Aoth Stormwind, Vassal of the Platinum Dragon
Human Fighter, Order of the Bow
Aoth Stormwind was a human fighter who appeared in Azimuth Campaign One. He was played by G.F.
Aoth was an ally of the Zenethian Children on their quest and joined them in Soretta. In the course of their journey, they aided King Alphonse Brancana in rekindling the old alliances of the world against the dual threats of Esturk, The World's End, and Psaro the Manslayer. As part of this, Aoth received Zenthai's Blessing and earned one of the reforged Zenethian Items. They traveled the world and gathered allies and forces to their banner and became known to the rulers of the world as the Zenethian Heroes. The Heroes were instrumental in the victories in the Fourth Age of the Tarterian War and the Manslayer War.
Aoth would return to Branca, the Kingdom of the South, and aid in the kingdom's recovery efforts. He founded both the Brancana Rangers and the Order of the Bow here. His Zenethian Bow would be passed from generation to generation in the Order of the Bow in which he would instill his philosophy of bowmanship.
In 5A 101, Aoth died and was buried at the Abbey of the Ruby Rose in Kendell.
Description
Appearance
Aoth was a tall human man with brown eyes and hair. During the events of the Zenethian Heroes, Aoth wore rugged and worn travelling gear under a simple cloak. He wore a fine set of chain mail armor that was padded and detailed with leather, and he wore bracers on his arms that matched. His hair was kept long and kept in a half bun. He had a full beard and moustache that was trimmed short. Later in life both his hair and his beard would becomed peppered with streaks of gray. He was equipped with multiple quivers for the many types of arrows he used, and he wielded the Zenethian Bow.Personality
Aoth was a brash and decisive person. He was very quick to action, even to the point of impatience with others. He showed a preference for quick action and was resistance to overly cautious acts. After his unit of the Brancan military was destroyed, Aoth suffered from intense guilt and blamed himself for the deaths of those under his command. After these opening battles in the Manslayer War, Aoth was unable to come to terms with this loss and he left Branca, and he was lost until he came in contact with the Zenethian Children. Aoth was very faithful and became devoted to Chedae, The Heaven's Light. At her ascension, he offered to return the Zenethian Bow to her, but Chedae declined, indicating she trusted the Zenethian Heroes to use them to spread the light of Zenethia in the Fifth Age. Aoth was a firm believer in the philosophy of bowmanship. He believed that bows could accomplish any task, and he instilled this philosophy in the two organizations that he founded in the Fifth Age: The Brancana Rangers and the Order of the Bow. There was a dicotomy of character between the two factions Aoth founded, which each took after a different aspect of Aoth's beliefs. The Brancana Rangers believes that goals could be accomplished however many arrows it takes, and the Order of the Bow believes that one arrow placed well can prevent the need for others.Biography
Background
In 4A 963, Aoth was born in Branca, the Kingdom of the South. When he grew up, he joined the Brancan military as an archer and rose through the ranks. Eventually, he came to be under the command of Sir Baric Nimir and Aoth had eight soldiers that served under his command. In 4A 995, Psaro the Manslayer and his armies attacked Branca from the east. The armies of Branca were defeated and scattered and Psaro marched to the Gimora Mountains. Aoth's unit was shattered and many members under Aoth's command were killed. Though lives were saved as a result of Aoth's decisions and orders in the battle, Aoth blamed himself for the loss of his unit and the deaths of those he commanded. After these opening battles in the Manslayer War, Aoth was unable to come to terms with this loss and he left Branca. In a haze, Aoth wandered Azimuth, eventually making his way to Soretta, the Undying Aristocracy, where he was arrested in accordance with elven law at the time.Campaign One: The Zenethian Heroes
The Lands of Soretta
In 4A 995, the Zenethian Heroes arrived at the World Tree in the lands of Haradren Gaer Arnad. In accordance with elven law, they were arrested by Guardian Quarivon. They were escorted away from the World Tree and they met Aoth in transit, who had also been arrested. They were taken before Leader-Elect Saelerain Laminafond. The elven leader chastised them for breaking their laws and threatened to imprison them. However, Aoth convinced the elf ruler that as the children of prophecy, they should be allowed to leave and fight for the sake of the world. The elf was unable to deny the logic of it and quietly agreed. He promised to bury their fallen ally, Gruknock, Captain of Burland, according to elven custom, but banished the party from Soretta forever.The Lands of Keeleon
