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Vanyel

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Vanyel Ashkevron is the protagonist and titular character of The Last Herald-Mage Trilogy. A tragic figure with a strong moral compass, he is hailed throughout Valdemar as the greatest Herald-Mage in history. As the name of the trilogy suggests, he was the last Herald-Mage of his time and remained so for over 500 years.

Life[]

Magic's Pawn[]

Vanyel appeared to be delicate and cosseted as the firstborn son of Lord Withen Ashkevron and Lady Treesa of backwater Forst Reach. His mother's pet, Van was considered by most of the family to be a 'vain little peacock' and 'too pretty for his own good'; while in reality, he was an emotionally neglected child whose only protector, his sister Lissa, was sent away to foster and learn to be a swordswoman with hopes of a commission into the Guard. His only joy, music, was frowned upon by his homophobic father who feared the boy to be fey.

Introverted and (eventually) emotionally detached in self-defense, Van was unable to fit into any of the options open to him. The weaponsmaster, frustrated by Vanyel's inability to fight using brute force, savagely broke Vanyel's arm. In desperation, Withen sent his son to the capital city of Haven to be tutored by Withen's somewhat-estranged elder sister, Herald-Mage Savil, in hopes of making something of him.

Upon arrival, Vanyel was informed he was little more than an inconvenience to the woman, and thought that things might just have gone from bad to worse; alone in a strange place with no protector to champion him. His dreams of music crushed, Van began to feel things for his aunt's protege, Herald-Mage Trainee Tylendel. He had no means to understand until he learned of Tylendel's own same-sex preferences, adding only more confusion and sending him further into his desperate grabbing for the detachment of his 'ice dream.'

A nightmare on a stormy night had Van confessing his desires, matching 'Lendel's own. The two became lovers and were lifebonded, and things began to look up for Vanyel.

However fate is a cruel mistress. A series of tragic events led to Tylendel's death and forcibly activated all of the Heraldic Gifts in Vanyel. He was Chosen by the Companion Yfandes to become a Herald, one of many who selflessly serve Valdemar.

Magic's Promise[]

Twelve years later, Vanyel had been using his powerful Mage-Gift to defend Valdemar's borders, at one point pretending to be five Herald-Mages at once because Valdemar didn't have enough Mages to go around.

In one of his exploits, he saved a group of Hardorn refugees from demons set upon them by one of Karse's three hired Adept Mages. He redirected the demons back into Karse, and the results were so devastating that Karse later completely outlawed magic and Gifts (although their Sunpriests were somehow exempt from this law.) Vanyel's heroism earned him the name "Demonsbane."[1][2] He also hunted down the other hired mages, earning the nickname "Shadowstalker." Unfortunately, he had become notorious as an incredibly powerful mage, and found that even Heralds and people who had known him all his life were now afraid of him.

When he traveled home to Forst Reach for a vacation, he heard a call from across the border in Lineas and had to find the truth behind a terrible magical tragedy. A treacherous attack nearly claimed his life, but Vanyel sadly refused the release offered by Death when he learned how much more Valdemar would suffer without him.

Magic's Price[]

Nine years later, Vanyel was at Court full time, acting as King's Own or acting for the nearly incapacitated King Randale himself. Vanyel met Bard Stefen and managed to evade his courtship. The Web-Guardians set the Web-Spell to be powered by a node rather than their own energies. Vanyel, Savil and Stefen traveled to Forst Reach, where Vanyel's father was less offensive than usual. After an attack with a magical leech blade, Vanyel made his father and mother move to Haven for their own safety. Vanyel went to Rethwellan to establish a treaty, and when he returned, the last Web-Guardians died, one after another. Vanyel suddenly realized he was the Last Herald-Mage. He had to track down the attacker and defeat him to save Valdemar. A snowy trek north past the border of Valdemar led to the minions of Leareth. Too soon, Vanyel found himself living out the terrifying dream he had for years - a confrontation with a mage's army in an icy mountain pass. Vanyel fulfilled his tragic destiny, but was offered a choice for his afterlife ... to continue watching over Valdemar in spirit form, with Bard Stefen by his side (upon his passing).

