The War Wizards of Cormyr

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The War Wizards of Cormyr are the elite magicians of the kingdom. Their number is unknown to everyone, except Vangerdahast himself and, likely, King Azoun IV, and are led by Vangerdahast, First Advisor of King Azoun IV and Royal Magician to the Realm, Chairman Emperius and Leader of the College of the War Wizards. This number, however, is rumored to be about 1000 for high-level wizards (level 11+), and about 2000 for lower level wizards (levels 1-10).

For those that do not know well Vangerdahast, he is described quite in detail in the Heroes' Lorebook, and won't be detailed here. It is sufficient to say that he is a friend of Elminster, Khelben, the Seven Sisters and the Magister, and has other friends among the Chosen of Azuth and the others of Mystra. Of course, being a 17th-level wizard himself, and probably one of the future Chosen, he is a really though opponent per se.

The War Wizards are, as it has been said, a sort of paramilitary organization; they are structured like a sort of tree branch, with Vangerdahast at the top, and the others radiating from him. An example can be seen below:

From those four ones, others radiate, and so on, to their unknown total. The ones mentioned in the example are the four most important of the War Wizards after Vangerdahast himself, and are his right arms; all of them will be described more in detail after.

The War Wizards are structured, actually, in 4 levels and many sub-levels. Vangerdahast sits at the top, with Culspiir, Xerion, Magnus and Mederen under him. All of them have four others under them, which have all the others under their control. These 16 high-level War Wizards have the responsability to control all the others under them, and to report to their superiors; 8 of these 16 have also the responsability to be the Commander-in-Chief of a particular Heraldry, but their sub-title is equal to that of the other 8.

Assuming that there are about 3000 War Wizard in the whole of Cormyr (comprising Tilverton), they seem actuallu divided in this way: the 16 high-level Wizards, apart their title (please, see below), have also that of Commander in Chief. Going down in the hierarchy, there are the Commanders, the Chieftains, the Liutenants, the Sergeants, and the Field Wizard. The situation is summarized below:

Table 1. Hierarchical Division of the War Wizards (going down in importance of command)

Each Commander-in-Chief has a number of War Wizards under his command that varies with the Heraldry, its importance and its strategic position; each of these groups is called War Unit. To-day, it seems that the probable division of the War Wizards in War Units is the one outlined below:

Suzail	450 War Wizards	(Unit 1)*
Marsember	200 War Wizards	(Unit 2)*
Arabel	250 War Wizards	(Unit 3)*
Tilverton	400 War Wizards	(Unit 4)*
Waymoot	150War Wizards	(Unit 8)*
Wheelon	150 War Wizards	(Unit 13)*
Immersea	150 War Wizards	(Unit 6)*
Eveningstar	200 War Wizards	(Unit 7)*
Dhedluk	150 War Wizards	(Unit 12)*
Hilp	150 War Wizards	(Unit 10)*
Espar	150 War Wizards	(Unit 11)*
Tyrluk	150 War Wizards	(Unit 9)*
High Horn	450 War Wizards	(Unit 5)*

*Please, note that the number given to each War Unit is only one of usefulness and is used by the War Wizards when referring to a particular unit; the number by no means identifies one unit as more important than another.

Every Commander-in-Chief has, under his command, roughly 2 Commanders, 4 Chieftains, 8 Liutenants and 16 Sergeants. Each unit commanded by a Sergeant takes the general name of Warring Group, but every Warring Group has its nickname, used commonly when referring to that particular Unit. Competitivity among the Warring Groups is always and actively encouraged by their superiors, as long as no problems arise between two groups; if something wrong happens, the responsible(s) is/are promptly identified and, if there is no reason for having raised a problem, immediately expelled from the War Wizards, and invited to never return to Cormyr. Up to this moment, this situation has verified only twice, and everytime it has concluded with the expulsion of the guilty. This competitivity and the iron discipline imposed to the War Wizards, together with their skills in the Art, make them one of the most lethal warring forces in all of Faer�n. According to the words of one of the Sergeants of the Unit of High Horn, "the War Wizards war-machine has no defects." During Midwinter, that in Cormyr is known as The High Festival of Winter, the best War Unit of the previous 12 months is given a special prize, and also the best Sergeant, Liutenant, Chieftain and Commander, chosen among all Units are given a special prize.

This kind of organization, very militar-like, is partly responsible for the name of the wizard corp of Cormyr; the other reasons, as will be seen, are their selection of spells, and the fact that they always accompany the Purple Dragons, the army of Cormyr.

Every level of the War Wizards is also denoted by a Title, and to its interior there are sub-titles to identify more perfectly every member of the group. The first level, whose only member is Vengerdahast, is that of Chairman Emperius. The second level is that of First Assistants of the Leader, with Culspiir First Among the Assistants, Xerion Second Among the Assistants, and so on. The third level is that of Notable Wizard of Cormyr; the most important of them being the First Notable Wizard of Cormyr, and so on. The fourth and final level (up to now...), is that of Helping Magic Hand of Cormyr, with the most important being the First Helping Magic Hand of Cormyr; all others are simply Helping Magic Hands of Cormyr, as their number is so great that it would be impossible to refere to them as "the 235th Helping Magic Hand...". The table below summarizes what has been said regarding the titles of the War Wizards.

