#myrddin's sources

[shit-the-vampyr-cast-never-said]

Myrddin: WHAT UP, FELLOW HUMANS?

Myrddin: DO YOU ENJOY HAVING SKIN TODAY??

[ultrameganicolaokay]

Avengers #10 by Jed MacKay and CF Villa. Cover by Stuart Immonen. Out in February 2024.

"As the Avengers battle the Twilight Court, the mysterious Myrddin has his rival within reach. With Kang being the only source of information the Avengers have regarding the Tribulation Events, can the Avengers save him before Myrddin strikes?"

[beyondmistland]

The Dance of the Two Hands: Its Origin and Conclusion

PART I

The Dance of the Two Hands, as mummers and singers alike have dubbed that most heinous conflict maesters prefer to call the Hundred Years War*, can trace its roots back to the reign of King Titus III Gardener, who ruled the Reach more than a thousand years before Aegon Targaryen began his conquest of Westeros.

*As Maester Myrddin noted somewhat dryly in his history, Lords and Ladies of the Dance: Their Lives and Deaths, the war actually lasted ninety-eight years.

Titus III came to sit upon the Oakenseat under less than auspicious circumstances. The Winter Sickness had trimmed the line of House Gardener down to just two branches*. Moreover, recent defeats had seen Nightsong ceded back to the Storm Kings and Cornfield back to the Kings of the Rock. Worst of all by far though, Titus III found his vaults empty and he himself indebted to, amongst others*, the Starry Sept. A man decisive in thought as well as action, Titus III moved swiftly to address each of these issues, beginning with the matter of succession. His Grace took Lady Rhea Fossoway to wife whilst his brother, Prince Tristan, was wed to Lady Yseult Lannister*, the later in exchange for forgiveness of a loan lent to their late father, Boniface I. By the Lady Rhea, His Grace had the following children:

Bertrand II Gardener Manfred Gardener Morgan Gardener, twin to Manfred Myrielle Gardener, wed to Lord Martyn Redwyne and had issue

*The only other survivor amongst the royal family was the king’s elderly cousin, Princess Henrietta, who had joined the Silent Sisters forty years prior to his birth. *Of the Lannisport branch.

When Queen Rhea died of a summer fever, Titus III, though saddened, quickly remarried. His choice this time was Lady Clarice Oakheart. In this Titus III was no doubt motivated by growing tensions with the new King of the Rock, Lorimar I*. Together, they had the following children:

Ceryse Gardener*, wed to Lord Amaury Crakehall* and had issue Malora Gardener, wed first to Lord Uther Leygood, then to Lord Theobald Manderly, and lastly to Lord Tancred Peake, had issue by all three*

*Known later in life as “the Leper King” and “the Masked Monarch.” *Became a septa at the great motherhouse in Lannisport upon her husband’s death. *Second son of Lord Joffrey Crakehall, who joined the Warrior’s Sons upon his wife’s death and rose to the position of Grand Captain**. **In that capacity, he led a campaign against the Iron Isles, thereby freeing hundreds of thralls. *This led to a rare instance of amiability between Dunstonbury and Starpike.

Titus III later perished of the bloody flux whilst warring with the Storm King and his Dornish allies*. (By this point, Queen Clarice had herself already passed away of a winter chill.)

*An alliance sealed by the marriage of the Storm King’s heir (Prince Durran Durrandon) to Princess Ysabel Yronwood.

PART II

Upon ascending the throne, King Bertrand II proved his mettle by avenging his father in a most spectacular manner. Leading ten thousand hastily-gathered men on a series of forced marches, he took the combined Stormlander-Dornish army by surprise as it sat encamped beneath the walls of Ashford. In the rout that followed, the Storm King was captured along with a dozen lords and threescore knights. As a result of this great feat, singers* began calling him “Bertrand the Bold” and “Bertrand Stormquencher.”

*Their verses tend to omit the finer details, such as the ruinous ransoms Bertrand II used to build additional riverine defenses.

To celebrate this victory and the peace it brought, Bertrand II hosted a great ball at Highgarden. Amongst the attendees was Lady Alyce Hightower*, the unwitting source of so much woe to come.

*The daughter and only child of Lord Hugor Hightower by his lady wife, Desdemona Dayne, who he wed to end a feud** between Ser Iago Dayne, Sword of the Morning, and his vassal, Lord Robeson Cuy. **What’s more, Lord Cuy’s second son, Barris, was fostered with King Othello Dayne and Ser Iago’s daughter, Emilia, made cupbearer to Lord Cuy.

With her raven hair and violet eyes*, Lady Alyce was hailed as one of the greatest beauties of her time. Little wonder, then, that both Prince Manfred and Prince Morgan asked her for a dance and in doing so, nearly came to blows.

*Often omitted from the songs is her dusky skin, which gave Lady Alyce a somewhat exotic flair.

Though identical in appearance* and inseparable as children, the twin sons of Titus III were, as grown men, implacable foes. To avoid being mistaken for one another, Prince Manfred took to wearing white gloves and Prince Morgan to wearing green gloves. When that failed to suffice, Prince Morgan carved a seven-pointed star into his left cheek.

*Tall, lean, and handsome, with brown hair and grey-green eyes.

A fortnight after the ball, Prince Manfred took the Lady Alyce to wife. While King Bertrand and Queen Bethany* were both displeased the marriage had taken place without their leave, Prince Morgan was apoplectic with rage. Indeed, so much so he almost strangled the squire* who brought him the news.

*Bethany of House Blackbar. Sister to King Bertrand’s boon companion, Lord Brandon Blackbar, and mother to his successor, Lyonel I Gardener. She died of a stroke. *Adhemar Conklyn, who went on to become a sworn enemy of Prince Morgan.

The following year Lady Alyce delivered a healthy boy her lord husband named Edmund. Alas, Prince Manfred did not long enjoy the pleasure of fatherhood for a moon’s turn later he perished in a hunting accident*. *Though nothing was ever proven, many found the timing of his death suspicious, especially in light of later events.

