Post by kinguthersqueen on Aug 27, 2010 19:57:55 GMT -5
| ~ • ~ | Character Basics | ~ • ~ |
.:Name of Character:. Uther Pendragon
.:Nick Name:. Sire, your majesty,my lord,
.:Age:. 56
.:Race:. Camelotian
.:Status:. Royal| ~ • ~ | Appearance | ~ • ~ |
.:Physical Appearance:. about 6ft, his build is average but toned, he's muscular but not overly so. Probably heavily scarred from years of fighting, though the notable one is the one on his forehead. He has hazle eyes and graying brown hair.
.:Height:. 6ft
.:Portrayed by:. Anthony Head| ~ • ~ | Personality | ~ • ~ |
.:Personality:.
Uther comes across to many people as a ruthless tyrant, a cruel dictator with a deep hatred of magic who relentlessly persecutes its users He has the blood of many on his hands, and there are countless people who would rejoice to see him dead. He has a short, often quick temper that can push him at times to the edge of his control-or make him lose control altogether. His hatred of magic in particular clouds his mind and makes him act and think in ways that are often brutal, although he occasionally seems to have regrets. He would never let on, though, that he does, giving the impression that he's not sorry for much of anything. He is often stubborn and obstinate, and it's very hard to change his mind once he's decided something, although the people closest to him, like Arthur,Morgana or Gaius, can sometimes persuade him.
In reality, Uther is broken and bitter, devastated by the loss of his wife, Igraine, during Arthur's birth. He may, in a sense, blame himself for what happened. It is unclear if he knew that she would die or not, but he did know the danger of using magic to help her conceive, and of the fact that a life had to be taken for a life to be created. Either way, he blames magic itself for her loss, and believes it to be an evil, corrupting force that threatens his people and his kingdom as long as it exists. He will stop at nothing to eradicate it from his kingdom. He is not truly an evil man, but his loss has pushed him to do evil things and use questionable methods to do what he believes is necessary to protect his kingdom. He is a decent king in the sense that he has brought peace and prosperity to Camelot, but many hate him for his ruthless persecution of magic and magic users and he has countless people who wish him dead.
Uther has a kind of arrogance about him, but it's not the general "I'm better than everyone else" type. It's a sense in which he refuses to compromise and he believes he's right, regardless of what anyone else thinks, and that no one else understands his position as king. He believes that his persecution and the lives he's taken were worth it to protect Camelot. He's stubborn and strong willed, very unwilling to admit that he's wrong or to apologize for anything. He does, however, say that he has regrets about some of the things he's done. His temper likely leads him to say and do things without totally considering the consequences, and he doesn't realize his mistake until it's too late.
Uther loves his son and his ward deeply, and would do anything he had to in order to keep them safe. He would be devastated by the loss of Morgana, and Arthur's loss might well kill him. However, he is a stern man who rarely shows love or affection to his son. He is hard on Arthur, and Arthur believed for a long time that he was a disappointment and a failure. Uther wants his son to be a good king, and to be able to rule well after he is gone, and this often leads him to be harsh, even if he doesn't truly mean to be.
.:Strengths:. good at bringing peace apparently, good in combat,apparently has some potlical savvy
.:Weaknesses:. his temper and his hatred of magic. Both blind him completely to reason.
.:Magic Abilities:. are you kidding? lol couldn't resist. srsly, none
.:Special Skills:. trained warrior and knight, knows his way around a variety of weapons and combat techniques
.:Accents:. just his English one| ~ • ~ | History | ~ • ~ |
.:Birthplace:. Unknown
.:Family:. Unknown onscreen. In legend, Ambrosius was his brother, and Constintinus his father. Arthur is his son, and Morgana his daughter
.:Occupation:. king
.:Current Location of Residence:. Camelot castle
.:History:.
(I don't know how far into the series we are here but...)
Little is known about Uther's childhood. He was obviously a warrior from a young age, and became quite skilled in battle. He came to Camelot when it was in chaos and conquered it, putting an end to the squabbling nobles and slaying all the dragons except one, which he imprisoned in the tunnels below the castle. He became a man who had everything, with one exception. His wife, Igraine, was barren and could not produce an heir to the throne. Uther went to the sorceress Nimueh for help, and she enabled the birth of Uther's son, Arthur. However, the magics took Igraine's life, and left Uther hardened and broken. Uther blamed magic for his wife's death and began a ruthless purge and persecution of any who practiced it. Hundreds died, and many of the survivors would give anything to see him dead.
