|
|
Line 225: |
Line 225: |
| <div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#624AA0;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;font-variant: small-caps;"><b>Childhood</b></div> | | <div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#624AA0;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;font-variant: small-caps;"><b>Childhood</b></div> |
| <!-- TEXT --> | | <!-- TEXT --> |
− | : <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font size="2">Born as an only child to the dwindling minor House de Laupeios, Allont was often pushed by his parents, a doting mother and a comparatively distant father to excel at his studies. By the time his tutors were finished with his schooling, he was well-read enough to realise the weight of responsibilities and expectations weighed upon him. Like the other children of the Pillars, it didn’t take long for him to rebel against the harsh expectations of Ishgardian society. More often than not, he would escape his studies. An open window, a tied curtain and he’d be found hours later gawking at the Temple Knights and the other soldiers on their exercises. Awestruck by their physical prowess, he kept those memories close to his heart over the next few years. He knew he wanted to be like them someday. Masculine and brave, most of them were idols to look up to. Little did he know how circumstances would later force his hand.<br /> | + | : <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font size="2">Born as an only child to the dwindling minor House de Laupeios, Allont was often pushed by his parents, a doting mother and a comparatively distant father to excel at his studies. By the time his tutors were finished with his schooling, he was well-read enough to realise the weight of responsibilities and expectations weighed upon him. Like the other children of the Pillars, it didn’t take long for him to rebel against the harsh expectations of Ishgardian society. More often than not, he would escape his studies. An open window, a tied curtain and he’d be found hours later gawking at the Temple Knights and the other soldiers on their exercises. Awestruck by their physical prowess, he kept those memories close to his heart over the next few years. He knew he wanted to be like them someday. Masculine and brave, most of them were idols to look up to. Little did he know how circumstances would later force his hand... |
− | | |
− | His interest in exercise and martial activities was at first encouraged by his mother, but later his father, a notable clergyman within the Holy See, took steps to limit his exposure to the outside world. Tutors were brought into the manor regularly, schooling Allont in the aspects of society his father wanted him to see. He learnt about the Dragons and their great evils, as well as the importance of conformity. Despite these lessons, Allont would find some way or another to gain scraps of information from outside the vaulted gates. As his father wanted him to inherit an official position within the Holy See, this continued up until his early teens. Being locked away, Allont maintained a studious air on the surface, but often found time to practice with an old book of combat techniques from his late grandfather’s study. He would bring it late after the household had gone to bed, practicing gentle punches and tip-toed twirls so as not to incur the wrath of his parents. This practice continued until the age of 15, when he had finished his formal schooling.
| |
− |
| |
− | It was at this time his father passed away from a winter sickness. Normally, the responsibilities would have passed on to his brother, but he had not been seen in Ishgard since the Calamity. Therefore, with the death of his father, the responsibility of the house passed into Allont’s incapable hands. His education had never prepared him for the rigours of running a house, and the problems were multiplied twofold when the House was informed of a sizeable amount of debts that were owed by the late head of the Laupeois. With no way to pay them off, Allont had no choice. With no small amount of guidance from his mother, he sold off the family chateau to a sympathetic family friend, along with all of its furnishings and servants. Yet even as the family fell into dark times, Allont looked towards the Temple Knights for salvation. His mother managed to find them temporary lodging with the neighbours, but that too, would eventually pass.
| |
− |
| |
− | Soon enough, the news trickled its way into the rumour pool amongst the lower houses of nobility. Nobles, like flocks of vultures, often visited and courted the attentions of his mother. Many wanted to offer loans they knew couldn’t be repaid. Some chased after rumours of hidden fortunes. Allont faced opposition and derision from not only the teenagers of the other noble houses, but from the servants who had forcefully been laid off from their duties by his mother.
| |
− |
| |
− | Allont began to fight. The education that he had known his whole sheltered life was useless in the face of poverty, and upwards mobility was not easy in a society ruled solely by plutocracy. Although his mother would look after him for the next year, she passed the next winter due to the same winter illness. With her death, Allont was left alone. A teenager was much easier to say no to than an old family friend. Those who once offered shelter and solace were now impassive and grey. The vaulted gables and defiant spires seemed that much taller when faced with humiliation from all angles. The following years would grow a lot darker for the young boy, slowly losing his innocence. His fortunes looked up momentarily after Allont managed to contact an old friend of his grandfather within the Holy See. He weighed all of his hopes upon the reputation his father had garnered before his untimely death, and asked for a chance to train as a Knight. Within the month, Allont was picked from the newest draught of recruits, and in the coming weeks he would see himself begin his training in earnest as a squire.
