RPer: [Veltzeh]

Character name: Jearis (common name) (Real name: Jalainzen Tarlangaval; secret name used among family: Ilvies).

Character setting: Pathfinder (specifically Varisia, the northwestern part of the continent of Golarion; Varisians are the "gypsies" of Pathfinder), a D&D-like fantasy setting.

Age: 237 (adult elf, definitely not old).

Race: Grey elf.

Appearance: Jearis is 186 cm tall, weighs 60 kg and like a typical grey elf, has violet eyes and long, often braided light gold hair. The snobby elf stands tall and stiff like a birch log, but in the wild or in battle, the stiffness seems to disappear and Jearis moves quite nimbly. Jearis owns a 100-year-old, straw-colored and green-tinted worn hat that the elf's parents continue to reprobate along with the rest of Jearis's worn-out getup, saying that such rags are inappropriate to any grey elf's dignity. Instead of letting the hat go when the older elves threw it away, Jearis fished it back and still wears it along with worn-out clothes to irk other gray elves. Jearis does like to dress up as well, but simple clothes work much better when adventuring.

History: Jearis was born to Ganoniel and Sanatel in Mordant Spire, the last remaining islands of the lost continent of Azlant. Jearis's parents were childish tricksters who would've wanted to follow Sanatel's world-traveling parents, but thought raising a child on their home-farm would be safer than doing it while adventuring. Ganoniel's content farmer parents housed their offspring.
     Ganoniel and Sanatel's tricks didn't remain harmless; though decades went by while nobody really cared about the few things that went missing from merchant ships that visited Mordant Spire, the thieves were eventually discovered and the grey elf elders decided to exile them to the mainland of Varisia along with some family. Altogether seven elves were sent away: Ganoniel and Sanatel, their two children Jearis and Nilivial, Ganoniel's sibling Heradlon and Sanatel's siblings Tiraimi and Paleal. Heradlon was the only one bitter about the exile – the others rather welcomed the chance to travel. However, they noticed that traveling with the negative-aged Nilivial was certainly unamusing and ended up settling in Riddleport, a wretched hive of scum and villainy where Ganoniel and Sanatel could finally steal and screw around to their hearts' content. From the point of view of the much more short-lived races, like humans, their banditry was quite tame.
     Growing very tired of the petty thieving parents, Jearis was somewhat bitter about the exile, thinking that life had been better at the farm, though Riddleport wasn't miserable either. Therefore Jearis mostly spent time in the nearby forests and the Calphiak mountains, hiking with Heradlon. Once the two elves met Skrym, a lone human child of the shoanti tribe Axe, who had come to search his roots. They helped him on his way.
     Rebelling against Ganoniel and Sanatel, Jearis didn't want to learn anything about thievery. Still, the elf didn't stay outside Riddleport all the time, though Jearis was quite angsty and seemingly disinterested in everything the parents happened to be doing. The parents tried to deal with their child's angst by giving room to it, but it was the wrong solution as Jearis did want their attention, as long as it wasn't about the unending thievery and trickery. Fortunately Tiraimi and Paleal saw the problem, paid attention to Jearis and managed to finally instruct the young elf in the ways of stealing. Even having (almost) learned to steal, Jearis still preferred to work honestly for material wealth.
     An elf druid called Dairhe Faulilj visited Jearis's family in Riddleport, having heard about them from Sanatel's Varisian parents. At the same time, Tiraimi and Paleal heard of a festival in Sandpoint and decided that they had to go there and drag Jearis along. Before they left, Jearis surprisingly met also Skrym who had grown up during the years and was traveling to meet his parents in Sandpoint. Dairhe accompanied the four to Sandpoint, where all hell broke loose and an adventure began...

Personality: Not really bothered by having been outshone by Ganoniel and Sanatel, Jearis still would have liked some attention from the parents who later then gave much of their attention to Jearis's younger sibling Nilivial. In a typical grey elven fashion, Jearis often seems cold and distant but is not very difficult to get to warm up – for better or worse, though Jearis is quite smart enough to avoid trouble most of the time. For a grey elf, Jearis can treat other races with uncommon politeness (which still leaves much to be desired from the others' perspective) but is quick to turn up a nose at the wrong kind of questions. Jearis worships Gozreh, the dual goddess/god of weather and sea.

Occupation: An adventurer, specifically a multiclass scout/wizard; Jearis never really thought of doing anything besides finding a path in the wild, but adventuring tends to change a person, so the elf ended up practicing wizardry as well.

Abilities: Jearis can speak eight languages: the Common language Taldane; Elven; the ancient Azlanti; the local language Varisian; the fey language Sylvan; Goblin; Draconic; and Infernal, the language of Hell. By moving fast in battle, Jearis can confound enemies and hit where it hurts, using a composite longbow. The elf also casts wizard spells like magic missile, prestidigitation and feather fall, specialising in the arcane school of transmutation. Like all elves, Jearis sees well in the dark and doesn't sleep but trances.

---

Let us begin!

Mr. L, a tall, skeletal man with thin black hair stood waiting in front of a high arched window. The evening's dull light was broken into patches by the trees outside, casting odd moving dots over Mr. L as he sighed and checked his pocket watch. He glanced at the open door of his office, hoping Jearis would make his appearance.