The royal court was still in mourning when word came that the Lady Alyce had remarried, this time to Prince Morgan. Naturally, the news was met with outrage by king, queen, and commons alike. When His Grace tried to have the marriage undone though, declaring it a form of incest, the High Septon surprised everyone by allowing the marriage to stand*. King Bertrand then decreed that his nephew was to be fostered with Lord Aragorn Hewett*. Furthermore, he assigned Ser Braxton Cuy* to be Prince Edmund’s sworn shield and in the same breath forbad his brother as well as his goodsister from ever returning to court in his lifetime*.

*Some say His High Holiness was driven to this by a desire to assert the Starry Sept’s independence and authority. That said, His High Holiness also forbad them from living together for two years so as to avoid any ambiguity in the matter of their first child’s parentage. *Much later, Prince Edmund was, at his own request, betrothed to Lady Lucy Grimm, a companion of Lord Hewett’s daughters. *Cousin to Lord Triston Cuy and son to Ser Damon Cuy, who served as the master-at-arms at Sunhouse. Called “the Knight of the Sun” for his golden hair, the suns that adorned his personal device (Blue, three yellow suns, with a yellow tressure), and the time he defeated seven knights (Ser Addam Ambrose, Ser Humfrey Ball, Ser Floris Footly, Ser Bayard Mooton, Ser Philip Payne, Ser Leo Farman, Ser Joscelin Redfort) in a melee that lasted from morning to midday. (Lord Robeson had recently died of a bad belly.) *King Bertrand later reversed this decision at the behest of his second wife**, who successfully argued that the shedding of family ties was anathema before the Mother. **Jadis of House Florent. Cousin to His High Holiness (born Frederyck Florent) through the male line. She bore King Bertrand a single daughter, Flora Gardener***. ***When the deaf and simple-minded princess choked on a lamprey pie at the tender age of six, her mother grew sick with grief, so much so many feared she might die. (The queen would indeed come to die of grief but for her stepson rather than her daughter.)

Over the course of the next decade, Lady Alyce had the following children by the second of her princely husbands: Eustace Gardener, promised to Lady Melisende Peake Morgan Gardener* (Morgan the Younger to distinguish him from his father, Morgan the Elder) Maris Gardener, wed to Lord Guy Graceford and had issue

*Fostered with Lord Mace Mullendore. Wed to Lady Melisende Peake after Prince Eustace’s death.

Shortly after Prince Eustace won his spurs at the great winter tourney held in honor of his parents’ twenty-fifth wedding anniversary*, he was accused by Ser Arthur Appleton of having raped the knight’s maiden daughter, Adara. Most believed Prince Eustace would insist on proving his innocence at hazard of his body. Instead, he surprised all by demanding a trial by seven. As accused and accuser were both highborn knights, King Bertrand had no choice but to wash his hands of the matter*.

Prince Eustace’s champions: Prince Eustace Gardener, died after the battle Prince Morgan Gardener (the Elder) Ser George Hastwyck of the Order of the Green Hand, slain Ser Artys Dunn, slain Ser Thierry Mullendore (the Knight of Butterflies), slain Ser Addam Ambrose (the Fighting Ant), slain Lord Conrad Costayne (the Mighty), slain

Ser Arthur’s champions: Ser Arthur Appleton (the Sour Apple), slain Ser Balian Osgrey (the Lionheart), slain Ser Adhemar Conklyn, slain Ser Everard Cuy of the Order of the Green Hand, slain Ser Raynald Chester of the Order of the Green Hand, slain Lord Theodwin Tarly (the Terrible), slain Lord Bohemond Serry, slain

*This took place in Oldtown. *King Bertrand’s health was failing** at a time when war between the Westerlands, the Riverlands, and the Iron Isles loomed large over Westeros**. **Consumption. **Given these circumstances, it should come as no surprise that King Bertrand sought to secure his southeastern flank by betrothing the future Lyonel I to Lady Sibylla Caron.

Three centuries later, Archmaester Anselm would argue most persuasively in his treatise, The Virgin Apple: Being an Account of the Fates of Prince Eustace Gardener and Lady Adara Appleton*, that Ser Arthur had, in truth, been no more than a catspaw for friends and supporters of the late Prince Manfred. Regardless of the actual truth, the most immediate effect of the trial’s outcome was to bring to a boil the long-simmering tensions that had undermined King Betrand’s reign. Luckily, His Grace did not live to see the storm break.

*Lady Adara Appleton, daughter of Ser Arthur Appleton and Lady Elinor Strong, would disappear under mysterious circumstances shortly after the trial.

A hundred days after the trial, King Bertrand II breathed his last. Highgarden mourned and all the Reach with it.

Meanwhile, in Oldtown, Lady Alyce Hightower herself succumbed to an infection of redspots.

PART III

Once Lyonel Gardener’s grief had passed, he was crowned, per tradition, with a circlet of vines and flowers. Amongst the first to do him homage was Prince Morgan, who pulled the king aside and asked to be confirmed in his use-rights as Lady Alyce’s widower. A wiser king would have consulted with his councilors and perhaps the Queen Dowager as well before responding. Alas, Lyonel I did neither of these things*. Instead, the young king upbraided his uncle in front of the whole court and accused him of trying to rob Prince Edmund of his birthright. Prince Morgan’s denials were met with scorn and he himself ordered to vacate the Hightower within a moon’s turn on pain of exile. Thus, the third son of King Titus III returned to Oldtown in a black state.

*Maesters debate to this very day why King Lyonel I responded as he did**. Some argue it was out of a love for justice, others out of love for Prince Edmund, whom His Grace was closer to than he was to Prince Morgan. Still more claim Lyonel I saw his uncle to be a threat and overmighty besides. A handful are of the opinion that King Lyonel, in his youth and inexperience, sought simply to save face by over-asserting himself. Regardless of the truth behind His Grace’s motives, the price the Reach ultimately paid remains the same.

**One such work is Maester Hendry’s Dayfly Kings and Dancing Princes: An Account of the Reign of Lyonel, First of His Name, and the War That Came After.

