Dr. Vereker Auchinleck-Trevelyan

== Traits ==
* Regius Professor
Trevelyan was Regius Professor of Applied Pyrotechnics at the Imperial Institute of Technology for twelve years, and Lord of Alchemy at the College of Apprentices for another ten; as such, he has a lot of experience in administration, lecturing, and office gossip. This trait primarily covers his administrative and diplomatic skills.
* Experimental Alchemy
Sometimes described as "bottling magic", alchemy is the calling card of Imperial thaumaturgy, a combination of medieval science and plain old magic. Having been his chief preoccupation for the past sixty years, Trevelyan's specialty has always been the fire side of things, but he also possesses formulae for many other magical purposes. This trait covers his magical and scientific knowledge, primarily of the arcane, as well as his mechanical understanding.
* Disaster Survivor
The main reason why Trevelyan is one of the Empire's (and Athesia's, lest we forget) foremost alchemists is that not only has he carried out many groundbreaking experiments, he has also survived said experiments, and this experience he carried with him through his years as a teaching academic. This trait encompasses his physical endurance (and also being a good runner) and knowledge of safety measures both magical and mundane.
== Flaws ==
* Half-Faced
At the age of 20, Trevelyan had an unfortunate accident involving chemicals, which burned off most of the right-hand side of his face including the eye. His eye may have recovered, but the burns are still on the rest of the skin after 40 years, serving as both an instant symbol of Trevelyan and as something to scare small children.
* For SCIENCE!
Trevelyan has always been an inquisitive sort. In situations where the obviously dangerous course of events would result in advancing the cause of human knowledge, it would be advisable for everybody else to stand well back.
* Eye Of The Jackal
In order to find Makith, Trevelyan had to undergo a partial transformation of the sort the Anubis Guard go under; whilst the process did result in him regaining his right eye, there are still a number of difficulties entailed. Firstly, it is not an eye he has used in the past 40 years; secondly, it is that of a jackal, not of a human, with the attendant vision imbalances resulting; and thirdly, it looks extremely out of place, given that the surrounding skin did not simultaneously heal. It is also made entirely of divine magic.
* Enemy of Corellius Larethian
On his first (and so far, only) visit to the capital of old Lexum, Trevelyan decided to sit on the Imperial Throne in the spirit of scientific enquiry. This turned out to be a bad move, as only the rightful Imperator may sit there - Trevelyan got singed by Corellius Larethian's divine fire, and has made an enemy of a god in his first ever serious interaction with one.
==Stats==
===Mark Tracker===
Marks: 6/21 (T)(I)(T)(T)(T)(T)
Afflictions:
* Lightstruck
In a fight with Nemos (again) and his Spears in the Broken Lands, Trevelyan was blasted in the shoulder by a beam from one of said spears, the arcane energy partially replacing the organic matter in his left shoulder. It was not his dominant arm, but that high concentration of arcane energy has left him exposed to any magical mishap, should it occur.
* Scientist Hive Mind
Whilst investigating the arcane insects, Trevelyan found that they were being controlled by a Vault Item, and decided that the simplest way to resolve the issue was to use said Item to stop the insects. It did resolve the issue, but it had to be carved from his grip, and had a lasting effect; he now has a slight hive mind, tending towards the protection of scientists wherever they may be.
===Advances===
*Formula Fourteen (Experimental Alchemy +1) is a liquid which ignites non-magical metals upon contact, creating flames that rapidly vapourise the entire object; should the flames spread to conventionally flammable substances, it behaves as a normal fire. The flames are most intense on ferro-magnetic metals such as iron and nickel, though they will still catch even on gold. (End Of Year)
*Gear Of The Desert Wind (Military +1); the equipment worn and carried by Miguel Esperanza's alter ego, the Desert Wind. 
*Actuarial Science (Governance +1) is the discipline that applies mathematical and statistical methods to assess risk in insurance, finance and other industries and professions. A key component of contemporary actuarial science are demographic studies, and Trevelyan's work on tiefling incidence rates, combined with his previous business experience, has let him become something of a self-taught expert in the matter. (End Of Year)
*Divine Aegis Shield (Disaster Survivor +1); this item formerly belonged to Nemos, Tribune Of Hope. This bracer has a gemstone embedded inside it, and on activation it casts a shield of divine energy surrounding the bearer.
*Magic Binding Pillar (Academia +1); the pillar to which the Empress used to be chained. It acts as a magic dampener, and though cumbersome to haul around is very useful due to the power inside.
