Angus McGregor
Grandson of Prince Brannart McGregor of Klantyre
Count of Crownguard and Prince of Klantyre
Member of the Brotherhood of the Radiance
Necromancer of the Fourth Circle
AC 1016
"I will kill you. And when you are dead and rotting, I will raise you up, so I can feed you the maggots that have been feasting on your decomposing corpse."
Appearance
An adorable bundle just over four feet tall, fine wavy red-brown hair, a round chubby face with a healthy rosy glow in the cheeks, a cute button nose and two large hazel eyes, the tiniest hands with smooth alabaster skin, the sweet fragrance of a newborn, all neatly wrapped up in a miniature version of the traditional costume of Klantyre, complete from the tiny bonnet and sporran to the little kilt and tartan, Angus McGregor is all that.
But Angus McGregor has appeared like this for the past sixteen years. His physical body has not aged since he turned ten years-old. His manner of action and speech belie an adult mind. And on rare occasion, he drops his innocent, cherubic countenance to reveal the intense, seething malevolence through those childlike eyes.
Angus has an angelic voice and a tinkling giggle of a laugh, which often disconcerting with its hint of horrible evils to come.
Personality & Quirks
Despite his age and appearance, Angus has an adult mind, although a thoroughly depraved one at that! Not unlike his grandfather, Prince Brannart McGregor, he is utterly selfish and evil, and sees the people around as mere tools to further his malicious goals. He despises being treated like a child, and would not hesitate in slaying his fawner in an instant, or plot a complicated vengeance that will destroy the poor fool's world.
Angus has a relentless driving compulsions to be the most powerful being he can be, be it in the political realm of worldly dominion or the magical realm of wizardly supremacy. He wants to become the Prince of Klantyre. He wants to become the High Master of the Secret Craft of Necromancy. He wants to become the Grand Master of the Great School of Magic. Eventually, he may want to become an Immortal. Nothing and nobody can deter him.
And yet, Angus has learned that in order to succeed in this complicated mortal world, he must plan, temporize, calculate, negotiate, and even compromise. In dealing with other powers, Angus can be very civil and clever. He has also learned to play the child, and sway the resolve of other with his adorable charms—even if it sickens him to the core to do so.
Background
On Eirmont 5, AC 990, the Day of Necromantia, when the dead are believed to walk amongst the living, an unforeseen eclipse occurred, which blacked out the sun over Klantyre from dawn to the next day. It was on this day that Mary McGregor, after nearly five days of difficult labor, gave birth to Angus. Several soothsayers and diviners predicted that the child Angus would bring misery and horror onto House Crownguard, but the boy's father, Sir Quentin McGregor, would not listen to one word against this one happiness in his thus far tragic life. The boy's grandfather, the ruler of Klantyre, Prince Brannart McGregor, heard these prophets of doom and invited them to the Tower of Crownguard, where they were never heard from again.
In less than a year's time, the babe Angus already displayed magical ability. With gurgles and cries and flailings of his arms, Angus could summon his toys towards him, or alternately, magically fling them at a sleeping wet-nurse to gain her attention. (One poor maid was said to have fallen out of the nursery window and broke her neck, when she tried to handle Angus during one of his tantrums.) Of course, strange as the McGregors are, Sir Quentin was only so pleased that his son would be a child prodigy like him. Before Angus could crawl, Quentin already taught him how to talk, and before Angus could walk, Quentin had already taught him how to recite his first incantations.
In AC 992, when Angus was two and casting spells on his own, his mother Mary had a second child, a daughter she named Fiona. Partially out of jealous at the sudden shift of attention on the baby, but mostly because he needed special spell components to perform a certain necromantic experiment, Angus sacrificed Fiona's life. She was not yet four months old.
The wicked enchantment didn't work, so for a time, Angus had to rely on using insects and birds and small animals for his dark magic. He tried sacrificing his governess once, but she was much too old for the dark magic to work. Finally, in AC 994, Mary became pregnant again. Angus eagerly awaited the birth of his second sister Amabel. Before she turned 6 months, Angus murdered Amabel and used her organs for another gruesome experiment. Though some of the inhabitants of Crownguard were already suspected the young boy of great evil, no one could directly accuse Angus of anything, especially with his mother Mary so protective of him.
In AC 995, Angus performed another necromantic rite that required, among many other ghastly things, a newborn babe. For Angus, the birth of his brother Wallace was most opportune. But the ritual was discovered by his mentally deranged father, who, at the sight of his butchered baby, went berserk and attacked Angus with the most destructive of spells. The magical duel between Angus and Quentin shook the very stones of the Tower of Crownguard, and only one of them would be alive today, if Prince Brannart had not intervened and taken control of Quentin's mind.
In AC 996, another child prodigy of the McGregor family, Sean McAllister, came to Crownguard to study magic. Angus was only too willing to teach his young cousin the wonders of magic first hand; but to Angus, that meant Sean would be at the receiving end of a lightning bolt or Brannart's acidic grip. Being studied in the Secret Craft of Necromancy, Angus would always know exactly just how much injury and agony he could inflict on Sean, without actually killing the boy. The only time poor Sean could be safe from torture would be when Angus was preoccupied with the Radiance.
Sir Quentin became the Castellan of Fort Sablestone in AC 999, and Mary determined to move him and Angus away from the horrors of Crownguard. To Angus, this meant he would be away from his laboratories and his libraries, and more importantly, away from the Radiance. Angus could not refuse, so instead, he created a zombie double to replace him. For the next few weeks, Quentin and Mary were quite happy in their new existence in Sablestone, especially with the mild, obedient, though strangely quiet new Angus. But this bliss soon ended when the zombie's cherubic head came off and maggots and worms began crawling out of its rotting neck.
