Luin Alamanther

Luin Alamanther was a mage researcher and a spell-crafter of Aglarond, a beloved pupil and consort of the Simbul in the 14 century DR.

"Its called Alamanther's return. It allows the caster to duplicate the effects of any spell he's just seen cast without knowing the spell."

- Elminster, sharing the spell with Mordenkainen of Oerth and Dalamar of Krynn while on Earth.

Description
As an adult, Alamanther was a tall and thin Chondathan human with blue eyes, black hair, and a black beard.

Personality
He was a shy, stammering, and silent-footed man. He was somewhat of a slob when working on research, most times staying in the tower dressed only in comfy robes and slippers.

History
Luin Alamanther was born in the town of Corth, in Aglarond, circa the. He quickly proved to have a natural talent in the Art and gained apprenticeship under Ustragus of Telflamm, an enterprising mage who began training him to be a researcher and a spell-crafter. As an apprentice, Alamanther moved to Ustragus' tower in the city of Altumbel, hidden from the prying eyes with many dweomers. The young wizard spent the entirety of his days working on his creative magic research, documenting every single detail of his work, modifying and casting more advanced spells each time. The time he spent under Ustragus was productive. Luin fully devoted himself to his master, fully trusting him with numerous spell modifications of Alamanther's creation. Mage Ustragus gently guided his apprentices' attention to certain more desirable spells that he could later take credit for and profit from with no objections from young Alamanther.

Subsequently, Luin Alamanther was discovered by the Simbul after she investigated magics used by certain people of Aglarond who wanted her overthrown. She followed Ustragus' trail back to his Altumbel's tower in the, where the Simbul discovered "the Shy Mage in the Tower." The Simbul transformed into a common grayfeather bird and took on the fictional identity of "Maerauna Steelsharn of Cormyr." She claimed to had been ensorcelled to stay in the shape of a bird by an evil mage from the far-away Westgate. "Maerauna" begged Alamanther to keep her secret away from his master and befriended the man. She used that relationship to spy on Ustragus' plans and schemes and, with time, grew close with the young wizard.

The Simbul's spying became unnecessary when Ustragus was killed by the Red Wizard Vhalaun Trarr in the city of Telflamm in the. Left directionless, Alamanther focused his efforts on removing the magical affliction from "Maerauna." Through that, the Simbul steered Alamanther's spell-research in ways that his master never could. This resulted in Luin successfully "freeing" "Maerauna" from the grayfeather form. The Simbul made up a story that not only was she physically transformed, but also mentally, trapped in a false persona; in reality, she was the Witch-Queen of Aglarond.

Alamanther was crushed by the realization that the woman he came to love never existed, and he was in awe of the Simbul, yet fearful of being destroyed by her fearsome power. In reality, the Simbul came to love "the Shy Mage in the Tower" too and took Alamanther in as her apprentice and consort. The Witch Queen wanted to forge trust and loyalty between them before the young wizard was lost to her, both romantically and professionally. While remaining the Simbul's consort, Luin stayed shy, gentle, and locked away in his tower instead of making public appearances and partaking in court intrigues. His beloved Queen visited the mage almost every day, offering him lessons in the Art. The Simbul's tutoring swiftly elevated Luin Alamanther's magical prowess to that of an archmage without having much "field experience" with spellcasting.

In the, the Simbul's nemeses targeted the shy mage and stormed his tower when the Witch Queen was away. Luin Alamanther was killed in a spell-battle, his body evaporated by Thayan trap-spells, along with most of his tower. His death drew Simbul mad with grief. The Witch Queen sought magical ways to return Alamanther to life. To add to the pain of loss, Mystra, the Mother of Magic, forbade the Simbul to tap into the Weave and use grand magics to bring her lover back. She also failed to find any information on who committed the deed and furiously promised to herself to annihilate every single Red Wizard that came her way. The Simbul went into a murderous frenzy ending Red Wizards' lives, sending tremors and waves of fear across Thay, the one-woman crusade that Mystra allowed.

In years that followed, the Simbul's rage somewhat subsided with a new generation of Red Wizards being too young to had done the deed and with Elminster's comforting. Little was left of Luin Alamanther. Some of his research notes were preserved, and as of the late 14 century DR, the Simbul kept several of Alamanther's robes in her closet, protected from pests and decay via magic. The spell of Alamanther's return was the only widely-known magic left behind by "the Shy Mage in the Tower."