Aeryk
From FiranMUX
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Contents |
Overview
This young man is slightly larger than the average Firan, though countless hours of exercise have kept his frame thin and highly muscled. He is an attractive man by almost any measure, with twinkling hazel eyes and adorable dimples that show whether he is smiling or not, but he has a seriousness and introversion about him that may seem offputting to those that do not know him well. If he has any physical flaw, it is the fact that his ears are slightly over-large, and they stick out from the sides of his head a little bit - something that is made more pronounced due to the fact that he usually wears his hair cropped short in military style; but even with this, he is the focus of many young noble girls' attentions.
Aeryk was not the most well-adjusted child born on Aerval (who could be, with his parents?), but adulthood has mellowed him. Polite, composed and intensely loyal to his family, clan, and Republic, Aeryk's reserve makes him difficult to know and he doesn't reach out to many. He doesn't like crowds and he's uncomfortable with lots of attention. Although he leans a tiny bit toward the open-minded side for a royal, he tends to stick to his kind and seems to prefer the company of animals even to them. He is also not much of a romantic - he does not dislike or dismiss women, admiring many as stateswomen, priestesses, etc. He's just indifferent to the idea of actually flirting with one. And a commoner woman who flirts with him is bound to cause great offense.
Background
A lot of people think of me in terms of my parents, and they have all of these pre-conceived notions about who I /must/ be because I am an IstaNydiam. "Oh, that is Ibania's child," they say. Or maybe it's "Banian's brother," with a wink and a supposedly knowing nod. There are times that I can't stand this - but I know how some people are. No matter how many times they see me, or how different I act, they think they know me just by virtue of what they know about the people that came before me. It is partly for this reason that I hope to become a hero in my own right. You never hear about Zarid, 'Oh, he's Nydiam's father, *wink wink*.' People know him for his great deeds - the many feats he accomplished, and he has therefore been known as his own man, having forged his own destiny. In a way, I want to be like my grandfather. No, I don't mean the reputation he had before he met Elianos - I mean the Zarid that is one of the Seven Heroes, that gave up his very soul in a battle between the gods themselves. I will be a hero myself, some day - and people will know me as Aeryk IstaNydiam, not as 'the brother of Banian,' or 'Diamia's little relative.'
I'm a pilot by profession, and I truly adore my job. Most times there's nothing I'd rather do than go up as far as I can into the air atop my griffon, and just enjoy the wind there. I think that's why I chose Uf as my patron - besides the fact that most Zinians seem pretty insane, I feel a kinship to the skies that I just can't explain. One day, I will be a great General for my people - the Cockatrice Clan will have the most powerful Air Force in all of the Firan Realms, and I will have earned my own place in history, outside of my name and the many prejudices that seem attached to it. People may not believe me - you may not, in fact - but that doesn't bother me at all. I know my fate, and I will achieve it. You just wait. Now if you'll excuse me, my griffon is waiting.
Family Life
Parents
Nydiam: Aeryk is very worried about his father since the death of Zeysani. He also thinks his father is a little bit nuts and can't choose an appropriate wife any which way, but that does not alter his fondness for him. Whatever his father has done wrong (the Ibania's Test incident being the worst to his mind), he's forgiven.
Aeryk's worry was well-founded, in a sense. Nydiam has passed away, but not in a bed, not through a sudden old man's illness. His father died on the battlefield and though his loss pains Aeryk greatly, it was a proud and incredible death and Aeryk can only hope that he dies so well, when it is time.
Ibania: Ibania, however, will never be forgiven and Aeryk would have her punished for her destructive arrogance which did such damage to the clan. Oh would he. He also deeply resents that some people think of him as the product, not of her and Nydiam's union, but of the union of Ibania and some Ticanee man. These rumors are false, of course, but that they even exist only makes him hate Ibania more.
Siblings
Diamia: Aeryk deeply respects his sister and is completely loyal to her both as sibling and as the subject of a Clan Leader. It perhaps helps that he has no ambition to the throne himself. Generalship for him!
Banian: Aeryk has always been close to Banian and, as a child, was pretty much his minion. Not so now. Although Aeryk tends to be the cautious tagalong in any social endeavors the two set out on together, he considers himself the more level head now and endeavors not only to stay out of trouble himself, but to keep Banian out of it.
Cecilia: Aeryk is polite to his young half-sister, but would prefer not to have to acknowledge her existence too much. Unfortunately, she seems to want his room. Fortunately, when Aeryk had his brush with death, they perhaps bonded a bit. At least, she did not actually break his fingers, threats aside.
Wives
Aeryk is in no hurry at all to get married.
Children
This is the only reason Aeryk will get married at all. This is his duty, he supposes.
Accomplishments
Raid Heroics
Aeryk was present at a Firanosian celebration outside the city walls when it was attacked by a Shamibelian raid party. He made every effort to knock out one of the griffons and took a number of arrows in the process. Then, the goat atop the griffon got fed up, dismounted, and danced with Aeryk for a little while before reinforcements showed up, if too late for a number of the celebrants, who were carried away.
Aeryk would later climb a griffon himself and prove useful in recovering the captives, his injuries aside.
The exaggeration of rumor, he felt, made this all sound much more heroic than it actually was, and he tends to defer discussion of it with statements like "I wasn't that hurt," or "I didn't actually take down anyone," or "Lord Donos was badly injured, too, you understand."
