Gorgo Asther
The Red King
"Gorgo Asther: third king of the Asther line,reign [date] to [date]. Said to turn his enemies to stone with fear by the simple act of stepping onto the battlefield. Called as The Red King, Gorgo expanded Amaya to encompass three territories that stood at its border. Revered as a ruler and a conqueror, though it is said that his behavior as a man matched his actions on the battlefield for cruelty...
Overview
For thousands of years, Amaya's destiny has been inextricably linked to the will and whims of Samael Asther... yet the territory itself is far older than Samael himself, as is the bloodline that shaped it. For an ocean of time before Samael took The Eternal Throne, the one to sit it was Samael's father Gorgo, then called the Red King. In his time, he was known for his power, his competence, and his cruelty. Perhaps it was his cruelty that became his downfall?
General Information
History
One could say that Gorgo Asther was born to greatness. The favorite son of the second Asther Lord, Imael Asther and his third wife Kalina Asther, it was assumed that the would be named Legat and groomed to serve as Imael's second and heir... which he was. Imael could not have guessed that the very qualities that made Gorgo the chosen heir would also doom both Imael and Gorgo alike.
Legat Regalis
Lord Imael Asther was not known for his capacity for monogamy, and so he had several wives- sometimes simultaneously, and sometimes not. Even so, it was known that his favorite of them was his third wife, Kalina, for whom he cast aside his first two consorts. Her short life seemingly immortalized her in Imael's eyes, as she was lost in childbirth, taking the child along with her. That left only two children born to Imael and Kalina: Gorgo and his twin brother, Balvar. Gorgo and Balvar were Imael's favorites, likely due to their parentage, and this preference only intensified after Kalina's passing.
Though both Gorgo and Balvar were favored by Imael, it quickly became evident that there was a difference in their natures... in both positive nad negative ways. While Balvar was fairly laid back and hedonistic, Gorgo was far more focused, more responsible... and more ruthless. This made Gorgo the obvious choice as legat regalis. Being chosen as legat regalis, however, did little to sate Gorgo's growing ambition. Though named heir, there was no guarantee that he would actually hold Amaya's rule - for the immortal, there is no guarantee of inheritance.
Fallout from the Three Cycle War
Despite the ambition burning in his heart, Gorgo stifled his hungers at first. At the time, the Three Cycle War had been raging for 30 years, and Gorgo devoted himself to acclimating himself to military leadership, and to the brutality of war. By the end of the war, Gorgo's already surly personality had darkened. In the coming years, Balvar would confide that Gorgo had become angry, and occasionally erratic. Despite warnings that his chosen successor had become difficult -- perhaps even dangerous -- Imael remained blind to Gorgo's disturbance to the end - an end that came mysteriously during a father and son boating trip attended by Imael, Gorgo and Balvar. The tree set off together, but only the brothers returned. Balvar never spoke of whatever it was that happened on that ship, but Balvar would often say that the Three Cycle War stripped what there was of warmth in Gorgo and made a beast of what remained.
From the day Gorgo took the throne forward, Amaya knew no peace as he sought to annex the surrounding territories.
As his twin predicted, the newly instated Lord of Amaya quickly proved to be a far more brutal and authoritarian figure than Imael had ever been. He immediately set about "managing" his lesser status siblings, having them killed, disowned, or imprisoned, leaving only himself and Balvar. His increasingly brutal and merciless ways earned him the epithet The Red King, and he spared no kindness even for those who became close to him. In pursuit of a strong heir, Gorgo took several wives, which then became the Cubare/Hetaera/Doxie system still in use to this day.
It was within that system that he found his two most significant consorts. His original favorite, Perswyn, became mother to Raum Asther and Taladan Asther (Deceased). But it wasn't until he chose Isis, a renown beauty even among the succubae, that his destiny was made.
A Darker Red
Gorgo proved as brutal and cruel to Perswyn and Isis as he was to his subjects, or to his siblings. Perswyn eventually passed away under questionable circumstances, leaving Isis and Balvar alone to manage Gorgo's instability and violence... and then Isis only, when Balvar "disappeared" after a particularly heated argument with Gorgo. As his children grew, Gorgo's darkness grew as well; recognizing his own drive reflected back at him through Samael, Gorgo sought to prevent a repeat of his own betrayal of Imael by crushing Samael's spirit. He did this by inflicting ever escalating emotional, mental and physical violence on the boy. When Isis attempted to protect him, she was sent on long "diplomatic" trips and "vacations" intended to remove her from court and leave Gorgo to deal with his most formidable child. These trips would sometimes last years or, in extreme cases, even decades.
Ultimately, this would backfire in ways Gorgo ought to have expected: much like he, himself, no pressure, no violence and no fear could tame Samael. For the last several years of Gorgo's life, Samael began to physically fight back when attacked and, ultimately, Gorgo was killed during one of their altercations when Samael cut his father's throat with the knife, Desolation.
Present
Today, Gorgo is remembered as the Red King of Amaya, among demonkind's most dangerous and brutal rulers, brought down by his own cruelty, and his hubris in believing that he could break the child most like his own unbreakable self. His corpse lies within the vault of Asther. Despite their "difficult" relationships, both Samael and Isis have been seen speaking to his stone casket from time to time. What they are saying is anyone's guess.
