Merlina's League - 9th Century
Merlina the Wizard didn't know where she came from, who her parents were, or what happened to them. All she knew was that she was the granddaughter of Merlin the Magnificent, the greatest sorcerer to have ever lived, one she never got the chance to meet. She grew up in what would one day be known as the Blazing World, more specifically the Fae Forests ruled over by the strict King Oberon and the enigmatic yet ultimately benevolent Queen Titania. She was raised among them, specifically by the Queen herself, and yet never felt like she belonged. This wasn't just because she was a cambion raised among fae, but because of a fundamental clash in personality. Fae are mischievous by their very nature, sometimes to the point of the maniacal, which lead to the solemn, quiet, and withdrawn Merlina spending her time alone absorbed in her studies. This was another point of contention: Fae learn magic as naturally as a child learns to walk, yet Merlinas human blood required her to intensely practice to hone her amazing mystical potential. This all combined lead to Merlina spending most of her time alone, with her only quality time with others being the sometimes cruel pranks her forest neighbors would play in her, which she never found amusing.
More then anything else in the entire world, Merlina longed to meet her elusive grandfather and to witness the immense glory of Camelot that she had heard so much about, though she knew that the latter at least was purely impossible. She knew the kingdom fell long before she was born, in an unholy war of long-held grudges and burning passions. And no one even had the slightest iota of an idea of where her grandfather could be, as he disappeared so suddenly without any clues left behind. So she remained in the First World, wistfully longing for a life she could never have, until the day two strangers entered Oberon's court.
The two companions were a young redheaded holy man named Brendan Cellach, and a fae girl named Aisling whose eyes were a piercing green and had skin and hair as white as the freshly fallen snow. These two childhood friends had entered the court with Aislings knowledge so that Brendan could plead for help for his people. He hailed from the shores of Ireland, which in those days were constantly ravaged by the Northman, brutal barbarians who scourged the shores of Europe in order to find settlements to pillage and plunder. Having completed his life's work and gotten it to a safe location, Brendan had decided to now seek ways to protect his people from such vicious assaults. King Oberon was furious that a human dared step foot in his court and ever more so ask something of the King of the Fair Folk. This reaction was seemingly foreseen by the fearful Aisling, but before she could beg for mercy Titania calmed her husband down and convinced him to let them off with a mere warning, telling them to leave their court immediately.
On their way out, Merlina stopped them, desperate for a chance to speak with another of her own kind. In their conversation, the two humans bonded over their intellectual endeavors, the holy man having been taught in everything from theology to calligraphy to the various sciences of the day. What struck Merlina the most about Brendan however, was his unwavering sense of optimism. It wasn't the same carefree and callous attitude many of her fae neighbors had, but an unwavering faith that despite the odds and no matter the situation, things will get better. When asked about it, Brendan explained his faith both in the Lord and the actions of both his comrades and himself. "It is the duty of men to show the light, security and hope of God to other men," he explained. "Only then will light triumph over the darkness."
It was with this that Merlina had made her mind. She couldn't merely sit there and feel sorry for herself, she had to fight to create a world her grandfather would be proud of. She grabbed her two new friends ("Friends," she thought, with a once rare smile on her face.) and brought them before Queen Titania alone. She then explained to the magic monarch her plan: to craft a league of her very own. She knew of her grandfather's band of heroes from various legends passed down through the forests, and knew that such a thing could be real again if she and her new friends put their all into it. They could protect not just Brendans people, but all of Europe, just as was once done before. With a warm smile, Titania not only allowed Merlina to go with the two travelers, but also imparted with her a gift to keep her beloved pupil safe: Puck the Trickster. This chaos loving and powerful sorcerer was bound in service to Titania after an embarrassing incident in ancient Greece involving a traveling acting troupe and a donkey. Titania switched his services to Merlina, telling him to serve her "until her heart stops in her chest." While dreading having to work for such a humorless individual such as Merlina, Puck had no choice but to obey, and solemnly followed in her footsteps out of Blazing World.
While full of a hope she never had even dreamed of feeling upon entering the lands of her people, this confidence was diminished when she saw the state of that world. While an improvement over the days following the fall of Rome, life in Europe had once again returned to a norm of pillaging marauders, warring factions, and overall chaos. While initially disquieted, she and Brendan discussed the matter and concluded that the reason that the lasting effects of her grandfather's league were so limited was because, while absolutely well meaning, they didn't give the people they saved the tools to protect themselves once they were gone, which was critical for long standing peace. After all, Jesus didn't just perform miracles, but gave his disciples the skills necessary to perform them after he was gone. With such knowledge in tow, the three set off to find a man of wisdom and science to aid them in their quest, but such qualities were in short supply in the war torn mainland. They decided to go to an empire that was in the exact opposite situation of their home, a place overflowing with plenty and a mecca of the arts and sciences: the Abbasid Caliphate in Arabia.
