Aldaren

"We were the reason why unborn princes could not become conquerors." Aldaren Amaranth (the Red, Warmaster of Forinthry) is a lich and necromancer of former half-elven lineage and currently serving on the council of the Amaranth family. His whereabouts known to few, he has often been spoken highly of among the circles of dark magical families.

Once belonging to the Aerendyl dynasty, he later submitted himself to dark powers and joined numerous covens where his name would infamously draw fear and respect from his enemies. He's the founder of the Adregath lineage and the only living former apprentice of Lorelei Amaranth.

Facial Appearance
Aldaren has been regarded as handsome throughout his mortal life, now using magic to sustain his youthful appearance. As a hybrid human and elf, his lifespan has surpassed many humans and his physical features resemble just as much. With ears the size of an average human, the tips are pointed like the Elven race, however they're hardly noticeable when his hair is long. His skin has occasionally began to deteriorate, giving him a pale complexion. His long dark red hair is his most notable feature. Like his ancestors, Aldaren has emerald green eyes that resemble an Iorwerth kinsman of Tiranwnn. Since his death and revival, they have developed a dark abyssal tint.



Traitor
Aldaren's althame has often been his most favored weapon, crafted during his service to the Caedo. The dagger has no crossguard and is almost entirely made from obsidian save the black metal runic designs crafted along the sliver of the blade and the hilt. The hilt itself is wrapped in mummified linen.

Rifter
His corrupted battlestaff was wrought by himself and attuned with elemental altars during the Fifth Age alongside his brother Alexander. The two travelled to each of the four primary altars and imbued the staff at their location. However, upon becoming a necromancer, Aldaren corrupted the staff to cast ancient curses and magic associated with the Amaranth spell tomes. The tip of the staff contains a clawed opening for the placement of his orb and when in use, the orb siphoning the souls of the dead for the Deadshard.

Personality
There is currently no reliable way to determine Aldaren’s characteristics, given his strict adherence to secrecy throughout recent years. During his mortal life, he was remembered as an opportunist, seizing the nearest chance to improve himself or to gain the upper hand. This can be seen at his seizure of power in Falador and the overthrow of the Holy Asgarnian Empire. He has always been an assassin, preferring to end dilemmas quickly through the death of the right person. He has consistently applied this to his own actions such as assassinating the Asgarnian chancellor, James Veltora, attempting to assassinate Queen Kanna of Southern Misthalin, and also attempting to kill Queen Sylvari of Ardougne. Nothing pleases him more than to ignite chaos and will often place himself in the way of death to complete his goals.

Those who meet Aldaren will often never meet the same man twice. His characteristics change often from his habit of taking personas throughout the years and those who come into contact with him may never even realize who he is. While he possesses the ability to shape-shift facial features, he rarely uses it unless for a specific purpose such as espionage or disguise. He currently uses the alias Riveus when lingering around cities.

While he was born to Zamorakians, praised Zamorak, and served under the god of chaos throughout his life, Aldaren has ultimately been a member of the Godless long before the Sixth Age. Always voicing his defiance of their rule, he has always felt that Gielinor belonged to the inhabitants rather than their divine masters. While he will never again fight alongside a god, he still maintains loose alliances with some Zamorakians.

Early Life
Born to the noble house of Cipya as the result of an affair with an elven noble of the Aerendyl, Aldaren began his life in proper education and soldiering. Fearing consequence from her family, Petronella Aerendyl sent her newborn son to his father, William Cipya. His family was later sworn to the court of Emperor Russia in Kandarin and were very prominent among the upper echelons of Ardougnan society. As expected, the young human-elf would find himself studying the art of war with his fellow noble youth overseen by his father. Aside from learning swordplay and practical combative magic, he was known to frequent the tavern's and local brothels. It wasn't until he was nearing his knighthood that his father put an end to his lively affairs.

Knighted by the Emperor, Aldaren was assigned to protecting him at all costs. His name resurfaces in records of the various campaigns fought in the east to extend the Empire's influence and most notably was in command of forces during the campaign against remnant battalions of Khazard troops and later ordered to assassinate Queen Kanna of Southern Misthalin, failing in doing so. It's indicated by old obituaries and court records that William Cipya had been assassinated in Asgarnia, placing Aldaren closer to the Emperor. Despite being head of the near-extinct Cipya family, Aldaren was adopted into the Imperial household and began learning ancient magic from the Emperor himself.

His servitude was cut short when Alexander Aerendyl led an uprising in Ardougne against the Empire. Unbeknownst to Aldaren, it would later be discovered that Alexander was his half-brother. As Alexander and his forces stormed the halls of Ardougne Castle, Aldaren fended off a few attackers before joining the rest of the Imperial courtiers in teleporting out of the city.