First Level	Chairman Emperius
Second Level	First Assistants of the Leader
Third Level	Notable Wizard of Cormyr
Fourth Level	Helping Magic Hand of Cormyr

The titles are used only when dealing with the Purple Dragons, and have no reason to be used in other circumstances. However, all the War Wizards know perfectly the titles of all the members of the organization, and all the Purple Dragons know how to refer properly to a War Wizard when speaking with him.

Whenever a young Cormyrean, either male or female, begins to be interested in magic, he/she immediately begins to attract the attention (discrete...) of the War Wizards. This is, of course, to seriously evaluate his competence in the magical arts, and to consider his/her suitability in becoming a future War Wizard. The young apprentice can begin his study wherever he wants in the kingdom, either thaught by a War Wizard, or by an indipendent one; his/her exploits will always be known by the College of the War Wizards. If the youngling ever manifests the intention of entering in the organization, he needs to find a suitable sponsor; there is no alternative to this procedure, as even mages of note who desired to enter in the organization had to find a sponsor to be proposed. Normally, the sponsor needs to be a War Wizard, no matter he level, but there have been notable exceptions (good sponsors are every known archmage of Faer�n, the High Priests and Priestesses of any temple of Azuth and Mystra, and any of the Chosen of the above mentioned gods, being them either Holy Warriors, Mage Masters, Most Faithfuls or Rogue Princes). In no case the teacher of the young wizard can be his sponsor. The last thing needed to be proposed for a seat among the War Wizards is to be good-aligned or neautral-aligned; evil individuals, no matter their greatness in the Art, are absolutely forbidden to even present their admission.

Finally, to be proposed for a place among the War Wizards, one must be Cormyrean, or have Cormyrean relatives, up to the seventh grade, in his family; if no one of this two conditions is met, there is no possibility to ever find a sponsoring mage. There are rumors of no-Comryreans who have been (and are currently...) War Wizards, but there has never been any public admission of this.

When (and if) the young wizard has found a suitable sponsor, this last one presents him/her to the Leading Conclave of the War Wizards, constituted by the Chairman Emperius and the First Assistants of the Leader. The sponsor presents the wizard to the audience, explaining also the reasons for which he/she wants to become a War Wizard, and the deeds performed during his apprenticeship. After this presentation, the expected-to-be War Wizard must endure his first test: a series of questions made from the Conclave, which are aimed at comprehending the real interests of the young in magic and in becoming a War Wizard, and to put him in difficulty, taunting him and provoking him to verbal duels, often menacing to reduce him to dust if he ever speaks again without being questioned first. A great part of apprentices ends his first and only session in this way, unable to oppose a sort of resistance to the verbal flood of the Conclave. The percentage of wizards who are discarded at this point is the 7%.

If a wizard is able to resist this first test, he/she is then given to one of the Helping Magic Hands of Cormyr, to be trained in magic, in battle tactics, physically and in his faith.

The training of a War Wizard is constitued by four different parts: they are called the Magical Way (further training in magic, no matter the entry level of the wizard), the Tactical Way (training in battle tactics and history), the Physical Way (perhaps the most hard of the four, a very hard physical training), and the Religious Way (an indepth study about the religions of Azuth and Mystra).

The Magical Way. This is a further specializing in magic that all the entering wizards must endure, though it must be said that it is different according to the level of the wizard who wants to join the War Wizards.

If the wizard is a low-level one, the Helping Magic Hand of Cormyr to whom the entering wizard was given to be further trained will make him study for 20 weeks all the aspects of magic, at a rate of 12 hours a day, seven days a week (please, refer to the arguments discussed and explained in the Complete Wizard's Handbook, in the appendix dedicated to the topics normally studied in an academy of magic, for a list of the topics covered in this 20 weeks). During this period the Helping Magic Hand will be there to study and discuss with him, when he is not occupied in any of his duties, ready to explain to the novice whatever he wants to know (that he is able to explain, of course). At the end of this period, the young novice (which is not a War Wizard at all, at this time), will pass another 20 weeks together with all the Helping Magic Hands of the Warring Groups of Suzail at once, when they are free of their occupations, discussing of magic and his laws and processes, to further open his mind towards the Art. Naturally, the Helping Magic Hands available will be those not occupied in any mission. Moreover, if the first part of the "specialization" will take place in a specific city, town or village of the kingdom (according to current disponibilities), this second part will always take place in Suzail, and in particular in the library of the temple of Deneir.

If the wizard is not a novice, he will be further trained either by a Notable Wizard or by a First Assistant, depending on his level, but never by Vangerdahast himself, too troubled by Court problems to have the time to follow strictly one person for at least 20 consecutive weeks. However, even an experienced wizard must pass his 20 weeks with his newfound mentor, in order to further specialize. Of course, in both cases, the mentor given to the entering wizard is one who corresponds perfectly to his specialization (if any), no matter if he is a generic mage or a specialized one. Also an experienced wizard, however, passes his second 20-weeks period in the library of the temple of Deneir in Suzail.

