Aelric the Avenger was a warrior-mage who tried to liberate the kingdom of Doegan in the Utter East[1] during the time of the Bloodforge Wars (648–657 DR).[2]
History[]
Aelric and the princess in Old Stone Keep.
Aelric was a man of Doegan who became heir to a legacy of great mages. He dwelled in Old Stone Keep.[1][note 1]
After Rathgar the Raider and his marauders plundered Doegan and seized its throne, the dying king cursed him, declaring "For so long as you rule, a curse upon you. The dead will arise, to ensure your demise." Escaping the invaders, the princess of Doegan looked for a way to make her father's prophecy come true. She went to Old Stone Keep and there met Aelric. Uninterested in wealth or fame, he vowed to aid her and, furthermore, fulfill her father's curse to take vengeance on those who'd occupied his homeland.[1]
The Howl of Vengeance conflict was fought between the two factions using bloodforges.[1][note 2]
- Aelric the Avenger
The princess and Aelric with their undead army after a battle.
- When Rathgar's forces pursued the princess to Old Stone Keep, Aelric protected her and struck back against them in a bloodforge battle, favoring undead creatures. Victorious, Aelric scattered Rathgar's own bloodforged forces.[1]
- In disarray and dread, Rathgar and his army retreated into the Serpent Valley. Aelric pursued, exploiting the chaos to once again strike at his foe.[1]
- Ultimately, Rathgar's army fled to Doegan's capital with Aelric's horde hot on his heels. They crashed through the city gates and walls and fought the invaders in the streets, with steel and fire and magic. Thus did Aelric the Avenger fulfil the old king's curse and liberate Doegan. The princess became queen, with Aelric at her side, and brought peace to Doegan.[1]
- Rathgar the Raider
Aelric the Avenger bursts through the gate of Doegan.
- Rathgar paid no heed to the king's curse, until months later a captured criminal, a graverobber called Grubkern, whispered of a gathering army of undead coming to rid Doegan of the invaders. As fear spread in the capital, Rathgar investigated, finding an undead horde almost at his doorstep. Fighting in and around the capital, they repelled the invaders and burned their crypts. Rathgar pardoned Grubkern, and Grubkern revealed the name of the leader of the undead: Aelric the Avenger.[1]
- Rathgar and his army pursued Aelric to the Serpent Valley, where he rallied his undead forces. Rathgar overcame them in bloodforge battle, forcing them to retreat once more.[1]
- Aelric's army holed up in Old Stone Keep. Resolute, both rulers prepared for a final battle. Ultimately, Rathgar defeated Aelric, putting an end to the old king's curse.[1]
Personality[]
Aelric was a vengeful mage yet also a hero, considered a dark champion of his queen and his homeland.[1]
Description[]
Aelric was a young man with long black hair. He wore red tunic or red armor with wolf and bat designs.[1]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ The wolf and bat imagery of Aelric and Old Stone Keep and the focus on using undead, Crypt-created units, suggests that this magical legacy is one of necromancy or vampirism.
- ↑ In the Blood & Magic game, two alternate campaigns are provided, one for Aelric and one for Rathgar. These may be mutually exclusive, but it is possible one follows the other or they may be merged as a single back-and-forth conflict. An official history is unknown.
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Tachyon Studios (November 1996). Designed by Brian Fargo. Blood & Magic. Interplay.
- ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 94. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.