Eachainn McDougall

Marquis of Dunvegan (AC 1000)

Duke of Hightower (AC 1016)

Gold Dracologist of the Third Circle

AC 1000

"Everyone is good at something!"

Appearance

Lord Eachainn McDougall is a tall, athletic man with a thick beard and short, black hair. On the one hand he looks almost like a wealthy peasant, on the other hand, he is charismatic warrior and a daydream of all the ladies of Dunvegan. His mundane charisma makes him an excellent leader and ruler, but is strongly out of fashion in the jet set of the capital.

The Marquis is a combination of mundane and arcane. In private, he both oppresses magocracy and enjoys his magical abilities immensely. To show his sympathy for the lower classes of the society, he usually wears cheapish clothes, usually of a similar style that his underlings use. His favorite colors are yellow and brown, due to his Dracology. Yes, Lord Eachainn is very strongly out of fashion.

Personality & Quirks

Lord Eachainn is both humble peasant or soldier, and a genius tactician. Although he is not the master of etiquette, his good manners never fail him. He is always friendly to anyone except his rare enemies. If he has enemies within Glantri, he tries to ignore them. If he has foreign enemies, he usually is allowed to kill them. Mostly, he tries not to have enemies.

Marquis Eachainn has an exemplary common sense. He could be a master engineer, a master shipwright, a master smith, a master whatever, but he has become known as a master tactician. He was a talent when Prince Jaggar von Drachenfels of Aalban noticed him, and after that, he has become the second-best military leader in the Principalities. He is a humble man, so he just considers himself lucky to be gifted leader.

One side of Lord Eachainn's common sense is that he despises the power-struggles within the Country. He is little interested in politics, having left that to his spokesmen, who practically always vote in support for House of Crownguard. Still, Lord Eachainn tries to keep as neutral as possible, seldom taking personal sides in any conflict.

Eachainn McDougall is a good man. He obeys the spirit of the law, the letter of the law, his sense of justice and tries to make the world a better place. He never lies, even white lies are rare. And he always keeps his promises and oaths, latter of which he does relatively often.

Still, the Marquis has two weak spots. He is fond of beer, the dark stouts of Klantyre and Dunvegan. If he has a free evening, anyone who knows him can make him drink himself under the table. He never leaves from a fun party, unless he is the last guest or the host clearly shows that the party is over. He also has a habit of bickering with everyone who drinks Aalbanese lager. The other thing is that he is a gambler, especially when he is drunk. He likes to bet on always anything, and can be found from the s gambling house of Sire Henri d'Ambreville when he visits the City. The Marquis always pays his debts. It is probable that sooner or later he will be indebted to Henri.

Background

The McDougalls are one of the stronger clans of Klantyre. Lord Eachainn's family has always been a loyal supporter of the McGregors, holding important positions, being castellans and seneschals, as they have been more warriors than wizards. They had been rewarded by the County of Glenargyll much earlier.

As Krinagars became the rulers of Skullhorn Pass, the Houses of Ritterburg, Silverston, and Linden and the Clan of Alhambra decided that someone not of Ethengar descent should guard the other end of the Skullhorn Pass. Council accepted the demand, but required the four houses to pay for the construction of a castle securing the western end. The Order of Radiance demanded the dominion to be a Marquisate, so a great quarrel ensued on who would be the Marquis of Dunvegan. Finally, it was voted that the Count most proficient in the art of war would be chosen. And that happened to be Count Eachainn of Glenargyll, which in turn became the dominion of McAllister family.

Web of Intrigue

Lord Eachainn is a man of divided loyalties. His family has always served McGregors, but his sense of justice and friendship draw him towards houses of Ritterburg and even Ellerovyn. Before he became the Marquis, he swore fealty to Prince Brannart of Klantyre, and he will not break the oath even if it forces him to betray Glantri, as the earlier oath Counts stronger. Brannart, of course, has no intentions of releasing him from the vow.

Lord Eachainn has some allies. He and Count Urmahid Krinagar of Skullhorn Pass have strong mutual trust, even though they are not actually friends. Hence, the House of Singhabad (and later also the House Krinagar) supports him. He respects also Lord Qenildor Erewan, with whom he has fought many practice battles.

Sir Duncan McGregor and Sir Bruce McGregor are also good friends of Lord Eachainn. However, if he ever learns of their contacts with the Followers of the Claymore or Bruce's illegal clericism, he will cut all the ties with them. He does not want to betray his friends, but also not to work with criminals as he has sworn to be loyal to Crownguard.

Style of Magic & Combat

Statistics: 11th-level mage, Gold Dracologist of the 3rd Circle; Str 14, Int 16, Wis 13, Dex 12, Con 15, Cha 15; AL L (D&D), LG (AD&D).

Languages: Kaelic, Thyatian (Glantrian and Aalbanese dialects), and a bit of Ethengarian (Krondaharan dialect).

Skills: drinking, gambling, military tactics, military history, reading/writing, riding (land-based), riding (air-borne/dragon, pegasus), spellcraft.

Weapon Proficiencies: dagger, short sword, sabre.

Lord Eachainn's magic is a mixture of the arcane and the mundane. He prefers combat spells which let him do the work himself, spells like haste and his Dracologist abilities. He is not too interested in spell creation, but he has invented two strong combat spells, which have made him famous.

Eachainn's sabre of light creates a rapier-like sword of pure energy (red or green), which is weightless and easy to use. Lord Eachainn and Prinz Jaggar have had some public shows fencing with these spells, which have left the Belcadizans amazed. Eachainn's silver armor creates a weightless shining plate mail, which he uses when leading his troops to war. And after he met a vampire who almost took his life, he also developed Eachainn's sun dagger.

"The only good mage is a dead mage—but keep your swords away from Eachainn."

(Sir Duncan McGregor to younger Followers of the Claymore)

References: Spells of Eachainn McDougall

Author: Markus Olavi Montola