École de magie d’Ulcaster

Type : Une école spécialisé en conjuration

Emplacement : À environ 8 heures au Sud de Bérégost
Propriétaire : Ulcaster le magicien enflammé
Divinité : Aucune
Membres importants : Aucun en vie
Allegiance : Partenariat avec Bérégost et autres endroits dans la région
Ennemies : Les mages Calishites, autre conjureurs
Doctrine :
Aucune
Histoire et information connu :

L’école
L'école de magie a été fondée au milieu du 11ème siècle DR par un conjureur de renom nommé Ulcaster.
Elle a été détruite environ quatre-vingts ans plus tard par des mages calishites lors d'une bataille de sorts
massive. Ulcaster a disparu et son corps n'a pas été trouvé. A noté qu’à ce point dans le temps, Ulcaster
était très âgé de plus d’une centaine d’années. Depuis, les prêtres locaux de Lathander gardent un œil sur
les ruines et s'oppose avec véhémence aux aventuriers qui fouillent dans les ruines de l'école.
Le fantôme d’Ulcaster a été aperçu au milieu des ruines à quelques reprises une centaine d’années plus
tard. Personne n’arriva à lui parler jusqu’à ce qu’un jour un groupe d’aventurier affirme avoir eu une
conversation avec le fantôme. Celui-ci leur aurait demandé de récupérer un tome dans les ruines de
l’école, l’Histoire des Sœurs de la Lumière et des Ténèbres, un livre sur la création de l'univers, de la vie,
de la magie et des divinités impliquées, notamment les deux déesses titulaires Shar et Selûne, mais aussi
Azuth et Mystra. Personne n’est certain s’ils disaient la vérité ou non, et l’apparition n’a toujours pas
disparu.

Ulcaster
Ulcaster était un sorcier au pouvoir notable, spécialisé dans la magie de la conjuration. Il a créé une école
de conjuration il y a environ trois cents ans, au milieu du XIe siècle DR. Dans diverses sources, cette école
est appelée « École de magie d’Ulcaster », « École de sorcellerie d’Ulcaster » ou « l’Académie d’Ulcaster
». L'histoire de Bérégost elle-même semble être intimement liée à la vie du conjurateur, car elle "a
commencé comme un village agricole sous la protection d'une école de sorcellerie" mais "est maintenant
dominée par le Chant du Matin, un temple majeur à Lathander »

Info de Candlekeep :
Acte d’Ulcaster (livre)
Ce document révèle que l’école fut construite sur les ruines d’une ancienne tour qui servi de demeure pour
un certain temps à un dénommé Hilather d’Imaskar, le nom d’origine d’Halaster Blackcloack
Histoire et information inconnu :
Aucune
When trying to uncover of what exact nature the threatening power of Ulcaster’s school of magic might
have been, it turns out that studying the site that Ulcaster founded his academy on reveals some of its
darker secrets. The sourcebook Dragons of Fearûn states thereabout:

In the Year of Crimson Magics (1026 DR), the mage Ulcaster, a conjurer of note, established a school of
conjuration on the ruins of Hilather’s tower that attracted would-be mages from up and down the Sword
Coast. For eight decades, Ulcaster and his senior apprentices secretly attempted to replicate Hilather’s
earlier work on the site. Just as they were on the brink of success, the school was destroyed in the Year of
the Solemn Halfling (1106 DR) in a spell-battle with Calishite mages who feared the school’s growing
power.

Ulcaster’s school, apparently, was founded – and not accidently so – on the ruins of an older estate that
originally belonged to someone else: Hilather of Ismakar. “Hilather of Imaskar” is the former name of
Halaster Blackcloack, the chaotic evil archmage that presently (presumably) resides beneath Waterdeep in
the Underhalls of Undermountain. Probably older than Elminster himself, Hilather rose to become one of
the archwizards of the late Imaskari Empire sometime after -3920 DR and was revered as a hero during
that time. 4000 years later, in 130 DR, Hilather was hired by the young Aleph yn Jadhar el Shoon, Shoon
III, the fourth emperor of the Shoon imerpium of Calimshan. This explains why Calishite wizards took an
interest in Ulcaster’s school in 1100 DR: Ulcaster studied magic that dates back to the ancient days of
their ancestors. Hilather, as mentioned before, was hired to perform magical research for Shoon III.
Namely, he was to be study nothing less than the ensnarement of demons and he chose to experiment with
this dark magic at the very site Ulcaster almost 1000 years later founded his school on. The book reads:

