Count Corbett Aleister

Art by Dire

**Count Corbett Aleister** was the last Caretaker of the Curios Keep, appointed by the building itself. After 300 years as the building's steward, he met a group of stranded individuals who were admitted into the Keep and offered them his hospitality.

## Description

### Appearance

The Count is an elderly human of average height and pale skin. He usually wears white makeup across his face, leaving only his black bushy eyebrows untouched. He wears a pair of spectacles on a golden chain and a powered wig. His outfit consist of a fine doublet and hose, colored a dark red with a golden trim.

### Personality

Count Corbett Aleister is a difficult man to read. He presents himself with an cordiality typically of aristocrats, choosing his words carefully and treating his guests with respect. He is welcoming to the latest visitors to the keep, offering them food and lodgings for a long as they wish. He also openly reveals the nature of the keep, understanding that the building wished for them to enter. However, he can be quite evasive, dodging Tontu's inquiries about his village and appearing to keep some of the Curios Keep's secrets to himself for the time being.

Though he remains the keep's loyal caretaker, the count appears to have tired of the role and confessed to Howie that he has lost the spark of curiosity he once possessed when exploring the keep in prior centuries. He claimed to prefer a quiet life, albeit it one in which he is served upon by all manner of creatures. While his interest in the keep has waned, he seems to want to see the outside world of Io once more, asking to join the stranded party on their voyage back to Lundy.

## History

### Background

Not much is known of Corbett Aleister. He appears to be nobility, referring to himself as count, though not stating where he came from originally. Approximately 200 years after the Shattering of Io, the count found the Curios Keep and was admitted into the premises. Once inside, he made himself at home and was appointed caretaker of the keep by the building itself.

For the next 300 years, he would explore and maintain the keep discovering its many doorways to other worlds and planes of existence. At some point, he also admitted Toth to join as his apothecary. He also attempted to use the denizens of a Tanookin village as defenders of the keep, which resulted in the loss of all but one of the racclings.

## Phase 3 Story

### Some Unexpected Guests

One evening, the count's dinner was interrupted by the arrival of a Lagomon and a Tanookin Raccling. Showing almost no surprise, he immediately offered the two to join him at his table, having one of the manor's dretch to serve them. The Lagomon, Remo, happily obliged, though the Tanookin Tontu hesitated. Remo spoke to the count between mouthfuls, explaining they had been stranded when their airship crash-landed and forced to hide in the manor from dangerous flora that came with a red mist. The count explained the creatures should be gone by morning, but if the keep had admitted them, then they were free to stay as long as they wished. His explanation was interrupted by Tontu, who mustered the courage to ask after his fellow villagers. The count went silent for a moment, but eventually admitted to having taken the petrified Tanookin from their home to use as guardians for the keep. He claimed none had survived, something which deeply upset the Raccling.

Not long after, four more people entered the room, requesting aid for one of their comrades who had fallen unconscious in an accident. The count summoned his apothecary Toth, who administered a healing potion to revive the young girl Kyuubi. Dismissing Toth, he invited the rest of the group to sit. The count then introduced himself and explained his role as caretaker of the Curios Keep, a role he had held for 300 years. He reiterated that the keep had given them sanctuary and he would abide by its decision. He also explained, upon his guests' confusion, that the keep was essentially a sentient being that was able to touch different realities and planes of existence. Upon hearing the plight of their crashed airship, the count offered his assistance in its repair, stating replacement parts may be found around the keep. He expressed a desire to join them on their voyage home to see the outside world once more, though he assured them the keep would not suffer its caretaker to travel so far from it for so long.

To demonstrate the veracity of his statements, he took Howie Harwing, the airship's creator, to a room in the east wing, which opened into a seafloor littered with salvage to be repurposed for the airship. The fascinated Howie remarked that the count was surely curious about what mysteries the keep still held, to which the count stated that he had seen enough in his 300 years as its steward. Bringing Howie back to the manor halls, he warned Howie that while they could explore freely, the keep was not without its dangers. He also told Howie not to enter his observatory to the north under any circumstances, lest he be swept away into the infinite expanse of the Astral. With that, he bid his new guests good night and retired himself until morning.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Damage Resistances:** Because of his undead husk, he has resistances to Necrotic damage and non-magical weapons.
* **Hellfire:** He can fire 3 balls of hellfire up to 60ft line, dealing Fire and Necrotic damage.
* **Multiattack:** He follows up an unarmed strike with a bite attack.
* **Natural Healing:** He has an innate regeneration to recover his wounds.

## Etymology

A "count" is a historic noble title often given to a man who rules over a county on behalf of his liege lord. The title could also be given on an honorific basis to those who performed special service to their monarch without being granted any official feudal estate, rendering it a courtesy title.

"Corbett" is usually an English surname, derived from the Anglo-Norman and Old French word "corbet", a diminutive of "corb" which means "raven".

"Aleister" is a variation of the given name "Alistair", the Anglicized version of the Scottish Gaelic name "Alasdair". The original Scottish Gaelic name is a possible corruption of the Latin name "Alexander", which means "defender of man" in its original Greek form "Alexandros". A prominent bearer of this name is Aleister Crowley, a British occultist and author and founder of the religion of Thelema, through which he claimed himself to be a prophet.

## Images

### Official art

Count Corbett after being permanently scarred by Tontu's Smite.