Althar Evenshade

Personality

Althar carries the bearing of someone born under the weight of expectation—and for the most part, he bears it well. He is measured, principled, and deeply committed to the legacy of House Evenshade. Unlike his younger brother Rafin’s playfulness or Elenna’s patient mystique, Althar leads with a visible sense of duty and a desire for clarity and order.

He rarely speaks for effect—when Althar says something, it's because he believes it must be said. Some see this as rigidity; others, as noble restraint. He is not humorless, but he often saves his smiles for when no one is looking.

Philosophy

Althar is a staunch believer in stewardship as a sacred responsibility. For him, titles exist not to confer privilege but to obligate service. He sees himself as a caretaker of the land, the people, and the truth—although he struggles at times with what truths should be kept quiet to protect the whole.

He believes tradition is not the enemy of progress, but its compass, and that change should be slow, deliberate, and respectful of the past.

Relationship with Family Members

Edric Evenshade (father): Althar shares his father’s views more than any other sibling, and Edric sees in Althar the rightful heir. Their relationship is marked by mutual respect but not closeness—they rarely share moments of vulnerability.

Marlena Thryndel Evenshade (mother): She offers a gentling presence to his steel. He listens to her more than he lets on, and she sometimes urges him to see the human heart beneath the political surface.

Rafin Evenshade (brother): Their relationship is wounded but not broken. Althar cannot condone Rafin’s way of leaving the family—and yet he still leaves a candle lit at the window whenever rumors of Rafin’s return circulate. Althar was the first to speak Rafin’s chosen name, “Aewen Wael,” without disdain.

Elenna Evenshade (sister): He trusts Elenna’s mind more than anyone’s, and when in doubt, he often asks her to argue the opposite side of a matter just to test his reasoning. He leans on her emotional intelligence more than he realizes.

Public Reputation

Althar is the pillar of Evenshade’s next generation in the eyes of the townsfolk. Farmers trust him, scholars respect him, and merchants find him fair, if formal. While some younger villagers find him “distant,” even they admit he seems incorruptible. Visitors often compare him to a living statute of law—unyielding, but precisely carved.

Symbolic Role

Althar represents continuity, structure, and the visible line of succession. He is the living embodiment of “The Truth Speaks Quietly”—not because he is silent, but because he is deliberate, and his truth is never spoken lightly.

In contrast to Elenna’s fluid wisdom and Rafin’s disruptive insight, Althar is the spine of the family, the one who stands tallest when tradition must be upheld.

Quirks

Althar keeps meticulously indexed journals, cross-referenced by date, topic, and person involved. He claims it is to track local governance—but the volumes include personal reflections, sketches of old Evenshade heraldry, and even transcribed dreams.

He also refuses to drink wine—not out of piety, but because when he was 14, he vomited spectacularly during a toast at a Berduskan council dinner and subsequently swore off it forever.