Maximilian Hiltier

Lover of Viscountess Rowena Krollnar of Bergen

Leader of the Planar Circle

Member of the Secret Brotherhood of the Radiance

AC 1013

"I cannot respect those who do not pursue some form of wisdom, knowledge or enlightenment. They must be kept in the dark and not trifled with at all."

Appearance

Maximilian Hiltier is 5'11" tall with a slim figure. He has piercing black eyes and unkempt black hair and beard. He has a receding hairline, but he refuses to use something to re-grow his hair, save a concoction by his lover, Rowena Krollnar, that keeps his hair black. With his activity and temperament, he seems more like a man in his mid twenties rather than in his forties.

Maximilian is well-spoken and has a soothing gentle voice. His eyes often betray his interest (or lack of it) during discussions. He wears rich wizardly robes, often in blue or purple. Those who are observant sometimes notice a magical blue aura about him, which Maximilian seems to be aware of, but not self-conscious about.

Personality & Quirks

To Maximilian, knowledge is the ultimate goal. He loves to participate in the gatherings and activities of the intellectual circles of Glantri. His particular field of interest is planar magic and lore, and since the death of his lover, he has become the leader of the Planar Circle of the Great School of Magic. He enjoys teaching as well, and has six apprentices in his tower in Bergen.

Besides his intellectual pursuits, he loves to go fishing in the mountain lakes and streams of Bergen. Since the death of Rowena however, these activities only remind him of her and he finds himself melancholy and dreaming she could come back to life.

Background

Maximilian was born in Glantri City in AC 970. His father was Rudiger Hiltier, employee at the Hall of Magistrates, and his mother was Thiere Dulavie, a member of the Sages' League. Maximilian showed magical skills very young, and at the age of 7 was sent to the Great School of Magic. He graduated very early as well, but continued studying as one of the apprentices of Grand Master Étienne d'Ambreville.

At the Great School, Maximilian met Rowena Krollnar, a Flaemish beauty two years older than him, and he immediately fell in love with her. His shyness, her beauty, and their racial difference prevented him to declare his true feelings for her, but when he finally did, he learned that Rowena had fallen in love with him as well.

The young lovers kept their romance a secret, until Rowena discovered that she was pregnant. Rowena confessed her relationship to her father, Lord Haak Krollnar, Baron of Adlerturm, and to his surprise, the Baron accepted him for his daughter. Baron Haak even arranged an elaborate charade to explain Rowena's pregnancy and took in Maximilian as his personal magist at Adlerturm.

Nevertheless, the Krondaharan enemies of House Linden discovered the scandalous truth and began blackmailing Maximilian to spy on the Baron of Adlerturm and other Flaemish nobles. Torn between betraying the Krollnars and saving his name, Maximilian decided it would be best if departed the Glantrian scene.

Maximilian joined a Glantrian expedition to Ierendi, to investigate the Honor Island fire mages. Once there, Maximilian was captured and imprisoned. He was given a choice to remain there for the rest of his life studying their fire magic or be sentenced to death. Maximilian presented a third option: that he aid one of them gain access to the Secret Craft of Fire Elementalism in Glantri in exchange for his freedom. The Honor Island mages accepted the deal, only he stayed in ransom until their representative successfully returns from Glantri. Maximilian accepted, and soon, one of their ranks, a wizardess named Gherynid presented herself to Lady Rowena Krollnar in Bergen, with a letter from her long lost lover and a demand to be initiated into the Secret Craft.

Maximilian was convinced that the Honor Island mages would never set him free, so he himself planned his escape. With his studies of planar lore, he decided the best escape would be into the Ethereal Plane (which was partially accessible at the Honor Island gateway to the Plane of Fire.).

Maximilian set his plan into motion. The fire mages gave chase but lost track of him in the Ethereal Plane, and gave up. Unfortunately, Maximilian himself was lost in the Ethereal, and was unable to return to the Prime.

