Aurelion Abrudas

Sigil of Markus Abrudas and Trebia Aurelos, used by Auri until his marriage to Elissa Miras.

### Name

* Aurelion Abrudas Aurelinus (birth name)
* "Auri" by his family and friends (to distinguish him from his grandfather)

### Issue

* Septonian Abrudas
* Trebia Abrudas

### Profession

Primarch of CarthaanFerrum Primus of the Blackwatch (formerly)

### Class

Infiltrator

> ***"Power does not provide protection. It simply paints a target upon you."***
>
>

Aurelion Abrudas Aurelinus, known as "Auri" by his family, was the son and only child of Markus Abrudas and his first wife, Trebia Aurelos. He was named by his father in honour of his maternal grandfather; the fabled Imperator, Aurelion Aurelos. As his mother had died birthing him, Aurelion was raised by his father alone on Carthaan, under the protection of his grandfather. Like his father before him, he would go on to distinguish himself as a Blackwatch agent and eventually rise to the rank of *Ferrum Primus*, serving both his grandfather and his adoptive uncle, Pallix Arterius.

Despite being the theoretical heir to his grandfather's empire by the ancient Right of Blood, Aurelion instead supported his adoptive uncle's claim to the throne by Right of Merit, as was his grandfather's wish. He unwittingly became embroiled in a plot to have Pallix assassinated and replaced with himself, which he thwarted with the aid of his fellow Blackwatch agents, proving both his allegiance to Pallix and his belief in his grandfather's ideological legacy. He is recorded as having said: *"My grandfather's blood does not convey some divine right to rule. We're past all that."*

Despite his lifelong loyalty to the empire, Auri was continually viewed with suspicion by the *Primarchs* of Palaven. His status as the only true-born grandson of Aurelion inadvertently made him a pretender to the Aurelian Throne. After a failed assassination attempt on the life of *Primarch* Pallix Arterius, several revolts were fought in Auri's name with the intent to restore Aurelion's sacred bloodline to the throne. Although he was never involved with any of these movements and denounced every single one of them - even going as far as to risk his life rooting out those who opposed meritocratic sucession - Auri's name would be forever smeared by the actions of these few fanatics. When once it had entitled him to authority and respect, his Aurelian blood soon became a curse and a burden upon his entire family.

Following Pallix's death, Auri's half-uncle, *Primarch* Orian Aurix, stripped him of the title of *Ferrum Primus* and exiled him to Carthaan. After Orian's death, his successor, *Primarch* Traianus Tiervian, chose to uphold Orian's order of exile, citing interests of imperial security. Auri begged him to let him abdicate, so that he and his wife might live a normal life in blessed obscurity, but Traianus refused, telling him: *"I need you where I can see you. Your name is too important for me to permit you to fade into the shadows."* The stress of the situation, coupled with the constant surveillance of their private lives, prematurely drove Elissa to her grave and completed the radicalisation Septonian, who threw his lot in with the same fanatics that had ruined his parents' lives in pursuit of revenge against the *Primarchs*.

Grief-stricken by the loss of his wife and unable to rein in his rebellious son, Auri fell into a deep depression that would consume the twilight years of his life. Much like his father before him, he became a social recluse, choosing to only communicate with his daughter, Trebia, and granddaughter, Aurelia. When he finally died, the empire chose to remember Auri as a man who had sacrificed everything he held dear in the name of preserving his grandfather's peace, holding him up as a martyr for the future generations to come. Traianus himself would commission a statue of Auri in his memory, which still stands today outside of the Imperial Palace, bearing the inscription: *"Peace demands the most heroic of labours and the most difficult of sacrifices."* With his death, the tumultuous age of the *Imperators* of Palaven was finally brought to a close.

