Caomh Meyrick

Name: Caomh Meyrick
Nickname: Caomh

Titles: Witch-King of Vrazasos, Ard Ri of Rovoma

Age: Unknown
Species: Unknown
Home World: Norivya
Homeland: The Bad Lands
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Omnisexual
Height: 6'4"
Hair Color: Brown
Eye color: Blue

Past

Consider the cradle of civilization, The Bad Lands were once rich and fertile. but that changed suddenly. While there are countless stories of what happened, it is widely accepted that it was the pursuit of power that brought The Bad Lands to its current condition--a place many consider ill-suited for life. They are not mistaken in this belief. Life within The Bad Lands is more difficult than anywhere else, but despite what some might have others believe it still exist. The presence of Caomh's people is proof of this. They like the other people of the world have their own stories of what happened to The Bad Lands. Whether or not their versions are more accurate than the other is a matter of debate. 

According to their stories, it was Adina--Queen of Valyria--who was responsible for The Bad Lands current condition. It is said that she sought to bind various magical creatures--including dragons--to her. She succeeded with many of her attempts, harnessing the powers of these different creatures for herself. However, no matter how hard she tried she was unable to bind a dragon to herself. Refusing the accept this, Adina in her relentless attempt to bind a dragon to her is said to have hunted them to extinction or near it. Whatever the case, it is said that it was these attempts that made The Bad Lands into what it is now. The stories say that Adina along with a large number of the people who had lived within the area fled away from The Bad Lands to seek refuge elsewhere. Those that remained behind became Caomh's people.

Whether it was just Valyrians or everyone during that age, but the men of Valyria were said to possess magic. Not all men had magic, or rather more accurately not all men had access to their magic. Valyrian males didn't usually discover whether or not they had access to their magic until they hit puberty, and if they did, they were bonded to a female. Woman of Valyria didn't possess magic. Instead, they had something called talent, and every female had access to it. An outside observer might believe that the two were one in the same. However, the different between magic and talent is this. Magic comes from within while talent is drawn from elsewhere. The Valyrians believed that if a male possessing magic wasn't bonded to a female that he will eventually be driven insane by his magic, and that could spell disaster for the world. 

Over the course of Valyria's history, what was considered a mutually beneficial arrangement became corrupt. Men became second-class citizen and female became cruel mistresses who delighted in reminding men of their inferiority. It was only after Adina began binding various magical creatures to herself that Valyrian men saw a way to get out from beneath women's boots. and that was by binding themselves to magical creatures just as Adina did. There were those who argued against this, claiming that the binding was just as necessary for woman as it was for men, but opposition denied these claims due to the sole fact that no female suffered any dire consequences from being unbound. In fact, it was speculated due to the number of magical men compared to talented women that the majority of Valyrian women were in fact unbounded.  

Those that were against the idea of binding with magical creatures only somewhat protested the idea because they didn't think it would come into fruition. They didn't think the various magical creatures that populated Norivya would agree to such an arrangement after the horrors Adina inflected upon them, and they weren't wrong. There might have been a few members of the various magical creatures that had agreed to the arrangement, but not enough to make it a viable choice. This, however, didn't deter those who wished stop binding themselves to women, and eventually they found beings that were willing to be bond to man. These beings were not natives to Norivya, but instead resided within the void that exist between realms. Some might call them demons. These beings agreed to the binding because it would give them a way into the world, and that was something they highly cultivated. 

Not only those who were against the idea of ceasing binding men to women protested against the idea of performing such a ritual with these creatures but non Valyrians did as well. They believed only disaster would come from such an arrangement but try as they might they could not stop it. Those who had wanted to free themselves from the tyranny of woman had their way, and for a while it appeared to be the perfect solution. These beings gave those who were bond to them not only great freedom but forbidden knowledge as well. It was these beings that not only told them that all males had magic, but also taught them how to active it within those who did not do it themselves when they hit puberty. However, cracks have appeared that raised the suspicion that all not well in paradise. 