Republic Military - Centurion
Aeryk leads the Eagle Squad of pilots/archers. He is competent and dedicated, if not so much with the "innovative."
Surviving Several Parties and Social Events
Including "Lord and Lady of the Festival." Hurrah!
Bandits and a Near Death Experience
A mission to acquire iron ore turned up a group of bandits enslaving Gold Dragon citizens. Battle was, perhaps, inevitable. In the battle, Aeryk fell, wounded almost to death, only to wake up a moment later and regain his feet. The comrade he was fighting alongside had fallen to the bandit that had felled him. So Aeryk kept fighting. Although he succeeded in defending the fallen, he didn't do quite as well in his own defense and returned home in a coma.
Both Clan Leader Diamia and Clan Leader Ojitar made speeches asking for prayers in the young lord's behalf. He did make a recovery and announced his attention to fight for Ellish in the coming season, his recent injuries aside. The exact details of this recovery, he isn't sharing.
He was a bit more vocal about the Gold Dragon response to his actions. In what may well end up becoming a scandal, he pointedly refused both hospitality and medals, claiming that while he would willingly die for Gold Dragons, he couldn't share a table with them.
The Ellish Campaign
Aeryk fought in every large battle, save that for Judano's Hills, and went on every Air Force mission, including a quietly failed one. His most prominent contribution was successfully executing a high-speed maneuver that allowed him to look down into Fort Zayes and obtain necessary intelligence.
After helping repulse a raid on the camp, Aeryk contracted a very persistent, if mild, case of Red Bloom, which dogged him throughout most of the last third of the campaign. He fought and flew with the bloody nose, which caused some of his fellow pilots consternation. The Bloom only left him just before the final battle, which Aeryk's father Nydiam shockingly attended.
The Tower of Obala was Aeryk's personal nemesis. Its lightning struck two of his mounts (Ironhide and Bluestreak) out of the sky, killing them before they hit ground. And it was Nydiam that repulsed it, giving his life to drain the tower dry. Aeryk knows of his father's last moments only by the accounts of Banian and others - for when Nydiam first challenged the tower, its lightning struck Aeryk and very nearly killed him.
This is one of Aeryk's regrets, being unconscious during not only his father's death, but Donos's, who he greatly admired. He also greatly regrets his friend Melani's death, which he feels he could have prevented. And his step-mother Lucretia's capture and rape. It was a costly war season, glorious and painful. He hopes that his participation has left him a wiser soldier.
Medals
Aeryk has received the Medal of Honor for his stand against the bandits and the Silver Wings for participating in the mission to reconnoiter Fort Zayes.
Allies
Rikon: Aeryk has every admiration for this man and trusts his judgment explicitly. He is intelligent and able in every way and Aeryk would like to be, too.
Daphrus: Daphrus is Aeryk's closest friend. They are little alike, but they share everything.
Enemies
Jalil: He's not only a flashy, womanizing pilot, he capitalized on Ibania's foolishness to take Sarkaran for the Gold Dragons.
Kadikos: An arrogant blow-hard that Aeryk does not hesitate to show up (politely) at every opportunity.
Scandals
Aeryk wouldn't think of having any such thing. (Well, we shall see.)
Miscellany
It is not precisely a scandal, it is not precisely an accomplishment. But Aeryk attempted to feed Tanosa, the temple owl some preserved meat, and the owl has variously stared, head-squatted on, and swoop-buzzed him since. He advises generally to be careful when owl-feeding.
Habits
Using Large Words
Aeryk is extremely well-educated. While he does not usually have Diamia's gift for snark, his education gives him a gift for articulation and vocabulary. Sometimes, he even manages a clever turn of phrase. At his best, Aeryk seems to possess the seeds of a formidable speaker, but does sometimes come off as a bit - fussy. Large words are sometimes indirect words, and Aeryk likes to be indirect when discussing matters that he finds improprietous. Unfortunately, this has been known to make less indirect people snicker at him for some reason.
Likes
Animals
As a child, Aeryk liked to escape into the fields to play with special friends like worms and wasps. Aeryk, apparently, is not terribly worried about whether animals are charismatic or not. Not that he plays with worms in the fields now, but he does have a deep and abiding connection with beasts and mourns them if they die.
Griffons
Aeryk especially likes griffons, of course. He has an almost-reverence for them, tied to his almost-reverence for being in the air and the wind.
Stories
Like any good Uffian, Aeryk has a fascination for stories. However, as he is not particular about what animals he loves, he is also not particular about what stories he loves. A story about economics? Bring it on. He wants it.
Politics
Aeryk may have no interest in being Clan Leader, but he finds politics both very important and fascinating. He attends every Clan Council he can. He admires both Fidelia and Taleo for their statesmenship (Taleo's reputation as, oh dear, a lech aside).
Grand Heroics
You'd better believe it.
Dislikes
Forward Commoner Women
Aeryk cannot abide women who seem to seek out noble privilege. A commoner woman who is too over-friendly is likely to make him suspicious.
Flirtation
A vast waste of time.
Hubris
Aeryk despises people who boast of their prowess before they've proved themselves. He is also wary of assuming his personal victories before the fact.
Flashy Pilots
Live fast, die young, yadda yadda. Aeryk finds the pilot who flashes jewelry on his fingers and tries to eesha young women on griffonback disgusting.
Crowds
Parties are for - other people.
