Efnisien ap Wledig

Fanart of Efnisien ap Wledig by angelblaze2012 https://not-poignant.tumblr.com/post/97694130678/efnisien

## General details

### Relatives

* Penarddun ferch Fnwy (mother, deceased)
* Euroswydd (father, deceased)
* Crielle ferch Fnwy (maternal aunt, deceased)
* Lludd Llaw Eraint (maternal uncle, deceased)
* Gwyn ap Nudd (cousin)
* Adain ferch Fnwy (maternal grandmother, deceased)
* Calder ap Cenn (maternal grandfather, deceased);
* Rhiamon ferch anFnwy (maternal great-grandmother, deceased)
* Rhiamon's mother (maternal great-great-grandmother, deceased)
* Olphix (ancestor)
* Davix (ancestor-uncle, deceased)

## Physical description

### Hair color

Blonde

"*I just like tormenting you.*"
―Efnisien ap Wledig[[Game Theory, Chapter 6: Retaliation]]**Efnisien ap Wledig** was a Court Seelie common fae, the son of Penarddun ferch Fnwy and Euroswydd, nephew of Crielle ferch Fnwy and Lludd Llaw Eraint, and most well-known as the cousin and one of the principal torturers of Gwyn ap Nudd, starting in Gwyn's youth. When Efnisien goaded Augus Each Uisge at the Seelie Court, Augus killed Efnisien.

## Appearance

#### Pronunciation

* F-Ni (rhymes with Zit) -see-N ap vuh-leh-dig

Efnisien had 'honeyed, curled short' blonde hair, 'tan' skin that he inherited from Euroswydd, 'deep blue eyes', 'full lips', and an 'aquiline nose'. As an adult, he was 'incredibly fine looking, carrying an aristocratic bearing in his face and body. But there was a cruel cast to his eyes, a set to his mouth that indicated he was always wondering what he could tear apart next.' He was also a 'trained warrior, fit and angular'.

He had a 'cultured baritone' voice.

## Personality

Much like his mother, Efnisien attempted to curl Crielle's fingers backwards, even while he was a child. As a child he chased birds with a bow and arrow, and was stubborn and lazy.

As an adult, Efnisien had the 'ability to make malicious sport of anything', which resulted in his tormenting any fae he found at the Seelie Court, or forest animals, if he couldn't find fae. Like all of Gwyn's family, Efnisien was 'prone to fits of terrifying violence and cruelty'. He was not bothered by injuries to his person, found it amusing when Gwyn managed to hurt him, and even opened the wounds more. He was also 'crass, but no idiot'.

'The key with Efnisien, according to his blood-line, was simply ‘redirection.’ He was permitted to be cruel, as long as he found the right place to direct it. His father counselled that cruelty didn’t matter, especially on a battle-field, where it could be an asset. Unfortunately for Gwyn, the family thought he was a wonderful target for redirection.*'*

Despite Efnisien's predilection for going after animals without more suitable targets, Efnisien 'disdained' the Wild Hunt. 'It appalled him that the White Stag came back to life again after being honourably killed.'

## Life

Long before Efnisien's birth, a member of the An Fnwy family slighted Davix, which angered his brother Olphix so much that Olphix forced a curse into one of the An Fnwy family members and married it to Olphix's own magic. Efnisien was one of those affected.

Efnisien was the son of Penarddun and Euroswydd, and conceived prior to the marriage of Crielle and Lludd. Before his birth, his mother thought of the idea of 'Nisien' as a name, and Crielle suggested 'Ef-nisien', which they settled on. His birth was particularly difficult, and for a while, Penarddun, Crielle, Euroswydd, All'eth, Delphine, and the midwife believed mother and/or child might not survive the birth. But Crielle used her dra'ocht to encourage Penarddun and Efnisien, and kept them both alive through the birthing process.

Efnisien was cared for by his mother, and beloved by Crielle.

Efnisien tortured Gwyn since they were children, causing him extensive physical and mental injury just shy of actually crippling him. As children, Gwyn, who was younger, was far weaker. Efnisien had full permission, and even encouragement, from Gwyn's family to torture him. When Gwyn was twelve or thirteen, Crielle and Lludd sent them away to 'play' together for hours, meaning that Efnisien was able to torture Gwyn at his leisure for the time, and Crielle 'told him to use *knives*.' Gwyn would often hide from him in the woods. Efnisien also forced Gwyn to drink alcohol until he choked on multiple occasions. Efnisien also often tortured Gwyn in a field on the An Fnwy estate. Sometime in his youth, Efnisien boasted about making a play for the Seelie throne.

When Gwyn's heartsong changed to triumph while Gwyn was a soldier, Efnisien baited him less on his visits home, since he found it harder, as Gwyn would retaliate. Efnisien baited both Lludd and Gwyn, as he enjoyed watching their fights and injuries.

