Lanara

Lanara
"'I would estimate your need for satisfaction to cost you at minimum a limb or loss of your looks. But please, feel free to fight and live with those costs.'" Origin Story

Lanara doesn't know where she was born and doesn't care. To her knowledge born into slavery, she grew up on the rural estate of a lesser magister and his family, seeing him only when he could get away from Minrathous, she was most familiar with his wife and children. His wife, a foreigner who took a dim view of slavery, had no qualms about letting her two highborn children play with Lanara and the other children on the estate and so she grew close to the both of them. Although such kindness could only extend so far, appearances had to be maintained after all and even on a country estate influential visitors were never in short supply, especially as it was the house of a magister.

Lanara has no idea who her parents were, only vague memories of a woman who might have been her mother. Instead, she came to see the family's cook, an older human man called Peg (on account of his missing leg), as a kind of father figure. It was Peg that taught her to read and write the common tongue. Skills she then applied to the easier task of teaching herself to read and write Tevene as well.

When she was sixteen the career of the Magister to whom she belonged to took a nose dive as he managed to dig himself into extreme debt. In order to help pay it off, Lanara was sold, bought by another more wealthy and popular female Magister named Claudine. She was brought to Minrathous city to live in Claudine's main house and renamed Athenara. Claudine, having an unhealthy obsession with the Dalish, would use only elven slaves and after a trial period to see whether they were satisfactory or not, would permanently tattoo their faces with fake vallaslin.

Lanara learned that this fate befell only those who Claudine could keep hidden on her premises, as she was slightly ashamed of her obsession. Therefore, she could avoid this fate by quickly proving her usefulness in a more public role. Her ability to read and write enabled her to do just that, quickly assuming a role managing Claudine's wardrobe.

This did not mean however that she would escape daily lectures on Dalish lore and history, forcing the culture upon anyone and everyone in her household. Due to this, Lanara's opinion of the Dalish lifestyle is influenced by years of unpleasant memories and bitterness. She cannot understand how the Dalish peoples could allow their fellows to live in slavery whilst they themselves roamed the forests with total freedom.

Then, when she was seventeen (An age she estimated, unsure as she was of her birth date) her magical powers began to manifest. Having seen what some Magisters do to slaves that develop magic she kept it hidden to the best of her ability, glad of her position managing Claudine's extensive wardrobe and private apartments as it gave her a degree of freedom and privacy.

Not a kind woman, Claudine was quick to punish any infraction, no matter how slight. It was this that eventually caused Lanara to attempt an escape, resulting in an unlikely encounter. Six years after she had initially arrived at Claudine's household, while making her way to freedom, she had the misfortune to overhear a conversation between Claudine and two unknown men.

Not exactly planning to eavesdrop she ended up stuck hiding in Claudine's dressing room whilst a debate raged in hushed and intense voices in the next room. The content of this conversation was not immediately clear but the more she listened it became obvious that Claudine and the two men were planning a coup d'at in the Senate and failure or discovery would jeopardise the social and political standing of all involved. Eventually she risked leaving the dressing room only to discover that Claudine was still in the room. Beaten bloody and dumped in the nearest back alley she was left for dead. However, she managed to summon enough strength to heal herself to the point where she wouldn't die immediately before passing out.

Upon waking, hours later she found herself face to face with two other slaves from Claudine's household, young women who idolised the magister, before she could summon the strength to stand let alone run they dashed off in the direction of their mistresses house. Knowing they would inform Claudine that she lived she dragged herself upright and started to run, pitching herself into Minrathous' crowded streets in the hope of losing them.

She hid in the slums, scavenging for scraps until she had healed herself fully and then she knew she had to find a way to get out of Minrathous. Desperate, she turned to prostitution and finding that she was on to something continued to sell herself until she had the bare minimum she'd need for supplies.

One month after she had dragged herself from the alley behind her mistresses house she stowed away on a ship bound for Marnus Pell and from there made her way south, barely sleeping as she trekked through the countryside, avoiding the roving bands of slavers on the hunt for Dalish elves. Just north of Nessum her mistresses' hunters finally caught up with her but she managed to avoid most of the fight by killing one of them instantly with a well timed, if rather accidental, fireball before then fleeing into the wilds.

In this manner she made her way out of Tevinter, to a tiny town where she found temporary refuge, since Tevinter hunters are less willing to pursue her into such foreign territory. There, she met Brynn of the Bloody Stags and was inducted into the relative safety of the mercenary company.

Physical Description

Lanara has curly blonde hair with sharp blue eyes, slightly small even for an elf but not untouched by hardship. Bearing a wicked scar on her right cheek, a stern look can quickly turn this demure creature into an intimidating threat.

Having previous experience in maintaining and managing a Magisters wardrobe, Lanara is oft seen wearing higher quality wools and linens.

Personality

Lanara is a creature of reason, basing her disdain on illogical behavior, she rarely holds a grudge. Contrary to what many might believe, she is not too embittered by her experiences at the hands of the Tevinter Magisters, despite being deeply effected by a life of abuse and slavery.

Pragmatic and level headed she feels anger and a healthy desire for justice against her former mistress but is careful enough to not let those emotions get in the way of good sense. Being a mage she respects magic and what it can do and only condemns the use of blood magic, having seen first hand the sacrifices made in the name of spells.

Combat Style

Lanara is a diplomat at heart, always believing in the sense of good people, or failing that the desire to live. If dragged into a fight however, she can resort to a flexible list of primal magics, burning with fire and ice. Her magics are untrained though, but she is careful not to push her limits without good cause, respecting the dangers it holds.

Plot Points.
 * A thorn in Claudines' side.
 * A Mage in training.