Alejandro Benjázar, local Storyteller

[Don Nadie]

Once, there was a Storyteller called Alejandro Benjázar who died as he lived: not really thinking things through, and not looking away.

He was a messy person, deliberately so. From the beginning he was created as reckless and highly influenciable character, whose outward demeanour hid constant inner turmoil. His early description explicitly said he'd be a good friend, and an even better mark... And he was!

Drug-addict, scholar, liar, artist, friend, gossip-monger, intriguer, (well-meaning) idiot, (bad) politician... He did a ton of stuff, some questionable, some noble, and some plain obsessive... He had, I hope, a lot of layers to himself. Some (the adictions) were more widely known. Others (his scars, for example) were not. And his obsession with discovery, while glimpsed by many, was never quite in full view.

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Alejandro was also an exercice in creative writing: 20 long-ish tales (and a lot of short ones), more than 350 diary entries, a ton of poems (some even good!) are the mark he left on the forums and world. My favourite thing were of course his Hidden Poems: poetry tucked in unexpected corners. I set... 15 or so? Some were eaten by areas, so I can never be 100% sure... But if you wander about and find a weird stone slate with a poem: that's me!

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This is all without counting books, nonfiction and my personal notes, which ran DEEP. As in, embarrasingly deep.

Corrupted, used, mannipulated, inspired, Alejandro's best quality as a PC was letting others change him, and I am extremely proud of the way he grew organically. He lived for more than a year, and died doing what he thought was right. Throughout this time, he engaged very meaningfully with an enormous amount of PCs... And, often, I hope, also made new PCs and players feel welcome.

He started as local himbo who just went arround, getting embroiled in all manner of things...



He was hired by Jamileh Attar as a secretary, which him on the path of scholarship. After her dissapearance (for which he'd always blame the Tower's attempts at controlling archaeology) he would reinvent himself as an archaeologist, and lead a myriad expeditions.

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He became a student of the Balladeers and did a heroism or two...

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Dreaming of being a hero, and trying to imitate (but also always in the shadow of) Lynneth, he sought the guidance of the Sybilline, who offered him prophecy, whispers, inspiration...

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He graduated, and struggled more and more, the more responsibility he had and those he lost. A man not meant for such troubles, he began having issues with the Drink and, later, mizzar, as means to cope with all the inherent tensions of his position. He would struggle with substance abuse most of his life, in one way or another.

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He fell into politics, never with much success. He didn't manage to inspire more noble politics, and when he tried using offhanded methods, he just didn't go far enough. He was not strongwilled, and could always always be persuaded by appealing to his heart. Or scammed, really. The amount of times I chose the wrong choice because wis 8 XD

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What he wanted to do, what he knew was right to do, and what the Rose demanded of him - these were all entirely opposite pulls. Still struggling, he fell into even-darker depths. It was a slow but steady corruption, mediated by a lot of factors in character. He was trying to become stronger, to accept that his obligations required him to lie, and use, and manipulate... To stand, side-by-side, with murderers.

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Struggling more and more due to a variety of factors (usually, Rossa-mediated) he tried to die heroically in some distant shores... Ironically, not so far from where he would meet his end.

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He failed (for now) as was forced to live on. He was, however, stumbling. He felt unahappy about his position, was losing his belief in even the Grandmaster... But at least he had faith in the Rose as a whole, in the prophecies, in their efforts to find the Cup.

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Until that faith was shattered. A last drop made him abandon the College in a rush without any idea of what to do next. It'd take him a lot of time to rebuild himself, clutching desperately to what was good about him even as he slipped, lower and lower, and tried to climb out.

He became more directly involved into politics, just as his disillusionment with politics was growing. Still, he tried to do his idea of good, not always well. He mostly failed in a variety of different ways, from elections to prelateship. There was a lot of doing mizzar behind closed doors, and crying. Also, some diplomacy, I think?

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His real solace continued to be research: writing and digging, guiding others... He loved nothing more than introducing new people to archaeology, and did so to dozens of new PCs and players. (I hope I always managed to make it interesting!) This also meant he had a soft spot for Sandstone Students, despite 90% of them being brookers. Every time he met a new one, it was like "I bet this time it'll be different..." (Technically speaking, the last time WAS different. But all the times before that? Brookers)

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He eventually managed to adapt to his life outside the College of Balaldeers, mostly thanks to friends both old and new. Free of the moral inconsistencies he had had to endure (though not free of trouble and the consequences of the past) he managed to kick off the drug habit and was trying to be more open and honest, and less manipulative. He even got a fancy job!

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And that's when he died. Off in an expedition he thought would be just a little trip, he fought through hordes... And, in the end, ironically, he died because he would not look away, by the side of his former comrades-in-arms.

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Along with the bodies of two more Balladeers, Alejandro would lie in the mud... Making his way back only through the efforts of his "dear friend", to be buried in the Well.

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Now, a lot of people to thank. I'll start with DangerousDan (for the amazing lore and writing), Bearic (for endless helpfulness) and the rest of the DM team who gave hand here and there with different hijinks. Some, I don't even know. But some of Alejandro's Very Normal Diary Entries were because someone out there was messing with him:

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PC-wise... Oh god, so many people!

First and foremost: Jamileh Attar. Best insane teacher one can have. There's nothing as fun as going out there with SN, to have meaningful talks, heartbreaking revelations, and looots of thinking about lore. There have been many important PCs in Alejandro's lives, but none as important as Jamileh Attar. Just incredible work.

