All About Xavier: Part Two

This is Part Two of our discussion of Xavier. If you missed Part One, you can find it here.

The second part of our Xavier topic will move away from analysis of the (frankly rather scant) facts about him, and focus on some speculation about his present and future.

Read on for musings with a heavy dose of opinion...

It is common knowledge among magi that Xavier is Carren's father. What is less obvious is whether their paths have completely parted ways, or if they retain a connection other than blood. Based on the evidence, I am fairly confident it's the latter.

In Part One, we discussed the topper on Xavier's wand - and I dropped a hint that the topper was not the only thing that was significant. It's time now to explain what I meant. For reference, an image that focuses on Xavier's wand:

You can see for yourself that Xavier uses a dragon wand, not a standard wand. Specifically, he uses an Ice Dragon wand. Ice Dragon wands are described as "Shaped by decades of ice flows, deep in the caves of Winterra, the Ice Dragon."

Magi who have completed the Ice Dragon adventure will probably recall who instructed them in the ways of Winterra and armed them for their journey into the frozen caves. It was not the Quest Master; it was Carren.

This could be mere coincidence - but which is more probable? That father and daughter both spontaneously but separately developed an interest in Winterra and exploring the ice caves, which no other characters that we know of took part in? That Xavier uses a non-standard wand purely by chance?

Or that Xavier and Carren explored the ice caves together?

Ultimately, it's a matter of opinion. Personally, though, I am convinced that a father/daughter bond still exists between them, despite Xavier's exile. When Carren speaks of her father, to me it appears to be with pride, not with contempt. You can decide for yourself what to believe.

Another important unanswered question: will we see Xavier again someday? Will his story ever be finished? That's a hard question to answer, though I do hope so.

In 2011, the MagiQuest official Twitter account posted a seemingly random tweet about Xavier, indicating that he is still being hunted.

And based on this response from the MagiQuest Facebook account to Magi Lutra last year, they haven't completely ruled out a return, at least not officially:

That said, as time passes, a return storyline for Xavier becomes increasingly difficult. As so-called legacy locations close and Guardians of the Realm Portals (a.k.a. MagiQuest 2.0) replaces Runes of the Quest Master as the default base storyline, live actors are being replaced by computer animation as standard across the realms. While it would certainly not be impossible for Xavier to be retooled to fit the new aesthetic with a computer-drawn model and voice acting, the new storyline also features different characters. It would be harder to write Xavier into a new adventure when his primary connections to the world of MagiQuest - his brother and his daughter - do not appear.

Realistically, the time when Xavier could have returned to the story has probably passed. In terms of our hopes, though? We will not give up on seeing him again until we are told definitively that it will never happen. (And even then, writers and creators change their minds sometimes.)

And all that brings us to the final, and perhaps most important question: Is Xavier really as evil as it is claimed that he is?

This question is also purely a matter of opinion. Speaking for my own opinion, though, I would have to say no. There is simply no evidence of Xavier actually doing anything wicked enough to justify his exile. There are, as far as I know, no accusations of any specific crime at all. No one in the MagiQuest storyline describes being harmed by him in any way. No one's life seems to be significantly damaged by even any unexplained malevolence that could be attributed to him.

Someone isn't evil just because they are called evil, or because they like skulls and have a scary laugh. Until we see any actual proof of Xavier doing harm, I am skeptical of the claim that he is some sort of ultimate villain. Even creatures like Charlock, Winterra, and the Goblin King - who we have seen create actual havoc - can be reconciled with the realms when the magi duels them and puts them in their place. I find it hard to believe that Xavier is beyond that same hope... and I can't help but feel sympathy for the poor man, being so maligned with so little apparent basis.

So on that note, consider me on Team Xavier. May your adventures be magical! :)

~Annacat