Post by Tseecka on Jun 12, 2014 13:48:20 GMT
Born the second son of King Maric IV, Alistair Theirin V shared a similar upbringing to his ancient namesake. Despite his royal paternal lineage, his mother’s status as one of the lower classes meant that he could not be raised in Denerim, and so he was fostered in Redcliffe with friends of the royal family. Raised without knowledge of his royal lineage, he spent the first ten years of his life there. However, rumours began circulating that the King had been unfaithful to his wife. In order to avoid any undue attention, Alistair’s foster parents decided that it would be best to have the boy raised by the Chantry and out of the public eye.
Informed of his true parentage when he came of age, Alistair learned that he had been selected to undergo training for the elite corps of the Templar Order, as befitted his status; privately, he wondered if this was political maneuvering on the part of the queen and his elder brother, to ensure that he would not be able to make a claim to the throne due to lyrium addiction. Not wanting the responsibility of rule, he didn’t take issue with that; but despite the best efforts of the Chantry, he never fully accepted the religious doctrine. Three years later, he left the Templars, seeking out the Grey Wardens instead as a better, more secular venue for his skills.
His father having died before Alistair ever learned who he was, Alistair spent most of his life in a Ferelden under the rule of first the Queen Regent, and then King Cailan. He was travelling with the Wardens, seeking out Artefacts across Ferelden, when they received news that the King had been killed in the onslaught of the Blight (later confirmed to be nothing more than a false Blight). Alistair remained quiet about his parentage, hoping to avoid being conscripted into rule due to his own shared bloodline. He felt very strongly that he lacked both capacity and desire to have anything to do with ruling a nation. The constant threat weighed on his mind, however, and he finally admitted to a few of his closest Warden friends and some of their companions that he was likely the heir to the throne. They all agreed to his desire to remain out of the public eye, and kept his secret.
During his time with the Wardens, Alistair acted as mentor, friend, and eventually lover to Lyna Mahariel, a recent recruit from the Dalish. The two formed a deep bond, loving one another deeply and fiercely, and had intentions to marry and start a family. She was killed in a battle with a High Dragon during their travels before any of their dreams were able to come to fruition, and died in Alistair’s arms. Alistair took a small ring from her body before she was buried, and wears it on a chain around his neck next to his vial of Darkspawn blood. He also adopted her mabari war hound, named Bean, and the two became nearly inseparable companions.
Without Lyna by his side, Alistair gradually lost much of his fire and fervor for the work of the Wardens. When the missive came from Denerim, asking Alistair to return to the city to take up his father’s throne in order to avoid a civil war breaking out over the succession, he bid farewell to the Wardens and returned with only a small group of his friends at his side. Filled with doubts about his own ability to rule, and knowing Anora Mac Tir as a woman fit and well able to do so, he agreed to marry her to solidify her claim to the throne.
His new wife had hopes of making a proper man out of her new husband, but soon realized that Alistair's heart belonged to two things only: his country, and Lyna's memory. They quickly gave up all semblance of attempts at a loving marriage. Bean's presence remains a hotly contested point of debate between them, and Alistair spends as much of his time away from Denerim as he can, preferring to leave Anora on the throne while he rules from the field. There are rumours that Anora has taken a number of paramours to fill the void left by her husband. They do make semi-regular attempts to conceive, but it is a loveless affair, and so far fruitless due to Alistair's tainted blood.
Despite this, Alistair does genuinely respect Anora. He keeps his vows of fidelity, and won't hear her name sullied in his presence.
Informed of his true parentage when he came of age, Alistair learned that he had been selected to undergo training for the elite corps of the Templar Order, as befitted his status; privately, he wondered if this was political maneuvering on the part of the queen and his elder brother, to ensure that he would not be able to make a claim to the throne due to lyrium addiction. Not wanting the responsibility of rule, he didn’t take issue with that; but despite the best efforts of the Chantry, he never fully accepted the religious doctrine. Three years later, he left the Templars, seeking out the Grey Wardens instead as a better, more secular venue for his skills.
His father having died before Alistair ever learned who he was, Alistair spent most of his life in a Ferelden under the rule of first the Queen Regent, and then King Cailan. He was travelling with the Wardens, seeking out Artefacts across Ferelden, when they received news that the King had been killed in the onslaught of the Blight (later confirmed to be nothing more than a false Blight). Alistair remained quiet about his parentage, hoping to avoid being conscripted into rule due to his own shared bloodline. He felt very strongly that he lacked both capacity and desire to have anything to do with ruling a nation. The constant threat weighed on his mind, however, and he finally admitted to a few of his closest Warden friends and some of their companions that he was likely the heir to the throne. They all agreed to his desire to remain out of the public eye, and kept his secret.
During his time with the Wardens, Alistair acted as mentor, friend, and eventually lover to Lyna Mahariel, a recent recruit from the Dalish. The two formed a deep bond, loving one another deeply and fiercely, and had intentions to marry and start a family. She was killed in a battle with a High Dragon during their travels before any of their dreams were able to come to fruition, and died in Alistair’s arms. Alistair took a small ring from her body before she was buried, and wears it on a chain around his neck next to his vial of Darkspawn blood. He also adopted her mabari war hound, named Bean, and the two became nearly inseparable companions.
Without Lyna by his side, Alistair gradually lost much of his fire and fervor for the work of the Wardens. When the missive came from Denerim, asking Alistair to return to the city to take up his father’s throne in order to avoid a civil war breaking out over the succession, he bid farewell to the Wardens and returned with only a small group of his friends at his side. Filled with doubts about his own ability to rule, and knowing Anora Mac Tir as a woman fit and well able to do so, he agreed to marry her to solidify her claim to the throne.
His new wife had hopes of making a proper man out of her new husband, but soon realized that Alistair's heart belonged to two things only: his country, and Lyna's memory. They quickly gave up all semblance of attempts at a loving marriage. Bean's presence remains a hotly contested point of debate between them, and Alistair spends as much of his time away from Denerim as he can, preferring to leave Anora on the throne while he rules from the field. There are rumours that Anora has taken a number of paramours to fill the void left by her husband. They do make semi-regular attempts to conceive, but it is a loveless affair, and so far fruitless due to Alistair's tainted blood.
Despite this, Alistair does genuinely respect Anora. He keeps his vows of fidelity, and won't hear her name sullied in his presence.