Blaise was born to a young hunter and his wife deep in Northumberland, a land covered in great forests, a place strange even to its own inhabitants, for there are parts where no man has ever been. As a young child, Blaise learned well from his father, becoming adept in archery and dealing with the forest’s wildlife. By the age of 5, he had even tamed his first pet: a wolf cub that he called Lucy. Blaise’s life would have been much different if he had never left his forest home, but alas, fate did not offer such easy bliss.
One fall afternoon, Lucy disappeared into the woods and the young Blaise ventured off to find her. After hours of following her tracks, he found a large clearing in the forest, an opening in the trees where the light danced and sparkled. Here he found Lucy lying beside a beautiful woman who stroked the wolf’s coat. Now, Blaise had never seen a fairy (or even truly believed in fairies for that matter) but something deep inside his soul told him that this woman was magical.
-“Welcome, young Blaise,” she said in a melodically enchanting voice. “I fear that life has given you a bitter turn, but fear not, your future is too important for us all. You will not suffer the fate of your parents.”
Hypnotized by the fairy’s words, the young boy sat down by Lucy, stroking her back as well. It was several minutes before the words she had spoken registered in his mind. A shock of recognition flashed on his face, but before he could react, the woman spoke again: “Aye, young master. You have seen true. Your parents’ home is being besieged even as I speak, but you are safe, guided here by my own wolf cub. Again, your future is too important for us all.” And yet, the flash of recognition had broken the spell of the woman’s voice, and Blaise bolted to his feet and ran as fast as he could to his home, determination on his face, certain he would arrive to save his parents from whatever fate was besieging them.
The acrid smell of burning straw pierced his nostrils even before he saw the flames which engulfed his home. Through the flames, he saw his parents’ bodies hanging inside the house, the victims of bandits. Grabbing a bucket, he began to throw water on the flames, trying to douse them but to no avail. Falling to his knees, Blaise vilified the water for being weak and cursed the fire for destroying his life. It was amid his cursing that heavy rain started to fall, smothering the flames, and lightning began flashing across the sky. As thunder rolled, the young boy curled up on the ground, drenched by the rain and the sweat of his physical exertion, decimated by the loss of his family.
Suddenly, Blaise felt a hand on his back but he was not afraid. The touch was like instant light. It warmed his wet body and a sense of peace washed over him. He turned his eyes upward, his gaze falling on the peaceful face of a man in monk’s robes. The man lifted Blaise into his arms and without a word carried him into the forest, far from the sight of the buried house and the charred bodies of his parents. Finally, they arrived in a clearing where the man placed Blaise back on the ground. Standing up, the young boy looked around and saw a small rock building that he immediately recognized as the Monastery of Grantham.
-“Why have you brought me here?” Blaise asked the monk in a flat tone. The monk smiled and responded gently: “Because this is where you belong. For you are to learn the ways of a confessor. Your future is too important for us all.” And so it was. Blaise spent his youth at the monastery where he studied, where he was formed, where he forgot the skills that his father taught him, where he forgot the smell of his mother’s freshly-washed hair, where he forgot his past and focused only on his future.
Many years later, a young woman named Optima came to Blaise seeking advice. The oldest of three girls, she believed that her family had fallen into the devil’s wrath, her father and brother had died, leaving her and her two sisters alone. However, the girls remained the target of the demon’s attention. The middle daughter fell to temptation, was caught committing adultery with a squire, and buried alive for her sin. The youngest daughter was misled (surely through the work of the demon) to believe that she was to blame for her middle sister’s actions and that she could only redeem herself by becoming a whore. This is how the youngest sister became the pawn of the devil as she slept with every man in the town. Distraught over her younger sister’s downfall, Optima came to Blaise seeking advice to avoid temptation. Blaise advised the woman to avoid sin and believe in the Holy Trinity, pray each evening, and cross herself before going to bed. Blaise warned the girl to avoid anger or wrath, which was the easiest sin to fall into. So the young woman lived a life of prayers and chastity.
Despite the warnings, Optima became tired of her youngest sister and the many men who visited their home. One night in anger, she locked herself into her bedroom, crying until she fell asleep and forgetting to pray and cross herself. This was the opening that the incubus needed to enter her room and have sex with her in her sleep, impregnating her, for the child was meant to become the Antichrist, a walking human pawn of the Devil himself. The woman returned to Blaise, confessed her mistake, and told him of her pregnancy. Being wise, Blaise knew that the child must be baptized at birth to ensure that the child would not become a demonic monster.
