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The Silver-Haired Magi.
"Knowledge is my strength. It isn't my fault you lack power."
Stannis Faro Eridian was originally an orphan, adopted into the royal family that rules the Moon-City of Altia. The reason for his adoption was the Black Dragon pendant that he had with him when found. The royal family believed that he was the son of a Dragoon, which was technically true. The Dragoon in question was actually a retired one turned to blacksmithing; the realization that he could not give his son the life he deserves caused him to fashion the pendant and abandon him for the royal line to find.
So, as he was raised, Stannis was permitted to hold the pendant, told that it was his ancestor’s. To the current date he is unaware of its true heritage, nor his own outside of the falsehood of his ancestor. That said, by whatever means, Stannis was gifted with an absurdly high understanding of the Arcane Arts; his aptitude for solving complex problems such as the mysteries of the Arcane second only to the current Archmagi of Altia at the time. He was also quite good with the blade however, falling short of being one of the legendary Spell-Swords of his time. However, his skill as a magus was more than enough to grant him high honors; it went so far as to have the Archmagi of Altia take young Stannis under his wing. It is also at this time that – in secret – Stannis has bonded with a dragon hatchling - - a black dragon no less. Assuming Stannis gained entry into the Hatchery, it is a wonder anyone wasn’t able to stop him from bonding. His adopted parents learn of this and out of fear of the God-Queen, hide away the dragon within the palace’s depths; only Stannis is allowed to go down and see his Bond-Dragon. Any who learn of it are executed under false charges.
The Archmagi was not aware of the dragon nor of Stannis’s infinite lust for knowledge, even the forbidden. No one is quite sure how he did, but Stannis learned that Altia and the Second Moon weren’t what they appeared to be. The city of Altia was meant to act as the warden of a prison, the moon itself the prison in question. According to records now long-lost, the Second Moon held the Second Antithesis to Creation: Absylon. When he felt he could no longer learn from the current Archmagi, Stannis boldly – and arrogantly – goes to the depths of the moon to find this creature. Believing himself capable of handling the weight of such a being, Stannis willingly accepts its conditions and forms a contract with Absylon. In exchange for being freed and allowed to roam in Stannis’s body from time-to-time, Stannis would not only be given knowledge beyond his wildest dreams, but also an incredibly powerful and dangerous tree of magick. Rightfully named after its creator, Absylon Magick was one-of-a-kind, only accessible for as long as Stannis willingly allows the Antithesis to reside within his body. And while he wasn’t told of this, he also becomes immortal. He can die, but he will resurrect within due time; injuries leading to his death return as scars.
It was with this newfound power that Stannis invokes the right of challenge against his first Master, seeking his position and the benefits that came with it. Succeeding in the duel meant killing his mentor, but not before the dying Archmagi leaves behind a clue for others to find. The clue was to tell the people of Altia of Stannis’s betrayal, to tell them of his corruption. If they were to act quickly enough, they could subdue Stannis and put Absylon back within his cage. However, the troubles aren’t over there, as the God-Queen makes the request of Stannis joining the military as a Dragoon. Little is he aware of the fact that his dragon, Svant is a target for execution due to his heritage as a descendant of the Elder Dragons. When such information is discovered, on top of the people of Altia discovering his treachery, Stannis is immediately overloaded with negative emotions. An immediate transformation takes place, dark hair and eyes mutating to platinum and crimson, fangs forming and personality shifting completely. This form is the manifestation of Abyslon taking control of Stannis’s body, dubbed Danethir, and with the power that came with Stannis orders Danethir to completely obliterate both Altia and the God-Queen’s servants that came to the Second Moon.
This is all Danethir could hope for: a maddened vessel with an insatiable lust for knowledge and by extension: power. He complies to the host’s wishes, bringing down forbidden power to completely s h a t t e r the Second Moon, decimating all on its surface, but not before he manages to teleport both his host body and Svant to the surface of Althaea. Upon discovery that Stannis and his dragon have survived the Moon’s destruction, the Magistrates and God-Queen decide to not only hide what he had done as the God-Queen’s work . . . But also to send the remnants of Altia – those that weren’t on the Second Moon at the time – on a secret mission to assassinate Stannis and Svant.
Now while the general populace isn’t aware of Stannis’s identity and of Svant’s existence – as Stannis makes sure to keep him out of the view of civilization – he does not stick to one place for very long. Many describe him as the Silver-Haired Magi, as whenever Stannis engages in any form of magical endeavor his hair always shifts to that platinum color and his dark eyes are often tinted with a silver outline.
