Askal Danydion Avaletr
Askal Danydion
Askal Danydion Avaletr took his priestly last name when he took his vows as a paladin in the goddess Aithinnia's honor guard. He is an excellent servant of Aithinnia; he is not an excellent father.
In terms of personality, Askal is very reserved, keeping his feelings and thoughts close to his chest. He is outwardly pious but struggles at times with his own faith. He has been known to have a wry sense of humor, but it has not been much in evidence since his wife's death 16 years ago.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Askal Danydion (lit., "son of Danyd") was born in Dana Athi to a pair of highly traditional and scholarly high elf wizards. His parents were barely religious, and they expected to follow in their footsteps and focus on secular magic. From a young age, though, he found himself moved and enchanted by various processions and ceremonies in honor of the goddess Aithinnia. He especially admired her honor guard of paladins, and at an age when most elves are still exploring various possibilities, he dedicated himself to the goal of eventually joining their ranks.
As a paladin, Askal was a prodigy. He took his oath of devotion at the age of 115, and was invited to train for Aithinnia's honor guard at age 150. He was inducted into the guard scarcely a quarter century later, and seemed well on his way to a leadership role.
That all changed in 1950. Shortly after his 263rd birthday, he took on a research project in the grand temple archives. There, he met Åshild Evarsdattr, a human scholar who had been given unusual access to the collection. They hit it off immediately. Åshild was quite young, but she was very opinionated, with a keen analytical mind and an unusual way of seeing the world. With her, Askal found himself able to express thoughts he had never imagined sharing with anyone. They were both restless and ambitious, with little patience for wasting time -- Åshild had left the farm she grew up on as soon as she was old enough to gain acceptance to a university. She taught herself Elvish and persuaded well-regarded scholars to become her mentors. As for Askal, he had never liked the leisurely pace that most elves take towards their goals, preferring to learn and strive with a near-human intensity. He knew quickly that he wanted Åshild to be his companion for the rest of her life.
It took him three years to persuade her to marry him, then it took fifteen more for her to persuade him to have children. He had objected to the idea of children from the start. His love for Åshild had always been tinged with the melancholy of knowing she would die within the century -- they would have 80 years, if she was extremely lucky, but likely decades less. He dreaded seeing her age and feared he would not be strong enough to survive the grief of losing her; he imagined the pain of watching a child grow old and die would be unbearable. But Åshild convinced him. "My life doesn't feel short to me," she would say, and pointed out that she saw no point to a long life that wasn't rich with love.
So his son Patryck was born in 1968. He gave the child his name as a patronymic, and when he had to give him the half-elf brand, he did so as gently as possible, first applying a magic balm that would allow the brand to fade entirely over time. Fatherhood was the joy that Åshild had promised it would be, and he found himself counting the hours each day, eager to return home to hold and play with the infant.
Then, three years later, his daughter was born. It had been Askal's idea to have another child, as Åshild was already on the older side for a human mother and was satisfied with just one. The pregnancy had been difficult -- Åshild had nightmares every night and was confined to her bed for the last two months. She labored for two days, growing increasingly pale and weak. Askal prayed desperately, frantic and terrified, sure that he was about to lose his wife and their child, certain that he was being punished for his selfishness in greed. For he was selfish - selfish to use up a human woman's short life, selfish to have children who would wither into old age as their father stayed young and strong.
Just as he had lost all hope, his prayers were answered: Oberon and Titania, gods and the Fey King and Queen of legend, appeared. Askal and Åshild knew that their help would come with a cost; only too late did Askal realize that the cost was Åshild's own life, as well as some part of their child's self. The relief he felt when the child was born safely was tempered by bitterness: bitterness that he would lose his wife, that this child would never fully be of his world, that both his children would go through the pain of losing their mother. He had convinced himself that having children would be forgivable, as he could provide them with a good and happy life. Knowing the grief they would go through took all the joy out of being a father.
He distanced himself from the children and even from Åshild, installing her in a small villa just outside the city gates, supposedly so the children could have a free, outdoorsy childhood like her own. He came to them on weekends and special days, playing with Patryck and even teaching his rambunctious daughter, Reggi, the archery and combat skills he'd learned in his youth. He hardened his heart as much as he could; he loved his wife and knew he would die for his children, but could not escape his grief and guilt that they, in fact, would most likely die far before him. When Åshild did die little over a decade later, he considered following her to the Elysian plane, but knew she would not welcome him there if he had abandoned his duty and forsaken their children.
So he stepped up and moved the children to his compound in Dana Athi, providing tutors, caretakers, cooks -- everything but true intimacy or closeness. He knew he owed them more, but could not bear to be around them and consider their mortality -- they grew so quickly, and it was too easy to imagine how they would soon falter and age. When Reggi ran away from home the day after her eighteenth birthday, it was the most painful thing that had happened to him since Åshild's death, but it was also a relief. Since then, he has started to become closer to his son, mainly due to Patryck's persistence. Still, he's nagged by guilt and regret -- if he had been stronger and wiser, he would have never asked Åshild to marry him, and she would be living still.
Relationships
Species
Age
310
Date of Birth
10 Decaten
Spouses
Siblings
Comments