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{{Info people
{{Info people
|image = noimg.png
|fullname = Alestaire Middencroft
|fullname = Alestaire Middencroft
|race = Ailor
|race = [[Ailor]]
|dob = Autumn, 199 AC
|dob = Autumn, 199 AC
|death = August 12th, 271 AC
|death = August 12th, 271 AC
|real = Real
|fame = Famed alchemist and author
|fame = Famed alchemist and author
|}}
|}}
Alestaire Middencroft was a snake-oil-salesman of [[Anglian]] descent who became a renowned alchemist. Middencroft longed to travel and developed a fondness for alchemy. He worked in many diverse fields (some more morally dubious than others), including a pivotal role as a member of the [[Iron Fist]] in its very early years. He is regarded as the man who launched alchemy from an obscure, occultish practice into a true and formidable branch of science.
Alestaire Middencroft was a snake-oil-salesman of Akkerman [[Anglian]] descent who became a renowned alchemist. Middencroft longed to travel and developed a fondness for alchemy. He worked in many diverse fields (some more morally dubious than others), with his alchemical studies gathered from the [[Allar]] of [[Hadar]] laying the foundations for the eventual formation of the [[Iron Fist]], which came about a decade after his passing. He is regarded as the man who launched alchemy from an obscure, occult practice into a true and formidable branch of science within the [[Regalian Empire]].  
 
==Origins and Early Life==
==Origins and Early Life==
At dawn on one early autumn day in 199 AC, a baby was born in [[Anglia]]. Even as a young child it was impressed upon Alestaire that he was expected to do great things. Unfortunately, Alestaire was something of a sickly child. While bedridden from his varying illnesses, his father told him stories of far off places and strange cultures. He found himself dreaming more and more of traveling to one of those places to escape all the expectations and hopes that rested on his frail shoulders. When he was well enough, Alestaire was shuffled around to all sorts of apothecaries and healers. It was here that he discovered first-hand how desperation for a miracle cure could cause people to buy almost anything. His parents began rapidly running out of the resources it took to shuttle their only son to physicians, and turned to the help of cheaper, but less reputable alchemists. While the boy always felt better directly after taking his medication, he returned to lethargy only hours afterward. Curious about the noble art of alchemy itself, and what his “cures” truly contained.  
At dawn, on one early autumn day in 199 AC, a baby was born in [[Anglia]]. Even as a young child, it was impressed upon Alestaire that he was expected to do great things; unfortunately, Alestaire was something of a sickly child. While bedridden from his varying illnesses, his father told him stories of far off places and strange cultures. He found himself dreaming more and more of traveling to one of those places to escape all the expectations and hopes that rested on his frail shoulders. When he was well enough, Alestaire was shuffled around to all sorts of apothecaries and healers; it was here that he discovered first-hand how desperation for a miracle cure could cause people to buy almost anything. His parents began rapidly running out of the resources it took to shuttle their only son to physicians and turned to the help of cheaper, but less reputable practitioners. While the boy always felt better directly after taking his medication, he returned to lethargy only hours afterward. He became curious about what his “cures'' truly contained, hoping to study medical concoctions through the then-obscure art of alchemy.
 
