Born: 9 June 1884 E-10
Heritage: Irosian, Miiredian, Archdaimen (+other)
Origins: Alexandrian Lucious Kyro Aviligne changed his name when he turned nineteen and was forced to accept the status of “heir to the throne of Mercisha,” which he did not understand and did not want. It was partly an inside joke (“alkaline” means “basic”), and partly a statement that even though his mother had named him and his twin sister “heirs,” that he would not follow in the footsteps of their family or continue its legacy. It was a massive social scandal, but then, so were Al and his sister. They were born bastards, you see.
Al came into his own with no help from his biological family, who tried to isolate and divide him and his sister from the rest of the royal Mercishan line. His mother alternated between calling them her pride and joy, and trying to have them both killed. His other mom died. His half-siblings were either just as stuck and miserable as he was, or they were in on the abuse.
Then he went to boarding school and met Hirosea Chirrell, his many siblings, and a hot-headed kid who would eventually become Finlay Heran, and things began to look up.
Fun Facts:
- Loves dogs, cats, and drakons; studies them all obsessively (with a fixation on ethical training and breeding of defensive Hellhound breeds).
- Has a thing for knives. (That “thing” being a major kink for knife- and pain-play).
- Learned how to punch from one of the prostitutes his father employed. (Also learned to bite, hard, from the same person.)
- After being named heir, while his twin sister distracted their family members, Al discreetly freed the illegal slaves his royal family members kept in the secret floors of the Mercishan Palace, then led a revolt and publicly claimed his and his sister’s titles.
- Conveniently, no one in the public remembers this part. After taking the throne officially in the 1910s, Al puts on a very convincing show, presenting himself as an airhead prince who leaves all the important stuff up to his sister.
- Actually possesses an extensive knowledge of advanced first aid and wound care. Never explains why if asked.
- Has extensive knowledge of a broad range of topics, actually. Possesses several degrees relating to politics, history, and environmental science. Also pokes around at getting an interior design certification, a landscaping cert., a lesser botany degree, and dabbles in psychology research (the latter of which is how he meets Ameria’s to-be wife, Tarak Killian).
- Most of his life before age nineteen is held in redacted, highly confidential files that he and his sister classified themselves.
- Has an uncanny ability to mimic voices (product of his mixed heritage).
- See the reference sheet above for more!
Alkaline is one of the characters I most enjoy developing. He and Ameria, his identical twin, are key to Mercishan reform, thereby completing what their ancestors set out to do by abolishing all of the Seven Heathen Mages’ unethical practices and creeds. He’s also a massive dork, a kinky bastard (/affectionate), and an over-excited matchmaker.
Al is also a case in which he wasn’t so much changed by the Aetherian power shift as he was by his friends’ direct involvement with it in the immediate aftermath (i.e., because Fin got so mixed up with the Aetherians and they changed him, Al was also changed through the developments Fin and the Chirrells experienced after meeting Ev). He’s got his own story, his own villains (most of which are his family members), his own independent course of development… He’s also very smart, and has that whole airhead public persona thing going on. He’s very fun to work with as a character!