In the Year of the Addled Arcanist (128 DR), Hilather established himself in an abandoned tower in the
remote emirate of Torsil, which lay along the Sword Coast north of the northwestern foothills of the Cloud
Peaks and south of Candlekeep, near the site of present-day Beregost. In the catacombs beneath his newly
appropriated tower, the Raurinese wizard either located or created a planar breach between the Material
Plane and the Abyss. Drawing on the large body of genie lore that had been developed by Calishite
sorcerers over the centuries and the process for creating a mirror of life trapping, he devised a process
whereby he could summon all manner of nether beings and permanently bind them into physical objects.

The dungeon beneath the ruins of Ulcaster’s school turns out to be what remains of Hilather’s tower, that
is, the former abode of one of the most powerful wizards on the face of Faerûn. The tower must have been
in ruins those 1000 years later when Ulcaster arrived at the site, and it certainly suffered further decay
(and burn) during the 300 years that went by since to resemble what we can visit today. It turns out that in
these very catacombs, Hilather summoned otherworldly beings, among them demons whom he indeed
manged to ensnare – practicing the very magic, by the way, that eventually drove him as insane as he is
nowadays. The only chronicle of Hilather’s work on the ensnarement of demons, a book entitled
“Hilather’s Workbook”, seems to have been lost soon after Hilather emerged from his scholarly seclusion
in 132 DR “with thirteen Demonshields” (Dragons of Fearûn) which he handed over to the imperial court
of Ismakar. These "Demonshields" are the physical objects that Hilather permanently bound whatever he
summoned from the Abyss to. The “earlier work” by Hilather that Ulcaster and his students wanted to
replicate might well have been the art of ensnaring demons.
But why was the book that the ghost of Ulcaster wanted uncovered a copy of the “History of the Sisters of
Light and Darkness” and not rather “Hilather’s Workbook”? When “Ulcaster’s Dusty History Book” is
delivered to the ghost, he regretfully moans:

...knowledge returns with these simple words on parchment... to teach once more... in a celestial class... I
will prevent the same from happening... some day...

What is it that Ulcaster wants to prevent from happening again? A spell battle such as the one that burned
his school to the ground? Or is there something more sinister at play, something such as abysall classes in
foul summoning magic taught by Ulcaster himself, something that must be countered with a “celestial
class”? Something such as the ensnarement of demons and the dangers involved in the process? It might
be a coincidence, but the circumstance that Hilather wrested the exact number of 13 “Demonshields” from
the Abyss is mirrored in the “History of the Sisters of Light and Darkness” by a number of 13 “lords of
shadow”, the Shadevari, that originally stalked the dim chaos of the Realmspace upon creation and who
were imprisoned beyond the edges of the world… One way or another, the “Demonshields” are magical
artifacts sought after by conjurers all across the realms. Dragons of Fearûn states that one Thalantyr of
Beregost, “perhaps the greatest living scholar of Ulcaster’s work” seeks to acquire one of them “as the
cornerstone on which to refound the Ulcasterian school”, though his is a story for another time. (A story,
perhaps, that sheds some light on Thalantyr’s charmed dialogue about his suffering in an adventure that he
won’t even tell his closest friend about but which Volo knows to link to meeting “some sort of horrible
monster” and having been ”enslaved for a time”…)

With the information gathered above in mind, it seems appropriate to conclude that Ulcaster’s school of
magic was in fact a site of studies in the ensnarement of demons after the example of Hilather of Imaskar,
the mad wizard Halaster Blackcloack himself, and for that very reason it was burned down by Calishite
wizards in 1106 DR when it came close to mastering this terrifying art. As straightforward as it may seem
and providing a satisfactory answer to the question what happened 300 years ago at Ulcaster’s school of
magic and how it went to ruin, too, it nonetheless leaves a few loose threads hanging. For one thing, the
persistent presence of the undead in the ruins of Ulcaster’s school is hardly explained by conjuration
shenanigans even of the most demonic kind but rather reeks of necromancy – after all, the dead rarely rise
on their own accord, as it were.

