Emrys Hargest

**Emrys Athan Hargest (née McEny)**, former cadaver puppetmaster and dollmaker, Emrys has largely renounced his previous life in order to take up the mantle of a paladin and serve the Matheredor family as the Inquisitor of the House. He is the son of Derwyn and Evelyn McEny, and the younger brother of Wynevra McEny.

Emrys Athan Hargest

## Vital Statistics

### **Alias**

• Dollmaker
• RysRys
• Em
• Athan Hargest

### **Class**

Necrolyte
 Paladin

## More

### **Affiliations**

• House Matheredor
• Void Priest (formerly)
• McEny Family

## Physical Description

Golden wheatgrass, mid neck length hair frame an effeminate, sharp face. Emerald eyes contrast from pale skin. He is young, tall, lean, and described often as a “tall stringbean”. Growing into his adult frame, Emrys carries himself with an air of confident collectedness and superiority. Silver framed glasses are square and lack a frame on the bottom of the lense.

Around his neck is a golden chained necklace. The charm on the necklace is the symbol of the Holy Light cut in half, where the center gem is colored garnet.

## Personality

Often calm, cool, and collected, Emrys carries himself with an air of auspicious superiority. The smug courtier uses his charms to manipulate and influence the people around him. He is calculative, constantly weighing the pros and cons of actions in his mind. Studious, he studies manners of magic, of etiquette, and of people in order to obtain the results he wants.

Emrys revels in unnerving others, and takes sick pleasure in painting macabre descriptions, or inflicting macabre punishments to intimidate the person he intends to torment. He will find his target's weak point, the thing they are self conscious about the most, and pick at it until they get sloppy with rage.

He has a habit of requiring persistent perfection- evident in his neurotic correcting of his glasses, straightening of his bangs, and the fixing of his collar. He requires everything to be aligned and perfect.

Emrys, when angered, does not do well. When his grip on a situation is lost, or his mental stability has broken, he lashes out in adamant volatile rage.

Few will ever see Emrys be truly, interpersonally, sincere. The delicate moments of vulnerability are splashed in as needed to gain his target's trust or, in a rarer act of a misanthrope reaching out for human affection.

## History

### Year 13 ADP

Emrys is born to Derwyn and Evelyn McEny in the summer. His elder sister, Wynevra, had past her 2nd birthday.

### Year 13-27 ADP

Emrys grew up on the McEny farmstead. The favorite child, Emrys was well liked by his parents for being quiet,

 File:EmrysKid.PNG
reasonable, and well-behaved. His father wanted him to become a Paladin, and he encouraged Emrys to read scriptures, toughen up, and hold himself with honor.

Emrys was born fairly blind, with most of his childhood being a literal blur of color and blobs. The quality and magnification of the glasses Emrys would need to see properly were beyond the means of the countryside family. His lack of sight was some of the initial fodder for his bullies to use against him. His already developed studious habits, lanky frame, and air of superiority over his peers earned him many teases and punches to the face.

### Year 27 ADP

The McEny farmstead was burned down by Cadfael McEny. Emrys' and his parents were trapped in the barn. Derwyn and Evelyn perish in the fire after being crushed by a flaming pillar. Emrys escapes, after a portal opens up and he is offered another chance by the Void Priest.

The fire is recorded in the Southshore town records as a freak accident from the lighting storm that evening.

### Years 27-32 ADP

The records of his parents' death are destroyed in Year 28 during the sacking of Southshore

Emrys spend his formative years as an apprentice to Cadfael McEny and the Void Priest. He studies revolutionary medicinal practices of the time, void and death magic. His training as a necrolyte begins.

#### "True-Life" and Growing Disdain

The concept of "True Life" is coined by Emrys and it becomes a concept he studies and experiments with throughout his training. Not to be confused with the state of Undeath- "True Life" attempts to reset the mind, body, and soul to it's state moments before fatality. It is the state someone is in from their first breaths outside the womb to their last breaths before death. He clings onto this concept, vowing one day to bring his parents back to "True Life" and shaping the world so that no one is ever separated by death, the finality of all separations, ever again.

Over the years, he will gain talents in sewing together the living and the dead to create abhorrent abominations that teeter between life and death. Each "doll" serves functions from canon fodder to specialized units with specific designs and is a stepping stone experiment to further the plots of Emrys and the Void Priest.

The Void Priest grooms Emrys and his creations into possible vessels for his own soul. He feeds Emrys' fear of abandonment by feeding him the narrative that Wynevra abandoned him to perish in the fire, that Cadfael and The Void Priest truly love Emrys, and they will never leave him.

The narrative is reinforced as Emrys begins watching Wynevra from afar and learning of her downward spiral into the path of drugs, alcoholism, illict crime work, and promiscuity.

