Morcastle

Morcastle is a character from the Ravenloft product line novel Carnival of Fear. He was a performer of Carnival l'Morai and legerdemainist. Along with Hermos and Marie the Blind Juggler, Morcastle became involved in the investigation of several murders of carnival performers. However, he met a messy end before the real culprit could be found.

Biography

Although he believed he was an immigrant to the Carnival some twenty years before the start of the Carnival of Fear novel, Morcastle was a native of the City of l'Morai. Actually named Ranwen Feronne, Morcastle somehow violated the Statutes of l'Morai and was punished with the living death. Changed and stripped of his previous memories, Ranwen became "Morcastle the Magician", an outcast and unknowing exile from the City of l'Morai. Morcastle's exact transgression is not spelled out in exact terms in CoF, though he had a dream about reading forbidden arcane lore as a child.

Following the murder of Borgo the Sword-Swallower and Banon and Panon and the ensuing indifference of the Gendarmerie of l'Morai, Morcastle investigated the murders with the aid of Hermos and Marie the Juggler. They discovered a mass graveyard in the Forest of a Thousand Graves, but they became entangled in a battle with Gendarme Fassioux and his associated. Accused of leaving Carnival l'Morai (a crime punishable by death for freaks) and assaulting one of the gendarmerie. Morcastle and company were put on trial but were acquitted thanks to the intervention of Lord Odieu, whom recognized their description of the murderer as Dominick the Butcher.

Morcastle and Marie eventually brought Dominick in front of the Council of l'Morai and the public in general. Represented by Jurist L'Arist, Morcastle and Marie successfully presented their case against Dominick (whom was represented by Jurist Brucin, though this was more due to the fickle emotions of the city's people rather than any true justice. As punishment, Dominick suffered the living death, transformed in Karrick the Man of a Thousand Knives. Morcastle witnessed this transformation, though seemingly as part of a dream. It was only after the punishment was afflicted that Morcastle, Marie, and Hermos discover the truth: Dominick had been framed by parties unknown. However, they were the only ones who seemingly knew about Dominick's innocence, and the real murderer was still at large.

Soon after, Morcastle was killed by a sabotaged trick guillotine he used in his magic tricks. His murder was covered up as an accident, and he was buried in the forest.