The Dark Age Non-Player Characters

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A little note on pronunciation...

As not many of us are fluent Welsh speakers I think it might be useful to run through a few of the basics of pronouncing Welsh names. I may be remembering some of these slightly wrong, but its how I've gotten used to saying them.

• A single 'f' is pronounced as a 'v' (e.g. Morfans is actually pronounced More-vans). A double 'f' is pronounced as an 'f'.
• A 'y' is pronounced as a 'u' or an 'i', as in 'sing' (e.g. Ynys Wydryn is pronounced In-iss Widd-rinn).
• A 'w' can be used as a vowel making an 'oo' sound (e.g. Cwm Isaf is pronounced Koom Eyes-aff).
• A 'c' always has a hard 'k' sound.
• A single 'd' is pronounced as a 'd'. A double 'd' is pronounced as a 'th' sound (e.g. Myrddin is pronounced Mer-thin).
• A single 'l' is pronounced as 'l'. A double 'l' has that clearing your throat sound we all know from trying to pronounce Welsh place names, like Llandudno or that town whose only claim to fame is being the one with the longest name and which ends in -gogogoch.
• A 'ch' has a guttural 'kch' sound that just doesn't exist in English. That's why most people just pronounce Craig and my surname as Tull-uck rather than Tull-erkch. The closest English speakers come to this sound is when talking about Scottish lochs (or if they are trying to do Klingon impressions...).

A final note. I seem to have used the word edling a lot in these descriptions. An edling is the heir to the throne.

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Saxons

• Aelle - A king of the Saxons, whose lands lie to the east of Gwent and Powys. He has recently launched an attack on Powys which our heroes helped to intercept with the help of Arthur.
• Cerdic - A Saxon king, whose lands are dominant along the south coast of Britain. He was responsible for kidnapping the druid Blaise until he was rescued by the party.
• Godwin – A Saxon double agent who has helped the party in their raid to free Blaise. However he did abandon them at one point and nobody is sure where his allegiance truly lies.

Kings & Queens

• Anna - Daughter of Uther and brother of Arthur, Anna was married off to King Budic of Broceliande to finalise a treaty.
• Ban - King of Benoic, he is famous for his love of literature.
• Budic - King of Broceliande, all you know of him is that he is married to Arthur’s sister, Anna.
• Cadwy – The Prince of Isca and a client lord of Dumnonia. He is a petty and vengeful man which is why he pursues a vendetta against Gwydre. When his palace was attacked and Gwydre chose to join the party in rescuing the infant king Cadwy took it as a betrayal and has hated Gwydre ever since.
• Cuneglas - Son of Gorfyddyd and Edling of Powys, Cuneglas is known to Aethelbeorn as he was recently a guest at Arthur’s hall at Ynys Wydryn. He and Arthur are friends, though his father hates Arthur.
• Diwrnach - King of Lleyn, Diwrnach is an Irish warlord renowned for his viciousness and cruelty. Though his lands lie well to the north of Dumnonia he is still used as a bogeyman to scare children. He is said to be inhuman in appearance and action. He believes he is invulnerable as long as his shield is covered by the flayed skin of a virgin sacrifice and so far he has been proved correct.
• Gorfyddyd – The King of Powys is a large, crude beast of a man. He has long sought the title of high king, and thought that an invasion of Dumnonia on the death of his rival, Uther, would give him that power. Instead he lost the war and his arm to Arthur, whom he now hates with a passion. His land was recently attacked by Aelle of the Saxons but they were driven off by Arthur. The party is now seeking to restore his arm by finding the mythical Ring of Eluned.
• Gundleus – The King of Siluria is a handsome, deceitful warrior, who is widely considered to be a man without honour. He works with Gorfyddyd of Powys and was implicated in the attempt to kidnap the infant king Medraut, until the plan was foiled by the party.
• Mark – The King of Kernow, Mark is the father of Tristan and is famed for having many wives. But whilst some kings choose to have more than one wife at a time Mark has his one after the other, each seeming to be younger than the last and each dying after about two years. Two of his wives have been daughters of Oengus mac Airem
• Medraut - Uther’s only legitimate child, Arthur’s half-brother and the King of Dumnonia, Medraut is still only a baby, barely two years old. Owain, Tewdric and Arthur have all sworn oaths to guarantee Medraut will take the throne when he reaches his fifteenth year. He was kidnapped by agents of Gundleus when his father died but was saved by the party.
• Meurig - The Edling of Gwent is only a child of twelve. He is already renowned as a thinker and philosopher though, but not as a warrior. Morvawr met him whilst training in magic at the court of Gwent. He thought he was a whining prat.
• Morgause - Arthur’s sister and a daughter of Uther, she was married to King Lot of Lothian in exchange for his support in breaking the alliance between Powys and Rheged.
• Norwenna – The Queen Mother of Dumnonia, Norwenna is a quiet princess from Gwent. She has borne Uther only one son, Medraut.
• Oengus mac Airem – The King of Demetia is a mercenary rogue and scoundrel. He has a huge number of children, both legitimate and illegitimate with a high preponderance of girls. Cuan once saw him on the night Myrddin discovered him.
• Tewdric – The King of Gwent is an old warrior and a highly religious man who tries to do the best for his people and the people of Dumnonia, a country of which he is very fond. If pushed to choose between Gwent and Dumnonia though, he would choose Gwent every time. He tries to maintain a Roman style of government, including fair magistrates and a strong army. Morvawr has met him several times during his time at Tewdric’s court.
• Tristan - A young warrior from Kernow, Tristan is the Edling and a panther-man like his father. He is in his mid-twenties and has earned a reputation fighting in the land of Benoic. He is ambitious for his country, but is loyal to his father, King Mark. He helped the party track the kidnapped king when they entered Kernow. Amarou has become enamoured of him and it is possible she has gone to seek him out.
• Uther – The old King of Dumnonia and Pendragon, high king over all other British kings. Uther was a mighty warrior who kept the Saxons back for the past two decades, before dying and leaving the land to his infant son Medraut. He was also the father of the illegitimate, Arthur, who now seeks to ensure Medraut keeps his throne.

