Elara Surana

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Elara Surana is an elven mage hailing from Ferelden's Kinloch Hold. In 9:30 Dragon, she was recruited into the Grey Wardens and became a key figure and noted leader in ending the Fifth Blight.

She is known as the Hero of Ferelden, the Warden-Commander of Ferelden, Arlessa of Amaranthine, and a Champion of Redcliffe.

(MASSIVE WIP, BIOGRAPHY IS A SUPER ROUGH DRAFT)

## Overview

### **Physical Appearance**

She stands well-built at 5'6, with curly ginger hair and sliver-blue eyes. The year of traveling she did during the Fifth Blight gave her a lightly freckled appearance.

If ever seen without armor, she would be seen with many scars along her body, most notably around her neck and shoulder area. These scars, in particular, came after an encounter with a drake that nearly killed her.

### **Personality**

Growing up, Elara was exceedingly quiet unless talked to. She had but only two friends her entire stay at Ferelden's Circle: a fellow apprentice mage named Jowan, and an older, rebellious apprentice named Anders. Her quietness stemmed from a determination to not only survive her Circle but to thrive in it. This, along with being only one of a handful of elves in her Circle, alienated her from most of her peers, so her childhood was characterized by a resigned loneliness she did not know how to fix.

Through her travels during the Fifth Blight and beyond, however, Elara seems to have found her voice. She enjoys striking conversations with strangers because of how large the world is. Through her exposure to Ferelden, she discovered her insatiable curiosity and ability to be moved by even the mundane trivialities of life.

Elara takes personal responsibility for every life she can potentially save. Deaths are personal failures. She has yet to find someone whom she cannot forgive or at least empathize with, not always without consequences in her other relationships. She is slow to burden her friends with her problems, often martyring herself in the process (much to her friends' chagrin).

As Warden-Commander, Elara is unyielding both in determination and patience. She considers herself a mentor, much like the Senior Enchanters from her time at Kinloch Hold, and takes her role with great pride. Elara always looks for ways to highlight the talents of her subordinates in a way that inspires themselves and others to continue to strive for excellence. Others at a similar rank in the Order often criticize her behavior as a weakness and unnecessary when it comes to ending the Blight, but she pays them no heed because she feels what she's doing to be right.

However, she does not shy away from making difficult choices; her faith in her ability to do the right thing is resolute. In this regard, she is stubborn to a fault.

Elara believes her life is the only thing she truly owns and values control over it--a concept she struggled to believe in until well into her travels during the Fifth Blight.

### **Talents and Skills**

Being a mage, Elara has the ability to draw power from the Fade. Her specialties are lightning magic and telekinesis, but she is not terrible at healing. She is also proficient with a sword, utilizing an enchanted one found during her travels as a channel for her magical power.

Outside of combat, Elara is a good singer and lute player.

## Biography

### **History**

Elara was born in 9:12 Dragon to two Dalish elves from a now-defunct clan. Their fates are unknown to her, as her earliest memories are of being taken in by a Revered Mother in a small village. Her magical talent manifested relatively young at age three, and she was quickly sent off to live in Kinloch Hold. It was there she met her best friend Jowan, a six-year-old child who had been there longer and showed her the ropes of living there. Another mage, Anders, aged sixteen at the time of her arrival, acted much like an older brother to her and Jowan and encouraged mischief.

Her magical talent was precocious and quickly caught the attention of First Enchanter Irving, who insisted on taking her on as his apprentice. Elara took this opportunity with great ambition, resolving to one day become First Enchanter herself. It was then she grew distant towards everyone but Jowan, whom she found stability and comfort in, and the Enchanters in something of a political friendship.

### **In-game**

In 9:30 Dragon, Elara, freshly eighteen, was taken in for her Harrowing and passed decisively. Her rapport with her superiors and the templars was at an all-time high. But Jowan came to her with the news that he was to be made Tranquil. Thinking her best friend's life was about to be ended because of a rumor, Elara resolved to help her friend by destroying his phylactery and allowing him to apostatize like their old friend Anders. They were caught, Jowan betrayed her, and she was sentenced to Tranquility for her role in a maleficar's escape. Warden-Commander Duncan, however, recognized her talent and sense of self-sacrifice and used the Right of Conscription to save her from that fate. She survived her Joining and became a Grey Warden.

Elara fought in the Battle of Ostagar and survived the overwhelming loss with a fellow Junior Warden named Alistair. As the only surviving Grey Wardens left from Ostagar, Elara and Alistair tasked themselves with building an army to combat the Blight. Their first two recruits? Morrigan, an apostate who helped saved them from Ostagar, and a mabari who Alistair *insisted* be named Barkspawn.

