by Lidellia
Five years ago, no one knew his name. And now? Well, it seems that everyone you meet has an opinion on the man.
“Cowan Faol stands for all that is wrong with the world – youthful extravagance and disrespect, promiscuity, and the blatant destruction of proven tradition.”
“The human condition is one of vast potential – no one represents that so vividly as Lord Cowan Faol.”
“He’s a dream. (Sigh).”
He is a man of paradox.
Born to a family of peasants, he now moves among the highest of society.
Incredibly young, at only twenty-three years, he possesses more magical capability than people four times his age.
And lacking in formal education, he has gathered enough learning that he could rival most sages in broadness of knowledge.
Who is this man, where did he come from? And how is our world made different with a mage of such potency walking among us?
It is said that no better route exists for learning of a thing than to travel to its source, so I did just that, and proudly publish below the first official interview with the Archmage.
I met him in his favorite restaurant, La Caravelle, where he insisted on buying both our meals. I then did all I could to delve deeply into the man behind the mage. Here’s what I discovered.
Archmage. That’s quite a title for one so young.
Well, I started when I was sixteen. Magical practice was outlawed then, of course, so I just snuck into Selarum every An Maad and studied with a man I had met there. He was old – the typical mage-ish sort, and pretty serious. But I think he was sort of enchanted with my youthful exuberance and excitement, and he taught me a lot.
Do you still know him?
Hmm. That’s a sad tale. He was accused of sorcery and I couldn’t see him any more. I believe he was exiled.
I’ve heard that you grew up in a peasant family.
True. But my parents are pretty open-minded. Only one of us children has continued with the peasant way of life, and I don’t think they’re disappointed with that.
Do they live like kings now?
I actually don’t see them as often as I should. But I’d certainly deny them nothing. To tell the truth, I think they enjoy the simpler life, and would probably prefer their cottage to any sort of huge house with servants.
Speaking of wealth, rumor has it that you’re fairly well-to-do yourself. Is that true?
After my teacher was put to trial, I took what he had taught me and set off to become an adventurer. I went to Neraha, and some events there led me on a whole series of exploits. That was the first time that I met Lillian, and also ran across of a lot of treasure. So yes, in answer to your question.
One of the most talked-about aspects of your life is your connection with Queen Lillian. Just what is your relation to her?
We’re friends. We met, and helped each other achieve our dreams. Lillian has a strange sort of inner power. I mean, I’m not sure if there’s anyone alive right now who could match my power. But when I’m around her, I always feel younger and a little foolish and insecure.
Insecure?
Believe it or not, insecurity was a big problem for me for a long time. Not just because it was a part of my nature, but because having magic can be very similar to having a lot of gold. You never know if people like you for you, or merely because of what you can do for them. My problems were so overwhelming that I left civilization for an entire year, and went to an island I know of to be by myself and do some searching into my needs, strengths, and weaknesses as a person. It was rather excruciating to be away from people so long, and I probably went a bit mad, but in the end it gave me a perspective on life that I don’t think I could have arrived at by any other means.
I’ve heard about that. A group of people left Aranor about a moon ago to go searching for the island you stayed on. They think that if they spend some time there, they will absorb some of the magical energy you left.
Weird. I didn’t know that. I wonder why they don’t just try to stand close to me a lot or something.
You’re criticized by quite a few people. One of the biggest cries against you is that you’re basically a rogue, out to get girls, and that your magic is little more than a tool to meet that end. Rumors are out there that you’ve had romances with such people as Queen Ennea, Queen Lillian, and Princess Meagan.
People love drama, Lidellia. Any time a person gains even a modicum of fame, they become liked by many and hated by many. And anyone who acknowledges your fame will tend to spread stories about you. But it’s true that I love romance. Women are beautiful creatures, and I find them endlessly fascinating. As for my magic being used for nothing but wooing? Well, let’s just say there have been plenty of times I’ve been fighting in defense of Aranor when I would rather have been impressing some lady with a bit of illusion. What I’d like to use my magic for and what I feel compelled to use it for are often two different sorts of breeds. But in truth I do love Aranor, and Queen Lillian as well, and take my responsibilities pretty seriously.