==History==
==History==
Middencroft began his career in alchemy as a conman. Having been exposed to those same techniques as a boy, and longing for the nomadic life of a traveling salesman, he began purchasing mass quantities of mundane alchemical concoctions and rebranding them. Middencroft’s potions allegedly cured everything from infertility to insomnia. After a few years, he began to learn how to create the alchemical potions himself to cut down costs and increase profits. He discovered that he had a talent for alchemy, and used his plentiful wealth to hire a senior alchemist as a tutor and traveling companion. After fourteen years together on the road, cheating every person gullible enough to buy his products, Middencroft gave up his portion of the business to his partner and left with a small fortune to seek new adventures. At the age of thirty-two, he sought employment under Ser Walter Fitzherst, an secret [[Vampire]] aristocrat who was obsessed with the Sanguine Curse. He hired Middencroft upon learning of his anemia, knowing he would not be so tempted to drink the blood of such a sickly specimen. Fitzherst eased Middencroft into his work as court alchemist, asking for increasingly difficult potions and lotions over a period of months. When Middencroft earned the eccentric man’s trust, he disclosed his true nature as a vampire.  
Middencroft began his career in alchemy as a conman. Having been exposed to those same techniques as a boy, and longing for the nomadic life of a traveling salesman, he began purchasing mass quantities of mundane alchemical concoctions and rebranding them. Middencroft’s potions allegedly cured everything from infertility to insomnia. After a few years, he began to learn how to create the alchemical potions himself to cut down costs and increase profits. He discovered that he had a talent for alchemy, though these potions were closer to quack medicine than any genuine practice. He’d hire a mentor who taught him more about alchemy, with Middencroft able to gain a baseline understanding of the science while also conning every gullible person he came across over the next few years.
After going around Anglia as an alchemist and gaining somewhat of a name for himself, Middencroft was eventually discovered by the ruling [[Kade]] family, who initially hired him to become their court alchemist in [[Axford]]. He forced himself to completely abandon his conman roots and work towards genuine alchemy, as the Kades would never accept a quack doctor. His position afforded him contact with the [[Regalian]] noble circles until he eventually came across an Ivrae princess who convinced him to move to Regalia as an Imperial scholar. Now working with the government and funded by the [[Ivraes]], he began unscrupulous experiments on unsuspecting [[Vampires]] and [[Abberants]]. This experimentation resulted in the creation of Middencroft’s Decoction, a blood thinner, to be used on imprisoned vampires to keep them complacent and docile.


Shocked and appalled, but sensing opportunity, Middencroft stayed on at the man’s court. Eventually, he created one of his most famous alchemical products: [[Middencroft’s Decoction]], a blood thinner, for use by his patron. As paranoia increased regarding the [[Sanguine Curse]], Middencroft felt increasingly nervous working for a vampire. At a dramatic moment during a jousting tournament, he whispered to a nearby guard that the pale, reclusive Fitzherst was secretly a blood drinker. The aristocrat was promptly arrested and soon cleansed of his affliction, despite his vehement protests. Middencroft was praised, privately, for his brilliant detective skills. At the same tournament, he came across an [[Ivrae]] princess, whom he charmed. In her burgeoning romantic affection, she attempted to convince him to move to the [[Holy City]]. Unfortunately, the two were separated by circumstance but kept in touch through secretive letters. He moved to Regalia, years later, with the intent of finding a new patron, but instead was granted funding by the Ivrae clan itself as an Imperial scholar. During that period, he began unscrupulous experiments on unsuspecting Vampires and others.
==Later Life==
Well into his fifties, Middencroft remained unwed and seemingly uninterested in romance. After his funds from the Ivrae dried up, he abandoned the [[Holy City]] and set course for Hadar, with the intent of learning what he could from the homeland of alchemy. The greatest secrets of alchemy were kept under the close scrutiny of the [[Soor-Rassa-Allar]], though it is believed that Middencroft managed to convince an esteemed Allar alchemist that he could be trusted with learning from them. Over the next decade of his life, Middencroft expanded his knowledge of alchemy in a way that he had never imagined possible. During his time in Hadar, Middencroft began compiling what he learned into written texts before publishing them in his magnum opus: [[Modern Apothecarium]].


==Later Life==
In 264 AC, at age sixty-five, he left Hadar and returned to Regalia, to begin teaching interested noble students in the science of alchemy. Among these pupils was an Ithanian noblewoman named [[Amelie d’Fer]], who quickly established herself as an alchemical prodigy. Alestaire saw her spark of genius, working closely with Amelie over the next few years and considering her an equal of sorts. At seventy, he returned to Anglia with a fat coin purse and no relations to share it with. He purchased a handsome, but modest, estate in the countryside. He died, eventually, surrounded by servants and other impersonal staff, who saw that his funeral was a private affair; it was said Amelie was in attendance. He left his fortune to her, stating in his will that the most valuable commodity was knowledge.
Well into his fifties, Middencroft remained unwed and seemingly uninterested in romance. His Ivrae princess had married a wealthy, foreign prince and he fell into despair. His journals indicate that his experiments in alchemy became ever darker and more terrifying, but fruitless. Nevertheless, he wrote each one down meticulously. After his funds from the Ivrae dried up, he abandoned the Holy City and set course for [[Califaera]]. He had a connection in [[Ashanna]] which he used fully to his advantage. After months of wild partying, he settled down to become a military leader. Using some cross between conniving and bribery, he ascended the ranks of the military rapidly, despite not having a lick of experience. His victories in battle were many, most of them won through unspeakably dirty tactics, and his enemies rose quickly in number. He retired from his military career at age sixty. He assumed a peaceful life as an alchemist in a rural Califaeran town and took this time off to release his magnum opus: [[Modern Apothecarium]].


