[Lord Karsus](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Karsus) was the creator and caster of the Karsus's avatar spell that triggered the Fall of the [[Netherese Empire]]. Karsus was born in Netheril in 3163 NY (−696 DR). His father was Radman. He was able to cast his first spell at the age of two, and by the age of twenty-two had become the youngest arcanist to ever create his own floating city, the floating enclave of [[Karsus]]. Gifted with magic, but lacking the necessary discipline that comes with hard work and research, he founded a school of magic on his enclave and encouraged the attendance of radical thinkers and those interested in taboo projects. One of his students was the famous Lord Shadow. ## Creation of [[Karsus's Avatar]] In −345 DR, Arthindol the Terraseer appeared before Karsus and warned him that the goddess of magic [[Mystryl]] was soon to face her greatest challenge, and that this would forever affect the Netherese's perception of magic. Shouldering a responsibility for preserving his civilization, Karsus finished creating a spell, [[Karsus's Avatar]], that he had been developing for years. This spell would steal the power of a deity and transfer it to the archwizard that cast it. He also crafted a crown specifically designed to usurp the powers of his chosen deity. Karsus believed that with the power of a god at his disposal, he could destroy the phaerimm and unite his people. Karsus cast the spell in 3520 NY (−339 DR), and chose Mystryl, the goddess of magic, as his target, feeling that she was the most powerful deity and the most appropriate choice for his purposes. Thus Karsus gained powers over all magic. Unfortunately, his choice was a terrible mistake, for one of the responsibilities of the deity of magic was to regulate the flow of magic to and from all beings, spells, and magic items in the world. Since Karsus lacked the ability to do this properly, the magic of the world immediately surged and fluctuated wildly. With her last remaining bit of power, Mystryl sacrificed herself to block Karsus's access to the Weave, causing all magic to fail. The flying cities of Netheril plummeted to the earth. While Karsus briefly achieved apotheosis, the severing of the link also killed him and transformed him into stone, and the last thing he saw was his entire civilization being destroyed because of his actions. This catastrophe came to be known as [[Karsus's Folly]]. #NPC #Canon #Karsus #Villain