Sydni Tethviel

==Appearance==
Sydni stands at a respectable 5'4", and weighs in at 134lbs - a sturdy amount of that weight from muscles most mages never develop. His body is built like a swimmer's with long, slim muscles rather than being bulky and rounded. A result born out of being elven rather than any particular exercise regime. Long, black hair complements his slightly dusky skin. He has the typical aristocratic features of most elves: high cheekbones, long nose and arching eyebrows. He has developed callouses on his hands from hard labor - but takes great pains to ensure they do not interfere with the delicate handling of the limited alchemical formulas he works with. He also has a few burn scars along his arms and the right side of his body from accidents. Finally, up and down the length of his arms, are small knife scars obviously indicative of a 'cutter'. He usually covers those up with a pair of long, fingerless gloves that are easy to pull down when spilling his own blood is necessary.
What protective armor he has consist of enchanted Mage Robes formerly worn by Avernus, carefully modified to fit his frame and cut to allow greater freedom of movement than the standard Circle fare without destroying the magic gathered within them. They are lightly plated in the chest and back and leave his arms free of coverings other than his gloves. Colored a dark blue and tailored for mobility, they hardly look like mage robes at all, allowing him to better blend in with the general day-to-day crowds. He has a tabbard adorned with the Gryphon of the Wardens that he can attach to the front of his belt when he needs to display his affiliation.
Syndi is left-handed by birth, but has gained a manner of ambidexterity through practice with using his right hand in almost all things so that he appears to be right-handed to the casual observer. He is still quite clumsy with a knife should he attempt to use it with his right hand, however. If he wants to do any real damage with it - he must switch to his left.
===Gear===
====Accessories====
*Ring of Ruin - a basic ring improving blood magic gifted by his mentor.
*The Irons - miner's safety harness common to Kirkwall.
*Warden's Oath
====Weapons====
*Nevarran Lancer - primarily used for hunting
*Acolyte's Staff - Basic staff that can easily be corrupted for his needs later
*Basic Dagger - for everyday usage
*Two hold-out knives - tucked into his boot tops as last resort defense weapons
====Other====
*Blanket and Bedroll
*Oiled Cloak
*Spare under-clothes and a single change of robes
*Hairbrush and small mirror
*Water Skin
*Mortar and Pestle
*A collection of glass vials of various sizes, carefully packed in a hardened leather case
*A small alchemy set consisting of a burner, tubes, and stands, also carefully packed in a hardened leather case
*Scissors
*Large herb pouch with a bundle of spare leather and cloth ties
*Heavy leather gloves
*A length of Silk Rope
*A set of 5 small notebooks (any writing is in Ancient Tevene)
*Writing set: two ink bottles, ink pen, drying sand, three charcoal sticks, sealing wax
==Personality==
Sydni is a relatively quiet, but opinionated, man. Born in Denerim and shipped to the tower at the age of six, his oldest memories are of the Circle and the other mages close to his age. But he knows he resented the Templars and the Chantry for it and holds onto that feeling even now. He can't even remember his mother's face.
He was considered an Arcane prodigy and as a result developed a very egotistical attitude to cover for the loneliness he felt in being singled out as he had been by this superiors and by default - his peers. Within the circle, Sydni knew little of the prejudice that comes with being an elf. There was more than enough for being 'enchanter's pet'. After leaving the circle, he has come to know it well and it has hardened his outlook on those he meets - often judging them quickly on what they do in the world rather than who they are and having to reassess his thoughts on them after a significant time with them.
With strangers, Sydni is aloof and dismissive - though never outright disrespectful. With those he has come to know as friends, he is more warm, playful and teasing with a dry wit and a sharp tongue. Even with those he cares for he is very secretive and closed off about his truly personal feelings and beliefs - hiding much of who he is to protect himself from disappointment.
He has mixed feelings on blood magic. Where once he was against it whole heartedly, he now sees that there can be a use for it when used responsibly. He has first hand experience on what can go wrong with it and knows that dealing with demons can comes with a horrible price - but he also knows that he does not have to succumb to that. He knows that blood magic can be used for good purposes so long as it's responsibly - and most responsible uses don't require it being used on man. Is it better to let a bear eat you when your mana is exhausted if you could simply spill a little blood and boil it from the inside? Or better yet, take command of its mind and make it just... walk away? So while he does justifiably condemn those who would use it to hurt their fellow men and give their souls over to demons, he does not see the reasoning for condemning all who use it. Blood magic is just another school of power - it comes with the same risks and drawbacks that the others do.
