Manannan
From King's Quest Omnipedia
One day, when his first slave was 18 years old, he was caught in Manannan's secret magic lab, reading his spells. Fearing that the boy would use his own spells against him, he immediately killed him and picked another infant. To prevent this danger from happen again, by choice killed all of his servants as they reached age eighteen and picked another. Sometimes he was forced to shorten the cycle for some of the more precocious slaves. He even promised some of the slaves freedom if they followed orders, but his near perpetual anger and punishment of minor mistakes was enough that he never kept his promises.
He despised ignorance in his slaves so he taught them how to read, but he would only bring them the books which felt there was no danger to him in the slave reading. He did not allow them to choose their own books out of his library.
It was after one of these cycles that Manannan, decided to take revenge on King Graham of Daventry, for the king having rescued Valanice from his sister, Hagatha.[1] Manannan cast a sleep spell on the family while they were on a picnic on shores of Lake Maylie. While they slept he kidnapped the baby prince Alexander from his bassinet and returned to Llewdor (though some claim he kidnapped him from nursery). He named the child Gwydion, and made him his slave for seventeen long years.
However by kidnapping Alexander, Manannan made a terrible error. Gwydion was able to escape the clutches of Manannan, by learning several magic spells from The Sorcery of Old, and was able to turn Manannan into a cat.
While Manannan was not personally in control of the three-headed Dragon, he enjoyed watching its path of destruction across the lands on its way to the Kingdom of Daventry from afar, because of his hate of humanity.
Mordack then, captured the royal family in order to try to get Alexander to reverse the spell, but the poor Prince had no idea how he could do it. Once Graham traveled there to rescue his family and was inside Mordack's castle, Manannan (the cat) tried to get in his way. Graham gave him a fish and then captured him in a bag.
After the defeat of his brother Mordack at the hands of King Graham of Daventry, Manannan was never seen or heard from again and his fate remains unknown. It is quite possible that the sack remains in Mordack's castle containing the remains of a cat. It is also possible that the cat, Manannan, was able to escape by clawing his way out. It is even possible that he has been able to affect a cure fore his feline condition. And, if this is true, then Manannan may well be hiding someplace plotting his revenge. The fact that nothing had been heard of either Hagatha or Mananann since Graham destroyed their brother Mordack is likely a bad sign.[2]
His home in Llewdor was later occupied by Karlavaegen soon after Alexander's return home. He did not find any sign of Manannan when he moved into the house, as he had apparently left. He had apparently already moved into his brother's castle. Manannan's house is from where Derek communicates with Earth via the Eye Between the Worlds.
[edit] History in the Other World
On Earth, there are many stories about a most powerful weather wizard by the name of Manannan Mac Lir, after whom the Island of Man in the Irish Sea is named. It is said that Manannan had a magic horse that could travel easily accross both the land the waves, had a magic ship that could take him anywhere without the use of a sail or oar, raised storms at will, wore armor, which shone as bright as the sun and which could not be pierced, and possessed a cloak of invisibility-and these are just some of the wonders that surrounded him. It is also said that Mananan had a special fondness for the Irish. There are even stories that link Mananannan with a Welsh hero by the name of Gwydion. Curiously, he is said to be a most happy and generous wizards who brought happiness to all around him. This is quite unlike Daventry's Manannan.[3] Assuming they are the same being, something must have happened when he withdrew to Daventry that changed his personality.
[edit] Manannan in the Unofficial Games
In King's Quest II (AGDI), he is a brother in the Black Cloak Society, he had sent correspondence to Hagatha, asking about the plans of the Father.
According to King's Quest 2 ΒΌ, he hired strange men to kidnap Alexander for him, rather than kidnapping Alexander himself.
In IA's King Quest 3 remake Manannan hires a woman to kidnap Alexander for him rather than kidnapping Alexander himself. The woman brings him to dock where he is waiting. She asks for a reward from her master and is wiped out of existance. In this version of the story he also lies to Gwydion about his parents, saying that the lad had cursed his parents, and is lucky to be living in Manannan's house. During one of Manannan's journeys abroad leaving Gwydion alone, he visits his brother Mordack to discuss his plans to kill Alexander. Later a few months after Alexander returned home, his brother teleported into his home in order to retrieve him. Mordack then burned his home down to the ground.
According to King's Quest ZZT, somehow after the events of King's Quest 5, Manannan escaped from the sack Graham left him in, and he somehow was able to escape Mordack's Island and return back to his home on the Island of Llewdor(as opposed to the continent of Tanalore). Prince Alexander found him there on his way to defeat his cousin Ravenlos, and attempted to kill him once and for all, finding a note he had written to Ravenlos on his body, as well as a key to a chest that contained a Teleport Spell, and scroll with the Cone of Cold spell.
However unbeknownst to Alexander he had only knocked Manannan unconscious, according to King's Quest ZZT 2. Manannan later made it to Tamir where he was captured by a giant. Alexander was looking through a keyhole to the Giant's house saw the Giant sitting at a table, with Manannan in a cage. Manannan was attempting to shock the giant, and the Giant was warning him not to do it again, or their would be consequences. However Alexander made too much noise and the giant found him outside of door, forcing Alexander to defend himself. The whereabouts of Manannan on the World of King's Quest after the era of King's Quest ZZT 2 is unknown.
[edit] Behind the scenes
Manannan was a Celtic god son of Lir and god of sea and weather.
In KQ5 he is said to be the brother of Mordack.
In the official King's Quest Collection trivia program, King's Questions, and King's Quest Companion, Hagatha is said to be his sister. Though this fact is not brought up in any of the manuals or the official adventure games themselves.
In KQ2 (AGDI) that info is referenced, and he is said to be the brother of Mordack and Hagatha. However this is strongly implied to be a connection to the Black Cloak Society, and not a family relationship.
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