Bright_Ops

Re:Divinus VII

Aethel (The Return)

Aethel

The Friendly Stranger
The Fey One
The Protector of Dreams
The Heart of Nightmares

Aspect
Mana Dreams

Once upon a time, Aethel was the Aspect of the magical force known as Mana. Those days are long gone, as that part of themself was sacrificed in order to survive the end of their world. Instead they embraced a new Aspect that they had been cultivating for some time; Dreams. It was a painful process of course, but change was always in Aethel's nature.

When Aethel created the Sea of Dreams so that all of creation could embrace the many different experiences that the slumbering mind had to offer, they did so with the intention of it being something of a self sustaining side hobby. A system designed so that the sleeper had their own little bubble in the vast sea in which their own mind provided the entertainment without outside interference. This was as much due to Aethel understanding their own fickle nature and not wishing to be burdened with the day to day operation of the place as much as an understanding that the best being to decide what the mortal in question witnessed in dream was themselves, even if they had little to no control over their subconscious mind.

Having fully committed to the Aspect of Dreams, Aethel is an many ways an emotional entity. To understand Dream, one needs to understand the subconscious mind that created it. Not only the targets wants and needs (for they can be completely different things), but also their hopes, desires, fears, regrets, ect. If Aethel cares enough to stop and truly look at someone, they can understand them on a level that few truly can. After all, everyone dreams...

Dreams are not just limited to the realm of sleep through. Worlds are shaped by their power; While a dream cannot create an island or an ocean such as a god can, if a dream is believed in enough these things can be made reality. A mortal man can cut a road through a mountain solely because of a dream that medical care can reach his home in a timely fashion. Alone it might take him decades to do and it is possibly that he might die before the work is finished, but a strong enough dream can inspire others to see it become reality. A Dream or Nightmare in the right place, at the right time, can change the course of history. Can alter how civilizations view things. Can make or break worlds.

Persona
Aethel is one of the nicest entities one could ever encounter, if strange. Always polite to a fault regardless of who they is talking to and what the circumstances are, energetic and dedicated towards making whoever they are talking to feel welcomed and included in whatever is happening. While they can come across as somewhat scatter brained and prone to shifting between different topics and focuses at a whim, they are just as prone to focusing on a singular topic or interest obsessively long past the point that others care. A patron of stories and music, Aethel is a great storyteller themself... but terrible when it comes to actually playing instruments; No matter how long they practice, the noise will always be horrible to listen to and the fact that they're just so energetic about it somehow makes it worse.

Despite how friendly they are, Aethel is at the core a selfish individual. Their desires and flights of fancy will almost always come first despite the fact that they personally consider themselves to think about others often. Some of the flights of fancy and obsessions they can develop are of a... darker nature and are as readily pursued and explored as any other without hesitation. These vices can include things as mundane as drinking alcohol, harmless (and sometimes unintentionally harmful) pranks, lustful needs or even just a desire for romance... but at the same time can spill over into full on hedonism, stalker like obsession, ritualistic murder and acts that could haunt entire species for generations to come. The politeness and friendly nature will always remain, even in the depths of what appears to be utter insanity.

Despite having a remarkable vocabulary, Aethel themself tends to be a very literal entity and will honor and obey to the letter any and all obligations and deals that are required or made by them. TO THE LETTER is vital to remember. While some might claim that it is due to a trickster nature the truth is that while Aethel takes pride in their work and making sure it is completed in a timely and satisfactory manner, they rarely stop to consider the wider implications or logical outcomes of the requirements or rules of the task beyond asking themself if they are following them successfully. That being said, they are not afraid to ask for clarification if something is too vague or they simply don't understand/are confused by something.

Always remember, 'Nice' and 'Friendly' are different from 'Good'.

True Form
While Aethel has many forms, their true form is that of an androgynous six legged hooved equine with a cloud like mane and tail that seem to constantly shift coloration, rarely being a singular color at all and, on the few occasions it happens, rarely remaining that way for long. White of coat that seems to blend perfectly with whatever coloration their tail and mane happen to be at the time, Aethel has two horns coming out of their forehead; A smaller crescent shaped one up front and a larger thorn like horn rising up behind it.

Along their body are an indeterminate number of mollusc like tentacles, the tops covered in the white fur of his coat but the bottom of them are clearly filled with fleshy suction cups. Along their six legs shimmer a series of pleasantly glowing 'fins' that, much like the mane and tail, slowly change colors over time. Both tentacles and magical leg fins are used by Aethel to 'swim' through the shifting tempest of mana of his home like a fish in water.

Musical theme

Re:Divinus VII

(The Character of Tau has been removed in favor of reviving Aethel)

The dark ball- who will be successor?

@Marmalised Junk

It happens. Don't worry.

The dark ball- who will be successor?

@Vampiretwilight@Marmalised Junk@Minvix

Truth be told, Kindness was a rare thing for Nos to be on the receiving end of. Part of that was simply the nature of their family; While Nos was far from the eldest of their father's children, there was something of a generational gap when it came to some of his younger siblings. Despite them being taller then him, Nos had about a decade or so on Beatrix and Elizabeth and the older generation of his half siblings were... rather more jaded and cut throat then his younger siblings. Victor was much more aware of the kind of people Nos had to grow up dealing with... and they both shared traits that made them easier targets to be bullied or undermined; Victor because he was an adopted cousin and Nos because he was half kobold.

