Thrynniril Ael'druin


 * "'True friends show when fortune hides her face.'"
 * "―Thrynnirîl Ael'druin"

Thrynnirîl Ael'druin, going often by the sobriquet of Slowhand, known as Thryn and having the title of Viscount of Telepes, was a poet, minstrel, bard, and a close friend of Dalacard Rethwode and many other important figures in the Covenant Wars, coming to be even the father-in-law to the Emperor of Cyrodiil. A Bosmeri male, Thryn was born and raised in the capital of Valenwood, Elden Root. Although he was passionate about the Liberal Arts, going as far as learning to play the lute in Silvenar, at some point in his youth he joined a faction of guerrila rebels in Malabal Tor against the insurgencies of the Drublog of Dra'bul. He was subsequently exiled from the seat of his House, and had to find his way into other provinces where his talents would be appreciated. Eventually, he met another outcast from Valenwood, Naerin Nightshade, and took her as his traveling companion and ward.

Around 4E 200, Thryn managed to work his way into the Court of Leyawiin, bringing Naerin with him. Her charisma and extrovertion led Thryn to think of a ruse to elect his ward as Countess, which eventually happened. For twenty years, the minstrel lived the luxuries of a politician with all rights one could get, indulging his ward with her follies. Within a very few years he gained worldwide fame and became known as one of the best minstrels in Tamriel, with his best known song being the Ballad of the Partisan. That was only possible due to the many contacts Thryn acquired in the Elder Council during his time as the de facto ruler of Leyawiin. Following the outbreak of the Covenant Wars, however, Thryn had grown bored of a life of unlimited wealth and entitlement.

One day, a distress signal arrived to Leyawiin informing that the Duke of Garlas Agea, Prince Kydonius Therin, had survived a battle in Morrowind and, since his ship had been damaged, they needed to port at Leyawiin. During a lavishly expensive fête that night he had organized himself, he met the Blade Knight Dalacard Rethwode and his apprentice, Alea Lasharel, whom he attempted to romantically court. Extremely disinterested with life at the court, Thrynnirîl left the life he had built with so much care to join the retinue of the Blades, leaving with them the next morning to Yasammidan.

Thryn regained his passion to write and compose on and beyond the warfront, being a direct witness to many of the decisive events of the Wars. Despite being very unattached, he constantly wrote to his ward Naerin and, eventually, even to the family that had exiled him in Valenwood. Albeit his lack of ability as a soldier, he remembered many strategies from his time in the guerrillas of Valenwood that would be instrumental in some of the battles he participated on. Although initially he seemed self-oriented and uncaring, he, more frequently than others, would risk his life in the endeavors of the war. Such happenstances include when he infiltrated Covenant territory with legionnaire Sha'dra to train rebel cells, or when he was kidnapped by Mariber Sicarius, who vengefully desired the artifact Sanguine Rose.

After the war came to an end, he chose to be realocated to the Imperial City, where the Emperor gave him the title of High Inquisitor of the Empire, responsible for the administrative work of managing the activity of the Penitus Oculatus and the Blades who would investigate holdouts and remnants of the Covenant. It was around that time that he realized that his prolonged lifespan would often cause him the sorrow of living the many lifetimes of a man and seeing his friends depart each to their own path. Feeling the hunt for the Covenant was not the same without those he considered a family, he returned to Leyawiin and took residence, once more, in the Fortress of Telepes. Since Naerin was now the betrothed of Emperor Kydonius Therin I, he took back the governmental activities in that region.

After the Invasion of the Imperial City and the fall of the short-lived Therin Dynasty, Thryn was found to have orchestrated a similar ruse as that he had done in Leyawiin, but this time at Port Velothi, in Morrowind. As Archmaster of Velothi, Thryn would not be mindful of his expenses or his foreign relations, often insulting the other leaders and organizing lavish events full of obscenities and indulging his vanity and gluttony. It was in this hedonistic situation that Kayden Therin found Thryn, seeking answers regarding his heritage and those he was looking for. Although Thryn initially denied knowing anyone by the name of Dalacard Rethwode, he eventually spetacularly resigned to his political office and left with Kayden to find the missing Blade.

Viscount of Telepes
Following the events involving the Count of Leyawiin, Ael'druin took his job as Viscount of Telepes seriously, even becoming a legal citizen after taking office, and worked closely with the Elder Council for years, though he considered running Leyawiin the strangest scam he'd ever run. During this time, Ael'druin became known as a capable steward of Leyawiin dividing his time between various conferences with trade guilds, reviewing possible trade routes and agreements, and making appearances to Leyawiin's citizens. Likewise, Ael'druin met with the city's corporate administrators, the Best Goods and Guarantees' owners, and received their various reports, outlining their needs and wants, from the numerous corporate liaisons; acting on these reports, Thryn did his best to comply with their requests and kept the number of diverse businesses within Leyawiin content. With the title of Viscount, Thryn was also responsible for being judge in a number of legal disputes for people, or crimes, a task that, albeit taking it very seriously, he would often carry out without much austerity, being a rather impartial judge.

