Aisling Talbot's page

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“The revolution will not be improvised.”

One of the things I’d be interested in exploring if I’m selected is the tension of being an Iomedae worshipper in Cheliax. Her worship isn’t outlawed, although it probably helps to be well-connected enough to avoid too much official scrutiny (Aisling has the Child of Kintargo trait so is part of the nobility). On top of that, a lot of the things Iomedaeans are supposed to do (like confronting injustice) are almost certainly illegal, so I’m imagining most of her followers do what they can by “working in the system” to try and limit the harm it does: passive acts of goodness (feed the poor, heal the sick, defend the unjustly-accused) rather than active resistance that just gets you and those around you killed. The Player’s Guide seems to make the point that the Glorious Reclamation is not well-regarded in Kintargo even by Iomedae’s followers, since it’s made life harder for most people. Of course, once things really start to fall apart then working from within becomes useless. My thinking at the moment is that Aisling would probably make a gradual journey from Lawful Good to Neutral Good, eventually coming to a view that an unjust law is no law at all. Even then, as part of the Rebel Alliance, she’d be focussed on avoiding pointless gestures (bricks through windows, graffiti) in favour of actions that are actually effective in bringing about a change of power.

tl;dr – my hope would be for her to provide an intersting roleplay foil for the more chaotic aligned PCs, as well as some comic “fish out of water” moments. I do NOT intend to play her as an obnoxious Lawful Stupid paladin :)

Aisling’s family, the Talbots, are descended from the Taldan colonists who originally settled in Cheliax and have lived as (minor) nobility in Kintargo ever since. They have also been worshippers of Iomedae since time out of mind, although ever since House Thrune came to power they have done so quietly.

Unlike most of the well-known local families (the Jhalteros, the Sarinis), the Talbots are not wealthy or powerful, especially now that the House of Thrune rules over Cheliax. Much of their wealth is tied up in trusts and other instruments for doing good: the family has quietly funded hospitals and orphanages. They have quietly opened and run soup kitchens. They have quietly provided legal counsel for people who run up against the tyranny of House Thrune (Aisling’s father Finuchan is a renowned barrister: the Talbots are not idle nobility). It is this quietness that has doubtless allowed them to survive where many have perished. But the cost of quietness, and a life of comfort, has dulled their edge. If Aisling has heard the phrase ‘Better a century of tyranny than a night of anarchy’ from her mother Lia once, she has heard it a thousand times.

That doesn’t make her parents bad people, far from it: they have actively ensured that both Aisling and her older brother Patrick are involved in the activities that they fund. Some of Aisling’s earliest memories are of following her parents around the city, giving food and clothing to those in need. She remembers watching her father passionately defend someone in court, even though they all knew the guilty verdict was certain before the trial even started. She has followed in his footsteps and is gaining something of a reputation for skill at law herself.

But what she remembers above all is the unspoken message: don’t stir up trouble. Work within the system. Her mother might weep at the sight of a slave being beaten, and do her best to bind their wounds afterwards. Her father might grieve as someone is unjustly sentenced to death for a crime they didn’t commit. But neither of them would intervene to stop the slave being beaten, or seek to break the prisoner out of jail. Such actions are literally unthinkable to them. Do good quietly, so you may still do good tomorrow.

And so Aisling has watched, as her parents and her older brother quietly succumb to this mindset, becoming (in her view) swords which have gone blunt and rusty from lack of use. She has watched, as injustice quietly piles upon injustice and the system which they all work within marches onwards. She has watched, and bided her time, and kept her own swordblade sharp and her fighting instincts honed. When Iomedae calls her, she hopes it will be to do good noisily.

Aisling is tall, taller then most of the women she knows, and square-shouldered. She was born into a life of comparative wealth and privilege, and carries herself accordingly, although she is self-aware enough to realise her good fortune. Unlike many of the noble-born, Aisling's parents have not shielded her from some of the harsher realities of how other people are forced to live, and in fact have actively encouraged her to work on behalf of those who need it. Where most Chelaxians are pale-skinned and dark-haired, Aisling’s own looks reflect her Taldan ancestry, as do most of her family: olive skin and light brown hair, which she wears loose and artfully untidy, in a way that takes a long time to arrange. It’s the only part of her appearance which looks even remotely dishevelled: like her Goddess, Aisling is a great believer in order and organisation and the neatness of her clothing reflects this.

Now in her early twenties, Aisling is strong-willed (with a stern glare to match) and self-disciplined, confident in most settings, as long as she is familiar with them. She is equally comfortable conversing with other nobles at the dinner table, or arguing in court (the phrase “Aisling Talbot, appearing for the defence” means that the prosecutor is not about to have an easy time of it). Unlike her parents and her older brother, she is also comfortable on the practice-field, and her shoulders and arms are well-muscled from using a sword – although she has never yet drawn blood, except by accident.

Aisling really has only one fear: of giving in the way the rest of her family has, of accepting that the present circumstances are the best that can be managed, of growing too comfortable, of waking up one day to discover that she too has gone blunt and rusted away (as a sword-knight of Iomedae, most of her metaphors revolve around blades). Of course, if things are to be changed, then it will have to be done in an orderly, organised fashion. Too often “revolution” is an excuse for rioting and looting. No, as far as she is concerned, the revolution will not be improvised.

Aisling has enough self-awareness to know that her reasons don’t withstand much scrutiny. A large part of why she’s there is that her parents told her not to go. On top of that, she’s aware things might get out of hand and wants to be there to help if anyone gets hurt. But most of all, she’s fed up. As far as she can see, all that “working within the system” seems to accomplish is perpetuating the injustices of the system and she’s seen one too many injustices for her to remain on the sidelines for much longer.