Struthionis Family/Aepyornis

Name: Aepyornis Maximus Struthionis

Patron Bird: Elephant Bird

Realm: Assassins

Description

Aepyornis is a tall man, sporting a muscular structure toned by years of ignoble labor and a head of short, neatly kept dark hair. His strategic mind and unbending loyalty make him a reliable ally, though the man is fairly reserved and quick to pass credit for an accomplishment onto someone else.

These qualities mark him a follower, rather than a leader. In addition, an aversion to the opulent nature of nobility leads him to dress as mundanely as possible, and in many social functions he may seem unremarkable and plain.

Slowly but surely, however, Aepyornis would begin to show a stronger sense of self as his position in South Bakker forced him to speak out.

History

Beginnings

Born in the Bakker Woods of the colonies, Aepyornis has called the Guild home for all his life. Though indulgent in his siblings' games as a child, he was just as likely to help his family or even the lowly help with various tasks around the estate. He gained a reputation for levelheadedness and an almost faulty dedication to honesty.

Eventually Aepyornis grew old enough to head out into the world. He would choose to stay with the family and live a quiet life of study and labor, until meeting Dakrus Somra. A strong friendship with the man led Aepyornis to pledge an oath of fealty to him, and enter armed service in the name of the Guild.

Aepyornis was a meek and silent man, almost never speaking up save for when he was in the company of personal friends such as Dakrus. Indeed, he seemed destined to fade into obscurity, an unimportant name to tally in the constant war between Wetham and the Guild. A young woman by the name of Kurecalle von Ravenheart came from Wetham to seek the Shadowist priest Innocent Noble, and despite her quick return to Wetham, Aepyornis would find some semblance of solace and self esteem through correspondence with the girl.

Rise to Lordship

Until it came time for the Shadow Tyrant, Targ'n Kybar, to venture forth alone into the shadows of his future, Aepyornis maintained a largely insignificant persona. Targ'n would leave both the throne of the realm and the lordship of South Bakker vacant, and so a chance was taken. He appealed strongly to the Shadow Tyrant regarding his loyalty to the Guild and his desire to maintain the beauty of his homeland, and in a decision that shocked the elder members of the Assassins Guild, the young and inexperienced Aepyornis was given control of the realm's most valuable territory.

It quickly became a struggle for Count Aepyornis to uphold his militaristic duties while keeping up on the paperwork that kept South Bakker functioning. The dreary Lord questioned his own ability to handle the responsibility he had been handed, but his dedication saw him through until the effort was second nature to him. He remained a quiet and reclusive individual, but offered his thoughts to the Council from time to time, and if nothing else had the prestige and wealth afforded to his position.

Though the new Shadow Tyrant, Innocent, was a busy and troubled individual, Aepyornis managed to forge some semblance of a friendship with the man and quickly grew to respect him greatly. He had formally converted to Shadowism in the wake of his appointment to South Bakker, and so something in Innocent's faith-laden words, tainted as they were with private ambitions, resonated with the Count.

Stepping into the Shadows

It was not long until Innocent disappeared, and Evil Revan took the title of Shadow Tyrant. Some time after, Lukon was brought into the Guild's war, and soon a devastating assault was brought upon the walls of Wetham. Aepyornis was beginning to develop his political presence and spiritual awareness. Unfortunately for him, a subsequent Giblotian assault on the Dark Citadel would rock his new and stable state of mind.

Thyra Strongfoot, Shamaness and sole remaining priestess of Shadowism, doomed the established faith by taking up the sword in an effort to save the Citadel from Giblot's attack. Aepyornis himself had been but two days out from the Citadel at the time, and had he not tarried in returning, was sure he could have secured the walls enough to have spared the woman's sacrifice. To add insult to injury, Giblot's flawed attack ended up posing no danger in the first place.

To add further injury, Thyra fulfilled her noble duty by ending her own life for her failure.

Because of his indecision, Thyra's blood was as good as on his hands and the last temples of Shadowism were fading into disuse and closing their doors forever. The man's confidence shattered. In a desperate gambit to gather the broken remnants of his mind, Aepyornis began consorting with the elite of Shadowism's still-faithful. He plotted and planned, he studied and saved what funds he could from the greedy grasp of war. From the South came a figure of light wreathed in shadows: Cathal Dubhaine.

Rebirth of the Shadows, and The Southern Prophet's Sacrifice

Sir Cathal came to the Guild as an Alowcan refugee, a religious pilgrim seeking a new holyland for a faith facing much the same fate as Shadowism. To much opposition the man was allowed his space with mostly open arms, and it was this good man's words of incredible wisdom which breathed new life into the aspirations of Aepyornis.

In time, the Count's machinations came to bear, and a small ceremony signaled the rebirth of the Shadow's word in the Bakker Forest. The uneasy people, having long since purged the truth of the Play from their minds, slowly began to trickle back to the Shadows. It was then that a dark figure wreathed in shadows made new intentions known: Cathal Dubhaine would spread Shadowism to the faithless. His own efforts to rescue his faith having been for naught, the Southern Prophet resigned himself to his failure and brought his immense talents to the service of Shadowism's Second Prophet. As Aepyornis learned the trade, Shadowism's ranks began to swell.

Uplifted by Sir Cathal's remarkable actions, Aepyornis found new meaning in the Shadows.

Relationship with the Family

Of his siblings, Aepyornis garners the most respect from the family for his obedience and sense of duty. A series of early failures in his military career, including allowing his sister to leave the Assassins Guild, led him to be ostracized to a certain degree from family affairs - his rise to Count of South Bakker, however, put him back in the family's good graces. His rise to Shaman of the Shadows and Midnight's Greed of the Assassin's Guild would only strengthen this bond.