A half-demon from Briton, Delia as she’s known was given away at a young age and brought to Eire. Like many of her kind, Delia has a special skill set of using either hers or another’s blood to form into a blood dagger. The more blood Delia is able to collect, the more her weapon will grow in length (a long sword) and in strength.
I’m dubbing it the “disaster group” at the moment but Delia is the most level-headed, intelligent of the group. Delia is not particularly fond of humans being abused and as well as forced to fight for them. She broke away in her teenage years and joined a small caravan of other half-demons (also part of the disaster group).
Her blood manipulation is called an “outward manifestation”, which means since Delia uses the blood of others most of the times rather than her own (because, hey, she doesn’t want to bleed out or go berserk), it is an ability to project her powers outward. The next additions to the group will all have inward manifestations!
Anyway, the rule of thumb in this verse is that the more demonic powers they use, the more likely they will lose control of themselves. Anyone with outward manifestations are deemed to be stronger than the rest of their groups. Combined with Delia’s knowledge of weapons, combat, and local regions, she is one of the strongest of her kind.
When it comes to other half-demons trying to usurp control and force humans into becoming cattle, Delia doesn’t want anything to do with it. So while the disaster group fizzles out, Delia becomes the first woman to be knighted by Gwenhwyfar down the line.
Stats
Age: 8
Species: Human
Height: normal height for her age
Weight: same goes for weight
Nationality: Briton-born Sarmartian
Galahad is the daughter of Llwch/Lancelot. After being conceived through trickery on her mother’s part, Galahad was foretold to be a boy, not a girl. Her grandfather, Peles had waited and hoped for her to be a boy, but when Galahad was revealed to be a girl, he washed his hands of her, just as her father had did as well. Galahad was born dead, in the black waters of the Otherworld which her mother had tried to drown them both in. While Bran’s cauldron and waters were said to bring back men to life and leave them soulless, Galahad’s innocence has preserved her soul and protected her from the taint of the undead.
It does not leave her without troubles. Galahad was born with a strong perceptive sight into the world of the dead. Because she is still so young, Galahad has a hard time telling the difference between the dead and the living, each both crystal clear as much as the other. At the same time, being able to see the world of the dead has left her open to the images of horrible deaths and of war. It doesn’t leave Galahad with a sense of fear or shock, but rather, it leaves her complacent and indifferent to blood and gore she sees. The dead cling to her and whisper in her ears for messages to pass onto the living. This has left her susceptible to spirits with malicious intent; thankfully, her father is there to tell her to keep the malicious ones at bay.
Presented with images, Galahad also has the frightening ability to project the most potent images she sees into another’s mind. While she doesn’t have heightened senses like nephilims, Galahad can still feel the presence of the supernatural around her. She is dubbed “the eye” of her group, the first one to alert others to strange activity, though, sometimes she cannot tell the difference between good and evil. Her sight leaves her in an odd place; other children are afraid of her as well as adults. Galahad finds refuge in the small few who are either too young to understand her abilities or the adults that love her.
Galahad is the second sole survivor of Melwas’ capture. She is one of many children taken by Melwas as a sacrifice on the Lia Fáil (the sister seat of Seige Perilous) in an attempt to obtain the Cauldron of Rebirth and the prophecy of the purest soul could only obtain it. During a rescue mission led by Fergus and Gwenhwyfar, Galahad is saved by Gwenhwyfar, who ultimately flees with Galahad to the witches’ maw for sanctuary.
While Galahad displays her father’s cool, almost stoic nature, Galahad is just as much as any other little girl. She enjoys playing with others, pets, and toys. She is curious, asking many questions to the adults around her and is very perceptive, more than the adults around her realize. Her dream, naturally, is to follow in her father’s footsteps--not for the sake of her kingdom, but for the sake of protecting her father from harm. If given a practice sword, Galahad is shown to be a prodigy at swordsmanship, carefully observing and mimicking her father. Like any other Sarmatian girls, Galahad has been taught archery and horseback riding, something she loves and misses greatly.
From the “Book of Enoch”. The children of the fallen (demons), who were once referred to as the Grigori (Watchers) who bred with humans, giving birth to a hybrid race. Since demons and humans were not meant to interact and demons themselves are unstable by nature, so are nephilim, who most are unable to carry the fine balance between human and demon. They are born from the many races of their mothers (what I’m trying to say is that they’re simply not albino) but possess white hair, pale grey or blue eyes.
Most nephilims will be taller than humans though while it is unusual for them to be the average height of a human it is not unheard of.
Because they are fathered by demons, a nephilim will have:
Heightened five senses; most will rely on the scent of others when someone or something approaches
Inhuman strength
Their endurance is stronger than humans; it is easy for nephilim to go without rest, water, and food (though it’s really not recommended) for a few weeks.