## Biography

### Birth and childhood

Auri was born the son of Markus Abrudas, the newly invested Primarch of Carthaan, and Trebia Aurelos, the heiress apparent to the imperial throne. His parents' marriage had been arranged by his maternal grandfather, Aurelion, both out of political necessity and the desire to not have his daughter used as a political pawn by those he could not trust. Through his matrilineal bloodline, Auri was born second-in-line to the imperial throne and thus destined to one day rule over his grandfather's newly reunified empire. As such, he was born with the title of *Heredus* from birth, meaning 'prince'.

Auri was born at his father's private residence, where the family lived during the summer months, just before sunset. His mother had had a relatively normal pregnancy up until the birth. Her labour was unusually long which caused concern amongst her physicians, who did their best to help her. After an entire day of labour, Trebia finally gave birth to her son, who was given a clean bill of health. For the next few weeks, life continued as normal, Trebia and Markus raising their new son together. Aurelion and Septonia travelled to Carthaan to meet their first grandchild, an event which prompted much celebration among the Carthaaneans.

But it was not to last. A couple of weeks after the birth Trebia complained of feeling unwell, feeling as if she had a bad case of avian flu - fever, weakness, chronic fatigue, etc. As it was summer the chances of flu were highly unlikely, and she was admitted to Tyra's hospital for dialogistic tests. The results concluded that Trebia was suffering from an acute infection, most likely linked to her prolonged labour. She was given intravenous antibiotics to try and stabilise her condition but soon rapidly deteriorated. She died a few hours after being admitted to the hospital.

Auri would grow up without a mother, and be raised by his father alone on Carthaan.

### Heir to Aurelion

Following his mother's premature death, Auri was elevated up the line of succession to become his grandfather's heir apparent. He was raised according to his station, receiving an imperial education that would train him for his future role as Imperator. Like his grandfather before him, he was taught military theory, philosophy, religion, critical thinking, and art, in addition to the compulsory core subjects, to help prepare him for his future role as Imperator.

Being raised on Carthaan granted Auri more freedom than he otherwise would have experienced on Palaven, albeit he was still constrained by his father's rank as Primarch and the security risks that came with the job. As he had no siblings of his own, Auri grew up alongside the children of his father's inner circle of government. As he matured into an adolescent, Auri began to crush on one of his childhood friends; Elissa Miras, the daughter of his father's minister for dye, Irisian Miras. When Auri's father noted the growing infatuation, he gently pulled his son aside and explained how it would be unwise to get too attached as it was likely Aurelion intended for Auri to marry a Palavenian girl. Auri was upset but understood that it was his duty to marry someone, not of his choosing.

Not wanting to see his son upset, Markus secretly discussed with Aurelion the possibility of Auri being permitted to marry whomever he desired. Aurelion was sympathetic to his grandson's plight, knowing full well just how painful it was to be unable the marry the one he loved (namely Markus himself), and promised to consider it as an option but could not guarantee it becoming reality. Markus accepted his terms.

By this time, Auri was fifteen years old. As was required of all children of his age group, he was enrolled in military Bootcamp in order to finalise his combat training. A year later, on the day of his sixteenth birthday, he graduated with exemplary scores, scoring highest in long-range weaponry, sabotage and endurance training. Now a man in his own right, Auri travelled to Palaven with his father to pledge loyalty to his grandfather. Aurelion accepted his oath of fealty and in return granted him the right to wear purple, officially recognising him as a member of the Imperial Family.

Auri then returned home to Carthaan and soon began a career in the Carthaanean Colonial Forces, training to become a sniper, like his father once had been. He made a name for himself defending his liberated homeland from would-be slavers and rooting out the last vestiges of the Magisters at the far-flung corners of the world. He continued to love Elissa from afar but never made any attempt to encourage a relationship with her, remaining true to his oath as a Heredus.