As for the Chantry and religion... Sydni doesn't know what or who to believe anymore. Only that mages shouldn't be kept prisoner from the world. The rest is open for debate - he will not judge. Yet.
He trusts the most of Dryden family with his life - just not all his secrets, only his mentor Avernus knows those - and so far they are the only real friends he has ever had. Syndi doesn't realize it, but he's become quite a gossip under the influence of the merchants. Perhaps living a bit vicariously through the news and rumors and tall tales brought by word of mouth to the secluded peak.
He is also, justifiably, scared near witless by Templars and will tow the line in their presence, very often subservient and submissive. However, he is also insanely loyal to the Wardens and will do whatever it takes to protect his own, even if it means facing down a Templar. He prays he never has to.
==Biography==
9:13 - Sydni is born in the Denerim Alienage
9:19 - Sydni is taken to the Circle
9:30 - Sydni's story begins with his Harrowing. Nothing out of the ordinary really happened to him before that - the usual round of being taken from his parents when he showed the first signs of magic and coming to live in a place where he felt isolated from everyone, etc, etc.
Despite being hailed as a prodigy of the Arcane school, finding another school he had a true affinity for was difficult. He could cast a short bolt of lightning or summon fire from his fingertips or gather a ball of light over his head just like any other apprentice - the basics even the stupidest could learn to pull off. But finding a real talent for anything past drawing on the raw power of the Fade proved difficult. So when he finally went to his Harrowing at 17 it was not much sooner than any other Mage usually did.
As with all students, Sydni was cast into the fade unprepared for what might occur. Told only at the last moment that he must awaken unpossesed if he were to become a Mage. And he certainly didn't desire the Rite of Tranquility.
It was within the world of dreams that he encountered his first demon. Giving him his first inkling of why the Templars feared the mages so - why they should fear them. He survived, however, and came through stronger for the experience.
His harrowing took place the night Uldred returned from the Battle of Ostagar. Barely a full mage, he and the others at the tower were pulled into the torments of the pride abomination. Many templars were given over to the Desire demons while Uldred and his willing followers tortured the mages who fought - slowing breaking them one at a time to make them accept the 'gifts'. Sydni was young, newly past his harrowing - he was not yet powerful enough to be a prize. So he was left to watch. Sydni had no idea how much time passed during those trials. Be it days or weeks. Uldred's followers happily made the youngest, weakest in magic, cut themselves to power the rituals they performed on the older, more powerful of the circle. To break the strong first so they could feed on the weak.
The hero of Ferelden's arrival was none too soon. Sydni likely wouldn't have lasted much more than a couple days longer. And because of the Warden's intervention, he was not killed in the Rite of Annulment for having undergone such tortures and lived. It was the Hero that inspired him to want to be more than just another victim in the tower - to want to be a Grey Warden.
It was Cullen that inspired him to escape. Cullen watched him hard. Cullen watched all of them as if they were about to burst into an abomination at any moment. The templar was deranged as far as any of the mages were concerned. Whispers followed his steps just as silence proceeded them. He saw demons at every corner, in every door and window. And occasionally a mage would wake up with 'mysterious' new bruises that no one would talk about. There was never any proof it was the templar - just whispers.
It was the battle at Denerim that gave him the opportunity. The tower marched on the capital along side the soldiers of Redcliffe, the Dwarves of Orzammar and the Dalish Elves. The city wasn't given enough warning to evacuate the Chantry there and all the phylacteries within - where his had been sent along with so many others for safe keeping. It was relatively simple to slip away from the fighting and through the burning wreckage. Had he been caught he could easily claim to have gotten forced there by the fires and thought it would be safest to stay and await rescue. The place was empty and mostly trashed with blood smears near the doors: the darkspawn had obviously already been through it.
Once Sydni made his way to his the storeroom and destroyed the offending object- along with a half dozen other crates full for good measure so it wasn't obvious the act was 'intentional' - he returned to the battle with much vigor and a renewed sense of purpose. He was going to be a Grey Warden someday - he had promised himself that. So he had to learn how to take the creatures down. With what he'd experienced under Uldred's hand, the monsters before him were not so frightening.
