Geraden Aurelac | |
Profile | |
Status: | Alive |
Age: | 36 |
Race: | Human |
Gender: | Male |
Class: | Dark Knight |
Nation: | East Maar Sul |
Faction: | |
Era: |
- "If you truly wish to know, my name is Geraden Aurelac de Maar Sul, and I am the rightful King of Maar Sul!"
- —Geraden Aurelac to Mikhail Gorbachev
Geraden Aurelac is the king of East Maar Sul in the Fourth Age. He is the son of Prince Geraud Aurelac and cousin of King Gerard Aurelac of West Maar Sul. He went missing as a child during the First Great War, having been kidnapped by Marya Aurelac de Maar Sul who raised him in secret to take over Maar Sul from its lenient rulers when the time was right. Geraden used the identity of Oswald Flynn as he operated in Port Dunross during the Second Great War, but he finally revealed his true identity in 1017 AE when he found out that his cousin, King Gerard Aurelac, had mysteriously disappeared due to the Grey Cult's actions. After Maar Sul was divided into East and West Maar Sul, Geraden has been planning to take over all of the Maar Sulais land for himself and is supported by the True Aurelac faction who view him as the rightful king.
Biography[]
Third Age[]
Early Years[]
- "If Marya hadn't taken him from his birthplace, he would have grown up just like his puerile cousin, with no true goals. Maar Sul would continue drifting away from its true heritage. His country needed him, and who better to guide him towards that goal than one of the nation's founders?"
- —Geraden about his role
Geraden was born to Prince Geraud Aurelac of the House of Aurelac before Geraud became the Silverbranch Tree in the Third Age. The infant Geraden went missing during the later years of the First Great War, and his whereabouts remained unknown to everyone. Most of the Maar Sulais government believed him to be dead. However, he had actually been kidnapped by Marya Aurelac de Maar Sul who trained him in secret to become a ruthless king fitting for Maar Sul to ensure the kingdom's survival in the future. Marya gave Geraden Dokubaraken, the Book of Kagetsu and the Book of Ofuchi and taught him various magics.
Godslayer Era[]
A Game of Deception[]
- "I've seen the Major's dossier. He enlisted ten years ago, and should be aged thirty-six by now. It therefore follows that our Major Flynn is an impostor of unknown motive. Were it merely age, he could merely lie about his age, not his name. It stands to reason, therefore, that there is a hidden motivation. Perhaps he even killed the original Flynn to assume his identity."
- —Alistair Wisteria about Oswald Flynn

Geraden as Oswald Flynn.
Geraden rose to prominence fighting the Proninist Party around Port Dunross under the alias of Oswald Flynn which he had taken from a fallen Maar Sulais officer. He was breveted as a major in the Maar Sulais army, but kept a private militia around Port Dunross personally loyal to him. He considered Leon Alcibiates an usurper and wanted him dead, but he remained loyal to the Maar Sulais people. He often sent his right-hand man, Garth Tyrell, on various missions, and his men were known to make people disappear in Port Dunross.
When the Fellowship of Maar Sul entered Port Dunross in 1017 AE to find a means to pass to Libaterra without being seen by the Proninists, they met Tyrell who in turn arranged a meeting with Geraden. Unbeknownst to them, the unmasked Geraden was secretly watching the meeting with Tyrell and figured out that Leon was travelling with the group. He retreated to the catacombs and managed to put his mask on and disguise his voice with a spell just in time to meet the fellowship whom Tyrell led to him.
Playing the part of Oswald, Geraden arranged a carriage for the group to travel in and also made Tyrell accompany the party. Once the group went to get all the necessary supplies, he began plotting. He had to ensure that Leon met justice, but not while he was visibly in his power. With this in mind, Oswald attached a missive to a messenger pigeon's leg and sent it flying towards Trinity Gask. He was certain that the Crimson Coalition would not pass up an opportunity to either capture or kill influential people such as Leon and Khasra III who were travelling with the fellowship incognito.
Echoes of War[]
- "Again? You know I can't actually cast any of these spells. What's the point?"
- "What's the point in learning anything? If you wait until after you need it to learn anything, you're going to wind up dead."
- —Geraden and Marya Aurelac
Marya and Geraden acted behind the scenes and indirectly guided Wolfsbane who in turn influenced and manipulated Andrei Pronin and the Proninist Party. They planned to use the chaos in Maar Sul that had been caused by the Proninist Party to destabilize the Maar Sulais government. This would then give them an opportunity to dethrone the current king, Gerard Aurelac, who they saw unfit to rule Maar Sul.
However, Wolfsbane only ever saw Geraden during the meetings; Marya kept herself hidden but always observed the conversations between Geraden and Wolfsbane from the shadows. To her those two people were nothing more than pawns. She also made Geraden study spells from the Book of Kagetsu. Although Geraden complained that he could never cast any of the spells, Marya insisted that the knowledge of those spells would be useful in the long run.
A Crimson Dawn[]
- "Oswald, you know what you have to do if you wish my...assistance. With any matters...great or small."
- —Marya Aurelac to Geraden
At some point Marya and Geraden began a relationship. Although Geraden seemed to really be in love with her, Marya only used his feelings for her own gain. They even ordered Wolfsbane to assassinate Glaurung Losstarot, the leader of the Crimson Coalition in Libaterra, who they saw as a threat to their plans. The assassination attempt failed, however, and Marya and Geraden had to adapt and let Glaurung stay alive for the time being while their forces were gathering their strength around Port Dunross.