There are those that believe these beings are using the binding ritual to claim possession of those souls who have been bond to them, but so far, they have only deduced that it was likely for some nefarious reason and that their desire to gain possession of souls is the reason why they had taught Caomh's people have to active the magic within those who didn't do it themselves when they hit puberty. They tried to warn others, but they were regarded as nothing more than propagandist trying to return to the days where men lived beneath the boots of women. It was believed that those who wished for this to happen were women who wished to reclaim lost glory as their position among the people had lessened significantly. There are those who claim that it has done a completely one-eighty, and woman are now considered the second-class citizen. or worse nothing more than something for men to squirt their sons into. 

Regardless of how true these claims were, it is appeared that these void beings have little interest within women and their talent. Still, females receive training. Through, it is not nearly as extensive as the males, but both genders share in the fact that their position among the people further determine the level of training they receive. It is believed the higher standing one have among the people the more worthy they are of the void knowledge. One's position among the people is highly hereditary, and it is believed that it either comes from the day of Queen Adina or the void beings determined it during the early days of their arrangement. Despite the hereditary nature of the people, it is not uncommon for one's position to shift drastically. It is quite easy for one to lose their high standing if it is believed they are not worthy of the position. Just as one's standing can be raised if it is believed that doing so will greatly benefit the people.

This is what happened to Caomh's mother. She was born within a lower status among the people, and for the first twenty years of her life she was regarded in the manner that someone with her standing would. There are those might cultivate a higher standing, but not Caomh's mother. She was quite happy with her place among the people. She was a rather introverted individual and enjoyed the anonymity that her status granted her. This all changed when her lover and the father of her three daughters caught the ire of one of the witch-kings. A witch-king was the ultimate power among the people, and it was the only position that couldn't be stripped simply for not living up to standards. The only way a witch-king loses his status is through death. The exact numbers of witch-kings are constantly fluctuating, but there is never just one. 

However, the status of being the only one is highly cultivated by the witch-kings, and as such they are constantly fighting each other in an attempt to get closer to this goal. They are known to be extremely volatile, and as such it came to no surprise that the lover of Caomh's mother had caught one's wrath. The witch-king went to strike the source of his annoyance down, but Caomh's mother stepped between the two and with nothing more than a look made the witch-king stop in his tracks. It was only momentary thing, but enough that her lover could retreat to safety.  The witch-king was outraged over what had just happened. He didn't like being made to look like a fool and he went to strike a killing blow upon Caomh's mother for daring to challenge him like they were equals. Once again, he found his attempt being thwarted. 

This time it was by another witch-king, who upon seeing how Caomh's mother stood up to someone superior to her decided he must have her for his own. He slid his sword into the other's back.  An act that was considerably unbecoming but wasn't outright forbidden. He then seized Caomh's mother and took her away to become one of his concubines. His mother wanted nothing to do with this position and try as they could the other concubines couldn't convince her accept the honor of being chosen. It wasn't just the fact that she wished to return to her lover and three young daughters or the fact that being a witch-king's concubine stripped her of the anonymity that she had so enjoyed, but also the fact that her life was now tied to the witch-king who claimed her. When a witch-king dies all their concubines were sentence to death in order to follow him into the afterlife and attend to his needs there.

The only way to escape this fate was being claimed by another witch-king, but they were unlikely to do this as it was believed that the deceased witch-king could use his concubines to return to the mortal realm--especially those who might have borne his children. The same thing was believed of the children that the witch-king had, and any male under a certain age and all females shared their mothers' fate upon news of their father's death. For several years, she tried and failed to escape the witch-king's clutches, but that all changed when she found herself pregnant. While she wished to return to her three daughters, she knew they were safe where they were at, but she knew her unborn child would not be provided the same security. While being the child of a witch-king provided one with untold privileges. there were countless dangerous that came with the status. 