The party crossed over into the Leviathan Sea and found several bestial ships crashed along the Radags off the north coast of Tarteria. As they investigated, they were accosted by another minotaur ship. They captured it and took a sole prisoner. From him they learned more about Psaro’s plans and the Power of Evolution he wielded. The party also learned that The World’s End and The Manslayer were not allied; they were fighting a battle on two fronts. Finished with their captive, the party slew the minotaur and sailed on. They arrived in Port Haville and were attacked by demons in the sacked city. Trip was slain in battle by a Bebilith, and was resurrected by Leo. They rescued an orc seer named Agatha, and she told the Heroes what had happened to the Kingdom of Keeleon. Agatha also forsaw the party's goal and directed them south to the Fire Spire Sands. In the south they found the remaining orcs led by Princess Alena, the last surviving member of the Keeleon royal family. They delivered Brancana’s missive and Alena promised to aid if she could. They learned that some orcs had already fled to the north to Santeem and were held prisoner there. They promised to help and departed. The Heroes crossed over to the Fire Spire Sands, and demons and elementals were everywhere in the dunes. Rath used his gift, Dragonscale gloves, to transport the burning heart of the desert and unlock a central shrine. During the fighting, Joseppe cast Explosive Runes on his own back to slay an elemental, however the damage cost his own life and he died. The party revived him in the battle, but the Zenethian Cloak was badly damaged. Inside the shrine, Rath found The Zenethian Axe. With the best hope of aiding those who remained in Keeleon being the completion of their quest, the party redoubled their efforts and left Tarteria. Near the end of 4A 995, the party sailed northwards towards Santeem. While sailing, Ivan felt a pull eastward and they followed it to the Mausoleum of Dwarf Lords. They traversed the expansive interior tombs, but they were ambushed by the same illithid spellcaster that attacked their hometown with Psaro. He froze Brigitte and sunk his dagger into her, drawing her blood. They quickly retaliated but before the party could slay him, he magicked the bloodied dagger away. Unseen by the others, Rath heard a call inside him and took a severed tentacle from the chamber. Using Leo's magic to speak with the body, they learned Psaro sought their blood and knew the copies he kidnapped were fakes. Before the spell could complete, Aoth interrupted the magic with a holy arrow, and the spell rapidly finished. Using the gift Ivan had and other items received from the dwarf tombs around them, they opened the way forward to Rita’s tomb and the next Zenethian item: The Zenethian Staff. Now just one item remained. Remembering their promise to Princess Alena, the party sailed forth to Santeem.The Lands of Santeem
The ship arrived on the east coast of Santeem, at the Grand Bazaar. They learned of an orc prison camp the Santeem government had created. They also had the missive to deliver to the ruler of Santeem, but they did not believe they could do so safely. With the threats of Esturk and Psaro looming, the party decided the best course of action would be to split up to more quickly meet their goals. Aoth and Rath stayed in the bazaar to complete their comissioned equipment. Aoth’s equipment was finished first, but Rath’s was many hours of work away. Aoth rode out, intending to catch up with the others, while Rath stayed behind with Chedae. Aoth caught up with the others in the town of Tempe. The city was under constant threat of attack from goblins that were allowed to roam freely, and Leo could not stand by while sacrifices to the goblins were made to appease them. They all received another message from Grupe, who expressed the deteriorating situation in the prison and the need for urgency. He asked for their help, but Leo could not leave Tempe again. Aoth, Joseppe, and Ivan would return to help Grupe immediately, and Leo, Brigitte, and Trip would stay to help Tempe. Ivan used his magics to create a bridge of energy over Cheriv Valley and they quickly travelled back, heading towards the prison. Rath and his ally Boardud met Aoth, Joseppe, and Ivan. Grupe began leading the imprisoned orcs through the escape tunnel he had made, but there were too many and the guards would soon be alerted. The party chose to make a distraction to give the orcs time to escape. Rath, Aoth, and Boardud rode through the gates and down the winding path into the prison. Aoth attempted to cause a distraction far away from the tunnel Grupe had constructed using a lightning arrow, however he dropped the arrow at his feet and alerted the guards to their location. The party fought to give time to the rest of the orcs, and the party fled with them towards Frenor. With the corrupted military ranks of Santeem crossed and no further leads on the whereabouts of the last Zenethian Item, the party chose to ferry the rescued orcs safely to Endor and seek the aid of the dwarf king there to deliver the last missive and learn what they can about the last missing item. However, the party noticed that Chedae was missing, as was their cart. They scried on their donkey and found her surprising far to the southwest, across the Flat Peaks Desert. Using magic, Joseppe transported himself to her. He attempted to understand how she could have gotten here so quickly and what her destination could be, and persuaded her back and they teleported again to rejoin the party on the ship. With orcs on board, they sailed for Endor.The Lands of Endor
