Arannis

Arannis

History

Upbringing

Arannis was raised by his parents, nobles who served in the court of Tragador. His father was a respected advisor of the king. He was raised and groomed as a noble heir. Money was plentiful and he had the absolute best tutors available, to teach him history and magic. Above all other lessons, the one he learned best from his father was of the obligation of the nobility to common people, how each serves an important purpose in society. As a result, he developed a slight mistrust of authority, always conscious of the ways which it can be misused to the detriment of everybody.

Training

From an early age, Arannis was trained in the art of magic. His father was a great wizard, and it was intended that Arannis follow him, heir to both his position at court and his talents in the arcane. But fate had other plans for Arannis. No matter how he struggled, the practical applications of magic eluded him; while he could recite the foundations of magic, name the greatest wizards in history who studied it, and identify spells and enchantments with ease, he could not so much as light a candle with arcane power.

That all changed in his sixteenth year. One day, while wandering the city, Arannis stumbled upon a back-alley transaction between members of the thieves' guild. They were trading in human property. Furious, he felt himself possessed by the voice of Avandra. With a single word, the Goddess spoke through him, and the rogues were consumed in the light of Avandra. Afterwards, when the victims were safe, Arannis was left to decide what to do about this newfound power. Cut off from the Holy Land, with no tutor available, he was forced to learn on his own, and learn he did. Content that he was developing another route to strength, tempered by wisdom, his father allowed him the time and the freedom to explore and study these powers.

Current Events

Arannis was 21 years old in the year that Aramil took the armies of Tragadine out on training exercises. The occupation was swift and brutal. His father was killed defending the royal family, and Arannis was kept out of the fighting by the will of his mother. His mother quickly moved to a policy of appeasement with the new orcish rulers and even married one of them, to the utter disgust of her son and to the cries of traitor by the common people.

Arannis discarded his family name, and left the family estates. He refused to be bow and scrape to the murderers who had killed his beloved father, corrupted his beautiful mother, and destroyed the kingdom which he had been born to serve. Since that time, Arannis has worked from the background, striking back at the occupying force however he could, in secrecy. Usually acting alone, sometimes with friends, he has been a thorn in the crown that Tarak thinks to wear.

With no particular plan in mind, Arannis has disguised himself and enlisted in the town guard. He does not know exactly what he will do, but he feels an opportunity may present itself during the Orangeman's Day festival to strike another blow against his enemies. Until that opportunity arrives, he waits, confident in the knowledge that he is doing what his father would have done in his place.

Personality

Arannis is an idealist. His noble upbringing has left him somewhat out of touch with the common man, but he strives to do his best for them. To him, the exact laws of rulership are less important than their intention. Rule by greedy, self-concerned men is wrong. Only someone who works and lives for the benefit of others deserves to rule. If no man can do that... then no man should rule.

An outgoing young Half-Elf, Arannis makes friends easily, and has little difficulty convincing others to come to his point of view. He delights in his god-given powers, and may be accused of being a bit of a show-off as far as they're concerned.

Alignment: Good