| |
| </font></div><br> | | </font></div><br> |
| <!-- LATER HISTORY --> | | <!-- LATER HISTORY --> |
Line 240: |
Line 232: |
| <div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#624AA0;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;font-variant: small-caps;"><b>Adulthood</b></div> | | <div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#624AA0;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;font-variant: small-caps;"><b>Adulthood</b></div> |
| <!-- TEXT --> | | <!-- TEXT --> |
− | : <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font size="2">Allont would later come to be known as a savage fighter, and was involved in a particular incident near Falcon’s Nest when on exercise. Getting into a fight with another recruit, the causes of which were never totally clear, the young boy ended up permanently scarring his opponent after biting his ear clean off. These behaviours were discouraged by and large, but his immediate instructors saw these methods of fighting as necessary for the next generation to learn. He was never disciplined for the actions, and the incident was covered up in a shower of esprit de corps. For Allont, however, it was merely the first in a string of incidents. His ferocity soon became a point of warped pride for him, and spurred on by his superiors he was slowly moulded and socialised into a sharp instrument. His pride slowly turned to cocky arrogance, which turned into bullying the less competent members of the garrison. At this time, Allont began to focus more on his training, and the winter flowers grew heavier into the cracks of the family mausoleum. | + | : <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font size="2">Allont would later come to be known as a savage fighter, and was involved in a particular incident near Falcon’s Nest when on exercise. Getting into a fight with another recruit, the causes of which were never totally clear, the young boy ended up permanently scarring his opponent after biting his ear clean off. These behaviours were discouraged by and large, but his immediate instructors saw these methods of fighting as necessary for the next generation to learn. He was never disciplined for the actions, and the incident was covered up in a shower of esprit de corps. For Allont, however, it was merely the first in a string of incidents. His ferocity soon became a point of warped pride for him, and spurred on by his superiors he was slowly moulded and socialised into a sharp instrument. His pride slowly turned to cocky arrogance, which turned into bullying the less competent members of the garrison. At this time, Allont began to focus more on his training, and the winter flowers grew heavier into the cracks of the family mausoleum... |
− |
| |
− | At age 22, Allont reached his first accolade. Having trained as a squire for half a decade, he was granted the spurs and title of a Temple Knight. He spent two rotations in the rear guard in Ishgard, and became involved in a series of low profile inquisitions, where he was mentioned in dispatches to certain members of the Holy See. Over the next year he curried small favours with his squad leaders. These favours, along with great insistence from Allont himself, allowed him to take part in a new expedition into the highlands, in the company of an Inquisitor. The Knights were to provide protection. Having spent most of his training in Ishgard, Allont had matured into a somewhat competent, albeit cocky Knight. Seeing his nomination for the expedition as being something of a given, his carefree and self-important attitude were major concerns. In the coming years, it would all change. The expedition brought them to the very borders of Coerthas, all the whilst witnessing and aiding in executions of heretics and Dravanians alike. Allont had never prepared for anything so physically taxing as a long-term expedition. Unlike the other members of his garrison, he had shirked most of his duties in favour of personal comforts. Weeks in, he found himself having to push his physical abilities to the limit. Raging winds and empty stomachs were often the norm for the squad, and it soon became obvious that his skills were lacking when compared with the others who had joined with the Inquisitor.
| |
− |
| |
− | On a routine mission to retrieve food for the expedition, a few of the Knights had to help Allont back to their camp after he passed out from exhaustion. It was at this time he learnt that he was allergic to cawl cennin, as well as chicken and other meats such as beef. These revelations would later go on to begin his practices of vegetarianism. Despite this, he soldiered on. At the risk of being seen as a liability, Allont began to slowly learn. These lessons were of an altogether different nature than his sheltered upbringing, and he learnt the values of true companionship, and the other virtues that he had been solely lacking. Weeks turned to months, and the boy began to mature. His arrogance changed to silent observation. His cocky nature slowly began to turn into assured confidence, both in himself and in those around him. Most of all he developed a great admiration for the members of the expedition whom had suffered such rigours in silence.
