Athanor
From Changeling Venue
| Seeming | Elemental Fireheart |
|---|---|
| Court | Autumn Court |
| Freehold | Seven Hills |
| Player | Jon Wilkie |
Contents |
Overview
Alias(es): Athanor
Mortal Alias: Nathan Orr
Age: 34
Titles and Positions: Forgemaster of Seven Hills
Physical description:
- Mien: Surrounded by a haze of intense heat and smoke, Athanor has fire for eyes and embers for breath. Sometimes a random dry leaf or two swirls around him, only to be consumed in flames and fall to dust. There is a palpable sense of immense heat and energy held in check by a strong force of will.
- Mask: Shaved head, permanent frown, dirty leather gloves. Usually wears a pair of welding goggles on his head and a leather jacket covered in bits and bobs. Caucasian.
Common hang-outs: Athanor can usually be found at The Dock, the ramshackle home of the The Stingrays. If he's not there, he can usually be found somewhere in the Georgetown area. Most of the locals know him, and can point you to whatever local bar or tavern he's visiting that day.
Character Information
Athanor is an elemental living in the Freehold of the Seven Hills in Seattle, Washington. He is a member of the Autumn Court, although he is unusually militant in his demeanor for the Court of mysteries and magic. Although commonly thought of as a fighter, Athanor is known as a cautious man, eager to avoid violence and slow to anger. However those who have seem him angry describe him as a force of nature once he is sufficiently provoked. Athanor is known to be a capable fighter with both weapons and bare hands, a master of fire and fuel, and a fairly talented blacksmith.
Known History
Before they came: Before they came, the man who would be Athanor was angry. Angry at his parents for raising him wrong, angry at his few friends for their lack of support, angry at his wife for her lack of confidence in him, angry at his daughter for her neediness and her lack of unconditional love. Mostly though, he was angry with himself, for all the things he'd failed to do, all the dreams he never pursued. They only thing he really loved was his dog, a poor creature that continued to love him even as it flinched from his yelling or his raised hand.
Why they came: That much anger, that much energy, is a terrible resource to waste... She came and offered him a dream: lead her army into battle, smash the enemy, and command respect and fear from all who saw him. She swore an oath to make these things a reality, and knowing a little about Fae from childhood stories, he believed her, believing that her oath would bind her to the terms of the deal.
Kriegmaschine: All her promises were fulfilled, but in a way he could not have imagined. The mighty Kriegmaschine was the greatest war engine the Wizened has ever constructed, and at its heart was a fire of unimaginable intensity, an Athanor that would never go out. He raged against his imprisonment, and turned his rage against anyone in the path of the Kriegmaschine. Countless creatures were crushed beneath the spiked roller at its head, and Athanor cried out his satisfaction as hot black smoke poured into the sky of Arcadia. The Kriegmaschine commanded respect and fear from all who saw it and survived, and Athanor's endless rage helped fuel the endless war his Mistress fought against her enemies.
Explosion and Pursuit: Random chance led Athanor out of Arcadia. A grand airship that had harried the Kriegmaschine for days fell from the sky, and Athanor charged at the wreckage, intent on killing everything associated with the hateful ship. When the Kriegmaschine began to crush the remains of the airship into slag, something exploded in the wreckage. With a terrible groaning sound, the Kriegmaschine shuddered and shattered, and would move no more. However Athanor was still alive, and his iron prison was now cracked and open to escape. In a mindless rage, he pursued the survivors of the airship, incinerating ally and enemy alike as he raced across the battleground and into the Hedge in pursuit. As he pursued, his human memories began to trickle into his rage-filled mind, and he began to remember a time before the war. He realized what he had become, and his rage gave way to despair. He wandered through the Hedge, lost and alone, and tried to think of anyone, anything, that would have cared that he had gone. He did not know how long it was until he found his dog, now old and feeble. He held his dog, crying in relief, only to watch his pet burn at his touch and die in agony. Athanor had returned to Earth, but his fire would continue to destroy everything around him...
Background: Athanor returned to the real world sometime in the early nineties, and almost immediately joined the Summer Court in Seattle, Washington. He was intent on using his anger to good purpose: the defense of the Changelings that he now called his family. In 1999, he joined Adamant's military campaign into the Seattle Hedge to eliminate a group of True Fae, and was one of the few to survive the slaughter. In the aftermath, Athanor walked away from the Summer Court, denouncing their policies as "madness". He eventually joined the Autumn Court, and has found great success in its ranks.
Motley
Allies
Has Athanor trained you in fighting? Did he help you during his days in the Summer Court? Did he come to your aid sometime in the past, make you a sword and shield, or did he just share a beer with you sometime? Contact me to setup background links.
Enemies
Did the Kriegmaschine kill your dearest Changeling friend? Did Athanor's departure from the Summer Court anger your character? Did he fight you once and you've never forgiven him? Did he reject you as a student at his forge? Contact me to setup background links.
Character Inspirations
"When they finally come to destroy the Earth, they'll have to deal with you first..." - OK Go, "Invincible"
Soundtrack
Quotes
Athanor - "The Autumn Court is not about our fear, but about the fear of others. We harness it, channel it, and use it to protect our kind."
Unknown Changeling - "Athanor is like a rattlesnake. He's learned that if he rattles a little, he can avoid most fights, but don't think that he isn't ready to bite if that rattle don't work."
Horace "Race" Ardent - "Experience may have made him Ashen Court, but his heart still beats Crimson like mine. When the lines must be held, when it comes time to fight... he'll raise the Iron Spear, you mark my words."
Clyde - "Like havin' Athanor 'round... keeps th' heat'n' bill down. Be good 'n a fight, too. Half th' times, 'tween him & Race, fight's over 'fore I gotta git up out mah chair."
Rumors
- Athanor didn't survive the Adamant's Folly due to random chance. The Fae let him live, for some unknown reason.
- Athanor and Valanga have a strong animosity towards each other, possibly dating back to their time in Arcadia.
- Athanor isn't truly a Changeling. He's actually a banished Fae who committed the sin of showing sympathy towards his human pet.
- There is still a trod through the Hedge left by Athanor's passage out of Arcadia. It is a road made of perpetual fire, that burns every attempt by the Hedge to grow over it. It has never been found by Changelings, but is the truest path back to Arcadia.
