#x: fivepoints about maddox

[darkxkeyes-blog]

Declan & Madeline Keyes Four children (Róisín, Nora, Saffron, Maddox)

The heads of a large extended immigrant family from the United Kingdom, Declan and Madeline sought out the valley and specifically the Church of Dark. The couple were solid practitioners and seemed to eagerly embrace the tenets of the Church. However, it soon became evident they were anything but conventional. 

Whispers spread of the eccentric British family residing together on a small sprawl of land. The father used the craft to steal in the markets, the mother harnessed her skills of fascination to lead members of the Church astray. Aunts, uncles, and cousins were routinely admonished by leadership for casting an unseemly shadow on the group as a whole. One member of the family left the Church of Dark the only way allowed: via death. The Keyes also owned a carnival outside town in which strange and disturbing stories were often linked to.

Odds and ends:

Currently the Church has established the carnival can only operate during designated days, usually holidays. Most members work there during its operation as performers, running games and rides, or to ensure the occasional strange disturbance doesn’t run off all the visitors.

The Keyes property is small but cluttered with small cottages, barns, and the main house where Maddox’s parents reside. 

Aside from a rarely breathing carnival, the Keyes are scavengers. Vultures, even. Picking from the bones of dead cars in the valley to resale. Hauling flatbeds of scrap metal down winding roads back to their property. A junkyard is on the edge of the Keyes property, specializing in building supplies, scrap metal, and car parts they sell to the public. The warlock refers to the tiny acreage as the Kingdom of Junk. His father, Declan, crowned king long ago.

Some of the Keyes rely on ‘odd jobs’, aka stealing, grifting, and occasionally smuggling goods in/out of the valley. Others never leave darkened farm house rooms. Usually there is a weekend bonfire party on the property not open to outsiders.

The family is large and clan like, extending to aunts, uncles, great aunts and uncles, their spouses or partners, cousins, cousins by marriage, some rando named Kevin who has been sleeping in a tent on the property for 12 years, Madeline’s father, Declan’s parents, and others permanently ensconced in the fabric of the family. In total, there are... well, no one knows exactly how many members of the Keyes family there are...

It’s a family affair:

Declan’s presence is often intimidating, standing at 6′ 4″ inches with piercing blue eyes and hair as dark as a raven’s wing, however he’s charismatic and protective; he likes old blues, Vegas-era Elvis, and is never without his trademark suit.

Despite her diminutive size Madeline is mostly feared in the valley, taking pleasure in destroying the lives of those she sees as too cheerful, too happy, just because she can.

Róisín is the eldest child, every bit as vindictive and conniving as her mother; she also enjoys seducing the significant others of prominent members of the Church and leading them to ruin.

Nora is stubborn-headed and sarcastic; the most similar to Maddox in temperament and so the two naturally despise each other; Nora and Maddox fought in the war together but often aimed their magic on each other instead of their designated enemies. Nora insists she lost some fine motor control and sensation in her right hand due to one of these attacks, and Maddox tells her to grow up. Although they are often at odds, Declan consults with Nora and Maddox equally in terms of family matters. 

Saffron can often be found hovering above the local river singing eerily to herself (or is someone there only she can see?) while plucking petals off daisies; her hobby is appearing out of nowhere and uttering an eardrum-splitting scream into the ears of unsuspecting children; she is the sister Maddox is closest to.

Maddox can be charming like his father but prefers to be blunt like his mother. He can be generous towards those he likes and petty to those he does not. He plays piano, guitar, and drums. 

Maddox’s father taught him the art of the con at the age of 8. A simple pick pocket at first, eventually he became involved in larger scams and schemes his father always seemed to be developing. He was permanently expelled from the Academy at age 20 for seriously disabling another student using a stolen dark grimoire. Coming home from the war he hoped to be appointed as the coven’s bard but has found himself assigned to the Watchmen instead. He also works at the local music store.

[darkxkeyes-blog]

Keyes Carnival & Shadow Show

The Keyes Carnival & Shadow Show once ran every weekend. It is owned by Maddox Keyes’ father, Declan. Most members of the Keyes family participated in either the operation of the carnival or as performers. The carnival once provided an escape from working on the farms and the hostilities bubbling between the covens. Strange and unsettling rumors sometimes emanated from the grounds, however others were convinced it was merely Mr. Keyes disseminating these stories to draw interest in his small business. 

In recent years the Church of Dark has confined the family’s carnival to select days of operation, such as the solstices and other holidays. It is located south of town, and maintained by a member of the Keyes family who continues to live on the property.