Ruadan

File:Ruadan nameplate.png
Also known as:	Father (by Sefa)
Biographical Information
Race:	Human
Gender:	Male
Family:	Sefa (Daughter)
Statistics
Affiliation:	Morgana Pendragon † Sefa
Enemies:	Arthur Pendragon † Guinevere Pendragon Camelot Knights of Camelot
Behind the Scenes
Portrayer:	Liam Cunningham
List of Appearances:	Arthur's Bane

“They are Pendragons. They are good for one thing only, death.”

— Ruadan to Sefa^[src]

Ruadan was a druid sorcerer who joined forces with Morgana in order to enact revenge over King Arthur for reasons unknown.

Biography

Searching for the Diamair

Ruadan and Morgana prepare for battle.

Some time during the three years that had passed after her second downfall, Morgana joined forces with the druid Ruadan, who probably informed her of an ancient prophecy regarding Arthur's Bane. To gain full knowledge on the prophecy's mystery, the two sorcerers start looking for the Diamair, the key to all knowledge, that is rumoured to be hidden under the Fortress of Ismere. For three months Ruadan and Morgana, with the help of a pack of magical wolfs under the High Priestess' control, capture the men who ventured into the Northern Plains and force them to work in the mines under the castle. They also recruit Saxon bandits who form a small army under their order.

"Pendragons are good for nothing, only death"

His daughter Sefa is able to become Queen Guinevere's maid and pass information to her father. One night, she approaches him in a ruined building in the woods near Camelot while he is praying the ancient gods of the Old Religion. When he realises someone is coming, he uses magic to blow two torches out and is able to move so quickly that he catches his daughter by surprise, catching her off-guard from behind and putting a dagger on her throat. After realising who his victim is, he tells Sefa not to be afraid, because fear is only in her mind and no one can scare her. The maid informs him that King Arthur and his men are going to Ismere, to attack the fortress and free Morgana's prisoners. The two villains are expecting this, but they haven't thought that Arthur has taken another route, approaching Ismere from West.

Sefa informs her father of the King's secret plan and so, along with Morgana and their Saxon army, he attacks the Camelot Knights as they awake from a short rest. Moving in from only a millimetre behind the front line, Ruadan charges the Knights of Camelot with nothing but a broadsword, massacring many warriors, regardless of the men dying  on his side. He manages to injure Sir Leon during the battle and belt Arthur with a mace (Arthur's Bane). As Ruadan comes dangerously close to killing Arthur, Merlin rescues him and bolts away from the Druid warrior.

Ruadan continues to butcher the Knights, and Morgana's men take the charge further into the battle, flanking Arthur's men. The full progress after the battle prior to Arthur's escape is unknown, but it can be assumed that Ruadan escaped practically unscathed

Rescuing Sefa and Death

Ruadan moves to save his Daughter

After hearing that Sefa has been sentenced to death, Ruadan goes to Camelot to rescue her. He infiltrates the castle and breaks Sefa out of the dungeons. Father and daughter are later surrounded by several knights but Ruadan once again displays his impressive combat skills by fighting off several knights at once before finally being fatally injured by Sir Elyan. After he is wounded, he and Sefa flee. Although Sefa begs him to heal himself, Ruadan knows that he is dying and his last request to his daughter is to send a message to Morgana. He then tells Sefa that he loves her and asks her to be strong before leaving his last breath.

Personality

Ruadan believed that fear was only in a person's mind. However he did show signs of paranoia since he pressed a sword to Sefa's throat before realizing that it was her. He clearly hated the Pendragon family, which was ironic since he was allied to Morgana, who was a member of the family, saying that the only thing they were good for was death. Ruadan did not consider Morgana to be a Pendragon, despite the fact that she was Arthur Pendragon's half sister.

Ruadan was vain and appeared to think that he was Arthur's Bane, which may have been his motivation for joining Morgana, in addition to the fact that he considered Arthur to be no better than his father, Uther Pendragon.

Ruadan was also incredibly self-controlled and highly intelligent. He was capable of staying completely calm amid Morgana's fiery temper and constant worry, and was even able to remain completely in control of his abilities in battle, as shown when he didn't even falter after slaying Arthur's Knights and moving on to Sir Leon and Arthur Pendragon. He was extremely intelligent, and was capable of assessing the risks of Sefa joining him against Arthur in the upcoming battle.

He was, frankly, easily distracted, as shown when he didn't bother killing Arthur immediately after incapacitating him, and moved right on to Leon and Elyan, when he had the opportunity to finish Arthur off.

However Ruadan did have a softer side and genuinely loved his daughter Sefa. Although he often ordered her about, he showed a great deal of love for her because he infiltrated Camelot all by himself, in order to rescue her. While they were escaping he also fought several knights at once in order to protect her, not realising that he was actually the main target rather than Sefa. As he was dying, Ruadan told Sefa that he loved her and asked her to be strong.

Abilities

Ruadan was a druid sorcerer and capable of using magic to allow himself to move with incredible speed. This was shown when he first used a spell to blow out some torches and then darted to his daughter's side and pressed a sword to her throat so quickly that he almost seemed to have teleported. After he was wounded rescuing Sefa from Camelot, she begged him to heal himself, suggesting that he was trained to heal wounds with magic. However, Ruadan did not even try to heal himself, realising that there was no point since the injury was fatal.

Ruadan in battle

In addition, Ruadan was an incredibly skillful warrior, and despite his age, he was able to hold his own against much younger opponents. Interestingly, he did not show any of his amazing speed while he was fighting, presumably because he needed to save energy due to his age. He wounded Sir Leon, one of Camelot's finest warriors, with his sword and held his own against Arthur Pendragon who was considered by many to be the greatest warrior Camelot had ever seen. When Arthur disarmed him, Ruadan used a mace and injured Arthur with it, although Arthur's armour blocked most of the blow, preventing Ruadan from mortally wounding him.

Ruadan's amazing talent as a swordsman was later shown when he held his own against several knights at the same time all by himself whilst rescuing Sefa from Camelot. Although Sir Elyan managed to fatally wound him, Ruadan cut down several opponents before finally being stabbed in the stomach. Ruadan was extremely resilient, as shown when he continued to combat the Knights after he was fatally damaged by Sir Elyan.

Ruadan was also shown to be capable of a very powerful kick, although it is unclear if his kick was made more powerful through magic or if he was simply very strong physically. Although, it was more likely that the feat was due to his magical ability as opposed to his athleticism and martial mastery.

Gallery

Click "show" to see the gallery. 

Ruadan's Tattoo/Marking