| |
− |
| |
− | A year later, the expedition was returning to Ishgard after three month stay for the winter. The Inquisitor led the group southwards once more, but their journey was halted with the sudden arrival of a fearsome dragon. He was named Amoraskr by settlers of the regions there local. The expedition first encountered him on the main roads heading eastwards past the Dusk Vigil. Most of the men died before their swords could leave their scabbards. Some fled the field almost immediately, and a few were too burnt to be helped. At this time, the Inquisitor gave their life to save Allont and three other wounded men. Together, as the last three men remaining they barely made it back to Ishgard.
| |
− |
| |
− | Thusly Allont began his long period of convalescence. Through hearsay, he learnt of the terror Amoraskr had wrought on the villages they had left behind, and the countless soldiers that had wasted their lives to try and stop the beast. He made a silent vow that he would avenge those who had died in the burning snow. He would slay the dragon, and although he was not able to choose where he would be stationed, he began to train in preparation for the day. Due to his injuries, he was cycled once more onto rear duties. This time, Allont carried out every duty offered to him. Those who had known him before as a reckless greenhorn began to accept him despite his flaws, and he made a few friends along the way. Some of those friends would go on to join the same squad in the Order of the Knights Dragoon, later in the war. For the meantime, however, they did what soldiers needed to do. For Allont, his duties were simply protecting the city walls by day and honing his skills and knowledge by night. His physical injuries were severe at first, preventing him from any rigorous exercise, but he managed to build himself well, little by little. He learnt a lot about rudimentary cooking and botany from speaking to merchants. By doing so, his interest in nutrition grew. As he honed his mind, body and soul, he learnt more about the abilities of the Dragoons. The power to take to the sky like the enemy of old, and the strength to deliver crippling blows from above. He began to build his body in a way that would make him a volatile dancer when he eventually learnt to take to the firmament. In times of war, these smaller interests would never go on to be explored, but he would later revisit them with great enthusiasm on his travels across Eorzea.
| |
− | | |
− | It was not until a few years later that he had the chance to meet the dragon once more. Although Allont considered the beast his nemesis, in reality he was far too insignificant to face the thing alone. On a routine mission patrolling the highlands, his group came upon another destroyed town. Following the smokestacks further westward, they came upon a large crag. After dispatching some of the weaker breeds, the group was about to leave. It was then that Amoraskr descended from the crags with a great fury, and set upon the party with unbridled anger. In the first strike, three men went down, covered up in the avalanche that the dragon had brought with it. In the ensuing fight, it tore apart most of the men remaining, although not without suffering wounds of its own. Amoraskr’s leathery wings became tattered, and his swings were noticeably slower, yet still deadly. He sighted the last man standing before him, alone in the snow. Allont Laupeios clasped his sword between two shivering hands. Amoraskr began to march forwards, his beaked visage regarding the quivering Allont. In that moment, all the years of training vanished from his mind. Killing the lesser species seemed like childsplay compared to the looming figure of the dragon, towering above him. The gargantuan jaws opened, and hot breath shifted the snows around Allont. Snarling teeth snapped open, and Amoraskr crashed forwards. Allont jumped to the left. It was a movement the creature had already seen. The jaws followed, ready to snap down upon the tiny Elezen. At this time, the commander appeared from the side to strike Amoraskr in the left eye, emerging from the freshly powdered dust of the snow. It howled with a roar that shook the powder from the crags and sent icicles falling. Despite losing his sight, Amoraskr soon exacted vengeance on the knight. A sharp claw tore clean through the defiant Hyur, bifurcating him and leaving Allont to face down what was left of the beast. In any other circumstance, Allont should have died to the next strike. The dragon balled his clawed fist, and turned to strike at Allont. Then, a sharp pain from the base of his wing. Another cut tore down his ribcage. He swiped at his blind spot, but the claws found no purchase. Turning, Amoraskr instead found the last Temple Knight, Allont, standing defiantly in the snow, his sword held out in defiance. Dragonblood coated the metal instrument, smoking in the glacial winds. With whatever strength both had left, Amoraskr and Allont began their battle.
| |
− |
| |
− | The tale is rarely recounted by those who remember it, and of the many who later heard it, even fewer believed it. Allont himself later claimed that he wouldn’t have believed it himself if someone else had recounted it. Nevertheless, the rumour tells that he was found by two wanderers passing by, perhaps survivors of the local village attacks, or perhaps simply locals of another nature who carried him to their carriage in a hurry. Using local draconian medicines, Allont was nursed to a stable condition, although was still barely alive. He was found days later outside the steps of the Falcon’s Nest, right next to a severed claw from Amoraskr’s corpse. The men had saved his life.
