Achaeus Corinthus

> ***"Every soldier here knows their fate. What matters now is how we choose to face it. We will not go quietly into the Void."*** - Corinthus' speech to his troops before the Final Push on Taetrus
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*Legatus* Achaeus Corinthus Theodosinus was one of the Aurelian Empire's most decorated military commanders. A veteran of the Reaper War and longstanding general of the *Dromaeo-Cataphrax* Regiment, he served his people in the role of *Duarch Exerciti* of Palaven, advising the *Primarch* of Palaven on terrestrial military matters. After his death, he was enshrined in the empire's collective faith as a Living Spirit, to be held up as an exemplar for his people to aspire to.

He was most famous for rallying the Menae garrison with his battlefield proclamation of Adrien Victus as the next *Primarch* of Palaven, in the chaotic aftermath of *Primarch* Regnaltus Fedorian I's death. It is widely accepted by turian military scholars that, had Achaeus refused to stand and fight as he did, Menae would have fallen to invading Reaper forces, and thus the Miracle of Palaven would never have come to pass.

Achaeus was married to Melaira Mehrkuri, the widow of the late *Primarch* Regnaltus Fedorian I. The couple had two children - a son named Tarquin, and a daughter named Menaia. Achaeus was also the step-father to Regnaltus Fedorian II, Melaira's son from her previous marriage. Upon marrying Melaira, Achaeus chose to legally adopt the boy as his son.

While he was alive and a political prisoner of Antraxes Mehrkuri, Achaeus was often referred to as *"Primarch in exspectans"* ("The *Primarch* in waiting"), as it was believed by many that he was the rightful heir to the Aurelian Throne following the illegal deposition and exile of the former *primarch*, Desolas Arterius II, who by then was presumed dead. However, after his shocking forfeiture of the Aurelian Throne in favour of Fidellion Victus, Achaeus instead became known as *"Primarch quis nunquam fuit";* the "*Primarch* who never was". Achaeus is believed to be the only *duarch* in turian history to have ever refused anointment as *primarch*, earning him the reputation of a moral, virtuous man, who put the needs of his empire above his own personal gains.

## Biography

### Duarchship

Achaeus is the longest-serving *duarch* in the history of the Aurelian Empire, having served as a *duarch* for 68 years of his life. Throughout his duarchship, he has served four separate rulers of Palaven - *Primarchs* Adrien Victus, Desolas Arterius II, Antraxes Mehrkuri, and Fidellion Victus. He narrowly missed out on serving five; Regnaltus Fedorian I had intended to make his old friend a *duarch*, to replace that late Valerio Partinax, but died before he could promote him. Recognising Achaeus' keen strategic mind and dogged leadership capability, Adrien Victus fulfilled Regnaltus' promise and promoted Achaeus to the rank of *duarch* during the Reaper War, tasking him with holding Menae for as long as possible. Achaeus succeeded in his mission, managing to hold onto Menae in a bloody ground war against reaper forces. In recognition of his valour in the face of overwhelming odds, Adrien awarded Achaeus the *Stella Aurelii* ("Aurelian Star") - the highest and most prestigious military award of the empire's honours system.

#### Adrien Victus

After the Reaper War, Achaeus began coordinating the turian relief efforts. In his capacity as the *Duarch Exerciti* of Palaven, he deployed both the Imperial Legions and Auxiliary Legions across Palaven's surface, placing them under the command of the Engineering Corps, to rescue survivors, clear debris and begin the reconstruction of the homeworld. Cipritine was largely in ruins and required extensive reconstruction. Rather than staying behind a desk, Achaeus joined his men and coordinated the operation from the field, just as he had done on Menae during the war. It was Achaeus who first began to notice when his troops began succumbing to a mystery illness. Working with the Medical Corps, they soon discovered that the soldiers were being poisoned by eezo. Existing in a dust form, the eezo particles that were making his troops ill originated from pulverised buildings and crashed starships littering the planet. Fearing for his troops health, Achaeus ordered that every active duty soldier and any non-combatants that they rescued be fitted with a respirator to keep the toxic dust out of their lungs. With Adrien's assent, Achaeus also ordered the Engineering Corps to mass produce handheld respirators, jury-rigged from whatever technology they could salvage. It is believed that this order saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives.

After the reconstruction of Palaven was completed, Achaeus married Melaira Mehrkuri, the widow of the late *Primarch* Fedorian. Over the years they slowly fell in love with one another and, after the birth of their son, they chose to cement their bond by mating for life. Achaeus named their son Tarquin, in memory of Adrien's late son, Tarquin Victus, who sacrificed himself to ensure a Turian-Krogan alliance during the war. They would later have a daughter, whom Achaeus named Menaia, merging the names of his wife and the site of his greatest military victory - Menae. During this time, Achaeus also begin to reform the structure of the Palavenian legions and repopulate their ranks with new blood. These reforms would later be known as the Achaean Reforms and were instrumental in returning the turian legions to their previous strength.

