M A L A D A N
Details
Full Name: Maladan Dal’Natra
Race: Sil'Norai
Sex: Male
Age: 27
Height: 6’4’’ (195 cm)
Weight: 180 lbs (81 kg)
Birthdate: 3rd of Searing, 4595
Birthplace: Sil'Elaine
Profession: Apprentice Necrodoctor (30 df.)
Housing: Dungeons of Lord Heinz Wiesen
Sexual Orientation: Homosexual, greysexual tendency
Partners: None
Titles: Lorien Nameless, necromancer
Factions: None
Enemies: Surprisingly enough… none.
Fluencies: Common, Silvain
Appearance
Maladan does not deviate too much from the general characteristics of the Lord Elves. He's slightly handsome, but more due to a sort of boyish charm than the muscle of his lean physique. He has typically white, tousled hair that he keeps shorter on the sides, making his pointed ears stand out. They occasionally move in response to his emotions, complementing his facial expressions.
A very distinctive feature of his face, aside from the golden eyes, is the black veining that contrasts with the light skin, giving him a somewhat unhealthy appearance. The mutation is most apparent on his neck, affecting the major arteries before continuing across the face and shoulders to the arms. The typical silvery markings are subtly present, as decorative loops around his forearms and thighs.He is usually accompanied by the scent of dried herbs, especially lavender.
He is commonly dressed in several layers of black wool clothing, which are tied with leather straps and decorated with wolf fur trimmings around his neck. His forearms and shins are guarded by strips of rough cloth against the cold wind. Instead of a cloak, he usually wears a sleeveless coat with a hood sewn on, reinforced with cowhide and metal bands.
He carries all of his most important items in a shoulder bag, made of strong, black cloth.
Personality
Goals. Maladan's goal is to dance to the beat of his own drum, to be lord of his own life, and to do something good that he will be proud of on his deathbed.
Control doesn't necessarily mean having a hold over others, gaining vast magical power, or martial supremacy. It's just having autonomy over his own life and decisions, as limited by outside threats as it is. He knows that there will always be someone or something that holds power, some bigger player with a bigger picture - he's just one little elf of a dying race in the whole wide world. But if he can make a difference and leave something better behind, even if it's just a memory... he'll do it, even if that means being a little… bad for it. This brings about moments where his behavior changes from a unique mix of cocky and caring to determined and sometimes even… wicked. Believing in ideals also means being ready to betray it and that's the thing he just firmly believes. The truth is, he's had enough of hiding and the arbitrary cruelty of the world,and believes that life only has the meaning you give it. Maladan believes above all in the personal freedom, good, and in a fulfilled life of all sentient beings. He seeks to live a life where he can stay true to this belief… at the end.
Emotions. Maladan is not given to emotion. He usually tries to suppress them if it doesn't suit him. Outbursts of anger, passion, or even grief are uncomfortable for him, but they still come occasionally. When he senses these moments coming, he usually gets scared and runs away, or cools off very quickly, burying everything under the surface. But these emotions remain, the wrongs accumulate and create toxicity in his psyche, which is one of his greatest weaknesses. His subconscious then works against him. He tries to select what he wants to feel... but that's not how emotions work. Maybe one day he'll accept that.
People. Maladan believes that there are no good or bad people in the world. There are just people and their decisions, and they are usually both, if you take it with all its complexity. But everyone, even the worst villain, has a chance to do something selfless, even for one moment... and often that moment is worth more than a decade, however fleeting. Maladan dislikes first impressions and tries to fight prejudice, though his occasional cynicism doesn't help. Usually he tries to get to know people at their core and understand what drives them. He prefers more intimate settings for these purposes, as crowds are not entirely his thing, he finds them lonely as he cannot fully focus on anyone, creating a paradox of being in a place full of people and still, being lonely and invisible.
Friends. Friends are like unicorns: something he has heard about, and wanted, but never really had, finding the people around him usually too different to let them in. Of course these are excuses. In reality, maybe he's just afraid he'll mess something up and have nowhere to run from the confrontation that will surely touch a nerve. That's the thing he's probably most afraid of - losing control and doing something that can't be undone or atoned for, something indefensible. However, if the time comes for friends, he is determined to be there for them and never let them down. Although, perhaps he could work on a less bossy approach. The belief that sometimes people don't know what's good for them until you throw it in their face can make establishing healthy relationships somewhat difficult. In this way he's his mother's son. Witches of the woods are not very fond of mutual understanding and empathy.
Love. Some people are able to fall in love twice in a day and find something admirable and attractive about almost everyone, though in Maladan's case it is rarely looks or seductive feats. As already mentioned, he is more interested in the personality and soul of a person, and love is the highest expression of appreciation for these qualities for him. But even in this aspect he is quite a loner; he can almost be in a relationship with someone without the person in question even knowing it. He rarely asks for more than eye contact, or a smile, but if he does… he goes into it with all his heart… and with foolish exuberance.
Likes and dislikes. Maladan is not overly interested in sensual experiences like fine food, soft beds, or sex.
He loves the feeling of understanding and ability to share and gain knowledge about various topics. He enjoys music and good craftsmanship too.
Because he has lived in Lorien for most of his life, he hates the cold... and feels much more relaxed in a warmer and more comfortable environment. Thanks to never having much of a comfort, he enjoys it to the fullest, but not over the top. Good jokes always improves his mood and Maladan himself usually has a positive attitude and a sharp tongue. He does not believe in treating those in power with respect just because of their station in life, as it all seems rather arbitrary to him.
