Dame Morgaine

Dame Morgaine
Fan art of Dame Morgaine, by Olessan.
Type	NPC
Actor	Brennan Lee Mulligan
Character Information
Pronouns	she/her
Titles	Dame
Creature type	Beast[presumed]
Race	Dog
Languages	Common, Orcish
Place	Gormalay, Timmony
Connections	King Augustus Valian
Profession	Hound of the King
Status
Status	Alive
Appearances
First seen	"On the Scent" (4x07)
Last seen	"Make Merry" (4x11)
Stream	Campaign Four (4 episodes)

Dame Morgaine is one of the hounds of the King of Timmony. As an NPC, she is played by Brennan Lee Mulligan.

Description

Morgaine is a beautiful mountain herding dog similar to a collie with black, white, and brown fur in splotches, as well as an unusual shade of deep, rich blue.

The dame is a professional and polite individual, very formal, although with occasional moments of casualness.

Biography

Background

The souls of the Hounds of the King were once knights of Timmony fighting for their homeland against the gods in the Shapers' War, who swore an oath to defend their king in this world and the next. After their deaths, with no afterlife to receive them, they learned from the Druids of the Stag that souls can return many times to the world. The Hounds asked to return and serve a king once more, and were reborn in their dog forms.

"On the Scent" (4x07)

Fan art of Kattigan and Thimble speaking with Dame Morgaine, by Lap Pun Cheung.

In the year 71 after the Shapers' War Dame Morgaine was on a mission in Gormalay, tracking a Tachonis caravan, during which she stayed in one of the inns, run by Gwen, the daughter of a former war comrade of the king. She slept there, next to the fireplace, until awoken by Kattigan Vale; when the dog realized the ranger was about to cast Speak with Animals to talk to her, she revealed she had speech of her own, so that he wouldn't waste the spell. They talked for a while (with Thimble, Kat's pixie friend, joining them soon after), and the travelers revealed that they and their party were trying to save Talcydimir Pridesire, a man unjustly condemned because of the criminal who had now become Baron of Sloak, Casimir Gavendale. Dame Morgaine was very intrigued by this and pressed the matter, confirming that the reputation of this newly elevated nobleman left much to be desired.

The dog identified herself as one of the hounds of the king, telling them that she and others like her traveled across Timmony with different tasks, and that she would likely go to Sloak herself soon. After confirming that there were people associated with Casimir in that very tavern, she instructed Gwen to give some stew to Kattigan and Thimble, but washing the bowls immediately after so that there wouldn't be evidence of them being there. Since they didn't have anything from Cyd for her to track him, Dame Morgaine wished them luck trying to find him, and asked them for discretion in case they saw her again on the field; after the farewell warnings, she went back to sleep next to the fireplace.

"Fanged Revenge" (4x08)

Fan art of Dame Morgaine and Sir Hawkins, by Simply-Brightly-Zee.

The following day Morgaine arrived to Timmony and visited the dog shrine at Brauwla's public house. She was later visited by Kat, Thimble, and the other Soldiers, who arrived accompanied by Dame Winifred Cosgrove, a local lady knight who had just been appointed as the Baroness of Sloak, after the fall of Casimir Gavendale. Dame Morgaine, although surprised by the news, greeted the new noblewoman and treated her with dignity, giving her advice about her new position. She then informed the adventurers that the Tachonis caravan had been divided, and that Cyd was likely being moved northward. Shortly after that they were joined by Sir Hawkins (who had been dealing with the remaining Crow Keeper loyal to Casimir), and both hounds of the king expressed their willingness to help the Soldiers rescue Talcydimir Pridesire.