Character
There is a schism amongst scholars on the question of Gorgo Asther. Was he a madman broken by his experiences at the frontlines of the Three Cycle War... or was he simply tyrannical and violent by his own nature? It is hard to know for certain, particularly given that those close enough to know him tended to disappear or die. However, while researching the Red King, Eiryen of Astrum was able to locate (and given access to) documents contemporary with Gorgo Asther's actual lifetime. Some excerpts follow.
Soon I will bear my third child of two pregnancies. Imael is pleased, though I find him, at times, difficult to read. Still, my greater concern is not my love, but rather my sons. They each seem... standoffish is, perhaps, the best term for it... but while Balvar is merely dismayed, I am more concerned about Gorgo. His eyes burn when he looks my way. He is only a child, you know... and yet sometimes his rage is as dangerous as that of a full grown archdemon. That, I fear, is the nature of a boy born with all the strength of Imael and none of his experience, or self-restraint. Still, he is but a child. I choose to believe whatever darkness lurks inside will find its balance, in time.
My brother rages. This has become all too common. When the battle turns, Gorgo rages. When the enemy is too long in coming, he rages. When the enemy stays too long, he rages, too. 'There is little remaining to him now aside from that rage,' is what I'd like to say... but in truth, I wonder now whether there has ever been anything within him, but rage and appetite. When the night grows heavy and the warcries die down, he looks to our allioes, and I swear I see knives in those eyes.
Since returning from the war, I have given him significant responsibilities, and he has handled the lot of them with admirable grace. This past week, Gorgo and Balvar returned from the south with Dominus Dracothis at his back - that most difficult of incubi lords has now chosen to swear his fealty to the House of Asther. I remember well my mother's attempts to secure their alliance, as I have also done... yet it was my son who brought them to heel, at last. The question remains, however, how did he manage it? For all his brilliance and talent, for all his focus, I would not say Gorgo has ever been especially silver-tongued. I do wonder whether he is truly the one to strike that deal... or if he left it to Belvar. The two of them will make a fine team one day, should the throne truly fall into their hands: Gorgo the sword, and Balvar the voice. Yet, though there is naught to trouble oneself over with regards to such an arrangement between brothers, I am troubled to think of this potential dishonesty. I wonder, as well, whether the greater leader in a post-war nation would be the voice or the blade. It's just as well. Next week, we set out for a day of leisure. There, apart fromt he potential dishonor of such an admission, I will speak to the boys of this question and arrive at whatever conclusion must be arrived at.
Greetings to The Newly Annointed Regis Vallus Dominus Regalis, the Honorable Gorgo Asther! Our Great Lord Asther has risen to the throne with the untimely disappearance - and likely demise - of the Second Lord Asther, Imael Asther. A great war hero and diplomat, Lord Gorgo is renown for his role in the Three Cycle War, where he and his brother, Legat Regalis Balvar, were responsible for routing the Hollow Armies for the final time. It was Lord Gorgo as well who brought peace with the long rebellious House of Dracothis. Though we grieve Lord Imael with the heaviness of death, our hearts are light with unfettered joy at the rise of Lord Asther the Third, the Great Gorgo, long may he stand upon the bones of his fallen!
Yes, Gorgo broke my bones countless times, though that's nothing at all compared to what became of Perswyn, or his father, or his brother. I wouldn't doubt I might have come to the same fate, were Samael less his father's child. Did my husband take pleasure in pain, however...? Perhaps. It was a means to an end, for him, I think - though what end was served only Gorgo could say. To shine his ego, to control all in his domain... to bring all things into that domain. Gorgo called for pride and tyranny, but blood and greed were no less relevant to him.
Of course I remember Gorgo. No one in Bloodwood Fall who lived for a moment before he died could ever forgot him. He was a mountain of a man, you know - well, a volcano is a better description. Aside from that, I remember all too well the way he treated Samael back then. I might have cut the bastard's throat himself, were I not so fond of my wings. ...you know. Most believe it was Gorgo who brought my people to court all those millennia ago... but Father always said that was bullshit. Only in private, you understand, but it's true. He would say the one who really talked him down was-- well, I'm sure you can figure it out. Not that it matters now - they're all dead, even my father.
Do I miss him, you ask. It is bold that you even put this a question to voice. I will indulge you with an answer, however - a simple one. No. I do not miss him. There was nothing to him worth missing. Even so... had I the power to do so, I would raise him from death, yes. I would relish another chance to watch those red fire eyes as they fade to black ash. Perhaps Mother would like to see it, too.
Physical Appearance
Gorgo was a massively tall, almost unrealistically muscular man with skin roughly the color of tourmaline. His hair was dark grey and kept long. His eyes were fiery red, and tended to glow like fire. For most of Gorgo's life he sported a beard of some kind - a goatee as a young man, and a full beard and mustache in his later years. He had a fondness for black metal and complicated filigree or aother engravements. More often than not, he word something akin to armor, with blue and/or red runes and/or stone embedded in the metal.
His signature weapons were oversized black metal swords, warhammers and axes with blazing blue or red runes enscribed on their blades, heads, or hammers.
Gorgot was able to "grow" red and black wings from his back at will, and would frequently appear with massive wings extended in formal occasions. It is unknown whether they were capable of actually supporting him in flight.
Abilities
General Combat Style
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Physical Abilities
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Subsection 1
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Subsection 2
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Magic
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Subsection 1
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Subsection 2
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Psionics
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Subsection 1
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Subsection 2
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Elemental
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Subsection 1
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Subsection 2
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Threat Assessment:
At a Glance
Death
Personal
Social
Abilities
Outworld InformationPROPERTY
Yada yada moo
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