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Darian
Lawful Good Male Avariel Archer
STR: 12
DEX: 19
CON: 14
INT: 11
WIS: 17
CHA: 12
Special Abilities: Protection from Evil, Detect Evil, Draw Upon Holy Might
Location: Athkatla Slums
Racial Enemy: Dragon
Starting Proficiencies/Equipment (Archer version):
Crossbow: +++++
Long Sword: +
Two Weapon Style: +++
Leather Armor +2
Light Crossbow +1
Quiver of Bolts
Starting Proficiencies/Equipment (Ranger and Stalker versions):
Crossbow: ++
Long Sword: ++
Dagger: +
Two Weapon Style: +++
Chain Mail +1
Light Crossbow +2
Quiver of Bolts
Long Sword x2 (inventory)
Starting Proficiencies/Equipment (Ranger/Cleric version):
Quarterstaff: ++
Sling: +
Two-Handed Weapon Style: ++
Two Weapon Style: ++
Quarterstaff +1
Sling
Studded Leather +2
Quiver of Bullets
Darian is one of the Avariel, the wary and isolationist winged elves that produced Aerie. He is one of the Talons, an elite order of Avariel warriors that are in many ways the Avariel equivalent of paladins, though the Talons also have much in common with human rangers. He was sent to Myrrhavin to investigate rumors of an Avariel imprisoned within the city, and if appropriate and necessary, effect a rescue. If Charname approaches him, he will request his/her assistance, and afterwards will offer to repay his debt of honor by helping Charname rescue Imoen.
For those who haven't been following his development thread prior to this forum, Darian is a closely guarded individual with xenophobic tendencies-he is extremely wary of non-Avariel in general and humans in particular, though he is somewhat more willing to trust halflings. This is deeply tied to the history of the Avariel-a history I created for Avariel in pen and paper, and now use for Darian, given the paucity of any official information of them. I am taking something of a creative license with their history and culture as well, both of which are important to understanding Darian as a character.
Aside from his extreme distrust of non-Avariel, Darian is bound first and foremost by duty-he is a sworn defender of Myrrhavin, and will go to any lengths to secure Myrrhavin's security and secrecy from other races, which can at times lead to Lawful Neutral behavior-he can and has done questionable things in the name of duty, and tends to take a cold-hearted view of other races. He will openly admit that he is prepared to take deadly action against Charname and the rest of the party if he judges it absolutely necessary for the security of his home.
Despite all of this, Darian is a good man at heart-he does have a clearly defined sense of right and wrong (albeit somewhat twisted, given his distinct tendency towards an "Us or Them" mentality), and will gradually come to trust and respect Charname and [most of] the party over the course of SoA, and in ToB, he will fully accept the party as his friends and comrades. Of course, some people (like, say, Edwin) will never trusted.
There is also the possibility of Charname developing a romantic relationship with Darian. Darian makes it his mission to understand the members of the party, so he can decide whether they are dangerous or not. But Charname defies his every expectation, and at once confuses him, and draws him to her, and they can slowly build a relationship together, culminating in a special scene (if you read Darian's development thread, you'll know something about this already, if not, no spoilers for you
) that will forever change the way Darian thinks of her-he'll start to think of her as a genuine friend. However, even though he comes to trust Charname, and unconsciously begins to care about her, it will take some strong emotional shocks for him to finallly admit that he's fallen in love with Charname, and these shocks will only occur after the party leaves for Spellhold, and only if the special scene has occured, and the final arc of the romance will stretch over quite nearly the entire course of SoA.Darian also has extended relationships with a few other characters in the party. Aerie will look up to Darian as a fairy-tale knight in shining armor, whereas Darian primarily considers her an annoyance, but he will also be deeply bothered by the fact that a person strong enough to survive everything she's endured, is wallowing in self-pity and helplessness. This is further complicated by the fact that while Aerie was enslaved when she was little more than a child, Darian is a grown Avariel, and a fairly typical example of an Avariel warrior-his aloof and borderline xenophobic attitudes confuse and frighten her, but she also knows in her heart that had she not been captured, she and Darian would have seen eye-to-eye on it, and many other things besides. They will have additional dialogues based on Charname's romantic status with Jaheira/Viconia/Aerie or Darian (depending on whether Charname is male or female).
And on a side note: the portrait is credit to Ilmatar of Sol Ek Sa, and I wish to thank Kellen, BGHead, K'aeloree, and everyone else who's been contributing and supporting this project-I really had no idea what I was beginning when I started this thread!
That's all for now-I may expand and revise this in the future, as Darian's personality evolves.
ToB Overview
By the time of Throne of Bhaal, Darian Antharrna is not the same man you knew in Amn. He has settled down and matured considerably as a result of his adventures at <CHARNAME>'s side, and learned a great deal about his place in the world. Can he still be the judgmental, aloof, racist jerk he was in SoA? Yes. Does he still have shades of Lawful Neutral style zealotry and doing uncomfortable things in the name of duty? Yes. But both of these aspects of his personality are now considerably less prominent, and Darian now evolves towards the Neutral Good outlook that will likely dominate his future.
In part, this is because in Shadows of Amn he was seeking to prove himself, as a Talon and a man. He struggled to live up to his image of what a Talon should be, to make his people, his father, and himself proud. By the conclusion of Shadows of Amn, Darian has realized how unrealistic and how hollow his image of what a Talon should be was, and is more content to be himself. He also accomplished a great deal in Shadows of Amn, stopping Irenicus and the assault on Suldanessellar if nothing else, and feels he has proven himself to anyone's satisfaction. And before you start snickering, having sex is not necessary to proving himself a man, in Darian's concept of masculinity.
The second major theme to Darian's character development in Throne of Bhaal is that he is now in far over his head. He knows little of the human gods, and is more than a little concerned that their machinations are allowed to wreak such havoc across Tethyr, impacting humans and otherwise. However, he understands little about the nature of this conflict, and doubts his own ability to meaningfully impact the situation. Events have eclipsed his own mission, and indeed his own people, in significance. It has given him a certain... perspective.
If <CHARNAME> is in a romantic relationship with Darian in Shadows of Amn, it will continue in Throne of Bhaal. However, not all will be well between them. Darian is maturing and coming into an adult perspective on life, and <CHARNAME> is no exception to his re-evaluations. Youthful attraction and infatuation can and do occasionally lead to something mature and lasting, but often they do not. Darian's youthful outlook, including his idealization of love, is now being tempered by experience and wisdom. Whether his relationship with <CHARNAME> will blossom into something to stand the test of time, or was simply a young love that cannot and will not last, remains to be seen.
Edited by Tempest, 17 April 2012 - 09:28 AM.