Once there, Prince Morgan sent ravens to every town, keep, and castle in the Reach, denouncing his nephew as a tyrant as well as a bastard*. Lyonel I and Prince Edmund then raised an army with which to invest the city*. On the thirteenth night of the siege, Prince Morgan and a hundred handpicked knights sallied out a postern gate, slaying twoscore men, amongst them King Lyonel I. Prince Edmund, come morning, lifted the siege and rushed to be crowned at Highgarden. Prince Morgan responded to this by having the new High Septon crown him on the steps of the Starry Sept*. Thus began the Dance of the Two Hands.

*Queen Bethany had been more than passing fond of the sellsword-turned-septon, Fergus Bolton**, who served as her sworn shield for two years before being abruptly dismissed by King Bertrand II for reasons that remain unclear to this day. **The fourth son of a fourth son, Fergus journeyed south to make his fortune rather than join the Night’s Watch, fighting first for Lord Robert Royce against pirates out of the Narrow Sea, then for Lord Dorian Blackwood against Lord Berenguer Bracken, before stumbling upon the begging brother known to us only as Lamb at a crossroads inn. There, Fergus was witness to the miracle of Lamb’s healing hands and so he cast aside the Old Gods in favor of the Seven Who Are One. Parting ways from Lamb, Fergus then entered the service of King Davos IV Darklyn, only to be captured when Duskendale fell to a Stormlander army under the command of the Horned Knight, Ser Benedict Rogers. In exchange for his freedom, Fergus agreed to serve under Ser Benedict, who knighted the northman after he saved the life of a squire (Julian Rogers) during the Sack of Maidenpool. Growing weary of war, Fergus made his way to Highgarden, where he won the tourney being held to fill vacancies in King Bertrand II’s personal guard. For his boon, the northman asked to be named the queen’s champion. (Singers claim Fergus lost his heart to Queen Bethany as soon as he laid eyes upon her and for once there may well be some truth to that.) This, King Bertrand II grudgingly granted. Upon his dismissal, Fergus retired to a septry near the Cockleswent, where he wrote an account of his life and travels***. ***The only surviving copy sits in Bandallon’s library. *Prince Morgan had previously done much to win support amongst the commons. Now his efforts bore fruit. The smallfolk rallied to the aging prince’s side, as much out of familiarity as out of respect for his piety and largesse. *Morgan I Gardener died of his wounds half a year later and was succeeded by his second son, Morgan II.

The Dance of the Two Hands would come to a bloody end at the Battle Beneath the Red Lake, wherein fell the last scions of both branches. In such a manner did the line of Prince Tristan come to sit the Oakenseat*.

*Prince Tristan had one son by his Lannister bride, Bors Gardener. Prince Bors, in turn, had one son (Galahad I Gardener**) by his lady wife, Elaine Crakehall. (Prince Tristan died of a burst belly, Prince Bors of a pox. Lady Yseult died in childbirth, Lady Elaine of a sweating sickness.) **Galahad I was past sixty when he became king***. (Because he was the last of his line, the High Septon released him from his vows as a septon.) ***His Grace lived just long enough to sire an heir (Galahad II Gardener****) on his young bride, Arwen Durrandon. (Princess Arwen’s mother was Lady Eowyn Lannister of Casterly Rock.) ****Galahad II would die at an advanced age of crabs in the belly.

Oldtown itself passed to Baldwin Hightower and from him to his grandson, Hugh Hightower.

[vampyr-game]

Do you think Myrddin had an "oh shit" moment when he saw his new freshly turned champion, Jonathan, was about to kill himself when he just became a vampire? I just replayed the game for the 6th time, and I just realised that his not-so-average maker probably was watching Jonathan. And Jonathan probably should had died there, so maybe Myrddin just dragged him back with some godly-vampire-magic. Still I'd love to see the panic in Myrddin's eyes at the beginning.

First of all I would like to commend you on being so thoroughly invested in this game that you've played it 6 times! That's a level of not-normal-about-media I can vibe with. 💞

But what an amusing question! Myrddin is such a smug bastard about the whole affair that I'd certainly enjoy seeing him taken aback by the sheer suicidal audacity of his new Progeny. I think being a newborn vampire comes with plenty of perks (I have many theories about the biological and supernatural process of turning), not least of which include heightened resiliency to mortal wounds--but the change also seems to be something that not everyone survives (Charlotte's friend Emily, Reid's alibi upon killing Aloysius Dawson)... 🤔

So, is Jonathan already out of the woods, just because he's already woken up? Does waking up (and feeding on his sister, when we know how well you KNOW a person effects how much power you can get from drinking their blood...) imbue him with insane temporary strength? Or is it still uncertain whether he'll survive? Would Myrddin have bothered reaching out with psychic poetry if Jonathan weren't a sure thing? Is that poetry a kind of "blessing" or magical invocation to wish his Progeny luck in the coming travails? Is predestination involved in Myrddin's seeming certainty?

I believe we're meant to understand that Myrddin is largely implacable in the face of mortal affairs, and he's made plenty of Progeny. That makes my knee-jerk assumption that he'd watch Jonathan attempt suicide impassively, which is actually so messed up? Sure, if him surviving is guaranteed then I guess there's no need to worry, but jeez. Have a heart, Myrddin. 😰

Having said that, we know Myrddin expresses (arguably contradictory) sympathy for Jonathan in the darker epilogues. Does that care only come after the events of the game, or is it there from the outset? Jonathan is naturally unconscious in the immediate aftermath of his suicide attempt--so if Myrddin, say, called out to him in concern, he wouldn't hear it, and we certainly wouldn't be privy to it. And the idea that Myrddin might PANIC and "drag him back with some godly-vampire-magic" is so compelling?? Surprise, Myrddin, your new son doesn't think you're God, he just thinks he's going insane (or dreaming)! Maybe you should have counted on the skepticism of the modern era, idiot! (Or did his other Progeny also make attempts on their life?) (This does seem like the most narratively expedient way to demonstrate someone has achieved immortality) (munch to consider...)