The Blood Moon Dragon.
"Dragons are sacred, an endangered species. I will bring them back to power."
Stannis came to be the Blood Moon Dragon during his time as a student to the First King of Ultima, Brian Avado Ultima. His relation to the Black Dragon tribe through Svant wasn’t even known about until his mentor had pointed it out. It was said that Brian’s father, Daveon, was the origin of said tribe. And it was also Daveon whom brought forth the egg that housed Svant in secret, plotting for Svant to destroy the realm of Althaea. However, given Stannis’s discovery of the egg, such a plan went awry from the very beginning. Claiming it as a stroke of Fate’s interference, Brian then took the time to teach Stannis not only all he knew, but how to merge with his dragon.
Not understanding what he meant considering they already shared a Bond, linking them in mind, body, and soul, Stannis protested against wasting time. However, his teacher showed him that said bond could be taken to a new height, mixing their essences together to create an individual capable of surpassing even the World-Eaters. However, this merging created something more powerful than the King had imagined it would. Stannis’s heritage comes from a Dragoon who had slain the Blood Moon Dragon, but in the process had ingested its blood. This special bloodline of his was initially dormant, unstirred even after Abyslon had merged with him. However, when the essence of Svant mixed with a Dragoon’s – considering Stannis’s bloodline – awoke that which should have stayed asleep.
The resulting entity that came of their merging was, at first, unstable in the mind. And for four days and nights did the teacher and student fight, eventually running Stannis out of the ability to endure the strain of his transformation. For a week straight after does both Stannis and Svant sleep, recovering from the exhaustion and wounds accumulated in their loss of control. Upon full recovery, Stannis’s mentor devotes all his time to teaching the young man how to control the merging.
While brief, this is the story of how Stannis came to uncovering another piece of his past and another part of his hidden power.
"This will be my last sin . . . And my last miracle."
His involvement and eventual acceptance into the Fortress-Metropolis of Nesher isn’t one of grand quests or anything like that. Truth be told, were it not for his ties to the former First King of Ultima, it is likely the Keizer Primus might’ve looked past him entirely. However, given Stannis was once that King’s student and his apparent legitimacy to the power left behind, Morgoth K. Rivah accepted him into the new world that he was trying to make. At first Stannis held no position of power, at least not until his former wife and his child had vanished from the continent of Arda. Taking over the duties as the Grand Librarian, his pursuit of knowledge was mostly left unhindered. However, all that came to change when his former master’s own dragon, Har’dro, came suddenly one day. Asking for Stannis to prove his legitimacy to the legacy his former Rider left behind, Har’dro was naturally surprised when Stannis displayed both the fact he now holds the royal family’s blood in his veins, as well as how he can wield his mentor’s signature weapon: Naut’shinder.
Har’dro pledged his allegiance to Stannis that same day, creating the same level of a bond that Stannis has with his original dragon: Svant. From there on does Stannis prove his worth to Morgoth, aiding in every campaign and taking on work loads that he didn’t have to. He had once told the Keizer Primus this, “If I cannot keep what I love close, then I will become something that everyone will wish to keep by their side.” It was a means to say that he was tired of losing the things he cared most about, and it was also a sign to Morgoth that Stannis had started to finally lose his mind. Many would argue he already had been, but his wife had been the leading power in keeping him together - - preventing him from touching the forbidden things that always plagued his curious mind. As an attempt to keep him stabilized with duty and a way to show his trust in Stannis, Morgoth had promoted him to the Keizer Secundus, the position that had been originally meant for Stannis’s mentor: Brian Avado Ultima. However, given that the First King hadn’t been heard from or seen in countless years it was said that the position would be left vacant forever.
In the following Crusade of Shelgoroth, Stannis has shown to be given yet another seat of power. As the newly made Dragon Master of the Dragon Nest, his absolute authority was pretty much guaranteed - - surpassed only by Morgoth’s. It is also made apparent that the dragons raised at the Nest, until bonded with a Rider of their choosing, will only follow Stannis’s commands. After victory was achieved, the capital of Shelgoroth was made into the Fortress-Metropolis of Nesher, the capital of N.O.N. And that is where Stannis’s story current rests, his exploits few, but mighty up to this point.
The Archmagi of N.O.N.
"The World's Song speaks of its pain. I will heal it."
