Aldous Stirling

Aldous Stirling, the son of Tristan and Deirdre Stirling, brother of Helen and Claudius, reigned as king of Apicarta for twenty five years. By his wife Laura, he fathered Vormundus and Richard Stirling.

Not nearly as effective a politician as he was a warrior, his early reign was plagued by two attempts to usurp the throne in the War of Succession, which he crushed after nearly five years of squabbling. His main goal as king was to expand the Apicartan borders and to reduce the Exekians to the point where they could never rise up against the Apicartans again.

Regarded as a cruel, tactless brute, he was hated by his nobles and feared by his subjects. His savage tactics earned him a reputation as a fearsome juggernaut, although many have claimed his reputation was exaggerated.

Despite being considered well-educated and intelligent, Aldous was also deeply superstitious. He believed twins were cursed, and that the Exekians possessed magical powers.

## Biography

### Childhood

Aldous was the first child of Prince Tristan Stirling and his wife, the Dardani princess Deirdre Devorak. According to legend he had a twin brother, who was promptly killed by his mother. Deidre was a Dardani, and therefore believed twins are cursed. Most scholars agree that this story was likely fabricated, and that if there was a twin, they died of natural causes shortly after their birth.

As a child, Aldous was a troublemaker. Despite his parents' attempts to rein him in, he would steal from others and get into fights. He was very active, fond of sports, martial arts, fencing, horseback riding, and hunting. As a member of the royal family, he received the best education money could buy, and while he was considered intelligent and well-read, he mocked those who spent their time studying rather than more physical activities, scorning their "apathetic" and "slothful" ways. He fathered the first of many illegitimate children when he was just fifteen years old after a tryst with a scullery maid, earning him a reputation as a womanizing rake. Duke Thomas Renard, a close friend of Aldous, praised his vitality, virility, and enthusiastic, voracious approach to life.

Despite the antagonism that would develop between them in later years, Aldous and his brother Claudius were close as youngsters, and would often go hunting together. His relationship with his sister Helen, however, was strained from the start. He considered her a nosy moral busybody who inserted herself in the affairs and lives of others, which she had no business being involved in.

### Crowning and War of Succession

By the time Aldous entered his early twenties, he had not yet outgrown his "wild child" phase. He was tempered by the more gentle Claudius and the clever Thomas, but still caused his parents a great deal of grief. His father, the aging king, feared that Aldous wouldn't be fit for the throne. Aldous argued that he was more than fit, and promised to bring Apicarta into a new golden age.

His chance at fulfilling this vow would come sooner than he thought. In 178, the summer of his twentieth year, Tristan gathered his wife and children together and set out for Isidore, the residence of Lord Gavin Zosimus, then the richest man in the kingdom. The premise of the visit was to allow the two princes to meet Gavin's daughter, Laura, whom their parents hoped to marry to one son or the other. During dinner, Tristan was fatally shot. The assassin was a Vormundist extremist whom Gavin had been housing and caring for.

Aldous was crowned king shortly after. The family didn't have a chance to grieve before political plots, hatched during Tristan's reign, were set in motion by his sudden and violent death. Members of the growing religious movement known as Vormundism had been persecuted at length by the Temple and secular local governments alike for over a decade, and now they hoped to gain political power and end the oppression once and for all. Backed by the Vormundists who hoped to make him their king, Claudius disputed Aldous' right to the throne, beginning the War of Succession. Because he was fighting on the defensive, Aldous already had an advantage over his brother. He also had more followers, and was gaining a fearsome reputation due to his treatment of his enemies' families.

   Among Claudius' supporters was Lord Gavin Zosimus, who had lived as a secret Vormundist for years unbeknownst to anyone outside of his family. This treachery fueled Aldous' resentment and distrust toward the Vormundists, whom he truly believed were conspiring to take over the country. During the Battle of Kirk's Bluff, Aldous and Claudius met on the battlefield and briefly engaged in single combat. Claudius was far outclassed by Aldous, and victory for the young king seemed secured. But Gavin saw what was happening and flung himself in the way of Aldous' sword, taking the fatal blow meant for Claudius, who managed to escape.

Aldous took his revenge on the Zosimus family, taking them hostage and destroying Isidore, the site of his father's assassination. As the estate was burning, the Zosimus children attempted to flee, but Aldous and his men chased them down. Believing it was bad luck to kill the children of his enemy, he sought to remedy the situation by wedding Zosimus' daughter Laura, just as their parents had hoped for. Laura was separated from her family and taken to Carthmere, where Aldous intended to marry her at the end of the war.

Helen, who had appeared to remain neutral, was later revealed to be a spy for Claudius. Aldous made a deal with her, saying that if she told him where Claudius was, he would let them both live. Helen revealed that Claudius was in hiding under the name "William Harding". Soon after Aldous arrived with his soldiers and captured Claudius.

### The Seven Days' Queen

In Aldous' absence, his scheming uncle Sebastian had declared his daughter Frances queen. Aldous returned to the capital with his brother in chains and found Frances sitting on the throne. His cousin willingly gave up the crown and submitted to imprisonment, but pleaded for her life.

Sebastian, on the other hand, raised an army and launched an attack meant to break Frances and her husband Zachary Guildford out of prison. The attack failed and Sebastian was captured. All three were sentenced to death by Aldous, despite the young ages of Frances and Zachary, who were still teenagers and had merely been pawns of their families.

