Aethelred of Anglonia/"The Sparrow Lord"/"The Shadow Soldier"
Description
Aethelred is perhaps the most silent of all the Children, choosing neither to interact with or engage any of his counterparts. His face is somewhat vague, as if the skin itself doesn't want to be seen. The dark cloak he always wears seems to not be made of any earthly fabric, and it isn't entirely clear that he has a body at all. At one moment he can be as opaque and fleshy as a human. In the blink of an eye, his form is impossible. This troubling appearance does not at all represent his true nature however. Possessed with a diehard loyalty for the Angel cause, he was an unsung warrior fighting on the front lines, seeking no rewards and indeed receiving none. Fleet-footed and knowledgable of the land, he was employed as a ranger in the war between the Demons and Angels.
His clothing is black, his skin either a deep pink or deathly white. His eyes are a piercing gray, forfeiting nothing as they stare coldly, emotionlessly at whomever should approach him. He is quiet and reserved, intentionally avoiding contact with anyone if he can. When he does speak--which is rare--it is in broken phrases somewhat difficult to understand. Cryptic and reclusive, he has no close bonds with any of the other Children. Choosing to fight for the side he sees as morally right, Aethelred is thoroughly disillusioned by Eyra's betrayal, and he has become even more distant as a result. He views others only as vessels to accomplish his higher goals, and as such can be somewhat dismissive of hatred or love.
His bow is his most prized possession. It is crafted from the finest yew branch that Nerine will allow him, equipped with the finest arrows Kozz can make. He is an excellent shot, though certainly imperfect. This bow is often slung over his shoulder, as he is somewhat unrealistically paranoid it would be stolen.
Powers
Aethelred has personally resolved to use his powers as infrequently as possible. As such he usually equips himself with a bow made of yew and ordinary--though well-made--arrows. If pushed, however, Aethelred is capable of dissolving into shadow, traveling into a parallel realm and "ghosting." He is nearly untraceable when he is doing this, and should he find it necessary, he could pull someone into this dimension and "leave" them there, essentially wiping their physical being from existence (were he to perform this trick on one of the Children, however, he would merely dispose of their body, as Children are immortal). But as mentioned before, he only does this in the most dire of circumstances, preferring instead to use his own mortal abilities to sneak around the battlefield and loose well-aimed volleys.
Original Tribe
Aethelred is the original member the Anglonian tribe that inhabited modern Etruscia until summarily assimilated by the Etruscans. A small tribe that valued flexible warfare and mobility, the descendants of this tribe typically fill the archer ranks of the Etruscan military, proving to be dead-eye shots with a bow. Anglonians as a general rule felt no pain in being subjugated, as they, by nature, lacked central authority. Aethelred, having founded the tribe, left the members to flesh out a culture while he occasionally assumed the war chief title.
The closest thing Anglonians have to a capital is the small town of Gewisse, made famous for its archery school and not much else. Following the decline of the Gebhards (who were an oligarchical society that attempted to centralize the Anglonian realm), the Anglonians engaged in a diaspora across Etruscia, eventually settling in small, sparsely-populated pockets of the province as farmers, soldiers, doctors, and other serving jobs.
The Anglonians are fiercely loyal to whomever they serve, but should their former masters be vanquished, they will not find it strange at all to quickly bow to their new conquerors. It is through this period of submissiveness that many aspects of Anglonian culture remain. Anglonians speak their own language unlike any other tribe, and Anglonian children typically learn Anglonian traditions before Etruscan traditions. By the time of The Betrayal, Anglonians had fought long and hard on the Angels' behalf. The seizure and incarceration of their founder had little effect on Anglonian life, as Aethelred had never been revered as a leader or even as a creator.
Faction
Angel. Aethelred fought for the Angels and asked no reward. He views the Angel cause as inherently good, but Eyra as an inherently wrong leader for that cause.
Anecdotes
Aethelred is not accustomed to feel, so when The Betrayal brought legitimate feelings of hurt, despair, confusion, and anger, he was overwhelmed with what to do with them. He was steadfastly loyal to Eyra in the wars, and his loyalty being repaid with betrayal is the ultimate disillusionment. As such, by the time the seal holding his soul at bay breaks, he very quickly escapes and makes his way unseen, away from the carnage, away from the cities, away from anyone who noticed him. He knows he will have to kill Eyra for the sake of restoring honor, but for now he must mourn.
Before the incarceration, however, Aethelred often relied on his innate ability to train birds to help him with his tasks. Frequently sent on missions that involved him taking out a priority target alone, he would take a trained falcon with him that would report whether or not a target was in its place, whether or not he had hit said target, and whether or not someone was becoming suspicious that a falcon was circling. As such he is often called "The Sparrow Lord."
Faced with the daunting task of approaching Eyra's fortress, Aethelred plans to seek out like-minded Children and perform a surgical attack, one that cannot be foreseen even by the Seer herself.
Opinions
"Fought hard for you. Didn't pay well. Never see me coming."
Aethelred views Eyra as many of the other Angels do: a scoundrel that betrayed them. Before the Betrayal he was fiercely loyal, even respectful, of the woman. Afterwards he sees eliminating her as the only way to balance honor. He does, however, respect that wit, not physicality, brought her the greatest power on Earth.
