Aldia As'theri

*"But what do you really know about these knights, these supposed heroes? Let's take Bolgar, for one. A right and proper warrior, only, he developed a habit of hunting mythic beasts. He slew so many that he cleansed the land of them, then amassed an army, so the Church knighted him and made him the mortal sword of Hermod. And they made him King of Ragnarok. Not for virtue, but for might."*

-Aldia As'theri

## History

### Childhood

Aldia was born in Wormwood’s Grave, a town not far from the Kingdom of Ragnarok. Located on the site where the old one Wormwood was imprisoned, the community had a haunted reputation. Aldia’s parents, Vesemard and Tasurne, were soldiers in King Bolgar’s army, and died in battle soon after her was born. He was taken in as a ward of the church, and raised and educated by Father Wortane, the local parish priest. Aldia was a wild child, running free in the streets, stealing, fighting with other children, and playing pranks on the town’s bemused and hapless residents.

### Youth

Seeking to channel Aldia’s youthful energy into productive activity, Father Wortane sent the young boy to the city of Ragnarok, with a letter to the priests there that he be taken as a squire and trained for knighthood. He was trained at arms, and showed great aptitude. A dream was ignited in him there, to become a paladin, one of King Bolgar’s peerless knights, a hunter of demons and defender of the realm. When time came for the recruits to become squires, however, Aldia was rejected. His mentors deemed him too eager for blood, for he enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, and relished in his victories. His dreams of knighthood shattered, he was called to serve his three year term in the regular army. He earned no particular accolades or demerits, with commanders noting only that he was a ruthless and capable soldier who preferred to work alone rather than with his comrades. When he finished his term, he decided to leave Ragnarok and travel the world. He had grown restless, and saw no fulfilling future for himself in the city.

### Adulthood

Aldia joined a caravan heading south to the Final Empire, where he earned a wage protecting merchants and fighting off bandits. Once he had amassed enough money, he struck out with two other rangers from the Final Empire, Gotel and Kinny. The three journeyed to the Empire of Celymnaia to participate in the beast hunts there. Aldia honed his skills, and made acquaintances among the Druids there, learning some of their magic. Eventually, Gotel would be slain, and Kinny would retire and return home, bringing his bounty with him. Aldia, by now a skilled ranger, saw no reason to stop. He did not fear death, and loved the hunt for its own sake. Eventually, however, staying in one place began to grate on him, leading him to return to the Final Empire. It was there, on his first night resting in a tavern, that he heard the story of the Trade Sheriff named As’theri.

### Interlude: As’theri’s Story

In the Final Empire there lived a Trade Sheriff named As’theri, a proud half-elven warrior who wore a suit of gleaming mithral armor and a cloak that made him invisible. He was devoted to the mission of all Trade Sheriffs - to keep the road clear of bandits, beasts, and barbarians, so that travel and trade would go unobstructed. Sometime during his young adulthood, As’theri married a woman named Aria and had a daughter named Or’vesa. He had everything he could want, and yet he was not content. Long-lived like all half-elves, As’theri had spent decades keeping the roads clear, yet he could not keep his people safe. No matter how many monsters and bandits he could kill, more would rise in their place. Eventually, determined to make a lasting impact, As’theri journeyed deep into the forest, where he subdued a werewolf and forced it to impart its disease to him before killing it. Now a lycanthrope, As’theri became more mighty than before, and his people would sing songs of his prowess. It was said that weapons could not harm him, that he could track animals by mere sent, that he could run for days without stopping and tear horses apart with his bare hands. He went on a violent rampage, leaving no stone unturned in his crusade to slaughter everything that might conceivably pose a threat to the local rural communities. Worst were the nights of the full moon, where As’theri would travel far and transform, and cease to tell friend from foe. Eventually, even peaceful folk did not dare go out at night, for fear they might be mistaken and killed by their own Sheriff. A terrified peace settled over every village where As’theri set foot. Though he tried to control his bloodlust at first, As’theri began to prey on innocents, leading to tales of a werewolf. Every full moon, As’theri would boldly proclaim that he would hunt the beast down, only to disappear, transform, and turn on his own people. The inevitable whispers began, and eventually, one evening before the full moon, Astheri’s wife Aria confronted him about what she had heard. As their daughter watched in terrified silence, Astheri transformed into a werewolf and killed his wife, before fleeing the scene. The Final Empire’s noblest Trade Sheriff had begun that which he hunted.

