Sammaster

"Back to your graves..."

- Sammaster to an army of undead.

Sammaster was an immensely powerful human mage and a former Chosen of Mystra. Sammaster was known for founding the Cult of the Dragon and discovering the process which turns a dragon into a dracolich. After being killed in a great battle, he returned several hundred years later as a lich, but has since been destroyed once more.

Appearance
Sammaster was a tall handsome man with dark brown hair. His hair was usually long and straight. Mnethos recorded him, around 817 DR, as tall and thin to the point of being gaunt, with a nervous, excitable disposition, and a pale complexion. He had large, "somber" brown eyes.

Personality
Mnethos noted, around 817 DR, that Sammaster had a nervous, excitable disposition, with acute senses that often led to his agitation. He had an "uneasy stomach" and was ill often, from coughing, sneezing, and difficulty breathing, for which he received herbal treatments.

He described Sammaster as a quicky study, having a fierce intellect, and Sammaster would often miss meals or sleep in order to fulfil his driving ambition to learn and master the art of magic.

Birth and early life
Sammaster was born in 800 DR, and not much has been discovered about his early life. He might have been born in Sembia, the Dalelands, or the North. It is believed that his parents were killed, circumstances unknown, when Sammaster was still very young. His father is said to have been a nobleman, a necromancer, or a pirate. His mother is said to have been a fiend from another plane, an escaped slave, a wood nymph, a priestess from Mulhorand, or an incarnation of Sharess.

It is believed that after his parents' deaths, Sammaster was raised by relatives or friends, but that his life was not pleasant, contributing to his behaviours later in life.

Apprenticeship
At age 17, Sammaster was taken on as an apprentice by a travelling mage named Mnethos. During this period, Mnethos visited Baldur's Gate, Berdusk, Iriaebor, Marsember, Nimoar's Hold, Saerloon, Scornubel, Silverymoon and Yartar. Not long into his training, Sammaster was introduced to the goddess Mystra, whom he soon began worshipping.

After just 8 years under the guidance of Mnethos, Sammaster had learnt all he could and began a path of his own.

Journeyman
Sammaster travelled a lot during this period following his apprenticeship, and his own eccentricities led to chaotic behaviour. He is believed to have had many relationships and possibly borne children, but there is no record of who these individuals are.

Prior to the age of 40 (prior to 840 DR), Sammaster had discovered, rediscovered, or improved a number of spells, including lower resistance and squaring the circle, and had advanced knowledge of metamagic. He began to refer to Mystra as the "Mother of All Magic".

Chosen of Mystra
Not long after, he began travelling Faerûn in search of knowledge and wisdom. During this time he made numerous advancements in metamagic through detailed research.

In 851 DR the goddess Mystra appeared to Sammaster and offered to make him one of her Chosen. This was most likely in anticipation of the death of a current Chosen. Sammaster began meeting regularly with Elminster, in order to understand his new powers. Although both archmages worked together and Sammaster learnt from Elminster, the two did not get along well, as their personalities grated on each other.

During one lesson with Elminster, Sammaster had to defeat an army of undead without destroying a single monster. He was instructed to force them to return from whence they came. Although he struggled at first, he ultimately succeeded.

A few years later, Sammaster began researching the processes of life, death and undeath. This research lasted several years and resulted in the creation of several original necromantic enchantments.

In 861 DR after ending his research Sammaster once again began travelling Faerûn. On his travels he met and began a relationship with another Chosen of Mystra, Alustriel. A few years later the relationship came to an end, and Sammaster’s emotional and mental well-being were permanently damaged.

Later Life
Sammaster soon met and befriended Algashon Nathaire, in or around the city of Baldur's Gate. Algashon was a mage and dedicated priest of Bane (Mystra's enemy). For the next few years the two mages traveled far and wide together, and Algashon slowly turned Sammaster more bitter, resentful and evil.

By 875 DR Algashon had convinced Sammaster to attack his former lover, Alustriel. Although wounded by Sammaster's initial assault, Alustriel survived and summoned two more Chosen, Khelben Arunsun and Laeral Silverhand, to help her. In the ensuing battle, Sammaster was stripped of his Chosen powers and would have been killed if not for Algashon. The battle destroyed what was left of Sammaster's sanity and from that point on, he fully embraced evil.

He soon began translating ancient prophecies and distributing his findings, most notably his translations from the ancient text, Maglas's Chronicle of Years to Come. The validity of these translations is highly speculated, and it is suspected that they were just a means for him to promote his new ideals. From his research he quickly became convinced that 'dead dragons' would one day rule over Toril. He named this belief the Scaly Way.

In 902 DR Sammaster successfully created the first Cult dracolich, named Shargrailar. He compiled accounts of the rituals and components necessary to create a dracolich in a book entitled Tome of the Dragon. This holy relic is still used by the many members of the Cult of the Dragon to raise their own dracolich allies.

By 905 DR Sammaster finished his principal work on the Tome of the Dragon, and copies started appearing all over Faerûn. His philosophy and beliefs of the Cult of the Dragon also began spreading across Faerûn.

Death
In 916 DR Sammaster and a group of his followers were travelling to visit two Green Dragons in southern Cormanthyr, in order to convince them into becoming dracoliches. However they were ambushed by The Harpers and clergy of Lathander. A battle broke out and Sammaster was forced to do battle with an avatar of Lathander. During the chaos Sammaster was killed and seemingly obliterated.

Resurrection and Destruction
Once the chosen had left, Algashon appeared from a hiding place and began resurrecting Sammaster. The spell he used also managed to recapture a fraction of the Chosen powers into Sammaster, returning his immortality.

336 years later in 1282 DR, a lich calling itself Sammaster was found in the Desertsmouth Mountains. The creature began forming an army from humanoids, undead, and dragons.

In 1285 DR an adventuring group of paladins known as the Company of Twelve attacked Sammaster’s stronghold. Of the twelve, nine were killed, but the lich’s physical form was destroyed. The survivors confirmed that this creature was in fact Sammaster.

Almost another one-hundred years later in 1373 DR Sammaster (now a lich) completed his transformation of the Dracorage mythal binding his phylactery within. This precipitated a Rage of Dragons independent of the King-Killer Star.

Under the alias of the Witch-King reborn, Sammaster then raised an army of orcs and giants in Vaasa. The army took the Bloodstone gates and flooded into Damara. Within the year, despite his immense power, Sammaster was destroyed along with his phylactery, and the Rage came to an end.