*Dragonet (Experimental Alchemy +1) is the name given by Trevelyan to a contraption he has made, which removes the need to throw potions. Instead, it acts as a flamethrower, able to project various liquid potions in gaseous form (e.g. a bottle of petrol with be ignited as it leaves the dragonet). It's nowhere near as powerful as an actual dragon's breath, but it is reminiscent and rather more versatile. (End Of Year)
*Head of the Alchemical and Scholarly Pursuits (Academia +1) is the official title of Trevelyan's position at the College of Apprentices in Unity City. Also known as Lord of Alchemy, Trevelyan is responsible for the teaching of all non-healing and non-battle magic. (End Of Year)
=== Former Advances ===
*Done With Style (Demonstrative Salesman +1) is a common description applied to many of Trevelyan's sales pitches, which given his field of business is quite applicable.
*Technical Cloth (Disaster Survivor +1) is the colloquial name for the in-house safety fabric used at Trevelyan's alma mater the Imperial Institute of Technology. A specially-treated variant of No.1 grade cotton duck, it is able to withstand most mundane and magical conditions, though it is not impervious to all and the manufacturing process though known to him is a complicated one. (End Of Year)
*The Orc Of The Covenant (Academia +1) is an ancient artefact dating back to the times of the ancient Orcs, once sought after by Harry son of Fjord. A golden casket, inside are two stone tablets inscribed with old Orcish writing that will attach themselves to the hands of the person that opened it.
== Background ==
Senator Lord Doctor Professor Vereker Auchinleck Trevelyan MgcD, PhD, MAM, MA, BA, GSC (age 71) (Doctor of Magic, Doctor of Philosophy, Master in Arcane Materials, Master of Alchemy, Bachelor of Alchemy, Gold Swimming Certificate), commonly known as Dr. Vereker
Trevelyan, currently Head of the Alchemical and Scholarly Pursuits at the College of Apprentices, formerly Regius Professor of Applied Pyrotechnics at the Imperial Institute of Technology, is a human alchemist from the Empire, specialising in explosives and
flammable substances, though having branched out into many more fields of alchemy and potion-making.
Hailing from the northern reaches of what is now the Empire,
Trevelyan started studying alchemy at a young age, and it was
rapidly apparent that he was distinctly gifted in the field; once word of his
talent spread, money was found to fund his further study in the Empire’s top
institution, where he passed with flying colours. During his studies, however,
he developed a bad habit of experimentation beyond the point of safety, even if
in his own words "it was necessary for humanity’s betterment" – one particular
experiment involving numerous highly volatile and magical substances (that is
to say, more dangerous than the usual cocktail of magical and mundane
substances that formed the basis of nearly all his formulae) resulted in half
of the institution burning down and half of Trevelyan’s face being
burned off, including his right eye; the rest of that side is still blackened
from the incident.
Upon finishing his education at the Imperial Institute of Technology, Trevelyan wanted nothing more than
to continue his independent research into alchemy, but his ambitions were
stymied by Imperial bureaucrats, who forcibly hired him as a military
contractor. True, the pay was quite
exceptional, but there were numerous restrictions on what he could research –
some objectively reasonable, some not – and the restrictions on who could use
his inventions were even greater. For someone who, in his own words, "wanted to
give every man and woman the future," the restrictions on the publication and
sale of his research particularly rankled.
Not to say, however, that he did not make full use of the tools at his
disposal, aided by his remarkable ability to survive his experiments. His No. 1
Blasting Powder saw significant civilian use as a tool for mining and
controlled demolition; whilst his patented Lightning Oil, an energy-dense
product derived from whale oil, allowed for portable high-power lighting and
liberated indoor lighting from the confines of municipal lightning elementals. But
more numerous than any were the inventions that were restricted for military
use only – in fairness, his infamous Formula Fourteen needed restricting – and
they proved their worth in numerous engagements, even though
Trevelyan never received word of precisely what they had been used for.
That is, until he heard about what happened in Riza – the province had
suffered an outbreak of a supposedly incurable disease, and Imperial
authorities decided that the best way to resolve the quarantine was to firebomb
the most affected areas and simply let the rest of the humans die. Using bombs
that Trevelyan had invented. He found out, and immediately resigned
from his Professorship in disgust, following Verak Tibor’s example, which the
authorities had failed to sufficiently hush up.
Since the founding of Athesia when he was a young man, it had always held an
interest for him, as a promised land, "a republic where all right thinking
folk can walk free from fear and ignorance." It had however never been more
than a far-away land, seeing as he was mostly content which the resources he
had at his disposal in Imperial service, even if they came with unwelcome
restrictions. But when he left Imperial service on a point of moral principle,
it became necessary to find alternative station, and he soon fell in contact
with certain Athesians within the Empire, who in short order helped him
emigrate to Athesia.
