Aske Chales

Aske Chales
Type	Non-Player Character
Player	Cody
Character Information
Name	Aske Chales
Also Known As	• The Surfacer • Dreamboat (by Reides)
Pronouns	he/him
Race	Half-elf
Born	Goldsky 4
Age	28
Languages	Common, Elvish, Primordial
Connections	• Relius Chales (father) • Rose Chales (mother, deceased) • Reides Laverath (boyfriend) • The Kraken (employer)
Place of Origin	Davenport, Lyvernus
Status	Alive

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

Description

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.

Alternate Outfits

• Formalwear: Aske commissioned a set of custom formalwear from the Stitch in Time for Karseidon's remembrance ceremony. The ensemble was designed to complement Reides' formalwear, as the two attended the ceremony together. It comprises of a long-sleeved white shirt with blue cuffs featuring a white wave trim, a light purple sash, black dress-pants and black boots. The long-sleeved white shirt has pearl buttons running down the front of it, with light blue, diamond-shaped embellishments on either side of each button.

Personality

• Strengths: Clever, free-spirited, tenacious
• Weaknesses: Pessimistic, snarky, stubborn

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.

Biography

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 named Rose Chales, 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 - and began serving as the ship's bosun. 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 to the surface world 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.

Dusty Roads, Dark Tidings

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 the guy who fished him up (as, 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. Spiralling slightly, he said that it was actually a completely normal thing to meet someone who was kind and funny and handsome and then not learn their name or ever see them again. Kilwin apologized for upsetting Reides and asked if he needed a hug, and Reides repeatedly stated that he was fine, but that he'd take the hug anyway. Kilwin was more optimistic about Reides and Aske's possible reunion, and Reides admitted that he would probably try to contact Aske again soon.

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 said that he would love to see Reides, but also said that he was only staying in Atemcester for the next month and a half as per his captain's orders. Reides agreed to try to meet him within that timeframe, and Aske teased Reides for wanting to see him that badly.

Raven's Fall

Some time later, the Champions Valoris arrived in Raven Rock. A distressed local approached the adventurers, asking for help with locating two other locals who seemed to have been kidnapped by hulking four-legged creatures. Jorah called a party meeting and suggested just passing through instead. He was worried that Reides was going to miss his meetup with "his guy," particularly because the party took a detour in Hommlin a few days earlier in order to deal with some of his own personal problems. Reides clarified that his meetup was more of an Appointment with a Friend, but was in two minds about spending more time off the road, himself. He wanted to help Raven Rock out, as the situation seemed dire, but admitted that he'd hate to miss the potentially fleeting opportunity to reunite with Aske. After the party discussed their options, with Jorah and Ashara wanting to leave, Kilwin wanting to stay, and Reides' continuing to be torn, Reides eventually stated that, if he left Raven Rock without helping, his friend would likely be very disappointed in him. Kilwin pointed out that he could contact Aske via Sending to gain some more clarity on the situation, too, and Reides agreed that Sending to him would be the best course of action.

Therefore, 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.

Everspring Revelations

Aske soon received yet another Sending message from Reides, this time asking about a place to stay in Atemcester. His adventuring party had successfully aided Raven Rock and 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 saw the Champions Valoris arrive at the Fish and Spell. Recognizing Reides, Aske put his book down and beckoned the adventuring party over, introducing himself as "the strapping sailor that the triton told [them they'd] meet." Reides sat on Aske's table rather than in one of the seats around it, prompting Aske to comment that he was as eccentric as always. He then gave Aske a bag of salt water taffy, fulfilling the promise he made months ago to buy him some. In return, Aske gave Reides a bottle of firewhiskey. Kilwin and Jorah sat at the table, too, with Ashara and Briar heading over to the bar. After Aske expressed some frustration over how Sending cut him off the first time he tried to introduce himself to Reides, names were properly exchanged. Aske's name's similarity to the word "ask" resulted in a bit of a back-and-forth between him and Reides, until Aske finally clarified that his name was "'ask' with an 'e' at the end." He admitted that he tended to get teased about it quite a lot. Kilwin and Jorah introduce themselves to Aske, too, and Aske asked if Jorah’s name was like the elf in the stories. Jorah confirmed that it was and said that Aske wasn't the only one who got teased for his name. 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 for 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 Champions Valoris, 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.

Into the Storm

Aske enjoyed the remainder of Kilwin's party, exchanging stories with the Champions Valoris. Eventually, the topic of where the Desperado will go after dropping us off in Laverathia came up. Reides and Jorah encouraged Aske to convince the Kraken to visit Port Valor, but Aske was hesitant to even try, given what happened there recently. He told them that the Desperado would most likely be going to Davenport afterwards and learnt that the Champions Valoris would likely head to Falas after wrapping up their business in Aquos. Afterwards, he wished Kilwin a happy birthday once more and left for his inn room. Reides followed. Once the two of them were back in their shared inn room, Reides immediately apologized again for asking about Aske's scar during the party. Aske assured him that it was fine and that he was willing to tell Reides specifically about it, since they were on their own and not around a bunch of other people. Despite Reides insisting that it was fine if Aske didn't share, as he didn't want to pressure him into it, Aske said that he wanted to. He revealed that he got the scar when he was eight years old and that his mother died in the same incident. He also revealed that it wasn't of natural causes. Reides hugged him and thanked him for telling him, then shared that his older brother, Viglis, always said that scars are proof of survival. This seemed to reassure Aske. Aske then learnt about some of Reides' own trauma - namely, about the incident surrounding his imprisonment in Aquos. Aske was horrified to learn of this, and told Reides to share his lingering fears with his friends, since he was sure they would keep Reides safe, too. Aske then received a gift from Reides - a pendant that Reides designed himself, featuring a feather carving with the words "Hold Fast" in Primordial around it. Aske loved it and put it on.

Shortly after gifting Aske the pendant, Reides decided to contact Viglis to tell him that he was coming home. To Reides' horror, when Viglis replied, he sounded injured and warned Reides to stay away from Laverathia; Aquos had fallen. Reides made no effort to hide his anger over the situation - an anger which intensified when he learnt that Lotlyn was being kept hostage by the beasts which overtook the capital. Though he was very concerned himself, Aske managed to calm Reides down, taking him outside to their room's balcony in an effort to help clear his head. Later on, when Reides put on the Bands of the Archmagi, he commented that they looked good on Reides - also admitting that he thought anything would look good on him.

The next day, Aske woke up early so that he could get to work on the Desperado. He headed there before Reides and the rest of the Champions Valoris. The group of them reunited when the Champions Valoris arrived and began assisting with preparations a few hours later. Once everyone was settled and the Desperado was out on the open sea, Aske spent time with Reides whenever he could. This included watching over Reides when Reides wanted to play card and dice games with other members of the Desperado's crew. When the Kraken learnt that the Desperado was being tailed by an unknown vessel, Aske helped lower one of the rowboats to facilitate the Champions Valoris' showdown against their pursuers. Luckily, they were able to get rid of them quickly, and Aske then took Reides and his friends to the mess hall so that they could rest. There, the group of them talked about the events of the battle, and Reides expressed his worry over dragging Aske into danger. Aske assured him that he'd be fine, jokingly claiming that the Champions Valoris would attract the danger away from the Desperado. The following days at sea were, for the most part, peaceful. Aske busied himself with his job and continued to spend time with Reides whenever free time allowed for it. At some point, Aske received a letter addressed to his father from Reides. The weather began to shift as the Desperado approached the storm, and Aske advised the Champions Valoris to listen to the Kraken's orders when they hit the storm, as it was the storm of the century. He reacted favorably to Kilwin's offer to help heal any crew members who got injured, though he also hoped it wouldn't come to that. When Reides managed to steel himself enough to Send a message to Lotlyn, Aske was with him and consoled him upon seeing how worried he was about his sister.

Once the Desperado entered the storm proper, Aske was very busy carrying out his duties as a member of the crew. The day that the ship was due to reach the eye of the storm, the Desperado was attacked by a large number of monstrosities from the sea - including sea spawn and sahuagin. Aske was below deck when this attack took place. Dual-wielding his scmitars, he was able to hold his own down there while the Champions Valoris handled the forces on the Desperado's deck. After dispatching the foes and seeing the fallen revert back to their original forms, Aske sat down on a barrel to rest. Reides was quick to run down to check on him. Relieved to find each other okay, the two of them got to work with returning the deceased tritons to the sea. Kilwin helped them with that, as well.

Since the Desperado was now at the eye of the storm, the Kraken allowed the Champions Valoris to rest for an hour before their departure into Laverathian waters. During this time, Aske took Reides aside, and the two of them promised to meet back up again soon - most likely in Aske's hometown, Davenport. Reides reminded Aske to give his father the letter that he wrote for him, assuring him that it wasn't embarrassing at all but also insisting that Aske didn't read it before delivering it. Aske agreed to do this. Reides then told Aske that he loved him, and Aske told him that he loved him, too. After reconvening with the rest of the Champions Valoris and giving Reides another kiss, Aske watched them each leap off the side of the Desperado and enter Laverathia.

Reides' Homecoming

Prior to the Champion Valoris' expedition to the Crystalline Trench within the Laverathian Basin, Reides told Jorah about the time when Aske aided him with throwing his royal pelagic armor into the sea. After the party's encounter with the aboleth and its attempt at manipulating each of them into taking its side, Aske was mentioned by Reides as one of the surfacers he was most thankful about meeting, in the sense of his loved ones' support being far more powerful than any abomination's false promises. Reides also told Briar that Aske could potentially put in a good word for him with the Kraken, should he need the Desperado's assistance with his personal journey.

Despite desperately wanting to talk to him, Reides decided against contacting Aske via Sending on the eve of the Siege of the Coralpeak Citadel, as he believed that Aske was busy with weathering the storm above the waves. The day after the Siege and the subsequent successful reclamation of Aquos, Reides casted Sending to Aske, as he knew that, with Kal'dazzum now slain, the storm above would have calmed. Upon receiving Reides' message, Aske learnt that both the kraken and the aboleth were killed. He also learnt that the Champions Valoris and the Laveraths were safe. To Aske's amusement, Reides' message was cut off right before he could say that he loved Aske, despite Reides' repeated reminders to Aske about the spell's word limit. Naturally, he was sure to tease Reides about this in his reply. Aske also confirmed that everyone on the Desperado was safe and said that he was glad that everyone in Aquos ended up being okay. He expressed a wish to meet Reides' family someday.

Before leaving Aquos, Reides told his mother, Arlyn, about Aske, as he said that he had someone special on the surface. Though he was a bit flustered about revealing this to her, Reides shared Aske's role in aiding Aquos and told her that he was an amazing person. Clearly delighted by the revelation, Arlyn teased Reides for falling in love with a commoner just as his father, Khavas, fell in love with her. While she encouraged Reides to keep his relationship with Aske secret in Aquos for now, she said that she would work to get Khavas to accept it. Furthermore, she also said that she wanted to thank Aske someday for everything that he did for Reides.

Return to Falas

Back on the surface in Falas, Jorah suggested that the party could potentially go to Davenport to see Aske someday, much to Reides' delight. Aske was mentioned again at the Outer Wall, when Reides told Urli that his boyfriend got caught up in the storm over the Eadrenan but was safe now. Urli said that Reides must have been very worried about Aske during all of that, and Jorah said that Aske was likely more worried about Reides.

