Aldones di Sarvos

There is only one true insult you can offer to a citizen of our Leageue – 'unremarkable'

Aldones di Sarvos is both the founder of the League and a Paragon of Ambition. According to legend he began life as an orphan before becoming the most powerful merchant prince of the city of Sarvos. As one of the earliest supporters of the First Empress and one of the the richest men in the world at that time, his silver flowed everywhere the Empress and her troops went. Early on, Aldones recognised a clear problem; while he and his fellow Sarvossians considered themselves the most civilised people in the world, a single city could not compare with the power of the nations that were drawn to the Empress' banner.

Demonstrating his great vision and pragmatism when it came to achieving his goals, he met with his fiercest rival, the Merchant Prince Barrell of Tassato, and with Maria Ivanova, Boyar of Temeschwar. He introduced them to the Empress, and together they persuaded the two that their future lay with the Empire. In private meetings following the more public meeting with the Empress, Aldones convinced the other two that as the greatest cities of the world, they had more in common with each other than with the nations that surrounded them. He persuaded them to join together into a single League and thereby create an entirely new nation.

During tense negotiations, Aldones revealed himself to be a reincarnation of one of the Highborn cultural heroes, Atuman the Navigator – denying their claims that Atuman had himself attained Paragonhood. The Highborn Assembly questioned him intimately about his visionary experience and were unable to disprove his claim; grudgingly they agreed that Atuman must have simply been an Exemplar, and accepted that Aldones was at least as virtuous as their founder - both had created new nations out of nothing.

He disappeared from history shortly after a keynote speech to the newly-united League. Some maintain that he transcended at the defining moment of his greatest success. Others maintain that he simply stepped back into the shadows, refusing to become a figurehead for his new nation, and continued to observe the League from behind the scenes. Historians and theologians are divided on the matter.

For many citizens of the League Aldones represents an aspiration to be "all that you can be." Historical reports say he never stopped trying to improve himself, and by doing so inspired those around him to do the same. The list of his many accomplishments appears excessive - he was recognised as a skilled swordsman, general, poet, painter, sculptor, actor, economic theorist, playwright and politican who demonstrated extensive education in history and the arts. He famously said that "talent is no substitute for hard work", and spent most of his spare time training his body or studying to improve his mind.

His private life is largely a closed book, but he is often quoted as saying "surround yourself with exceptional people, and make them love you." His cadre of friends, allies and supporters are often seen as the blueprint for the guilds that form the basis of League society. The son of his fiercest rival, later one of his closest friends, Giovanni di Tassato, went on to succeed the First Empress to the Imperial Throne, and claimed several times that he was inspired to make the sweeping reforms he enacted by the example of Aldones.