Elminster

Elminster Aumar, commonly known as simply Elminster, is a renowned wizard who appears in Baldur's Gate 3. He is one of the current Chosen of the Goddess , and plays a key recurring role in the story of . He is first encountered under the name Weary Traveler.
== Overview ==
Elminster is a recurring character in the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons and Dragons, including previous entries in the Baldur's Gate series. The steeple-hatted wizard is of legendary renown across realmspace, having appeared in over twenty novels, four adventures, and each prior installment in the Baldur's Gate series. He is an old acquaintance of and occasionally fact-checks his books, including . Gale describes him as being approximately "thirteen centuries old."
=== Appearance ===
Elminster wears a flowing orange-red robe with a matching hat, whose drooped steeple hangs backwards. Luscious silver locks of hair pour outward from the wide brim of his hat and blend into an equally long beard, between which sits a round, wizened face. A brilliant blue sash, decorated with jewels and signets, is draped between his left shoulder and right hip. Completing his finery is a necklace gold and silver plates and a single blood-red jewel, with a belt to match. In stark contrast to this opulent getup, he wields a single plain, unenchanted quarterstaff.
Though bearing his humanoid appearance, the Elminster that appears in the game is a Construct, which when defeated melts into a pile of water, strongly suggesting him to be a of the real wizard.
== Involvement ==
 must be alive and recruited as a companion (or chosen as Origin) in order for any encounters with Elminster to trigger.
===Act Two===
Elminster can first be found near the entrance to the Shadow-Cursed Lands from Rosymorn Monastery Trail or near the ruined Sharran temple if the party used the elevator from Grymforge. If avoiding Elminster at the earlier two locations, he appears on the stone bridge right in front of Moonrise Towers, close to the Waypoint. Gale's personal quest, , must be progressed to the point where his condition is no longer responding to treatment for Elminster to appear. If Gale does not receive all three items by the time the party members reach the Shadow-Cursed Lands, Elminster appears at the camp after a long rest once Gale has received the last item.
At camp, Elminster delivers message to Gale, entrusting him with a mission of detonating the orb of malevolent magic within his chest in order to destroy "the Heart of the Absolute" in a suicidal attack. To help ease the task, Elminster also imparts an enchantment on Gale which stabilizes the orb, negating the need to consume more magical items. He then departs as quickly as he arrived, leaving (should she be in the camp) wondering if he was "Gale's grandad".
===Act Three===
After Gale reads in the Sorcerous Vault during The Wizard of Waterdeep, Elminster appears for a second time, either outside Sorcerous Sundries or in camp. He brings yet another message from Mystra, asking Gale to meet her at her holy shrine in the Stormshore Tabernacle, located in the city of Baldur's Gate.
==Combat==
===Attacks and abilities===
Fighting Elminster is ill-advised. To say nothing of his overleveled stats relative to the party when he is encountered in Act One, he also leaves no loot when defeated, and his hostility will permanently lock Gale out of progressing in his personal quest. If the party does successfully defeat Elminster in combat, they're awarded a respectable 1000 experience.
== Related Quests ==
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== Related literature==
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==Gallery==
Elminster_Model.png|Elminster's model
Edward-vanderghote-elminster.webp|Character portrait by Edward Vanderghote
Levinna-angelita-elminster-02-lev.webp|Concept Art by Levinna Angelita
== See also ==
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== Notes ==
* When meeting Elminster, he will greet the party by saying "Ho there, wanderer. Stay thy course a moment to indulge an old man." This is a reference to the first Baldur's Gate game, where he greets the player in the exact same way.
==External links==
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Category:Returning Characters
Category:Characters
Category:Characters in Act Two
Category:Characters in Act Three
Category:Wizards