LIFE AND DEATH ETERNAL – NECROMANCY

In Icewind Dale’s “Heart of Winter” expansion, adventures may unearth a magical artifact known as the
“Ulcaster Academy Ring” which grants improved saving throws against spells as well as something else:
The “Ulcaster Academy Ring” bestows upon its wearer the power to cast several bonus spells, though
curiously these are not conjurations but necromantic weaves. The description of the ring when identified
reads as follows:

A stout gold ring set with a black opal, this Ulcaster Academy ring bears the Netherese phrase “GOTHA E
ETAN MEDR - ETACC,” or “LIFE AND DEATH ETERNAL - NECROMANCY.” A date on the side of
the ring reads “1072 DR.” The Ulcaster Academy was a school of wizards who practiced, learned, and
taught magic near the town of Beregost on the Sword Coast. Ulcaster's school eventually became
frighteningly powerful. A group of wizards descended on the academy and reduced it to ruin. Most of the
students and teachers were killed. Ulcaster's fate is unknown. Those few Ulcaster residents who escaped
are known to pass on their class rings to private students, continuing their particular brand of education
with pride.

Apparently, among the residents of Ulcaster’s school, there were both teachers and students who taught
and studied necromancy sometime around 1070 DR, that is, somewhat halfway through the school’s
existence. We must assume that this group of necromancers was established, so much so anyways, that
they would have a lineage of students whom they passed their magic rings on to. How does this add up
with Ulcaster’s official image as a school of conjuration? Behimd that façade we already discovered
demons lurking, but the undead, too? There is indeed even more evidence linking Ulcaster’s school with
necromancy. For one, take the ghost of Ulcaster himself. His current state of undeath must have come
about somehow, though not necessarily through necromancy in the literal sense, I suppose. It seems
conceivable that his soul just cannot let go of his former school and therefore keeps haunting its ruins
without any involvement of sorcery beyond that. It does seem strange though that Ulcaster's ghost would
say that

...we all shall live again... someday...

Life after death is not exactly the business of conjurers so why would Ulcaster say that he shall some day
live again? Priests dabble in the divine magic of raising the dead back to life and necromancers in the
black magic of raising the dead to undeath, but conjurers don’t normally do either. Are we therefore to
assume that Ulcaster himself studied necromancy and sought “life and death eternal”? That seems far-
fetched, but it is an option – after all Ulcaster did grow unnaturally old, though his wizardry might account
for that. Mages are known to grow unnaturally old after all, take Gorion for example or Elminster and
Halaster. One other magical item linked to both, the Ulcaster school and necromancy, comes to mind
though and it paints a different picture: Ulcaster’s “Vampiric Sword”. As mentioned in the beginning,
Ulcaster will swap this ornate blade for the “Ancient Armor” from the Firewine Ruins and the “Idol” from
the Temple of Kozah. Firewine lore appropriately dates back 300 years to the days of Ulcaster's downfall,
Kozah though dates back much further to ancient Netherese society, about 3000 years according to the
archaeologist Charleston Nib. I will not go into more detail about either Firewine or the Temple of Kozah
however, and instead short-circuit to the “Vampiric Sword”. When identified, it is revealed to be a cursed
blade known as “The Vampire’s Revenge”. A section of its (really good) flavour text informs us that:

The blade is indeed vampiric, as the name would suggest, though not in the manner the finder might have
hoped. It is rumored that the blade, instead of performing as one might think a vampiric blade would, was
actually constructed by vampires as a trap for those that could eventually oppose them. These incredibly
clever fiends have apparently fashioned numerous versions of these unfortunate blades over time, and they
are the bane of all right-thinking adventurers. Each swing actually inflicts damage upon the wielder, as his
life energies are drained in order to heal his intended victim.