| |
− | During the height of the war, Allont was part of no particular squad. His training as a member of the Knights Dragoon was conducted with no issues, despite a few of his class breaking their legs and having to drop out. Graduating at the top of his class, he soon became known as a terror of the firmament. Despite having learnt harsh lessons to the contrary time and time again, Allont was caught up in the illusions of glory surrounding his past victories, and soon enough returned to his old ways. He believed himself to be one of the best. Past lessons turned into distant memories. His ferocious nature returned, and now that his appetite had been whet with dragonblood, his foolhardy nature demanded more. His early routines turned into harsh training regimens, and what friends he once had either saw his old ways returning and left, or simply couldn’t keep up with his war fervour. This air of masculinity and blind arrogance was mostly fake. His new environment reminded him of his late teenage years, where he would either swim or sink to the bottom. He began compensating for his past losses and green humiliations with almost teutonic levels of training. The weapon he had once believed himself to be began to take a real form. Somewhere along the way, over the next 9 years, the line between faking it and achieving true deadliness disappeared.
| |
− |
| |
− | Although he would never achieve the same deeds as the greatest hero of Ishgard, the Azure Dragoon, he would hold the man as a shining standard to follow, ever aspiring to reach a height that he would never touch. Allont was of a different, inferior pedigree. His grasp of the overall picture of the war was bleak, lacking in the optimism required of a true hero. Somewhere within him, Allont completely misunderstood his aspirations. His fundamental attitude problems often made him a liability, despite his attempts at counteracting these flaws with near-Olympic training. This attitude made his general performance suffer, and those who knew him understood that he would never reach the same heights. Despite this, with over a decade of fighting under his belt, he was a far sight above most, especially the newer recruits.
| |
− |
| |
− | By the age of 30, Allont had reached the height of his career. In the sky, he had attained a steady reputation as a whirlwind of death. Those who fought with him often remarked on his near suicidal tactics and the reckless nature with which he fought. Fighting had always been second nature to him. He had dragged himself through the teenage years on his own, but war had forged him into something entirely different. By the simple act of not dying, Allont came into his own as a true terror. Despite the high mortality rate of his squad, he would never change his ways, even at the expense of those around him. He was in equal parts a liability and a legend. His arrogance and blind confidence were backed up by raw fighting spirit and technique, and developed into silent judging. Pursuing his own short-sighted dream became his world, and he swore damnation to anyone else who could not follow.
| |
− |
| |
− | This attitude did not go unnoticed from above, and he was eventually given command of his own squad. The five figures who joined and served with him would go on to kill an uncounted number of the horde. Their own training bordered on the suicidal. The dream to free Ishgard from the ravages of the Dragonsong War was lost somewhere in the process. Allont, and the five figures of his squad became true killers, in every sense of the word. Intoxicated by the allure of combat and fueled by razor-sharp ego further encouraged by the Holy See, they went above and beyond what was asked of them. As with all things in war, their reputation was carried by rumours of all kinds, some of them exaggerated, and some of them completely untrue. No longer did Allont care for what others thought of him. If it wasn’t coming from above, he saw such matters as beneath him. And so his reputation fell into the gutter. In the garrison, he became known as a self-destructive lone wolf who cared little for the cause. In the field, most appreciated his squad’s efforts, though only out of gratitude for their own lives. Rumours painted him and those who served alongside him as both heretics as well as war criminals. The war record of these men and women, although filled with ranks of dead Dravanians and a few rumoured dragon kills, never looked upon them favourably. The legend surrounding the Griffin of Banepool turned to notoriety.
| |
− |
| |
− | Near the end of the war, on what was meant to be a simple and routine operation against a group of Aevis, Allont suffered severe injuries after going ahead on his own. He soon found himself surrounded by many enemies who had easily spotted his advance. In the combat that followed, he suffered multiple deep lacerations to the face and a near-fatal amount of wounds to his entire body.
| |
− |
| |
− | With concrete evidence that he was a true danger to those he served with, the Holy See finally balked at the mountain of requests to retire the man. Allont was pulled back from service and ordered to become an instructor. Unfortunately, he was as good as green when it came to teaching, and the See didn’t want him teaching his fighting methods, which were wholly paradoxical to the other instructors. Allont began to understand the depths of his failure as a soldier, and instead requested leave to bury his drachen mail, retiring as a member of the Knights Dragoon. The request was accepted, and he was transferred back into the garrison of the Temple Knights.
| |
| </font></div><br> | | </font></div><br> |
| </tr></table></div> | | </tr></table></div> |