Reides eventually split the cost of a room at the Outer Wall with Jorah and contacted Aske via his new Dream spell. Previously, the Champions Valoris were staying at the Falassian palace, and Reides couldn't reach Aske due to the magical wards set up there. Upon arriving in the dreamscape, which Reides had set up to look like their shared room back at the Fish and Spell, Aske commented that it was "this dream again." This prompted alarm from Reides, who was surprised to find out that Aske was having dreams about him. Aske quickly learnt that it was the actual Reides talking to him rather than a product of his own mind, as the triton taught himself the Dream spell in order to circumvent the word limit on Sending and bridge the physical distance between the two of them. After the two hugged, Reides filled Aske in on everything that happened in Aquos, going into far more detail than what was provided to Aske in his original Sending message. Aske was horrified to learn that Reides almost died in the battle against Kal'dazzum but was deeply relieved about how everything turned out, particularly in regards to Reides making amends with his family and gaining his new position as Laverathia's ambassador. He admitted that it sounded like a whirlwind of events; like Reides had been through all nine hells at once.

It was during this dream that Aske learnt that the Champions Valoris were invited to Emperor Karseidon's remembrance ceremony. Reides expressed anxiety over this, hinting at past bad experiences in the Laverathian court, but Aske reassured him by reminding him of all the things he'd triumphed over. Reides then told Aske more about his family, expressing Arlyn's wish to meet him and then ranking them from 'most likely to murder Aske' to 'least likely to murder Aske' when asked to do so. They established that Khavas is probably the individual to be the most opposed to their relationship, and, thus, that they should save breaking the news to him for last. While Aske seemed concerned over this, Reides assured him that Arlyn already supported them and told him that she promised to work at getting Khavas to do so, too.

Aske then listened to Reides rant a bit more about the remembrance ceremony. Reides said that he couldn't possibly imagine Aske enjoying such a fancy function, then acknowledged that Davenport was far away from Falas, and then went on to reveal that he had his own adventurer-related tasks to tackle while at the ceremony in addition to his diplomatic duties - but, ultimately, revealed that he'd consider himself a bad boyfriend if he didn't at least invite Aske to the ball as his date. When Reides seemed to spiral a bit over this request, Aske grabbed Reides by his wrists and told him that he'd be anywhere that Reides wanted, at any time. This got Reides to admit that he really wanted Aske to go to the ball as his date, and so Aske immediately agreed to do so. He said that he'd charter a ship and mused over being a passenger rather than a crew member. When Reides offered to pay for the trip over to Falas, Aske teased him, saying that, while he wasn't sure it was necessary, he doesn't turn away gold when it's from a cute boy. Reides feigned offense over this, asking why he wasn't the cutest boy, and Aske pointed out that it was his dream, so he was the one who was supposed to be getting pampered. He then became serious once more and said that it would be enough of a gift to reunite with Reides again.

After establishing that Aske would be Reides' date (even if he ended up having to wait by the wine table for Reides to finish his business there), Reides filled him in on the dating status of the rest of the party. He reminded him about Ashara's boyfriend, Kain, and opted to keep the details about Kilwin's date secret so that Aske could experience him without prior judgement (aside from the revelation that he once deemed Reides as a drowning victim - a fact that amused Aske, considering how Reides and Aske met). Upon hearing that Jorah didn't have a date, Aske suggested finding someone for him, which Reides readily agreed to. Aske figured that it'd be an easy task, but Reides insisted that Jorah deserved someone as legendary as he is. Aske then suspected that Reides had someone in mind for Jorah, but Reides didn't want to reveal his Sending plans without consulting Jorah. Aske told him to keep his secrets, then, but looked forward to finding out whatever Reides was plotting. Reides then warned Aske to be careful at the ball, as it wasn't just a normal ceremony, and Aske promised to hide behind Reides should any dangerous creatures emerge. They then hugged, and Aske commented that he was glad that Reides learnt the Dream spell so that they could be together.

At this point, Reides asked about how the storm went for the Desperado and the rest of her crew. Aske revealed that the Kraken had the ship rest in the eye of the storm until it cleared, as she knew that her crew couldn't weather it again and figured that the Champions Valoris were the reasons for the multiple attacks on the ship. Reides was impressed by this and asked Aske if there was something he could to for the crew of the Desperado in order to show how thankful he was. Aske reminded him of the Kraken's two favorite things - money and alcohol - and remarked that the captain seemed taken with the bottle of magmawine that Jorah left behind. By saying this, Aske unintentionally revealed Jorah's reason for hunting down a bottle of magmawine to Reides. The two then spent the rest of the dream relaxing together, eventually falling asleep in the dream as well as in real life.

The following morning, Aske received a Sending message from Reides. In the message, Reides asked if Aske could get the Kraken to come to the ball as Jorah's date, since they're both legends. However, Aske had no means of getting into contact with his captain, as she dropped him off in Davenport and then continued sailing on to Port Valor.

Slumberjack's Homecoming

While the Champions Valoris were aboard the Viridian Comet, Reides said that he missed Aske upon seeing the airship's sails. Kilwin reminded him that he'd be seeing Aske soon.

Vicious Eyes and Vicious Hearts

At the Market Terrace in Falas, Reides advertised the Desperado's services to Mistell while also trying to convince the salesman to take his business to Port Valor. Though Mistell heard "dangerous stories" about the Kraken, Reides vouched for her and Aske personally, leading Mistell to keep the information about the Desperado in mind. Afterwards, Reides revealed that he tried to get them business because if the Kraken got paid, Aske would get paid. Later on, when the Champions Valoris visited Aquos, Jorah revealed that the group of them were taking dates to the remembrance ceremony. This piqued Arlyn's interest. Though he tried to skirt around the subject out of his embarrassment, as he knew that his mother would tease him, Reides admitted that he asked Aske to join him at the remembrance ceremony. Arlyn was delighted to hear this.

Inspired by Aske's love of it, Reides wanted to try out a chocolate cake during the party's formal dinner training at the Brimstone Boutique in Falas. The entire group of them ordered one and it was delicious. Aske received a Sending message from Reides a few days later and learnt that he was staying at the Outer Wall. Aske was still on the ship over during this time, but he told Reides that he'd keep it in mind. He also said that he'd likely need to shop for "more decent" clothes when he got to Falas. After completing a round of dance lessons (which were also attended in the name of training for the remembrance ceremony) with Jorah as his partner, Reides noted that he was in sync with him and thought that he would likely be in sync with Aske, too, even if they both ended up having a minimal amount of surface-based formal dance training. While discussing the ceremony's safety protocol, Reides said that he would kill someone if they hurt Aske.

Back at the Outer Wall, Reides asked Urli to direct any handsome half-elf men asking about him to his room. He then revealed that Aske was coming to Falas to the innkeeper. Urli asked Reides to write a description of him, and Reides proceeded to write a very flowery description of Aske. Urli asked if he truly had to dot all of the i's in the description with hearts, and Reides confirmed that he definitely had to. Reides then jokingly told Urli to stay away from Aske, as he belonged to him, to which Urli said he'd make no promises. Later on, while helping a drunk Jorah back to their shared room at the Outer Wall, Reides noted that they'd need to part into separate rooms whenever Aske arrived. Jorah slurred that he was fine if Aske and Reides "did what they gotta do" while he was in the room, to which Reides replied that Jorah was extremely drunk and had to go to sleep right that moment.

Aske managed to arrive in Falas one day prior to the ceremony. When he got there, he went over to the Outer Wall and asked Urli for Reides. Urli retrieved the note that Reides wrote which described Aske and compared it to the real half-elf in front of him. Deeming the description a match, he called for Reides to "get his ass downstairs." Reides did so and rushed over to Aske immediately, leaping into his arms. Aske learnt that Reides was worried that Aske got into some sort of accident on the way over, as Reides began patting him down for any signs of injury. Thankfully, there were none, and Aske simply ran late. Over firewhiskey, the group of them chatted about Aske's swordsman capabilities (evidently, Reides bragged about Aske being able to use two swords at once), which Aske tried to downplay, as he thought it was a normal thing to be able to do. While Reides hugged him tightly, he managed to free one of his hands in order to return a wave to Jorah, and he learnt about the Kraken's current status - namely, that she was in Falas in order to be Jorah's date at the ceremony. Aske was shocked to hear this, as he thought that the Kraken wouldn't show up. After witnessing an incredible Kraken impression from Reides, Aske was filled in on the romantic goings-on of the rest of the Champions Valoris. Aske agreed to treat Ashara gently as she was going through a rough patch with Kain and also seemed a bit concerned at Reides' continued tightlippedness over Kilwin's date. Once he was all caught up with the situation, Aske showed Reides the clothes that he brought for the remembrance ceremony. He was also quick to deem them as not good enough despite Reides' insistance that they were perfectly fine and that Aske would look nice in anything. Aske said that he wanted to match with Reides and look nice for him, and Reides responded to this by giving him a kiss. Before leaving for the tailor, they made rooming arrangements, with Reides splitting off from his original double room with Jorah in order to share a bigger bed with Aske.

Aske and Reides successfully got Aske's formalwear order in, with Reides insisting on covering the cost of it. The ensemble matched Reides' formal outfit, just as Aske wanted. On their way back to the Outer Wall, Reides asked if Aske ever had a sandwich. Aske confirmed that he had, in fact, eaten sandwiches before. Since the existence of sandwiches was an exciting new development for Reides, Aske agreed to try one of Urli's fish sandwiches once they were back at the tavern. While Urli prepared the sandwich, Jorah asked Reides what he'd do if he ate out the tavern's supply of fish, as Reides had been eating tons of fried fish sandwiches during their stay so far. Reides replied that if that was the case, he'd go catch a fish for Aske specifically. He materialized some sparks with his new spell, Presto Chango (named after what Aske called Prestidigitation back in Atemcester), and said that he learnt it because of him. Aske, impressed by this, told Reides that he loved it. Urli then presented Aske with the fried fish sandwich, though he jokingly asked Aske to be light on the criticism, as he feared that Reides would kill him if Aske didn't like it. Aske ended up liking the sandwich, though he admitted that it wasn't as good as what his mom used to make. Reides understood this, as he had oysters at the Brimstone Boutique and deemed them good, but not as good as what Arlyn could prepare. Once Aske and Reides were alone, Reides reminded him that the ceremony could potentially have an element of danger to it, as the Champions Valoris were there for "a work thing." Aske didn't pry for any details but said that he understood and that he still had no qualms with going to it.

The next day, Aske picked up his formalwear for the remembrance ceremony and donned it for the event. Before leaving the Outer Wall, Reides introduced Aske to Kilwin's date, Grinlief, and Aske was impressed by Grinlief's deductive reasoning when he correctly reasoned that Aske was a sailor. The Kraken also arrived at the inn in order to meet up with Jorah, and her and Aske exchanged a short greeting. Reides clinged onto Aske's arm on the walk over to the palace alongside the rest of the group. Once they were at the palace, Reides pointed Kain out to Aske, too. After Kain and Ashara made amends with each other, Ashara properly introduced the two of them, describing Aske to Kain as "the best for last" when she did so. Aske was sympathetic towards Kain, who seemed exhausted due to all of the ceremony preparations, and hoped that he could get some proper rest after it was all over.

