Tormo Hedryllo

Tormo Hedryllo (115-183 AWR) was an Andymalonian jurist, essayist and political scientist famous for two compilations of short essays on the intersection between public and private talents. Widely cited by scholars and politicians throughout the Eleven Cities, his work is of interest to thaumatologists because it contains a number of references and thought experiments about the possibility of magic, many of which draw on sources that appear to have been lost in the years since his death.

Biographical details

The Hedryllo family were prominent in the Andymalonian Republic; Tormo referred to his own writings as a compilation of "family memory." His great-grandfather was involved in the establishment of the Republic and his grandfather and father served for many years in the council; his father was in fact a serving member at the time of Tormo's birth and would continue doing so until his death in 123. Tormo Hedryllo, by contrast, served only a brief council career between 136 and 138, retiring from direct involvement in government in favour of a much longer career as a respected commentator and theorist of city politics. Although he would never again participate in council debate or take any direct role in the shaping of policy Hedryllo is known to have been frequently consulted by other councillors for his opinions on current events, to the extent that such appointments became a significant drain on his time. It is not clear what effect these consultations had on city policy during his long retirement, but the various references to him in other people's writings invariably belabour his credibility.
Although the Hedryllo family played a significant role in putting Andymalonian civil society back together after the upheavals of the Wesmodian Reformation, they are known to have been rather circumspect in their engagement with some of the resulting institutions. Although Tormo Hedryllo praises the Brotherhood of Rooks at length in his work as thinkers and healers of considerable skill, he seems not to have consulted them in either of the two major health crises in his life. In 174, aged 59, he was afflicted with a serious fever, the precise details of which are unclear, and emerged from the illness blind in one eye and conspicuously unsteady on his feet, having to walk with a cane. The illness thankfully left his intellect untouched. Towards the end of his lie he suffered a grave spasm of some description that left him lame and barely able to speak intelligibly; a second such episode the following year killed him, and he never seems to have consulted the Rooks for their professional opinion. He was interred in the family crypt without their involvement. The reason for this reticence is not known.

Thaumatological significance

Hedryllo was the author of numerous short essays on the smooth and efficacious functioning of a city-state in the absence of what he called "the old religions" - that is, in the wake of the Wesmodian Reformation. These were circulated in Andymalon and somewhat beyond (multiple people holding the office of Dog of Tyros corresponded with him, for example) throughout his life and many found their way into public circulation in pamphlet form.
These essays were collected into two large omnibuses. The first of these, Disputations on the City, was published in Hedryllo's lifetime (in 177 AWR) and is esteemed by jurists and lawmakers across the city as a judiciously-edited and comprehensive discussion of what a city needs. The book includes several passing references to magic which thaumatologists often have cause to consult.
The second omnibus, Hedryllian Reflections was compiled and published in 187 by his nephews, reputedly with help from both the Brotherhood of Rooks and the Andymalonian branch of the Commercial Guilds. The book is of greater interest to thaumatologists as it contains substantial thought experiments in which Hedryllo reflects on the possible consequences of the presence of the pseudo-historical wizards Morogyad and Rachad Qorl in a modern city. Although he is less than complementary about these figures, his discussion of them includes information about them not attested in other sources. This raises questions about the reliability of his work, though it is generally taken as evidence that he had access to sources that have not survived to the present day. This provides modern researchers with considerable scope for the speculation and experimentation upon which thaumatology thrives.