Character
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Aetius Pestage stands tall and broad-shouldered, built with the disciplined strength of a trained duelist rather than a brute soldier. His frame is athletic and balanced, every movement controlled and economical, as though even stillness is intentional. Black hair, with streaks of silver, rests thick and slightly longer on top, brushed back with natural volume rather than styled for vanity, giving him a composed but unpretentious look. His chin is clean-shaven, showing a sharp jawline and strong cheekbones, framing features that are clean, symmetrical, and unmistakably noble. His eyes are a haunting purple, steady and assessing, carrying an intensity that feels measured rather than emotional, as if he is constantly calculating without ever appearing hurried. He favors tailored, dark clothing in charcoal and black, structured and fitted without ornamentation, the attire of a disciplined aristocrat who values precision over display. Even without typical Imperial Knight armor, he projects quiet authority and contained power, as a blade sheathed but always aligned, a man entirely aware of his strength and entirely in control of it.
INVENTORY
Silver-White lightsaber, called Last Writ, with a minimalist hilt designed for precision dueling, maintained personally and never modified for show.
A worn, leatherbound notebook used for handwritten quotes, marginalia, and diagrams of ancient symbols, treated with the same care as a weapon.
PERSONALITY AND BELIEFS
Aetius does not strive to dominate a room. He simply occupies it, and the room recalibrates. His authority is not loud. It is inevitable. He speaks rarely and without ornament, and what he says tends to land as a decision rather than persuasion. He has a talent for calm that unsettles people who rely on intimidation, because it leaves them nothing to hook into. Praise does not move him. Insults do even less. He is not warm, but he is not cruel for sport, either. He chooses his moments with a predatory patience, and when he acts, it is clean and final.
He is comfortable with power, and he does not pretend otherwise. He views authority as a tool, one that should be held by those capable of governing themselves. He expects competence, rewards loyalty, and corrects failure without fury. Betrayal is different. Betrayal is not punished theatrically. It is removed. In private, he can be unexpectedly dry in humor and sparing in affection, but even then, he remains guarded, as if intimacy is another strategic frontier that must be secured rather than surrendered.
Aetius believes the Empire can be restored, but not through Sith domination. He aligns himself with Imperial Remnant factions that reject the Sith outright, and he holds to the conviction that order without restraint becomes tyranny, while freedom without structure becomes predation. He is not driven by nostalgia for banners. He is driven by the belief that civilization requires order, and that a lawful imperial center, purged of dark side rot, is preferable to Sith rule. His interest in archaic and pre-Jedi history is not academic vanity. He studies those fragments to understand the Force before it was carved into light and dark, seeking a philosophy of discipline that does not demand denial and does not excuse indulgence.
STRENGTHS
Command Presence
Aetius inspires obedience without shouting. He issues clear objectives, reads the temper of allies and crowds with ease, and anchors morale by standing visibly where pressure is highest.
Elite Duelist
A Bladesman in the truest sense, he favors precision forms and minimal movement, punishing overextension and ending fights with controlled, economical strikes rather than extended exchanges.
Iron Will
He resists intimidation, provocation, and emotional manipulation with uncommon steadiness. His focus does not fracture easily, even under the psychic pressure of dark side opponents.
Scholar of Archaic Lore
His study of pre-Jedi and archaic Force writings grants him an unusual perspective, meditative methods, and interpretive insight that many modern Force users never encounter.
WEAKNESSES
Cold Restraint
His measured nature can read as distant or severe. Allies who need reassurance may find him difficult to approach, and political partners may mistake his silence for contempt.
Overconfidence in Control
Aetius trusts discipline as the solution to most problems. In situations that demand improvisation, emotional rapport, or messy diplomacy, his preference for order can become a liability.
Burden of Restoration
He carries the idea of rebuilding as a personal obligation. This makes him stubborn, slow to abandon failing positions, and prone to taking responsibility that should be shared.
Fixation on the Past
His devotion to archaic knowledge can draw him into dangerous places, forbidden collections, and old sects, and it can distract him from the immediate demands of politics and war.
HISTORY
Aetius Pestage was born on Ciutric IV, raised beneath the shadow of Imperial institutions that his family had served for generations. House Pestage held fast through the age of fragmentation, aligning with Imperial authority as a matter of identity rather than convenience. His childhood was patrician and disciplined, structured by tutors, etiquette, and the expectation that he would embody the family's reputation for stability. Even then, he was different. He had a talent for stillness, a hard focus, and a stubborn refusal to be bent by peers or circumstance. When his Force sensitivity manifested, his family treated it as both responsibility and opportunity, arranging mentorship through Imperial Knights who could shape that gift without surrendering it to Sith corruption.
Under Imperial Knight instruction, Aetius refined himself into a duelist of uncommon precision. He became a skilled practitioner of the fifth form, Djem So; his blade work carried a cold elegance that looked effortless until it was too late. At the same time, he developed an appetite for archaic knowledge. He pursued pre-Jedi texts, half-translated fragments, and obscure Force philosophies that predated modern orthodoxies, searching for principles of discipline and equilibrium that could survive the collapse of institutions. To Aetius, the past was not nostalgia. It was a blueprint.
Ciutric IV became his proving ground when the independent Sith warlord Darth Zolmog invaded the system, descending upon the capital with terror and spectacle. With planetary forces strained and local leadership shaken, Aetius fought alongside the defenders, coordinating resistance where he could and taking the field where he must. The campaign ended in the shattered corridors of the governor's citadel, where he confronted Zolmog directly. The Sith sought to overwhelm him with fury and raw power. Aetius refused the invitation to rage, held to disciplined form, and struck decisively when Zolmog overextended, slaying the warlord in a duel that sealed his reputation and saved his homeworld.
In the aftermath, Aetius aligned himself with Imperial Remnant factions that reject the Sith and seek a restored Galactic Empire without dark side rule. For his efforts, the other imperials called him 'The Blade of Ciutric'. He carries the conviction that order is worth defending, but that any empire that relies on corruption will rot from within. He moves now as a crimson sentinel and a Core noble, a bladesman and a scholar, determined to rebuild something enduring, and determined that it will not be built on fear alone.
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