Born in Palon, Seth is the last descendant of an ancient lineage of warriors known as the Midas family. Once known for putting roots down all over the world and lending their swords to countless righteous causes, the Midas clan has all but perished under the wrath of countless enemies. When he was born, only he, his older sister Alexis, and a sai'mul survivor of the Akisian Empire remained to carry this once proud legacy. But this was something that always seemed to matter to their mother than the two siblings. With no father, and a mother who spent most of her time away the two siblings found community within the temples of Palon, a binary coupling of Chaotic and Serene temples known for practicing the Doctrine of Shadows. As children, they were praised by the priests for perfectly internalizing the two most basic precepts of their religion in their actions. The older sister was deemed to have exemplified the Serene credo, "Comfort with solidarity" and encouraged to grow into a medical career that focuses on healing warriors and adventurers. Seth, on the other hand was told he was a perfect example of the Chaotic phrase, "Power for justice."
Those three words have had a deep meaning for Seth his entire life. As a child, they meant protecting weaker kids from bullies. As he started to grow up, however, he began to consider that they meant joining the rank of Resta's elite peacekeepers, the spellwarriors of Hem Academy. The day he announced this ambition to his mother was when his life started going to hell. Ruby Midas, a spellwarrior in her own right, was determined that any child of hers who would succeed her in the academy must do so without embarrassing her. She committed to staying home and devoting her energy to preparing him for top grades in his training. As her apprentice, however, Seth would find that she had a rather strange idea of embarrassment as her extreme training methods proved to be intentionally humiliating. They soon came to be known as Loony Ruby and her Oddball son. Meanwhile Alexis quietly thrived as a nurse in the local infirmary and "the only normal one in the family", much to Seth's resentment.
When Seth finally did enter the halls of Hem Academy, he effectively cut off contact with everyone he knew back home, craving a fresh start. Throughout his studies, he clawed for some semblance of the person he was before his apprenticeship, which he was able to maintain by avoiding his mother completely. He did this by intentionally avoiding classes taught by--or in the vicinity of--her and pursuing credits in spells and martial techniques designed for mobility and stealth. Within his first year, purely out of deliberate effort to hide from his own mother, he had earned the moniker, "The Shadow Speedster" from his classmates. For his mother's part, seeing him succeed in his studies gave her every reason to leave him to his own devices. This allowed him to build his confidence back up and thrive among his newfound brethren. Seth happily committed to this new identity he had discovered and spent the rest of his studies training to be a dark knight who specializes in shocking foes from the shadows.
His entire story contrasts to the dynamic he shares with his best friend from outside of Hem Academy, who he met during his second year in a hastily planned trip to Lightning Ridge. Although such an expedition is customary for spellwarriors, Seth was less than thrilled when he learned that he was assigned to a group that was to be led by Ruby. As the mother had intended, Seth opted to skip the class field trip and pursue this experience on his own. No other teacher would have recommended this, for the dangerous predators that litter the region make it extremely dangerous to visit alone. Seth was saved from this mistake by Clint Blackstone, who recognized the gravity of the very same mistake and proposed a partnership.
So, while Clint explored the sights and challenged some of Lightning Ridges giant snakes, Seth located each of the test sites he needed to receive credit for his visit, both with the security of one extra pair of hands. Seth appreciated how complementary Clint's skills were to his own and found his personality simultaneously charming and vexing. They formed a fast bond that would follow well beyond that day, with Seth taking every chance he could to leave the school and spend time with him. These visits would lead to a short, but cherished affair between the two that ultimately fizzled out because they both preferred the dynamic of their original friendship.
Seth graduated from Hem Academy with top marks, the idol or envy of his class. But when that class dispersed to their respective homes to await their first assignments, Seth returned to Palon, where his reputation had far from recovered. Desperate to escape the humiliation his neighbors inflicted on him, he tracked down his mentor from school and asked to be allowed onto her new assignment. She declined on the grounds that she would be journeying overseas to Midania, but deigned to help him by fast-tracking his request for an assignment by connecting him with another student she mentored. This is how Seth found himself on a long-term countrywide patrol with Luna Skye, otherwise known as the Nocturnal Huntress. In their travels together, Seth didn't seek glory, but the ability to help people before cleanly disappearing. It was on this patrol that Seth encountered the events that led to his role as the Champion of Chaos.
Seth views this new charge with suspicion and terror. Outside of his earnest goal of winning the Royal Boon in the RGT, being forced into the public eye pulls Seth out of his natural element. But he was chosen for the strength he has always shown, with Chaos believing that he still has mountains of potential to tap if he could learn to control the fear his mother had instilled him with. If he can learn to stop fearing himself, he could change the world.
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