Aegidius Blackwood

"Death is only the beginning."

- Aegidius Blackwood

Maximus Aegidius Aesir 'Stonewall' Hardain Shield-Breaker Blackwood, is the main character of Eric. Maximus have been played for over 14 months Out of Character time and over 20ish years In-Character time. He has served as the last Monvallis Consul, he is the last of the Sicarius Drudges, one of Domovoi Shield-Breaker's Polemistis, and now is the Primus Strategos, or Head General, of the Ardougneian military. He is also now, the first of Archon Ausar's Daeborn and acting leader of the unknown group.

Appearance
Aegidius is a large black haired man with a short full beard. At the moment in Ardounge, he is 43 years of age. He stands at over 6'4 height and weighs over 290 pounds. From his time in Sicarius he put on weight and muscle, making himself a tank to be used in combat. Aegidius wore his coal black hair long for a number of years, in recent days he has cut it short alongside his full stubble. He has a pair of dark grey eyes which seem to look past your apperance and judges you on your actions. His left side of his face was badly burnt by a fire mage during one of the Sicarius trips over the Salve. Whilst his right and everywhere else on his face was badly beaten in by a mug by the Lord Marshal of the Sicarius Family, and was never healed. Leaving Aegidius with a burnt and beaten in face.

He wears at almost all times, layers of darken hardened leather, darken scale mail, and a number of other Sicarius Era items, alongside his trademark large round spiked shield and hasta or sword. He also wears the dark pelt of a slain werewolf on his shoulders, a prize from one of his missions across the Salve.

If he goes to the rare ball, he wears a pair of knee high black leather riding boots, with a fancy black and gold trim tunic, and simple black leather trousers. He wears his dark werewolf cloak which hangs from his shoulder by a golden eagle brooch.

Personality
"Duty, Honor, Sacrifice."

- -The Blackwood Motto

Before joining the Sicarius, Aegidius or Maximus was a very "charming" person. Always smiling and using his words to get him in or out of situations. During his time in the Sicarius he was numbed by the actions we did. From killing to looting, Aegidius began to lose all feeling, and for a good amount of time and no memory of who he was. Aegidius is prone to violent outbrusts when mad, and in combat sees only red.

Aegidius, being a common blood, as a strong disliking to anyone that calls them self by any title of Noblity or Royalty. No matter who you are, he will stare down at you for wearing a crown. Due to his years of serving a number of Noble Houses, he found that they all carry the same idea of courrption and greed. Using their money and power to insure that they keep said money and power, the Vekon Family he hates the most, them being the primest example of greed. He in all senses, is the shield and sword of the common men, and in the end, serves them. He also started what he calls, "The Common Cause.", an idea that everyman and women is born the same. Your blood does not matter, your blood does not give you the right to wear a crown or call yourself a Lord.

Aegidius has a number of mental illiness ranging from detachment to anger issues. These all come from the hand of either the Sicarius or his Father. He has a difficult time understanding most emotions and struggle to keep a normal conversation without his anger rising. He has also shown the slight control issues in the smallest of things, making him a rather detail oriented person when he is not having one of his mental breakdowns, which ends up in a killing spree. He also seems to have an obsession with killing, his trait paired with his anger is a dangerous combination. This trait was most likely formed at the hands of the Sicarius who changed the very being of Aegidius.

He also has the issue, in times of great mental stress, to break mentally. He would "switch" between a number of different personalities at once; Maximus Blackwood Consul of Monvallis, Sketch the afraid Servus, the Drudge loyal Servus to the Sicarius, and lastly Aegidius. During one of these espoides he can lose his memory and be stuck at one of the personalities for hours to years. Which is what happened after he was captured by the Sicarius, the mental strain became so much that he broke.

Of all the oddest things, Aegidius has a high skill level in medicine coming from his time in Blackwater.

Equipment

 * A set of Steel-Mithril alloy armor, with a single breastplate and chain/padded shirt under shirt alongside a Steel-Mithrill alloy chain skirt.93d21d401e2cc959295684eaf69182cd.png
 * A large steel spiked shield
 * Steel hasta
 * Steel longsword
 * Iron gladius
 * A number of iron daggers in his boots and sword belt
 * Two iron throwing axes
 * Iron spiked gloves that go over his leather ones



Early Life (Pre-Rp)
Maxmius is the first born of Eric Blackwood and an unnamed women. His birth Mother is unknown. Born in the City of Ardounge, Aegidius was born into a Common Family, and lived on a small farm out of the outskirts of the City. His Father through his strength of his arm, learnt how to read and write and had a small collection of books that were worth more than their farm. From a young age, Maximus was taught the basic history of the land and taught the rules of the Blackwood Family. His father, being a cold and rough man, drilled into Maximus's mind that Duty must always come first. And when Maximus would try and fight against that rule, he was beaten by Eric. This lead to a divide between Father and Son that lasts to present day.

