Ash Vanor

[Ash Vanor]

Race: Inarta, Endal
Age: 22
Birthday: 7th of winter, 490 AV
Gender: male
Name: Ash Varon
Home Region: Wind Reach

Appearance: Ash is tall and thin being 5’ 11” and weighing only 185 pounds. His long red hair is kept loose and free, its color being a fair amount darker, some people almost mistaking it for being brown. His eyes are a dark hazel in color, almost matching his hair in pitch. Fair skinned like most Inarta, he is noted for having a somewhat lighter shade, contrasting his hair and eyes. Always clean shaven, he keeps his skin as pristine as possible. His face and indeed body are made more of sharp angles and ridges than soft line and corners, giving him an always serious look. Even his smile isn’t properly curved, often being just a smirk or half smile, even in the most joyous of occasions.
Character Concept: Above all, Ash stands for justice and what is right. He believes wholeheartedly in the laws that govern the Inarta and those that govern every place, so long as they’re justified of course. To that end he has also found a strange calling in believing in death, in his mind it is the final justice to all. For this reason, things like ghosts, necromancers and the undead do not sit well with Ash; to him they are the ultimate law breakers. His fascination with death is sometimes seen as macabre to many, but it is truly a harmless thing. Another core belief he holds is the truth of the caste system, the fact that some people just aren’t meant for something is a blatant truth he easily accepts. He also accepts the truth that people can change their lot in life by advancing their standing, and so he is a very fervent believer of caste advancement. Because he is such a strong believer in justice, it leads him to see things very straight forward in black and white, this makes him a rather serious individual. Though not to say he doesn’t laugh or have fun, he simply has fun in a milder way, and laughs at things some would not find funny. An interesting quirk that some people notice about him is his drive for the future. It sounds rather cliché, but the truth behind it is not so much looking forward, as it is not looking back. He has very little, if any, care for events that happened before the current day. This includes historical events and queries, even involving the Inarta. He possesses no drive to find out where his people came from, how they came to be, or what events created the world. All he believes is important is that they are here now, and he is one of them.
Personality Pros:
Just and fair
Trustworthy
Straightforward
Strong willed
Gets along well with people
Values life
Patient
Always pushing forward

Personality Cons:
Stubborn
Fair to the point of needlessness
Too prideful
People don’t get along well with him
Has a dislike of things undead
Unmindful of the past
Can wait too long to make a decision

History:

Ash was born to a male hunting Avora and one of Wind Reach’s many Dek. Though born to an Avora, Ash was raised by the commoners in one of the cities nurseries due to his father’s untimely death at the hands of the mountain. His mother being a drudge could not raise him, and he did not know who his mother was. During his time in the nursery he was found to be a quiet child, one that others drew away from. He was also found to have an interest in hunting, reading many stories and telling many tales of great hunters and of how great he would become.

When Ash was eight he was sent to live in the youth section of the city, where he quickly became known as a youth for justice. If ever he even heard a rumor that one of the other children had done something wrong he would automatically report it to one of the authorities. This made him unpopular with some children, but also made him a poster boy to the people taking care of the youth.

After age eight the young Inarta placed himself firmly in the aeries of wind eagles and out on the slopes of the mountain for his Bendi. It was quickly realized that he had some skill in hunting and seemed enthralled by the Wind Eagles, many people suspected his becoming an Endal early on because of his aptitude for justice and the eagles themselves.

The story of Ash in the aeries is one of content, he was rejected many times by young eagles, but because of his beliefs in justice he was never discouraged. Over the years some artisans began to take note of his hunting and skill with a bow, many were looking at him as a possible apprentice. Ash did not want to become an artisan however, but if that is what was right and what happened he would go along with it.

Eventually, an Artisan officially proclaimed interest in Ash and set up a meet with him to take him as an apprentice. On the eve of the meet, the boy, now fifteen years of age, traveled up to the aeries one last time before accepting his fate as an artisan. Many Inarta had gathered that night for a batch of chicks had fledged that day and the people were hopeful to become chosen.

