Acheron

Eztli and Miron (Childhood Guardians)

Aetheria and Helia (Sisters, NPCs)

Phasis, Augeas, and Tenag (Brothers, NPCs)

## Application Sheet

Acheron was a dark reddish-brown male, with fur of an ashy tint, and blue eyes. He was given to Vektren as payment for a contract, raised by Eztli and Miron, the Necrolytes, in the midst of a war against Aryn. He eventually became a Gamma Viper and served his pack well, until his retirement and departure from the Domain. He was created and RP'd by KelpGull.

## Personality

* ***Intelligent, Empathetic, and Devout.*** The quick mind and affinity for knowledge that characterized Acheron in his youth have only sharpened with age. He is cautiously proud and fervently defensive of this, as his mind is the only effective weapon he has. This is particularly true after his mouth injury and subsequent weight loss, as the decent potential he had for physical power quickly eroded away. As it stands he will do anything he can to avoid a fight, and is particularly good at keeping calm in tense situations. Though as an apprentice he can be caught off guard by unfamiliar situations he learns from them readily, and these become fewer and farther between as he gains experience. Once a cold and distant pup, the kindness shown to him by his peers and mentors throughout his childhood has helped mold him into an empathetic, well-rounded individual. Though he isn't a perfect judge of a wolf's emotional state, he's sensitive to changes in mood and mannerism and isn't afraid to address that change in as subtle or overt a way as he sees fit. He is truly interested in the well-being of his brother and sister Vektreni, and will often go out of his way to comfort others or lessen their burdens, granted that he does not see it as placing him in a position of weakness or subservience to do so. Because of this, he is far more likely to offer help to those of equal or lower rank than to his superiors. Coming of age in the care of the Necrolytes affected him profoundly, and he sees signs of divinity in all aspects of his life. Any spark of intuition or chance movement of the elements that works out in his favor, he sees as a sign of approval from the Gods, and conversely any streak of ill luck is seen as a failure on his part to live up to their expectations. In his mind, they are his Mother and Father without question, and the only beings whose will he would never intentionally spurn. He prays to them routinely at dawn and dusk, though always in private.
* ***Ambitious, Opportunistic, and Flaky.*** While he currently has no aspirations toward leadership or positions of power, as a fresh young initiate he has plenty of romantic ideas about converting unbelievers to the truth of the Shunned Gods and harvesting hearts for the great war. Simply put, his goal is to make the Gods proud and earn their favor as a servant on Mundus, and sometimes the fervent pursuit of this goal can cloud his judgement. He never intends to harm those around him in the process, but his lust for recognition and approval can cause him to overlook possible consequences of his actions. Though eager to be seen as competent and dependable, Acheron will often read too far into a situation, inferring subtle hints and meanings in a conversation that aren't actually there. If he decides based on these inferences that he is being mocked or tested, he may disobey orders or act in a way that is otherwise contrary to what is expected of him. Though he always feels justified in his reasoning, it can appear that he's simply neglecting commitments out of laziness or spite.
* ***Vain, Insecure, and Resentful.*** Appearances are important to him, and he'll often avoid getting dirty if he can help it. He is aware enough of this to keep it from interfering with his duties, but mud and debris clumping in his fur can cause him to become more distracted and irritable than usual. He's also conscious of the weight loss he's suffered due to his injury and does his best to supplement his diet with small things that don't require much tearing or chewing, such as bugs or frogs, but it's never quite enough to allow him to bulk up. Though he cherishes his tooth injury as a gift and pertinent reminder of servitude from the Gods, he does not like to display it blatantly, and will often favor the uninjured side of his face while speaking or showing his teeth. Though he gained a lot of confidence after his successful initiation, he's still susceptible to feelings of jealousy and inadequacy when faced with those who have a more successful or established role in the cult than he does. The situation of his upbringing has also left him with abandonment issues, and much of his self-esteem is wrapped up in the way he is viewed by his fellow Vektreni, particularly those he trusts or has affection for. He will often overcompensate for this by putting on an air of preening detachment and self-praise. Acheron's the kind of wolf who never lets things go. Every insult, every slight, every perceived attack gets carefully preserved in his memory and built up into repressed resentment. He isn't the kind of wolf to express this as direct hostility, and will sometimes even go out of his way to keep up a front of amicability. If the offender ever finds themself in a vulnerable position though, in which a word or action from Acheron could make or break them, he will seize the opportunity with a relish and call it justice served.