I know many of us tend to dispense with the supernatural nonsense (namely Blood Daddy and Plague Mommy) for more grounded narratives (I've certainly made no secret of preferring Vampyr's more human-focused original story concept to the JRPG-reminiscent "Let's Kill God" finale we ended up with); but Myrddin is still a crucial linchpin in Jonathan's development as a character, given he provides the inciting incident, is the root cause of most of Jonathan's problems, and the source of all his powers. I'd certainly like to see more of, and try my own hand at, fan explorations of their relationship.

Thank you so much for your wonderful question! 🥰 As preoccupied as I am by the contradiction of Sean being a(n alleged) sole exception to vampires being hurt by the cross, I had almost forgotten that Myrddin's cryptic bullshit and impenetrable poetry was one of the main reasons I became obsessed with this game and wanted to do literary analysis at it. So thank you for the reminder! 🫀💓

[tiodolma]

According to the Welsh Triads (a poetic compilation in groups of three), Uther Pendragon is said to be the creator of one of the three great enchantments of the Island of Britain, which he taught to Menw ap Teirgwaedd. While the enchantment itself is not described, Menw appears in other stories as a magician-knight in Arthur's court, most notably "Culhwch and Olwen". The Other Great Enchantments were created by Math ap Mathonwy and Rudlwm the Dwarf. Notably, Merlin is largely absent in these triads except as a bard. It seems Uther was originally a Wizard-king (per Celtic Standards of Heroism) like his brother, Aurelius Ambrosius.

oh wow this is fascinating

http: //norin77.50megs.com/triads.htm

Uther is in

TRIAD 28

Three Great Enchantments of the Island of Britain:

The Enchantment of Math son of Mathonwy (which he taught to Gwydion son of Don), and the Enchantment of Uthyr Pendragon (which he taught to Menw son of Teirgwaedd), and the Enchantment of Gwythelyn/Rudlwm the Dwarf (which he taught to Coll son of Collfrewy his nephew).

http:// mistshadows.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-transformation-of-uther-pendragon_9.html

so there is a piece of work which said Uther Pendragon taught magic/enchantment to Menw

Moreover Book of Taleisin clues us that he was probably a shapeshifter who could turn into some kind of fox or comet "gorlassar" or gorlois

We need to take another look at the relevant lines of "Marwnat Vthyr Pen" (Elegy of Uther Pendragon, Book of Taliesin), where the hero calls himself gorlassar: It is I who commands hosts in battle: I’d not give up between two forces without bloodshed. It’s I who’s called the very blue [or, given the context, 'the great blaze, conflagration'; cf. Irish forlassar, from the intensive prefix plus lasar, 'fire, flame']: my ferocity snared my enemy. It is I who’s a leader in darkness: Our God, Chief of the Sanctuary, transforms me. It’s I who’s like ['eil' here means like/similar to, not 'second' - unless God is to be considered the 'first'] a candle/luminary [transf. star, sun, moon; fig. leader, hero] in the gloom: I’d not give up fighting without bloodshed between two forces.

sourced from this blog:

http:// mistshadows.blogspot.com/2020/02/uthers-star-and-comet-of-442-ad.html

there's a suggestion that "gorlassar" could be linked to Gorlois.

.........

tbf i wouldnt be suprised if merlin got reinvented by monmouth by merging the welsh triad (possible actual shapeshifter) uthyr pendragon + aurelius ambrosius + the warlord bard Myrddin who famously got mad in the forest.

[vikingsong]

oh is the aliens and swords one the one that you were asking about museum practice a while back? I want to hear more about that 👀

@sydneysageivashkov Yes, it is! 🥳

(Thank you again for answering my museum questions a while back! I have even more museum questions now if you’re amenable sometime!)

This is the elevator pitch:

Arthur Rhydderch had spent years trying to ‘find his calling,’ as his thesis advisor described it. This wasn’t quite what I had in mind, the reincarnated Once and Future King thought as he gave his sword a twirl and launched himself at the alien before it could breathe another blistering spurt of flames.

Up-and-coming paleontologist Dr. Myrddin “Merlin” Emrys had thought he was adulting quite well; most days, he even managed to avoid getting yelled at by his landlady. Then secrets from his past life resurfaced, and everything fell apart. Facing an impossible choice, Merlin must come to terms with who he was, who he is, and—most importantly—who he wants to become.

Or: When Albion’s greatest need arrives in the form of an alien invasion, the reincarnated figures of legend must deal with the consequences of their shared past even as they fight for humanity’s future.

Arthur is cornered during the initial invasion in a building that has a collection of artifacts displayed in wall cases, so he breaks the glass (not security glass! just regular plate glass! There’s a joke about it later in the story) and pulls out a medieval sword in a ‘might as well go out fighting’ mindset, then ends up successfully killing the alien that cornered him.

It quickly becomes apparent that conventional modern weaponry is useless against the aliens. Only authentic medieval swords can kill them.

Arthur finds out that he’s the new King of England, despite having been 28th in line and having always held generally anti-monarchist views. He has to learn on the job how to actually lead/govern because Parliament and the rest of the upper levels of government have been obliterated, too, so all the ministers’ authority has temporarily reverted back to the Crown. He ends up working closely with the staff of an eclectic and widely respected (fictional) museum in London to try to figure out what it is about the swords that makes them effective. If they can figure it out, then everyone will have a better idea of how to fight the aliens effectively. (Spoiler: aliens = pterosaurs = dragons, and their only weakness is steel that is forged in dragonfire.)

Gwen is an expert on medieval weaponry. Elyan doesn’t work for the museum, but he’s roped in because his specialty is chemistry/materials science. Paleontologist Merlin joins the party because the aliens bear a striking resemblance to Cretaceous pterosaurs. Freya, the museum staff member responsible for sourcing items for collections (I have questions about this job!), fulfills her Lady of the Lake role by sourcing and distributing swords to the knights. 😉 Many other canon characters pop up along the way. (You may also remember a snippet about an OC named Mrs. Nettleburn? She’s Merlin’s landlady who wears a violently floral housecoat and wields a frying pan during suspected break-ins. 🍳)

Meanwhile, the characters start getting their first-life memories back sporadically throughout the story, and they have to separate the truth of their incomplete memories from the distortions of the literary legends. Merlin ends up betraying everyone by siding with the dragons based on his distorted interpretation of those incomplete memories. Arthur refuses to give up on the friend he remembers, and Merlin gets an intensive redemption arc.

