Aust Madden

A burn scar of a pair of wings on his back from his possession by Azrael's angel, Fear.

Aust was born in 733 F. to Gwinleg and Elrahel Madden in Woodland Cross. Aust's family consisted of a group of wandering elves who travelled across the south of Glaiburg to hunt, however his clan was not too large (around 30 people at any one time). From a young age, Aust was renowned for his hunting abilities, being trained by both of his parents and his older sister, Elinoa.   Aust was assigned female at birth, but from a young age, he preferred dressing and wearing more masculine fitting clothes. Eventually, he adopted his identity as a transgender male. His clan were accepting of this as the subject of gender exploration and identity has always been positive in their community.   His clan travelled across Glaiburg's southern forests - until, due to the Glaiburg and Fraenian war, they were forced to separate after a series of attacks from invading Fraenian soliders. Aust's parents were unfortunately killed in 749 F and Aust and his sister fled further south and lived alone.   A year passed with Aust and Elinoa hunting and living in south Glaiburg alone, trying to avoid the war. However, bandits eventually found the two and Elinoa forced Aust to flee whilst Elinoa fought the bandits. Elinoa was never found again and Aust now wandered the forests alone.   Within the next year, he met Gaak Falcon whilst hunting. He was cautious at first and hesitant to interact, but ended up teaching him how to set up a trap for animals. The two started interacting more and more, before they began to actively spend time which each other. The two eventually began to have feelings for each other and entered into a relationship with one-another.   The two hunted and remained in the forests for some time, Gaak hoping to bring Aust back to his settlement once his trial was over. However, in 756 F. one of the final groups of sell-swords from Fraenia stumbled upon the two. They quickly captured them both and took their belongings. They took them with them as they travelled, hoping to bring them to a captain for public execution on behalf of Fraenia, however, they found out after a few nights of travel that Aust was transgender and has not fully transitioned.   The sell-swords decided to take advantage of Aust that night - the group raping him continuously in front of Gaak. Aust fought hard to get away from them, but ultimately couldn't fight the strength of seven men. He quickly became reserved and traumatised that when Gaak tried to talk to him afterwards, he could barely respond.   Eventually, one of the sell-swords grew cocky and left his weapons near Gaak before heading to Aust. Gaak took advantage of the fact that the sell-swords were preoccupied with their crimes to sneak over to the weapon and release himself from his binds. He grabbed their weapons in secret and began to attack the group, handing Aust his bow and arrows in the process. Aust was merciless. He managed to execute a majority of the sell-swords, with Gaak finishing off the remaining ones. After the fight ended, Aust collapsed in grief and began sobbing in pain and trauma. Gaak could only comfort him in this time.   The two started to wander once again, but Aust was clearly and obviously affected by the events. Gaak did not want to push him and realised that he needed a safe place to heal, so he proposed the idea of going to his settlement where his family is. Aust agreed, needing to have a safe place to recover rather than in the forest.   The two travelled for a few months to the north east, towards the Goldenleaf Orc Settlement but Aust started to fall sick quickly. Gaak was worried for his safety, confused as to why he was sick so suddenly. Until, Aust confessed that he has missed his period. Combined with the sickness, he has the conclusion that he was probably pregnant. Aust was clearly terrified, as he knew that the father of the child was either Gaak or one of the sell-swords and there was no current way to tell. Gaak comforted him, explaining that regardless of how it turns out, he would be there for him.   Eventually, they reached the settlement, where Gaak managed to secure Aust a place in the settlement. Tumoshi, the leader of the clan, was very supportive and accepting of Aust. Her wife, Brari, helped Aust obtain some medicinal herbs to help with the pregnancy. She also explained that if Gaak was the father, the pregnancy would have an extreme toll on Aust's body as the two races struggle to bring a child to term without a miscarriage or the parent carrying dying as a result.   