#elderscrolls

J'ai redessiné une ancienne illustration de 2022 représentant Aldia et sa famille.

Vous pouvez constater les améliorations apportées au dessin, ainsi que les ajouts par rapport à la version originale de 2022.

tagged by : @cresu

I chose Aldia, given that she is one of the characters I draw the most, as well as the one I have been writing stories about for the longest time.

Name :Aldia Ardent-Fire

Age : 31 years old ( 4era 201)

Born : 20th Rain Hand 4 era 170

Occupation : Mage, thief, and savior of Skyrim as the Dragonborn (from time to time), and also Thane of Whiterun.

Background : Her story is quite long, but I'll try to keep it simple.

Aldia is a Dunmer born in Skyrim, who also possesses Nord blood inherited from her paternal grandfather. At the age of six, she and her parents moved to Cyrodiil in search of a better life and to be close to her paternal uncle and aunt.

At the age of 19, she had to flee with her mother Aldyna and her cousin Aurore to the home of an aunt in Anvil, while her father and other relatives were killed by the Thalmor.

For years, she lived in the city under a false identity. During that time, she was treated like a slave by her aunt, struggled to cope with the loss of loved ones, and endured toxic relationships, whether romantic or platonic.

At the age of 29, when her aunt smashed her Talos amulet right before her eyes, Aldia struck her in anger and fled Anvil, leaving behind her mother and cousin.

She joined an anti-Thalmor resistance movement and also became the apprentice of a necromancer. But after a few years, when the leader of the resistance went completely mad, Aldia’s magic mentor insisted that she leave to start a new life.

And so, Aldia set off for Skyrim but was arrested for killing a Thalmor. Everyone knows what happened next: the execution at Helgen, interrupted by the return of Alduin; Aldia then went to Whiterun and discovered she was the Dragonborn. She adopted a false identity in the name of Aldie until 4 era 204.

Notable relationships:

Radan : It is her undead skeever, bound to her through a conjuration spell. In short, Aldia’s magic mentor was a necromancer who bestowed upon her a gift: an undead creature capable of manifesting on her body. To do this, she tattooed her neck with a skeever head tattoo, the ink of which is made from the ash of a skeever that Aldia had killed and locked its soul in a soul gem.

That is how Radan appeared behind Aldia’s neck, becoming both her magical familiar and her pet. Although he often behaves like a grumpy animal and is sometimes disobedient to his mistress, the two have a good relationship and Radan is ready to do anything to defend her.

Lydia : She was the Dragonborn’s housecarl and became Aldia’s best friend. Although their initial encounters were somewhat tense, the two women became close friends over the months. Aldia views Lydia as the big sister she never had, as well as her best bodyguard and confidante.

Lucia et Sofie: Aldia’s two adopted children. She had initially adopted them because they reminded her of her cousin Sofie, who had been killed by the Thalmor (Lucia had the same blonde hair and sapphire-blue eyes, while Sofie share the same name of the cousin). Aldia raised them as if they were her own, even though she was often away on adventures or treasure hunts. She did her best to ensure they received a good education and enjoyed a comfortable life..

Bleis : She met Bleis in a fort infested with necromancers; the Bosmer was on a mission to kill a contract target, while Aldia was there to seek out Shalidor’s Insights. After completing their respective tasks, they did not see each other for a few weeks, but eventually, Aldia encountered him again and invited him to join her on her adventures. Over time, as they explored Skyrim, a friendship blossomed—despite their opposing personalities, which occasionally led to arguments. Thus, Bleis became not only a comrade-in-arms but also a close friend to the Dragonborn.

Strengths:

- Possesses great skill in fire destruction magic and healing, but is also proficient in alteration.

- By absorbing the souls of dragons, he Thu’um grew more powerful.

- She knows how to negociate well, whether buying or selling.

- Although she is sometimes emotional and impulsive, she also knows how to devise plans when the situation demands it.

- She is also skilled at enchanting, whether it be on weapons, armor, jewelry, or clothing.

Weaknesses:

- Pride and Ego: Aldia is someone who sometimes places too much confidence in herself and her abilities. She doesn't like being walked all over or disrespected, not hesitating to say who she is and put people in their place, or to say provocative and hurtful words, making a few enemies. She rarely resorts to force unless physically attacked first.

As the Dragonborn performing heroic deeds in Skyrim, she felt increasingly invincible. Unfortunately, when her pride goes too far, she realizes it a bit too late and regrets her actions.

- Alcohol: Aldia always finds a reason to drink alcohol, whether it be beer, wine or something else. Whether she wants to party, hide her sadness, or unwind after a hard day, she drinks heavily to feel the effects that help her forget her problems. If it weren't for Lydia and others, she would have spiraled deep into alcoholism.

-Partly impulsive and emotional: Aldia is highly emotional and sensitive, yet insists she isn't to avoid appearing weak. It can happen that she makes a decision on a whim, thinking she can manage it, or when anger rises, she doesn't realize the words she says, thus causing problems.

- Picking people's pockets: she always struggles to rummage through people's pockets, forcing her to steal from them while they are asleep, paralyzed, or knocked unconscious.

