TW: Implied SA; mention of mutilation, mentions of child abuse, mention of ableism, mention of sibling and parent deathQUICK STATSNameEln-of-Ara of Bear Clan
Age38, yet ancient
GenderMale
SpeciesKasi - a horned semi-nomadic people of the boreal forests and tundra
Height5'11"
OccupationFormerly a leader of the warrior men of his clan. Now, lost and surviving.
ResidenceNone
IN-DEPTH STUFFHistoryEln was the first son born to the Bear Clan matriarch. Had his childhood been uneventful, such parentage might have offered him a happier life. Shortly after his birth, however, his sire fell well out of his mother's favor, and she passed her deep resentment of the man onto her newborn son. She bore two more children in the coming years: another son and a daughter, both to a second sire. Eln's brother, a sickly boy who by all rights should have been left in the wild to perish, inherited his father's cruel streak and relentlessly abused their sister. When Eln finally caught wind of this, it was far too late, and he watched his beloved sister die in his arms. He sought retribution from his brother, only to quickly be blamed by his mother for his sister's death. His clan sawed his horns from his head and banished him into the wild, not to return until they regrew.
Even after he returned from his banishment, a young Ven in tow, Eln was an outsider to his people. His worth was reduced to what he could provide in labor and in protection, and as he blamed himself for not stopping his sister's murder, he never questioned this punishment. To this day, this is how he sees himself: valuable only as a servant to those he is sworn to.
Years later, devastation struck the westernmost clans. War fell upon them. From west across the mountains came agents of a wicked empire to abscond with their children in the black of night for some profane purpose. From the south, the colonists pushed further into the forest in search of gold. And from the east, their own human-allied clansmen turned against them. When Bear Clan's warlord fell in battle, Eln took up the mantle, embarked on a journey to unite the fractured Kasi clans into one formidable force, and drove the invaders back.
His victory was due in no small part to Ven's discovery of a dark and ancient magic that imbued their bodies with godlike immortality. But the cost of said victory was far too steep. By cheating the very forces of nature, the people of the North awoke their wrathful god, and he rained devastation down upon them on the battlefield. In his rage he tore the very fabric of the world and doomed it to a slow, festering death. All but a few refugees perished that day, and those who died became the undead servants of a furious deity. Eln's body became the vessel to that very god. He lived century upon century as a prisoner in his own mind, looking on helplessly as the force within him used him as a tool to commit countless atrocities. The horror of it broke him and drove him to madness. Even now, free again at last, he will never be the same.
In the process of banishing the parasite within him, Eln passed through the tear in the world and fell into a new, unknown land. He cannot remember his home or the faces of his people. His memories are fragmented. He is alone; the ghosts of a thousand years passed are his only company now. For the first time, he doesn't have a purpose. Perhaps, in time, he will find one.
Physical DescriptionEln's body has been pushed beyond its natural life manyfold over, and the years are finally catching up with him. However, he still cuts a formidable figure. He is broad, dense, and well-muscled, with the body fat of a man who eats well and fights well. He is easily strong enough to hold his own in battle.
A typical example of his people, Eln's complexion is ashen brown like dry earth. He was once covered in scars from head to toe, but by some profane magic, they have now disappeared. His horns, which never properly healed after his banishment, have now likewise grown back over his skull into a glorious crown. Eln's dark brown hair is long, thick, and wirey, and he keeps it bound out of his face for the sake of practicality. Streaks of silver betray his age, as do the wrinkles that crease his cheeks and furrowed brow. His eyes are a deep, stormy blue-gray, and his gaze is harsh, piercing, and skeptical. He often sports a great deal of salt-and-pepper stubble, as it has never been particularly important for him to look kempt.
Eln dresses for utility and warmth, though he still occasionally favors the bright colors and patterns of his people's garb. He will ultimately wear what makes the most sense for his environment and survival needs. As for gear, he is most comfortable in leather, padded armor, or maille, and knows his way around shields, spears, axes, and to a lesser extent, longbows.
PersonalityISTJ / lawful good
Eln stubbornly views the world in black and white, and he doesn't easily adopt new ways of thinking. His bull-headedness often makes him impossible to reason with; most of the time, he will not even attempt to argue when he believes that he's right, opting instead for dismissive grunts or one-word answers. Because of this tendency, fear and anxiety can easily gain a foothold within him — to dangerous results. If he believes there is an imminent danger that must be addressed, he will seek to meet it head on and will fight it to the death, and he will ignore any pleas to stand down. Thus his loyalty, once earned, must be closely supervised lest it cause him to do more harm than good.
Eln's impatience and impulsiveness is balanced on the other hand by his fortitude and stoicism. If he believes he must wait for something, he will wait for it forever without complaint. If he loves someone whom he believes that he does not deserve, he will simply attempt to ignore his own wishes until either they pass or he does. He may be dour, but Eln has a fierce sense of justice where children are involved, and he will move quickly to keep them safe. When faced with hardship and bleak odds, he will not falter, but will continue to press forward until the bitter end. These qualities make him an indispensable warrior and protector.
A son of a matriarchal people, Eln reveres women and defers to them as the authority in all matters but the art of war making. He will not question a woman's decisions aloud unless she gives him clear reason to doubt her trustworthiness. He doesn't see men as competition, as, due to his banishment, he was never considered to be worthy sire material. Rather, he tends to view younger men as warriors in need of training, and those older than him as mentors. Nevertheless, given his suspicious and skeptical nature, he will be on guard when meeting new people, especially if they look differently than him.
Magic/AbilitiesNone. He is extremely competent as a fighter, but he possesses no arcane abilities.
RelationshipsEln only briefly met his father and never had a relationship with the man. From the start, he internalized and accepted his mother's unrelenting disdain as somehow necessary and deserved, and he loved and respected her until she passed. Eln deeply cared for his sister and still carries the heavy grief of her passing in his heart.
Eln was closest to his adopted brother Ven, though neither of them would define it as closeness at all. They often butted heads; Ven was, at his core, a pacifist idealist, while Eln was a violent pragmatist by necessity. Nevertheless, as both were outsiders in their own way, they found kinship and company in each other. If they should find each other again, they may remember that brotherhood.
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