Gareth Aldridge was born 24 years ago in Silverkeep. His mother, Serah Moons Aldridge, was a cleric of Erastil and his father, Peter Aldridge was a distinguished traveling wizard. The two had met in a local tavern, and engaged in a passionate affair which led to what many thought was hasty matrimony. Gareth was soon born into a lifestyle that brought him a great amount of wealth and gave him many opportunities to shape his life in any way he saw fit. In his early years, the family got along very well together, but over time Peter became more enveloped in his studies and became caught up in frequent travels. As such, he was not home very often to support Gareth.
While Gareth never directly admitted it to anyone, he felt somewhat abandoned by his father’s common absence. He would often sneak into his study and meddle with the variety of magical artifacts that were present. This got him in trouble on multiple occasions. In one circumstance, while trying to manipulate an arcane scroll that contained the incantation for a very old spell, Gareth caused it to magically split into pieces, catching the room ablaze and searing him. Even today, a discolored patch of rough skin exists on his upper left torso.
Given Gareth’s unhealthy habits that he turned to in boredom, Serah decided that Gareth needed more order in his life. Peter advocated for Gareth to receive classical training in the arcane arts, but Gareth refused on the grounds that he “didn’t see any use of studying all day long for the rest of my life, just like dad”. Peter saw this interaction as a sort of betrayal and refused to support a son that “squandered his arcane talents and his wealthy upbringing”. Serah found his lack of support to be despicable, and within two months, Serah and Peter had split up. Gareth was only 10 years old.
To fill the void of a father in Gareth’s life, Serah turned Gareth towards the teachings of Erastil. By stressing the basic importances of life such as family, farming, hunting, and trading, Serah thought that she could bring structure and discipline to Gareth. However, although Serah had the best intentions for him, Gareth found his mother’s constant presence to be overbearing and felt alienated from his studies. Instead, he took to socializing with his peers, with whom he developed a strong rapport. He and a few of his closer friends often played a variety of pranks around town. The nature of these pranks were not malicious in any way, but often led to trespassing, temporary theft, and other infractions. Common pranks included rearranging people’s furniture while they were away from their homes and kidnapping and playing with the various pets of the neighborhood, only to return them well-fed later, and spreading ridiculous stories around town about the mayor of Silverkeep. In a number of incidents, Gareth was forced to learn quickly how to talk his way out of situations in which he was clearly implicated as guilty.
Over time, Gareth blossomed into a handsome young man. He seemed to combine the more attractive traits of both his parents: the serene gaze of Serah’s green eyes, the chiseled cheekbone of his father, his mother’s golden hair, his father’s smile. Gareth’s silver tongue that he had developed in his childhood combined with his pulchritude led to many dates in his teens. The relationships were short, but in only a few circumstances were there harsh feelings at their termination.
Meanwhile, Gareth’s education in the church of Erastil had slowed to a grinding halt. His superiors mentioned that he just did not have the willpower to continue his education, and that he would never become a member of the clergy. Serah fought this decision very hard as a respected member of the community, but she was only able to stall Gareth’s inevitable withdrawal from his education.
It would be foolish to say that Gareth spent some time attempting to find himself. Instead, he turned to frequenting the tavern, telling the same stories to inebriated travelers in exchange for drinks, and charming the various maidens that were passing through. One night, Gareth drank himself into a stupor, to the point of sickness, and was unceremoniously shown the door from the tavern. He attempted to wander the empty streets, but soon passed out in the middle of town square. In a vision that overtook his intoxication, Cayden Cailean visited him that evening. He had been watching Gareth for some time, and saw promise in his abilities that had been overlooked by others. “I know you have wild streak to you, boy, but I know you have an overwhelming desire to do good for the world. I don’t want to force you to do anything, but if you look after me, I’ll be sure to look after you.”
Gareth was confused by this episode. He had heard very little about Cayden, who was considered to be somewhat of the laughing stock of the various deities, or so he was taught by the clerics of Erastil. However, he felt an inexplicable magnetism to Cayden’s ideals. Cayden guided him to learn the ways of the bow and the sword, and to take up arms against all that would attempt to deprive others of the finer pleasures of ale, music, and flesh. Gareth joined the Silver Guard to hone his skills, and received honors from Lord Hekkard for his prowess with the bow.
Although Serah was initially disappointed by her son’s change in faith, upon hearing that he had become an honored member of the Silver Guard, she was very supportive. The two continue to be on good terms, and Serah is proud of Gareth’s accomplishments of yet. Gareth has since retained some of his family’s former noble status, and often wears ornate garnets sewn with jewels and other decorative elements around town. He has a reputation to the populace of being a charming, even headed, yet arrogant individual. His ultimate goal one day is to open his own tavern to honor Cayden Cailean, but only after he has sufficiently traveled the world. Wealth is not of great concern to Gareth, but he has an extreme fascination towards magical trinkets and equipment that has not waned since his early childhood.
With respect to the war between Silverkeep and Goldcrest, Gareth feels very conflicted. He feels a compelling drive to protect his homeland, but he does not want to get caught up in the politics associated with war between the two factions. Furthermore, he is worried about Silverkeep’s motives in the war, and whether they are simply vying for more gold, causing unnecessary bloodshed. This is only made worse by the fact that rumors have suggested that Peter Aldridge has taken up residence in Goldcrest, and although the two have not talked in some time, Gareth would still like to prove his worth to his father now that he has grown up. For now, he hopes to defend Silverkeep and has answered the call of King Heric the Wise. The health of his townsmen depends on his bow, and if anything, meeting the King might make for a good story…
tl;dr I don't blame you if you didn't read this all. I'm sure you'll learn plenty about Gareth through various interactions.
