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MEPHISTOLEAS ap BALOR

FORSWORN COMMANDER OF THE NINTH WAVE
SON of BALOR OF THE EVIL EYE & LADY FIONNA

MEPHISTOLEAS [Meth-FIZZ-tol-EE-ASS]


PRELUDE

It is known by those of certain houses that in her youth Lady Fiona had an illicit affair with King Balor. There are several versions of the story; some Seelie claim that Balor disguised himself and tricked Lady Fiona, Unseelie mention the allure of power on the head of such a slip of a girl, Commoners merely point to her obvious promiscuous nature. Whatever the truth of the matter, Lady Fiona bore Balor a son, and she named him MEPHISTOLEAS. The boy was as passionate as his mother but bore his Fomorian fathers curse upon his face. Although he was beautiful beyond compare, his beauty was cursed with pain. To look upon his face meant death to all. His very existence was anathema to the dreaming. He was both Nightmare and Dream and to look upon his visage caused instant death. Only his mother was immune to his dread gaze.

To this end MEPHISTOLEAS began to wear an elaborate silver mask wherever he went. This worked well for several years until, his Mother's lady in waiting, a passing lover of the boy, took a picnic with him. She removed his mask as he dozed in the afternoon sun and died from the frightful beauty she saw. In sorrow, the heartbroken MEPHISTOLEAS took a dagger to his face. But to no avail, the dreaming is never so easily thwarted. Within moments his horrible wounds healed. No matter how he tried he could not damage the savage beauty of his face.

Unable to bear the Taint of his father's gift, the boy took the mask of silver and the Ladies sewing things and sewed it to the flesh of his face. Each time the needle pierced his skin, it healed all trace of scar. Still he continued, line after line of stitching. If face and mask where one, he reasoned, nobody could remove it and bring its curse upon themselves. Unable to face his mother again, he sought out his father and his fate.

THE BATTLE

Before the sundering, the land of the young was a much different place. You could walk from the Hills of Tara to the Field of Gates without having to cross such hindrances as the Irish sea. The entire Land of the Young was ruled in this time by the Tuatha de Danu, and they were supported by the fey and the Fir Bholg. The Fomorians were a sea faring race with outposts on the western coasts and in the North. Their homeland was believed to be another land in the southeast.

The field of gates was considered Elysium and all races could meet here without fear of reprisal. The gates allowed peoples to come and go without having to reveal their departure points or to risk foul play en route. It was not only the Tuatha and the Fomorians who utilized this freedom. Were-creatures, Mages and many other of the Supernatural races met here too. It was said that Lucifer and Gabriel met once a year on the Field to learn how each other's court fared. Another tale tells that God itself met with the Morningstar one day to offer him absolution. Yet other tales tell of three Messengers of Heaven meeting Lilith on this field to demand her return to Eden, and later a different three Angels offered Caine the chance of redemption on this very plain. But stories are never wholly truth nor wholly fiction so we may never know the facts of such tales.

This tradition stood inviolate until the signing of the Teign. Emissaries from Hell stood before their gate, while Balor and his cohorts stood before theirs. Leading the Fomorian honour Guard were the Ninth Wave. Leading the Ninth wave was Balor'' son MEPHISTOLEAS. The boy had grown into a great warrior and many knew of his unique sword stroke in combat. His enemies called him Warlock, which means back stabber as an insult to the way he wielded his Blade. The Tuatha arrived late as usual, with several of the younger Fey in tow. Among the Tuatha entourage was Lady Fiona, and behind her stood the Red Branch. The Parlay began.

Although MEPHISTOLEAS was delighted to see his mother and father together for the first time, the two eyed each other with undisguised hatred. As commander of the Unseelie knights, the boy was forced to stand his ground. His heart torn by confusion.