Travelling between each of the great birds Ash saw people giving them food, treats and favorable pets. Not wanting to be a bother Ash stayed away from the groups and tried not to get in people’s way. After seeing most of the Eagles he began to feel his coming to the aerie that night had been pointless, he would not be chosen and he accepted his fate with a smile before turning to leave. As he strode for the door he noticed one of the birds sitting away from the rest that he had not seen before.

The lone Eagle sat with a crowd of people gathered around it, as did the others, but this crowd seemed hesitant, standing a distance away from the young bird. Curious, Ash went to take a look. He had no gifts to bring the Eagle, only his presence, and so that is what he did. Figuring he had nothing to lose, the boy strode through the mass of people right up to the bird.

On his way through the crowd he saw a number of people with cuts or bruises, and holding various limbs tenderly. He gulped but he would not be deterred, if others were afraid then that was their own fault, let justice be done.

Getting within one meter of the great bird he got on his knees before it, his hands knit together in his lap, sitting up as straight as he dared. With only a moment of hesitation to stare at the ground, he looked up at the bird and stared directly into its golden eyes. It was obvious the eagle had just fledged that day for his feathers were still black, the only thing showing his maturity being his white plumage.

Neither man nor bird moved as they stared at each other. Even the crowd was still, fearing that the boy had been too rash and it would likely mean his life, even though they did not know what was actually going on between the two. A tension burned in the air, as even other people who had been trying to gain the affections of other fledglings, came to watch and wait.

Boy stared at Eagle, Eagle stared at Boy, yet much more was happening beneath the surface. In his mind the boy’s voice rang out clear and strong, “I am a servant of justice, I am a servant of the people, I am a servant of life! I seek to right those that have been wronged, progress towards the future and die when it is my time! And so I ask you, will you help me attain these goals?”

“What gives you the right to become an embodiment of justice?” said the Eagle in the boy’s mind, his voice reverberating through the child’s skull.

“The fact that I am willing,” said the boy through their shared telepathy, “anyone who wills justice, is justice, and I am willing to give up all in pursuit of that goal!” Ash tried to sound fierce, half screaming out his answer in his mind while fearing he only sounded weak and feeble, “I shall pursue the very definition of justice to the letter until my dying day.”

“Then what is justice to you?” the voice said, booming and engulfing Ash’s mind.

“Justice is the fabric of people and of the world, it is the principle fact of life. It is the truth, it is the end, it is the middle and it was founded in the beginning. Without justice only one man, the most powerful, would be left alive and the rest of us would die. Justice is a belief that no one thing gains dominion over another without that other being better off for it,” the boy’s mind was scrambling now, he had pulled forth every scrap of text he had ever read about justice, everything he had ever been taught, and still his answer seemed unsatisfactory.

The giant Eagle finally moved. It stood, spread its wings slightly and leaned over the boy as he kneeled before it. Fear gripped Ash, told him to run, but he stayed, his mind unwilling to admit that he did not know what justice truly was. As the Eagle put his great beak near the boys head the crowd gasped in their own fear, some even beginning to turn and run. Closing his eyes, Ash accepted his fate, bowing his head down to the Eagle’s judgement.

“It is true, you do not know what justice is Ash,” the Eagle said, his voice softer and quieter than it had been, “but you are fervent in believing that it exists and I commend you for that. I will not help you right the wrongs of the world, I will help you with something far more valuable, I will help you find what you wish to serve. I will help you find justice.”

With that the Eagle spread his wings wide and let out a loud screech of emotion. To Ash he said, “My name is Varon and from this day forth you and I shall be as one. Rise now Ash Varon for all the world to see!”

Ash stood, his new name echoing through his body as he turned and strode out of the aerie without saying a word. Varon flying out above him with a triumphant screech, as if issuing a warning to all those who dared oppose them.

