Branwen Corwyll

> Oh, it will not be just a command, my muse; It shall be a conquest.
>
> Branwen, to an unknown figure

**Branwen Corwyll** is the High King of Talamhor as of 227 AGU. The second-born child of High King Wyll Corwyll and Queen Sorcha Silverwater, Branwen was born seven years the junior of his elder sister, Princess Muira Corwyll. With his birth, a brief inheritance crisis was solved, with Wyll's High Council being satisfied with the birth of a Crown Prince. Famously, Queen Sorcha had been convinced during her pregnancy that she was having a second daughter, which was why she named her son 'Branwen', a traditionally female name.

Said to be charismatic as his father was as a young boy, Branwen was raised at court, breaking the tradition of Crown Princes holding Ravencairn Peak, the ancestral home of House Corwyll in the Stormbreaker Mountains, but as Wyll's only son, the High King desired to keep him close.

The most-notable gift of Branwen's as a child was his incredibly potent, bordering on uncontrolled gift in shadowmancy, the high gift of Corwyll. There was talk of sending him to study at Strixhaven University, but it was dismissed and Branwen was instead tutored by the Court Sorceress, a Half-Elf named Maeve Al'thera. During adolescence Branwen was said to be enamored with his teacher, and talk began to spread of him beginning to keep Maeve as a mistress once he came of age. Rumours at court intensified around the Crown Prince's odd tendencies when his sister Muira was married off into an Imperial clan across the sea in exchange for eastern riches, and she was never heard from again, and this became a great source of distress for the Crown Prince.

Other talk began to spread then of Branwen, as he toured Talamhor to survey the land he would one day rule. Notably, during one of these tours of the Everfen he had an encounter with the maiden Sorela Elden, and on her would get a bastard, Morne Fenborn, who he claimed as his a year later. The act caused a rift between Branwen and his father Wyll. Some say out of spite, when the Test At The Antlers came to pass and Wyll went to negotiate with the rebellious Lord Trefor Maightor, he made the decision to betroth and wed Branwen to Trefor's daughter, Aness Maightor in order to prevent more children being born on the wrong side of the blanket. Later that year, Wyll died under mysterious circumstances, and the throne promptly passed to Branwen.

At the age of twenty, Branwen was crowned at the dawn of the new century in 200 AGU as the fourth king of the Corwyll dynasty over the Kingdom of Talamhor. The date was seen as a good omen for his rule; he famously extended the olive branch of reconciliation with the Northern Freehold by hosting the Summit At Greyby, where he met with Jarl Halvard III Norwyn and even discussed betrothing his then-youngest daughter Ellyra to Halvard's eldest son, Hadvir Norwyn, though the talks went nowhere and no decision was reached on the matter. Nevertheless, it inspired hope in many that there could be diplomacy with the Freehold.

However, as High King Branwen would quickly become less and less satisfied, though especially as his Queen Aness was only birthing him daughters; first Bel Corwyll, who had what was described as 'seizure-like fits' as a child and then went entirely mute; followed by Morgan Corwyll, Ellyra Corwyll, Cerys Corwyll and Gwynn Corwyll.

Branwen's other children, at the very least, seemed to be more stable than Bel, though it was not unknown at court that he was displeased with the birth of five daughters and no trueborn sons. Without a son, the throne is speculated to pass to Bel, making her the first Corwyll queen regnant; though Branwen has announced that Bel will be married to her uncle Cygnar Maightor, and the grandson she will conceive will be Branwen's heir, causing conflict at court over whether the marriage would be valid under Talamhor's laws of consanguinity.

## Personality

Branwen, as a child, was said to be charismatic and good-natured, an intelligent child with a gift for languages. However, when his older sister Muira was married off, Branwen's mood seemed to change for the worst, and some whispered that he had dark interests in private that worried his nurse and frightened his servants.

As an adult and as High King, Branwen's intelligence continues to shine, though he is known for his unyielding nature and cruel flair to his commands, and it is often described that Branwen inspires more fear than he does love, but those that do truly love him would die for him, as they understand him in a way nobody else can. Furthermore, Branwen's grip over the Talamhorian court became increasingly more intense as the years passed, his gifts with shadow magic growing at a rate never before seen. However, there are few he places absolute trust in; his Eye,