Aylwin Elias Avington

Elias' human appearance (with glamour)

### Family

Aylwin Avington II ✝ (father), Lyra Avington ✝ (mother), Rowan Avington ✝ (brother), Duke Francis Tavaran of Yartha (uncle)

### Race

Demon-Blooded Human

Aylwin Avington III was the Count of Yartha/Count of Thanesbrook and only living heir to Aylwin Avington II. He is a distant relative of Aegis Tavaran and took over as Count in 932 AT when his father was allegedly murdered by cultists.

After accepting the powers of the vengeful Demon Aeshma on his deathbed, Aylwin was miraculously revived and isolated himself from the people of Yartha. He would later return to the public eye, eradicating the cultists within Yartha and ensuring the Hold remain a holy place for the people.

## Biography

Aylwin Avington III was the second son of Count Aylwin Avington II and Lyra Avington. He was born and raised in the Bastian hold of Yartha in the city of Thanesbrook, groomed to become a member of the Tavaran King's court or the future Count of Yartha should his adoptive brother fail. Ruled strictly by his pious caretakers and family, Aylwin was watched closely and punished harshly for any sin he committed during his childhood. The only family member he cared for was his mother, but she later went mad and committed suicide when he was six. His older brother ran away a few years later; despising their father, Rowan Avington had no desire to remain in Yartha or become Count. He was found a week later in a waterway just outside Thanesbrook.

Aylwin was next to abandon Yartha when he was seventeen. He rejected the religious teachings he had been told since birth, yet was targeted by extremists due to their family's close relationship to the church. The Order of Nemesis captured him during this attempt to leave the Hold. Aylwin's father bargained for his safe return to have a heir and payed a hefty ransom. Having been beaten and degraded by his father, just like his mother in the past, he couldn't stay any longer. Aylwin stole a horse and left on his own a second time the following year. Rather than the cultists, he was caught by his father's men before he could leave the Moor and tortured for his "sin." He had nothing he cared for in this place, and his feelings of resentment and grief overcame him. In that moment Aylwin called out for help, and only one person answered. Aeshma, a powerful demon, answered his plea. He gave him his power, full of wrath and vengeful desires, and Aylwin submitted to it. He murdered his father and blamed it on the very cultists that had kidnapped him and attacked his family previously.

Elias' first accomplishment as Count was eradicating the cultists within Yartha and regaining the favor of the church and other lords. He claimed he did it to avenge his deceased family members and allow the holy citizens of Yartha to live without fear of Demon worshipers. This earned him high praise and favorable publicity, restoring the duchy's good name and covering up any previous suspicions the church had about his faith. The few cultists that escaped him returned for revenge soon after, only to find that he had become the most devoted to their god; the demon Aeshma, also known as "Nemesis" by his loyal band of followers. Despite essentially becoming the god of this cult, Count Aylwin carried out his plan and killed the remaining members of The Order of Nemesis.

Since merging with Aeshma, the Count experienced many changes, both in appearance and behavior. He took on some demonic features and had violent impulses that he'd need to retrain from. He found that he could cover up his physical abnormalities with his newfound power, but he still frequently withdrew from the public gatherings he'd usually attend. By isolating himself he learned to better control his abilities and the impulses that came with them, and eventually returned to the public eye.

In 937 AT he took in an advisor named Innes Morgan that would later become his lover. Innes belonged to the rebellion and had originally intended to murder Aylwin to secure a spot in the Moor, but abandoned the mission a few months in after becoming close. Because of his betrayal, Innes was murdered, which led to Aylwin's full involvement in the Civil War against the Cavaliers of Aegis. Post war he remains as a significant figure in the Bastian church.

## Personality

While outwardly appearing composed and devout, Aylwin has no feeling or attachment to the Bastian church, or any other religion. He believes in the resilience of an individual rather than in the reliance of deities. By eliminating extremists such as the cultists, he helped protect the holy people of Yartha, while simultaneously avenging his brother's death. Even though he puts up a façade for the public, Aylwin genuinely cares for the prosperity of the populous. He is typically reserved, but can put up a charming and amicable front.

Aylwin favors justice, even if that means others must die to balance the scales. Though he offers little mercy for those who harm others, Aylwin is very kind, courteous, gentle, and generous with those he favors. He is manipulative in order to keep up appearances and achieve his goals. It's easy for him to find what someone desires and use that to his own advantage. He doesn't enjoy being talked down to or undermined, and won't easily forgive a slight. He has an incredibly vindictive nature, which is only amplified by Aeshma's hatred and thirst for revenge residing inside him. As much as he tries to forgive, the bitterness he feels never leaves the back of his mind.

## Powers and Abilities

**Immortality:** While he is still able to be killed, Aylwin's body does not age after becoming demon-blooded.

**Demonic Physiology:** Aylwin's strength, senses, speed, etc are enhanced beyond a human's capabilities, but he will still tire and need time to rest as a human would.

**Eyes of Argus/Nemesis:** Aylwin can manifest multiple eyes on his body at will, even in sleep to keep watch. He can also take on the eyes of others if he steals them to make his own. (I.e. He takes the eyes of a hawk, now he can possess hawk vision through manifesting its eyes.)

**Aeshma's Truth:** Aylwin can tell when someone is lying or using a glamour, and is able to sense demonic energy within a person, object, or area, and its magnitude.

**Aeshma's Deceit**: Aylwin is able to create glamours to alter his own appearance/voice. He can only do this if he knows the individual's name or harvests a part of them temporarily (I.e. He holds a lock of their hair or touches their blood). Aylwin most often uses glamours to make himself look like a regular human by getting rid of his demonic traits.

**Aeshma's Body:** He can create constructs from his body using the black, stone-like scales that grow from it. Usually visible in smaller amounts on his face, neck, and forearms, this material also acts as his armor, and is painless to remove from his body. His wounds heal quickly compared to humans, but not instantaneously, so after being wounded he uses this armor to shield them as they heal in battle.

**Aeshma's Retribution:** Aylwin feeds off/gains power through the vengeful feelings of others and within himself.

## Weapons and Skills

#### **Weapons**

He wields a falchion and axes, but is also skilled with crossbows and halberds.

#### **Skills**

* read/write/speak Low and High Bastian
* fine art: painting/drawing figures and landscapes
* liberal arts
* court politics
* fair knowledge of herbs
* cooking