Concelhaut

"Spells are fueled by ambient essence in the ether. A miserly trickle of energy that leaks from the Wheel. But imagine what could be done with a more powerful source of essence. A Watcher's soul, for instance."

Concelhaut is one of the great archmages of Eora, and appears in and.

Pillars of Eternity
An emaciated figure hunches over a stack of books. As you enter the room, it rises, and you feel as though you can see each rib and vertebrae shift into place beneath a pale film of flesh. It turns, twisting wasted skin and tendons around its bones. Two eyes burn from its angular, shrunken face. Concelhaut is one of the most powerful mages on Eora, who has spent a lifetime studying magic and inventing new spells (the list includes Concelhaut's Corrosive Siphon, Concelhaut's Parasitic Staff, Concelhaut's Draining Touch, Concelhaut's Crushing Doom, and Concelhaut's Draining Missiles), and then extended it by pouring his soul into a phylactery to extend life and knowledge. His apprentices spend years in their laboratories, toiling over new enchantments for the privilege of learning at his feet, further enhancing his potential.

Concelhaut is a longtime rival of Llengrath and other archmages (Ninagauth, Minoletta, Kalakoth and Citzal) who try or have tried to take him down by any means necessary, including hiring a mercenary army that Concelhaut dismisses as merely a nuisance. He is single-mindedly dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and by 2823 AI has four apprentices: Uariki, Pelden, Sabel, and Tanoss. He is reluctant to part with anything that might diminish his power, especially the Engwithan phylactery - as it's literally carved into his skull with runes, sealed with a peg of adra, and merged with a complex web of spells.

In his office is a Sky Dragon eye, suggesting that he may have slain such a beast himself or is at the very least, as powerful as a mature Sky Dragon (though it is questionable whether he would be able to take on an Adra Dragon or an Alpine Dragon in single combat).

His ultimate goal is to discover time manipulation, as pioneered by Caedebald the Red and Maura of the Seven Hills. To that end, he needs a soul that can draw on the power of the ether: A Watcher's soul.

Deadfire
A skeletal figure clutches a scroll in both of his gnarled hands. His skin crinkles like old parchment and with every movement pulls to the point of nearly tearing. He glances up, his eyes burning and severe in their intensity. Concelhaut has purchased the services of Torn Bannermen after they demonstrated a sliver of competence at his fortress, and now decided to focus his exploits at tackling Bekarna's research and finding the deep well of power she detected in the Archipelago - something that's a bit at odds with the goals of the The Circle of Archmagi.

He can be found in Crägholdt, in his study at the south-west corner of the map.

Quests

 * Siege of Crägholdt: When you face him, he tells you a little about himself. But he won't let you leave peacefully, because he sees an opportunity to use your Watcher soul for research purposes. No matter what you say, you end up having to fight him. Even if the Watcher tries to leave without attacking, Concelhaut will say, "Where do you think you're going? I'm just getting started with you."
 * If the Watcher explains that he investigated the siege because they thought Concelhaut may have required their aid, he will laugh with amusement.
 * Fighting him is one of the more difficult battles in the game. Other than the Watcher themselves, though players may be tempted to bring along their wizards, e.g., Aloth, for lore and/or role-playing purposes, there is no additional special dialogue associated with this. Concelhaut does have some unique dialogue if the Watcher is a Wizard, and also if the Watcher has a high Lore skill. Care should be taken not to attack him with spells while he has Arcane Reflection up. This buff can last a ridiculously long time, making magical attacks and spell casters inefficient for much of the duration of the fight. Once his Arcane Reflection runs out and if he is engaged in melee with low health, he will use his infamous parasitic staff along with draining touch.
 * Generally it is advisable to position the fight in such a way so that Concelhaut's minions cluster together, allowing you to eliminate most of them before having to engage him directly. For example, using a ranged character to initiate a force-attack on one of his minions, then retreating to the entrance of Concelhaut's chamber will usually result in his minions concentrating in a mob that is susceptible to AoE spells and attacks, while Concelhaut himself is forced to remain behind them, limiting his ability to target and cast his deadly spells.

Deadfire
In, he is a tough opponent who uses mind-based afflictions and is surrounded by a number of fairly high-level minions. He is found on the rooftop of the observatory, past the Orrery.

If he was killed and his skull taken in the first game, he will be shocked that the Watcher survived the fall of Caed Nua and express his frustration and anger at being the Watcher's pet skull, including "days of bouncing in your shadow or being jostled among spears and daggers". His ressurection is unexplained even when the Watcher asks, only that he was delighted in "slamming the proffered door on the Usher's hand", referring to Berath. He will also reveal that he had plans for destroying Caed Nua himself, though the opportunity was taken from him by Eothas, indicating that even as a pet skull, he was conscious and sentient the entire time, quietly scheming his revenge.

In the aftermath of the destruction of Caed Nua, having felt the pulse of power from the well of power in the Deadfire (which was described and researched by Bekarna, though discounted by the Archmages), he dragged himself towards the shore of the Dyrwood, and to a dock, as a skull, "one mouthful of soil at a time" to gain passage by boat to the Deadfire.

It appears that he is at odds with the Circle of Archmagi, claiming that the Circle is only after knowledge, but he, power.

‘’The Forgotten Sanctum’’
In the expansion ‘The Forgotten Sanctum’, the watcher is ultimately faced with an option to restore Concelhaut’s Skull to a body that lasts.

Upon leaving the body of Wael, Concelhaut breaks with his traditional venom and thanks the watcher by saying “you should feel honored to count yourself as a footnote in the legend of my apotheosis” after informing the party that he intends to become a god mighty enough to make the currently panoply look meek.

Concelhaut's spells tend to have themes of Draining/Siphoning and Corrosion.

Quests

 * Bekarna's Folly: Concelhaut makes a triumphant return after the previous game, this time focusing on acquiring Bekarna's research.

Trivia

 * His voice actor was changed in the second game and now has a hint of an Irish accent, making him sound markedly different than in the first game.