During this 40 weeks all the wizards who have been chosen by the Conclave as rightful to be future War Wizards will further all the aspects of magic normally studied by mages, but to an extent which will give them, at the end of this period, the bonuses summarized in the following table:

*Please, note that once a wizard has finished this studies, but does not pass his final test, thus not going into the Tactical Way, and not becoming a War Wizard, he will still have the bonuses detailed above for the rest of his life, as they are a consequence of his more open mind towards the Art.

When they will have finished both their 20-weeks periods (and if there have been no retires, which have here a percentage of another 6%), they will have their final testing, which is a double one: The first part is the Theorical Emanination, while the second is called the First True Test of Magic.

During the Theorical Examination, the future-to-be War Wizard is interrogated about all the theory of magic that he has studied during his specialization. This interrogation will be a quadruple one, as he will be interrogated by a randomly chosen Helping Magic Hand of Cormyr (but never his one), by a Notable Wizard of Cormyr (but never his one, if any), by a First Assistant of the Leader (but never his one, if any), and by Vangerdahast himself, one following the other. Each interrogation is long no less that 4 hours, and the expected War Wizard must endure them all without any pause. At the end of this, if all went well (and the percentage of retires here is of another 7%, either by will of the examinators or by self-will of the candidate), the novice War Wizard can sleep for 10 hours, and then will proceed with the First True Test of Magic.

During this last examination, which is actually the hardest, the future War Wizard will be challenged to a magical duel by his mentor, and by a randomly chosen other member of the other two series of War Wizards, in sequence. He is expected to defeat at least his mentor, without killing him; if he defeats any other of the two, also without killing them, this is to his advantage for the continuation of his training, but it is not requested, although the novice is never informed of this, and he always fights with all of the three, even if he had defeated his mentor in the first challenge...

If he succedes (and the percentage of retires here is of another 9%), he is then mentally scanned, by Vangerdahast in person, to be sure that he won't be a danger for the Crown, even if other means will give to the kingdom this security when (and if) the mage will become a War Wizard; if the wizard is a spy of the Zhentarim, Thay, or any other evil organization, he will be immediately killed. If he is not, he can then rest for a week, and will then pass on with the Tactical Way.

The Tactical Way. This is a further specialization in war tactics, which the future War Wizard will have from the Purple Dragons, the army of Cormyr. It is actually divided in three parts: the Theory, the Practice and the Test.

The Theory is a period of 20 weeks, which the future War Wizard must endure under the strict guide of a retired veteran of the Purple Dragons; more precisely, he is given a new mentor, which will guide him through every aspect of militar life and, expecially, will explain to him the mind-frame of militars. He will also teach to the wizard all that he knows about warfare, and will instruct him on the tactics used by the Dragons on the battlefield. He will be his only guide (and the only person he knows in the army) for a ten-weeks period, with 12 hours a day of studying, 7 days a week. The next 10 weeks, he will be teached by a group of no less than 6 retired veterans, again for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. At the end of this second period, he will be interrogated by yet another retired veteran and, if judged able, will progress on to the Practice. The percentage of retires after the Theory is about 3%.

The Practice is the application on the field of what the future War Wizard has studied in the previous 20 weeks. The mage is given to one of the commanders of a unit of Purple Dragons (please, see the future file about the Purple Dragons of Cormyr for more details regarding the army) to apply on the field, during the campaign that the unit takes in this period, what he learned on the books and hearing the teachings of the veterans. He will have to spend another 20 weeks with the unit he had been affiliated to, furthering his knowledge of horses, war tactics and the use of magic in battle. He will be the right hand of the Commander of the unit, and will fight at his side during all the 20 weeks of the campaing that the unit will have. It is infrequent, but not completely, that in this times, if the need arises, the quasi-War Wizard will get his real baptism of fire. The campaign is, almost always, made into the borders of Cormyr, but there can be the need for an intervention outside of them, and if that unit is the one next to the problem, it will have to intervene... At the end of the practice, the mage is qustioned, for no less than 6 hours, by another Commander of an unit, about his experience, and about what he has learned. If he is judged able, he will pass to the Test. The percentage of retires after the Practice is about 2%.

The Test is the hardest part of the Tactical Way. After a period of rest of 1 day, the mage will be interrogated by the Lord Commander of the Purple Dragons in person or, if he is not available, his second-in-command. Every aspect of war tactics and of the military life will be tested, no matter the time to be spent, as at this point, only those who are really motivated have enough reasons to still resist this knid of training. Yet, another 1% of people fails his personal test here, and is forced to abandon. When the test is finished, the wizard acquires the bonuses summarized in the table below, will get a tenday of rest, and then will pass on with the last part of his training, the Physical one.

**Please, note that once a wizard has finished this training, but does not pass his final test, thus not going into the Physical Way, and not becoming a War Wizard, he will still have the bonuses detailed above for the rest of his life, as they are a consequence of his more open mind towards the tactics of warfare and what rotates around them.

