Magi

[Wolfshead]

Were there too many practitioners of magic in Knightmare, e.g. Witches, Wizards, Warlocks, Mages Necromancers, Sorcorers and Sorcoresses.

[MPK]

Hard to say because not all of them actually appered in a season together!

Besides when Merlin went, we did need someone to take his place and Grimaldine did that in my opinion.

We must remember that they are different kinds of Mages/Magess in KM.

Merlin was a wizard, whereas Hordriss is a Red Mage, Grimaldine a Celtic wizard, Fear a Technomage, Sidriss a first level Sourceress, Heggerty and Peggerty were Witches and finally Greystagg was a White Witchqueen! There could be more which I have forgotten!

[Wolfshead]

Morghana and Malice were Sorcoresses.

In the Arthurian legends Morghana learn't her magic from Merlin. Can anyone remember that film; Exaliber from 1981. In it Merlin tuaght Morghanna la Fay the charm of making. It was a great movie.

[Visage]

Certainly there were a lot, as well as quite a few dabblers: Rothberry for one, and the jesters seemed to have quite a lot of magic for entertainers! Then again, the dungeon is a magical place, it probably attracts sourcerous types, looking for its power...

Oh, and if you believe the old French Vulgate or Mallory, Morgan le Fay learnt her magic in the nunnery she was sent to after her mother married Uther, Arthur's father!

I'm sure that dark sorcery wasn't on the standard nun's duties....

[Wolfshead]

Hmm

A couple of years ago I read a book called Magic in the Middle ages. It said that many of those who practice magic (mainly necromancy) were actually clerics. Many magical texts found there way into the libraries of monasteries. They were often donated by wealthy people who couldn't read them. Many monks read through them and got interested.

John of Salisbury took part in a ritual to summon a demon when he was a child.

Some magical practitioneres were also inquisitors.

There is also the cult of Magus, Christian Wizardry.

[Visage]

Oh I'm not suggesting that clerics didn't research dark magic, magic and alchemy and science were so closely linked in philosophy that it was only the clerics, with their literacy and libraries, that could research it...

I was only saying that it wasn't an orthodox practice, unless you count the odd exorcism....

[HStorm]

May I just point out that, as far as I can tell, Morghanna is not Morgana Le Fay, hence the different spelling AND pronunciation in their names? (Morgana = Morr-gar-nuh. Morghanna = Morgg-har-nuh.)

Another sorceress in the series was Lillith of course.

[Visage]

Ooooo, lets not get back into the debate of 'was Lillith a vampire or a goddess' or whatever....

Yes, well Morghanna (never did have the Le Fay bit in Knightmare) is as much Morgan as Mogdred is Mordred, the legendary characters changed so much in the different versions of the legend that pretty much anything can be done with them...

For instance, in some versions Morgan is the mother of Mordred, in other's it is her sister Morgeuse, in others it is their other sister Elaine... In some all are sorceresses, in some they all borrow their magic... erk!

And for heaven's sake don't worry about spelling, for Merlin we have Merlyn, Merlion, Marlain.... translation tended to mess things up... Guinevere has the wonderfully attractive name Wenewer in one version I've seen, and worse!

On the basis of our own dear Morghanna she seems much more the classic evil sorceress, in the Morgan le Fay mold before she got remorseful and took the wounded Arthur off to Avalon....

[Wolfshead]

No one could replace Merlin, no-one not even Hordris and Grimaldine. Merlin is the definitive good wizard of legend.

Mallice said that her and Merlin were well aquainted and that she often read his scrolls. I have already discussed her possible rivalry with Mogdred, but what about Merlin?

[HStorm]

Merlin is the definitive good wizard of legend.

Seeing that in the Arthurian legend Merlin tricked Igrayne with sorcery to allow Uther Pendragon to seduce her, and overthrew and murdered King Vortigern in cold blood, I find that claim a little doubtful. :-\

[Wolfshead]

Yeah hmm, that's a doozy, but the popular image of him is as a good Wizard despite him changing Uther's appearance. Anyway it brought about Arthur.

[HStorm]

Yeah, well I suppose we can class both crimes as touch of Realpolitik on his part, but they were still crimes in my book.

[knightmaredave]

I thought Lilith was cool, she had quite a good death rate as well!!!
I thought Morghana was also quite cool as well killing 2 dungeoneers off <(her only 2 appearances as well 2/2 or it won't do for her i think!!!!)