At that point, Reides asked if Aske wanted to join him for a dance. Aske agreed to dance with him, so Reides bowed to him, then offered his right hand to him while cupping his elbow with his left hand. Aske had no idea what this meant and Reides told him that it was "surfacer bullshit" while laughing. Aske then said that it must be noble surfacer bullshit; "the worst kind." Reides promised that he'd show Aske how they did it back where he's from someday as the two of them went to the dancefloor. While they walked over, Reides excitedly told Aske that he saw the Kraken directing Jorah over to the drinks table rather than dancing. Once Aske and Reides began dancing, Aske had some difficulty with following Reides' movements, as he was never trained in ballroom dancing. Reides insisted that it was fine, but Aske proposed a different dance; namely, a sailors' dance. Reides was immediately very interested in this and Aske had no difficulty in teaching Reides the steps. No one else in the ballroom was doing this jig, but Aske and Reides had a wonderful time dancing together. After their dance, Aske and Reides had to part ways for a moment, as Reides stated that his business at the ball was about to begin. He gave Aske a kiss before telling him that he had to go talk to Damien Wright.

Aske then spent time with the Kraken. Eventually, the two of them received some drinks from Reides, who apparently sent a server their way. Later on in the night, Aske was leaning against a wall with his hands in his pockets and, while scanning the crowd of ceremony attendees, managed to catch sight of Reides. Reides waved at him, and Aske visibly perked up and waved back. At some point, Grinlief found Aske and asked him to keep him hidden from his father. Aske agreed to help him and also asked the Kraken about helping, too. The Kraken was apparently reluctant to do so and claimed that she'd expect gold for her assistance; Aske agreed on Kilwin's behalf to these conditions. The two of them ended up standing on either side of a large plant, which Grinlief crouched behind. When Kilwin approached them while asking about Grinlief, Aske updated him on the situation, and Kilwin thanked him. After Kilwin talked to Grinlief, he thanked Aske again. Aske told him to be careful and Kilwin promised that he would be. He also said that Reides was being careful, too. Aske smiled at this and clapped Kilwin on the back.

Eventually, the Champions Valoris reconvened over by Aske, the Kraken, and the large plant. The Kraken left to take a break upon seeing the group approach, and Aske was immediately pulled into a big hug from Reides. Reides then began complaining that he'd been talking to far too many people and that it sucked. Aske offered to take Reides to one of his parties next time and this perked Reides right up. Kilwin asked if either Aske or the plant had seen Keld Norre around, and Reides described Keld as a "big scary general guy." Aske said that he hadn't seen any big scary general guys, but he did see a pathetic general guy stumbling upstairs. He suggested checking with the member of staff who was helping him. Reides apologized for spending so much time away from Aske and then thanked him for his help - both with finding Keld Norre and with "the plant." Aske jokingly said that it was a nice plant sometimes, and Grinlief thanked him.

Further into the night, a group of guards approached Aske, the Kraken, and Grinlief. These guards didn't tell the trio any details, but said that "something happened" and then led them to the Champions Valoris. Aske led the charge towards the sitting room that the Champions Valoris were resting in, bursting the door open and looking frantically around for Reides. Upon finding him, Aske rushed over to him and asked if Reides was okay. Reides confirmed that he was fine physically, albeit not so much mentally. The two of them then hugged. Reides asked the Kraken if she heard anything about Keld Norre, and, when she informed him that she'd only heard of the stories, she asked why he asked. Reides then began explaining the situation to the three of them, saying that the general was involved in some dark things, but trailed off and explained that he didn't want to endanger anyone by providing them with the knowledge. He said that if anyone didn't want to know, they should maybe step out of the room, and Jorah agreed that it was better for them if they didn't know. Aske insisted that he wanted to listen. Grinlief and the Kraken also wished to, and so the Champions Valoris shared what they reasoned throughout the night. At this point, Aske learnt that the group of them were specifically investigating the assassination of Emperor Karseidon, and that Keld Norre was their chief suspect for being both the person behind the assassination as well as the mole in the Falassian court. Aske also learnt that demons were involved in the Champion Valoris' quest as a whole, and that their ultimate goal was to stop the summoning of a very powerful demon. In addition to that, he learnt that the goings-on at Port Valor were due to the actions of these demon-aligned people. Reides recounted the events of the night, saying that Keld transformed into a demon when the Champions Valoris confronted him (which Aske commented was something worth a lot of "mole points") and explaining that Damien Wright was assassinated by the Pale Shadow, who was likely working with Keld Norre. He then admitted that he was making a lot of assumptions as he was talking, as their investigation was still an ongoing one. When Jorah criticized Reides' conjectures, Reides protested - saying that he was trying his best despite being tired and traumatized and just wanting to forget all of this so that he could fuck Aske. Aske blushed when Reides said this and grasped onto his shoulder. The Kraken asked if this was the reason why the Champions Valoris chartered her ship, and Reides confirmed that it was - clarifying that he didn't lie about his home being involved and that he was worried it would meet the same fate as Port Valor. It was especially terrifying for him, as he once lived in Port Valor, too. He thanked her for her help, and the Kraken said that the Champions Valoris paid her to do it, so she wasn't going to say no. The Champions Valoris then asked if any of them saw anything suspicious going on, and Aske admitted that he was too busy keeping Grinlief safe from his father to notice anything. Similarly, Grinlief and the Kraken hadn't seen anything suspicious, either. The group of them continued to parse out the events of the night and eventually decided to go attempt to resurrect Damien in order to have an honest conversation with them. Rather than accompanying the Champions Valoris to the resurrection ritual, Aske agreed to stay in the sitting room with the Kraken and Grinlief at Kain's suggestion. Reides promised Aske that there would be a very fun after-party. Aske commented that he couldn't wait for the after-party after the murder-party.

Aske reunited with the Champions Valoris after Damien's successful resurrection. Reides, angered by Emperor Eurystheos' decision to imprison Damien and her cold dismissal of his thoughts on the matter, was still visibly upset as the two of them left the palace. The group of them went back to the Outer Wall. However, as the rest of the Champions Valoris and their dates went into the tavern, Reides pulled Aske aside and asked if the two of them could have a moment together in private. Aske agreed to this, though he was clearly worried, even after Reides explained that he just needed a breather. Aske told Reides that he was there for them as Reides leaned against him, and Reides admitted that he had a question for Aske. He also admitted that it was a heavy question which would add more heaviness to an already extremely heavy night, so he told Aske that they didn't have to talk about it if he didn't want to. But after everything that happened during the ceremony with Eurystheos and Damien, he was thinking a lot about family and loved ones, and he wanted to know more about Aske's mother. This took Aske by surprise, and Reides immediately apologized. He said that he was busting his ass for people he barely even knows, then trailed off before saying that he was sorry again. Aske then slid down into a sitting position, patting the ground next to him so that Reides would sit next to him, too. As Reides held onto his hand, Aske explained that his mother's name was Rose, and that she died when Aske was young. He then recounted the events surrounding how he got his scar, saying that it started off as a normal night. He was hanging out at his mother's general store with both of his parents when, suddenly, the door was kicked in by a man. The man rushed in, and Rose stepped in to hold off the intruder, as she was the stronger of Aske's parents. She told Aske and Relius to run, and they started to when something whizzed by Aske's face. When Aske stopped running and touched his face, he felt warm blood. Reides was horrified to hear this, but Aske pressed on with the story. He said that he saw the man approaching him, rearing up to attack, when his mother intervened. Aske admitted that he still didn't know why it happened, but he knew that his mother saved his life and that it was the last thing she ever did. Reides said that Rose sounded incredible and brave, and Aske agreed that she was. Reides then asked if Aske knew anything at all about the man who murdered Rose. Aske said that he didn't, and that, when him and his father went back to the general store with one of Davenport's guards, nothing was left except for Rose's body.

Reides said that, while he didn't agree with the emperor's current course of action regarding Damien, he understood her rage. He said that it was difficult for him to muster kindness or mercy towards someone who'd harmed someone who he loves. He asked if Aske would be okay with him investigating Rose's murder. He wanted to help Aske more than anyone else, especially considering how much Aske helped him. Aske said that he wouldn't stop Reides but reminded him that it all happened a long time ago. Still, it felt nice for him to talk about it with someone. The two of them then leaned against each other. Reides asked if Relius liked the letter that Reides sent for him, and Aske's face reddened. Reides asked if Aske delivered it, and Aske swore that he did - but it was right before he left for Falas, as he didn't want to see his dad's reaction to it. Reides pretended to get upset about this but couldn't help but laugh. Recalling Grinlief's father's conduct, he asked if Relius had any giant gold statues of Aske. Aske confirmed that he hadn't seen any. Reides thought that the statues would probably be made out of wood instead, given Relius' profession, and Aske speculated that they could be hidden away in a secret room. This made Reides laugh even more; he said that was somehow even worse than one golden statue out in the open. Once his laughter calmed, he thanked Aske for telling him about Rose and said that he felt a lot better now. Aske said that Reides would have liked Rose, as she was very warm and caring. Reides said that he would have also loved her amazing fish sandwiches that Aske mentioned, though he could use an Urli-made one, too. He then stood up and helped Aske up, and the two of them went into the Outer Wall together.

Due to the somber atmosphere after the remembrance ceremony, the after-party at the Outer Wall was rescheduled to the following night. Aske confirmed that he would be in Falas for about a week, so this didn't pose any problems for his schedule. He then saw the panic that gripped the Champions Valoris, as Jorah keeled over in pain and proceeded to black out entirely. The group of adventurers decided to go back to the palace, and Reides gave Aske a quick kiss before departing. Aske spent time at the Outer Wall with the Kraken and Grinlief, though the Kraken left at some point before 2 in the morning. At 2 in the morning, Reides returned and sat on Aske's lap. He asked if Aske was drunk, which a drunken Aske unconvincingly denied; Grinlief revealed that the two of them were drinking when Reides proceeded to ask him. Reides was concerned that Aske drank too much given his slurred manner of speaking, but Aske said that he'd live, but only if someone nursed him back to health. After Reides joked that it was a good thing that Kilwin was there, Aske attempted to be suave with a sly wink but ended up giving Reides an utterly sloppy one. Regardless, its effects worked on Reides, who immediately became flustered and said that they needed to go up to their bedroom right at that moment. He helped Aske up and the two of them rushed off.

The next morning, Aske went down to the tavern portion of the Outer Wall and ordered many, many glasses of water in an attempt to soothe his hangover. Reides stayed with him. When the Champions Valoris reconvened and decided on their next course of action (namely, to investigate Keld Norre's manor for clues regarding his involvement with the Heritors of Flame), Reides told Aske that he could check out the Falassian library if he was looking for something to do during his absence. Aske smiled at this and winked at Reides, who blushed and demanded to know what Aske meant by that. After Aske said that it meant whatever it meant, Reides exclaimed that he didn't have time to canoodle in a library right now, but he'd see him later. Aske watched Reides rush off to the rest of the Champions Valoris. Grinlief, who was also left out of the adventuring party's business, remained with him, so Aske asked him if he'd like to check out a library. The two of them then paid a visit to the Falassian library that Reides mentioned. During this visit, Grinlief conducted a lecture on the mechanics of deduction, which the staff did not appreciate. Fortunately, Aske managed to defuse the situation. Some time later, he then returned to the Outer Wall with Grinlief and spent time with Urli at the bar. The Kraken was also at the tavern, though she had her own table and her own drinks. At noon, the Champions Valoris returned to the Outer Wall. Aske asked Reides for an update on "the scary spooky murder mansion," which he received, and was then surprised to learn that the Champions Valoris were its new owners. Reides told him to write letters addressed to the manor and to stay there whenever he liked. Aske asked him if staying there would include free possessions, and said that he'd take Reides up on his offer when Reides confirmed that it did. Reides showed Aske the demonology books that he took from Keld Norre's private library and asked if he knew how to dispose of someone's ashes. Upon learning that Reides was talking about Keld Norre's ashes, Aske suggested simply throwing them away, which Reides deemed as too weird. Aske said that he knew more about burials at sea - including the custom of burning boats - but correctly assumed that Reides would be against burying Keld in his beloved ocean. Reides then said that he needed to talk to Aske privately, so the two of them went upstairs to their room.