They can adapt to extreme temperatures. Some tribes of nephilim will move around the highlands or forests during the winter or summer to avoid humans
A very fast metabolism to compensate all of these things
While the nephilim are stronger and can live longer than a human, nephilims are notorious for their hunger. They will eat three times as a human and frequently need to eat, should they rely on any of their demonic abilities. Nephilim must maintain a careful balance--any of these things will send them down to unbearable pain and the pain will spur them to an uncontrollable hunger.
This has led to the nephilim consuming everything in their paths, especially humans. This makes them feared, persecuted, neglected, and killed by humans.
Despite the constant danger they face from both humans and the supernatural world and while their abilities can protect them, the less they rely on these abilities, the less likely they are prone to their hunger. But the world is not kind to those who possess demon blood.
The Tainted
They are the souls of the dead tainted by the black waters from the Cauldron of Rebirth broken by Efnysien that long since flowed through the mortal realm by the few gateways to the Otherworld. Long ago, these waters were used to resurrect the dead but left them unable to speak and think as if they had a soul. They are revenants, stuck between the world of the living and the dead. They do not fall when they are hit with weapons nor do they show pain. Those who have unpure hearts will be corrupted from the black waters to return as the tainted undead. If one’s heart is pure, a child, then they will be able to rise from the black waters untainted and obtain the Cauldron of Rebirth whole again.
People of the Mounds/Fair Folk
Here’s a punk ass fairy.
And here’s another punk ass fairy (actually, a troll, but still a punk ass. it makes a nice visual.)
Thread Witches
Thread witches (also referred to as geilts, filis, or veledas) exist both outside of the Druid communities (Gorsedds), Pagan, and Chrisitan communities. They live in covens and practice a combination of both native as well as what we would consider occult magic. Because they do not abide by Gorsedd rules and practices, even they are considered blasphemers to the druids. In the past, the witches have been persecuted and singled out by other religious communities, which has led them to practice in secrecy; most thread witches are women and girls but have included men and boys in their covens and villages.
The thread witches are referred to as such, weaving their magic through a thread, yarn, and knots. The prophetess and seer Fedelm is usually depicted carrying tools to create a thread. The earliest mention of these witches can be found through curse tablets, where they are referred to uidluias. Bits of the curse tablet can be found through Eluveitie’s music, Brictom, Dessumiis Luge, and A Girl’s Oath. If you’re looking for more context, check this link out.
While thread witches tend to favor a deeper connection with nature and the land, the thread witches try to take a neutral stance in the conflicts between factions, unless it comes to their door. One of the most known thread witches is Nimue, the Lady of the Lake and her coven of students.
Sluagh Sidhe
HAHA! LITERAL MURDER!
I like this one too.
Humans
Those pesky humans!
Between the fairfolk and the nephilim, the humans are the ones caught in between raging wars and rivalries. Some are good, some are bad. Some are open to the supernatural and then some aren’t.
The sacred items are the treasures of the Otherworld, once held by the gods away from mortals. For all intents and purposes, these artifacts were not meant to be in the hands of mortals, otherwise, they would bring deep misfortune that would run to generations to come and/or corrupt the individual’s heart. Each of these items had been hidden at one point to protect the human world from them.
Pair Dadeni - The Cauldron of Rebirth, the predecessor of the Holy Grail in Arthurian lore. There are different variations of a magical cauldron in Arthurian literature, but the Pair Dadeni may be the most significant because of its ties to Bran the Blessed. The Celts did believe that their souls would be returned to a cauldron or Awen, only to be dipped back into the cauldron and be reborn.
The Cauldron of Rebirth was made by Ceridwen (who may be a goddess in Welsh mythology, but I, myself, don’t really feel comfortable calling her that because of some Neo-Paganism bleed over) an infamous woman in Welsh mythology said to be a powerful sorceress and used the cauldron to bring the back the dead. Ceridwen entrusts Bran the Blessed with her cauldron for safe keeping and if anything should happen to it, the Cauldron of Rebirth could be obtained whole to one purest of heart (Galahad but Bran doesn’t know that). After arranging a marriage with his sister to an Irish king to bring the two nations together, Bran is forced to give the cauldron to stop a war from breaking out, not thanks to his half-brother. Bran was a good man and of a compassionate heart, not expecting for Matholwch to misuse the cauldron... maybe even a little naive.
