Aubin

**Aubin** is an arctic gryphon. He was king of Thelaji, the partner of Kaithe, and the father of Nix. He and Kaithe led the Thelaji Conquest, expanding the kingdom immensely. They were both killed by Ignis while trying to take over Lyndoreth.

## Appearance

Aubin has broad shoulders and a thick neck. His fur is snowy white, with darker gray speckle markings on his wings, underbelly, and hind legs. His talons and beak are gray-gold. The tip of his tail is light gray, as are the ring markings around his eyes, which are gold.

## Personality

Aubin is stoic and silent. He takes his role as leader seriously. His goal in life is to make Thelaji as powerful as it can be, and he does not care how many lives need to be lost in order for him to achieve that.

## History

Aubin hatched from his egg on Summer 16, y847, in the palace of Thelaji, along with four siblings. When he was two seasons old, Thelaji was invaded by Liwon, the kingdom on the eastern border. A group of the attacking creatures broke into the palace and slaughtered the royal offspring in an attempt to cripple Thelaji's leadership. Aubin was able to get away, but all four siblings were killed, leaving him the sole heir to the throne. His father was also killed, making Aubin's mother the new queen of Thelaji. She appointed Skania, one of the palace servants, to be his guardian and keep him safe.

In y893, his mother passed away due to old age, and Aubin became king. As part of his new role, he was given the Frost Jewel, a Crystal that had been in the Thelaji royal family for generations. When worn close to the heart, it granted its user the ability to control ice and frost. It had mostly been used to maintain the cold climate and create intricate ice sculptures, but Aubin was not interested in either of those things. He used the Frost Jewel as a weapon. His first action as king was to launch an attack on Liwon, in revenge for their attack decades earlier.

On Autumn 5, the army of Thelaji marched into Liwon, overwhelming their defenses and killing dozens of creatures that tried to fight back. The kingdom fell quickly. Aubin killed the rival king, and the rest of the kingdom surrendered to avoid any further loss. The land that belonged to Liwon became part of Thelaji's territory.

This bold action did not go unnoticed by the other nearby kingdoms. Several leaders from neighboring kingdoms got together

[escalation, beginning of real conquest, meets kaithe]

On a winter's day in y903, Kaithe laid three eggs. Two failed to hatch, but the third became their daughter Nix. Aubin swore to protect her, believing that the continuing conquest was the best way to keep her from danger. He appointed Skania, who had taken care of him when he was young, as Nix's caretaker.

[conquest continues......]

In y914, Aubin and Kaithe met with the leader of Lyndoreth in one last attempt to take control of the kingdom without a battle. When the leaders of the three Lyndoreth tribes refused to surrender, Aubin called down the Thelaji army to conquer Lyndoreth and its neighbors forcefully. However, Lyndoreth had an unexpected defender, the fire dragon Ignis. The ensuing battle lasted the better part of a week, with Ignis taking down the attacking army as fast as Aubin could send them. Eventually, Aubin and Kaithe attacked Ignis directly, over the skies of the neighboring Leye.

Aubin believed that the Frost Jewel would be enough to take down Ignis, as well as protect him from the dragon's flames. However, somewhere along the way, he miscalculated – or perhaps Ignis just got lucky. An errant blast of flames scorched Aubin's face and took out the feathers on one of his wings, sending him into a downward spiral. Kaithe dove after him as if to rescue him, but instead she just grabbed the Frost Jewel from around his neck and circled back to continue fighting Ignis.

## Relationships

### Nix

Aubin cares for his daughter, but in a gruff and distant way. He is not one for sappy words and soft-heartedness. He made sure she was safe at all times, and he taught her about the Frost Jewel's powers.