Gaak never left his side and offered his support as best as he can - eventually, one evening together, he confessed that before all this happened, he was planning to propose to Aust. Gaak stated that he didn't want to spring it on him after all this and he didn't want an answer immediately - he was ready to wait for when or if he was ready. He even stated that if he's never ready for marriage, then he would be fine with that as well. Gaak gave him the ring that he made on a forge.   A few weeks passed and Aust came back to Gaak and accepted his proposal, stating that he loved him and he knows that Gaak would never force him into anything he didn't want. He couldn't have asked for a better partner. Gaak was overwhelmed with happiness and the two were married within the month.   In 757 F., Aust gave birth to his daughter Elinoa Madden whom he named after his sister. Elinoa was Half-Elf - specifically, half-human. The shock hit Aust and Gaak hard, Aust found himself in conflict with himself as he loved his newborn daughter dearly, but the connected memories with how she came about were extremely painful. Gaak still remained by their side and promised to raise the child with Aust as if she were his own.   Years passed, and the settlement universally accepted Elinoa and Aust as their family members. Aust, after regaining his confidence to go out hunting again became a lead hunter for the settlement whilst helping Gaak at his forge with tanning.   Eventually, in 769 F. Grifiya Valfina arrived in their settlement looking for a missing person. Aust offered to help her find this person - the two fighting the possessed Niels Laoy on top of the mountain. Him and Gaak also assisted her and Mizys Selde in fighting a Shadow Demon in the settlement.   Eventually, Aust and Gaak decided to join their expedition to Winterwatch to help with the growing threat across Glaiburg by Azrael. Once they arrived in Winterwatch, Aust started falling sick - which Grifiya and him both came to the conclusion that Aust had fallen pregnant again, but with Gaak's child. Aust admitted he was afraid as the previous pregnancy had taken a lot out of him and Elf-Orc pregnancies are dangerous enough as it was. Grifiya promised to assist him during the pregnancy as best as she could.   Eventually, after the rebellion of Winterwatch, they returned to Goldenleaf to lay low for a while. On the way, Azrael started to take advantage of Aust's doubts and fears and started to possess him. Aust started sensing something was wrong early on, taking Hiro Diederich into the nearby forest and hoping that Hiro would be able kill him once Azrael's angel Fear takes over. However, he was too much of a threat to Hiro so he wasn't able to defeat him.   Grifiya Valfina managed to connect with Aust's consciousness during the possession and this enabled him to be able to fight past the possession. He dispelled Fear from his body, however this left a permanent scar of a pair of wings on his back. He fell unconscious immediately after and did not awake until after Goldenleaf's Orc Settlement was destroyed and the clan had been on the run for a few weeks. He could not remember much of his possession. Gaak then found out about his pregnancy with a positive response, glad that Aust is alive.   The clan ended up settling outside Swamphollow with a better reception thanks to Grifiya's connection to Kyfiya Valfina and Swamphollow itself. Swamphollow also held another attack from Azrael's angels, however, with the new information Grifiya obtained when Aust was possessed, she was able to prevent this from escalating further.   The group remained in Swamphollow for a few months, awaiting the commands of Moira Divine. Aust started to experience the issues of an Elf-Orc pregnancy, which were helped by Grifiya who bought some medicinal herbs for him. When the order came from Moira that the group were needed, Aust insisted in joining the group rather than remaining in the settlement. Eventually, he got his wish and they headed to Kareport on Moira's request.   In Kareport, the group were faced with a challenge from Jophiel posing as a blind Tiefling in the slums of Kareport. The group uncovered their pasts and Aust found himself having to explain his past to the group. However, he was given a large amount of support when this information was revealed and this helped him move forward a bit more.   The group then needed to attend a ferry party on the outskirts of Kareport to find the next person who will be possessed - however, Aust experienced a dip in health due to his pregnancy. Aust still wished to join them, however, Grifiya insisted that he remain in The Golden Guest Hotel. Gaak, Yanys Cinxaak and Nardina Whitthane remained with him for assistance.   