Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun
| Game information | |
|---|---|
| Homeland | Myth Drannor, Waterdeep |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Human |
| Class | Wiz24/Acm4 |
| Alignment | Lawful Neutral |
| Age | approx. 960 (born in DR 414, died in DR 1374) |
| Setting | Forgotten Realms |
Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun, Lord Mage of Waterdeep, is a fictional character of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Khelben is the brainchild of Forgotten Realms creator Ed Greenwood and Realms game designer Steven Schend.
One of the powerful spellcasters who also counts himself amongst Mystra's Chosen, Khelben is a serious, imposing wizard, and a grim proponent of law and order whose methods of achieving the ultimate good are often highly questionable in the eyes of the righteous. One such deal — with Fzoul Chembryl, cleric of Bane and leader of the sinister Zhentarim — led to the once highly regarded member of the semi-secret Harper organization being simultaneously expelled and leaving the organization. Khelben did not leave alone, however; he now leads the Harper splinter group the Moonstars, whom he finds suit his needs much better.
Khelben is a 6-foot-tall, well-muscled, bearded man with a receding hairline, black hair with silver streaks, including a prominent one through his beard, and a distinguished, imposing manner. He usually dresses in nondescript robes and is never without his trademark blackstaff.
It is hinted in some novels (in The City of Splendors: a Waterdeep novel by Ed Greenwood and Elaine Cunningham, and in the Return of the Archwizards trilogy by Troy Denning) that this appearance is in fact a disguise. In reality, he is a thin, tall elf-blooded being, looking feral and showing no sign of age.
Often thought to be humorless and grave, Khelben is actually neither. He simply finds it easier to deal with people if they are intimidated by or even frightened of him. He has had numerous apprentices over the years and likes to encourage young people who display an aptitude for magic. Wielding the Art can be a gravely dangerous business, however, and Khelben tries to instill appreciation of that fact in his pupils by keeping up his "stern taskmaster" facade.
...
Wikipedia