The story began as a crack prompt, but it has evolved into a crack-treated-very-seriously novel. 😂 I have about 60k written so far…

[randomnameless]

Fort Merceus was built back when the Empire was only about the size of Hresvelg territory. They constructed the massive military base in order to subdue other clans in the area. After that, it ended up serving as the guardian of the Imperial capital, and kept getting updated and expanded. The rest is history.

From a Nopes Adrestian NPC

Which means

(graphic design is not my passion)

Between -41 and 0, we know Enbarr existed, but Willy Hresvelg was a Lord/the Lord of Enbarr.

Jury's out on what Enbarr encompassed - if it was just a city or a city + provinces, but in 0, Adrestia is founded with Enbarr as its capital, officially due to the presence of Seiros, but if it was Willy's domain/city to begin with, I can see why they picked it as the capital of the Empire.

Was it at that point that Enbarrian territory stopped being "Enbarr Provinces" and started to become "Hresvelg Territory" or it happened earlier (Willy conquering neighbour provinces before become Emperor, for Enbarr, but ultimately for him/the Hresvelg house?), or did the "Hresvelg Territory" encompass the conquests, between 0 and 32 of the most southern parts of what is now Adrestia, Boramas, Rusalka, etc, with the river with Aegir being a kind of natural border?

32 : Willy wants to unify the world

It'd make sense to have Merceus built around that time, both to protect what was already Adrestian/Enbarrian/belonged to the Hresvelg, and to have a base of operations closer to the new "lands to be conquered" than Enbarr.

Someone on Redshit made a detailed map thanks to Nopes's informations (and some guessing) and placed Fort Merceus here :

At the exit of the sort of "canyon" that is identified as "Merceus" in the general map, near the source of a river (there is a fork thing). It's kind of a strategical point, given how any army, to reach Enbarr, would have to cross the "Merceus canyon", because east of that canyon there is the Aegir River, and west of said canyon there are some mountains.

46 : Battle of Gronder 1

Things were going well for Adrestia between around 32 and 46, if they were able to reach Gronder in 46.

Sure, compared to the fast war that happens in the game, you'd have to wonder why the fuck did they take 14 years to reach Gronder, but it kinds of make sense with the idea of Adrestia building its strength slowly to ultimately be strong enough to challenge Nemesis, or the Empire wanted to make sure the newly conquered provinces were "correctly Adrestianised" before pushing forward, so they wouldn't rebel and stab Willy in the back or turn against a defenseless Enbarr if the main army is fighting up north?

Myrrdin

Ignatz notes how the Bridge of Myrddin was made during the War of Heroes - it has the same strategical value as Fort Merceus, making a fort in the only chokepoint (mountains on one side and huge river on the other) both to protect what is already Adrestianised, and to have a new base of operations.

91 Tailtean 1 : Rhea turns Nemesis in a pincushion

Between Gronder - which more or less took 14 years to reach from Merceus to Tailtean, the Adrestian army either accelerated their pace, or stopped taking a crap lot of time to "pacify/Adrestianise" the newly conquered provinces, given how in 45 years they managed to cross the Alliance and a large part of what is now Faerghus.

However, given how in 98 it is said the Empire is in control of "most" of Fodlan, I suppose they also spent time "conquering/Adrestianise" the Eastern parts of the continent, like Eastern Adrestia and Eastern Faerghus, because I sure as hell don't see Willy+Lycaon+Seiros rushing to Tailtean if half of Fodlan is still siding with Nemesis, and "pacifying/conquering" this half in the 7 years following Nemesis's defeat.

(and given how this other half encompasses Rhodos, where Cichol lived and how Seiros met him and his family there per Flayn's support, either she went like a ninja to meet them, or it was "safe enough" for her to walk from Enbarr to Rhodos - or Seiros the Warrior, just after Zanado, first went to Rhodos before going to Enbarr?)

Tl; dr : Adrestia started slowly, at least until the new Empire reached Myrrdin. Willy Seiros built forts in strategical positions/chokepoints to protect what was already Imperial Land, and also to have new bases of operation as the army moved up north.

However, we don't have any clues or info about forts and bases being built post Myrrdin (which can only have been built post 46), so it can be assumed post 46, when the Adrestian Army started to fight the Elites and their allied clans, they didn't have the same motivation anymore, even if taking roughly 50 years to reach the Tailtean Plains, given how fast the war happens in the Fodlan games, either means they were all foot units and had a crap mov stat back then, or the Adrestian Conquests of back then weren't just "kill the leader and move forward" like we see in Tru Piss (and Supreme Bullshit?) but might have been something closer to "kill the leader, bring enough 'order' to the newly conquered lands and Adrestianise them so they won't rebel, maybe let Seiros do her thing with her church stuff, ask people around if they know about "golden weapons", and then move forward".

It's all conjecture, of course, given how we don't have enough intel, but with the presence of those forts and the abnormaly long time it took for the Adrestian Army to conquer Fodlan and deck Nemesis, even if he and his Elites put up a fight with the help of Mole People, I can't really explain nor understand why it took around 65 years for Willy to conquer Fodlan.

In comparison, Supreme Leader "only" takes 5 years in FE16 (and that's only because she was "very sad uwu" when Billy fell in a ravine in Tru Piss), but Nopes shows how starting the War of Unification when her home base/state isn't "orderly" enough bites her, in Nopes Aegir Sr who wasn't "dealt with" rebels and we have bits of pseudo civil wars (even if it's always subdued thanks to the Supreme rule of thumb regarding the Fodlan games), in AG she ultimately becomes Supreme Puppet because dealing with evil lizard lady was more important than making sure Uncle'n'pals were "dealt with", which also happens in Supreme Bullshit.