Soon after he arrived in Athesia, Trevelyan moved to Unity City,
where he steadily put back together the facilities that he had to abandon when
he left the Empire, this time without the benefit of a generous supply of
funding. And whilst in the Empire he had the benefit of a known network of
suppliers who could be brought into line if they threatened to obstruct
Imperial research, in Athesia he had to build his own connections from the
ground up.
He managed this in surprisingly short order, and within only a few years had
wheeled and dealed his way into a not inconsiderable network of suppliers and
customers of all kinds, spread across the length and breadth of Athesia, able
to get the right prices for the right goods in the right places at the right
time. Not to say that negotiation took up all
his time – no business ever lasted without bringing new products to market, and
the creative spark that carried him this far kept him going onwards. And
through all that time, he used his profits not only for invention but also for
charity, finally able to relieve peoples’ suffering as opposed to causing it,
helping to "shine a light in the dark places."
The war, however, put an abrupt pause on his prosperity – whilst both
Athesia and the Empire were at pains to stress that it wasn’t a war, it still
resulted in Unity City being occupied by Imperial forces for nearly a year,
with the attendant restrictions on trade that result. During that fateful year
Trevelyan put his business to one side in order to focus his efforts
on aiding the resistance, funding and supplying them; all for the sake of
freeing Unity City from Imperial oppression.
== AL 13 ==
In the immediate aftermath of the end of Imperial occupation, Trevelyan was part of the celebratory crowd that welcomed the Heroes of Athesia back to the Council Building, and due to a misunderstanding ended up carried by the crowd into the Council Building, which he then proceeded to not leave despite it being against the rules for civilians to enter. After being allowed to explain himself to the Council, involving a demonstration where the wreck of an airship in The Square was vapourised, he was invited onto the Council by Poztn'an on behalf of the whole Council.
After joining the Council, Trevelyan spent a considerable amount of time on Council business in Unity City; his first official engagement as a Senator of Athesia was as a guest at the Watchmen's Funeral, where the fifty watchmen who had died during the liberation received their last rites in a manner befitting the largest funeral procession the Unity City Watch had ever had to put on.
Trevelyan had the good fortune to be allowed to visit the College of Apprentices, where in addition to seeing a considerable portion of the internal workings (including Poztn'an's magical licence test) he and Poztn'an aided Vice-Chancellor Hartmann with the formula for something he called "snap-powder."
He was introduced to the more traditional roles of the Council of Athesia when he was called to deal with a creature that had made it into the canal. The creature turned out to be a kraken, and whilst he was unable to aid with its elimination he was able to help apprehend the person who had sold the kraken egg.
One of his less pleasant engagements that year included a meeting with Cyril Dieudonné, ostensibly for purposes of discerning more information about The Guild, who had been personal annoyances for Trevelyan's business. However, the meeting developed quickly, and whilst Tacitus Ajax Liber Silvanus took the brunt of Dieudonné's attention, he appeared equally surprised and disappointed when Trevelyan said that he did not have anything that he wanted at that point.
An initial attempt to find homunculi in the sewers underneath Unity City was cut short by an encounter with a middling member of the Guild, engaged in the business of nothing more than being a member of the Guild in the sewers, which is not a crime. A second group of Guildsmen, lower-rankers this time, were encountered, and again turned out to be simply moving legitimate goods to legitimate places through the sewers; however, a Guild "front" was discovered and it also transpires that the Guild are, in fact, a fully registered guild.
A homunculus was eventually acquired and taken back to Trevelyan's lab for testing purposes. It transpires that homunculi can understand simple precisely worded instructions, have to be shown how to do more complicated actions - which will be replicated exactly up to a certain level of complexity - but cannot read, write, or interpret pictures, have no concept of time, can be instructed by voice commands from the last person to speak to it, do not need to eat or sleep, and by default (if told to "do what they want") relieve themselves of stress. It is possible for them to reproduce, which they can be commanded to do if they have the resources including a round piece of glass - and possibly gold too - however, they cannot attack a person. They are as strong as a fully-sized person, and will defend themselves against attack, but will not retaliate. That particular homunculus was returned to the sewers.
Eventually a celebration was held to commemorate the return of the Council of Athesia to Unity City, and as part of the celebrations a fireworks display was put on by Vice-Chancellor Hartmann, who had managed to use snap-powder to launch projectiles. It transpires that his lab burned down with the formula written down in there, and all the snap-powder was used in the display, but he does still remember the formula and could if need be reproduce it supposedly.
== AL 14 ==
Trevelyan's first official mission as a member of the Council took him to the God-Curse Mountains in the company of Senators Redwood and Poztn'an. There, they encountered the Orceologist Harry son of Fjord, who asked for their aid in retrieving the supposedly-legendary Orc of the Covenant from a ruined fortress in the mountains. In doing so, they came across a Vanir angel, who Trevelyan banished with the power of the Orc of the Covenant - that is to say, inside were two stone tablets which he couldn't let go, but which proved to be quite useful for bludgeoning (gained advance: Orc Of The Covenant).
