Aurelion

**Level** | 7, as of the end of the Arcos arc

   Aurelion is a Bard from the far-off kingdom of Arcos, traveling across the Iron Continent to perform and collect stories and songs.

## **History**

Originally from the far-flung kindom of Arcos, he is a well-traveled man, who has made his meandering way across the Iron Continent, performing and collecting stories for his sister.  He was pulled into the story having attracted the ire of Steelport's criminal kingpin, Luxton "Uncle Lucky" Fetch.  Uncle Lucky didn't like the way he was inspiring the citizens of Steelport to resist his criminal regime.  He joined forces with Denavir and Chops in trying to topple his empire.

## **Personality**

A smooth-talking flirt whose only concern is consent, not gender or species, Aurelion is more of a lover than a fighter (just ask Sark), though he does wield a mean garbage bag.  He's a romantic--or a pervert, if you ask Denavir--who enjoys matchmaking and seeing people form happy, loving relationships.  When things get rough, he'll try to lighten the mood with a joke, to... limited success.

Though he claims to be "along for the ride", Aurelion has shown genuine affection for his comrades, and a great deal of compassion for those hurt by Fetch's crimes.  He's especially shown an interest in the Tiefling agent of the Crown, Dastron Lir.  He revealed to his companions that a childhood incident left him with a mild case of claustrophobia and nyctophobia, which made him particularly anxious while they explored the cavern lair of the Trubblins.

## **Family**

Aurelion revealed that, like his companions, he's lost most of his family, but he does have a younger sister back in Arcos.  He's immensely proud of his sister, Hope, and her study of magic, but is coming to realize he may have been setting a bad example for her.  He'd wanted her to have a peaceful, quiet life, but his stories of his life on the road, meant to keep her entertained, seem to have inspired her to want to go on her own adventures, and he worries for her safety.  Most of the money he earns on his travels goes straight to her to help support her and her education, though she frequently send money back when he realizes he hasn't kept enough for himself.

## **Giddyup Fred: It's Never Sunny in Bludwald**

While traveling from Angelica to Galimond, the party was teleported during the night to the kingdom of Bludwald, in the Borix Empire.  There, they were attacked by wolves, and Aurelion made the acquaintance of a Bludwaldan crow, whom he named George.  The party were greeted by a servant of "the Baron" and invited to his castle.  The Baron governed this corner of the kingdom, and proved to be a very flamboyant wizard named Doctor Von Gorgonstein.  Gorgonstein was also the one who teleported the trio to Bludwald, in order to use their blood to help construct a living weapon against the forces of darkness plaguing Bludwald.  After a brief tussle with the Baron and his servants, Igor and Anezka, they agreed to donate their blood.  Though starting as a tentacular creature growing in a murky tank of goo, the weapon in question grew within a week into the form of a powerful, gold-skinned humanoid, bearing traits from all three of the party.

Also during their time in Bludwald, the party foiled the machinations of a family of fiend-worshipping aristocrats who employed zombies to kidnap people off the streets to sacrifice to their god: Galgaroth, demon god of the empty night.  Aurelion played decoy, allowing himself to be drugged--his ring made him immune--and carried off while the others followed.  They battled the fiendish Czernokrevny family and laid them low, though they were only able to carry on because Chops' goddess revived them all after the magical backlash of Galgaroth's death wiped them out.  Not long thereafter, Aurelion stole a diamond in a clumsy heist, in order for Denavir to revive the girl they'd seen the zombies kill.

After all this, The party was teleported back to the Angelica-Galimond border, with George in tow.

## **Once Upon a Time in Galimond**

While investigating the city-state of Galimond, Aurelion, like many of the others, found himself subtly changed by the ambient forces rewriting reality within the city.  He frequently found himself attended to by wild animals, found many people charmed by his sweet nature, even found his coloration changing: his skin turning white as snow, his hair black as night and his lips red as rubies.

Auntie Edith, the swamp witch of Galimond, yanked out one of his nose hairs in order to obtain his tears for a spell, in exchange for making him vomit up the poisoned apple turnover he'd eaten.

When he was pulled into the mirror by Oleandra's power, he had his identity rewritten.  He was a pale and beautiful young man, fleeing through the woods, seeking shelter in a cottage, where he was taken in by the cottage's seven diminutive owners.  Though they made him promise to hide from strangers, he was charmed by the traveling salesman who came to the door, who stuck him with the clasp of a bracelet, which poisoned him.  He was revived by the kiss of the blonde prince who arrived out of nowhere with his little dragonborn companion.

When Oleandra's power was shattered, these changes were undone and his identity returned.

Upon leaving Galimond, the handmaiden-cum-viceregent, on behalf of the repentant and much-weakened Lady LeBlanc, gave him a card, upon which was written a prophecy LeBlanc had had regarding him. It read simply: "**Sing with the Heart**".

