Fenian
Fenian is a lead character in the early books of The Metalwood Saga. He is a highly skilled Eldrim Hunter from the village of Sylrantheas, the son of the Bombardment Mentor Kharis and the late tavern owner Syndra. As a bladedancer, Fenian utilizes lightprime poplar to guide his arrows with lethal precision.
He serves as the primary love interest for Arra, providing a quiet, moral anchor for her as she struggles with her lack of magic. Fenian's tragic arc—suffering a permanently crippling injury at the hands of the Remnant, followed shortly by his brutal murder during a Cothellon invasion—serves as a major catalyst for the surviving characters, permanently altering Arra's worldview and fueling her desire for vengeance.
Appearance and Personality
Fenian is consistently described by those around him as an exceptionally attractive elf, often called "gorgeous" or "just too perfect". He stands easily six feet two inches tall, possessing a slim and well-muscled physique. Due to his extensive training as a longbow archer, one of his arms is noticeably larger than the other. He has short, dark brown hair, prominent cheekbones that give him an "almost stately appearance," and striking purple-gray eyes. He smells faintly of leather, bowstring, and yarrow, and is typically seen wearing the green and brown camouflage uniform of the Hunters. Following a brutal Remnant attack, Fenian relies on a pair of wooden crutches to walk.
Personality-wise, Fenian embodies the "strong, silent type". He radiates quiet strength, integrity, and restraint, rarely raising his voice. He is highly disciplined and principled, preferring to follow the rules and do what is right rather than acting impulsively. Though he is somewhat shy and reserved in expressing his emotions, his love and loyalty run exceptionally deep. He is a deeply forgiving person; even after Arra's sister Elanil accidentally causes him to fall and shatter his leg, he harbors no resentment toward her, instead blaming the Remnant who attacked them.
Biography
The Remnant Ambush and Injury
Five years away from his own Waychoice ceremony, the forty-five-year-old Fenian served as a skilled Hunter in Sylrantheas. When Arra and Imra snuck out to investigate Remnant activity near the ruined outpost of Presenub, Fenian followed to ensure their safety. While scouting ahead in the overgrown ruins of Old San Francisco, Fenian was ambushed by Remnant scavengers.
The humans viciously tortured him, slashing his legs down to the bone. Arra and Imra located him, but were quickly trapped by the humans in a net suspended above a bed of rusted metal spikes. Elanil attempted to save them with leafrunning magic, but in her haste to flee the gunfire, she accidentally dropped Fenian from the tree. He fell to the ground with a sickening crunch, shattering his leg. The village soulsoother, Eloen, was able to save his life using Protector magic, but the damage to his muscles and tendons was too severe to fully mend. Fenian was left permanently crippled, forced to rely on wooden crutches.
Love and the Archery Final
Despite his devastating injury, Fenian refused to back down or be made weak. He adapted to his crutches, eventually requesting a specially-made, taller crutch that allowed him to stand and draw his longbow. Because his balance was permanently altered, he could no longer rely purely on physical skill; instead, he used his bladedancing magic to alter the trajectory of his arrows in mid-flight. Using this method, he successfully passed his archery final.
During this recovery period, Fenian and Arra's romance fully blossomed. He provided her with unwavering support as she agonized over her lack of magic and her impending Waychoice. He promised to stand by her, defending her unprecedented decision to Choose every single Way at her ceremony.
Death during the Cothellon Invasion
Moments after Arra's Waychoice ceremony concluded, heavily armed Cothellon soldiers invaded Sylrantheas. Despite his injured leg, Fenian immediately engaged the enemy, utilizing a wooden gazebo post for cover as he shot down Cothellon soldiers with his bow.
Tragically, the Cothellon were armed with mergeguns—deadly darkprime weapons that utilize mergemelding magic to shoot directly through solid objects. An enemy soldier fired a mergegun bullet that ripped entirely through the wooden pillar and struck Fenian squarely in the chest, shattering his skin and causing massive blood loss.
With the village burning and Eloen occupied elsewhere, the elves were forced to evacuate the critically wounded Fenian on a stretcher. They carried him to the hidden human settlement known as the Splinter, hoping the humans' Mundane hospital could save him. The human doctors attempted to resuscitate him using an AED and compressions, but the blood loss was too severe. Without access to elven soulsoothing magic, Fenian died on the hospital bed, leaving Arra shattered and driving Kharis to alcoholism.
Powers and Abilities
- Bladedancer (Poplar): Fenian is a Talented mage Aligned with the Way of the Destroyer. By burning prime poplar, he can use bladedancing magic to manipulate the flight path of his arrows, effectively allowing them to curve around obstacles or correct a poor aim. He can also use this magic to increase his lethal speed and accuracy in close-quarters knife combat.
- Master Archer: Even prior to his injury, Fenian was an exceptionally skilled longbow archer. His dedication to the craft is evidenced by the asymmetrical musculature in his arms.
Key Relationships
- Arra: His primary love interest. They share a deep, passionate bond built on mutual respect. Fenian is her emotional anchor, and his sudden death destroys her innocence, filling her with a dark desire for vengeance against those responsible.
- Kharis: His father, the Bombardment Mentor of Sylrantheas. Kharis is intensely proud of his son. The loss of Fenian devastates Kharis, causing the formerly stoic mentor to look gaunt and heavily turn to alcohol to cope with his grief.
- Elanil: Arra's younger sister. Although Elanil's mistake caused the fall that ruined his leg, Fenian refuses to blame her, recognizing that the Remnant humans were the true enemy.
- Trey: Fenian is initially suspicious and somewhat jealous of the human bookseller, especially when he notices Arra's strange connection to him. However, Fenian's fair-minded nature allows him to empathize with Trey's anger upon learning that elves were responsible for the Sundering.