### Adulthood Continued

Having heard the tale of As’theri, Aldia became intrigued, and began hatching plans to hunt the werewolf down. He gathered the necessary supplies, including wolfsbane to guard against lycanthropy, and the silvered weapons necessary to pierce a werewolf’s hide, before setting out into the forest. Grim necessity required Aldia to search on the next full moon, for he did not know what his quarry’s boot tracks looked like. He clashed with As’theri no less then three times, striking out and retreating before the beast’s relentless might. He made sure that his final bout coincided with the arrival of the dawn, slaying the Trade Sheriff in his vulnerable human form. Taking his head, he returned to the nearby town, returning the next day before the dawn. He slipped into As’theri’s house, intending to loot his mithral armor and cloak of elvenkind, but was confronted by his daughter, Or’vesa. She demanded an account of how her father had died, which Aldia recounted truthfully. She wished to know what sort of man had killed As’theri, and why he he thought he deserved her father’s gear. Aldia only replied that he, a hunter of beasts, had found a monster and did his duty in putting it down before it could harm anyone else. Since no one else was going to use the armor or the cloak, who else could claim a right to it? Or’vesa heard echoes of her father’s worldview, and told Aldia he must take up her father’s duty as well as his worldly possessions. Taking As’theri’s badge, she carved the name Aldia into it with a dagger, so that it might read Aldia As’theri. She gave it to him, and though skeptical at first, he came to realize that it might give a purpose to his senseless hunts. He was no knight, but if he could hunt in the name of a people he had to protect, there might be a nobler end to his actions. Taking As’theri’s armor, cloak, uniform, badge, and name, he set out again, ready to resume the hunts that his new namesake had abandoned. Since that day, he has served his community as a Trade Sheriff, albeit an illegitimate one. Few know and fewer care about the circumstances in which he won his title, for most are preoccupied with their own lives. Though he sees himself as a hunter of beasts and not men, Aldia has more frequently had to observe his law enforcement duties as well, responding to the needs of his people rather than to his own whims. He has begun to consider the Final Empire a second home of sorts, and though he finds himself exasperated by its people and by the more mundane aspects of his duty, he would not, for now, be anywhere else.

## Personality

As a young man, Aldia had a strong desire to be viewed as just and right, and did not feel the need to justify himself to others. He believed that through his actions, he would be seen as righteous, and as such, he was judgmental and demanding, expecting deference from commoners and showing ruthlessness to real and perceived enemies. He was dismissive of anyone he saw as too stupid to recognize the value of what he did, and this attitude extended to races he sees as less than human. He did not hold up well to those who questioned him, typically growing defensive and holding on to his version of the truth. He dreamt of knighthood, but knew it was falling out of his reach. He took solace in the story of Bolgar, the King of Ragnarok, who was once a mercenary and a slaver. King Bolgar was made a knight by the church, who saw him as a mighty champion and protector, worthy of their god’s blessing by strength of arms alone. Aldia once thought about the possibility of trying to become King of Ragnarok after Bolgar dies, for if he did, the church would be obligated to knight him as well. He knew that to this end, he would have to become mighty indeed, for the church no longer needed a protector as it did in days past.

The reasons for which Aldia was denied knighthood are three. Firstly, he fights for the sake of itself, rather then for those who cannot defend themselves. Secondly, he does not have courage, possessing instead a amoral fearlessness. Thirdly, he wants knighthood because he believes he deserves it, rather then as an expression of duty.

