A character long in the making

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Beldor Aleanerv
Maid
Maid
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2013 2:54 am

A character long in the making

Post by Beldor Aleanerv »

I suppose I should preface this by saying that as far as a written out character goes my Beldor is rather unimpressive. When I write of his adventures in old games, of the times he has both sickened me and brought me joy, I do so less as as somebody molding out a new face and more so as a person remembering an old tale. I won’t bore you with a lengthy recollection of everything he is or has done, but I will bring up the points that others seem to judge him on most.

Lolth did as much as she could to separate her chosen children from those that lived under the light. Where surface elves could take an eon talking over what to have for breakfast, a Drow will have found and murdered an assassin in the pantry then taken off with bits of bread and cheese still on their lip. Exceptional breeding would eventually bring out the best qualities given by the spidery deity, most notably a tangible magical affinity that others of her kind simply lacked. It seems however that beyond all physical and mental changes that the Drow had undergone, none were so altering to the race as a whole as the shifts she had sewn deep into their hearts. Enforcing in them the capability to see other living beings as objects was perhaps her smartest move, dark being that she was. Perhaps one of the best examples of this hardening of the heart can be found in the youngest son of noble house Aleanerv.

A bit of history on house Aleanerv, first; The Matron Dhuana Aleanerv (Beldor’s grandmother) is the oldest woman in her community. Her age has made her less of an easy target to pick off and more of a face to fear in the community, one that demands respect. Her first in line and Beldor’s mother Lealfryn has been an outstanding member of the community. She assists the needy with loans at unredeemable rates, puts her two cents into every political decision she can with equal parts brute force and verbal beatings, and generally bears her mother’s name with honor. It was a family to be feared and respected; except that they had one problem. The boys of the family were uncontrollable.

The eldest son left home before his coming of age ceremony, leaving a note saying something about how he was not willing to kill a childhood friend were it asked of him. He was weak willed, and the last rumor of his appearance pinned him in a mage’s tower far from the reach of the dark lands. The third son was sacrificed to the spider queen after birth, as was customary. The second son was rather promising, but lacked any skill in magic and was promptly killed after joining patrols in the guard as was normal for all the non-gifted males of noble houses. This history was a problem for the Aleanerv name. Though Dhuana and Lealfryn both had several respectable daughters, rumors abound that the house had gone soft in Lolth’s teachings. A house full of strong women was all well and good, but apart from picking a fight here and there with another house over a petty detail, they did present the spark of domination over all others that seemed so prized by the society. The solution was obvious- the decision to get into a new line of business was made quickly, before any real damage from rumors could be done.

Slave business was good- one could compare it to making investments into businesses. To an outsider looking in the buying and selling of others could seem like a gamble. It took time to get a practiced understanding of which workers could last a few months in the mines and which would at best break down after a week or two. Dwarfs were far and away one of the safest investments made- living somewhere above under the earth, they knew how long the impossible depths of the under ran. The sturdy workers might make noise for a week or two, but after a time would set to a steady pace finding comfort in their work, knowing that they had no hope of finding their hallowed halls of stone again. Surface elves were sacrificed nearly as soon as they arrived- even if one really did want to keep one of those things around, it would be killed on sight by the next uninformed visitor or guard on duty. They didn’t seem to have very good constitutions down here either- the lack of light and normal flora and fauna seemed to drain them nearly upon arrival. New business ventures had its challenges of course. Hand crossbows, for instance, became a rather new commodity around the estate. They did little lasting bodily damage and could be poisoned quickly, allowing for quick incapacitation of any potential escapee or rioter. A few new languages had to be picked up as well, though the distasteful and inelegant surface tongue would be used sparingly and only on the newly acquired for training. Most learned their places rather quickly.

So, where does Beldor fit in all of this familial renovation? As a child, he would find himself as the central gear in the machinations of his family for decades to come. They wanted to power grab- get in good with the priestesses, and eventually get their fingers on the pulse of the under dark itself. They wanted what all Drow living deep underground wanted- power enough to make others fear them, and to lack fear of all others. But to do that they needed an example. See, it was easy enough to kill a few people. But the death rate underground is so normally high that a few bodies hardly proved anything to the community at large. A much more effective way of showing power was required. Lealfryn Had a dream.

She saw a world where she could walk down the street, and people would avert their gaze as she approached for fear of a sharp pain and a slow death. She imagined an entire city of people that belonged to her without a single chain or shackle in sight- a place where people knew better than to challenge her. She had a terrible, ambitious vision the likes of which others would not dare to think of, their minds saying it was impossible. But not for her; not for Lealfryn, who needed no weapon but fear.
So for now, I’ll end here with these thoughts. Beldor was the son of a Noble, an ambitious woman with an obsession with control. His story will not be one of an innocent, good natured young man in an unfair society either. He will be taught to be cruel for the sake of cruelty alone. He will enjoy it. He will participate in some rather depraved acts of his own free will.

