Aerys Velaryon

Aerys Velaryon is the son of Corlys Velaryon and Queen Visaera Targaryen, and is a Prince of the Iron Throne. Elusive and enigmatic, he serves as the Hand of the King in an unlikely position of decisive power within the Royal Court.

Appearance and Character
Aerys, the Sphinx, is a figure known for his detached benevolence. Like a priest out of cloak, where the holy word is the bloody history of man, there is a shrouded horizon within his patient stare. He looks to the dead for guidance, finding truth in the constructs of greater men come and gone. With a head full of light and a heart full of thorns, he smothers his disfigured past in favor of a brighter future. A highly capable but fickle savant, the Velaryon’s capacity is frequently challenged by his behavior but defended by his results.

Unlike his extended family who excel in charismatic and martial pursuits, Aerys wields his pen and mind alone. His slight build illustrates a life in study, toiling upon tomes with his neck bent and eyes wide. His generous height of 6’3’’ is warped by poor posture, lithe figure shrouded in sheaves of white. His choice in color, with pale skin and pallid hair make him look as if he is fading away, moving slowly and strangely through his days. The owlish intellectual is often misunderstood as imposing, his violet eyes unchangingly open, his expression most often an empty mask.

History
Aerys was born in early 409 A.C. to Visaera Targaryen and Corlys Velaryon. The Queen birthed him on Dragonstone, where he remained for a time with his mother, before both rejoined the court in King's Landing later that year.

With Visaera the sitting monarch, it was apparent that young Aerys would need a wetnurse. Eventually it was decided that Perriane Darke would serve in this function - the sister of one of Corlys' companions, the current Warden of the Bastion.

The boy took to her well, though he remained a quiet, reclusive creature: it was apparent right away that Aerys was not a usual boy. He did not seem to laugh or cry as other children did, nor did he play with the same gusto of his similarly aged nieces and nephews. An egg was placed into his cradle, but it remained dormant for quite some time - until it finally birthed the dragon Wraith in 411 A.C.

As Aerys grew his differences became more pronounced; he took to reading swiftly, possessing a boundless appetite for knowledge. Still largely insociable, he clung to his father, who soon took him under his wing.

This carried on until a spurned Visaera found reason to send Aerys to Driftmark, silencing the bond between father and son in favor of a tutelage under Aurane Velaryon, a tutelage warmed over by Vaemond II Velaryon, who played the part of both brother and proxy conscience to the emotionally stunted child.

By his return, Corlys had been declared dead by illness, planting the early seeds for the boys hobbyist obsession with the physiological sciences, expanding his scholarly knowledge. However, the further into the books he set his mind, the farther his mind went from the present. By the time of his second return to Kings Landing, his emotional distance was immeasurable.

Despite his stunted expression, his interest in the realm was proven during his participation in several events. The first of these trials was the Great Synod of Lannisport, participating as a peace-speaker amidst a tenuous Council; consequently, he is often referred to as the one of the minds behind the sundering of the Starry Rites.

Previous to the Second Hammer Uprising, Aerys served as the Master of Laws. In it's aftermath, Rhaenyra Targaryen found reason to exile Perceon Vance from his position as Hand of the King, convincing King Aegon VII that it was Aerys who would be best suited for the role. Given his accolades for mental and political acuity, the rationale that bound his outlook only supplemented this claim.

To the present day he wears this role, performing amiably by results -- if not extensively questioned for his eccentric and reclusive means.

Rumours
Due to the strange circumstances around Aerys' birth, there are rumours that there was more to it than meets the eye. Visaera's seclusion post-pregnancy had some believing the birthing had been hard on her, and she wished to hide her weakness, whilst others looked to the swiftly arranged marriage between Corlys and Visaera, wondering if perhaps it was a cover-up for an earlier affair.

Other rumours swirl as well, of course; some stating the child was birthed by blood magic, gained from the deaths of Maekar and Maegor, or that his true father was Daeron Targaryen or even Lucerys. Various names are suggested, some more shocking and vile than others. In the end, neither Visaera nor Corlys seem to view the boy as anything save kin.

Family

 * Princess Visaera Targaryen, his mother, Princess of Dragonstone b. 369 A.C.
 * m. Prince Aemon Targaryen, his uncle, Prince of Dragonstone b. 371 A.C. d. 405 A.C.
 * Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, his half-brother, b.387 A.C.
 * m. Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, his half-sister, b. 387 A.C
 * Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, his niece, b. 408 A.C
 * Prince Aegon Targaryen, his nephew, b. 411 A.C.
 * Prince Aerion Targaryen, his nephew, b. 412 A.C.
 * Prince Baelor Targaryen, his nephew, b. 415 A.C.
 * Prince Daemon Targaryen, his nephew, b. 416 A.C.
 * Prince Naerys Targaryen, his niece, b. 418 A.C.
 * Prince Laenor Targaryen, his half-brother, b. 388 A.C.
 * m. Meria Martell, his sister-by-law, b. 381 A.C.
 * House Martell
 * Princess Aelinor Targaryen, his half-sister, b. 389 A.C.
 * Prince Viserys Targaryen, his half-brother, b. 402 A.C.
 * m. Ser Corlys Velaryon, his father, b. 382 A.C.
 * m. Prince Aerys Velaryon b. 409 A.C.