Rhodri Mahariel

Rhodri Mahariel, born in 9:12 Dragon, was a Dalish elf who fought alongside the Hero of Ferelden, Solona Amell.

## Overview

### **Physical Appearance**

Rhodri is about 5'6'', with dark red hair and large hazel eyes. He has Mythal's vallaslin tattooed on his face in light brown ink.

### **Personality**

Rhodri is outgoing and confident - suprisingly so for somebody so young. He has a strong sense of justice, and as a child he dreamed of travelling the world, righting wrongs and defending those who couldn't defend themselves. This eventually led him to choose Mythal's vallaslin.

### **Talents and Skills**

Rhodri is more than competent with a bow, having been trained in archery from a young age. However, he found that he much preferred fighting in close quarters, and so he started training with daggers from the age of twelve. With his quick reflexes, he was perfectly suited to this style of combat, and by the age of eighteen he was one of the best fighters in the clan.

Rhodri also has a way with animals, and is able to both pacify aggressive creatures and call on them to aid him in a fight.

## **Biography**

### **Early Life**

Rhodeirin (Rhodri) Mahariel was born in the Brecilian Forest in 9:12 Dragon, the only child of Sorralan Mahariel, the Keeper of the Sabrae clan, and Ariala Neldar, a hunter from the Ralaferin clan. Rhodri never knew his parents; they were attacked by bandits before he was born, and his father was killed. His mother escaped, but disappeared shortly after giving birth to him. He was raised by Ashalle, a close friend of his parents, who treated him as her own son. In turn, Rhodri grew to love Ashalle, and always thought of her as his mother.

Rhodri spent the first eighteen years of his life living with the Sabrae clan, and for the most part he was very happy. As a result of his skills with both bow and daggers, he was apprenticed to a hunter at the age of sixteen, and he became a fully fledged hunter two years later. He gained his vallaslin shortly afterwards. He chose Mythal's vallaslin because he had always loved the tales of Mythal as the Protector of the People and the Deliverer of Justice, and he hoped to emulate her as best he could.

### **The Fifth Blight**

One day in 9:30 Dragon, Rhodri was out hunting with his friend Tamlen, when they came across a group of humans who told them about some mysterious ruins they had found in a nearby cave. Rhodri and Tamlen decided to explore the cave, and found a strange mirror inside. Tamlen touched the mirror, and suddenly everything went dark.

Rhodri woke up in the cave sometime later, weak and disoriented. He searched the cave for Tamlen, but couldn't find him, and so he made his way back to the Sabrae clan's camp. He was greeted by a scene of devastation. The camp was completely destroyed and everywhere he looked he saw the bodies of strange, twisted creatures that could only be darkspawn. He saw no elves among the bodies, much to his relief, and he concluded that the clan must have fled the Blight.

Rhodri spent the next few days searching the Brecilian Forest for any clue as to where the clan could have gone. He found nothing, and he grew weaker and weaker as the days wore on until he eventually collapsed. He was near death when two hunters from Zathrian's clan found him and carried him through the forest to their Keeper. Zathrian used powerful healing magic to save Rhodri's life, but there was only so much he could do. His magic could slow the progression of Rhodri's illness, but it couldn't cure him entirely. Rhodri did his best to fit in with Zathrian's clan, but it was difficult. Several of the elves were wary of him, fearing that his strange illness meant that he was cursed. Others were of the opinion that Zathrian shouldn't have helped him, as the clan had enough problems of its own, what with the werewolf attacks.

Rhodri first met Solona Amell when she visited Zathrian's clan to ask for their aid against the Blight. He offered to go with her into the forest to help her deal with the werewolves, and she accepted his help. Once the curse had been lifted, he told her his story. After some discussion with Alistair and Wynne, Solona decided that Rhodri must have contracted the taint and that perhaps becoming a Grey Warden would cure him. When Solona and her companions left the Brecilian Forest, Rhodri went with her. He was determined to do some good with the time he had left, and he thought that helping her fight the Blight would be a worthy cause.

Rhodri travelled with Solona and her companions for the next few months. He accompanied her to Orzammar and helped her fight through the Deep Roads. However, the taint remained a constant worry. Wynne did her best to keep the illness at bay, but Rhodri's condition deteriorated. He suffered from spells of weakness and fatigue, which gradually became more frequent and more severe. By the time the party reached Denerim for the Landsmeet, he could barely keep up with everyone else. It wasn't long before Wynne and Arl Eamon's healers ordered him to stay in bed, much to his disgust.

