Name: Emperor Aeathyth
Age: 67
Race: Human
Role/Occupation: Soul Puppeteer and Emperor of Alionya
Personality: Aeathyth is a quiet man, and while isn't necessarily approving of loud and blatant war mongering, he will utilize it as a tool necessary for his dominance. Calm in the face of the most extreme setbacks, he does not allow himself to rise to petty challenges and insults made by anyone, whether it be other rulers or the occasional rebel within his Empire. There is no price too dear or steep that he cannot find means to pay if it means attaining greater power and status for himself, through his Empire. He sees people, even those aligned against him, as tools to be manipulated into his benefit. He doesn't let anything interrupt his continued studies into everything, using the knowledge as power against future and current enemies, not losing sight of former enemies and those that could potentially become problematic. If a foe earns his respect, he will treat them as fairly as you could expect, offering a painless execution over the usual drawn out, and quite painful, ones. He is equal in this treatment, not caring whether its another monarch or peasant rebel, and only keeps a notable prisoner alive if they have use. He, however, will accept any surrendering common soldiers and commanders from the opposing side and put them to watched work in the Empire, and not at slave work either.
Weapons: His greatest weapon is subterfuge and tactics. Rather than rely on brute force and numbers, both being capable of becoming viable strategies from an Imperial standpoint, he would put the forces to good use, raiding and flanking, avoiding being drawn into unnecessary battles of attrition unless the outcome would be in his favor. Even when pressed to fight, Aeathyth will sooner use guile and trickery over rage and brute force to claim victory.
As for literal weapons, he has two notable ones. The first is his retinue of personal guards. This small handful of warriors are the best in Alionya, and cannot be bribed or convinced to change sides for a single reason. They are literally bound to the soul and will of the Emperor, being nothing more than puppets given direction and orders by their master. Without these orders, the puppets cannot function beyond a basic drive to defend themselves from attackers, until the controlling signal is put over them again. He carries a longsword under his cloak, a plain looking piece, but forged out of the very finest materials that one can acquire, including some of the very limited Aeathium that they had acquired before the war had started.
Bio: Born in Alionya as the son of a family of military nobles, Aeathyth was quick to abandon the military tradition of the family, and their last name with it, and immediately looked for more potent, quick, and useful means to gain the ultimate power within the nation. Even as a young teen, shortly after abandoning the military family he was born into, he worked his way into the courts and manoeuvrings of the political system surrounding the old Emperor. From running errands, playing spy, and making the right deals, Aeathyth was quick to become a notable youth in the courts of the Emperor. Enough so that the old ruler sent him on an apparent suicide errand to get rid of the potentially dangerous upstart. However, the young man had figured this was the way that he was going to try and get rid of him, and altered the parameters of the mission enough to survive and complete it. He also gained an unexpected boon from the mission. A sorceress who had barred his path was now on his side, acting as a confidant and teacher. She could control the bodies of living people, that had no souls in them anymore, as puppets. She thought there were legitimate feelings between them, and agreed to teach him everything she knew along with the normal relationship they had. Eventually, in their mid thirties, he had maneuvered to the point of being able to be the successor of the throne, having already been named as such. He convinced the woman to get close to the old emperor, and murder him in his sleep.
She did this, and rather then the pardon she expected when Aeathyth became the new Emperor, he had her executed. She had served every purpose needed, and keeping her around would have been dangerous. He then began reorganizing the military and nobility systems that Alionya operated under until then. Removing the political fat from the military and everything else, he cut everything down to what was necessary. Commanders operated on skill and tactical intelligence, not political favor. Soldiers were recruited from all walks of life, rather than only humans, increasing the size of the army, and his standing with both the military and general population. There was no conscription, as long as enough volunteers came forward. To keep their family from being conscripted, men and women from all walks of life volunteered, so it was the easiest thing in the world to keep them decently trained and in place, well led and fairly well equipped. That was the continuing situation, and as an older man, is constantly watching for new ways to improve his status further still. When the new ore was discovered, he claimed it, knowing the Maliusian king would claim it as his own. He declared war at the sight of the Dragon, calling it an omen, and Aeathyth keeps maneuvering the armies of his Empire, holding off any attack attempted, wary of the generalship of his opposition more than the king. Attacking proved hard, but he is dedicate to finding a way to strike through the lines, and fully plans on finding one.
Side: Alionya