About

Arasulahn is a Dalish elf born in Ferelden. Where exactly, he could not tell you as his mother went into labor while the clan was on the move. He had a relatively normal childhood, at least until his magic manifested itself. Clan Alhannon has a strict rule of two mages only, the Keeper and their First, to better avoid drawing unwanted attention. It was extremely rare for a mage to be born in that clan, so when Ara’s magic exploded while he and a friend were carving silly things into one of the aravels, inadvertently destroying said aravel, greatly injuring his friend, and scaring off the halla, the Keeper was furious. He was even more so when it was discovered that Ara’s parents knew the child was a mage, though the first manifestation of his magic took the form of simple sparks and they decided to keep it a secret to protect their child. While his parents were tracking down the halla and the First healed the injured child, the Keeper took Arasulahn into the woods near where they were camped and severely beat him for his carelessness, then left him there overnight as extra punishment. Ara had always been wary of their Keeper , the man cold and harsh, but these events made him afraid to even glance in the man’s direction. The Keeper had every intention of moving the clan while Ara was left in the woods, but his parents fought for him and eventually convinced him to let their child stay with the clan on the promise that he would never use his magic. It took quite a bit of work, but Ara managed. Though, when he could feel the magic bubble to the surface, he would offer to fetch water or do any other errand that would take him away from the camp so he could release the energy that would build up. As far as he knew, no one ever suspected a thing.

Once he turned eighteen, Arasulahn received his vallaslin. His parents were thrilled that the Keerper felt he was finally ready to handle adult responsibilities. Though, the next day, Ara was told to leave. He was still one mage too many. His parents attempted to once again change the Keeper’s mind, but Ara agreed to leave. While his parents would have gone with him, his father was in poor health, traveling with the clan was difficult enough, and his mother needed to stay with him. The Keeper’s First gave him a secret parting gift, and old staff for the mage to use since he could now practice his magic. And so, Arasulahn set out on his own to travel the vast expanse of Ferelden.

Three years into his travels, Ara came upon a young raven stuck in a hunter’s snare. He freed the bird and tended to its wounds, thanked by several bites and scratches. When the bird was healed enough to fly, it left, though kept coming back. The corvid never ventured too close, it would just perch a few feet away and watch the elf. Ara would go about his business and occasionally talk to it, that bird the most conversation he had had in years. He ended up calling it Dheamanras, since it had been a misty morning when he first found it. Weeks passed and the raven continued to get closer, eventually perching on Ara and allowing him to pet it. Dheamanras had begun to pick up words from the Dalish’s one-sided conversations and would start to respond. Both of their names were difficult for the creature to pronounce, so Arasulahn taught it to say ‘Ara’ and ‘Dhea’. Dhea would help the elf to hunt and warn him when there were people near, Templar or otherwise. Being around the corvid greatly improved Ara’s mood, pleased to have someone to travel with. He was smiling and laughing again, no longer plagued by the suffocating feeling of being alone in the world.

At the age of twenty five, four years after finding Dhea, Arasulahn had a run in with a small group of Templars who were traveling to Denerim. He had been practicing his magic in, what he thought, was a secluded area. The Templars noticed and approached him. He was an apostate and would have to be dealt with. Dhea did his best to protect his elven friend, clawing and slapping at them with his wings, screaming in their ears when close enough. Ara was afraid of using his magic against anyone. He didn’t want to hurt people, let alone possibly kill them. But, the Templars gave him no choice. He released a powerful burst of electricity, though the details of the story get fuzzy after that. The Templars claim that the elf got away with life threatening wounds and was likely dead. Ara remains rather tight lipped about the ordeal. Whatever did happen, the Dalish was left with massive scarring on the right side of his face that spreads to his neck, shoulders, and chest. Slivers of pale blue were threaded throughout the burns, giving them a crackle effect. After that encounter, Dheamanras would refer to all Templars as “Templar asshole”, after overhearing Ara mutter the words under his breath while he tended to his wounds.

The encounter with the Templars caused Arasulahn to be more wary when venturing near towns. He rarely went in them to begin with, but now he was more cautious. Ara would only enter towns when he needed things that he could only get from merchants. Having no coin, he would do odd jobs to pay for things, some less than savory than others, some that made him feel good about himself, and some that made him feel worthless and dirty. Ara would do whatever it took to survive, taking comfort in the fact that he had Dhea to brighten his spirits when things looked bleak.

Appearance

Arasulahn is a bit small, compared to other elves, standing at five foot three with a slender, lithe build. He has shoulder length white hair that tends to have a slight wave to it and typically has raven feathers tied in it. His skin is tan, with extensive scarring on the right side of his face that goes down to his chest, a faint blue crackle throughout it. His left eye is a vibrant purple, while his right is faded, glassy, and blind. He is missing part of his right ear and is deaf on that side. Ara has several scars on his body, some from being reckless and getting caught while stealing, the ones on his back were given to him by the Keeper of his former clan.

He tends to wear a lot of layers, no matter what the temperature is. Loose shirts with a light jacket, breeches with no shoes, all worn from years of travel and barely holding together. He is never without his scarf, once a deep purple that is now faded, a gift from his parents when he left his clan. His staff is rather unassuming. A simple knotted piece of wood that curves and twists at the top with no crystals or blades like some staves have.

Trivia

• Enjoys singing and will sing to Dhea. Thinks that he's no good even though he is.
• Never learned to read, as the Keeper of his clan wouldn't allow it.
• His vallaslin (tattoo) represents Drithamen, elven god of secrets and knowledge, and is dark purple.
• Name meanings: Arasulahn (my song) Eshalinev (child of the moon or moon child) Alhannon (favored soul of the wilds)
• Dheamanras means misty morning. Dhea means morning

Relationships