It wasn't just the fact that depending on the child's gender and age that it would be killed when its father was, but the fact that a witch-king often made their children--especially male--to cultivate their position within his court. A witch-king child often went after each other in much the same manner that a witch-king went after another witch-king. Caomh's mother did not wish for her unborn child to be raised and shaped by such an environment, and so she did what she was secretly starting to believe was impossible and escape from the witch-king who had captured her. However, as much as she wished to return to her family, she did not. She knew that the one who had held her for all those years would suspect she would return to them. and while she wished to warn them, she believed the less they knew the better their chances of escaping their encounter with the witch-king unscathed. 

She, also, knew that she couldn't come for them and bring them with her--even through there was no doubt within her mind that she could convince them to follow her--because doing so would put them in more danger than sending them words of her escape. The witch-king would kill them upon discovering them with her, believing they had aided in her escape--even if all evidence pointed to the contrary. She believed that the only way to ensure that her unborn child was free of its father's hold was to flee the Bad Lands altogether. She didn't know much about the land outside The Bad Lands, but she knew those outside were less likely to return her to the witch-king in order to curry favor and this was truer the further away from the Bad Lands she got. 

While traveling she heard stories of another land across a vast sea, but she went into labor before she could catch one of these ships. She had every intention of resuming this plan once she had given birth, but as her labor progressed the likelihood that either she or her child survive the progress was slim. They might have fared a better chance if she hadn't decided to give birth alone in some back alley, but despite the knowledge that those outside her homeland were less likely to return her to the witch-king there was enough possibility of it happening that she couldn't risk asking them for aid. However, when all seemed to be lost, help arrived within the form of a woman that appeared to be her age. This woman not only help both Caomh and his mother survive the birthing process but nursed his mother afterwards.

Their relationship blossomed after that, and Caomh's mother referred to the woman as her true love. Caomh called her mama, and like the one who had given birth to him she devoted herself completely to the role of motherhood. Their life was a happy one for the first eight years of Caomh's life, but his mother's worst nightmare came to pass--the witch-king discovering their location came to collect them himself. Both Caomh's mothers made it perfectly clear when he did that they would die before allowing him to succeed. The witch-king was more than happy to grant their wish because while he wished to reclaim both his son and Caomh's mother. he would willingly sacrifice the mother for his son. Caomh watched in horrors as his entire world was turned upside down and then he was whisked away to a world he only knew from the stories his mother had told him, because while his mother had wished to put as much distance between them and the Bad Lands, she did wish for her son to understand his heritage.

More than that, while she hoped that when he reached puberty that he didn't develop magic she knew there was a possibility that he would, and she believed that having the knowledge about his heritage would help him know what to do if he happened to develop magic and she wasn't around. Caomh's father believed that being brought up outside The Bad Lands made him soft, and he expected Caomh to end up the victim of one of his other sons. This did not happen because despite everyone thinking that being brought up outside The Bad Lands being his biggest hinderance, it was his greatest weapon. Not only that, but he also possessed his mother's skill of rendering someone still with a mere look. It didn't take him long to win the position of his father's favorite. It was an honor that Caomh wanted nothing to do with. He didn't play the game to curry favor or to prove himself better than his siblings. He did it so he could one day kill the man who destroyed his happy family. 

The day his vengeance became realized came shortly after his binding ritual. He was one of the few of his father's sons who develop magic naturally upon hitting puberty and as such he was giving the honor of being bond to the more powerful beings of those who his people had made the arrangement with all those years ago. It wasn't just the fact he had develop magic naturally that gave him this so-called honor but also the fact he was the son of a witch-king. It was within this bonding ritual that Caomh realized that the stories about the deception of these beings were true, and the witch-kings that ruled over the people were actually these beings masquerading as man. Worse, he knew what happened to the soul of those who had the binding ritual done upon them. It was in short absorbed by the being who it became bonded to. This was not a fate that Caomh wished to suffer. He had unfinished business.

