Lord Marvin the Magnificent (Novel: Lord Aiden Mórail)

## Lord Marvin the Magnificent (Aiden Mórail)

Edit of the real Sean McLoughlin as Lord Marvin

Lord Marvin the Magnificent (Novel: Lord Aiden Mórail) is one of the five Noble Lords of Duilintinn. He is the Lord of House Marvin (Novel: House Mórail).

## Appearance

Marvin gets the pale skin and blue eyes of Waldren from his father, but boasts the dark, curly hair of Feadhainn from his mother’s side of the family. Though, as we’ve seen, his hair will sometimes light up with green fire… as will his eyes.

His form is described as lithe, which belies his true strength, although in his teen years he was lanky.

Two words that come to mind while describing Marvin are “catlike” and “firecracker,” which are two *very* different ideas, yet encapsulate how this man moves and carries himself almost perfectly.

## Magic

Lord Marvin is obviously a mage, and will happily use his focus of “bringing awe and wonder to the mundane” to make you in awe of his ability to completely destroy you. In battle, he usually uses magical fire as his weapon of choice. Marvin’s magic fire glows a bright green. Not only that, but when he really wants to intimidate someone, his long hair will also transform into glowing green flames. And he can be EXTREMELY intimidating when he wants to be.

Marvin’s impulsive nature and trial-and-error style of learning has caused him a fair number of accidents. Usually involving explosions. The mage has been long used to being sent flying across the room by an unexpected burst of magic, and while these knocks to the head probably aren’t good for him, they have taught Marvin how to get back up when knocked down. To the surprise of many, this trial-and-error style of learning has actually taught him a lot about magic. The young man is extremely impulsive and reactionary, rarely thinking through ideas before he attempts them… but he never makes the same mistake twice. For Mage Marvin, every catastrophic failure was just another lesson.

Despite his lack of martial prowess, Lord Marvin isn’t a wimp. Years of life on the road and carrying all of his belongings on his back left young Mage Marvin with a decent amount of strength. However, this strength is purely practical in nature. Marvin never learned to fight hand-to-hand or with any sort of weapons. The few times he’s been jumped on the street, Marvin usually resorts to magic, though what strength he does have allows him to throw off anyone trying to restrain him. Overall, while the young man looks relatively unassuming and prefers keeping his distance in a fight, he can and will surprise anyone who tries to hold him down. Don’t mistake Mage Marvin for a long-haired prettyboy, squishy spellcaster, easy target, or weak ruler… this man has seen and faced a lot in his life, and really isn’t one for second chances. Only a fool would assume their greater strength is enough to overcome this future lord of Duilintinn.

## Attire

Lord Marvin is a flamboyant fellow, and his embroidered blue doublet with draping sleeves is a primary example of this fact. There’s not much I have to say about this choice- Marvin wears a blue shirt- but believe me… it gets better!

BOOM. FLAMBOYANT WIZARD CAPE. I know Marvin’s real cape isn’t hooded or robed, but I couldn’t scroll past this item without giving it to Lord Marvin. The broach at the neck can be undone so that the cloak drapes over the wearer’s shoulders, showing off the blue doublet underneath in a manner that is slightly more reminiscent of Marvin’s original style.

And, of course, Marvin’s mask. How could I NOT add this? It’d be heresy. Within the AU, of course, it would be made out of some high quality material, paint, and maybe even precious jewels, rather than paper and markers, but at the end of the day, a mask is a mask.

## Familiar

Lord Marvin has a cat sidhe familiar. The two encountered each other almost immediately after Marvin unlocked his magic. He couldn't bring her inside his family home for fear of his parent's ire, but she accompanied him and his grandmother to Monacoil.

## Early Life

### Family in Sallabaile

When Marvin was growing up, there were still people who thought magic was dangerous and savage. Marvin’s father was one of these conservative types. His family hailed from the ships of Waldren, only to move further west over time. His mother’s side of the family was native to the Draoidh Valley. His grandmother was a proud mage living in Monacoil, but his mother was not. Swayed by her husband, she didn’t approve of her mother’s lifestyle either. So when, in 1556, Marvin’s father insisted that his “deranged” mother-in-law should be brought to live with the family, where they would “keep an eye on her,” for her own sake, Marvin’s mother went along with it. Of course, this was a nice way of saying that they took her from her beloved city of magic, and trapped her in a staunchly anti-magic home. Any desire to use magic was treated as senility, and any actual magic usage was treated as self-destructive, taking away more and more of her independence.