So, in a way, Supreme Leader conquered Fodlan way faster than her stupid ancestor did (5 years vs 60) but she had to face opposition and rebellions within her own forces, let it be by people she deposed and called a day (Aegir Sr) or her embarassing allies - she either "deals" with them after the Conquest, or forgets to deal with them and it destroys Adrestia (AG) or is another surprise force she has to fight against (but ultimately succeeds because she has a plot mc guffin siding with her, or an imbecile who does all of the heavy work for her).

[heckcareoxytwit]

A preview of Avengers #10

AVENGERS #10

As the Avengers battle the Twilight Court, the mysterious Myrddin has his rival within reach. With Kang being the only source of information the Avengers have regarding the Tribulation Events, can the Avengers save him before Myrddin strikes?

LEGACY #776

Written by: Jed MacKay Art by: Carlos Villa Cover by: Stuart Immonen Page Count: 28 Pages Release Date: February 7, 2024

[amewinterswriting]

Name Meaning Tag

I've been tagged by both @winterandwords and @ahordeofwasps! Thanks! My character names are either really carefully thought out for hours (with multiple dictionaries, google translate and enough baby name websites open that advertisers think that I, a committed childfree lesbian on birth control is pregnant...) or I give them a quick placeholder name that somehow sticks. Some highlights from Magic's Servant:

Talli

A common Welsh name, so I didn't research much when I named her - I was aiming for a name that wouldn't raise any eyebrows to a Welsh audience. According to some sources, it means: “shining brow” or “shining forehead” (from “tal” = forehead/brow + “iesin” = shining). Unfortunately, as someone with just enough Welsh to be dangerous, I'm pretty sure that's entirely made up, given that tall = tal and shining = disgleirio. In my humble opinion, it's probably a modernised version of the name Taliesin, who was an early Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the Book of Taliesin.

Cerberus

Obviously named for the Greek three-headed dog guarding the underworld. He's a cat. That does get pointed out. Even Talli doesn't take his name at face value. It's almost as if he's deliberately chosen an ill-fitting name, but why?

Eira

Welsh for snow. She's a white dove, and there is a significance to the idea of white feathers falling like snow in her name. That's about as much as I can say there...

Ryn

Short for Aderyn, which is bird in Welsh. This one would raise eyebrows to a Welsh audience - it's not really a name, it's a noun. That's intentional - she has hippie parents who liked the sound of a nature name in a language they don't speak. Kinda the cultural equivalent of getting a tattoo you believe says 'courage' but actually says 'chicken fried rice'. Hence why she prefers to shorten it.

Viola

Actually short for Violet, which is fairly obvious in terms of meaning. In universe, she has a very solid reason for disliking her given name and preferring her nickname, namely: [redacted for spoilers].

Amato and Desidero

Beloved and wish/desire in Italian, respectively. Similarly, not actual names, but they do tell a heck of a story just by close proximity to each other, huh?

Myrddin

Original form of Merlin. So fun fact, we can pretty much trace the name change in Arthurian myth to one Geoffrey of Monmouth, who was a cleric who wrote down and embellished a lot of the original myths and legends, mostly to sell on the continent. France was particularly into chivalrous romances at the time so a lot of his changes were made for a French audience and apparently Myrddin sounds a little too close to merde...hence the name changed to Merlin. But since this is a story steeped in Welsh culture and experiences, I'm deliberately using Myrddin.

Tagging: @red-pen-ally, @jay-avian, @sam-glade and OPEN for anyone who read this far and wants to give it a go!

[worldsofzzt]

Source “Meet The Tardigrades! (v. 1.0.1)” by eRN56 (2007) Published by: Mirror Image Games [MTTRDGRD.ZZT] - “[13] myrddin to the rescue” {🔫: 0} Play This World Online ---- Discover More Information About This World on the Museum of ZZT

[irlactualhuman]

WIZARDS OF HISTORY!

Aliester Crowley. Natch. Smelled a lot like sex and candy.

Araminta Ross (Harriet Tubman). Hear the power in the simple recitation of her name. Go ahead. Take a moment and shape the form of it with your mouth. Feel it's resonance and know it's strength. It forms the shape and the pull of freedom. A name. Imagine the presence of the one who gave that name such might.

Merlin/Myrddin/Marzhin. Not necessarily an actual figure, but most certainly a described path hidden in folklore and stories. The universe speaking through the zeitgeist of myriad dreamers and artists to paint the picture of a possibility. It is (basically) as follows: Dream -> Make Art -> Realize Your Art is More Than Art -> Go Fucking Batshit Crazy -> Innawoods -> Speak With Universe (In The Shadows There Dwells The Conversation of Dichotomy) -> Oh. Magic. Duh. -> Speak *With* Universe -> Get Comfy -> Become Part Gremlin, Part Natural Disaster. (Tangent: this is the path I found.)

Jesus. Contentious. Historically accurate? eh. Doesn't matter. Smote a fucking fig tree with his mind in a rage cuz it wouldn't bear fruit when he told it to. Has a lot of confusing lore that often disagrees with lore from sometimes even the same source. Wizard. Confirmed. At least a simple cautionary tale about toxic relationships and found family that any Wizard would find useful. (Tangent: I almost accidentiallied down this path.)

Franz Bardon. Hermetic scholar. Wrote lots of books. Liked ritual. Some good take-aways. Like the witch hazel eye cleansing thing. Honestly, he was too wrapped up in the minutiae of trying to find and categorize stuff he didn't understand. It's a common thing, to be overwhelmed. Paved the way for others, tho.

Fred Rogers. Could not wish for a better example. Walked in magic wreathed with love.

Bob Ross. A ritualist of distinction and poise. See the path of his words and workings. It is worth the diversion.

Literally EVERY lgbtqia+ person. We have all embraced a truth in the universe rejected by the vast majority, opening a path to magic and wisdom that many are choosing to take. That simple contention has created an entire war of modern wizards that echo and resound with the might of all those that came before.

[shit-the-vampyr-cast-never-said]

Myrddin: If we’re in trouble, just throw a champion at the problem and hope for the best.

[ellorypurebloodculture]

In the Morgana and Merlin story, I was wondering what the difference between Divine and Half-Divine was, and also how that would affect their children + descendants. Also, is the Divine Realm mentioned by Morgana some sort of afterlife?