The Physical Way. This is, in absolute, the most tiring of the four parts in which is divided the training for a wizard who wants to become a War Wizard. The mage travels up to the fortress of High Horn, which is the first line of defence for Cormyr on his NW border, and there he has to endure a massacrating physical training of no less than 20 weeks, but which could be more. His only judge will be the Lord Commander of High Horn, and his final judgement is not a easy one to pass. During this time the quasi-War Wizard will be tested in every possible way in order to push himself to his physical limits, often menacingly next to his own death for fatigue. Besides, the mage will be instructed in the further use of his weapons, being them daggers, knives, staves and the like.

During this time, however, the almost-War Wizard can be teached and trained by some of the finest warriors of all the Purple Dragons, and can sometimes have the teachings of some Chosen (for whose meetings Vangerdahast will arrange...), expecially Holy Warriors of Helm, Torm, Tyr, Tempus, Ilmater, and Azuth and Mystra who, however, have to operate in Cormyr at the moment. Very, very rarely, he can also have the luck to speak with a Mage Master of Azuth or Mystra (also having to be present at that moment in Cormyr), an honour indeed for someone who is still not a War Wizard. At the end of his physical training, which can be more than 20 weeks, he will receive the judgement of the Lord Commander of High Horn. If it is positive, he will then proceed on to the Religious Way; if it is not, he can still continue training, trying to better himself in what the Lord Commander has found imperfect, and can then ask for another judgement. If even this one is negative, he will have to abandon; if it is not, he can then proceed on to the final part, the Religious Way. The percentages of retiring, here, is another 3%.

***Please, note that once a wizard has finished this other training, but does not pass his final test, thus not going into the Religious Way, and not becoming a War Wizard, he will still have the bonuses detailed above for the rest of his life, as they are a consequence of his more developed physical charateristics and of the teachings he received.

The Religious Way. This part is, always, the one where the almost-became War Wizard will get his greatest satisfactions. This is because of the fact that he is teached also by a Chosen, if the need arises or if the �apprentice� has shown the numbers to receive a further training by a Chosen. In fact, all of those who have reached this point in their training, will be met by a High Priest/Priestess of either Azuth or Mystra, and will be teached the dogmas of the two religions, explaining them in detail; the High Priest/Priestess will discuss with them about any argument related to religion, and will explain every doubt that the wizard may have at the moment. Besides, there can be the necessity to teach them something more, and this is a decision to be taken by the High Priest/Priestess. If he deems it necessary, he will ask to Vangerdahast to properly arrange a meeting between the quasi-War Wizard and one of the Most Faithfuls of Azuth or Mystra, whose aim is to further aid the wizard to better comprehend the importance of the two religions, and their dogmas, and to aid them to be a better follower of the gods who oversee magic and those who practice it.

At the end of this period, that has no definite lenght, but which can well be more than half a year, the wizard travels again to Suzail, and has a long conversation with Vangerdahast. At the end of this, the Chairman Emperius of the College of the War Wizards will emit the last verdict about the mage, and will admit it into the War Wizards, or will deny him the admission. It must be pointed out that Vangerdahast does this only judging the wizard per-se, and not considering his personal likes or dislikes. The percentage of denying the admission into the War Wizard is, here, of about the 4%.

****Please, note that once a wizard has finished this training, but does not pass his final test, thus not becoming a War Wizard, he will still have the bonuses detailed above for the rest of his life, as they are a consequence of his more open mind towards magic and all the other topics he has studied so intensively.

When the wizard is admitted into the War Wizards, he is given a title (which can be Helping Magic Hand, Notable Wizard or First Assistant, depending on his level of power, but not that of Vangerdahast), and is given to the tutelage of a superior War Wizard (always in title, but perhaps not in sheer power, which will be his tutor up to the moment in which the new War Wizard will pass on to the next level); from this moment on, he will begin his new life as a full-time War Wizard.

Finally, the last thing that must be underlined is the fact that anytime that a new wizard is admitted into the ranks of the War Wizard, he is submitted (by his own will, as this is the last thing that he must do, for being a War Wizard) to a special ritual created by Vangerdahast (please, see the spell section for details on this one) that ensures the Crown Wizard and the Crown itself that no hostile action can ever be taken by any of the War Wizards against King Azoun IV. The ritual has the effect of paralyzing the wizard who wants to hurt His Majesty for 24 house per level of the caster. Discovery of the guilty doing such an hominous act is thus assured.

Following the creation of the War Wizard as a magic corp to help the Purple Dragons in fighting the enemies of Cormyr, the kingdom has been divided into so-called Magic Districts; each District is correspondent to the division in Heraldries. In fact, any of the Lords has one or more War Wizards living at the interior of his Heraldry, who are at his complete disposal for any mission concerning the safety of the kingdom, and in some cases the collaboration is of note (i.e. the case of Lord Samtavan Sulucar of Immersea and Culspiir, which is the First Among the Assistants of the Leader and a Mage Master of Azuth, and is also the Herald of the Lord).

The War Wizards act as the advisors and counselors and, in many cases, as the spies of the local Lord. They inform him of anything of note (theorically...) that happens in their Heraldry, and of the most importants facts of the kingdom and of Faer�n. They are also the advisors of the Heralds (when not one of them), and their collaborators. They very often roam the countryside with the patrols of Purple Dragons, and are the elite force that intervenes if there is any magical trouble in the area of their competence and, often, in others. In some cases they can be the true rulers of a Heraldry (as is the case of Culspiir with Lord Sulucar in Immersea).

