Elminster Aumar

Elminster Aumar, widely known as the Sage of Waterdeep, the Wizard of Waterdeep, or the Sage of Shadowdale, is a legendary wizard, renowned scholar, and chronicler of the Sword Coast. Recognized as perhaps the most powerful wizard in the land and a tireless force for good, he frequently travels the realm to handle various crises and problems. When not wandering, he resides in the great city of Waterdeep, the largest city of the Sword Coast. He is also secretly one of the key leaders of the Harpers.

The Dragon War and the Heroes of Old

Three centuries ago, a coalition of Chromatic Dragons launched a devastating campaign against the emerging northern cities of Luskan, Neverwinter, Waterdeep, and Baldur’s Gate. In response, the Lord’s Alliance was formed, bringing together Silverymoon, Waterdeep, Neverwinter, Baldur’s Gate, and other smaller settlements to push back the threat. While Luskan chose to submit and provide the dragons with tribute, the Alliance stood firm.

The coalition succeeded in large part due to a legendary band of heroes, which included Elminster himself. To defeat the wyrms, Elminster constructed five magical dragon masks—one of each chromatic color—which granted immense power and allowed the wearers to influence and control the minds of the corresponding dragons. To prevent these items from falling into the wrong hands, the party kept the specific locations of the individual masks secret from one another, ensuring no single person knew where they all lay.

Using these masks, the party successfully commanded the Black, Red, and Blue dragons to fly away and never return to the northern Sword Coast. The remaining dragons were driven across the corners of the world:

• Cryovain, the Everfrost was driven north to the Throat of the World, with his white dragon mask eventually buried in Hrothgar’s empty grave in a tomb by the shores of Lac Dinneshere near Kuldahar.
• Skaldreth, the Red Rage was driven to parts unknown.
• Barakis, the Sandstorm was driven to parts unknown.
• Nocturne, the Dread Prince was driven to parts unknown.

However, the masks proved useless against the cunning Green Dragon Virethas, the Jade Queen. She had to be dealt with directly, resulting in a fierce battle outside Neverwinter where she was slain. The victory cost the life of Lady Tanager Alagondar, whose chest was pierced by the dragon’s claw as she drove her sword through its heart.

During this campaign, Elminster fought alongside several remarkable figures of the era:

• Lady Tanager Alagondar of Neverwinter (deceased; buried in the Dragon Barrow with her sword, which served as a ward against Virethas’s resurrection)
• Hrothgar Hillsfar of Kuldahar (actually the long-lived Firbolg cleric/skald, who went missing and was believed deceased)
• Esfaloth Nightbreeze, the fey-touched elf holding a longbow (location unknown)
• Gorion of Candlekeep, a rotund Zhentarim member with a lute (deceased, later killed by Sarevok)
• Kiara Shadowbreaker, a Harper Mistress of the Hunt from Keoland who wore an eyepatch
• Uther Vendrock, the Silvered Star (a dwarf-form Platinum Dragon, deceased and buried on Stormwreck Isle)

In the central chamber of the Dragon Barrow, a beautiful ancient carving depicts these heroes. The second panel of this mural shows Elminster as a bearded man in a pointy wizard hat and robes, holding a staff, standing in a half-circle with his allies as they examine a tactical plan. A subsequent carving depicts the aftermath of their victory, with Elminster and Uther Vendrock standing outside a tomb constructed for Hrothgar alongside the frozen mountain lake of Lac Dinneshere.

Today, the modern Cult of the Dragon, led locally by the Green Wyrmspeaker Sidorna, seeks to undo this victory. Recently, at the Dragon Barrow, the cult used the recovered Green Dragon Mask and the soul of Elire Stork (the sister of Gilmore Stork, who is a descendant of Lady Alagondar) to partially bypass Lady Alagondar’s warding blade. They successfully resurrected Virethas, though she arose as a weakened adult dragon rather than her ancient self, escaping the barrow and taking flight.

