Haerthorne Family/Aerywyn

Aerywyn Haerthorne
Status:	Alive
Continent:	Far East
Realm:	Arcaea
Titles Held:	Lord Protector, Marshal, Banker, Arch Priest, Count of Larmebsi
Class:	Cavalier
Honor:	119
Prestige:	23
Age:	29
Height:	6'2"
Weight:	Roughly 185 lbs
Eyes:	Cerulean Blue
Hair:	Wavy Dark Brown-Black

A storm cloud which had been brewing over the camp suddenly thrust its way through, crackling with thunder and rage as Aerywyn flung the tent flap aside. For a moment he stood just beyond the threshold, long dark strands of lank hair clinging to his head and neck, as rivulets of water ran down his chainmail and dripped off his predatory figure. His face was darkened and his blue eyes were cold as ice, and when they locked with a stunned Madelena he found himself in a battle simply to maintain his composure, until finally, slowly, he found the words to voice his frustrations...

The Steelclad Sparrow

Tall and comely, Aerywyn holds himself with easy grace and relaxed nobility, his cerulean blue eyes reflecting the beauty of the sea underneath the long, dark brown waves of hair. A bit on the skinny side when considering most warriors, Aerywyn's lithe and athletic Aphysique belies the wiry, almost animalistic strength that marks out the man born with a passionate heart and a sway between civility and wildness. His demeanor mirrors this, as the internal conflict so often does, for his dreamy, poetic nature and the often cruel landscape he was thrown into have clashed and mingled over time to create a cunning although sardonic statesman, an experienced warrior, and a mind unparalleled in the Far East.

It is often said that there could not be a more kind soul to his friends, nor one so cold and dark to his enemies. Decades of warfare and intra-personal strife have taken their toll on him, as conflict so often does, for his dreamy, poetic nature and the often cruel landscape he was thrown into have clashed and mingled over time to create a cunning although sardonic statesman and a mind unparalleled in the Far East. He has lost some of his idealism for changing the ways of others, but fortune and the strange workings of the world have encouraged him to push forward to create a land worth living in. Indeed, holding the weight of the heavy bastard sword in his hand and the banner of Arcaea high over his head, there are few knights who have given their heart, their strength, their years, and their life so wholly to a realm.

Early Years

The middle child of the family, Aerywyn was born to the minor nobleman and professional soldier Gaerrant Haerthorne and the mysterious Gwydda Seyt'ial, the younger brother of Tirilyn by a space of two years. As he was grew up in the modest comfort of their home, he was taught largely by his mother and tutors for his brother showed to be the healthier boy, and as the eldest child had the duty of being heir to the familial estates. As the years passed he was blessed with a sister to love and to protect whilst his brother was living dreams of being a great warrior, and from his mother he gained a love of music and poetry, and the fine loving shapes of beauty in all forms.

At the age of 14 he was praised by some of the palace musicians as having one of the richest voices and the best ears in the kingdom, yet his father merely looked down disdainfully at the overly innocous child he had. Gwydda had a bewitching heritage stronger than his father, however, and she noted with an often mischievous smile and a glimmer in her green eyes that he had his mothers charms. Unfortunately, she proved to be right. Being squire to an old knight, with eyes full of mirth and a drooping moustache which hid the sly curling at the corner of his lips, Aerywyn was weighed down with few duties and lax discipline, and often found himself chasing pretty faces through the gardens and kitchens.

Eventually the old knight introduced the Haerthorne brood to his nephews and nieces, El'rinal, Malakas, and Kath'lanar Veanne'aedin. Of the tales of their fosterage from the city of Palnasos, the short lived romance between Aerywyn and Kath'lanar is the most famous yet least talked about in the Haerthorne household. From their relationship a child came, Willam, yet the shame of their son's illegitemacy prompted him to be taken away and fostered as an old friends by Gaerrant. Within the space of a few months Gaerrant died, and patriarchy passed to Tirilyn, who loved his brother enough to allow him to raise his son as his own; an ironic twist of fate. Yet the two young lovers were still forbidden to see each other for the cost of their passion, and all would soon be swept up by the winds of fate and the flames of war...

A red sparrow, the personal emblem of Aerywyn.

To Take up Arms

Soon after becoming a fully-fledged knight, the call to war came to Arcaea for the first time since she was reduced and impoverished by her neighbours. The small and ancient kingdom went to war with her allies, and so Aerywyn eagerly marched to the distant city of Anacan, afire with the vigour of youth. A gargantuan struggle between the Feudal Republic of Lasanar and the Antoza Commonwealth had culminated in a long and bitter siege of the city, and Arcaea joined the Federation in the final assault upon the walls. The battle heralded the end of the Antozan's power, and brought about the creation of Cathay in it's place.

Over the years, Aerywyn's hatred of Cathay would become more and more vehement.

With the decisions of Queen Trinity and the nobility, Arcaea became a mercenary realm to offset the disadvantages of her small size and isolated position. By a chain of events, Aerywyn watched as the realm he lived in and loved was thrown into a war over the Duchy of Lasop, her former allies seeking to destroy the small realm. The war would last over a decade, and in that time his fortunes rose and fell, once being named Count of Larmebsi, once made Arch-Priest of Arcaea, and once being deported to the frozen wastelands of Thalmarkin in the north of Beluaterra. The cruelty of war and the passage of time taught him many things, and through study of the tales of the Far East, he changed from the innocent boy he was at the beginning of the chaos.

A year passed. Quickly he had risen in the small daimon ravaged kingdom of Thalmarkin, gifted with lordship over the Oeipud coastal plain, although he could not stand to stay any longer. When he returned from his exile, Aerywyn came to find a place most changed. Soon he discovered that in his time away that Lasanar had dissolved into numerous squabbling states, that Sartania was being beaten back, that the hated Ethialans had become Arcaea's ally... and that the Northern Federation had been split asunder.