In 4A 996, the Heroes arrived in Endor, the First Mountain. There, they met with High King Thorik Oathenhammer and learned of Endor's rising tensions with Branca. After King Thorik used his Truthseeker Axe to learn the party's intentions, he welcomed them and the orcs they had brought to Endor. To aid them, King Thorik brought forth the champion of the tournament of swords: Johanna, Shieldmaiden of Endor. Curious about the tournaments, the party went to The Arena. They found that Aoth’s way into the archery tournament had already been paid by an anonymous benefactor. Winning the tourney would give Aoth the chance to fight the previous year’s champion. When they inquired who the previous champion was, they learned it was a fighter from Parthenia, and his name was Psaro. With a day before the tourney would begin, the party decided to search for information that could help them on their journey and point them in the direction of the last Zenethian item. They found a History of the Third Age where the final actions of the Zenethian Champions were detailed, and learned Sanazi had gone missing in Santeem to the west of the Flat Peaks Desert. They had their destination, but the tourney and Psaro were too important. They alerted the King and prepared to face their enemy. Aoth fought his way to the finals, where he was reunited with Duvessa Nighthawk and defeated her to win the tournament. The party prepared in the stands as Psaro walked onto the arena floor. Psaro knew they were here and he wished to talk. He offered a trade: their blood for the lives of their captured friends. The party declined, and Psaro summoned great fireballs above the arena and sent them crashing down into the stands. When the dust settled and the flames died out, a doppelganger of Psaro lay burned and dead. King Thorik understood he had been deceived and declared war on Psaro for attacking his people. He promised full aid to Branca and ordered his armies make ready. The Endor Tunnel was blocked and needed to be cleared for the King’s army to march forth. His scouting parties had not returned, so King Thorik ordered his two champions, Johanna and Aoth, to clear the way. They rode out to the tunnel to find the great mountain passage blocked sabotage. Nearby they found beasts working a great spell circle, loosing the blood from the dwarf bodies of the slain scouting parties. The party engaged, and the dark voice inside Rath directed him to alter the runes of the spell. With the spell shifted, Rath lost control of his body as the entity revealed itself as an aspect of Esturk. When the party rushed to help Rath, he plunged his sword into the chest of Trip. Her blood was spilled on the spell circle below, and her soul was pulled from her body. Though the taint of Esturk had been removed from Rath, the body of Trip still lay on the ground. She could not be revived and magic cast to call her soul back failed. The party completed their work to clear the blocked tunnel pathway and carried the body of their sister back towards Endor. Upon their return, the King’s army was marching forth to aid Branca. They brought Rath before the King who used his Truthseeker Axe and the party learned it was not his actions that slew Trip, but he did nothing to prevent it either. Disappointed and angry with Rath, but with greater evils ahead of them, they released Rath back to their party. King Thorik volunteered his clerics to watch over Trip’s body, so that should her soul be saved, she could be returned to life. They left her body in the care of them at Endor's Temple to Zenethia. Brigitte left Fifi to guard her sister and took Trip’s Zenethian Swords. Resolute, they boarded Leo’s ship and headed towards where Sanazi had last been seen in Santeem.Towards Esturk, The World's End
On the way across the sea, they found the wreckage of several ships and one survivor, Petra D'Silva. Petra offered to help the party in exchange for safe passage. Later on, a flock of harpies attacked the ship and crew, and the fighting alerted a Leviathan who attacked the vessel. Joseppe and Ivan formed a magical wall of iron suspended above the creature and dropped the mass onto it, and they repelled the creature, slew the harpies, and continued on. They arrived at Birdsong Tower on the southern coast of Santeem. Inside, they fought elementals and fire lizards. Brigitte used her gift, a golden locket, and with the activation of the tower's mechanisms, a vortex opened beneath Brigitte, and she disappeared through it. For the party, she was only gone a moment. Brigitte returned as the time ritual spell completed. With her return, all the Zenethian Items had been regathered. With a surge of holy energy emanating from each item, the party were whisked away in emerald light. On the Eternity Stair, Zenthai, The Dragon King, congratulated the children for gathering the artifacts of their parents and thanked the others for their aid. With a breath, Zenthai recast the Zenethian Items into new crystalline forms. Each took the form best suited for its new wielder, and with his energy they were once more recharged