Monvallis
After turning the age of eighteen, Maximus left that small farm and traveled that land. His Father left years before hand, being called to serve for a far off Lord, leaving the farm in care of their Cousin Teddy Roosvelt. For years Maximus went his own way, learning more about the way of the sword and manners. Serving from a bodyguard to a servant in Noble houses. Then one night a letter arrived for Maximus by raven, a letter from his Father. While Maximus was travling the world, his Father became the Praetorian Commander for  Chancellor Eden Syvain, a elite group of men who protected the Chancellor. The letter was short, and said bluntly that he was too come to Monvallis and rule in the stead of the Chancellor next side Senator Arven.

It seems in a bit of humor, his Father was made a noble under Chancellor Syvain, making the House Blackwood under the Monvallis Republic. Going agasint all the teachings of before. Though after the fall of the Republic, the Blackwoods gave up all titles and went back to what they truly were, common blood. When Maximus arrived in the City, his Father, the Praetorian, and the Chancellor was gone, the city was in tumoil. He met his fellow Consul and as a team worked upon fixing the mistakes of past leadership.

Maximus, though, had a number of Order's plan, one in which was named "Order 66", which called for the Legion to wipe out all gonverment officals and restart the Republic with the public voting in the next Chancellor. This information was leaked and he was ran out of the city.

Sicarius
After fleeing from Monvallis, Maximus or Aegidius, came to the slums of Falador and started on the quest of searching for a contact towards the Sicarius. After days of searching, Aegidius was able to send a message out saying that he wanted to be taken in. The very same night in the small house he was staying in, the Lord Marshal and Head Servent broke in, knocked him out, and dragged him off to the outskirts of the city, where he was teleported away. Waking up sometime later, he and a group of men were forced to their knees with their hands tied behind their backs. In front of them stood bloodied members of the Sicarius

Family in a Mountain Camp high up North. There he was invited to the Family and started his life as a Servent. At this point he was given the name Sketch by one of the over Servus, for a great deal of time he would go by this, making the picture of him be a very afraid and weak Servus. During one of the first nights when the Bloodied were sleeping, Aegidius help start a smal roit between the Servents, which lead to the Lord Marshal waking up and bashing Aegidius's face in with a mug.

After what seemed like weeks in the Camp, the Family were on the move again, to their Keep deep in the Wildness. Trekking through the wasteland, the Family took on a dragon face to face and after days of walking came to the Keep.

What followed was months of training from the Lord Marshal and the Abbas, starting out as one of the worst fighters in the Sicarius, he soon was able to hold himself against his fellow Servus. He went on a number of missions with the Family from meeting Varis Grey to chasing after the LongClaws. After sometime, the Lord Marshal invited Aegidius to join the Makhai, a small group of Elite warriors, hand picked and trained by the Lord Marshal himself. He earned the rank of Drudge, who were the personal special forces of the Abbas and Lord Marshal. To earn the rank you had to fight off waves of enemies with a small group of fellow Servus. After hours of fighting, Aegidius and another two Servus became the first of the Drudges. The same night of the him becoming a Makhai a new Era started in the Sicarius, the mark gone and Kel Sicarius sent fleeing from the Keep, the Family were bounded not by fear, but loyalty. Soon afterwards the North felt the flames of War, and the Lord Marshal being a native of the land, sent out on retaking his land from the Magic weilders.

Taking his Makhai or Polemistes, they each were adpoted into his Clan of Shield-Breaker and given anmes of the North. Aegidius or now Aesir, spent the next weeks in the ice fields assisting the Lord Marshal in retaking the North. The Magic wielders though, simply gave the North over into his hands, and as quickly as they came the Polemistes faded back into the snow.

Aegidius, so far in the Family, formed connections with all of his fellow Servus and some of the bloodied members. He became unwavly loyal to the Lord Marshal, and the higher ranks. One of the reasons why he was never killed by the bloodied members.

Leaving the Keep again, the Family started the trek across the Salve and into the Haunted lands, or their second homes. There they started on finding the ruins of a old ship to take them to the lands behind the sea. It was also there where his left side of his face was burnt, but also killed his first werewolf, skinning it later on that night in camp, and using the fur as his cloak.

