To be quite honest, I think of myself as rather approachable and lenient regarding roleplays. Here are some guidelines, which can and will be updated as I see fit. Additionally, I would recommend that you read this for a brief introduction to the writer, and this for Abelas’ verses.
Basics;; Writer 21+, not selective or private. I don't want to exclude anyone on principle, so I am free to be approached by non-mutuals. multi-ship/multi-verse. standard rules apply, including remembering to trim posts and not reblogging asks. reply to asks as a new post for the thread. skype available to all (sunshinehalla)! open to all writing styles, from one-liners to para or novella.
Abelas is aromantic & asexual. what this means is while I’m open to multiple platonic ships with the same character, he is not open to romantic or sexual shipping.
On tagging;; I have no triggers, personally, but I’ll try to be as considerate as possible. The format will be -> trigger ///<- and -> nsfw /// <- and if I miss something, please don’t be afraid to approach me politely about it.
Regarding the story;; I will automatically assume that all interactions take place at any point after the Arbor Wilds/What Pride Had Wrought questline, unless otherwise specified. Accordingly, this is not a spoiler-free blog, and end-game plot points may be mentioned. This is a good reference for Abelas’ Inquisition verse.
Regarding characters;; Abelas will automatically interact with all companions as though they had been present at the Well of Sorrows and that he left in peace — again, unless otherwise specified. Every character will be treated as unique. There are no duplicates. Therefore, if you see me interacting with a like muse, don’t feel intimidated/threatened/disappointed, etc. Every player has a different perspective and approach, and they all bring something new to the table. Besides, each exists singularly for Abelas.
I’ll love you if;; you send me a meme, you strike up a conversation, you ask questions! Abelas might be super srs disagreeable, but I promise I try to be perfectly friendly. c:
Also, please note that I tend to use endearments -- sweetie, sweetheart -- because I am trying to show my affection. If these bother you in any way, let me know and I will accommodate accordingly!
Vita: : a brief biographical sketch; Latin ⊰∬ literally, L I F E
( spoilers to follow )
Malas amelin ne halam, Abelas
What once might have been known of Abelas’ life before the fall of Arlathan has been lost to the ocean of time. Indeed, it is likely that his very name, Abelas {Sorrow}, was given to him — or that it was a title which he, himself, took up years later.
He was a servant - slave ? - and guardian of Mythal’s temple in the Arbor Wilds for thousands of years, adrift in the long slumber of uthenera when not directly required to defend it. Each time he and his brethren awoke, a little more of the world they had known was lost forever, slipped from their grasp.
Their numbers dwindling and the treasures of the Elvhen nearly gone from this world, Abelas had little to defend by the time Morrigan and the Inquisitor reached his sacred charge — the Well of Sorrows. He was willing to destroy the Well to protect the Vir’Abelasan from the corrupting taint of unworthy shemlen and ignorant blunderers seeking to wrest away his life’s purpose.
His destiny upon him now, one way or another, Abelas relinquished his ancient duty at last…or fell into shadow and memory.
Mythal sulevin
{ If Abelas is dead in your world state, feel free to plot with me or otherwise assume that he clawed his way back into consciousness, and fled the Arbor Wilds after his singular purpose for staying there had been taken away. Otherwise, assume that he is quite alive. }
For the first time in millennia, he has no duty, no reason to exist or to linger in one place. He searches for any trace of the Elvhen; he searches for purpose…and for the Inquisition that dances on the knife’s edge, and which holds the power to change the very fate of the world.
—In time, he might seek out the Inquisitor,
his curiosity and his quest for purpose
providing him with few other options.
In the Inquisition, he might find a cause,
even if he could never bring himself to
pledge his services or his spirit fully to them.
He could never replace what he had lost — but
somewhere in his wanderings, it is not so
impossible a thing for his hope in the Elvhen
to be r e i g n i t e d.