Warriors of Britain

• Agricola - A warlord of Gwent. Agricola is now an old man but is still considered one of the greatest warriors of Britain. He met Mardoc, Morvawr and Cuan during the Winter War and seemed to approve of them
• Arthur - A warlord of Dumnonia, Arthur is the lord of Ynys Wydryn and is considered by many to be Dumnonia’s greatest warrior despite being only in his mid-twenties. Morvawr has known him from his youth and Cuan from his time being trained by Arthur’s sister. He is Aethelbeorn’s liege lord and one of the three members of the Dumnonian Royal Council. He is widely renowned as being a good man in evil times.
• Balin – A huge and powerful rhino-man, who is one of Arthur’s trusted horsemen.
• Bedwyr – One of Arthur’s most trusted horsemen.
• Cai – One of Arthur’s cousins, and one of his trusted horsemen.
• Cordwael - The captain in charge of the fort of Caer Ambra who helped the party before and after their raid into Saxon territory. Aethelbeorn once worked with him during his time in Gereint’s warband.
• Culhwch – One of Arthur’s cousins and one of his trusted horsemen.
• Ligessac – A treacherous goblin who betrayed Dumnonia at the battle at Caer Mai Dun by opening the gates to let Powys’ war-hydra enter. Oddly enough he and Athelbeorn were comrades in Gereint’s warband several years before he met the other members of the party.
• Llwch Lleminawc - The Edling of Benoic, Llwch Lleminawc is famous as the warrior prince who keeps that land free. The party have heard many songs about him and he is supposedly the greatest fighter in the world.
• Morfans - A warrior in the service of Peredur, he is reputed to be the ugliest man in Britain. He can be a brutal fighter, but is a kind man in peace, and is especially good with children. He fights hard and then carouses hard afterwards. He is Mardoc’s superior and his friend for many years.
• Owain – The Champion of Dumnonia, and officially its greatest warrior, he is a huge beastman with heavily muscled arms decorated with tattoos of Dumnonia’s dragon and his own boar emblem. He is boastful, crude but a good friend to those he feels have earned it. He helped the party defend Caer Mai Dun from Gorfyddyd’s army. The party saw him kill Gorfyddyd’s son in single combat before the battle and then helped him fight the war-hydra when it burst through the gates. He later gave Gwydre his armour, the one he took from Gorfyddyd’s son after the duel. He has now become the third member of the Royal Council and the only one with the power to challenge Arthur.
• Pellana - Myrddin's bodyguard, Pellana is some kind of king (or 'shogun' in his langauge) from Nippon. He has some kind of mystical powers that combined with his own sword-skill make him a terrifying opponent.
• Peredur - The cursed warrior of Dumnonia, Peredur once tried to make his name by leading a raid upon Ireland. However he became ensorcelled by an enchantress and became her warlord and slave. Myrddin broke her hold on him and brought him back to Britain but he is supposedly still cursed in some way though nobody is quite sure how. He is still considered Myrddin’s warrior, but has made his name as a warrior lord of Dumnonia. He is Mardoc’s liege lord and friend. The party were helped by him when they were rescuing Medraut, and saw him achieve many inhuman acts including tracking a man by smell and punching his hand straight through a man’s chest.
• Sagramor – Arthur’s right hand man. He has helped the party in their raid into Saxon lands by providing disguises and direction. He hails from the far-off continent of Africa and speaks British with an odd, stilted accent. Aethelbeorn has known him ever since he entered Arthur’s service.
• Valerin - A noble of Powys. Though the party has never met him it is possible he was responsible for sending Garrydd and Pwyl to kill them. He is the only one capable of challenging Cuneglas for the throne of Powys should Gorfyddyd die.