### Succession changes

Meanwhile, on Palaven, Aurelion was becoming increasingly worried about the longevity of his dynasty. Knowing the truth about the impending Reaper harvest, he saw it as a divinely mandated duty to prepare his people for the horrors of what was to come in the future. He understood that the only reason he ruled was that he had inherited the throne from his cousin, Glabius, and that Glabius and his predecessors had brought about the near destruction of their family through their avarice, cruelty and debauchery. While he knew himself to have the people's best interests at heart and trusted that Auri was of the same mind, he felt he could not trust future generations of his family to be the type of leaders required to ensure their people's survival. His family had produced him but it had also produced Glabius, and countless others like him, whose immoral behaviour had been enabled by the inborn sense of entitlement that their lineage had given them. And entitlement was not strength.

Instead, Aurelion began to explore other means of succession. He pored over countless historical documents until he came to the account of Impera Imperatrix, who had ruled over the Nialin Empire in Palaven's classical age. Instead of enforcing the rigid caste system via bloodline succession, she had instead introduced the concept of meritocracy into her empire, allowing for social mobility between citizenship tiers based on merit alone. In doing so, she produced an empire where only the strongest and wisest of people could rule, ensuring that future leaders had actually earned the right to lead. Aurelion was convinced. He later wrote up an imperial decree that stated the Right of Blood in terms of succession was hereby superseded by the Right of Merit, in all things. This decision would shape his empire for millennia to come, birthing the modern-day Turian Hierarchy that still exists today. But in doing so, Aurelion had effectively removed Auri and all his other relatives from the line of succession.

Aurelion travelled to Carthaan to discuss his decision with Auri and Markus. Markus was extremely grateful, for he knew that this decision would free his son from the fate of living his life inside of the gilded cage that Aurelion had been forced to exist within. Auri, however, was hurt. Now a man of eighteen, he was confused by his grandfather's decision, believing that he had somehow failed to meet his expectations as his heir. Aurelion stressed that this was not the case, reaffirming his belief in Auri with the words - *"You, my grandson, would have been the noblest of imperatores, emboldened by strength yet tempered by wisdom. It is not you whom I doubt, for you have never given me cause to doubt you. This is not a punishment. It is, in fact, a precaution; a failsafe for future generations. And, for you, it is your freedom, to do as you will in this life. My burden should not be yours to bear."*

To ease the pain, Aurelion then granted Auri permission to marry whomever he chose. He then returned to Palaven, his eyes set on another piece in his cosmic game of chess - his adoptive son, Pallix Arterius.

### Marriage

Now released from his duty, Auri felt aimless. While he appreciated his newfound freedom, he did not know how to be anything other than his grandfather's heir; it was a role he had been specifically bred and trained for. He spent a lot of time talking with his father, scared for the future. When he had been Aurelion's heir he had certainty. Now, everything was overwhelming. Markus told his son to listen to his heart and to live the life he was denied by duty.

Knowing he had nothing else to lose, Auri approached his childhood friend Elissa and confessed his feelings to her. To his surprise, she confessed that she too had feelings for him but had suppressed them out of fear. When Auri asked why she had been so afraid, she replied: *"Of your destiny. You are to be Aurelion Imperator, reborn. How could ever I tell you how I felt when I knew that there is no place for me in your future?"*

Auri then told her about his grandfather's decision to break the line of succession before tentatively asking for her hand: *"I don't know what the future holds anymore. And I won't lie...that lack of certainty terrifies me. Everything I thought I knew is undone. All I know now is that I am free. To be Auri. To make my own fate. And...to be with you, if you would still have me?"*

Elissa, overcome with irrepressible joy, threw her arms around him and kissed him deeply before tearfully agreeing to be his wife. The pair announced their intentions to their fathers later that same day, both of whom happily consented to the union. For Markus, it was enough for him to see his son truly happy. For Irisian, the marriage would not only make his daughter a member of the primatial family but it meant that she would one day produce children of the Aurelian bloodline, bringing great prestige to their family. The following week, Auri, Elissa and their parents travelled to Palaven to ask for Aurelion's blessing, which he readily gave by hosting a family dinner to celebrate the betrothal. Surrounded by his family and his future bride, Auri felt truly happy for the first time in his life, albeit the pain of his mother's absence still lingered in his heart.