- - -
The Sentinel;;
Born during the height of Arlathan and promised to the service of Mythal as a youth, his notions of freedom and slavery have a very different meaning to him than to just about every culture extant today. Freedom was never something he sought nor desired. He respects Mythal greatly, and was proud of the purpose he had while following her dictates.
His world crumbled as Arlathan buckled beneath its own bloated power, the treachery and warring raging throughout Elvhenan. { The Dalish and their infantile need to blame it all upon the humans brings but a curled sneer to his lips— }
Even when Mythal had been struck down, he knew that she endured in some form, and so he compelled his fellows to tend to their duties still, drawing them to the place that had once been her sanctum sanctorum. Only now, her temple was still and empty, barred from within to keep out a world that had gone mad.
His years spent awake passed much the same as those deep in the slumber of uthenera — only when he returned to consciousness, his rest stirred by something troubling the Vir’Abelasan, did he see how the world had changed that much more from what he knew. The death of Elvhenan didn’t end with Arlathan, although it had been its gem. The death continues, and a little more of some fundamental part of Abelas dies with it each time he wakes.
By the time the Well of Sorrows falls to the hands of the Inquisition, what had once been a force worthy of representing the Will of Mythal was reduced to a beleaguered handful. Those few that survived Corypheus’ assault scattered to the winds, each seeking to discover or preserve one last remnant of the People. It made sense, at the time, but while Abelas regrets it now, it is far too late to call them back.
Time and tradition are the factors which molded a young elven devotee into a cynical and wearied keeper. Mythal the Protector demanded justice delivered with clear minds and open hearts, and these are precisely the qualities that Abelas has lost. It is too great a blow for him to accept, and so he continues to dig himself deeper, channeling his disgust outward, disdainful of all the races infesting Thedas and repulsed by the Dalish in particular.
But it is not that simple. He sees the Dalish as orphaned children, shambling and ignorant, but what pity he might feel is tempered by how alien they are to one another — they have so little in common that the sting of it hurts him most of all.
—And while he might disdain of them, of the
vallaslin worn without comprehension, they
are all that was left to him of his kin.
Art credit to swevenfox, qissus and artemorte.
I love video games and leatherbound novels and mint. I’m 30% enthusiasm, 60% water and 10% everything else. I’m petite sized in real life but people tend to forget that I’m short until we’re all standing up.
I love science and know a little bit about a lot of things, although sometimes I wish my knowledge base was more precisely detailed. I think that the ocean and space are basically the coolest things ever and in an alternate universe I might have become a physicist.
I have a terrible memory, so sorry in advance.
Regarding Roleplays:
My skype is available to everyone, even non-mutuals. sunshinehalla !
I personally have zero triggers but if something I write or do makes you uncomfortable, come to me privately and we can talk about how to fix it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can roleplay with you?- Absolutely anyone, so long as I'm somewhat familiar with the universe and the character has both about and rules pages.
Even crossovers or like characters?- Sure, although having a DA or fantasy verse increases the chance of us interacting. Still, I do have a crossover verse page here.
Can I send an ask even if we've never talked?- Absolutely. I'm very friendly (more so than Abelas). You can send any questions to me or to my muse.
But what if I'm a Personal blog?- As long as it doesn't require me to create an entire thread, I have no problems interacting with Personals. I will answer asks (even in character) but I will not roleplay with them.
Do you still take drabble requests?- I do! Keep in mind that I have the right to refuse and that I may be slow, but I will write drabbles. Don't be afraid to send me some, although please note I will not accept romantic or sexual themes with this character!
He is young, but Arlathan is already in its prime. The vallaslin are fresh upon his face, and the towers stand gold and strong. He is Vallasvhen, and his are the hands fated to inscribe the runes upon the holiest of holies.
