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P L A Y E R I N F O R M A T I O N

Your Name: Adi
OOC Journal: marshmallowing
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C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N

Name: Morgana Pendragon
Canon: Merlin (BBC)
Original or Alternate Universe: ou
Canon Point: 2x06 – Beauty and the Beast ( Part II ).
Number: rng it, please.

Setting:

In a land of myth and a time of magic;

Merlin takes place in the land of Albion which will one day be Britain. The land is divided into five kingdoms one of which is Camelot. Camelot is basically your usual medieval time in Britain kingdom; everything from knights to taverns and lords and ladies. There is one thing which is important to note. The land of Albion is a land that has magic. That means, some are born with magic and others do not. In Camelot, specifically, magic is outlawed and persecuted. Everything from wizards and witches to dragon are unwanted and sentenced to death. That said, there are many other beings of magic in the land, questing beasts and unicorns and even fairies.

More about Camelot can be found here.

History:

Much of Morgana's history is unknown to her in her current canon point. But to begin with what she
doesn't know, Morgana was born to Vivienne, wife of Lord Gorlois, who she believed to be her father. In reality, Uther Pendragon, king of Camelot and Gorlois' best friend was the one to impregnate Vivienne. Both he and Vivienne kept the secret and Morgana didn't find out about the truth until a much later stage in her life. It is assumed Vivienne passed when Morgana was very young for Morgana never speaks of her mother and it can be assumed she has no memories of her. She does, however, have many memories of Gorlois. She even blames Uther for Gorlois death. For when she was young, Gorlois and his men went to battle as per Uther's request with the promise from the king for assistance. However the help never came and Gorlois died in battle. Morgana, now an orphan, was taken by Uther himself as ward and was raised in Camelot.

This is how season 1 of Merlin opens. Morgana, the rebellious ward of King Uther Pendragon, the Lady of Camelot who Uther treats as if she were his own child. She doesn't know he is her father, doesn't know that Arthur (with whom she spends season 1 flirting) is her half-brother nor does she know that Vivienne had another child before her, Morgause. The child was born with magic and it was said that Gaius took Morgause and gave her to the Priestesses of the Old Religion to save her from death. Vivienne herself escaped Camelot after that for she too was a witch. Morgana, of course, doesn't know of all this complex family history and thinks herself an orphan, alone in the world with no blood connections.

Morgana spends season one doing what she had done since she was eleven; she defies Uther and challenges his decision-making abilities and his judgment at every turn. From the very first episode, Morgana is presented as the one who stands up to Uther when it comes down to his treatment of the magical population. She goes as far as getting herself locked in the dungeons for calling him both a mad-man and a tyrant.

Morgana is also presented as a noble woman who befriends servants quite easily. Her best friend is her maidservant Gwen and she is both kind and trusting of Merlin. Alongside Gwen and Merlin, she helps Arthur in his quests against those who wish to hurt him and the kingdom. From a beast that poisons the water of Camelot to saving Merlin's village from brigands and to saving the Druid boy Mordred (with whom she felt an odd connection) from death. She is also the one to help point Arthur in the right direction when it comes to the shaping of what kind of a king he'd one day become. She is a moral compass, helping Arthur and the others to stand up for what she deems is justice.
Regarding her magic, season one introduces Morgana as a young woman who suffers from prophetic nightmares since she was a little girl. The dreams come to her at night, showing her future dangers and disasters and causing her hysteria and panic. No tunic of Gaius seems to help calm her down and Gaius implores Merlin not to tell her what she is because if the king knows she would surely die. Morgana's nightmares in this season all center around Camelot in general and Arthur in specific. She Sees his death more than once and tries to warn him and others of the dangers that come upon them. The best example is her dream of the mysterious Lady Sophie drowning Arthur. She dreamed of her before Sophie even came to Camelot and by telling Gaius of it, was able to help prevent Arthur's death.