Once upstairs, Reides told Aske of his plan to investigate the murder of his mother. Reides explained that he managed to get the resources necessary to learn two spells related to mind-reading. By using these spells in conjunction, Aske learnt that Reides could look directly at Aske's memory of the event, as well as store that memory externally for further study. This would give Reides the means of investigating it without having to repeatedly ask for Aske to dwell on something so very traumatic. Despite having the resources, Reides said that he didn't look them over yet, as if Aske didn't want to do it, he didn't need them. Aske thought this over while Reides repeatedly stated that he'd abandon the idea if Aske wasn't comfortable with it. Aske said that it was a long time since it happened and that he had managed to mostly leave it behind him, but also said that things left behind can still follow you. He admitted that he always wondered why it happened. Reides said that he wanted to know, too - especially since, in Aske's retelling of the event, the assailant seemed to have been aiming for Aske. It made Reides incredibly angry, and he said that he wasn't sure what he'd do if they ever came back for Aske. He couldn't let that happen. Aske tried to dispel Reides' idea that the man was there for him. He then gave Reides his blessing to investigate it with this thought-based magic, albeit on the condition that Reides would leave it behind him if it became too dangerous or too much. Reides readily agreed to this condition and made plans to study the magical supplies soon. Aske noted that he couldn't read the scrolls, first on account of the dust and then (after Reides cleaned them with Presto Chango) on account of the arcanic formulae. In regards to his plan, Reides asked Aske about what he should do if he saw Rose's murderer during the course of his journey. He didn't want to confront the killer alone but acknowledged that it was a deeply personal event in Aske's life, so he asked if Aske would like to make up a cover story that he could tell the Champions Valoris. Aske said that if Reides trusted his companions with his life, then Aske would place his trust in them as well. Reides thanked Aske for trusting him that much and said that he trusted Aske, too. Aske asked if this meant he'd get a secret out of Reides, which Reides agreed to immediately - though he said that Aske already knew a lot of them. After Aske claimed that it was never enough, Reides told him about the time he covered his little brother in jelly, prompting everyone to yell at him. Aske asked if his little brother yelled at him too, and Reides said that he didn't because he was one year old and happily eating the jelly. Upon finishing up their discussion of secret memories, Aske brought up his plan to go out and get supplies for the after-party. He asked if Reides would like to join him, and Reides happily took him up on that offer despite Aske warning him that he'd need to keep up with Aske's party preparation skills. Reides claimed that he was up to the challenge, and so Aske took him by the hand and dragged him downstairs and out the door.

Aske pulled Reides along, stopping only when they arrived at the Market Terrace. Reides bumped into him right as he came to a stop, and the two of them began making a list of things that they'd need for the after-party. They started off by planning food and drinks, which they thought wouldn't be much of a problem, given the venue. Reides also thought the Kraken stole some drinks from the palace and would potentially be willing to share them; Aske said that would depend on how much she liked them. Aske then had the idea of hiring a bard, which Reides deemed as brilliant. He played with Aske's collar and said that they should also get a chocolate cake, since he knew that it was Aske's favourite. Aske wasn't opposed to this suggestion but pointed out that the after-party wasn't a birthday party. Reides then claimed that it could be a birthday party, as they could make up for not knowing each other for their respective birthdays that year. He also dubbed the after-party as a We Didn't Die party, which Aske liked a lot. The two of them discussed decorating at least one of the rooms at the Outer Wall, though they conceded that they would need Urli's permission to do so. Aske brought up party games and Reides admitted to not knowing any surfacer games minus some of the card ones. He said that Jorah would probably like a deck of cards at the party (and asked Aske to get him out of any potential archery contests that Jorah might drunkenly try to get him to participate in). Aske taught Reides about a card game called three-dragon ante - thus prompting Reides to tell him that he once killed a dragon - and explained that it's a card game with its own deck. This amazed Reides, as he didn't realise that there were different kinds of card decks. Aske then proceeded to list different types of card decks, including standard playing cards, three-dragon ante cards, and tarokka cards. His knowledge about card games amazed Reides, who admitted that he had no idea what kind of deck to get, as he had no idea what sorts of card games Jorah plays. Their discussion of games reminded Reides that he forgot to tell Emperor Eurystheos his joke, and so he decided to tell it to Aske. He asked Aske where he thought the emperor kept her armies. Aske responded that he thought she kept them in barracks and laughed when Reides revealed that they were kept in her sleevies. Reides then asked if they should buy flowers for the after-party. Aske said that flowers weren't really suitable for that sort of event, but offered to get flowers for Reides because he likes him. Reides told him that he ate a stalk of lavender from a flower shop before Aske arrived in Falas, and Aske clarified that the flowers that he'd buy for Reides wouldn't be for eating. He then wondered if Reides would eat them anyway. Reides admitted that he might taste one and Aske told him to do what he must. Reides said that he was a scholar, and Aske deemed him a pioneer.

Aske and Reides then focused on selecting the bard for the after-party. Reides didn't know of any bards on the surface, so Aske recommended the Songbird of Falas. He admitted that he had been a fan of them for quite a while, as he heard their songs in all sorts of ports around Lyvernus. He offered to cover the bard's free for the party, along with the costs of whatever other party favors they wanted to pick up. Reides wasn't sure if he ever heard any of the Songbird's songs, but he agreed to help Aske look for the bard. Aske said that he knew that they had a place in the Market Terrace, so the two of them asked around for the Songbird. Eventually, they found a nondescript building known as the Songbird's Nest. Reides pointed out that if the Songbird wasn't there, then the building's name was all wrong. As they walked over, he wondered if they had eggs in there and also told Aske that he hatched out of an egg, himself. Aske was fairly certain that Reides told him this before, but appreciated the reminder nonetheless. Once they were inside of the Songbird's Nest, Aske and Reides noted all of the instruments adorning the walls of the building. Reides wondered if the Songbird could play on all of them, and Aske told him that their songs are played on a wide variety of instruments, so it was definitely possible. Reides ran up to the bell resting on the front counter and rang it Immediately, an avian humanoid with wings on their back flew down to greet the two of them from behind the counter. An amazed Reides told them that they were looking to hire the Songbird of Falas to play at a party, and they confirmed that they were, in fact, the Songbird. Reides began gushing over them, asking about their instruments and also revealing that Aske was a big fan of them. This embarrassed Aske, but the Songbird agreed to go to the Outer Wall to play their songs. They also noted that Aske was blushing over Reides' comment, and Reides said that he has a tendency to do that but also apologized to him. Aske then paid the Songbird's performance free, prompting gratitude from Reides. Once the arrangements were made, the Songbird flew back up to the loft and began practicing on one of their instruments. Reides and Aske left the Nest, and Reides hugged Aske - who said that he didn't quite come out of that interaction intact. Reides apologized again for revealing that Aske was a fan but also said that he thought the Songbird would have been happy to hear that they had a fan. Aske said that he was a fan of Reides, too, which then made Reides blush. He admitted that he walked right into that but still said it wasn't fair, so Aske pinched his cheeks. The two then held hands and got the rest of the party preparations in order - including the chocolate cake.

Once they were back at the Outer Wall, Aske and Reides stored the cake away in their room for safekeeping and then got Urli's blessing for the after-party. They receive it, with the conditon that they all drank a lot during it. The rest of the party eventually got back with their own dates, and Reides welcomed them to "the Place to Be!" Aske asked him if that was what they were calling it now, and Reides said that he refused to steal Urli's bit of welcoming them to his hole in the wall. Aske then brought drinks over to the group's table, and they all toasted to living another day, home ownership, cute boys, the Kraken being very cool, and everyone having good dates. The final toast prompted Aske to ask if everyone actually had good dates. When Reides said that he did, Aske smirked and told him that he knew that already. Ashara readily said that her date was good, and Aske asked Jorah directly - who wasn't sure if he even had a date. The Kraken asked if he didn't think so, also smirking, and Jorah said "who knows!" When Grinlief got flustered over this question and had to deal with Reides' teasing, he used his Hat of Disguise (which he borrowed from Reides earlier on in the day) to turn into Reides. Reides called him beautiful and said that he liked that, and Aske admitted that he liked it a lot. Reides then casted Disguise Self to turn into Grinlief and, after some back-and-forth teasing, the two of them revered to their normal forms upon Jorah's request. Reides then asked Aske when the surprise was coming - namely, the Songbird - and Aske said that they'd be there soon.

Soon enough, the Songbird arrived, playing their lute and singing a tune. Aske was utterly thrilled to see them, and Urli cleared out a space for the bard on the bar's counter. Everyone enjoyed their music and began to get swept up in the after-party festivities. Aske and Reides decided to dance together, with Reides begging Aske to teach him another sailor one. Aske agreed to it, though not before teasingly calling Reides a "sealubber." The party continued late into the night with card games and drinking games. When Aske and Reides brought the chocolate cake down from their room, a number of drunk patrons started singing Happy Birthday upon seeing it. This song spread throughout the entire tavern. Aske confusedly asked whose birthday it was, to which Reides replied that it was Aske's as he gave him a big kiss. As the party winded down, the Songbird entered their third encore and Reides asked if Aske actually paid for all of this. He offered to help him with the costs. Aske assured him that the party's payment for chartering the Desperado went a long way and said he'd cover it all himself. After the party, Aske sat down to drink with Reides, Jorah, and the Kraken. Upon Reides' request, the Kraken talked about her home in Covia. Reides asked if Aske had ever been there, but he hadn't. Aske and the Kraken told the other two that the crew of the Desperado tend to meet up at a particular port whenever there is a job, but, otherwise, remain rather scattered. Their main rendezvous point was Port Valor but, given the state of the city, the Kraken said they'd likely change to Davenport or Rivermouth. Reides started a toast to Port Valor, which the rest of the table joined in on. The group of them chatted for a while longer, with the Kraken sharing her plans of leaving Falas the following morning. They bid her farewell and she left for her room. After she left, Reides asked Aske if he was ready for bed, and Aske asked him if that was a question or a command. Reides insisted that it was a question and Aske replied that he was about ready. Reides then murmured something in Primordial which neither Aske or Jorah understood, with Aske asking if anyone caught that. Reides grabbed onto his arm and told him not to worry, calling him honey, and the two of them told Jorah good night and went up to their room.

The next day, Reides woke Aske up, saying that he thought of an actual secret that he could use to repay Aske for sharing his secrets. Though Aske was groggy, he sat up and listened to what Reides had to say. Talking very quickly, Reides reminded Aske about the Champion Valoris' new manor and told him that he had plans to convert part of the house into a shrine for Persana. He then asked if Aske knew about Persana, and Aske confirmed that he did not - not until now, anyway. Reides caught him up to speed and then said that he needed to go back to Aquos to fulfill his duties as Laverathia's ambassador to the surface as well as to get some supplies for the shrine. He admitted that he didn't plan to be there long but invited Aske along for the trip. He said that his mother already knew about Aske and that she'd keep him safe, as not even his father would mess with her. Reides then finally told Aske good morning. Aske said the offer was tempting, albeit quite unexpected. Reides told him that he was planning to go sometime prior to leaving Falas and still needed to actually set up the manor with his friends (something else that Aske wanted to see), so there was ample time for him to make a decision. Aske remarked that it wasn't every day that he got an invitation to visit and undersea kingdom and wondered if he'd be able to breathe down there. Reides reminded Aske about his Water Breathing spell and also reminded him that he'd need to cast thought-based magic on him, too. The two of them then got out of bed and went downstairs.

