Jaell Shadowmaster
Wizard Jaell
Wizard under Gwydion Ainros and Gwynt Ainros
As is perhaps fitting for her title, Jaell Shadowmaster is a figure shrouded in mystery. It is generally assumed that she served Clan Oishlog at Castle Aintorq on the Green Isle, though Maiar the Blind alleges she may have wandered the Rocky Woods like Wynid Wild, the wizard who served Prince Allad Ainros during the Second Brothers Rebellion.
What is known is that Prince Allad, serving as Mox Master under Gwydion the Great, sent to the Green Isle for a wizard to replace Agathe the Younger, whom he threw into the dungeons after she failed to prepare the nation for the Hard Winter of 856 RA. Jaell answered the summons, but demanded her own holdfast and property in recompense for her service to the king. She was of course denied this, and simply returned to the Green Isle without another word. The position would instead be filled by Penny the Wise, who served the realm well for over a decade. Penny would be replaced by Heather Snowfall, a more controversial but still fairly conventional wizard.
Upon Heather Snowfall's death, King Gwydion sent again to the Green Isle. Once more Jaell arrived and demanded a holdfast of her own. It had been twenty-three years since she was first summoned, yet she still appeared hale and hearty; this despite being rumored to be older than Heather Snowfall or even Penny the Wise when she first appeared. The King again refused her demand, but after several days managed to compel her to serve under him regardless.
This was all hushed, of course. When Jaell first refused the call in 856, she had refused Prince Allad Ainros, the Mox Master. This was controversial as well, but to refuse the King as she did in 879 was tantamount to treason. Yet rather than have her executed, the King negotiated. Wizard Kyu Yev Quarry and the speller Irresall both point to this as signs of King Gwydion's future weakness as a ruler, that he refused to exercise a fiercer hand on those obligated to serve under him. Maiar the Blind, however, calls this wisdom: Jaell was feared by those who knew her, and she would prove to be a useful tool in his service. Negotiating with her gave the King what he wanted, and no doubt he looked stronger than if he had simply given a woman with no known lineage her own castle.
Remarkably, much of Jaell's service under Gwydion is as mysterious as her life beforehand. Maiar the Blind claims she was entitled Shadowmaster mere months into her service, but Wizard Kyu Yev says she called herself Shadowmaster even when she first visited the mainland in 856. Whatever counsels she kept with the King were private, and even her areas of expertise were not widely published. Kyu Yev suggests Gwydion's family began to solidify under his rule around this time, yet Maiar the Blind says just the opposite, that they began to fall apart shortly after Jaell's arrival. More likely they were simply a family, always chaotic regardless of outside influences. It is certainly true that Gwydion's first son, Prince Golbran the Ruby Prince became more and more celebrated after Jaell's arrival, but this was likely due merely to his maturing, his diplomatic progressions to the chief settlements, and his brief promotion of hollymocks as sport (this latter would be ended by the vicious duel between Prince Geralt the Black Dog and Prince Ruarc). Such was the allure of the mystery surrounding Jaell that she was credited for all things: Golbran's harmonious marriage, Geralt's cruel nature, even the Black Dog's rumored inability to sire an heir (in truth, Prince Geralt fathered both a son and a daughter, but they were oft rumored to be the children of Prince Ruarc). When it comes to the children of Gwydion, however, the subject that is most often debated, and the most fiercely, is her influence upon his eldest granddaughter, Princess Aedein. It is generally accepted that Aedein learned spelling from Wizard Jaell. Wizard Kyu Yev points out that it is far likelier one of Jaell's spellers did the actual teaching, yet Maiar the Blind observes that Jaell had surprisingly little known contact with her spellers. The speller Valas observed as much in her brief My Year in Service to the Shadowmaster: "...yet so rarely were we to be called upon by she," she wrote, "that more oft we were considered spellers unto the King His Own Self, unnatural though it seemed." Maiar points to this as a precedent to modern governance, where spellers serve directly under lords and High Magi. If then it is said that Aedein learned spelling from Jaell, this is likely true. Aedein was also said, even before the Witches' War, to dabble in magics both Orrish and Aernigh. She learned to grave from jewelers and supposedly tried to charm armbands and even a circlet she owned, and was (as one might expect) rumored to dabble in blood sacrifice. Her mother, Princess Illel'Nyl, was a Liddinawth, and the myths and legends of their own blood sacrifices never left the peasantry's minds. Wizard Saerea's writings, normally so dedicated to bare facts as to be dismissed as both boring and useless, speculates at length here that Aedein developed "unnatural sentiments" toward her cousin, Princess Dienna , and further suggests she "learned such practices" from Jaell. Saerea, normally succinct to the point of terseness, spends pages theorizing on the depths of evil magics Aedein must have learned from Jaell, tying several of them to the "bestial carnality" they practiced. Many have looked upon Saerea's otherwise stalwart dedication to the bare facts as evidence for these wild claims, yet no matter how