Influence on Modern Adventurers

Beyond his ancient exploits, Elminster directly protected his former companion, the Firbolg cleric Hrothgar Hillsfar of Kuldahar. Hrothgar feared that vengeful chromatic dragons or their cultist followers would target his family and the secret Firbolg community of Kuldahar, which protected a sacred World Tree created by the goddess Diancastra.

To safeguard his people, Hrothgar begged his trusted friend Elminster to strip him of his identity and memories. Elminster complied, casting a powerful, customized version of Modify Memory and True Polymorph to transform Hrothgar into the human farmer “Farwald.” This profound magic caused Farwald severe physical exhaustion and mental strain whenever he attempted to recall historical facts regarding the ancient chromatic dragons. Recently, the mind-mage Griselda unlocked Farwald’s mind, revealing his true Firbolg form, and Sandra, a cleric at Helm’s Hold, cast Lesser Restoration to lift the remaining fog from his mind, allowing Hrothgar to fully reclaim his memories and paint his ancient greatsword back into reality.

Contributions to Regional Lore

Elminster’s extensive written works provide crucial insights into the ancient history of the Phandalin region. His historical volume, “The Rise and Fall of the Pact of Phandelver”, documents the historic tripartite agreement and its connections to legendary regional locations.

Chapters of the Pact of Phandelver

• Chapter III: The Gilded Thread of Unity: Documents how the alliance was born of vision rather than mere diplomacy. King Phandelver II led the first wave of human settlers into Neverwinter Wood and brokered the accord with Queen Kima of Axeholm (a dwarf sovereign known for stubborn pride and finely crafted warhammers) and the quiet, reclusive seer Archmage Larellion, steward of the Hand of Sehahine. Together with the Gnomes of the Vale, they created the legendary Forge of Spells, buried where the leylines braided themselves like the hair of a god.

  “It is no small matter when three ancient peoples, with lifespans measured in centuries and grudges measured in millennia, choose to bind themselves together in common cause. And yet, a thousand years past, such a miracle did occur.”

• Chapter VII: Of Stone, Leaf, and Flame: Describes the unique features of the three allied cities. Axeholm, a granite fist against the mountain with roaring hearths, crafted blades that cut spell and spirit alike. The Hand of Sehahine was less a fortress and more a temple to knowledge, with five spires aligned with the Seldarine’s aspects. Its Central Finger housed the Astrolabe, a divinatory wonder showing secret truths buried in time. Highthorn was a mortal dream of ivy-wreathed turrets where human pageantry joined elven scholars and dwarven lords.

  “Axeholm stood like a clenched fist against the mountainside, while the Hand of Sehahine gestured ever heavenward. Beside them ran the golden road of Highthorn, where human pageantry stitched the seams between stone and song.”

• Chapter XIV: Shattered Promises: Details how long peace bred longer shadows, culminating in the sundering of the alliance amid whispers of dwarven greed and elven aloofness. Axeholm was abandoned within a few short days. The Hand of Sehahine fell silent and vanished, Highthorn was sacked, and the Forge of Spells vanished.

  “It is in the nature of long peace to breed longer shadows.”

• Appendix B: The Line of Larellion: Explores the legacy of Archmage Larellion’s daughters: Vyldara (powerful but short-tempered) and Agatha (gentle, inquisitive, and desiring of knowledge). Agatha vanished shortly before the Hand fell silent, and her name lives on in tales of a ghostly elven banshee seen near the ruins of Highthorn (today known as Cragmaw Castle) waiting for her family to return.

(Note: While the works of the era often attribute the creations of the Spell Forge and its Smelter to Gond, local scholars and Elminster’s writings clarify that Gond was not a deity, but rather an exceptionally talented dwarven craftsman who served as the blacksmith of the Forge of Spells during the Age of Arcanum.)

Discovery of His Writings

A copy of Elminster’s historical volume was recovered from the subterranean laboratory of the wizard Glasstaff (leader of the Redbrands) beneath Tristan Manor in Phandalin. It was retrieved by the adventuring party known as The Magnificent Five, serving as an invaluable guide to unlocking the secrets of the region’s forgotten past, activating Gond’s Smelter, and locating Wave Echo Cave.