Next time- An introduction to Bel’s youth.
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Beldor Aleanerv
Maid
Maid
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2013 2:54 am

Re: A character long in the making

Post by Beldor Aleanerv »

--- on the side ---

This will be a little spot for me to gather my thoughts on dnd sessions and assemble a tangible story for a character whose every detail was listed on little more than a regular character sheet. why he picks what class he will, where his decisions lead his personal alignments, all of that will be seen in time. i don't plan on forcing myself to a schedule to get intervals down here, but feel free to check back now and again as a build him up to a satisfying point.

Adventure on, all.

---

Beldor's Story
It's something about things we know
Things we think we know
Things we don't know
And things we don't yet know that we don't know (and are better off not knowing.)

Spoilers- some of the points his history might get into can be upsetting. I plan on keeping his history tasteful, but topics of abuse and violence and the very subject of slavery can be difficult for some readers. Beldor is not here to make you or I happy, but to prove a point, to bring up unsettling thoughts, and maybe help us come out as better people.I don't think I need to say this, but i will just to be able to say I told you so; this is not a happy tale, and it will not bring up good feelings.
Beldor Aleanerv
Maid
Maid
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2013 2:54 am

Re: A character long in the making

Post by Beldor Aleanerv »

Beldor’s Youth, from birth to sixty—

A grandmother, A mother, three older sisters, two older brothers, and a handful of possible fathers would likely be called the closest family that the youngest of house Aleanerv has, as far as Drow family goes. It has all been said before, but Drow family doesn’t seem close the way surface dwellers do. Up there, they all huddle together in the same building, reuniting after each day’s work. Beldor saw one of his family members maybe once a week, when called away from boarding school or tutors during homestays. His older brothers would leave rather quickly, the first telling nobody of his departure and the second dropping dead as the untalented often do. That was around the time things started to change. Mother’s business plans shifted- additions were made to the estate to accommodate the space needed for slaves. Most of what was made was constructed through stone shape magic- nothing fancy would be necessary, and rock was sturdy as both a lasting structure and a cage. The outside needed detailing, however- it would have been unbearable to have some gaudy caves suddenly spring up in the view of the manor.

In all honesty Beldor had just hoped this was a phase his mother would grow out of. He figured she would pick on a couple of halflings, torture them for breaking a few plates, then leave the bodies for the spiders. He figured she was mourning in her own weird way for his older brothers. Though young, he found he lacked any tears for them at the impromptu back to back funerals (the eldest brother now being dead to the family.) Realistically he had learned from observing his peers, they were bound to get violent with him sooner or later. Having formed no real bond with them and having thought they would be out for his head one of these days, their loss had been helping him sleep better in the past few weeks if anything.

Unfortunately for him, her plans were far more permanent than he had anticipated. Furthermore, he was expected to participate in this game of charades much to his dismay (though he was old enough by this point to simply bow his head and acquiesce to every request made of him no matter the circumstance.) In the odd chaotic way of life that the under dark lead, there was a certain irony of the orderly manner that Beldor had learned to act in at all times. Though circumstances were constanctly shifting he had learned to follow his own protocols- in order not to insult anyone, in order to stay alive.

See, that had been the name of the game up until now- don’t think, stay alive. Mother had thought that, by leaving his older brothers to their vices, instinct would take over and they would fall into line. She had believed that his older sister’s tormenting, the historical lessons given by the tutors, and the realities of life in the under dark would shape his now missing and dead brothers into proper, subservient sons. And she was not going to make the same mistake with her fourth- the last male she swore she would ever bear. Life for the youngest under her watch had been a deeper circle of hell entirely.

Regular parenting in the under for a Drow included the killing of pets to teach the folly of attachment, or the denial of a meal or two on a whim to show the child their weakness and dependence on an elder. Blunt, regular, and effective parenting strategies were praised, though usually left as the responsibility of a tutor. But the Aleanerv family believed that they had a certain obedience problem- one that would be worked out perfectly on this last boy. Eyesight was a privilege. Taking a few ideas from the local slavers who simply denied their cattle torches or lanterns and let them stumble in the dark should they try to escape, Beldor found himself with a blindfold on whenever he met with family, and presenting himself without it on would have resulted in harsh punishments. Furniture was rearranged quite frequently as well, to purposely cause him to stumble on his way through rooms. The purpose of all this? Once one of his sisters found him irreparably lost, they were instructed to guide him back to his room; but only after he had tried to find his own way to the point of frustration. The point of the exercise was to program him with dependence from a young age. He was to understand that he was ill equipped to do much of anything on his own, and that in order to survive he would need to listen to and rely on his family- for anyone else would do him harm.

Next time, more on youth
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