He spoke with his father in private about his conflicting feelings, telling him how he felt somewhat guilty for finding happiness while his mother still lay dead. Markus held him close, consoling his only child by sharing his own feelings of grief for Trebia's loss and telling him that his mother would want him to be happy. *"If your mother was still here with us, I know she would be overjoyed for you, Auri. I remember the way she looked at you when you were born, and held you in her arms for the very first time. She was exhausted and very weak; she could barely keep her eyes open. And yet, despite everything she had gone through to bring you into the world, one thing was clear to me, right from the start - that from that moment on, **you** were her world. She would want you to be happy."*

*"I wish she was still here..."*

*"Me too, Auri. Me too..."*

Marcus kissed his son's forehead plate before pulling away and fumbling with his pockets. From one of them, he pulled a small box. Inside it was a sunburst-shaped pendant made from pure gold and encrusted with rare imperial diamonds. *"This was your mother's. It was one of the most precious things she owned, designed by your grandfather and given to her on our wedding day. I know she would have wanted you to have it, for your own wedding."* He carefully hung the pendant around his son's neck, in a way that showed reverence to its former owner. *"Your mother may be gone, Auri, but the best of her lives on in you. Never forget that. She is always with you, in here..."* As he spoke, Markus placed a tender hand over his son's heart to emphasise his point.

*"Father, I... Thank you. This-...this means a lot to me."*

### Regicide Conspiracy

Auri returned with his father, stepmother, wife and two children to Palaven, to witness the anointing of Pallix as the first primarch of Palaven following Aurelion's death. As the grandson of Aurelion, Auri's family were given priority positions during the ceremony, close to the front of the assembled dignitaries. Alongside his fellow Aurelian grandchildren (Elia Arterius, Nereia Arterius, Castian Arterius, Quintus Arterius and Cressida Aurix) Auri was given the honour of being a train bearer for his uncle. As the senior ranking grandchild of Aurelion, Auri was always the closest to his uncle during the proceedings, standing at his right-hand side.

Midway through the feast to celebrate the anointing, Auri noticed an irregularity in the positioning of the praetorian guards, quickly deducing that one was missing from their post. He discretely motioned the head of the praetorian guard over to him and whispered in his ear that something was amiss, suggesting that he should investigate the disappearance of his fellow guardsman. Auri remained at his post, waiting for the man to return when he discovered the truth. When he did return he whispered to Auri that they had found their fellow guardsman dead, his throat slit and body stripped, hidden in an alcove. Tensing up, Auri suggested evacuating Pallix for his safety until the killer could be found, fearing a repeat of the infamous Regicide of Glabius Imperator decades before. But before either of them could spring into action, Auri noticed the green glint of a barrel lens flashing in the candlelight on the balcony overlooking the throne room and heard a male voice triumphantly roaring: *"ALL HAIL AURELION ABRUDAS, TRUE-BORN HEIR OF AURELION IMPERATOR!"* This battle cry was followed by a loud bang as a bullet was fired, sending the assembled guests into a panicked frenzy.

Having seen the lens flare before anyone else, Auri immediately dived towards his uncle and grabbed his arm, pulling him roughly off of the throne and to the floor, just in time for the bullet to lodge itself in the white stone of the throne. He drew his sword, shielding Pallix with his body and shouting to the praetorian guard to protect their primarch. But instead of apprehending the would-be assassin, who was then fleeing the scene, Auri found a number of the guards piling into him, dragging him away from Pallix and immediately disarming him, while the others took Pallix and his wife to safety. Confused, Auri attempted to wrestle himself free, calling to his uncle to intervene, but was pushed to the floor and handcuffed. One guard grabbed him by the fringe and smashed his face into the marble, knocking him out cold.

When Auri awoke he was locked in a cell. There was a deep laceration running across his forehead plate and his head was pounding, making him feel dizzy and nauseous. He flitted in and out of consciousness for a while before being awoken by some of the praetorian guards, who dragged him before his uncle, throwing him down at his feet. Pallix, clearly shaken from his near-death experience, began questioning his nephew, demanding to know who the assassin was and why he would want him dead. Auri explained that he knew nothing about the man and continued to protest his innocence.

