#alioth ghelda

[nihils-trolls]

guy with nuanced expressions. good luck discerning the differences

[nihils-trolls]

Alioth has had a weird start to his time at Gaia. His direct ancestor, Eyrlow took him under their wing to train them in how to control his abilities: at least for awhile, anyway. Alioth never got much from learning under Eyrlow, as they weren't the most suitable teacher for him.

Eyrlow gave up, frustrated. It wasn't until Alioth was 9, that they suggested he join up with Gaia to find a decent tutor.

Since then, Alioth passed the training, had his abilities estimated as S rank (much to his confusion. He thought he'd be a B at most,) and had since been assigned Level 1 . He's bounced around with different partners (He did work with Z (one of @/goddesstrolls's characters) briefly)- only in the last few perigees did he end up partnering with Ke'nalo Mahana, an experienced Level 3 operative. Originally, Ke'nalo was just a trainer for Alioth, but the two seemed to get along well and had good synergy, ability wise.

[nihils-trolls]

In the Thick of It

Alioth Ghelda | Present Night | ??? (Unknown Area) (Introduction)

Sitting in soft, white sand, Alioth tucks his knees into his chest and stares out at the water before him. The moons hang low in the sky, and waves gently crash against the pebbly shoreline.

... And it reeks here, he thinks to himself. The stench of algae, salt, and a hint of rot.

There is a terrible pain in his chest, and it's hard to breathe- but for some reason, he cannot bring himself to care. What's far more concerning is the overwhelming presence in the surf. 

Silent. Watching.

And yet, not visible.

The waves crest higher. Alioth falls back on the sand, gasping for air to no avail as the water comes crashing down. The ebb of the water draws him down the shore, off the edge of the land and down into an icy blue void.

That dreadful feeling claws at him now, the emptiness, stifling. But only for a moment, as the vision fades to black.

"Come on, now, don't quit on me here-" a familiar voice says.

There's a repetitive pressure on Alioth's chest, forcing the water out of his lungs. He jerks with a cough, drawing air in and opening his eyes to assess his surroundings.

At his side is a very-relieved looking troll- his partner, Ke'nalo. A rugged violet with thick, coarse, curly hair that's been tied back. As he looks elsewhere, he sees walls of cut stone and water flowing into a deep pit through a channel. He lies on a walkway at the edge of this circular, vaulted chamber.

He is soaked to the bone, water and blood dripping down his forehead.

… Right, Alioth remembers. They had chased the watery creature they were following into this enormous cistern, hoping to halt it once it stopped running away. Apparently, it had been causing problems in the city's waterways- clogging drainage pipes and killing maintenance workers who had come to investigate.

Sure enough, the elemental felt right at home in the chamber and defended it to the very end. But Ke'nalo managed to cut off its supply, and Alioth had managed to freeze it in place- but not before it got off one last hit. The elemental had took one of its frozen tentacles and bashed it into the side of Alioth's head, knocking him off his feet and into the reservoir below.

Ke'nalo interrupts Alioth's thoughts. "Geez, Ghel. Giving me a fucking heart attack, here." The violet then reaches a hand to the radio on him. "Control, Icepick's conscious again, but he took quite a hit. Get a medic on standby above us, would you?"

He pauses a moment, then getting an affirmative beep in response."Copy that. MCU's on their way to set up transport, they've been briefed on handling. Just focus on getting out of there."

"10-4, Control. On it." Ke'nalo turns his attention back on Alioth.

"You alright to move bud?" he asks, but quickly grimaces and answers his own question before Alioth can say anything. "Ehhh, actually. I got you. But you better say something quick."

Ke'nalo then adjusts his gear to be more comfortable, moving to lift Alioth onto his back in one, swift motion.

"… Like.. what." Alioth mumbles, letting himself be jostled around. He doesn't have the energy to complain.

"Like anything," Ke'nalo says, not elaborating. He instead tries to remember how exactly the pair got down here, in the first place.

There's numerous tunnels that flow into this chamber, and they all look nearly identical. But thankfully, navigating is one thing he excels at. The minute differences between each path are clear in Ke'nalo's mind. The archway with a large chip in it, pillars in the tunnel behind it. We slid down this way, he thinks to himself.

As Ke'nalo starts to move, he continues talking. "…How's the head?"

Alioth doesn't answer, initially. The answer is obvious, he thinks, and he's distracted by the incessant pounding near the back of his skull.

Ke'nalo shakes him gently, though. "I mean it. Talk to me, here, 'cause if you stop, I'm gonna start running."

"Ugh." Alioth responds. "It's bad."

"Yeaaah, that's about what I thought." Ke'nalo says, sigh-laughing. "Don't worry, I'll get you to a doc and all fixed up soon enough. So, bear with me here."

It takes a moment for Alioth to realize what Ke'nalo said, and he responds after a few beats of silence and walking.

