Altair Aquila

Out of Character (tell us just just a bit about you outside RP)

Name:Sub


In Character

Name: Altair Aquila
Age: 60
Gender: Male
Blood Rank: Pureblood
House: Ravenclaw
School: 3 years at Durmstrang, 4 years leading to graduation at Hogwarts
Career: Has no true need to work, but has been a mercenary, duelist, and teacher throughout his many years. Has offered his services per diem as a dueling teacher to various schools.



Your Class: Dueling
School: Doesn't prescribe to just one school due to constant travel



Parents: (Both deceased)
Grandparents: (Both deceased)
Siblings: None
Aunts and Uncles: Alcyone Xylander and Phobos Aquila
Nieces and Nephews: None
Cousins: Draco and Maia Xylander; Alshain Aquila
Children: Calliope Mars
Grandkids: Corvus Darrow, Cygnus Darrow, Columba Mars



Skin color: Pale to light tan
Hair Color: Medium auburn (presently graying)
Hair length: Short
Eye color: Blue
Size: 5' 10"
Build: Not too imposing, but more than able to put up a good fight
Picture:




Crushes: None
Mates/Spouse: Andromeda
Status: Widower



Personality: Altair Aquila is an interesting specimen. Coming from an old Wizarding family, there is much pride. Sometimes he is too prideful and unwilling to accept help. On the other hand his presence and voice can be described as soothing, kindly... almost humble. Music, defense, meditation, and creatures are his passions. Altair considers his mild gift as a Seer to be a mixed blessing.

Level-headed, patient, and meditative would be apt words to describe Altair's general disposition, despite a dark streak. Logic and strategy dictate many but not all of his actions. As a result he occasionally over-thinks his move to the point where he becomes almost emotionless in his verdicts. Altair can be fickle towards himself and sometimes to others, when he inadvertently sets the bar of expectation much too high. His temper is not to be trifled with: if pushed too far, a rarity in itself, the wizard can be as outright violent as a hurricane.

Most outside the family would describe Altair as a wise fatherly or grandfatherly figure. He does not often offer his advice unless he feels the person needs it, following the expression, "when the student is ready, the master appears."



Your Story Please? Ever since Altair was a boy, it was clear that there was at least a touch of Seer in him. He is also gifted with the ability to speak to birds, very much in the way that Salazaar Slytherin's descendants could speak and understand Parseltongue. Only select members of his family, the pureblooded Aquila lineage, possessed that talent.

His marriage to Andromeda was loosely arranged. To the couple's credit they took to the other well, and when it came time to say their vows they genuinely meant them. Aquila and Andromeda were married in a quiet ceremony upon a large, floating gazebo in the middle of a vast lake. The wedding reception was similarly held outdoors.

A few years into marriage they began trying to conceive a child. The young couple learned that deliberately trying to accomplish this was a tricky feat, indeed. Frustration boiled within both parties at the lack of success, and their parents were starting to insistently clamor for grandchildren. After several more years, Andromeda finally conceived: a daughter, whom they named Calliope.

Time came and went as it usually did, and with staggering amounts of surprise at the time flown by and pride Altair saw his daughter graduate from Hogwarts. He did have one concern for Calliope as she eventually decided to venture forth on her own. This concern manifested in the form of a man: Ajax Darrow. As a protective father Altair noticed how this lad behaved in the presence of Calliope, and didn't like it.

When Calliope went missing, Altair's sixth sense just knew that Ajax Darrow had something to do with it. In due course he was proven correct, but it took two long years - a hellish eternity to a worried father - to find Calliope. Altair was an instrumental component of the task force that had set out to find the young witch, subduing Ajax with barely-restrained force. Once Ajax was taken into custody he then saw to his daughter... and her twin sons. A strong hatred went out to Ajax as Altair learned what had been done: his daughter abducted and blindly forced into a semblance of marriage, and then unwanted motherhood.

Although Altair has some love of children he could not bring himself to love the twins Calliope had birthed. By his reasoning the children were more Darrow than they were Aquila, and Calliope also wanted nothing to do with them. Even if Altair's hatred for Ajax not carried over to the twins he would not have kept them, out of respect to Calliope. If she were to accept his offer to a return to the safety of her family home, having the boys around would simply distress her further. Ergo, it became Altair's first order of business to find a home for the children. He found them a good home with their paternal grandparents and did not anticipate ever seeing them again.