- She isn’t gifted at alchemy: it’s a field that doesn’t interest her, and she feels it’s a better use of her time to buy potions than to find ingredients and remember recipes and dosages before brewing them.

No interest in:

- Politics: whether in Cyrodiil, Skyrim or another province, for the most part, politics is a source of boredom, in addition to seeing that the majority of politicians are liars and corrupt, whether they are noble or not.

- Alchemy: Aldia has never been skilled at alchemy; she dislikes having to find ingredients and remember the lists of ingredients and dosages needed to brew potions. She prefers to buy them whenever she needs one.

No concept of:

- The limits of her power regarding her reputation and combat: as the Dragonborn and Arch-Mage, she views herself as superior to others.

She scoffs at those who look down on her, viewing them as powerless fools who rely solely on their social standing—unlike herself, who is blessed by the gods—and believing that those who snub and despise her would be incapable of performing the heroic deeds she accomplished in Skyrim.

Whether facing bandits or mages, she views combat as child's play, thanks to the spells and Dragon Shouts she has amassed. There are rare instances where she respects her opponent, but only if their magical power rivals her own (exemple : Miraak).

However, she remains somewhat cautious regarding her loved ones, knowing that her family and those close to her are not invulnerable. She therefore avoids speaking too much about them outside of Whiterun, for fear that powerful figures might try to harm them.

Character:

As I mentioned, Aldia has an emotional character, but she hides her sensitivity a lot when it comes to sadness, for fear of being seen as weak towards strangers, but does not hesitate to show her anger when her limits are crossed. However, when she is with those close to her, she is careful not to hurt them, and when she trusts someone, she does not hesitate to reveal a bit of her vulnerability.

She often comes across as friendly and enjoys meeting new people. She may sometimes seem direct and blunt in her honesty, and at times even vulgar, but this shows that she trusts you are not a danger to her or that she prefers to avoid keeping information, for fear that keeping it secret could lead to consequences.

Although proud and sometimes hypocritical, she retains a sense of compassion; she dislikes seeing people suffer undeservedly, or realizing too late the impact of her words.

She may be rather greedy and selfish in her actions, but when a loved one needs help, she does not hesitate to assist and comfort them.

She knows she is all-powerful, but that her loved ones are not, so she makes sure to be cautious for their sake.

She is curious about a number of subjects, including magic, history, nature, and so on.

She holds grudges over wrongs done to her and is very slow to forgive.

In battle:

She relies heavily on fire destruction magic. In terms of conjuration, she sometimes summons Flame Atronachs; although she is capable of summoning Frost Atronachs, she finds that doing so drains more of her magicka and that her summons are less powerful than those of other mages.

She always has a one-handed weapon, like an axe or a sword, very rarely daggers or maces. She knows how to use them, but when facing a master of weaponry like Bleis, she sometimes loses if she doesn't use magic.

She does not hesitate to use her Dragon Shouts—whether Unrelenting Force, Fire Breath, Ice Form, or Disarm.

Distinguishing marks:

- Tall compared to most Dunmer women (she stands 1.82 meters tall), a trait stemming from the Nord blood inherited from her paternal grandfather. This partly Nord blood is also evident in her face with less prominent cheekbones but , but her cheeks are round and a more robust body.

- She has a black scar on her left cheek. It was inflicted by her former leader when she was part of an anti-Thalmor resistance group; suspecting her of being a traitor, he mutilated her face with an enchanted dagger, but she was saved by her magic mentor, averting the worst outcome.

- She has a tattoo of a skeever's head on the back of her neck that allows Radan to reappear when he crumbles into dust.

Trivia:

- She believes in the Nine Divines and the Daedric Prince Azura.

- her favorite alcoholic drinks are beer, mead, and wine.

- She harbors a deep hatred for the Thalmor, never hesitating to kill when the opportunity arises and she knows their disappearance will have no repercussions for her. This stems from a desire for personal vengeance, as the Thalmor killed a large part of her paternal family.

- For a long time, Aldia avoided taking sides in the civil war. The primary reason is that she finds politics boring.

The second, in her youth, she understood the Empire's decision to capitulate to the Aldmeri Dominion during the Great War; however, since the death of her family at the hands of the Thalmor, she views the Emperor and the politicians as corrupt cowards incapable of maintaining security within the Empire. Although she prays to the nine divines and is inclined to want Skyrim to be independent like Hammerfell, she does not appreciate Ulfric since the discovery of the file and sees him as similar to one of the politicians of Cyrodiil, a smooth talker but a liar who only thinks of himself.

- Although she dislikes politics and politicians—especially the wealthy and noble ones—she has a fairly good relationship with Jarl Balgruuf, particularly since revealing to him the issue regarding his son and the Ebony Blade. To Aldia, he is one of the rare exceptions among the Jarls of Skyrim.

- She hates ice wraiths, finding them ugly and frightening.

- She is a good cook, a hobby she enjoyed doing with her father.

- She knows a few necromancy spells but rarely uses them (or not at all when she is in Skyrim).

Reference sheet