Morgana's arc in season 1 comes to a climax when Uther kills Gwen's father because he associated with a warlock. Morgana vows never to forgive Uther and even conspires with his enemies to murder him. Merlin sets out to stop her as she leads Uther to Gorlois' grave; but when Uther confesses that he loves her like her daughter and that her opinion means the world to him, she changes her mind, kills the man she had conspired with to murder him and gives him a second chance.

Season two changes things.

The beginning of season two introduces Morgana's magic as it finally begins to show. Unlike Merlin who had practiced magic for years, Morgana is inexperienced, causing her magic to erupt from her in her sleep or in moments of great distress. When she wakes up hysteric from a nightmare, she nearly sets her own room afire. Morgana's distress and hatred of Uther grows firmer as he doesn't change his way and his views of magic.

All the while, she doesn't know what is happening to her and it drives her mad. Advised by Gaius to keep his magic a secret, Merlin takes her to the Druids where she once again meets Mordred. It's in her short stay in the Druid camp that Morgana learns to accept the fact that she's a witch and that it's not something to be afraid of. She makes her mind to stay with the Druids and learn how to control her magic but Uther's men find the camp and thinking that she was kidnapped, return Morgana to Camelot.

It is then when Morgana tells Merlin that she is not afraid of what she is and that she has hopes that her powers could one day be used for good.
This arc changes Morgana from a woman scared of her own self, haunted by self-loathing for she was brought up to hate magic to a woman who is willing to acknowledge what she is and hope for a better future for her kind.

It doesn't make her any more forgiving of Uther.

She is later taken prisoner by the brigand Hengist but manages to escape by tricking his men. Gwen, however, is left behind and Morgana is the one to yell of Uther in front of the whole court to send men to save her handmaiden who is as valuable to her as any of her friends. She is also the one to encourage Arthur to go save Gwen against his father's wishes.

Personality:

"I don't want to be brave; I just want to be myself."

Morgana, or The Lady Morgana as she is known throughout Albion, is the only woman in Uther's court, and a famous one at that.

Unlike most noble women who are shown throughout the series such as Lady Vivian, Morgana isn't a shallow creature who is focused only on ball gowns and jewelry. She is very intelligent and outspoken, sometimes being the only one to defy Uther, even when risking anger from his side. While Uther feels magic is to be destroyed, Morgana, even before finding out she's a Witch herself, always spoke against the harsh treatment he gave to those who uses magic. The executions and the killing of men, women and children, are things that Morgana could not stand. She made her opinion clear more often than not.

Despite being raised by the king, something that he feels Morgana should be grateful for; Morgana uses her status to voice opinions that are unpopular in the kingdom. Combined with her pride, she sometimes condemns the knights and even Arthur for not being the ones to stand up against the king. Her pride walks hand in hand with loyalty and bravery, making her a one of a kind woman in the kingdom. While being ladylike and elegant, she is hardly timid around Arthur or her friends; she's witty, snarky, sarcastic and playful. Arthur is the best example for her usual attitude, she believes in him, but she's very able of telling him off when she thinks he's not doing the right thing, and is also able of flirting and teasing him for being the arrogant git that he is on the surface.

Morgana is not just simply intelligent, she's witty, cunning and is able of being manipulative. When saving the Druid boy Mordred, she goes to the king to apologize for defying him, acting as sweet as he wants her to be, while in fact she merely wants to be in the room with him when Arthur smuggles out the child so he can see that she is not involved in the matter. She is able of thinking fast and making up her own plans. While hiding Mordred in her chambers she scolds Arthur so badly for wanting to search them that he eventually leaves. So she is creative even at times of stress, though usually she does need help and isn't beyond scolding others to do the right thing to get it.

"Sadly, the age of gallantry seems to be dead. You look around and all you see are small men, not big enough to fill their armor. There's not one of them that's able to stand up for what is right."

