Aske Chales

Aske Chales is a half-elf sailor. He helped Reides escape from Laverathia after accidentally fishing him up from the sea.

Appearance
As he is a half-elf, both of Aske’s ears are pointed. His eyes are green and his skin is brown even without his perpetual tan. He has freckles and a long scar on his left cheek. Aske wears a loose white shirt fit for sailing, black pants with a maroon sash, and brown boots. His brown hair is long enough to rest against the nape of neck, touching his shoulders. He has two silver earrings on his right ear.

After receiving it as a present from Reides, he also wears a silver chain with an attached pendant. The pendant has an engraving of a feather with the words “hold fast” written around it in Primordial.

Personality
Aske is very sharp - at times, his cleverness can veer into the territory of snarkiness. Though he has a bit of a pessimistic view of the world, he tries to help others whenever possible and is willing to take risks for the greater good. He’s prone to boasting about his skills, though this is done as a means of entertaining others rather than being grounded in actual self-confidence. He knows a lot about Alethustria, as he is very well-read.
 * Strengths: Clever, free-spirited, tenacious
 * Weaknesses: Pessimistic, snarky, stubborn

Background
Aske grew up in Davenport. His father, an elf named Relius Chales, is a carpenter who eventually got into the shipwright business. Aske credits his father’s profession for his gravitation towards the maritime lifestyle. Aske’s mother, a human, managed a general store. She was murdered when Aske was around eight years old. He maintains a degree of trauma over the event, as it was also when he got the scar on his left cheek, and is not typically forthcoming about the details surrounding it.

In 595, Aske joined the crew of the Desperado, a fishing vessel captained by the Kraken. Two years later, he accidentally fished Reides up while the Desperado was on an illegal voyage in Laverathian waters. He was sympathetic to Reides’ desire to escape and aided him in stowing away on the vessel.

Aske and Reides did not exchange names during their initial time together. This was due to the secrecy surrounding Reides’ status as a runaway. This did not deter them from striking up a close friendship, however. They discussed a variety of topics together and read books with each other, and Aske taught Reides a lot about the surface world.

Upon arriving at their destination in Port Valor, Aske helped Reides with sneaking off the ship, concealing him amidst fish in a large barrel. He also helped Reides manage his landsickness by giving him salt water taffy - which Reides adored. Though he offered to vouch for Reides and potentially get him a position on the crew of the Desperado, Reides turned down this offer out of a desire to find his own way on land. They embraced each other before going their separate ways.

Quadroad Arc
Aske was vaguely mentioned by Reides to the party when the group discussed what should be done in the event of someone in the group meeting an untimely fate. Reides described him as his only friend but also admitted that he didn't even know his name, so it would be hard to tell him anything.

The Fall of Port Valor
After the fall of Port Valor, Aske received a message from Reides via Sending. Reides revealed his name to Aske in this message and also asked how how he was doing, given the scary state of the world. Aske, who was in Atemcester at the time of Port Valor’s fall, verified that he was alive and well in his reply. He also tried to introduce himself but was cut off due to Sending’s word limit.

Demons of Port Valor
Upon being asked about any romantic interests by Kilwin and while under the influence of deepcoral wine, Reides admitted that he maintained a slight romantic inclination towards Aske (though, at the time, he didn't know Aske's name). He also stated that he didn't expect his feelings to lead to anything, as he didn't think that the two of them would ever meet again. Kilwin was more optimistic about their possible reunion, however.

When the party left the Exeter, Reides contacted Aske via Sending, informing him that he was heading to Atemcester despite still being a ways off and asking if the two of them could meet again. Aske replied saying that he would love to see Reides, but also said that he was only staying in Atemcester for the next month and a half.

Raven's Fall
Some time later, Aske received another Sending message from Reides. In this message, Reides told him that he was still on his way to Atemcester, but that he might be a bit delayed to meeting up with Aske as he wanted to help a Raven Rock local out. He asked how long Aske would be in Atemcester. Aske replied to this message, informing Reides of a large storm in the northern Eadrenan Sea. This storm brought a massive delay in maritime activities along with it, and so Aske's time on land in Atemcester was extended. This meant that Reides would still be able to meet up with him, even if he took a detour.