Morgana came to live with Uther after Gorlois's death. Gorlois was a close friend of Uther's, and the king promised to care for Morgana after his death. There are rumors that Uther caused Gorlois' death by not giving him adequate back-up in battle, but this has never been proven for certain. To the people of Camlelot and even most of the royal family, Morgana is Uther's ward, the daughter of Gorlois. But in reality, Gorlois's wife got lonely while Gorlois was fighting up north. Uther took her to his bed, and the result was Morgana. He believes that only himself and Gaius know this, but Morgana overheard him say it.
Uther has been constantly challenged and troubled by Morgana, whom he says is as strong willed and independent as her father-in other words, she reminds him of himself. Her hatred of Uther has steadily grown, but he has yet to realize that she has turned against him. She has struggled with her own growing magical ability, but Uther does not yet know she has it. At the end of the second season, she has been taken away by her half sister, Morgause, and Uther does not know what has happened to her.
Important points of his timeline during the series:
-Appointed Merlin Arthur's manservant after the boy saved the prince from an attack by the vengeful mother of a man Uther executed.
-Uther refused to believe that a knight named Valiant was cheating at a tournament, using an enchanted shield with snakes that came to life at his command. One of his victims survived, but Valiant had the snakes finish him before he could testify. Uther only saw the truth when Merlin secretly brought the snakes to life in full public view. Uther is a man of honor, despite his flaws, but he did not want to believe that a knight would break the code and cheat, either.
-He became enraged when the young man Lancelot broke the code and became a knight by lying about his parentage. Uther considered it a betrayal and a shame. He was nearly persuaded to let Lancelot stay after Lancelot saved Arthur and his men from a Griffin (with secret help from Merlin), but Lancelot left of his own accord, saying that he needed to prove himself to himself.
-Sentenced Morgana's servant, Gwen, to death because he believed she was responsible for a plague afflicting the city. He only relented when Gaius, his court physician, proved that Nimueh actually caused the plague.
-He nearly killed Merlin trying to teach Arthur a lesson when Merlin was poisoned saving Arthur's life. The prince went on a dangerous quest to retrieve the cure for the poison, and Uther threw Arthur in prison overnight and refused to give Merlin the cure. He believed that Arthur was taking too great a risk for a future king by going to a place that few had returned from alive. Only Arthur passing the flower to Gwen saved Merlin's life. Uther finally admitted later on that he was wrong.
-Was nearly killed by a young healer who unleashed a parasitic worm into Uther's brain after paralyzing him. Edwin was enraged by Uther's killing of his parents and wanted Uther dead. He orchestrated a plan that involved making Morgana ill from another of the worms, and then appearing to cure her when Gaius could not. He talked Uther into letting Gaius go and making him the court physician. This gave him the access to give Uther the paralytic and then insert the worm into his brain. Gaius and Merlin saved him, despite Gaius having been fired, and Uther apologized to Gaius, making him a freeman. It did not stop him from taking action against Gaius later, though, as we will see.
-Refused to send help to the village Merlin's mother, Hunith, lived in, because it was in a neighboring kingdom and would be seen as an act of war. Uther is a kind man in some ways, but he is also dedicated to his people and kingdom first and foremost, and cannot take action that he believes will put everyone in great danger if he doesn't think it's worth the risk.
-Was forced to make harsh decisions when Arthur's killing of a unicorn placed the kingdom under a curse. The crops died and water dried up, and initially, Uther attempted to distribute food to the people. But, he was about to stop the rationing and save the food for the fighting men when Arthur, with Merlin's help, finally passed the tests to prove his worth and get the curse removed.
