Scaldar

Scaldar is an Elder Magus and one of its ancient leaders who fought against Agarash and his empire during the Age of Eternal Night in a war lasting over a thousand years. Scaldar wielded the Scarlet Fire in a desperate attempt to defeat him, despite knowing it was not enough. Although the Scarlet Fire destroyed Agarash's body, his spirit remained intact, and Agarash used the Scarlet Fire back, creating unimaginable destruction. However, this power inadvertently broke the Material Plane and trapped himself and his victims inside a pocket dimension known as the Pit of Eternal Pain.

In exchange for the Scarlet Fire, Scaldar had agreed with Pyrash, Lord of the Flame, to watch over the Fire Elementals enslaved by him, and as such, his spirit did not pass over after his death.

In The Dusk of Eternal Night, this illusion will attempt to lure Grand Master and Blazer to their deaths in the Crypt. Later on in the book, depending on the actions of the player, Grand Master may meet Scaldar's spirit, and possibly pardon him, allowing him to pass on to the Plane of Light.

History

Scaldar was one of the leaders of the Elder Magi during the Age of War, a war of over a thousand years against Agarash. Towards the end of this war, along with the other leaders such as S'moah and Ghazam, the Elder Magi invaded the Agarashi Empire from Telchos, defeating the Agarashi in the Hills of the Lost Heroes in the Kelderwastes led by Yoz'Naga the Petrifier. They then advanced through the Kelderwood Forest to Naaros, joined by their allies from the lands that would later become Lunarlia, Siyen and Bhanar. In a battle lasting decades, the armies of Light finally destroyed all of the fortresses of Naaros, and advanced on its capital.

The Elder Magi, however, were desperate, as they knew they had no way of actually defeating Agarash. Scaldar made a bargain with Pyrash, Lord of the Flame: In exchange for knowledge about the Scarlet Fire, he would watch over the Fire Elementals that had been enslaved by Pyrash for all eternity. Scaldar knew that even this was not enough, but hoped that Agarash would unwittingly shatter the Material Plane and trap himself and the souls he had tormented in Naaros. Scaldar taught the Elder Magi how to summon and wield the Scarlet Fire, and helped craft amulets to protect themselves against its power — the first Platinum Amulets.

In the final battle against Agarash, in his throne room, Scaldar distinguished himself in battle. The Elder Magi wielded the Scarlet Fire against Agarash, destroying his body, but not his spirit. Worse still, but as Scaldar hoped, Agarash learnt how to wield the Scarlet Fire, and used its power to summon a cacophony of destruction not seen since the Draconic Holocaust, destroying Elder Magi and Agarashi alike. However, the supernatural torment inflicted on the souls within Naaros had weakened the Material Plane, and the Scarlet Fire, wielded by Agarash, was the trigger to shatter the Material Plane, creating the Pit of Eternal Pain, trapping Agarash, his remaining army, and the souls he had tormented, into a pocket dimension, to relive their torment for all eternity. Scaldar had, in effect, sacrificed their souls for Magnamund's safety.

After the battle, the Elder Magi believed Scaldar went into exile, although Scaldar had actually gone to fulfill his side of the bargain with Pyrash. In a tomb within the Kelderwood Forest, he watched over the Fire Elementals. During his exile, he met the Carsayans, who had been corrupted by Agarash and turned into bloodthirsty slaves, and plagued the Kelderwood Forest after his banishment. Scaldar fought against them, but realised that some good remained in their hearts. In the final years of his life, he experimented on them, and was able to free some from Agarash's corruption. The descendants of these Carsayans tended to his final burial grounds, Scaldar's Rest.

After Scaldar's physical death, he was unable to pass over to the Plane of Light, and remained trapped in his Rest for millennia. The remaining Elder Magi used his likeness in an Illusion Crystal in the Crypt of Agarash, as a form of protection to guard the Heart of Agarash. Scaldar's Rest remained undiscovered until around MS 5093, discovered by the Watchers of Chai.

In MS 5102, millennia after his death, the Naarvakim successfully broke into the Crypt, and although they were unable to retrieve the Heart, they destroyed some of its protections, causing the blood of Agarash to leak into the ground. This corrupted the illusion of Scaldar. In MS 5103, during the events of The Dusk of Eternal Night, this corrupted illusion attempted to lure Grand Master and Blazer, investigating the Naarvakim, to their deaths. This illusion also helped Sesketera and Khazullo understand the Nuoman Balance that was the final protection over the Heart, although they were unable to release it.

Depending on the actions of the player in The Dusk of Eternal Night, Grand Master may have visited the Kelderwood Forest, to find Scaldar's Rest, in order to find out how the Naarvakim planned to open a Gate of Doom to the Pit of Eternal Pain. If so, Grand Master eventually found their way to Scaldar's Rest, and listened to Scaldar's spirit recount his history. Scaldar also confirmed that a powerful explosion in Naaros, like the one similar to the Scarlet Fire, would be sufficient to open a Gate of Doom, the goal of the Naarvakim. Also depending on the actions of the player, Grand Master may have forgiven Scaldar, allowing him to pass on to the Plane of Light.

In the gamebooks

Scaldar is first encountered as a corrupted spirit in The Dusk of Eternal Night. He appears as an innocent guide to Grand Master and Blazer, guiding them through the Crypt of Agarash towards the Heart of Agarash, which the Naarvakim had already reached. Eventually, if the player has Telegnosis or Sun Prince Kai-alchemy, they will perceive Scaldar was attempting to deceive them all along (although the player can also trigger this by refusing to follow Scaldar's advice). If the player is fooled by Scaldar, they will be lured into a pulmonary alveolus fast losing oxygen, or an appendix filled with deadly acid. In both cases, the player must possess certain items and/or skills to survive and break their way out of the trap, losing a high number of Endurance points, and in the latter case, multiple items due to the acid.

If the player was not fooled, they will obtain an Illusion Crystal, which can be used to strengthen the Starstrider later on in the book, although its effect only kicks in if the player has a Turquoise Pearl.

After leaving the Crypt of Agarash, the player has a choice on where to investigate next, in order to find out how the Naarvakim plan to open a Gate of Doom. If the player chooses to visit the Kelderwood Forest, they will descend into the cursed forest, now controlled by Funghaarn the Witherer. The player may discover Scaldar's final actions in helping the Carsayans in his tomb. The player will finally meet Scaldar's spirit in the tomb, and listen to his story. The player will then have the option to forgive Scaldar or not, allowing him to pass on to the Plane of Light.

• If Scaldar is forgiven, all Endurance points lost are recovered, and the player's Platinum Amulet, if they have one, increases their maximum Endurance by +2.
• If Scaldar is not forgiven, his spirit instead passes onto the Neverness, but he will bless the player before departing (only one such blessing can be taken):
  • If the player has a Wardstone-imbued weapon, the Combat Skill deduction is -4 rather than -3
  • If the player has a Dessi Stone-imbued weapon, the weapon grants a +2 Combat Skill bonus
  • If the player has a Blue-steel Sword, it will add +3 Combat Skill instead of +2
  • If the player has Star-ska, it will add +5 Combat Skill instead of +4
  • If the player has a Power-mace, it will add +3 Combat Skill instead of +2
  • If the player has a Platinum Amulet, it adds +2 maximum Endurance

In both cases, the player will then be attacked by an Avatar of Funghaarn as they try to escape.