Background
Dec. 31st, 2013 09:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skirtinglylawfulBorn on the Basitin Islands south of the main continent, Alaric was raised the same as most young Basitin are. His best friend was a boy of the same age named Keith Kaiser, who was the son of the Arms General. He liked that Keith was a little different like him, though in Keith's case it was the fact that he was gentler and easier to poke fun at, which likely also had led Alaric to be somewhat protective of him.
Not much is known about his history, childhood especially, though he attend military training at age seven most likely as that was the norm in their society. Keith started attending a year later and for five years apparently things were normal. However, when they were thirteen, both of Keith's parents were killed within the same night and Keith was charged with the crime. Alaric knew that Keith had neither the strength nor reason to kill his parents in cold blood, but when Keith was being banished from the island Alaric was alarmed because his friend hadn't been able to request an appeal because he hadn't known he could. The fact that Alaric did know this is probably because he researched the matter as soon as Keith was put on trial.
Regardless, he never got to tell Keith this because the Intelligence general, Alabaster, forbade him from doing so because he felt that Keith's father was a better man than either of the boys and that Keith was getting what he deserved...even going so far as to rake his claws over Alaric's face, permanently scarring and possibly blinding his eye, when Alaric had insisted on trying to help his friend. It was then that Alaric realized that he was too weak as he was to set things right, and that if he was going to help his friend he needed power and a deeper understanding of Basitin law because he would have to manipulate the system in Keith's favor.
In less than six years, Alaric had excelled at his training and fought his way to the position of Master General. He began to study all of the laws and learn every loophole, using all of the applicable ones to plan various ways that Keith could not only have his citizenship reinstated when he finally came home...because Alaric was confident that he would, but also be placed in a position of importance as well. He also began to work on an almost completely nude statue of him, going off of what he imagined that his friend would look like.
Some point before the main characters arrived on the island, the Templar from the mainland did, offering to rectify the unfairness that rendered the Basitin race completely non-magical. They began to construct a tower that could grant them magic, though Alaric was a little suspicious of their motives despite his own eagerness for the use.
Not long after, a ship came to their island and before it was even allowed to dock he knew Keith was aboard. He initially greeted his long lost friend warmly and with a big hug, but was forced to watch Alabaster, still Intelligence General, berate and belittle Keith. He eventually spoke up that Keith was to be allowed to explain himself, at which point he had the immense satisfaction of seeing Alabaster furious and unable to do anything because Keith had met his condition to return from banishment...though he was not yet reinstated as a citizen so easily. Alaric led Keith and his companions to an inn they could stay in, reminding Keith of this and that he would need to stand trial again.
That same day, he sought Keith out again, but correctly guessed that when his friend was gone from the inn that he was visiting his mother's grave and sent a messenger to invite him to the bathhouse. There he told Keith that someone was looking for him, that he wanted to hear about Keith's adventures first, even putting aside the chance to tell him about his eye when asked about it...though after Keith completely forgot about wanting to know when Alaric's news had been that a female Fox Keidran had moved onto the island recently in search of him, because she was Keith's fiance. It was too late to see her before curfew, but Alaric promised to take him to see her the next day.
Bright and early he collected Keith at the inn, but first he took him to see the tower, which Keith was horrified by the presence of until Alaric explained what it was for. He also explained that in exchange for the power to use magic, the Templar now wanted Trace Legacy, who Keith had brought as his condition to return. The Basitins would hand over Trace and Keith was to assassinate one of his other companions, a wolf Keidran that was suspected of being a spy, before his trial the following day. Alaric stressed that none of this was to be revealed to Keith's companions.
After this, he took Keith to see the nearly-completed statue, asking him to pose naked so that he could finish the details...though this was also part of a prank because he'd arranged for Keith's fiance to meet them there and she walked in while Keith was naked, resulting in a lot of embarrassment between the two. This was also likely revenge for Keith's being more interested in her than spending time with him, but he let Keith go to her, saying they could continue later. Later was not to be though.
By nightfall Keith and his companions had been labelled a threat to the Basitin peace and Alaric was ordered to stop them from reaching the tower. He tried to talk Keith down and Keith explained that he had learned that the gift of magic was a trap to rot the minds of all the Basitins and make them easy to conquer, confirming Alaric's suspicions of the Templar. But Alaric still had his orders and believed that Keith was currently in the wrong so they fought on the bridge leading to the tower. Alaric was the stronger opponent, but Keith proved to be more cunning and managed to maneuver them so Alaric was on the wrong side of the bridge before breaking it. Alaric jumped the gap, unwilling to let him escape, but the bridge crumbled under him and Keith caught him.
Keith revealed that this wasn't about good or evil and that he didn't want to see anyone else important to him hurt, which included Alaric. But the injuries from the fight had left Keith too weak to pull him up and eventually Alaric fell to the ground far below. As he lay dying, he took some comfort in the fact that he had set in motion a prank against everyone who had ever or would try to do wrong Keith in the aftermath of this. He had arranged for a witness to observe their battle and made an ambassador position for Keith to take with his experience off the island, his defeat making it legitimate for Keith to take the position and recent events ultimately making an ambassador something they needed.
