Basalt spent nearly a year recovering from the wounds inflicted on him by the minions of Chaos. These were nothing, however, compared to the loss of his magic that came when Takhisis stole away the world. He raged, then despaired, for he was powerless. When the “new magic” of sorcery was discovered, Basalt did not have the heart to try it. For him, true magic came from the power of the moons, and he cursed the pale orb that shone in their stead each night.
Having lost his power, Basalt became a hermit and a vagrant. He wandered Ansalon in a half-crazed state, constantly peering up in the night sky at the void in the stars where the black moon should be. The War of Souls left him untouched, a pitiful shell of his former self, worthy of neither fear nor respect. Then, a miracle happened.
One fateful night, the false moon vanished from the sky. The constellations and planets of the old gods were restored. Lunitari and Solinari shone once more, while Nuitari appeared to those who could look into his blackness and understand. Basalt felt the long-unused power course through his veins. The words of magic that he had mumbled uselessly day by day suddenly burned bright in his mind.
Basalt was among the first of the former Black Robes to realize that Nuitari had returned. He fell to his knees and cried out his praises to the dark god. Touched by his follower’s loyalty, Nuitari appeared before Basalt in mortal guise to make him an offer.
A new bastion of magic was being created—a stronghold where dark magic would reign supreme. Basalt could leave the surface world and serve the god of the black moon in his new abode. Honored by the dark god’s trust, Basalt left his life on land behind to move below the waves. The Tower of the Blood Sea is now his home.
Description: Basalt is an albino, which gives him a truly startling appearance for a dwarf. Both his skin and hair are bone-white; his eyes are pink, tinged with red. He has the short, stocky build of all dwarves, though his pursuit of magic makes him appear thin by dwarven standards. He tends to stand with his arms crossed, warding people away. His fiery-eyed, intense gaze gives him the appearance of glaring malevolently at those he encounters.
Basalt Darkeye: Male dark dwarf (Theiwar) Rog2/Wiz5/Black Robe 9; CR 16; Medium humanoid (dwarf); HD 2d6+14d4+64; hp 114; Ink +2; Spd 20 ft.; AC 17, touch 14, flat-footed 15; Atk +13,48 melee (1d4+4/17-20, +3 keen dagger); SA sneak attack +1d6, spells; SQ arcane research +4, black robe order secrets, darkvision 120 ft., dark dwarf traits, evasion, moon magic (Nuitari), trapfinding; AL NE; SV Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +13; Str 12, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 20, Wis 13, Cha 7.
Skills and Feats: Balance +6, Bluff +3, Climb +4, Concentration +21, Craft (stonemasonry) +6, Decipher Script +18, Escape Artist +6, Hide +9, Intimidate +14, Knowledge (arcana) +22, Move Silently +8, Search +11, Sleight of Hand +5, Spellcraft +24, Spot +7, Swim +4; Empower Spell, Iron Will, Magical Aptitude, Reserves of Strength, Scribe Scroll (B), Spell Focus (Necromancy) (B), Stubborn, Weapon Finesse.
Spells Prepared (4/6+1/5+1/5+1/5+1/4+1/3+1/2+1/2+1; save DC 15 + spell level): 0—daze, detect magic, ray of frost, read magic; 1st—burning hands, cause fear*, identify (x2), magic missile, ray of enfeeblement* (x2); 2nd—darkness, false lye*, ghoul touch*, locate object, scare*, spectral hands; 3rd—deep slumber, halt undead*, ray of exhaustion*, stonesight, vampiric touch* (x2); 4th—animate dead*, bestow curse*, crushing despair, ethereal flame*, phantasmal killer, wall of ice; 5th—dominate person, empowered lightning bolt, feeblemind, fog of fear* symbol of pain*; 6th—circle of death*, eyebite*, greater dispel magic, symbol of fear*; 7th—finger of death*, forcecage, greater arcane sight.
* These spells belong to the school of Necromancy, which is this character’s enhanced specialty. Prohibited schools: Abjuration, Conjuration, Transmutation.
Order Secrets: Magic of Darkness, Magic of Fear, Magic of Hunger, Magic of Pain.
Spellbook: As an experienced Black Robe wizard and one of Nuitari’s chosen caretakers of the Tower of the Blood Sea, Basalt has access to an incredible array of spells. He has knowledge of all arcane spells listed in the Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook and in the Dragonlance Campaign Setting (except for named spells, such as Fistandantilus’s Portal or Magius’s Light of Truth).
Equipment: Bracers of armor +3, ring of protection +2, +3 keen dagger, eyes of doom, robe of bones, necklace of adaption, ring of swimming, wand of acid arrow (22 charges).
A savage heart beats beneath the black robes of the half-elf mage from Southern Ergoth. Ruled by his passions, which can go from icy coldness to white-hot rage in a heartbeat, Caele is unpredictable and highly dangerous.
Background: Caele never found out exactly what the relationship was between his mother, a Kagonesti elf shaman, and the Ergothian sailor who fathered him. His mother made it clear to the half-elf at an early age that any discussion of his father was forbidden. Though ostensibly part of the Kagonesti tribe, the two were never truly accepted and lived in relative isolation. Caele’s early years were spent in the wild—hunting small game, climbing trees, and swimming in clear streams.
For reasons unknown to him (though possibly related to his ostracism by his Kagonesti tribesmen), Caele had what he called “black moods” come over him. During these times, he lashed out at anyone near him, taking perverse pleasure in causing pain and distress to innocent victims. When he was young, he would feel guilty over the torment of small animals or people. As he grew older, he saw that these destructive forces brought him power over others and his guilt waned, eventually vanishing altogether.
Still a young man, Caele fell in love with a young woman of his tribe, one of the rare silver-haired beauties of the Kagonesti. A secret romance between the two blossomed and Caele felt that his black moods were forever behind him. He planned to run away with his lover and start a new life. The half-elf told the maiden his plans for them at one of their secret meeting spots near the top of a waterfall. The maiden refused to go. She didn’t want to leave her people, especially to run away with a half-breed.
Darkness overwhelmed Caele. He grabbed his lover and dragged her to the edge of the cliff He ignored her screams and paid no attention to her flailing fists and scratching nails. He shoved her over the waterfall, watching dispassionately as her body smashed into the jagged rocks at the base of the falls. Caele gazed down at her for some time, until the water washed away all traces of his crime.
Although no one could prove that he had murdered the young woman, the two had been seen together and her disappearance aroused the suspicions of the tribe. Caele was termed a dark elf and forced to flee for his life. He traveled to the port towns of Northern Ergoth, earning his keep by thievery. The dark elf might have ended his days as a thief, except that he tried to rob an Ergothian sea-mage named Dunbar Mastermate, wizard of the White Robes.
The powerful and high-ranking wizard easily caught the inept young thief. Dunbar saw potential in young Caele, and hoped that compassion and understanding might bring the half-elf to the paths of light. Caele was not interested at first in learning magic, which he thought was for weaklings. A demonstration of magical power impressed him and caused him to change his mind. Scholarly pursuits did not come naturally to him, but he had talent and determination. Caele sailed the seas with Dunbar, and for a time, the sea brought peace to his troubled soul. Eventually, however, the black moods returned. He was constantly getting embroiled in fights and in arguments, until the crew took against him and threatened to maroon him.