Elminster Aumar

(a.k.a. The Old Mage, Eladar the Dark, Sage of Shadowdale)

Elminster Aumar , also known as the "Sage of Shadowdale" and the "Old Mage", was one of the most famous and powerful wizards in all of Faerûn, as well as a fair fighter and thief. As a high-level wizard, Elminster was capable of taking on almost any appearance imaginable. In his natural state, Elminster was an old man with a gray beard, gruff voice, and weathered features but with alert eyes. His clothes were plain. He was rarely without his meerschaum pipe, usually smoking a vile blue or green smoke. Elminster's most distinguishing physical feature was his hawk-like nose.
Elminsters current whereabouts are unkown. He has been missing for more than a decade and is presumed dead.

Personality

Elminster was by turns serious, fearsome, and arrogant, and charming, clever, and good-humored. He was a natural raconteur and actor, and could present himself as a fatherly type, a trickster, a rake, or any other role or cliche required for a purpose or just to get a reaction from others. However, usually only close friends got to see the full range of his character.  Elminster snored loudly while sleeping, although he muted this magically if it would disturb friends. It should be noted that as one of Mystra's Chosen, Elminster did not need to sleep.

Allies

Elminster could count as allies his fellow Chosen of Mystra, and in particular his lover, the Simbul; thecHarpers and many other good folk; Lhaeo, his scribe; and no less than the goddess Mystra herself.
Elminster interacted regularly with the other Chosen of Mystra through a telepathic link. As well as once sharing a bed with the goddess herself, he conducted a relationship with the Simbul of the Seven Sisters. Elminster and Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun  had something of a rivalry, whilst Volo sorely taxed the old mage's patience.
Though known to think very little of humans, Morgwais, the Lady of High Forest, liked Elminster a lot and had occasional flirtatious relations with him. The Old Mage was also friends with Mordenkainen of Oerth and was acquainted with Dalamar of Krynn. 

History

Elminster was born in 212 DR to Elthryn, who was the lord of the village of Heldon and a prince of Athalantar, and his wife Amrythale, in the kingdom of Athalantar. However, they were slain by a rival magelord. The only survivor, at the age of 12, Elminster took his father's broken sword, the Lion Sword, the symbol of the great king of the Stag Throne and became a brigand and thief.
But with no desire for killing, the young El soon abandoned that trade and instead operated as a burglar in Hastarl, capital of Athalantar. He met and formed a bond of friendship with a young thief, Farl, who knew Elminster as "Eladar the Dark". They committed many acts of thievery together and lived life fully, later forming the gang the Velvet Hands. Later, during a burglary, Elminster met the Magister of the time, Dorgon "Stonecloak" Heamilolothtar. The Magister asked him if he desired to learn magic, but Elminster refused, as he hated all mages because of the magelords.
Eventually, after a number of adventures when Elminster was a young adult, Mystra, the Goddess of All Magic, visited Elminster and spent time with him, persuading him to learn magic and revere her. Soon after, Mystra even turned him into a woman, to strengthen his bond with magic and to expand his understanding of the world, as well as to enable to pass unnoticed by his enemies. For a few years, "Elmara" was a priestess of Mystra. Later, an archmage known as Ander taught Elmara a spell that would transform her back into Elminster. Afterward, he continued to learn about magic, until he could at last get revenge against the magelords. The battle was terrible, but Elminster was victorious and finally claimed the kingdom's throne.
However, Elminster had no desire for kingship, and quickly abdicated in 240 DR in favor of a friend, Helm Stoneblade, a knight of Athalantar. Elminster departed the kingdom, amd Mystra proposed that Elminster should be one of her Chosen, an honor which he quickly accepted. As a Chosen of Mystra Elminster's lifespan was greatly extended, as were his magical abilities.
Somewhere around the mid–7th century DR, Elminster entered a tomb and became trapped there in stasis for roughly a century. He emerged from the dusty tomb in 759 DR.
By now, magic had become unreliable, and Elminster had to again learn to survive by his wits and the skills he'd picked up earlier in his life. The god Azuth soon came to him telling him that he mustn't rely on Mystra for aid like any other Chosen must with magic, this again being a test from Mystra. Soon he had to learn how to survive without constant divine aid. He later underwent further magical training under the tutelage of a wicked sorceress who sought to tempt him away from Mystra's path. Later, during a fake ritual for Bane, she revealed herself to be the goddess Mystra herself, once again testing him.
In 767 DR, Elminster became a foster parent to three other of Mystra's Chosen: Laeral Silverhand, Storm Silverhand, and Dove Falconhand.
In 1358 DR, just before the Time of Troubles, Mystra gained some foreknowledge and backed up her power into Midnight, the human wizard, so it would not be lost. As Elminster, like most other wizards, received his power from Mystra, he lost his abilities as a Chosen.
During the Time of Troubles, Elminster defended Shadowdale against a Zhentarim army commanded by Bane himself. When Bane and Elminster battled inside his tower, Elminster used a spell to get rid of the avatar, but both of them were struck, and others believed Elminster was slain. In fact, he was transported to another plane for a period of time, and later returned.
Following the death of Mystra in 1385 DR and the collapse of the Weave in the Spellplague, Elminster was stripped of many of his abilities as one of the Chosen, though he still aged as slowly as he had for the previous millennium and was still quite powerful magically. However, every use of his magic drove him to—and sometimes over—the brink of insanity. When this happened, only Storm was able to bring his mind back, giving of her own essence to soothe Elminster's mind. Elminster could still cast minor cantrips at times—and had, on several occasions, cast minor illusions—without going mad, though this wasn't always the case. Despite these setbacks, Elminster and Storm continued with their campaign to save Faerûn, battling evil where they could.
In 1487 DR, Elminster (with the help of others) stopped Shar from becoming the new deity of magic. Along the way, Mystra was completely restored.