Description
Cynfelyn is a tall,
broad-shouldered man who is most often seen wearing a tunic of dark
green, embroidered with a design of stars in the celtic-style shape of
a hound. Beneath his robe glints a chainmail cuirass and from a broad
leather belt hangs a heavy looking bastard sword, with a bronze hilt
and a large round pommel covered with a leather pouch. Cynfelyn’s once
black hair is now shot through with grey, giving it a steely appearance
and is cut short, revealing a pair of watchful blue eyes. His face is
marred by a crooked nose, broken when he was young and never set
straight, which, combined with his heavy brow, gives him a coarse,
thuggish aspect.
But, if his face makes him look more like a grog than a magus, his
confident manner around the covenant suggests otherwise. Cynfelyn
strides around Severn Temple much as a noble might walk around his
manor. While he always tries to treat fairly with the grogs and coven
folk, and knows most of them by name, he does not regard them as equals
and expects to be treated accordingly. He can also be somewhat
impatient and does not tolerate fools or wasters easily. Although wary
of strangers and those he does not know well, Cynfelyn is fiercely
loyal to those he counts as his friends, whether Gifted or not. Like
many of his former house, Cynfelyn can be headstrong and reckless, and
is a proud man who takes insults and perceived slights badly. Woe
betide anyone who mistreats an animal when he is around.
There is an air about Cynfelyn that marks him as a wizard. While
animals seem not to notice this and indeed appear to actively enjoy his
company; to men, it feels as though there is something distant about
him, that there exists a gulf between him and them that can never
entirely be crossed. Although not an unsociable man, with few, if any,
close friends now left in the covenant, when not in his laboratory or
the library, Cynfelyn is more likely to be found in the kennels with
his beloved hounds than in the great hall or tavern.
Reputations:
Reckless (Magi) 1; Feared (Grogs) 2.
Favoured arts:
Creo; Aquam; Ignem.
Favoured spells: Bolt of Absymal Flame; The Wizard's Call to
Arms; Blade of Virulent Flame; Mighty Torrent of Water.
Known virtues:
Loyalty passion; Knack (Parma Magica); Animal Ken.
Known flaws: Poor reader.
Personality: Brave
+3; Proud +2; Honourable +1; Wary +1; Vengeful +1; Reckless +1.
Cynfelyn's
Views on the Magi at 1195 AD
Medius
Although I have traveled widely with Medius and we have been through
some very dark places together I still cannot say that I know the man.
He is intensely private and rarely given to showing what he truly
feels. This is not to say that he lacks passion or cause, for he is
both devout and unswerving in his opposition to the infernal. Rather,
he prefers to keep his feelings to himself, perhaps, in part, due to
his role as quaesitor which he takes very seriously. Indeed, save for
his infrequent outbursts of temper at council, almost invariably
provoked by Cormoran, he is not given to showing any emotion at all,
preferring to present a calm, controlled front to the world. However,
the extent of his grief at losing his apprentice surprised me. Although
I knew he was quite fond of Ezekiel, I had not realized just how deeply
Medius cared for him and, while the young man’s death was a sad loss,
it revealed a side to Medius’s character that I am glad to know exists.
I sense that he has other motivations and plans, beyond those that
relate to his Quaesitorial duties, not necessarily illicit ones, but
ones that he nevertheless chooses to keep to himself. I suspect these
relate to his faith and his extensive links to the Kabbalah, for his
dedication to his monotheistic faith is clearly deepening over the
years. However, he is entitled to his privacy, for time and again he
has proven his dedication to the covenant, the tribunal and the Order.
Medius also appears happy to let his sodales have their secrets, so
long as they do not impact on the covenant, though how much of that is
a reflection of his own desire for privacy I cannot say. I still wonder
whether there will come a time when his religion becomes more important
to him than the Order, but after all that we have been through together
I owe Medius my trust at the very least, so, until such time comes as
he puts his faith before his Oath, he will continue to have my full
support.
Cormoran
Save Theo, none of my sodales has caused me as much anger as the much
(and rightly) maligned Cormoran. If only his skin were as thick as his
armour and his wit as sharp as his halberd! However, as my knowledge of
the lore of magical creatures grows, I wonder whether it is not some
fatal flaw in Cormoran’s character that causes his petulance,
selfishness and naked power-lust, but rather the giantish blood that
flows through his veins. I believe that the effects of his giantish
heritage extend beyond the obvious manifestations in his prodigious
size and strength to also curse him with those repugnant traits that
make true giants such unpleasant and dangerous entities.
Yet, of late, I have seen signs that indicate he may finally be coming
to grips with this side of his nature. His study and practice of the
pagan ways is clearly providing him with both the discipline he needs
and the direction he craves. Although, given past relapses, any change
for the better cannot yet be taken for granted, it is my hope that the
Cormoran may have turned a corner with his heroic efforts in
Swallowcliff. Despite the churlish whining about not having been
trusted with the knowledge of the raid beforehand (a decision directly
stemming from his past indiscretions), once brow-beaten into coming
along he was as brave and true a warrior as anyone could have asked
for. If Cormoran has genuinely found the strength of character to
change for the better then I believe we can forge a formidable
defensive partnership for the protection of this covenant and, in time,
a firm friendship.
Tiarnan
Imbued with radically different world views and the traditional
prejudiced views of our respective houses, Tiarnan and I took an
instant dislike to each other, but as the years roll on I find myself
wondering whether much of the antipathy between us results from a lack
of any meaningful understanding of the other’s mindset. To my eyes at
least, despite his apparently friendly and relaxed demeanour, he makes
even Medius seem open and easy to read. Of late, Tiarnan has become
puissant in a wide range of arts, quietly putting in season after
season of hermetic study, but to what end? I have not forgotten
Tiarnan's complicity in Theo's treachery, nor the way he has held his
Oath lightly when weighed against his faerie allegiances so cannot help
but wonder what game he is playing now.
Yet, despite our differences, we have more in common than I had
originally suspected: a love of the wilds and the desire to leave the
confines of our laboratories and explore places such as Mynydd Myrddyn;
a shared recognition of the grave threat that the Church poses; and,
the sharing of ourselves with a familiar. Tiarnan’s choice of the
irreverent but amiable Kai (who, encouragingly, seems to remain free of
any fey taint) speaks well of his character. Indeed, aside from the
irritations caused by some of the faerie menagerie that often follow
him round, Tiarnan is by no means a disagreeable traveling companion.
So, while I cannot say that I particularly like or trust Tiarnan as a
man, as a magus he at least has my respect and I shall endeavour to put
aside our past differences and judge him in future on what he says and
does, rather than who he is.
Marius
I see much of both his parents in Marius. He has the lightness of heart
and easy charm that Theo once had, but thankfully he appears to have
also inherited Dialectica’s shrewdness and strength of mind. Although
his claiming of the crown is troubling, the gravity of the situation
that provoked him into taking it cannot be denied and thus far he has
seemed to wear it lightly, as lightly as such can ever be worn. Like
many Jerbiton he appears to genuinely enjoy his time in the courts of
Wales, though of late the strain in his face is evident. So long as his
political aspirations do not get ahead of themselves, I am hopeful that
the constant day-to-day tumult of the mundane world will keep the
influence of the crown in check when it comes to magical and faerie
powers.
Although I cannot say that I know him well as a man, for he is away
much of the year, having seen him grow up around the covenant and
suffer the loss of both his parents, I feel quite paternal towards him.
While I can offer little advice in the way of mundane or faerie politic
I shall gladly give Marius what help and support I can, whether that be
advice, vote or spell and sword.
Previous views can be
found here.