But Altair did run into them again. By this time Calliope had long since married a muggle, Jonathan Mars, and Altair respected her decision to stay away from the magical world even though it also pained him. The Darrow boys came to Altair independently, asking to learn from his wisdom. Time had changed Altair's outlook somewhat on the two young wizards, and he accepted them into the fold. Corvus did well in his lessons though tended to stray. Cygnus, by contrast, struggled much but remained steadfastly loyal, almost as if this loyalty was derived from a hope that Cygnus might be able to change Altair. It was no secret to his apprentices that there was a dark streak within the wizard, if one looked hard enough. Cygnus went on to become a member of the Ministry's Department of Mysteries, though still kept in touch.

Corvus, unlike his brother, stayed on to learn further teachings from Altair. Some of their ideals were the same, while others were drastically different. For all of Altair's gifts as a Seer he had been unable to foresee the danger that would come from sharing his wisdom with the younger wizard. A premonition too little too late came to Altair one midnight - a terrible premonition. It disturbed him from his sleep, and continued to nag at his mind as he tried to shrug it off as a dream. And so he was forced to investigate.

Altair found Corvus amidst a dark ritual. Normally, as Altair taught both light and at least awareness of the dark, he wouldn't have minded. But this ritual in particular was deliberately to be off-limits because there was too much risk involved in its casting. Adding this to a rather long list that Altair had denied for years, he had regrettably come to the conclusion that this grandson had become too evil, and needed to be stopped. However Corvus learned his lessons well, and Altair failed - this time - to stop the lad.

Increasing worry as to what Corvus would do with his learned abilities bombarded Altair. Something needed to be done. He did not want to kill the young man, but coercion to the other side would likely be impossible. Cygnus had tried something similar with Altair himself, and failed. Before Altair could try to once again intervene and coax Corvus toward a path less evil, the young wizard attacked the Aquila estate. Thankfully, only Altair and his wife Andromeda were in the spacious home at the time. In cold blood Corvus had first killed Andromeda, to Altair's great torment, and then rounded on Altair himself. An epic duel followed. Only by a thread and the sheer will to live did Altair manage to survive.

Cousins Draco and Maia Xylander tended to Altair's wounds, and until his estate was properly repaired the wizard stayed with them. There was a quiet funeral for Andromeda. That was about when the insomnia truly started. Saddened yet hardened by the loss of his wife, Altair made one final vow to his late wife. At whatever the cost Altair vowed that he would avenge her death, seeking revenge upon Corvus Darrow. The precise details, he admitted, were unknown but would in due course present themselves. Altair visits his wife's grave thrice yearly: once on her birthday, a second time on her death day, and the third upon the morning of Christmas.

Some time after that, Calliope had given her husband, Jonathan Mars, a daughter. The girl was named Columba. It pained Altair that Calliope would not let her daughter near anything magical. He made it his mission to attempt to coax Calliope to allow little magical things to slip through the cracks, though he was insistently disallowed to speak to Columba. After much debate between father and daughter did they come to an agreement: Altair may observe Cole from a distance but must not in any way interfere unless either dire circumstances or Jon's death were to occur. To this day Altair has yet to truly meet his granddaughter, but he has blatantly watched over her and made certain he was kept at least marginally within her sight. In some ways, Columba (preferring to be called Cole, he had learned) was very much a second daughter to him.

Upon hearing of the death of Jonathan Mars, Altair immediately went to Calliope. He helped his daughter prepare the funeral, and had a strong feeling that she would prevent her own child from returning to school. He was right. After much persuasion between him and the Head of Ravenclaw House, a man named Gabriel Hall, they managed to only just persuade her otherwise. He did not yet bring up the fact that by their agreement he could deliberately meet and speak with Cole, knowing that dangling this fact over Calliope's head would do more harm than good.

At present, Altair has decided to teach dueling. Although he travels to the different magical schools his focus this year is on Hogwarts. It is his intention to eventually make deliberate contact with Cole and, if she would be willing, to take her on as his apprentice. He did not want to once again involve family in his vengeance against Corvus... but something within Altair told him that Cole would need to be prepared for the coming storm.



Magic Specialty: Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, and Care of Magical Creatures
Favorite Spell: Protego Totalum and Cave Inimicum


Weakness:
- His loved ones (includes family and any apprentices he becomes fond of)
- Expects too much of himself (and sometimes of others as well)
- Tendency to over-think things
- Violent temper
- Occasionally too proud/has problems accepting help
- Frequently suffers from insomnia


Strengths:
+ Level-headed (in most cases)
+ Patient
+ Logic and strategy
+ Seer
+ Dueling (magical as well as armed/unarmed muggle martial arts)
+ Musically inclined

Favorite Color: Navy blue
Theme song: Dream On by Aerosmith