You’ve gathered imposters. People get illusioned up, do a few spells and claim to be Cowan Faol. It can earn them a lot of gold or the bed of a pretty girl. Does this bother you?
Those girls should be mine! Actually, I haven’t caught scent of any of that of late. It’s been a bit of a dilemma trying to figure out how I’d deal with it. I suppose it gets pretty tiresome to have to make up for all sorts of mistakes that you didn’t even make, or to deal with a reputation that someone else has made for you. If I found someone who was doing it, I’d probably make them wish they hadn’t been.
You’re smiling as you say that. You don’t seem too serious.
You’re supposed to record my words, not my smiles! Oh well. To be honest, I’m not really the meanest person. I have a very soft heart, and like to believe in the goodness of people. But there’s the Red Wolf side of me, as well, which is the rather vicious side that comes out when I’m dealing with people I really have a problem with. For instance, I’m completely opposed to rape, and punish it with arcane severity wherever I encounter it. So I’m trying to invoke the Red Wolf image more often in public, just to engender a little fear and respect. It’s great to be beneficent, but when everyone loves you it’s hard to walk down the road. So I’m creating unknowing agents of Cowan-hatred. All those people who make those nasty remarks about me? Well, they don’t know it, but secretly they’re doing exactly what I want them to!
Nice outlook.
Outlook is the key to happiness. If magic teaches one thing, it is that the world is shaped by our perceptions of it. Everyone’s a magician, in that their attitudes affect their perception of life. If I go into a shoppe and smile at the person behind the counter, I can often get them to smile in return, and that smile can spread to others. I could use a spell to manipulate a person’s emotions, but why do that when the magic of a simple smile will work just as well?
One last question. There’s a lot of talk lately about emerging Fae and the growth of magic in the world. You are doubtless very attuned to the waxing and waning of such forces. What’s your view of all this talk?
If my observations and my intuition are working as they should, I’d say with little doubt that we’re on the edge of a new age of shifting powers and influences. It’s true that magic is growing in the world – powerful users of magic, not all of them good, are coming more and more into my awareness. Half a year ago I dealt with Hajara the Bandit, who had made quite a reputation for himself in the Old World. And I found, in confronting him, that he was of a powerful magical nature, with ties to Lorenai. When I went down to cleanse Gwynned, I encountered a strange magical creature who was attempting to influence a massive number of displaced mages and majae. He, unlike Hajara, escaped me. Gwynned was also overflowing with Fae influence. I found all the abandoned cities very populated with Fae, which should have taken probably over a hundred years to happen in a normal situation. You see, humans leave a certain ‘feel’, even after they’ve abandoned a place. But this was no more than three years later, and the Fae were sleeping in beds not long ago used by humans. The Fae are becoming more brazen.
If you observe politics, you’ll also notice that there are whispers of strife growing. Maelmuire waxes stronger, Casara is closing its doors to the outside world more firmly than ever, and we’re seeing Japuran influence, unheard of before Queen Lillian’s reign, in numerous shoppes and restaurants. Add to that the fact that most of the established provinces fear Lillian’s impact, toss in the rising possibility of new provinces being discovered, and we have a political situation that grows swiftly more unpredictable.
Do you foresee trouble in the future?
That I could not say. Things grow restless as people grow more complacent. Our lives have become rather safe, free of war and disease. If the world does decide to challenge us, I only hope that we are worthy of the battle.
Cowan also left me with stories of his adventures, and we compared notes on various magical principles. We've agreed on a future interview that will focus on the nature of magic and reality. For me, an older and well-respected majae, I could sense a little of that feeling that is whispered among magical circles. How can we, with our age and experience, come to terms with acknowledging such a young and rakish fellow as our magical superior?
Still, I left feeling flattered and enlightened. Cowan attests that he has much to learn, and that he is working mostly on talent, and does not command the knowledge of magical history or technicalities that is shared by some of his older peers. In my thought, if we are to have a mage of such power in the world, we could do worse than to have that power housed in Lord Cowan Faol.