Aldren Pyke, Rookie Adventurer
Aug 2, 2022 4:09:36 GMT -5
Post by eravin on Aug 2, 2022 4:09:36 GMT -5
Aldren Pyke
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Race: Half-Elf
Nationality: King’s Valley
Appearance: The first thing that most people in the any passerby’s would notice about Aldren is his elven blood manifesting in the form of fairly pale skin despite spending many hours outdoors in the sun along with a swept mane of silver hair. A bit more uncommon is how large someone of his mixed race is, one could easily tell that there is strength behind all of his movements which is further demonstrated by how much he's able to lift and carry around for his less physically inclined neighbors. Despite having a gruffer appearance, there is an unmistakable kindness behind his subdued blue eyes.
Personality: In the company of more experienced adventurers, Aldren will become more reserved, often taking the lead of others out of respect and a lack of his own confidence in this new world as he hasn't even used a weapon in real combat before. Of course, when he is in his element, Aldren is incredibly comfortable taking the initiative to solve problems with his own skills and will often think outside of the box to come up with a solution that will benefit all parties involved. His biggest strength might lay in the kindness of his heart and his ability to bring the everyman together to complete a goal that no one individual might accomplish. He will always hear others out, empathize with people, and treat them with dignity.
History: Aldren Pyke is the son of a former adventurer in a small part of King’s Valley and never expected that he would go anywhere outside of his village to seek out any sort of adventuring. His life consisted of him, his father, and his modest community that he would one day care for himself. Aldren's mother was never part of the picture, the only trace of her left is the elven heritage that is reflected on his pale skin and alabaster hair.
Growing up, he would often listen to stories from his father about his days as one of those adventurers that you hear so much about, along with the trouble him and his mother used to get into together. While Aldren would love to live vicariously through the tales of his father, he never had any desire to go out into the unknown world and face unspeakable dangers himself, much preferring to make a name improving his community and one day leaving it much better than when he inherited it just like his father before him.
With this goal in mind, Aldren eventually became something of a local hero in his own right. The young half-elf did everything he could to help out his fellow man, from raising money to help fund projects, repairing the wear and tear that happens in the area, settling disputes between neighbors, all the way to participating in local sporting events to represent his little corner of King’s Valley. This positive and motivated attitude along with the honest desire to help make things better for everyone around him really endeared Aldren to the rest of the locals, differing from most half-elves experience growing up.
Unfortunately, things started to change once Aldren's 'gift' started to manifest. Arcane magic is something that isn't understood by most people, much less by someone with an upbringing as mundane as Aldren's. It started out subtle enough, just something resembling a sixth sense, feeling when some holy ground is truly consecrated. When he demonstrated to his father that he could heal minor injuries, he became worried for Aldren’s safety and instilled the need to suppress the powers within himself. While the chieftain never explicitly stated he preferred Aldren to not follow his path in adventuring, that dynamic changed once he learned that something had blessed his son. That was until Aldren’s father passed away.
It seemed so sudden for Aldren, his father always appeared so strong and larger than life to him. What started as a cold quickly deteriorated into some disease that took him over a span of a couple of days, long before Aldren could retrieve a proper healer to assist him. The young man was completely devastated, it felt like his whole world went upside down instantly and it showed no signs of slowing down. When word got out what happened, people whom Aldren didn't recognize approached him during his time of grieving, claiming that his father left a will for him to carry out.
Aldren recognized his father’s handwriting, but the instructions on them completely blindsided him. They were very simple and left no room for creative interpretation: to have his body cremated and to deliver the ashes to his mother; specifying that Aldren has to be the one to do it. Knowing that it wasn't going to get any easier, Aldren knew that the sooner he did it, the sooner he could get back to his community and support them the best way he knew how to.
Even though things were uncertain, and even a little bit frightening to him, Aldren knew the best chance for a nobody like him to find his mother, he'd need to enlist the help of those far more capable than him to help him on his journey while learning to become more than he is. So, with an unfamiliar weapon in his hand and a container holding his father’s ashes in the other, Aldren packed what few belongings he had and racked his brain at how he could even begin to undertake this task and how he would find those that could help him.