Once arriving in the capital city of Bagdad, both humans were in utter awe of absolutely everything: the sights, the sounds, the smells, all the sensations of a culture altogether wondrous and mysterious, steeped in both the highest sciences and the deepest mysticism. Meanwhile Puck, bored out of his mind due to the strict restrictions Merlina had placed upon him in order to make a good impression in this foreign land, was taking a nap back at their lodgings. While all her companions were distracted, the somewhat unimpressed Aisling, preferring the magic and natural beauty of her native forests, took to exploring in her own way, stealthily traversing the buildings with her incredible agility and communicating with the local fauna in the language of nature. She was happy that her travels with Brendan had made her more comfortable in human settlements, as it was through her private tour of the city that the relatively young fae discovered a great injustice transpiring behind the pristine walls of the caliph's marvelous palace.
Caliph Harun al-Rashid was beloved by his people for the prosperity his reign brought, and scholars absolutely adored him for his immensely generous patronage of the arts and sciences. Under his rule, both the people and especially the culture of the entire Arabic world thrived, and he is often credited today for kickstarting what is now known as the Islamic Golden Age. However, he had a darker side, one that became more and more obvious as the years went on: he was very protective of his power, to an often extreme degree. He would become infamous for brutally putting down rebellions, punishing dissent, and targeting political opponents. It seems even his own allies were not safe from his wrath, as Aisling discovered that day. The creatures of the city lead the young fairy to the window of a jail cell, where a spindly man wept in the darkness. He explained to the girl that his name was Ja'far ibn Yahya, and that he was once the Grand Vizier and trusted companion of the Caliph himself.
With great sadness in his heart, he explained that over the years, despite their closeness and his own dutiful and wise service, Caliph Harun al-Rashid grew fearful of the influence of Ja'fars family, the Barmakids, and coveted their great wealth. Ja'far theorizes that this is why the man who he once considered his friend had framed him of a crime he did not commit. Ja'far lamented he did not have the investigational skills to dispute such a claim, and sorrowfully awaited his execution. Aisling, happy to have found some excitement and knowing Ja'far to be truthful due to the testimony of her new animals allies, returned to her companions and explained the situation. Both of her human friends felt immediate sympathy for the man, and their kind hearts caused them to begin planning his escape together. Puck gleefully offered to simply turn the entire palace into rats, but Merlina argued against this not just on a moral basis, but because that this new league would never grow as a team if they relied too much on Pucks skill and power. Puck sulked, but conceded her point, instead taking the task of securing their escape route.
Aisling used her mystic powers to set Ja'far free similarly to how she had done for Brendan many decades ago: by turning a local street cat into a wispy spirit that she then controlled with her voice, soothingly directing it to take the key and deliver it to the prisoner. Meanwhile Merlina used various magic illusions to disguise the spirit cats, the key, and Ja'far himself as he made his escape, and Brendan distracted Harun with his otherworldly calligraphy so he wouldn't suspect anything until it was too late. The five of them then immediately went to flee the city before the Caliph grew wise to their daring plan. This was easier said than done however, as Puck, who knew nothing of subtly or restraint, made sure the route he choose would cause as much havoc as possible. He directed the group straight through the bazaar, causing them to have to go over various tables, under traveling caravans, and past traveling street performers, which both Puck and Aisling had to be dragged from. All the while the trickster was thoroughly enjoying the chaos his plan was causing, and he even "accidently" caused a cabbage stand to explode into splinters as a final gesture on his way out of the city.
Once they far away enough from Bagdad to be safe and had cleaned off from their turbulent getaway, they surmised that they could never step anywhere near Arabia again without losing their heads and cursed that they couldn't find a suitable candidate for their burgeoning league. However, Ja'far quickly pointed out that their trip wasn't as fruitless as it initially seemed, as he himself, as Grand Vizier of the Caliphs Court, had access to all the greatest books and teachers known to mankind. He had intensely studied countless disciplines including politics, philosophy, cosmology, mathematics, chemistry, medicine, and even alchemy. He graciously offered to stay with the group, both as thanks for saving him, and because with his new lease on life he had decided he wanted to learn even more about the world. Overjoyed, the league took this as a sign that doing good deeds brings about good in return, (a sentiment Puck nearly gagged at) and continued on their righteous quest.
Having now acquired two men of science and three beings of magic, the group decided the last thing they needed to begin their grand crusade for justice was some pure battle acumen and skill with a blade. While they made sure from the start to focus on other areas of helping others, the entire group recognized the importance of a strong hand for defending the weak. They decided they needed at least two warriors of great renown to complete their company, and having based their entire identity on the work of one of King Arthur's court, they decided to seek out a shining knight at the Round Table's modern equivalent: the court of King Charlemagne. He was the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, a vast kingdom that brought stability and unity to western Europe similarly to how Camelot did to Britain, and was famous for producing the greatest knights since those days of Arthur.
