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evokethestarsabove) wrote2025-08-09 04:06 pm
evokethestarsabove) wrote2025-08-09 04:06 pm
Entry tags:
Bio (Rubilykskoye)
name Lord Alasdair Mac an Rìgh
age, dob 38 (born 1542 CE)
pronouns he/him
occupation sorcerer
age, dob 38 (born 1542 CE)
pronouns he/him
occupation sorcerer
Sorcerer who is very used to operating as part of an eight-sibling set. First impressions are of a man 5'10" tall, dark hair (including a neat beard), and a reserved demeanor. He has a small pair of glasses he uses for reading.
+ trigger warnings
Alasdair's backstory includes mental illness, suicide and the death of a parent. I am always happy to pull back from discussion of these topics or to move a thread in another direction; just let me know.
He is also from 16th century Scotland and occupied a place of relative privilege in that society. I do not anticipate frequent or major friction arising from this, as it's not a major point of focus. However, if there's anything you'd OOCly like me to steer away from potential dated language around or ignorance about, don't hesitate to let me know.
He is also from 16th century Scotland and occupied a place of relative privilege in that society. I do not anticipate frequent or major friction arising from this, as it's not a major point of focus. However, if there's anything you'd OOCly like me to steer away from potential dated language around or ignorance about, don't hesitate to let me know.
+ history
Alasdair was born the second son of the Duke of Rothes in the castle Dun Rìgh. Located in Scotland, Dun Rìgh was the home of not only the duke and his family, but of a major magical archive known as the Archive of Albion. For generations, the family of sorcerers had served as its protectors, curators and caretakers.
While an heir and a spare would generally seem plenty, Alasdair's parents would go on to have six more children. (Kind observers may have chalked this up to an affectionate marriage; unkind ones suggested something more like a man chasing a high.) The eldest, Keir, remained their father's clear favorite in a way obvious to everyone but Keir himself.
Alasdair's father, Alexander Mac an Rìgh (or "Sawney" to those close to him), was gregarious and charming in company but battled disabling and severe periods of depression in private. While he took steps to hide these even from his children, Keir and Alasdair were old enough to notice the extended periods where the duke took to his room and refused to see anyone at all. When Alasdair was 12, his father took his own life, creating 14-year-old Keir as the new duke. While their mother, the dowager, lived on, she took Sawney's death poorly and offered little support.
Keir and Alasdair together threw themselves into running the duchy, both on the mundane and magical sides. They also, as a practical matter, ended up raising their younger siblings, as the youngest was only 2 at the time of their father's death. Both boys were determined; Alasdair, naturally serious and practical by temperament, took on a great deal of the logistics work. Though he learned to delegate some of it as he grew, even into adulthood Keir relied on him for much of the castle and archive's day-to-day workings.
Once they reached an age where other people agreed they were adults (and thus they no longer had to hide behind the plausible deniability of acting on their mother's behalf), Keir and Alasdair started to do more than simply maintain what they'd inherited. In Alasdair's case, this looked mainly like improving and reinforcing the property's wards. He also developed more portable protections for Keir and his other siblings to use when out hunting for new archive acquisitions. Occasionally he would come along on such expeditions, especially as their younger siblings grew old enough they could take on responsibilities of their own. Generally, though, Alasdair found he was most useful keeping their home secure.
In time, the family began to grow. Their brother Duncan (third in the birth order) surprised everyone by marrying first. Keir, on the other hand, married the most stressfully — at least for Alasdair — by choosing to entertain the advances of an overtly gold-hunting younger woman named Charlotte Geddes. Alasdair's campaign to make it clear this was a bad idea failed, much to his dismay, but Keir and Charlotte managed to arrange their marriage in a way that seemed to suit them both. While Alasdair kept a wary eye on Charlotte, she made no sign of any intention to do Keir ill. Her immediate and evident attachment to their firstborn son further cemented her position in the family. Alasdair, quite against his will, began to like her on a personal level.
By the time Lord Alasdair reached his late 30s, observers largely assumed he didn't mean to marry at all. This suited him perfectly well; while he was not against marriage in theory, his family obligations kept him busy. By this point, Keir also had four children, two of whom were sons, so the duchy's line of succession was secure without Alasdair's help. Instead of building a family of his own, Alasdair continued to collaborate with Keir and his other siblings to expand their magical resources and keep the family safe.
While an heir and a spare would generally seem plenty, Alasdair's parents would go on to have six more children. (Kind observers may have chalked this up to an affectionate marriage; unkind ones suggested something more like a man chasing a high.) The eldest, Keir, remained their father's clear favorite in a way obvious to everyone but Keir himself.
Alasdair's father, Alexander Mac an Rìgh (or "Sawney" to those close to him), was gregarious and charming in company but battled disabling and severe periods of depression in private. While he took steps to hide these even from his children, Keir and Alasdair were old enough to notice the extended periods where the duke took to his room and refused to see anyone at all. When Alasdair was 12, his father took his own life, creating 14-year-old Keir as the new duke. While their mother, the dowager, lived on, she took Sawney's death poorly and offered little support.
Keir and Alasdair together threw themselves into running the duchy, both on the mundane and magical sides. They also, as a practical matter, ended up raising their younger siblings, as the youngest was only 2 at the time of their father's death. Both boys were determined; Alasdair, naturally serious and practical by temperament, took on a great deal of the logistics work. Though he learned to delegate some of it as he grew, even into adulthood Keir relied on him for much of the castle and archive's day-to-day workings.
Once they reached an age where other people agreed they were adults (and thus they no longer had to hide behind the plausible deniability of acting on their mother's behalf), Keir and Alasdair started to do more than simply maintain what they'd inherited. In Alasdair's case, this looked mainly like improving and reinforcing the property's wards. He also developed more portable protections for Keir and his other siblings to use when out hunting for new archive acquisitions. Occasionally he would come along on such expeditions, especially as their younger siblings grew old enough they could take on responsibilities of their own. Generally, though, Alasdair found he was most useful keeping their home secure.
In time, the family began to grow. Their brother Duncan (third in the birth order) surprised everyone by marrying first. Keir, on the other hand, married the most stressfully — at least for Alasdair — by choosing to entertain the advances of an overtly gold-hunting younger woman named Charlotte Geddes. Alasdair's campaign to make it clear this was a bad idea failed, much to his dismay, but Keir and Charlotte managed to arrange their marriage in a way that seemed to suit them both. While Alasdair kept a wary eye on Charlotte, she made no sign of any intention to do Keir ill. Her immediate and evident attachment to their firstborn son further cemented her position in the family. Alasdair, quite against his will, began to like her on a personal level.
By the time Lord Alasdair reached his late 30s, observers largely assumed he didn't mean to marry at all. This suited him perfectly well; while he was not against marriage in theory, his family obligations kept him busy. By this point, Keir also had four children, two of whom were sons, so the duchy's line of succession was secure without Alasdair's help. Instead of building a family of his own, Alasdair continued to collaborate with Keir and his other siblings to expand their magical resources and keep the family safe.
+ high-level permissions
- mind effects In general, down for passive mind reading or subtle mood affecting powers. To pry more deeply within his mind or to push him toward actions he wouldn't normally take, let's talk oocly first.
- injuries Anything he could reasonably heal from within a week is on the table. Injuries that would take longer to heal, that would permanently change his mobility or ability to function, or that could lead to death, let's touch base.
- relationships Open to positive or negative CR options. Sexually, he believes he's straight but OOCly we can explore other options, if you're open to dealing with the process of him figuring out it out ICly.
player: ammmy timezone: u.s. eastern pb: iddo goldberg