Callum an Duff

Callum an Duff is the leader of the Duffian Foresters, founded by his ancestor Calum an Duff, for whom he is named. During his time in the Cully Dhorcha, Callum became a legend, known for his strategic mind, combat skill, and mastery of the ritual dances the Foresters use to keep the forest's monsters within its bounds. When he lost his left leg in battle with one of those creatures, King Aedan MacLachlan appointed him Laird Forester, charged with coordinating and directing the entire corps in their unending struggle with the dark wood. He was the first of Calum an Duff's descendants to hold this title in more than two hundred years.

As their leader, he has expanded the Foresters and sought out experts in Folk Magic to strengthen their work. He has worked to improve relations with the legendary Witch of Rheged, and has recently opened the Foresters to women who wish to join, bolstering their numbers. In recent years he has become a key source of emotional support for King Aedan MacLachlan, who has weakened under the strain of his bond to the land of Rheged. Callum is deeply worried about what may happen should the king's cousin and heir, Aodh MacLachlan, take the throne, an outcome Laird an Duff fears would be catastrophic for Rheged and possibly beyond.

Laird Forester of Rheged

Callum was always destined to be a forester. It had been the family trade ever since Calum an Duff founded the order centuries before. It had also long been the family's most common cause of death; few of the Duff clan lived to old age. They were considered reckless and slightly mad by the other clans of Rheged, and only the sheer number of their children kept them from vanishing in their efforts to contain the dark forest of Cully Dhorcha.

Callum was the third born of Duncan an Duff, the clan's leader, who sired seven more children before the forest claimed him. Of Callum's siblings, he is the only male to reach the age of thirty, though he has several cousins who share both the name and that distinction. In many ways, it was a miracle that he survived his maiming. His leg was torn off by a Gruagach that had broken through his band of foresters, and he lived only because he was close enough to the home of the Witch of Rheged for her to close his wounds with magic. She refused to restore the leg entirely, saying that if she did, it would only carry him to his death. When he returned to Caer Rheged, King Aedan MacLachlan appointed him leader of the Foresters, a position he has held for nearly a decade.

Like all the an Duffs, Callum is a large man, standing over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a powerful build. Even maimed, he is imposing, capable of swift and graceful movement despite having only one leg and his considerable frame. He uses both a wooden leg and a staff to walk, and many who meet him notice only a slight limp, never guessing that his left leg is gone. He has been the most dynamic leader the Foresters have had in many years, expanding their ranks and improving their effectiveness to counter the growing threat from the dark wood. He has managed to slow its advance, though he has not been able to halt it.

Callum has also stood at the center of Rheged's politics since his elevation and has been a source of strength for King Aedan. He has urged the king to disinherit his cousin, the Laird of Dun Carraig, because Aodh MacLachlan is the avatar of An Dia Liath, the Grey God of Beinn Neimh, and Callum fears what might happen should that malicious entity become bound to Rheged through the Stone of Destiny. Aedan has refused, and Laird an Duff is too loyal to consider treason against the king or his heir, whatever doubts he may carry.