Macbeth

Macbeth

Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, King Hereafter of Scotland

## Biography

Macbeth Findlaích of Scotland believed, from an early age, he was destined for greatness. Born in 1005 to Finláech, Mormaer of Moray, Macbeth's early life was, on the whole, uneventful. It was not until 1020 that destiny met the boy; an assassin under the command of Prince Duncan known as The Hunter, secretly Gillecomgain, Finláech's nephew, murdered the Mormaer in order to usurp his stewardship. If not for the intervention of Demona, a powerful gargoyle, Macbeth would have been murdered as well; however, along with his cousin, Gruoch, Macbeth survived the attempt on his life.

Duncan had wished to assassinate other likely heirs to his father's throne, in order to assure his ascension. As years went by, Duncan indeed inherited the crown, and Macbeth grew into a high-ranking warrior. He had fallen in love with Gruoch, who had become betrothed to Gillecomgain by her father; heartbroken, Macbeth began to train viciously. In 1032 Duncan realized the threat he posed, and again contacted Gillecomgain for an assassination. Gillecomgain refused; in retaliation, Duncan revealed Gillecomgain's identity to Macbeth, hoping the two would do battle and both would be killed. It nearly worked; however, Demona, having sworn a vendetta against The Hunter, returned to aid him in the nick of time. Gillecomgain was killed, and Macbeth assumed his title, while Duncan, taking the mask he had worn as the Hunter, assumed the name, as well as his fallen ally's hatred of gargoyles.

As Steward of Moray, Macbeth married Gruoch and raised his stepson, Lulach, who was conceived during the brief marriage between Gillecomgain and Gruoch. He became much loved by his people, and quickly ascended to Thane of Glamis. At some point during this period, as well, Gruoch conceived a daughter, but, for reasons unknown, she was given to a convent soon after birth. During this period Macbeth was close friends with King Duncan, unaware the man had conspired to murder him twice, and spent much time with Duncan's young son, Malcolm. Pure chance had lead Macbeth and Duncan to a group of gargoyles, which had turned to stone in the daylight. The king wished to destroy the creatures, while Macbeth begged for their protection, this convinced Duncan that the thane and his gargoyle allies were conspiring against him. Later that day, he sent his guards to shatter the gargoyles, much to Macbeth's dismay.

In 1040, Norwegian forces under the command of the traitor Macdonwald invaded Scotland, and Macbeth, renowned warrior, was sent to battle. He killed the warlord and, along with the noble Banquo, repelled the invasion. Thane of Cawdor, also among the traitors, admitted to this, and was promptly executed. Macbeth, for his heroism was awarded the title of Thane of Cawdor, this was of great surprise to him, as earlier in the day, a trio of witches had predicted this very event, along with an eventual ascension to kingship. In addition, they accurately predicted Banquo's descendents would be kings; Fleance, his son, would eventually take the throne, and James I of England would trace his lineage to the same family.

These witches had great interest in Macbeth, and had become integral parts of his entire history. Their influence had convinced Duncan of Macbeth's treachery, would remain near him throughout his kingship, and eventually cause the death of his daughter. It is unclear exactly why these witches had such interest in Macbeth, nor exactly who they are. They are similar to the Fates, Graces, and Furies of Greece, and consider themselves Children of Oberon, or fairies. Their appearance, too, is elastic; while Macbeth saw them as old hags, Duncan saw maidens, and others range from small children to aging gargoyles. Names are just as contradictory, they call themselves Selene, Phoebe, and Luna, but records of a young girl named Gilly also exist. Gilly, a young handmaiden during Duncan's reign, is the only figure with a concrete motive, as her father was killed, at some point, by Macbeth's father Finláech.

These witches appeared with him not long after his ascension to Thane of Cawdor, as well. Demona, her clan having been murdered, was slowly dying, and Macbeth came across her in a bog. The witches offered both of them immortality, and to save his old ally, Macbeth agreed. Within moments, he had aged greatly, and Demona returned to her youth. The two became connected; neither could die, except by the hand of the other. As a parting gift, the witches informed Macbeth of Duncan's role in his father's death, re-igniting the same fury that had led him to kill Gillecomgain.

Upon returning to his castle, Macbeth spoke with Gruoch of the recent events; she, too, wished to murder Duncan, though for power, not revenge. Using this rage to convince her husband of regicide, she gave him a knife, and that night, he killed Duncan in his sleep. Malcolm and Donalbain, both shaken by their father's death, exiled themselves to England and Ireland respectively. Malcolm, however, was able to take his father's prized possession. Donning the mask of the Hunter, he swore revenge on Macbeth, who had clearly usurped the throne.

During the period from 1040 to 1057, Macbeth ruled Scotland with an iron fist. Driven to paranoia by the constant council of the witches, he murdered countless men, women, and children, close friends among them. He installed Demona as his chief advisor; she, too, had been corrupted, still angry at humanity for the death of her family. If nothing else, his reign was peaceful, until the invasion of Siward, Earl of Northumbria, in 1054. Using this to their advantage, the people of Scotland sent nobles Ross and Macduff to contact Malcolm, and in the summer of 1057, they joined with the English army to invade. At first, Macbeth, due to another prophecy, assumed he could not be defeated, but as time went on, he quickly planned for defense.

While Scotland's army composed not only of humans, but of gargoyles, rebuffed their attempts for a time, dissension in the ranks helped bring the battle directly to the capital. Demona, through simply misinterpretation, believed Macbeth intended to exile the gargoyles; she abandoned Scotland and allied herself with Malcolm's forces, taking her people with her. On August 15th, known as the Battle of Lumphanan, Macbeth's forces were crushed and his castle burned, thanks to the aid of the gargoyles. Macduff, whose family was among those killed during Macbeth's reign, tracked down the king himself. After a climactic duel, he removed Macbeth's head from his shoulders and put it on display for all to see. During the battle, Gruoch had committed suicide, and Lulach's army would be defeated easily. Malcolm proclaimed himself king and, to protect himself, slaughtered the gargoyles that had aided him in battle. Yet again, Demona alone escaped.

Though most assumed Macbeth had died in battle, his pact with the witches preserved him. However, rather than attempt to reclaim his throne, he swore revenge on Demona, whose treachery had cost him his kingship and his wife. Now immortal, he spent his time raising a private army and gathering wealth; eventually, after Malcolm himself was usurped by Fleance, son of Banquo, and killed, Macbeth found the mask of the Hunter, and,despite its prior use against him, donned it to hunt Demona. He continued to search for her well into the 20th Century, attempting to kill her and reclaim death. While he did not succeed, his attempts lead him across the world and brought him into contact with countless individuals of status, King Arthur, via temporal flux, primary among them. He would live far into the future, last seen in 2198, living as a hermit, a sad end for the man who would be king hereafter.