Reconvening with the Champions Valoris, Aske listened as the group planned out the rest of their time in Falas and began coming up with the things they'd need for their trip to Villane. The group decided that they'd need to get winter clothes, though Reides was resistant to the effects of the cold and simply wanted a new outfit. Aske warned them that winters in the north could get pretty rough, citing his experiences as a Davenport local. Reides asked if he'd like to get new winter clothes too, but Aske said that he was already all set. He told the Champions Valoris about ships needing to wade through ice during their trips through the archipelago. Though he had never been east of Rivermouth, he revealed that he had made a few voyages to the continents north of Lyvernus and said that those regions got extremely cold. He said that the Desperado made quite a lot of gold by running goods through the treaty-protected Laverathian Basin. Reides said that if the Desperado ever got in trouble with Laverathia for making those illegitimate trips, Aske could contact him - but Aske said that they would likely not be breaching the treaty anymore, as they now knew that tritons lived down there.

Aske then went with the Champions Valoris to see their new manor. Reides warned him that it was quite ugly at that moment, as Keld Norre had terrible taste in decor. As they walked, Aske noted the fanciness of the High Terrace, and, upon arriving at Norre Manor, observed that it was "like that." He stayed with the Champions Valoris as they worked with the on-site builders to plot out all of the changes they wished to make to the place. Afterwards, he joined them on their visit to the Stitch in Time, where he helped Reides with picking out his winter outfit. The group of them dispersed after that, with Aske and Reides heading back to the Outer Wall together so that Reides could study his magic supplies. Reides mastered both Encode Thoughts and Detect Thoughts with ease, and the two went back down to the tavern after his work was done. Eventually, the rest of the Champions Valoris met up there, too, with Jorah reporting news about the caravan they'd take out of Falas. Jorah said that visitors were typically not allowed into Villane, which reminded Aske about some rumors he heard about Northrune. He shared that sailors who dropped goods off there weren't allowed to go into the town itself. Instead, they stayed in a cordoned-off area near the docks - akin to a small town just for them, separate from Northrune itself. Aske didn't know anyone who set foot into Northrune since its current duke took power. Kilwin shared Kain's assessment of Duke Errol Mountainfall with him, saying that the Mageguard referred to him as a 'dictator,' and, while Aske wasn't sure about the duke's character, said that they didn't seem to want outsiders in there. Reides, especially worried, said he wasn't good with those authority types, and Ashara said that she would like to just avoid the duke. Aske agreed that they might be able to as long as they kept their heads down, though he conceded it might be hard for someone like Reides to do so due to his tritonness. Regardless, the Champions Valoris didn't want to overstep and end up in prison again, which Aske agreed would be for the best. He then heard some stories about their time in Magmaslag Rock from Reides, including the way the "mystery meat" made his tummy hurt as well as details about the "epic" bucket trap that he made with Jorah.

Aske relaxed at the Outer Wall's tavern for the rest of the day, eventually eating dinner with the Champions Valoris. Kilwin told the group that he had a date with Grinlief the following night as a means of telling Reides that he couldn't be in Aquos at the time. He asked if Reides knew when he'd like to go to the city, as Reides had previously invited the whole group of them to accompany him on the trip. Reides glanced at Aske briefly before quickly saying he wasn't sure when he'd go, but confirmed that there would be no overlap with Kilwin's other plans. After the group ate dinner, Aske pulled Reides aside privately and said that he gave the Aquos visit some more thought. He apologized for needing the time to think about it, and Reides said it was perfectly fine and that he still didn't want to pressure Aske into it. Aske admitted that he was actually hesitant about it because he always thought that Reides would meet his father first. Reides was shocked that he ran away without seeing Relius' reaction to the letter that he sent him, in that case, and Aske retorted that the letter was embarrassing. Reides said that, if he could, he'd drop everything right at that moment so that he could go over to Davenport to meet Aske's father, but it wasn't possible for him at that moment. Aske understood that and said that a visit to Aquos was a rare opportunity and that it would be a mistake to turn it down due to his own silly ideas. Reides didn't think that his ideas were silly at all, but he agreed that the opportunity was pretty rare. Aske said that was why he would go. Reides was very excited to hear this and immediately started planning out the necessary arrangements for Aske's visit. Given the tritons' general distrust of surfacers, the two decided that Aske wouldn't meet all of the Laveraths at once and would just stick to meeting Reides' mother. Reides admitted that he thought of letting Aske use the Hat of Disguise to swim around freely as a triton, but he didn't like the idea of him pretending to be someone else. He wanted him to be there as Aske. He took Aske's face into his hands and said that Aske was an important person in his life and that he didn't ever want to hide that. He wanted his people to see them together, because they're together. Upon hearing Reides say that, Aske smiled and called Reides the bridge between the land and the sea. Reides blushed and admitted that he wanted to be that ever since he was a little boy. Aske asked him what that little boy would think of Reides now, and Reides said that the Reides of the past would scarcely be able to believe it. Bridge or not, Reides advised Aske to avoid Khavas, as his father was unlike him and still very much a traditional triton. The two of them then hugged, and Reides began casting an assortment of Sending messages to his mother in Aquos.

The following morning, Reides and Aske prepared for their trip to the depths. The two were going without the other members of the Champions Valoris as, the night before, Jorah and Ashara convinced Reides to let Aske meet Arlyn on his own. Aske worried about etiquette down there, as he had no idea about how things worked in Aquos, but Reides assured him that he would be fine. Reides reminded Aske of his royal status and told him some brief information about the Coralpeak Citadel, reassuring him that, no matter how imposing it seemed, he was still just the weirdo that Aske fished up so long ago. Aske said that he would be fine so long as Reides was there. Satisfied with this response, Reides began casting his spells in preparation for the visit. He casted Water Breathing on Aske, sealing the spell with a kiss, and then drew the teleportation circle. Aske jokingly said that if he knew magic involved drawing with chalk, he'd have thought any child could be a wizard. Reides said that he was living proof that Aske was right - but Aske didn't think that Reides was just any child. With the sigil complete, Reides and Aske held hands and walked into the circle, with Aske taking a deep breath before stepping in.

Aske and Reides then arrived in Laverathia, with Aske still reflexively holding his breath. With Reides' encouragement, he managed to get somewhat used to breathing underwater. Aske asked Reides if they were in the citadel and Reides told him that it was tower within it. He opened up the tower's door, utilizing the complex mechanisms required to do so, and Aske learnt that it was the tower that Reides was once locked up in - albeit not that specific room. Once outside, Aske saw the rest of the Coralpeak Citadel and asked if it was Reides' home. Reides confirmed that it was and started looking around for his mother. Unable to find her, Reides asked if Aske would look, too, explaining that she looked a lot like Reides. Aske tried but couldn't find her either. As soon as Reides began worrying if they were too early, Arlyn emerged from behind some coral. Reides rushed over to her, introducing her to Aske and vice-versa. Arlyn held her hand out to Aske. Calling her "ma'am," Aske said that it was nice to meet her and shook her hand. Reides laughed at this and hugged her while she returned Aske's handshake with a raised eyebrow. Reides reminded Arlyn that he needed to talk to his father as well, and the two re-established that Reides didn't want to introduce Aske to Khavas just yet. They then began heading towards a secret entrance into the palace. While they swam, Reides asked Arlyn to ensure that no one was weird to Aske during his meeting with Khavas. Arlyn said "perhaps," which worried Aske. Reides picked up on this and gave him a reassuring pat. As they entered the palace through the secret entrance, Aske commented that Reides' house had style.

Now inside of a room which Arlyn called a "good place for privacy," Aske took a seat next to Arlyn and Reides. Reides began reminding Arlyn that Aske played a crucial role in saving Aquos, recounting everything that Aske did to help. Upon hearing that Aske worked on the ship that got Reides and the rest of the Champions Valoris to Laverathia, Arlyn noted that Aske wasn't the captain of it. Aske apologized for this, but Reides insisted that it made his role in helping them even more impressive, since his captain was very intimidating. Reides also said that Aske rescued him when he first escaped from Aquos and that he wished that his mother could try the surfacer treats that Aske introduced him to - like candy and firewhiskey. Arlyn then asked how Reides found the time to be Laverathia's ambassador while he was so busy selling Aske, to which Reides remarked that he took his side hustle very seriously. Aske grinned sheepishly and said it was extremely nice to meet Arlyn, and that Reides was one of the most wonderful people that he had ever met. He then held Reides' hand as Reides began to blush. Arlyn told Aske that they'd have a great chance to get to know each other while Reides handled his ambassadorial work, as she could tell him all of Reides' secrets. She then brought up "the kelp incident." Reides apologized about needing to keep Aske secret from the rest of the Citadel, but Aske was fine with getting "ammo" while Reides was getting "scary talks with dads." Reides claimed that Aske was truly the winner before giving him a quick kiss and thanking his mother. Reides then left to talk to the emperor of Laverathia.

Aske then spent time with Arlyn, bonding with her. Just as she promised, Arlyn told him about "the kelp incident," wherein a roughly four-year-old Reides donned a cape that he fashioned out of kelp and paraded around the citadel with a makeshift scepter. Aske was greatly amused by her retelling and was still laughing uproariously about it when Reides returned to the room, a small box of shells held in his hands. While Arlyn left to arrange for some rip currant wine that Reides could take up to the surface, Aske was trying his best to stop laughing over the kelp incident; he covered his mouth and tried not to make direct eye contact with Reides. Reides noticed this and swore revenge whenever he met Relius. He then said that he was very fashion-forward as a child - and also much more serious about his princely duties. He blamed his kelp couture on Viglis for always calling him Seaweed Head, but Aske said that he thought it was a cute story. Aske asked how Reides' meeting with his father went, and Reides told him that it went better than he expected. He even got permission to talk to Khavas directly if an emergency arose! Aske pointed out that he could send a heads up the next time a big storm formed over Laverathia, and Reides said he absolutely did not want a repeat of that. Aske told him to cross his fingers, but Reides' webbed fingers couldn't cross too well, so Aske said he'd cross both his fingers and his toes for him. As Reides gave Aske one of his shells as an Aquosian souvenir, Arlyn returned, asking why the two were doing talking about toes. After getting over his horror over that question, Reides asked for an update on how his siblings were doing, which Arlyn readily gave him. Eventually, one of Arlyn's most trusted servants entered the room, giving Reides his requested set of rip currant tubes. Reides gave one to Aske and gathered the rest of them for the others on the surface. Arlyn shared some wisdom with Reides and reassured him of his role in the empire, then told Aske that it was nice to meet him. Aske bowed to her as Reides requested a pelagic dagger that he could take up to the surface, which Arlyn said she could arrange. The group of them then said their goodbyes, with Reides giving Arlyn a big hug before taking his leave. Once Aske and Reides returned to the tower, Reides retrieved the pelagic dagger that was delivered to the tower. Aske said that it was very pretty, and Reides explained what pelagic ore was to him as he drew the teleportation circle for Falas. The two of them entered the completed circle and brought a significant amount of sea water with them upon their return to Falas. Someone in the teleporation nexus expressed exasperation over the sound of the splash, so Aske grabbed Reides' hand. As they ran off together, Reides casted Presto Chango in an attempt to dry the area off.