## Pre-Group History

Acheron was born to a small, nameless pack that wanders the southern wilds. Constant territory disputes and few able-bodied hunters always kept the pack lean and kept pup survival rates low, and so the alpha pair, Helios and Demia, were the only pair permitted to bear pups. Born in the late fall, Acheron was the second youngest of an unusually large litter of seven. His younger brother failed to thrive and died, nameless, soon after birth. The other six, much to the pack's chagrin, were hale and hearty creatures. They were weaned as soon as possible to allow their mother to fully return to her hunting duties and given scant attention after that, save for a salty old creature guarding the den to ensure that they did not run off or get eaten. Food was often in short supply, and Acheron had to use cunning to steal every scrap he could from his larger siblings.

Though things were lean, the pack managed to keep all of the pups alive into the winter. Unfortunately, a large male loner soon began poaching on their territory, spurning all warnings given to him. Unwilling to risk any of their precious few wolves in scrapping with the intruder, and unable to sustain any drain on their meager food supply, they turned to Vektren, known by the alpha from previous dealings. An agreement was made, and their problem disappeared. Soon after, however, a Vektreni - Solitaire - came to exact their payment. The pack was thrilled to know that the asking price was something they were rich in: a single pup, and one fewer mouth to feed. They surrendered Acheron, and he left with the stranger to begin his new life in Vektren.

## Group History

Thanks to Solitaire completing her contract, Acheron was officially a Vektreni pup. He was entrusted to the care of Necrolytes Eztli and Miron.

He grew up surrounded by other pups - Mistress Hekate's second litter of Phaeton, Helh, Hestia, and Orpheus; Solitaire's pups raised by Hellion, Demogorgon and Damon; and adoptive pups Morrigan and Ghislaine. Thus, he wasn't the *only* pup without birth parents - only Hekate's brood had their real parents. But he always felt a bit out of place, and stung by the fact that his parents sold him. It didn't help that Phaeton asked him a bunch of questions about *why*. Fortunately, the pair would get along a bit better with this initial discussion behind them - hunting bugs in the swamp.

Miron and Eztli were interesting 'parents' - or, Guardians, as Acheron insisted on calling them. As Necrolytes, they were very close to the gods, and so instructed Acheron on the Vektreni religion quite thoroughly.

Acheron wasn't sure what he wanted to take as his task, and he asked several wolves, including his Guardians, and Vieste, what path he should take. Eventually, Eztli decided to take him to the Sepulcher to seek the aid of the spirits. Ultimately, the spirits were silent.

However, his discussion with Vieste allowed him to reach a decision. Yes - he would become a Viper. But first, he needed to undertake the ceremonies associated with it. The Trial of Shadows was first, and poor Acheron was caught once by the Scythes. He only had two chances left, and was terrified as he huddled in the water, beneath the shell of a fallen tree. Fortunately, this endeavor was successful, though he broke a tooth, and he passed this trial and the next, to become a full-fledged member of Vektren.

Just in time, too. The war with Aryn demanded the strongest efforts from Vektren's wolves, and Acheron needed training-up, fast. He set to work.

While on duty, Acheron met a loner at the edge of the swamp - Fornax. He told Fornax to wait where he found him, and hurried off to get someone else - there were protocols to be followed, after all.

He was also one of the first wolves to greet Makenna, though it was only after she had already been brought in by Phaeton. He spoke to her about the war with Aryn, and a little about his task, but she seemed to think herself more cut out to be a Shade.

When Vektren took Raghaalr, Nero, and Tzuriel into the Pits, Acheron approached Nero and the pair had a discussion about theology. Nero didn't believe in the gods, and Acheron *did* believe in the gods - Vektren's gods, at least - and they discussed what it was they fought *for,* if not the gods.