As he grew older and took on different roles in his life, Aldia began to grow more nuanced in his thinking. Many aspects of his personality - his abrasiveness, vulgar provincialism, misogyny, capacity for violence, and fearless bloodthirst - remain, but often, he is willing to play a caricature of himself to serve particular ends. He has a desire to be respected as leader of men, and enjoys surprising people by revealing flashes of honor, duty, and caution, knowing that he will be taken more seriously when he does. Of late, Aldia has grown fixated on death, thinking more and more often about how he plans to meet his end. He has become resigned to the notion that one day, he will martyr himself, and fights with the recklessness of a man with nothing to lose.

Aldia wields a polearm, an unusual choice for a Ranger, because it was the weapon he carried as a halberdier in Ragnarok. His personal halberd was a relic of the Demon Wars, used at the parish to rouse sleepers. It was given to him by Father Wortane when he left for Celymnaia. He has had precious little knightly training, and neglected the practice of traditional ranger fighting styles such as archery or dual-wielding.

## War of the Philosopher-Kings

In Moor’s Sister, Aldia confronted his great fear of lycanthropy when he helped defeat the werewolves. In doing so, he was able to reaffirm to himself that he was a Sheriff, not a beast. He did not want to become an outlaw and rebel, because that would require him to turn his blade against his fellow man. Fighting beside Nundro Lowtemple reminded him of his soldiering days, and he picked up some fighting knowledge that he would put to use.

Hearing his fate made Aldia realize that he might be a hunter after all. He sent his badge back to Or’vesa for three reasons. She needed proof of his identity, he did not need it on Catan, and it was the first pretension he was willing to shed. The next pretension he had to shed was his dream of ever becoming King of Ragnarok. His conversations with Khamsa had made it clear that his home had moved on, but he had not. The days of rough-and-ready, can-do men were a thing of a barbaric past. His quixotic plan to ally with Philoktia would have been a gross betrayal of his integrity.

Khamsa had to sacrifice himself to break Aldia free of the curse of his lost knighthood. Aldia fantasized about vindication, trying again and again to get Khamsa to break his oath. He dreamed of martyring himself to save Moor’s Sister, but was saved by Khamsa’s timely arrival. He hoped once more to force Khamsa to swear an oath to keep Nephenee in check, an impossible task, but was stymied when Khamsa swore an oath instead to kill him if he ever tried to harm her. Finally, after the debacle with the dragon, Aldia hoped to sacrifice himself to save Khamsa, to bring eternal shame upon him. When Khamsa gave himself to the dragon, Aldia was horrified, since he did not believe Khamsa was responsible for him or the rest of the party. When he thought that Khamsa’s identity as the Red Knight had been crushed by the dragon’s torture, he was prepared to take up his mantle and swear an oath of knighthood himself. His Oath of Vengeance was not accepted, for Hermod deemed it an act of hypocrisy on Aldia’s part. Unfazed, Aldia swore an Oath of Devotion, which Hermod was willing to accept. Without need of intermediaries, knighthood was within Aldia’s reach. For the first time, he saw it as a duty rather than as a privelage. And yet, it was clear to him that it would be a misery to him, a crushing burden and an alien way of life. He was delivered by the realization that Khamsa had not in fact broken his Oath of Blood. For the time, Aldia gained a glimmer of insight into what knighthood might really be.

Khamsa’s sacrifice had the added result of binding Aldia to Philoktia, Khamsa, and Nephenee. When it seemed like Khamsa would die, Aldia realized that he might have to become Nephenee’s protector. It was also his responsibility, given to him by Khamsa, to ensure that Philoktia did not return to Atlantis. Khamsa’s survival also meant that Aldia would stay by him, both to repay his sacrifice, and to make sure that the dragon’s curse was not worse than it appeared. And he had learned something more valuable then that. When Aldia had stepped forth to face the blue dragon, it was Philoktia, Khamsa, and Nephenee who risked themselves to come to his aid while Blue Team cowered, all too willing to leave him to the fate. Come what may, Aldia would accompany his allies of convenience wherever they might lead him.

