Dorchadas/TheGameDreamsoftheFirstAgeAlaethis
Alaethis an Talrich, Chosen of Luna
Alaethis was chosen fairly late in the First Age, during a Fair Folk raid on the village he called home on an island far to the West. He was quickly given to the Lunars to raise after his Exaltation in exchange for further defenses to be installed on his home island, and he said his goodbyes and left his family and friends behind. He would never see them again.
He did very well in the trials, and because of his innate intelligence and gift for stories, No Moon was an obvious choice for him. He took to the study of lore almost immediately, spending many years on vision quests in the Wyld. He proved so adept that he was taught the secrets of Celestial Circle Sorcery after only a decade, which--while not unheard of--was a great honor.
His first encounter with the others came when he met Dancing Ruby Phoenix, who was far older than he and already mated to Sun's Setting. Alaethis fell deeply in love with her, and tried to arrange a scandal for Sun's Setting so that Ruby would leave him. The plan backfired, though Sun's Setting did not kill him for it. He could see the promise in the young No Moon, and instead took Alaethis under his wing.
His next encounter with the others came when Ashraielle was assigned to buttress the northern borders of Creation, when Alaethis was three centuries old. Maenin originally fobbed Alaethis off onto her in the hope that she would leave him alone, and it worked. Far better than he originally imagined--Alaethis and Ashraielle hit it off almost immediately, and were married only a few months after their first meeting. For his part, Alaethis did love Ashraielle--he did not know at the time that he was merely second-best, and he greatly admired her devotion to protecting Creation and her willingness to make sacrifices to protect the people. She knew that his first love was beyond his reach, and as part of the wedding pact, she made him swear never to speak to Ruby alone. This would later prove to be a great point of contention between them.
As the First Age wore on, Alaethis became increasingly disenchanted with the Solars' excesses. He still loved Ruby, just as Ashraielle still loved Maenin, and this was perhaps the reason why their marriage seemed to be far worse off than others' were, with many acts of deliberate cruelty and revenge on both sides. When Hayako told him about what had been planned for the Solars and how the Sidereals suspected some sort of extra-Creation interference, presumably Primordial, as being responsible for the Solars' behavior, Alaethis chose to warn Ruby of the Usurpation and not Ashraielle. When Ashraielle died at Meru he was on the other side of Creation, but he could hear her dying scream in his heart and the orichalcum collar she had placed on him burned white hot for a moment, searing his skin with the memory of his betrayal.
Alaethis fled with the others to the Wyld, and his youth prevented him from being affected as quickly as they were. He was one of the team of No Moons who realized the effect scars had on the ability to shapeshift, and when he unveiled the tattooing process some time later, his fame was assured. Unfortunately for him, it was too late for a significant portion of the Lunars by that point, including his friends Sun's Setting and Nine Lives. Alaethis has never forgotten this, and the memory of his failure to save them haunts him to this day.
After the Contagion, he moved into the ruins of the city he and Ashraielle once lived in, protecting it from the Fair Folk and anyone else who wanted to plunder the ruins. He settled into an easy pattern, studying spells, breeding beastmen, and planning for a day when he would be able to take vengeance on the Realm for what they did to his people.
Death
Alaethis is still alive, a living god from the First Age. He spends a lot of time in the ruins of his city, protecting the artifacts that still remain in its storehouses. The return of the Solars has affected him greatly, however, and it is possible that he will have to change all of his carefully laid plans...
Theme Song
Linkin Park - Faint
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