The being he ended up being bonded to made it perfectly clear that all those who had been bond to it since the people made the arrangement shared this thought, and every last one of them were absorbed. There was nothing he could do to prevent the same thing from happening to him. He was just a mere man, and this made him powerless compared to the beings of the void. In fact, any who freely walked the mortal plane were powerless compared to those of the void. Much to the being's shock, Caomh did not respond to these words in the same manner that the others it had absorbed. They didn't lessen his resolve, nor did it send him into blind fury that made him easier to consume. Still, the being didn't think that this would mean that Caomh would succeed where countless others have failed. However, that was exactly what Caomh did. Not only that he ended up absorbing the one that tried to absorb him. He was changed in the process. He is unclear what he has become, but it is perfectly clear that he is no longer human.

From the looks upon the faces of all those who had undergone the ritual themselves and gathered to bear witness to Caomh's own, he knew they realized what he had done, and fearing they might kill him decided to do them in before the initial shock wore off. He cast a spell that decimated everyone within a radius of his ritual. Unfortunately, many innocent lives were caught within, but he told himself that their deaths were for the greater good. He claimed his father's title of his own and waited to see what the others might do. 

Present

Those beings who had not been there for his ritual quickly realized that he was not one of them. They had a way of knowing one of their own, but they didn't try to strip him of the title of witch-king. He had earned that fair and square when he had killed his father, but they made it perfectly clear they did not like it. They were divided over what should be done with him. There were those among them that thought he should be killed, or at the very least somehow removed. They feared that he was going to summon a gathering of the clans and reveal the truth to the mortals. Those who disagreed said that even if he did the mortals weren't going to believe him any more than all the others. Instead, they should use him. There was no doubt that his powers would be very beneficial towards their goals. Those who thought he should somehow be removed didn't think he would be pliable enough to use. In the end, they agreed to wait and see.

It didn't take long for it to become clear that Caomh wasn't going to be their puppet, and worse he made his opposition clear. The final straw came with him returning his clan to the way the binding had been done before the people made the deal with these beings. They decided to remove him from the picture before the mortals summoned a gathering of the clans to uncover why Caomh had decided to return to the old ways, but after many failed assassination attempts, they decided to banish him to the deepest recesses of the void--a place that even they feared to tread. Once he was gone, they granted his title to one of their own and convince the people that the stories of one of the clans returning to the old ways had been nothing more than a rumor. 

They believed that Caomh would spend the rest of eternity lost within the deepest recesses of the void, and that his clan would fall right back into place. They were wrong on both accounts. His clan had become extremely loyal to him and rejected the authority of the one who had been granted his title. The void beings tried many things to get them to fall in line, but nothing worked. In fact, their effort only seemed to have the opposite effect. It was eventually decided they should just get rid of the entire clan but like with their attempts upon Caomh they found themselves failing with their effort. They concluded that they should just pretend they didn't exist and focus on convincing the other clans not to follow the same path. 

As for Caomh, he was bound and determined to escape his imprisonment, and return the favor to those void beings. Time within the void--especially within the deepest recesses--works very differently than it does within the mortal realm. By the time Caomh managed to escape, it felt as if he had been there only a moment yet eternity all at once. Worse, he found himself within a world that clearly wasn't Norivya. Figuring if he could get to another world that he could get back to his own, and that was exactly what he did. Through, it did take him some time to find his way back and when he did centuries had passed. He expected not to find even remnants of his clan, but he discovered they had developed into the country of Rovoma. 

Concluding he didn't like what they had become after watching them from the shadows for a while, Caomh removed the current leaders in a manner similar to the way he killed all those void beings when he first exited his ritual. This means he killed them all swiftly but in such a way that many innocent lives were lost, yet once again he told himself it was for the greater good. He claimed the title of Rovoma's highest authority for himself as well as reclaimed the title he held before he had been banished. The latter was done to let the other witch-kings know he had returned, and he was coming for them. It might be said that he should annihilate them in the similar manner he had done twice before, but he wants them to have no doubt he will be responsible for their demise. 

Pictures

Face Portrayed By: Richard Madden