Jhesiyra Kestellharp

Jhesiyra Kestellharp was a human sorceress and one of Halaster's apprentices, known as the Seven, who accompanied him into Undermountain. She later reigned as Magister over 658–667 DR. She was noted as the primary source of information on Halaster, as she was the only one of the Seven to leave his halls. She transformed herself into an arcanaweave, a wish living spell and finally became fused with Undermountain itself.

Description
In life, Jhesiyra was described by a fellow mage in Cormanthor as "short, broad-shouldered, curvaceous more than muscular, with snapping dark brown eyes and lustrous light brown hair, worn long but curbed by magic into graceful shapes, never a flurry before her eyes or a tangle anywhere." Another considered her "more a fierce flame, splendid in her energy, than a rose of placid beauty." A portrait in Undermountain made when she was still Halaster's apprentice depicted her as a young and plain woman with a faint hint of a smile, wearing yellow and blue robes.

As a living spell, she was but a web of magical energy, shimmering and silvery, with a blue-white glow at its heart.

History
Alongside the other six apprentices of Halaster, Jhesiyra departed from Halaster's Hold in the. They apparently all went underground, planning to establish their own underground holds. But following Halaster's test, she left his service, and fled, knowing him to be utterly mad. Her writings afterward would tell the world what little was known of the Mad Mage.

Instead, Jhesiyra traveled to Myth Drannor in Cormanthyr, where she studied arcane magic among the elven masters for several years. She almost alone developed the principle that even great masters of magic could still learn something from their lessers, and therefore that all wizards should be forever students.

She had become quite interested in the spell webs weaved by groups of elven mages, before she became Magister in the, after the electrocution of Dathchaunt Sandrach the year before. Excited by her new power, Jhesiyra experimented with the creation of arcanaweaves, a type of elven spell web developed long before her arrival, and re-invigorated their idle research with her human passion. Hers would be living spells that regenerated spells when needed, moved independently, perceived the world, and even be capable of sentience while remaining loyal to their creators, whom they would work with. Moreover, they would be made for specific purposes, such as maintaining forests, eradicating blights, and replanting trees.

Later, Jhesiyra even began binding herself into the arcanaweaves, which she term "riding the weft", so they could control them and commune with them and did this with increasingly bigger and more powerful arcanaweaves. She was last seen by two elven mage colleagues in the heart of one spider-like, tentatively crawling web that wandered away into the forest. After that, Jhesiyra disappeared from Myth Drannor and could not be found anywhere in Faerûn. While it seemed possible the arcanaweave could've drained her life and power completely, or else developed into some strange new entity, some theorized that she had been abducted by her former master, Halaster, as he did other mages of the city the following year. Confirmation of her death, or something like it, only came in late summer of the, when the mantle of Magister passed to Nerren Prentiyuel, and neither Azuth nor Mystra were willing to speak of Jhesiyra Kestelharp's fate.

In fact, both the theories were true, but she was not dead—Jhesiyra had transformed herself into a particularly powerful living spell and Halaster had abducted and imprisoned her in Undermountain to create living spells for him.

She came to rule over the other living spells that she'd created, eventually escaping her prison and taking over Undermountain's Citadel of the Bloody Hand, destroying the Waterdhavian City Guard garrison stationed there. Driven half mad by her transformation and centuries of imprisonment, she lived in constant fear of Halaster exacting his retribution for her escape. In the, she encountered adventurers on the Falling Stair who defeated two of her living flaming spheres and impressed with their tenacity. Communicating by visions to arcane spellcasters, she offered them her horned ring to help them navigate Undermountain and accomplish their quest. But she would not permit them entrance to her lair, barring the way with a wall of force.

When the Spellplague struck in the, the wards around the Citadel of the Bloody Hand failed and Jhesiyra escaped and used a wish spell to conceal herself within the stones of Undermountain itself. This state gave her control of its magical gates and other aspects, some more so than even Halaster, but she was beyond the reach of all mortal magic now. Halaster was unaware of her presence, but questioned her disappearance.

In the, she tried to manipulate and aid adventurers that entered Undermountain in order to use them to defeat the Mad Mage and become the master of the dungeon herself. She controlled the gates to give them access to areas they could handle and prevent them facing threats far beyond them, and at other times warned them away with "Turn back! You're not prepared for the danger that lies ahead!" though she could not be communicated with. She might even give them her horned ring, if they found and repaired her portrait in Halaster's Tower. Similarly, the lich Ezzat thought she was key to defeating Halaster, but could not contact her to make an alliance. Ultimately, Jhesiyra warned them when to prepare to face Halaster and in the event of his death, she attempted to take complete control of Undermountain.

Possessions
Jhesiyra had one of the horned rings given to Halaster's apprentices, though it was unknown what became of it after her disappearance. In fact, she had kept it the whole time and and later bestowed it on a band of adventurers in 1375 DR and again in 1492 DR; it's unclear if these are the same of different horned rings.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Expedition to Undermountain • Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
 * Novels
 * Blackstaff
 * Video Games