### Year 33 ADP

#### As The Dollmaker

Emrys attacks Wynevra outside of Ebonfall in the late autumn evening. His plans to capture her are foiled by Kalsell Drydan. She remarks that something is familiar about her assailant, but, she can't put her finger on it. Wynevra believed Emrys to be dead, and hadn't seen him in nearly 7 years. Her little brother was not so little anymore.

Emrys is given the alias "The Dollmaker" while House Matheredor attempts to discover his identity.

Emrys reveals himself to a party of House Matheredor members in Northrend's Crystalsong Forest . He taunts Wynevra and party, admonishing her for not even recalling her own little brother.

Emrys encounters a part of House Matheredor members at Quel'Lithien Lodge. Using Experiment C283 to attack the party, he ends up injuring several members. He leaves without seeing the aftermath of his creation at the call of the Void Priest.

A party of House Matheredor members receives a tip on the location of the ritual where Emrys intends to sacrifice himself as a vessel for the Void Priest, and resurrect his parents. He is foiled, the party is able to break through the magical barrier at the last moment. Emrys falls from a great height, and the whiplash of unfinished magic knocks him unconscious. He is taken into custody and locked in the Ebonfall dungeons.

#### The Choice and the Ruse

Adorlan Matheredor approached Emrys with a deal. Adorlan saw the potential, and saw the stolen youth in Emrys. With his entire House calling for Emrys' execution, he offered Emrys a deal of a lifetime.

Emrys could live out the rest of his days in this cell, only to be executed on Ebonfall's gallows, or, agree to the life of an amnesiac with implanted memories. Emrys would be provided a new life- with forged records and a black book that detailed the corrections of his past. He would live his life pretending to forget of his life as The Dollmaker. To the rest of The House, the public, and even to his own sister, Emrys only knows his new narrative and he lives a life free of his sins. Adorlan and Emrys know the truth. Emrys' knowledge of the medicinal, magical and surgical arts has proven useful to The House, and he may be one day be called upon to pick up his former craft.

Naturally, Emrys agreed to keep his head attached to his neck. He took an oath that day, to never disobey an order from a Matheredor without the most critical cause.

#### Paladin in Training

With a new lease on life, Emrys dives back into his former studies of The Light and he begins training with heavy plate armor and one-handed maces. He struggled initially, the bookworm never been one for brute force. He often relies on his knowledge of anatomy and surgical medicine to supplement his work as he learns how to more fully heal with The Light.

As a member of House Matheredor's General Forces, he discovered a plot hatched by Adorlan's cousin, Aldritch Fletcher, to usurp Adorlan for political power. Corruption ran deep, and through months of investigative work, he discovered that the plot was embedded in all of Adorlan's High Council. It was a tough sell- a former enemy of the House approaching The Lord with such claims. The evidence was irrefutable, and further investigation revealed Emrys' claims to be true. For their crimes of treason, the entire Council and Aldritch's pregnant wife were hung, with their bodies left to sway for days as a warning to any who would oppose Adorlan. The bodies were then tossed into a mass grave and burned.

#### As The Inquisitor of House Matheredor

As a reward for his discovery, Emrys was promoted to Inquisitor of House Matheredor, and delegated as Adorlan's right hand. This promotion served several functions- a reward for his work, but, also allowed Adorlan to keep a closer eye on Emrys to ensure that the secret they shared would be protected.

Emrys continues his work as the disciplinarian of the House, represents Adorlan when Adorlan is unable to attend functions, takes over clerical duties, and leads the Special Corps when a Council seat is open.

#### Love

Lady Sky Matheredor captured Emrys' attention the day she returned to Ebonfall. Witty, charming, and a gorgeous beauty, he was nearly immediately smitten. She too, appeared to have an interest in him. Emrys approaches Adorlan to ask for permission to date Sky. Adorlan reluctantly agrees, and admits to being hopeful that Emrys can help anchor Adorlan's sister's behaviour. The pair reaffirm that Sky is to be unaware of Emrys' past.

Shortly after their first meeting, they went on their first date. Sexual tension high, they made an agreement to at least abstain for three dates before sleeping together. On the second date, Emrys and Sky broke that promise.

The pair are now regularly seen, when Sky is not on a mission, about Ebonfall and at special functions.

Anxiety building, Emrys worries frequently that his lies will be uncovered and that the woman who has captured his heart so will be hurt and leave him.

#### Alliance Security Council

During the Fourth War, House Matheredor had joined the Alliance Security Council spearheaded by Alranon Purdue. Often quiet when Adorlan was present, Emrys would frequently take the Duke's place to present or speak on the House's behalf. Through the Alliance Security Council, House Matheredor pledged to offer, where possible, resources to help other factions defend the Alliance's best interests.

