__________________QUICK STATS
Name Erstwhile of Autumn - Though some mortals have called him "Erste" in the past
Age 1103 Cycles
Gender Masculine
Species Unseelie Fae
Ethnicity Autumn clan
Height 6'2"
Occupation Wandering Apothecary by chosen trade, de-facto 'King' of the autumn clan by birthright, and the "Fairy of Sorrows" by destiny
Residence He's kind of a bum honestly
__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF
Physical Description Erstwhile has a mostly human appearance, in the traditional sense (arms, legs, a head). He appears to be dressed in a draping, red and golden shawl, wearing a loosely-fitting robe underneath it, but upon closer inspection his robes are actually nature itself; a blend of golden, yellow and red leaves in flowing patterns which cover him like a cloak and robe combo. Along his 'clothes', you can see signs of nature thriving; living, growing ivy vines wrap around his waist like a secure belt, green, healthy moss grows at the ends of his sleeves, and here and there throughout his attire, various fungi adorn his body, lining the arms of his robes as they would trees in the wild, or flourishing into mushrooms around his shoulders and along his shawl.
Erstwhile is a blonde with long, gentle curls that reach his shawl and nest there securely. He wears a crown of autumn leaves, which almost seems to grow from his head, and has a pair of branch-like antlers atop each side of his head. His skin is soft and warm, and a light brown color befitting of the gold-and-red themes that make up his attire. His eyes are a similar golden color, marking him as very much not human despite his otherwise appearance.
Erstwhile carries two items with him at all times; the most obvious of which being a staff, made of a large, winding birch branch, which is topped by red and golden leaves, which endlessly fall from the tips of their branches, yet never goes fully bare. He uses it for walking, mostly, but there is inherent magic— distinctly fae magic— almost bursting from it's wood. The other item, typically at his waste, is a censer made entirely of wood— not carved, not chopped or processed, but naturally winding into a ball-like shape with openings wide enough for Erstwhile to use.
Personality
He's nice enough, but clearly not human— and likely never will be. In conversation, Erstwhile comes off as kind and considerate, if not somewhat mischievous.He has a bad habit of treating mortals like children, and requires reminding that they don't always need to coddled, or doted on, or reproached. Realistically, his fascination with mortals borders on dangerous to fae-kind as he doesn't often shy away from civilization— yet he does wander, quite a bit in fact, so he's never in one place long enough to cause real trouble. As a fae, there are many different aspects and facets of human life that he hasn't yet grasped, but he does put a good faith effort forward toward trying. In particular, he finds mortal relationships very amusing— the good and bad times of them. He sometimes enjoys introducing a little trouble into otherwise stable and ongoing relationships, knowingly or otherwise.
It can also be said that Erstwhile doesn't take his actual 'job' seriously; Despite having a very clear and defined role to undertake as both the king of the autumn clan of fae and the Fairy of Sorrows, he tends to spend more of his time watching over humans— sometimes interfering in their affairs. In his defense, humans and his 'job' tend to overlap quite a bit, so he justifies his absences from the faelands as keeping the mortals in check and focusing on the gravest of his duties in doing so. The truth is that he's just kind of lazy.
Magic/Abilities
The autumn fae have always held some level of dominion over nature, their fairy magics giving them the innate ability to breathe the life of autumn into the lands around them— creating decay and natural death where there is none, and giving of their own bodies to spread lifeforms that feed and thrive on living matter, such as fungi. All of this for a proper cause— beginning the transition of the world into winter's embrace. Erstwhile is no different in this regard, and typically participates in this practice... when he feels like it. Honestly, the other fae tend to have it under control for the most part. What's more, often-times they have to reenact the stories of autumn, which is rather boring to him— so he skimps on it.
His other role, being the Fairy of Sorrows, tends to take up more of his time. In addition to the living flora and fungi that take solace on his body, Erstwhile's other role is to lessen the risk of the Le'Raana's mortal and immortal inhabitants from destroying themselves through their sorrows. Curses, hexes, and grudges have a less prominent effect on him, both due to his already-always-decaying body and his role as the Fairy of Sorrows. Further, he is able to share in the sorrows of others by literally taking on, physically or spiritually, some of the sorrows that they have either self inflicted or had inflicted on them by others. He cannot completely take the sorrows, regrets, or curses of another living mortal away, however, and so his true purpose in sharing the burden of sorrows is simply to alleviate the suffering of others, until the day they die— at which point he can take them on entirely. It's said that at the end of each cycle, the Fairy of Sorrows becomes so burdened by the sorrows and regrets of others that they no longer resemble a fairy, in body or spirit— Shunned by fae and mortals alike, the wretched creature retreats to the quietest, darkest depths of the Fey wilds, and there they perish, taking the sorrows with them as they become one with the land again— only to be reborn in the coming cycle.
Erstwhile has done this over a thousand times.
Relationships
History
Don't be scared, come meet him and find out! (History pending)
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