There is some difference among the Magic Districts, though. Those who are rural, like Eveningstar, Espar, Dhedluk, do not have a permanent garrison of War Wizard in the village or small town which is the most important centre of the Heraldry. Instead, each War Wizards lives or in a personal house in the village (rarely...), or they live in the proximity of the villages in small hamlets devoted only to them and well hidden (also rare, but more common), or they live in the greatest city of the District. If this case, which is the most common, is also the case of the village, town or city which gives the name to the District, well, they are there ready to serve...

Below is summarized the division in Magic Districts, together with the name of the local Herald and those of the highest-in-ranking War Wizard:

Name of District	Herald	Commander-in-Chief

Suzail	Sthavar	Vangerdahast
Marsember	Ildool	Xerion
Arabel	Myrmeen Lhal	Magnus
Tilverton	Alasalynn Rowanmantle	Mederen
Waymoot	Filfar Woodbrand	Ayesha
Wheelon	Sarp Redbeard	Vereklyn
Immersea	Samtavan Sulucar	Culspiir
Eveningstar	Tessaril Winter	Tessaril Winter
Dhedluk	Thiombur	Mirnagir
Hilp	Doon Dzavar	Vraklailas
Espar	Hezom of Helm	Assaryth
Tyrluk	Suldag the Boar	Kane
High Horn	Thursk Dembarron	Xilphuros

The most ovious reason for the existence of the War Wizards is to provide the well organized army of Cormyr, the Purple Dragons, a way to oppose those armies who have magical forces, the likes of the Zhentilar, just to make an example, who are often accompanied by wizards and priests, very often belonging to the Zhentarim.

Other reasons, more subtle, are those of having a force strong in magic enough to oppose other organizations who have their agents active throughout Faer�n, like the Zhentarim, the Cult of the Dragon, the Red Wizards of Thay, or the Cloaks of Mulmaster.

The War Wizards, as has been hinted, also act as the spies, informants and counselors of the various Lords, Heralds and Commanders-in-Chief, and in doing so they often conceal their true identity, dressing in a way to resemble anything but mages. Even if their loyalty is in the Crown, for the greatest majority of them their corp has the highest importance in all affairs; this is one of the reasons for which often are preferred mages who have the tendency or the knowledges to gather informations. This latest characteristic is actively encouraged by all Commanders-in-Chief, even if there is no nominal prize for it. In any case, however, they still have to be masters of the Art in order to be accepted.

As regards their spells, the War Wizard, as their name implies, prefer to be actively engaged in any schirmish, battle or war in which the Forest Kingdom is involved. As a consequence, their selection of spells is addressed more towards offesive ones that towards personal protection, as they quite always rely on the Purple Dragons they accompany for personal safety. This also implies that they feel very sure about themselves and their mastery of magic. If there is a weak point in them, it is perhaps this one, that is to say their arrogance in battle and the fact that in their opinion the Purple Dragons are there to protect them, and not viceversa.

Each First Assistant of the Leader is described detailing his name, gender, nickname, actual level, alignment, sponsor, first tutor, current tutor and place of residence. A brief description of them follows.

Please, note that the First Assistants of the Leader are the first wizards that Vangerdahast has chosen to create the actual War Wizards. They are the First Assistants of Vangerdahast, though, only for their mastery of the Art, and not for having been the first on whom the Crown Wizard has relied upon to constitute the actual version of the War Wizards.

Wizard's Name: Culspiir (First Among the Assistants)
Gender: Male
Age: 44(?)
Nickname: Master of Illusions
Level: 17 (Illusionist)
Alignment: LN
Sponsored by: Vangerdahast
Tutored by: Shadowcloak (?)
Under Current Tutelage of: Himself
Currently Residing in: Immersea

Culspiir, who also acts as the herald of Lord Samtavan Sulucar of Immersea, is the true ruler of that town and of the surrounding environs. He won't be detailed here, as previously explained, as he is a Chosen of Azuth (he is a Mage Master), and he will be fully described in the chapter dedicated to them, whenever it comes out of my mind. Here it is sufficient to say that he is a pure Cormyrean, that he is a master illusionist, that he is the creator of some unique spells and magical items, that he is the real right hand of Vangerdahast, that he likes to act undercover, that no one knows of himself being a Chosen, even Vangerdahast, that his tutor was probably the mysterious Shadowcloak (but no one is sure of this...), that he is always involved in anything that happens in Cormyr by will of the Court and not, and that he is quite surely informed of what going on in the kingdom, and that he is the bearer of one of the most sinister secrets of the Realms.

A characteristic of Culspiir is that he always dresses in red and crimson robes, very much like a Red Wizard of Thay, and when he uses those of a Mage Master of Azuth, he always makes those who have seen him as a Chosen to forget having seen him like one, through the use of carefully cast forget spells. He is also very careful as to be seen only by very few persons with that dresses on...

