Tresco Maynard

Tresco Maynard, also known as the Practitioner or the Ermine, was a mage, scholar, and advisor who lived in Tethyr during the mid-to-late 15 century DR. He served as a member of the Branch of Linden, a political faction that sought to depose Queen Anais Rhindaun, and eradicate elves from the kingdom.

"When I make the world safe for innocents like you, then you may walk freely...the darker realms conspire against us as well. They assaulted your mother, and I was powerless to stop them."

- Tresco, to Ysabel Linden.

Description
He was a rather handsome man, with graying hair and a powerful build, that belied his advanced age.

Personality
In his youth, Tresco had a keen mind and was prone to obsessive studying. His mind tended to wander in his later years and he had lost much of his mental acuity. He was a noted misogynist who greatly underestimated the intellect of the women in his life, and treated them as objects to merely protect.

Possessions
For a very brief time, Tresco remained in possession of the artifact known as the Torque, a single link in the chain that imprisoned the being known as the Captive.

Activities
Tresco spent much of his time in his familial estate of Kinnard Keep. He served as the personal instructor for the young lad Daviel, and tutored Teague, the son of Evonne Linden, and nephew of Queen Anais Rhindaun. After Evonne and Teague were slain in two terrible murders on the same night, Tresco took on Ysabel, Evonne's daughter, as his own ward. Unfortunately for the young girl, Tresco kept her locked away, purportedly for her own safety.

The old mage lived a second life away from the court of Tethyr. As the Practitioner, Tresco oversaw Vankila Slab prison, which sat atop an earthmote floating over the realm of Muranndin. There he performed horrific magical experiments on hapless prisoners, carrying on the research of his dear patron, the late Evonne Linden.

He had a fondness for black leaf, and enjoyed playing Scaffold Knights and Routacelle.

Relationships
He was especially close to Evonne Linden, and considered part of his life's work to carry on her vision for the nation of Tethyr.

History
"Because that case holds the culmination of your life's work. Work that was never yours to begin with. Evonne discovered something miraculous, and when you found her manuscript, her research propelled you to things far beyond your comprehension. She was the giant, and you just used her to become what you are."

- "Ysabel" Linden, to Tresco.

In the years before her passing, Evonne Linden offered to Tresco her research on ancient sarrukh magic. She encouraged him to lead an expedition to Chult, in order to find a powerful artifact and unknown wealth in the lost city of Hisari.

Tragedy struck Tethyr in the, when elves of the Wealdath attacked the Winter Palace at a gathering of nobles and members of the royal family. Tresco was one of three people who survived the killing, along with Ysabel Linden and her "rescuer", Declan Cardew. Evonne Linden was killed that same night in the village of Celleu.

Determined to carry on her legacy, Tresco Maynard bided his time for the right moment to act. He continued Evonne's research by experimenting on the prisoners of Vankila Slab. He traveled to Chult many times over the course of the next decade, working on a 'blood machine' that used the life essence of individuals, to create living clones.

Downfall
"The manuscript I left you had all the information you needed to find the elixir. I spelled it out for you in small, simple words. Yet you come back with a...Torque? Such an inferior artifact? It has merely a fraction of the power in the vial. Is there anyone more miserable than you?""

- Evonne, after revealing herself to Tresco.

Using Evonne's notes, Tresco uncovered the location of an artifact known as the Torque, hidden within the lost sarrukh city of Hisari. Tresco planned to use the Torque to consolidate his power as the head of a new dynasty in Tethyr. He arranged for the "Hero of the Realm" Declan Cardew to retrieve the Torque from Chult, prior to Cardew's marriage to the recently-of-age Ysabel. Tresco would then depose Queen Anais from the throne, before installing Cardew and Ysabel as king and queen, regents he could manipulate from behind the scenes.

The conspiracy was successful in part. Where Cardew failed in his quest, a group of adventurers led by Harp Levesque succeeded. Unfortunately for them, Tresco seized the Torque from their possession, and portalled himself back to Kinnard Keep. Once home, Tresco discovered he had been artfully out-maneuvered. The girl he knew as Ysabel held the soul of his former patron, the girl's own mother, Evonne Linden. Evonne had manipulated Tresco and Cardew into retrieving for her an elixer containing the blood of the Captive—a task at which they had miserably failed. Ysabel-Evonne viciously killed Tresco for his incompetence.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * The Fanged Crown