But there was treachery in the Fomorians heart that night, and Balor was its instigator. As the Three sides debated over territory and Human spheres of influence, his agents were abroad. The Fomorian dream was jealous of the Children of the Tuatha and wished to strike against the Sidhe. Balor himself was angry that he son and Fiona had a good relationship and sought to kill two birds with one stone. When his plans were in place, Balor called to MEPHISTOLEAS and spoke of his distrust of the Seelie Sidhe. Even as the ink dried on the treaty between the emissaries of Hell, the Children of Dream and the Children of Nightmare, he told his son that the Red Branch were there to kill the Fomorian emissaries and that Lady Fiona was the ring leader of this plot. Even as MEPHISTOLEAS argued with his father and tried to convince him that he was wrong, the plan unfolded. Agents and provocateurs of all three sides had been employed to cause distrust and bad feelings and a fight broke out between members of the Unseelie Ninth Wave and the Seelie Red Branch. The meeting broke into disarray and the battle lines were drawn. Balor demanded that his son lead the Ninth Wave against the Seelie Sidhe and Lady Fiona. The Ninth wave were eager to obey the Fomorian.

But MEPHISTOLEAS refused. He did lead the Army and the fighting was fierce with heavy loses on both sides, but the boy was not keen to press the advantages he gained. The Tuatha's bravery was no match for the Formorian's sorcery and they were decimated by Balor's terrible Eye. The Demons backed away in and let the two armies began to butcher each other. Such acts were a fine repast to the Hidden. The Unseelie gained the upper hand and the strategic positions around the Tuatha's Gate home. Finally when it became obvious that the Red Branch was defeated, the Seelie sent Lady Fiona to sue for peace and ask for the chance to leave the field. Balor ordered the Ninth wave to finish them and the few remaining Tuatha.

Balor's son refused.

Still commander of the Ninth Wave, he ordered his men to form two columns either side of the field and protect the Seelie from the Formorians as they retreated into the Gate. The Unseelie army was split between following the Fomorian King and their commander. Many turned on MEPHISTOLEAS and his loyal troops, the Ninth wave fell apart in mutiny and Betrayal. The Fomorians rained magic down on their hated enemies and the remaining Fae emissaries and courtiers and caused great devastation to their numbers, but most of the Tuatha escaped.

Balor himself strode onto the battlefield and approached Fiona and son. The remaining Ninth Wave and the Red Branch now stood side by side as her honour guard. They knew they were doomed. Balor could not be touched by the Sidhe and the Tuatha had fled the field. Only these noble few held the rear guard to allow the Gods of the Dreaming to escape. As the Fomorian King came upon the small group, MEPHISTOLEAS stepped forward to face his father.

"You will not harm my mother!" he stated without emotion. His father was shocked to see his favoured child brandishing a sword at him and the battlefield grew quiet as the two faced each other. No one dared breath as the shocked silence of Balor, and the grim determination of MEPHISTOLEAS wore on.

"Step aside boy" commanded the King "or I will slay you where you stand!"

"It is your right to try" replied the boy. This challenge to Balor's authority could not be stood for and the King great red eye began to open. The Seelie knew they were dead. But MEPHISTOLEAS merely reached back and drew his mother, Lady Fiona behind him. Then with his accustomed shake of hair he took his mask in his hands and tore it off. Taking with it flesh and sinew. The crowd gasped as one. But already his beautiful visage was healing. In one timeless moment Father and Son locked eyes. The unbearable Gaze of Balor and the unyielding beauty of MEPHISTOLEAS.

Nothing happened.

The Fomorian King was unharmed by his Sons terrible curse.

The Unseelie Lord was untouched by the Eye of Balor.

The moment seemed to stretch on for eternity, but eventually they both relented. As one they turned from each other. The terrible Eye of Balor closed. MEPHISTOLEAS replaced his mask before turning to his companions.

"Go!" he commanded, his voice horse. The Seelie knights and their newfound comrades were too afraid to refuse. No one had ever resisted the Gaze of Balor before and all knew it. They retreated hastily. Lady Fiona, however, refused to leave her son and prepared to die by his side, but MEPHISTOLEAS would not allow it. He told her he had turned on his father, his friends and his commanders in order to save her life, if she did not retreat now his actions would be futile and without honour. She agreed and went through the gate.

MEPHISTOLEAS remained behind to face his father's wrath. The bodies of fallen comrades all around him as well as the corpses of Fomorians and Tuatha de Danu. Neither the Remaining Demons nor the Formorians, nor their loyal Unseelie Ninth wave moved. Balor's voice was not raised, but quiet with repressed fury.