#### Special Project

Unknown to the rest of House Matheredor, Adorlan sent Kalsell Drydan to approach Emrys with a special project in mind. Using Arcane and puppet base, Emrys was tasked with creating an easily manufactured, replicable, Faceless Legion to supplement General Forces and to aid in missions where the loss of bodies were unneeded. They were to be disposable, flammable, with Blood Elven technology as a base, with an easily mass manufactured control unit.

After several months of work, Emrys came up with three prototypes. While working outside of his normal expertise, the prodigy was able to gather his resources and work in secret in a specially designed workshop.

After Father Fortea Ordanus let slip to Zevaron Escanlon and Lady Viviayna Matheredor the specifics of Emrys' past as the Dollmaker, the project was scrapped. Adorlan asked Emrys to stay far away from Lady Viviayna and to continue his ruse as an amnesiac. The specifics of the project could not be revealed to Adorlan's wife especially, or anyone, lest the entire House become aware of Adorlan and Emrys' deal.

#### Alternate Stormwind

In an alternate version of Stormwind, where N'zoth managed to complete his goals, Emrys succumbs to the whispers and joins the Black Empire. He returns to his habits as the Dollmaker and works to repair and summon the creatures of the Void, while forever pursuing returning his family to life.

### Year 35

File:Icecrown Shattered Sky.jpg
Ignorant to the happenings in Icecrown, the factions about the world begin to notice the aggravation and unpredictability of the undead Scourge and it was raised during the Alliance Security Council meeting. Moreover, the kidnapping of Anduin Wrynn sends House Matheredor into a frenzy of contingencies as Adorlan is called away to the House of Nobles to vote on Turalyon's appointment to Regent of Stormwind.

Emrys, with his hidden knowledge of undead behavior, couples his expertise with the House's records of Year 27's Third War. He spends the next several weeks lost in research, developing battle plans, refitting artisans to update armaments and running himself beyond personal exertion. As the Lord Commander's seat on the council sits vacant, Emrys is left to command House Matheredor's General Forces army in the upcoming Scourge Invasion.

Emrys travels to Northrend with Adorlan, Viviayna, Zevaron, other members of House Matheredor, and members of Amberstaff's Research and Development Teams. The three day excursion leads the group to the heart of Icecrown and towards the Argent Tournament grounds. While there is nothing the party can do, Emrys sees evidence of his life's work: the broken, shattered sky above Icecrown. Ignorant to what it truly means, he can only hypothesize its' effect on the Scourge.

#### Death Rising

32% of House Matheredor's General Forces fall when the undead Scourge assault Stormwind and Ebonfall. Casualties would have surmounted this number had Emrys not prepared in the ways he had. While the lives lost are concerning for others, Emrys considers this a personal victory. He nearly lives in the War Room, on a razor thin edge of losing his sanity as he's stripped of his habits and creature comforts. With Ebonfall enclosed in an arcane barrier, he is able to breathe and bide his time to prepare for the eventual end of the invasions, or should the shield ever break.

#### Outside the Veil

Emrys stepped down as Lord Commander shortly after the initial Scourge invasions, with the promotion of others as Adorlan added to his High Council. With some time to breathe, he was able to focus on his research hypothetically. After some time, Emrys confesses to Lady Sky Matheredor about his past as the Dollmaker, with the intent to propose. Lady Sky answered that she needed time, and the pair decided to take a break and time apart.

Emrys entered a deep depression, and regardless of her answer, had planned on taking a sabbatical away from Inquisitorial duties on a plot of land Adorlan had gifted him. He had hoped it to be a retirement, and time to start a family. He picked up a minor cigarillo habit and neglected a purpose while House Matheredor entered another period of reclusiveness.

### Year 36

Sky would eventually return, and the pair would rekindle their relationship for a time. A few months of happiness, a flourishing High Council, the ship was running smoothly. Until the day Emrys returned from a solo mission, and found a pile of resignation letters on his desk and a Dear John letter.

For his years of service, Adorlan allowed him to change his name and offered him land, elevating him to the status of a petty Lord. Emrys now uses his mother's maiden name, Hargest, as his legal last name.

Emrys, lording over his new found city of Ember's Gate, makes plans to build the small, mountain pass village into a bastion of defense for Ebonfall and the greater Duchy.

