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Nevyn is a traveling herbman (an apothecary-physician who practices herbal medicine). He is also a powerful sorcerer known as the Master of Aethyr.

In the Books[]

Nevyn was born Prince Galrion, a prince of Deverry in 622. He grew up at Dun Deverry.

Daggerspell (643)[]

In 643, Galrion is an arrogant young prince. He is betrothed to Brangwen of the Falcon clan, but feels like he doesn't have the attention to give her anymore as he is studying dweomer with Rhegor. Rhegor encourages him to let Brangwen choose if she wishes to be his wife or not. Despite this, Galrion speaks to Blaen of the Boar clan about potentially marrying Brangwen when Galrion leaves. When Galrion's father, King Adoryc, discovers that his son intends to live in the woods and practice dweomer, he disowns and exiles Galrion, stripping him of not only rank and titles but his name itself. From now on, he becomes known as "Nevyn," meaning "no one" in the language of Deverry. Nevyn eventually discovers Brangwen has entered into an incestuous relationship with her brother Gerraent, and is too late to save her from the deep depression she falls into. After her brother dies, he takes Brangwen with him, but she drowns herself shortly after. Realizing that Brangwen had incredible potential for dweomer, Nevyn swears "not to rest" until he sets things right. Because his oath was accepted by the Great Ones, Nevyn is actually incapable of dying until he fulfills it. To set things right he needs to find the reincarnated soul of Brangwen and teach her dweomer.

Daggerspell (698)[]

Nevyn comes to Blaeddbyr as an herbsman. While looking for somewhere to stay, he meets Gweran the bard (Blaen reincarnated) and his wife Lyssa (Brangwen reincarnated). He is disappointed that Lyssa is a grown married woman, as he had hoped when he found Brangwen again there might still be a chance they could be together and he could teach her dweomer. But Lyssa has two young sons, Aderyn and Acern, and is firmly established in her life. Nevyn is troubled when the young warrior Tanyc (Gerraent reincarnated) joins Lord Maroic's warbrand, as Brangwen and Gerraent's tragic Wyrd has the potential of following them from their last life into this one. Nevyn is correct to worry, as Tanyc finds Lyssa irresistible and quietly pursues her, angering Gweran. Gweran takes revenge by provoking Tanyc into attacking him in the great hall, an action for which Tanyc is then executed. During this time, Nevyn has discovered that Lyssa's older son Aderyn has a talent for dweomer, and successfully convinces the boy's parents to allow him to take Aderyn as an apprentice.

A Time of Exile (718)[]

Nevyn sends Aderyn west to meet his Wyrd among the Westfolk. Aderyn contacts him several times by scrying through a fire to ask for advice and share thoughts.

Darkspell (773)[]

Nevyn finds himself at Dun Cerrmor to see Glyn, Gwerbret and hopeful king of all Deverry during the civil war known as the Time of Troubles.. While he initially acts as an herbsman, he eventually becomes one of Glyn's most trusted councilors. During his time there, he takes an apprentice in herblore called Gavra. He also meets Gweniver (another incarnation of Brangwen) and her close friend Ricyn (another incarnation of Blaen). He befriends Prince Mael of Eldidd after the prince is imprisoned in Dun Cerrmor, where Nevyn teaches him history and brings him books by the Rhwmanes and Greggyns. After the death of Gweniver and Ricyn, Nevyn leaves Dun Cerrmor, but returns after seven years. He then makes his way west to Cannobaen to visit the freed Mael and Gavra, now his wife.

The Bristling Wood (833-842)[]

Nevyn finds a severely wounded warrior called Maddyn in the woods. He recognizes that in a past life Maddyn was Ricyn (meaning he's another incarnation of Blaen). Nevyn nurses Maddyn back to health in his own hut, eventually helping him to leave once he's recovered. Maddyn gives Nevyn the idea of finding a king candidate blessed by dweomer to end the Time of Troubles. Nevyn travels to Eldidd to the priests of Bel on the island of Wmmglaedd to trace the genealogy of the various royal lines and finds Maryn, the young heir to the recently formed Kingdom of Pyrdon who is related to the Cerrmor line through his father and to the Cantrae line through his mother. Because of his lineage and his very young age, Nevyn determines that Maryn is the perfect candidate and travels to Pyrdon to become his tutor. Eventually Nevyn is reunited with Maddyn when he arrives in Pyrdon with the silver daggers under the leadership of Caradoc.

A Time of Omens (843)[]

Nevyn rides with the silver daggers when they take Maryn to Dun Cerrmor to marry Princess Bellyra, the heir to the Kingdom of Cerrmor. Nevyn uses enchantments to make Maryn seem ordinary.

The Red Wyvern (849)[]

Nevyn is Maryn's councilor at Dun Cerrmor. He meets Lillorigga when she arrives with the Rams of Hendyr, discovers that she has great potential for dweomer, and makes her his apprentice. He learns that she had some rudimentary training done by her mother and by Nevyn's former disgraced apprentice, Brour. When Maryn's army rides for the Holy City, Nevyn goes with them, leaving Lilli behind. During the siege of Dun Deverry, Lilli arrives and they resume their lessons.

The Black Raven[]
The Fire Dragon[]
A Time of Exile (918)[]

Nevyn returns to Aberwyn after roughly sixty years in Bardek. He brings with him a stone with which he intends to make a magic talisman for the high king to endlessly magically remind him of kingly virtues. While at the currency exchange, Nevyn meets Maer, a young silver dagger, who he recognizes as Maddyn reborn. Nevyn hires Maer to accompany him to Cannobaen. Nevyn settles in town as the local herbman, and meets Glaenara as well as the local lord, Pertyc Maelwaedd, and his young son Adraegyn. In addition to his work as a healer, Nevyn becomes an unofficial councilor to Pertyc during the rebellion of the lords of Eldidd against Aeryc, high king of Deverry. After their defeat, Nevyn appears to them in his etheric form, claiming to be the ghost of Aenycyr, the last king of Eldidd, and warns them to stop pursuing rebellion. When Pertyc is awarded the gwerbrethrhyn of Aberwyn, Nevyn is left behind to maintain Cannobaen. Eventually Maer returns and tells Nevyn that Glaenara has died. Nevyn encourages Maer to travel west to stay among the Westfolk.