During the time of the party, Aust went into a strong and painful labour. His body was rejecting the pregnancy and he experienced a significant amount of trouble giving birth. Nardina was unable to contact Grifiya on a stone of far speech, until about halfway into the labour when communications were restored. Azreal being released from Moira had disrupted their connections. The group rushed back to Aust - with enough time to help him birth his twin children Griffin Falcon and Grifiya Falcon. However, the strain of his birth almost caused him to lose his life. Once recovered, Aust confirms that him and Gaak wished to name their children after Grifiya Valfina.   The group end up fleeing Kareport, Aust receiving help from Gaak as he was unable to move too much without a large amount of pain. They arrived in Lanercoast, where a group of rebels offered them passage across to Basinport due to their connection with Bethany Holt.   Eventually, they return to Swamphollow and to Elinoa. The group settle for a festival that Swamphollow and the neighbouring orc tribe have organised together - until Grifiya becomes possessed by Azrael. The group try to fight her to stop it, Aust pleading with her to come back as she did to him - however, Azrael was too strong for them. Eventually, Grifiya was stopped by Michael, who had possessed Kyxes Arvis.   Aust, during this time finds out he has a connection to Gabriel, which is why he gained such intense powers when possessed by Fear. He uses this connection to help Grifiya fight Azrael in the Ruins of the Angel. They eventually succeed, Azrael allowing Grifiya to return the world to normal.   After these events, Aust returns to Swamphollow and remains there with his family, occasionally taking the journey to Winterwatch to see Grifiya with his family. He starts to bring Griffin along more often as he begins to train with Airo Yukimura in weapon creation.   In 799 F. Aust and Gaak agreed to allow Griffin to go to Frasgow to join Kyxes and Lukas Underwood on their undercover mission as a form of training. However, it went south and Griffin was declared missing, presumed to be dead. This news crushed Aust, partially blaming Kyxes and Lukas for what happened on their watch. However, he could not maintain hatred as it hurt him too much.   The next few years saw him outliving Gaak, who died in 806 F of old age. Aust was naturally heartbroken, and started becoming more and more withdrawn as the years progressed - this only increased as the remainder of his friends also started passing away. He still maintained contact with his daughters (Elinoa and Grifiya), however.   He ended up attending Kyxes and Lukas' wedding in 890 F. despite their tensions. Kyxes originally did not expect him to attend, however Aust arrived to make his peace with them and wish them a happy future. The wedding was a bittersweet event for him, remember his wedding with Gaak and wished he had more time with him.   As the years progressed on, Aust also lost both of his daughters. Grifiya dying in 937 F. and Elinoa dying in 955 F. The grief struck him hard - he spent a few years in Swamphollow-Bullmar without leaving before deciding to move to Winterwatch to stay with Grifiya Valfina after her wife Mizys Selde passed away in 961 F. The two remained friends and a form of support throughout the next few years as their friends and family started passing away.   In 1090 F., Damxire Underwood was born to Kyxes and Lukas. Both Grifiya and Aust found comfort in this, helping Kyxes and Lukas raise him. When Damxire came out as transgender, Aust offered his support and advice maintaining a connection due to similar experiences. The two remained close.   In 1420 F., Grifiya Valfina died of old age which the remaining friends hard. Aust was getting older as well, but he offered his support for Kyxes, Lukas and Damxire as the family were hit quite hard with her death. Aust stayed with Damxire until his death in 1436 F., eventually dying of old age.

Transgender male. He/Him pronouns.

Homosexual

• A hunter for his clan

• Hunter for Goldenleaf Orc Settlement

• Adviser to Grifiya’s Inquisition

• Tanner for Swamphollow-Bullmar

• Tanner in Winterwatch

• Depression

• Generalised Anxiety Disorder

• Gaak Falcon: Husband

• Elinoa Madden: Daughter

• Griffin Falcon: Son

• Grifiya Falcon: Daughter

Aust has never been particularly wealthy. When growing up with his sister, it was rare to have a luxury as everything they hunted was for their own good. Anything extra could possibly be sold in the next town they pass - provided the meat was fresh enough by then.   When staying with the Orc Settlement with Gaak Falcon, the theme remains the same. The Orc Settlement was largely self-sufficient and rarely traded with outsiders due to the distrust people placed on Orcs. Their wealth was minimal here, anything Aust wished to provide for his daughter was made with the materials he could find himself.   Since then, even when allying with Grifiya Valfina, Aust has never been one to want wealth. He focused primarily on being comfortable on as little as possible, even remaining primarily with the Orc Settlement until his death.