Blackwater
Now sometime later, with the Family breaking off to do their own missions, the Lord Marshal formed the Blackwater Company, a band of soldiers for hire. They could be seen in the Rising Sun bar making sure Law and Order was present. To the Poison Arrow Bar which acted as their HQ. One of their Missions took them to the House of Alexander Aerendyl, where they protected him from a group of Black Knights. Aegidius during his time there, became the Company's Combat Medic alongside his months of Sicarius training, he learned more on the art of shield and sword from the Lord Marshal.

Ardougne
"Rule by the Sword"

After the Blackwater Company faded away, and the family went their other ways, Aegidius made his way too wherever someone needed killing. He alongside his close friend and Servus, Peter, came to the City of Ardounge and quickly became soldiers under the ruler Ausar Dae. And as the Union turned sides and attacked the Castle, Aegidius and Peter held off a large number of the Union's attacking forces, earning them glory from Ausar.

It is unknown though of his past. To the people of Ardounge and the outside world, he was simply a merc from the Blackwater Company. And those who knew him from the Sicarius do not know of his time in Monvallis. And if he ever met anyone from Monvallis, they would not see the Consul, only a shadow of his past self.

For his help in claiming the City for Ausar, Ausar gave Aegidius the title of Primus Legate and Peter Legate. Knowing both of them could lead men into battle. When the Vekon threat came to his ears, he adopted his past rule of being a political leader and gave a number of speeches on the crimes of the Vekons and to a small part why having a King or Queen is the worst mistake. With the people crying for freedom, Ausar Dae or now Lord Chancellor formed the Republic of Kandarin keeping Aegidius as his Commander of Arimes.

And now after a number of reforms, Aegidius holds the title of Primus Strategos, and is a close friend of the Chancellor.

After becoming a single City-State, Aegidius, in secret, rode North alongside Natalia Tyrelen, they went through the Trials of the Northern People and in return started on healing the wounds of the South and North. In one move, he almost had the North to rally behind Ardounge.

Once News came from coming into the Empire, Aegidius held his tongue having no love to deal with more and more nobles who will claim to be better than him due to a bloodline. Never the least, Aegidius commands the Ardounge Legion with loyalty and skill; Aegidius is starting to like this city.

Death and Rebirth
""Arise, the first of my Daeborn.""

Following Ausar's gift of Princehood from the Empire, Aegidius became closer to the Archon of Ardougne. The two would talk on life and a range of complex issues. Through this bond Aegidius slowly became deathly loyal to the Archon, breaking the bonds held over him that were placed with Sicarius. Unknown to the Primus, the Archon came into a great deal of power, still unknown to the Primus himself. It was after that event, the City was thrown into 'darkness', tenseful shadows lowered over the city, the people and soldiers walked with their heads down, hurrying along with their business.

For weeks Aegidius went along with Legion business as it always has been, until one night he was called to the Castle by the Archon. The Castle itself was almost shut down to everyone but a few select servents and the Council membes. Assuming he was being called to speak on this Imperial Invasion Order, Aegidius hurried along to the Castle.

Speaking a few hurried words, the Archon allowed the Primus to enter first into the meeting room. In a blink of an eye, Ausar became something similar ot a shadow and shoved a dagger into his throat, allowing Aegidius to bleed out in the middle of the throne room. "I am the Pinnacle of Human Evolution."

What followed next is unknown to Aegidius, fighting to hang on until his soul passed on.into the Void. While his body was dragged into the deep tunnels under the Castle, Aegidius walked throught the Valley of Death. Though his time was short walking through the Valley, he only remembered the coldness, a deep setting feeling into his bones, sending shivers down his spine. His mind slowly going mad with each passing moments inside of the Void.

It was not until his soul was pulled from the Void, his small bundle of light hovering above his now very dead body, there was a burning feeling of pain as some form of energy was shoved into his bundle of light, alongside somekind of 'Lich' skull power. Ausar, who was nothing more than a shadow at that point, held the soul of Aegidius in his hands and shoved his talons into the earthly body of Aegidius, bring him back into his body.

Being shoved back into his body, he took a fast and breathless breath, turning to his side to throw up a pile of blood. His skin now deathly pale, his grey eyes now black in appearance. His chest burned where Ausar's talons shoved into him. Somehow through his throwing up and non-stop shivering, the Primus, using as a wall pushed himself to his feet in front of Ausar.

And from the ashes, Aegidus became the first of Ausar's Daeborn, his tools.