Matholwch uses the cauldron to bring back his fallen back to life -- though, they came back to life not right. The resurrected dead couldn’t speak, soulless bodies that were bound to Matholwch’s word for as long as they lived. After learning of his sister’s mistreatment, Bran with his men and brothers sailed to Ireland to confront Matholwch. His half-brother Efnisien ends up sparking the war that Bran tried desperately to contain, killing his nephew, Matholwch’s only child. The battle is long and only a handful of Bran’s men survived. Realizing what he had done, Efnisien pretends to be dead, hiding among the corpses of Matholwch’s men and is tossed into the cauldron, where he supposedly breaks it.
With a combination of Matholwch misusing the cauldron and Efnisien being the way he was, the waters in the cauldron became tainted, turning black from the rot of the dead, including Efnisien. The cauldron breaks from Efnisien, spilling the black water into the lands and turning it barren and tainted. Bran is mortally wounded in battle and loses his prized weapon. He instructs his men to remove his head as he lies dying as their only means of protection. The cauldron eventually lingers between the living and the dead, in the thin, where the one pure of heart can restore it. Either they can choose to bring the cauldron to the land of the living or send it to its rightful place.
Those who have sought and continue to seek the cauldron, like Arthur, can be corrupted, turning their hearts black like the waters. Every soul that has looked for the cauldron has been cursed.
Rhongomyniad - The spear of Bran the Blessed and his favorite weapon (note: yes, this is traditionally Arthur’s spear in lore) given to him by his father, the sea god, Lyr. While Bran and his men battled in Ireland after Bran was fatally wounded, the spear was lost, unable to be returned to Bran’s children. Years later, the spear would be acquired by Irish worshippers of Bran found the spear in the catacombs where Bran was mortally wounded by Matholwch
and his men. It once sat in the hands of an idol of Bran the Blessed and used in various ceremonies. When the catacombs were located by the Winter King, the worshippers became his first sacrificial offerings to the Black Water in an effort to bring the Cauldron of Rebirth whole to the mortal realm.
As time went on, the catacombs and the foundation of Matholwch’s land transformed into the Isle of Glass and was drawn into the Otherworld by the Winter King. Centuries later, the Winter King continued his rituals to no avail and moved onto children, the purest of heart. He eventually goes to his homeland of Briton and kidnaps Bran’s descendant, Gwenhwyfar of Cameliard. It takes Gwenhwyfar a year find a path almost lost to time and unknown to the Winter King. Two years later, Gwenhwyfar leads a man looking for his daughter, who was taken along with other children to the Isle of Glass. In a confrontation, the Winter King strikes Gwenhwyfar and she falls down below the watery catacombs where Rhongomyniad lies. Being hunted by the Winter King and his men, Gwenhwyfar finds the last remnants of Bran’s idol and takes his spear as means to defend herself.
While sacred weapons will burn nephilim, Gwenhwyfar’s lineage allows her to hold the spear and use it against her own kind with no issue. It becomes her primary weapon in her travels. Because Gwenhwyfar is his descendant, the spear does not bring her misfortune, therefore, it belongs in the right hands
Caledfwlch - Also known as Excalibur in most legends and called “Caladbolg” to the Irish. It is a holy sword of the Otherworld that originally came from Briton, forged by the Tylwyth Teg for their king, Gwyn ap Nudd. For all intents and purposes, Gwyn left his sword for his descendants, much in the same manner that Rhongomynaid was to be. Through time, Caledfwlch was stolen by his enemies and made its way through various warriors. While Caledfwlch is a holy sword, it also bears a curse of misfortune on those who want to use it for selfish reasons and violence towards others. Outside of Gwyn ap Nudd’s family, those who have bared the sword have suffered massive misfortune on themselves and their families.
The O'Braonain family doesn’t seem to quite get this message. The sword has passed between three generations, from an unknown named king to the lord Braonain, and finally to Fergus O’Braonain. His family faced numerous deaths because of the curse surrounding them. Orin, his brother, lost his wife and two children to nephilim killing them in revenge against him. Fergus would try to conceive boys to succeed him and all would die infancy, leaving him with his only child, Aoife. Their father would also die by the hands of nephilim, eating him alive. And finally, Aoife and other children in both Orin and Bran’s lands would be taken by the Winter King and his men. Knowing that the sword is cursed to him, Fergus tosses it in a small creek in Rohan Forest, leaving his niece Ita to find it.
The handful of royal families have set the course of events that follow into this story of conflict, identity, and how far trauma can push an individual for the good or the worse. A tumultuous mix of gods, fairies, humans, and demons, which royal family will preserve the dark forces that hang over the prized Cauldron of Rebirth?
