Overview
Aldred Behn is a historical head of the Xalmyrran Council in ancient Xalmyrra and a prodigious fire and air mage based in Irrathis. He gives the displaced atraxi sanctuary in exchange for their skills, later orders the pure-blooded atraxi away as their essence use corrupts Xalmyrra, and dies fighting Jorhan so Xalmyrran survivors can escape.
Appearance
Aldred is tall and orange-haired. Before he takes up the spiral shard, he is already old but unusually strong in essence; afterward, the shard restores his youth, strengthens his movement, and greatly intensifies his aura. He wears council robes, then muted gray and blue robes after the shard transformation.
History
When the atraxi arrive over the Aethrendar Sea and settle in Irrathis, Xoltan formally welcomes them and Aldred gives them housing, survival resources, and a place in Xalmyrra's work. Belanor has a temporal magic affinity, and Aldred later considers him a future council head.
Aldred teaches Belanor that the council monitors essence overuse and corruption, then brings him beneath the council hall to a sealed place the council head must protect. The chamber has opened, revealing a gate and a spiral-shaped object. When Aldred picks up the object, it transforms him into a spiral shard wielder, restores his vitality, and gives him enough power to seal the chamber again. Aldred and Belanor keep the incident secret.
As the atraxi condition and essence overuse worsen, Aldred travels to Valcirae, Varentis, and Zeydrith and consults Orin, Khoradyn, and Therion. He also calls on Xelthys in the council hall; she appears before Aldred, Belanor, and Xandor and argues that the atraxi do not belong in Xalmyrra. Her familiarity with the council comes from her work in Xalmyrra: Sariel tasked her with watching over the nation, and the council knew her as Xelthys. Corrupted villages, ebon wraiths, and spreading darkness creatures follow from atraxi essence overuse. He lets half-atraxi stay, considers them human, and orders the pure-blooded atraxi to move west.
Jorhan returns from the western island with another spiral shard and declares that the atraxi will rule the world. Aldred attacks Jorhan in the council hall, shattering the Imperial Institute, and drives the battle into the sky while Xalmyrra's leaders and civilians flee. Jorhan eventually overpowers him. Aldred dies in a burst of essence, and Jorhan takes Aldred's shard.
Shard Aftermath
The Xalmyrran Council was founded to protect the secrets beneath Irrathis, including the sealed shard that Aldred later wielded. The council founder placed the shard there. Sariel takes both spiral shards to Xalmyrra, leaves the Irrathis shard under the council's protection, seals the other shard on the western island, and asks Hrzai to watch over Xalmyrra. Jorhan uses Aldred's shard and his own to create Xalmyrra's storms, darkness, and repeating cycles. Aldred was one of the strongest human mages to have lived.