Alex Zodiac

**Alexander Tyrrhenus Zodiac**, mostly known as **Alex Zodiac** or simply **Alex** was a Frostwalker, adventurer, pirate and headmen of the Thalassocracy of Pahonja. Starting from humble beginnings in the cold and poor enviroment of Frostmarch, as one of the few remaining members of a harshly persecuted race, he would travel to the Pahonjau Island to start a new life, making friendships, enemies, and quickly climbing up the national hierarchy.

**OOC:** Alex joined the server on September 7 2021, just some months after The Grand Union of Sorligste's annexxion by Tortuga. Currently, he is the headmen of the Pact of Pahonja, inside the Tengalan Iron Empire.

### **Tragic beginnings**

Alex Zodiac was born in a coastal farm in Frostmarch, inside a very cold enviroment: as such, the wheat couldn't grow and the food was scarce. The father was unknown as it seemed to have disappeared a few days before Anita Zodiac, the mother, gave birth to the child. Anita's mother lived there aswell, Paitah. Those women were the protector of this newborn, giving him the few bread they could make. At age 2 the situation got even worse: a mortal disease would spread around the coast which took the life of Anita. The farm was made out of wood so it could've crumbled when it started hailing. And so, it happened. Paitah and Alex ran through snowy taigas and plains, until they found a small cave to seek shelter.

The child grew and grew, had the simple life of fishin', farming and walking on top of snowy hills. A primitive life. One day though, at the age of 12, Alex and his grandma travelled once again across a snowy tundra. Suddently, it started snowing. They were lost in the woods and as they tried to build a shelter, the old grandma (which was 80 at that time) couldn't move any longer. Thus, she froze to death. Alex cried tears of ice. Somehow, the boy didn't feel the cold. He always liked it. Now, after his last family member's death, he hated it. After the snowstorm was over and found the way home, he buried her grandma near the cavern.

### **A new home**

After getting supplies, some tools and fishes Alex left the cavern, that in this tale will be never mentioned, ever again. He walked and walked, until he arrived to the sea. "This is perfect! I can leave this frozen land for once!" he thought. After a few hours of chopping trees, crafting and testing he made a boat. And thus, he sailed. He rowed and rowed, once fell off, then got on it again. Until, after a long journey, he found land. However, the expectations soon dropped: the isle was as cold as Frostmarch. "GOD, IS THIS WORLD ONLY SNOW?!?" he screamed angrily. He made a campfire, put down his bed, tried to count the stars and after the thousands he counted, fell asleep. The morning later, he got woken by someone's voice. "Who are you?" said the voice. Alex opened his eyes, scared of what he would find. A woman with pink hair, a black coat and light blue eyes, similar to the color of the calm sea. He got up quickly, scared. "I-I'm Alex" he slowly said. "Hello Alex, how did you reach this isle?" "I.. rowed with a boat." "Where do you come from?" "Somewhere in Frostmarch" "I see, you have done quite a bit of a journey. I'm Palajan Watubad, welcome to Pahonjau Isle."

### **The first problem**

The place was a wintery isle between Sorligste and Cymru. As the months passed, Alex soon got better gear, tools, ate new food, drank new drinks and tasted the alcohols on the shores, with the sea on one side and the frost on the other. He then started recruiting people that would pass on the isle, that were lost or exiled. People like Tectelion and Mixzzt became from wanderers to recruits, from recruits to friends. Made adventures with Palajan, toured the Cymru's coasts and explored Frostmarch. After returning from a trip to the capital of The March, Erovald, he saw Tsalja (the town that he lived in) getting plundered by some soldiers. Alex went to investigate and talked to the leader of that small group o' 3.

*"Who are you?"*

The soldier quickly grabbed his sword and hit him with it once, and made a small cut on the legs. It hurted. Blood was spilt. Alex replied, gasping:

*"I'm Alexander Zodiac, and you shouldn't be 'ere! Why are you ravaging this land!?"*

*"This is ours now, surrender now or my army will come here. This shall be the new land of Kartek."*

*"Surrender? Never!"*

Alexander ran to his house, put on his gear and ran quickly at his opponent, swinging his diamond sword left and right. The other 2 ran away, and the headmen of the group swore:

*"It's official. My army will come here"*

...and sailed away. Alex decided to take all the members stuff to make sure they would not get stolen and decided to head to Atopolis, a town in the southern Sorligste which he heard was very rich of money and people. After walking on roads, he found his way. Shark, the owner of the town, gave him a house for the time being in Ato.

### **The war**

After a few days, he received a letter from Palajan telling the date of the war and 2 netherite ingots as a token of gratitude for moving all the member's stuff to safety. So, it happened. In one day, with the help of mercenaries and Pahonjaun members, the town was freed. Although the mass looting that occurred (all the library's books, a heart of the sea and mass destruction) it was over. Alex decided to start making a wall for safety measures, as he never knew if another war was ever gonna happen.

### **Baptisation**

A few days later, he decided to explore more of Sparwood, the biggest continent in Rathnir, as he didn't know much about it at the time. At the start, he explored Eisenland's southern towns (Eisenburg and Balhurst) and headed further north. There, he met Egizzo in the capital of the nation, Maxstadt. The new friend brought him to Fislankif, the Eisenland's vatican town, and baptised him in the name of the religion Gisdalfgoda. He discovered who he was, a Frostwalker, and his patron god who protected him since the start was, Eis, protector of Frostwalkers and Northfolks. It was Eis that made Alex survive in the cold the day of his grandmother's death. After those revelations, Alex decided to head back to Pahonjau, where he continued to expand the town and live a chilly life.

