A young Alfar with the weight of expectation and position upon his shoulders navigating an academic quagmire with the help of one imaginary friend, and three real ones.

Date of Birth: 6847, Andarud Refuge
Gender: Male (He/Him)
Eyes: Yellow
Hair: Blonde to Silver
Skin Tone/Pigmentation: Pale, hints of gold tint
Height: 5'11

Appearance

Physical Description

Beginning school as a lanky tree-esque Alfar, as his peers have grown upwards, he has filled in his physique more. Sitting above average for the students, but not amongst the unnaturally large or orc-ish, Athalor's physical stature would be of little note to any well-built adults.

Facial Features

Athalor's features are sharp, as if carved from the same marble of his namesake refuge by Alfar artisans. Pointed in almost every respect, his ears are classically Elven, with an identifying double piercing on his left ear with constantly rotating adornment.

The Alfar's most striking feature however are his effervescent, warm-yellow-irised eyes, which when making contact with any peer or creature are ablaze with an infernic intensity. They are joined in ensemble by unusally mobile and expressive eyebrows that often raise in incredulity as a pair of backing dancers to his oft-deployed mockery.

Physical quirks

As far as quirks go, the only time one might see Athalor's eyes lose their trademark intensity is when they glaze over and vacantly absorb the middle-distance while the Alfar boy seemingly indulges some intent introspection.

Elsewhere Athalor can often be using nursing the Shape Water cantrip to spin a circlet of water floating above his right hand. In it's absence it would seem the boy a terrible fidgeter.

Apparel & Accessories

Finery and Athalor go hand-in-hand. Taking little notice of the potentially callous inequality-presenting potential of his ostentatious Alfar finery, it is evident that home is carried with Athalor in his garb.

Unbeknownst to many, much of the artisan efforts are those of his own Mother, including his resplendent Green Gala display.

A wand sits against his hip on most days, another gift from home, though rarely used except when engaged personally in some manner of intense casting.

Mentality

Education

Well read and studied on the history of Anacra via legend, myth, and whatever passes for critical history in the land of the Alfar, Athalor finds himself awash with worldly abstract knowledge, and little knowledge of the reality of said world.

A keen reader, and with many additional hours at his disposal while the more restfully inclined peers of the group get their prescribed eight, Athalor is used to reading in the dark of the shared dorm by aid of Nightvision.

Employment

Sometimes on purpose, and sometimes by accident, Athalor is on track to be Ioth Academy's top bully.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Defeating Kraius in a duel after having been challenged was a very public triumph for Athalor amongst the student body.

Failures & Embarrassments

Due to the negotiation of Kraius and Alyxander to bring him into the Codex, Athalor is currently the sole recipient of the organisation's lowest rank.

Intellectual Characteristics

A child of privilege and raised by a Alfar family of prestige, Athalor is used to getting what he wants. He is often caught not contemplating consequences for himself of others as a result of his actions and attempts to fix things on the fly instead.

Known Languages

Athalor speaks Common, Elvish, Sylvan and (though out of practice) Infernal.

Personality

Motivation

At the onset of the scholastic adventure, Athalor was driven by the burning desire to carry on his father's legacy of magically maintaining Andarud's delicate planar tightrope act.

Years away from home however have pushed this primary reason for existence towards the back of his mind. The glory and adrenaline of a duel thrust upon him ignited a burning curiousity in Athalor for the practical applications of war magic. Witnessing the distant, but all too real, machinations of the Raveners through the Great Sphere emboldened Athalor's flight of fancy, demonstrating the world's need for powerful magic users to contain those Infernal barbarians.

His motivations however are constantly ebbed and shaped by the input of his Uncle, who means to lead him to a new way to dominate both friend and enemy alike.

Likes & Dislikes

Likes:

Displays of magical prowess and power

Showmanship and Theatrics

Loyalty

History, Music and Reading

Dislikes:

Inflexibility

Disrespect of the nuance of existence

Abuse of Positions of Power

Being wrong

View

Ioth Academy, Class of 6865, Year 4

Metaplanar Ponderance

by Athalor An'Andarud

Another night out in the largely deserted corridor, another night staring at this hung cloak and listening to the familiar dull drone of home until the two could meet in a reconciled concert in my mind.

