Sterksain Family/Aethelmaer

Aethelmaer Sterksain

He is the favorite of his family, and also the second oldest.

Early Childhood

Born into the Sterksain Family under his father, Garland, and his mother, Elira. He always sought out for things, with a unique sense of curiosity, his parents often kept a close eye on him, as he would always try to escape from his parents clutches, as if he were in prison. Barred away from the world, he always tried to escape, and once he did.

His First Adventure

He was only a boy of seven, when one day, he unlatched the door to his pen, and with the front door of his house open, he simply walked out. He stood at the street in front of him, the hustle and bustle of people with their goods, and the merchants tending to their customers. Aethelmaer walked around a little bit, and being the curious being he is, climbed into someone's caravan. No sooner did he climb into it, it started to move. So he layed back into the hay, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. He awoke, to a night sky full of stars, and not a single cloud. Sitting up, his stomach was aching him. Luckily, he had climbed into a food caravan, and found some carrots that satisfied his hunger. Also, seemingly satisfied with the new scenery, he jumps off of the caravan, and stood at the edge of a great forest. Looking down the path, he saw a horse quickly dashing towards him, thinking quickly he dodged it and dove into the woods. With that he got up and ran further and further, until he was too tired to stand. He sat upon a rock, and taking note of his surroundings, spotted a cave, not too far off. His curiosity gave him a new energy, and ran towards the cave. Peering in he saw nothing but darkness, and decided to wait until morning to explore. For the night, he decided to sleep on some leaves that he had bunched up. Morning came, and he couldn't wait to get into that cave, but first scouted the area for berries. When his pouch was full, he finally entered the cave. Delving deeper and deeper, he found a strange box. One that he couldn't yet open. An insctiption was written on it, but he couldn't read it, it seemed to be in a different language. He guessed it was latin, but couldn't tell exactly. Now he had to find his way back. Traveling back through the cave, he thought he remembered the path he took, but walking back, easily lost himself in the maze of intertwining paths. At one point, he was walking and tripped on a small crack in the floor. With the grunt he let out, hundreds and hundreds of bats, rushed out, and thinking quickly, he stood up and ran in the direction they were flying, until he fell into a small hole. Now sliding down, a narrow corridor, and a faint light at the end of the tunnel, it led him into a river. He was dumped into the river, and was quickly taken up by the current and down a small waterfall. Washing ashore, in a heap of pain, he was picked up, by a passing trader, and was taken back into town. He was left with the healers, and wondering what his parents were thinking right now, only cause him to shudder, as to what they would do to him. Before, he could even start thinking of that, his parents just so happened to walk into the healer's building. When he got home, he got thrown into his room, and locked in.... for three days. His parents were royally angered by his actions, his punishment, his older brother was able to do anything he wanted to, to Aethelmaer. He could already taste the blood, and dirt in his mouth. For the next week, he was beat on, and used until he couldn't even stand, and was forced to do more. Once his week was over he could finally focus on his treasure from his little journey. He decided to wait until he was older to find out about his new found treasure.

Growing Up

Even though his parents didn't like the thought of him roaming around alone, and certain his little journey rattled them a little bit, they decided it might best to teach him the ways of the ranger. So one day, Garland, took Aethelmaer out into the forest, and firstly taught him how to string a bow. His father made him do it many times before he actually made a decent one to use for now. His hands all cut and battered now, he holds it up to see if he could actually use it. The arrow he shot, didn't go very far. Not even 5 feet in front of him. Well, after a few days he started getting the hang of it, shooting it farther and straighter each day. One day when he was nine, his father took him out and he caught his first deer. He had set a trap for it, it took the bait, and paid the price. He also took out, a squirrel sitting on a tree branch, from 50 feet away. His father was proud of him, and decided that he was to be tested.