In the spring, a petitioner came to the Council seeking aid in evicting the Empire from a territory they had claimed lordship over in the Dark Plains; naturally, Trevelyan jumped at the chance. There was low-level unrest towards the occupation supported by House Armino, and without intervention the occupation would have been overthrown; however, Council intervention ensured that the occupation was ended without bloodshed, the land was returned to House Armino, and the poor relations that the Council had with House Armino were improved as a result.
Back in Unity City, Trevelyan's rest was interrupted by a creation of Mikkelan's, which had taken to prowling the streets and attempting to kill anyone that it came across. It was eventually subdued, though not without loss of life, and then a team of Council members investigated Mikkelan's lab, to find that it had been reactivated by his two Igors, who were trying to bring him back to life in the same way Mikkelan had brought his creations to life. Mikkelan and his Igors were stopped, and the lab was disassembled and sent, along with Mikkelan's body, to AIMS for research - however, Trevelyan had purloined Mikkelan's research notes beforehand, putting research back somewhat, but not far back enough.
For the sake of the propagation of knowledge, Trevelyan ended up as part of the committee responsible for the founding of the University of Athesia (provisional title). A site was chosen in the Dark Plains, on land owned by former councilmember Dargan Drosilan, and with his co-operation the framework of the institution was established.
The threat of Ragnarok effectively overshadowed just about every other problem in Athesia that year, especially towards the end of it, and so Trevelyan ended up on a mission with a handful of other councilmembers to find a powerful ritual caster to help seal the Vanir gods back inside Yggdrasil. Their quest took them to find Onuris, brother of the Pharaoh Nkosi, who at the time was proving an unpopular Regent. Their presence caused a riot - exacerbated by the theft of two potions of Trevelyan's, one of Formular Fourteen and one of "angry sauce" - but it was eventually settled and Onuris was eventually cajoled into aiding the Council.
A second mission in the quest to halt Ragnarok took Trevelyan to Hel's castle to find Skinne's axe. There, he caused a riot in the Soul Market amongst the extraplanar entities, engineered a prison break from the dungeons, banished another Vanir angel - it transpires that getting a bottle of Lightning Oil thrown at one's face at approximately 18 inches range is not fun for anybody - and broke into Hel's vault, recovering both Skinne's cursed axe and another similarly cursed weapon (gained advance: Done With Style)
One last quest before the final day of reckoning took Trevelyan to the College of Apprentices to find a magical artefact of sufficient power for the ritual, where they acquired an omniscope - a device that allowed the user to look at anywhere, based on what was known about said location, so whilst the Imperial Palace and the Vales were quite clear, the image of Dieudonné's island showed it shrouded in fog, like the island itself is shrouded in mystery.
On the day of Ragnarok, Trevelyan, Skinne, and Venyrax Gallentes that went to Midgard to protect that part of the ritual. There, they snuck past the Vanir hordes to Yggdrasil, and whilst Skinne held off the entire horde, Trevelyan was left to mind the ritual casters. He did so with aplomb, ensuring that the one Vanir angel that made it close enough before the ritual succeeded was kept away from the casters because it couldn't break through the technical cloth that he had erected as a safety covering.
== AL 15 ==
The year started in unusual circumstances for Trevelyan, as he, Sieg, and Munzell ta 'Nahal all took part in a "game show" in the Fey Woods. Overcoming various challenges and traps, the trio bravely managed to be the first winners of Amazing Fey Woods Fun Fair Adventure Ninja Fighting Combat Daredevil Extravanganza (or whatever the title was). Trevelyan was awarded a medal; it now proudly hangs over the toilet in his laboratory.
Seriousness soon thankfully re-asserted itself for Trevelyan as he and Life Changer found themselves searching for Miguel Esperanza, a reliable Council contact who had been investigating into a Khalfani plot to destablise the Dark Plains. A search of Esperanza's apartment (mildly interrupted by Iron Cobra forces) uncovered a letter from Esperanza, where he outlined that former Councilmember Jibade had a mysterious source of power, which Esperanza linked to a quarantine of the Barrens and the disappearance of numerous bodies from crematoria across Khalfani lands, and asked that they find Prolix Senium. In addition, he left behind some equipment belonging to his alter ego and also a portal leading to a mysterious laboratory, which was to be investigated at a later date (gained advance: Gear Of The Desert Wind).
By Trevelyan's instigation, the Council was called upon to investigate the Imperial armaments that had been taken under military control as a result of Council decisions. With the aid of Tibor, Cassia Tuccianus, and Mordecai Ladron, it was found that whilst their advanced weapons would take some time to replicate effectively, a reactor that had been left behind gave them the inspiration needed to invent some sort of battery.