Wizard's Name: Xerion (Second Among the Assistants)
Gender: Male
Age: 35
Nickname: He of the Many Spells
Level: 15
Alignment: LN
Sponsored by: Vangerdahast
Tutored by: Culspiir
Under Current Tutelage of: Himself
Currently Residing in: Marsember

Xerion is one of the greatest War Wizards of Cormyr, a man who demonstrated fully his mastery of the Art during the Crusade campaign. He is nicknamed He of the Many Spells for the fact that he never goes out of them, and he seems to have an unlimited reserve of magical power. His tutor was Culspiir, despite the fact that Xerion is not an illusionist, and the two have remained great friends during the following time. He is the leader of the War Wizards of the Marsember Magic District, and the only reason (probably) for which Lord Ildool has not opened the town to the sort of merchants he wants in (like the Zhentarim...).

Xerion is also the creator of many unique spells of the War Wizards and of a magical item, and possesses a pearl of power who duplicates his 4th level spells. He is a pure Cormyrean.

Wizard's Name: Magnus (Third Among the Assistants)
Gender: Male
Age: 39
Nickname: Fire Mage
Level: 15
Alignment: CG
Sponsored by: Vangerdahast
Tutored by: "Firefingers"
Under Current Tutelage of: Himself
Currently Residing in: Arabel

Magnus is what can be called the epitome of War Wizardry. He loves battles, and likes very much to be involved in them, hurling fire spells at opponents, thus his nickname. He is the creator of four unique spells and of one magical item, all dealing in some way with fire, his preferred method of dealing with enemies. His tutor was the quite famous "Firefingers", who now lives in semi-active retirement in Thentia (after having resigned from the War Wizards...), who has teached to the young wizard that the best way to purify the world from those who have not the dignity to live in it is fire.

Magnus currently lives in Arabel, where he is the ears and eyes of both Lord Myrmeen Lhal, with whom he shares a deep friendship, and of Culspiir, who was his first friend among the wizards. He is the one who probably wants more than others that Cormyr expands his actual sphere of influence, as he is a pure Cormyrean, and continually presses Vangerdahast in this direction whenever there is the slightest opportunity.

Wizard's Name: Mederen (Fourth Among the Assistants)
Gender: Male
Age: 49
Nickname: Battle Master
Level: 15
Alignment: NG
Sponsored by: Magnus
Tutored by: Xerion
Under Current Tutelage of: Himself
Currently Residing in: Tilverton

Mederen is the War Wizard who has teached the greatest part of War Wizards, before being assigned (also by his suggestion) to a place of frontier like Tilverton. He now actively and personally roams the countryside around Tilverton (after being the leader of the War Wizard who "conquered" it), given the importance of the Protectorate of Cormyr for the defence of the kingdom at north. He is also active in the town, where he personally walks among the population, conversing with them, and trying to better explain why Cormyr one day annexed Tilverton, and why its population needs the Purple Dragons and the War Wizards. He is also in very good terms with Lord Lady Alasalynn Rowanmantle, and the well informed whisper that there is more among them than it meets the eye..

Mederen is also the creator of three unique spells and of a magical item, and commands the third greatest concentration of War Wizards, after those in Suzail and High Horn; he too is a pure Cormyrean. His men love him, and are very proud to be in his War Unit.

Lord Tessaryl Winter, a woman of great beauty, with a great knowledge of the Art, and personal friend of both His Majesty King Azoun IV and Vangerdahast, is the only war Wizard who is both a Lord and the head of the local detachment of War Wizards. She has been extensively detailed by Ed Greewood himself in the OOP accessory/adventure "The Haunted Halls of Eveningstar", and won't be further detailed here. In the module there are also many useful informations about the War Wizards and the Purple Dragons at large, and the description of some spells and magical items, along with two new monsters, one of which is the Tressym, the fabled race of flying cats of Cormyr. It is suffcient to say that she is a woman full of experience and a very good mage, who likes very much to live in a place of peace like Eveningstar, but who must also be sure that the nearby Haunted Halls won't give any problem to the crown.

The leader of the War Wizards in Tyrluk, Kane is a man of few words, but a man eager to act. He patrols the countryside among Tyrluk and High Horn extensively, either alone, with a patrol of War Wizards (tipically 12 War Wizards, levels 3-10, with a sub-commander of level 11-12), or with a mixed patrol of Purple Dragons (24, levels 1-5, with a sub-commander of level 7), and War Wizards (identical to the previous one). He typically lives in Tyrluk, but frequently voyages to High Horn to counsel and ask counsel to Lord Commander Thursk Dembarron. He is a wizard of no small power (14th-level), and yelds a fearsome power in the form of a staff of the magi.

Kane was futher trained by Mederen, and is still a great friend of him; he likes to intervene in every question that is of his competence, but often also into others, and is for this reason that Vangerdahast and Culspiir are considering more and more his role in the zone. As the leader of the Magic District of Tyrluk, whose majority of men are, however, in High Horn, Kane is one of the War Wizards who commands one of the greatest Units of all the wizard corp of Cormyr. He knows that, of course and, deep in his heart, he hopes that some of the enemies of Cormyr will try to invade the Forest Kingdom from the side he helps to defend...