Atemcester Arc
Aske soon received yet another Sending message from Reides, this time asking about a place to stay in Atemcester, as his adventuring party had finally arrived in the city. Aske suggested the Fish and Spell in Portside, as it was also the place that Aske, himself, was staying in. Reides agreed to meet up with him there. Aske then met the Pog Champions when they arrived at the Fish and Spell. It was during this meeting that he finally shared his name with Reides, though not after expressing some frustration over how Sending cut him off the first time. Reides gave him a bag of salt water taffy, fulfilling the promise he made months ago to buy him some, and Aske gave Reides a bottle of firewhiskey.

After spending some time with everyone at the Fish and Spell's tavern - and giving the spell "Prestidigitation" the iconic "Presto Chango" alias - Aske eventually pulled Reides aside and asked if he'd like to explore the city with him a bit. Reides accepted this invitation and, after introducing Aske to Pepega and pressuring him into petting Briar who, at the time, had wild shaped into a cat, the two of them went off to see the sights around Atemcester together.

Aske and Reides talked as they walked around the city. Aske gave Reides a few options for things they could do together, saying that they could kill time until evening, as there was something he specifically wanted to show Reides around then. Reides let Aske choose whatever he wished, as he was new to Atemcester and had no idea where to even begin with the place. He compared Atemcester to his home, expressing surprise over how different the two places were. Aske asked about Reides' home life, and Reides replied that it was, for the most part, lonely. Aske then cheered him up by pointing out how very different his life became, as Reides now had companions and was traveling all over Alethustria. Reides admitted that he hadn't been lonely ever since he met Aske, then told Aske that Jorah thought it was odd that Aske fished him up.

Firstly, Aske took Reides to a restaurant called the Atemcester Fishery. Reides, ever the gentleman, was quick to pull Aske's chair out from the table for him, claiming that he heard it was the polite thing to do on the surface. He then jokingly admonished Aske for his lack of manners, as he was too slow to do the same for him. Keeping up with the joke, Aske retorted that he's a sailor, and that sailors are typically rude. He then said that adapting to one's company should go both ways, and that Reides needed to start singing sea shanties and screaming profanities. Naturally, Reides did start screaming various curses, and Aske then offered to teach him sea shanties some other time.

Aske and Reides then talked about their time apart from each other, filling each other in on what they were doing. Reides told Aske about the places he'd been on his journey, and the two discussed what happened over in Port Valor. Upon seeing the meal brought to them - consisting of fish stew, baked fish, blackened fish, non-fish soup, and greenery from Terrath - Reides said "pog," surprising Aske, as he didn't know that Reides could speak Dwarvish. Reides clarified that he wasn't fluent in it, but that he knew what "pog" meant. This prompted him to tell Aske to go try pog coffee in the Exeter sometimes, as Reides was the one who made it. When they were ready to leave, Aske pulled Reides' chair out for him, and Reides commented that he was impressed by Aske's manners.

Afterwards, Aske and Reides went to the library of Atemcester. On the way over, they saw as a bridge opened up via magic, allowing a vessel passage. The sight astounded Reides, and it got the two of them talking about magic. Aske admitted that, ever since he met Reides, he had begun to think about magic differently. He praised Reides for being self-taught, calling him brilliant, though Reides said he was just stubborn. Aske then said he was brilliantly stubborn, in that case. They then kept walking Downtown, soon arriving at the library.

While at the library, Aske and Reides looked for books about tritons, as per Reides' request. Reides found a book about a man's alleged encounter with a mermaid, and Aske found a book entitled The People of the Sea, by P. Valencia. While the mermaid encounter story didn't offer much about tritons, Reides was horrified to see that The People of the Sea's author got everything wrong about his people to an almost comical degree. After learning a bit about actual triton society from Reides, Aske suggested that they go for a swim. Reides agreed that they should definitely let off some steam, and the two went back to Portside together.

