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| - Biography |
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Name: Valarian al'Dera
Age: 145
Nationality: Andoran
Height: 6' 0"ft / 1m83cm
Weight: 176lbs / 80kg
Built: muscled but agile
Haircolor/ length: Brown and cut short
Eye color: Hazel
Status at the Tower: Rei al'Aman Val
Strength per element:
Fire: very very strong
Air: strong
Earth: average
Spirit: average
Water: below average
Major talents: Elementalism and Travelling
Minor talent: Dreamwalking
Personality: Valarian is a calm and calculated man. One will never see him lose his temper. His eyes allways reflect some sort of emptiness and he rarely ever smiles. He is very serious about his duties and trains and works day and night. More than anything else he actually wants to die, and this deathwish reflects on a lot of things that he does. It seemed like he had been rid of all feelings after the death of his bondmate, but lately he has been expieriencing emotions again, and it confuses him greatly.
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History:
Valarian was a wealthy merchant's son, but like young boys do he dreamt of being a warrior. At the age of 14 he and his father and older bother Kelian traveled to Tar Valon with a small caravan of merchandise. His father, as usual only stayed in the city as long as he had to unload and reload, like most people reluctant towards the inhabitants of the Towers. But Valarians eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw the beautiful white city. He had just decided there couldn't be a place more magnificent in the world when he saw a beautiful woman in a green dress walk by. Her presence seemed to enlighten the city. Kelian, who had noticed his little brother's stare whispered to Valarian. "It's an Aes Sedai" The young boy blinked and looked at the woman again from out of the cart. Then his eye caught the man beside her. A cloaked warrior, Valarian could only catch a glimpse of him before they turned behind the corner. Later that day, when they stayed at an inn at the farthest end of the city Kelian explained that the man with her had probably been her warder. That night Valarian decided what he wanted to be when he was older. He wanted to come back to Tar Valon and be a warder, to walk in the light of a woman like he had seen that day and decided that when he was old enough he would travel to Tar Valon and become a warder himself. Off course his parents were not pleased. At first they didn't take it seriously, and when they found out he meant it, they tried to talk their son out of that ridiculous decision. But three days after turning 18 he left home to find the life he dreamed about.
Valarian entered the garrison and already started training when an Asha'man came to tell him he 'had the spark'. Before Valarian realized what happened he was moved out of the garrison and into the Black Tower. Unexpectedly he became a soldier, and had to train to grasp saidin while he really wanted to go outside and fight with 'real weapons'. The first time he had grasped saidin had been quite a surprise, for himself as well as for his mentor, who had simply asked him to light a candle by using saidin, and Valarian had suddenly lit almost the entire room.
He soon became very skilled with the one power, especially the elements, and after a few years he became Asha'man. He was determined about his training, melee combat as well as channeling, but he had a jovial and kind personality. He allways seemed to be in a good mood, he liked to laugh and he never lost his temper. There really was no one who did not like Valarian as a person, and even though he trained very hard, some doubted he could be a good warrior, because he was too kind hearted. But when it finally came to an actual battle against shadowspawn on one of his missions, he proved himself worthy of praise. When it came to the fight against the dark one Valarian was always serious, end executed his task precisely as given by his superior. He remained calm in the most desperate situations. He developed his Talents and discovered he had the power to go to Tel'Aran'Rhiod, a power only few posessed.
During the years of intense physical and mental training Valarian met a woman. From the day they first met he knew that she was the woman he wanted to die for. Her name was Punar Yüskel and she had just become Aes Sedai of the blue Ajah. Punar Sedai was Ebou Dari and about his age. At first she did not seem to be very interested in him. She smiled at his attempt to win her heart but pushed him back when he came too close. From that moment on he worked even harder. Trained until he collapsed; only to prove his worth so she would acknowledge his skills. She never really said she
did not like him, or that he lacked the ability to be a good bondmate, and that gave him enough hope any time. Many people, Aes sedai and Asha'man alike wondered why Valarian had fallen for the most badmouthed and hot-blooded woman in the White Tower, until she gave in to his advances. In the end she did think a man who went through so much effort to win her heart would be worth it. And she also reckoned he would make an excellent bondmate. They seemed to be each other's exact opposite, yet together, their differences blurred each other out. They became lovers and at the age of 28 they bonded.