Then there was the matter of Claudius and Helen. Aldous' supporters all voted to have Claudius tried as a pretender to the crown and executed for treason. With nothing left but enmity between them, Aldous used this as an excuse to be rid of his brother once and for all. Helen became Aldous' prisoner, forbidden to marry or leave Castle Vallon (the fortress where she was held) without an escort for the rest of her life, putting an end to her aspirations of becoming a spy and blackmailer. Aldous was glad to be rid of the last of his enemies and begin fulfilling the promise he had made to his father years ago.

### Marriage to Laura

In 183, having emerged victorious, Aldous married Laura Zosimus. She gave birth to their eldest son, Tristan Stirling II, not long after. With the line of succession secured, Aldous was nonetheless restless and unable to adjust to life at home. He began planning another military campaign, this one an invasion of Exekia with genocidal goals. The true nature of the campaign was kept a secret between him and his military advisors, who suggested he take advantage of the upcoming kluuda which the Exekians would undergo around 186.

To prepare for the invasion, Aldous resurrected the Paladin Order. The first to be trained as the next generation of knights came from among youths who belonged to the families of Aldous' enemies. Becoming a knight was seen as a way of restoring their reputations and potentially even gaining back their lost holdings and wealth.

As the winter of 186 gave way to spring and reports of a particularly turbulent and chaotic kluuda rolled in from Exekia, Aldous took Laura and the three year old Tristan with him as he went to "defend" the southern front from Nechtan and his Clan soldiers, which were allegedly engaging in brutal raids along the border. It quickly became apparent, by the size of the mobilized Apicartan force and the presence of the royal family, that Aldous had greater ambitions than a little war against fringe barbarians. The secret was out; the Fifth Exekian War had begun.

### Fifth Exekian War

While camped out near the fortress of Heliobas, Laura fled the bivouac with Tristan and turned herself over to Kemet, the commander of the fort. As part of a scheme to halt the invasion, she agreed to give up her son in exchange for an Exekian child, whom she named John.

Aldous was furious when she returned and nearly killed John, but stayed his hand upon learning that his life was tied to that of his own son. The war ended not long after. Furious and in grief, Aldous began to hate his wife, seeing her as evil and despicable. Nonetheless, Laura soon became pregnant again.

To the king's relief and delight, Laura gave birth to another healthy son, Richard. With his legacy secured once more, Aldous began spending less time with his wife and more time with his main mistress, Veronica Franco. The deterioration of his relationship with Laura, who no longer even slept in the same wing of the castle as him, would call the paternity of Princess Eleanor, who was born two years later, in question. Richard's paternity was also considered tenuous, although he bore a strong resemblance to Aldous, which helped to put most of these rumors to rest.

### Later Years

After Laura died in 202, Aldous arranged for John to be placed in the fortress of Vallon, the same wintry castle where he had imprisoned Helen. Though he continued to spare John's life for the sake of his firstborn, he was unwilling even to set eyes upon the Exekian. This created a lasting tension between Aldous and his two children, who loved John and saw him as their big brother.

This tension was further exacerbated when Aldous began meddling in the love lives of his children. He forbade Richard from marrying Karen Liu, the love of his life and a commoner, though he relented after Richard was diagnosed with Rheims disease and was presumed to have only a few more years left to live. Eleanor meanwhile was married to Logan Brynner, an Iskirran sorcerer, as part of an alliance pact between the two nations.

While out hunting, Aldous was struck by a stray arrow fired by none other than his old friend Thomas. The wound was minor, but became infected. He fell into a fever and died in his sleep in 208, aged fifty. The crown then passed to Richard.

## Personality

"*There isn't a gaudy courtesan or a cheap harlot in all the kingdom who you haven't laid siege to. As for bastards, we could populate a country town with country girls who have borne you sons.*"
―Laura Stirling on Aldous' philandering.

Aldous was known for being a womanizer, and spent most of his life with at least one mistress at his beck and call. His philandering continued throughout his marriage to Laura, as well as after she died. Laura was well aware of his infidelity and accepted it.

Of the many women with whom he had romantic liaisons, Aldous rarely maintained lasting relationships. There was only one exception: Veronica Franco, whom he claimed was his one true love.

    His relationship with his wife Laura was strained. Aldous only married her for her money and good breeding, and believed he had done her a good thing by making her his queen. He didn't understand her, and believed she was being ungrateful and difficult on purpose. After a time he came to realize that she hated being queen and wanted nothing to do with him. Once had an heir he left her alone and enjoyed the company of his mistresses instead. By the time Laura died, they had become husband and wife in name only.

Despised by his children, he nonetheless exerted his authority over them as their king and father. He controlled Eleanor's suitors and forbade Richard from marrying Karen Liu, ordering him to wait until a politically viable marriage could be arranged. Though he was chaotic in his national rule, he was a firm believer in tradition when it came to family and marriage, and so refused to allow his children to marry anyone he deemed unworthy.

Aldous was a bull in a china shop when it came to politics. His reasoning was that, since he was the king, he made and broke the laws as he saw fit. He played havoc with the Council and crushed those who stood against him. He was also highly aggressive and warlike, believing he was meant for glory in battle. He identified himself as a soldier and preferred action to talk. Scoffing at attempts to maintain peace with the Exekians, whom he viewed as an obstacle to human progress and expansion, he supported their genocide.

In his later years, Aldous continued to fight, albeit more often as a general and strategist behind the scenes than on the battlefield. He remained physically active and was in excellent shape up until his death.

His legacy is that of an awesome and terrifying juggernaut, a force to be reckoned with that no one dared oppose.