Then, the three plagues struck at the heart of the pack.

Acheron, fortunately, was spared from the first plague. He was pained to see the sick suffering, and decided that, even if the gods had seen fit to spare him, he could not continue living if they all died. He fought hard to make sure his packmates recovered. Determined to do his best to help his packmates, he set about using his weaker skills of hunting, to get clean meat for Vektren - even if that meant crossing over the borders.

The hunting trip did not go well, to say the least. When he returned, bloodied and battered, Acheron fell subject to the water hemlock poisoning of the plagues. He was stricken with delirium and fever-dreams, and the first day of his sickness was spent in a barely-lucid haze of debilitating sickness. He was *terribly* afflicted by the skin sores and loss of fur that came with he disease, unable to recognize his own reflection.

When the final plague struck, the sun going out for three days, Acheron kept level-headed for the sake of his younger packmates. Unfortunately, it would fundamentally alter his relationship with the gods - though he would never say so openly.

Still, just because his relationship with the gods was altered, didn't mean that he cared about Miron and Eztli any less. Though Eztli vanished without a trace a while ago, Acheron had grown closer to his Guardian Miron.

Acheron was mildly welcoming to Barbosa when she and Orion passed through the area. Barbosa, scouting ahead, had accidentally gotten too close to Vektren lands, and Acheron found her on a misty morning. Fortunately, he wasn't feeling hostile, and Barbosa got away unharmed, and telling him that she was glad to have met him.

Acheron played a key role in the Battle of Muckrun, going head-to-head with Storm, desperate to protect Miron and the hearts they had taken from Alcatraz and Athena. Fortunately, neither was extremely skilled at hand-to-hand combat, and for the most part they barely did damage to one another. Still, Storm kept Acheron from running to Miron's aid as he was viciously attacked by Urs.

The Arynians managed to get Alcatraz's heart back, and Acheron joined Fornax in chasing the retreating party to retrieve it. As they ran, however, they noticed Elias at the border. Elias, standing up on the edge of a crumbling mountainside, looked down at them and uttered a prayer to the One, before sending a cascade of rocks down the mountain towards them. Fornax managed to avoid injury, but Acheron was hit in the side of the head, ripping wounds in his face and causing him to lose his broken tooth.

He went back to Vektren to recover, and was tended to by the Magisters. Unfortunately, while he was in recovery, his closest friend in the pack, his childhood Guardian, Miron...vanished.

He was believed to have joined the gods in the beyond - but Acheron grieved deeply. Makenna offered him some reassurance, coming upon him at Stallion's Gateway. Of *course* Miron would be at the right hand of the gods - if anyone deserved it, it was he, the steady reminder of faith of provider of guidance. This made Acheron feel a little better, though it took quite awhile to feel...*normal* again.

Ultimately, Acheron could not stay in Vektren. Even when his body recovered, his mind and soul would not. Devastated by the loss of Miron, the trials of the war, and uncertainty over who he *himself* was, aside from a servant to the gods, Acheron decided to leave the Domain, to make an identity for himself, and get a fresh start.

## Trivia

* Acheron is missing his upper right canine tooth, and has massive scarring on the right side of his face, from when Elias caused an avalanche and sent rocks tumbling into him.
* Miron genuinely cared about his young charge, and even after Acheron grew up, the Divine kept Acheron's small, empty nest next to his in the Reliquary undisturbed. To quote TheCatsPupil in their MSE *Miron's Reliquary*: "Miron couldn't stand to remove it from the cave. After all, there was plenty of room, and if Acheron ever needed to return to the Reliquary to seek out Miron or Eztli, there would be a bed waiting for him." How sweet is that?

## Quotes

* “But the Gods demand strong offerings, and we have a contract to fulfill. The Herald sees the best path forward, and we walk it.” (explaining the war with Aryn to Makenna, *The Path Forward*)

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* KelpGull's deviantART Gallery