"You are my son no more, Turn coat! I curse you to know no peace among the children of the Dreaming with whom you have cast your lot. May the Gift of my Gaze haunt you to eternity. I call upon the Dreaming and the Nightmare both to bear witness to my curse. Though your mother's house may succor you, no other will. Not Seelie nor Unseelie, no Child of Dreams will trust you or stand by you. Those you have chosen over your own father will never love you and the Fomorians disown you. Find what respite you can among who ever is left. Know neither comfort nor rest, until either the Formor or the Tuatha are dead!"

With that Balor wheeled about and led his forces from the field. Only MEPHISTOLEAS and a hand full of the Demons remained. These children of Passion approached the boy and held him tight. They comforted him and whispered soothing words, but to no avail. Slowly, one by one they retreated into their own gate. Only one remained. Dark and Beautiful she stood. The Demon Queen. Lilith, mother of Darkness. "MEPHISTOLEAS" she whispered. You have lost everything this day. All through the love for your mother! I cannot break Balor's curse, but I may be able to subdue it. Come with me to my home and we will see what can be done!" He Followed through the Gate to Hell and the Dark Queens realm.

After many years Mephistoleas finally returned with a way to circumnavigate his curse and a new name, Mephistopheles, given him by the very Demons with whom the Teign was signed. These Demons helped him, but they tricked him too. The Demons had him scar his face again, using tools of the Hidden kind. Before it could heal itself, they produced a mask made of Living Iron with Crystal eyes. As the Iron bit deep into his flesh and melded to his bone, the boy screamed in agony writhing upon the floor. After a time the meld was complete and the magic had worked. The mask can be removed, but only by 'Mephistopheles'. If it is removed, it is said, his scars heal in a matter of seconds and have to be reworked with Iron before the mask can be replaced. To relieve his curse, Mephistopheles must wear his mask of Living Iron for eternity. Those that remember the tale believe that only the Dreaming itself can lift the curse, unless perhaps, Balor returns.

For betraying the Elysium of the field, the Fomorians were evermore denied access to the gates by the magic of the Tuatha and the Dreaming. Over the years as the Wars between the Tuatha de Danu and the Fomorians raged to the West, some of the children of Danu built a palace upon the field. Among these Tuatha was Oghma the studious. He sought to study the gates and the strange languages that decorated them. Legends say that once he could understand the letters carved in stone, they changed to become the language of the Tuatha. Eventually, as other stories tell, the Fomorians were beaten and later the Tuatha de Danu left the Earth. Lady Fiona and her descendants were granted the Palace and the Field of Gates because she had fought beside the Tuatha on the terrible day of betrayal. Within time a settlement grew up around the field and that grew into a city that is now called London. The gates of old are still there, hidden among the names and memories of places of London, and so to are the Fionna.

Mephistopheles

Mephistopheles is a (comparative) newcomer in the diabolical world. We know all about the place and date of his birth, though we are still mystified by the meaning of his artificially-constructed, synthetic name.

He first appeared in 1587 in a German book dealing with Doctor Faustus, though then with a slightly different spelling, as Mephostophiles. He was an evil spirit to whom, for the enjoyment of this world, Faust had sold his soul. He was then a vicious itinerant magician who, by his devilish art, created great mischief wherever he went.

Marlowe (in 1588) and Goethe (in 1808) used the legend in their great dramas. When Goethe in his prologue to Faust incorporated the famous first chapter of Job, in which Satan was given divine permission to test Job's loyalty, he gave Satan the name Mephistopheles.

Mephistopheles' name probably defines his very character as the prince of darkness. Joining the Greek words for "friend" (philos) and "light" (phos) with the Greek negative (me), Mephistopheles proclaimed himself as the one "not loving light."

It was through Goethe's renown and the success of his Faust that the medieval legendary figure of Mephistopheles gained world fame. It did so in such large measure that, for many years, Mephistopheles shared the status, if not actually took the place, of Satan.

Taken From: Webster's World Encyclopedia 2001. Published by Webster Publishing, 2000. Copyright Webster Publishing, and/or contributors.