Relying on her impulsive intuition, and his steady calculated calmness, they worked together well and got sent on countless missions for the White and Black towers. They fought battles against the dark one's armies and through the years knew victory as well as loss of dear friends, they trained to improve their power even more along the years and in their few moments of spare time enjoyed their happiness together. Even though they lived as long as a lifetime together, nothing really changed much over the years. Valarian never even thought of a possibility of another life, another cause, another woman by his side. Everything was as it should be. And it was supposed to be that way until the very end, when he would perish in a battle against the dark one. Like every warrior he had thought about death. He didn't fear it, nor did he seek it. He simply knew one day his time would come. Like everything else death was something that happened, usually unexpected, and he was at peace with himself about dying someday.
On a summer day in the year he reached the age of 75, Punar sedai and himself were in Maradon for a mission of the White Tower. As it often happened Valarian wasn't entirely sure what the message was his Aes sedai carried to the authorities there, and already a few years after their bonding he had given up trying to unravel all his lover's secrets. He respected her tasks and did not ask questions. He trusted her judgment. Unless she needed him to use his talent of dreamwalking, she often kept him in the dark about her business, but he didn't mind. When she had her meeting with whomever it was she had to talk to about whatever, he waited outside of the room. Distant enough to avoid picking up the conversation, close enough to catch anyone else who would try to eavesdrop on them or to bust into the room at the slightest sense of danger.
By nightfall they were given a room in a fancy inn. He had offered that evening to traven back to Tar Valon immediately, but Punar wanted to stay there, because she didn't want to turn down the people's hospitality, and even if they would have left through a gate Valarian would conjure, she would have wanted him to do it outside the city walls. So Valarian and Punar went to sleep like any other night. She told him they would leave tomorrow and head back to Tar Valon. Valarian had simply nodded and held her in his arms. And she had kissed him before falling asleep. It was passed midnight when the sound of screams and a distant alarmbell somewhere in the city woke them up. A few seconds later they heared screams not that far away, without a doubt from within the city's walls. Valarian jumped out of the bed without thinking and put on his pants before running toward the window. Most of the sight over the city was covered by rooftops, but he could see smoke in the distance. He couldn't see where the screams were coming from. He looked at the guardpost at the city wall not that far away. It seemed quiet. ... much too quiet.
The sudden sound of Trolloc drums made him turn around and he looked at Punar who was getting dressed. They stared at eachother with an understanding look for one second. A bad feeling. A very bad feeling overcame both of them and seemed to become even stronger when they felt the same through the bond. On the way outside Valarian grabbed his sword and put on a shirt, that was still unbuttoned when they stepped outside. People were running through the streets. The sound of screams seemed to come from everywhere around the city now and the alarmbell still sounded on the background. Valarian heared only one bell, while he knew for sure the city had several. Why weren't the other bells ringing? There was something else he sensed. Another channeler. He would have known if there was another Asha'man in Maradon. This one was not someone from the black tower. Valarian didn't have time to think, as from behind a corner a few trollocs appeared.
He couldn't believe it, even while he blocked them with weaves of air and burned the creatures alive, he listened to their earshattering screams in disbelief. They had already entered the city. How could they have gotten passed the guards this fast? "Don't use fire." He heared Punar yell at him from behind. "You'll burn the houses." He followed her into another street that lead to the marketplace, where the screams sounded closest. He ran to be sure he would bet here before her, and what he saw was an army of trollocs hunting down a couple of terrified citizens. "Where are the guards?" He yelled at the people, no one in particular, but the comoners either didn't know or were too horrified to answer the question. He tried to separate the people using weaves of air to block the trollocs. He had to choose now if he would use saidin to wipe away all of them, risking taking a few innocent people with it, or fight them one by one, which was off course hopeless.