In the midst of all this, Marvin grew up in abject poverty in Sallabaile with his parents and grandmother, whose health was slowly failing. The medicine she needed was very expensive, and young Marvin had to share the burden of raising the funds necessary for his family to survive with his mother and father.

Marvin’s parents expected everyone in the family to pitch in and work to keep the family alive. For a young Marvin, with no specific skills, this meant walking across the marshes of the Draoidh Valley- sometimes in extremely heavy fog- to beg, solicit, and eventually perform at the major roads. At first, this wasn’t too difficult. A small child on the side of the road would tear at anyone’s heartstrings… and purse strings, if he was lucky. However, when puberty hit, Marvin’s luck failed. Thin, lanky boys with long, stringy hair and a dark look in their eyes were far more likely to scare away travelers than earn their sympathy. Marvin had to adapt, and adapt he did.

For a time, he attempted to make some money as an artist, selling his works in the local market. He tried selling drawings he made with charcoal, offering portraits to anyone who passed. When that didn’t work out, he became a roadside performer, doing tricks and generally making a fool of himself in a desperate attempt to earn at least a few coins each day.

When that failed, however, he turned to pick-pocketing.

### Unlocking Magic

When an attempt to pickpocket a traveler went very, very wrong, Marvin accidentally unlocked his magic. Turns out, his target was a mage, who reacted to the attempted theft with extreme measures. The stress, combined with the exposure to so much active magic as people attempted to defend themselves, caused young Marvin to inadvertently unlock his magic.

His family did NOT take well to this. Marvin’s father was insistent upon raising a “civilized” family with none of this magic stuff, and couldn’t stand that his son had “caught” the same powers. As you can probably tell by now, Marvin’s father viewed magic as some sort of disease. And his mother just went along with it. For a while, Marvin was secretly terrified of his powers, though he wouldn’t admit it. He didn’t like his parents, but he didn’t have any reason to disbelieve them about magic… bear in mind he was 11 years old at the time.

However, this was soon to change. Marvin’s grandmother was willing to accept the treatment of her son-in-law for herself, but not upon her grandson. On the pretense of “helping Marvin resist magic” like she had done for nearly two decades, she began subtly mentoring the young mage. This task was actually pretty simple. Marvin already harbored a secret favoritism for his grandmother over the rest of his immediate family. This trust only grew once he discovered that she had not let her son-in-law demean her as much as it seemed.

It was at this point when Marvin first began to hone his magical focus, which remained fairly consistent for most of his life: “To change the world by awing others.” At first, “the world” really meant “my life,” since the young Marvin was primarily concerned with his family’s money troubles and used his magic to make his performances more impressive and, by extension, generate more income.

### Flight to Monacoil

However, his father sensed the growing defiance in both of his charges. As a result, the situation at home got worse, and in May 1564, under the cover of the valley’s thick fog, Marvin and his grandmother ran away to Monacoil. Marvin wasn’t even 12 years old at the time, but the years of being forced to traverse the marsh had prepared him well. With the help of his grandmother’s magic and a few magical moments of his own, the pair made it to Monacoil without a chance of pursuit. However, they knew they wouldn’t be safe in Monacoil forever. Marvin’s parents wouldn’t be able to come after them in the summer fog, but that only bought them a few months.

Thankfully, Marvin’s grandmother had a plan. Tired of hiding, she began contacting all of her old friends and fellow mages. Turns out, she was highly respected among her fellow mages before being taken from Monacoil, and her allies came out in droves to support her. The alliance of mages centered in Monacoil that rose up in 1564 would eventually become the Mages' Guild we know and love today.

At this point, Marvin would change his surname. Marvin did not bear any fondness for his family name. The only relative he actually respected was his grandmother, so he changed his last name into a translation of her first. Marvin’s grandmother’s name is “Mórail,” which means “Magnificent.” Since then, Marvin refused to go by any surname besides “the Magnificent.”

### Adolescence in the Mage's Guild

In the company of other mages, Marvin was free to start developing his magic further. Mage Marvin got older and his performances got better. His spells and tricks were precise and intricate. He was soon taking his act to other towns.

However, no matter where he went, young Marvin saw poverty, crime, and greed destroying the lives of innocent people. The mage felt helpless. He was a performer, not a fighter… but that didn’t stop him from trying to use his skills to do something about the problems he saw.