-Took Arthur's place in battle against a wraith made from the body of Igraine's brother, Tristan. Uther killed him years ago, when Tristan attacked him over Igraine's death. Nimueh revived the corpse and tried to use it against Uther, knowing that the king would fight in his son's place so that Arthur would not die. Merlin had the dragon enchant a sword, the future Excalibur, for Arthur, not knowing of Uther's intentions. He tried to persuade the king not to use the sword, but Uther was insistant. Only the use of Excalibur prevented Uther's death. Merlin later threw the sword away to keep it from being used again by Uther, after being told that it would bring only disaster in Uther's hands. After the battle, father and son talked, and Uther admitted that Arthur means more to him than anything in the world, despite Arthur believing he was a failure and a disappointment. It is also in this episode that we learn the truth about Arthur's birth and the magic used. Gaius wanted to tell Arthur the truth, but Uther forbade it, likely knowing that his son would react much as he ultimately did in "Sins of the Father" later on. Uther believed that only he and Gaius knew the truth at the time.
-Made his first threat against Morgana after she helped the Druid boy Mordred escape, despite his order that the boy be executed. He said that he would break his promise to Glorlois and kill her if he discovered that Morgana was openly betraying him. This was repeated in season 2, but he never found any solid proof to charge her on.
-Morgana joined a plot to have him killed after her servant Gwen's father was executed. But after Morgana and Uther talked, she lost her nerve and helped him stop the assassins before they could kill him. It's here that we learn that Uther appreciates Morgana's challenges to his authority, and that he does have regrets about things he has done in the past. It appears that he sometimes acts before truly thinking of the consequences.
-Uther was devastated when Arthur was bitten by a questing beast. Uther stubbornly refused to believe that only magic could kill the beast, and when Arthur and his men engaged it in combat, it bit the prince. Merlin was able to get the water that would cure Arthur, but Uther's love for Arthur was shown as he believed his son was dying. The king collapsed while carrying the prince, sobbing openly in front of his people. He stayed by Arthur's side as much as possible until Arthur finally woke up.
-Had to deal with Camelot being attacked by a sorcerer's soul, bonded with a thief's body by means of a crystal The sorcerer animated the castle's gargoyles, and the streets were plunged into chaos. Merlin once again saved the day, but a lot of damage was done, and Uther was only barely stopped from going out into the fray to find Arthur when he feared the prince was injured. Uther said that the incident only reaffirmed his hatred of magic and his belief that it was evil.
- Another king, Olaf, whose son was killed by Arthur, sent an assassin after the prince during a tournament in which Arthur was competing anonymously. Arthur defeated the would-be killer, and Uther wanted to make war on Olaf. Arthur spoke against it, though, saying he knew that Olaf was motivated by grief.
-Uther thought Morgana's room catching fire was due to magic, and nearly killed a bunch of suspected magic users when she went to see the Druids with Merlin, and Uther believed she was kidnapped. She did not want to return to the palace, but realized that staying away would likely condemn more people to death after the Druid camp was attacked by Arthur and his men. Uther expressed that a part of him would die if he lost Morgana.
-Refused to save Gwen from the outlaw Hengeist, saying it would take too many men and was too great a risk for a servant girl. Arthur saved her anyway, though.
-Uther was enchanted by a troll who was after his money. She used her magic to make him marry her and he eventually made her heir to the throne, disinheriting Arthur. Gaius and Merlin switched her potion and everyone else saw what she was, but Uther remained enchanted. The spell could only be broken if Uther cried tears of true remorse. Arthur took a draught that made him appear dead, and Uther cried the tears that broke the troll's hold on him.
-Nearly executed Gaius when a witchfinder's discovery led Gaius to confess in order to save Merlin. Gwen convinced Arthur to stop the execution at the last minute, after evidence was found and Gaius's innocence was proven when the witchfinder himself was outed. Gaius reprimanded Uther for his paranoia, making it clear that he felt that Uther was allowing his reason to turn to madness where magic was concerned. Gaius is one of only a couple of people Uther will take such a speech from.
-A bounty hunter came to Camelot with a captured Druid girl, and we learned that Uther has a bounty for anyone who captures Druids and magic users and brings them to him. The girl, Freya, escaped with Merlin's help, and Uther hunted her down. Ultimately, one of Uther's men killed her, as she was cursed to become a winged panther-like creature every night at midnight. She attacked, unable to control her killing rage, and was fatally wounded.