In 264 AC, at age sixty-five, he left Califaera and retreated, temporarily, to [[Ithania]]. There, he befriended [[Amelie d’Fer]] of the Iron Fist, which was a young collection of alchemists who were glad to have a veteran among them. They gratefully added the Modern Apothecarium to their library as a touchstone text for all members. Amelie, in particular, was taken with his writing credentials. The young noblewoman compensated him handsomely for his contribution. She was, according to him, the only friend he ever felt was truly his equal. At seventy, he returned to Anglia with a fat coin purse and no relations to share it with. He purchased a handsome, but modest, estate in the countryside. He died, eventually, surrounded by servants and other impersonal staff, who saw that his funeral was a private affair. It was said Amelie was in attendance. He left his fortune to her, and her organization, stating in his will that the most valuable commodity was knowledge.
==Personality==
==Personality==
Alestaire Middencroft, despite being a con artist in his early years, was not an unkind fellow. He had a mild manner and was quite calm and level-headed. However, his greatest sin was greed. He developed an incurable addiction to money at a young age, and never really shook it. His miserly nature caused many to paint him as a frugal, ornery alchemist, but that simply wasn’t the case. He enjoyed his wealth but shared it often with whatever community he found himself in, partly out of guilt for his days as a conman.  
Alestaire Middencroft, despite being a con artist in his early years, was not an unkind fellow. He had a mild manner and was quite calm and level-headed; however, his greatest vice was his greed. He developed an incurable addiction to money at a young age, and never really shook it. His miserly nature caused many to paint him as a frugal, ornery alchemist, but that simply wasn’t the case. He enjoyed his wealth but shared it often with whatever community he found himself in, partly out of guilt for his days as a conman. Religiously speaking, he was somewhat skeptical of [[Unionism]] but practiced nonetheless. He found himself caring for the people around him when he felt his religion had fallen short. Deep in his heart, he held some small amount of distaste for the Regalian Empire and its strict regulations and desire for control. He was never a true [[Ailor]] supremacist, and therefore could never truly believe in all of the Unionist dogma. He didn’t live to see the [[Chrysant War]] or the crackdown on both alchemy and [[Allar Culture]], though many contemporaries said that such events would have broken his heart.
Religiously speaking, he was somewhat skeptical of [[Unionism]] but practiced nonetheless. He found himself caring for the people around him when he felt his religion had fallen short. Deep in his heart, he held some little dislike for the Regalian Empire and its strict regulations and desire for control. He was never a true [[Ailor]] supremacist, and therefore could never truly believe in all of the Unionist dogma.
 
==Legacy==
==Legacy==
A complex, interesting man, Middencroft’s legacy is mixed. Some praise him for his charity at the end of his life, while others scorn his memory for all his scheming and cons. Many alchemists have read his book, which is seen as essential literature in the field, and therefore many hold a mixture of contempt and gratitude for the writer of their wordy textbook. Undeniably, Middencroft’s discoveries and writings helped propel the field of alchemy into true relevancy. His name is synonymous with Regalian ingenuity, from its altruistic aspects to its selfish ones.
A complex and interesting man, Middencroft’s legacy is mixed- some praise him for his charity at the end of his life while others scorn his memory for all his scheming and cons. Many alchemists read his book to this day which is seen as essential literature in the field, therefore, many hold a mixture of contempt and gratitude for the writer of their wordy textbook. Middencroft’s discoveries and writings undeniably helped propel the field of alchemy into true relevancy, attracting mainstream interest among the nobility even during Regalia’s initial ban on alchemy following the Chrysant War. Amelie d’Fer would go on to establish the alchemical organization known as the Iron Fist, with the group having its foundation built upon the work done by Middencroft. His name is synonymous with Regalian ingenuity, from its altruistic aspects to its selfish ones.
==Extended Family==
 