Their first stop was Lothering, where they acquired Sister Leliana and qunari soldier Sten. It was there they learned of Teyrn Loghain's campaign to label them traitors of the crown and of the Arl of Redcliffe's illness. Elara made Redcliffe their next step for these reasons. Upon arriving in Redcliffe, however, they learned that the sick arl was not the only thing the village was worried about: legions of undead poured out from the castle at nightfall and ravaged the village, their army growing more and more by the day. Elara roused the village's army and led it to victory without a single life lost. They moved to the castle to discover the source of the evil as well as potentially speak to Arl Eamon.

In the castle, they discovered Jowan had been poisoning the arl on orders from Loghain, using the arl's son Connor's budding magical abilities as a cover. Despite his crimes, Elara released Jowan and told him to never return. Upon meeting Connor, they determine the young boy is possessed by a demon he made a deal with in order to keep his father from dying. The demon was also the source of the undead army. Elara refused to kill the boy, seeing the hints of his humanity surfacing occasionally, and sought out the aid of the Circle of Magi.

Kinloch Hold, however, had problems of its own: Senior Enchanter Uldred was attempting a revolution of sorts, turning mages into abominations and slaughtering all those who opposed him. With the help of Senior Enchanter Wynne, Elara worked her way through the tower, saving any survivors she came across. She ran into Cullen Rutherford and became deeply perturbed by the way he spoke to her and of mages. Elara defeated Uldred and saved the First Enchanter, who agreed to help fight the Archdemon and save Connor.

Elara traveled to the Fade and defeated the Desire Demon possessing the boy. The arl was still sick, however, so they made haste to Denerim in search of Brother Genitivi. On their way there, an Antivan Crow named Zevran attempted and failed to assassinate them but successfully convinced Elara to let him stay on as an ally. Their search led them to Haven, and to the Urn of Sacred Ashes, which they used to revitalize Arl Eamon. Immediately upon recovery, Eamon declared them the Champions of Redcliffe and vowed to assist them with the Blight and the Landsmeet. He suggested naming Alistair, the bastard son of King Maric Theirin, as the true heir to the throne in order to contest Loghain's claim.

On their way to the Brecilian Forest, they stopped by Ostagar and retrieved Cailan's armor, body, and private documents.

Upon arriving in Zathrian's Dalish clan, Elara learned her surname was once mentioned in another clan residing in the forests. However, the clan was dissolved for reasons unknown. Zathrian's clan was willing to assist the Wardens with the Blight, but only after their problem with werewolves was dealt with. With the assistance of the Lady of the Forest, Elara convinced Keeper Zathrian to end the werewolf plight, restoring peace to their clan and freedom to the cursed people. The new Keeper, Lanaya, agreed to uphold their ancient promise to the Wardens and contacted other clans in the forest for assistance.

Last on the treaties list was Orzammar. Before going there, however, they obtained a peculiar and animated golem called Shale in a remote village. The political situation in Orzammar was in shambles. Despite Grey Warden policy to remain neutral in all politics, Elara saw the need to intervene for the sake of building their army for the Blight. She and her party ventured the Deep Roads, acquired the drunkard warrior Oghren, killed Paragon Branka, and destroyed the Anvil of the Void at Paragon Caridin's behest. Elara crowned Bhelen Aeducan as the King of Orzammar, and received his sworn loyalty to aid in ending the Blight.

Their final stop before Denerim was Soldier's Peak. They retook control over the compound and allowed Warden Avernus to continue ethical research into the nature of The Joining and The Calling.

Upon Arl Eamon calling the Landsmeet in Denerim, Alistair and Elara were immediately put at risk. They were captured by Loghain's men while protecting Queen Anora and sent to Fort Drakon, where they were tortured and imprisoned. The two managed to escape with disguises and attend the Landsmeet. It was there that Teyrn Loghain was executed by Alistair after losing their duel. During the time of the Fifth Blight, Elara and Alistair had grown close and she, having discovered her own desire to control her life, empathized with Alistair's struggles with fate. She allowed him to decide whether or not he was to become king, and he enthusiastically relinquished all claims to Ferelden's throne. Queen Anora, in turn, promised as many troops that could be afforded for what would become the final battle against the Archdemon.

Elara and Alistair learned the fate of the Warden who strikes the final blow against the Archdemon and, motivated by their unwillingness for the other to die, took the Dark Ritual with Morrigan. Elara was the one to strike the killing blow, thus ending the Fifth Blight before it even truly began.

