengthen it temporarily, or return it to normal if borrowed from previously; the magical energy may come from a spell memorized by the caster or from an item in the caster's possession).
The Arcanamach Posted - 16 Dec 2014 : 19:07:16
I save all your stuffs because, well, it's good stuffs.

I don't worry about updating minor tweaks. Just concerned for those cases when you add 'meat' to an entry. Cheers.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 16 Dec 2014 : 18:18:45
quote:
Originally posted by The Arcanamach

Which ones did you 'expand' upon? I keep your work in word documents and would like to know which ones need information added.

Oh man, I must be driving you nuts.

I can tell you I didn't make any major changes; just edits in the form of fixing punctuation and the flow of wording.

From here on out I'll try to note which entries I tinkered with.

BTW, that you're saving this stuff gave me warm fuzzies.
The Arcanamach Posted - 16 Dec 2014 : 18:06:49
Which ones did you 'expand' upon? I keep your work in word documents and would like to know which ones need information added.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 06 Nov 2014 : 08:49:58
11/4/2014: Reading, editing and expanding on some of the entries. The moonshadow portion of the entry for Haelrorn (just above this post) really ought to be a post all its own in the Unique Sites & Sights scroll.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 31 Oct 2014 : 07:42:32
Haelrorn Fireweather
(Wizard 8)

“Solid. Dependable. Trustworthy. Hard to kill.

Afflicted with a subtle madness--something he desperately tries to hide.”


--From a dossier of active war wizards commissioned in 1479 DR.


By night in Suzail, in that part of the Royal Gardens that stands between the proud eminence of the Royal Palace and the sprawling half moon expanse of the Royal Court, a Wizard of War can be found wandering among the the trees, gardens and fountains.

His wanderings increase in frequency as the moon waxes gibbous. On the night of the full moon inexorably he finds his way to a silverfin pond that catches the reflection of an overhead torchwalk connecting the palace and court.[1] The Crown mage waits, watching the water for a sign. When the white form of Selûne is eclipsed by the bridge, darkness falls over the pond. A few breaths later the reflection of a tall tree appears.

The wizard turns towards the tree that was not there, which stands on the edge of the pond, and bows. By way of reply the white bark of the tree splits down the center and opens, revealing a thick tome resting on heartwood.

The war wizard reads his fill of the tome, then steps back and bows. The tree closes and the moon makes its way past the bridge overhead.[2]

The mage never remembers the tree or the tome filled with old magic that he learns from by moonshadow. The spells in his mind are too loud and too many to allow him room for memory.

*********************

By day Haelrorn Fireweather can be found in any number of places in Suzail, doing any number of things: backing up patrols of Purple Dragons; cornering and capturing outlander mages too eager to cast spells; at the gates of the city, assessing the danger of caged beasts purchased by rich nobles who await their delivery; visiting a merchant's office, there to question the activities the hiremages in the merchant's employ; casting warding and defensive magics on a room in the Royal Court; watching over members of the royal family as they meander through the Royal Gardens; etc.

Haelrorn's eagerness and experience often result in assignments where he leads other mages. He can usually be found in the company of a pair of lesser mages, plus a handful of Purple Dragons depending on the nature (and danger) of the task assigned.

He's earned the respect of war wizards and Purple Dragons alike, and has a reputation for staying relentlessly busy at all times while on duty. Haelrorn dreads assignments requiring him to wait and watch, and fills his idle time by volunteering, by keeping others busy, and finding work to do.

Haelrorn is easily distracted by mirrors and reflections, and save for the lack of mirrors in his home he keeps the sort of opulent, cluttered living space one might expect to find in the decadent residence of a Calishite pasha. Tapestries cover the hard stone walls and what furniture he keeps is made of stone covered in plush cloth and pillows.

If he ever owned a spellbook, nobody has seen it.[3]

These living conditions and his work habits are the result of a compulsion to scribble, draw and write on any surface capable of being marked, cut or stained. He can lose hours at a time doing this, and the glyphs, symbols, arcana and alphabets he writes are indecipherable to him. But he's learned that to other mages such writings are like honey to a bee; they grab the attention of anyone magically capable, and those who decipher his writings often unleash magic that slays them or harms others.

In the past his markings have led to the release of hidden magic, the tearing of holes in wards, the dispelling of magical disguises, the bending and reshaping of spells in unexpected (and often dangerous) ways, and (rarely) the binding and capture of spirits, extraplanar entities and incorporeal undead lurking in the area.

