Puer Aeternus
Puer Aeternus is the Light Champion of Altairus. They are special in that they are one of the few beings that the former Heart of Altairus fashioned by its very own tentacled hands. Made to be an immortal demigod of youth and innocence, Puer Aeternus spent two millenia inside the Grotto of the Young, serving as a figurehead to a cult of worshippers of youth and light. When the War of the Wendigoes began, Puer Aeternus made the decision to sacrifice their youthful magic to forge Excalibur, the legendary Light Fragment. After the War, Puer Aeternus was no longer remembered as a passive child god but instead as the Champion of Light.
They are the rightmost figure in the above image.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Puer Aeternus takes the form of a young adult because they are essentially "depowered." Transferring most of their magic to Excalibur aged them up from a baby/young toddler. Despite this, they were still quite strong and agile during the War of the Wendigoes.
When the War ended, Puer Aeternus lost a considerable amount of weight while obsessively tending to the former Grotto of the Young.
Special abilities
The little magic that Puer Aeternus has left can be used to provide healing and grant small wishes. With Excalibur, Puer Aeternus could not only heal others with Light magic, but they form light barriers and slash through wendigoes with even greater ability than any of the other Fragments of Anima.
Specialized Equipment
Puer Aeternus is the creator and the first wielder of Excalibur, the Fragment of Light and a broadsword with a golden hilt.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Puer Aeternus was created in the year 50 G. E. taking the form of a humanoid baby/child with incredible powers over the Light element. They were meant to serve as a servant of the Heart of Altairus by supplying the Forest of the Young with an inexhaustable source of magic that kept everything in the forest young and healthy. They lived within the Grotto of the Young, surrounded by followers of the Cult of Youth.
This innocent existence came to an end during the War of the Wendigoes. When a wendigo invasion hit too close to home, destroying part of the Forest of the Young, Puer Aeternus decided it was high time to prove they were worthy of the worship they received. Finding an old sword within the Grotto, Puer Aeternus poured nearly all of their magic into it. This restored the sword and charged it with Light energy, but it aged Puer Aeternus into a young adult in the process. Puer Aeternus left the Grotto of the Young to embark on their quest.
Only a few months later did Puer Aeternus find the other five Champions of Altairus. After they and the others banished the Heart of Darkness to the Flipside, they were renouned worldwide as the Light Champion.
Gender Identity
Puer Aeternus, being a literal demigod of youth and childhood, is sexless. Neither do they identify as male or female.
Mental Trauma
Losing their eternal youth caused no small amount of sorrow for Puer Aeternus. They also carried a heavy heart over betraying the Heart of Altairus, even though it had to be done. They regretted all those they couldn't save from the War and did their best to help them get back on their feet in the immediate aftermath of the final battle.
After the War, they went back to the Grotto only to find that the Cult of Youth had since disbanded and the Grotto was sitting empty, overgrown, and disheveled. Since then, the demigod has been sitting in the ruins of the once vibrant and playful grotto, knowing that there's no purpose but unwilling to leave their memories behind.
Intellectual Characteristics
While intelligent, Puer Aeternus retains some of the childish tendencies they had before the War of the Wendigoes. They can be rather naive at times and tend to assume the best of people, whether that's for better or worse (usually better, but still).
Morality & Philosophy
Puer Aeternus is perhaps the most virtuous out of all six Champions. The creation of Excalibur was only possible via a great sacrifice from them, and during the journey, they were the one who served as the heart and mediator of the team. They spent a great amount of time helping civilians heal from the damages.
Taboos
Even though the Grotto of the Young is abandoned, Puer Aeternus still adheres to the protocols that Cult of Youth followers were supposed to adhere to. They get unreasonably upset if a visitor breaks any of these rules.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
During the War of the Wendigoes, Puer Aeternus was driven to prove to themselves that they were worthy of the worship they received from the Cult of Youth. They were also determined to save as many lives as they could.
Virtues & Personality perks
Puer Aeternus is the most virtuous of all the Champions of Altairus. During the War, they were the one focused most on the sapient casualties of the War, rather than simply on strategy. They are remembered as the Guardian of Compassion for this reason.
Vices & Personality flaws
Despite being chronologically older than any of the other Champions, Puer Aeternus is emotionally immature. All that time spent in a sheltered existence left them grossly unprepared mentally for their undertaking during the War. Even to this day, Puer Aeternus has a rather childish worldview, thinking that if they just pretend hard enough, the Cult of Youth will come back from disbandment and the Grotto will fill with life again.
Personality Quirks
Puer Aeternus engages in a lot of childish behavior. Admittedly, most of it is harmless, such as using their incredible imagination to manifest small objects out of nowhere and being distracted by colorful, shiny things. But this can quickly change if Puer Aeternus is put in a bad mood. Which seems to happen a lot since the War.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Though Puer Aeternus is mostly alone, they surprisingly ran into Mallow the Maelstrom after the end of the War. She comes to visit him in the Grotto of the Young periodically. They keep each other company and protect each other from their mutual inner demons.
Speech
Puer Aeternus has an androgynous voice. It can either be heard as a high-pitched male voice or a deep female voice.
Light
Guardian Title
Guardian of Compassion
Puer Aeternus is obviously named after the mythical child god and heavily inspired by Peter Pan. They can also be considered a heroic representation of Lucifer, since they are associated with the Light element and turned against their creator.
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