Lifebonds[]

Vanyel was one of the few to Lifebond to more than one person in his lifetime. First to his Aunt Savil's young protege Tylendel Frelennye, and later, to a young Bard named Stefen. It was later revealed that Stefen was a reincarnation of Tylendel.

Companion[]

Vanyel was Chosen by the Companion Yfandes after Vanyel's magical potential channels were blasted open. Yfandes was the only fully grown Companion who had reached the age of ten years without Choosing.

Gifts[]

Vanyel's Gifts did not awaken naturally. Instead they were 'blasted open' and 'burned' raw by the combination of being used as the source of the Gate's energy and (primarily) the backlash of that energy into him.[3] Afterwards, Vanyel possessed all of the Heraldic Gifts except Healing, in various measure, even the one he most wanted, the Bardic Gift.

Of his Gifts, Vanyel's MindSpeaking (Thought-Sensing and Projecting), Fetching, FarSight, and the Mage-Gift were by far the stronger. He possessed ForeSight, though it manifested itself in the form of his 'dream' of the battle with Leareth, so the extent of this Gift was unknown, and a reasonable level of Empathy. He also had "enough FireStarting to ensure he'd never need to use a tinderbox again,". He also mentioned an Othersense, which alerted him to presences and energies.

Due to his extraordinary magical strength and his training by the Tayledras, Vanyel excelled in combat situations requiring quick decisions. He could also do the one thing no other Herald or mage could do before him: use magical energy to power his mind-magic. It was primarily this ability that made him First among the Heraldic Circle. He demonstrated this ability when he Fetched the magical construct that had killed Savil and Kellan, tapping into a node for the power needed to reach over such a great distance.[4]

Tantras once said that Vanyel could level Haven with his magic. This potential was mentioned casually in the Chronicles written by Bard Stefen.[5]

In addition to his Gifts, Vanyel was tied to all the Heralds of Valdemar -- able to sense them whenever he chooses.[4]

Family[]

Main article: Ashkevron family

Death and Legacy[]

Vanyel died at the end of the trilogy, while fighting the army of Leareth in the Battle of the Ice Wall. He was able to defeat Leareth by using the powerful "Final Strike," but at the cost of his own life. Because of who and what he was, he was offered the choice to continue protecting Valdemar. His spirit, as well as the spirits of Yfandes and Stefen/Tylendel, were joined with Wendwinter Forest (later known as the Forest of Sorrows). In this form, known as "Vanyel's Curse," they protected Valdemar's northern border from those that would harm Valdemar and the Heralds.

Centuries later, Vanyel's spirit was able to hijack the magical power of the Tayledras Heartstone in order to power the Heartstone in Haven.[6] He also redirected the magical Gate of Herald Elspeth and Firesong k'Treva to bring them to Sorrows, before sending them to Forst Reach.[7]

During the return of the Mage Storms, Vanyel, Stefen and Yfandes joined the group in the remains of Urtho's Tower attempting to stop a repeat of the Cataclysm. The trio attached themselves to the frame of Stefen's old gittern, which he'd left behind leaning against a tree at the time of his death. Altra Jumped the frame to the Tower, bringing all three spirits with him. In their last ditch effort to stop the Final Storm, Yfandes helped the sword Need protect Firesong, while Vanyel and Stefen stood with the mage Sejanes. They succeeded in saving the mages, though they met dissolution themselves. Finally free of their duty in the Forest of Sorrows, Florian indicated that the three were given the more usual choices presented to recently dead Heralds and Companions, and had to make their decisions and move on too quickly to say goodbye.