Haelrorn's condition is not unknown to the senior members of the brotherhood of the Wizards of War, who value his abilities as a capable--if disadvantaged--sorcerer[4], and encourage him to take every opportunity to walk the Royal Gardens and find some peace.


[1] The palace side of the torchwalk (read: bridge) opens into the Hall of the Warrior King.

[2] Though the wizard may have spent hours reading, to anyone looking down from the bridge or from somewhere in the gardens, the wizard would appear to have disappeared into shadow for only the time it takes the moon to pass over the bridge and reilluminate the pond below. Anyone observing the mage with magic whose reach is limited to the Prime Material Plane would lose track of him for that same amount of time.

Known to a handful of elves and to sages of the arcane, trees that only become visible in long shadows caused by the full light of the moon--such as the one described here--are called moonshadows. They exist throughout Cormyr and are the result of the Lord of the Scepter's initial efforts to fortify the Wolf Woods (that would later come to be called Cormyr after men took control of the land from Iliphar and his elven kin) with powerful magic and to create safe havens for elves in times of need. Whether Moonshadows exist in their own pocket dimensions or live on the border between the Feywild and the Plane of Shadow is a mater of debate. What is known is that time spent near such trees passes separately from the wider world; one can find a tree, spend days in it or within reach of it, then step away and find that almost no time has passed in the world at large. Moonshadows are often enspelled so that additional conditions must be met before they can be seen (such as becoming visible only to someone who looks into a pond and then bows to the tree). The reality bending nature of these trees and the powerful magic they hold, coupled with the fall of magic in the Time of Troubles and the Spellplague, have made some of them into terrible traps capable of twisting the minds of anyone who interacts with them. Deleterious effects such as Haelrorn's scribbling of arcana are the minimum effect on the mind of someone who survives a first encounter (his mental dependency on the spellbook in the particular moonshadow he long ago discovered is another matter). A grove of moonshadows exists in the woods near the ruins of Tethgard.

[3] In point of fact there are no writing instruments, books, blank parchment or paper of any kind in his domicile.

[4] Haelrorn's condition predates his entry into the War Wizards, and has led to the belief that his powers are innate and not the result of arcane study, when in fact the exact opposite is true. In (3.5) game terms, he's an 8th level wizard, not a sorcerer, and he is not required to memorize spells on a daily basis. He must rest for a full eight hours as normal. Each day he selects his daily spells as though reading from a (nigh-limitless) spellbook, and he must revisit the particular moonshadow tree he learns from every month or he risks permanent insanity.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 28 Aug 2014 : 08:55:05
Haspra Handmane
(Wizard 6)

A smiling mage sporting long, curly brown hair that’s held fast at the nape of her neck and curls around one side and falls to her breast, Haspra is known for her ready wit, a sense of humor and unflinching bravery.

Haspra does not affect the lording-over-all demeanor of her fellow war wizards. Instead she is friendly and exudes a natural enthusiasm around others. Vicious cutthroats, rude nobles and arrogant freemages have all tried to quash her exuberance, and failed.

Even for a war wizard Haspra is constantly busy, and not just with her duties. Her nose is forever in a book, chapbook or broadsheet, with one hand kept free to take notes as she reads. Otherwise she hunts the market stalls of Arabel for broadsheets and the latest small edibles to be had from all over the Realms. One hand is always curled around something delicious whenever she’s on foot.

Her robes are stocked with edibles, spare ink, quill and parchment to write with, an assortment of wands and spell components, a ring of invisibility, and a handful of golden lions.

Haspra devours Arabellan broadsheets and will purchase weeks and months old broadsheets from Suzail and Marsember whenever her favorite traveling merchants arrive with a fresh supply. She reads chapbooks and wayfarer's guides, adventurer's tales and anything else about Cormyr she can get her hands on.

Haspra has begun writing broadhseets of her own. She can manage only a few copies and publishes on an irregular schedule. She writes under a different pseudonym with each new attempt and never bestows the same title . Topics range from things magical, to mockery of the nobility, to news and rumors of the goings on in Cormyr, to good-natured humor and well-traveled jokes.

The Handmanes are not numerous or well known, but do have a long history of serving Cormyr. Haspra’s brother Rorlyn[1] and several cousins serve in the Purple Dragons, and her two older sisters are courtiers—one a tax scribe at the Royal Court and the other an underclerk of protocol serving the king’s lord of Arabel.


