King Cathal is something of an unknown quantity, and is almost as much of a mystery as the land he rules. It is known that he is the son of King Robert and Queen Claire, named for General Sir John Cathal Graham (aka Lord John Graham of Oakwood), an old friend of the King. He grew up with his sister on the King's Isle. However, in striking contrast to the self-assured Alison, he desperately shy as a child and rather clumsy and uncoordinated, which sometimes led to tension with his sister. Whereas she thoroughly enjoyed engaging in the outdoor pursuits like riding and sailing, he would always prefer to keep very much to himself, studying and reading. Moreover, from about the age of nine or ten, he often disappeared in the evenings and kept his own counsel as to where he'd been, which led to interesting speculation about what he was actually doing and where he was going. Like his sister, he attended Sable Mage College, where he specialised in transportation, communication and healing magics, especially mental magics. He was a brilliant student, performing significantly better than his sister, and he graduated with his Masters at the comparatively young age of twenty-three. What is possibly more significant, is that during his time at SMC he finally came out of his shell, and shed the clumsiness of his youth. He proved himself to be an intelligent and quick witted young man, with a keen sense of humour, a quiet confidence and a gentle but firm manner. On graduation, he spent a while touring the Commonwealth, and working with some of the Sable forces out there. He was involved in one or two minor military actions, and in those he developed previously unsuspected talents as a swordsman, and also a general and leader of men. What is not known for certain is how he developed the affinity for the Outer Shadows which ultimately led to him becoming King of Argent, although looking back, it has generally become assumed that many of the evenings when he couldn't be found in Sable as a child, he was probably in Argent. Nowadays, it is widely rumoured that with the possible exception of King Robert, he is the only person who can survive passing the day in the Sky Realm, which normally only manifests at night, and certainly, he doesn't return to Sable when the sun comes up. On his twenty-fifth birthday, King Robert granted him the Realm of Argent, two years before his sister became Queen of Azure. Little is known of his coronation, save that the crown was placed on his head by the man he replaced as ruler of Argent, Duke Raibeart d'Argentis. However, the occasional travellers to and from the Outer Lands acknowledge him as their King and hold him in high esteem. About thirty years after his accession to the throne of Argent he married Finnouala, an Argentian noblewoman. |
 |