Character[]

Throughout his life, Vanyel was emotional, tending towards extreme depression. In his youth, Vanyel was highly misunderstood by his family, alternately coddled by his frivolous mother and emotionally abused by his detached father, while his younger siblings and cousins mocked and ignored him. The only refuge he found was with his lively elder sister Lissa, who acted as his protector. Constant emotional abuse and neglect led him to repress his emotions, and to deny himself emotional contact lest he be hurt. This made his romance with Tylendel slow, only taking off after a nightmare revealed to both Vanyel's hatred of his self-imposed isolation, and their mutual love. Vanyel became highly dependent on Tylendel upon their whirlwind courtship and sudden intimacy; after his lover's death, he tried to commit suicide when a stray thought led him to believe himself guilty of causing Tylendel's death. Eventually, he came to realize that he still had love in his life, even if it was not nearly as intense as a lifebond, including an intimate soulbond with his Companion Yfandes, though he continued to carry the pain and grief of Tylendel's death for the rest of his life.[3]

Even as a young man, Vanyel showed a large dose of cynicism, which led to him scoffing at both the glory-hungry mannerisms of his younger brother and the self-sacrificing natures of the Heralds he met. Nonetheless, he came to realize the call of his powers and the responsibility he had to protect people with the tremendous power he commanded, finally understanding what drives Heralds to do what they do.[3]

Twelve years later, although Vanyel had ceased to blame himself for Tylendel's death, he was still desperately lonely. He missed his former lover and found thoughts of him painful, and due to fathering Jisa with Shavri became confused about his sexuality and his relationships with others. Duty contested his wish for oblivion, but his fear that those he loves would become targets against him, and his hurt that people fear him and the power he wields, led him to withdraw into a cold shell not unlike the one he used as a defense in his youth. During the course of events, Vanyel came to a truce and began a burgeoning friendship with Armsmaster Jervis; and even began to mend his relationship with his father. A terrible event (in which yet another friend, Herald-Mage Jaysen Kondre, was lost) resulted in Vanyel being offered a peaceful end -- the death he had wanted for twelve years -- but refusing it, because of his duty, because Valdemar needs him and his abilities.

Nine years later, Vanyel's fear of loved ones being used against him nearly led him to reject the love and lifebonding of Bard Stefen, a reincarnation of Tylendel. When his beloved aunt, Savil -- along with some of his dearest friends and fellow Herald-Mages -- was brutally murdered, he became nearly unhinged with his desperate need for revenge, as well as his need to protect Valdemar from the threat of the murdering mage. Stefen accompanied him on this mission, and only his presence saved the day when Vanyel was captured, tortured and went berserk, and when Stefen had to summon the Guard to combat the dark army he and Vanyel discovered. Following Vanyel's death, Stefen tried to poison himself, only to be prevented by Vanyel's ghost, who said that Stefen could join him as a spirit, protecting Valdemar -- but only if he earned it and died a natural death.

The underlying emotional theme of his life was the wish for death overcome by love and duty. Although the book ends on a happy note, with Vanyel and Stefen/Tylendel reunited as spirits, the overall tone of the series is emotive and tragic. Mercedes Lackey once facetiously described her plot tactics with Vanyel and with her other main characters as "Drop a mountain on them. Recover them, make them happy again. Then drop another mountain on them."

Additional Importance[]

Vanyel was the first of Mercedes Lackey's main characters to be openly homosexual, though there were other gay characters, such as Keren, Ylsa and Sherrill from the original Heralds of Valdemar trilogy.

In the Series[]

Vanyel appears in the following works:

Vanyel is likely to have been an unnamed character in the following work:

Music[]

All of the songs on the Shadow Stalker album are related to Vanyel (or to The Last Herald-Mage series, aside from Windrider Unchained.)

References[]

  1. ↑ Exile's Valor, Chapter 11
  2. ↑ Magic's Promise
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Magic's Pawn
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Magic's Price
  5. ↑ Winds of Fate, Chapter 7
  6. ↑ Winds of Change
  7. ↑ Winds of Fury, Chapter 5
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