Not long after arriving in Denerim, Solona snuck into Arl Howe's estate to rescue Queen Anora. She came back with both the Queen and Riordan, a senior Grey Warden who knew how to conduct the Joining ritual. Rhodri underwent his Joining that night. It was a traumatic experience, even more so than usual, because he had been tainted for so long. The taint in his body fought against the taint in the darkspawn blood he consumed, and for a while no one knew whether he would survive. He grew stronger after a few days, but it was several weeks before he fully recovered. While Solona and Alistair fought the Archdemon, he was confined to his bedroom, worrying desperately about his friends. When the archdemon was killed, he saw the blinding flash of light from his bedroom window. He snuck out of Arl Eamon's estate and ran through the streets to Fort Drakon. He was exhausted when he got there, but he was also very relieved to discover that all his friends had survived.

### **The Grey Wardens**

After the battle with the Archdemon, Rhodri remained in Denerim for a few weeks, recovering from the Joining. When he was strong enough, he and Zevran travelled across the Waking Sea to visit his former clan at Sundermount, and also Merrill in Kirkwall. They then journeyed on to Antiva, as Rhodri was curious to see Zevran's homeland. They later returned to Ferelden, where Rhodri settled into life as a Grey Warden under Solona's command, eventually becoming one of her most trusted friends in the order. In 9:40 Dragon, Solona asked him to accompany her on her quest to find a cure for the Calling, and he agreed immediately. They set off a few days later, along with Zevran and a few other Wardens.

## **Relationships**

Rhodri and Solona hit it off almost immediately. He greatly admired her compassion and her desire to help people, qualities that he felt were sorely lacking in the world. It was Solona who figured out that Rhodri was suffering from the taint and that perhaps undergoing the Joining ritual would cure him. She saved his life, and he was forever grateful to her for that. She eventually became one of his closest friends. Rhodri got on very well with Alistair too, as they shared a similar sense of humour. He also formed quite a close friendship with Sten. He knew what it was like to be seen as different and to be constantly asked quesions, and although Rhodri was usually very happy to talk about the Dalish, he could certainly understand why others would find it irritating and why Sten might not want to talk about the Qunari. As a result, Sten seemed to feel more comfortable around him than he did around Solona or any of the other companions.

### **Zevran**

Zevran started flirting with Rhodri almost as soon as they met, much to Rhodri's surprise. He had known for a few years that he was interested in men, but had always been too shy to act on it, and a man had never openly flirted with him before. He recovered quickly, however, and soon started flirting back. After Rhodri joined Solona's party, he and Zevran would talk every evening. He was interested in Zevran's life and didn't judge him for his past, and so Zevran gradually began to open up to him. They also flirted outrageously during these conversations. It was only a matter of time before things went further.

One night in the Deep Roads, Zevran offered Rhodri a massage. Rhodri was rather young and naive, but he guessed that Zevran might have slightly more on his mind - and indeed he did. He quickly accepted, but then nervously admitted that he had never been with anyone before and that Zevran would have to show him what to do. He needn't have worried. Zevran proved to be an excellent teacher, and it was a very enjoyable night for both of them.

From then on, Rhodri and Zevran shared a tent every night. They agreed to have fun and not to take their relationship too seriously, but Rhodri soon had to admit to himself that he was falling for Zevran. He didn't mention this to Zevran, fearing that it would mean the end of their relationship. Things started to change when the party reached Denerim for the Landsmeet. By this time, Rhodri had been severely weakened by the taint and could barely keep up with everyone else. He was often forced to remain in Arl Eamon's estate resting, while his friends explored Denerim. One day, Zevran returned to the estate and revealed that he had encountered Taliesen, one of his former Crow associates, in a back alley. Taliesen was now dead, and so Zevran was free to leave if he wanted to. But he didn't leave because Solona had asked him to stay, and even if she hadn't, Zevran admitted that he would have wanted to stay anyway - because of Rhodri. Rhodri confessed that he would like Zevran to stay too, and Zevran gave him an earring. Rhodri was thrilled by the gift, as surely it meant that there was more to their relationship after all. The next day he found a shop in Denerim Marketplace where he could get his ear pierced. He returned to Arl Eamon's estate wearing the earring, excited to show Zevran, but Zevran was distant and declined his invitation to bed. Rhodri was mortified and decided that he must have misinterpreted the gift, or perhaps that Zevran had finally grown tired of him. He walked to his bedroom alone, confused and a little heartbroken. On the way, he suffered one final collapse that left him almost bedridden. He didn't see Zevran for a few days, but eventually Zevran came to see him and apologised for his behaviour, admitting that he was confused by what he felt. The two men had a heart-to-heart, and although neither of them used the word "love", it became clear that the feelings were mutual. That night, Zevran returned to Rhodri's bed.

