Thendain Erewan

Son and Heir Presumptive of Princess Carlotina Erewan of Erewan

AC 1017

"Erewan will be finally recognized and accepted as an integral part of the Principalities of Glantri should I become Prince."

Appearance

Thendain Erewan can easily be spotted in a crowd of Glantrians. It is not for his elven features, as he looks like most any other fair-skinned, golden-haired Erewan elf. It is not for his noble carriage, as he comes off too friendly to be recognized as the typical haughty Glantrian nobleman. It is for his clothes, for they are always new, expensive, and flashy, of the latest cut and fashionable styles, and always—not matter how unsuitable—in the traditional Erewan colors of gold and green. Nothing says Thendain Erewan more than a thick Boldavian night cloak in emerald green, embossed with leaf designs in gold thread!

Personality & Quirks

Thendain fancies himself open-minded and cosmopolitan, breaking away from the nasty stereotype of the rustic forest-dwelling tree-loving Erewan elf. And though he has succeeded in adopting many Glantrian fashions, the beau monde of the City of Canals cruelly dismiss him a pretentious fop, a slave of fashion, and a sell-out to his own culture. He is optimistic, and genuinely tries to see the beautiful and good aspects of himself and of others, but as spiteful as Glantrian socialites are, he is considered naïve and delusional in his egalitarian beliefs.

Background

Thendain Erewan was born in AC 930, the second son of Sire Celedrin Erewan and Lady Carlotina Erewan. He was raised in the typical Erewan manner in the privileged setting of Ellerovyn, but Thendain found the pristine natural beauty and traditional Erewan ways too sheltered and too limiting. He dreamed of the world beyond the lush forests of Erewan, where adventure and opportunity and the exciting ways of the humans awaited him. When he came into adolescence and finished his basic education, Thendain left Ellerovyn and backpacked through the Glantrian Highlands for a year—the way the children of posh Glantrian nobles do. This did not sit well with the elders of the Erewan clan, but they could do nothing but grit their teeth until Thendain returned from "consorting with the humans," finally taking up his advanced magical studies at the Great School of Magic in Glantri City.

Just when the conservatives of Clan Ellerovyn were settling down, Thendain fell in love with the verdant elven beauty, Esmeralda de Belcadiz. Thendain saw in Doña Esmeralda everything he ever thought beautiful and noble. She was cosmopolitan and chic and worldly-wise, and yet she was well versed in the ways of the elves of both Belcadiz and Erewan! However, the elders of Clan Ellerovyn thought otherwise of this affair. Not only was Thendain planning to marry someone outside the clan, but she was from the rival Clan Alhambra—never mind that she was an older elven woman, decades his senior! And when Thendain tried to explain that Esmeralda herself was a daughter of both Erewan and Belcadiz, the clan elders saw her as an illegitimate half-breed not worthy of a rightful heir of Erewan! Clan Alhambra was not as outraged by this scandal (which served to shame the usually peaceable Erewan elves), but their approval of this match was not forthcoming.

Thendain stood his ground, professed his love, and insisted in marrying Esmeralda, especially, as Thendain sheepishly admitted, since Esmeralda was well on the family way! The odd couple wed in AC 980 in a ceremony that had more intriguers and gossipmongers than family and well-wishers.

This marriage, hard-fought in the name of love, did not turn out to be a happy one. Thendain and Esmeralda bickered endlessly about their irreconcilable differences, each accusing the other of lying and keeping secrets. Most unfortunate of all was the birth of their only son, Unedyrin Erewan, who turned out to be magically crippled.

To distract himself from his troubles, Thendain devotes himself to other matters. While he continues his magical studies at the Great School, he believes there is so much more to Glantri that just magic and wizards. He enrolls many in non-magical courses, such as culture, history, and language. Thendain loves studying different cultures of the Principalities, but his most favorite place is Glantri City, the melting pot where all these cultures converge to one that is simply "Glantrian." As such, he has also become one of the more knowledgeable cultural attachés of Glantri under the charge of the Chancellor of the Princes.

Web of Intrigue

The conservative elders, particularly Lady Eleesea Erewan and Lady Norelia Erewan, and most the rest of Erewan elves find Sire Thendain's interest in human affairs improper, unhealthy, and downright unnatural. His mother Princess Carlotina Erewan hopes it is just a phase that he is going through, and almost regrets her decision of allowing her older son Qenildor to become Baron of Celedyl, making Thendain her heir presumptive. The militaristic Qenildor acknowledges that while his brother may be better at ruling and dealing with Glantrians, he himself has a clearer picture of what would be good for Erewan. Only his grandaunt, Lady Bethys Erewan, seems understanding of his ways, and he often goes to her for advice.

The foreign ambassadors to Glantri, especially Sire Galladin of Alfheim, are good friends with Thendain. Beyond his official duties under the Chancellor of the Princes, Thendain often likes to accompany the ambassadors to the various cultural events of Glantri City, and he does so with much gusto.

Doña Esmeralda de Belcadiz y Erewan uses his sincere and innocuous activities as a legitimate cover for her own treacherous operations. His marriage was her ploy to exploit the rivalry between Belcadiz and Erewan for her own sinister purposes. She also uses Thendain's ambassadorial relations for her own underground network.

Thendain keeps his mundaner son Unedyrin in far away Ellerovyn, so as not to deal with him. He would rather not see the unpleasant flaws in his son—the way he would rather not see the flaws of Glantrian society—lest they ruin his dreams.

Style of Magic & Combat

Statistics: 6th-level elf (D&D, AC 1000); elf, 6th-level mage/7th-level fighter (AD&D, AC 1017); Str 13, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 9, Cha 13; AL L (D&D), LN (AD&D).

Languages: Elvish (Belcadizan, Erewan and Alfheim dialects. Thendain is one of the few elven scholars who can tell the hair-splitting differences between the latter two dialects—not that many care.), Thyatian (Caurenzan and Glantrian dialects), Flaemish, and Alphatian (Blackhill dialect).

Skills: diplomacy, etiquette, knowledge (Glantrian culture, +1), reading/writing, riding (land-based), spellflash.

Weapon Proficiencies: sabre, long bow, dagger, knife.

Thendain is not much of a combatant, either with magic or with weapon, but this is due to his friendly and diplomatic manners. He is trained in the traditional Erewan styles of using the sabre and the long bow, and he did take up courses on sorcerous dueling at the Great School when it was the fad. In any case, most Glantrians have not seriously considered harming him—beyond strangling the irritatingly blithe cheerfulness out of him.

As part of his efforts to become more "Glantrian," Thendain has adopted other spells and magical techniques not usually employed by the traditionalist Erewan elves.

"He sold out his people. But in the end, they will sell him out! A simple case of losing the kingdom for the crown."

(traditionalist views from Lord Rejladan Virayana)

References:

History of Clan Ellerovyn 

Author: Kit Navarro