The Lords of the Spiritual Realm

• Bedwin – The High Priest of Zeus in Dumnonia, Bedwin was the chief advisor to the old king, Uther. He is now part of the infant king’s Royal Council and is generally considered to be a good and wise man.
• Blaise – Tutor to both Myrddin and Cuan, Blaise is a huge beorning (bear-man) with a keen sense of justice and a strong link to the animal spirits. He and Myrddin seem to have some kind of plan they share with few others, but which has embroiled the party on more than one occasion. Most recently he was kidnapped by Cerdic in relation to a table made from sacred druidic oaks. What he and Myrddin intend to do with this table is still unclear.
• Iorweth - A druid of Powys. He first encountered the party when he sent the war-hydra he controlled to break the gates at Caer Mai Dun. He met them again when they visited Caersws. He appears to be loyal to Gorfyddyd and Cuneglas, but he was with the party just before they were attacked by Garrydd and Pwyl.
• Morgan - Arthur’s sister, and an illegitimate daughter of Uther, she was long ago married to Owain but has long since separated. She is a priestess of the old faith, and is Myrddin’s closest rival in power. She is considered mad by some, and lives on the tor at Ynys Wydryn. Cuan spent several years training with her while Myrddin travelled abroad. Aethelbeorn also knows her, as her home on the tor is part of her brother’s lands at Ynys Wydryn.
• Myrddin - The greatest druid in Britain, he had passed the three tests of power by the time he was thirteen. He was trained by the druid Blaise, and now in his late twenties he is a trainer of other druids and bards, though that is something not normally done by druids under forty. He is a wanderer who is known in all lands and who meddles in the affairs of kings, much to the annoyance of many older druids. What his full aims are remain a mystery, though so far he has kept the infant king Medraut on the throne and helped keep Arthur in control of Dumnonia, risked his life in the Circle of the Stars, helped rescue Blaise from the Saxons and reclaimed a table made from sacred oaks. He alienated the party by arguing against them warning Powys of the Saxon attack coming their way.

Thieves and Rogues

• Cadly and Swinn – A pair of fairly incompetent thieves who tried to steal from Blaise’s ransacked hut. Instead they unleashed a dark creature of the underworld which killed them and almost finished off Cuan.
• Garrydd and Pwyl - A pair of notorious bandits from Powys. Their crime spree came to an end in Caersws at the hands of the party. Pwyl almost escaped only to be flattened by a flaming sphere from Morvawr. They were possibly working for Valerin.
• Gwlyddyn - A scavenger and trader the party met in Deva. He showed them a treasure trove guarded by a pair of manticores, in which they found several excellent suits of armour and a scroll enabling Morvawr to start learning the Legionary's Road of spells.