Alexei Yoren's page

Alexei is a tall young man of slender build, short cropped hair and cloudy-blue eyes. Although he can't see very far, he seems to show uncanny instincts and fast reflexes.

He is joyful and outgoing, enjoying the camaderie of traded words over a campfire and offering supporting words to raise spirits. His impulsiveness and eagerness to prove himself are his weak spots.

He has a personal code of honor, which includes bits and pieces of Gorum, Cayden Cailean and Erastil's dogmas. He believes in fighting to protect one's home and family, showing bravery in the face of danger and enjoying peace fully while it lasts. By following that code and preaching its strenghts, he worships these deities, and he believes they allow him to contact the spirits of warriors in the past.

His spells generally manifest themselves with a ghostly glow, and some spells or abilities could even generate a ghostly image of a swordman above Alexei's own wiry frame.

Alexei was born in the back of a farmer's carriage in Restov, the result of a dalliance between his mother, an accomplished duelist, and a charming travelling minstrel. Although he was born with his eyes open, they were milky white, and the midwife was quick to point out the baby was partially blind. The woman, struggling to prove herself to the swordlords and earn the Aldori name, left the baby in the care of a couple she trusted, a woodsman and a cook serving the local tavern.

As a child he was frequently abused by the other children, who knew he was adopted and called him changeling and freak. His mother, fearing that the boy would only hurt himself, scolded him whenever he tried to face the children, so he grew up shy and introverted. Only his forays with his father brought joy to the kid; although he couldn't properly hunt, the woodsman would tell stories about the boy's "father", a proud and brave swordsman, who fought to defend ladies' honor and the lives of the smallfolk. Alexei would spend days wielding sticks and fighting imaginary enemies, hoping to some day become a duelist so deft, strong and courageous as to be accepted in the ranks of the Aldori.

Nevertheless, the boy lived a fairly simple life: he served tables at the local tavern, and never got his hands on a real sword. That is, until the night of the assault.

The neighboord boys had grown into men, and they kept pushing Alexei around. They made a habit of ambushing the young man as he left the tavern, and they would rob his tips and humiliate him. When asked by one of his regular customers about the cuts and bruises, he confided to her. For some reason, late night in the tavern, he opened his heart to the woman, a mature half-elven swordswoman. All his pent-up anger, his frustration at not being able to fight back suddenly emerged, and the woman offered him a few words of wisdom and courage. That night, when the gang ambushed Alexei, he refused offering them his money. There were seven of them, and they were armed. It was as if a spirit possessed the young man, for he closed his eyes, assumed the stance of a true Aldori swordlord, and managed to beat the robbers with a wooden stick.

One of the gang had suffered a fatal blow to the head, and the others were eager to send the guards after Alexei. Having no place to hide, he heard the counsel of the voices around him and packed up his belongings and left Restov for good.

* His mother is an accomplished swordswoman somewhere in southern Rostland. While he still believes his "dashing duelist" parent is a man, Alexei would be extremely interested in any clue to his/her wherebouts.

*He has a couple rivals in the city of Restov, namely the gang who used to attack him. They could turn out to have become bandits or part of the Restov guard.

*His adoptive parents still reside in Restov.

*He's frequently visited by the ancient ghosts of Aldori swordlords killed in the foundation of Brevoy and even earlier. They can propose tests and offer challenges for the boy to win their respect.

He would not come back to Restov willingly, there is still a matter of an accusation of assault and murder and there may even be a small bounty on his capture (although most people who have knowledge of the matter know it's a sham).

Alexei could be an effective tank (with the Battle Mistery) or attacker, using spells to buff the party and himself. He can also help the party cleric in healing (knowing all healing spells and having many spells per day).