"To the Hounds!" (4x09)

After it was agreed that the hounds would accompany the adventurers on their mission, Morgaine spent some more time speaking with Jasper and his team of dwarven masons, getting confirmation about the discovery of a cairn that was now strangely empty, likely due to the intervention of House Tachonis. Later, when she came back to the Soldiers, she told them that she understood their caution about sharing information about their mission, and explained she knew some of the Sundered Houses were acting in Timmony, so she was curious about Wicander Halovar's presence there; the latter was honest with her, saying he wasn't acting on behalf of his family at the moment, and the hound believed him. They spoke for a bit, and Dame Morgaine confirmed that she remembered the scent of a nama in the tavern where she met Thimble and Kat, and had she known Teor Pridesire traveled with them, she would have let him know; she also mentioned that while she was there she had heard the Tachonis agents talking about killing two birds with one stone and finding a third by chance, but she didn't know what it meant. Morgaine and Hawkins promised to help them find Cyd, but noted that the hounds wouldn't be able to intervene directly unless they had proof of House Tachonis committing a crime in their kingdom.

The group decided to travel at night, and they did so until they reached a crossroads, where Morgaine spoke to the hedgerow, opening an access to the secret Miller's Road, which they used to travel more safely, talking about Timmony and its society on the way; when they encountered the Black Rabbits, Dame Morgaine told Sir Hawkins to let Thimble deal with them, and was happy when the pixie befriended the grigs and made them change their heads. When they finally reached Tybry's Lea the two hounds entered with the group unnoticed, since there were many dogs around, and eventually found Sir Felltower there. He welcomed them and was very happy to see Morgaine, sharing information with her and her companions about the Tachonis caravans they were looking for. They stayed together for a bit longer (confirming that the Hounds would only go against House Tachonis for recent and demonstrable crimes), and before they left Dame Morgaine encouraged Sir Hawkins to bless the Soldiers, followed by a brief conversation about the hounds' origins as reincarnated warriors serving the king.

"Make Merry" (4x11)

Morgaine and the other hounds in Tybry's Lea met with the Soldiers after they left the castle with statues of petrified paladins, including Sir Groveland; the dame immediately asked Sir Felltower to hide the group with Pass Without Trace so they wouldn't attract unwanted attention. She then asked questions about their encounter inside and below Castle Delawney, expressing interest in the potential involvement of the local earl in the plan of the paladin petrification House Tachonis was organizing. After talking with the adventurers and helping them, they decided to bring their petrified companion to the capital with them, hoping to obtain valuable information from him if they managed to revive him. Before leaving with the other hounds Dame Morgaine spent some time speaking with Thimble about the situation of House Royce and the fey; she reminded the pixie to be hopeful.

Relationships

Sir Hawkins

Hawkins is a Rock's mastiff and one of the hounds of the king. Dame Morgaine knew him well enough to feel comfortable teasing him for not being stealthy, or pointing out ethical dilemmas that go against his simplified sense of lawfulness and goodness. She also cared about him, and explained to Kattigan Vale and Thimble that if they ever found him they should give him a chance to speak, even if his attitude suggested aggressiveness.

Sir Felltower

Felltower is a fellow hound of the king, and he and Morgaine have a good relationship with one another, with some level of romantic interest on his part.

Winifred Cosgrove

Despite having only recently met her, Dame Morgaine was kind to the newly appointed Baroness of Sloak, responding to her humility with a hug and a lick on the face, and calling her sister, pointing out that they were both ladies and therefore of similar status. Moreover, when she knew Winifred had to visit the court of the Earl of Gormalay, she advised her to wait for King Gus instead, since having the monarch visiting Sloak would allow the baroness to get fair treatment confirming her new position.

Appearances and mentions

• Campaign Four
  • "On the Scent" (4x07) (first appearance)
  • "Fanged Revenge" (4x08)
  • "To the Hounds!" (4x09)
  • "Make Merry" (4x11)

Quotations

• (to Kattigan and Thimble) "I would ask you to remember that hounds travel freely throughout Timmony, and it would not be unusual for a dog to come and go, should you see me again."
• (to Thimble) "Hope is not a condition of the world, but one of the soul."

Trivia

• Her name comes from the Old Bretton morgen (sea-born).
• When they met her, the cast was convinced that she wasn't a dog, but when Laura/Thimble said so, Brennan/Morgaine replied that she wasn't very perceptive, confirming that she is an actual dog.
  • The blue shade of her fur could be a sign of blink dog ancestry.

References

Art: