Foul Mouth Facts: Welfs and the Old Mancy

1.  The Heinrich Welf rivalry and even the character's looks are obvious references to Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter fame.  Some of the reasoning for writing the series came from the fact that even in 2009, an American boy wizard had yet to appear on shelves.  It also came from the author's desire to imagine what a "real" boy wizard, abused and mistreated, with a rough and underdeveloped family life would act like.  Surely not the classic hero that was Potter.

2.  Despite acting in opposition to King Henry, the author takes great pains to never make Welf evil or villainous.  He has his world view and does truly believe it is his patrician duty to tell the savages about a better way of life.  The author also works hard to make sure that no matter how aligned King Henry and Welf might become, Welf can never fight his nature and belief in his superiority where King Henry is concerned.

3.   Heinrich Welf originally had two younger sisters to reverse King Henry and his two older sisters.  But Vicky Welf is enough sister for anyone.

4.  The Welf name references the House of Welf, a massive family in European nobility for over 800 years.

5.  As has been mentioned in the series, Heinrich is the German version of Henry, giving our rivals the same name.

6.  Victoria Welf has seen her stock rise since her creation in the early planning stages of FM3.  Vicky began merely as a Georgiana Darcy like character to highlight the better natures of her brother, but has since become key to the entire Welf family drama.

7.  The author could lie to you and tell you Catherine Hayes was always meant to be a Welf bastard and that he didn't just figure that brilliant idea out while first outlining FM5...nope, he's a genius, he knows EVERYTHING, of course he had that in mind when making up a random group of scary teenagers for Class '09 to play in the Winter War final.

8.  While developing that group of teenagers in the Three Queens, the author DID however decide that they would eventually end up with Obadiah Paine, finding influence in the Brides of Dracula.

9.  It is an open debate over whether Moira von Welf or Mordecai Root is the more powerful Bonegrinder.  Those who consider it an art form back Welf, while those who think the power of a Bonegrinder comes from the amount of Contracts one can control back Root.  Of course, if she is a Maximus, Moira has abilities that Root does not.

10.  One must be a Third Generation Ultra to be considered borderline Old Mancy in the Americas, while in Europe only those with ten generations are finally welcome in the peerage.

11.  The Daniels Clan are considered barely and only grudgingly Old Mancy.  Despite their massive affinity with aero-anima, the fact that the family patriarch basically bought his mancer bride is still considered a massive scandal.

12.  The Waldens and Welfs have been allies ever since the Welfs were forced to relocated to America.  Some of the Walden and Welf lands border each other in Connecticut.

13.  The Welf and Hunting alliance only came about due to Boris and Frederick belonging to the same year at the Asylum.  Root was also in this year, graduating first in the year over both of the cryomancers.

14.  As the Class of 81, Frederick Welf was nine years older than his barely legal bride.  Don't blame him for robbing the cradle, he was mostly definitely the prey for the ever ambitious Moira Jenkins.

15.  Heinrich and Vicky's grandfather was a Pyromancer and died young when Heinrich was a young boy.  One of Heinrich's first experiences with the Mancy was speaking to his grandfather's necro-shade.

16.  After his death, many of Frederick's brothers and sisters and even cousins were asked to leave Welf Manor for only the "direct line".

17.  In the last hundred years a Welf has been both Guild Master of the Guild of Artificers and the Dean of the Asylum, but some wonder about the recent string of Second and Third Tier mancers that the latest generations have thrown out, in addition to Frederick's creation of Welf Financial, a very mundane business.

18.  Though still untouchable, the results of the secret Project Cassandra could bring either untold praises or complete ruin to the Welf family.