At that time, Angus was continuing his experiments in Crownguard and preparing his own move to Glantri City, when his presence was discovered by the Castellan of Crownguard, Sir Bruce McGregor. Sensing great turmoil in the boy, Sir Bruce undertook the task of being the boy's tutor, instructing him in Kaelic history, tradition, customs, and other matters, in an attempt to save the boy from the clutches of evil. Of course, all this was moot for the adult-minded Angus, but he did suffer his uncle and his blather, since Bruce would help him enroll at the Great School of Magic, and thus be closer to the source of the Radiance.
Before the turn of the millennium, Angus discovered the fact that Prince Brannart is a lich, and has come to the conclusion that Brannart must be the High Master of the Secret Craft of Necromancy. (After all, how else did he attain lichdom but through the Craft?) Since two of Angus' driving goals in life—to become Prince of Klantyre and to achieve High Mastery in Necromancy—all rested on the overthrow of one person, Angus has been concentrating all his efforts into destroying Brannart. Over the years, Angus has been plotting, collecting spells, and scouring for artifacts (such as the Malevolent Sash of Lichblood and the legendary Sword of Jeremy Moorkroft) that can destroy a lich. He has even focused his magical study of the Radiance (which, of course, he has kept secret from Brannart) to this purpose.
In AC 1015, some time before the invasion of the Ethengar horde into Glantri, Angus destroyed the lich Brannart McGregor, and became the Prince of Klantyre.
Web of Intrigue
Angus McGregor has no allegiance or devotion to anyone but himself. He has used his entire family, from his father Quentin, his baby siblings, his uncle Bruce, as mere instruments (in the case of Brannart, an obstacle) to attain supremacy in magical and political power. Angus' favorite object of torment is his helpless mother Mary McGregor, who though cannot further his ambitions in any way, entertains him. Angus' other favorite victim is his cousin Sean McAllister, whom he knows is frightfully afraid of him.
Angus has only become Prince of Klantyre of late, and has not yet developed any enemies or allies—meaning, he generally despises the Princes all the same. He does however maintain the traditional enmity towards Prince Morphail Gorevitch-Woszlany of Boldavia and Archduke John Beaumarys-Moorkroft of Westheath. With Prince Morphail's recent political maneuverings, Prince Angus is inclined to ally with Morphail's enemy, Princess Dolores Hillsbury of Fenswick.
Since Angus destroyed Brannart and achieved the Fourth Circle of Power, Angus has come to realize that Brannart was not the High Master of Necromancy after all! Angus is now trying to uncover the identity of this Death Master and design his destruction.
In his stay at the Great School of Magic, Angus made a number of enemies among the other students. These include, Mirn Krollnar, Viscount of Bergen, Ralindi Virayana, Prince of Krondahar, and Dominick Haaskinz, heir to the Principality of Sablestone. To Angus, they are all inconsequential. Angus also has his eye on the position of Grand Master of the Great School, and plots against Grand Master Harald Haaskinz, Prince of Sablestone. Prince Harald scorns the child-wizard for his malicious influence on the students at the Great School.
Style of Magic & Combat
Statistics: 12th-level magic-user, Necromancer of the 3rd Circle (AC 1000), 15th-level mage, Necromancer of the 4th Circle (AC 1016), Brother of the Radiance; Str 7, Dex 16, Con 8, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 12; AL C (D&D), CE (AD&D).
Languages: Kaelic, Fenswick, Sylaire, Thyatian (Glantrian dialect), Traladaran (Boldavian dialect).
Skills: etiquette, heraldry, persuasion, reading/writing, spellcraft, spellflash.
Weapon Proficiencies: knife.
The one great curse of the wizard-boy Angus is to be permanently trapped in the frail body of a mortal child. He is physically weak and can easily be manhandled by even the daintiest of elf maidens of Erewan. But what Angus lacks in the corporal flesh, he more than makes up for in magical power.
Angus is the most powerful McGregor wizard to date. Even his father, Sir Quentin, was not as prodigious as Angus is at this age. Angus uses all forms of magic well, but with a decidedly wicked bent. He opted against becoming a specialist in necromancy, so as not to lose access to the powerful magic of the other schools. He did however join the Secret Craft of Necromancy (His first deed as a Death Master was to slay his sponsor!), and has crafted a few dreaded spells for the Craft. Angus also has a host of sinister magical items, more of instruments and devices rather than treasure, most of which he created himself.
But more than wizardry or his Craft, Angus' greatest source of power is the Radiance. He is the youngest member of the Secret Brotherhood of the Radiance, and is not averse in expending its energy to promote his own goals. He has recently come to the definite conclusion that it was the Radiance—and not merely the Secret Craft of Necromancy—that transformed his grandfather Brannart into a lich. He is taking precautions to avoid such a fate, but fears that the Radiance has already taken its toll by trapping him in the weak child body he is in.
"A mere child, you say? An innocent? We must be careful of this one! Not only of his magic, but of the dark ambitions that fuels his destiny!"
(Prince Brannart McGregor)
References:
History of House Crownguard
Spells of the Secret Craft of Necromancy
The Legendary Treasures of the Fen
Necrology, taken from the dark writings of Prince Angus McGregor
Author: Kit Navarro