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Description
When helping to develop Grimmwoods, I kinda ended up making an island nation solely for the talking animals that seem to crop up everywhere. I then chose the first person I could think of to be their ruler...within the realms of possibility, so I picked Aesop. Now, Aesop's existence tends to be a little sketchy, so I had wriggle room to put him in there. Design-wise, I based him off his own supposed appearance, the Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, and British actor John Hurt.

Once a simple slave in the land of Olympios (the Grimmwoods equivalent of Greece), Aesop never knew his life would change so drastically. The most he had was that he was a good story-teller and had a strong compass, relaying it to his master and children in the form of fables that included simple, yet vital morals. Then one day, he and his master set sail to take some cargo to Brahman. About halfway there, though, their ship was caught in a storm and wrecked on an island. Aesop survived and found his master dying. With his last words, he granted the slave his freedom. Aesop spent the next few years exploring the island, discovering it was inhabited...in a sense. It was mostly home to fauna, the city of Opar, and a vast jungle filled with ancient creatures. One day, almost out of nowhere, he encountered a simple spider...who spoke and proclaimed itself to be Anansi, an actual god from a distant land. He claimed to know Aesop's story and where it would go, recognizing the shipwrecked former-slave as a great story-teller. With that, he granted the old man the use of magic to use as he saw fit. Being a fundamentally decent person, he used the magic to grant sentience to the local wildlife and forming a barrier around a territory he claimed as his own. Any animal that entered it would be able to think and talk like any human and any human who sets foot on it would shift into an animal that suits them...unless Aesop is given reason to lift it from them. He also recognized the heroic actions of Rikki Tikki Tavi, naming the mongoose as a hero of the realm.

Though rather hermit-like in his reign, Aesop is a good, gentle, and wise king. While he finds that he enjoys solitude with his subjects, he does acknowledge the importance of dealing with the outside world. Though he does trade with the outside world, if anyone crashes on his island and he finds their presence unobjectionable, he will lend them a hand.

Description
When helping to develop Grimmwoods, I kinda ended up making an island nation solely for the talking animals that seem to crop up everywhere. I then chose the first person I could think of to be their ruler...within the realms of possibility, so I picked Aesop. Now, Aesop's existence tends to be a little sketchy, so I had wriggle room to put him in there. Design-wise, I based him off his own supposed appearance, the Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, and British actor John Hurt.

Once a simple slave in the land of Olympios (the Grimmwoods equivalent of Greece), Aesop never knew his life would change so drastically. The most he had was that he was a good story-teller and had a strong compass, relaying it to his master and children in the form of fables that included simple, yet vital morals. Then one day, he and his master set sail to take some cargo to Brahman. About halfway there, though, their ship was caught in a storm and wrecked on an island. Aesop survived and found his master dying. With his last words, he granted the slave his freedom. Aesop spent the next few years exploring the island, discovering it was inhabited...in a sense. It was mostly home to fauna, the city of Opar, and a vast jungle filled with ancient creatures. One day, almost out of nowhere, he encountered a simple spider...who spoke and proclaimed itself to be Anansi, an actual god from a distant land. He claimed to know Aesop's story and where it would go, recognizing the shipwrecked former-slave as a great story-teller. With that, he granted the old man the use of magic to use as he saw fit. Being a fundamentally decent person, he used the magic to grant sentience to the local wildlife and forming a barrier around a territory he claimed as his own. Any animal that entered it would be able to think and talk like any human and any human who sets foot on it would shift into an animal that suits them...unless Aesop is given reason to lift it from them. He also recognized the heroic actions of Rikki Tikki Tavi, naming the mongoose as a hero of the realm.

Though rather hermit-like in his reign, Aesop is a good, gentle, and wise king. While he finds that he enjoys solitude with his subjects, he does acknowledge the importance of dealing with the outside world. Though he does trade with the outside world, if anyone crashes on his island and he finds their presence unobjectionable, he will lend them a hand.