[1] See "Bury Elminster Deep", page 207
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 25 Aug 2014 : 07:08:00
Worwand Gauntblade
(Wizard 4)

“A skilled but careful wizard that speaks little, prefers to travel in the company of other mages, does not volunteer when given the opportunity, and demonstrates a capacity for doing his best work when part of a team.”

--From a dossier of active war wizards commissioned in 1479 DR in the wake of the many dooms visited upon the Wizards of War throughout Cormyr after the Council of the Dragon, and classified as a Dark Document by the Mage Royal upon his review and acceptance of same.


Worwand Gauntblade is a not quite novice war wizard that’s found himself thrust into difficult situations with ever increasing frequency thanks to the recent deaths of several veteran war wizards.

Worwand, and the other surviving War Wizards, have been left with responsibilities that not all of them are ready for.

Recognizing this, the Mage Royal (Ganrahast) has elected to pair up his remaining mages until more can be trained[1]. Though teaming up is by no means a new strategy for the war wizards, the emphasis on guarding each other’s back and surviving at all costs to avoid further depletion of the ranks is.

As a result Worwand has become, if not exactly paranoid, hyper vigilant to threats arcane as well as mundane. He’s ready to draw a wand at the slightest hint of danger and prefers to work in teams of at least three war wizards, no matter the assignment.

Worwand is not arrogant, nor is he one to flaunt his authority. Though he will readily left fly with spells if he thinks he’s in danger, he defers to others in authority—even if he’s not technically under their command—and works to complete his assigned tasks without having to resort to violence.


Worwand has spent the last several months paired with the capable Orgreth Dinsimer, and was alarmed to learn Orgreth was reassigned to Azoun’s Hold.

Upon the notification that his new partner would be the unpredictable Feldran Durvorkar, Worwand calmly concluded he would be dead within a season.

Ganrahast hopes that Worwand’s predicament will force him to grow into his position as a regular amongst the Wizards of War, and just maybe become the first War Wizard to successfully complete a mission with Feldran and not immediately beg for reassignment thereafter.

The two War Wizards have been assigned to Spellcatch Ruin.


[1] The teams that the Mage Royal assembles do not have a regular leader unless Ganrahast assigns one. Even then such leadership decisions are at best temporary and are made on the spot based on the Mage Royal’s assessment of the needs of the mission and the abilities of the mages available to him.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 17 Aug 2014 : 07:54:10
Calador Arcandle

Broad at the shoulders and standing as tall as a Swordcaptain, Calador Arcandle is both a War Wizard and a Scepter of Justice serving at the pleasure of King Foril. He is Dragonfang Lord Investigator for The Sward, the Starwater and the Northern Coast.

In his role as Scepter of Justice, Calador strikes an imposing figure. He cares little for the nonsense feuds of nobles, rich merchants or mages and priests of power. He cannot be bought or bribed, is unswervingly loyal to the Crown, is careful in his investigations and never rushes to judgment. But once decided he dispenses justice with the swift, confidant manner of a priest of Tyr.

Calador grew up on one of several farms that lay between Kallamarn and Nesmyth, and just south of the Way of the Manticore. The endless toil of farm work, punctuated by brief visits to Nesmyth, were Calador’s happy life as a youth and a young man until the mage Harhansen discovered untapped magical talent in the Kallamarnan farmer.[1]

Harhansen determined that Calador was too old to take on as an apprentice and mold into a useful mage under his careful instruction (and control), but he offered to instruct Calador in the basics of magic for however many days he could spare each month, provided Calador gave a complete accounting of the news and rumors out of Kallamarn, as well as unrestricted access to any information about the ongoing feud between members of the Arcandle family.

The Arcandle family history stretches as far back as the year 369 DR when Andilber “the Unfortunate” briefly reigned, and the King’s brother Feredagh bequeathed a gem-filled golden bottle to the Gladehap-based family upon his death.[2]

The Arcandles have steadily, albeit quietly, grown in wealth and influence, as well as numbers. Though it has “avoided the gilded target”[3] for over a millennia, the ancestral lands in and around Gladehap were not sufficient to contain the ever growing family, just as family tradition could not restrain its more exuberant members.

Many farm-based Arcandles chafed under the rule of their relatives based in Gladehap. This resentment, coupled with a long-simmering debate over the use of the family wealth, exploded into a feud that could not be resolved. A disaffected group of Arcandle families decamped their Gladehap-based farms and settled in nearby Nesmyth and Marsember, vowing to increase the family’s influence and position in Cormyr.

While the Marsember-based Arcandles are now little more than a shadow of their former greatness (The once eighty strong family now numbering nine surviving members and residing in a rotting mansion on the outskirts of Marsember), the Nesmyth-based Arcandles have flourished.

