Alaric Morgan

Alaric Morgan is a fictional character in the Deryni series of historical fantasy novels by Katherine Kurtz.

Alaric Anthony Morgan is the seventh Duke of Corwyn and Lord General of the Royal Armies of Gwynedd. He is a close advisor and friend of both King Brion Haldane and King Kelson Haldane. In addition, he is the maternal cousin of Monsignor Duncan McLain.

Although the name Alaric has no established significance in the series of novels, the name Anthony honors ancestors on both sides of the character's family. On his father's side, Sean Morgan's great-great-grandfather was named Anthony Morgan, and the name was carried by Anthony's son (Richard Anthony Morgan) and grandson (Kai III Anthony Morgan). In addition, Anthony was also the middle name of his maternal great-great-grandfather, Stiofan Anthony de Corwyn, the sixth Duke of Corwyn.

Morgan's primary motivation is his dedication and loyalty to the House of Haldane, specifically Brion and Kelson. While almost every other part of the character's personality is secondary to his determination to protect and defend the Haldane line, he is also driven by his love for the various members of his family.

The character's recurring goal is the security of the Haldane line, which includes both the physical safety of the king and safeguarding the legacy of Haldane magic that is entrusted to him as a young boy. He also seeks to return Saint Camber to a place of honor in Gwynedd, and to see an end to the political and religious restrictions placed on Deryni.

Morgan has a variety of conflicts throughout the series, some of which are resolved relatively quickly and some of which stretch across several novels or throughout the series. The Festillic Pretender Charissa Furstána-Festila (Deryni Rising), Warin de Grey (Deryni Checkmate), King Wencit Furstán (High Deryni), and Prince Ithel of Meara (The King's Justice) are all antagonists who plague Morgan for relatively short durations, usually one or two novels. Three of the four seek to kill Morgan because of his loyalty to Gwynedd, while it is Warin's anti-Deryni feelings that set him against Morgan. In fact, it is Morgan's Deryni heritage that creates his longest-lasting conflicts. Brion's wife, Queen Jehana, clashes with Morgan for years over his magic, as does the Holy Church of Gwynedd, as represented by Archbishop Edmund Loris. On the other hand, the fact that he is only half-Deryni leads to an ongoing conflict with the Camberian Council, who view him with pity and contempt.

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