Following up Esperanza's letter, Trevelyan, Atiya El-Amin, Tibor, and Hood used the portal acquired last time to go to the heart of the Barrens, where they found Prolix Senium and rescued him from the hands of the "Re-dead". Once freed, Senium explained further about them, about how they were created at the moment of death instead of being re-animated, how they were not affected by conventional Turn Undead, how they weren't blocked by the Obelisks along the edge of the desert, and how vampires were yet again involved with the Khalfani. Before the heroes left, Senium gave them one last piece of advice - stop Jibade.
Trevelyan found himself a change of scenery when he and Ambassador Appoline Reneux were roped into a paternity dispute regarding Carmelita Chapuis' tiefling son. A blood test soon proved that Lord Fabio Armino was in fact the father, and would remain so despite his wishes; however, the associated research into where tieflings came from uncovered some unwelcome truths, all related to The Pit and the very nature of the modern Dark Plains.
Picking up where he left off, Trevelyan and Dimani Trastor went to the capital of the Khalfani to find Jibade. They made it into the deeper recesses of the town hall fairly easily, but were significantly delayed by a rotating rooms puzzle. Eventually they made it through, and they rescued Medissa, a high-ranker in the Peacekeepers, who had been stuck in a vat of healing potion for four days. They finally reached Jibade, who explained to them what had been going on; it transpired that Jibade had recently been made a lich, and had been responsible for the Re-dead, among other disturbances. Before he escaped (by killing himself), he gave them a parting message - "All the enemies you ever made will come back against you."
Immediately, Trevelyan, this time accompanied by James Griffin, went on the trail of the Reavers, for only they had the power to create new liches. In order to find Makith, they both had to submit themselves to a partial transformation as used by the Anubis Guard, due to their hive-mind allowing them to trace him; this had little effect for James, but rather more for Trevelyan. They did not, as feared, have to go to the Underworld; instead, they went to what had previously been a cluster of pyramids, but was now just one. Delving into the depths, they evaded numerous traps and found, imprisioned at the bottom, Makith himself, forced into the body of a 12ft Anubis Guard. After freeing him, Makith explained in more detail what had transpired, and what he had learned.
Djesemit, the other surviving Reaver, had imprisioned him, and was ultimately responsible for everything going on regarding the Re-dead. He had obtained the power of Osiris from Kemanwati, and with that he intended to take over Athesia and establish a Kingdom Of The Dead in its place. To this end, he made Jibade a lich, created the Re-dead, smuggled other liches into the Fey Woods among other places, and levitated the missing pyramids after filling them with undead. 
After such great revelations, Trevelyan de-escalated on his end somewhat by being part of the team investigating what to do with the remaining Shadow Weavers, now that peace had been established with the Shadow Emperor. The eventual conclusion of their investigation, after being voted through by the Council, was that the Shadow Weavers be sent home with appropriate commemoration and ceremony; a fitting reward for such loyal and valiant heroes.
Finally, Trevelyan found himself side-by-side with Gallentes again needing to defend a plane-saving ritual against another horde of extraplanar entities, this time with Geltius Asphoren helping them protect not just the Dawnspire as a portal to Heaven was opened, but also keeping any devils away from the Tear of Asmodeus. Whilst Gallentes and Asphoren stood astride the entrance and held off the hellish legions, Trevelyan supervised the ritual itself, protecting the mages from themselves using his long experience as a demonstrator. It was nearly not enough, however, and to ensure that the ritual did not fail he personally stepped in to channel the last needed piece of power (gained mark).
== AL 16 ==
Continuing on with the thread that united his previous year's work, Trevelyan found himself in the Dead Wastes alongside Sparky and El-Amin investigating solutions to the undead hordes that were now threatening to turn everyone in Athesia into zombies. They started in the Black Library, where they did some literary research into Sphinxes and Djinn. The former revealed little, but the latter gave them some key context about what they were, and where they had been last seen; the last deal they had made was with the "mad protector" who wished for the power to protect his people. The party also conducted some field research into Susurruses, mysterious glass golems who rode sandworms, but little concrete evidence was gained there.
Following up that research, Trevelyan was joined by El-Amin and Trastor. Together they found a great deal of information about Jibade, who was now one of Djesmit's chief lieutenants, in particular about how he obtained the power to raise the undead - it wasn't necromancy, it was glyph magic, and there was a ritual circle covering the entirety of Athesia. In the course of their research, they decided to investigate a lamp in one of the Black Library's rooms - they saw the last time a deal was made with a Djinn, the context of that deal, and why Djinn now inhabited lamps and other household equipment; reason being to keep themselves safe whilst their magic recharged over the millenia.
