Name: Alastair Down
Age: 10
Gender: Male
Race: Child of humanity
Mark of the demon: Eyes that glow yellow in darkness; giant occult mark on chest
Profession: Wandering knight
Appearance: Alastair is something of an enigma. Despite the obvious hazards of living in such a fashion, he is never seen garbed in anything less than a full suit of armor. Though of rare and wondrous quality, it is nevertheless unnerving for many who view it, for it makes Alastair seem less than human. The wing-shapes on the helm, the plume of white fur, and the metal pauldron in the shape of a beast’s skull help characterize the armor as magnificent yet ominous. Neither bulky nor arranged so to be inflexible, it permits Alastair an appreciable freedom of movement. Only his eyes are visible through the helmet, and even they, with a yellow glow suggest some kind of monstrosity within the armor suit—if anything at all.
Personality: Despite his fearsome look, Alastair has a rather childlike personality. His thoughts are typically simple and one-note; he is impressed and confused more easily than most; he is prone to displays of emotion. However, he’s decently intelligent and sports a certain dry wit and enjoys joking. As one might expect given his condition, he is very awkward socially, though at heart he’s friendly and sympathetic. This does not prevent him from hurting other should he sit fit. In terms of motivation, Alastair wants to break free from the darkness surrounding his family and play the hero, living up to the heroes of the stories, if he cannot be normal. Seeing himself as a monster, he has very little self-esteem, but at least he enjoys other people being happy, and is close to selfless.
Bio: Alastair’s story begins with his noble mother, who was not only unfortunate enough to be in Veiron at the time of the catastrophe, but also unfortunate enough to be eight months pregnant with twins. When demonic powers blasted the city, the soon-to-be mother, who in a lucky turn of circumstance was already on her way out, escaped with her life but with her own mark of the demon upon her. Afterward, its effect soon became apparent. While her initial intention had been to reunite with her husband, currently serving at a distant court, she became convinced that he had abandoned her at her darkest hour and festered with resentment. After she took refuge at the keep of a lonely duke many leagues away from Veiron, she found the old man in love with her, and did not hesitate to marry him. A few months later she bore her twins, though after that day, neither the duchess nor her children were seen by any but the castle servants. Whispers told of two children that grew unnaturally fast, for whom training in the art of combat seemed second-nature, and fearful rumors began to spread. Even the duke retired from the public eye as his health declined, further inciting the murmured suspicions. To the smallfolk it appeared as though the refugee of demon-cursed Veiron had brought the darkness with her.
Nine years after the catastrophe, the twins emerged for the first time. Looking at them, one could not imagine them to be siblings of nine, for in stature they were men of twenty, though oddly thin. No further details could be discerned, for both wore the armor of the duke’s ancestors and covered themselves completely. Seeing them off was the duchess, regal in clothes of scarlet red and black, watching from the highest parapet. Without exchanging words they left on some elusive mission, headed back to the accursed city from which their mother came, for the duchess had heard tell of an artifact of subtle but enticing power hidden within the wreckage of Veiron. Though the pair of knights seemed every inch imposing and united in purpose, one steadily lagged behind the other, for all his life Alastair had been curiously spared of the strange hatred which united his sibling and mother.
This dread pilgrimage ended with the siblings standing in the middle of the great ruin, long deprived of living demons and host now to a few intrepid settlers. They scoured the burned-out corpse of a city for their treasure, but found nothing. Fueled by angry disdain and ignited by impatience, the twin of Alastair went on a murderous rampage through the crude settlement. Alastair, appalled at the demonic display, chose to betray his sibling by trapping her in a black pit. Trying to convince himself that what he had done was right, Alastair abandoned the task to which his mother had assigned him and left Veiron to try and live normally. He soon found, however, that the armor with which he adorned himself would not come off. Nobody he met would allow the sinister-yellow-eyed warrior to remain with them, and in sorrow Alastair resigned himself to the role of a wandering knight, unable to return to the family he had betrayed. Fearing the wrath of his mother, prohibited by a grim affection to kill his mad sister, and ignorant of his father, Alastair searched for cause to call his own.
Equipment: Rather than a magic weapon, as some might assume, Alastair carries with him a metal wand with which to channel his internal magic. His soul-magic takes the form of concentrated arcane energy, practically solid, which can be teased into the shapes of different weapons using the wand as part of a handle. Favorite among these ‘soul weapons’ is a warhammer. In his right hand, Alastair wields a stylized metal shield, heavy but capable of taking a lot of punishment. In addition, Alastair carries two flasks, the second being his sibling’s. Both are alchemically enchanted, transforming whatever liquid is poured into them into a sort of blue potion that sustains the drinker’s body. Typically, he pours the potion onto his helmet, and some gets through for him to drink.
Notes: Alastair is not a demon, and neither is his sister. His mother was tainted by demonic power that eventually corrupted her, some of which was transferred to both children, but far more was concentrated in the daughter, the first-born and the very picture of her mother. Both siblings suffer from gigantism, giving them the appearance of scrawny adults, and while definitely more mature than most ten-year-olds are still mostly children at heart. His
sister, Meredith, shares his demonic marks, and cannot remove her armor, either. Because of the magic interfering with their natural processes, neither require normal human nourishment.
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