Champion of Neutrality

The Champion of Neutrality was the original Merlin. An extremely powerful entity, he existed before the universe as the Time Lords knew it alongside the Guardian of Might and the Guardian of Magic.

Seeking to end the battle between the Guardian of Might and the Guardian of Magic before it destroyed all of reality, he proposed that the two Guardians work out their conflict through human puppets unaware of the cosmic forces shaping their destinies: King Arthur and Morgaine. However, the Guardian of Magic kept resetting the game, altering the identity and powers of her avatar, to win at any cost.

To break the cycle, Merlin trapped the two Guardians in the Druse in the Void — and himself with them, locking the three of them in eternal sleep, giving them dreams that the game was still going on. However, because there were cracks in the Druse, this was in fact true, with the three entities' dreams continuing to affect events in the physical world. Merlin thus influenced others, most notably the Doctor, to act as his own avatars in the ongoing "game", arranging events so that they would use the name Merlin and do what was needed to prevent the Guardians from escaping their prison. (PROSE: Legends of Camelot)