Ael'druin deflected both the criminal guilds and the eyes of the Empire from the city. In addition, he scouted new sources of business, hired mercenaries to protect the city from raids, repealed restrictive anti-Argonian immigration laws put in place by his predecessors, and increased the horse market profits by over 35%. Another reform Ael'druin instituted dealt with the Horse Lords, Leyawiin's security force, who had garnered a reputation for their ruthlessness. Ael'druin changed the system to allow more oversight of the Horse Lords by the Countess, and therefore by the Viscount himself, and made their pay dependent on how well they were doing at maintaining order, also renaming them as Night Lords, as well as enhancing their pay structure. Ael'druin's reforms were successful in bringing a reputation for capacity to the Night Lords, and contributed to Leyawiin's growing fame as a luxury resort. Telepes itself enjoyed a profitable trade triangle with Bravil and the Gold Coast. In the wake of the Covenant Wars, Ael'druin worked hard to ensure that there were no disruptions of trade, maintaining a strict neutrality in political affairs on Leyawiin, until contacted by Therin.

Ael'druin also focused his efforts on other areas besides running Leyawiin and attending high-profile social events; among these were the very expensive requests he received to play his music in royal courts. He also allowed a separate policing division to be formed by the more lawless settlements of the region. This provided a responsible, accountable security force to be in place, but also one with more leniency than the Night Lords and a tendency to look the other way on certain activities within the region.

However, Ael'druin himself still craved adventure, and so while he was a responsible administrator by day, he would disguise himself and enjoy the careless playing and female companionship to be found among Leyawiin's taverns by evening. One of his aliases led him to be known only as "Slowhand". Though Ael'druin never gained financially out of that particular alias, it was the thrill of risk that motivated him, so he did not mind. That was not to say that he didn't gain gold though; his earnings from his frequenting of royal courts as a bard earned him more septims than his actual salary, so high was his fee.

Personality and traits
"'Born in the year 29 of this Era, a talented poet and troubadour, a graduate of the Silvenar Academy of the Liberal Arts, a frequent performer at royal courts, an unequaled lover appreciated, and in some cases adored, by ladies worldwide, a skilled negotiator and a stirring orator - such is the image of the bard Slowhand as painted by his friends and promoters.'" "―Description of one of Thryn's books of poetry"

Throughout his life, Ael'druin was a poet, a trobadour, a nobleman, crook and hero. This was in part reflected by his adventurous, risk-taking, and seemingly shallow nature. He was known for being a classy, dapper gentleman, with a sense of humor, fine fashion taste, and more culture than the typical bards seen in some of his haunts. Despite his proficiency with longbows, Ael'druin much preferred to use a con or trick to deceive an adversary rather than fight them. He purposefully disguised his past, leaving it a mystery. He enjoyed being in charge almost as much as he liked creating profit in areas that others shunned. Ael'druin could be talkative, though according to Dalacard Rethwode, he could be one of the biggest liars in the continent, should the situation require it.

For all his love of adventure, he disliked complications and was fond of the "easy life." However, his adventurous, debonair exterior was augmented by his deep sense of loyalty. Ael'druin did not like carrying weapons and, during his political career as the Viscount of Telepes, usually eschewed all but a small silver dagger. Although he often dealt with criminals and others of questionable legality, Ael'druin had no tolerance for bandits of the likeness of those who formed the ranks of the Covenant, and despised them in general.

He fancied fashionable clothes, and his tastes included military tunics and capes. His clothes were coordinated and he took considerable care of them, when possible. He cared greatly about his fashion sense.

His association with the Blades also taught him that it was sometimes worthwhile to act selflessly. At times, such as his manipulation of Countess Naerin, his ward, to rule Leyawiin as a proxy, his careless pragmatism would come into conflict with his sense of loyalty. As a result, he felt he "owed" Naerin for the fate he had helped deal her and did many things to try and repay that.

When he felt it was needed, Ael'druin was known to take charge of a situation, often solving problems in unexpected ways. In such cases, he had little regard for rules, regulations, or established conventions if he felt his methods were more suited to the situation. If he felt that he had been betrayed or mistreated, his anger at times boiled to the surface in visible rage, which at various times throughout his life was directed against the Covenant, Azaron, and the Order of the Worm Cult.

Additionally, Ael'druin found himself attracted to women who he found classy, intelligent, and beautiful, and he was fond of such female companionship.