******

From that day on man and Eagle were inseparable, wherever one went, so did the other. Not that either ever traveled more than a day from the mountain they called home. They lived almost nomadically, tenting for nights on end out on the mountainside, leaving their space in the aerie almost empty except in the harshest winters. Together they worked, very rarely arguing, to ensure justice for all in their land. Using just their combined wits and skill to rid Wind Reach of ne’er-do-wells and continue the search for justice.

That is until one day, when a third party decided to enter the life of Ash Varon. It was on that day that the once child orphan would gain another useful tool with which he could better his search. That tool, was magic.

******

It was a particularly stormy winter, the worst that Ash Varon had seen in his twenty years of life. The duo was out hunting, hoping to take some unsuspecting rabbit from the sky, when they spotted a strange sight on the mountain. Amidst all the snow falling and the piles that had already fallen, Varon spotted the flickering orange of a fire. The pair were quick to investigate, fearing an unsavory intruder to the mountain.

Diving as fast as they dared, the pair plummeted to the ground, Varon’s flapping wings throwing up clouds of snow as they landed. The fire was doused by the onslaught of air and so only the moonlight made the world visible. Leaping off Varon, Ash drew his long bow and nocked an arrow, searching the area around the remains of the fire for the being who had created it.

Seeing no one, the Inarta shouted, “Show yourself! And speak, be your purpose her malevolent or benevolent!”

Hearing Ash’s voice, a large man stepped out from behind a nearby tree, pointing a fully loaded crossbow in the pair’s direction. Opening his mouth to speak a long train of peculiar sounds came out of the man as he began to wave the crossbow around, seeming to gesture. Varon knew what was happening, and through their bond Ash also felt the issue that had arisen.

“Do you speak Common?” asked Ash, switching from his native tongue.

The man with the weapon stopped his mouth and stared blankly at the two, then he said, “Yes, I am sorry, sometimes I forget I’m not in Endrykas anymore.” The man’s voice was thick with a foreign accent as he spoke, Common was definitely not his native tongue.

“Endrykas?” Ash said, making sure not to switch back to Nari without knowing it, “Why would a Drykas be all the way out here?”

“I am a scholar,” the horse clansmen said, “I go by the name Zavik Stridegrass, and I am here to study the bonding between Inarta and Wind Eagles. I’m doing so because I believe it and our own form of bonding with our Striders might be somehow related.”

The little he knows, Varon said into Ash’s mind as Ash said, “Welcome to Mount Skyinarta Zavik, my name is Ash Varon, Endal of Wind Reach, and this is Varon, my companion and friend.”

Ash lowered his bow and put the arrow back in its quiver as Zavik did the same with his crossbow.

******

Ash, Varon and Zavik all spent that night out in the wilderness. In a quick time Zavik became the pairs acquaintance and they insisted that if he were going to study the bond between Eagle and Inarta, that he study them. Zavik readily agreed, and so the next day Zavik was taken to Wind Reach to live with them as their guest. In the months that followed the Drykas learned many interesting things about the bond that the two shared, and in turn, they learned something interesting about him as well.

It turned out that not only was Zavik a scholar of the Drykas, he was also one of their mages and knew the complex art of Webbing. So, in exchange for Ash and Varon’s help with his studies, Zavik taught Ash some of the ways of Webbing. The pair were all too excited when Zavik offered, they thought the usefulness of Webbing endless; they could use it to track prey, warn if intruders were near the mountain, mark convicted criminals to keep track of them and more. The more they thought of it, the more it seemed like the perfect tool.

Sadly however, Zavik could not stay in Wind Reach forever to finish the teachings. After over a year, the pair was forced to say farewell to their friend as he departed, for he still had to bring his findings back to his clan. The evening of Zavik’s departure was a grand affair for the three, they ate and celebrated their friendship, ending with promises that they would all meet again someday. Then at last the pair escorted the scholar down the mountain and waved him away.