reliable her other records are, her opinions on Jaell and Aedein remain that: opinions. Jaell's work in the Southern Rebellion is as shadowed as anything else. Kyu Yev suggests she tried to keep Revellia out of the conflict, and that this alone is why Gwydion took so long to unite with the southern cantons. Maiar the Blind claims she actually entered battle and led forces, though she (uncharacteristically) offers no support for this claim. Both make the usual vague implications that she was guiding the King and the war from the shadows. There were further whispers of her involvements regarding the rivalry between Prince Geralt and Prince Ruarc, but none of the best sources credit them. During the Regency of Prince Ruarc, it was widely believed that Jaell favored Prince Gwynt the heir and his efforts to gain the throne prematurely. Yet if such was the case, we must conclude either that Gwynt flouted her advice frequently, or that Jaell proved an inept or disinterested plotter. Prince Gwynt tried to seize the throne from his protector on several occasions, once even fleeing to Revelback on foot in a snowstorm to enact a (supposedly) secret marriage pact, yet none of his plans succeeded. Prince Ruarc was a shrewd man, and Gwynt was never reported to be cunning, yet someone must have been informing on the boy to the Regent. The Mox Master Oinan Vaugh was of uncertain loyalty according to some, but neither was he reputed cunning. Besides, he more than once was at the forefront of those forces frustrating Gwynt's plans, compelling the prince on several occasions to utter those famous words, "I shall remember this, Oinan." Given Jaell's lifelong reputation for manipulating things behind the scenes, perhaps the strangest facet of her career was her total absence during the First Compact. After Gwynt finally assumed the throne at eighteen and immediately plunged the realm into chaos, the chief clans of Revellia marched on the palace and forced him, over the course of long days, to restructure the governance of the realm by the First Compact. During this time, the chief lords grew so frustrated with Gwynt's blustering that Lord Barthos Beth of Revelback actually released Prince Ruarc from the Cold Moat, where he had been imprisoned since the day Gwynt donned the crown. He felt Ruarc might help the King see the fruitlessness of his belligerence (and he reportedly did so). Yet if the lords were so desperate for counsel, where was Jaell Shadowmaster during this time? Wizard Kyu Yev assumes (and admits it is an assumption) that she locked herself in her study, not knowing how so many lords might react to her sinister reputation. Yet in the end, we do not know. In 912 RA, Jaell Shadowmaster was reported to have died, allegedly of illness. She was reportedly an experienced and feared wizard when she first presented herself to King Gwydion in 856 RA, meaning she must have been at least five-and-twenty at the time (likely much older). This would mean Jaell was, at the very least, three-and-eighty when she was reported to have died. Again, it is possible she was much older even than this. Yanda the Sharp writes that King Gwynt sent to Great Cross for a new wizard, but was instead met by another from the Green Isle, calling herself Anjiil Shadowmaster. Maiar the Blind, by contrast, says Sammis Ainros (then Mox Master) sent to the Green Isle, but that Anjiil showed up the next day, before the message even left the mainland. Much has been made of Jaell Shadowmaster's body: how it was never seen after her death, that its place of burial is unknown. Of course, with the exception of Penny the Wise, no royal wizard's resting place is known, as they are typically thrown into mass graves along with other servants, or else sent back to their families if they are of sufficient birth. This is all assuming, of course, that they are not burned.
Remarkably, much of Jaell's service under Gwydion is as mysterious as her life beforehand. Maiar the Blind claims she was entitled Shadowmaster mere months into her service, but Wizard Kyu Yev says she called herself Shadowmaster even when she first visited the mainland in 856. Whatever counsels she kept with the King were private, and even her areas of expertise were not widely published. Kyu Yev suggests Gwydion's family began to solidify under his rule around this time, yet Maiar the Blind says just the opposite, that they began to fall apart shortly after Jaell's arrival. More likely they were simply a family, always chaotic regardless of outside influences. It is certainly true that Gwydion's first son, Prince Golbran the Ruby Prince became more and more celebrated after Jaell's arrival, but this was likely due merely to his maturing, his diplomatic progressions to the chief settlements, and his brief promotion of hollymocks as sport (this latter would be ended by the vicious duel between Prince Geralt the Black Dog and Prince Ruarc). Such was the allure of the mystery surrounding Jaell that she was credited for all things: Golbran's harmonious marriage, Geralt's cruel nature, even the Black Dog's rumored inability to sire an heir (in truth, Prince Geralt fathered both a son and a daughter, but they were oft rumored to be the children of Prince Ruarc). When it comes to the children of Gwydion, however, the subject that is most often debated, and the most fiercely, is her influence upon his eldest granddaughter, Princess Aedein. It is generally accepted that Aedein learned spelling from Wizard Jaell. Wizard Kyu Yev points out that it is far likelier one of Jaell's spellers did the actual teaching, yet Maiar the