The caretakers have mostly learned to ignore my continued excursions out to this yawning something-space void that separates library from dormitory, though I suspect that they have become quietly annoyed with the mystical hum I bring with me. I had learned early on that the drone I found so reminiscent of home was more a weight upon other’s minds than expected, and so to spare my friends a fresh night’s annoyance I had moved my observations out here these past nights.

Often I’d silently wave to Garnet while leaving. Neither of us really sleep for any long amount of time. Both of us can see in the dark, and for the last three years we had silently made eye contact across the blackened room now and then before returning to our reading, leaving Alyx and Arianna to their blissful eight hour nights.

Blast it! It is taking frustratingly long to understand how these concepts came together. This is my heritage, my world. It should make sense to me, yet whenever the answers begin to take form, an unnatural shift in frequency, or the alignment of the cosmic pattern projected from the cloak withers, jolts, or spasms to reset my theories back to zero.

Perhaps this is how my family and ancestors have avoided the gaze of the Infernal forces for so long, these evasive maneuvers woven into the fabric of planar reality, or more accurately writhing between the weaves we perceive here on the mortal plane. Smart, but for my purposes supremely frustrating.

For the first time in four years I wish I could be back in the refuge. Mum would be amazing at this kind of thing, and Father could easily lay out the movements of Andarud for me. It is somewhat encouraging though to wonder how proud they’ll be of me when I lay out what I’m making in my next letter to them.

If it works, that is.

It’s the ultimate coalescence of their talents. Father’s mastery of our planar wandering, and Mum’s great artisan skill. Perhaps when I get home I’ll be able to participate in both sides of our family’s business!

I’ve actually been thinking about home a lot lately. Not for desire to return but with the end of the year looming, and the Ring *thing* about to happen, I wonder what the future might hold for the four of us. Arianna and I both write letters to our parents all the time, though I’ve been too shy to ask her which set of parents she writes to, and presumably she’ll return to them as I too am destined to return home and take up Father’s mantle. Andarud won’t keep itself aloft in this mystic coil.

But what of Garnet and Alyxander? From what little she’s told me, and obviously how she behaves, it seems like there’s some great seat waiting for Garnet somewhere on this plane. I’d anticipate it’ll be waiting for her for a long time, though. She seems like a shoe-in for apprenticeship under Master Elnao when we finish our seventh year. On top of all of that, she practises calligraphy very publicly but never seems to write letters to whatever awaits her on the outside. (At least not in front of the three of us.) Maybe she doesn’t want to go home.

As for Alyxander, he’s the biggest mystery. I don’t think he has anyone. Had.. anyone? He has us now, at least. I don’t know if he feels it in turn, but these last four years I’ve begun to think of him as a brother, albeit with more rounded ears. I often wonder why he started this Codex thing. Sure, it makes sense as an advantageous position for him, but why now? It might be this stress of the Ring for him too. After seven years would he have a place to go? I think the Codex might be his way of trying to tie himself to the Academy, and to give himself a position to stay here for as long as he wishes. Maybe a new family for him, though I wonder if we’d have been enough by ourselves.

If it’s not the case I’m considering asking if he wants to come to Andarud. Maybe the idea of mapping the space between the planar matter will appeal to him, maybe not. Either way it’d beat seeing him turned out into the harsh wilds of the Infernal scorch.

Aha-.. Mind wandering again. I’ve got to get this figured out soon. I don’t want to ask *him* for help, I can do this myself.

The major events and journals in Athalor's history, from the beginning to today.

Didn't Die!

We were attacked by Redcaps in the Undercroft, and a Hag too! They didn't even hurt me, good job I had my armour on. Kraius got absolutely blasted, I don't know how quickly he and Arianna will recover.

11:15 pm - 28.11.2021

First Kiss?

Athalor had his first kiss! With a human girl of all things, and while 'officially' on a date with Garnet. Oh what a pickle.. Still, maybe the faculty believe that's what we were doing in the Scriptorium?

12:41 am - 29.11.2021