Excerpt from Caithness, 1840-2040: The Age of Steel (2290)

With the return of Malcolm, Lord Wallace, from his unexpected exile, the fortunes of Caithness began to shift. Where before Conall VI faced constant internecine warfare between his newly unified barons, he had also had no one to actively unite the factions who opposed him. Malcolm would change this. Newly returned from the Huallapan world where he had seen the Vasar threat firsthand and knew what the fate of Yrth was to be if the senseless rivalries continued, Malcolm was unexpectedly fearless in his endeavours, whether it was facing the invaders or his own allies who wished to unseat Conall.

Malcolm was helped in this due to the constant advise he received from of the most memorable characters in all of Caithness history, the flamboyant herald-mage known even today only by the name given to him by his fans. Magnifico (birth and death dates unknown) was accused by Wallace’s rivals as manipulating the young lord with both chicanery and magery, though these accusations could never be proven. Documents from this time frequently referenced the man’s contributions, even if they were slanted according to the composer. One of Conall’s chief advisers, Lord Berd of Fordham, had the following to say of Magnifico:

“He [Wallace] entered the camp with a small group of retainers but it was his fool who drew the most eyes. I witnessed firsthand how this man dressed in motley colors dazzled the mind with words and twisted one’s intent. Though I urged His Majesty to have the fool slain it was to the kingdom’s regret that I was ignored.” ¹

Wallace himself was once asked of his trust of the fool in the presence of a Church scribe and had the following to say:

“Magnifico makes me laugh when I would weep, sob when I would laugh, and reminds me that all men must face their Maker when He wills it. A man could have worse advisers in this world.” ²

Whether it was due to Magnifico’s recommendations that led to the all too brief unification of Caithness under a single banner remains a mystery. Some, including Gabriel Auditore, a free sword and master of the blade better known for his connection to the various legends of the Hooded Man (see sidebar: The Hooded Man), believed that to be the case:

“After seeing what this king’s men do in his name, I would have told Wallace to spit in the man’s face or offer to face him in single combat, but instead, the man chose to ally with the crown. I expect Magnifico to be behind this or perhaps Mendel.” ³

Very few of Wallace’s contemporaries could have predicted what would happen next.

—

¹ Collected Writings of Berd, Lord Fordham (Caithness Royal Library)

² Wallace: Thunder in the Mountains (2195, Caemlyn Press.) Modern historians now question the legitimacy of this quote which has been attributed to a half dozen other close advisers to Malcolm, Lord Wallace, during his life, including Abbot Mendel (believed to have died in 2026, although inconsistencies within Church records indicate that there might have been two men of this name during this era.)

³ From The Collected Writings of Gabriel Auditore, Revised Edition published by Caemlyn University. The incident Auditore references in this excerpt is unclear but most historians expect he is referring to the various atrocities so common in this era.