He is given purpose, finding a place in the Inquisitor's Inner Circle. More than completing the ancient rituals, the Inquisitor saw fit to spare his life and see the Well's Legacy continued. For better or worse, he has become a member of their companions. In time, their cause might give him purpose — whether for a new principle in which to believe, or a foul heresy he cannot allow to continue.✮☆ ( Abelas as companion. )
He has forged his own purpose, for although Elvhenan is dead, the People yet remain. ( May or may not follow the 'Wanderer Without Purpose' or 'Shadow of Tarasyl'an Te'las' trees ) — He has come to terms, as best he can, with this time and its peoples. He seeks to aid what remains of the elves and their true heritage, and they see him as one of their own. He is not so angry as he once was. He is not so sorrowful. He has taken a new name, Suledin, and for the first time, he is Xenization
Xenization: How do they feel about interacting with strangers?
For so long, he has not.
He had ever been a quiet acolyte, bred in halls dripping with the glittering tile icons of the gods. He knew to speak to none but to his own, and to the servants and slaves whose faces bore the blood writing of a different deity. To them, he was always courteous, and deferential to the branded favored, who walked with the confidence of their Creators’ will even with a soul shackled and bound.
But even with them, he could not extend his trust. He revered the gods – all of them, and readily – but he was devoted to none, save Mythal. His interactions with strangers have been few.
In Mythal’dhru’an, he stood by as the Great Protector passed judgment upon the heads of the worthy and the unworthy, and bowed heads lend little to interaction. Following the strife of Arlathan, and enduring the centuries of attacks from Mythal’s enemies or from the greedy, Abelas has never allowed strangers to despoil holy grounds. He would have slain the Inquisitor’s party with no more distinction than Corypheus’ – it is only when ( if ) they are observed following the rituals that he understands this one is different from the many who had come before.
He knows, too, that their dwindling numbers will be extinguished entirely, once and for all, if he does not propose this one, final alliance to drive the greater of two evils from the inner sanctum.
Ultimately, he is wary and generally dismissive – but he recognizes, too, that he does not live in a vacuum. He does what he must to extend his duty, and what curiosities arise from it are of no consequence.
repost with the information of your muse, including headcanons, etc. If you fail to achieve some of the facts, add some other of your own! When you’re done, tag 15 other people to do the same!
tagged by: blightedresilience, fenharelxenansal, theeternalsun, nihtsceadu, bythestone, vintyvanora, fiionan, OMG THANK YOU ALL FOR THINKING OF ME ????
» NAME: Abelas has had multiple names – one from birth, one from entering the service of Mythal, and this name, Sorrow, which he has taken as his own following her passing from this world.
» AGE: Ancient.
» SPECIES: Elvhen.
» GENDER: Male.
» SEX: Male.
» ORIENTATION: Aromantic asexual.
» TITLE: Sentinel of Mythal.
PHYSICAL ASPECTS
» HAIR: Canon: unknown? Portrayal: a long, silver braid.
» EYES: Golden.
» SKIN: Pale. (grey? golden? wtf)
» HEIGHT: 5′11′’
» WEIGHT: 161 lbs ??? fuck if I know
FAMILY
» SIBLINGS: None known.
» PARENTS: Unknown to him; raised communally.
» GRANDPARENTS: Unknown to him.
» OTHER RELATIVES: Unknown to him !!
» ANY PETS?: A Ferelden wolfhound { Modern Thedas }
SKILLS
» PHYSICAL BUILD: Although ancient elves tend to be taller than their modern descendants, it seems Abelas is particularly notable for his stature, which is comparable to that of most humans. He is more solid and muscular than the average depiction of Theodosian elves, although still rather lithe. He is an agile and fast runner.
» ABILITIES:
Abilities specific to being an elf: Advanced hearing, advanced night visibility, sensitivity to elvhen artifacts.
