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Justarius (ca. 306 AC - 381 AC) was a red-robed mage who is recognized as one of the most powerful and influential mages during the Age of Despair. Justarius long held the title of the Master of the Red Robes, and ultimately rose to the position of Highmage. He was known as a well-built and athletic looking man, 5'11" tall, about 150 pounds, who had brown hair, dark eyes and bore a left crippled leg, a reminder of his trials during the Test of High Sorcery. Known to be wise and open in his dealings with people, Justarius was highly regarded by most mages during his day, including those in both the black and white robed orders.

Early Life[]

The young Justarius was a fit and hale man, who prided himself on both his arcane skills as well as his physical prowess. He was known as an adventurer and athlete, who took delight in seeing the world. When he chose to take the Test of High Sorcery, his skills were pushed to their limits and his left leg was savaged by spectral foes, which left it crippled. Justarius was finally forced to make the choice between physical prowess and magic. Most of his life prior to becoming the Head of the Conclave was spent in his palatial home of Villa Rosad, which he had inherited from his master Merick, located in the heart of the city of Palanthas.

Age of Despair[]

Justarius rose to prominence several decades before the War of the Lance, when in 339 AC he was made the Master of the Red Robes, following the fall from grace of Belize. By 339 AC, Justarius was already one of the most powerful mages of his order, second only to Belize. When he took on a young apprentice named Guerrand DiThon, it sent into motion a set of events which Justarius himself could not have predicted. The young apprentice, along with Justarius' senior apprentice Esme advised his master that Belize is dabbling in forbidden magic. Justarius returned to the Conclave with proof and the council tried Belize for his crimes as a renegade. Justarius was elevated to the role of Master of the Red Robes directly following the events.

In 346 AC, Par-Salian, who was the current Head of the Conclave, tried to rush a young mage by the name of Raistlin Majere through his Test of High Sorcery. Justarius strongly opposed the decision, however was overruled by the archmage. Following Raistlin turning from the Conclave and reclaiming the Tower of Palanthas for himself, this decision was seen by many as the wisest course. Justarius continued to take on more of Par-Salian's duties over time, whilst the great archmage eventually retired following an incident in 356 AC after he aided Caramon Majere in traversing through time. Justarius immediately became Head of the Conclave in 356 AC, with two new mages elevated to the new heads of the black and white orders respectively, in the form of Dalamar the Dark and Dunbar Mastersmate.

Realizing the potential backlash against magic-users after the Blue Lady's War and the events surrounding Raistlin Majere would come to light, Justarius set about what become known behind closed doors as "The Great Lie" in 358 AC. Since the archmage realized he couldn't cover up Raistlin's exploits completely, he instead began to promote that Raistlin had entered the Abyss with the sole purpose of rescuing Crysania and preventing Takhisis from making herself manifest on Krynn. The tale of heroism in turn boosted people seeking to learn magic and made magic-users become respected in Ansalon once more.

At some point after the Blue Lady's War, Justarius sired a daughter named Jenna who grew up in Palanthas and became a powerful mage of the red robes in her own right. He also started planning on building a new Tower of High Sorcery at Kalaman, but this never came to fruitation.

Assault on Storm's Keep[]

In 381 AC, as one of his last acts, Justarius invited Palin Majere, the nephew of Raistlin, to come to the Tower of Wayreth and take the Test of High Sorcery. A few short months later, having gained information on the Knights of Takhisis and the Thorn Knights in particular, Justarius planned a raid on Storm's Keep. He led an assault along with Dalamar on the fortress and was slain along with most of his fellow mages in the attempt. Dalamar managed to escape and returned to the Conclave with Justarius' body. The dark elf then succeeded Justarius and became the new Head of the Conclave.

Kender Tales[]

Over the course of time, some scholars and historians have mistakenly recorded Justarius' name as Justinius (DL 15). Whilst it was clearly Justarius' left leg that was crippled during the Test of High Sorcery, some historians have detailed that it was in fact his right leg on several occasions.

References[]

  • DL15: Mists of Krynn, p.122
  • Dragonlance Adventures, p.110
  • Tales of the Lance: World Book of Ansalon, p.103
  • Legend of the Twins, p.42
  • Dalamar the Dark (Novel), p.1-5
  • Dragons of Summer Flame, p.100-101
  • Night of the Eye (Novel), p.96, 100-101, 143, 153, 155-158, 177, 184-185, 209, 266, 311
  • The Medusa Plague (Novel), p.3-4, 19, 27-29, 39, 56, 176-177
  • Tears of the Night Sky, p.79
  • The Annotated Dragonlance Legends, Test of the Twins, p.1141
  • The Annotated Dragonlance Legends, Time of the Twins, p.186-187, 191
  • The Day of the Tempest, p.127
  • Issue 15 – High Sorcery 3 of 4 – "The Test", p.13
  • The Second Generation, p.89, 91-94, 157, 292-293
  • The Seventh Sentinel (Novel), p.252
  • Wanderlust (Novel), p.216
  • Wizards' Conclave, p.304
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