Blind observes that Jaell had surprisingly little known contact with her spellers. The speller Valas observed as much in her brief My Year in Service to the Shadowmaster: "...yet so rarely were we to be called upon by she," she wrote, "that more oft we were considered spellers unto the King His Own Self, unnatural though it seemed." Maiar points to this as a precedent to modern governance, where spellers serve directly under lords and High Magi. If then it is said that Aedein learned spelling from Jaell, this is likely true. Aedein was also said, even before the Witches' War, to dabble in magics both Orrish and Aernigh. She learned to grave from jewelers and supposedly tried to charm armbands and even a circlet she owned, and was (as one might expect) rumored to dabble in blood sacrifice. Her mother, Princess Illel'Nyl, was a Liddinawth, and the myths and legends of their own blood sacrifices never left the peasantry's minds. Wizard Saerea's writings, normally so dedicated to bare facts as to be dismissed as both boring and useless, speculates at length here that Aedein developed "unnatural sentiments" toward her cousin, Princess Dienna , and further suggests she "learned such practices" from Jaell. Saerea, normally succinct to the point of terseness, spends pages theorizing on the depths of evil magics Aedein must have learned from Jaell, tying several of them to the "bestial carnality" they practiced. Many have looked upon Saerea's otherwise stalwart dedication to the bare facts as evidence for these wild claims, yet no matter how reliable her other records are, her opinions on Jaell and Aedein remain that: opinions. Jaell's work in the Southern Rebellion is as shadowed as anything else. Kyu Yev suggests she tried to keep Revellia out of the conflict, and that this alone is why Gwydion took so long to unite with the southern cantons. Maiar the Blind claims she actually entered battle and led forces, though she (uncharacteristically) offers no support for this claim. Both make the usual vague implications that she was guiding the King and the war from the shadows. There were further whispers of her involvements regarding the rivalry between Prince Geralt and Prince Ruarc, but none of the best sources credit them. During the Regency of Prince Ruarc, it was widely believed that Jaell favored Prince Gwynt the heir and his efforts to gain the throne prematurely. Yet if such was the case, we must conclude either that Gwynt flouted her advice frequently, or that Jaell proved an inept or disinterested plotter. Prince Gwynt tried to seize the throne from his protector on several occasions, once even fleeing to Revelback on foot in a snowstorm to enact a (supposedly) secret marriage pact, yet none of his plans succeeded. Prince Ruarc was a shrewd man, and Gwynt was never reported to be cunning, yet someone must have been informing on the boy to the Regent. The Mox Master Oinan Vaugh was of uncertain loyalty according to some, but neither was he reputed cunning. Besides, he more than once was at the forefront of those forces frustrating Gwynt's plans, compelling the prince on several occasions to utter those famous words, "I shall remember this, Oinan." Given Jaell's lifelong reputation for manipulating things behind the scenes, perhaps the strangest facet of her career was her total absence during the First Compact. After Gwynt finally assumed the throne at eighteen and immediately plunged the realm into chaos, the chief clans of Revellia marched on the palace and forced him, over the course of long days, to restructure the governance of the realm by the First Compact. During this time, the chief lords grew so frustrated with Gwynt's blustering that Lord Barthos Beth of Revelback actually released Prince Ruarc from the Cold Moat, where he had been imprisoned since the day Gwynt donned the crown. He felt Ruarc might help the King see the fruitlessness of his belligerence (and he reportedly did so). Yet if the lords were so desperate for counsel, where was Jaell Shadowmaster during this time? Wizard Kyu Yev assumes (and admits it is an assumption) that she locked herself in her study, not knowing how so many lords might react to her sinister reputation. Yet in the end, we do not know. In 912 RA, Jaell Shadowmaster was reported to have died, allegedly of illness. She was reportedly an experienced and feared wizard when she first presented herself to King Gwydion in 856 RA, meaning she must have been at least five-and-twenty at the time (likely much older). This would mean Jaell was, at the very least, three-and-eighty when she was reported to have died. Again, it is possible she was much older even than this. Yanda the Sharp writes that King Gwynt sent to Great Cross for a new wizard, but was instead met by another from the Green Isle, calling herself Anjiil Shadowmaster. Maiar the Blind, by contrast, says Sammis Ainros (then Mox Master) sent to the Green Isle, but that Anjiil showed up the next day, before the message even left the mainland. Much has been made of Jaell Shadowmaster's body: how it was never seen after her death, that its place of burial is unknown. Of course, with the exception of Penny the Wise, no royal wizard's resting place is known, as they are typically thrown into mass graves along with other servants, or else sent back to their families if they are of sufficient birth. This is all assuming, of course, that they are not burned.
Conditions
Ethnicity
Professions
Year of Death
4912
Birthplace
The Green Isle
Children
Eyes
Black
Hair
Black
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Ghast
Other Affiliations