Clever title aside, does anyone know off hand when exactly Merlin becomes trapped and leaves the storyline in the GPC? If there's not an "official" date that I have somehow missed, then anyone have any recommendations for when to remove him? ???

I don't think any of the original material ever really deal with Merlin after Arthur's 'death,' but I'm not familiar with a lot of the old stories.

I always imagined him having a cottage somewhere in Whales, waiting for the moment to summon Author from his slumber.

In "The Great Pendragon Campaign", Merlin departs the court forever in 523.

According to Fanni Bogdanow's "The Romance of the Grail", there's a medieval Spanish romance called "El Baladro del Sabio Merlin" in which Merlin, shortly after his imprisonment by Nimue (and during the visit to his cave by King Bagdemagus), realizing that she will never release him, commits suicide rather than spend eternity trapped in the cave. It's an extremely dark moment.

I always imagined him having a cottage somewhere in Whales, waiting for the moment to summon Author from his slumber.


Beluga, blue or humpback? :)

The author is not sleeping. He is in the worlds of shadow, in the fire, darkness and light, sharing his thoughts with us.

I always imagined him having a cottage somewhere in Whales, waiting for the moment to summon Author from his slumber.


Beluga, blue or humpback? :)

The author is not sleeping. He is in the worlds of shadow, in the fire, darkness and light, sharing his thoughts with us.


lol. Author should have been Arthur, @#$@#$ spell check.

Of course, if you prefer a different ending, I think GPC suggests that Merlin and Viviane just decamp to a love-nest somewhere, or there's Mary Stewart's version with him earning a peaceful retirement.

When I run it (whenever that winds up being!) I'll probably just have Merlin vanish, and all of those stories are just rumours about what might have happened.

I'm not against having Merlin come back later in a campaign in some shape or form.

Phyllis Ann Karr writes in her Arthurian Companion that in Vulgate VII, there appears to be a prophecy that Percival or Galahad were to rescue Merlin after achieving the Grail. One of these days I will get myself that book.

Bagdemagus and Gawain also spoke with Merlin at his tomb.

If Merlin can be useful at the beginning of a campaign as an advisor or mentor, I think he can fulfil the same role near the end of a campaign. A darker, more sinister Merlin has always interested me.

Thanks for the thoughts, keep them coming if you have more.

As for using Merlin in the campaign directly, I always find that to be a mixed bag. In my experience running pendragon in one form or another for the last twelve years (I know how said that sounds coming from the guy who didn't know when exactly Merlin leaves for good) it's best to use him as either a red herring that other knights are blaming for something, or as an instigator for some of the more "exotic" adventures in the storyline. And of course it's always important to remember that the knights, noble as they may be, are primarily concerned with their own glory and loyalty to their lord and king. Merlin on the other hand does whatever he feels is best for Britain with little regard for who gets stepped on in the process, so obviously the two agendas can and often do run a foul of one another.

There are some tales that have Merlin escape his imprisonment, but too late to help Arthur. I read something (I think Stewart) where this causes him to go mad for a few years and he leaves the story much like the handful of surviving knights.

I suppose A GM could extend the campaign by having one of the various sons of Arthur (other than Modred) from the legends survive (or find a son who was raised in secret) and have Merlin try a third time (its the charm, right?) to try and get things right.

Surviving PCs could rally to the new King (or oppose him) much as with Arthur. Only thins time instead of things progressing, they could regress back to the dark ages. The high grade horses, armor and weapons vanish as the chaotic state of the realm takes it toll, and wave upon wave of Saxons invade-as per the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.

Unlike in the standard campaign, the scion of Arthur wouldn't have any destiny or "timeline" to follow and the GM could run it entirely as "what happens, happens."

I thought Merlin disappears after 517 in GPC. I could be wrong, but that's what I remembered.

I thought Merlin disappears after 517 in GPC. I could be wrong, but that's what I remembered.



Pretty good memory. According to both GPC and Boy King, Merlin last appears in Court in 516, and by 517 rumours being of his death and continue on for several years. The Pendragon Campaign book gives the year of his disappearance as 515.

That doesn't give him much time to show the round table the vision of the holy grail.

Or course Merlin has "gone missing" before, and a GM could bring him back for a few more years-especially if he appears away from court. ("Dead? No I wasn't dead, I was in Pictland. It's easy to mistake one for the other, I'll grant you, but there is a difference between the two.")

Hmm, I'd like to have him around at least until Lancelot arrives. I wonder what sort of problems it would cause, if any if I kept him around for another 10-15 years?

"Dead? No I wasn't dead, I was in Pictland. It's easy to mistake one for the other, I'll grant you, but there is a difference between the two."


Actually, in that case I'm pretty sure you actually were in Gomeret dear sir...