Abilities specific to Abelas: Arcane Warriors were elvhen elite guardsmen serving as bodyguards or champions for ancient elvhen nobles. The formal name of their techniques is Dirth'ena Enasalin, knowledge that led to victory. Although not specifically trained in this path, Abelas may summon a spirit blade wrought of Fade magics. He is ancient and has served in a martial role for countless years, and is familiar with a variety of techniques and weapons. He may enter uthenera at will, and has a keen sensitivity to magics or to the inherent righteousness of others – whether there is a magical nature to that latter trait is unknown. It well may be that he has an experienced judge of people, given his talents and the service to the judicator of the pantheon. Further abilities include: throwing major shade.
» HOBBIES: Meditation, brewing tea, long walks, napping.
TRAITS
—— POSITIVE ——
——- NEGATIVE ——-
LIKES
» COLORS: Green, gold, deep blue.
» SMELLS: Petrichor, earth, patchouli, fresh leather, metal, campfire smoke.
» FOOD: Freshly baked goods,
» DRINKS: Self-brewed tea, heated water smoothed with honey and spiced with chili.
» ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES?: Only for religious services.
>DONE! Now tag other 15 people to do it! anchcred, knifxeared, markedsnark, personistar, unanchxred, unliikelyscholar, bloodimagery, magechampion, bloodwritten, paragoninexile, blightcursed, dirvhenan, merrillisms, sentineltelahn, florethorns
Wouldn't Abelas technically be an immortal elf?
out of sorrows. I have thought about this, and I believe we need to reevaluate what it is to be an immortal – we know, already, that even when Dalish legends are based on truths, time, culture, and the subsequent shift or loss of culture have perverted them into little more than parables, at best. I do not believe the ancient elves were truly immortal. I just … don’t find that sustainable? I think, perhaps, they were certainly very long lived.
You have found purpose, Suledin. You guide the new Elvhen people with your wisdom in ways that others could not. Yet there are plans in motion that may rob you of your purpose once more. You have fought hard to find your place in this new world, you fear that it may taken from you, as well.
Once, he had been bound to the Vir’abelasan, and to the will of a goddess barely tethered to this world. Once, he had stood at the Well’s edge and known what it meant to feel his whole universe fall away beneath his feet for the final time. Abelas had borne witness to the death of everything he had known, a thousand times over and a thousand years apart. Uthenera caught the ghosts of the past, and he had thought to one day join them.
The sentinel had died with the fall of Her temple. But still something of the elf endured.
He had given himself a new purpose, forged in the ashes of the world that came before. He is Suledin, now. He holds his sorrows in eternal remembrance but he has cast off the chains of them like an echo of the cry that had been – the call for revas, bounded by an ocean of time and the corpse of a dead empire.
But he does not fear.
He has sloughed off a dozen names like ill-fitting skin. Old scales curl, browning in the fire, and he remains. At his core he is unchanged, but he lingers in the shallow sea of a new era, treading water until the next wave, in its time, shall overtake him once more and wash clean the identity he has built. Salt scores away the imperfections even as it stings his ancient wounds and opens them afresh. But these will heal. Scar tissue hardens, and he waits for the next millennium. He has found purpose and will find it again.
These are the Children, and for all that they blunder in ignorance, his will be the hand to guide them. They endure, as Suledin endures, and from his lips tumble the knowledge of their fathers, both sacred and profane. The Vir’abelasan is gone from this world, but he carries its song within him still – he, who had been unworthy to bear its burden. Abelas could not partake of the Well. Suledin has moved beyond it.
They are the quick children. They are not his people.
But they will listen, and he will not keep silent the old
hymn in his heart. E m m a h i m S u l e d i n.
You are quiet handsome Abelas. Surely woman and men, Elven or no, have as for a night accompaniment. Unless you have taken vows of chastity?
“More than women or men exist in this world, but only those of elvhen blood hold appeal. I have taken no such specific vows, for in service to Mythal, it is known that nothing that will interfere or distract from our duties. Even so, I am uninterested in consummating such relationships.”
oh my god. ≑
Send me a ≑ and I will compare and contrast our characters | Selectively Accepting
Oh man, it’s going to be difficult structuring this in a coherent manner because in every similarity there’s a difference between these two.