Half-Divine aren't immortal, though they have a significantly longer lifespan than a human. They have some powers that are individual to them as the source.

Their children would have longer than average lifespans and individual magical gifts.

The Divine Realm is where the Divine live. Myrddin and Morgan and their descendants would be able to live there after finishing their lives in Avalon.

[liminal-psych]

First impressions of Arthurian lore, part 2 (again copied from my Facebook posts because I only just started using Tumblr again, this one’s from Nov 25th):

Reading up on Arthurian legend, and…

There are surprisingly few resources of any kind out there on the development of the stories themselves. No books for public consumption, just expensive textbooks and research papers.

Plenty of books retelling the legends in one way or another. Plenty of books on ”who was the real King Arthur / where is the real Camelot” etc, trying to determine historical basis for the stories. Some pagany stuff deriving spirituality and magic from Arthurian lore.

But way fewer other resources than I expected.

And my (rather advanced, thank you) Google skills failed to find me a recommendations list for translations of the various source texts. Which just seems strange. Do people just not engage with the source material with Arthurian legend? Is it just endless derivations and fanfic of fanfic of fanfic? This is not bad, this is fascinating, but it’s also very weird to me.

(More recently, since originally writing this, I have learned that people are still engaging with the source material, but it’s apparently just “10 gay people on Tumblr” doing so, to quote oldtvandcomics.)

And way fewer Facebook groups than I expected. I found one, the Arthurian Society, which I finally posted to asking for translation recommendations and resource recommendations. They were very very helpful.

(Note: More recently I have discovered that apparently the place for resources on getting started with Arthurian lit is Tumblr, of all places.)

It looks like the Camelot Project will be where I exist from now on while I’m in this hyperfocus. I’ve barely scratched the surface of it but it’s already super helpful.

I was resisting the urge to make the resource I’m looking for, a timeline of what characters and lore elements were developed when and by whom. I’m going to take notes as I read through the source material and try to make it for myself, whether or not I share it publicly in any form. I begin to see why people haven’t done so, though, as it is *complex*.

So what do I read first? I want to start at the beginning. But that’s harder to figure out than you might think.

At the start, we’ve got 1138, Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain. That’s the true “beginning” of Arthurian literature.

But if we want to look back further, Geoffrey’s sources were Gildas's sixth century De Excidio Brittaniae (On the Ruin of Britain) and Nennius's ninth century Historia Brittonum (History of the Britons). Gildas gave us Vortigern and Aurelius Ambrosius. Nennius gave us Saxon chieftains Hengest and Horsa, was the first to mention "Arthur the soldier," the "dux bellorum" (leader of battles), and also gives us a fellow named Ambrosius, who uncovers two fighting dragons under the foundation of his tower and prophesies the political future of Britain (sound familiar? Geoffrey incorporates him into the History as “Merlin Ambrosius”). Plus probably a bunch of Welsh material that Geoffrey never cites, for more on Merlin and Arthur.

Resources before Geoffrey are just brief mentions of Arthur. Merlin, on the other hand, has a wealth of pre-Galfridian material.

In addition to the History, Geoffrey also wrote two pieces about Merlin: Prophetiae Merlini (which was used for long afterwards by British politics in the same way as people have referenced Nostradamus, to attempt to predict or legitimize political events by saying it was predicted by Prophetiae Merlini), and Vita Merlini, a poem about Merlin’s life.

There’s Merlin Ambrosius of Nennius’s writing, and then there’s the Myrddin of early Welsh poetry. He gets called Merlin Silverstar at times to differentiate from Merlin Ambrosius, though you might have guessed that the two got merged into one figure pretty quick, the Merlin we now know of in modern Arthurian lore.

Then there are these six Welsh poems. The manuscripts that the poems are found in post-date Vita Merlini by over 100 years, but Welsh linguists have used orthographic evidence to show that the poems themselves are decidedly older than the manuscript, and may predate Geoffrey’s work as a result.

The poems are “Yr Afallennau" (The Apple Trees), "Yr Oianau" (The Greetings), "Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin" (The Dialogue of Myrddin and Taliesin), "Cyfoesi Myrddin a Gwenddydd ei Chwaer" (The Conversation of Myrddin and his Sister Gwenddydd), "Gwasgargerdd Fyrddin yn y Bedd" (The Diffused Song of Myrddin in the Grave), and "Peirian Faban" (Commanding Youth).

(When we say “poems” in this period of literature, we’re talking stuff like Beowulf. Novella length stuff. 50, 100 pages of lengthy lines and the like. So these are small books in their own right.)

And then of course there’s the Mabinogion, which was compiled into a manuscript much later than Geoffrey’s time but comes from earlier Welsh oral traditions which likely predate Geoffrey. There are apparently elements of the Mabinogion that are in Arthurian legends.

So do I start with the Mabinogion? The six Welsh poems about Merlin? Nennius and Gildas? Or Geoffrey of Monmouth?

Probably gonna start with Geoffrey, because it’s easy enough to find, and in fact free on the Camelot Project (though the formatting may drive me mad and lead me to get an ebook translation, apparently the Penguin Classics version is perfectly fine.

[if-you-like-pina-colada-s]

I posted 164 times in 2022

That's 164 more posts than 2021!

43 posts created (26%)

121 posts reblogged (74%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@hetaari

@myrddin-wylt

@gremlins-hotel

@hetalia-juice

@hetalia-club

I tagged 130 of my posts in 2022

Only 21% of my posts had no tags

#hetalia - 102 posts

#hws - 50 posts

#hetalia headcanons - 32 posts

#hws america - 17 posts

#aph america - 15 posts

#nation lore - 13 posts

#hws china - 12 posts

#hetalia inverse memes - 12 posts

#hws germany - 11 posts

#aph china - 11 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#this hill being that they are one big dysfunctional found family of immortal nations who have suffered enough and deserve love and support

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Ok last one for today I promise

----

France: Croissants: dropped

England: Road: works ahead

America: BBQ sauce: on my titties

Canada: Shavacado: fre

Russia: Miss Keisha: fuckin dead

China:

China, grumpy: I didn’t understand a single word of that and I hate every single one of you.