******

Now, over a year later, the pair uses the magic they were taught to better their success at hunting, laying webs over the mountain in migratory areas to alert the pair to any nearby game. They will not forget their friend, but the future is what concerns them the most as they strive more for justice than ever before. Often tenting out on the mountain instead of choosing to stay in their place at the Aeries, Ash does not know what his search will lead to, or where that might be, but he knows as long as he is Ash Varon, justice shall follow in his wake.

[Ash Vanor]

Skills:
Eagle Riding 26/100 (10 RS) (16 SP)
Webbing 14/100 (14 SP)
Shortbow 14/100 (12 SP) (2 RP)
Hunting 8/100 (8 SP)

Equipment:
1 Green cloak (start)
1 Black pants (start)
1 Black shirt (start)
1 Waterskin (start)
1 Backpack (start)
1 Toiletries (start)
Food for a week
1 Eating knife (start)
1 Flint and steel (start)
Eagle riding tack and harness
1 Shortbow
60 Shortbow arrows
Large tent
Family Heirloom: His father's leather hunting quiver

Money:
100 pinions
-30 (shortbow)
-3 (shortbow arrows 60)
-10 (four person tent)
= 57 pinions

Lore:
An Incomplete Justice: Due to Ash’s quest for true justice, he has gained much knowledge about what people feel is right and wrong.

Varon the Wind Eagle: Because of the bonding that Ash and Varon share, both know and feel the likes, dislikes and personalities of one another completely.

Languages:
Nira (fluent)
Common (basic)
Pavi (poor)

Thread List:
An arrow for two - http://www.mizahar.com/forums/topic24761.html

Time Stamp:
5 Summer, 512 AV - An arrow for two

[Ash Vanor]

Race: Wind Eagle

Age: 22

Birthday: 28th of spring 490 AV

Appearance:

Vanor has the characteristic black coloring of a young Eagle with one exception, his plumage turned white upon fledging. His beak is slightly shorter than the average Wind Eagles but ends in a vicious downward curve, the very point being as black as his feathers. Vanor’s wingspan is close to forty feet from tip to tip. He is well groomed but not too well, if one’s feathers are too shiny possible prey would see you easier.

Character Concept:

Calm and patience are Vanor’s virtues, staying quiet is seen as valued when it is necessary. When he does speak he is not always the most straightforward, often speaking cryptically or in riddles, he does it to sharpen Ash’s observation in their quest. Though he can get along easily with anyone he sees the pursuit of friendship near pointless, if you do not help them and they do not help you, there is no point in knowing them. That being said him and Ash are more than friends, sharing a bond closer than kin.

Character History:

Born to a nest with an above average number of chicks Vanor found for himself a calling in solitude. He observed from afar, learned fast and did his best never to slip up. Out of his nest he was the first to fly, choosing to find his independence rather than sit under his parents wing for any longer than necessary. The first thing he did when he left his families nest was hunt, diving down at high speeds to spear animals in his great talons became his favorite past time.

When it came time for him to find a cave and pick a rider it was a solemn day for Vanor. He’d heard of and seen many young Eagle bonding, but he never truly found any of the partnerships appealing. Always posing the question to himself “Would that type of person be the one I picked?” Every answer was always no. Still, he went and found himself a place to perch. The wait was not near as long as he suspected.

Every Inarta that came that day tried to woo him over with gifts and well tidings. What folly, he thought to himself as he swatted another one away, the world is not all well-wishing so neither am I. Near the end of the day all that had come had failed to prove themselves to Varon. But it was at the end of the day that one like no other came. It was a boy, of all things, that came and challenged Varon to accept him.

The tenacity, courage and will of the boy warmed the great Eagles heart, so he made a choice that day. It was the first decision he ever made quickly, and it is the one he is most proud of. Now he and Ash are inseparable partners in everything, minds, hearts and souls acting as one to acquire their lifelong goal.