The Battle of Karamja and Faldaor
"I only have one rule; everyone fights and no one quits. If you run, I'll kill you myself. Move out.""

- Aegidius Blackwood

Before the Battle of Karamja, Aegidius is named as the acting Imperial Field Marshal, being the single best General the Empire had to offer, Aegidius takes direct command of a Anglo-Kandar Force and sets sail to Karamja. The battle agasint the Orcs and goblins was quick and bloodly, Ardougneian Legate Peter leading the charge, and killed the group to the last man in return for Camelot's burnt Ports.

It is after this that what came to known to a few inside of the Inner-Circles of the Empire, Operation Valkyire or the 'Emergency Wargames Operations' which at it's root was the Imperial Plan to talk control of key checkpoints along the border with Misthalin and take the City of Falador itself, the Queen done away with.

Now Aegidius, growing tired of the Inner politics of the Empire, and wished to be free from the bonds of Imperial Rule, told Archon Ausar Dae the Emperor's Plan weeks before it was to go into effect. The Field Marshal quickly formed a plan that called for the Imperial Army, mainly Kandar Troops at that point, to follow the Emperor's Orders until they reached the City, where Ardounge would arrest the Emperor for Treason, Corruption, and Crimes agasint the State. The City of Falador was to be placed under a martial law of sorts alongside the White Knights until both parites agreed to a new ruler for Falador.

Though the plans shifted slightly, with the White Knights taking the fight to the Queen personally after her disapperance, inside of the White Castle the Queensguard and other Queen Loyalists fought agasint the White Knights holding out for any kind of help. A letter would arrive to the Field Marshal in the Imperial HQ in Port Sarim, hearing of the political takeover, he moved the Imperial Army and put in place the 'Emergency Wargames Operations'.

Getting a message from Ausar and a letter, Aegidius and Peter teleported into the City, and undercovered as a White Knight and Temple Knight walked into the Caslte, through the chaos and right to the Queensguard Commander and handed him personally a signed letter from the Archon telling the Commander a few of Ardougne's plans. Aegidius and Peter then assisted the Queensguard in a quick fight agasint the Temple Knight Team, before disapperaing again into the mist.

As the Army marched through the night, the Field Marshal himself teleported off back towards Ardougne and had a emergency meeting with Ausar, with a few troops, they quikcly marched to Camelot where both the Archon and the Primus Straetgos told Camelot everything, a last ditch effort to gain support before they took the leap into the darkness. Camelot agreed that it was time for Kandar to rise again and for the Emperor to asnwer for his crimes. With only four people knowing of the plot to get rid of the Emperor the Kandarish Forces put everything on the line, teleporting a few select officers back to the main Imperial Army and started on the last leg of the march.

Standing in neat rows, the Imperial Kandar Army, stood shoulder to shoulder, the dark red and gold of the City-State and the lighter red and white of the Kingdom of Camelot. The air was tense as both Field Marshal Blackwood and General Courval gave short speeches to their men, the Army was told a few deatils on what to come, Ausar spoke only once, "Remeber what you are fighting for Kandar."

The Joint-Northern Kandar Army fell on the City, securing the few key points with zero fighting, it seems the main chunk of the fighting was happening inside of the Caslte itself. On the steps of the bridge to bridge it became the point of no return, Aegidius sent a nod towards Ausar, the arrest was a go. With a fast teleblock both the Earl of Sarim and the Emperor were teleblocked and two arrows striking into the Earl's knees, forcing him to the ground as Kandar soldiers held him down and arrested him. The Emperor simply stared at Ausar, before he was taken down by a group of soldiers, knocking him out and cuffing him.

Now, with the Emperor bagged, the only rough issue was the White Knights, there was some battlefield 'fog' and both sides assumed each other were there to kill them. The battle for Falador's Castle was a short one, the White Knights holding the line agasint the much smaller Kandar Force, the main chunk of what was the Imperial Army was still busy securing other points in the City. With his soldiers dropping and the outlook grim, a hole appeared in the White Knight Line, a masive titian moving its way forward blocking the way into the castle, giving a battle cry, Aegidius infused his right arm with his dark magic and leaped foward bringing his hasta into the beast, at the same time the Queensguard took control of the cannons on the roof, and started firing into the lines of White Knights, one of the cannons hitting the backside of the titian as Aegidius thrusted his hasta into it, both of which did the trick, but the blast of the cannon and the titian's death sent the Marshal flying backwards agasint the castle wall.