Upon arriving at the lake, Reides offered to use spells - namely, Dimension Door and Featherfall - to make their swim a bit more interesting. Aske agreed to this, and so Reides grabbed onto his hand and casted Dimension Door, teleporting the two of them above the lake a few hundred feet away. The experience was extremely fun and a little bit terrifying for Aske. However, he wanted to take it a step further and asked Reides if they could go even higher next time. Reides agreed to this, and, back at shore, Aske grabbed onto Reides' hand, assuming that he needed to do so in order for the spell to work. Reides then teleported them very high above the water, but then used Featherfall in order to slow their descent. Aske absolutely loved this, as he hooted and hollered on the way down, and the two of them landed safely in the lake once more with a big splash. After swimming around for a little while longer, Aske realized that it was almost time to show Reides that surprise, so the two of them got out of the lake and began heading back to the bridge that they visited earlier.

Once they were on the bridge, Aske found a promenade and then pointed back towards the city. As the sun started to set, lights began to gradually flicker on through the city. All of the lights created a reflection of the city in the lake, and Aske compared it to a whole other city under the water. He admitted that the sight reminded him of Reides in the past. Reides jokingly called Aske a poet and said that the sight made him think of his home, too. Aske observed that they wouldn't have been able to meet if that storm didn't form. Reides told him that storms and him have a bit of a complicated relationship and informed him that he was born during a storm. He went on to tell Aske about the circumstances around his birth - namely, how his people claimed that he didn't cry when he was a newborn. He said he thought it was silly propaganda, and Aske agreed that Reides generally seemed like a bit of a crybaby. He reminded Reides about the time that he cried during their initial voyage together. Though the story embarrassed Reides, Aske said it was sweet and a nice moment. He then said that them standing together on the bridge was another nice moment, and reached out to hold Reides' hand.

Aske walked Reides back to the Fish and Spell then quickly departed, as he remembered that he had a shift on the Desperado. When he returned a few hours later, Reides was still in the tavern portion of the establishment, snacking on salt water taffy and drinking firewhiskey. Upon meeting up with each other once more, Reides asked if Aske would like to split the cost of an inn room for the night. Reides then quickly added that if Aske was too tired from carrying fish around on the ship he works on, it was totally fine and wouldn't offend him. Aske assured him that the relationship between him and those fish is nothing like the one between him and Reides - which greatly amused Reides. When the two went up to their room together, Aske opened the door for Reides, prompting Reides to jokingly compliment him for learning his manners so well. Aske closed the door behind them then pulled Reides into a big kiss. He slyly apologized afterwards and said that he has a tendency to lose his manners in the bedroom.

After spending the night with Reides, Aske woke up to find a note from him. In the note, Reides apologized for rushing off, and said that he couldn't bring himself to wake up Aske - especially after keeping him up so late. He wrote that he enjoyed the night they shared together and said that he liked the bad-mannered side of Aske quite a bit. He also informed Aske that he had some important business to attend to with his companions, but that he'd be back later - and that he wanted to talk to Aske about "something on the more serious side." While he attempted to assure Aske that it was nothing bad, he admitted that it sounded a bit intense when he put it that way and apologized for it. Aske liked the letter a lot, though he was curious about the serious topic Reides wanted to discuss.

