The Merlin

The legend is found in common myth throughout all the world of Atlantica that before the The Great Darkening Merlin gathered the mages together in secret meetings of rebellion and plotted to overthrow the K'Thonim by sending them all back to their world.  Many of them say that Merlin lived on after that, surviving the events of the Great Darkening and going afterward to fight for the good of the peoples of the world for centuries.  
In fact, much of this is true, the historical figure of Merlin was in fact the genius mind behind the spell that the The Antikathonum used to wreck the K'Thonim and kill or banish most of them back to their own universe.  However, Merlin himself did not survive the casting and was killed along with the finest mages that the Antikathonim could field in the explosion that created the The Hole of Tartessos.  This brilliant and learned mage left behind papers and documents that are still required reading for Antikathonum mages to this day, almost 3500 years later!  He was a master in his craft, and even his philosophical musings on morality and the nature of good and evil are brilliant.
Merlin was so central to the organization and plan of the Antikathonum that the entire organization was almost completely shattered when he and most of their leaders were killed in Tartessos.  In order to keep up morale within the organization, the remaining mages selected the next leader by qualities of magical skill and wisdom.  They created the title of Merlin, borrowing the historical Merlins name, in order to supply continuity to the organization while the struggle continued to eliminate K'Thonim installations across Europa.
To this day, Merlins are selected by the same criteria that leading mages within the organization believe the original Merlin would have approved of.  While "The Merlin" may not be the most powerful mage, his wisdom is considered key to the continuity and mission of the Antikathonum.  The Merlin sits on the inner leadership council, and is entrusted with the decisions of magical nature.  He is responsible for maintaining the magical library and artifacts the Antikathonum hold in trust, and for evaluating the magical dangers that they may face.

"Merlin?  What a fantastic legend.  There are accounts from some well renowned sources that they met Merlin down through the centuries.  If Merlin does exist he is surely a shape changer as he has been spotted as a man, a woman, elf, and halfling.  More likely its a legend since really hard evidence of Merlin simply doesn't exist only ephemeral references"
~ Liam Shannon, Professor of History, Howth University.

Type

Magical, Honorific