*"I don't know who that man was or why he was trying to kill you. I don't know why he was screaming my name. All I can remember is seeing a lens flare, knowing what it was and just...reacting. To protect you, as is my duty. The next thing I know, I'm in a cell after being knocked unconscious. Uncle, please, think about it; if I truly wanted you dead, why would I risk my life by putting myself between you and an assassin's bullet?"*

Pallix pondered his nephew's response for some time. Then his wife, Rea, broke the silence.

*"Pallix, what Auri says is logical. He has been at your side all day; he had multiple opportunities to strike at you, yet did not. I do not think he is the hand behind this."*

*"It could have been a ploy..."* Pallix murmured, paranoid.

*"My father loved Auri, trusted him. He would not have put such faith in a man capable of betraying his own kin."*

*"Rea..."*

*"He is my blood, Pallix. I've known him since he was a chick. It is not in his spirit to betray his family for personal gain. I know in my heart that he is innocent. He is not the perpetrator you seek."*

*"Even if he is not, you heard the assassin - they seek to kill in his name. They called him the true-born heir of Aurelion. That makes him a threat, whether or not he is privy to their cause."*

Rea went quiet, knowing that Pallix was right. Eventually, she said *"If they see you treating him like this, it may only embolden their cause."*

*"What would you have me do, Rea? Let him walk free? What message would that send to those who use violence and death to circumvent the meritocracy?"*

*"Not free, as such. Release Auri into a bond of service, sworn in blood.* *If he is truly innocent, as I suspect,* *he will grateful rise to the challenge of clearing his name by destroying your enemies. And if he is not, then his life will be forfeit and he will die either at your hand or the hand of those he betrayed."*

Pallix, swayed by his wife's plea for Auri's life, grants his mercy. As Rea suggests, he releases Auri into a bond of service, which he demands be sworn in blood to test his nephew's conviction. Auri willingly slices open his palm and signs his name in blood, swearing to hunt down those responsible or die trying. Auri is permitted to say goodbye to his family, whom he embraces tightly. Lastly, he kisses Elissa, promising to return to her once his duty is done.

Auri is paired with a Blackwatch agent named Pheira Taicus, who was a native of Thracia. Having retired from the Blackwatch earlier in life, Auri is not familiar with the newer generation of agents. He tries to get to know Pheira by asking her about her background and training, and the state of the Blackwatch since he left its ranks. Pheira is familiar with Auri by reputation, as he was previously one of their best agents, but gives little away about herself, simply stating that she was born on Thracia and was recommended to become an agent by Teres Kandros, primarch of Thracia. Out of curiosity, Auri looked up her service records, discovering that they were spotless; she had been promoted to the Blackwatch at the age of 26 and served for the past five years, often being sent to Thracia on matters of transnational importance. One fact caught his eye in particular: Pheira was a veteran when it came to dismantling nationalist resistances before they could pose a threat to the empire. He deduced that Pallix had likely asked for her by name, in light of her history of service and their shared Thracian nationality.

### Orian Conspiracy

When Orian came to the Aurelian Throne, imperialist sentiments began to stir once again. Some saw Orian's rise to power as a chance to restore the ancient Right of Blood, which would have returned Aurelion's bloodline to its proper place as the empire's ruling house, as it had been for centuries. Conversely, others saw Orian's reign as hypocritical; while he was a son of Aurelion, which put him above people like Pallix, he was still a bastard and thus his claim was weaker than that of Auri, who had once been his grandfather's heir apparent.

These two camps soon began fighting each other in the shadows, jockeying for the positions of power that would allow them to influence Orian to change Aurelion's Sacred Law. Auri was once again forced to renounce his claim to the Aurelian Throne in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, choosing to remain on Carthaan to distance himself from the people who sought to use him as a figurehead for their treason. Little did he realise that his son, Septonian, was directly involved with the conspirators, who had inflamed his desire to restore Aurelion's legitimate bloodline to the throne so that he might one day be *Imperator*.

