Logout () Login · Change Password

view · edit · upload · history · print

Kwenz Sonscarna

Kwenz is the older brother of Shnit Sonscarna, king of Chwahirsland also known as Land of the Chwahir. He is the only brother to survive Shnit's ambition, because he easily ceded any claim on the throne when they were teens. Kwenz's single ambition was to be left alone to study magic. He willingly tutored his little brother, who learned in ferocious spurts and starts--not everything, but primarily destructive magic.

When their great-uncle died of old age, Shnit persuaded Kwenz to take the Shadowland below the cloud capital of Mearsies Heili. This "Shadowland" was scarcely as big as a border outpost--which in fact it was, only in enemy territory--but the attraction for Kwenz was that it was reasonably quiet, very far from the troubles of the homeland. He could thus do the research his brother wanted for new spells to aid the homeland, which was steadily worsening under crushing drought and ruined soil after years and years of magically-enhanced, and then accelerated, forced growth of crops, plus the miasmic effect of layers of wards and protection spells that seemed to poison the sunlight and air.

Chwahirsland was on the verge of total disaster, but Shnit had made plans for that from early childhood: of course the solution was to extend the borders, especially into rich Colend directly south. Meanwhile, Kwenz was to do everything possible to annex the little kingdom of Mearsies Heili, which would make a good start, and then take the neighboring kingdoms, none of which had much in the way of protection.

Kwenz made sporadic tries, but always in the form of experiments. His most successful attempt--he actually got control of the kingdom by an enchantment trap for its queen, Clair Sherwood--was a plan put together and run by his heir, Jilo Sonscarna. Jilo, selected in later life when Kwenz felt the pressure of time, was as scholarly as he--in fact, had somehow, in a culture starved for art, begun life sketching what he saw around him.

Kwenz's other attempts were slap-dash at best, cobbled together when Shnit got angry and pressured him for results, but at the same time, Shnit was also agitating for stronger spells to prolong their lives, as both felt the pull of time. Only Norsunder could materially extend lives, but neither was willing to resort to them: Kwenz because he distrusted them, Shnit because he did not want anyone giving him commands.

Kwenz's occasional forays into Mearsies Heili were behavioral experiments as well as magical experiments: in fact, searches for just such spells led to a friendship with Latvian of Marloven Hess who was in a similar situation. But he tended to set these up and then go back to his regular studies, leaving things to unravel behind.

Shnit, enraged at his incompetence, often appeared to straighten things out, but he never stayed long. The truth was, he feared the extremely formidable magical protections bounding Mearsies Heili--thus he'd leave again, exhorting his brother to find a way to either negate these, or to harness their power. That was just the kind of experiment Kwenz liked best--though he was never successful, the information was too limited, and he was convinced the truth lay far back in history.

This was the state of affairs until Siamis Y Reverael made his first foray into Sartorias-deles, proving to Shnit and Kwenz that they had to obey Norsunder, there was no choice. After that, Kwenz was pretty much left to his own devices, as his brother began his own secret plans to thwart Norsunder from within.

Categories: Over the Sea || Mearsies Heili Bounces Back || Fleeing Peace || Firejive || Chwahir Shadowland || Sonscarna Family

Page last modified on May 10, 2013, at 11:54 AM