After the battle, with so many dead and unaccounted for, it was all too easy to slip into the Alienage population, steal some more appropriate clothes, and then get out of the city, following rumors of renewed activity to the Keep at Soldier's Peak. Sydni was scared shitless the entire way. Every noise and shadow were treated like Templars at his back. It wasn't an enjoyable experience for him and more than once he was tempted to go back to the tower and beg them not to kill him for leaving. But Cullen's face in his nightmares kept his feet going forward even when the humans he encountered treated him like he was nothing more than dirt. He lucked out, being a lone traveler, and none of the brigands and highwaymen he met decided to kill him. They took their payment for safe travel in... other currency.
By the time he finally arrived at Soldier' Peak, a little over two months had passed since the end of the Blight. Sydni greeted the Dryden's there with wariness. Though Levi and the others were friendly enough. When asked why he'd come, Sydni lied and told them he was a Grey Warden recruit who'd been told to go there. Levi - honest and good hearted as he was - didn't question it and showed him around, introduced him to Avernus and let the two alone.
Sydni told his false story to Avernus and the man called him out on his lies quickly enough. But he also saw the sincerity in the elf's desire to be a warden and with all that was going on, having an assistant wasn't the worst idea. Sydni did not get accepted in Avernus' good graces overnight, nor did the man teach him the secrets of the Wardens. The elf had to prove himself, often 'wasting' his talents on hard labor during the months before the Warden Commander of the Grey sent notes from the Architect to Avernus for study.
Only after the old mage had time to digest the information did he finally decide to send Sydni to Vigil's Keep with a letter requesting the Warden Commander have him undergo the Joining. He was not vital to Avenrus' research, but he was a quick enough study and had proven loyal to the Wardens as far as the man was concerned. Enough to trust him to take up his studies in his place once he had to succumb to the calling. Sydni survived the Joining and regretted it almost immediately upon waking up.
He returned to Soldier's Peak and began training in the basics of blood magic. His old prejudices over them breaking down in the face of Avernus' very pragmatic attitude and the Warden-Commanders own nonchalance with it. Though the old man kept his promise to do his research more ethically, he saw no reason to stop using the gifts and powers he had and over the course of the next few months, drilled the same ideas into Sydni's head. It helped that Sydni hero-worships most wardens.
Eventually, time and effort and the Architect's notes paid off. A more refined potion was created and a letter with a sample was to be sent to Weisshaupt. The letter made it, but the potion did not (Dark Epiphany side quest). In light of this, with the importance of needing a more secure go-between for communications, Sydni has been sent to take up residence in Kirkwall. His fear of the Templars will keep him from doing anything stupid in public and his loyalty to the Wardens will ensure what they need him to do will get done.
He brings with him many heavily coded tomes of Avernus' work to continue his studies and eventually the research Avernus began. The greatest secrets of his mentor he has memorized: this includes the secret to an extended life and the Power of Blood potion. They are not, of course, to be used lightly.
==Other Skills and Talents==
As a Circle trained mage, Sydni can read Ancient Tevene and has quite a bit of knowledge regarding the history of Thedas in addition to Arcane Lore.
He is trained to read and write Orlisian and Antivan as well as the Trade Tongue - though has had little practice in speaking the first two, so any attempt to speak them will be stilted until has an opportunity to really practice.
His knowledge of Blood Magic and alchemy is particularly vast in comparisen to his time actually using it due to his apprenticeship to Avernus (Uldred was blind, deaf, and mute in comparison).
He has gained a fair bit of understanding in economics from being around and helping the Dryden's.
He is a fair shot with a bow... provided the target is stationary and within 100 yards. The Drydens began inviting him along to hunt game in the warmer months and taught him how to shoot. Mostly deer.
Sydni is a remarkable liar - his own self confidence and superior manner lending credibility to his statements, though he is not well practiced at this by any means.
==Timeline==
9:31 Solace 19: A Dark Epiphany - Warden letters are found on the dead body of a courier by Veata, gathered, copied and then dropped in the dead drop for pick up later with an extra letter. Following this, Sydni is rushed from Soldier's Peak to Kirkwall. Arriving a little over a week later.
9:31 Solance 25: Arrival in Kirkwall
==Relationships==
Category:Character Index
Category:Original Characters
Category:Grey Wardens
Category:Fereldans