Present at the birth, Blaise immediately swept up the baby and baptized him, cleansing the child who would later be called Merlin of his evil, but leaving him invested with powers of second sight as a by-product of his supernatural creation. When Merlin was a child and his powers began to manifest, Blaise was fearful of the boy’s power, so Blaise tried to test Merlin's remarkable abilities. He went to great lengths to test Merlin in many different ways, until Merlin said: “Blaise, don’t put me to the test, for the more you do, the more dumbfounded you’ll be. Just do as I say, and trust in my advice.” Merlin reassured Blaise that it was God's will that he had retained the Devil’s ability to see the true past but that in fact the devil's hold on Merlin was broken because his mother had followed Blaise's own advice, having Merlin baptized at birth. Blaise knew that Merlin was the son of the Devil, and as such, the boy had the power to deceive him if he chose to do so. Nevertheless, Blaise would become Merlin’s lifelong friend and Merlin called him ‘master’ because he had been such a support and guide to his mother.
Despite Blaise’s long absence from Northumberland and the lost memories of his childhood, something mystical kept pulling at his heart and urging him to return to the land of his childhood. Merlin understood this desire and instructed Blaise to return to Northumberland where he was to live as a hermit. Moreover, Merlin instructed Blaise that he was to write a book based on the stories that Merlin would tell during his many visits to his friend, stories of King Arthur, Camelot, and the quests for the Holy Grail. Ultimately, Blaise was to be the chronicler of Camelot.
Once he returned to Northumberland, Blaise began to remember his father’s training, and during Merlin’s absence, Blaise once again found his hunter’s roots. However, ranger skills were not his primary focus, for he still worried that the Devil would find a way to once again gain control of Merlin and use his for evil. To guard against this potential threat, Blaise turned his attention to studying the occult and magic so that he could better understand Merlin’s powers (and try to master the fire that had taken his parents). It would be a question that would consume him until the end of his life.
When Blaise found himself lying on the grass of a large forest clearing, he did not know where he was. He remembered death. He knew it had consumed his body thousands of years ago, but yet, here he was, alive and back in the forest that he once inhabited. How could this be? How did this happen? Why now? As if to answer his unspoken questions, a beautiful woman emerged from the lake and said: “Dear Blaise, you were once told that your future was too important for us all. You believed that you had fulfilled your role by ensuring Merlin’s baptism. You were wrong. Your future that was so important is now.”
-“Dear lady,” said Blaise, “What is this place? When is this place?”
-“All will be revealed in due time. For the moment, just know that Camelot has been resurrected. You have been brought back as well, but unlike the others, your arrival in these lands is not sanctioned by the equilibrium of gods. Rather, one fears for Merlin’s safety and knows that you will be able to help your former student. Merlin has already been informed of your arrival and has set off from Camelot this very day to find you. Remember the ranger skills of your father and the magic that you researched during your time as a hermit. They will both come in handy for the tasks to come.”
-“Aye, M’Lady.”
-“One final thing,” she added, holding out a silver necklace. “Place this around your neck. It is a talisman that will protect you and help you gain more power over your magic abilities. Magic is stronger now than it was in Camelot’s original time. You will need as many skills as you can gain. Perhaps you will now truly be able to master the fire that killed your parents.”
Blaise took the chain and placed it around his neck. Immediately, a surge of energy flashed through his body. Flames shot from one hand and lightning from the other. He did not know what this power was, but the energy filled a craving in his body. Looking around, he realized that the lady had disappeared and something inside was urging him to move south. Surely, this would be the direction from which Merlin would come in search of him.
With his return to Camelot, Blaise will surely continue his research to understand his dear friend and guard against Merlin’s possible manipulation by the heirs of ‘The Enemy’.
Sun Aug 16, 2009 1:08 pm
). Outside of the World of GW, I am a Ph.D. student in French civilization at Penn State University. As of August 2009, I am beginning work on my dissertation, so I'm in it for the long haul. Outside of French and gaming, I am also a complete film buff, enjoying just about any genre and time period you can find. From big blockbuster films to small indy flicks, I enjoy it all. I am pleased to have joined the ranks of the Keepers and look forward to great RP with you all.