Middencroft was an only child, and a good majority of his family perished in a terrible fire years before he was born. Upon his death, Middencroft was the last of his line and the last of his name. He was never married but was speculated to have been a lover to the Ivrae princess who funded his early work. Their time together produced no children.
==Extended Family==  
Very uncharacteristic for being from an Anglian family, Middencroft was an only child by the time he was born, with his mother allegedly having given birth to several sickly children that never lived past infancy before Alestaire came along. Upon his death, Middencroft was the last of his line and the last of his name. He was never married but was speculated to have been a lover to the Ivrae princess who funded his early work; their time together produced no children.
 
==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*It is entirely possible that Middencroft intentionally never sired an heir just to spite his demanding father.
*It is entirely possible that Middencroft intentionally never sired an heir just to spite his demanding father.
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{{People}}
{{People}}
{{Accreditation
{{Accreditation
|Writers = InDogsWeTrust
|Writers = KrakenLord01
|Processors = SupremeCripple, HydraLana
|Processors = HydraLana, Woodwork, AlphaInsomnia, Antimreoir
}}
}}
[[category:People]] [[category:Public Figures]]
[[category:People]] [[category: Public Figures]]

Revision as of 01:45, 31 January 2021

Alestaire Middencroft
Notable Person
Full NameAlestaire Middencroft
RaceAilor
Date of BirthAutumn, 199 AC
Date of DeathAugust 12th, 271 AC
Claim to FameFamed alchemist and author

Alestaire Middencroft was a snake-oil-salesman of Akkerman Anglian descent who became a renowned alchemist. Middencroft longed to travel and developed a fondness for alchemy. He worked in many diverse fields (some more morally dubious than others), with his alchemical studies gathered from the Allar of Hadar laying the foundations for the eventual formation of the Iron Fist, which came about a decade after his passing. He is regarded as the man who launched alchemy from an obscure, occult practice into a true and formidable branch of science within the Regalian Empire.

Origins and Early Life

At dawn, on one early autumn day in 199 AC, a baby was born in Anglia. Even as a young child, it was impressed upon Alestaire that he was expected to do great things; unfortunately, Alestaire was something of a sickly child. While bedridden from his varying illnesses, his father told him stories of far off places and strange cultures. He found himself dreaming more and more of traveling to one of those places to escape all the expectations and hopes that rested on his frail shoulders. When he was well enough, Alestaire was shuffled around to all sorts of apothecaries and healers; it was here that he discovered first-hand how desperation for a miracle cure could cause people to buy almost anything. His parents began rapidly running out of the resources it took to shuttle their only son to physicians and turned to the help of cheaper, but less reputable practitioners. While the boy always felt better directly after taking his medication, he returned to lethargy only hours afterward. He became curious about what his “cures truly contained, hoping to study medical concoctions through the then-obscure art of alchemy.

History

Middencroft began his career in alchemy as a conman. Having been exposed to those same techniques as a boy, and longing for the nomadic life of a traveling salesman, he began purchasing mass quantities of mundane alchemical concoctions and rebranding them. Middencroft’s potions allegedly cured everything from infertility to insomnia. After a few years, he began to learn how to create the alchemical potions himself to cut down costs and increase profits. He discovered that he had a talent for alchemy, though these potions were closer to quack medicine than any genuine practice. He’d hire a mentor who taught him more about alchemy, with Middencroft able to gain a baseline understanding of the science while also conning every gullible person he came across over the next few years. After going around Anglia as an alchemist and gaining somewhat of a name for himself, Middencroft was eventually discovered by the ruling Kade family, who initially hired him to become their court alchemist in Axford. He forced himself to completely abandon his conman roots and work towards genuine alchemy, as the Kades would never accept a quack doctor. His position afforded him contact with the Regalian noble circles until he eventually came across an Ivrae princess who convinced him to move to Regalia as an Imperial scholar. Now working with the government and funded by the Ivraes, he began unscrupulous experiments on unsuspecting Vampires and Abberants. This experimentation resulted in the creation of Middencroft’s Decoction, a blood thinner, to be used on imprisoned vampires to keep them complacent and docile.