The realization that the Sky Fracture was empowered by discord has forced Aldia to see his compatriots as his brothers-in-arms. He is slowly realizing the stakes of the mission, and it dawns upon him that the Fracture is the most dangerous thing he has ever faced. Independently of the need for unity, he is growing to tolerate Nephenee, respect Khamsa, and work aside Philoktia - although in her case, he knows that he must eventually raise arms to stop her from going to Atlantis. Though he put on a brave face and laughed it off, his curse at the hands of the Sky Fracture - his slow transformation into something putrid and not quite alive - terrifies him. Just as with his fear of lycanthropy, he is aware that he might lose his treasured humanity. He is determined to use his remaining strength to destroy the Fracture, and now has nothing to lose. Either he will regain what he lost by victory, or per his instructions, Khamsa will be tasked to kill him once it is clear that his humanity has forsaken him.

Having defeated the Sky Fracture and learned of the threat posed by the Old Ones, Aldia has begun to comprehend the enormity of the threat to come. Though he will not admit it, he feels responsible for having failed to stop Philoktia from going to Atlantis. He has come to see his duty as a hunter of monsters, not men, and like Khamsa, is determined to end the War of the Philosopher-Kings. Though he accepted the mission from the Reich, he only did so to prevent someone more fanatical from going in his place. He loathes the Hexenjägers, and is made uncomfortable by any comparison between them as the knights of Ragnarok who defeated Arendur twenty years ago. In his minds, the Hexenjägers in the Reich are conquerors and fanatics just like the Arendurians of old, and he erroneously believes that the Kaiserin intends to use the weapon in the Tower of the Illuminated. To this end, he is determined to destroy it, even if he must die in the attempt.

Upon his madness at the hands of the King in Yellow, Aldia's mind has buckled. He thinks of himself as the herald of the King, and believes that he will inevitably take back the regalia for himself. He guided the second northern expedition to Xiclotl under the mistaken belief that their minds would snap as well, but stayed behind to ponder the mysteries of Carcosa.

## After the War

Aldia bided his time in New Arendur, awaiting the inevitable arrival of the King of Yellow. Known as a madman to all, he lived as a hunter and a trapper, shunned even by the King’s other cultists. When the Hexenjägers came to conquer New Arendur, Aldia would watch the last battle of the War of the Philosopher-Kings, dispassionately refusing to take part. Now under the rule of the Reich, Aldia would be hired for another mission - the mad huntsman was needed to guide an expedition northwards to the ruins of the Final Empire’s northern dome. Aldia was delighted for an opportunity to show the assembled scientists and soldiers the eldritch truth of Lost Carcosa and the King in Yellow, and led the explorers to the lost imperial capital. Unlike the other explorers, who returned home, Aldia would stay behind. There, in the northern dome, he would encounter Curtin of the Illuminated, exiled from his home. Curtin, recalling Aldia from the heist, would keep the mad huntsman as his patient and eventually, his assistant. With time and patience, Curtin would begin to work on Aldia’s ravaged mind. The ranger from Ragnarok would never truly the same again, or restored to sanity, but he would live out the rest of his life in the north, hunting beasts in an incomprehensible land.

Decades of diligent work by Doctor Curtin to repair his psyche has left him somewhat childlike and absent-minded. He has no sense of time, and memories and sensations float through his thoughts unbidden, and leave just as quickly. His identity is almost entirely lost to him. Some ticks still remain. He is determined to thread bait onto the cursed fish hook given to him by Khamsa; doing this helps focus him. He has a bemused distaste for the monsters of the north, and it does not take much prompting on Doctor Curtin's part to send him hunting. That is another activity that focuses his mind. He has no particular memory of the War of the Philosopher-Kings, but still scowls at the mention of knights and mages. He has the habit of mumbling sections of the King in Yellow to himself, especially Cassilda's Song, which gives him great satisfaction. Yet when he finishes these songs, he retreats within himself and seems somewhat lost, until set a task to occupy his mind.