A few days later, Solona returned from Arl Howe's estate with Riordan, a senior Grey Warden who knew how to conduct the Joining. Zevran watched through the keyhole of Riordan's room while Rhodri went through the ritual - until he saw Rhodri collapse, at which point he charged into the room demanding to know what had happened. The ritual hadn't worked as intended, possibly because Rhodri had been tainted for so long, and for a while no one knew whether he would pull through. Zevran carried Rhodri back to his bedroom, and as soon as they were left alone, he finally told him he loved him, at which Rhodri briefly opened his eyes and replied "*Ar lath ma, vhenan*".

Rhodri grew stronger after a few days, but it was several weeks before he fully recovered. While his friends fought the Archdemon, he was confined to his bedroom. He saw the blinding flash of light from the window, snuck out of the estate, and ran through the streets to Fort Drakon. He was very relieved to see Solona, Alistair, Wynne and Leliana, but couldn't see Zevran anywhere. When Wynne told him that Zevran and the others had been left behind to defend the city gates and that no one had seen them for hours, he became desperately worried. When Zevran finally appeared, he practically fell into his lover's arms and wouldn't let him go for several minutes.

Once Rhodri had fully recovered from the Joining, he and Zevran travelled together for several months, first to Sundermount and Kirkwall to visit Rhodri's former clan and Merrill, and then to Antiva so Zevran could show him his homeland. On returning to Ferelden, Rhodri settled into life as a Grey Warden, and Zevran became a semi-permanent resident at Vigil's Keep. They spent as much time together as they could, but Rhodri's expeditions into the Deep Roads and Zevran's trips to Antiva to deal with the Crows frequently kept them apart. In 9:40 Dragon, Solona asked Rhodri to accompany her on her quest to find a cure for the Calling, and he agreed immediately. He originally intended to leave Zevran behind, as he knew that it would be dangerous and he feared that he might not return. But Zevran insisted on coming, saying that if Rhodri wasn't coming back then he had no intention of coming back either. Rhodri couldn't argue with that, and so the two of them set off with Solona and a few other Wardens a few days later.

## **Miscellaneous**

One of Zevran's favourite nicknames for Rhodri is my Red Wolf, "because you have red hair and you fight like a wolf". Later on, he also started occasionally calling Rhodri *mi amor*. Rhodri's usual term of endearment for Zevran is *vhenan.*

As well as his vallaslin, Rhodri has a wolf tattooed on his left hip in red ink, a nod to one of Zevran's nicknames for him.

## **Links**

### **Reddit Headcanon or Writing Prompt Threads:**

The Trees Whispered a Warning - Rhodri tries to follow his clan North - but something isn't right (Prompt: 100 Word Drabble: The trees whispered a warning)

A New Ally - Rhodri and Solona meet (Freeform)

The Darkness Within - A darkspawn attack brings Rhodri face-to-face with an old friend (Prompt: Ragged breaths, pounding heart, trapped in memory, soothing hands, soft words)

From the Shadows - A darkspawn attack forces Zevran to start to come to terms with his feelings for Rhodri. A companion piece to The Darkness Within. (Companion Challenge - Prompt: The Shriek Ambush. During, before, after)

Piercing - Rhodri gets his ear pierced so he can wear Zevran's gift. But Zevran's reaction isn't quite what he was hoping for (One Word Prompt Challenge - Piercing)

Rhodri's Joining - Rhodri undergoes the Joining ritual in the hope that it will cure him of Blight sickness. Things... don't go according to plan. (Freeform)

A Moment by Firelight - After the Joining ritual, Rhodri and Zevran finally confess their love for each other (Prompt: Drabble 100 Words: A moment by firelight)

Sparring Sessions - Rhodri and Zevran have some fun in the training yard (Drabble Challenge - Prompt: Red, laughter, a pause, steel)

A Surprise from Antiva - Zevran returns to Vigil's Keep with a gift for his *amor* (Love Interest and Romance Challege - Prompt: An amused chuckle, a lock of hair tucked behind an ear, a gleam of silver, a curving smile)

## **Gallery**

Rhodri and Zevran by Tobio Fish (https://www.instagram.com/fish\_tobio/)Chibi Rhodri by Laudrawin (https://laudrawin.artstation.com/, https://twitter.com/laudrawin)