Alpha Aphelion

Details

Not a lot about Alpha’s appearance is known. He hides behind long sleeved clothing, even during summers, and wears a silver mask especially tailored for him. Some whisper that it was made after he suffered heavy burns and needed the mask as a prosthetic to continue to live. Others say that he is simply embodying the creatures awaiting non-believers in limbo, ready to swallow them whole. A warning, if you will. The only visible parts around his face are his eyes and his mouth.

What is seen of him, is pale, cold skin and dark brown eyes. When there is little light around the man, they almost appear to be black. Alpha is on the taller side, with a slender build and together with boney fingers and the creepy mask, he definitely is giving creep-vibes. He walks with his back straight, his chin up and his hands neatly folded behind his back, always giving off an air of authority when he is around.

His clothes usually consist of black uniforms. These clothes differ little from each other, but to the people that work close with him or see him often, they can see there are definitely differences. He carries the symbol of Renestrae as a pendant around his neck, often grasping it when he is preaching.

Alpha is a fanatic. The faith of Renestrae has always followed him closely through his life and he feels that without it, he is nothing. His prayers, vows and faith are extremely important to him and to an extent, it is important to him that others share that same feeling. Everything involves the faith of Renestrae in his life. Every step is dedicated to the faith of Renestrae, every word, every breath, every blink. Nothing in his life is more important than following this faith.

He cares very little about other people’s feelings, though he will always treat people with respect and dignity, praying for them that Renestrae’s darkness will find them and show them the path they need to follow. If you are Ordinian however, Alpha will most definitely shun you. He sees the people from outside Ashmoor as tained and unsavable. Even if they would turn themselves to the faith of Renestrae, it would be a false turn. One only done in order to save their hides. He believes that outsiders' decision to follow this faith is never pure and one made out of egotistical reasons.

Alpha does not care who leads or tells him what to do, as long as they follow the faith of Renestrae. He is loyal to the people currently in reign and he will not actively pursue to overthrow them nor help the people that have these kinds of ideas, not as long as they shun his oh so dear faith.

Another aspect in Alpha’s personality is that he loves the status he currently has. He loves to be looked up at, to be seen and to be believed. He sometimes likes to misuse the good faith people have in him to make them do what he wants them to do. Or to warp their worldview. Alpha wants nothing more but for the Ashmoor’s dream of expansion to succeed. The more believers, the bigger the power of the church. Within the boundaries that were set by Ashmoor’s rulers of course.

Alpha, as probably guessed by his name, was the first child to be born within the Aphelion family. Becoming great and making it in life was extremely important within the Aphelion family. Living in Alderath’s first ring, status was extremely important. The only goal was to climb higher, be better than others and most of all: create a legacy for the Aphelion family.

Alpha’s father was the third child of his father and therefore had not much to reach for in life except to make sure that his children ensured the legacy. And so it would be. Alpha was the first, Andra the second and Ketiga the last, with Alpha and Ketiga only differing a bit more than two years of age. All were treated equally within the family, but all were told they were destined to do something great. Or else they would bring shame on the family and be shunned of the family name.

So absolutely no pressure.

Most eyes were focused on Alpha, with him being the eldest. As a boy he was quiet, being more apprehensive and not all that daring to try things out. This frustrated his father, who only pushed him more to find something his son could excel in. But everything he tried, nothing stuck. Alpha had no interest in heavy labor, no interest in the science that Ashmoor was so proud of, not in knights or in armies. Nothing.

Desperate, Terzo took his child to see the High Priest of the church, begging him to help Alpha find a prideful task he could create a legacy within. The High Priest contemplated in silence, before deciding that perhaps Alpha needed a change of scenery instead of a constant push in his back. To relieve him of stress to perform, would perhaps help him find a path to explore.

At first, Alpha found nothing enjoyable at the church of Renestae. It was simply a boring, gloomy place full of old people that could only preach and tell life lessons. But as is the case with many more things: the longer you are exposed to something, the more you start to gravitate towards it. And such was the case with Alpha.

After a few months, he didn’t find it so annoying anymore to get up early to listen to sermons. He engaged in conversations with the High Priest, talking about duties in life, the life after that and how faith was woven everything they did. Slowly but surely, Alpha was becoming a true believer.

After more than half a year, he decided that this was his place. This was where he needed to be. A young boy with an easily influenced mind, decided that faith was everything he needed in life. And nobody bat an eye at that. Legacy was all that was wanted and if that could be achieved through faith, then so be it.

Over the course of many years, Alpha dedicated himself to the faith of Renestrae. He learned the texts, the codes, anything there was to know. And through that, he learned his hate and despise for outsiders and shunners of the faith. Whereas the High Priest often spoke in calm tones, Alpha would raise his voice and speak his mind with heavier words.

This sometimes clashed. The High Priest and his acolyte often had arguments. The Priest was convinced that everyone should have a chance to turn their fate around, that they were allowed to prove they were worthy. Alpha decided that every non-believer, shunner and outsider needed to burn for their wrongdoings. That turning to their faith would just be an act of egocentrism, to save their own lives from impending Limbo.

The longer Alpha stayed, the more fanatical he became. He depended on the faith of Renestrae, seeing it as the thing that saved him from eternal damnation, from bringing shame to his family and lastly, creating a legacy for his family.

Because Alpha was climbing the ranks within the church, and that had not gone unnoticed ‘by his family. He barely stayed in touch with them, finding no solace in doing so as they harbored not the same feelings towards the faith of Renestrae as he did.

All was well until it wasn’t. Because Alpha started to disagree more and more with the ways the High Priest was leading the faith. He felt that he was being too meek with people, that strong faith would bond the community and therefore make Ashmoor stronger. The High Priest retorted that everyone should have a choice and that not being a follower was not always a sin.

Alpha only saw one choice: follow or die. And at a certain point he came to the conclusion that the High Priest had lost his way. The man was old after all. He was weak, perhaps hadn’t had his thoughts in order. The faith of the church was being led astray. This was not something that should happen.

And so Alpha started whispering through the corridors of the temple, planting little seeds here and there. Rumours went around that the High Priest was no longer in his right mind. These rumours were further fueled when the Priest started to turn sick, growing weak. Spots and dark colored veins appeared, further proving the point of his deteriorating health. People started to doubt the man’s beliefs and leadership, with Alpha indirectly helping in these conversations as well. It was around this time that Alpha donned the mask, giving no other reason than saying that faith needed no face and therefore he did not need to show himself. Or something vague like that.

Then came the faithful day that the High Priest passed. The whole temple was in mourning. Despite the doubts about his leadership, the High Priest had been a loved man. Even Alpha felt grief, despite their differences.

The man helped other priests and acolytes find peace and he was heavily involved in the High Priest’s funeral preparations. The High Priest was sent off, forever taking side at Renestrae’s side.

And then a new High Priest was to be chosen. Alpha didn’t involve himself much in the discussions, feigning his disinterest in being put in such a position. Which was exactly what people were looking up to. Someone who had no interest in power, who needed only faith to guide him and the wisdom of the church to aid him.

So it was chosen for Alpha to become High-Priest, calling a new dawn on the faith of Renestrae. A more fanatical one at that.

- All children in the Aphelion family are named after the order they were born in. Andra means second in Swedish, Ketiga means third in Indonesian. Terzo is third in Italian. Danielle has no special meaning, because she comes from outside the Aphelion family and incest is yikes