@TheEdVerse A few questions about Halaster, if it please you, Lord Greenwood. 1) Having lived thousands of years in "exile" longer than he did as a loyal son of the Imaskari Empire, how much, if at all, does Halaster/Hilather still consider himself Imaskari?
— Frank McCormick (@FrankMcCormick) February 22, 2020
1)
In his sane moments, Halaster considers himself unique (hence his adoption of a new name, moving away from “Hilather”) rather than seeing himself as an Imaskari survivor. As a creator of many, many spells over the years 2)
…and an ongoing, energetic experimentor with magic, he has evolved far beyond Imaskari spellcasting styles of his day, though if an observer was somehow familiar with long-ago Imaskari spellcasting ways, they would see the way…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 22, 2020
3)
…he employs verbal, somatic, and material components as consistent with powerful Imaskari casters.
Halaster swears under his breath to himself in Rashoum when shocked or taken aback. He never hums except, on very rare 5)
…today, though the spell effects may in some cases be beyond their personal mastery. Nothing about Undermountain would say ‘Imaskari’ to anyone, and portal use was a fascination shared by many elder cultures in the Realms,4)
…occasions, consciously, to try to reproduce pitches as part of incantations. The fundamental principles of his magic are those of all “arcane magic” callings on the Weave, and so are easily conceptualized by living spellcasters…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 22, 2020
6)
…not just human ones, and not just the Imaskari.#Realmslor— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 22, 2020