Noegenesis
Unusual word prompt | | Noegenesis: Are there any topics that they love to think about deeply?
It’s difficult, really, when he has so much time to reflect upon his thoughts. It’s not that he regrets his longevity, really. It’s natural to him, and he mourns only that a little bit more of the world he knew had died during each passage of uthenera. And for someone who took the name Sorrow, it shouldn’t be surprising that much of his ruminations are mournful ones.
But he spends time considering the nature of the gods – something that, in his early years, he would have dared only with Mythal. Even then, he is keenly aware that with every such thought, he only blasphemes further. When first he met his goddess, he was awed and humbled by her, even as he saw her with his own eyes and knew that she was not infallible. Abelas does not know what it is about the gods that makes them thus. He knows that they are different but not without flaw.
It is and is not a thing which gives him comfort. Is it better or worse that they make mistakes, as the People make mistakes? That they are not perfect beings? There is no easy answer to this. He ponders it, since so much of his life has been dedicated to serving them. He does not regret this, but he is no fool. He is observant and he is thoughtful. And so he wonders, and thinks of a thousand questions he never asked.
Hey! :DI just wanted to ask a question. About Abelas and ancient Elves names. On one codex or even when he mentioned it about leaving his name behind when he joined Mythal and again when Mythal died. I had this idea that Falon'din would have something similar, except that for the people from the inner circles they would just give up their name and on their service they just remained nameless. "All glory is to Falon'din" something of the sort. What do you thing?
Well this is substantiated only in three cases that we know of (Abelas, Solas, and probably Felassan), although given how the “names” of the gods are, in all honesty, titles, you have more examples of instances in which ancient elves took upon or were given new names. It’s long been a heacanon of mine that as their identities and needs changed, so, too, would their names. There’s a fluidity there that doesn’t exist to the same extent with Dalish elves.
I believe that in most instances, the followers of the gods would absolutely take upon new names when entering into their service – willingly or not. I never considered what it was to be given no name at all (and by name I would even believe title, to an extent), but tbqh I’m really fond of the idea in this scenario.
Is it not boring to only wake up to fight? How do you stay fit if all you do is sleep? When do you eat, practice, and shower?
“Personal interest is not a luxury in which we indulge. We are Mythal’s sentinels. We are bound to her, as any who partake of the Vir’abelasan are bound. Uthenera is more than the sleep of mortals. It was, in Elvhenan, achieved by only the greatest of theneras - Dreamers - and the gods themselves.
We do not simply lie in slumber. We are free to walk the Beyond, and we may yet catch glimpses of the changing world through the minds of sleepers both elven and human. Dreamers shape the Beyond, as ordinary sleepers do not, and the talents of the greatest theneras are lost in all but our living memory. There is always something new in the Beyond, which grants us both comfort and regret.
As spoken, it is not mere sleep. It is a stasis, the likes of which are unmatched by any shemlen today. In Elvhenan, a theneras who had perfected themselves would no longer require the elixir of water, honey and herbs used to sustain and keep the elvhen alive during uthenera.
We do not return to our slumbers immediately. Many are the losses we sometimes sustain. Few are the children born within these walls. But they are born. They do not remember Arlathan, as I do. They were not alive to have seen it. But they are kin. They serve. That is enough. For all that we adhere to the ancient principles and atavistic rites, we are not made of graven stone. Our customs have become … lax, at times. We grieve. We rejoice. We pray to a god that cannot answer. The elixirs may sustain us during uthenera, yes, but when we wake we hone our skills once more. The bodies remain strong enough, but we must give our all to best be the hand of Mythal’s judgment.
There are sources of plenty in these jungles; enough water to serve our purposes for cooking and for bathing. We test one another in sparring, before we yet submit once more to the great sleep. The bond between us is strong, as few can understand. We have witnessed a thousand lifetimes together. We are both guardians and family. We exist, yes. But there are times where we sentinels live.”