Aithos I Galanis

Aithos, also known as the Young Lion or the Young King after his hasty coronation, was the fifth son and heir of Akaran king Nestor Galanis and a noblewoman from Cetus. After his father was killed in battle during the early days of the demonic invasion in 08.18.818AF.

**APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER**

In appearance Aithos was widely known as being exceedingly handsome and visually striking. He was tall, wide of shoulder, barrel chested, and capable of great feats of strength. He had long dirty blond hair that he kept immaculately cleaned and brushed, usually wearing it loose as was the fashion of the nobility. He preferred to remain clean shaven in accordance with the customs of Phrygia. His eyes were a piercing blue-gray and shone brightly with warmth but when angerered he was capable of paralyzing his foes with his furious gaze alone.

During day to day business he dressed modestly, forgoing expensive silk and lace in favor of functional tunics and trousers. His armor however was another matter entirely. He wore custom-made, gilded Phrygian-pattern Androsian plate armor over a suit of master-crafted chainmail. The armor, crafted by the finest **magesmiths** of the Veiled Spire, was able to emit a brilliant golden glow at will and was used to make himself visible to his troops in the chaos of battle and to dazzle his opponents. He was rarely seen without the Galanis ancestral blade, Silver Fang

He was known to be kind to the downtrodden, just in rulership, deliberate in his actions and decisive in decision-making. It was often said that in quiet moments alone he often appeared forlorn, as though he carried some great weight upon his shoulders that he dare not share with others. He was a filial son and shielded his mother from palace intrigue directed at her by the scheming mistresses and queens of his royal father, often coming into conflict with his more ambitious siblings.

**EARLY LIFE**

Aithos was born on 09.01.491AF in a carriage on the road from Cetus to Phrygia. The birth had not been expected so soon and a knight from the Order of the Sable Swords, the king's personal guard, rode off into the night to retrieve a healer. King Nestor is said to have remarked that he had never seen the sky so dark, save for a lone black star shining brightly in the sky. The knight returned with a woman who claimed to be a healer. She assists with the birth which is difficult. Upon seeing the baby the healer is struck by a vision of a golden king who stands alone against a sea of darkness and is drowned. The baby is seized from her hands and the knights see the healer off. King Nestor, a devout man, is unsure of what to make of these signs and portends.

The people of Phrygia revered him as an embodiment of the divine and when he called for his subjects to join him to strike back against the legions of Hell thousands upon thousands willingly flocked to his banner.

Being among the junior members of the royal family for much of his life, Aithos had originally been intended to pursue a career with the Temple of Vari and excelled in his academic studies from a young age. One day as he went to his classes at the cathedral in Phrygia he was approached by a **mad beggar** who claimed to be a seer. The seer told him that if he is to overcome the coming Time of Woe he must learn the sword. If he failed in his duty then all he loved would be washed away in an endless wave of blood and terror. The young prince tore himself free from the cackling madman and hurried away. He tried to forget the old man's words but he dreamt of the world engulfed in terrible flames, of cities falling and people being massacred until at last there was nothing left in the entire world but the whispers of mournful ghosts. It was then that Aithos began secretly studying the swordarts.

He took to his new discipline like a man possessed and enlisted the help of Ser Theo Nightblade, a member of the Sable Sword knightly order and war hero, to tutor him in the ways of combat. He also made use of the extensive palace library, schooling himself in the ways of command and military history.