Serethiel

Character Name: Serethiel
Age: 25
Sex: Female
Race: Dalish Elf

Class: Mage
Specializations: Shapeshifter | Keeper
Favored skills: Thornblades | Nature's Vengance | Wolf/Blight Wolf

Hobbies: Telling tales, singing songs, and keeping merry - Serethiel was once devoted to the happiness of her clan, and has kept those joys with her and close to her heart. Reading and learning of the old ways keeps her occupied in quieter times. At night, she often sleeps in the forest in the form of a wolf, keeping company with animals just as well as she did her own clan. It is best to keep goodness close to your heart, so that the ugly and evil world cannot tarnish that, at least.

Background: Serethiel lived with and loved her Clan, which wandered quietly around the outskirts of the Dales. Their second ancestral home called out to them, and its haunting song gave them hope, and something a little stronger. Though the men of the Dales were hostile to their Clan, often raiding and capturing their mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters and friends, the Clan held fast, strong in their convictions to the old ways. Serethiel believed, in her heart, that one day, even if long after she had returned to the waking dream, her people would find their own land, and that it would not be taken away from them again.

With her Father acting as Keeper of the Clan, though he had no ability to weave magic, Serethiel immersed herself in learning everything that was left to know of the old ways. Of her generation, Serethiel was the only mage born, and so she was expected from an early age to succeed her Father. Without a mentor to teach her, Serethiel relentlessly experimented with her magic, to varying degrees of success. Skill eventually came with time, and when her Father passed, she felt herself able and prepared to take his place. The Clan welcomed her warmly into the position, and together she and they kept the Elven tradition alive and safe in their home-land.

The threat of death was as a wolf that constantly watched their flock, stalking and waiting and thirsting. The darkspawn were numerous, and the men even more so, and it was never clear who was the monster between them. As much as she enjoyed the scholarly and protective life of a Keeper, Serethiel truly lived in the battle, whether by tooth and claw or by bringing the very earth to life to swallow her enemies. She lost many of her friends to the treachery of men, and she had made it her vow to avenge each one ten-fold on any who would wish her Clan harm. But she was only ever one Elf, and no single person can stop a storm with will alone.

They attacked at night, as many cowards do. The watch-keepers were killed first, so that none in the Clan had known what to expect. Up until the moment that the first wave came upon them, they were unaware and defenseless, and many were killed in the time it took to arm and regroup. Serethiel took point, standing among her warriors and hunters, throwing every spell she knew at the invading men. What they wanted, she knew not - what excuse did men need to slaughter innocents, in the end? In time, though, it became clear that it would be impossible to hold them off forever. As the last remaining warriors stood their ground, a hundred men came upon them. They had only hoped to give the youth and the elderly time for escape, but Serethiel does not know if they were able to achieve even that. With the sound of snapping bowstrings and the clash of daggers and swords ringing around her, Serethiel reached as far deep into her magic as she could, and forced it all out of her, content to sacrifice herself if only she could stop the onslaught of men. Consciousness left her before she could see the result of her final attack.

She awoke some time later - how long it was, she couldn’t say. The bodies of the fallen were still around her, but sun shined through the treetops. She sat for some time, her mind numb. If her Clan had escaped, then there was no use looking for them now. She had instructed them to run, and to not look back, and they would have followed her orders. She was no longer their Keeper - she had failed to keep them safe.

For near a week after, all of her time was spent in burying the bodies of her fallen warriors, a task which she took no rest from except to sleep. The bodied of the men she gathered but did not bury, intent only on counting their numbers, hoping that she had felled them all. If any had survived, she learned, it would not have been a great enough number for them to pose any threat to the living members of the Clan. That, at least, returned some warmth to her heart.

Now, though, she had no aim, no purpose. Her people were gone, dead or fleeing, and there was no one left to fight against. So, she wandered. She did search for her Clan, but she’d known before beginning that she would never find them. Her feet took her many places, and slowly, some of the hole left in her heart healed, leaving only the scar tissues of memories and nightmares. Finding her way to Ferelden, Serethiel vowed to give herself a purpose, promised to herself to never squander the life that she had once dedicated to her Clan, and has not looked back.

Personality: Serethiel is many things - a scholar, a warrior, a protector and an ally, a mother and a leader and a sister in arms. She understands the burdens of loss and of duty, and knows that as important as sorrow is, it is only cruel to the memories of loved ones to wallow in that darkness. Never forget the sacrifices and the things lost, but do not let yourself become weighed down by them.

Though not suspicious by nature, the former Keeper knows well the virtue of being cautious. Nevertheless, she welcomes friends and allies with open arms. She has, after all, always been a social person, and misses terribly the comfort of a large family. Perhaps she is still bitter towards humanity for the crimes committed against her people, but even that does not keep her from acting civil, and she understands that, like elves, humans come in all shades of good and evil.


Weapons/Armor: With magic coursing though Serethiel’s body, it would seem only natural that her main form of defense lies in spellcasting. A polished oak staff, nearly a head taller than her own height, helps her to concentrate her mana into more powerful, concentrated blasts. Her favored spells are earth-based, using roots and trees to attack her foes, and transforming into animals to attack her enemies with agility, tooth and nail.

No self respecting Dalish elf does not know how to fight with a blade or bow, however. Serethiel is moderately well-equipped to fight with a dagger in one or both hands, though she rarely resorts to such methods.

For armor, Serethiel favors magister robes of earthen colors, with a leather-reinforced bodice, neck-guard, and bracers in the event that a fight comes a little too close.

Appearance: Serethiel is average height for an elf, standing shorter than the average human woman. Her skin is relatively pale, considering how much of her time is spent out of doors, and her hair is straight and black. Her upper ears are pieced with gold-worked hoops, fashioned for her by her father when she was a mere girl.

Another shifter. Alright! More. This sounds like it is going to get more and more interesting.