Sir Keren was a traitorous knight and nephew of Lord Syron, who enlisted the help of the Scotti to gain wealth in The Sorcerer in the North and The Siege of Macindaw. He was killed by Alyss when she threw acid in his face, causing him to fall out of the tower to his death.
Description
Sir Keren is described as stocky and muscular, having a square, open face and a wide grin. He was clean-shaven, with dark, curly hair and lively brown eyes. Will notes that Keren has the handshake of a warrior--firm, with a hard and callused hand. He also notes that Keren is taller than Will and looked to be in his thirties. Keren is implied to be wearing clothing fitting of a lord.
Keren seen as charming and easygoing, as shown when he tells Will--who's disguised as a jongleur--to call him by his name, not his title. He was able to turn Orman's own soldiers and the various people at the castle against him, and gain Will and Alyss' favor until they discovered his plot.
However, he is later revealed to be cunning and ruthless, as shown when he is willing to sacrifice both Orman and Syron in exchange for power. Although he feels conflicted about betraying Araluen, it is not enough to convince him to put a stop to his plans.
History
He was the main antagonist in The Sorcerer of the North and The Siege of Macindaw, along with his lieutenant John Buttle. Little is known of Keren's history. However, Will does learn more about him from Crowley and Cullum. He's Syron's nephew, and Orman's younger cousin. When Syron falls ill, Keren takes practical command of the garrison. He was raised as a warrior, is seen as very down to earth, and is a popular leader, earning him the support of the people. At some point in his career, he was able to get a hold of the gemstone, which he uses to interrogate prisoners.
In The Books
The Sorcerer in the North
He tries to get Castle Macindaw into his control by poisoning and thus killing Lord Syron; he also poisoned Orman, Syron's son, both with a nasty poison called corocore. Few people believe he is guilty because he is very well known and liked. One guard is quoted saying that Keren is a real warrior, and that if Orman ordered them to take up arms against him, they would refuse. He takes over the castle after Orman flees with Xander and Will, using their escape to fuel people's hatred of Orman.
The Siege of Macindaw
He dismisses the original garrison and recruits new men for his cause, most of them lawbreakers, bandits, thugs, and thieves. Keren imprisons Alyss and uses hypnosis to force her to tell her anything he wants to know, even reveal that Will is in fact a King's Ranger. Alyss tries to resist Keren but fails, until Malcolm provides her with a pebble to stop Keren's mind control. In the final battle, Keren hypnotizes Alyss, and forces her to attack Will. She nearly succeeded, as Will refused to fight back, but then he tells Alyss he loves her, breaking the spell. Alyss saves Will by throwing acid in Keren's face, causing him to fall out of the tower window to his death.
Skills
Sir Keren was likely a fine swordsman, being a knight, he was likely trained from a young age as a swordsman.
Keren was an extremely skilled leader, able to lead his mercenaries in defense of Macindaw, but even more so, able to convince all of Macindaw (excluding Xander) that Orman was the one to be suspicious of, rather than Keren himself. This implies that he was also a skilled liar.
Keren was also a hypnotist, able to overcome even Alyss' mind with his gemstone.
Relationships
Alyss
It is hinted that Keren possibly had feelings for Alyss. He keeps her in moderately comfortable surroundings, but confined to her prison in Castle Macindaw's keep tower. At one point, after realizing the futility of his mission, he asks Alyss to marry him so they can flee to Gallica together and rule one of the many warring fiefdoms there together, but she refuses, disgusted. An argument ensues and Keren leaves bitterly, with Alyss realizing any chance of a peaceful solution to her captivity is gone.
Orman
It is obvious that Keren and Orman don't get along. Keren often openly mocked and made fun of his cousin. It's eventually revealed that he's been plotting to kill him and take over Castle Macindaw.
Will
Will approved of and gravitated towards Keren during the earlier parts of The Sorcerer in the North, not realizing his intentions, but quickly came to hate him after he kidnapped Alyss.
John Buttle
John Buttle and Keren's connection was based solely on that Keren needed Buttle to lead his mercenaries and Buttle needing Keren's money. The two showed little affection for one another, as Buttle only followed Keren's orders reluctantly.
Trivia
- Unlike the other antagonists, Keren died a brutal death, with acid being sprayed in his face and falling out of a large tower.