Alaric Westfold
Alaric and his sister were born in the small northern city of Tellamir. Not particularly famed for anything of not nor really thought of as important, Tellamir is a small trading port on the Gulf of Liad. Neither Alaric nor his sister ever met his parents, both of the twins being dropped off as babies at a local orphanage.
There they were raised until the age of nine. The orphanage that they grew up in was considered a workhouse, and from an incredibly young age both Alaric and his sister were forced into a number of dangerous and near deadly job. Eventually Alaric tired of this life, and he convinced his sister to run away from the Orphanage.
Through the next three years the Twins lived as street-Urchins, stealing, living in hovels, and generally doing their best to survive.
It was during this time that the two Urchins stole from the wrong man; a Pariah Templar.
The man was dressed in fine armor and a cloak, and Alaric thought that he would carry riches upon him. Unfortunately for the young boy, the man had better reactions than him and as he went for the Templar's purse the soldier caught him by the arm. It was not long before Alaric's sister tried to save him, and in the effort was quickly caught herself.
Luckily for the Twins, the Templar took pity on them. He saw something within the Urchins, and thus asked them if they would like to become something greater than themselves. Though Alaric was hesitant, his sister eventually convinced him.
The two were shipped off to the Ebon Bay, and there they would train to become Pariah Templar just like the man who had caught them.
Though the training was absolutely brutal, and the final initiation even more so, both Alaric and his sister managed to pass the trials. It took them both more than a decade, but both came out as stronger and better people. They now sternly follow along the path of the Pariah's, doing their best to act the part they had been brought up in.
Pariah Templar
After the fracture of the Templar Order into hundreds of different chapters, some became even more stuck in theirs ways. With none this is more true than the Pariah.
Before the splinter, the Chapter that would become known as the Pariah Templar were some of the most zealous and ardent supporters of what the Order stood for. They were extremely militant, ardent warriors, and often utilized brutal tactics in their workings. More so than any other Chapter the Pariah despise Liches, Necromancers, and mages who would do evil against the common man.
This hatred has stuck with them over the centuries, and although it is not official doctrine, it has come to pass that many Pariah Templar hate mages as a matter of common fact. Most Pariah consider all mages to be 'ticking time bombs' and thus regard them with little more than disdain.
Though this is not universally true it is a fact for many.
This truth is only compounded by the fact that the Pariah Fortress known as the Ebon Bay is located relatively close to Elbion itself. Though the Grandmaster of the Chapters have often claimed this was a coincidence, others often think that this was done on purpose in order to keep an 'eye' on the College.
The Pariah's are zealots in their beliefs through and through. They believe in the tenants of their order far more than most other Chapters and are disliked, if not outright disdained for it.
Of course, the thing that allows the Pariah's to hold to their ideals so steadfastly is the fact that each and every one of them is a magical null. This means that Pariah Templar are not affect by direct applications of magic, an ability achieved through an incredibly painful initiation Trial.
This trial consists of a surgery with various alchemical agents being applied throughout.
The Trial has a survival rate of one out of a dozen, with many recruits simply passing away within the first hour of the procedure. Those that survive however are rendered Nulls, and thus pose an incredibly danger to most mages and sorcerers.
Of course, this trial has other side-effects. Those who survive have their emotions dulled and often live far shorter life-spans than average members of their species. Their skin also often turns more pale than it originally was, their eyes become darker, and various other smaller side-effects that can often differ from person to person.
This is what truly marks a Pariah.
Before the splinter, the Chapter that would become known as the Pariah Templar were some of the most zealous and ardent supporters of what the Order stood for. They were extremely militant, ardent warriors, and often utilized brutal tactics in their workings. More so than any other Chapter the Pariah despise Liches, Necromancers, and mages who would do evil against the common man.
This hatred has stuck with them over the centuries, and although it is not official doctrine, it has come to pass that many Pariah Templar hate mages as a matter of common fact. Most Pariah consider all mages to be 'ticking time bombs' and thus regard them with little more than disdain.
Though this is not universally true it is a fact for many.
This truth is only compounded by the fact that the Pariah Fortress known as the Ebon Bay is located relatively close to Elbion itself. Though the Grandmaster of the Chapters have often claimed this was a coincidence, others often think that this was done on purpose in order to keep an 'eye' on the College.
The Pariah's are zealots in their beliefs through and through. They believe in the tenants of their order far more than most other Chapters and are disliked, if not outright disdained for it.
Of course, the thing that allows the Pariah's to hold to their ideals so steadfastly is the fact that each and every one of them is a magical null. This means that Pariah Templar are not affect by direct applications of magic, an ability achieved through an incredibly painful initiation Trial.
This trial consists of a surgery with various alchemical agents being applied throughout.
The Trial has a survival rate of one out of a dozen, with many recruits simply passing away within the first hour of the procedure. Those that survive however are rendered Nulls, and thus pose an incredibly danger to most mages and sorcerers.
Of course, this trial has other side-effects. Those who survive have their emotions dulled and often live far shorter life-spans than average members of their species. Their skin also often turns more pale than it originally was, their eyes become darker, and various other smaller side-effects that can often differ from person to person.
This is what truly marks a Pariah.