After that, Trevelyan, Gaius, and Tuccianus opted to investigate the flying pyramids in order to find an ibis (that was supposed to be on one) and also how the reanimation worked. They boarded one of the moving pyramids, and found it to be controlled by powerful glyph magic that kept it aloft and undetectable. To be precise, corpses were teleported from the ground into the pyramid, animated by a separate "permanent" glyph, then teleported back down. After clearing that pyramid (and crashing it into the ground) the party boarded the one hovering above Unity City, capturing the (now evil) ibis, but not before Djesmit led a horde of undead into Unity City.
Back on dry land, Trevelyan and others researched the Mad Protector Imhotep, grandfather of Nkosi, Digging into the old capital of Thaya, they discovered that his deal with the Tayaliq (the cabal of Djinn) caused him no end of grief, as his desire to protect his people was creatively interpreted by the Djinn, who drew their power from their investment in Imhotep; and when the Djinn went into their boltholes Imhotep grew mad.
That marked the end of Trevelyan's involvement in the Dead Wastes, as he, Asphoren, and Tuccianus took a well-deserved break and went to the Ollinadunum Tech Faire, where they saw many wonderful contraptions and devices. Asphoren got an upgraded arm, and Tuccianus now understood the principle of rotary to linear motion conversion, but Trevelyan came back with enough know-how to finally make his Dragonet.
His next mission was a return to normal, as he and Fenxi Thornberry journeyed into the God-Curse Mountains looking for the leadership of the Spears, the group kidnapping deva and draining them of their magical energy. Following a kidnapping of theirs, they followed them through a portal to their base, finally meeting their leadership, foremost among them "Nemos, Tribune of Hope" - standing eight feet tall with glowing skin and bearing spears of divine magic, they were fearsome individuals. But Nemos was captured, the other three leaders killed, and the laboratory reclaimed of anything of value by Trevelyan and Thornberry. (gained advance: Divine Aegis Shield).
Continuing his back-and-forth across the country, Trevelyan found himself with Gallentes and Silvanus on a mission to the capital of the Annihilatus, above the Vault, where a maelstrom bearing the Empress' signature was detected. Braving the magical storms, they forced their way into the throne room of the palace, where Trevelyan managed to insult Corellius Larethian by sitting on the Imperial throne, before they managed to defeat the Empress. (gained advance: Magic Binding Pillar).
One last mission before the end brought Trevelyan and Zil'gar Fofyire on the trail for a number of items that had been stolen from AIMS the previous year. Though the trail had mostly gone cold, with the help of a wandering merchant called Galil they located where Mikkelan's battery and the Army research rifles had gone. The battery was traced to a band of storm archons (who were offered a pair of batteries later in exchange) and the rifles had ended up in the hands of numerous petty nobles - eight were bought back, and one won in a shooting contest between the noble and Trevelyan; it was the former's fault for having a gun that didn't fire.
For the first time in his council tenure Trevelyan found himself on his final mission of the year without Gallentes; instead, it was Krunk and Skinne who helped him defend the southern wall of Unity City against a horde of Redead. This was no shambling zombie horde; the only casualties were due to militiamen poisoned by mysterious darts, and the only major threat was due to a vibrating disk controlled by a member of the Mantis cult. The Redead seemed unwilling to actually engage in combat, seemingly only ordered "onwards!" and they all exhibited similar marks to the casualties - pinprick wounds with black, purple, and red lines radiating from them. 
== AL 17 ==
New threats mean new problems; and for some they start close to home. Trevelyan, Skinne, and Fofyire were called upon to solve a great emergency - Griffin's griffon Durzo had been stolen from under his very nose. They asked anyone who might have known, and were eventually sent on the trail of a postal battle wagon chartered at the time of the crime. They followed it, found that its contents had been swapped with salt water, interrogated the bandits that had stolen it, and with Griffin raided the abandoned church that said bandits used as a base, rescuing the formerly-polymorphed griffon, which was now very angry.
The issue of snapowder reared its head, and Trevelyan, wanting to safeguard his co-invention, volunteered for the Council task force into the matter, alongside Tuccianus, Skinne, and later on Harold Rhymer and Trastor. The divisons soon became clear - Skinne spoke for the status quo of Athesia tightly restricting development (despite not even being a citizen of Athesia) whereas Trevelyan, Tuccianus, and Rhymer stood in favour of cautious expansion of development via a licencing system. Trevelyan's motion passed without too much trouble; during the research, however, he advocated letting the peasants of Esparr arm themselves to defend their rights from oppressors, and at Skinne's instigation a consular inquiry found Trevelyan guilty of incendiary language (+1 Infamy).