The Spirit Stone (983)[]

Nevyn travels to Dun Deverry to see if he can find the current incarnations of Lilli or Brangwen, where he meets the current high king, King Casyl II. While there, Nevyn sees Gwairyc, another incarnation of Gerraent. Nevyn worries about the state of his soul and devises a plan, convincing King Casyl to agree to allowing Nevyn to take Gwairyc as his apprentice for seven years. Gwairyc, an accomplished warrior and close friend of the king's, sees being apprentice to an herbman as beneath him. During their travels, Gwairyc is forced to help the common people, and Nevyn closely watches his reactions, hoping for Gwairyc to develop empathy for those he believes are socially inferior to himself. In addition to trying to better Gwairyc, Nevyn keeps an eye out for Lilli and Brangwen's souls.

In a village in Eldidd, Nevyn meets a young peasant woman, Morwen, and recognizes her as the current incarnation of Brangwen. From Morwen, Nevyn learns about her close friend Lanni, a blacksmith's daughter who recently died who Nevyn suspects of being Lilli reborn. Morwen is a nursemaid for her nephew, Evan, but Evan's Westfolk father is coming soon to collect him. Without Lanni and Evan, Morwen says her life will be miserable, as she believes they are the only people who have ever cared for her. When Evan's father Devaberiel arrives, Nevyn prompts him to take Morwen with him too to continue working as Evan's nursemaid. Nevyn and Gwairyc travel into the Westlands with them, where Nevyn is reunited with Aderyn. Nevyn shows Aderyn the magic stone he brought from Bardek, and Aderyn's former apprentice Valandario shows them a pyramid made of obsidian she brought with her. They attempt to read the pyramid along with Loddlaen, who was also once Aderyn's apprentice. Loddlaen, despite not being able to see as much in the object as the others, becomes obsessed with it. Nevyn tells Aderyn that he thinks the unsual circumstances of Loddlaen's gestation have caused him to have a mental imbalance, but Aderyn does not want to see it. Nevyn returns to Deverry after Morwen's death and releases Gwairyc from his apprenticeship.

The Spirit Stone (???)[]

"A good many years" after Morwen's death and Loddlaen's disappearance, Valandario contacts Nevyn to ask his advice on letting Aderyn know about Loddlaen's unexpected return. Nevyn advises her and asks her to let him know how it goes. He's later contacted by Aderyn who tells him that Loddlaen killed Javanateriel and then disappeared with the obsidian pyramid. Nevyn tells Aderyn that Loddlaen will turn up back in Deverry someday, as he has set magical forces in action.

Daggerspell (1045)[]

While living in Eldidd, Nevyn sees two male larks engage in a courtship fight while the female lark they are fighting over flies away. He interprets this as an omen that Brangwen has been reborn. In addition to this omen, he sees a vision through his dweomer sight of a newborn Jill lying in her mother's arms.

Daggerspell (1052)[]

Nevyn runs into a young lord on the road. He recognizes the soul of the boy as being the same as Blaen's. The boy introduces himself as Rhodry Maelwaedd, traveling on his way back to Eldidd. Nevyn is comforted because he knows that Brangwen's soul can frequently be found tied to Blaen's.

Daggerspell (1058)[]

Nevyn is called to heal young lord Rhodry. After healing him, he befriends Rhodry's mother, the lady Lovyan. He tells Lovyan that Rhodry's Wyrd is Eldidd's Wyrd.

Daggerspell (1062)[]

Nevyn is often in attendance to Lady Lovyan.

Family and relationships[]

His father, King Adoryc was High King of Deverry (in 643). Nevyn was a younger son, and his father expected him to behave as a prince. When Nevyn decided to study dweomer his father disowned him, stripped him of name and rank and gave him the name Nevyn. His mother, Ylaena, helps him to make his escape.

He is initially betrothed to Brangwen, a girl he thought he was in love with until he becomes consumed by dweomer. When Brangwen leaves her home to come with him, he finds that he feels in love with her once again. He searches for Brangwen reincarnated and has differing kinds of relationships with her new incarnations. In 698, he has a cordial relationship with Lyssa who, as a grown and married woman has very little need for him or his advise. In 773, Nevyn becomes acquainted with warrior priestess Gweniver and attempts to temper her more eccentric and impulsive actions. In 843 Nevyn meets Branoic, Brangwen reincarnated this time as a young man.

Personality[]

Although a powerful sorcerer with the good of the kingdoms at heart, on an interpersonal level, Nevyn is cold, arrogant and largely humourless. His laugh is described as a 'rusty chuckle' from disuse. Jill observes that 'even Nevyn' could have seen the humour in something that happened. He is quick to judge others. He treats other dweomerworkers (with the exception of Aderyn) as servants that he can order around rather than equals. He is utterly disdainful of and dismissive towards Ebañy/Salamander. Time and again, he assumes that he is the only one who can solve any problems. He appoints himself the judge of Perryn, determining that he didn't know what he was doing when he raped Jill and countless other women, as well as stealing horses, despite there being a lot of evidence to the contrary (such as Jill repeatedly telling him to go away and doing her best to hide from him.

Other incarnations[]

Galerinos, Neb

Character navigation by year
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643
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718
Nevyn, Addryc, Cinvan
773
835-843
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