Bartimus

Bartimus was the House mage of the noble merchant Talricci family of Arrabar in the Vilhon Reach in the late 14 century DR.

Description
Bartimus was a diminutive, pale, middle-aged, bespectacled, mousy man with graying hair and unkempt shabby wizardly robes. He had a round face with a flat nose.

Personality
Bartimus was loyal to Grozier Talricci and followed protocol. Bartimus possessed keen intelligence that allowed him to take care of problems on Grozier's behalf. The wizard kept his chambers dark, lit only with candlelight, and decorated with his favorite rich and dark-colored tapestries, carpets, and furniture of dark wood and leather. Bartimus was disorganized, and his personal space was littered with countless books and scrolls dedicated to the arcane. Despite the clutter, Bartimus was adamant about not letting anyone else clean his study, not to disrupt the order in his chaos.

History
Several years prior to 1373 DR, Bartimus spent some time in Cormyr, where he expanded his knowledge of the Art and gained several spells exotic to his home – Chondath.

By the, Bartimus served Grozier Talricci, the leader of House Talricci. Along with his master, Bartimus willingly joined the cabal between certain members of Talricci, Pharaboldi, and Matrell families, along with the corrupt Grand Grand Trabbar Lavant of the Temple of Waukeen. The cabal plotted to initiate a war within the city of Arrabar and rise to power through profiteering off the conflict. Bartimus's magic allowed the members of the cabal to hold meetings inside their minds while in public, surrounded by people, yet another way to keep the cabal hidden.

Bartimus used his magics to scry the covert operations for Grozier Talricci, including the assassination of Jithelle Skolotti whose pregnancy came in the way of the cabal's plans regarding the arranged marriage between Emriana Matrell and Denrick Pharaboldi. The scrying allowed the cabal to see the incompetence of the assassin – Captain Dressus, and know that Vambran Matrell and his sister Emriana witnessed the deed and embarked on a quest to investigate the suspicious event. Later, Bartimus devised a trap for young Vambran that could kill two birds with one stone or one leechwalker to be precise. The wizard organized Dressus's death, as he outlived his usefulness and lured Vambran Matrell into a trap using Dressus's body. The assassination attempt was unsuccessful in the end, and Vambran survived by sheer luck.

Later that year, during the Sammardach festival celebration in Generon, the palace of Arrabar, Bartimus ensorcelled Marga Talricci. The woman married into the Matrell family, and as retaliation for the destroyed cabal, Grozier Talricci ordered the kidnapping of the noble woman's twin children, Quindy and Obiron. The wizard's spell kept the distraught mother silent and compelled her to keep the kidnapping quiet. The twins were eventually rescued by Emriana and Xaphira Matrell.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * The Sapphire Crescent &bull; The Ruby Guardian &bull; The Emerald Scepter