Jos van Aalten
Father Josef van Aalten (a.k.a. Jos, or Joe)
Josef ("Jos" or "Joe") van Aalten is a 12th Level Human Cleric living in Aerost. He resides in seclusion in the Great Library, hidden for many years under the streets of Aerost. He is the last remaining worshiper of Mantidae in the city, and single-handedly keeps the worship of his deity alive.
Josef was once one of the most influential and powerful clerics of Mantidae on Melas. He was specifically charged with maintaining the various temples and training abbeys in the Wildlands of Southern Melas. He was one of the only survivors of the Elemental Sundering, and worked to secrete all the historic writings and art of the era in the Great Library. There he fanatically looks after the treasured history of his order and the full The Triad Pantheon.
When the gods began to realiz they had to remove themselves from the world and sleep for a time, van Aalten was one of the three "Champions" chosen by the heads of each order to obtain immortality, to safeguard each of the Heart gems. After the ritual had completed and van Aalten was traveling with his companions back to Aerost, his best friend Galandros betrayed them all, stole the Heart of the Wind and escaped. Van Aalten was left for dead - although he could not die. Eventually he returned to a very different Aerost than the one he had left.
Then the dark times came, the church collapsed and the Mantidae faith fell into ruin. He was the only one left that could keep the faith alive in Aerost, continuing to minister to a select few remaining initiates. In those last few fateful days of transition, he was scarred by unholy water that was thrown at him by an enemy cultist, which was unable to be healed and disfigures him to this day.
In his grief and guilt for failing his god's request, he choose to live permanently at the former Great Pantheon Library, although its foundation has collapsed and it now has settled below the surface of Aerost. He spends his days cataloguing, restoring and maintaining what's left of the vast collection of religious books, documents, artifacts and records. He also lends his assistance to the burgeoning Aerost resistance movement when he can. One of their safe houses, Gem's Used Books, sits directly on top of the old Library and obscures it from view. It also provides the only entrance/exit to the Library through a series of secret doors and tunnels.
He has become cynical and disillusioned, though he still clings to the promise that Mantidae and the other Triad gods someday will return in triumph. This small faith sustains him and allows him to retain his power. He is outwardly disdainful, uncouth and pessimistic about the world.
Josef was once one of the most influential and powerful clerics of Mantidae on Melas. He was specifically charged with maintaining the various temples and training abbeys in the Wildlands of Southern Melas. He was one of the only survivors of the Elemental Sundering, and worked to secrete all the historic writings and art of the era in the Great Library. There he fanatically looks after the treasured history of his order and the full The Triad Pantheon.
When the gods began to realiz they had to remove themselves from the world and sleep for a time, van Aalten was one of the three "Champions" chosen by the heads of each order to obtain immortality, to safeguard each of the Heart gems. After the ritual had completed and van Aalten was traveling with his companions back to Aerost, his best friend Galandros betrayed them all, stole the Heart of the Wind and escaped. Van Aalten was left for dead - although he could not die. Eventually he returned to a very different Aerost than the one he had left.
Then the dark times came, the church collapsed and the Mantidae faith fell into ruin. He was the only one left that could keep the faith alive in Aerost, continuing to minister to a select few remaining initiates. In those last few fateful days of transition, he was scarred by unholy water that was thrown at him by an enemy cultist, which was unable to be healed and disfigures him to this day.
In his grief and guilt for failing his god's request, he choose to live permanently at the former Great Pantheon Library, although its foundation has collapsed and it now has settled below the surface of Aerost. He spends his days cataloguing, restoring and maintaining what's left of the vast collection of religious books, documents, artifacts and records. He also lends his assistance to the burgeoning Aerost resistance movement when he can. One of their safe houses, Gem's Used Books, sits directly on top of the old Library and obscures it from view. It also provides the only entrance/exit to the Library through a series of secret doors and tunnels.
He has become cynical and disillusioned, though he still clings to the promise that Mantidae and the other Triad gods someday will return in triumph. This small faith sustains him and allows him to retain his power. He is outwardly disdainful, uncouth and pessimistic about the world.
Divine Domains
Air, wind, knowledge, good works, empathy.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Slightly undernourished. Not frail but weak from not leaving his sanctuary for hundreds of years.
Facial Features
Large disfiguring scar on left cheek, resulting from being hit by bottle of unholy water during the Sundering. Chose to leave it unrepaired as symbol of his guilt and failure.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
- Left home as young man to follow his faith and become a disciple of Mantidae
- Befriended an intense young man named Baron Galandros Jorten who was seeking to become an acolyte, at the insistence of his family
- Was betrayed by Galandros, contributing to fall of the The Triad Pantheon
- Survived the Sundering, was able to call upon friends to hide him and the sacred writings in an old temple/library under the streets of Aerost.
- Now only lives to catalogue, maintain and protect the library and its books at all cost.
Social
Contacts & Relations
- Gem - proprietor of Gem's Rare Books, the business under which the Great Library can be found. Gem assists Jos with survival necessities, while Jos occasionally supplies Gem with books and other material from the Library to sell. They have developed a close relationship, and Gem guard's the secret existence of the Library with his life.
- Galandros Jorten - once a fellow acolyte of Mantidae, he renounced the faith, betraying his brothers and sisters, and assisted the mages in bringing about the Elemental Sundering. Galandros became a mage himself and now resides in Kovsholm .
Family Ties
None.
Religious Views
He is deeply devoted to Mantidae, or at least the memory of Mantidae, for he has not felt his presence in years. He understands his last duty to his god is to preserve the legacy of their religion through his books. He can still cast simple clerical spells, but the more complex ones he used to be able to cast elude him.
Speech
Like others in the Wildlands, Jos has a slight Dutch/Germanic accent.
Divine Classification
Deity
Alignment
Chaotic Good
Current Status
Guard Great Pantheon Library from those wishing it harm
Current Location
Church/Cult
Age
56 (apparent). 275 (actual)
Birthplace
Aerost
Children
Current Residence
The Great Library, Aerost
Gender
Male
Eyes
Grey and haunted
Hair
Grey, full, unkempt.
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Fair and unweathered, save for unholy water scar on left cheek
Height
5'6"
Weight
175lbs
Belief/Deity
Mantidae
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Ruled Locations
Comments