Halaster Blackcloak

The mad wizard Halastar Blackcloak is a very old and thoroughly mad mage who resides within his lair, the most infamous dungeon in Faerûn, Undermountain.

History
In his youth more than a thousand years ago, Halaster Blackcloack was known as Hilather, though where he spent his youth is the source of great speculation. He was more gregarious then, creating and hosting Magefairs and Spellmoots, and taking many apprentices. However, as his power grew, he became more interested in aberrations and the Outer Realms, which led to growing paranoia and viciousness.

In 168 DR Hilather, now calling himself Halaster Blackcloak, arrived at the foot of Mount Waterdeep with his seven apprentices. Halaster summoned demons and other Outsider monsters to construct a great tower for himself and lesser towers for his apprentices, and claimed the nearby lands as his own. Mostly likely he chose the location because deep beneath lay the abandoned Netherese outpost, Sargauth Enclave.

Halaster refused to release the monsters and demons after they constructed his tower, instead sending them into the caverns to explore. This began Halaster's Hunts, a long series of journeys into the what is now called the Underhalls, driving out the drow, duergar, and various monsters that lived there. By 309 DR Halaster had completely control over the near endless tunnels and caverns and began constructing the largest and most deadly dungeon imaginable, Undermountain.

By now, Halaster had become completely mad and wanted nothing to do with the outside world. He now lived only in Undermountain, allowing his tower to fall to ruin. Several of his apprentices came looking for him; he slew two before demanding the rest help him fortify his dungeon even more. One refused and managed to escape Undermountain. Jhesiyra Kestellharp would later become Magister and would provide what little history there is about the Mad Mage.

Halaster's Apprentices
Several of Halaster's apprentices would become extremely powerful in the own right, though all would become infected with his madness.


 * Shardin Mulophor : Shardin was a powerful Netherese necromancer who had survived the collapse of his country. In 1148 DR he learned of Sargauth Enclave and petitioned to become an apprentice to the Mad Mage. For reason perhaps even unknown to him, Halaster agreed and also allowed him to take the Enclave as his own. Shardin, calling himself the "Lord of Bones", turned the Enclave into Skullport, a neutral way-station in the Underdark, linking Undermountain to the Lands Below.


 * Trobriand : Called "the Metal Mage", Trobriand has a gift for building metal constructs and monstrosities. Perhaps the most lucid and focused of Halaster apprentices, he nonetheless has moments were sanity fails him.


 * Murial : Called "the Misshapen", Murial was original a great warrior who served as Halaster's bodyguard. He later became an apprentice the Mad Mage and used his growing power to augment his considerable strength and fighting prowess. Finally, as the madness of Undermountain overcame him, he changed himself into a centaur-like creature, but with a scorpion for a body. Though he is now a "misshapen" monstrosity, Murial remains Halaster's most enthusiastic apprentice.


 * Arcturia : Much like Murial, Arcturia's madness leads her to experiment with bodies, both hers and others. Perhaps Halaster's most ambitious apprentice, she is known for her cruel experiments with polymorphing others to suit her whims.

Halaster's Higharvestide

 * Main article: Halaster's Higharvestide

On Higharvestide of the Year of the Gauntlet, 1369 DR, two members of the Twisted Rune managed to kidnap Halaster Blackcloak from inside Undermountain. The lich Priamon "Frostrune" Rakesk and the alhoon Ralayan the Ocultacle used a ring of multiple wishes to summon the Mad Mage to Stardock where they could scrape the secrets of Undermountain from his mind.

Because Halaster is the eye of the storm that is Undermountain, his kidnapping allowed the madness of the dungeon to escape. Gates began randomly transporting creatures from Undermountain to places throughout the realms, causing havoc and destruction everywhere. Among the many victims: fire salamanders destroy parts of Luskan, a gorgimera and manticores threaten Shadowdale, a legion of gargoyles lay siege to Suzail, and a juggernaut flattens the pirates' port of Skaug.

The last four of Halaster's apprentices also suffer. Shardin Mulophor is annihilated by thirteen simultaneous shouts from the Skulls of Skullport. Trobriand and Murial and driven from the lairs by their own creations. Finally, Arcturia is killed by four frost giants, but is resurrected as a horrific half-fey "worm that walks" that somehow retains its powerful spellcasting ability.

A group of adventures hired by the Lords of Waterdeep manage to reach Stardock and free Halaster. The Mad Mage returns to Undermountain, which quells the chaos of the dungeon and ends the terror of Higharvestide.

Timeline

 * 168 DR - Halaster and the Seven construct Halaster's Hold
 * 171 DR - The beginning of Halaster's Hunts. They last until 308 DR
 * 275 DR - Halaster discover the Lost Level
 * 307 DR - The Seven abandon Halaster's Hold for the Underhalls, leaving it to fall to ruin
 * 309 DR - Halaster establishes complete control over Undermountain
 * 326 DR - The Mad Mage finds the Crystal Labyrinth and begins reshaping it to his own ends
 * 1150 DR - Halaster grants Salgauth Enclave to Shardin Mulophor
 * 1325 DR - Events of Escape from Undermountain
 * 1369 DR - Members of the Twisted Rune kidnap Halaster, causing Halaster's Higharvestide
 * 1372 DR - Events of Elminster in Hell