## **Giddyup Fred:** **Plane and Simple**

Leaving Galimond, the party traversed the Wild Plains, a region saturated in dangerous chaotic magics and prone to planar storms. They were guided across the Plains by Masato and Spratt. Aurelion, annoyed with his partymates' minor bullying, went against their wishes and hired Spratt, having decided the scruffy young man was trustworthy.

After seeking shelter under a tree, the party opened a box they had found, which proved to contain a trap from one "Hyucko, the Slime Wizard", essentially gluing them together with viscous green slime. A pair of pixies emerged from the tree and asked if they would like to be separated...and scattered them to the fringes borderlands of the planar system. Aurelion and Chops were sent to a place they concluded was the Shadowfell, in a forest of black brambles and briars. Chops found a sword which he felt compelled to pick up, which then tried latch onto him by growing its own thorny vines. As the brambles loomed in close, reaching for them with their thorny branches, Aurelion cast Speak with Plants and learned the plants intended to feed on them. Chops' weapon skill and Aurelion's magic allowed them to fight their way through the thorny forest and return to the Material Plane.

## **Higher Education**

Upon reaching the edge of the Wild Plains, the party was beset by Displacer Beasts. Even with the barbarian guide Spratt's help, it was the intervention of Aurelion's sister Hope, in the form of a tiger, that saved the day. Hope and Father Aristophanes--the priest who took in the pair after the death of their parents--cared for them and led them to a conveyance called a "locomotive". They bid farewell to Spratt and boarded the vessel which quickly bore them to the city of Dionia, home of the Academia Sophia, leading center of magical learning on the Iron Continent. Here, they learned important information on the ancient artifacts, on the mysterious Mr. Grey, and other much needed information. At one point, the skull of necromancer and magical genius, Dr. Reginald Grass, was stolen from the Postmortem Communications Department by a team of drow operatives, who also kidnapped Professor Von Tooms. The party pursued the drow, confronted and captured them, rescuing the Professor. However, the skull was nowhere to be seen, and their further investigation of the matter was halted by the disastrous summoning of a tentacular horror from some Outer Plane by the Thalassic Engineering students. As the beast overtook the Academia's Tower of Thought, it's fish-man minions swarmed the city, attacking the citizens indescriminately, seemingly without purpose. The monster was slain and the party helped the recovery efforts as much as they could. Aurelion spent most of his time trying to make sure his sister, who had been cocooned in tentacles and implanted with some sort of parasite, was okay. They didn't have much time to rest before having to go after the stolen skull of Dr Grass.

## **Giddyup Fred: It's Never Sunny in Bludwald 2: Necrotic Boogaloo**

In pursuit of the stolen skull of Dr Grass, the party stole a locomotive and traveled to the Dragonspine mountains.  Crossing the mountains, they met Emilio and his manservant, Red Bird, who was a scruffy doppleganger for Masato, whom the party hired to guide them across the Wild Plains.  Traveling together, they encountered a Dwarf being attacked by Banshees.  They saved him, and in thanks, invited them to stay the night at his master's Abbey home.  Count Admar greeted them warmly and talked about beauty and art with Aurelion, while the others were uncomfortable and suspicious.  That night, they discovered they had been drugged, though mostly managed to shake off the effects.  Red had been taken, but Aurelion took the unconscious Emilio back to the wagon and put up a protective spell.  Later, the party returned with Red and told him how the beauty-worshipping Selani--the religious sect living in the Abbey--had planned on harvesting Red for parts.  Later, recieving a letter from his sister, Aurelion made the decision to use the two-ended purse to teleport to Arcos to care for her.  There, he not only helped his sister, but worked with the Drow's rehabilitation, and began writing a novel.

## **Other**

Was gifted the Weiss Ring by Emilio Pinweather, granting him resistance to poison-based attacks and immunity to the Poisoned condition.  He also purchased the Deceiver's Wand from Pinweather, giving him access to the Alter Self spell.

He and his sister own a pair of Two-Ended Purses, which allow them to send money and correspondance to each other across great distances.

He has bonded with a crow from the woods of Bludwald, whom he has named George.  Denavir has discovered a thread of magic connecting George and Aurelion.  Auntie Edith, the swamp witch of Galimond, determined that the bond between Aurelion and George was first established by his wearing of the Weiss Ring, as the family was not only known for poisoning each other, but also for forming bonds with animal companions.  The ring was also a factor in his transformation in Galimond.

He has since acquired a Mermaid's Comb, like Lucian's, and was gifted one of five Sending Stones and a magical Kellkirkan bandore--a powerful Bardic instrument which gives him access to the spells Entangle, Faerie Fire, Shilelagh and Speak With Animals--by Denavir.