The Test

That one fateful day changed Aethelmaer forever. His skills were finally starting to impress his parents, so they decided to leave him in the forest a long distance from their home, and he had to find his way back. He was given nothing besides some bow strings, a knife, some flint, and a pack. The first thing he needed to do was set up a camp, and settle in. He first scrounged the area for things like food, burnable materials, even things he could use to make a tent or blankets or something of the sort. With some basic materials, some branches, one strong enough to string a bow, he started a fire, and began to work, creating his bow, and a few arrows for starters. With that he captured a squirrel for his dinner, settling in he slept on the ground the first day, looking at the stars. The next day, he went out exploring, finding a cave, and a path through the woods. The cave seemed to be inhabited, and decided he would wait a day or two more to explore futher. Gathering extra supplies, he caught a deer, and decided if he needed to he could barter with the inhabitants of the cave, if they were human. Stepping into the cave, brought back memories of his first adventure. It gave him an inspirational feeling, and he pressed on, deeper into the dark cave. A few turns in, he found a doorway with some light flickering out of it. He peered in to find a few common thieves were talking amongst themselves, dividing their stolen goods between the four of them. He decided to take a risk and see if he could outsmart them. He picked up a few pebbles, looked to a door on the other side of the room, and chucked a pebble across the room, though the other door, making a noise drawing the attention of the thieves. They split up, all four went towards the door, two going straight, and the other two turning an unseen corner. With that chance, Aethelmaer slipped in and took all of the small gold bags they stole. He quickly stole away back to his passage, and continued on his way, finding an exit a few moments later. Upon exiting, he heard noises behind him, and quickly hid in a bush, readying his bow to attack anything that came into view. Aethelmaer knew that these thieves were wanted, seeing posters of a bounty on their heads for their capture or death. He saw one come out rather quickly, and Aethelmaer quickly let go an arrow, it caught the first theif in the leg, he fell over, and called out for his buddies. They quickly came, the second alone, then right after the third and fourth guys showed up. He downed them all, with little trouble on the last guy. He found Aethelmaer's hiding place, and took out a dagger and threw it at the bush, missing by mere inches, Aethelmaer put him down too. Then, he called out to see if he could get someone to come. He waited for an hour or two, when finally a police wagon appeared. They took the theives into custody, and Aethelmaer was given the bounty: 250 Gold Coins. Exstatic, he started running in the direction of home, but remembered that he was still a few miles off, and decided to set up another camp and finish his journey the next day. After that small encounter, he was pretty exhausted. So, he caught more dinner, started another fire, ate his catch and a few berries, along with making a few more arrows. He still had his deer, but decided that would be for proving he completed his task better than expected. The next day, he finally returned home. His parents were proud of him. They expected him to return as quickly as he did, but not with the rewards he was carrying. After his test, he had counted that he plundered 150 Gold Coins from the thieves, along with the 250 Coin reward from the police, plus the deer, which he sold for another 50, he was extremely excited. He stashed away his funds, for use later, and life continued on normally for a few more years.

Teenage Years

Aethelmaer found the next few years of his life flew by, and before he knew it he was already thirteen. His parents were so proud of him, he had grown up just as they thought he would. Now since all of this was done, his father had but one more thing that he could teach his son, and that was the ways of an honorable swordsman. The most important lesson he learned of swordsmanship, is that no matter the type of duel, no matter who is dueling, it is always honorable, even if done for the wrong reasons. This began Aethelmaer's final lessons as his father taught him everything he knew. Swinging the sword, parrying, blocking, and the footwork needed to be a decent swordsman. Aethelmaer was helped a lot by his younger brother Grimbaldus, as Aethelmaer trained in the woods. After four long years of training, and most being unknown to his father, he finally challenged his father to a duel to first blood. His father felt overconfident.

"You'll never beat me son, for I am to much for the likes of you"

"We'll see father, we'll see."

The two took their stances, and when Grim began the duel, Aethelmaer rushed at his father, and took a mighty swing. His father surprised to see his son using the aggresive style, he quickly blocked the swing and had to step back from the power behind it. Aethelmaer pulled back and took another swing, his father just barely parrying. Finally, a third swing by Aethelmaer caught his father off guard and it caught his arm, just enough to break the skin. With that Aethlmaer sheathed his sword, bowed to his father, and walked off into the forest. His father sat there in shock and awe that he had been beaten so fast. Grim ran over to his father, helped him up, and walked him to the house where he was bandaged up, and told to rest.

The Final Test

The next day, Aethelmaer had come out of his room, and to his astonishment his father had a visitor. It wasn't any ordinary visitor, by the looks of him, he was a local troop leader. His father looked over, and then pointed at him, telling the figure that Aethelmaer was his challenger. The man walked over, and held out his hand. His name was Halton, a tall man with a strong physique. Aethelmaer shook his hand, then walked over to his father.

"Why is this man here father?"

"He is your final test, if you can beat him, then you are ready. But if you can't, consider it payback."

His father ushered him outdoors, and told him the rules. This time, the duel was until someone surrendered. Aethelmaer felt a shiver down his spine, and shuddered at the size of his challenger. His father began the duel, and the two rushed at each other, and with a loud clang, their swords hit. Aethelmaer was pushed back by the force of Halton's swing, and rolled backwards. This caused the man to lose his balance, and he fell forward. With the little time Aethelmaer had he took a swing at the man getting up from the ground, and got his left arm. When Halton fully stood up, he held his sword in his right hand, and ran full force at Aethelmaer. He took a few wild swings, and parried each one carefully enough to leave time for the next. He saw an opening and took another swing, this time contacting with Halton's right leg. Now with a limp, he swung some more at Aethelmaer, Aethelmaer slipped and it cost him. He felt the metal splitting his right shoulder. A warm feeling dripped down his arm, as he hefted his sword in his left hand, took a swing at Halton's left leg, then at the last second lifting up, and CLANG! Aethelmaer put a huge dent in Halton's breastplate, and with a huge gasp of air, he fell over on the ground trying to take in air. Aethelmaer took the chance and put his sword at Halton's neck. With the point of his sword about to pierce his adam's apple he surrendered, and the duel ended. Aethelmaer had won, just as his father expected. Aethelmaer sheathed his sword, and bent down to help Halton remove his dented breastplate, which allowed him to breath more normally, and helped his father tend to his wounds. After he was patched up and standing, he congratulated Aethelmaer with a duel well fought, and was on his way back to his camp. His father proud of his son called for a feast in his honor, and said today his son had become a man.