Fighting through his shellshock, he saw the line starting to break in the White Knights, bleeding from shards of the titian, and his ears ringing, he lifted his shield and gave out another warcry, leading the rest of his men through the hole, alongside the help of cannons and mages on the roof, the breaking of the White Knights were fast, this earned him the nickname from his men 'Stonewall'. With their Lord-Commander captured and the main chunk of their forces captured, the rest of the White Knights put down their arms, thinking this was the end.

After a number of meetings, both sides found out that the entire battle was a misunderstanding, helping the White Knight Order get back onto their feet and restoring peace in the City, the Kandar Troops did what they thought impossible, they freed themselves from the Imperial bonds, had the Emperor captured and his crown broken. They had won.

Battle of Fort Aegis
Aegidius, alongside Peter, were doing their Miliary Command duties, coming to Fort Aegis, a key Fort in the line of defense on the border, to run a number of drills. While there, a rouge Camelot Noble Family, wishing to overall the Ardougneian gonverment attacks the stone Fort. Though they were unpepered to find the Primus Straetgos himself there, and a number of old friends from Aeg's and Peter Sicarius days catching up. Aegidius also brought along a small party of skilled warriors with him, Edi, a Sicarius Reaver, sticking out the most. It was in days before the battle, Aegidius allowed a number of dog doors to be made along the walls. It was when the first siding of a large force marching down the Northern Road that Aegidius knew something was very wrong. Standing on the front of the battlements, the Primus commanded the score of cannon teams, breaking their formations, as he called for Edi to unleash the special created Reaver hounds onto the already shocked rouge force. Alongside the hammering of the cannons and Reaver hounds the lines of the 'noble' forces broke, the commanders of the enemy force sounded for the full retreat of their forces. They broke with out any direction or form, moving out in the hills at random times.

It was only then did he allow the cannon fire to pause and the gates to be opened, his about 1,000 man force swepting out over the burning landscape, with orders to kill every single last one of them, and only bring the commander ot the Primus. While only a few got away, almost the entire enemy force was slain, butchered by Legion Vakts as they treid to flee back towards Camelot.,

It was one of the cleanest battles in Aegidius;s military command, with not a single oneo f his soldiers dying, and most of the enemy force being killed in the field around Fort Aegis. With the enemy command before him, he was about to kill the man by his own hand, a Knight from Camelot appeared claiming to be the voice of the King. Near the same time, Ausar appeared also, and within mintues a Trial by Combat is started. Wihtin a few moves, the enemy commander laided dead in the middle of the Fort, with his body being carried off by the same Camelot Knight. It was at that point General Courvs of CAmelot came riding to the Fort, having a hushed talk with Aegidius about the State of Camelot politics and inner affiars. Not even the gonverment knew of the attack, though Aegidius wishes to believe his friend,

The Common Cause
"For your voices I have fought."

The Common Cause is the political ideology founded by Aegidius Blackwood, during his travels across the land. The basic theory behind the Common Cause is that every man and women is born the same. That blood does not give you the right to wear a crown, or rule over a group of people. Names mean nothing, you could be the highest lord or the lowest gutter rat, the Common Cause shall treat you the same. It is through the strength of your arm and the sweat of your brow is that you earn the right to rule.

The Common Cause holds a few things in common with Aerendyl Principality, the basic idea that the government serves the people, and when a ruler stops serving the people, that is when you lose the right to rule.

If one spent even a few seconds in the company of the Primus, one could tell his dislike for nobles, royalty, and non-military titles. Though of late he keeps it to himself, in the past he has been known to be get into debates on the theory of nobility. During he voting for the Republic he gave a number of speeches fighting for the 'common cause', that every man and women has the right to a voice.

Aegidius was the loudest when the Archon forsake the Republican ties and went to a monarchy in everything but name. He felt that he turned his back to his people, his roots.

Though it is unknown to everyone, Aegidius was there the day for the battle of Falador. He fought for the Free People of Falador, a group of farmers, low born nobles, and a few members of the Makhai. This could be looked as the first time Aegidius fought for the 'common cause', for the people's voices.

Aegidius has plans to write a book on his ideas and gather support from commoners and nobles who believe in the idea of earning your way and the other basic ideas of the Common Cause.

Fun Facts

 * Aegidius holds a number of different names and titles from his time serving in the Sicarius
 * Due to his victory over the Wraped Union, Aegidius was gifted the title of "The Shield of Ardounge"
 * He was given a nothern blade once he finished the Trials in the North
 * Aegidius has a large mug collection, going back from when the Lord Marshal beat his face in with one
 * Founder of the Common Cause political theory
 * Aegidius keeps count of his age simply to keep that Human feeling to him