Punar helped him hold the army of trollocs back while he opened a gate to Chachin in Kandor and started pushing people through. He didn't have time to be gentle with them. "Alert the authorities" He shouted at the people before they stepped through the portal "Have them send help." Some houses close to the marketplace had already cought fire, and now the trollocs seemed to pour into the market place as if they were lured there. He spotted two, no..... three myrdraal among them. They couldn't hold them back much longer. The weaves of air he made were still small and selective, but he didn't see humans among the trolocs anymore. If there had been, they were dead by now anyway. He stood back to back with Punar in the middle of the marketplace, alone under the starlit sky. She sensed what he was going to do. He felt her fear. "Do it." She yelled. A sea of flames consumed the fronline of trollocs that were approaching them. The wave of fire swept on backward and torched the screaming abominations of life. He torched them till there were no more, then he turned to the other side where Punar stood and did the same. The shadowspawn had come awfully close, and Valarian already had his unsheathed sword in his hands, but gasping after the enormous effort he lowered it again.
But It wasn't over. On Punar's side a new wave of trollocs approached , while out of a little allyway half a dozen screaming people ran toward them, followed by a myrdraal. He quickly opened a new gateway to send the people through, to the city of Tar Valon this time. He knew they would be disoriented upon arrival there but he had to alarm the Towers. The news would quickly spread from there on. "Over here." He yelled. The older man who ran in the front understood what he needed to do and with the little girl he held in his arms he ran through the portal, the others followed. After the last person had passed he quickly closed the gate and he was just in time to block the myrdraal's attack with his sword. The gruesome eyeless creature gave an inhuman grunt and attacked again. Valarian had stood before many fades before, and not one had ever survived, but he rarely had been so exhausted from channeling before, in a situation like this. With quick and strong moves he drove the myrdraal back, away from Punar, who still kept fighting off the approaching trollocs. He felt through the bond that she also was getting exhausted from heavy channeling. This needed to end fast or help had to arrive otherwise they wouldn't last, they both realized. He managed to push back the fade and with a quick and simple weave set it aflame. While the eyeless screamed and moved incontrolibly Valarian camly approcaced it and with a wide arc decapitated it. The still flaming head rolled away for a couple of meters before it stopped emitting screamlike sounds. More foul creatures came out of the streets he looked at. It seemed as if the dark one's entire trolloc population got sent in to flatten Maradon. In an attempt to spare his strength he only used small amounts of fire, in smaller areas. And when they came too close he fought them of with his sword.
More shadowspawn came streaming to the marketplace. Just when he thought he was going to collapse from exhaustion he was hit in the shoulder. As the shadowtainted sword drew his blood he used the last bit of strength he had to push the myrdraal away with a weave of air and made it burst into flames. A scream from Punar made him turn around and with one arm protectively around her waist he fought off the trollocs that came too close. He felt her fear turn into panic. We are not going to make it. He wished he could hug her tighter, and kiss her goodbye, but he couldn't. They would both fight till the bitter end. He let her go to drive the creatures further back. As if it had been the foul shadowspawn's plan he suddenly stood before another myrdraal. He fought it off with all the strength he had left, surrounded completely. He wanted to pull back to side with Punar but he couldn't. He sensed an attack from behind and turned to look at the goatfaced trolloc, and drove his sword through the creatre's body. Before he could swing back his sword to the myrdraal behind him he felt his mistake pierce a hole through his lungs. When he looked down he saw the blade stick out of his chest, while all his energy seemed to melt away. His legs were too weak to hold him and as he fell forward on his knees, Punar's scream made him look up. He saw her, felt her, but he couldn't do anything. This was the end. He couldn't grasp Saidin anymore. He would have fallen face down if something hadn't stopped him. He saw Punar's face. Her tears. He felt her. No more fear. This is the end. We die together. He didn't know where he got the strength to emit sound when he saw his Aes Sedai get killed, only a second before everything was dark.
What happened the days after the fall of Maradon you can read here
The first years back in the Black Tower Valarian rarely talked to anyone, especially not Rialt, he just trained and did his job. Only a very long time after grieving and dealing with his past he became socially acceptable again. But even now he sticks to his daily routine of training, and keeps to himself a lot. He has become a very different person from who he was before, and people who know him still notice the drastic difference. Valarian now only lives to fulfill his duties for the Black Tower and executes the orders from the M'hael unconditionally. He doesn't hate Rialt anymore, because he knows he just did his job as a healer, but he has a cold 'I-owe-you-nothing' attitude towards him.
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