Too poor to have any coins to spare for the impoverished beggars that had lost everything, Mage Marvin was convinced the only way to change things was to attack the problem at its source. To this end, Marvin would “attack” tax collectors, thieves, or any other baddies he met by carefully casting a spell that would fool his target into thinking he was more powerful than he really was. A flash here, a small explosion of fire there, and the baddies would often be sent running for their lives.

Still, the young mage knew he was only delaying those who wished to cause harm, not stopping them. Over time, Mage Marvin grew bitter and cynical, hating how unfair it was that he and so many others were helplessly trapped with the cards fate had dealt them.

## Quest for Duilintinn

> "Since little was known about magic prior to the kingdom’s founding and superstitions abounded, this made him a controversial figure. Some viewed him as a threat, many found him fascinating, and still others thought he was imply another incompetent, capering buffoon. In response, Marvin developed a sharp sarcastic streak, short temper, and tendency to hold a grudge.
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> Some years later, Sean and his fellows passed through Marvin’s hometown. Much to the young mage’s delight, many of these travelers had magical powers similar to his own, though with many different forms and capabilities. Sick of spending time around people who judged him for his magic, homemade cat mask, and impulsive magical experimentation, Marvin joined Sean’s merry band of kingdom-makers in their quest. Years later, the king would grant Marvin a title for his service, creating House Marvin in the process. Beyond that, however, next to nothing is known about Lord Marvin’s personal life, past, or current whereabouts."
>
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### Useful Insight

During the quest days, if you wanted to hear the latest gossip, you’d go straight to Marvin. I honestly don’t know what prompted this idea. It just came to me while I was planning out the series of events of the quest and some drabble ideas. I didn’t write it intentionally, it just suddenly appeared and I realized that I had been subconsciously writing him that way. So, it’s official. Marvin is the Gossip Queen of the questers.

I bet this habit is a holdover from his days as a wandering entertainer. Information like good places to sleep and consistent sources of food would have been very valuable to travelers. You’d have to soak up all these details like a sponge to take advantage of them. To share that information means that you trust someone not to abuse it.

For example, if you knew where a shelter was and told someone, only to find that person hogging the shelter and telling you to find your own place, you’ll probably not tell that person about your discoveries again. On the other hand, if they shared the shelter with you, that meant they were trustworthy.

While gossip isn’t the same sort of information, Marvin’s attitude towards it remains the same. If he trusts you, he’ll spill all of the details, and boy can Marvin notice details. He is incredibly observant, especially for someone who cannot read the tone of a room to save his LIFE.

To clarify, Marvin’s skill with gossip is COLLECTING the information. He has to know everything about everyone, or tbh, he gets a bit restless and jumpy. However, he won’t just spill the beans to anyone who will listen. Whether or not he’ll share his vast store of gossip with you depends on how much he trusts you and/or how much you wheedle him for it.

### Stubbornness

MAGE MARVIN IS VERY IMPULSIVE AND NEVER LISTENS TO ANYONE.

Once Marvin has an idea in his head, you’d have an easier time stopping a sprinting stone walker than dissuading him. After years of watching bad people screw up the world with only superficial means of stopping them, Mage Marvin’s growing cynicism and frustration caused him to immediately mistrust anyone and everyone, especially if said person was telling him what to do. Anyone who tries to convince Marvin not to do something will immediately find him doing it anyway, often solely out of spite.

In addition Mage Marvin would be an enthusiastic proponent of “percussive maintenance,” AKA, smacking a broken object until it decides to fix itself. Once, he threw the group’s compass into a bush out of frustration. A bush that happened to be full of bees. That no one noticed until Entertainer Jameson helpfully offered to fish the compass out of said bush. The compass was fine, as was Jameson after about a week. Marvin was no longer allowed to carry the compass after that.

In short, Mage Marvin executes whatever solution or idea occurs to him first and rarely listens to the advice or warning signs around him.

As a result, his alignment flips between chaotic neutral and chaotic good. On one hand, he's mad at the world, which causes him to lash out without any moral reasoning behind it. On the other hand, the reason he's mad at the world because he fundamentally believes it should be good. He believes that people have a moral obligation to oppose the corrupt and power-hungry; people who sit by and do nothing are the reason he’s so cynical and angry about it all.