Moving on to a less contentious matter, Trevelyan, Tuccianus, Ryan, and Asphoren went to Ollinadunum to resolve a labour dispute - specifically, the city itself had gone on strike and expelled all the industrialists and other bourgeois middlemen. It was determined that the city believed said industrialists to be a hindrance to production, siphoning off more than their fair share of exports and failing to adequately re-invest into the city; the industrialists wanted their current investments in the city protected or at least compensated for. In the end, a settlement resolving the dispute was imposed, heavily in the city's favour - the city was taught the concepts of informed consent, employee welfare, and it was agreed that there would be a temporary halt to exports to allow for heavy re-investment. The industrialists, however, were told by Cassia that they could go whistle for their property, and Trevelyan called for a consular inquiry into Cassia's apparent endorsement of expropriation as a result.
This did not, however, stop Trevelyan and Tuccianus working together on the railroad. A test line had been constructed from the University of Athesia to Unity City (with a station on the far shore of the lake), and there were now questions of where to build the first proper line. After initial research into a number of options, it was decided that the two propositions to be put before the Council were for a line to Aton Thorvald via Esparr and a line to Ollinadunum through the Broken Lands. Cassia spoke in favour of the former, Trevelyan in favour of the latter; the Council voted almost unanimously that the line to Aton Thorvald be built first, but the line to Ollinadunum is at least second on the list.
Crime - the one thing that has always been going on in Unity City, and AL 17 proved no exception. With Aurora, former leader of The Guild, returned and behind a larger conspiracy, Trevelyan and Faber Selig went to find her. Trevelyan delved into The Shadows, and whilst tailed and monitored by numerous Guild members was uninterrupted - until Selig "kidnapped" him as part of a Guild initiation. This turned out to be a good thing, as the two of them were led down to a Guild bunker where Aurora was possessing Azure, and Selig was ordered to place a brain-slug in Trevelyan. Faber refused, Trevelyan broke his restraints and threatened to blow the room up, a brawl developed and the two of them got away, but not before Selig stuck a tracker on Aurora.
Wanting something a little quieter, Trevelyan, Skinne, and Thornberry attended the grand opening of the Observatorium at the University of Athesia. It was a truly grand ceremony, including a specially-provided train, ornately-decorated carriages, and copious amounts of complimentary drinks and canapés; Trevelyan had the opportunity to converse with a woman from Ollinadunum who was deeply excited by the idea of the train. The chief main event, however, was the opportunity to use the grand telescope, which the party availed themselves of, only to discover a previously unseen star that wobbled in a pattern - it seemed to write a message "THE ANTECIA COMES". After this, they were invited to a special high-security experiment by Wilkin Burke, where a cube of residium was suspended between two crystal batteries; whatever the experiment was supposed to achieve, it instead summoned eleven figures resembling Spears that were made purely of arcane energy and escaped directly through the anti-magic shielding of the facility.
Immediately, Trevelyan and Thornberry were joined by Gallentes and Rowena Littleflute to chase down these Spears before they did anything rash. Burke couldn't make it, but they were accompanied by his assistant Sam Dickson. They followed a trail of arcane incidents and found seven of the intruders heading on a direct line towards the temporal mine with four unaccounted for; an arcanometer reading showed them to be roughly equal to a Vanir angel in power level. The intruders were led by Nemos (clearly one of many) - attempted negotiations fell through when Nemos claimed that they were "looking for the new lands of our motherland" and that he was claiming those lands on behalf of the "Pinnacle Hegemony". After a protracted and bloody engagement, the intruders were defeated and Nemos slain with part of his corpse remaining; during it, Trevelyan took a blast of arcane energy directly through the left shoulder which partially replaced the flesh there with arcane energy (+1 Taint, Affliction: Lightstruck).
From one arcane incident to another - Trevelyan, after a short rest, joined Skinne, Fofyire, and Falka in hunting his old friend Hartmann after it transpired that the latter was a rogue Udoan. Going first to the College of Apprentices, they were immediately attacked by Lynch, who Hartmann had convinced that the Council had been taken over by Udoans launching a coup. After talking him down, Rumpkin intervened, having also been convinced by Hartmann, leaving the group no choice by to chase Sonya for clues. Eventually able to talk her down, they found that Hartmann had activated the Unity City shield and then gone missing; following the trail, they found that he had taken the Sunstar, a device that would create a minature sun. They immediately headed for the centre of Unity City, and engaged Hartmann on the steps of the Guild of Messengers and Couriers, where they stopped Hartmann's plot to blow up the city, and in doing so safely dispersed the energy of the Sunstar directly through Hartmann, killing the man.
