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Marune, usually known as the Masked, was a necromancer and the oldest living member of the Shadow Thieves and also the leading agent to their comeback in Waterdeep.[5]

Description[]

Befitting a member of the Shadow Thieves, Marune had few distinguishing feature. He was average in both height and appearance, with a rotund build and non-descript gray beard. He wore the black robes preferred by many of those who chose to study necromancy.[5]

Personality[]

The aged necromancer was a particularly vicious man who was driven in great part by his petty thirst for vengeance. He took whatever actions were needed to ensure the continuation of the Shadow Thieves, regardless of the changes that occurred within its hierarchy or operations.[5]

Relationships[]

Marune possessed great hatred for the Lords of Waterdeep and all members of the Arunsun family.[1][6]

He was served well by six individual will-o'-wisps.[1]

Possessions[]

Early in his career Marune plundered a long-forgotten ruined tower in the Lost Peaks, and acquired the artifact known as Andrathath's Mask.[5]

At some point before his expulsion from Waterdeep, Marune acquired Orjalun's Arbatel after slaying Arathur Harpell in a duel, but lost it shortly thereafter.[7]

History[]

Marune was born in the Year of the Black Buck, 1226 DR and achieved unnatural long life by magical means with Andrathath's Mask, saving him from undergoing the process of lichdom.[5]

Marune was one of the founding member of the Shadow Thieves of Waterdeep in the Year of the Raging Flame, 1255 DR,[8] serving as Shadowmage of the guild until their defeat and expulsion from the city in the Year of the Pointed Bone, 1298 DR.[5]

The aged mage retreated for nearly half a century until the Year of the Behir, 1342 DR, when he sold all of his assets and holdings in the cities of Luskan and Mirabar. No one knew that he had acquired the Book of Vauth, secluded himself within an underground lair at the base of Mount Helimbrar for over 30 years to study it in earnest.[5][9]

In the Year of the Gauntlet, 1369 DR, Marune returned to the Shadow Thieves to take back his power within the organization. For all appearances, he was designated as the Cloakmaster of Dessarin, reporting to the guild's Shade in Baldur's Gate. In reality his prestige granted him near complete autonomy from the Shadow Council.[1]

Appendix[]

Notes[]

  1. While the source shows him as "Neutral evil", his alignment was Chaotic Evil in previous editions, and furthermore, the fact that Marune is the long-time possessor of Andrathath's Mask, which renders its wearer chaotic after a year of use, suggests that the book's writing is in error. When questioned about that, Eric L. Boyd has explained his hand-in had Marune as Chaotic Evil. Thus, this article is written under the assumption that Marune's "Neutral evil" alignment in the book is an editing mistake and accepts the attested alignment, in line with the wiki's present policy of allowing writers to correct errors in editing.

Appearances[]

Adventures
Referenced only
The Shadow Thieves Strike
Novels
Referenced only
To Catch a Thief

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Eric L. Boyd (June 2005). City of Splendors: Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 69. ISBN 0-7869-3693-2.
  2. Ed Greenwood (December 1987). “Welcome to Waterdeep”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Dragon #128 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 8–14.
  3. Steven E. Schend (August 1997). “Book Three: Erlkazar & Folk of Intrigue”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Lands of Intrigue (TSR, Inc.), p. 19. ISBN 0-7869-0697-9.
  4. Eric L. Boyd (2023-01-19). Questions for Eric L. Boyd. Candlekeep Forum. Retrieved on 2023-01-19.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Eric L. Boyd (June 2005). City of Splendors: Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 68. ISBN 0-7869-3693-2.
  6. slade, et al. (April 1996). “The Wilderness”. In James Butler ed. The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier (TSR, Inc.), p. 36. ISBN 0-7869-0391-0.
  7. Ed Greenwood, Tim Beach (November 1995). Pages from the Mages. Edited by Jon Pickens. (TSR, Inc.), p. 88. ISBN 0-7869-0183-7.
  8. Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 126. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
  9. Eric L. Boyd (2006-05-03). Environs of Waterdeep (Zipped PDF). Web Enhancement for City of Splendors: Waterdeep. Wizards of the Coast. p. 14. Archived from the original on 2016-08-16. Retrieved on 2009-10-07.
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