Maximilien Ashpike

"In the Bastion, Max was little more than a pile of sallow skin, ruined clothes, a bad attitude, and lice. Since being freed, however, it's more clear what Valentina was trying to copy. Standing straight Maximilien is just under six feet tall and has brown skin and dark brown hair. He has a close-cropped beard and typically keeps his hair in an undercut, although since leaving the Bastion it's grown shaggy. He has the typical Ashpike aquiline nose, strong jaw and cheekbones, and bright gold eyes. Unlike his brother, Max tends to be lean rather than towering, but he's still regaining the muscle he lost in the Bastion and has deep circles under his eyes." Maximilien Ashpike is the second son of Duchess Ashpike, brother to Dane and second in line for the throne of Hanton.

As the spare to Dane's heir, Max always had comparatively more freedoms, but a corresponding lack of power. When Dane announced his engagement to Valentina Laurent, Max disliked her immediately, something he admits was not entirely rational. He insisted on getting involved with Valentina's pursuits in Hanton, which turned out well for the party, but poorly for Max. After discovering a teleportation circle in her room and inconsistencies in her whereabouts, all of which seemed to support his suspicions that she was not what she seemed, Valentina imprisoned him in the Bastion for more than a year. Alone for months, he eventually met and (kind of?) befriended Ava.

When the party helped him escape, he was presented with the same choice that Roaric would have to make months later--stay in his original body, nearly dead as it was, or take on the mirror image and its connection to Valentina. He chose the former. It nearly killed him, but Ava knew enough of healing to stash him in the Ashpike beach house and give him the chance to heal.

PC Interactions
Though they didn't know it at the time, the party's first interaction with Maximilien Ashpike was not with him at all, but a mirror image made by Valentina Laurent. "Max" encouraged them to make all haste to Manor Ashpike while assuring them there was nothing dangerous in the house.

Upon entering the Bastion, the party met the real Max--a very weak and much less friendly Max. After his long imprisonment he wasn't able to do much more than snark at them, but the party dragged him along on their escape with Honora IV and Ava.

Ava told the party of Max's survival in Caershire, and he immediately became a key part of their plan to expose Valentina. They retrieved him from an abandoned wizard's tower outside of Beryl Shoals and brought him to safety on the Bronze Isle. He supplied written testimony and coordinated with his mother over a sending stone, but stayed with Loraminacanthus for more than a month to regain his strength.

After Valentina's escape and considering his brother's impending breakdown, Max agreed to return to Hanton in an official capacity. He also agreed to join the Order of the Seal as a full member, supplying them with information and guidance on the political climate in Sorel, and historical information where he could get it.