It is these relatives to whom Caladorn can trace his ancestry. The Arcandles of Nesmyth are heavily involved in trade and upon their arrival were instrumental in resolving the ongoing disputes between Nesmyth’s villagers over the management of its canals, fisheries and farms.[4]

Though Caladorn never held any animosity towards his distant relations “across the Way”, he didn’t reach out to them because that’s what the family has always done: no member of the family ever travels north to Gladehap, as the Way of the Manticore is sort of dividing line keeping the two feuding halves of the Arcandle family apart. But after striking his deal with Harhansen, Caladorn started paying attention to gossip and news of his distant relations, and passed on all that he learned.

For his part Harhansen’s tutelage was strict, efficient and effective. Caladorn grew in skill at Art, surpassing in his accomplishments the lesser magelings he took his infrequent lessons with, as well as Harhansen’s own expectations.

What precisely it was that drove Caladorn away from his farmland home is a mystery. It’s known that he severed his relationship with Harhansen[5] and then traveled to Suzail where he joined the ranks of the Wizards of War. In the thirty years since, Caladorn has grown in both arcane power and influence, having risen to his current court position.

No doubt Caladorn's area of responsibility will see him return to Nesmyth, and thus a reunion with Harhensen, whose own power and influence has grown as well--some say that Harhansen has quietly conquered the minds of the Nesmyth-based Arcandles, and plans to bring the entire family under his control.


[1] Harhansen survived both the Time of Troubles and the Spellplague. How is a mystery to anyone wise enough to ask. In his nearly two centuries of existence, he's perfected a variety of magical liquids derived from the water of Nesmyth’s canals that react when placed in glass jars of various types, including one that glows brightly in the hands of magic-potent individuals. See Volo’s Guide to Cormyr for more info on Harhansen and Nesmyth. Page 79.

[2] For more info on the Arcandles, see Volo’s Guide to Cormyr, page 91. Regarding King Andilber: his reign was indeed brief, lasting only two years. He took the throne when his cousin Jarissra abdicated after a nine-year reign. See the Grand History of the Realms, page 77.

[3] That is, to avoid acquiring a noble title, and with it all of the responsibilities and difficulties that are a part of that station. For information on the true masters of this skill, see the Eye On the Realms article “The House of Naerhand: Family Games of Power”, in Dungeon #177.

[4] Some would say “deviously plotted”, but few remember whether it was wise council or swords by night that settled the disagreements that plagued Nesmyth.

[5] The relationship between the two mages is spoken of openly amongst the Arcandles living south of the Way. Their consensus belief is that an intense, intimate relationship grew between the two and Harhansen abandoned his students in favor of teaching exclusively to Calador all that he knew. But time left the two men on opposite sides of a disagreement over the best way forward, and like the Arcandle family before them they could no longer bear to remain close.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 06 Jul 2014 : 09:36:53
Dornal Thresk

Dornal Thresk is average in many ways: looks, height, skill at art, accomplishments both mundane and magical, simple dress and behavior.

His unremarkable ways have earned him the scrutiny of at least one paranoid Alarphon, who believes it's all an act on Dornal's part while he secretly plots treason against the Crown, whereas those in charge of the war wizards see Dornal's knack for not being noticed as a gift to be exploited.

Thus can Dornal be found anywhere in Cormyr, where he acts the part of nobody in particular (oft dressed in commoner's or day laborer's clothes) while spying via simple magic, or acting as a guard for important courtiers on Crown business (themselves dressed down as well) that do not wish to be noticed.

In combat Dornal is practical and by the book: his spell selection is utilitarian and not showy, he doesn't panic but isn't afraid to flee if he can see himself (and anyone he's charged with protecting) to safety. He doesn't level grandiose threats or otherwise make a show before doing what needs to be done.

Dornal scouts the area he will be operating in, makes plans and sets contingencies that are meant to help him survive danger and succeed at his mission. He is never more afraid than when he has to improvise.

Dornal is well-traveled and has an ear for picking up useful information about all the places he's visited.

DMs may find Dornal useful when they require the presence of war wizard spies but do not wish to announce their presence by their dress or behavior.

Likewise if the DM wants the war wizards to manipulate the PCs by having Dornal relay information to them, perhaps after he befriends the players while in disguise or after he becomes a contact of theirs while they're resting in between adventures in Cormyr.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 07 Mar 2014 : 08:07:45
George, that's real nice of you to say.

