Richard Aengus

The pink-winged, bushy-bearded, big-bellied fairy called Richard Andrew Aengus has lived a complicated life, holding a number of positions in a number of areas. His primary role is that of the king of New Hibera, a small fairy kingdom positioned in the south-central area of Myrken Wood. Richard himself is currently 308 years old--elderly, for fairies from New Hiberan stock, who typically live 'only' four centuries. He has ruled the combined nations of Old Hibera and New Hibera for 252 years, taking the throne as a child at fifty, until his loss of control of the former. Now, Richard lives alone in New Hibera; a former wife and adopted daughter have been missing, assumed deceased, since July, 206 AR. The majority of his life as prince, then king, was a simple one, governed solely by his whims and his gluttony, until he grew bored with it all and wanted to see just a little bit more. A mix of boredom and curiosity led him to investigate the lives of 'bigling' humans, an interest that would eventually culminate in a fictitious claim that he had taken on a fabricated identity of an actor turned politician named Aloisius Treadwell, supposedly from Westenford, a middling port town on the coast of Amasynia known for its shipping and its thoroughly corrupt government council. Of course, the claim itself was thoroughly false; the man in question was very much real flesh and blood. As punishment for devouring one of Richard's closest friends and advisors in late 205 AR, Treadwell was captured and put to sleep for fifteen months, only to wake at the command of various Old Hiberan officials. For a brief time, Richard did manage to rule both halves of Hibera under his one reign; instead of ruling through messages sent to his cousin, James Aengus, he took responsibility for New Hibera on his own, moving into the palace there and severing ties to Westenford. On arrival, still claiming to be Aloisius Treadwell, he likewise systematically started to cut all connections that Treadwell had held. In his dedication to ruin Treadwell's life as a more permanent repayment for eating the fairy king's friend, a vengeful Richard was ultimately was the catalyst for Raylan Treadwell's leaving Myrken Wood and the Council's repossession of Treadwell's house and toy shop in Myrken Wood for a brief time. Richard's true role and personality are tricky to uncover. He has a deep-rooted love for good art, wonderful music, and horrid poetry. Richard is quite beloved by all Hiberans, mainly because he seems harmless. He appears to be a dreadful political bumbler with little common sense, claiming ignorance and lack of interest in such things. However, below this comical surface--an image he relishes and exploits with the help of his plump appearance and jolly manner--lies the heart of a fairy who will do as he must to maintain his control of New Hibera, just as his grandfather, William Aengus, and his father, Richard Scott Aengus. In recent years, Richard and his half-brother, Dr. Orin Barrin, have spearheaded a kingdom wide devotion to the Tubbian faith; this devotion is completely responsible for the immense fattening of the doctor, formerly stick thin, and the rest of the fairy population. This nationwide plumping out was enabled by Tubbius' blessing of Hiberan food and drink stores; as repayment for a short term show of devotion, the harvest god has provided them with unending food and drink. The king spent much of 213 AR asleep. He had accidentally ingested the egg of a Hiberan rock rodent, an animal that on hatching establishes a symbiotic relationship with its fairy host by taking up residence in the wall of the stomach, and his half-brother and physician promptly put him into a magically induced, nourishing sleep so he could monitor the animal's growth until he could remove it. After nearly ten months of inactivity on his part and continued growth on the part of the rock rodent, the doctor finally chanced removal of what has become Richard's pet, named Squeaky for its trilling noises. On awaking, Richard claimed he was missing a pair of daughters, named Lora and Lara. On being slapped back to sense by the doctor, the king roused himself and went about his business until three months later, in January 214 AR. Then, on being asked, he finally explained the question of the missing children; during his extended sleep, he dreamed that he had magically been made hermaphroditic, being told that was his natural state that had long since been hidden, and that he had been blessed by Marta, the mother goddess who is Tubbius' wife, with twin daughters. While Orin firmly denied any such, Richard was still getting older without a queen and living heir. The as of late generally depressed, fitful fairy king demanded the dream be made reality if possible, and, on finding reference to how to change the king's gender in an early draft of a law code written by William Aengus, he pushed harder for his own satisfaction, much to his physician's chagrin. As of the morning of January 18, 214 AR, Richard got his wish, and just after midnight on the twentieth, he received divine confirmation of his conception on begging for a sign from Marta, mother goddess in the Tubbian faith, after extended prayer.