Later Life

Well into his fifties, Middencroft remained unwed and seemingly uninterested in romance. After his funds from the Ivrae dried up, he abandoned the Holy City and set course for Hadar, with the intent of learning what he could from the homeland of alchemy. The greatest secrets of alchemy were kept under the close scrutiny of the Soor-Rassa-Allar, though it is believed that Middencroft managed to convince an esteemed Allar alchemist that he could be trusted with learning from them. Over the next decade of his life, Middencroft expanded his knowledge of alchemy in a way that he had never imagined possible. During his time in Hadar, Middencroft began compiling what he learned into written texts before publishing them in his magnum opus: Modern Apothecarium.

In 264 AC, at age sixty-five, he left Hadar and returned to Regalia, to begin teaching interested noble students in the science of alchemy. Among these pupils was an Ithanian noblewoman named Amelie d’Fer, who quickly established herself as an alchemical prodigy. Alestaire saw her spark of genius, working closely with Amelie over the next few years and considering her an equal of sorts. At seventy, he returned to Anglia with a fat coin purse and no relations to share it with. He purchased a handsome, but modest, estate in the countryside. He died, eventually, surrounded by servants and other impersonal staff, who saw that his funeral was a private affair; it was said Amelie was in attendance. He left his fortune to her, stating in his will that the most valuable commodity was knowledge.

Personality

Alestaire Middencroft, despite being a con artist in his early years, was not an unkind fellow. He had a mild manner and was quite calm and level-headed; however, his greatest vice was his greed. He developed an incurable addiction to money at a young age, and never really shook it. His miserly nature caused many to paint him as a frugal, ornery alchemist, but that simply wasn’t the case. He enjoyed his wealth but shared it often with whatever community he found himself in, partly out of guilt for his days as a conman. Religiously speaking, he was somewhat skeptical of Unionism but practiced nonetheless. He found himself caring for the people around him when he felt his religion had fallen short. Deep in his heart, he held some small amount of distaste for the Regalian Empire and its strict regulations and desire for control. He was never a true Ailor supremacist, and therefore could never truly believe in all of the Unionist dogma. He didn’t live to see the Chrysant War or the crackdown on both alchemy and Allar Culture, though many contemporaries said that such events would have broken his heart.

Legacy

A complex and interesting man, Middencroft’s legacy is mixed- some praise him for his charity at the end of his life while others scorn his memory for all his scheming and cons. Many alchemists read his book to this day which is seen as essential literature in the field, therefore, many hold a mixture of contempt and gratitude for the writer of their wordy textbook. Middencroft’s discoveries and writings undeniably helped propel the field of alchemy into true relevancy, attracting mainstream interest among the nobility even during Regalia’s initial ban on alchemy following the Chrysant War. Amelie d’Fer would go on to establish the alchemical organization known as the Iron Fist, with the group having its foundation built upon the work done by Middencroft. His name is synonymous with Regalian ingenuity, from its altruistic aspects to its selfish ones.

Extended Family

Very uncharacteristic for being from an Anglian family, Middencroft was an only child by the time he was born, with his mother allegedly having given birth to several sickly children that never lived past infancy before Alestaire came along. Upon his death, Middencroft was the last of his line and the last of his name. He was never married but was speculated to have been a lover to the Ivrae princess who funded his early work; their time together produced no children.

Trivia

  • It is entirely possible that Middencroft intentionally never sired an heir just to spite his demanding father.
  • Despite many rumors to the contrary, Middencroft and d’Fer were never romantically involved and never desired to be so.

Accreditation
WritersKrakenLord01
ProcessorsHydraLana, Woodwork, AlphaInsomnia, Antimreoir
Last EditorHydraLana on 01/31/2021.

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