Once Aske and Reides returned to the Outer Wall, they distributed the wine tubes to Urli and the rest of the Champions Valoris. Reides then conscripted Aske into aiding with the shrine to Persana over at the Valoris Manor, since he believed the two of them could handle it without needing to bother anyone else. When Aske feigned offense over this, Reides told him that he'd get to see something amazing. Aske said that he saw something amazing every day, as he always woke up, turned over, saw Reides, got out of bed, and then looked in the mirror. Amused, Reides said he fully expected that joke from him. The party then found a secluded booth, and Reides filled them all in on everything that his audience with Khavas entailed. In this conversation, Aske learnt about the vortex that launched forth from the Crystalline Trench. The topic worried Aske, though Kilwin assured him that the Champions Valoris would be okay. Ashara said that she was glad that she never got prophetic visions, and, when Reides brought up that she had a name that she needed to investigate, Ashara said that she didn't want to talk about it in front of Aske. Aske apologized for intruding, and Reides told him that he could take the shells over to the shrine while the rest of them talked to Ashara. Aske agreed to this, joking that he was sworn to carry Reides' burdens before departing from the Outer Wall, the box of shells held in his arms.

Aske arrived at the Valoris Manor with no problems and saw the construction work taking place. He made his way to the shrine room, and, soon afterwards, Reides joined him there. Together, the two of them cleared out Keld Norre's shrine to Alzrius, disposing of his demonic paraphernalia. They then converted the shrine to one for Persana, placing the crystal from Laverathia's Crystalline Trench on the middle of the dais and mixing Reides' vial of seawater into the pool of water pouring down from the Reflecting Pond. Reides placed the conch shell on a small raised platform and told Aske that it would serve as the actual vessel of worship, as it was Persana's main symbol. The other shells that Reides brought from Aquos served to decorate the rest of the shrine. While they worked, Aske learnt a lot about Persana through Reides - including the story of Persana and the Hunter. Once the shrine was fully prepared, the two of them sat down, and Reides asked if Aske was ready for him to look into his memories with his spell. As Aske readied himself for the experience, Reides held onto his hands and kissed them. Aske called him a sweetheart, which made Reides blush and insist that he wasn't trying to sweet talk Aske. When Aske confirmed that he was ready, Reides said a quick prayer to Persana to watch over them, and then casted Detect Thoughts. Aske allowed Reides to probe deep into his thoughts, focusing them on the night of his mother's death. Reides then experienced it.

Reides shuddered as he came out of the vision and Aske asked if it was as bad as he remembered. Reides pulled Aske into a big hug and said that he was sorry. Aske thanked him, though his reply was muffled, as Reides had pressed him into his chest. While crying, Reides said that he wished that they knew each other when they were kids, but Aske was worried that, if they did, things would have turned out differently. He was happy with how things had turned out, admitting that, while he missed his mother a lot, he loved Reides a lot. Reides said that he missed Aske's mother, too, and he didn't even meet her. As they held on to each other and wept, they wished that Reides could have met her. Through his tears, Reides told Aske that his mother loved him so much - he could see it in her eyes. It was the sort of love transcended death. Aske said that if Reides managed to find the person who killed her, he didn't have to kill them, as he didn't want to burden Reides with that sort of dark wish. But he still asked Reides to give them hell for him. Reides hoped that he could make it make sense. He couldn't believe how small Aske was in the memory, or how the intruder attacked him. He grabbed onto Aske's face and said that it felt so different than what he expected. He called the intruder a coward for wearing a hood while they attacked the family and admitted that he couldn't get a good look at them because of it. He hoped that his companions would have better luck. Hugging Aske, he said something that Aske couldn't understand. Aske asked him about it, and Reides told him that it was a prayer to Persana in Primordial. Aske then said a prayer to his own god, in his own language. Reides asked him about it, and Aske told him to guess. Reides refused to guess, but when Aske confirmed that it was a prayer to Eadro, he exclaimed that he knew it. Aske asked why he didn't guess, then, and Reides said that he didn't want to because he didn't want to make an assumption that could potentially insult a god. Reides reminded Aske that he read The Great Storm and said that he was a big fan of Eadro. Aske said that that book was one of his favourites when he was a kid, and Reides offered to get him a copy of Persana and the Hunter, since that one was his childhood favourite. Aske was excited about this, especially since it would teach him how underwater books worked. At this point, the two of them were both tired, so they decided to take a nap together on the floor of the shrine.

The Flame of Revolution

Aske and Reides returned to the Outer Wall at some point after their nap. The following morning, Aske helped Reides read through Keld's demonology books. The two of them looked for a way to dispose of the former general's demonic remains but the books didn't reveal anything about that particular subject. Instead, they learnt about the nature of demons, their worship, and historical encounters with them. Aske never read books like them before and Reides didn't think they were very nice. Once they finished up their research, they went down to the tavern portion of the Outer Wall. There, they met up with Jorah, who had just returned from conducting his own research. When Jorah was a bit tight-lipped about what he learnt, Aske offered to go back upstairs, but Reides pointed out that Aske knew a lot of things so he could potentially help Jorah with any questions that he still had. However, when Jorah asked if he knew about cults, Aske didn't know anything and joked that he was a huge cult fan. The three of them then sat down for lunch, with Reides soon calling Kilwin over to join them. They discussed the road ahead, from getting used to bedrolls once more to Reides' idea of combining his Presto Chango spell with Kilwin's Create Food and Water spell. Eventually, Reides asked Aske for his thoughts on the Champions Valoris' next destination - Rivermouth.

Aske called Rivermouth quaint albeit busy, since it handled a lot of the goods which go in and out of Falas. He warned the Champions Valoris about the scammers who did business there and said that they should probably stay away from the markets. Reides groaned upon hearing this, as he wanted to look at the markets but was fully aware that he was awful at haggling. Aske then deemed himself as the breadwinner of their relationship, much to Reides' disbelief. Regardless, since Rivermouth was a short stopover for the Champions Valoris, Aske said that they'd be fine. Reides then wondered if Twin Gods Pass would be renamed after what happened with Keld, but then remembered that it had that name before Keld incorporated it into his title ("The Demon of Twin Gods Pass"). The Pass also belonged to Villane, so the goings-on of Falas' court were of no concern to it. This prompted a short discussion about all of the territory disputes going on around Lyvernus. In contrast, Aske learnt that there weren't a lot of territorial disputes down in Laverathia, as Khavas wasn't concerned about expansion. However, Reides also admitted that there were rough times in the past, particularly during Khavas' father's reign. Emperor Zinthos warred with some of the smaller undersea countries during that time and Reides noted that it was rough when Khavas was around his age. Aske asked if Reides ever talked to his father about it, which made Reides laugh - until he realised that Aske was being serious. He then admitted that even though his relationship with his father was heading in a better direction, Khavas was never one to talk about that sort of thing. Everything that he knew about his father during those times was thanks to Arlyn. However, since Aske brought it up, Reides wondered if he could someday ask his father about it and get a real answer. Jorah suggested that Viglis might know about it, but Reides didn't think that Khavas and Viglis were as close as they once were. He considered asking Kanom - telling Jorah that Kanom was his father's attendant; the person who swam in place outside of the Laverathian throne room. On the subject of swimming in place, Aske admitted that he had a difficult time with anchoring himself properly when he was talking to Arlyn. This made Reides sad, much to Aske's horror. Jorah reassured the two of them by saying that it was an adjustment process that Aske would pick up with time. Reides also said that Aske could ask for a weighted blanket to help him with it. He then brought up the adjustments that he had to get used to for the surface, reminding the group of his continued reflex to swim upwards. As he talked about it, Reides reached his arms out and did a little paddling gesture, much to Aske's amusement.

At this point, Ashara returned to the Outer Wall, holding a cake. Upon this cake was a crossed-out word ("Virginity") along with a drawing of a chastity belt with a big "X" over it. Upon seeing Kilwin's mortified reaction to the cake, Aske deliberately ignored the text and asked if he lost a belt or something. Ashara claimed that it was an ancient Vrinian custom to have a cake for the occasion. Reides then explained to Aske that Kilwin had sex the night before for the first time. Ashara said it would be rude if no one ate the cake, and everyone eventually tried some of it. Once it was finished, Reides asked when Aske was going to leave Falas. Checking his journal, Aske told him that he'd be in Falas until the 18th; namely, one day after the Champions Valoris took their leave. Reides told Aske to get a present for his father during his extra time in the city, but Aske said that he already did. This made Reides wonder if he should get a present for Relius. Though Aske said he didn't have to, Reides became more and more set on doing so. The two brainstormed ideas for a present, with Reides coming up with wood (since Relius is a carpenter), medicinal leaves (since Aske called Relius 'laid-back'), or books - but none of these ideas truly won either of them over. Aske admitted that his father was difficult to shop for, even for those who knew him well. He recounted a time when he was younger wherein he got his father a toy boat, since his father liked boats. Relius thanked him for it but seemed very far-off about it. Aske said that his father definitely liked sweets, however, which was good enough for Reides. As Reides began plotting his next step in acquiring sweets for Relius, Aske offered to pick up the present for him after Reides left the city. He then patted Reides on the head and said that he had to go upstairs to their room to start packing up for the journey. Later on in the day, Reides returned to their room and gave Aske the money that he spent on the sweets. He then made Aske promise to actually give his father the present this time around, bringing up the letter that he got so shy over before. Aske defended himself by saying that he did actually give the letter to his father, and Reides laughed - not pressing the issue any further.

At 5 AM the next day, Reides and Aske made their way down to the tavern portion of the Outer Wall, as it was time for the Champions Valoris to leave Falas. After the group of them handled their tab to Urli, Aske got pulled aside by Reides. He hugged Aske very tightly and said that Aske saved him all over again. Aske said that he was pretty sure that Reides saved him too, since, if Keld got to rampage more, Aske would've probably turned into a pretty pile of ash. Reides hated to hear that and Aske jokingly pointed out that it was only one letter off from his name. Reides said that he strongly preferred him as Aske rather than Ash(e). Aske told Reides to be safe and careful, and to not get in any unnecessary fights. Reides promised to keep in touch and to visit Aske via Dream. Though he knew that Reides was talking about his Dream spell, Aske said that Reides already visits him in his dreams. Reides then told him to stay safe, too. Aske said that he would and told Reides to go on, as he thought he saw Jorah tapping his foot. Reides pulled Aske in for a big kiss and the two promised to see each other later. Aske then watched Reides and the rest of the Champions Valoris leave the Outer Wall.

While in Rivermouth, Reides visited the market despite Aske's warning and kept and eye out for anything from Davenport, as he had Aske and his family on his mind. The shopkeeper at the Rivermouth Exchange admitted that Davenport didn't have a lot of exports and was more known for its excellent shipwrights. Reides was very pleased about this, as the praise was relevant to Relius' skill as a shipwright. Despite Davenport's lack of exports, the shopkeeper showed Reides a collection small totems which he received from Davenport. Motivated by its connection to Aske's home, Reides successfully traded a Rope Trick scroll along with a pair of basilisk eyes in order to get a reduced price on a mysterious little dog figurine. When he left the store with Ashara, he learnt that Ashara was planning on proposing to Kain and was extremely happy for her. Ashara asked if Reides was planning on proposing to Aske, which greatly flustered him. He wasn't sure about that yet, as he had no idea how weddings worked on the surface nor how well the custom would mesh with what he was used to back in Laverathia. Still, he said that maybe he would, someday!

