The Ethereal


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Zalroven Talerabis III, mostly known by his nickname The Ethereal and addressed as His Etherealness, is the ruler of the kingdom of Temptera. He is a boss in Chaos Theory and an important NPC in Prelude To Chaos. He commands the Civitis Elite, his personal royal guard, against an attack against the capital of Temptera.

= Appearance = The Ethereal is a tall, aged man with a long, white beard and slicked back hair. He has a large pair of white wings and a halo. On his head he wears a crown that reaches down the sides of his head, adorned with a blue gemstone at the top. He is clad in a long silver coat with ornate details, long tassels and large shoulder pads.

= Personality = As the ruler of Temptera, The Ethereal is incredibly wise. He commands the armies of Temptera with incredible competence, all while being a skilled fighter himself. However, he generally tries to hide his emotions, as to not appear weak to the people.

= Story =

Zalroven Talerabis III inherited the throne of Temptera from his father, Zalroven Talerabis II. He quickly became an incredible leader, allowing the kingdom to expand and develop massively, and he eventually earned his nickname: The Ethereal. He married and had a son, Zalroven IV, who was to take the throne after him. The Queen later died of unknown circumstances, while Zalroven quickly went down a dark path. Zalroven eventually came to attempt to usurp the throne from The Ethereal, stealing his weapon and family heirloom, the Timerender, in the process. Zalroven's attempt was stopped, and The Ethereal made the difficult decision to exile his son from the kingdom.

The current iteration of The Ethereal's personal guard, the Civitis Elite, were all handpicked by him. He even personally battled one member, Aestrus Hallowsaw, who respected The Ethereal's strength so much that he joined the Elite.

When the Tower is attacked by Zalroven and Cyril, The Ethereal commands the Civitis Elite and the armies against it. He eventually appears himself as Zalroven gets his hands on the mysterious artifact in the research lab. He says that it has been 150 years since they last met, and that taking the artifact would spell his doom. Zalroven brushes it off and The Ethereal attemps to stop him. Before The Ethereal can intervene, Zalroven disappears. More mad than usual, The Ethereal orders the Elite to tend to the wounded before swiftly exiting.

Five days later, The Ethereal meets the Elite in the Tower's rooftop garden. He explains to them that the artifact must be retrieved at all costs, and that they've tracked it down to a city block in No Man's Land. He reveals to the Elite that the man who attacked them was his exiled son, Zalroven IV.

The Civitis Elite eventually return with both the artifact, and Zalroven IV's body. The Ethereal tells them that he will not shed tears and that Zalroven will receive a proper funeral. He then explains to the party that the artifact is the core of a god named Oshjin who will reset the world and has done so countless times, and that they had been researching it in an attempt to rid the world of him. As the Elite hand over the orb, it begins to glow and The Ethereal attempts to attack with his returned Timerender, to no avail, and Oshjin awakens. The Ethereal attacks Oshjin, who catches the blade in his hand and shatters it. After the Elite fail to stop Oshjin, The Ethereal attacks again, pushing Oshjin out of the garden and to the skies above Civitis.

The Ethereal swears to protect his people, even if it is pointless, and the two fight. No matter what he does, The Ethereal cannot do any harm to Oshjin, and in a last ditch effort, he stops time. Oshjin however, is unaffected, and grabs the Ethereal by the neck. He commends The Ethereal for his strength, before sending him flying back down to the Garden.

In the garden, The Ethereal apologizes for being unable to protect his people and his son. He then has a realization and asks for the Elite to extend their hands. He channels the last of his energy, creating a mysterious, clear diamond that holds the memories of himself, the Elite, and their world, and erases it from time in hopes that it can survive Oshjin's reset for the people of the next world to find. He is then consumed along with the rest of the world.

The Tower and part of Civitis are brought back as an illusion in Aevum via Oshjin's power. When the Expedition Team and Vinth reach Oshjin's orb in the garden, it turns a replica of The Ethereal's body. The Ethereal's powerful soul is able to wrest control of this replica and speak to the party, albeit briefly, stating that the light is beyond their comprehension and revealing the name "The Originator" before Oshjin regains control. Oshjin then fights the party and Vinth with the copy, but is defeated. The Ethereal then gains control one final time, telling the party that perhaps they are the ones who will break the curse before vanishing for good.

= Abilities = The Ethereal is immensely powerful. He specializes in magic that manipulates time, allowing him to stop time, freeze others in time, or affect the flow of time around him. Being the emperor of the snowy lands of Temptera, he also possesses an array of abilities that utilize ice and storms- Including the ability to create a small ice storm to ensnare opponents. He does, however, possess a wide variety of other spells and abilities besides that.

Having had the Timerender stolen from him by his son, he instead wields a frost-infused flail as his primary weapon.

= Quotes =
 * "You... You all have not the slightest idea of what you face. This light is something far beyond your understanding... The... Originator."
 * "H-Ha... maybe I was wrong. Perhaps you young ones will finally... b-break... the curse..."


 * "You know not what power you deal with. To take that orb would spell your doom."
 * "It is... immeasurable. We are not quite sure yet, but to let it fall into the hands of him. I cannot bear the thought."
 * "He attempted to wrest control of the kingdom from me in his quest for power, and stole the prized weapon of the royal family, the Timerender."
 * "Impatience, I suppose. But I cannot bear to imagine what direction the kingdom would head in if he were to assume control."
 * "I have seen what has become of my son. I will not shed any tears. He will receive a proper funeral, even through what he has done."
 * "That orb is the core of an immensely powerful being... One that has the power to destroy and rebirth this world."
 * "I WILL NOT LET YOU DESTROY THIS WORLD!"
 * "Of course nothing lasts forever... That's how the world works..."
 * "Even if it is pointless, I will fight for my world... for my people."
 * "I WILL FIGHT TO MY LAST BREATH!"
 * "B-But still... I could not protect this world... my people... my own son..."
 * "This gem... Is our only hope... It contains memories... Your memories... the memories of this world..."

= Trivia =
 * The Ethereal was a boss in Chaos Theory first before appearing as a full fledged character in //Prelude To Chaos//.


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