Simbul The Simbul , born Alassra Shentrantra Silverhand , and also known as the Witch - Queen of Aglarond , is one of the Seven Sisters , a Chosen of Mystra , and one of the most powerful spellcasters in Faerûn . Her character is that of a wild and powerful sorceress , highly unpredictable and prone to sudden outbursts of rage . She is queen of Aglarond , a nation in the east of Faerûn , but many of her subjects fear her as much as they respect her for her recklessness and apparent unstable nature . Her character is also noteworthy as the lover to the highly popular Sage of Shadowdale , Elminster . The Simbul was protected by a personal guard called the Simbulmyn , commanded by High Captain Hovor Seawind in 1374 DR . Apprentices . As of 1374 DR , the Simbul had four female human apprentices : Evenyl Nathtalond , a wizard and sorcerer ; Phaeldara , also a wizard and sorcerer ; The Masked One , a sorcerer and rogue ; and Thorneira Thalance , a sorcerer and wizard . Successor . It was rumoured that the Simbul had written a document that named her successor and that the document is in the hands of the Harpers , believed to be with either Elminster Aumar or Khelben " Blackstaff " Arunsun . History . Being one of the Seven Sisters , the Simbul is the daughter of Dornal Silverhand and Elué . After the death of her mother , young Alassra was entrusted by Mystra , the Goddess of Magic , to the care of Oraumae a witch of Rashemen . Mystra gave the witches spells that enabled them to rule Rashemen and repel invasions by Thay . After the Simbul left the witches , she started wandering the planes . Little is known about her whereabouts during that period , which lasted for some 400 years . It is said that Mystra herself revealed to her the fact that she was one of the Chosen of Mystra , after one of her consorts ( allegedly a wizard from another plane ) perished . The Simbul ended up posing as the apprentice of Ilione , a lesser sorceress and ruler of Aglarond . In 1246 DR , the wizard Elminster recognized the Simbul for whom she really was . She took the name " the Simbul " from a deity of the primitive human tribes that inhabited the Yuirwood before the elves moved there , and whose runes can still be found deep within the wood ( the goddess known as the Simbul was absorbed as an aspect of Labelas Enoreth ) . Ilione had designated the Simbul as her successor . The Simbul assumed the throne of Aglarond upon Ilione ' s death . Elminster ' s love helped reduce the frequency of her berserker rage fits , but she is still feared for the amount of damage she can inflict . It was the Simbul whom Mystra sent into Avernus , the first layer of Baator , to retrieve Elminster when he was banished there . King Azoun IV of Cormyr once called her “ a good friend , but a deadly enemy ” . Perceived death . The Simbul was widely believed to have been consumed in the fire that destroyed the deity Velsharoon in 1425 DR , the Year of the Seven Sisters . In reality she survived Following the collapse of the Weave , Alassra was driven mad . The only thing able to return her sanity was the consumption of the magic in enchanted items , which Elminster and Storm brought to her whenever they could . Aside from these brief respites from insanity , the Simbul would transform into some wild creature , usually a raptor of some sort , hunting wild game and eating it raw . She would return to only a few familiar spots - the ruins of Tethgard and a cave near Storm ' s farm being two . The latter was set up specifically for Alassra by Elminster and those Chosen of Mystra that survived the Spellplague and could still perform magic . They placed a number of wards at the front of the cave that would terrify would - be intruders , and at the back enchanted a set of manacles that would give the Simbul comfort while keeping her restrained near an ever - full pool of water . She could survive there indefinitely , feeding not on food but on the magic of the wards - slowly draining them - and the water from the pool . In 1479 DR Elminster and Storm restored the Simbul ' s sanity by feeding her a Blueflame item . After her mind was restored , she charged both Elminster and Manshoon to work to gather all the Blueflame items together , possibly to restore Mystra . She starts to travel through the realms , closing dimensional rifts created after the Weave collapsed during the Spellplague , aided by the power of the Blueflame items and Mystra ' s guidance . In one of the rifts , she ' s ambushed by a horde of demons and almost dismembered , but she managed to prevail by absorbing the power of Blueflame items into herself , destroying the demons and the rift but transforming herself into a being of pure silver fire . After that , she travels to Suzail to help her lover , and arrive just in time to prevent Elminster to be killed by a group a Cormyr ' s War Wizards , who wrongly believed that the wizard was a enemy . In order to heal Elminster , she sacrifices herself by restoring the Old sage into his original body and giving him her silver fire , causing Alassra ' s body and soul to dissipate into nothingness . The Simbul and Thay . As well as signifying Alassra Silverhand ' s connection to Aglarond through its deific origins , the word " Simbul " means " watchful warrior - wizard " in the ancient Aglarondan language , and Alassra lives up to that role . Her presence alone is a strong incentive for the Red Wizards of Thay not to attack Aglarond . When she commits herself to battle , the amount of damage she can cause is incredible . She sometimes makes her enemies an example , using far more magic than necessary to destroy them in a spectacular fashion . No Red Wizard in his right mind would face the Simbul , and even her own subjects in Aglarond sometimes fear and avoid her , thinking her mad .