Morgana is stubborn, headstrong and an idealist. She'll do anything for justice including betraying the man who has cared for her since her childhood. She believes in a fair world, and the more stubborn Uther gets, the more stubborn she gets in return, refusing to bow her head or apologize. In that they are alike, father and daughter, both believing they are doing the right thing and are unwilling to compromise on their viewpoints. This is a known disadvantage Morgana has; she's kind and sweet but is unable, usually, to reach a compromise on a matter she's passionate about. The same goes for admitting herself to be on the wrong side; her pride simply doesn't allow it. Usually when she tries to apologize she becomes more timid, even awkward. Sometimes she's so angry or passionate about something she can't see things that are right in front of her eyes. A good example of that is her scolding Arthur to go rescue Gwen; yelling at him and condemning him while not noticing he is in fact packing to go on said trip.

Her relationship with Gwen, her maid, is one thing that shows another aspect of Morgana's character, she is kind and loyal not only to those of her own noble status. When Gwen was kidnapped in her place, she condemned Uther for being unwilling to send men to save her, eventually saying they should be ashamed of themselves since Gwen is not only her maid, but her friend and her act was an act of love and courage. When the king asks 'how many men must die in order to save a servant?' she answers, without a second of hesitation, 'as many as it'll take'. To her, saving Gwen, who has been a loyal and brave friend, is as important as saving herself. Not many noble men would have spared the servant a second thought but Morgana is shaken and upset at the thought of not saving her friend. When Arthur tells her he will go to save Gwen, only that he couldn't defy his father in public, she doesn't say anything but it's clear that she thinks that she did dare to do just that despite being the king's ward and in his debt. Morgana also confides in Merlin many times, telling Arthur she trusts him and even choosing to tell him of her magic; all that despite of him being a servant and her being the Lady of Camelot. When it comes to making friends, Morgana seems to have more friends among the servants than among the nobility and the knights.
But there is one more aspect to Morgana that is crucial if one wants to understand why she eventually betrayed Uther and combines forces with the warlock Alvarr and that is her magic. Morgana starts off as having no magical powers whatsoever except for her prophetic dreams. Gaius, the court's physician gives her sleep potions in order to stop the dreams, but those don't work as they are not ordinary nightmares. The dreams leave Morgana very shaken and upset, as she doesn't know why is she dreaming of the future and what is happening to her.

When Morgana's magic truly rises to the surface things become more complicated. Having grown up in Camelot, Morgana knows what kind of consequences awaits those who can do things like setting her curtain or shattering a vase with her magic. That scares Morgana in much more than the dreams. She knows well enough that if Uther knows she is able of performing magic, he won't hesitate to hang her despite her being his beloved ward. The knowledge of it makes her bitter and resentful towards the king and more importantly, makes her feel extremely lonely.

She feels that she can't confide in anyone in the castle, for they all live in fear of Uther. The worst thing is that when she tries to tell Gaius she has magic, when she finally trusts him, he says that it is her imagination and instructs Merlin to do the same and never tell Morgana he can do magic himself. He does that to protect both Merlin and Morgana but when two people she trusts tell her she must be imagining things this makes her feel even more lonely and misunderstood to the point that she fears she may be going mad. Her stay with the Druids help her feel more secure and only wish to be with people like her; with people she won't feel so alone with. In the castle, she feels trapped and miserable.

Morgana, above all else, is driven by a need to belong somewhere, to not feel like an outsider and a monster. That causes her to later on befriend people who Gaius calls 'ruthless' and 'dangerous'. She doesn't befriend them at first because she's evil; she simply befriends those who she thinks can understand her and makes it very easy for her to fall to others' influence.

Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations:

"It would be better if the witch never knew the true extent of her powers – "

Prophetic dreams - Morgana is a Seer and one of the only Seers in the canon. The future comes to her in the form of nightmares and they're always nightmares; she doesn't seem to be dreaming of anything good. She can't control what she sees nor can she summon or get rid of her ability. The dreams come when they do and they show her things that are usually relevant to her; but she cannot control the content or the timing of her dreams.

Magic; the most important thing to understand about Morgana's magic in her current canon point is that she has no control over it. She knows no spells and can't seem to stop her magic from bursting out in times when she's upset or hysteric. Her magic comes in the form of breaking glasses and setting things afire but she can't stop it nor summon it. If taught, she would prove to be a proficient student as she will later be a great and powerful witch but in her current canon point, she is far from that.

