Varic Glënwÿn

Varïc is a high-elf Mystic/Rogue, currently active in the Zemides continent as a member of the Orlyw special forces.

Appearance
Varïc is a good-looking young high-elf with sharp, cyan eyes and short raven black hair shaved on the sides. He is shorter than most high-elves, standing at only 165cm, this is however a good thing for his profession. He is not strong, but has lean muscles and very little to none body fat to make him as light as possible. While among the Orlyw, he wears facepaint in the Orlyw colors, Red and Purple.

His casual clothing usually includes just simple commoners clothes or big cheap travelers robes and cloak, making him look as inconspicious as possible. In battle, he wears his Orlyw armor, consisting of a full set of studded leather fitting snugly, being specially fitted, colored in the orlyws colors with mainly black and dark gray, so as to blend into the shadows. He also wears a hood, black cloak and a facemask whenever he is on a mission or in a fight.

He carries no main weapons, but always carries ten daggers for throwing purposes, as well as a few pouches of utility items such as ball bearings and caltrops. For combat, Varïc wields dual psionic blades, channeling different types of enhancing magic through them. These blades are medium length, like a shortsword, with straight large guards. They look almost invisible, like waves and abberations in space like ripples in water. While overcharged, they look white/cyan and crackle with energy.

Personality Traits
Varic is a righteous man who believes very strongly in equality and the philosophy of the Orlyw.

He is very skilled at hiding and faking emotions, so he has a tendency to act pleasantly towards everyone.

Varic will stand up to any injustice based on social or racial status.

Ideals
Equality. Varic has been involved with the Orlyw for a long time, and shares their views completely.

Bonds
Devotion to the Orlyw cause, as well as members of the same cause.

Hatred towards the Zemidian Empire. Since the events in his youth, Varic has nursed a hatred toward the supposed killers of his family and friend.

Flaws
Varic believes in the greater good to a fault, and usually justifies his actions by the Orlyws cause and ultimate goal.

He's a fucking asshole.

Quirks
He always wanders around while thinking about something, and has a problem really concentrating at something complex while remaining still.

Has an obsessive need to clean his face, and reacts very strongly to anything that touches his face without his expressed consent (including things like dust/water). He needs to take a minute to prepare for whatever touches his face to not reacts like this. He is also fine with things like face-paint, as long as he himself wishes to have it there. It does need to be oil-based or otherwise resistant to washing, since he cannot resist that obsession.

Background (48BGW - 12BGW)
Varic was born into a low-class family living in a large town in the Zemidian Empire. His parents were still young when he was born, both around 60. They had normal jobs, both working as bakers; a meager living but one they could live off. The part of the town where he lived had a high number of humans, and as such was often viewed as the lowest-class area. There was much resentment toward elves from their neighbours, but his parents were on good terms with the humans who respected them for not being imperious like most of their kind.

Varic grew up while learning his parents trade and spent much of his free time hanging out with the kids working in the nearby logging camp, who were all close to his age. There was Harc; a burly, red-haired youth, oldest of the group and respected as somewhat of a leader he had a quick temper and an iron will. Tommen was short with long dirty-yellow hair, he was the youngest, but was always the heart of the group. Ana was long and thing with short, straight black hair, she was the shrewd, sharp tongue. Varic himself was the brightest, the one who came up with the daring plans to steal the Empires rations or soil their water. Having grown up among them, most of the resentment targeted at humans was also targeted at him, so he grew up as more of a human than an elf in the Empires eyes.

As they got older, he and his friends got increasingly tired of the disparity and segregation. One night, at a nearby inn, they met with an old man, Tarran, who spun great tales of the rebels and outlanders. Tales of equality and freedom, respect and a life of harmony and not of the constant shackles that bound them to the Empire. His stories riled their tempers, and they started standing up to the empire more and more. Harc would demonstrate and protect anyone the empire showed their boot. Tommen would take care of the kids and homeless, making sure they were properly cared for after being shoved aside by the empire. Ana would hold speaches like wielding a sword, striking at the empire like no one else could. And Varic would sabotage for the empire wherever he could. They got the empires attention fairly quickly, especially the rogue who sabotaged any efforts to subdue the renegade group of youths.

One night, the group had planned to meet after one of Varics' strikes had been successfull against the city guards food supplies. He had went earlier to meet with Ana, but on the way there screams started to fill the supposedly sleeping city. Guards swarmed the streets, and without thinking Varic dashed along allies and roofs, through smoke-filled streets... at which point he stopped. He had lost the guards, but turned to lay eyes on a horrible sight from above: Four houses burning in blazing pyres. The groups homes were on fire. Panicking, he rushed back as fast as he could, and crashed into his burning home. On the flor he found his parents, suffocated by the smoke filling the burning house. In a desperate attempt to save them, he almost suffocated himself, but was pulled out at the last second by Ana. He was groggy and shocked, and somehow they ended up on a cart leaving the town driven by Tarran, who they hadn't seen for years at this point. Ana and Harc were with him, but not Tommen, who he later learned had died with his parents when his home was set on fire. Harc had fought his way through confused guards and got away, and Ana had already been at the meeting place before hand. Seeing his home shrink in the distance, Varics hatred for the empire burning like a hungry shoal, aching for revenge.

