The Ratcatcher of Hameln

Fanart of the Ratcatcher by SpyroForLife https://spyroforlife.tumblr.com/post/655474477241647104/bitches-will-steal-an-entire-towns-worth-of

## General details

### Roles or Vocation

* Master Mage
* Member of the Coalition of the Classless

## Physical description

### Hair color

*Unknown*

"*Do you not understand? Why, I’ve had every low, baseborn, common Unseelie that hunts humans, trying to destroy my beautiful city and its beautiful people. My humans needed protection on my estate, but beyond that, even Mauerland needed my protection. Those fae are vulnerable to some of the most evil, sick and cruel creatures in our realm.*"
―The Ratcatcher of Hameln[[The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague, Chapter 8: The Ratcatcher of Hameln]]
**The Ratcatcher of Hameln** is a Seelie classless Master Mage and the owner of Mauerland, as well as a member of the Coalition of the Classless. He negotiates with Gwyn ap Nudd, Augus Each Uisge, and Ash Glashtyn to give Augus and Ash access to humans to eat during the ice plague, and later appears to aid Gwyn's party in the battle against Olphix.

## Names/Titles/Aliases

* The Pied Piper of Hamelin (which he prefers)

## Appearance

The Ratcatcher has pale skin, sharp blue eyes, and a black, waxed mustache that curls up. He has thin, shrewd lips, and a wiry stature.

His Mage's motley is composed of orange, blue, and yellow diamonds. His Mage's staff is a carved wooden flute that he plays to perform magic.

## Personality

Although he is Seelie, Gwyn describes the Ratcatcher as having, 'a vein of malice through him that made him like to watch people break the rules and laws and punish them for it.' He is cruel, arrogant, and condescending, and often lighthearted even during serious situations. He is possessive and greedy, especially in regards to the humans living on his property, unwilling to give them up even to starving fae. He is manipulative as well, 'a master at crafting debts you will regret paying, knowing the alternative to not paying is always worse. What he did to Hameln is nothing to what he has done to his fellow fae.'

He also doesn't seem to respect boundaries, as he was quick to tap Gwyn's chin with his flute during the Coalition of the Classless meeting in a mocking way.

He seems to look down on Unseelie who feed on humans.

## Life

The Ratcatcher of Hameln is a classless fae and Master Mage. It's unclear if he was alive before Davix and Olphix created the classless as power sinks that they could later steal from.

The Ratcatcher once 'used his Mage staff to sing a plague of rats into the town of Hameln', where they caused havoc, infesting houses and even biting and eating infants. When the humans were unable to get rid of them, the Ratcatcher offered his services in return for gold, and sang the rats back out. However, the town refused to pay, so he sang the human children out of the town instead and kept them as payment. He lives in a walled estate in Mauerland, where he keeps the descendants of the children he once stole. He considers himself to be their god, and does not allow them clothing or even language, only providing them rudimentary shelter and food.

When the Coalition of the Classless is formed, the Ratcatcher is one of the Seelie classless recruited by Marika. According to the Nain Rouge, he may have already been in contact with other classless prior to Gwyn asking for the Coalition to be made. He attends the Coalition's meeting with Gwyn, Albion, and their respective Inner Courts. He explains the sanctions on the Unseelie Court: no more assassinations of Seelie elite, and no more of Gwyn calling on life debts with Seelie fae unless he has dire need. The Unseelie Court is also barred from direct combat with the Seelie military for the next ten years, effectively forcing a ceasefire between the Courts. Gwyn and Albion agree to their respective sanctions.

When Olphix takes the power of the classless for himself, the Ratcatcher is among those who lose their power.

When Olphix cuts off access from the fae realm to the human realm, many Unseelie fae whose true appetites require consumption of humans approach the Ratcatcher or attack Mauerland, seeking his humans. He refuses to assist any of them, or otherwise demands debts that are too steep. He also places toll points at every road in Mauerland. Despite how high the debts would be, Gwyn decides it is worth it to seek him out so that Augus and Ash can both feed, hoping Gwyn's status as King of the Unseelie and technically King of the Seelie would help their case. The Ratcatcher initially refuses, as his humans are not food, but his treasures. After some conversation, he leads Gwyn out to a balcony to see that his humans are in very good health, and asks what Gwyn would give him in return for letting Ash and Augus feed. At this point, the Ratcatcher senses the presence of Mosk Manytrees, who was watching the proceedings through Gwyn's eyes. The Ratcatcher promptly separates Mosk's senses from Gwyn's and locks him away so the Ratcatcher can deal with him later. The Ratcatcher comes to an agreement with Gwyn's party and allows Ash and Augus to feed, though the specifics of the debts he exacts from Augus and Ash are unknown. Ash later says that it 'wasn't fun' and Gwyn states that the debts are personal and won't impact their journey. Gwyn agrees to be the Ratcatcher's servant for a week.