"No fool makes jokes."
Aethelred lacks interaction with Kinion--as is common with most of the Children--but from afar he is suspicious of such a wantonly deceiving individual. He keeps his distance.
"Nice poems. Wisdom thus gained."
Aethelred does not respect wisdom so much as he respects worldly cunning. The monk surprises him as someone who might possibly disrupt that formula. He sees the monk as one of the few genuinely good Children, and is subsequently impressed by the quality of his advice.
"Lion seems angry."
Aethelred finds the unholy violence of Nod against his inherent morality, and it would not be too far to say that Aethelred is unhappy that he escaped.
"Need more arrows."
Aethelred finds the Forgemaster unparalleled in the ability to make weaponry. This translates as good arrows, a good knife, and not much else.
"Shadows are my specialty."
Azoth is the idealistic target that Aethelred has been seeking for his entire existence. His desire to hunt down and catch this demon has brought him to the brink of monomania, and as such he views Azoth with a certain grim respect. Their mutual love of deception and secrecy means nothing to Aethelred, but it does mean that he is the one target Aethelred sometimes just cannot catch.
"Like birds. Like Knowledge. Like knowledgable birds."
Therelon is one of the few Children that Aethelred genuinely respects fully. The fatalist logic of Therelon's existence rings true in Aethelred as well, and his respect for birds of prey only heightens his opinion for Therelon. Somewhat daunted by the expansive "family" that Therelon claims, Aethelred instead chooses to admire Therelon as a paragon of sorts, one of the few Children that is inherently good.
"Pale skin, pale skin. Remember the sun?"
Chinasa's loyalty to his people is admirable, but the position of god he holds over them does not suit Aethelred's principles. He regards this Child with something bordering on suspicion, and chooses not to interact with him, per usual.
"Can't die. Don't fear death. Don't fear you."
Aethelred views Tarthus as one would view a criminal, but he sees death as inevitable, and a worldly representation of death as an expected aspect of the universe.
"Good shot. Good eyes."
If any one Child could be a kindred spirit to Aethelred, it would be Aylin. Their similarities in personality and actions make Aethelred feel somewhat connected to her in a way unlike any other of the Children. In this manner he actually feels uncomfortable with her, not unlike a challenged Alpha. He respects her ability with the bow and freely admits that she is a better shot, but dislikes her lack of pure loyalty. Aethelred's connection to the shadows is the only thing that convinces him that they are not, indeed, related in some way.
"Ash the Afraid."
Aethelred views the shapeshifter as he views all unpredictable Children: with high suspicion.
"Don't want much."
Aethelred hates arbitrary destruction, but at least he's blunt.
"Met a dragon once. Didn't like dragon. Fought dragon. Killed dragon. Ate dragon meat. Didn't like dragon meat."
The massive spectacle of the Dragon King brings awe to anyone, including Aethelred, but this awe is short-lived, as the spectacle begets no more than what is shown up front. Aethelred is unimpressed, but this is not new. His real respect towards Kilgarrah lies in the latter's adherence to a moral code of honor. The dragon warrior provides a somewhat novel idea for Aethelred, as he both respects and despises him. Aethelred, confused thusly, does not choose to speak with him.
"The hell is a Shakti?"
Aethelred is constantly reassessing whether or not he should be suspicious of or respect this Child. Suspicion is the safe choice.
"Smooth skin. Almost like it wasn't even there."
Aethelred only wants the best for the universe as a whole, and Nefas Sen seems no different. Yet he feels uncomfortable around her in the same way one would feel uncomfortable around a neighbor who is far too kind. Aethelred keeps his distance.
"Lovely forest you've got."
One of the few thing Aethelred reveres is the forest. The living personification of the forest gains his respect as well as his humble supplication for the occasional yew branch when his bow snaps.
"Didn't dream. Thought you could help."
Aethelred views selfish betrayal as the ultimate vice. He holds little respect for Estoil.
"Just skin and bones. Without skin."
Aethelred has nothing against Zaphesto, and his diligence in protecting his people begets respect.
"Driven mad by desperation. What a pity."
While he respects the tenacity and magnanimity of Grindelhooke, he views his supporting the Demons as the completely wrong solution to his problem. Knowing that such a loss only emphasizes an issue tenfold, Aethelred promptly began his campaign to protect the forests from human incursion.
So I was reading the rather extensive story you've got here, and I was really interested in joining if you'd be so willing. If so, I'd love to create a character.
I pride myself on taking things seriously, but I'm really just too facetious... (and arrogant.)
I'm a graduate of vague age. I love writing and reading, walking in the woods and dreaming. I love the fabric of everything intertwined with itself. (Perhaps I shouldn't say things anymore. I'm starting to sound funny.)
I'm a story-creator, though I am quite happy joining any sort of RP so long as it's not too ridiculous or, like, weird. So I'm rather new to this website, but I am not by any stretch of the imagination new to RP. Let's just say I'm very interested in advanced RP, and I'll be happy to join any willing to accept me.
I have a bird who's currently eating my hair.
And I'm horribly, horribly bad at introducing myself. :)
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