Tears of the Sun[]
Geraden had a terrible, Kafka-esque nightmare about various people who called him a liar and who asked him who he really was. He saw a mysterious figure killing off these mocking figures one by one, and that figure turned out to be a reflection of himself. The lookalike killed him as well by piercing his heart with Dokubaraken. Geraden began wondering if his new identity and his ambition would consume him one day.
The Winds of Wrath[]
- "I have archers all over the walls. It's over for you."
- "Correction, my dear Colonel. I have archers all over the walls. Your people are dead. I have not come here to tender my surrender, but to accept yours."
- —Mikhail Gorbachev and Geraden
When news of King Gerard's disappearance spread, Marya and Geraden decided to use the opportunity to act. Geraden finally discarded his Oswald mask and revealed his true identity to everyone in Port Dunross, also announcing that the True Aurelac faction was official.
He also orchestrated the death of the Proninist colonel Mikhail Gorbachev to prove that he had Aurelac magics and that he was fit to take over Maar Sul. Geraden rallied support behind himself and was ready to take back the throne which he thought was rightfully his.
Fourth Age[]
Interim years[]
After King Gerard returned safely home and the world descended into chaos in the Catastrophe that ushered in the Fourth Age, the kingdom of Maar Sul was split in two because people were devided over whether Gerard or Geraden should lead the nation. Gerard took over West Maar Sul, while Geraden became the ruler of East Maar Sul. Despite animosity between the two rulers, they collaborated long enough to erect the great wall on the newly formed Northern Continent's west side beyond Maar Sulais plains to keep the emerging Wretched undead from invading the two Maar Suls.
Geraden encountered a lone, wandering nymph named Cliodhna one day during his hunting trip in the eastern wilds of his kingdom and saved her from rabid dire wolves. He was immediately taken by the nymph's beauty, boldness, cunning and her viciousness as she helped him dispatch the frenzied creatures, perhaps seeing a reflection of his darker side in her that intrigued him. Grateful for being rescued and perhaps noticing that Geraden was like her in many ways, Cliodhna imprinted herself on him and became the king's trusted Hand from that moment on, leading to an affair after which Cliodhna gave birth of their halfbreed son whom Geraden named Rhys after Maar Sul founder Kagetsu Aurelac de Maar Sul's famous adopted Foundling son Rhys Lain II from centuries ago.
Cliodhna became Geraden's royal mistress, and he awarded her and their son the surname Bellamy, an ancient Maar Sulais name meaning "Beautiful friend" which had once been used as a roundabout derogatory term for out of wedlock relationships and unwanted bastards. Against the advice of his councillors, Geraden legitimized the name with his blessing even though ancient laws forbade him to officially take Cliodhna as his wife or name Rhys as his legitimate heir. Despite facing such obstacles, Geraden viewed Cliodhna as his love, and she returned his feelings twicefold while Maar Sulais nobility were disgusted by him making his affair public in such a bold manner.
Aliases and Nicknames[]
- Oswald Flynn
- The alias which Gerard used until he revealed his true identity in Port Dunross. Marya Aurelac also used this name in a sarcastic tone to mock Geraden, since she knew his true identity.
- Ozzie
- Used by...some people.
Appearance[]
Whenever Geraden was acting as Oswald Flynn, he wore an iron mask to cover his royal features. When he does not wear the mask, he has young but adamant features and long, blond hair. Now he is clad in a Maar Sulais uniform to signify his status.
Personality and Traits[]
A bit unstable but nevertheless puts up a charming face of a warrior prince and politician when in public. Wants Maar Sul to return to being the kind of nation it was under Kagetsu I. Heavily influenced by Marya, who tried to keep him under control by any means necessary. Geraden continues to follow Marya's teachings even after Marya's demise and will resort to anything so that the path will be open for him to take the throne of Maar Sul.
Powers and Abilities[]
Wields Dokubaraken, the sword of Kagetsu I. Knows a fair amount of magic, much of which he cannot cast without killing himself as it was written with Andain casters in mind. Has a solid (for his age) theoretical understanding of how magic works, but would probably make the average Alentian laugh deridingly.
Relationships[]
Garth "Dash" Tyrell[]
Garth is Geraden's right-hand man and his champion.
Gerard Aurelac[]
Gerard and Geraden are cousins. Geraden sees Gerard as unfit to rule Maar Sul, and he plans to usurp the throne of all of Maar Sul for himself.
Geraud Aurelac[]
Geraud was Geraden's father. He became the Silverbranch Tree and thus did not spend much time with his son.
Leon Alcibiates[]
Geraden does not like Leon because he thinks Leon is an usurper who has been manipulating the Aurelacs from behind the throne.
Maple Mallorein[]
Geraden and Maple (as Wolfsbane) worked together for a while but Geraden always acted as Oswald in front of her and never revealed his true identity. Geraden taught Maple various shamanic spells, and she in turn supported Geraden's faction and helped him to get rid of Andrei Pronin. However, their association came to an end when Maple thought she no longer needed Geraden's help. The two promised to help each other in the future if they would both get something out of it, though.
Marya Aurelac de Maar Sul[]
Marya was Geraden's mentor and his lover. However, Marya was only boinking him to control him and later died under uncertain circumstances, leaving Geraden to carry on her mission on his own.