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Along with her, the rest of the Competition and the Torchbearers. We did see a lot together! Exploration/archaeology/lore really got me hooked to v6, and is very much what made Alejandro so fun to play, and you were good companions along the way. We had so many excellent moments... From the silly to the epic. Not gonna mention all of you individually, but you all got my love <3

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Then the friends in the College (and foes, hi Aubrey). It was fun to be the messy Balladeer! From the heroic and touching moments to the angry ones, it was a lot of interesting and emotional stuff, even (or specially) after he left. The irony: that he died trying to stand alongside his former colleagues! My special thanks to Aurelio, Armis, Narwen, Aubrey, Sparrow and Lynneth. Also, special mention to Tempo... Death-buddies! T_T

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Special shoutout to the creepy ladies with robes. They make the Balladeers WAY more fun. Without the Sisterhood, I do not think the Balladeers would've been half as entertaining. While every Sister and Acolyte have been great, I particularly must mention Nebtu (absolutely amazing PC), Amelie (best poet in the Well) and Hypatia (just because feelings). The Sybilline is dope to engage with, mostly because of all the work you all put to it.

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Foes and friends in the Tower also get a shoutout, specially Mae Stern (best friend-to-enemy one could ask for, Alejandro was never over the heartbreak of losing her) and Zol Nur (really, a good influence, who made Ale want to be a better person).

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Of course, one must also mention the many paramours and crushes of Alejandro Benjázar, romantic idiot! Being the gay version of Lynneth took many a PC (The Alejandro Benjázar's Love Chart would be certainly as complicated as hers), but I must in particular thank Domhnall Guivarch (war criminal, twink edition), Boucher (war criminal, hunk edition) and Elias. So many dramatic feelings and TERRIBLE choices made for the heart! My specific apologies to AboutThyme for dropping all the grief-simulator on him, along with Ale's posessions, and my thanks for all the fun.

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Then, there's the myriad of PCs who do not fall under any particular umbrella, such as...

Bashir Khatara: an incredible PC, organic, fun and interesting. I loved how our PCs grew slowly into one-another. It was very sweet, and I'll continue to read your diary religiously!

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Numerous Karpie PCs, for being always fun, touching and entertaining, but I want to mention Samton. Gracias, Karpie! Siempre nos quedará la "Dunecat under the rain".

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Athelia (Alejandro's polar oposite and good friend XD) as well as Sana (from back in the day)

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Akna Ymir, who gave Ale both hopes and dissapointments aplenty, along with a lot of friendship

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Khalid, my dude, my fella, my waradad :'(

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I also want to also thank every single person who joined Alejandro in his research expeditions. I am very happy of how deeply I got to explore the lore, and very grateful for everyone who explored it with me. Thanks for coming - I hope I made it interesting for you, whether it was a trip to Al'Nasr, an excavation, or responding to your questions in his office. I hope you got your fill of the Tale of the Locked Door lol

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And finally, a shoutout to Mari Blacke. She was an excellent evil PC, who did an enormous amount of work corrupting Alejandro over months. Her conversion scene is an excellent one, and she also was kind enough to give Alejandro an endlude... My thanks, ramc!

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Now, if you've read this far... Yes, this is what you were waiting for: the loot!

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Early chapter loot (the ai description did catch quite a bit of Ale's vibe gotta say XD):

Christmas loot


Surviving Kulkund loot:



Let's do drugs loot (the unique power allowed Ale to get high on mizzar):


The shield that made Alejandro have so many "fans":


 
And his best loot, a song to cheer all arround him:

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[Runic]

RIP to a real one. Alejandro was certainly a character who you never knew if they were truly friend, foe, or somewhere in between. Sad to see him go, but what an adventure

[Providence]

Legend

[Mari]

Sweet child.

[Astra]

<3 i enjoyed alejandro's arc from idealistic storyteller to a slow tarnish from how the world affected him. gonna miss him, but looking forward to your next too

[zerotje]

Your forumwork was always great ngl good job

[Vegan_Snickerdoodles]

Ugh this one hurts. This is a huge PC to lose. Alejandro was one of the earliest big PCs to give Akna the time of day, and she (and I) always appreciated it. Over time she came to love him as a friend and find him frustrating in equal measure. He was a close friend and confidant, but he was also a sassy, moody LICENSE WARRIOR, and it was great. I really enjoyed the dynamic of them each mutually finding the other irritating in their politics, but keeping a friendship through it.

[LiAlH4]

Consistently engaged with the lore and sought out server mysteries while never spoiling them. It's a hard line to walk and you did it well!

[Erudiche]

A PC I had some very fond memories with and who was very helpful to me early in my EFU experience. Interesting, easy to RP with, I will miss him. Good luck on the next PC.

[SN]

I leave for one day...

[SN]

... Man, there are no words I can use to describe how *deep* and multi-layered your characters always are.

My son.........

[Dugs]

No Kragg mention, 0/10.

Awesome PC, excited to see what you do next

[I love cats]

Alejandro was great I particular enjoyed the insane antics of dealing with him on Bootpolisher.

[neverwhere]

I was late to the game in engaging with Alejandro, but every encounter was a treat, the journal and the people's history were masterpieces, and in the end, despite knowing so little of one another, he gave Pang the most hard-hitting emotional interaction she's probably ever going to have. The Well is a soulless husk and the Ash will claim everything. Anyway, here's Wonderwall.

He did covers!

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But his own stuff was good too, I guess.

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He had secrets.

Bashir keeping it real.

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Coda.

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Fugue.

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His innocence, preserved. Forever.

[neverwhere]

Also can I just say that I absolutely love everything about this.