Later on in the day, Aske heard a jaunty tune knocked on the inn room's door - Reides had returned. The two of them sat down on the bed together and, after some lighthearted conversation, Aske noticed Reides seem to gather his courage as he began to talk about the topic that he mentioned in the note. Reides confessed that he didn't want their relationship to be a one-time fling, and that he wanted to be connected to Aske even if they were apart. Aske turned bright red upon hearing this, then looked away from Reides and asked what Reides could possibly see in him - claiming to just be "some guy who was on a boat." Reides was quick to dispel this, saying that he wasn't sure if he deserved Aske and expressing frustration over Aske talking badly about himself. He also referred to their meeting as destiny. Aske revealed that, when they parted ways, he began to think of Reides as the one who got away. Reides apologized profusely for that and admitted that his secrecy during that entire voyage was due to the place he hailed from. He then revealed that he is triton royalty. Aske was shocked to hear this - as was shown when he exclaimed "I fished up a prince?!" into one of the bed's pillows - but was quick to accept Reides for who he was. The two agreed to pursue a serious relationship with each other and held hands. Aske then told Reides about his own background, saying that he was born in Davenport and that his father was still over there working as a carpenter-turned-shipwright. He also said that his mother, who ran the general store, had passed away a few years earlier. Reides was sorry to hear that and Aske said that she would've loved Reides. Aske then asked Reides about his family, which prompted Reides to tell him about the current party's objective - namely, to get passage to Aquos. The storm currently hovering over the region made this tricky business, so Reides wanted to ask for Aske's help in gaining quick passage to Laverathia. Aske told Reides that his boss, the Kraken, was once one of the best pirates on the Eadrenan. He said that she could likely be convinced to brave the storm for the right price. Reides liked this idea, so he took Aske downstairs so that they could discuss it with the rest of his adventuring party. As a group, they agreed to go see the Kraken.

The meeting with the Kraken went well, though Aske was visibly anxious about it and had to exchange a few words privately with her after prices were named and paid. Upon leaving the Desperado and heading back to the Fish and Spell, Jorah remarked that Aske would buy everyone dinner that night, since we just paid him a lot of gold. Aske pointed out that he didn't have any of the gold right now, and Kilwin assured him that it was fine. Reides also asked Aske what being "down bad" means, since Briar claimed that Reides was "down bad" about Aske and urged Reides to ask Aske about what that meant. This cracked Aske up, and he simply said that it means that you like someone very much. Back at the Fish and Spell, Reides spent the night with him again.

As per the Kraken's orders, Aske spent the following day rounding up his fellow crewmates. He got back to the Fish and Spell before the Pog Champions, and so he went up to his room to relax. Upon hearing a commotion downstairs, he decided to go check out what was happening - and, naturally, saw Reides and his friends. The group welcomed Aske to Kilwin's early birthday party, and he enjoyed a slice of cake - though he admitted to Reides that he prefers chocolate cake. This prompted Reides to ask the rest of the party about chocolate, and he expressed a desire to try it someday. Aske also offered to tell a fishing story, saying that he once caught a huge fish. Reides got very excited over the prospect of a fishing tale, but, when Aske used his arm to indicate how big the fish was, he revealed that he was actually talking about Reides, as the fish was Reides' exact height. When Reides pouted over this, Aske put his arm around him. Soon after, Reides asked Aske about his scar, though Aske said he would rather not talk about it - thus prompting a swift apology from Reides. Aske didn't dwell on it, though, as a very tipsy Jorah suddenly challenged Reides to an archery contest. Aske bet 10 gold on "the blue one" despite Reides' reluctance to participate - and ended up winning said bet, as Reides emerged victorious over Jorah. Aske offered to split the winnings with Ashara, who also bet one silver on Reides, but Ashara told him to keep it so that he could use it on a date. Aske assured her that he would.

The Desperado Arc
(tba)

Goals
Initially, Aske wanted to help Reides escape from Laverathia. He succeeded in doing so, as Reides stowed away on the Desperado without being caught by any other members of her crew. Reides was, in turn, given passage to Port Valor.

Aske continued his work as a fisher. Shortly after the fall of Port Valor, Reides contacted him via Sending, asking if Aske was okay. Since the Desperado was not in Port Valor during the time, Aske was perfectly fine. The two began to communicate for short periods of time through the use of this spell, eventually making plans to reunite in Atemcester. Aske was enthusiastic about this reunion - and it was one that came to fruition. During their time in Atemcester, Aske began his romantic relationship with Reides.

Aske’s goals soon shifted to helping Reides return to Laverathia. Again, he was successful in doing so, as he arranged for a meeting between the Pog Champions and the Kraken. This meeting resulted in the Pog Champions chartering passage to the outskirts of Laverathia. During the voyage, Aske did his part as a member of the crew and helped the Pog Champions with arriving safely to Laverathian waters.

Aske is now currently en route to Davenport, where he will take some much needed rest and recuperation. He plans on spending time with his father and has a letter from Reides to deliver to him.