## Friendships

### Lord Jamie

In fact, the first person Mage Marvin ever trusted enough to accept critique and advice from was Entertainer Jameson, who is simply too pure and sweet for this world to even conceive of insulting or undermining Marvin with his aid. Even he took months to earn the mage’s trust.

*(Disclaimer: The following is cut and pasted directly from my unfinished notes, terrible grammar and all.)*

THE ONLY PURE BEING IN THIS UNIVERSE. Jameson is the person that actually breaks into Marvin’s cynicism and proves it wrong. The kid is truly genuinely trying to just help. Marvin thinks it’s too good to be true for a while, then eventually snaps at jamie and expects jamie to stop being nice to him. When jamie comes back and continues to be nice, that breaks marvin and he ends up confiding in Jamie his whole backstory. Jameson offers to teach him how to draw and Marvin teaches him some magic and the two really bond from there. Oddly enough, Marvin is actually really, really good at handling Jamie during his hypochonriac, “give me attention or I will DIE” moments, teaching him new magic stuff, asking Jamie to teach him some new art thing, or occasionally getting into shenanigans.

### King Sean

The second was Master Sean himself, who showed Marvin that there are selfless leaders in the world too, not just selfish ones. To him, Mage Marvin granted his highest form of respect; the right to ask the impulsive mage to shut up when the situation called for it. If anyone but the king did that… oh boy. Get ready for fireballs. Mage Marvin had (and probably still has) no chill. Ever.

*(Disclaimer: The following is cut and pasted directly from my unfinished notes, terrible grammar and all.)*

the only person i will respect. i will follow this person to the end. if you insult him prepare to die. If Sean needs a really crazy plan or says “If only we can do this” then goes to Marvin and asks him, Marvin will probably come up with something that is so crazy it might actually work. Marvin is also the “sick ‘em” friend, for when everyone else is just absolutely done with trying to be reasonable. Also the resident magic expert and is often gone to for advice on that stuff.

### Lord Jackie

The third was Knight Jackie, who understood Marvin’s frustration with the problems of the world and those who caused them. While Mage Marvin originally disparaged the hero as “only fighting to feel good about himself” and “making the problem worse,” these harsh first impressions eventually gave way to a genuine, begrudging respect for Knight Jackie.

Not that Marvin would ever admit that he actually listens to and learns from Jackie’s experience and wisdom. Whenever the knight would suggest that Marvin accompany him on a mission, the mage would moan and groan about being “slowed down” and “treated like a kid” (he’s only a year or so younger than Jackie), yet he’d still pack his bag for the trip, meeting Jackie’s knowing smile with a snarky glare.

*(Disclaimer: The following is cut and pasted directly from my unfinished notes, terrible grammar and all.)*

platonic tsundere, i want to be really bitter and angry but you are nice to me and tbh i kinda respect you. Lesser version of marvin’s interactions with sean. at first marvin is like “fighting only makes it worse” but at the same time he respects jackie for actually doing something so he’s torn. Jackie brings him along on missions and marvin is like “ugh” but goes every time.

### Lord Henrik

Marvin and Henrik took years to learn how to get along, and they still butt heads constantly. For the mage to accept any advise from the good doctor would be like accepting defeat in an endless, unspoken war between the two of them. Heaven knows that any medical instructions were immediately ignored at the soonest opportunity.

Unlike the good doctor, Mage Marvin learned everything he knows through trial and error. He is extremely insistent on doing things “his way,” and carries a deep mistrust for anyone who tries to correct his methods. Before the mage accepts any sort of teaching or instruction, he first has to admit on his own that he needs help. If you try to force that on him, it’s a lost cause.

Lord Marvin is actually very smart, but in a different way to Lord Schneeplestein. While the latter is “book smart,” the former is “street smart.”

The more I post on Mage Marvin, the more you can probably tell how horribly he and Doctor Schneeplestein got along when they first met. Holy hell they butt heads something terrible.

In addition, Mage Marvin’s ability to get back up again after causing something to blow up during this trial and error style of learning never dissuaded Doctor Schneeplestein from driving them both crazy in the aftermath.

Just… imagine Marvin dashing around the camp in an attempt to avoid Henrik’s “busybody-ing,” while said doctor is yelling about “brain damage” and “skull fractures.” In the background, Mage Antonius strongarms Master Chase into accepting a bet on whether Henrik would catch Marvin, while Entertainer Jameson makes the others laugh by comparing Marvin’s dodges to a frightened cat through a combination of dramatic signing and mimes. They certainly were quite the group.