## Quotes

* "Everyone leaves eventually. They will walk away. They will grow distant. They will die. In the end, I will be left as all I ever have been, alone and cold. I want them back. I don't want to ever be left alone again. Even if I have to bend nature to my will and rip them from the clutches of the afterlife."
* "I find that I enjoy the colors in the green and teal families. It reminds me of home- Southshore. The fields and trees were green nearly all year round in the Foothills."
* "From adrenaline rushing through your veins in a life or death situation, to tears, and now to a shameless flirtation. My, my, my... my lovely Sky...you're as transformative and pellucid as your namesake."
* "But I dreamt of you again. Your form beneath mine as these careful surgeon's hands sent you into your namesake."
* "I do, however, recommend that you not proclaim yourself as the Puppetmaster... such a title is loaded around these parts, Miss Catharitha. And needn't worry, Mr. Drydan... her behaviour will change, else she'll join Family Fletcher in the pit.
* "If my glasses don't give off a painful exclamation of anorak-dom, then it would certainly be my personal collection [of books]. Surely, you've always seen me notating in my notebook?"
* "I was captured several months back in the midst of my most powerful attempt to bring the dead back to life. True Life. I spent many months with the threat of execution looming over my head. I made a deal. Pretend to be the amnesiac boy and outwardly give off the appearance of a Paladin in training... or, face the guillotine. I needed time to recover. Needed more items to further my research. Wait for the planets to realign. And in exchange, I share my research with Lord Matheredor."
* "I hardly left my mother's hip. While my father and I were not the most harmonious match, I held a great respect for him and the work he was attempting to do. In my younger years, perhaps I felt pressured. But, looking back- I find he did the best with what he had and had the best intentions for me."

#### Emrys' opinion of his sister, Wynevra

* "She lived a life of crime, illicit drugs, and whored about. The Lord gave her an opportunity to change her life for the better. But, she threw it all away. They dated for a time and she broke his heart. She murdered another House member, a guard by the name of Stanley. And then she broke The Lord's trust after she was found with substances in her quarters and she attempted to free The Dollmakerr from our cells. For all members of The House, she is on a do not engage and kill on defense order. The exception is me."

#### Emrys' most favorite day

* "My family was a family of farmers. Pigs, sheep, cattle, pumpkins, onions, beats... you know... Anyway... my father felt it was really important that I grew up one day to be a paladin and from a young age he doted on me with text and scriptures. The problem was... I needed glasses. I can't see hardly anything without them. And glasses with the magnification I needed and lenses were... not within our means. So I studied the scriptures with my nose quite literally in the book. The day I got my glasses, I could see the design on mother's dresses. I could see the kernels in the ears of corn. I could see the petals on the flowers. I could see individual blades of grass. I could see the bees flying in the spring. Imagine not knowing, really, what a bee looked like until you were eleven. And I remember... my father was sitting in his chair outside our home. My mother was folding the laundry on the clothesline. The wind was picking up her dress, swaying the grass, and the pollen off of the dandelions. And Wynnie was playing with our dog. And I was just enthralled by the detail I could see. Wondering if this is how others could see their whole lives."

## Featured Stories

* Collared Visions: Family
* Emrys' Notebook
* Day of the Dead
* Sleepless Nights
* Everyone Leaves, Eventually
* A Difficult Job
* People Talk
* An Engagement Gift

## Gallery

Emrysconcern.pngArtist: GwynevereEmrysMcEny.pngArtist: SusabiiEmrysConjury.jpgArtist: SolthrysEmrysandSky.jpegEmrys and his girlfriend Sky Matheredor, with a sprig of mistletoe. Artist: AnyerinaEmrys and Sky2.pngEmrys and his girlfriend Sky Matheredor, on a date. Artists: DMenacant and BaltikaSevenEmrys and Skypillow.pngEmrys and his girlfriend Sky Matheredor, having a cute cuddle. Artists: DMenacant and BaltikaSevenEmrysNecrolysy.jpgArt by: Amionna

## Trivia

* In-game on Wyrmrest Accord, Emrys' name is spelled, "Èmrýs", with ALT 0200 for the È and ALT 0253 for the ý.
	+ In-game on Moonguard, a copy of the character exists spelled as "Ëmrÿs " with ALT 0203 for the Ë and ALT 152 for the ÿ.
* Emrys is fond of romance novels, and has a collection of several in his library.
* Emrys holds onto a sugar pink handkerchief, that is decorated with embroidered woodland creatures. It belonged to his mother.
* He has a romantic and sexual weakness for strong-willed women with olive skin and raven black hair.
* His first experiment in his apprenticeship was made from the corpse of his most fervent bully, Bartie Yance, who had perished days prior in the sacking of Southshore.
* Emrys once dyed his hair jet black, grew out a beard, and assumed the moniker "Athan Hargest" for a prank during the Winter's Veil Ball held by House Matheredor.

## References

1. ↑ "ADP"- After Dark Portal : Ultimate Visual Guide Chronicles Volume 3

## External Links

Emrys' Armory Page

Twitter

Discord: Kerry #4782