In the Ethereal Plane, Maximilian had many strange encounters and bizarre adventures—very little of which he cares to remember, much less cares to retell. But in the end, his experiences increased his knowledge of the plane and enhanced his skill in planar magic. In AC 1007, Maximilian returned from his planar travels and back into the life of Rowena Krollnar. They had been apart for nearly twenty years, but their love was stronger than ever imaginable. Neither of them thought it was even necessarily to declare this love to the Glantrian public. An added joy to Maximilian was his reunion with his son, Mirn Krollnar, now a young man with ambitions of his own.

With his family and his new life, Maximilian decided it was time to hang up his adventuring cloak and time to put on his teacher's robes. With Rowena, Maximilian joined the faculty of the Great School of Magic, sharing his expertise in planar lore and magic. Maximilian also attempted a reunion with Prince Étienne d'Ambreville, but with the ongoing war against Alphatia, they never met. The only thing Maximilian ever saw of his old master was a book, apparently forgotten by Étienne, about a powerful source of magic called the Radiance.

Maximilian studied the book and secretly investigated this mysterious magical source. In AC 1008, he joined the Brotherhood of the Radiance, under the name of Brother Lightwave. His exploration of the Radiance began to require more time and Maximilian was growing dissatisfied with his teaching post at the Great School (The students only wanted to hear about his bizarre stores about the planes, and the Master of Planar Magic, Bernabie Thrum, was a fool!). Eventually, he quit his position and retired to his own studies at Bergen.

In AC 1012, his lover Rowena decided it was time to destroy the fiend that had long cursed the Krollnars. Together, they opened a gate into the Plane of Fire and confronted the demon. The fiend was vanquished but at the cost of Rowena's life.

Maximilian blamed himself for not being able to protect his beloved. Rowena had named him her successor to rule Bergen, but Maximilian stepped aside to let their son, Mirn, rule instead. He has plunged himself into his magical studies, particularly of the Radiance, secretly hoping to find a way to bring Rowena back to life.

Web of Intrigue

Maximilian Hiltier belongs to the highest intellectual circles of the Principalities. As such, he could easily establish a strong political power base, if only his interests did not lay in the pursuit of knowledge.

After Rowena's death, Maximilian became the leader of the Planar Circle, and at the Great School of Magic, he has maintained fair relations with Prince Harald Haaskinz and with Bartolomeo di Malapietra. As a member of the Brotherhood of the Radiance, Maximilian knows he has secret allies in Glantrian society, most of whom he is convinced are among the nobility and the masters at the Great School.

Maximilian has no heart or stomach to be a politician in Glantri, and he has let his beloved son Mirn Krollnar rule as the Viscount of Bergen. Father and son trust each other completely and have much faith in each other's abilities in their respective fields.

Maximilian does not hide his hatred against the Ethengar nor their evils against him in the past. He has never accepted an Ethengar as a member of the Planar Circle and has killed a couple of them in magical duels for less than commendable reasons. Maximilian has gained the attentions of other enemies of the Ethengar, including Prinz Jaggar von Drachenfels.

Style of Magic & Combat

Statistics: 18th-level transmuter; Str 6, Int 18, Wis 10, Dex 15, Con 9, Cha 12; AL N (D&D), CN (AD&D).

Languages: Flaemish, Thyatian (Glantrian and Aalbanese dialects), and Sylaire. Maximilian speaks every language imperfectly and with a strong Glantrian accent.

Weapon Proficiencies: dagger

Skills: alchemy, alertness, fishing, iron will, mimicry, planar lore (Ethereal plane), riding/sea-based, spell combination, spellcraft, spellflash. Maximilian is also said to have learned many new and weird skills from his experiences in the planes.

As a transmuter, Maximilian cannot cast spells of abjuration and necromancy. But more than this, Maximilian's expertise is in planar magic. He frequently uses spells that tap into planar forces such as displace self, blink, dimension door, distance distortion, secret chest, etherealness, duo-dimension, magnificent mansion, and phase door. He is also well versed in spellcasting within the Ethereal and Astral Planes, and knows which spells function, which spells are altered, and which spells can be exploited for the best effects.

"How can we be absolutely sure that the things he says of his travels and discoveries—or even his personal tragedies in life—are entirely true and not just some fabulously crafted tales in his attempt at intellectualism?"

(Bernabie Thrum, Master of Planar Magic at the Great School of Magic)

References: History of House Krollnar

Author: Giovanni Porpora