Achaeus continued to serve Adrien faithfully throughout his reign, until he passed away. Adrien was then succeeded by Desolas Arterius II, who outranked Achaeus by virtue of being the Saviour of the Galaxy and the most decorated turian in the empire's history for his actions against the reapers. Achaeus swore the Oath of Fealty to Desolas upon his ascension to the Aurelian Throne, swearing to lead his terrestrial forces and serve him until death claimed either one of them.

#### Desolas Arterius II

Achaeus retained his position of *Duarch Exerciti* of Palaven under Desolas' rule. At this point, he was second in line to the Aurelian Throne, after his superior and fellow *duarch*, Irix Coronati, the *Duarch Classis* of Palaven.

#### Antraxes Mehrkuri

Achaeus was vehemently opposed to Antraxes' reign, recognising no *primarch* but the illegally exiled Desolas. As a devout Aurelian, he could not accept a man who had defied Aurelion's sacred laws so callously by usurping the Aurelian Throne. However, to ensure the continued safety of his wife and children, he chose to swear the oath of fealty and remain a *duarch*, despite his personal feelings. Via his marriage to Melaira, Achaeus was automatically considered to be a member of the Imperial Family as Antraxes' nephew-in-law. Both men naturally disliked each other and their working relationship was strained to breaking point from the off, with Achaeus defiantly questioning every order Antraxes issued to him.

When Fidellion informed Achaeus of Desolas' withdrawal from the Milky Way, Achaeus took it upon himself to incite rebellion against Antraxes to atone for what he believed to be the failure of his lost *primarch*. Using his position of *Duarch Exerciti*, he covertly leaked sensitive military intelligence to the fledgeling Bostran Resistance, giving them the ammunition they needed to evolve into a powerful paramilitary force. With Bostra in open rebellion, the Cyrenaica System was effectively cut off from imperial rule. The leaders of the resistance, namely the Bostran branch of House Victus, demanded that Antraxes vacate the Aurelian Throne immediately and submit to justice for breaking Aurelion's saved laws. War was inevitable.

Achaeus continued to arm the resistance with intelligence throughout the war, which included information regarding enemy numbers, fleet movements and supply line vulnerabilities. His support was invaluable to the Bostran rebels, who managed to successfully push Antraxes' Imperial Armed Forces off of their homeworld and out of the Cyrenaica System using Achaeus' intelligence. Their victory would be short-lived, however. Antraxes immediately ordered the Imperial Navy to return to Bostra with a much larger fleet and begin an orbital blitzkrieg, effectively bombarding the wayward colony into submission. The assault lasted several days and saw the destruction of rebel command centres and strategic military targets. When the resistance refused to surrender, Antraxes ordered his ships to begin targeting major settlements, including the capital city of Petraea.

Knowing defeat was inevitable, Fidellion contacted the leaders of the resistance - his Bostran cousins - and pleaded with them to surrender. His cousins called him a blood traitor and refused to submit to the rule of a usurper. Desperate, Fidellion then approached Achaeus and begged him to convince the resistance to surrender. Achaeus initially refused his request but eventually relented after Fidellion informed him of Antraxes' plan to firebomb the Petraean Necropolis. Reluctantly, he stopped transmitting intelligence to the resistance.

#### Fidellion Victus

During his time as Adrien Victus' *duarch*, Achaeus was responsible for much of the training of Adrien's grandson, Fidellion Victus. He became a mentor of sorts to Fidellion, teaching him hand-to-hand combat and instructing him on the Aurelian Strategems. This, in conjunction with the training he received from his grandfather in the art of duelling and the use of firearms, made Fidellion's military education second to none.

### Death

Achaeus died in a riding accident after falling from his mount. While he had been wearing all of the correct protective gear, including a helmet, the angle and force of his fall were such that his neck was broken on impact, killing him near instantaneously.

### Canonisation

Following Achaeus' funeral and the customary two-month period of mourning that followed, Fidellion approached his family to discuss his potential canonisation as a Living Spirit. While his children, Tarquin and Menaia, and his step-son, Reggi, greatly approved of the idea, his widow, Melaira, was unsure. On the one hand, she wanted Achaeus' achievements and sacrifices to be formally recognised but on the other, she knew her husband would have felt completely undeserving of the honour. Fidellion spoke with her privately, stating that Achaeus was deserving of the empire's highest honour and that, in light of Achaeus previously rejecting the role of *Primarch* of Palaven after Antraxes' death, he felt it was necessary to restore the natural hierarchical balance. Swayed by his conviction and belief in her late husband, Melaira agreed and gave consent for his canonisation.

The Council of Hierarchs convened to discuss the matter of his life of service to the empire. As *Primarch* of Palaven, Fidellion lead the talks, presenting the motion to have Achaeus canonised as a Living Spirit. Their collective decision was unanimously in favour of the motion. Fidellion then personally carried the signed and sealed petition to the seat of the High Priest of Palaven at Temple Palaven. High Priest Metellus accepted the Council of Hierarchs' petition and withdrew to discuss it with the rest of the Council of Clerics.