Early in *Game Theory*, Efnisien asked Gwyn for the Grimswold, which grants some version of invulnerability. At the time of asking, Efnisien had invaded Gwyn's personal space, and Gwyn punched Efnisien in the face, cracking the latter's skull and breaking his eye socket. Efnisien mocked him, lulling Gwyn into a distraction, which allowed Efnisien to knock Gwyn over and hit him in the ribs. Efnisien later explained he would be in the Seelie Court more often, which Gwyn later realized was Crielle's play to replace Gwyn with Efnisien on the throne.

Efnisien later discovered Augus in Gwyn's chambers at the Seelie Court, and told him there was a plot against Ash Glashtyn, prompting Augus to kill him. Gwyn discovered Augus standing 'over the bloodied mess of Efnisien, so mauled that his face was hardly recognisable', then took the body parts and teleported them to the Caves of Argoth, to cover up how Efnisien died. Gwyn wore his full armor to Efnisien's funeral.

Efnisien's intel to Augus was actually true, and Gwyn dealt with it after chasing it up to check its validity. Efnisien and Crielle intended to suggest a Wild Hunt, with Augus as the target, which would put Gwyn and Ash in a bind.

## Special Abilities

His dra'ocht 'oozed from him and covered his sociopathic tendencies'.

He was skilled in physical combat.

#### Status

* Court
* Outer Court (previously)

## Relationships

#### Crielle ferch Fnwy

Crielle loved Efnisien nearly from his birth, and meeting him encouraged her to become pregnant herself and have a child of her own. She cared deeply about his welfare and comfort. He 'was her star pupil, the one she fawned over the most.' As a child, Efnisien crushing Gwyn's fingers was 'the first swell of warmth' Crielle felt since Gwyn's birth. As an adult, Efnisien answered to her orders, as her puppet. Once Crielle became convinced Gwyn had a hand in killing Efnisien, she stopped merely toying with Gwyn and actively worked towards trying to kill him.

#### Gwyn ap Nudd

Efnisien tortured Gwyn throughout Gwyn's life. Gwyn used to worry he was just as bad as, if not worse, than Efnisien, particularly in how Gwyn wanted to torture Cyledr, and his treatment of Augus while Augus was Gwyn's prisoner in the Seelie Court. Efnisien was one of the few people Gwyn hated, which Efnisien returned in Gwyn's early twenties. Efnisien never respected Gwyn, largely due to being Crielle's favorite, even while Gwyn was King, and even tortured one of Gwyn's servants in Gwyn's personal rooms. Gwyn was only stopped from badly injuring, exiling, or killing Efnisien because of what Crielle might do in retaliation. Gwyn also credits Efnisien with teaching him 'battle strategy and tactics', due to Efnisien's torture methods and Gwyn's attempts to avoid them. It is largely due to Efnisien that Gwyn is so good at withstanding torture. Gwyn missed Efnisien a little in *Unwound*, largely because of nostalgia.

#### Euroswydd

Gwyn stated that Efnisien's parents liked him, though it's unclear what Euroswydd's relationship with his son was like outside that. Euroswydd was devastated during Efnisien's birth, seemingly for Penarddun, and/or possibly at the potential loss of Efnisien.

#### Lludd Llaw Eraint

According to Augus, Lludd and Efnisien would often hunt fae as often as animals in Ethallas forest. But even Lludd didn't like having Efnisien near the An Fnwy stables, as Efnisien was known to do terrible things to animals that even put Lludd's cruelty to shame.

#### Penarddun ferch Fnwy

Prior to his birth, Penarddun was worried she wouldn't care for Efnisien. During his birth, Penarddun wanted what was best for Efnisien. After he was born, she took care of him, and encouraged him. At one point she encouraged him to practice reading, despite his stubbornness and laziness, but his attempts to do so made her excited.

## Quotations

* To Gwyn: 'You look like you could use a break . . . Being King should make you happy, not...whatever you are now. We’re just concerned for you. Your mother and I. Very concerned.'

## Trivia

* Efnisien was allergic to something. As a child, he threw up on Crielle, 'discovering an allergy they didn't know he had'.
* Efnisien told Augus that the plot against Ash would exploit his weakness as a co-king, which Gwyn explained is a myth. Co-monarchs of the Courts do not have lesser power because it is split. They each have the same amount of power as a monarch ruling alone, although the limit on the status is two monarchs per Court.

## Folklore/Mythology

'Efnisien fab Euroswydd (also spelled Efnissien or Efnysien) is a sadistic anti-hero in Welsh mythology, appearing prominently in the tale of *Branwen ferch Llŷr*, the second branch of the Mabinogi. Described by Will Parker as "a study in the psychopathic personality" and an "embodiment of the forces of anti-social disruption," he is the catalyst of the tale's ultimate tragedy, and is largely responsible for the destruction of both Ireland and the Island of the Mighty. He is the son of Euroswydd and Penarddun, twin brother to Nisien, and half-brother to Brân the Blessed, Manawydan, and Branwen. The Welsh Triads call Llŷr one of the Three Exalted Prisoners of Britain for his captivity at Euroswydd's hands; this is likely to a lost tradition of the birth of Penarddun's younger sons.