Of all the animals, hawks are his favorite. He envies their wings and the freedom they have to watch everything that goes on below them and still be almost completely safe. He likes wolves too, for their communal way of life, and the way they care for each other. His favorite colors are black and gray, not because it is dark and creepy and all... but because it is humble. Every other color looks good beside them black gives everyone a selfless opportunity to shine.
History
It all starts with memories so distant he's not even sure they're not just bad dreams. He remembers Sil'Elaine more in pictures and fragments of sensations - foul-tasting food, cloudy skies, sad elves. The first, perhaps all too clear, memory occurs in the moments of the escape from his homeland he underwent as a child with his parents. He remembers them traveling with a group of other elves through the forest to some underground passage. Eventually, they were discovered by the dranoch on the way. In the massacre that occurred, the family split up. One of the bloodthirsty devils tore his father in two before his very eyes... and instead of tearing him apart as well, he just wiped the blood off his face and licked it. He then stroked his hair... and moved on. He has never seen anything more beautiful and more vile than that dranoch, before or since.
Maladan hid under the roots of an old tree and spent the night there. He remembers the terrible cold that his wet clothes brought him... and it wasn't just wet with blood.
Finally reunited with his mother, gods know if by miracle or luck, they made it to Daravin with The Remedy's help. Unfortunately, their troubles were not over. His mother decided she was not going to trade one master ruling their lives with abuse and magic for another. He didn't understand why she was in such a hurry. He didn't understand what the arlaed even meant... but he was soon to learn how this bond with the dead eventually robbed him of his mother as well. One night she passed into the reflected moonlight on the cold lake near the Lorien border, never to return. He remembers as the group of became smaller each passing day and how many of them fell prey to the elements, beasts and raiders. Often his survival depended almost entirely on luck... until he found Her.
The Witch of the cold, shady woods took him in when he was lost. She dressed him, fed him... and she was kind. Maladan didn't really care about anything else at that point. For the first time in his life, he felt like he finally didn't have to run.
Together they lived for more than 14 years. The old woman, only known to him as a 'mother' needed help and company, and the boy slowly growing into a man was useful for all sorts of jobs around her hut. And one more thing... for she was a bitter soul, once betrayed and robbed for everything as he was. But she knew better, and she possessed knowledge to take her vengeance. She needed the weapon, the blood magic capable of destruction, but they had to offer dranoch something in return.
A little snack would do.
Raising Maladan like a pig for slaughter, didn't stop her from being good to him as he was of her own blood… and maybe even from loving him, in her strange way. She showed him the ways to take his destiny into own hands… and magic, oh yes, magic. Maladan himself, even after all these years, does not know the exact extent of their arcane abilities. He knows that he can turn into animals, get inside people's heads, and much more, even controlling life and death through crafting the body.
And it was this art of healing, which his mother openly practiced, that caught his eye. People from the surrounding villages come to her secretly for advice and for treatment of their injuries and illnesses. Maladan was happy to watch her at work and listen to her advice... eventually he undertook some of the treatments himself under her supervision, and mother watched with a smile as the poor youngling she found and saved in her forests became a spirited and rich creature, which could only make him tastier. Maladan himself was happy to be able to stop the cruel hand of death and experienced the best times of his life, until….
Until he found out that there is a price in death for every life saved. And that the briomancy can be used not only to save lives, ease pains and right wrongs… but also to gain unnatural abilities by greed. He had wondered where all these people, mother 'could not save even when she tried', went, and why she didn't return the bodies to their families.
That alone wouldn't be enough to drive him out, it seemed fair that there is the price for everything and he assumed that was a source for his mother’s necromantic materials… but when you love someone, you want to see their actions in the best light.
The thing that drove him away from mother was the fact that she decided who would live and who would die. She was no mere practitioner, but a master of the craft. She deceived people looking for help at her doorsteps, using their dead to gain personal benefits such as beauty, strenght or long life.
He called that betrayal, but for mother… It was the greatest lesson she was able to give him. Maybe even a warning of what she was planning for him.
“You think people are better than they are, child. So go, go if you wish! See their nature with your own eyes and then tell me.”
So he left.
The first weeks were terrible as he once again wandered alone through unkind lands. When he encountered people, he realized... he couldn't actually communicate with them at all. He didn't know the value of daily necessities and basic smarts vital to living in a society. It was hard to find a place to sleep, so he often slept outside in the cold, experiencing nightmares about the first time since he had left Sil'Elaine.
His situation improved dramatically when he saved the little daughter of an innkeeper from dying of fever due to infection from a dog bite. They saved his life in turn.
He could stay in the basement of the tavern and practiced his craft in relative peace as long as he wanted.
Maladan enjoyed those good few months of this simple but rich life – getting to know the people, building first relationships with innkeeper and his family, learning about the world. He did stuff for the people – delivering their children, curing illnesses and, he even experienced romantic love from having a crush on a blacksmith's boy. Not that any of that mattered. When Lord Heinz Wissen's soldiers arrived to arrest him for 'his vile necromantic doings, stealing souls and practicing of the dark arts'.
That's when he learned the lesson - don't expect people not to take things personally. Even if it is in the field of helping people... and even if your competition is just a fake healer (or worse, a fool) who cures all ills by bloodletting, or healing tinctures made of pee.
The healer’s pride and greed led to his imprisonment.
Lord Wissen himself was an old, great and determined man. Or used to be great, now he was just determined. As Maladan’s imprisonment continued, it became clear that the Lord would be willing to strike a deal: lengthen Lord Wissen’s life in return for his release. When he refused, he was tortured. He started off strong, but weeks in the dungeon with no hope of freedom have been weakening his ideals.