Exiled and Empowered
Hearing rumors of the Emperor's imminent return to power,he opted not to join the cause. Instead he sought to find a seat for himself outside of Kandarin where he had yet to make a name for himself. Brewing resistance in the city of Falador, he made the White City his target. After assassinating the chancellor James Veltora, he stormed the castle gates and installed himself as ruler. He filled the ranks of the city guard with his exiled brigands and allowed the Ryder family control over the military. To counteract the potential of future Saradominist leaders, he installed the right of the denizens to revolt which was later added to the Asgarnian Accord of 169. Finding that his power waned and the capital was in firm control of the Ryder's, Aldaren abdicated in favor of Oliver Ryder.

Once Alex Aerendyl informed Aldaren that they were maternal siblings, he returned to Kandarin where Alexander ruled as King of Camelot. With a princely title restored, Aldaren chose to take up command of the soldiers there where he then seized the ranging guild and renamed it the Direfort within his first few weeks. This would be the only contribution to the kingdom before his half-brother was assassinated by the Sicarius and his kingdom fallen.

The Caedo Brotherhood
With resentment growing for the political elite, Aldaren moved his activities to Misthalin where he would become acquainted with Acedia "Sin" Evermore, an assassin employed and adopted by House Cross. Using the alias of Cartherion and only revealing his true name to a select few, Aldaren lived a quiet life in the slums of Varrock. Sin became a close friend and the two were nearly always together as he became her accomplice in her endeavors. She became a teacher to him as his growing infatuation with the dark arts grew. Taking him on as an apprentice, she later revealed her name to be Lorelei and their friendship became a very important aspect of his life.

With friendship came trust and with trust came his initiation into the Caedo Brotherhood. Known to only its members by that name which was still left unspoken, the Caedo were a guild of assassins with a global influence. With Vicente Di'Angelo as their leader and Sin as his companion, the group became unstoppable as they trained and fought around Gielinor. Aldaren became known as Red, a term of endearment from the Caedo as each of its members were given nicknames to further mask their identities and activities. Although they possessed a hidden influence throughout the realm of Gielinor, many of the their activities took place in Varrock.

From assassinating key individuals under contracts to battling upon vertically tipped planes within cosmic dimensions, the Caedo became more than a guild but a close knit circle of companions that would always be remembered fondly by Aldaren. His association with Vicente and Sin would last a lifetime and even after his own death and revival later.

The story accepted by the Caedo as the end of its time has often been considered their raid on Ardougne during the reign of Queen Sylvari. With Red now serving as a Lord for the gorup, he gathered his three co-leaders as they attempted to plunder the city and make a last stand for themselves as the brotherhood had been dwindling in its final days. Teleporting to the city square, they fought off many soldiers and guardsmen, making it as far to the castle itself before retiring from the field. The raid would officially end when Red defeated the pregnant Queen in a duel. As he kicked her down a flight of stairs, the children she had carried in her stomach met a grim end. Alone and outnumbered at this point, Red would be teleported away by the brief appearance of a wounded Vicente.

After the Caedo slowly came to an end, Aldaren would be adopted and branded into the Amaranth family by Lorelei, making his ascendancy to become a lifelong practitioner of black magic.

Delving Darkness
While serving in the court of King Ehrick as a royal guard and using an alias, Aldaren spent his spare time under the tutelage of Lorelei, becoming one of her few apprentices. Though there were many moments in his training where the practice of rune-less magic was confusing and that raising of the dead brought a daunting new experience, Aldaren still found himself becoming immersed in the concept of her teachings. The underlying purpose of an obsession with death would later reveal a more sinister understanding as to how spiritual corruption and the stockpiling of souls provided the Amaranth with the prospect of immortality. He learned the history, culture, hierarchy, and plight of the Amaranth's past, and would later become one of the first lesser races to ascend to their council.

Since Vicente had departed Gielinor during this time, leaving Lorelei without her beloved, Aldaren began experiencing an infatuation with her. Finding himself distracted from her lessons, he eventually succumbed to revealing his feelings. After a brief emotional encounter with her in Varrock, Lorelei would halt her tutelage and depart Gielinor, later returning and becoming the wife of Xandres Zarco. For a short while, Aldaren blamed himself for her departure, though his affection was reversed through forgiveness and he never again mentioned such conflicted feelings.

The Sicarius
With the return of Vicente and the departure of Lorelei, Aldaren followed his old comrade in joining the Sicarius Coven. His own feelings of the family were skeptical as he was formerly their enemy during his service to the Empire, however, no one in the Sicarius earned his hatred more than Kel, the Father. Unknown to many, Kel had once assaulted Lorelei, marking himself and his cohorts and enemy of the Amaranth. With this in mind, Aldaren put his skills of resiliency and manipulation to good use by joining the Sicarius, intent to kill Kel himself for what he had done to Lorelei.

His first encounter of the Father was in Varrock where he helped Kel and other Sicarius members escape imprisonment. Shortly after this occasion, Aldaren was blooded and inducted into the family by Vicente, now revealed to be Rai Sicarius. This process began early in the Sicarius lore and involved placing what was known as the Mark onto blooded members of the family, giving them abilities to communicate with other Marked members and access to Sicarii powers. Imbedded in their ranking system, the Mark was mostly used to punish lower ranking members for mistakes and defiance. This practice was used each day and if pursued to its greatest intention, could kill any individual in the lowest tier of the family.