Ulcaster apparently is in possession of a sword forged by vampires, a sword that was constructed as a trap
for those that could oppose them. While there are several possible ways of coming into possession of such
a blade (such as side-questing across the Sword Coast for the undead spectres of former school principals),
the item’s description clearly states that its intended use is to be given to its owner by a vampire who
thereby seeks to put an opponent out of action. And here is where I am tempted to speculate. To my mind,
Ulcaster’s school of magic, though originally established towards the goal of mastering Hilather of
Imaskar’s conjurations and less officially the summoning of demons, was at some time infiltrated by
associates either of necromancy, vampirism or both. Possibly, the catacombs of Hilather’s tower with its
planar breach into the Abyss is what attracted them to Ulcaster’s school. Ulcaster might have found out
and opposed against this conspiracy, but his possession of the “Vampiric Sword” seems to be a testament
of his eventual failure.

Calishite wizards burned down Ulcaster’s school of magic in 1106 DR putting an end to its business in
conjuration magic, though apparently not to its activities of necromantic origins. Because in 1368 DR, the
undead are well and alive… or rather foul and undead, still roaming the ruins of Ulcaster. Among the
numbers of skeletons (including the great and hungry warrior Icharyd), ghouls and ghasts that roam the
ruins, the powerful vampiric wolf that guards the catacombs as its final boss stands out in particular. Ever
wondered how vampiric wolves come into being? You might think (as I did) that they are the results of
wolves being bitten by vampires, but it’s actually more complicated than this. The Monstrous
Compendium Annual Volume records about this 2nd edition monster:

These foul undead creatures are the result of corrupting ceremonies used on normal wolf pups by evil
clerics. ... Vampiric wolves regard the cleric who created them as their leader, accepting no other except
their own, strongest member. ... As pack leader, the cleric has complete control over them. ... Vampiric
wolves have no interest in treasure. However, the cleric often uses them as guards. It is a better than even
chance that there is a concealed portal of some sort nearby if the wolves are found near what appears to be
a wolf den.

The Compendium also gives a disturbingly accurate account of the corruption that the wolf pups exactly
must undergo to be turned into vampiric wolves, you should read it. Anyways, their presence implicates
the operations of evil clerics. Basilius the murderer comes to mind, but his business is resurrecting his
zombie family, not weaning wolf puppies. Other powers are at play here, evil clergy with vampiric ties,
guarding hidden portals in the dungeon below Ulcaster’s school of magic and whatever may be lurking in
the deepest levels of its catacombs… The only other clerics around are of course the Morninglords, devout
Priests of Lathander themselves and surely no suspects in such schemes. Note though that their map is the
only other place where vampiric wolves roam in these vincinities. In The Western Heartlands, the
following is stated about Ulcaster’s school of magic:

The ruins still dominate the eastern side of the road, where the Morninglord's clerics graze their sheep to
keep an eye on the ruins and prevent unsavory characters from going in (or coming out.)

Maybe, not all is at it seems at the Song of the Morning temple, maybe there’s good reason these floors
are kept so clean in that little vestibule that never seemed to serve any particular purpose…
HALASTER BLACKCLOAK THE “THIRTEEN DEMONSHIELDS” AND THALANTYR THE
CONJURER.

What was the threatening power of Ulcaster’s school and why did Calishite mages get involved? The
sourcebook Dragons of Fearûn sheds some light.

