Warning: Contains Spoilers!

Montagne the Woodcutter

Montagne’s mother was a villager who had an affair with an un-named ‘gentleman’ who lives at Commarque. She refused to identify Montagne’s father until she went into labor; when it appeared she would not survive giving birth, she identified him just before she died. The gentleman never acknowledged Montagne as his son, so the boy was raised by his uncle in the village. They never told anyone else who his father was.

Montagne’s mother was in the habit of meeting her lover in the caves underneath Commarque; perhaps it was due to the magical nature of those caves that Montagne grew to such huge proportions. His uncle taught Montagne that his size and great strength were gifts from God, never to be used selfishly. Montagne became known in his village as a reliable helper and a kind soul. His size and strength could have made him famous, but Montagne did not want that. He felt out of place among people so much smaller than him, and sought a life of relative solitude.

Montagne began working as a woodcutter, spending most of his days in the forest. And the work agreed with him – he did well enough for himself, up to a point. But one day, he stumbled into a faerie wood, and the fae folk took an immediate disliking to Montagne, and his axe. They scared him away, and he never went back to that place, but before he left, they put a curse on him: The Unruly Axe. (similar to The Treacherous Spear spell) Montagne’s axe became prone to doing strange things when he let go of it – sometimes when he wasn’t even looking! Several passers-by in the woods were badly injured, and the blame fell on Montagne. His efforts to explain the fae curse were of no use. He was outlawed and exiled from his home.

Not sure where else to go, Montagne turned towards Commarque. There were magi living there now, he heard, so perhaps they could help. They agreed to try, if he would come to work for the Covenant. He warned them about the curse, and they understood the risks. Such things could be managed, they said. Montagne discovered his father still lived at Commarque, and was not pleased to have him there. Nobody else, either within the Covenant or otherwise, knows about their relationship, and the gentleman would like to keep it that way. He offered Montagne a silver penny per week to keep their secret, and Montagne agreed.

Montagne really has no use for the money, but he knows others at the Covenant might need it, and he is willing to share. Eventually, his generosity will likely raise some difficult questions, as people start to wonder where his money comes from. Under no circumstances will he break his silence as to the source of the money, or the identity of his father.

Storyguide notes:

If any magi wish to investigate the magical nature of the caves underneath Commarque, Montagne’s conception there may or may not be a significant clue, assuming they ever find out about it. (Too much information?) Even if they get him to talk about this, he will not reveal the identity of his father.

The Curse of the Unruly Axe is similar to The Treacherous Spear spell (ReHe25) but it’s more powerful and has a slightly different effect. If Montagne goes anywhere near a faerie aura, his axe will develop a mind of its own, and wait for an opportune moment to do something unpleasant. Note that changing weapons won’t help—the curse is on Montagne, not his axe. Rather than attacking him, the axe will attack someone else, preferably when nobody else but Montagne is present.