The Cream of the Jest · Character
Maugis d'Aigremont
A master-villain and sorcerer of the imagined world, foiled but never finished, whose hellish gusto Horvendile cannot quite bring himself to condemn.
supporting
Also known as Maugis
First appearance: VI: Treats of Maugis d’Aigremont’s Pottage
As a supporting figure in The Cream of the Jest, Maugis d'Aigremont is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Master-villain in hiding, feared by Ettarre; Horvendile rescued her from his clutches in the forest of Bovion.
Maugis d'Aigremont is the lurking menace of Storisende, a knight and magician whose persistency Ettarre fears even in her happiness and whose motives Horvendile frankly calls base. He has been driven into hiding after his attempt on Ettarre, but his resourcefulness and theatrical wickedness make him a foil to the too-perfect Guiron, and Horvendile's half-admiring talk of him unsettles Ettarre's moral certainties. His shadow over the marriage-feast keeps the imagined world from becoming merely idyllic, and his resemblance to something in Horvendile's own face hints that villainy and dreamer may share a root.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
Character Web
8 connectionsA slice of how Maugis d'Aigremont sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Friendship
- Other
Character groups
- Poictesme chivalric figures
- Historical and fictional crossovers
+3 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage marks the dramatic climax because it reveals the central paradox of Kennaston’s existence: his dr…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingRelationships
- Horvendile
friendship · positive
Horvendile and Maugis are close companions within the dream-world narrative, sharing… How this plays out →
- La Beale Ettarre
friendship · positive
- Horvendile
friendship · positive
Horvendile and Maugis are close companions within the dream-world narrative, sharing… How this plays out →
- Horvendile
friendship · positive
Horvendile and Maugis are close companions within the dream-world narrative, sharing… How this plays out →
- La Beale Ettarre
friendship · positive
- La Beale Ettarre
friendship · positive
Relationship notes
How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.
See Maugis d'Aigremont in VI: Treats of Maugis d’Aigremont’s PottageIn the story
Maugis d'Aigremont appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
- II: Introduces the Ageless Woman
- Of the Double-Dealer’s Traffic with a Knave
- V: How the Double-Dealer Was of Two Minds
- VI: Treats of Maugis d’Aigremont’s Pottage
- VII: Journey's End: With the Customary Unmasking
- XV: Of Vain Regret and Wonder in the Dark
- XIX: Local Laws of Nephelococcygia
- XXVI: “Epper Si Muove”
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Maugis d'Aigremont unlock in the free preview.
See Maugis d'Aigremont in VI: Treats of Maugis d’Aigremont’s Pottage