Gwyn ap Nudd
Son of the old god Nodens, lord of the hunt and sea, the old god of the Gauls. Gwyn ap Nudd rules the Otherworld and is the king of the Twlwyth Teg. He leads his own Wild Hunt to collect the souls of the dead and bring them to Anwnn, a lord of the dead. Gwyn is known to be a fierce king in his realm, feared to this day by many if they should stray too far into the forests or into the caves. He is in constant battle with his rival, Gwythyr ap Greidawl, over the betrothal of his sister, Creiddylad, who he also covets as a lover. Gwyn enforces his law and wishes for both the better and the good, defeating Gwythyr’s army swiftly as they came. He’s even gone far as to kidnapping Gwythyr’s most loyal and his son, killing the father and forcing the son to eat his heart and eventually driving him to madness.
Gwyn ap Nudd is also the protector of some of the most sacred treasures of the Otherworld. Through both Creiddylad and himself, his family has expanded over Briton, particularly Logres for centuries, as the Pendraig (Pendragon) family.
The Pendraig Family
Centuries later after the battle between Gwyn and Gwythyr and that of the white and red dragon, the Pendraig family almost reaches a breaking point when the patriarch Uthyr’s throne is usurped by conspirators and Vortigern. While Uthyr had his own shortcomings, Uthyr’s platform to bring both Christians and Pagans, Romans and Britons together became an essential platform to his son, Arthur. In a show of good faith, Uthyr did many things; he married Igraine, a woman who openly practiced the old religion of the Celts and Britons, while he himself was a Christian man. Secondly, he would invite Myrddin Wyltt, a well-known druid, and bard that was notoriously vocal about disrupting his rule and pushing for Pagans to rise up against Uthyr. He would do so in good faith, hoping to reach a compromise with him and others. Unfortunately, Myrddin was also plotting behind Uthyr’s back to place one of his own, Vortigern, on the throne, instead.
Thirdly, Uthyr reached out to the king of Cameliard at that time, Bran ap Rhodri and arranged a marriage between his children and his firstborn grandchild. Uthyr fathered three children, by three different women. Morgause, his first wife, and his oldest child. Arthur, his son by Igraine, who he decided was going to be his heir apparent. And finally, Morgan, through the goddess Modron, after the death of his wife, spurred by grief. Morguase, furious with her father’s decision to give her brother 10 years younger than her the throne, disowned her father and left for Orkney. Later, she would return to Arthur, seducing him to father Medraut.
When Arthur was 10 years old, a coup erupted, pushed by Myrddin in the background and lead by Vortigern, who then seized the throne. For their safety, the most loyal of Uthyr’s men took both Arthur and Morgan away from the chaos. Among thieves, mercenaries, and warriors, Arthur, and his sister were raised by Cei, the leader of this group. Determined to put Arthur back on the throne, they trained him in combat, tactics, and educated him. His sister, on the other hand, was learning magic through Nimue, a former student of Myrddin, in order to stand up to Myrddin and support her brother.
Through his childhood, Arthur was told of the sacred treasures of the Otherworld and how they would protect and succeed his kingship in Briton. At the age of 14, Arthur, Morgan, Cei, and his men started to lead the campaign to gain support to reclaim the throne of Logres. When Arthur meets Llwch Llawwynnauc (you know, Lancelot), and his family. With the support of nobles, bands of mercenaries, warriors, and his father’s former associates, Arthur was able to reclaim his rightful birthright at the age of 18. The most loyal of his men, younger warriors that stood by his side and became his friends, would become the first knights of his court. Hearing news of his succession, Morgause returns to Logres; at this point in time, Arthur and Morgan have no memory of their older sister, who rarely interacted with them as a teenager.
Not only did Arthur had a reputation as a proud warrior, he also had a reputation for being a womanizer. Unknowingly, he slept with his older half-sister one evening. When she is recognized by Cei, Morgause attempts to use this against him, even going as far as trying to place the blame on Morgan. Arthur promptly bans her from Logres, horrified by his actions. But Morgause would try many times to use magic against Arthur in an effort to usurp his throne. When Medraut is born, Arthur seeks out Myrddin Wyltt with his sister on what to do. Myrddin advises him to slaughter every firstborn in his realm in hopes of purging Medraut, who he tells Arthur he has “foreseen” him taking the throne. Fueled by fear and growing unrest, Arthur commits this act, despite Morgan’s protests to stop.
Arthur and Morgan separate after a fight and fearful that Morgause would continue to frame her for her dark magic, she fled with Nimue and others to Eire to study more magic. While both siblings had their fall out, both of them regretted it and vowed to become stronger to help the other. Morgan would learn more magic and Arthur would learn how to stop Morgause altogether. Medraut, on the other hand, becomesa victim of his mother’s manipulation and abuse. As she pushes for him to kill his father and avenge her, Medraut finds himself looking for ways to leave and live a better life.
