“You’ll be back. They always come back.” — Halaster
Halaster Blackcloak, the enigmatic and feared Mad Mage, is a name spoken in hushed tones across Waterdeep and beyond. A figure of legend, his true origins are shrouded in mystery, lost to the passage of time and the maze of lies and half-truths that surround him.
Some say he was once a powerful archmage who sought solitude to perfect his craft. Others claim he is a relic of an ancient age, his madness a result of delving too deeply into forbidden knowledge.
Rumor has it: Halaster doesn’t merely watch adventurers—he sometimes speaks to them, appearing in visions or even as an unassuming bystander in Skullport. Whether these encounters are real or simply the dungeon twisting the minds of its explorers, none can say. But those who claim to have met him share a chilling commonality: his last words to them are always the same.