Metellus and the rest of the Council of Clerics remerged from Temple Palaven approximately three hours later. From the steps of the temple, Metellus read aloud from the newly written clerical bull that the council had decided to canonise Achaeus, in light of his exemplary military service and lifelong dedication to the founding Aurelian doctrines of the empire. The decision was largely influenced by Achaeus' critical leadership decisions during the Reaper and Leviathan Wars that were proven to save millions of lives, his resistance to the illegal regime of Antraxes Mehrkuri while under house arrest and facing the threat of execution, and being the longest-serving *duarch* in turian history, having served three separate *Primarchs* (four, if one counts Antraxes' illegal reign).

## Family

### **House Corinthus**

Achaeus is the Parriarch of House Corinthus, having inherited the position from his great-uncle at the age of 42. He is a lineal descendant of Dorus Corinthus, the famed Bostran warlord who conquered Epyrus at the height of the Unification War, only to surrender the colony to Aurelion's besieging forces just four years later.

### **Melaira Mehrkuri**

Achaeus' wife, Melaira Mehrkuri, had previously been the wife of his close friend Regnaltus Fedorian I. Wanting to do right by his old friend, Achaeus entered into a political marriage with Regnaltus' widow, vowing to care for her and her children. While neither of them possessed any sort of romantic feelings for the other, they had been good friends for many years.

With time, their friendship slowly blossomed into something deeper, culminating in the birth of their son Tarquin. The boy was named in memory of Tarquin Victus, the lost son of Adrien Victus, who gave his life to deliver a Krogan-Turian alliance during the Reaper War. The pair would later go on to have a daughter, whom Achaeus named Menaia.

Despite their history and newfound romance, the couple’s relationship started to become strained during the reign of Desolas Arterius II, thanks to the political machinations of Melaira's aunts, Astraea and Caeistia Mehrkuri. The failed assassination attempt on Achaeus’ life during The Night of Martyrs finally pushed both of them to a breaking point.

Achaeus made his wife an ultimatum: publicly denounce the actions of her family or accept a divorce. While tradition decreed that the child of any dissolved marriage would remain with the parent whose surname they bore, Achaeus made the exception, promising Melaira that she would be free to leave with all her children - including Tarquin and Menaia - should she choose the option of divorce.

Melaira spent three days in contemplation, torn between loyalty to her house and the love she bore for her husband. She concluded that, had she still been married to Regnaltus, she would have welcomed any escape from him. But when it came to Achaeus, she could not bring herself to forsake him, not after all he had done for her. He had proven to her that not all men were abusive monsters. And, for that, she loved him.

Upon returning to Achaeus, Melaira told him that she could not bear the thought of losing him and swore to denounce her aunts the following morning. She also thanked him for being selfless enough to not use her children as an emotional bargaining chip against her.

## Loadout

* **Health:** 825
* **Shields:** 1238 (2338 when Stimulant Pack is active)
* **Primary weapon:** Carbrix (Turian automatic sub-machine gun, Armax Arsenal)
* **Secondary weapon:** Rixor (Turian semi-automatic pistol, Armax Arsenal)
* **Armour:** Praedator Armour (Turian light armour, Armax Arsenal)
* **Omni-tool:** Armax Arsenal's Vulcan model (military grade)
* **Aethon:** Armoured shatha mount outfitted with kinetic barriers and twin anti-vehicular, VI-assisted machine guns.

## Powers

* **Marksman:** Recharge Speed: 4.80 sec // Duration: 10.20 sec // Rate-of-Fire Bonus: +45% // Accuracy Bonus: +60%
* **Defence Matrix:** Recharge Speed: 8 sec // Damage Reduction: -25% // Shields Restored: 100% // Power Recharge Penalty: +30%
* **Tactical Scan:** Recharge Speed: 2.67 sec // Duration: 26 sec // Overall Damage Bonus: +25% // Weapon Damage Bonus: +7.50% // Movement Speed Penalty: -30%
* **Concussive Shot:** Recharge Speed: 6.25 sec // Damage: 340 // Force: 510 N // Radius: 3.50 m
* **Stimulant Packs:** Max Shields: 2000 // Damage Bonus: +45% // Duration: 15 sec
* **Sticky Grenades:** Damage: 2090 // Bonus Damage to Armour: 550 // Radius: 2.60 m
* **Reverse** **Omni-Blades:** Dual back-facing disposable blades, designed to ensure the safety of both the user and their mount during mounted combat.
* **Marksman's Focus:** Grants an escalating damage bonus for every target killed in a short time.
* **Jump-jets:** Onboard propulsion packs which allow short-distance glides to evade incoming attacks. Grant the ability to hover in place for a few seconds.

## Trivia

### Character colour palette

* **Plate colour**: Two toned; Taupe (#483C32) and Grey Suit (#C1BECD)
* **Skin colour**: Black Cat (#413839)
* **Eye colour**: Grass Green (#3F9B0B)
* **Markings colour**: Coral Reef (#C7BCA2) (originally white, faded with age)