The Ratcatcher then goes to an empty room to release Mosk and confront him for spying. When Mosk tries to escape, the Ratcatcher uses his own magic to keep Mosk trapped and tortures him. The Ratcatcher is able to recognize some of Davix's magic within Mosk's, and started trying to separate it out, causing Mosk further pain. Mosk manages to turn the Ratcatcher's magic against him and escapes back to his own body, to the Ratcatcher's surprise.

As Gwyn is later surprised to learn that Mosk was present in Mauerland, it's implied that the Ratcatcher did not tell Gwyn, Augus, or Ash about Mosk's intrusion.

The Ratcatcher of Hameln and other Master Mages join with Taronis to pledge temporary allegiance to Gwyn and the Unseelie Court in Zhitovar.

## Special Abilities

### Fae Ability

**Calling:** The Ratcatcher is one of the best animal Callers in the world. He is even able to Call humans, particularly human children.

### Magical Propensity

As a Master Mage as well as a classless fae, the Ratcatcher is a powerful magic user. No one can get into his estate without his permission. He is able to detect concealed magic-users within his home, and can quell their magic. He is also able to take magic from other fae, which he attempts on Mosk, but is unable to do so before Mosk escapes. Even so, his attempt has a negative impact on Mosk's magic, which Mosk later describes as feeling bruised and sluggish.

## Relationships

### Crielle ferch Fnwy

According to Gwyn, the Ratcatcher and Crielle were once very close. The Raven Prince notes that the Ratcatcher was 'allied to the An Fnwy end of the Seelie spectrum.'

### Gwyn ap Nudd

Gwyn says that the Ratcatcher detests him.

## Quotations

* ‘At least you look pretty in your misery,’ the Ratcatcher said. ‘And meanwhile, this magic of yours, this magic of his. How fascinating. Let me take a closer look, would you? You owe me that much.’

## Folklore/Mythology

The Pied Piper of Hamelin, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin, 'is the titular character of a legend from the town of Hamelin, Lower Saxon, Germany. The legend dates back to the Middle Ages . . . describing a piper, dressed in multi-colored (or "pied") clothing, who was a rat-catcher hired by the town to lure rats away with his magic pipe. When the citizens refuse to pay him for his services', he uses the magical pipe to lead the children away instead. 'This version of the story spread as folklore.' The fate of the children vary with the tale. Some say they were taken to a cave and disappear forever, some tales involve them being led into a river and drowned, and in yet others, the children are returned once the gold is paid. The Ratcatcher of *Fae Tales* appears to be the first version, having kept the children for himself.

## Image Gallery

Fanart of the Ratcatcher by SpyroForLife https://spyroforlife.tumblr.com/post/655474477241647104/bitches-will-steal-an-entire-towns-worth-of
## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 14 August 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/10409742. Chapter 56: Islands.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 3 December 2020. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266345/chapters/68206945. Chapter 8: The Ratcatcher of Hameln.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 2 - The Seething Seas.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 19 March 2020. https://archiveofourown.org/works/17959874/chapters/55596259. Chapter 28: Farewell.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 19 November 2020. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266345/chapters/67599242. Chapter 7: Bad Habits.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 6 September 2018. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12036105/chapters/37093806. Chapter 28: Like Batteries.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 6 February 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/7205945. Chapter 29: Classless.
7. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 3 September 2020. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266345/chapters/63940123. Chapter 1: The Ice and the Dryad.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 1 January 2021. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266345/chapters/69779910. Chapter 10: Innocence and Accidents.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 11 November 2021. https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/87334006. Chapter 19: Golden Bonds.
10. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 7 July 2022. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266345/chapters/100527858. Chapter 36: The Light Fades.
11. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 17 December 2020. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266345/chapters/68919276. Chapter 9: Oswal-Tay.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Pied Piper of Hamelin". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied\_Piper\_of\_Hamelin. Accessed 23 May 2021.