and glowing with holy light, and Aoth received the Zenethian Bow. With these gifts, he named them the Zenethian Heroes, the ones with the power to defeat Esturk, The World’s End, and save Azimuth once more. Zenthai returned his Heroes to the Material Plane reenergized and with newfound power. With their task ahead of them, they quickly returned to their ship and set sail for Tarteria, where Esturk stirred. The party arrived in Tarteria and travelled to the miasma-cloaked Aktempto. They found desecrated memorials to Morazar and Porgorag and the entrance to the mines was infested with demons. Petra was captured at the entrance, and as the party went forward to rescue her, Chedae would not proceed, and they left her behind. Petra had convinced the demons to bring them to Esturk directly, feigning that she had betrayed them. The ruse worked and they were led deep into the mines. On 2 Avedar 4A 996, the Heroes went before Esturk, The World's End. Trip's soul was claimed by Esturk and she, along with Morazar and Porgorag, were turned into Dark Champions. Tunnelling through the dark and earth, Zenthai, The Dragon King, appeared and forced his way into this space between worlds to face his rival. The Heroes fought against the Dark Champions while Esturk battled Zenthai. Eventually the Dark Champions were defeated and their souls were saved. However, the battle above went poorly for Zenthai. Alone and still wounded, he had not the strength to hold back Esturk indefinitely. Latching onto Esturk, Zenthai pulled a shining rainbow crystal from The World’s End, and as the dark Dragon screeched, the power exploded, sending Zenthai crashing into the battlefield below. Esturk flew down and landed heavily on the mortally wounded Zenthai. And with a final attack, Esturk killed The Dragon King. The body of Zenthai scattered into lights that spread through the cavern and coalesced upon each of the Heroes, granting them Zenthai's Blessing, and the strength of resolve to face this fight. Though Johanna, Ivan, and Brigitte fell in the fighting, the Zenethian Heroes fought back against the darkness, and with a final blow, they sent Esturk, defeated, back into the darkness. They revived and recovered themselves, and as they left this place, they sealed the entrance behind them with an explosion. The demons were gone and the mines were empty as they ascended back to Azimuth. When the Heroes emerged, they were met with the sun breaking through the storm above Tarteria, and their donkey approached in earnest. As Chedae came to them, she glowed with a similar energy to that which had infused themselves and their items. As the last energy faded from her, she transformed. No more was she the color-changing donkey that had journeyed with them from the start. Her true form was revealed, a young platinum-scaled Dragon. Zenthai had a daughter and hid her away on Azimuth so that if he were slain, Zenethia could continue. Esturk was defeated once more, but Psaro still threatened the world. With the armies he had gathered he could still bring about the end of the kingdoms. The armies they had contacted were gathering in Branca to prepare for battle, and the Heroes would go to aid them. Returning to Leo’s ship, they sailed towards the Endor port and marched quickly towards Branca.Towards Parthenia and Psaro
King Brancana had arranged a war council for the leaders to discuss their strategy against Psaro. The Heroes attended and provided what information they could about Psaro and his plans. The armies set out for the eastern coast to board the gathered vessels, but they did not yet know what they were getting into. The Heroes scouted ahead using a Wind Walk spell to see what defenses Parthenia had. They found where the enemy fleet was holding and went to turn back, however Petra split from the party. Without the means to end the spell and not endanger all of them, they had no way to prevent Petra from leaving them as she headed towards the beasts. Thinking themselves betrayed, the party returned towards the gathering forces. Leo’s ship was still in Endor, so they joined the forces on Branca’s flagship, the Occidentalis, with King Brancana. Paired with them was the elven warship, the Effervescent. Chedae took to the skies and the fleet set sail and headed towards Parthenia. In the Parthenian Sea, the allied fleet met the bulk of Psaro’s navy at the Battle of the Bay of Shipwrecks. The Heroes fought their way to victory and into the Parthenian Bay, and Petra aboard the Falcon rejoined them, guiding the Burland fleet to aid them. Breaking through, the Falcon and the Occidentalis landed on the shores of the Iron Marshes, and they made for the ruins of the city of Gardenbur. In the ruins of Gardenbur, they rested in a dilapidated temple. Inside, a spirit assaulted the party and King Brancana was wounded, and the darkness leached into the wound. The spirit was banished, but the King could no longer continue with them. King Brancana ordered the Heroes to head to Psaro's northern fortress, the Citadel of Bronze. On 3 Janafen 4A 997, the Zenethian Heroes entered the Citadel of Bronze and traveresed through the trapped halls to the throne room. Psaro congratulated them and welcomed them before him. In the