Zelkyr, also known as Archmage Zelkyr, was a highly capable Drake wizard and former headmaster of Wistram.
Appearance
Personality
As Perril Chandler remembers him, Zelkyr was eccentric (to put it mildly) and obsessed with creation and showing off his designs. Chandler assumes that his inspiration and ingenuity might have been driven by lust.[1]
Background
Zelkyr was from Salazsar,[1] which might explain why he preferred to study at Wistram instead of Fissival.
Zelkyr lived a bit over 200 years ago and ruled with a group of other [Archmages] Wistram. However, he was the most powerful mage, famous for having managed to damage the renowned walls of one of the Walled Cities. He was even more famous, though, for his capability of animating Golems.[2] In total, he created three Truestone Golems, the most powerful kind of Golems.[1]
For creating "thinking Golems", he was proclaimed an Archmage[1], but Zelkyr was interested in giving Golems "true sentience". He achieved this during one of his experiments, when he managed to create Cognita, who became his greatest creation. This creation of true sentience appears to have been an accident though,[3] as there are no reports of him succeeding in recreating such a golem again, making Cognita the only golem in Wistram with true sentience. Zelkyr appointed Cognita to oversee Wistram, to both help the students, and protect the school from danger. Throughout her time fulfilling this role, Cognita has single-handedly killed more mages than any known person.
While it is true that he hadn't succeeded in creating Golems of Cognita's caliber, he animated a whole army of powerful Golems. Having her and such an army at his disposal, he gained the full control of Wistram. Together with his creations, Zelykr explored the higher floors of the academy, which was earlier too dangerous for him to do so. This area was claimed by only the most powerful mages that have ever lived in Wistram, since the academy's inception 1000's of years ago. That means that it is filled with ancient spellbooks containing spells of the 7th Tier or even higher ones. The spellbooks aren't the only things to be found there, but so are the creations and traps of these legendary mages, which is the reason for the great danger these floors pose. Having survived his journey, he claimed that whole area as his own, only allowing his trusted access to it. To prevent anyone else from entering, he had his Golems guard the door, forcing anyone to fight them if they desired long-lost knowledge. The [Archmages] didn't tolerate that and charged at them. None succeeded, though. Those that had survived had to follow his rules, which were enforced by Cognita, his strongest, most deadliest Golem. Even to this day, 200 years after his death, Cognita follows the rules set by her creator, preventing anyone from reaching the upper levels.[4]
On a different note, having been the leader of the school he was charged with the education of the students and the protection of the academy. Teriarch appeared appalled at the quality of the magic skill displayed by 2 Wistram graduates, grousing that during the Archmage's time, standards were significantly higher then they are now. The knowledge taught in just the ''1st'' year greatly surpassed that of 3 years of studying at the academy now.[5] Teriarch even went so far as to not disparage the Archmage, as he does with the vast majority of mortals, indicating the Archmage had made a strong impression on him. It appears as though he was "a rare mortal with a spark" that " brought light and passion to his life", as Magnolia does now.[6]
Powers and Abilities
Classes/Levels:
- [Archmage] Lv. ? (estimated to have been above 70)[7]
- a class derived from [Summoner] and [Golem Artificer], Lv. ? (speculated so by Az'kerash)[1]
Masterpieces
- Cognita - A Truestone Golem.
- Magma Golem - A Golem made of magma. It burns as the molten rock flows around it, onto the floor, and back up, covering its body. Its core consists of something so bright it shines through the melting stone glowing at its heart.
- Thin Metal Golem - A Golem out of metal, with two thin, curved legs that make it stand twenty feet tall. Each leg is incredibly thin and seem to taper off into an edge like a blade. A narrow, metal body acts as its torso, roughly the same size as a normal Human’s, twenty feet up. It has two arms curved like the legs, half as long, and as sharp as scythes.
- Flesh Golem - A Flesh Golem of shadows and flesh. It is enchanted to be covered in shadows to mess with the mind of those that look at it.
- (destroyed)
- A War Golem of Archmage Zelkyr's was encountered in Interlude – Strategists at Sea (Pt. 1). Reader speculation suggests this may have been intended for use as the fourth golem rather than it having been destroyed. [8]