Tarran brought the group to the Orlyw, who he had been working for, and revealed they had been planning to recruit them all along. A few months after the incident, Varic's psychic abilities were noticed and he received special training while Ana and Harc received training of their own. A few years in, the group was split, but they have had contact occasionally. During his training, Varic grew up from his rebellious youth into a hardened adult, his mind aging quicker from his experiences, which helped him advance in the complicated, mind-bending training as a psychic and a rogue. Varic's hatred was slowly tempered by his grueling training to a glowing bed of coals, but it never truly disappeared. He could hide it, but never extinguish it. After five years of training, he was informed that the Orlyw had managed to abduct a royal of one of the most prominent houses of the empire, and they wanted him to take the royals place in disguise, to infiltrate the empire as a spy. And so he did.

Smuggler's Deal Arc (12BGW)
"''It wasn't my fault!" - Varïc, to Asoga, in the Smuggler's Deal Arc''

Varïc's story starts out right after he has stolen a precious artifact, the Heart of Elys, from the Heasimitore family after infiltrating them for several years. He has traveled to the town of Arylein to meet his contact, Koran Metler, a smuggler for the Orlyw, in order to gain passage over the lake to Keyleran and to ultimately bring the Heart to the Orlyw. Upon arrival, all seems to go well, and along the way he encounters another traveler named Dan Kribb who employs Varïc as his "guide", although Varïc just lets him tag along for the money. However, upon arriving in the town's underground hangout in an unused part of the sewers, he learns from an influential member, an elven woman called Asoga, that Koran Metler has been dead for some time. No smugglers are willing to smuggle people over the lake because of the guards, but Asoga can arrange it if Varïc and Dan steal her old amulet back from the Nuevam family. Varïc refuses, aiming to find another way, but along the way he decides that it is the best way to do it, but does not seek out Asoga to inform her and receive instructions.

Along the way, a few things happen in which Varïc and Dan's differences in opinion start to surface. They stake out the Nuevam mansion, deciding to go in at night. That following evening, Varïc uses his abilities to warp onto the roof and helps Dan up with a rope, after which they enter through a window. Sneaking about, avoiding guards and knocking out a maid, they enter the dining hall, the table still laden with food. About to continue through the hall on the other side, they hear raised voices. The speakers are arguing, one of them a guard and the other the youngest son of the Nuevam family. they take their chances and hide in the dining hall, but the son walks in and discovers them, with the amulet around his neck. Varïc attempts to steal it but fails, and the son runs away while his guard engages in combat with Dan. In the heat of the moment, Varïc makes the choice to kill the young son before he can run away, and grabs the amulet. He then proceeds to escape to the streets below after some trouble with the window, during which Dan engages more guards and severely wounds the guard captain, until he follows Varïc and also escapes through the streets. The captain raises the alarm, filled with grief over his slain protegé.

Varïc and Dan recuperate in the sewers after spending the rest of the night drinking (mostly Dan, being conflicted by their actions leading to the death of a young elf). The rogues and thieves are in a tuss since the guards are patrolling the streets, searching for culprits. Asoga approaches them and gives them the blame, which Varïc tries to lay on Dan, but is unsuccessful. after earning the disapproval (pure, undiluted hatred) of Asoga, he gives her the amulet and she begrudgingly fulfills her end of the bargain, declaring that should Varïc ever set foot in Arylein again, she would kill him herself. After the slight (major) setback, Varïc finally continues over the Lake.

The Mist
"My cause is bigger than this, and affects many more lives than just a small village that can survive without our help" - Varïc, to Dan, at the bridge

Upon arriving in Keyleran during the morning, Varïc decides that they should keep moving, after suggesting he and Dan might not be suitable to travel together which Dan turns down. They start moving toward the northern gate, but are stopped at the bridge by two commoners who seek their help. They are fishermen for complain that a monster up the river has driven all the fish away, and the fishing village will soon be starving. Varïc denies them help and tries to get Dan to do the same, but fails and so he leaves Dan to continue on his own. He continues out the northern gate and weers to the east toward his destination, and soon encounters the scene of a brutal slaughter. A caravan and its guards lay dead before him, seemingly torn apart by beasts. Varïc finds someone who's alive, and finds out some great man-beast came in the mist and killed them all. He tells the man to go home and recover, and continues on the road. After a bit longer, he is ambushed by a big band of bandits. They order him to give up his valuables, and though the odds are against him, Varïc instead decides to fight them. The fight does not go well, but when he is on the verge of death a thick mist rolls over the road and the forest and total silence ensues. Then, at the edge of his range of vision, a great man-shaped beast towers over the bandits and slaughters them all. Varïc decides to hide rather than run, and observes the beast as it ravenously devours the dead bandits. After quite some time, he suddenly hears warcries and the town guard attacks the beast head-on. Despite the beasts might and strange phasing properties, Varïc decides to help and approaches to fling his daggers. One of them hits, dealing massive damage to the beast, which is then finished off. He is greatly surprised to find out that Dan was the one to mobilize the guard, and is there to fight with them, along with a strange, stunted, pale little creature. After it and Dan conversed, it goes with the guard as they leave for the town. Varïc and Dan stay, Varïc resting for his wounds, both planning on continuing the journey the next day, neither discussing what happened.