Alistair Lucidae (a.k.a. Alis)
Mental characteristics
Alistair and Orithia are twin heirs to the Solassi throne, born on New Light Day twenty one years ago. Alistair, being the male child of the Empress, is relegated to the role of prince for the entirety of his life while his sister will one day become the Empress herself.
Due to the sickly nature of the Empress's pregnancy, Alistair and Orithia were both born with different ailments - Orithia, born without her light powers, and Alistair, born disabled, without sight. Alistair therefore is in a subsocial class called the
Feriori, a class of people born to
Chosen lineage yet who do not possess the correct gene expression for Chosen power - thus leading to some birth defects and abnormalities. Nonetheless, Alistair is treated with the utmost respect and deference by all at Court.
Alistair identifies as bisexual, though leans romantically toward men. Though he holds dear affection for the women in his life, romantic AND sexual attraction only occurs in him for men; such as Lee, his music teacher and closest friend.
Though unbothered and untethered by his sexual orientation, Alistair feels trapped and powerless when it comes to his love for Lee. Seeing as it is looked down upon to date below his class - and to be with someone that offers no political gain from marrying - not to mention that Lee is his teacher, he has a lot to contend with in the "forbidden love" category. It doesn't help that Lee is already dating Maera, Orithia's handmaid.
However, Alistair hopes that one day, their love can be realized. He is also not opposed to alternative dating styles, such as non-monogamy and polyamory.
EARLY YEARS & YOUNG ADULTHOOD
Alistair and Orithia, twin royals, were inseparable as children. Regardless of Alistair's disability, they would play together all around the castle, going on imaginary adventures and pranking the staff who tried to curb their enthusiasm. This is how Alistair got to know the castle grounds inside and out by touch, scent, taste, smell, and sound.
As an adolescent, Alistair fell in love with music. Learning to play every instrument he could get his hands on by ear, he reveled in the luscious sounds that told their own kind of stories and desired to play his own. He finally settled on the violin as his primary instrument, practicing with an almost religious fervor until the music he produced could bring anyone to tears. Alistair's concerts are known throughout the Solassi Empire as a special event where "you may hear the sights you never thought you'd see again".
Now as a young adult, he struggles with the reality of his sister being gone - leaving him for her own destiny outside the palace walls - and the grim truth of the fate of the Empire hanging in the balance.
PRIEST OF LIGHT
While primarily women and non-binary folk run the priesthoods of the various kingdoms of Arkanis, there are some men who are allowed to participate - but only if they are Feriori. As a Feriori man, Alistair is considered "marked by the gods". Even though his "marking" is seen as a disability to others, it gives him the option to pursue a faith-based career assisting the high priestess Galatea with the various ritual needs of the castle.
While normal Feriori men would be relegated to housekeeping and servant duties for the priestesses, Alistair's unique position as prince and his innate fascination with the godly realm inspire Galatea to take him on as her personal apprentice - something unprecedented in this current, turbulent time. Alistair is aware he is working somewhat as a double agent, as he is also serving the needs of his Aunt Emelisse - who suspects Galatea may be trying to seize the throne for herself.
Under the employ of Galatea, Alistair learns how the mythologies and religion of the land play into everyday life through astrological predictions, rituals, and secret knowledge of how the universe works. Though primarily preoccupied with spiritual endeavours, the priestesses are also educated in science and mathematics and work tirelessly to develop new technologies using crystal magic to power the Empire.
When playing his music, all of Alistair's insecurities fall away, and he connects emotionally to something greater than himself. Because of his skill, anyone who listens to him play is moved, to the point where they recall memories of times past, of emotions felt, of sights seen that Alistair can't possibly have known - such as a minuet of his reminding a listener of the color of the sunset on the day their lover proposed, or a fast-paced piece of his recalling the thrill of watching a horse race.
Alistair is also quite book smart, having dedicated much time to learning the history and politics of Arkanis by studying with Lee.