### **Scar days and... death?**

As the months passed Alex accumulated a bit of money out of mining, fishing and exploring. One day though, when he woke up and looked at his reflection in the water he found out something was odd: a cold light blue scar and light blue eyes. How did that happen? After the discovery of who he was, he became closer and closer to a Frostwalker and was becoming an ice living being. Alex was scared. The scar expanded on his body as the days passed and thus, one day, he went to Tectelion's house in Atopolis while covering his face and, after many tears fell off, he showed him his face. Tectelion was surprised, noticing the eye colour change and the scar.

After bringing Tectelion to his house in Ato, Alex ran up the stairs to the last floor. When Tectelion arrived, Alex stood on the border of the house. The friend already knew what was about to happen, he tried to stop him but was too late: "It's the only way to get this scar off, it's corrupting me, it's making me what I don't want to be!" After those last words, Alexander jumped off the edge and watched Tectelion with a sad smile, while falling to his demise.

As Tectelion went back to his house to bury the corpse, he heard a silent whisper, similar to Alex' voice: "Find Egizzo, get me back to the world of living..." . After a long journey, he found Egizzo and brought him to the Atoan Church. A humble sacrifice of food, berries and diamonds was made and a figure appeared on the window: Alexander, although still with the even more grown ice scar. While he was revived, Tectelion was looking at the fire and as the voice of the god Mortus pulled him near the heat, he said calmly: "The scar isn't gone... Mortus shall be my patron. This is the only way". He then proceeded to jump in the fire, in front of the other two friends that would never see him human, again.

### **Pirate**

After Tectelion's sacrifice, the ice scar would never grow again but would still remain on the Frostwalker's face and body. Pahonja would expand and recruit more players and get wealthy. One morning a merchant would arrive at Pahonjau and after a bit of trading he mentioned of going to Tortuga Isle, the capital of Tortuga, to do some fine trading with the pirates. Alex would ask him for a trip there for some money, and the merchant accepted. The journey took some hours, but the place was astonishing: Alex met there the Pirate Lord Ulifer and started a training to become a pirate, because he was inspired of that sea life. Palajan would arrive later to meet the Pirate Lord and, by listening at the door of the Captain's Brethen Court, he would hear the conversation: she was gonna retire as Captain of Pahonja and giving her seat to Alexander, as thought to be her right successor.

### **The Meeting**

Now as a Captain, he decided to reinovate the town, Tsalja, in the snowy Pahonjau Isle by building a wall, houses and public buildings.

One morning he got woken up by someone knocking at the door. "Who could it be this early?" thought Alex to himself. He opened the door and found in front of him a man (?) which face was covered by a blueish hoodie which made that only the eyes were visible: light blue. The guy seemed to have walked all night to just come to this chilly land. "Greetings, who are you traveller?" said Alex, yawning.

"H-Hello, I'm Furkan from... uh, *nowhere*." responded the traveller, almost struggling to say those few words.

"Do you p-perhaps have a place I could s-stay in for the t-time being?"

"I do. Let me grab some fine baked potatoes, ya seem to be really tired".

"Thank y-"

The newcomer couldn't even finish his sentence before passing out. Alex brought him to an empty house that he just built and laid him on the bed. A few hours later Furkan woke up...

"Thank you for your gifts *uh*... what's your name?

"My name's Alex".

"Thanks Alex, where am I?"

"We are in the Pahonjau Isle, in Tortuga".

"Now I'm even more confused, those names tell me nothing... sadly... at least it isn't as hot as the deserts I've been".

"Hm, ye like the cold?"

"I surely do!"

This was the first time Alex heard someone saying that they liked the cold, other than him. Was he a Frostwalker too?

"I can feel it... your bond with ice is strong... are you a Frostwalker?" asked Alex

"What is that even?" was the reply.

"Hm, which family are you of?" "I never knew my parents... I think it started with Zod- something... that's the only thing I remember from my early age".

"Zodiac?" *This is... impossible* thought Alex...

"H-How do you know my surname?"

"Welcome back, brother"

### **Goodbye, Palajan**

Alex was in his 50s now. A long time had passed since Palajan first found him, a meeting that would change the course of his history. Recently though, she became more obsessed with the Sea, with life and death. His theory of this craziness was because the Tsaljan hole to the Deep Sea had been recently sealed by The Depths and so, although it brought wealth and riches, Palajan couldn't jump to the void and reach the place she was supposed to be in. Watubad was dead and had been like this since they first met but somehow she didn't reach the Sea below, home of the dead ones.

He met her on the main road, while she was walking. "It is time" she said. Then, proceeded to give him a Red Wine bottle (What?) and a pebble with on it written "Tsaljan Deed Stone". "Why is it a ROCK?" asked Alex. "The most still of all things" she answered. A simple word, the last of her, was said:

*"Goodbye"*

Then, she went to the sealed hole's room and disappeared from Alex' sight. He entered it. She was nowhere to be found. Runes appeared on the wall. Letters became a sentence, sentences became a poem:

*A man, a woman, or a creature once stood at this place.*

*They were a planter, though their groves are now long gone.*

*They were a builder, though the grey walls now stand.*

*They were a shipwright, though the felling of trees now distaste them.*

*They were of the sea, though the sea now sank deeper beyond their grasps.*

*They were a person, and in the end, they are a hypocrite.*

*An oath they swore by their surname, broken.*

*Now and ever, the sea calls, and he answers.*

A silent death. A death nobody would know of. Except Alex, which now cried bitter tears.