For his last excursion of the year, Trevelyan accompanied Gallentes, Fofyire, and Griffin tracking down a missing Vault Item. They found a mysterious compound that hosted a hive of arcane insects guarded by members of the Aedian Syndicate, who claimed they'd sent a team in four years prior and heard nothing since. Going inside, they found a pair of guards who claimed to have only been inside for five minutes; the discrepancy was due to the building being one of Tevet's and hence full of time magic. Fighting off the attacks of the insects (that had a particular liking for Trevelyan's left shoulder) they made their way to the heart of the complex where the insects nested and a decrepit individual held a Vault Item in their hand. Seeking to end the situation as soon as possible, Trevelyan tore the Item out of the individual's hand and used its power to first stop and then destroy the insects, as it was the source of them. The Item was returned to the Vault, but not without lasting effect to Trevelyan, and for using that item his comrades there called for a consular inquiry, as use of Vault Items is strictly forbidden.
== AL 18-26 ==
After the events of AL 17, Trevelyan finally had the opportunity to visit his homeland for the first time in over a decade. Whilst there, he got to meet in person his nephew Malcolm, who he had been corresponding with during his time on the Council, and was convinced to take him on as an apprentice and bring him to Athesia.
With the death of Vice-Chancellor Hartmann, the College of Apprentices was left without a Lord of Alchemy. After an extensive recruitment and interview period, Trevelyan was approved by the faculty of the College as the new Head of the Alchemical and Scholarly Pursuits there. Since then, he has thrown himself into the role, eager to pass on his knowledge and teach the new generations of students.
When Appoline Reneux became the new Empress, Trevelyan was incandescent at the news - but he swiftly realised that he was but a single old man, and that whilst freedom may come to the lands beyond Athesia, the situation as it stood would not let it occur within his lifetime. Instead, whilst he did keep abreast of developments there and oft conversed with what remained of his old comrades, he focused his political activities in Athesia where he might yet still enact positive changes. On those occasions when he was neither teaching his students or his nephew, he could be regularly seen and heard in the Council chamber, thundering on the issues of the day with a tempered but still avowedly liberal zeal.
==Significant Relationships==
=== Friends ===
==== Poztn'an ====
Poztn'an is a Tiamat Dragonborn scholar of the elemental who was responsible for Trevelyan joining the Council, inasmuch as Poztn'an was responsible for the mob that carried him all the way to the Council Building and deposited him inside; he did though proceed to defend Trevelyan's desire to join the Council, and put himself forward as his sponsor.
==== Vice-Chancellor Hartmann ====
Hartmann was Head of the School of Alchemy and Control at the College of Apprentices in Unity City; during the winter of AL 13 Trevelyan helped him complete the formula for "snap-powder", and has as such became good friends. This friendship was disrupted by the events of AL 17, when Hartmann tried to blow up Unity City with the Sunstar; for obvious reasons, the friendship could no longer continue, although Trevelyan did go to his funeral.
==== Miguel Esperanza ====
Also known as the Desert Wind, Miguel Esperanza left behind his alter-ego's equipment along with a letter to the Athesian heroes, led by Trevelyan, who were looking for him in relation to Jibade, currently former leader of the Khalfani.
==== Venyrax Gallentes ====
One would not necessarily expect a researcher of the arcane and a channel of the primal to get on particularly well; however, stranger circumstances abound in Athesia, and Gallentes and Trevelyan have worked together many times over the recent years. Their complementary skill sets proved devastatingly effective on a number of occasions, and they have found common ground socially over their joint dedication to the cause of Athesia. They may or may not have agreed that Trevelyan can study Gallentes' body if the latter dies first.
==== Malcolm Trevelyan Monroe ====
Malcolm is Trevelyan's nephew via his sister Ealasaid, whom Trevelyan had kept regular correspondence with during his time on the Council. Unhappy with the opportunities at home, he eventually convinced Trevelyan to take him on as an apprentice and bring him to Athesia.
=== Enemies ===
==== The Empire ====
Was a top-level researcher for their military, but drew the ire of the authorities on account of his liberalist streak; his resignation on a point of principle left a sour taste, and whilst his role in the Unity City Resistance could never be proven, certain individuals did and still do have their suspicions.
==== Corellius Larethian ====
As Trevelyan has never been a rightful claimant to the Lexum throne - and nor does he care to be - when he sat upon the Imperator's throne Corellius Larethian smited him bigly. It's also the first time Trevelyan has interacted with gods in a serious manner, which at his current old age may possibly be inadvisable.
==== Appoline Reneux ====
Anyone becoming Emperor (or Empress) automatically becomes an enemy of Trevelyan, due to his strong opposition to monarchy, hereditary rule, and absolutist government. It was obvious then that Reneux, being a well known misandrist, slaver, and tyrant, becoming Emperor would be particularly unpopular in Trevelyan's eyes.
== Look ==