PERSONAL
Though Alistair can invoke powerful memory-images in his musical audiences, he ironically has never experienced them in the same way and thus can never relate to even his own music. However, what he fails to realize is that he is not invoking visuals in others - he is actually connecting to the root feelings of those images, something far more profound that he doesn't understand is more important.
PROFESSIONAL
Galatea sees right through Emelisse's plan of planting Alistair as a spy on her and begins to coax Alistair to her viewpoints, to sympathize with her and her own cause.
Alistair's blindness is both his bain and boon. He is constantly made aware by members of the royal household and the commonfolk that he is not like them, that he is "Feriori" and can never join the ranks of a regular life. However, from his time in the castle he has become intimately familiar with all its nooks and crannies by exploration alone, and has developed a unique way of "seeing" based on touch and sound. His experience of the world is wholly unique to him, something he does not appreciate until much later in life.
Similar to his sister, he struggles with feelings of unworthiness and perfectionism. However, unlike his sister, he decides to become the very best at everything he DOES know how to do, in the hopes of winning the approval of those around him. What he doesn't realize is that his own arrogance to know everything, ends up blinding him to what the truth actually is.
Far more interested in intellectual pursuits than his sister, Alistair has a deep knowledge of the history and mythology of Arkanis as a whole continent, including a sneaking suspicion that the histories he's been learning about the Solassi Empire may not be entirely rooted in truth. Clever and arrogant, Alistair loves to flaunt his knowledge in front of Lee and his sister, engaging in deep intellectual discussions whenever he can.
Alistair has the bad habit of overcompensating. Unlike his sister, who embraces her shortcomings and almost flaunts them, Alistair attempts to do everything in his power to appear like he can fit in, like he is a valuable member of society who is not disabled. In this way, he and Orithia are foils of each other; both arrogant and ambitious, born with ailments, but with different outlooks on how they want to "prove themselves" despite their shortcomings. But however much Alistair wants to be treated as an equal, he can never be seen as one (ironically).
History
Though Ree and Alis were thick as thieves growing up, once they turned eleven, Orithia’s duties as heir to the empire became more important than running around the castle wreaking havoc with her twin brother. While she was relegated to hours of study on how to run an empire, introduced to the court for what would be the rest of her life, Alistair was left friendless and alone to wander the grounds.
As they got older, Ree was present in the castle less and less as she gained her independence, sneaking out to the village at night to dance and drink. On occasion she would bring Alistair to experience the liveliness of the town for himself, until one night when he got so drunk and overwhelmed that he got lost and almost fell into the moat. Since then, Orithia hasn’t invited him on her excursions and the castle guard has locked him down, causing them to grow apart.
Orithia still visits him during his study hours but can’t relate to him anymore, considering he is more preoccupied with book smarts while she would rather entertain herself with tangible pursuits. Still, they hold a dear affection for each other, and a twin “empathy” that connects them emotionally to each other.
Nicknames & Petnames
Orithia calls Alistair "Alis." She and Lee are the only ones who can do so.
Alistair calls Orithia "Ree."
Commonalities & Shared Interests
Alis and Ree are both very curious and adventurous, with large imaginations and a shared passion for storytelling and exploration.
Shared Secrets
As children, they would share everything with each other, especially their emotions. However, as they grew older and their duties pushed them apart, they too began to drift in their ability to connect with each other on a deeper level.
Shared Acquaintances
Lee is their shared acquaintance, Alistair's tutor and their dear friend of many years.
Son (Trivial)
Towards Empress Aurora Lucidae
History
Alistair, like his sister, was never very close with his mother. Considering his status as both a male child and a Feriori, the Empress didn't have the time nor patience to care for him as a baby and didn't develop a strong maternal bond with him.
Alistair knows Aurora is the Empress first, mother second, a fact she has driven home to both of her children time and again. However, he still longs for motherly affection, and will turn to his Aunt Emelisse for such motherly guidance instead.
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