Arcturia

Arcturia was a female half-fey human worm that walks and one of Halaster Blackcloak's apprentices, who were collectively known as the Seven. She resided in Arcturiadoom, deep in Undermountain.

Description
Through much magical experimentation, Arcturia had transformed her human appearance into that of a beautiful one with sylph-like wings and fine scales of blue to protect her body.

However, after her death during Halaster's Higharvestide, she was once more transformed through her carefully prepared contingency magic into a worm that walks. Her true form became one of a vile undead amalgamation of worms, though she would wear a mask to hide her inner appearance.

Personality
Put simply, Arcturia was a lonely madwoman. She viewed other humans and demihumans as creatures that could be physically improved upon and set the task for herself. When it came to other wizards, she viewed them as carriers of magic for her to take in order to increase hers. The exceptions to this rule were those wizards who did not just meet her standards of attractiveness but were also a lot more powerful than her in an obvious way. Arcturia tried to counter her loneliness by trying to get romantically involved with such a wizard. That said, her initial reaction to hostile encounters was to try to kill first. The reason was that she valued her life and her lifework more than trying to solve her loneliness problem.

Arcturia was the most ambitious of the Seven, which did not mean that she was also the most powerful, that position was taken by Trobriand. She was infatuated with her master Halaster to the point of desiring to marry him, something she kept secret. The Mad Mage getting increasingly mad and hostile to others was the reason why she went mad.

Since Arcturia's death and transformation into a worm that walks, she became far more measured in her activities and began to carefully plan and place contingencies for all eventualities.

Abilities
She was a particularly dexterous individual and combined with aforementioned blue scales, it was hard to physically hurt her. Another speciality about her body were her elbows. Arcturia grafted some bone spurs, which she used to attack people she flew by. Magic also gave her some regenerative capabilities.

Possessions
She wore at all times a powerful ring of protection. When she was wandering around in Undermountain, she equipped herself with a wand of polymorph and a +4 dagger.

Throughout Undermountain, she owned well-stocked laboratories.

Activities
Arcturia magically tinkered with other people's bodies. She did so also with her own but she did this only when there was no other body at hand.

Relationships
Arcturia once secretly loved Halaster, her master in magic, and her mind could not handle that he grew increasingly more hostile towards her as his madness grew, so she went mad too.

She always had a retinue of bodyguards of at least three and a dozen at most. These bodyguards were her experiments. They often sported physical specialties like an additional tentacle or wings.

History
In 168 DR, Arcturia arrived with Halaster Blackcloak and the other members of the Seven at Mount Waterdeep, where they constructed Halaster's Hold. She dwelt here for many years, studying and residing in one of the many lesser towers that ringed Halaster's.

As Halaster spent more time in Undermountain instead of his tower, he eventually lured Arcturia and the other apprentices into the dungeon where they were tested by Halaster's creations. By 307 DR, Arcturia had broken ties with Halaster and established a domain of her own in Arturiadoom.

On the morning of Highharvestide, in 1369 DR, Arcturia was slain by four frost giants after members of the Twisted Rune captured Halaster and sent the magic of Undermountain awry. Despite her death, she still managed to kill two of the giants and was able to activate her contingency magics to remove her corpse and left an illusion of her dead body instead.

After her body was returned to her sanctuary, she rose as an undead creature known as a worm that walks.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * The Ruins of Undermountain
 * Undermountain: Stardock (mentioned)
 * Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage


 * Novels
 * Escape from Undermountain