Without ever serving the coven prior, he entered their ranks as a Blade and quickly rose to the position of Legendaire within no time. In his time as Legendaire, Aldaren kept a strict disciplinary demeanor and enforced his will on the servants and lower ranking Sicarius relatives. For the sake of appearing dedicated, he regrettably inducted servants into the family, organized raids, and regularly sought to instill fear in the grunts. When entering the citadel, he'd casually stroll down the aisle between the seats and look for any discrepancies from the other members and servants.

As the Sicarius grew and their fortress in the Wilderness became a target for enemies such as the Daedalus, Aldaren sought to find them a new home. Even more, he found them a kingdom.

Queen Joanna of Misthalin was seen as weak-willed and indecisive. Her kingdom only held together by her web of half-hearted alliances, she would be inevitably replaced at some point and Aldaren found this ample opportunity to be deserving of the Sicarius. Not only this, but the opportunity to seize Varrock would cement his authority in the Coven and make it so that none of his activities would raise suspicion from Kel, who now trusted him.

With alarming ease, the Legendaire travelled to Varrock alone and demanded from Joanna that the city be surrendered to him lest it would be assaulted by the Sicarius and she would be mercilessly murdered. She conceded, and the Sicarius soon moved into the city. Countless raids were conducted to wipe out the prominent noble families and new allies were made within the city from those who were not purged. Most notably, the Gontamue family remained deeply indebted to Aldaren for an occasion where their lord was saved from being slain. In keeping an iron fist over the city, Aldaren took on Thea Sicarius as Queen. The two would later continue to be together into marriage long after Varrock was abandoned.

Eventually, the city would prove to be too large for the coven to maintain and was auctioned off to the highest bidder in a controversial event. In truth, Aldaren was scrying and suspected an invasion of Varrock from the north, which later became the Worshipper Occupation. A quarter of the profit from the auction was placed into a crypt beneath the Sinclair estate and only accessible by the Amaranth who bear the brand.

Thea Sicarius & Death
Aldaren's relationship with Thea continued after Varrock and throughout his remainder of time in the Sicarius. They were later known to be very open about their life together but never once displayed their true feelings among other Sicarius. Instead, they resorted to fits of anger towards one another as Aldaren became increasingly hostile towards the coven.

Despite displaying an outward appearance of hatred, they managed to sire a child named Aetheria Morgan Aerendyl, their only legitimate offspring. Due to their growing animosity, Thea would constantly come to the decision that the child should not be raised by them and instead by a foster family. This conflict led Aldaren to leave the Sicarius and go to war beneath Asgarnia's banner. He swore an oath of allegiance to Varis Grey and accompanied his army on its northern campaigns. Whilst the Battle of Ice Mountain raged on, Thea confronted Aldaren over his disappearance and neglect, escalating into a fierce duel. They fought through a series of misguided teleports, resulting in Thea killing Aldaren and his own naivety and attraction to her contributing to his death. On the top of Ardougne Castle, Aldaren was slain by his wife.

After his body had been recovered and placed into a tomb, Thea went home to their daughter, Morgan, and held the infant close with his blood still on her hands. Morgan would then be taken to live in the care of House Concendo, having never met Aldaren in her lifetime.

The Ashen Revival
A small death cult affiliated with Aldaren began a search for his body. Carrying his original phylactery of an amulet, the Ashen Covenant eventually found his corpse within the Aerendyl crypt it had been placed. Creating a magical circle and performing a ritual of revival, his soul was carried from the phylactery and returned to his body, bringing him slowly back to life as a Lich.

With his return, he had to adjust living as a lich. In doing so, he used magic to sustain himself in his former appearance and travelled far north into Forinthry where he began rebuilding the ancient outpost of Brynmor. What was once an outpost for the Amaranth to safeguard Markejjik, or Dreadshard Fortress, Brynmor became a small castle of its own, housing Aldaren's undead creations and what small following he carried with him into the Wilderness.

Current Whereabouts
Rumors had arisen in the southern kingdoms that the undead crept across the north and crossed the Wilderness border on several occasions. King Varian of Asgarnia answered these mysteries with setting up a force of wardens, charged with protecting Asgarnia at the Wilderness border, and venturing into the north if need be. Aldaren's scouts began picking off these individuals until the group of wardens disbanded.

He continues to serve the Amaranth family and will appear to those who use archaic black magic rituals to call upon him.

Sources & Trivia

 * Aldaren has nearly twelve illegitimate sons and one daughter, Morgan (the daughter) being the only legitimate child of his. Her mother is Thea Sicarius.
 * Aldaren is a character that is seven years old in real life timing, having been Valiesin's second character created on World 42.