Merlins

**Merlin** is a title, not a person. Merlins are sorcerers that serve as mages and guardians for the Order. All Merlins are descendants of Merlin and have demon blood in their veins.

## Cambion

Merlins are a type of creature called a cambion. Cambions are part-human and part-demon. Aether affinity in demon blood is dominant, so all of Merlin's descendants are cambions too. Because Merlin's father was an **incubus**, all Merlins are technically part sex demon.

At their level of genetic distance, their seductive traits are passive, but effective. Those passive traits are unnatural eye color, unnatural beauty, and distinctive voices. Medically and militarily, Merlins are perfect warriors, hearts like long-distance runners, pumping a leisurely thirty beats per minute; core temps a toasty one hundred and ten degrees Fahrenheit-hot enough to cook a human brain like chicken fried steak, but it means they burn away any human viruses or bugs. Enhanced metabolism, speed, strength, vision, hearing, self-healing, and sense of touch. The only weapon against Merlins is incapacitation by overwhelming their senses. Merlins will heal, but it takes a little bit of time.

When a Merlin is born, they are essentially human. When they turn seven years old, they begin to display their demon heritage and traits. Merlins do eventually lose the ability to do their job well if precautions aren't taken. As they get older, Merlins become more powerful and have a stronger connection to aether. Each year they also lose a bit more of their humanity, called "**succumbing to the blood**." They become untrustworthy if grow too powerful. Even Kingsmages can fall prey to delusions and paranoia

## Spell of Eternity

When Merlin created the **Spell of Eternity** for Arthur and his knights, he created a similar one for himself. His descendants would inherit the unique mage abilities he had honed over time: mesmer, constructs, and an affinity for aether. However, Merlin knew that part-demons would never help the Order, so he added insurance to his spell. Because the darkness of the underworld and the light of the living shouldn't exist in one body, a Merlin's blood fights itself every day. The older they get, the stronger the demon essence becomes, but their **Oaths** to the Order and its members keep them from going over. The Oaths that a Merlin swears bind the two sides of them together, keeping them in control of their souls as long as they are in service. It is why Merlins are Oathed early, before their blood can gain a foothold. That is also why the worst punishment for any Merlin would be being cast out of the Order's service.

## The Order

Every Merlin takes the Oath of Service to the High Council of Regents. The Merlins are an army dedicated to enforcing Order law. "Merlins are the right hand, the sword and fists of the Order." They're "trained from birth, assigned to posts by the Regents, and sent on missions to hunt rogue Shadowborn and aether users, keep Onceborn populations safe, close Gates, and secure the Code of Secrecy." Each chapter has their own Merlin. There are hundreds of Merlins all over the world.

### Other Roles

* **Kingsmage:** The most powerful Merlin child in a generation. They take the Kingsmage Oath where they are bound in a formal ceremony before the Chapter, to a child Scion of Arthur. For the rest of that Merlin’s life, they are the Scion's sworn protector until death.
* **Sergeant-at-Arms:** The position the Merlin assigned to a chapter holds.
* **Mageguard:** The Elite Merlin military unit, which acts as the Order's special forces. It's made up of twenty-four of the strongest Merlins. They fight the deadliest Shadowborn legions and are responsible for ensuring the safety of the Awakend King and their family. They only swear to protect the Regents and the king.
* **Mage Seneschals:** The three most powerful Merlins. Each reports to a Regent and they make up half of the High Council of Regents, with the other half being made up of the Regents themselves.
	+ **Mage Seneschal at Arms:** General of the Mageguard and Merlin forces. Reports to the Regent of Shadows.
	+ **Mage Seneschal of Mesmer:** The most powerful Merlin mesmerist. Responsible for mesmering anyone who has seen too much or has broken Oaths and needs to be excommunicated from the Order. Reports to the Regent of Light.
	+ **Mage Seneschal of Constructs:** The most powerful aethersmith. Can change the shape of his constructs without recasting them. Reports to the Lord Regent.

## Abilities

Merlins have a powerful affinity for aether, drawing and using aether almost as well as Merlin himself. They can mesmer people, a form of mind control, memory manipulation, and illusion casting, and create constructs, which are physical manifestations of aether that take the form of objects or animals. Merlins can cast aether remotely. They can feel the Oaths they cast, or their absence. A Merlin can see other Merlins' mark inside someone's mind if that person has been mesmered before. They must hold their aether constructed objects' shape in place, which causes the objects' light to pulse in a slow rhythm. Even a Master Merlin can't keep a construct going for more than five or six hours. A Merlin can detect a demon from miles away. An excessive use of aether, such as when administering Oaths, can make Merlins "aether-drunk." They become intoxicated and can be more emotionally sensitive, aggressive, and more likely to lash out.

They have an enhanced metabolism, speed, strength, vision, hearing, self-healing, and sense of touch. Their vision is so strong that they have night vision and they move utterly silently. Merlins can call aether into flames from the air and shape it into constructs, but cannot absorb aether to heal, but luckily they can heal their bones in a matter of minutes.

* **Aether Affinity:** The ability to control and use aether.
* **Mesmerwork:** The ability to erase, manipulate, and replace someone's memories and to cast illusions.
* **Ward Casting:** The ability to create magical barriers used for protection.
* **Constructs:** The ability to create physical manifestations of aether that take the form of objects or animals.
* **Sight:** The ability to see magic and Shadowborn.
* **Enhanced abilities:** Super strength, super speed, enhanced endurance, self-healing abilities, and super senses.
* **Attraction:** The ability to make others feel attracted to them.
* **Shapeshifting:** A rare ability only capable by the most powerful Merlins that allows them to change physical forms to an animal.

## Trivia

* Merlin tattoos claiming most of their forearm, is a bold black circle divided by five lines (earth, air, water, fire, and aether) into five equal segments.
* Pages and Vassals don’t know that Merlins are half-demon.
* Merlins are the most diverse group in the Order.
* Merlin Academy

## Links

* All Know Merlins
* All Know Kingsmage
* All Know Mageguard
* All Known Seneschals

## References

1. ↑ *Legendborn*: pg. 109
2. ↑ *Legendborn*: pg. 81