Limitations - I would like Morgana to still keep her prophetic dreams though they can certainly become a bit foggier and harder to remember because of the setting! As for her magic, I would like Morgana to have the ability to learn basic defensive and offensive spells, the control of fire and the movement of objects as well as basic healing spells.

Sword; Morgana is very talented when it comes to swordplay and doesn't fall from the knights of Camelot or, if you ask her, from Arthur himself. She is also able of wielding a dagger.

Quick thought and cunning nature; able of fooling others, of manipulations and of quick thinking, Morgana is a woman who is unexpected. It would be foolish to underrate her for she is sharp of mind and of wit.


Inventory:

Morgana is bringing the following items onto the Tranquility:

( 3 ) gowns of silk in emerald, purple and white.
( 3 ) white shifts.
( 1 ) night gown of white and silver.
( 3 ) velvet capes.
( 2 ) hair brushes (she needs as many as one can spare, did you see her hair in season 4?)
( 2 ) pairs of boots.
( 3 ) sets of jewelry of silver and gems.
( 1 ) hand mirror.
( 2 ) sets of accessories; hair ornaments and lip paint.

Appearance: Not the tallest among the people of Camelot, Morgana is not petite either. She carries herself proudly and is seen to be of moderate height. She is not skinny but she is certainly slender with elegant curves that draw the attention of many men in Camelot (namely both Arthur and Merlin). She is an image of a Snow White beauty with very pale, satiny skin, long flowing silky black hair and red lips. Her eyes are green and she wears strong colors, red, purple and emerald. Her eyes will change color from green to gold whenever her magic would be at work. She is considered very beautiful, words of her beauty reaching even the bandits at other kingdoms such as Hengist.



Morgana Pendragon as portrayed by Katie McGrath.

Age: Assumed to be around 23.

S A M P L E S

Log Sample:

When Morgana wakes, she finds it hard to breathe. Panic grips her, familiar hysteria that is usually reserved to the darkest hours of the night. By the time she rises, the panic has her shaking and it takes her a moment to control herself, to take in all the others.
She takes them all in, wide eyes of green and pale skin. Eventually, she rises and follows, hears their talk of the skies and space and being held here.
By the time she finishes washing the slime off her face is a mask of calmness and confidence. She refuses to lower her gaze or cover herself on the way to the lockers, for every moment of such treatment will go down her memory and each will fuel her anger in her battle against her captors, whoever they may be.

She finds her gowns (such curtsy, she thinks, she should curtsy and speak of gratitude; kidnapping and humiliation, certainly but they try to defuse her with gowns) and pulls one on, combs down her hair until it is dry and silky. She doesn't have Gwen's capable hands so she leaves it down, doesn't bother with a hairdo.

She enters the lift and doesn't look like a newcomer, doesn't allow herself to look confused nor scared.

She lifts her chin, she wears a smile.

She will be smiling down at her captors when she takes her vengeance, too; of that she is certain.

Of that and that alone.

Comms Sample:

[ When Morgana introduces herself to the network, she looks every bit the noble woman she is in purple silks and red lips and chin held up. ]

I do not suppose they could think of a cruder more degrading manner to bring us all here?

[ sarcasm, certainly; but she is not hostile or at least, not towards her audience. ]

Fellow passengers of the Tranquility, I hope this finds you washed and well.

[ what. The space goo was the most disgusting thing she had ever experienced and she had seen Arthur eat since she was eleven. ]

I would ask you one question, if you would indulge me. What is the meaning of the numbers our…gracious hosts have carved onto our arms? I know what the symbol does but I am more curious as to why these specific numbers were chosen.

As for our wonderful hosts, if they are listening I shall say only this, I have grown among very stubborn men; one is a king, the other a crown prince and I can say for certain they would reach across the seas and skies alike to find me. But you will find that perhaps it is I who would pose more of a trouble than them both combined.