A Silent Goodbye

Aethelmaer was excited that he had beaten a full fledged troop leader. Later that night, he began to pack his things. He collected his stash of gold coins, which he now counted at about 250 left over after buying his sword, a decent bow, and a quiver of arrows. Around midnight of the same day, he snuck into his parents room, and laid a note on the beside table:

Went out to find a life for myself, I'll make sure to keep in touch. Your son, Aethelmaer

He then snuck out of the house, and with one look back, he noticed that Grim was waving goodbye to him in the window. Aethelmaer gave him a small wave back, a smile, and then turned around and sprinted into the distant forests of Andurus. Wondering if he would ever see his brothers or family again.

A New Life

Aethelmaer traveled west for what seemed like a few hours. He could tell because the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon casting a golden glow on the landscape and illuminating the city ahead of him. The city that he always dreamed of visiting. The city of Foda. He reached the entrance to the city, and the guards immediately stopped him. They questioned him and kept telling him to leave, and was not allowed into the city. It just so happened that as he was arguing with the guards, Halton walked passed and noticed Aethelmaer at the gates. He ran over to him, and greeted him. The guards seemed disgusted that the noble troop leader spoke with peasants. But Halton knew why Aethelmaer was here, and insisted to the guards that Aethelmaer be let in. The guards hesitated, but quickly complied when Halton threatened the loss of their jobs. Not knowing where to go, Aethelmaer had asked Halton where he should go to become a troop leader of Foda. Halton told him to go towards the city square, and into the main building. He told him also to find a man named Achilles, as he would be the man you need to see. Aethelmaer thanked his friend, and ran over to the building, and found Achilles. Achilles was a proud man, and when Aethelmaer walked up to him, found out he was the ruler of Tara. This caused second thoughts in his mind, and began to back up, but Achilles beckoned him forward.

"What is it that you want, good man?"

"I come to you, to ask if I may become a noble troop leader of this realm."

"Is that what you really want?"

"Yes m'lord. I've come to dedicate my skills, and myself for the good of the realm of Tara."

"OK, but I can't just make you become a troop leader. I'll have to put you to a test. Follow me."

With that, Aethelmaer followed Achilles to a small room, with two swords placed on the far wall. Aethelmaer knew what was coming, and the blood in his veins started rushing with adrenaline. He never thought he'd be dueling the ruler of a realm so soon in his career. Achilles had told Aethelmaer that this wasn't to be a duel to first blood, or surrender, or death, but until one of our swords break. Shocked, Aethelmaer looked down at the sword he was given, and found it had a few cracks in it, and was rusted to a point where it couldn't be used. Aethelmaer took his stance, as well as Achilles, and they began. This time, Aethelmaer had let his opponent make the first move, and he did too. Achilles lunged forward, and jabbed at Aethelmaer with a great speed that Aethelmaer barely dodged. He knew he wouldn't last long if Achilles was that fast. The duel went back and forth for a few minutes. Then Aethelmaer found an opening, and took the opportunity to swing his sword hard. It connected with Achilles sword, with a grinding cracking sound. He noticed a crack on Achilles sword grow. He took another swing, and it grew bigger. Then he back off, and tried a new maneuver. He let Achilles take a swing at him. Achilles took the chance just like Aethelmaer thought he would, blocked the swing, and in such a way, that Achilles sword shattered into a dozen pieces. Achilles immediately congratulated Aethelmaer, and handed him a small emblem. The emblem given to those that swore their life to Tara. He had achieved his dream, he finally became a troop leader for Tara. If only his father could see him now, but he knew that he wasn't about to drop his duties to visit his family. Along with the emblem, Achilles told him that he was also sworn under Jonathan, the count of Andurus at the time, and that he would gather together a unit for Aethelmaer. Now, with a unit to control, and orders to carry out. He headed for Tandsu, as he was needed for an important battle soon to come.

