Aelric Shainwiere

## Appearances

The Shadow of What Was Lost
An Echo of Things to Come
The Light of All That Falls

**Aelric Shainwiere** is a minor noble of Andarra and a highly talented swordsman. He is the brother of Dezia Shainwiere and a close friend and retainer of Princess Karaliene Andras. He was chosen to represent Andarra at the Song of Swords in Thrindar.

## Description

### Appearance

Aelric is slim, with an athletic frame. His dark hair runs long, though he usually wears it bound when on duty. He is slightly older than his sister, making him about 17.

He loses his arm destroying one of the columns that Desriel is using on behalf of the Venerate to ruin the cyrarium which powers the Boundary (the ilshara). He manages to do this by wearing a red suit of telesthaesia and punching the column many times until it finally collapses, too late to save the boundary but soon enough to save many of the people the columns would undoubtedly have killed. As mentioned, he loses his arm in this effort.

### Personality

Aelric's disposition originally comes off as very sour, as he repeatedly insults his travelling companions out of distaste and jealousy. He is rather protective of Karaliene and Dezia, and regards any connections they attempt to make with suspicion. While he is willing to put aside his pride for a greater purpose, his bruised ego often causes more trouble than intended.

As the journey progresses, Aelric's unpleasant demeanour is shown to be a cover for his surprisingly sensitive core. His possessiveness of Karaliene stems from his hurt feelings of unrequited love, and his protectiveness of Dezia is a heavy-handed way for him to prevent her from being hurt as well. The traumatic experience he endured in his youth makes him sympathetic to the guilt and burden of others, and he proves himself to be a genuinely reliable friend and confidant.

## History

### Early Life

Aleric and his sister were born as the last heirs to the once-prominent House of Shainwiere. Their mother is not mentioned, though it is implied she died at some point in their youth. The pair were raised by their father, who was a vassal to Gerren Tel'An, a noble from a Major house.

At some point in his youth, Aelric took a serious interest in swordsmanship. When he was 14, he attempted to use real swords in a sparring session with Gerren's son, Lein. They had both never handled a real blade before, and Aelric accidentally cut off the other boy's right hand. Lein's father was furious, ordering Aelric to be publicly flogged, fully aware that the punishment might kill him. Aelric's father attempted to stop the flogging by drawing a sword, but was killed in the attempt.

Following his father's death, Aelric was spared his punishment, though the guilt of the incident remained with him for long after. King Andras sent for the pair of Shainwieres and adopted them as his wards.

### Life At Court

Despite his summons to court, Aelric remained unappreciative and dour, often shirking his responsibilities as a ward. Only Dezia's thriving friendship with Karaliene saved him from being evicted from the palace. Eventually, swordmaster Unguin sought him out to begin training. He believed that Aelric had innate talent with the sword, and figured that the boy's traumatic history had taught him the need for control and the price of carelessness. Aleric was a dedicated student and learned quickly, rising up the ranks to become one of Andarra's best.

While in Ilin Illan, Aelric also came to befriend Princess Karaliene. He joined her royal guard and developed romantic feelings for her, but they went unreciprocated — much to his frustration.

## Activities in *The Licanius Trilogy*

### The Song of Swords

Aelric participated as the Andarran champion in the international Song of Swords competition held at Thrindar, in Desriel. He made it to the finals, but threw the final match with his Desrielite opponent in order to avoid an increase in political tensions between Desriel and Andarra.

He accompanied Princess Karaliene to greet Taeris Sarr's party of Andarran fugitives seeking extraction from Desriel. When the Princess quickly summoned Wirr, one of the travellers, to a private meeting without explanation, he let his jealousy overcome him, and interrupted the pair to see them embracing. He quickly apologized and left, feeling doubly dejected from his loss and this unfortunate sight.

Soon after, he imbibed more than he could handle during a night of drinking and allowed his pride to overcome his better judgement, informing his drinking companions that he had thrown the fight. Word travelled quickly among the spectators, and this news eventually reached his financial backers.

When word reached Karaliene, she found it prudent to send Aelric with Taeris' party — protecting both of them from Desrielite scrutiny. She also asked Dezia to accompany her brother, hoping the young woman could soothe tensions within the party. Aelric sulkily complies, feeling slighted and above the task of protecting the group, and immediately antagonizes the travellers by calling them Bleeders and murderers.

### Journey To Andarra

On the road to Deilannis, Aelric's poor attitude frequently causes tension with Davian, Wirr and Caeden. His sister attempts to socially engage the other travellers, but he often stifles her attempts. Aelric soon figures out Wirr's identity as a relative of Karaliene, but keeps the revelation to himself.

Tensions come to a point when Wirr invites Dezia for a private conversation, much to Aelric's distaste. The vocal conflict between the young men escalates until Aelric challenges the Prince to a duel, which Wirr immediately declines. Caeden, however picks up a blade and challenges the swordsman. Expecting an easy win, Aelric and the spectators are shocked when Caeden trounces him — publicly humbling the surly young noble and causing him to quietly retreat for the evening. As the journey continues, Aelric's attitude slightly lightens, and he no longer prevents Dezia from talking to Wirr.

He is skeptical when Taeris asks him to put on a Shackle, but eventually complies after his sister reprimands him. As the group passes through Deilannis, Aelric observes as Wirr uses Essence to try and protect Dezia, which summons a feral beast that apparently kills his best friend Davian. He survives the ordeal, and observes the immense guilt Wirr displays after the incident.

As Wirr spends the entire following night watching the city for signs of Davian's emergence, Taeris accompanies the Prince on his observational post. Aelric confesses that he knows Wirr's identity, and asks him to gently distance himself from Dezia, fearing that a forbidden romance between the pair would be hurtful to his sister in the long run. He shares the story of accidentally harming Lein, and asks Wirr not to blame himself for the unfortunate consequences of what occurred in Deilannis — promising that the guilt will eventually fade. On better terms with Wirr, the pair speak earnestly until sunrise, and depart the derelict city to rejoin their travelling group.

Aelric witnesses the mass destruction that occurred in Gahille, and quickly subdues Jashel when the young Echo attempts to attack the travelling group. More convinced of the Blind's threat, he and the party rush towards Ilin Illan, where they are ambushed by a sha'teth. Caeden saves them from the creature, earning a begrudging note of respect from Aelric.

### Back in Ilin Illan

Aelric, Dezia and Wirr split off from the others to announce the return of Andarra's sole prince. He and his sister reunite with Karaliene and quickly catch up before returning to their chambers to clean up after their journey.

Aelric later supervises as an unimpressed Karaliene provides cover for Caeden and Taeris, though his suspicions of the fugitive only grow when he sees Caeden holding a friendly private conversation with the Princess the next day. Fearing that Caeden may be using his Gift to manipulate her somehow, he threatens to out the fugitive to the King and Northwarden if he observes any evidence in support of his theory.

As the Blind army nearly arrives, Aelric and his sister join Wirr atop the walls of Ilin Illan in anticipation. There, they reunite with Davian, who survived the ordeal in Deilannis. Davian asks Aelric to share his memories of sword training so the young Augur can play a role in the city's defence. Aelric agrees, on the condition that none of his other memories are affected by the process.

Aelric and his sister provide combat support during the fight, and safely navigate the battlefield during the many retreats and skirmishes. They survive the conflict, due to Caeden's timely appearance with a powerful weapon, and later contribute to the city's reconstruction effort.

**This article re-write is in progress.**