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+--- Thread: Astidien Paerdaux Background/story (feedback appreciated) (/showthread.php?tid=3573)
Astidien Paerdaux Background/story (feedback appreciated) - considebalt - 08-15-2013
So I started writing my character's background and it sorta kinda turned into a story. I thought you might all enjoy it, tell me what you think, if it makes sense within canon, etc. I think I might have gotten some of the names of things wrong, but anyway, hope you enjoy (Also, apologies if this is in the wrong thread) :Â
"If I have learned anything from my travels, from my self imposed isolation to my journey into the Twelveswoods, it is that we are selfish creatures. No matter the race, no matter the clan or family, and no matter the rationalized intentions, it always comes down to one basic principle that unites us all: We are Disciples of the Self." -Astidien Paerdeux
Astidien Paerdaux would say he has no family, a statement that is not far from the truth. From a young age Astidien was told he was special, that he was marked by the Twelve, and from a young age he believed this, always having felt a strong connection with the Aetheric energy that surrounded him. Ofcourse, he was not the only one to be born with this gift. He was one of five children to be born with what the elders of the clan came to call The Eye of Thaliak, a mutation apparent in either the left or right eye that allowed those possessing it to see the flow of Aether more clearly.
Astidien and his Duskwight clan made their homes in the Aether rich caverns on the coasts of Maslava Island, south of the Rothlyt Sound. Astidien's clan had long sought isolation from the other races, including their own, when they found the island. Full of deep labyrinthine caverns and bountiful with both fish and other wild life the Paerdaux clan decided to make their home here. It was not long before they discovered the cavernous depths rich with Aether Crystals, causing them to switch their focus to the study of magics. Many of the clan became quick studys in the field of Thaumaturgy, showing great control of elemental forces, and thus Astidien and his siblings were born into this clan of would be mages.
His childhood was predictable, being taught to manipulate the Aether around him to great effect. It was unclear whether these "prodigies" were naturally talented or it was simply their ability to see the aetheric fields that made them such quick studies, but quick studies they were and time passed as time tends to do. News of the Garlean invasion and Dalamuhd's descent reached them and it was called to question whether they would break their isolationist ways for the greater good. This question was put to debate for weeks and ultimately began to divide the clan before a compromise was reached. The Paerdaux clan would not head off into battle, but would instead use their collective knowledge of magics and aether, channeling the high concentrations of Aether in their caverns to experiment in creating more powerful magics to help counter the might of the empire.
Weeks of preparation went into the collective effort with the clan elders leading the initiative. Astidien and his brethren, with their heightened attunement to Aetheric energies, making great strides in their research before he began to notice fluctuations in the flow of Aether. Bringing this concern to the elders merely revealed their growing arrogance, and thus concluded that he need conduct his own research to try to balance the inherently unstable spell they would try to cast. As the days passed the energies around him were becoming more concentrated, the fluctuations more erratic and he was no closer to finding an answer. All around him his clan, a clan accustomed to living in such aether rich environments, began to grow ill. Frustrated by his seemingly futile attempts and the pressure to find answers he sought the aid of research the elders had collected. What he found left him in disbelief. Notes of the potential this research had for their clan, how much untapped power lay within the prodigal sons and daughters of Clan Paerdaux. Long gone were the notions of aiding the races of Eorzea against the Empire. All he found were plans to use all of their research to grow in power themselves. Page after page of research merely led to more unstable experiments, and there before Astidian, in his hands there was no longer a book, but diverging paths.
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It was clear to him that his elders would not listen to reason, nor could he afford to reveal just what he had found, so instead he went to his siblings, the other "prodigals" who had surely seen what he had. He went to them to ask them for help, to convince the clan that these plans will only lead to ruin. In the end only one listened to him. In the end it was not enough.Â
Having little choice, Astidien took those he could convince, a paltry handful of his clan and led them away from the Mages of Maslava Island, somehow finding passage to Ul'dah, where they could blend in and disappear. It was a day into their journey when the Calamity came, when the seventh Umbral Era descended upon them on the wings of a dragon.
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It has been five years since that day. Five years of traveling, helping any who could not help themselves. Those he took away from the island had since followed their own paths, disappearing into the lands of Eorzea. There have been no traces of them or his clan. Only once had he traveled back to the island to find it desolate, with little trace of the wild aetheric energies that he had known as a child. This made it unclear whether they had destroyed themselves or the Calamity had spared them the fruition of their arrogance. In the end it didn't matter, the result was the same. In the end he would still lay awake at night, wondering if he could have saved them.
Astidien Paerdaux will tell you he has no family, and like many who survived the calamity, this statement is not far from the truth.