Koucey

Sire Koucey of House Brandmount, Lord of Boval Vale, is the local liege who employs Minalan as spellmonger at Minden's Hall. A veteran of the Farise campaign, where he first befriended Minalan, he is kindly and well-liked by his Bovali subjects: a mature nobleman with a grey-white mustache and beard, silvered hair thinning on top, a high reedy voice, jingling with spurs in his horseman's boots.

When the gurvani invade, he leads the cavalry defense, reinforces Boval Castle, and retains Minalan as his warmage. But Koucey is quietly obsessed with the "sacred cave" beneath his castle — the cavern his ancestors took by treachery from the gurvani, the source of House Brandmount's wealth. Driven by that obsession, he imprisons Pentandra and tries to seize Minalan's witchstone at Garkesku's urging. Minalan overthrows him.

Refusing to flee through the molopor to preserve his House's honor, Koucey stays to die defending his seat. When Sheruel arrives, however, the Dead God instead claims the descendant of Sir Brandmount as his servant "to the end of his days," mentally enthralling him to pay his ancestors' blood debt. Koucey's tragedy becomes the series' opening note of doom.

Koucey returns in Book 2 as the emissary and general of Sheruel's horde. Clad in battle-scarred black armour and riding alongside the gurvani general Kagal-Gharzak, he arrives at the parley before Timberwatch. The gurvani now call him Lord Keshgural, "The Repentant." Minalan formally presents him to Duke Lenguin as "the late Lord of Boval Vale, formerly your sworn vassal."

On Sheruel's behalf he demands that the Duchy cede everything north of the Pinder. Lenguin refuses. At Timberwatch he commands the gurvani horde and is defeated but not slain. Minalan grimly rates him a "decent commander" with no imagination left, the Dead God's bugger boy.

Koucey is only mentioned in passing, through Sir Cei (his former castellan) and through the Bovali refugees settling Sevendor. His brother Sir Remalan, lord of Brandmount, has died of an infection picked up at the Boval siege. The refugees mutter that Minalan is "more a lord than Koucey ever was," a quiet final indignity for House Brandmount.

Koucey appears at the parley before the Battle of the Poros. Horrifically burn-scarred from Timberwatch, he rides with the gurvani priest Kagathag and demands passage across the river into Gilmora. Minalan and Sir Cei exchange bitter courtesies with their former liege.

Koucey later commands the goblin army defeated by Prince Tavard's cavalry charge. Tavard, ignoring Minalan's counsel, accepts Koucey's chivalric surrender and lets the gurvani withdraw into the Umbra under a peace treaty — a decision the Magelaw will live with for years. Minalan also claims House Brandmount's townhome in Vorone as his embassy.

Mentioned through Pentandra and Arborn, who occupy Koucey's former Vorone townhome. It has become the home base of the Wood Owls spy network. Pentandra reflects on Koucey privately: he is now in a prison of his own, in eternal servitude to Sheruel.

The centerpiece Koucey book. Freed from Sheruel's mental domination by Korbal's betrayal at Olum Seheri, Koucey (known among the gurvani as Krepechen) serves as reeve and town watch commander of Lotanz for Goblin King Ashakarl. He captures the spy Jannik and, instead of executing him, sends him to Minalan with a coded letter referencing Pengwarn ale.

Minalan meets Koucey at a ruined inn. There Koucey reunites with Tyndal — genuinely delighted to find him still alive — confesses his tormented guilt for everything that happened at Boval, and delivers an embassy from Ashakarl proposing a secret alliance against Korbal and the Nemovorti. After consulting Briga, Minalan cautiously agrees.

A minor reference. Minalan reminds Ormar that he "spoke to Sire Koucey this year" as proof that the strange things the footwizards believe really do happen. Koucey remains quietly in place as Lotanz's reeve and Minalan's humani-side contact with the rebel goblin kingdom.

The former human Lord of Boval Vale, under whom Tyndal was born and long held up as the epitome of honor -- until Minalan deposed him and he lost his domain. Coerced by the Dead God Sheruel into taking up arms against humanity, he became Sheruel's thrall as a punishment for the crimes of his ancestors.

At King Ashakarl's court he is known as Lord Keshgural and has quietly fed intelligence to Minalan's spies for years. In The Golden Goblin he insists on returning to Sheruel's service -- knowing he will again be in absolute thrall -- to spare humanity worse outcomes: "I serve my king best by removing myself from his court... My loyalty to Sheruel was... compelled. But it is absolute."

Tyndal is shaken by how calmly Koucey accepts his fate and gains new respect for the man.