*(Disclaimer: The following is cut and pasted directly from my unfinished notes, terrible grammar and all.)*

oh boy the tension. the drama. the yelling. the spats. the glory. henrik showing up the first day and immediately pulling a mom friend and getting everyone better organized, sanitary, and safe in their camp and whatnot. marvin resists big time. the first tug of war between them of many. eventually, the two form a relationship of mutual respect.

### Lord Brody

Chase was… complicated. Marvin felt for the poor kid in a lot of ways, but never liked how Chase didn’t seem to take anything seriously. The kid was just tagging along to feel like he was a part of something, not because he had any actual passion for their calling, at least at first. Marvin would eventually warm up to the lad as Chase started proving himself to be genuinely dedicated to their cause, but never really respected him in the same way he respected the others. After all, any advice that came from the younger adventurer would absolutely reek of hypocrisy… not that Chase ever saw enough value in his own experience to offer any advice.

However, Marvin’s cat loves Chase. The cat warmed up to Chase before Marvin did. Chase feels eternally grateful and unworthy of this cat’s affections and will die for the cat without question. Marvin is just like that with everyone he cares about. Especially the cat. Because cats know. They know what you really mean when you call them stinky. Cats know all. Marvin sometimes wishes that people were more like cats.

Marvin and Chase are both notorious for making poor decisions, but in very different ways regarding their timing, goals, and personal worldview.

**Timing**: Marvin is impulsive, making decisions and acting upon them the moment they occur to him. Chase, however, thinks really hard about the choices he makes, often to the point of shutting down.

*Example: Faced with two different paths to take, Marvin would pick one immediately and without thought, while Chase would agonize over which path was right, get overwhelmed, and possibly hide from the responsibility in a tankard. Neither is good.*

**Goals**: Marvin is someone who seeks short-term solutions, and doesn’t consider long-term effects. Chase, on the other hand, is practically buried in the long-term effects of his past, skewing his decisions towards attempts to prevent or counteract these past mistakes.

*Example: Faced with an evil gang of bandits at their mercy, Marvin would probably want to destroy them, not considering the potential responses from other bandit groups, while Chase would remember how something went poorly the last time they destroyed a (slightly less evil) bandit gang and give the terrible advice of letting them go free with absolutely no consequences. Again, neither of these are good.*

**Worldview**: Marvin’s life experience has taught him that the world is already a mess without his help, so setting a few extra fires in an attempt to fix it is better than sitting on his butt doing nothing for fear of making it worse. In contrast, Chase is extremely idealistic, believing in a world where things could be better, and is desperate to prove himself worthy of that better world in a way that can lead to bad choices.

*Example: Faced with either a simple, charity-focused mission or a intense, heroic, but dubiously legal one, both would choose the latter, but for different reasons. For Marvin, building local rapport is a waste of time, since the people in power can force those they help to turn against them, and they should just target the big bads now and get rid of that issue. Meanwhile, Chase will jump at the task to prove his heroism in a desperate attempt to boost his sense of self-worth, even though building local rapport would be extremely well-suited for his skills\*. Obviously, neither of these are good. Again.*

Hope this helps you guys get a better sense of these two characters!

*(Disclaimer: The following is cut and pasted directly from my unfinished notes, terrible grammar and all.)*

both of them actively left the left their responsibilities to their arguably oppressive childhood families and were faced with the harshness of the world afterwards. Chase reacted with hopelessness, Marvin reacted with anger. The two struggle to bond at first because Marvin has a negative drive to change things and Chase has a negative desire to give up, but at the same time that negativity resonates between them and slowly draws them together. They rarely talk to each other about their feelings, but they were often found just sitting each other with the knowledge that the other GETS IT in a way the others in the group might not.

### Mage Antonius

With Antonius, the two never really hit it off. Then again, Antonius didn’t bond with anyone. As a natural interpreter of body language and emotions, Antonius would always ensure that no one had any particular reason to dislike or mistrust him, but everyone could somewhat tell that there was something disingenuous about him. Unlike the others, who attempted to give the other mage the benefit of the doubt, Mage Marvin mostly avoided Mage Antonius except when the quest required them to interact with each other. Not that this fact has stopped anyone from suspecting Lord Marvin of treason nowadays.