The Champions Valoris continued their journey to Villane and exchanged stories while they were on the road. Reides told the group about some of the times that he snuck out of the Citadel. Now that he was more aware of surfacer customs, he wondered if any of the spirits of those who died in the shipwrecks that he explored were angry with him for poking around their ships. He said that he tried to be respectful and ultimately wanted to save things, such as his first spellbook. If he died in a situation like that, he figured he'd want someone to learn something from it. Jorah said that he'd have to ask his boyfriend to find out about that, but Reides said that he was worried about upsetting Aske. Later on in the journey, as the Champions Valoris followed the instructions given to them in a mysterious note in an attempt to gain access to Villane, Reides casted Sending to Aske, checking in on how his voyage back to Davenport was going. In the message, Reides also included the fact that he got a dog, as it turned out that the dog figurine he bought in Rivermouth was a Figurine of Wondrous Power. As such, the totem could transform into a mastiff with onyx-black fur for 6 hours every 7 days. Aske was extremely excited to hear about the dog and asked Reides for its name, along with any other updates he could provide. He also confirmed that the voyage was going fine. Upon hearing that the dog's name was Bimini, Aske called him a sweetheart and told Reides to keep him safe - hoping that Reides didn't get robbed in Rivermouth when he bought him. Reides called Bimini cute in his message, and Aske said that Reides was the cute one.

A few days later, Aske received another Sending message from Reides. In this message, Reides admitted that he was having a hard time. He promised to tell Aske about it soon and asked if Aske could tell him something good about his day. Aske replied to the message and said that hearing Reides' voice was something good about his day, adding that, if that didn't count, he petted a cat earlier. He then told Reide to be safe, be strong, and hold fast. Aske then received another message from Reides, who was now greatly excited about the cat. Calling it 'cute', he suggested that Aske adopt it so that it could be friends with Bimini and Pepega. He told Aske that he loved him, too, and that he felt better already. In his reply, Aske revealed that he couldn't adopt the cat as the pet belonged to his father. He told Reides that he loved him, too. The following day, some time after the Champions Valoris returned to Falas, Reides peeked into the kitchens of the Outer Wall in order to see the cook who works there. He did so despite Urli's warning about the man's terrible personality. The cook was preparing some fish while Reides said hi to him, resulting in him throwing the fish at Reides and hitting him in the face with it. Reides swore in Primordial but absconded with the fish back with him to the tavern portion of the establishment. Reunited with his adventuring party and Urli, he was quick to compare his experience to Aske's experience, harkening back to when Aske was hit in the face by a fish wielded by the Kraken. After discussing Laverathian fish cuisine for a while, Jorah told Reides that he could tell Aske about the whole experience, with Kilwin agreeing that it would be a great bonding activity. Reides thought that this was a great idea and casted Sending to Aske, enthusiastically exclaiming that he got hit in the face with a fish. Aske replied with a calm "nice," then said that, barring the one time, that usually happens to him every night when he's with Reides - albeit pleasantly. The reply made Reides blush and laugh, and Urli commented that he was happy to see Reides in better spirits.

Knightfall

Reides casted Sending to Aske during one of the party's visits to the Market Terrace, asking if he knew any good romance novels and offering to share a Dream with him later. Aske recommended "The Woodcutter and the Smithy Priest," saying that he'd bet Reides never heard of that one, and accepted the Dream offer. Reides then updated Miré on his situation with Aske. He asked if she remembered the person whom he kept denying having a crush on. Miré remembered him, and Reides cheerfully admitted that he was lying back then and that the very person was his now-boyfriend, Aske. Miré, thrilled by the news and happy for Reides, druidcrafted a small saltwater flower for him, since he was sure that Aske wished he could bring Reides flowers. Reides also bought the book as per Aske's recommendation. During the party's time in Atemcester, Reides told Miré all about his first date with Aske and Miré listened to his story dreamily.

Later on, when the party played a variation of a Laverathian truth-telling game together, Reides asked Miré if he had anyone special back home in the Deytrwood. Miré struggled a bit before replying, but soon told him and the rest of the party about "a jackass" who took up residency in the forest. She admitted that, in the end, this person - a fey named Nepenthe - was more confused than malicious. She wasn't sure if they truly suited the criteria of Reides' question, however, as they were simply a friend that he thought about sometimes. Reides, recalling his experiences with Aske prior to getting together with him, understood this completely. Miré hoped to hear more about Reides' relationship with Aske, as they thought it might help them with making sense of their thoughts about Nepenthe. After the Champions parted ways after the truth-telling game, Reides tried to read "The Woodcutter and the Smithy Priest" as a means of passing time before casting Dream on Aske. Unfortunately, he was a bit too drunk to do so and barely retained anything, so he had to resolve himself to try again later on. Additionally, when he casted Dream on Aske, he was a bit too hasty with it and had to wait another hour for Aske to fall asleep. Regardless, the spell connected them successfully once Aske managed to fall asleep.

Aske found himself lying on Reides' bed in Valoris Manor, as Reides has shaped the dreamscape to look like the room. Immediately, Reides threw himself onto Aske, wrapping him in a big hug. Reides told him about the status of Villane, about his reunion with Miré (who Reides also wanted Aske to meet), and about Jorah teasing him for being "clingy," as he kept asking various innkeepers for any news from Davenport. Aske told him that he'd be unlikely to hear anything, as Davenport is a sleepy town; in response, Reides told Aske to keep it that way. Aske laughed and said he'd try his best, but pointed out that he was just one sailor in a port full of people. Reides argued that he was the best sailor, with Aske warning Reides against saying that in front of the Kraken. The two discussed the fish-slapping incident once more. Eventually, their conversation took a serious turn, as Reides confided in him that he might lose the Wreath of Persana. He told Aske that the wreath came to represent the love of his home seas to him; that it was a part of his Laverathian culture that he wished to wear with pride. Given its importance, the thought of losing it made him feel awful - and that awful feeling, in turn, made him feel selfish. Aske reassured him by saying that it's never selfish to love something, but said that he understood what Reides meant. He told him that he'd sacrifice the world for Reides' safety. Reides said that he'd do the same for Aske, and Aske nodded towards the wreath. Reides nodded, too, then said that he simply didn't want his people to hate him. He brought up his ancestor, Daiven - the previous wearer of the Wreath who was exiled from Laverathia hundreds of years ago - and Aske suggested trying to find out how Daiven felt about his own journey. Much to Aske's alarm, Reides informed Aske that he spoke to Persana about finding more information out about Daiven via a Divination spell and assured him that he'd keep working hard to learn more about his ancestor. Reides humored the thought of discussing the crest situation with his father, too, and admitted that he couldn't possibly compare his sentimentality over the wreath to the terrible things that could happen to the world if the Crests were not sacrificed. Aske admitted that he didn't know the right choice but said that he trusted Reides. He reminded him that things weren't all bad, pointing out that they were sharing a dream together and that Reides was reunited with Miré once more. Furthermore, he fully believed that Reides would make a decision that he'd be able to deal with, and that his people would be understanding even if a heirloom had to be destroyed. He said that no matter what Reides chose, it would work out. The two then discussed the book that Aske recommended to Reides and briefly talked about the truth-telling game that the Champions played that night. Visibly more at ease after talking it out, Reides told Aske that he felt more confident about talking to Khavas about the wreath. He then copied Khavas' serious, stony expression for Aske, which Aske deeply hated. After coming to the definitive conclusion that he'd talk it over in an audience with his father, Reides told Aske that he appreciated Aske's input and said that he hoped that he'd survive everything so that he could finally visit Davenport. Aske told him that he better survive everything, or else he'd kill him! The two got comfortable next to each other on the bed, and, after some time, Reides told Aske to write to him before falling asleep.

Days later, after Reides lead the party to Daiven's tomb at the bottom of Blackpool, the group of them saw a large mural of Daiven carved into its side. Reides noted that the artist endeavored to portray Daiven in the traditional Laverathian style, but it was still clearly not carved by an actual Laverathian. He interpreted this as proof that someone loved him enough to try to do so, however - and, given the nature of Laverathia's isolation, the gesture moved him to tears. As they emerged back on the surface, Ashara - who stayed behind to watch over the carriage - saw that Reides was crying and hugged him. When Reides told her everything that happened, she compared whoever carved the mural on Daiven's tomb to what Aske is to Reides.

On Yearbirth Eve, while playing with his father's cat, Rummy, Aske received a message from Reides via Sending. In it, Reides called Aske his dreamboat and wished him a happy Yearbirth. He assured him that he was doing much better. Aske said that Rummy meowed that he wanted to meet Reides, and also said that seeing Reides would make his year a lot better, too.

After defeating the Burning Knight alongside the rest of the Champions Valoris, Ashara and Reides talked about how strange it was that the world was saved, as everything seemed very much the same. Ashara pointed out that very few people knew the extent of the danger which Alethustria faced, and Reides told her that not even Aske was clued into everything. He admitted that he didn't tell Aske everything in order to protect him, and Ashara agreed that withholding information from him was likely the smart thing to do. When the Champions Valoris were depressed after Slumberjack's funeral, Reides baked a chocolate cake in order to cheer them up - in part motivated by Aske telling him that it was his favourite type of cake many months ago. Upon the completion of a formal report to his father pertaining to events on the surface, Reides also told his father - as well as Viglis - about his relationship with Aske. He said that their family met most of the surfacers who helped save Laverathia, but admitted that there was one more who saved him in ways he couldn't keep secret from them anymore. He revealed everything that Aske did to help him as well as their empire, and, in Primordial, stated that Aske had his heart. Nervous over potentially ruining all of the progress that he made with his family, Reides asked if they could accept his relationship with Aske despite its untraditional nature. In response to this, Viglis put a reassuring hand on Reides' shoulder, and Khavas told Reides that a Laverath is a Laverath, no matter who they love. Avoiding eye contact, he compared Reides and Aske's relationship to his and Arlyn's and said that, if he were to try to forbid their love, he would be no better than his father, Zinthos. Crying with gratitude, Reides told him that he was better than his father. Khavas stated that he would like to meet Aske and declared the audience over. Reides agreed to bring Aske to Laverathia in order to properly introduce him to the family. After the audience, Viglis gave Reides a big hug and noted that Seaweed-head now had a beau. Reides asked him not to tease him about Aske - especially since he'd likely get Dhudus and Lotlyn involved - but Viglis made no promises.

A few days later, Aske received a message from Reides via Sending and learnt that Reides was on his way to see him in Davenport. In his reply, Aske told Reides that he'd roll out the red carpet for him and was sure that Relius would go crazy over him. However, during the two weeks that Reides spent en route to the town, Aske didn't tell his father that he would be visiting. Once Reides arrived in Davenport, Aske and him arranged to meet in the town square and Aske spotted Reides trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue. He asked Reides if it was his first time seeing snow or if he was just thirsty, to which Reides replied that he was just thirsty. The two hugged and Reides admitted that the past month of his life was absolutely crazy. Though he didn't know the specifics, Aske assured him that he didn't have to worry about a thing from here on out. He then learnt that the rest of the Champions Valoris sent him their love and that Ashara had invited him and Reides to her upcoming wedding. Together, the two of them held hands, with Aske leading the way to what he called "Chateau Chales."