-His secret about Arthur's birth was revealed by Morgause, Morgana's half sister, who used a vision of Igraine to try and turn Arthur against his father. The apparition told Arthur that Uther had betrayed her by going to Nimueh without her knowledge, even though he was aware that using magic would cost Igraine her life. Arthur confronted Uther and fought him, coming close to killing him. Merlin pleaded with Arthur not to, saying that Morgause was lying, and Arthur relented after forcing Uther to swear that everything was not true. Morgause was half right about Arthur's birth, of course, in that he was born of magic,but Arthur still does not realize this. It is unclear if Uther actually knew that Igraine would die, or if he simply knew that there would be a great risk involved. Uther did not know that Morgause also knew the truth because he believed that she had died at birth, when in reality, Gaius smuggled her out to the priests of the Old Religion. We still do not know all the details of this story yet.
-Nearly lost Arthur to a spell that made Arthur fall in love with Lady Vivian, the daughter of King Olaf. Five kings were in Camelot to sign a peace treaty, but one of the parties involved did not truly want peace. He used magic with help from his jester, and enchanted Arthur and Vivian. When Olaf found the prince and lady together, he challenged Arthur to a duel.The spell was broken eventually,and although Arthur was close to defeat, he managed to best Olaf, but spared his life, saying it was not the way to make peace.
-Morgana severed her ties with Uther when she helped a man named Alvarr steal a powerful crystal from Uther's vaults. Morgana told Morgause that she was committed to Uther's downfall, and that she was only pretending to like him now. After Alvarr was captured and the crystal found, Uther got into an argument with Morgana after Alvarr was sentenced to death and she essentially told him that he meant nothing to her and to go to hell. Morgana then drugged the guards so that Alvarr could escape. Uther has no proof that she helped Alvarr escape, but he has made it clear that she will face punishment, possibly death,if he finds out that she was involved.
-Uther lost Morgana after Morgause re-animated a group of enchanted knights, the Knights of Medhir. Camelot was put under a sleeping spell, with Morgana as its power source. Arthur and Merlin were not affected at first because Uther had sent them to investigate the report of the knights being re-animated. Uther fell under the spell, and Arthur and Merlin, along with the mysteriously healthy Morgana, tried to get him out of Camelot to safety. Reluctantly, Merlin poisoned Morgana to make Morgause call off the spell. Morgause begrudgingly agreed, and after Merlin gave her the poison, she teleported Morgana away. Uther is distraught over not knowing what happened to her.
-After the great dragon was freed by Merlin, due to the young warlock swearing on his mother's life that he would do so, Uther had to deal with Camelot being attacked by the beast and nearly burned to the ground. Merlin eventually drove the dragon away, after he and Arthur went to find his father. Men called dragonlords have power over the dragons, but Uther had ordered them all destroyed, believing their powers too close to magic. One, however, had escaped, and Arthur and Merlin had to go and find him. Balinor, Merlin's father, initially refused to help because of his hated for Uther, but later changed his mind and agreed. In the end, though, Balinor died, and Merlin had to save the kingdom. Uther remained distraught about Morgana's disappearance, along with his inability to protect the kingdom as it was being attacked.
-Morgana returned after a year, saying she was held by bandits. But in reality, she and MOrgause had devised a plan to destroy Camelot. Morgana enchanted Uther with mandrake root, driving him insane and making him see visions of his victims-and Ygraine. With Uther incapacitated, Camelot was easy prey for Morgause and the army of king Cendred. But Morgana's plot to create chaos by raising an army of the dead failed when Merlin intervened, and he also managed to get rid of the mandrake and help Uther. Cenred retreated, not wanting any more loss of his men. Uther believes that Morgana saved Camelot.
-While the goblin that Merlin accidentally released was wreaking havoc, it made Uther lose his hair. He ordered Merlin's death when Gaius accused him of sorcery, but later learned that Gaius was possessed by the goblin.
-He was harsh on the young man Gwaine, when Gwaine tried to prevent Arthur from being killed in the melee. Two men had disguised themselves as knights with help from a crystal, and were seeking revenge for Arthur routing them in a bar brawl. Gwaine was caught trying to steal their enchanted blades, and Arthur's plea spared his life but Uther banished him. He then banished Gwaine again after Gwaine saved Arthur in the melee-GGwaine could have revealed his noble birth and became a knight but he didn't want to serve Uther.
-Uther was nearly killed by Morgana twice, spared only by Merlin's visions in the crystal cave. Morgana was badly injured and lay dying, and Uther begged Gaius to bring her back, even if he had to use magic to do so. It was at this point that he revealed her true parentage to Gaius, and she overheard him.