Abilities
As a member of the Desperado, Aske is a highly competent seafarer. In particular, he demonstrated his skills at sea when aiding the Pog Champions on their voyage to Laverathia. This voyage involved passing through a storm which had otherwise halted all maritime activity around Alethustria.

Aske is also skilled in combat, as he emerged victorious over an unknown number of sea spawn which boarded the Desperado during this voyage. He dual wields scimitars in battle.

Aske and Reides
Aske and Reides got along very well from their very first encounter, immediately bonding despite the secrecy surrounding Reides’ circumstances. While Aske would likely have helped anyone who approached him for help the way Reides did, he soon found that he genuinely enjoyed Reides’ presence and would often rush to finish his tasks around the Desperado in order to spend time chatting with him. He enjoyed teaching Reides about the surface world and helping him acclimate to his new life - though the triton’s somewhat naive views about the surface worried him, as Aske was no stranger to others’ cruelty. Regardless, Reides’ optimism served to balance out Aske’s pessimism, and he didn’t at all dislike the worldview that Reides expressed to him. Reides’ eccentric mannerisms were appealing to Aske, if not downright attractive, and he enjoyed joking around with him and teasing him. He was disappointed when the two of them had to part ways, going as far as offering Reides a chance at working permanently on the Desperado.

Their reunion a year or so later showed that Aske’s feelings for Reides only blossomed with time - to the point that he began to think he wasn’t worthy of becoming romantically involved with him. He was shocked to find out that Reides wanted to be in a committed relationship with him, even moreso when he learnt of the triton’s royal background. After Reides expressed frustration with Aske’s self-deprecating remarks, the two were able to put their emotional baggage aside and began dating. When Aske set up a meeting between the Kraken and the Pog Champions, he did so to help Reides with aiding Aquos. He also managed to calm Reides down when the triton heard that the capital fell in his absence and that they’d have to retake it. This was certainly a feat, as Reides' temper flared up more intensely than it ever had in the past. Aske loved the present that Reides commissioned for him to express his gratitude, putting the chain on immediately. During the voyage to Aquos, he kept a watchful eye over Reides - ensuring that nothing untoward happened to him as he played card games with the rest of the crew. Upon the Desperado's arrival in Laverathian waters, Aske told Reides that the ship would be heading to his hometown, Davenport, and the two made plans to meet up again soon. Reides also left a letter addressed to Aske's father with Aske, which Aske promised to deliver despite the oddness of the request.

Before they parted ways, Reides told Aske that he loved him, and Aske told Reides that he loved him, too.

Aske and the Kraken
Aske has worked on the Kraken’s ship for years and maintains a high degree of respect for her. That being said, he is also a bit afraid of her, as she is an incredibly strict captain who expects the Desperado to be functioning at her best at all times. She slapped him with a fish, once.

Quotes

 * (To Reides, via Sending) "Eadro's bloody beard, I wasn't expecting to hear from you. All's fine in Atemcester. We just sailed here from Davenport. By the way, my name -"
 * “Well, well… Looks like my prince needs my help again.”

Trivia

 * Aske is mentioned in the first Reides-centric short story. He is a central character in the second, as this short story focuses on their voyage to Port Valor.
 * In order to help Reides with changing out of his Laverathian regalia and into clothes more fitting for the surface world, Aske stole his fellow crewmate’s pants. This crewmate, Clive, recognized the pants upon seeing Reides for the first time - however, he did not think they were the same pair that was stolen from him months ago. Instead, he complimented Reides, saying that he had good taste. It can therefore be assumed that Aske faced no repercussions for the theft.
 * Despite being a character who is part of Reides’ backstory, Jamie did not name Aske, as Reides did not find out his name prior to the events of the campaign. Between the first short story, written in May 2019, to Aske’s introduction in August 2022, Aske was referred to as “the Surfacer.”
 * In the context of the campaign, Reides' first reference to Aske was made during in Session 13.
 * Since Aske is a half-elf and Reides is a triton, players have drawn similarities between their romantic relationship to that of the main one explored in the Shape of Water (2017).