Flattery
Flattery Wyvernspur is an artificial human wizard and the villain of The Wyvern's Spur, the second book of the Finder's Stone trilogy of novels set in the Forgotten Realms. He was created by the bard and former Harper agent Finder Wyvernspur to be the perfect dublicate of a human capable of learning all of his songs and alchemical knowledge. Flattery turned to villainy due to constant abuse from his creator.
Appearance[]
Flattery looks so much like Finder, even Olive Ruskettle once mistook him for the bard. Flattery had sharp, hawk-like features, predatory blue eyes and silky black hair.
Personality[]
Flattery's mentality is unstable and immature. He's prone to temper tantrums and lashing out against those around him. He doesn't have much self-control beyond what his planning and desire for vengeance against the Wyvernspurs grants him. He is phisically and verbally abusive to his ''wife'' and apprentice Cat. His psychopathic manchild personality is partly due to the misguided way Finder raised him. Despite that he is still a cunning schemer capable of making long term plans and manipulate weak willed people like Cat.
Flattery, ultimately wanted great power to show the world, and his ''father'', that he deserves to be loved and respected. Unfortunately, Flattery chose to embrace evil and chaos, as well as gaining the obsession to destroy the Wyvernspur family.
Powers & Abilities[]
Flattery is an unusual mage in several ways, one of which is his impressive skill in melee combat. In some occasions he chose to fight the heroes with a sword rather than using his spells to destroy them. Perhaps the means of his creation caused this trait. He proved to be a fearsome adversary for the hero Giogioni in a fencing duel. He also possess a Ring of Disintegration that shoots energy beams capable in reducing people to piles of dust.
Later, Flattery used the Shapechange spell to turn himself into a dragon to fight Giogioni, who used the Wyvern's Spur to transform into a great wyvern, in a aerial battle.
History[]
Flattery was created by Finder Wyvernspur a.k.a. The Nameless Bard to be a living record of his songs and experiments. He has already created the Finder's Stone and would later help the sorceress Cassana in creating her clone Alias. Flattery was being his old arrogant, impatient self and when the newborn Flattery (named by one of Finder's apprentices) didn't perform up to Finder's expectations, Finder got angry and started beating Flattery. The abuse continued, as Flattery failed time and again to perform the songs.
Eventually, Flattery saw the chance to escape. One of Finder's apprentices left his room unlocked and Flattery stole his creator's Ring of Disintegration. Re-entering his room,Flattery planned to use the ring to kill his creator. One of Finder's Apprentices saved his teacher by jumping in front of the disintegrating beam. The enraged Flattery mutilated Finder's other apprentice, who was also his lover, and fled. Finder's lover would soon commit suicide rather than live with the horrible maiming Flattery gave her. This incident is what got Finder into trouble with the Harpers organization and led to the decision to change his name into the Nameless Bard and become a better person.
The story now jumps to the year 1358 DR, shortly before the Time of Troubles. Flattery, now a powerful level 18 mage, finds an amnesiac young woman named Cat on a battlefield while he was searching for corpses to turn into zombies. Cat is actually one of the clones of Alias created by Cassana and Phalse left stranded in different parts of Faerun. Flattery decided to take Cat as his apprentice. Unlike Alias, Cat doesn't have false memories of her life implanted into her. Flattery took advantage of this to blackmail Cat into servitude. Flattery said he has a magic jewel containing her (nonexistent) memories and he would give it to her if she accepts to marry him. Cat reluctantly agrees.
In truth, Flattery wanted to use Cat to steal the Wyvern's Spur, a magical relic that gave special powers to certain members of the Wyvernspur family. As his father was a Wyvernspur, Flattery hoped to use the relic for himself. He married Cat so she would become a Wyvernspur and could enter the family's crypt, where the Spur was kept, and not be killed by the crypt's spectral guardian who attacks any non-Wyvernspur who entered.
Cat entered the crypt, but the Spur was missing. She met the adorkable and clumsy Giogioni and his companion, the halfling rogue Olive. They were also searching for the Spur. Cat explained her mission to Giogioni and she fears the wrath of her master Flattery if she returns empty handed. Giogioni swore to protect Cat from Flattery.
Later, Flattery, frustrated by Cat's lack of success, kidnapped Giogioni's newborn niece as ransom for the Spur. Giogi, Olive and Cat tracked him down to his floating castle. Giogioni was taught how to use the Spur by the crypt's guardian and transformed into a red wyvern to reach Flattery's castle via flight. The final confrontation sees Giogi in wyvern form fighting Flattery, who transformed himself into a dragon. Clutched together in a precipitous dive, Giogi managed to break free from Flattery a moment before crashing to the ground. Flattery doesn't survive the landing.