Not much is known about his history, childhood especially, though he attend military training at age seven most likely as that was the norm in their society. Keith started attending a year later and for five years apparently things were normal. However, when they were thirteen, both of Keith's parents were killed within the same night and Keith was charged with the crime. Alaric knew that Keith had neither the strength nor reason to kill his parents in cold blood, but when Keith was being banished from the island Alaric was alarmed because his friend hadn't been able to request an appeal because he hadn't known he could. The fact that Alaric did know this is probably because he researched the matter as soon as Keith was put on trial.
Regardless, he never got to tell Keith this because the Intelligence general, Alabaster, forbade him from doing so because he felt that Keith's father was a better man than either of the boys and that Keith was getting what he deserved...even going so far as to rake his claws over Alaric's face, permanently scarring and possibly blinding his eye, when Alaric had insisted on trying to help his friend. It was then that Alaric realized that he was too weak as he was to set things right, and that if he was going to help his friend he needed power and a deeper understanding of Basitin law because he would have to manipulate the system in Keith's favor.
In less than six years, Alaric had excelled at his training and fought his way to the position of Master General. He began to study all of the laws and learn every loophole, using all of the applicable ones to plan various ways that Keith could not only have his citizenship reinstated when he finally came home...because Alaric was confident that he would, but also be placed in a position of importance as well. He also began to work on an almost completely nude statue of him, going off of what he imagined that his friend would look like.
Some point before the main characters arrived on the island, the Templar from the mainland did, offering to rectify the unfairness that rendered the Basitin race completely non-magical. They began to construct a tower that could grant them magic, though Alaric was a little suspicious of their motives despite his own eagerness for the use.
Not long after, a ship came to their island and before it was even allowed to dock he knew Keith was aboard. He initially greeted his long lost friend warmly and with a big hug, but was forced to watch Alabaster, still Intelligence General, berate and belittle Keith. He eventually spoke up that Keith was to be allowed to explain himself, at which point he had the immense satisfaction of seeing Alabaster furious and unable to do anything because Keith had met his condition to return from banishment...though he was not yet reinstated as a citizen so easily. Alaric led Keith and his companions to an inn they could stay in, reminding Keith of this and that he would need to stand trial again.
That same day, he sought Keith out again, but correctly guessed that when his friend was gone from the inn that he was visiting his mother's grave and sent a messenger to invite him to the bathhouse. There he told Keith that someone was looking for him, that he wanted to hear about Keith's adventures first, even putting aside the chance to tell him about his eye when asked about it...though after Keith completely forgot about wanting to know when Alaric's news had been that a female Fox Keidran had moved onto the island recently in search of him, because she was Keith's fiance. It was too late to see her before curfew, but Alaric promised to take him to see her the next day.
Bright and early he collected Keith at the inn, but first he took him to see the tower, which Keith was horrified by the presence of until Alaric explained what it was for. He also explained that in exchange for the power to use magic, the Templar now wanted Trace Legacy, who Keith had brought as his condition to return. The Basitins would hand over Trace and Keith was to assassinate one of his other companions, a wolf Keidran that was suspected of being a spy, before his trial the following day. Alaric stressed that none of this was to be revealed to Keith's companions.
After this, he took Keith to see the nearly-completed statue, asking him to pose naked so that he could finish the details...though this was also part of a prank because he'd arranged for Keith's fiance to meet them there and she walked in while Keith was naked, resulting in a lot of embarrassment between the two. This was also likely revenge for Keith's being more interested in her than spending time with him, but he let Keith go to her, saying they could continue later. Later was not to be though.
By nightfall Keith and his companions had been labelled a threat to the Basitin peace and Alaric was ordered to stop them from reaching the tower. He tried to talk Keith down and Keith explained that he had learned that the gift of magic was a trap to rot the minds of all the Basitins and make them easy to conquer, confirming Alaric's suspicions of the Templar. But Alaric still had his orders and believed that Keith was currently in the wrong so they fought on the bridge leading to the tower. Alaric was the stronger opponent, but Keith proved to be more cunning and managed to maneuver them so Alaric was on the wrong side of the bridge before breaking it. Alaric jumped the gap, unwilling to let him escape, but the bridge crumbled under him and Keith caught him.
Keith revealed that this wasn't about good or evil and that he didn't want to see anyone else important to him hurt, which included Alaric. But the injuries from the fight had left Keith too weak to pull him up and eventually Alaric fell to the ground far below. As he lay dying, he took some comfort in the fact that he had set in motion a prank against everyone who had ever or would try to do wrong Keith in the aftermath of this. He had arranged for a witness to observe their battle and made an ambassador position for Keith to take with his experience off the island, his defeat making it legitimate for Keith to take the position and recent events ultimately making an ambassador something they needed.
