1811
-title Hwaldar, Wizard and Fevered Mind
edronos
The following scrawl and musings regard the wizard Hwaldar, who, upon his expulsion from the Mage's Guild and subsequent return, has created a great stir within the ranks of magi and Undead alike. Furthermore, these notes reflect on recent events before and up to Ahad, 15th of Suns Smile, 1305, a nd inqure into the actions and mental state of Hwaldar, the fallen Archmage.  :: Hwaldar and Whisperer are two names that cannot be said without the other being brought up , especially in a conversation regarding the Mage's Guild. Both men are responsible for, if not at least held in relation to, the recent strife within and surrounding the council and academy of magi. This first connection, their shared ire for the Guild, is clear, but there are others, and they all build to strange conclusions. Hwaldar once told me that he and Whisperer are close friends and, indeed, that may be true, but I believe there may be other explanations. In short, the two men may be the same, yet splintered mind. ::  Let me begin with some backstory.  I first met Hwaldar outside the iron and diamond portcullis to the Tower in the north. He, of course, was on the other side, telling me only mages were allowed inside. That didn't stop me, but that's an irrelevant matter for another time. Our conversation ended with me adding that one day,  Hwaldar may just welcome me inside, if only for company. Many weeks passed, and though I had achieved welcome into the Tower, it was not by Hwladar. In fact, the man had vanished and was expelled from the Guild. For a while, I thought that would be the last I heard of the Archmage. :: Some time after my first conversation with Hwaldar, I met with one who calls himself "Whisperer". He's a strange, albeit interesting character with supposed ties with the Undead, who he has qualms with, along with the mages (See "On Whisperer and Other Strange Matters" for more details). Several times while traveling with Whisperer, he remarked on mages, the Undead, and the whole of Aegis. :: Despite his world knowledge, many experiences seemed very much new to him. The concept of names and naming was beyond him, and he frequently used the terms "disfigured" or "disfigurement" to describe and indicate people or the environment. However, he specifically stopped outside of a Mage's Guildhouse in Laurelin. His hatred toward the mages wasn't some abstract story.  It was specific to the Mage's Guild. Since then, Whisperer tasked me with setting up a meet between he and Bell, a seemingly popular figure in Aegis, to discuess "the truth". ::  Not long after Whisperer's unrest, Hwaldar returned to me, with a simlar hatred for the Guild. Interestingly, he admitted that he and Whisperer are close friends, and even went as far to imply that he created Whisperer with his mind, if not several minds. Since then, Hwaldar has been brewing mischeif in attempts to raise himself up or splinter the Guild. Thusly, the connections find themselves. :: Both men have always contacted me seperately, as in there was only one, and never both. However, while the men never share obvious company, they share beliefs, dislikes, and circumstances. For example, both have some arcane and rueful connection to Bell, who gladly reciprocates her frustrations. Whisperer claimed she was a "sister", as she was once Ascended.  As far as Hwaldar goes, she has taken up a position as Archmage at the Guild, much to his anger. Both Whisperer and Hwaldar claim to have been tricked and stolen from by the mages. In Whisperer's case, he claims that the mages are responsible for many lost lives and the theft of the Tower after he himself rebuilt it.  As for Hwaldar, he was tricked out of his position as Archmage, again, by the mages. Also, word has slipped that Hwaldar may be a sleeper agent of the Undead,  thus connecting him with the ties Whisperer claimed to have, despite Whisperer having supposedly severing them. In fact, Whisperer may remain allied with the Undead, but that is irrelavent to the subject at hand. :: It is clear that both Whisperer and Hwaldar are tied closely together, but in what manner remains to be seen.  Is Whisperer a dissociative splinter of a once sane mind? Has Hwaldar suffered some personal cataclysm that helped spawn this alter? Maybe Whisperer is a clever ruse meant to serve some mysterious gains.  Maybe they are truly two different entities, despite ever-stacking evidence. If Hwaldar survives cleanly through the spate of wrath he faces from the Mage's Guild, time may just tell. However, if Hwaldar's mind has truly torn, and all irrational behavior can be explained in him, the situation poses one last question: How would the fevered mind of an old mage be dealth with?