Though few knew of him in the years prior to his involvement in the incitement of the rebellion, Viridian Altmeri is a name now known with equal parts renown and infamy amongst the people of Verden; in no small part due to his actions upon that terrible night.
In the years prior to the rebellion, Viridian served as captain to an elite unit within the Verdannen military, one comprised almost entirely of conscripted elementalists and which answered directly to then General, Gabriel Valnoth. This force was handpicked for dirtiest and most dangerous missions that needed to be fulfilled and it was not unheard of for them to be called upon for anything from hunting down dangerous creatures that roamed the land to carrying out political assassinations. There's no official story as to how someone as young as he ended up leading such a unit, but it's an open secret at this point that it was more than likely due to his status as likely the only living Light Elementalist. There have long been rumors that he was plucked from his family as but a child and trained by The Thornes from birth to fulfill this role, something substantiated by the fact that none can remember living beside him in any enclave, but if there's any truth to these rumors Viridian himself has no interest in either confirming or denying it.
Despite this, neither his past position or his current one as bodyguard to the rebellion leader, Kithri Malrose, is the reason why his name is known by so many today. Three years ago, in an incident that would throw the country into war, Viridian fought to defend the Corellis enclave from purge ordered by Prince Nathaniel Thorne who hoped to nip the rebellion that was already brewing there and beyond in the bud. It was a battle to which Viridian would arrive far too late however. By the time he reached the enclave, much of the damage had already been done and countless already lay dead in the streets. From that point, none save Viridian and perhaps Kithri know exactly what happened. Amidst the chaos that took the city that night, he was last seen heading for the gate between the elementalist quarter and The Iron Palace where they fighting was thickest, obviously stricken with grief and rage.
Some time later, Corellis trembled as a massive explosion erupted from deep within the Elementalist Quarter, its aftershocks felt throughout the whole city and into the countryside beyond. The enclave and all who had been unable to escape were utterly destroyed as buildings crumbled and practically untouchable Iron gate was shattered as if naught but paper; to this day, all that remains of the former enclave is a rubble filled crater, standing as a constant reminder of the darkest day in Corellis' recent history. Whatever happened there, it seemed to break the line of the loyal soldiers who remained in the city and because of this the rebellion was able to drive them off away in what would become the first of many victories, though it remains a cold comfort in the face of so many lives lost. The explosion was assumed at first to have been caused by some treachery of the monarchy but when the hunt began for any who may have survived the tragedy Viridian was found at the heart of the crater, unconscious, but otherwise completely untouched. Beneath him, as if he'd tried to shield her from the explosion, was Kithri, who was grievously wounded and near death.
As word of their miraculous survival spread, accusation were hurled and rumors swirled around who was truly responsible for the tragedy, with most coming to believe that Viridian must have been the one responsible. These accusation combined with his former military service lead many to call for his arrest at the least and his execution at the worst. Thus it was an incredibly controversial decision when Kithri not only refused to arrest him or publicly acknowledge his role in the events of the explosion, instead choosing to keep him at her side as her personal bodyguard. To this day, he remains a broadly disliked figure within the rebellion leadership while the people view him as equal parts tragic hero and villain, depending on how radical their own views lie. Despite this, Viridian himself refuses to engage with any controversy that surrounds him or even the business of the rebellion at all in any way that doesn't pertain to protecting his charge; his interests well and truly lie with nothing more than protecting the life of his best friend from any who might harm her, a task which he has proven well and truly capable of in the intervening years.