Nouméa Drathchuld

Nouméa Drathchuld was the magister of Mystra during the Time of Troubles, reigning from the Year of the Bow, 1354 DR to the Year of the Tankard, 1370 DR. She served both the goddess of magic who had kept watch over the Weave since the fall of Netheril and the more-recently ascended deity who was known as "Midnight" during her mortal life.

Description
In addition to the shyness she projected at first glance, Nouméa possessed a calm and quiet grace that often went unnoticed. She spent much of her time in study, developing a deep understanding of the Weave that evaded many powerful mages that were many years her senior.

Nouméa avoided violence whenever possible.

Nouméa had fairly poor eyesight.

History
During her youth, Nouméa was a gentle and unassuming librarian who served in the Vault of the Sages in Silverymoon. In addition to her duties at the famous sanctuary of learning, she spent much of her time researching long-lost pieces of arcane lore and came to understand the underlying structure of arcane magic and the manner that it could be wielded by mortal spellcasters.

Becoming a Mage
In the Year of the Dragon, 1352 DR, Nouméa was approached by the then-current Magister Imrul Athelzedar, unbeknownst of his title, authority or magical prowess. He saw within her great potential as her comprehension of magical knowledge far exceeded those of even the most experienced wizards. Although Nouméa felt she was too clumsy and ineffectual to become a mage, she agreed to serve Imrul and began her arcane studies.

Nouméa proved to have prodigious natural talent in the Art. Her powers developed at an exponential rate, with no divine assistance from Mystra or any other deities that presided over aspects of arcane magic. Magister Athelzedar pushed her hard, imparting upon her the duty of providing knowledge to those who may have had unidentified arcane talents, and no other avenue to further their skill.

After two years of travel, in the Year of the Bow, 1354 DR, the pair were ambushed, with absolutely no warning or formal challenge by the young and ambitious mage Eron Imgrym. In a near instant, the Magister shielded Nouméa with the most powerful spell he had crafted throughout his career, Athelzedar's rest. He said his goodbye to his young apprentice and told her to stab himself and their assailant with her dagger, ensuring their deaths and her ascension as the new Magister of Mystra.

Service as Magister
""I have little love for war, and less skill at it.""

- Nouméa speaking to Elminster

Nouméa spent little time honing her skill but rather set out to complete the work she and her predecessor had begun. She had traveled from the Sword Coast North to the Dalelands in her journeys with Master Athelzedar and spent the next four years continuing their quest to bring just a little arcane knowledge, typically in the form of magical scrolls to hundreds of farmers, woodcutters and merchants in scores of hamlets and villages across the Western Heartlands and central Faerûn.

When the Avatar Crisis erupted in the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, Nouméa gentle nature and lack of advancement in her arcane power made her relatively non-consequential in the conflicts that arose when the gods walked upon the face of Toril. Azuth deemed the continuation of Nouméa's work as Magister to be of paramount importance and took great measures to protect her mission and ensure her safety.

While the Magister, she met with the sorceress Rautheene of Oerth, Mordenkainen's apprentice, at some point, and may have traded spells with her.

Trivia
Nouméa Drathchuld was no relation of Nouméa Fairbright.