. . . The Irish king Matholwch sails to Harlech to speak with Brân the Blessed high king of the Island of the Mighty and to ask for the hand of his sister Branwen in marriage, thus forging an alliance between the two lands. Bendigeidfran agrees to Matholwch's request, but the celebrations are cut short when Efnysien, a half-brother to the children of Llŷr, brutally mutilates Matholwch's horses, angry that his permission was not sought in regards to the marriage. Matholwch is deeply offended until Bran offers him compensation in the form of a magic cauldron that can restore the dead to life. Pleased with the gift, Matholwch and Branwen sail back to Ireland to reign.

Once in Matholwch's kingdom, Branwen gives birth to a son, Gwern, but Efnysien's insult continues to rankle among the Irish and, eventually, Branwen is mistreated, banished to the kitchen and beaten every day. She tames a starling and sends it across the Irish Sea with a message to her brother Bran, who sails from Wales to Ireland to rescue her with his brother, Manawydan and a huge host of warriors, mustered from the 154 cantrefs of Britain. The Irish offer to make peace and build a house big enough to entertain Bendigeidfrân but hang a hundred bags inside, supposedly containing flour but actually containing armed warriors. Efnisien, suspecting treachery, reconnoiters the hall and kills the warriors by crushing their skulls. Later, at the feast, Efnysien, again feeling insulted, murders Gwern by burning him alive, and, as a result, a vicious battle breaks out. Seeing that the Irish are using the cauldron to revive their dead, he hides among the Irish corpses and is thrown into the cauldron by the unwitting enemy. He destroys the cauldron from within, sacrificing himself in the process.

Only seven men survive the conflict, among them Manawydan, Taliesin and Pryderi, prince of the Kingdom of Dyfed, Branwen having herself died of a broken heart. The survivors are told by a mortally wounded Bran to cut off his head and to return it to Britain. For seven years the seven survivors stay in Harlech, where they are entertained by Bendigeidfran's head, which continues to speak. They later move on to Gwales (often identified with Grassholm off Dyfed) where they live for eighty years without perceiving the passing of time. Eventually, Heilyn fab Gwyn opens the door of the hall facing Cornwall and the sorrow of what had befallen them returns. As instructed they take the now silent head to the Gwynfryn, the "White Hill" (thought to be the location where the Tower of London now stands), where they bury it facing France so as to ward off invasion.'

## Image Gallery

Fanart of Efnisien ap Wledig by angelblaze 2012 https://not-poignant.tumblr.com/post/97694130678/efnisienFanart of Efnisien ap Wledig by plucky-anh https://plucky-anh.tumblr.com/post/73375619446/efnisien-wip-from-not-poignants-original-work
## References

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 27 August 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1843591. Chapter 6: Retaliation.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 11 August 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1791304. Chapter 3: Desperation.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 not\_poignant. "The Curse.” *The Fae Tales Verse - canon extras. Archive of Our Own,* 4 August 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/2034456/chapters/4527081. Chapter 2.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 24 September 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1928111. Chapter 14: Aftercare.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 21 October 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/2011577. Chapter 21: Roleplay.
6. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 2 - The Seething Seas.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 30 April 2020. https://archiveofourown.org/works/17959874/chapters/57536779. Chapter 31: Whatever It Takes.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 13 January 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/2292919. Chapter 36: Demotion.
8. ↑ 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.
9. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 3 July 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/9645504. Chapter 50: Wayward.
10. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 21 August 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/10537971. Chapter 57: Grief.
11. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 5 November 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/2059069. Chapter 25: Soldier.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 16 September 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1904254. Chapter 12: Liver.
13. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 19 June 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/9397818. Chapter 48: Exploration.
14. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 22 December 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/2204791. Chapter 33: Invisible.
15. ↑ not\_poignant. "Deeper into the Woods." *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 12 April 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/3652500/chapters/8263456. Chapter 4: IV - The War General.
16. ↑ not\_poignant. “Unwound.” *The Fae Tales Verse - canon extras. Archive of Our Own,* 25 July 2016. https://archiveofourown.org/works/7562599/chapters/17251441. Chapter 2: II.
17. ↑ not\_poignant. "The Drawn Bead.” *The Fae Tales Verse - canon extras. Archive of Our Own,* 10 November 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1035694/chapters/2074327. Chapter 4: Secrets.
18. ↑ not\_poignant. "Deeper into the Woods." *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 7 April 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/3652500/chapters/8188004. Chapter 3: III - The Waterhorse.
19. ↑ not\_poignant. "Under the Influence." *The Fae Tales Verse - canon extras. Archive of Our Own,* 24 October 2019. https://archiveofourown.org/works/21153683.
20. ↑ "Efnysien". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efnysien. Accessed 28 May 2021.