Amonwelle, the Protector of the North, is a character that appears in Might and Magic: The Dreamwright and Might and Magic: The Shadowsmith. She is one of the Wielders, guardians and protectors of humanity. She is also the mother of Diligence, one of the main characters.
She has the power to create glass servants, strange, light beings that deliver messages, then instantly turn into liquid once their task is complete. Pomponderant captures a vial of the stuff, planning on studying it in his quarters and see if a glass infant will emerge in moonlight.
By appearance, Diligence describes her as "a shortish woman with close-cropped auburn hair (...) She appeared to be of middle years, with a thickening waist and a probing blue-green gaze that Diligence found oddly disquieting."
Background[]
Becoming a Wielder[]
When Amonwelle was young and mortal, humans were ruled by the guardians, servants of the Ancients that had brought humanity to the planet. Their rule was secured by their control of the Wire, later described by Amonwelle as "an intangible conduit of incredible power that both nourished and dominated us".
After a long and bloody war, humanity found itself free of the guardians. No longer forced to obey any far-off masters, they could now use the Wire for their own ends. Some of the rebels decided to become the new guardians and protectors of the planet, and called themselves Wielders. The power of the Wire allowed them to alter their minds and bodies, lengthening their lifespans and letting them bring forth children with incredible abilities.
Some of them chose to become closer to their instruments, becoming part machine themselves, and no longer fully human. One of these was Dubiel, who was called the Shadowmith after he decided to wage a secret war against the other Wielders to increase his power. They banded together and drove him back, and he fled south to hide and gather his strength.
El[]
At one time, Amonwelle was romantically involved with El, the long-lived swordswinger who was known as the Hero of the North. 600 years before the events of the novels, he fought the candlemen at the Battle of the Stolen Air. Amonwelle had sworn to remain neutral during the conflict, but when her lover was slain, she killed two thousand of the Candlemen in a rage. This marked the end of the Effulgency, and candlemen never forgot their foe.
Diligence[]
Sixteen years before the events of the novels, Amonwelle had a child with Herstad, one of the eight kings of The Wheel. She named her daughter Madawyn, but the mortals gave her the name Diligence. They agreed that Diligence would remain with her father until she turned 21, when she'd travel to her mother's palace.
One day, the rulers of the Wheel grew concerned about the increasing frequency of natural disasters plaguing their lands, and decided to send a messenger to Amonwelle and the Dreamwright to discover what was wrong. She sent one of her glass servants to deliver her reply. They could consult the Dreamwright if they first delivered a few tokens of friendship: Manscythe, the sword of El; nine new buds from a tine tree; seven alters; and fourteen yeofolk. In addition, she wanted her daughter to come and visit her. Despite the dangers of this journey, Herstad agreed to let her go, and set up a caravan to deliver both his daughter and the tribute safely to Amonwelle.
The caravan experienced many dangers, and the soldiers of Dubiel were never far away. Many of their companions lost their lives, but the remains of the caravan eventually found their way to the Unseen Wall, where Amonwelle greeted them.
Dreamwright[]
The role of the Dreamwright was usually played by one of Amonwelle's many children. At a private dinner with Diligence and Hitch in the crystal palace, Amonwelle told them that most of the Dreamwrights, and all of them for the last five hundred years, had been her sons and daughters. Niirphar and Manwen were the last two of these. Diligence asked if she had been summoned to become the new Dreamwright, but Amonwelle explained that she'd only sent for her to make sure she wasn't targeted by her mother's enemies. Instead, Hitch was to become the Dreamwright.
When Hitch protested that he lacked the powers needed for the job, she reminded him of the dreams he'd been having - of guiding a ship toward the shore in a raging storm. She told him that she'd known for two hundred years that someone with the required gift would be born in the Silent Falls. When the Shadowsmith began plotting again, she'd asked Niirphar to implant that dream in his head to drive him to leave his home, head north, and eventually end up with her.
Hitch was given a few days to think about the offer, but was later attacked by Nury, one of the caravan members that had been infected by Dubiel's dark magic. Amonwelle arrived to stop her, but Hitch and Jassad Attqua, another caravan member, had fallen through one of the Dreamwright's portals. The portal closed, leaving Amonwelle with no idea where they'd gone, and no way to follow them.
Amonwelle then learned from Diligence that Hitch had been carrying an ancient staff with a blue gem. Recognizing the item as the Staff of Blue Light, a powerful artifact of the Ancients, she now had two reasons to recover Hitch as soon as possible. Pomponderant, a wise scholar and member of the Green Moth Society, used the Dreamwright machine to try to look for them.
The other members of the caravan were ready to return to The Wheel when Pomponderant discovered that Hitch was in the Aulmad. When Diligence learned that the caravan would attempt to rescue Hitch on their way home, she wanted to travel with them, but Amonwelle told her no - it was too dangerous for her. Instead, they would send an alter disguised as her, to draw away any enemy attacks. With the aid of the guard Cobby, Diligence took the alter's place, but later learned that this had been Amonwelle's plan all along. Now, any spies in Amonwelle's ranks would report that Diligence was just an alter, and not worth attacking.
The caravan eventually ended up back at the crystal palace, and Hitch came with them. Having given the subject some thought, he accepted her offer, and took on the role of Dreamwright.