Orian crushed the conspirators with absolute prejudice, seeing their attempt to change Aurelion's Sacred Law as sacrilegious. He had the leaders of both camps publicly executed and burned to make a statement to those who would oppose him, reiterating that the right to rule must be earned. He briefly considered having Auri assassinated but his half-sister, Rea, counselled him against such dishonourable action. He instead chose to exile Auri, confining him to Carthaan for the rest of his life. Despite being completely innocent, Auri accepted his half-uncle's terms for the sake of peace. When Auri rose to become *Primarch* of Carthaan, Orian chose to follow imperial protocol and travel to Carthaan to personally invest his half-nephew. The affair was notably cool, the two men choosing to remain overly formal with each other, displaying no observable bond of familial kinship.

Ever suspicious, Orian chose to scrutinise everything that Auri did as *Primarch* of Carthaan, searching for signs of treason or heresy. Despite his vigilance, he never found any evidence that would incriminate Auri, who retained his innocence and continued to publicly denounce any group who sought to place him on the Aurelian Throne. In time, Orian would come to forgive his half-nephew but would never repeal his exile for security reasons. Auri, understanding the situation, accepted this painful reality and the two men grew to have a close working relationship.

When Orian died, Auri was permitted to return to Cipritine for the funeral, on terms he would return to exile immediately afterwards. Auri travelled to Palaven with his family and laid a piece of hand-spun silk, dyed Tyrian purple and embroiled with an Aurelian Sunburst, on his uncle's bier before he was interred, signifying his respect for him as both his uncle and his legitimate ruler. As agreed, Auri returned to Carthaan after the next day. He would never again return to Palaven.

## Timeline

* **312 BCE**: Auri is born. His mother, Trebia Aurelos, dies giving birth to him, leaving the infant Auri as his grandfather's new heir.
* **294 BCE**: Aurelion changes the empire's succession laws from Blood to Merit; doing so removes Auri from the line of succession. Aged 18.
* **293 BCE**: Auri marries his wife, Elissa Miras. Aged 19.
* **288 BCE**: Auri's son and eldest child, Septonian Abrudas, is born. Aged 24.
* **280 BCE**: Auri's daughter and youngest child, Trebia Abrudas, is born. Aged 32.
* **262 BCE**: Auri retires from frontline services in the Blackwatch. He is promoted to a more senior, administrative role. Aged 50.
* **254 BCE**: Auri's grandfather, Aurelion *Imperator*, dies. Auri's adoptive uncle, Pallix Arterius, becomes the first *Primarch* of Palaven. Aged 58.
* **253 BCE**: Auri hunts down and kills Pallix's would-be assassin, proving both his innocence and his loyalty to the throne. Aged 59.
* **252 BCE**: Auri is promoted to the rank of *Ferrum Primus* of the Blackwatch by Pallix, as a reward for his loyal service. Aged 60.
* **250 BCE**: Auri's father, Markus Aburdas, dies. Auri takes his place as *Primarch* of Carthaan, as his most senior *duarch*. Aged 62.
* **243 BCE**: Pallix dies and is succeeded by Auri's half-uncle, Orian Aurix. Aged 69.
* **241 BCE**: Orian exiles Auri from Palavenian. Auri is stripped of the title *Ferrum Primus* and removed from the Blackwatch. Aged 71.
* **236 BCE**: Orian dies and is succeeded by Traianus Tiervian. Traianus reluctantly upholds Auri's exile, for fear of groups using his name for insurrection. Aged 76.
* **230 BCE**: Auri's wife, Elissa, dies. Auri is utterly heartbroken and struggles to adapt to life without her. Aged 82.

## Quotes

* *"I never knew my mother. They say she was the most beautiful woman in the world - noble, strong, intelligent; a true hereda... I would've liked to have met her."*