Van


 * D&d_van.jpg“Thief is such an ugly word. I prefer to think of myself as a 'liberator of items most rare'.” - Van introducing himself to Regin and Tarion.

De'Vantaísh, OBS, known as Van, has been known to declare the entire world as his home; such is typical traveller talk.

He is the 35-year-old son of Telsin-Viran, current Elven Prince, and it has been foretold that he will succeed his father when his time comes.

In the wrong circumstances, he could be labelled as a thief, but prefers to think of what he does as a service to the world. He prefers the freedom of the open world to the stuffy confines of the cities and towns, and seems to have a strong aversion to anything remotely smelling of politics.

His personality can be described as testing at best. Van's moods can range from happy to downright irritating, but he does seem to simply want the best from life in general. Fond of jokes and sometimes cocky, Van likes to think of himself as bringing humour to an otherwise dull world. During official ceremonies, or in the presence of his father, Van becomes more reserved and tends to act with an air of nobility.

Traveller, dungeon explorer, 'liberator of rare and beautiful items', and 'a child of the free world', Van is sure to bring some of his zest for life into the party. Since he has accepted that in the future he will have to take responsibility, he has decided to live life to the full.

A Mysterious Past
When memebers of his party previously asked about his past, Van had a tendancy to divert all attention elsewhere, or simply respond with certainty that 'no one will have ever heard of them anyway.' It seemed that over the years Van had become adept at spinning a tale for every season, day, month, and year, detailing a range of different stories and tales regarding his home life.

In one version an argument with his parents resulted in him leaving the confines of his home town (which usually goes by some unknown name or spontaneous description) to seek the freedom of the open air and the wide world. In other versions, a goblin raid on his village left him alone and forever wandering, all too aware of the feeling of having your entire world snatched from you.

In actual fact, Van's past was simply a disagreement with his parents regarding the kind of life he wished to lead. It was soon revealed exactly what Van was running from in his past.

A Rogue By Nature
Van first joined the party under the guise of a wanderer lost in the woods, meeting the Dwarf Regin and the Hedge-Wizard Tarion. After the first few fights encountered on the dangerous path, it became obvious that Van certainly found his feet firmly planted in the soil of theft and dungeon raiding. Preferring the safety of the shadows to being wide open and exposed in battle, Van is quick on his feet and swift to the kill. He certainly knows his way in and out of the pockets of an opponent in a pinch.

Van's carefree and roguish nature can often come across as naïve and almost ignorant to the evils of the world, but there seems to be an age-old intelligence within those eyes, one that knows of the dangers of becoming too involved in politics, nobility and royalty. It is with an air of disdain that he tags along with any party hired by someone with the barest hint of political power.

Further interactions with the Rogue found that Van had experience in trap disarming and dungeon crawling, suggesting that most of his life as a wanderer has found him dabbling in matters of rare and valuable items. Some of his methods are questionable at best, and he often clashes with the more righteous personalities of the party, but it can be said that it is always handy to have a Rogue on your side in a pinch, especially one who is rather fond of staying alive in the years to come.

Appearance
First impressions of Van were that of a five foot three inches tall person made entirely of baggy clothes, hidden features, and a tendency to act shifty when you stare into his eyes for too long. He was wrapped in cloth and clothes that contain an unknown number of pockets, and was usually found carrying his backpack.

At the coronation of Constantine II, Van shed his rougish clothes to reveal his half-elven features. Long pointed ears as a sign of how pure his lineage is, long blonde hair, and striking lavender eyes. There is no mistaking the truth that Van is the son of Telsin-Viran.

Family
Van comes from a long line of half-elven blood, and is among his people known as the son of the current Prince of the Elves. His family can trace back their ancestory to the times when their bloodline was made entirely of pure elvish blood - something that is the cause of the most pride in his family. His father is Telsin-Viran, Prince of the Elves, whom has already declared that the omens favour Van as his successor. It was this declaration that led to Van deciding to run away from his responsibilities as the next in line to the throne of the Elves.

Van was always under the impression that the omens were an unfair way of deciding his life for him, and thus decided to abandon all duties, and shirk his responsibilities as the next in line. He ran away from family and home, and began to live the life of the rogue; revelling in his freedom and his ability to shape his own life. As such, there was always an air of hostility when Van was confronted with his past.

In time, it has dawned upon Van that his own actions and his own bloodline are the key to being the sucessor of the throne, and that stepping up to the throne does not necessarily mean the end of his long life. It was a difficult decision for him to make when he was younger due to his lack of understanding of his own mind, but has made his peace with his father, and has decided to accept that which the omens have decided for him.

Van has two younger sisters (Namine and Elyss), and his mother is Cerwyn.