Shame he was already starting to drink, but people dealt with stress in different ways.

Still, since it appeared that the concern from his younger half sister was genuine, he could reward her for it by being a bit less... pointed in her direction. "I am very much aware of its important, sister. Do not worry about me. As dear Beatrix has said... may the best of us win."

If Elizabeth wanted to personally greet every guest as they arrived, she was more then welcomed to do so. He already had a mental list of people that he needed to have conversations with in order to sway them into supporting him. Not all counties were created equal after all and thus some Earls and Dukes were simply more powerful and important then others. That isn't to say that someone could be made Monarch without the support of some of these people but... Nos doubted that it would be a very long reign if they disagreed with the King's decision.

Of course, before he could excuse himself in order to start doing so, Elizabeth pointed out Lady Emmaline Nightingale. Despite his little sister's dislike of Lady Nightingale, Nos offered her a small smile and a nod before he softly answered to Elizabeth "I'm sure she is. I'm not against the idea, but right now I've got people to mingle with and if a more suitable pairing can be found I would be remiss not to seize it. Take care."

The dark ball- who will be successor?

Is Wolflight an important county to the Kingdom?@Vampiretwilight

The dark ball- who will be successor?

@Vampiretwilight@Minvix

"It's Elizabath, correct?" Nos answered with a mock seriousness. If she was going to jab at his 'lateness' he was going to make fun of just how forgettable she was among the tides of their father's half human children. "I do confess it has been rather hectic in the treasury as of late. Clearly this party is more important then making sure that our kingdom's people can be fed or the troops get paid. But since I have already ensured that those two situations and a dozen others do not come to pass for the next few days at least, I have allowed myself the leisure that is the company of my peers..." There was a brief moment, before he added with a small smirk "...And yours too, I guess."

Considering that Bea hadn't said anything to insult or annoy him yet, he was happy to keep that tend going. Victor however actually got a small smile. By all rights he should have disliked his cousin... and in fairness he did, but Victor tended to be much less entitled or rude then his standard half sibling and the dislike stemmed fully from the fact that he was a contender for the throne rather then anything personal. "How are you holding up Victor?"

The dark ball- who will be successor?

@Vampiretwilight

In my defense, I saw your girl was half human and the other heir was half elf... and I may have missed that you hadn't decided what your girl's other half was. So elf seemed like the way to go.

The dark ball- who will be successor?

Even as his siblings went about their business, preparing for the ball or doing what few duties that had been thrown their way to keep them busy and out of trouble, Nos had largely treated the day just like any other. He had risen at a reasonable hour, gotten dressed, had a fine if simple breakfast and then proceeded to the office of the Steward to get started with his work for the day.

He hadn't started off as his father's Steward. Such a position could easily be offered to one of his father's vessels in order to placate them and keep them loyal to the Crown, so Nos had needed to prove above and beyond doubt that his talents at finance and overseeing matters of construction were so great as to offset the political benefits of granting the office to someone outside of the family. It had taken over a decade to do, but as he ascended the small staircase built into the chair on which he sat as he walked and dealt with those under him there was a sense of pride in that he had been successful.

As far as business days went it was somewhat hectic. The Eclipse Ball was a rather expensive affair as His Majesty was not sparing any expense for the occasion. But while His Majesty might have been happy to empty his coffers to cement the event as a legendary one, there always had to be someone keeping tabs on what the money was being spent on, where it was going and who it needed to go too. Thankfully he did have a number of trained scribes to assist him with the book keeping of royal affairs, but as the Steward all matters made their way to him in one form or another sooner or later for his final review and approval.

There were also the normal stream of those requesting royal coin, debtors being called in, tax payers who had refused to pay what they were owed and thus needed to have guards drag them out of whatever estate they were hold up in and take them to the dungeons to be tortured until they got the message and paid up what was owed. A brutal practice to be sure, but Nos found that one only needed to rake one or two idiots across the coals ever few years or so to make sure that the rest got the message. The work of a tax collector was never ending.

Normally he would have stayed on long into the night in order to make sure that everything was in order. However, considering what was at stake for himself personally he left the remaining work in the capable hands of his staff before he retired to go clean himself up and dress. A lack of hair and the ease in cleaning and polishing scale into a pleasant sheen made the cleaning part of affairs rather simple, through dressing required a little more time and thought.

In the end, as his claws clinked against the floor while he walked towards some of his taller siblings (shoes were simply not something he was comfortable wearing, considering the nature of his clawed feet), Nos lifted his chin to look up at them proudly while he wore an orange tunic that matched wonderfully with his dark green scales. "Sisters." He offered in a rather neutral tone.

He did offer Victor a small nod of acknowledgement.

The dark ball- who will be successor?

Name:

Nos [Last Name to be added later]

Species:

Half Kobold, Half Elf.

Age:

31

Reason for being here:

To claim the title of heir. Failing that, swaying enough key figures of the Kingdom to his side so that even if his father doesn't pick him, he'll end up on the throne after the civil war.

Appearance:

Nos' mother was a green scaled Kobold and that trait has been passed on to her son. Draconic in appearance and smaller then most of his siblings, Nos' half elven side shows in that he is taller then most Kobolds with a grace to his movements that is almost completely unseen in what many consider to be a 'vermin' species. His deep green scales are also somewhat... softer to the touch then scales should be and the dragon like sharpness is softer around the edges then to be expected.

The dark ball- who will be successor?

I will produce a character for this shortly.