"… That… was your worst one yet. Stop it." Alioth mentally rolls his eyes.

"Stop what?" Ke'nalo says, smiling slightly. He knows Alioth can't see it. "I'm trying to make conversation here, and you're getting a free ride. I should be getting gratitude out of you, and yet-"

Alioth scoffs ever so lightly. "Your terrible puns. Is now… really the time?"

"Any time's good enough for them, especially if I need you to comment on them." Ke'nalo snorts. "One, I need to make sure you're still kicking, back there. And two, with a blow to your thinkpan like that, you really shouldn't fall asleep on me until someone clears you.

So rest- but not too much, back there."

Alioth obliges, settling into the position he's in and laying the side of his head on Ke'nalo's back. He pauses a moment, thinking, before he continues the conversation.

"… How do you think that thing got here?"

"The elemental?" Ke'nalo responds. "There's a few ways they show up here, from what I know- most common way is summoning. Mages of old liked to use them to guard sites of power, or other important places. Not bad help in a fight, either.

They are terrible to defend against when they're in their el- … domain." Ke'nalo manages to stop himself before saying another bad pun. "Someone must've lost theirs, or something. I can't imagine why one would hang out here, otherwise."

"Irresponsible." Alioth mumbles.

"Said it better than I would, kid." Ke'nalo agrees. "I hope this was just a one-off. Otherwise…" he trails off.

Alioth sighs. "More mess to clean up."

Ke'nalo gives an affirmative hum. "Though, you've more than earned a break. So it'll be another team's problem, if so."

"Shouldn't have to be. I just-" Alioth chokes up a little. "It's stupid. I could've done that better. Cleaner.

I'm sorry." He mumbles again.

"Wh- sorry for what?" Ke'nalo says, looking back. "You did the best you could. Some shit that we didn't expect happened, but you're not dead. That's a win, as far 's I'm concerned."

Alioth doesn't have anything to say to that- clearly, not feeling the same.

Ke'nalo continues. "You've improved quite a bit since you joined Spec Ops, Ghelda. Higher ups have noticed that, I've noticed it- even Eyrlow has, I bet. So just take your mistakes in stride, don't stew over 'em. We did a good job, here."

The thumps of Ke'nalo's boots echo in the tunnels as he half-jogs through them. He's trying to take care not to rock Alioth too much, but also to make good time to the entrance. They're not too far off now, Ke'nalo thinks to himself.

"I don't feel so good." Alioth murmurs, interrupting Ke'nalo's train of thought.

"Yeah, I can imagine not-" Ke'nalo replies. "-Getting hit like that and almost drowning. Like I said, we'll get you taken care of- but hang in there, ok?"

Ke'nalo gets no response.

"… Alioth?" he asks one more time, waiting. Ke'nalo's gait slows as he looks back again, but he can't quite see over his shoulder.

Nothing, again.

He then quickens his pace to a run, turning a corner down another long tunnel. Up ahead is a doorway on his left- the stairway they'd slid down to get here.

Ke'nalo really hoped the medic was the top already, waiting.

[nihils-trolls]

Alioth does have a titled ancestor, known as Reckoner Glacious. (He was from the early conquest era.) He was untitled for a long portion of his life, going by Delwyn Ghelda instead. He was a court official and king's mage, offering guidance and protection for the royal bloodline of the nation he had hailed from. Had seen and studied much, and often tutored other nobles.

However. Delwyn had many peers who were jealous of his position and fame- and felt scorned by his seeming indifference to the station of said peers. (He was held in high enough regard that he could get away with being "rude" (read: not sucking up) to some influential trolls.)

A group of conspirators ended up framing Delwyn for treason, and the gruesome murder of a prince. He fled these accusations, and his home- eventually returning with a plan of revenge in mind. He would tear down the old rule, killing numerous rivals and destroying the royal line of the kingdom.

He was rumored to consort with demons. That he *was* a demon himself. Patient, persistent, and ruthless. Anyone that got in his way was not spared.

And then, when his revenge was through, he disappeared.

[nihils-trolls]

I haven't made an overly edgy OC yet and I'm definitely due for one I think. So Alioth is my solution to this problem

He's a fairly young adult still, barely into his 20s (year wise. He's 10.5 sweeps old.) Generally a very angry person, albeit quiet about said rage. Trying to find a place for himself in the world, though he's been told that it's using his abilities for the betterment and protection of trollkind- and as a result, is currently working for Gaia as special ops, I think.

It gives him an opportunity to hone his powers, as he definitely needs to learn how to control them better. More precisely. The sheer force of his unchecked ice magic (AND psionics) is enough to lay waste to a large area. (He's gotten a bit. chuunibyou about it. And for good reason, to be honest.)

[nihils-trolls]

A concept for Alioth Ghelda, new guy I was talking about. Pretty, edgy boy with ice powers, mild ancestral trauma and he doesn't like anyone 👍