Llyr, Bran the Blessed, and Caradoc ap Bran
If Gwyn is seen as ruthless and spiteful, Bran and Llyr are the opposite of that. Bran, the son of the sea god Llyr, ruled over Briton at one point, perhaps the greatest king of them all. He was seen as a wise man, loved by his siblings and his father, wanting nothing more than to protect the Isle of the Mighty (Briton) at all costs. His son, who exemplified his father, Caradoc ap Bran, was the king of the Ordovice tribe of Briton. In the beginning, Briton and Ireland were in the beginning stages of a conflict. Through arranging his sister, Branwen to marry the Irish king Matholwch, he hoped to reach peace. Of course, as the story goes, his half-brother ignites a war and Bran is forced to live his son, Caradoc behind. Caradoc leads the Ordovices and Silures, along with a few other tribes like the Iceni by Boudica, in an effort to push back the Roman invasion.
Without his father, a god, the demi-god Caradoc is unsuccessful. He is betrayed by Cartimandua in exchange for riches, captured, and his family is brought to Rome in their victory parade. His family is presented to Emperor Claudius to spare his and his family’s lives. Moved by his speech, Claudius spares him and grants him passage to Rome. Where other revolters like Boudica and Vercingetorix. He and his family are able to return home after Cartimandua’s eventual fall from power and death. He learns of his father’s death and vows to keep his father’s traditions, at whatever costs.
As years go on, Caradoc’s family is able to return to almost a normal life. He does not attempt to push back on the Romans once more in order for his family to thrive. Through him, his daughter marries, the kingdom is passed through her, to her children, and the generations that follow.
Bran ap Rhodri
During the fall of Rome, Bran ap Rhodri assisted many other kings and chieftains against the constant raids and invasions from the Picts, Saxons, Scots, and Irish. Having grown up with the tradition of the story of his ancestors, Bran and Caradoc, Bran continues to pass the tradition, upholding the old religion and ways of them both. Joining forces with Uthyr, they are able to push back the Saxons, temporarily, and have a few seasons of peace. Uthyr proposes both royal and families that descend from two gods to unite through arranging their children to marry. Bran agrees and proposes his daughter, Enfys, first. But Enfys, a beautiful young woman has many suitors vying for her hand in marriage is also deemed too old for Arthur at the time. Being that Enfys is his only surviving child at the time, Uthyr suggests her first born to marry either Arthur or Morgan. Bran ap Rhodri agrees, making a proclamation of it, a law in his lands.
Enfys is not only beautiful but a spitfire princess that pushes against changes. As Myrddin Wyltt is in the dark plotting against Uthyr, he becomes an advisor to Enfys as well. When Enfys is arranged to marry Lord Leondegrance, Enfys is furious with her father for arranging her to marry a man of Roman descent than a Briton as well as a Christian. But Bran ap Rhodri is becoming old and is more open than his daughter will ever be. He simply tells her that he won’t change his mind and that she has no other better suitor, as Leondegrance comes with his own army.
Furious, Enfys storms off from her father’s court and goes into the forest against her father’s wishes. She proclaims to the gods that may her child be a force to fear and the upholder of her ancestor’s will. Poor Enfys is found by the demon Ografran Gwar and is assaulted before her marriage. Bran ap Rhodri falls into a terrible illness out of his guilt for his daughter. He is too ill to move and is forced to sit out on his daughter’s wedding, unable to stop the torment laid on Enfys by Leondegrance and others for her “unfaithfulness”. But even when she finds out she’s pregnant and laid with the information carrying a half-demon child will be her death, Enfys carries her child to full term.
She is isolated on her own estate with a handful of terrified servants waiting for the birth of this child that they all fear. As time goes on, the combination of the trauma and isolation from many, Enfys’ mental health goes on the decline. On the eve of Nos Galef, she gives birth to her child, a little girl. At first, Enfys refuses to hold her child or even look at her. Expecting shrieks of horror and a demon to manifest as the wetnurses carried out the infant, she’s surprised to hear the voices of her servants proclaiming “what a beautiful little girl!”.
A stubborn servant comes back in and insists on Enfys to look at her child. Enfys refuses and she leaves the little girl by her mother. As her cries continue, Enfys rises from her bed, with a knife in hand, filled with fear uncovers the bundles of blankets expecting the same horrific being that hurt her, only to find an infant pale as snow with a full head of soft, white hair.
She is no demon, but a baby... like any other baby. The fear in her heart evaporates and love fills her heart. Holding her child close as snow falls, Enfys names her child “Gwenhwyfar”. As Enfys recovers physically, she is able to bring her infant daughter to her father. To his surprise as well, Bran ap Rhodri is overjoyed at the sight of his granddaughter, vowing to help his daughter as her mental health continued to slip. Bran ap Rhodri lives two more years, as he passes peacefully in his sleep, as his daughter and granddaughter are both present in the room.