One of the few women who hold a position of power among the War Wizards (she is one of the 16 Notable Wizards of Cormyr, after all), Ayesha is the commander of the War Wizards who dwell near Waymoot. A woman of no small beauty (CHA 15), he knows to be often the desire of men, and decided that this was a way to better understand and act in her role. Even the local Lord, Filfar Woodbrand, is said to do many things only suggested by her, and following her whims. This kind of power on men was not overlooked by Vangerdahast, who charged her teacher, who was Culspiir (Ayesha is specialized in the school of Illusion), to be sure that the girl used it only to further the interests of the Crown. Culspiir was immediately to be sure to put this clear with the girl, who had tried also to charm him, but immediately realizing that the beauty of Glorianna (see below) was even greater than hers, and that all her efforts were vain.

Nowadays, Culspiir watches with attention what Ayesha does but, up to now, she has been loyal to the Crown, and has furthered his personal interests only up to the point to have no problems with either the Purple Dragons, with another War Wizard, or with members of the Court, which he frequents only in the rarest of occasions.

Vereklyn is the commander of the War Wizards who dwell next to Wheelon. He is one of those War Wizard to whom has been given one of the most annoying missions: to be sure that Lord Sarp Redbeard, one of the most indipendent of the Lords appointed by the Crown, won't push this indipendency too far. Vereklyn is there to always remind to Lord Sarp that the Purple Dragons and their ever-accompaning companions, the War Wizards, are there because Wheelon is a town in the kingdom of Cormyr, and not outside of it, and that it must use the laws that all the other villages, towns and cities use; the others have their units of Purple Dragons and War Wizards, and so must have Wheelon, no matter what a local (and appointed, and removable by the King at every moment) Lord has to say. As a reseult, the relation between Lord Sarp and Vereklyn are cordial, but cool at the extreme.

Apart from this, Vereklyn is an abjurer of note, and his fellow War Wizards are happy to have such a man as commander. He is comprehensive with his men, and always tries to have a word with them, discussing about magic or about any other relevant topic that they want to discuss about. Vereklyn has also a good relation with the local Purple Dragons commanders.

Mirnagir, an half-elven male who began studing the Art quite early in his life, is the appointed commander of those War Wizards who normally act in the vicinity of Dhedluk. He is a good friend of the appointed lord of the town, a retired adventurer named Thiombur, who has the reputation of knowing everyone in Cormyr.

Mirnagir is a being whose love for the Art is matched only by his love for action; he likes very much to be involved personally in whatever situation needs the intervening of either the Purple Dragons or the War Wizards, and often roams the countryside or the town alone, always under some sort of camouflage, hearing whispers made by the population or hearing reports from his informants in the countryside. The half-elven mage, in fact, has developed during the years a connection with the sylvan population (due also to his elven heritage), that nowadays permits him to know whoever and whatever walks, runs and/or crosses the King's Forest hours before it comes to Dhedluk, and hours before the others.

This peculiar thing, and the fact that he has a high Charisma score (CHA 16), permitted him to outclass even Thiombur in knowing what's going on in or around Dhedluk. Mirnagir, however, is also a wizard of no small power, being a 14th-level diviner, a specialization that helps him very much in his work. His only actual complaint is that he is destined to the most quiet zone of Cormyr, the King's Forest, and not to another, with more action, zone. But this is what is requested by him at the time, and he does his work probably better than it was asked him to do.

A peculiar case among the War Wizards, this half-elven invoker archmage (15th-level) is the one, among the Commanders-in-Chief/Notable Wizards of Cormyr, that has the edges of his morality towards the borders of neutrality that are dangerously next to evilness. This means that Vraklailas is a person that needs to be taken into consideration not only regarding the affairs of the Magic District of Hilp, but also of the surrounding ones. More aptly, the constant thought of him is that his fellow Notable Wizards are too gentle in their relations with the neighbours of Cormyr and, expecially, with the potential invaders of the Forest Kingdom, like the Zhentilar, the Red Plumes or those "...petty magical forces the like of the Manshoon's Puppets, the Red Apprentices of Thay, the Rags of Mulmaster and the Cult of the Little Snakes!"

From all of this, it can be easily comprehended that he is an arrogant person, bordering the offensive one. He is also the leader of the current that wants to annex the whole Dalelands, to ensure that "...any army trying to march into Comryr needs to pay attention to every tree in the Dales: they can uproot life out of it...". However, please keep in mind that Vraklailas is not stupid at all: he knows when his arrogance must be well hidden, and has the cunning to comprehend very quickly the power of the person(s) to whom he is speaking or dealing with, expecially if they are strangers.

This kind woman is the Commander-in-Chief of the War Wizards who live in and near Espar. She is one of the most remarkable of the female wizadresses of the War Wizards, and is kept in the highest esteem from the others for a simple reason: she has been the first female to be ever admitted into the wizard corp of Cormyr.

Assaryth had shown early her love for the Art, and had began tutoring under a War Wizard who lived near Espar. When the girl showed her mentor that she could be a very good wizardress, she dared to propose her to met the challenges of the War Wizards' admission (please, note the Assaryth was the first to conclude successfully the admission, not the first woman who tried it.).