### **Post-Origins**

Elara became Warden-Commander of Ferelden and focused on regaining numbers to the Grey Warden Order. She recruited former noble Nathaniel Howe, Oghren, Dalish mage Velanna, Legionnaire Sigrun, and her old friend Anders. She also developed a strange relationship with a Fade spirit called Justice, who possessed the body of a deceased Grey Warden. Elara chose to destroy The Mother but allowed The Architect to continue his research into ending Blights. It was this event that first truly sparked her interest in ending The Calling.

She was not deeply involved in the events of Kirkwall, but had a vague eyes-and-ears in the forms of Alistair and Zevran. Upon hearing what Anders had done, she immediately sought him out alone and found him hiding in a remote location. She heavily disapproved of his actions, but deeply empathized with him and vowed to help in any way she could manage.

Sometime in 9:39 Dragon, a lead on a cure for The Calling prompted travel out to the west. Elara entrusted Alistair with the goal of researching red lyrium and Corypheus.

## **Relationships**

### **Jowan**

BEST friend, the kind of friend you just always go back to, the kind of friend you do the dumbest shit ever with, the kind of friend who turns out makes pacts with demons, lies about it, and then abandons you to die, but you still set him free at Redcliffe Castle even though watching him drive a dagger through his hand traumatized you, and then you sort of drift apart after that.

### **Anders**

Older brother figure, actively encouraged debauchery and taught her naughty swear words that 5-year-old Elara and 6-year-old Jowan LOVED shouting at the Enchanters, became distant when Elara started to take her role in Kinloch Hold seriously (coupled with a year-long stay in solitary confinement), still someone she cares deeply about even if he's the terrorist who shot the Archduke.

### **Cullen**

Never saw as anything more than an extremely socially awkward almost friend, he snuck extra snacks for her in the library, absolutely could not get over the whole "templar" thing and could not call him anything more than an acquaintance, pretty shook up by his comments of how she's an evil temptress and a sin when all she did was exist in the same place as him.

### **Irving**

Basically her dad, admired him and aspired to be like him in almost every way, still didn't quite understand some of his more politically correct opinions on mage/templar business, she's SUPER regretful about the whole Jowan thing because to him it was like losing a child (sentenced to either death or Tranquility, y'know?), visited him up until he passed away.

### **Duncan**

Replacement dad after she made the old one mad, literally taught her everything she needed to know to survive, helped her realize that even if her life wasn't going as planned that she can always learn and adapt as she did before, she got really shook up about his death (but not as much as Alistair), she channels him whenever she's unsure of anything she's doing.

### **Alistair**

Started out real weird with the whole "templar" thing (she was terrified the templars were gonna come and take her away even though she was in Duncan's custody) but he was really determined to be her friend (he was low-key crushing since they first met but didn't realize until later), so she kinda just let him, eventually became actual friends because of their similar sense of humor and their mutual "why can't people see me for me" mentality (his low-key crush became one of those soul-destroying crushes), and then she realized she cared for him a little too much to just want to be friends, blah blah rose, blah blah "I'm a lucky man," blah blah "Have I told you that I love you?" Elara wants him to love himself a little more and demonstrates this by asking him what he wants to do for the Landsmeet, respects his wishes by not making him king (unhardened), she got REALLY FUCKING PISSED when he killed Loghain, accepted the Dark Ritual, eloped to officially become "us-against-the-world," plan on curing the both of them to get out of the Warden Order that has been shitting itself for years now.

### **Morrigan**

SISTERS, LOVE EACH OTHER, WOW AMAZING, TRUSTS MORRIGAN WITH LITERALLY HER AND ALISTAIR'S LIFE, but it didn't start out that way because Elara was insecure and intimidated by the confident apostate who so clearly made her life her own already, learned "Barbaric Forbidden Hedge Magic" from her.

### **Barkspawn**

A really, really, REALLY good boy, Alistair named him (even though HE'S *HER* DOG!), and she will never admit how much she loves it.

### **Leliana**

Elara had a really awkward unrequited crush on her for a hot minute before Leli called her a sister and she realized it would never happen, after that embarrassing hump they became sisterly in a different way from her and Morrigan.

### **Sten**

DEEPLY respects him, he DEEPLY respects her, even though both of them think the other is weird as hell, find a lot of meaning and comfort sitting in silence with each other.

### **Shale**

Thinks Shale is the funniest person (?) in Thedas

### **Sigrun**

"My little Legionnaire can't be this cute!"

## **Miscellaneous**

What else happened, or what else can you tell us about Your OC, bruh? Think of things like likes, dislikes, fears, strengths and weaknesses, etc. This is as close as you'll get to being able to word-vomit about your OC while keeping the article organized and will probably be the longest section. Feel free to add sub-headings as necessary with sub-heading 2:

## **Gallery**

* Sample Photo
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