After his death, Enfys becomes queen and Leondegrance becomes king. Leondegrance does not find out about Gwenhwyfar’s existence until she is five years old, right before Enfys send her into the care of Myrddin Wyltt and away from him. As Gwenhwyfar grows, she exhibits bits of her grandfather’s personality as much as her mother’s spitfire will. Through Gwenhwyfar, the last bloodline of Bran, Llyr, and Caradoc continues to flow through her veins.
The legitimate son of Ban and Elaine, his parents were killed in a siege by invaders. Born in Armorica, Gaul, Lancelot’s grandparents settled there after the Roman Empire began to crumble. He comes from a long line of lords and military, his grandfather once apart of a Roman legion and his father a king. He was found by a young Nimue (everyone knows her as the lady of the lake), who he calls his mother.
But, due to the instability of Armorcia and parts of Briton close to the coast, Nimue and others that practiced magic and the old religion chose to flee to Eire, where they could continue practicing their faith without persecution. Nimue knew of Lancelot’s lineage and chose to hide it from him until he was old enough to return back to Armorica. Born Llwch, Nimue called him “Lancelot” and he would not know his real name until he found his own headstone that was made for him, his uncle Bors and his clan assuming the infant died.
Nimue, his adopted mother, was a student of Myrrdin in her youth, going rogue after Myrrdin concealing his real age. While she follows his teachings and uses his knowledge of magic, Nimue considers Myrrdin to be too radical in his beliefs. She raised Lancelot along with other young girls in their village that were covered by the illusion of a lake and close to one of the gates of the otherworld, the cave known as the witches’ maw. Specters, fae, demons, and other creatures were the norm in his youth. Like his daughter, Lancelot has his own vision for the dead and the otherworldly.
Nimue finally was able to travel to Brittany and reunited Lancelot to his extended family at the age of 13 to serve the heir to the throne, Arthur, and help him become king. Bors and his half-brother, Hector, began to vigorously train Lancelot to become a knight and to be one of Arthur’s closest guards. At 15, Lancelot was a prodigy warrior, showing his potential to exceed his peers. A year later, he was able to join his family, alongside forces of Arthur, in a battle to push out conspirators of Vortigern and reclaim the throne. Lancelot gained a reputation to be a calculating warrior, delivering killing blows with no hesitation and barely reacting to pain or exhaustion. Slowly, Lancelot started to work his way up to not only become Arthur’s second in command to him but becoming the king’s closest confidant and friend.
Both Arthur and Lancelot have polar personalities. Arthur is known to be a sarcastic, crass, and lively person, eager to jump in to help others. On the other hand, Lancelot is the voice of reason for Arthur, regal, a meticulous planner, and almost emotionless to Arthur’s empathetic nature. He can often be seen offering advice to his friend or reeling him in when he gets out of hand. By far, next to Bors and Hector, Arthur is the closest person in his life and looks at him like a brother. His unwavering loyalty to Arthur and keeping him grounded is what makes him become the second in command.
Lancelot considers his first priority to serve his king, country, and family. Which is why when Elaine, a young princess that tried to pursue Lancelot in marriage, was turned away by him. This earned some disappointment with his family since Elaine was also of Sarmartian heritage. While out on campaign with his uncle and before Lancelot served as any commander, Elaine tricked Lancelot in taking a drink of a goblet that she gave him, containing herbs to sedate him. The morning after, he found himself nude in bed with Elaine and immediately fled with his clothes. For once in his life, he held contempt to a woman, for Elaine took advantage of Lancelot, motivated by her obsession with him. Fearing his budding reputation would be destroyed by finding himself in bed naked with an unmarried woman, Lancelot refused to see her again.
… after berating and scolding her for this incident. But who can blame him?
Unbeknownst to him, Elaine’s goals were not only to bed him but to conceive a boy with such strong blood to serve her father, she was successful in both. For the duration of her pregnancy, Lancelot continued to refuse communication with her. Elaine went to even further lengths and began using dark magic to find him, using a black mirror to torment him. By the time that Elaine was giving birth, minutes before her baby took its first breath, she chose to use the black mirror to conjure the black waters of the dead to drown themselves and become a spirit to find him in revenge.
While Elaine became a corrupted spirit and killed her infant in the womb, she became bound to the black mirror, unable to escape. Her body was found outside a creek, the little infant pushed from her womb. When her family came for her, they found her and the baby, in water. While Elaine wasn’t able to use the black waters to become what she wanted, her child, who she named Galahad, took a large gasp and cried loudly once pulled from the waters.