Rough Times

Aethelmaer's career in Tara seemed to be winding down, as the whole realm seemed to spiral into a twister of defeat. After all the fighting in Tara, they were forced to guard their capital to ensure it's defense. Getting bored of this, he decided he was going to make a suicide run through enemy lands to join up with the Ash Sea Islands. He had heard many rumors and stories of all the drinking and merryment that happened over there, and decided that Tara didn't provide these things. Aethelmaer was drawn to a better place. When he arrived, he was greeted with much enthusiasm, and was welcomed to an ale at the local tavern. A new career, and he was already loving it.

Misc.

Sh'ki Twix

Aethelmaer had much fun at a tourney that took place in Ser'quea, meeting many and having fun with all of them. One in particular Sh'ki of the Twix family caught his eye, they quickly became friends there, and in Aethelmaer's short stay in ASI. He started having feelings deeper than friendship for Sh'ki, but was killed in battle shortly after he joined ASI. Although dead, he wasn't forgotten. His falcon, Scar, went to Sh'ki, as a keepsake of him.

Quests

The Quest For Marvalt - Aethelmaer and a group of other loyal troop leaders from Tara set out to destroy the ultimate evil plaguing the continent. Travelling far, many perilous and dangerous times befall the group.

Herutenshi - Aethelmaer and Kurohyou travel through the forest and find a cave. This cave led them to treasure, a cursed treasure. Cursing the two, they now become the prey for Herutenshi, and must kill, or be killed.

Scar

This is Scar, Aethelmaer's pet falcon. He is quite vicious and tempermental when it comes to anything that comes anywhere near Aethelmaer, yet he is ever so loyal and trustworthy when he excepts you as a friend.

Death

Aethelmaer was prepared for the worst as he arrived in Wayburg, ready to fight the Abby's to the death to protect what was left of the new realm of Kybcyell. The first battle, Aethelmaer felt like a god. His men along with him had fought valiantly, yet the battle didn't stop the take over. ASI forces were bummed, but decided to stay for another attack. Aethelmaer back in a tent, he was helping to tend to his six wounded men, when he all of a sudden had a vision. This one caused him to sweat quite profusely, as he saw himself fighting. But he was bleeding heavily from his abdomen. This scared him beyond all rational thought. From what he was experiencing, the doctor came over, and told him to be careful of what happened in the next coming days. Aethelmaer went back to his tent, trying to sleep, but kept thinking over his vision, and got no sleep at all. The next day, all the army's were ready to wage another battle. Abby's army stood across the field, and all of ASI's nobles along side him. The vision still rattling through his head. Then the order to charge was given. His men charged ahead and broke through the frontlines, with much the same godliness as from the last battle. Then suddenly without warning an Abby soldier ran up behind him, and shoved his sword straight through Aethelmaer's abdomen, much like the wound looked like in his vision. All Aethelmaer could do was turn around and chop off the head of his attacker. He yanked out the sword and continued fighting, still bleeding from the gaping hole in his stomach. He stopped to look around, and he noticed that all of his men were dying around him. It seemed like the power had disappeared, and that his unit was dying. Then, he felt the cold steel of an axe come down heavily into his right shoulder. Aethelmaer fell to the ground gushing blood. He closed his eyes, and tried to breath, and with his last gaping breath and the last blink of his eyes, he saw Scar one last time flying a circle around him in the sky. It all then went dark, the last of the air was exiting his lungs, blood still pumping from his system, and he lay there lifeless.

After the battle, Scar perched by his master's side, hoping that he wasn't dead, screeching and making noises. Scar stayed by his side as the other nobles mourned over the loss, and carried him away to a burial place.

Alive Again!

Guenevere, Aethelmaer's cousin undertook a journey within ASI, which lead her through many perilous deeds. She passed through them all, and at the end was a spell. A spell of revival. Guen made quick about this, and quickly rushed to bring her dear Aethelmaer back. Although at first, it didn't work, she stayed there, and eventually Aethelmaer was brought back, in full, to Guen, and ASI. Although he remembers much from before he left, he is not sure he fits in quite yet, as no one has given him a welcome, or even believes he is alive.

Travelling

Now having had the chance to see everyone, more people were wary of him than were friendly. Not liking what was going on he gathered his things, said his final goodbyes to everyone and his dear cousin Guenevere, and then sailed on his way to a new life on the South East Island. On his ship ride, his falcon Scar, flew off back towards the mainland and now resides with Sh'ki Twix. One day, Aethelmaer hopes to return to the lands he had came to love.

In Toren, he quickly became used to the constant warfare of the island, and met back up with his good friend Kurohyou Bakos. At first, he was unbelieving of seeing him alive once again, but quickly came to find that it was the same old Aethelmaer he once knew. The two have since rejoined in their antics together once again.

On The Road Again

Toren became a place of disorganized mess, switching Generals for what seemed like once weekly, although it isn't what happened. He decided Toren wasn't a place for him, after a noble questioned a recently passed noble's honor. His honor suffered from this, and decided he'd join a realm that he felt would better suit him. Such he joined Taselak.