Upon their arrival at Aske and Relius' house, Reides asked if he could go meet Rose, as her grave was situated in the house's front yard. Aske told him that he could, and Reides did so. After letting Reides talk quietly to his mother, Aske put his arm around him and led him inside the house itself. Reides worried that he should have brought Relius a present, but Aske assured him that it was fine. Right as they entered, Aske called out to Relius and said that he brought a present for him - irking Reides in the process. Excited for his present, Relius descended the house's staircase from its second story and was very shocked to see Reides. It was then that Reides realized that Aske didn't tell his father about his visit, which utterly horrified him. Regardless, Aske was happy to see Reides meet Relius and Rummy, even if Pepega didn't take to the cat quite as well. He commented that Relius and Reides made quite the pair as the group of them relocated to the living room of the house. Once there, Reides asked the Chales family if it would be okay for him to stay with them in Davenport for a while, offering to pay if necessary. Relius dismissed his offer and said that Reides was more than welcome to live with them for no charge at all. He also embarrassed Aske when he said that he was expecting this, as Aske had mentioned the possibility of it in the event of Reides ever visiting them. Aske then learnt that Reides recently took on an apprentice who would likely want to visit Davenport, which prompted him to joke that Reides would need to rent extra space for magic lessons so as to avoid burning the house down. He then leaned against Reides and said that he was fine with him staying in the house, too.

A Respite

In the following months, Aske spent a lot of time with Reides. He took Reides out to sea on his personal boat, the Starsong, very often, and fished while Reides practiced his painting and, eventually, his lyre-playing. He met Reides' apprentice, Dillan, and struck up a close bond with him - giving him the nickname "Pickle." In order to facilitate Reides' teleportation spell to Davenport, Aske gifted him a silver, shell-shaped locket, which could open up to hold a smaller shell inside of it. This small shell would be replaced from Davenport's shores as often as was needed for the teleportation spell to work. Reides eventually told him that his family accepted their relationship and invited him on a trip to the Coralpeak Citadel. The very concept of meeting the rest of the Laveraths was extremely daunting to Aske, but, despite his worries, he accepted Reides' invitation. In preparation for the trip, he was gifted a Cloak of the Manta Ray from Reides, but Reides still casted his water breathing spell on him as an extra safety net. Once in Aquos, Aske tasted a variety of Laverathian cuisine and was welcomed into the family by the Laveraths. Upon Khavas' insistence, he began taking lessons in Primordial from Reides and, in return, Aske taught Reides how to communicate in Elvish.

Furthermore, Aske attended Ashara's wedding with Reides. The event was the first time that the Champions Valoris had reconvened in quite some time, and Kilwin gifted Reides a stick of incense from Cowersby so that he could use it as a teleportation focus to the town in the future. Reides showed the shell that he used for teleporting to Davenport to the rest of the party, and Aske commented that they'd need to add Kilwin's incense to Reides' ever-growing pile of teleportation focuses when they returned home. Reides admitted that it was becoming quite the hoard. During the ceremony, Aske walked up the aisle with Reides and wished him luck right before Reides took his place as one of Ashara's bridesmen. Afterwards, Aske asked him what he thought of his first surfacer wedding. Reides said it was beautiful, but Aske teased him and said that he must like the Laverathian ones better. In particular, Reides was fascinated by the surface's custom of exchanging rings, since it was impossible for him to wear them with his webbed fingers. As he walked away to the food table, Aske joked that he had to make a return. At some point in the evening, Aske was pulled aside by Grinlief, who thanked him and the Kraken again for their help at the remembrance ceremony.

Aske also helped Reides with making preparations for the memorial service dedicated to those lost during the Stormbringing Festival of 598 and the subsequent Siege of the Coralpeak Citadel. He could not attend the ceremony itself, however, as Relius had to go off on a trip around the same time as it and Aske was tasked with taking over his father's carpentry duties. When Reides learnt that the vortex within the Forsaken Gulf was growing, he decided to inform Eurystheos and the Kraken about it. In particular, he wanted to tell the Kraken so that he could keep the crew of the Desperado - including Aske - safe from it.

When the Champions Valoris met up again for a reunion at the Outer Wall, Kilwin successfully casted Scry on a portrait of his mother which Reides painted for him. He was looking at her and her surroundings until a hooded man with a long, sharp tooth looked at the spell's sensor and casted Dispel Magic. Kilwin recognized this man as the figure from Aske's memory, which Reides Encoded and shared with the members of the Champions Valoris who could stomach seeing the death of Rose. Upon sharing this with Reides, Reides was deeply alarmed, as he had been trying to look for information regarding Rose's killer for months and had come up with nothing. The information that he was alive and actively harming Kilwin's mother sent him into a panic, and he was torn over telling Aske about it or not. Kilwin urged him not to, as the situation was not concrete enough to worry him over. Reides still went back and forth over what to do with the knowledge, as he wanted to do right by his promise to help avenge Rose but he also didn't want to rush blindly into anything, especially since he wanted to protect Aske and Relius from the man. Jorah encouraged him to look after Aske, and Reides soon agreed that he would let Kilwin and Jorah hunt down additional leads. Once he calmed down, Reides casted Sending to Aske, attempting to sound as normal as he could. He informed Aske that the ceremony went well and told him that he was hanging out with his friends, but that he'd be home soon and that he loved him. Aske replied to the message, telling Reides to tell the Champions that he said hello. He also said that he loved Reides and that he was making a present for him.

Character Information

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 Champions Valoris and the Desperado's captain. This meeting resulted in the Champions Valoris chartering the Desperado for passage to the outskirts of Laverathia. During the voyage, Aske did his part as a member of the ship's crew and helped the group of adventurers with arriving safely in Laverathian waters. After responding to Reides' confession of love with one of his own, he waited with the rest of his crewmates within the eye of the storm. Once the storm cleared up and Aske recieved good news from Reides regarding the fate of Laverathia and his family, Aske set off with his crewmates to his hometown of Davenport.

Later on, when Reides casted Dream on Aske in order to spend time with him, he revealed that he was invited to Emperor Karseidon's remembrance ceremony and that he wanted Aske to join him there in Falas as his date. Aske accepted Reides' invitation immediately, saying that he'd be wherever Reides wanted him to be, at any time. Aske then successfully travelled all the way to Falas from Davenport, chartering a ship in order to do so. He met Reides and, after buying a formal outfit which complemented Reides' formal outfit, attended the remembrance ceremony with him. After enjoying some time with Reides and teaching his boyfriend a sailor jig during the ballroom dance, Aske spent most of the night hanging out with the Kraken and keeping Grinlief hidden from his father. He also offered support to Reides when he needed it following the Champion Valoris' fight against Keld Norre. After the ceremony, Reides asked Aske about the circumstances surrounding his mother's murder, which Aske provided. He also agreed to let Reides use Detect Thoughts on him so that he could see the memory and potentially find the person who killed her.

With Reides' help, Aske handled the bulk of the preparations for the Champion Valoris' after-party at the Outer Wall, telling Reides about a renown bard known as the Songbird and managing to hire the bard's services for the party. When Reides extended an invitation to Aquos to Aske as thanks for being willing to share secrets from his past, Aske had to think it over, as he was under the "silly" impression that Reides would have met his father first (as opposed to him meeting Reides' mother first), but ultimately accepted. The meeting went well and, during his visit to Aquos, Aske saw the Coralpeak Citadel for the first time.

Aske supports Reides' goal of finding out more information about the death of his mother, though he has acknowledged that it happened a long time ago and is trying not to put too much pressure on him.

Abilities

As a member of the Desperado, Aske is a highly competent fisherman and seafarer. He demonstrated his skills at sea when he aided the Champions Valoris 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.

Likely related to his seafaring expertise, Aske also knows a variety of sailors' dances. He taught at least two different dances to Reides, one of which was taught to him in the Falassian palace's Sunshaft Ballroom.

Relationships

Aske and Reides

Art of Reides and Aske, by cat-terpillar

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 Champions Valoris, 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 was very relieved to hear from Reides a few days later on, during which he learnt that his boyfriend was safe and that his home seas were saved. He was horrified to hear that Reides almost died during the Siege, but that horror gave way for pride when Reides told him that he was officially Laverathia's ambassador. It turned out that their reunion was going to be a lot sooner than expected, too, as Reides was invited to Emperor Karseidon's remembrance ceremony. Reides told Aske that the ceremony could potentially get dangerous due to some "work things" that he had to do with the Champions Valoris, but Aske still immediately agreed to be his date for the occassion. From Davenport, he chartered passage to Rivermouth and journeyed to Falas, where the two met up once more. The ceremony was not without its dangers, and Aske ended up learning more details about Reides' quest - namely, that him and the rest of the Champions Valoris were trying to thwart a demonic cult's attempts at resurrecting an ancient evil. But it was also not without its joys, as Aske taught Reides sailor dances, and the two enjoyed setting up a fantastic after-party for each other and their mutual friends.

During his time in Falas, Aske also entrusted Reides with the details surrounding the murder of his mother, as Reides wished to investigate the crime and potentially get some answers during the course of his journey. Aske agreed to let Reides use Detect Thoughts in order to do so, and also gave him his permission to share it with his companions via Encode Thoughts. Reides thanked Aske for trusting him by bringing him along with him on a quick trip to Aquos via Teleportation Circle. Aske met Arlyn and learnt quite a lot about triton culture, going so far as aiding Reides with setting up a shrine to Persana back at the Valoris Manor. When it was once again time for them to go their separate ways, the two promised to see each other soon and shared a kiss.

Aske and the Kraken

Aske has worked on the Kraken’s ship for years and maintains a high degree of respect for her. At times, he gets quite nervous around her, as she is an incredibly strict captain who expects the Desperado to be functioning at her best at all times. Her intimidating nature doesn't stop Aske from trying to skirt the rules occasionally, as was shown when he aided Reides with stowing away on the Desperado without telling her. Due to a misunderstanding, she slapped him with a fish, once - but he doesn't hold it against her and seems to enjoy telling the story.

Aske spent quite a lot of time with the Kraken during Emperor Karseidon's remembrance ceremony, as their respective dates were preoccupied with a task issued to them by Emperor Eurystheos. The two drank together, and Aske successfully convinced the Kraken to help him with keeping Grinlief hidden from his father. At the after-party, Aske and the Kraken shared information about their past voyages over drinks with Jorah and Reides.

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."
• "Reides... I'll be anywhere you want. At any time."
• "Things you've left behind can still follow you."
• " Be safe. Be strong. Hold fast."

Trivia

• Aske is featured in many of the Reides-centric short stories written so far. He is mentioned in the first and the sixth short stories, and he is a central character in the second, the eighth, and the nineth.
• Even though Aske played a role in Reides’ pre-campaign backstory, Jamie didn't want to know more about him than Reides did. As such, they didn't name Aske, since Reides didn't 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" both within and outside of the campaign. Furthermore, Jamie did not come up with any of the details about Aske's backstory beyond him being a fisher from a port town.
• In the context of the campaign, Reides' first reference to Aske was made during in Session 13. The two of them reunited in Session 66.
• 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).
• 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.

Gallery

• 
  Portait of Aske, by cat-terpillar.
• 
  Aske and Reides, by cat-terpillar.
• 
  Art of Aske and Reides, by cat-terpillar.
• 
  Aske and Reides, by bbspiinchh.
• 
  Art of Aske and Reides in their formalwear, by vampesque.
• 
  Art of Aske and Grinlief's first meeting, drawn by Rachel
• 
  Tarot card art of Aske, by bbspiinchh.

External Links

• Aske's Spotify playlist.
• Aske and Reides' Spotify playlist.