Instead of boring a son, Elaine’s misfortune went further – she gave birth to a girl. All of Elaine’s family considered Galahad to be cursed, born dead and born from a dead woman. While Lancelot continued to climb the ladder, he still remained unaware of these developments, until Elaine’s family came to him and informed him of Elaine’s death. Of course, they blamed him, because a woman couldn’t possibly force herself on a man. He continued to distance himself from Elaine, having his own child sent to a nunnery, believing that she was in better care there than with him.
Still, Elaine’s family wanted nothing to do with Galahad. As Galahad grew into a healthy little girl, so much like her father, it became clear Elaine’s black water ritual left her tainted and a constant connection to the dead. They became fearful of her, demanding Lancelot take her and once his family heard of his child, they believed that Lancelot slept with her and broke her heart. Ultimately, Lancelot was left in a compromising position. No one would believe him if he talked of Elaine’s obsessive and manipulative behavior, decided to take Galahad in. With his family telling him to own up to his irresponsibility, he began to raise the toddler, continuing his military career.
He became aware of Galahad’s sight and odd behaviors and instead of shunning her, he accepted it and eventually, started to teach her how to keep the malicious spirits away. He loves his daughter, though he seems to struggle to show emotion and almost seems deadpan to his daughter’s playful nature. He provides the best for her, he allows her to play with boys and pretend to be like her father on the battlefield, refusing to have her wild hair combed and happily provides her with dolls. Galahad is very much like her father and wishes to follow in his footsteps. While everyone around her tells her that girls can’t be knights and she can’t train, Lancelot only tells her “when you’re older, you can”.
When Galahad and other children are taken by others, Lancelot decides to go out on his own and find his daughter. And, of course, having a reputation of being a cold, calculating commander, he is a frightening force, especially when he comes to his daughter.
Lancelot was not raised to hide his emotions, however, in his youth, he grew accustomed to violence and death, it left an impact on him as a boy. He wanted to become a knight and continue his family’s legacy once he is told what happened. Lancelot believes in planning, he observes his enemies closer and is critical of those he trains in his Dolorous Guard, and those who serve his king. Many consider him to be unapproachable, Tristan, his friend, calls him a “taskmaster”, known to push until exhaustion. And yes, he’s ridden two horses to death.
He wants to bring peace to his kingdom and the allies around him. He is fiercely loyal to his king, and in turn, immediately swears servitude to Gwenhwyfar when he finds her. Still, it doesn’t prevent him from being blunt in his honesty and criticism of others in those he cares for. He grounds Arthur and he keeps Gwenhwyfar from impulsively lashing out. He deeply cares for his friends and family but shows a true tender side to his daughter, Galahad. While he appears somewhat emotionally distant and very awkward with his daughter, he loves her unconditionally and wants the best for her. When he is reunited with her, his stoic nature wears down somewhat, keeping her close so that nothing will happen to her.
Despite declaring his top priority in serving his king and his right-hand man, he falls in love with Gwenhwyfar the first time he sees her. While Gwenhwyfar berates, challenges, and acts out in spite of Lancelot’s critical nature, he successfully keeps his feelings of love and lust hidden from her… for now. He has and will gladly strike down another that presents a threat to Gwenhwyfar, even two former allies to them. He is determined to lead his small group to victory and serves as the de facto leader to all of them. Usually, they take it pretty well, but Gwenhwyfar likes to let him know she’s technically in command, because of his vows.
In battle, Lancelot seems to have an unworldly strength and knowledge to tactics. He masters skills very quickly and is considered to be a master of many things. His aura presents one of a man wise beyond his years, though, remains disconnected from basic emotions. He acts as an unwavering weapon to his king, only showing his care and affection to his daughter. Though, in his dreams, he sees Gwenhwyfar differently to how he treats her.
With his strength and wisdom, some may wonder if Lancelot is human at all.
Stats
Age: 18
Species: Nephilim
Height: 5′4″
Weight: 130
Nationality: Briton
Gwenhwyfar is the only child of Queen Enfys of Cameliard, fathered by the demon Ografan Gawr after assaulting Enfys. While her mother maintains a marriage to King Leondegrance, their relationship is strained due to Gwenhwyfar’s mixed lineage. Before her birth, Enfys’ family agreed to arrange for her firstborn to marry into the royal family of Logres, both royal houses who can trace their blood back to two sacred individuals, Gwyn ap Nudd and Bran Bendigeidfran. While Uther tried in vain to find the sacred head of Bran Bendigeidfran, he could only arrange for one of his living descendants to sit on the throne next to one of his children to protect Briton. Gwenhwyfar, being that descendant, is betrothed to Arthur.