rafters of the room were the taken friends of the Zenethian Children, chained and rigged to fall to their death at Psaro’s whim. Psaro offered them their friends and their lives. All he asked for was their blood so he could perfect his use of the Power of Evolution. They refused. With a snap, Psaro summoned music and his minotaur general, Black Phillip, and drew his sword. Of the friends of the Children, only Cher and Gertrude were rescued. Black Phillip was slain and Psaro forced into an incomplete evolution, and with arrow and spell and blade, the Heroes pummeled damage into Psaro, and the Manslayer was killed. With Psaro gone, the magic that surrounded Parthenia destabilized and great shards of the anti-magic barrier began falling from the sky. The Citadel of Bronze shuddered and crumbled around them and the Heroes made their escape. They found the allied armies had won the battle in the Iron Marshes. Though there were fatalities and injuries, with Chedae present and with the Zenethian Heroes the victors against both Esturk and Psaro, the world was saved once more. They eventually returned to Endor, where they found that Trip had recovered, and they introduced her to Chedae. The Heroes worked to aid the recovery and rebuilding of the displaced and wounded, and with the aid of Chedae in her material form, they accomplished great things at the end of the Age. On 31 Jeran 4A 997, Chedae travelled to Hometown with the Zenethian Heroes. She said her goodbyes to each of them and ascended to Zenethia, succeeding her father as the next Dragon Deity of Zenethia and starting the Fifth Age.The Fifth Age: The Age of Beginnings
Trip had a long recovery after her resurrection at the end of the Fourth Age. It is not known what became of her, but many years later, her siblings built a monument in their hometown named Trip’s Tower in her honor. Aoth attended the ceremony. Aoth would return to Branca, the Kingdom of the South, and aid in the kingdom's recovery efforts. He would become a couple with Duvessa Nighthawk and they started a family together, starting the line of Stormwind. He founded both the Brancana Rangers and the Order of the Bow here. His Zenethian Bow would be passed from generation to generation in the Order of the Bow in which he would instill his philosophy of bowmanship.Relationships
Zenethian Children
Aoth was an ally of the Zenethian Children and joined them after their battles at the World Tree. It was through the convincing of Aoth that they were allowed to leave the lands of Soretta, the Undying Aristocracy, instead of being imprisoned for violating elven law. Aoth was a driving force for the Zenethian Heroes, and helped dissuade their predisposition for caution and planning.Brancan Military Unit
During his time in the Brancan miltiary, Aoth served under his commander, Sir Baric Nimir. Aoth had eight soldiers that served under his command: Duvessa Nighthawk, Triston Nastel, Edmar Rurgurner, Chiong Zhiao, Kruush Thrukk, Terketh Cono, Odilia Oathstone, and Thorbear Bjornson. The unit was destroyed along with much of the Brancan military during Psaro the Manslayer's attack on Branca, leaving Aoth, Sir Baric, Duvessa, and Thorbear as the only known survivors.Duvessa Nighthawk
In the Endor Tournaments, Aoth learned of Duvessa's survival from the battle against Psaro the Manslayer. The pair battled in the finals of the archery tournament, where Duvessa lost to Aoth. On Aoth's eventual return to Branca, the Kingdom of the South, the pair would eventual become a couple and start a family together, starting the line of Stormwind.Character Information
Legacy
- "The Story of the Zenethian Heroes" tells of the adventure across Azimuth the Heroes took at the end of the Fourth Age.
- The holiday Heroes Banquet celebrates the Zenethian Heroes and their contributions to the Tarterian War, the Manslayer War, and their continued effects on the world.
- The story of the Zenethian Heroes and the ascension of Chedae, The Heaven's Light are depicted in the stained glass histories on display in Endor's Temple to Zenethia.
- When Aoth returned to the Brancan military, he formed the Brancana Rangers to defend the eastern access to the country and patrol the Iron Highway.
- For his service to the country, King Alphonse Brancana left a track of land in Kendell to Aoth, where he would build the Abbey of the Ruby Rose and found the Order of the Bow.
- Aoth would start a lineage of the Stormwind family, who would become caretakers of the Zenethian Bow.
- The Church of Zenethia in Porgorag contains statuary depictions of each of the Zenethian Heroes.
Notable Items
- Zenethian Bow: Aoth received the Zenethian Bow during the reforging of the Zenethian Items by Zenthai, The Dragon King, in the late Fourth Age, after which he continued to wield it.
- Crafted Arrows: Aoth was a skilled fletcher and crafter, and he used many different types of unique, crafted arrows during his journeys.
2021 Character Art by J Pleshe
Character Type
Player Character Actor
G.F.
Player Character Actor
G.F.
Current Status
Deceased
Species
Date of Birth
4A 963
Date of Death
5A 101
Children
Current Residence
Aoth's Tomb in Kendell
Gender
Male
Eyes
Brown
Hair
Brown
Height
6' 5"
Weight
200 lbs
Aligned Organization