Thank you for taking the time to have a look at the entries in this scroll.
George Krashos Posted - 24 Feb 2014 : 00:22:04
I love Ammandra Jhansibur. This entry had a real Ed-like quality to it. Very nice indeed.

-- George Krashos
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 28 Jan 2014 : 09:35:05
Ammandra Jhansibur

The middle of five spell-gifted sisters, Ammandra is believed to be dead and gone by her family. A burial plot was set aside for her at the family holdings in Thunderstone, but no remains were ever delivered by the Crown.

The truth of her fate is a secret of the realm kept by a handful of loyal Cormyreans, each working day and night to preserve Ammandra's body, if not exactly her mind, in the depths below the Royal Palace of the Purple Dragon.

If wishes and prayers could render a body dead, Ammandra’s keepers would have failed in their appointed task years ago, and the arcanists of Shade would have been freed of the Dreamdoom that is Ammandra, for her consciousness wanders in and out of the dreams of Shade’s wizards. She rides their dreams and is exposed to their fears, their hopes and their nightmares as she plies their minds for secrets.

Sometimes she falls prey to the nightmare-spawned monstrosities let loose by the mind she occupies, but her consciousness always repairs itself. No spell or psionic power has yet been able to completely banish her, capture her or keep her out for long; only the will of the dreamer has any chance to stop her.

She has no control over which mind she occupies, but she has learned to control the dreams of the young and weak minded. The intensity of a dream draws her inexorably to the mind that created it—in some cases pulling her mid-dream from one mind into another.

Before her fall Ammandra led a cadre of spell and item crafters. These war wizards improved the process by which magic items were made, striving to create a standard process that could be taught to other mages. They also worked to recreate the very best one-off magic items crafted by prior generations of war wizards.

Among these were the team rings[1], which allowed the minds of several ring-wearing war wizards to be linked, such that they could communicate with each other, monitor the health of each wizard in the team, and (rarely) share spells.

One of the first sets of new rings were being tested by Ammandra’s team when a Netherese arcanist attempted to overtake Ammandra’s mind via the ring she wore, and through it grasp and control the minds of the war wizards under her command.

Ammandra commanded her war wizards to remove their rings even as she drove the arcanist from her mind. But the arcanist’s spell—anchored by Ammandra’s team ring—overtook her consciousness and she was pulled into the mind of her foe. There a battle raged for control of the arcanist’s body. Again Ammandra drove off her foe, but not before the arcanist drew a dagger across her own throat.[2]

Desperate to free herself, Ammandra attempted to rest control of the fleeting magic left in the team rings. She succeeded in freeing her consciousness, but as the arcanist’s body expired she was drawn through the veil between worlds. Soon she found herself in one nightmare landscape after another, believing herself dead and forsaken until the night her team members—now her keepers—materialized around her and helped her fight off the dream horrors conjured by the mind she occupied.

In time her condition was understood and a plan of action undertaken to learn the secrets of Shade. Despite the efforts of her keepers, Ammandra has been unable to return to her body—her team ring still on her finger—and she will never be able to until the consciousness of the arcanist that fled its native body and arrived in Ammandra’s chooses to relinquish it.

For now the arcanist waits patiently, slowly gaining control of Ammandra’s body one muscle and nerve at a time, as she observes Ammandra’s keepers and awaits the right moment to strike.


[1] Team rings are mentioned partway through the novel “Elminster Enraged.”

[2] The arcanist was found by her husband, and to this day he preserves her body as best he can via a rudimentary stasis spell that he must renew every tenday. He has not disturbed her body; she still wears the same clothes and items, including a ring he’d never seen before the day he found her body (a ring stolen from one of Ammandra’s students).

Unbeknownst to the devoted shadovar, his actions are mirrored by Ammandra’s keepers, each of whom has a ring that they must never lose, but can never wear unless commanded to do so by Ganrahast.
Wooly Rupert Posted - 01 Dec 2013 : 14:24:44
quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer

Apologies Wooly.

I try to only do edits to prior posts at the same time I plan to post a new character, but recently I found some grammar and spelling errors that just had to be fixed.

If I do this in the future, I'll post a note.



No worries. I just saw the thread pop back up, and I was looking forward to reading about another character.
Jeremy Grenemyer Posted - 01 Dec 2013 : 08:09:55
Apologies Wooly.

I try to only do edits to prior posts at the same time I plan to post a new character, but recently I found some grammar and spelling errors that just had to be fixed.

If I do this in the future, I'll post a note.

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