After traveling to his capital city and explaining the situation to him, the king was absolutely delighted to gift one of his knights to serve on the successor to such a legendary league, and thus offered up one of his Twelve Paladins, a group of the most exalted warriors in all the land. They were known not just for their heroic efforts at repelling the Saracen invaders from the south, but also for their great chivalry, skill, and valor, making them perfect for the job in Merlinas eyes.
When the king called upon the Paladins however, the league noticed there were only warriors present. When asked about the absentee the King and his paladins were somewhat dismissive. They explained that while the missing knight, Sir Alstofo, had a few impressive magical tools in his repertoire, he had little sense, and was this the least of the twelve and unworthy of being chosen for such a prestigious League. Being filled with both sympathy for a fellow outcast and curiosity for his mystical weaponry, Merlina insisted they speak to Alstofo as well.
The League were directed to the paladin's quarters, where they found a petite yet undoubtedly fit man who, while putting on a brave smile for them they could tell was once full of light, he was obviously hiding some inner pain. The League tried in vain to get him to open up, with him dodging all attempts to get him to admit anything was the matter. This went on for so long that Puck finally got completely sick of it and, before Merlina could stop him, used his magic to reach into Alstofos memories to find the source of his sorrow.
This source was an incident that occurred a few nights previously surrounding Alstofos cousin, the leader of the Paladin's and Charlemagne's greatest knight, Sir Roland. You see, Roland has fallen deeply in love with the pagan princess Angelica, but she did not love him in turn. This causes Roland to go into grief-stricken madness, being barely able to perform his duties and even sometimes bellowing in agony throughout the city streets completely naked. Alstofo, who always sought to cheer up his downtrodden companions, came up with a way to hopefully break him out of his stupor. Without thinking much about it, Alstofo decided to use his infamously effeminate features (he was often called "the most beautiful man in the world" for a reason) to disguise himself as Angelica herself and confront Roland. While the encounter did little to comfort Roland, being easily able to see through his friends disguise due to his obsession with the genuine article, the very act of dressing and acting femininely left a profound impact on Alstofo. In the simplest of terms: he loved it. He had always had a proclivity for cute things, such as flowers and puppies, but to be adorable himself was something he never fully considered before and bought him an unforeseen joy. However this revelation came with an enormous caveat: he knew for a fact his fellow knights would never accept this side of him. At best, they'd think him even more of a fool then they already did, at worst they'd accuse him of homosexuality and have him punished. This immense conflict between the respect of his peers and the desires of his heart weighed heavily on him, leading to his current sorrowful state.
Horrified at having his most private thoughts and fears laid bare to a crowd of complete strangers, Astolfo got on his knees and begged the group to tell no one what they had discovered. To his shock however, the league states that none of them looked down upon him for his unusual proclivities. Merina explained that androgyny was quite common in the Fae societies she, Aisling, and Puck hailed from, and Ja'far similarly stated that, while not quite the same, he had known many eunuchs that were very effective in high levels of authority, and thus had his respect. Therefore, he knew not to judge a man based purely on their masculinity. Brendan had his misgivings about the whole ordeal, but held his tongue both for the sake of group unity and to not further upset a man clearly in distress.
Astolfo's mood immediately shifted from forlorn to overjoyed, and instead of begging for silence started begging to be let into their League, wanting to be a part of a party that won't only be going on various adventures, but would accept him for who he was. He argued that despite his airheadedness, he was just as capable a knight as any of his contemporaries, and his magical arsenal gave him an edge they never had. He carried a book of counterspells, a golden spear that could bring any foe to their knees immediately, and a horn that bought disorienting fear to however heard it. He also rode on a horse he dubbed Rabicano which was not only made of wind and flame, but didn't leave footprints and ran faster then an arrow could fly. Merlina didn't need much convincing, and with a smile politely waited for him to stop speaking before accepting him with a soft smile.
The group left the confused Charlemagne and sought the final member of their group, which they wanted to recruit from the Nordic regions. Their primary foes would most likely be the swarths of vikings attacking European shores after all, so getting a warrior from a kingdom near their homeland should provide them with crucial information and connections to combat then in their own land. They expected a long and arduous journey to find their final member, but fate seemingly wanted them to have some rest from their previously complicated recruitment processes. Upon travel to the court of the Swedish King Yngvi, one of his knights Hjalmar, known for his strength and valiance, immediately volunteered. Not only was he starved for adventure staying at his king's palace, he had also grown weary of the king himself. You see, Hjalmar was deeply in love with the king's daughter Ingeborg and despite the love they had for each other and the dutiful service he provided, the king always refused, apparently wanting a son-in-law with an even greater reputation. This was evident in how, even as the group was leaving, Yngvi tried to convince Astolfo to marry Ingeborg, which Astolfo declined for a countless number of reasons.