35 notes - Posted November 13, 2022

#4

This is aph Japan, like, actually

No you cannot change my mind

36 notes - Posted November 22, 2022

#3

What's your favorite platonic hetalia duo and why?

Or platonic trio, I'll take that too, I'll take anything, I just want fluffy platonic hetalia content...

45 notes - Posted November 14, 2022

#2

Songs that I think the Hetalia characters would get murdered to 🔪💀

Italy- Dancing Queen, ABBA

Germany- Baby Hotline, Jack Stauber

Japan- Oh Klahoma, Jack Stauber

See the full post

57 notes - Posted November 28, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

F it more hetalia incorrect quotes

Germany: If I accidentally sat on a voodoo doll of myself, would I be trapped forever in that position, doomed to starve to death?

Japan: How am I supposed to know?

Italy: You say, as if we don’t use you as a source of knowledge of the occult.

Japan: *sighs*

Japan: You wouldn't be trapped.

-----

Germany, driving Japan and Italy: So how was your day?

Italy: We almost got surprise adopted!

Germany: What?

Japan: We almost got kidnapped.

Germany: Oh, okay.

Germany: *slams on the breaks* WAIT WHAT?!

----

America: You're a loose cannon, England.

England: No, I'm not. I'm a cannon maybe, but a loose cannon? Is that what you think of me?

China: I think you play by your own rules.

France: No way, he thinks rules were made to be broken.

America: Those are all attributes of a loose cannon.

England: No, I'm just a reckless renegade. Russia is a loose cannon.

Russia: *smashes a chair*

----

America: What if I press the brake and gas at the same time?

Russia: The car takes a screenshot.

China: For the last time, get the fuck out.

----

*The squad is having dinner together*

America: Russia, can you pass the salt?

Russia: *Throws China across the table*

----

See the full post

67 notes - Posted November 13, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

This was cute, lowkey :D

[notsosilentsister]

Spear

One thing I like a lot about Nicole Griffith's writing - amply evident too in Spear - is the care she takes with the setting (early medieval Wales, in this case). Spear has a fairly elaborate author's note, where Griffith explains her research, her sources, the choices she made about which elements to integrate, why all this care for verissimilitude is so important to her. I think it pays off, it grounds the story, it lends credibility, it promotes suspension of disbelief. I've never been one for the "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks"-approach to worldbuilding in fantasy; being too random about evoking different eras kills the unity of effect, kills the aesthetic illusion.

Of course research is only one part of the magic; you need to be able to weave it in with a light touch. In Spear, Griffith doesn't get too many pages to do it - it's a slim novella, and quite action-packed too (the fight scenes are another thing I like a lot about it; I have no way to judge their realism - just as I actually have not way to assess the realism about any other detail, to be honest - but there's a certain transparency, a readability, a clarity to them that I can't help but associate with the confidence of expertise.)

Things that work a bit less well for me in Spear are character development (I think her main character Peretur is quite likeable, but a bit static, too perfect from the start) and romance (not just fighting comes a bit too easily to Peretur; there's not much spark to generate with insta-love).

But I'm maybe just hard to please here, because Peretur is Griffith's version of Percival, and Percival is one of my favourites. There are just certain beats I'm looking forward too, and I'm bound to be a bit disappointed if they are missed. But of course you can never hit all the beats! There are so many versions of the story already, and all the fun is in mixing and matching, adding and subtracting. (Griffith's Peretur seems to me a lot less conflicted than Wolfram von Eschenbach's, for instance).

One change I do like is that Griffith's Peretur is a woman, and loves women; it does not have much of an impact on the basic shape of the story, but it adds an interesting wrinkle, because Peretur generally presents as male. Being recognized/allowing herself to be recognized as a woman functions as an ultimate sign of trust and connection in the narrative.

The basic shape of the story: a child with a birth secret, raised in the wilderness by an anxious mother, a fateful meeting with knights errant, inspiring a desire to become one of them, venturing out in the world, a battle with a red knight, taking his armor as spoils, the quest for the grail (not a Christian artifact here, but one of Celtic mythology - the Christian trappings are just obfuscation by Myrddin/Merlin, who is one of the villains in this version). In Eschenbach's version, there's another key characteristic of Percival: he's the pure fool. He acts to the best of his knowledge, and bungles, because through no fault of his own, due to his lack of socialization in the milieu he wants to join, his knowledge is woefully inadequate. He's innocently guilty and he's punished for that, harshly, intransparently, shamed, rejected, expelled, for reasons not quite explained, and spends the better part of Eschenbach's version sulking about the unfairness of it all. And then he somehow gets over it; and immediately, he's given a second chance. Truly a tale for our times, of cancel culture and redemption.

Griffith's Peretur in contrast never makes a misstep. She's a keen observer, preternaturally aware of her surroundings; she rarely needs people to spell things out for her, because she can read their feelings and immediate intentions, in the bend of their finger, in the scent from their skin, a gust of wind wafting over (to a degree; she's not quite sure why Arthur immediately takes against her, but she quickly guesses that he sees her as a threat, because his magic sword calls out for her, and as usually, she guesses correctly). Percival is clueless. No clue escapes Peretur. And it makes her less relatable. (But of course, in this version she's only half mortal after all - how could she be?)

Peretur too is innocently guilty - her actions harms others despite her best intentions - but much less is made of it. In her author's note, Griffith writes how she wanted to deviate from the stereotypical hero's journey, of conquest and dominance. She wanted a hero who can win without others having to lose. Hers is a story how power corrupts, and indeed, Peretur, magically powerful, effortlessly superior to any mortal challenger and almost as effortlessly, to immortal ones as well, proves immune. She doesn't want power and treasures, she only wants to serve justice, she only wants to belong.

She doesn't win, without others losing, though. (Arturus loses his shot at an heir, when Peretur deceives him about the grail; her mother loses her life, when Peretur reveals her hiding place; many lose their lives when Peretur kills them). The story doesn't ask us to dwell on it. But this is, where it gets interesting, for me.