It was more for a kind of joke that she agreed, and presented. She was indeed able, and Vangerdahast was quite surprised to see the girl at the end of the four ways that constitute the admission. She was able and smart even in her final discussion with the Chairman Emperius, and finally he admitted her in the War Wizards. From that moment on, it was somewhat easier for women to be admitted in the ranks of the magical force of Cormyr, and today they are about 280.

Nowadays, Assaryth lives in Espar, the epitome of the quiet Cormyrean farming town. Her War Unit, not surprisingly, has the highest percentage of wizardresses than any other: they are about 68 on a total of 150. Assaryth shares also a rapport of good friendship with the local appointed lord, Hezom of Helm, with whom she delights confronting opinions and seeking advice from. The same can be said for the priest of the god of guardians.

Were it not for the presence of Magnus, which is aptly nicknamed �Fire Mage�, Xilphuros could have taken this nicknames for himself. Apprentice to the same Magnus, he has grown using the same spells of his master, and is confortable in using it still today. He likes very much to use any form of fire, and the well informed whisper of himself frequently visiting the Plane of Elemental Fire, obtaining strange and unknown magic in the process. In reality, Xilphuros really visited the Plane of Elemental Fire, but only twice, even though he really acquired some strange powerful objects, detailed in the second file, that about spells and magical objects.

Commander-in-Chief of the Magic District of High Horn, he was very happy to have been assigned to such a position (also thanks to the interest of Magnus), and to the best advantage of Vangerdahast, who is quite sure that Xilphuros is the right man in the right place. Culspiir, too, has its interests in having at High Horn a man quite capable like Xilphuros; this prevents himself to be involved too much in this area, and he is sure that anything there is accomplished in the right way.

Recently, the Master of Illusions has dispatched a band of adventurers known as the Company of the Phoenix to have a further training in High Horn, both in magic and in war tactics. These adventures were instrumental in some of the plans of Vangerdahast, and Xilphuros has assured the Herald of Immersea that everything will go according to his plans...

The wife of Culspiir, this woman of great beauty (CHA 17) is the leader of the War Wizards of the Magic District of Immersea when his husband is out for any mission or personal affair. A War Wizard of great power herself (12th-level) and very young (29 years old), she is more than respected by the other mages, and often she is asked her opinions about magical matters, as his husband happens too often to be occupied with "politics-of-state" to be available.

Being married to such a man means that Glorianna also needs to be a woman with the highest degree of patience, a virtue that she had the need to develop after her marriage. Culspiir was his sponsor, of course, but not his tutor, as the rules want; however, when he happens to have free moments, he likes very much to spend them with his loving wife whom, however, does not know of Culspiir being a Mage Master of Azuth.

Being the wife of the local Herald, Glorianna lives in the palace of the Wyvernspur family, where also lives the Lord. Her only problems seems to be with some of the Court relatives, and expecially with Giogi Wyvernspur's sister, Princess Ahlana, another woman of great beauty (CHA 17) and younger than her (25 years old) who is, however, very jealous of Culspiir's wife.

The "magic twins", as they are nicknamed, are among the wizards of note of the War Wizards. They are under the tutelage of Culspiir, and act as his eyes and ears not only in Immersea and Suzail, where they live respectively, but often around the kingdom. They are also among the most active of the War Wizards, often being assigned to dangerous missions, in and outside of the Forest Kingdom. Their knowledge of the Art is a really good one, and there are some that foresee their next promotion to a place of responsability as the commanding of one of the Magic Districts. Culspiir, however, wants and needs them in the field, and not to act as a sort of bureaucrats, and will do anything that is in his power (and it is a lot...) to still have them at his side.

They both are 12th-level War Wizards, the first specialized in invoking, the second specialized in conjuring. However, they are greatly different in character, as the first is the one who speaks and acts, while the second observes and reports. Though they very often act together, is very rare to have them use spells in the open field, as they prefer to work behind the curtains. Vangerdahast suspects them (correctly) to share a mental bond of some sort, perhaps even with Culspiir, but is very pleased of their work, and has never investigated this suspect of him.

The strangest of all the War Wizards, the real name of this creature is not known to anyone, except Culspiir. This is because "Gina", in reality, is not a human being, but a Succubus!

Summoned by a War Wizard of the Magic District of Culspiir in 1357 DR, he killed 5 of them (including the fool wizard), and 12 Purple Dragons before being imprisoned by the Mage Master of Azuth. Culspiir researched the notes of his War Wizard and was able to discover the way he has summoned her. Knowing thus his real name, he could have obliged the Succubus to do anything, but instead proposed her a pact. He had to act like a spy for him, becoming a War Wizard for 101 years, and then being free, or she could have been destroyed. "Gina" carefully chose the first possibility, and after having finished his period of training, was given to Culspiir in order to be included among his War Wizards. He devised a strange way for her to be one of his spies, as he chose her to be a sort of prostitute in one of the taverns of Immersea. She had to chose his clients among the strangers, and among them those that he deemed more right that they had any useful informations. Then she had to make them sleep, and investigate deeply in their mind, finally giving them the illusion that they have had love with her, in order not to raise any suspect in them.