“In the Year of Crimson Magics (1026 DR), the mage Ulcaster, a conjurer of note, established a school of
conjuration on the ruins of Hilather’s tower that attracted would-be mages from up and down the Sword
Coast. For eight decades, Ulcaster and his senior apprentices secretly attempted to replicate Hilather’s earlier
work on the site. Just as they were on the brink of success, the school was destroyed in the Year of the Solemn
Halfling (1106 DR) in a spell-battle with Calishite mages who feared the school’s growing power. Ulcaster
vanished during the fray, and his fate remains unknown. Today, some whisper that the wizards of Calimshan
jealously guard the secret of binding genies and other beings of power into physical objects, and that they will
visit the fate of the Ulcasterian school on any who presume to unlock their secrets.”
“In the catacombs beneath his newly appropriated tower, the Raurinese wizard either located or created a
planar breach between the Material Plane and the Abyss. Drawing on the large body of genie lore that had
been developed by Calishite sorcerers over the centuries and the process for creating a mirror of life trapping,
he devised a process whereby he could summon all manner of nether beings and permanently bind them into
physical objects. After four years of experimentation, Hilather emerged from seclusion in the Year of Thirteen
Prides Lost (132 DR) with thirteen Demonshields in hand, which he presented to the Imperial Court”
A note on Thalantyr from the same book “To conjurers trained in the tradition of the Ulcasterian school, the
recovery of a Demonshield holds the promise of finally unlocking the secrets of Hilather’s Workbook. Despite
its relative obscurity, if the shield is taken from Iryklathagra’s hoard and word of its recovery spreads,
conjurers from across Faerûn will try to acquire it. Thalantyr of Beregost, a conjurer of great repute and
perhaps the greatest living scholar of Ulcaster’s work, will seek to acquire the Demonshield as the cornerstone
on which to refound the Ulcasterian school. Rivals of Thalantyr will seek Kuraltaar for their own ends, and
Calishite mages who guard their secrets jealously will not tolerate study of Hilather’s legacy”
CANON LORE SUMMARY: Ulcaster’s school was founded on purpose on the ruins of an older estate that
originally belonged to Hilather of Imaskar, also known as Halaster Blackcloak, the chaotic evil archmage of the
infamous Undermountain. Hilather rose to become one of the archwizards and artificer of the late Imaskari
Empire around -3920 DR. After spending almost 4000 years in temporal stasis, on 128 DR Hilather was hired
by the Shoon Imperium (aka government of Calimshan at the time) to develop the art of binding extraplanar
beings. The dungeon beneath the ruins of Ulcaster’s school is what remains of Halaster’s tower. Under the
ruins of Ulcaster, Halaster summoned otherworldly beings, among them demons whom he indeed manged to
ensnare. Halaster emerged from his scholarly seclusion in 132 DR “with thirteen Demonshields” which he
handed over to the imperial court. These "Demonshields" are the physical objects that Halaster permanently
bound whatever he summoned from the Abyss to. So most likely Ulcaster and his students wanted to replicate
“earlier work” by Halaster the art of ensnaring demons.

With the information gathered above in mind, it seems appropriate to conclude that Ulcaster’s school of magic
was in fact a site of studies in the ensnarement of demons after the example of Hilather of Imaskar, the mad
wizard Halaster Blackcloack himself, and for that very reason it was burned down by Calishite wizards in 1106
DR when it came close to mastering this terrifying art. Thalantyr the Conjurer later arrived in the area to further
study the works of Halaster and Ulcaster on planar binding.

LOOSE ENDS/SPECULATION: I think the school’s involvement in demon binding and the links to Halaster,
the Demonshields and why it was destroryed by the Calishite mages is clear and canon. However, I feel there
are some loose ends. The below are speculation with no hard evidence but fanfiction on the potential
involvement of evil clerics or shadow creatures in the fall of Ulcaster.
Undead: The persistent presence of the undead in the ruins of Ulcaster’s school is hardly explained by
conjuration shenanigans even of the most demonic kind but rather reeks of necromancy. The area is infested
with undead, just to the east of the school we encounter a vampiric wolf. Another vampiric wolf acts as the
dungeon’s boss. Also, outside we encounter a unique skeleton warrior named Icharyd.
Vampiric Wolves: Interestingly the vampiric wolves are not wolves turned into a vampire by “embracing them”
Instead they are the result of evil clerics performing twisted ceremonies on young wolves. The Monstrous
Compendium Annual Volume One states: “These foul undead creatures are the result of corrupting
ceremonies used on normal wolf pups by evil clerics. Vampiric wolves regard the cleric who created them as
their leader, accepting no other except their own. Vampiric wolves have no interest in treasure. However, the
cleric often uses them as guards. It is a better than even chance that there is a concealed portal of some sort
nearby if the wolves are found near what appears to be a wolf den”.