Because of the trauma her mother endured after her assault, Leondegrance saw her as mad and isolated her to her own estate, surrounded by her servants. On a cold night of Nos Galan Gaeaf (Samhain, if you want a comparison). Gwenhwyfar’s name was given to her by her mother and Gwenhwyfar fits her name well. For the first five years of her life, her mother kept her very close and the two were inseparable. Her mother loved her dearly and believed keeping her by her side by every waking and sleeping breath, she could protect Gwenhwyfar from the world. This would leave Gwenhwyfar to inherit some of her mother’s anxiousness and fear later in her childhood and somewhat into her teens.
Truly, it is unclear if Leondegrance knew of Gwenhwyfar or even cared to begin with. Regardless, Enfys believed that her daughter was in danger from him and others and immediately sent her to be cared for underneath the druid (and another half-demon) Myrddin Wyllt. Where Enfys believed she was in good care, Myrddin saw Gwenhwyfar as a political pawn. Honoring her mother’s request to teach her of the old ways, Myrddin did and raised her in his druidic teachings. Like her mother, Myrddin kept her close in the wilds and in his crystal cave. Underneath Myrddin, Gwenhwyfar learned about her lineage and how to never rely on her demonic abilities and his magic. Myrddin’s goal was for her to replace Nimue, one of his previous students who betrayed him.
By her 15th year, Gwenhwyfar was given back to her mother in order to be sent away to Logres to wed Arthur. For Enfys, she had to teach her daughter in a small amount of time how to become a proper lady... which the very meek and timid Gwenhwyfar struggled with. Facing yet another separation from her mother and her only father figure, Myrddin, Gwenhwyfar became depressed. Ever dutiful, Gwenhwyfar reluctantly went with her mother to Logres to integrate into her would-be husband’s family.
At her mother’s side when she was introduced to Arthur, Gwenhwyfar shrinked behind her mother, desperately holding her arm as she fought back tears. Faced with adults she never met--Cei, Gawain, and Arthur--she begged her mother to at least stay with her for a little while longer. Enfys’ physical health began to limit her to do so, along with the grief of giving up her daughter once more drove her back to Cameliard. To Arthur and his family, Gwenhwyfar was still too much of a child and it was decided that they would wait until she was a little older and after educating her further. Arthur took pity on the much younger Gwenhwyfar, going out of his way to entertain her with his family, his dog, and a chance to explore Logres to get her out of her shell.
Gwenhwyfar struggled socially; in banquets, Gwenhwyfar refused to sit at the king’s table, though, the young princess was smitten with Arthur and only would sit with him exclusively. Arthur being a patient man allowed this and after that, Gwenhwyfar insisted on following him almost everywhere, regarding Arthur as a protector, feeling safer in his presence. While Gwenhwyfar was already becoming infatuated with Arthur, in a very much a teenaged girl way, Arthur would not see past her childlike behavior until she reaches the age of 18. He never pressures her and encourages her to break out of her shell.
Gwenhwyfar’s confidence began to grow, but when she finally gains the courage to sit at a banquet, she insults an old acquaintance of Uther and Arthur, King Melwas of the Isle of Glass unintentionally. As time went on, Melwas began to become obsessed with Gwenhwyfar, the idea of spiting Arthur and coveting Gwenhwyfar to himself. While Arthur is away on a campaign against Scots, Melwas and his men kidnap Gwenhwyfar and take her to his Isle of Glass in the dark parts of the Otherworld.
She may as well have had disappeared--Arthur and his men search for her for a year and find only stories. In her year of captivity, Melwas begins to abuse Gwenhwyfar, physically and mentally. He plays on her insecurities of being abandoned, telling Gwenhwyfar that Arthur despises her, because of her half-blood lineage. When Arthur sends men to the Isle of Glass, Melwas beheads them and tells Gwenhwyfar that no one has come. He tells her that she is his and strikes her to break her will. When she is at her breaking point and is about to surrender to Melwas completely as his, she finds a route outside of the Isle of Glass and flees from the undead king.
Only to be captured again, by the Irish king of Tara, Nath and his brothers. Gwenhwyfar endures torment again, though not nearly as terrible as Melwas. She begins to grow angry and restless over her repeated captures and quietly plans to escape. So she learns their language, customs, and society, plotting her escape. At 17 years old, Gwenhwyfar finds her opportunity, at the cost of her right eye. She flees into the forests, the one place in the world she knows better than most, thanks to Myrddin’s teachings.
She decides to flee to the witches’ maw, a haunted cave seeking sanctuary with the witches that reside there. Before she can, a man asks for her help on finding his daughter, as the only survivor of Melwas’ glass fortress. As the story starts, Gwenhwyfar is faced with the past again and her old foe to stop him from sacrificing children to obtain the Cauldron of Rebirth.