The presence of a vampiric wolf lorewise implies the act of an evil cleric and that the wolf could be guarding a
concealed portal nearby… could it be a concealed portal leading deeper into the Ulcaster ruins near the
vampiric's wolf den filled with half eaten corpses… (I am aware that the mod Dark Horizons expands the
Ulcaster Ruins and adds a second level...if anyone has played the mod please share your thoughts, I don't mind
spoilers)

Ulcaster Academy Ring: In Icewind Dale “Heart of Winter” expansion you can find the “Ulcaster Academy
Ring” which bestows the wearer the ability to cast various necromancy spells. Additionally, the items
description reads:
“A stout gold ring set with a black opal, this Ulcaster Academy ring bears the Netherese phrase “GOTHA E
ETAN MEDR - ETACC,” or “LIFE AND DEATH ETERNAL - NECROMANCY.” A date on the side of the ring
reads “1072 DR.” The Ulcaster Academy was a school of wizards who practiced, learned, and taught magic
near the town of Beregost on the Sword Coast. Ulcaster's school eventually became frighteningly powerful”.

Could it be that a cabal of necromancers was developing in the School of Ulcaster?

Vampiric Sword: Curiously, returning the book to Ulcaster and having his quests completed does not release
Ulcaster from the material plane. His binding is not undone by “returning hope” to his school through retrieval
of “Ulcaster’s Dusty History Book”. However returning with the “Ancient Armor” and the “Idol of Kozah”
Ulcaster will trade these treasures for a magical weapon, a Vampiric Sword and then disappear eventually
released from the Material World. Ulcaster apparently is in possession of a sword forged by vampires, a sword
that was constructed as a trap for those that could oppose them. While there are several possible ways of
coming into possession of such a blade it could be that someone tried to set a trap for Ulcaster.
“The Vampire’s Revenge” description states: "The blade is indeed vampiric, as the name would suggest,
though not in the manner the finder might have hoped. It is rumored that the blade, instead of performing as
one might think a vampiric blade would, was actually constructed by vampires as a trap for those that could
eventually oppose them. These incredibly clever fiends have apparently fashioned numerous versions of these
unfortunate blades over time, and they are the bane of all right-thinking adventurers".
13 Demonshields/13 Shadevari: It might be a coincidence, but Hilather created 13 “Demonshields”, the same
number as the “13 “lords of shadow”, the Shadevari, that are referenced in the History of the Sisters of Light
and Darkness” that Ulcaster asks us to retrieve. Could it be that the portal he found links to the realm of
shadows?
SPECULATION SUMMARY: Ulcaster’s school of magic, though originally established towards the goal of
mastering Hilather of Imaskar’s conjurations and less officially the summoning of demons, was at some time
infiltrated by associates either of necromancy, vampirism or both. Possibly, the catacombs of Hilather’s tower
with its planar breach into the Abyss is what attracted them to Ulcaster’s school. Ulcaster might have found out
and opposed against this conspiracy, but his possession of the “Vampiric Sword” seems to be a testament of his
eventual failure. Could it be that the reason there is a large temple to Lathander nearby, is that there is still a
threat under the ruins of Ulcaster... even a cabal of necromancers or an open portal linking to the abyss or the
shadow realms?

Maybe that drunk peasant outside the temple is a lich after all...

EDIT: after posting I found some additional lore regarding the Ulcaster school that reinforces the school's
connection to necromancy. According to Champions of Ruin, the school was founded by Ulcaster under the
guidance of the lich, Aumvor the Undying as part of his plan to revive Netheril's spirit of spellcasting, arcane
research, and experimentation in Netherese bloodlines.

Aumvor, being one of the last Netherese archmages, dreamed of restoring the ancient glory of Netheril and
escaping the strictures Mystra placed on the Weave after the disastrous casting of Karsus's Avatar. He subtly
aided promising individuals with Netherese bloodlines by placing grimoires and spell scrolls where they could
find them. Before becoming a lich Aumvor was known to extend his life by siphoning the life energy of his
family.