Even if elves' view of time differed from that of the short-lived humans, Jearis was not one to be late. Walking gracefully and stiffly in contrast to the fairly tattered clothes, the elf appeared in the doorway and walked in, obviously eyeing its surroundings. Jearis cast an assessing look at the skeletal man, trying to discern what manner of creature he was.

Mr. L's eyes panned up and down Jearis, equally curious about the elf. He gave a smug half smile and tucked his watch into his pocket. "It's a good thing you showed up. Had you taken another 3 minutes I would have left and gotten lunch..." He drifted over to his deck and picked up an manila folder with JEARIS written across the top.

"I can understand why you would not like to wait", stated Jearis, though it really didn't, beyond thinking that the creature was yet another impulsive human or the like. Not pretending to know anything about other races' or people's doings despite its intelligence, Jearis asked: "What is this place? And you, for that matter? And what is THAT?" Jearis pointed at the folder but otherwise continued standing stiff while a small leaf fell out of its hair.

"I am... how should I put this. I am a researcher of sorts. It is my job to understand people and I am currently interested in understanding you. This place is my office, it contains all the resources I need for my research, and this-" he held up the folder and wiggled it before lowering it to his side. "Is everything I know about you. Come, sit." Mr. L slid his hip up onto his desk and sat on the corner.

Jearis listened to the explanation, its curiosity slightly piqued. Thinking that this was something that gods of knowledge or secrets would do, it thought that the man could be some god's avatar and thus made a little grin. Or he could be an enemy doing reconnaissance. As an archer and especially wizard, Jearis was a little cowardly but also ambitious, and as an adventurer it would like to see this thing through to find out what came to follow. And, being one of the world's most powerful adventurers as far as it knew, Jearis thought that this wasn't a situation that could prove too harmful or dangerous. "And what do you know about me? Or should I ask what don't you know?" asked Jearis while sitting down on a chair, thinking that information equaled power since it applied quite literally to wizards.

"We're here for me to ask questions, Jearis. Not you. You're just going to have to brush your curiosity aside for the moment and allow me to do my job. Understood?" Mr. L asked, looking disgruntled.

"What else?" asked Jearis, not specifying what else it was asking about, and not expecting a reply after barely noticing the disgruntlement. Jearis seemed to get more comfortable. Like the mostly mannerless adventurer it was, Jearis proceeded to pull out a longbow from a container into which such a long item couldn't possibly have fitted. Jearis then fiddled with it calmly. "Don't mind me. Ask what you want to know; I'm not a good liar either way."

Mr. L blinked slowly and impatiently as Jearis fiddled about. "No need telling me. Let me see..." he skimmed Jearis's file. "It says here your parents were petty crooks. Excuse my ignorance, but I was under the assumption that elves are a noble proud race. Am I mistaken? Are your parents behaving contrary to elven nature?"

Jearis's expression went a little sour. "I thought you were going to ask about ME and not my parents", it said, feeling like it was deprived of its (however unrequested) spotlight again thanks to its parents. Nevertheless, Jearis continued speaking, rather stiffly, but obviously enjoying the chance to explain: "They certainly thought their elaborate and intricate scheming and so-called 'fine art of stealing' wasn't petty and it wouldn't change their minds if I told them it was petty. They sure feel right at home in their current place of living with all the thieving, miserable humans." After a short pause, Jearis continued to explain more about elves in general. "Don't be mistaken, elves are the noblest of the races and grey elves noblest of all elves, but not all of a race are the same. Still, no matter what my parents do, they too go about their business proudly and sure feel noble, even if I don't exactly agree."

Mr. L smiled sarcastically at Jearis's first comment then listened. "Why don't you agree? You were raised by these two, after all. What made you turn on your own parents?"

Jearis looked at the man very oddly and stated: "One does not turn on one's parents. I merely disagree with their career choices." After a short pause of fiddling with the bow, Jearis continued: "My grandparents had more say in raising me, or that is how it ended up being for me. Oh, my parents tried to get me to follow their ways, but even a life of farming and idling appealed more." A wider grin appeared on the elf's face as the next thought came on. "And they can only blame their siblings for me becoming an adventurer. Completely their fault."

"I don't see any mention of your grandparents in the information I gathered..." Mr. L said, looking through his papers. " What an unfortunate oversight. So, you inherited your morals from your grandparents, which clashed with your parents. Then... Papal and Timirimi... wait a second-" Mr. L looked through his papers again and shrugged. "Forget it. When you clashed with your parents, you bonded with your parents' siblings. Your information says they taught you how to steal. Isn't that exactly what your parents were trying to get you into? How did that make you an adventurer?"

"Yes, I am relieved that you don't know everything already." Jearis smiled a little, though on the other hand it didn't really have a way to tell whether the creature was lying or not. "We all lived at my grandparents', so it was only natural I would look up to the next best adult influence." Sighing a bit as the man continued and couldn't say the Elven names, Jearis continued: "Well, at that point I was even more estranged from my parents who tried to give me space. Tiraimi and Paleal were the ones who spent time with me in the city, and what else would one do in Riddleport if not steal?" Jearis looked a little nostalgic. "It may be home, but the city is such a rathole. Now, the way I became an adventurer was when Tiraimi and Paleal dragged me to Sandpoint. I am proud to say stealing wasn't involved, except in the way that I killed thieving goblins with my fellow adventurers." The elf smiled quite contently.

"So at Sanpoint, my information says you met an old human acquaintance. Was he one of these fellow adventures? " Mr. L asked, sounding bored.

"No no, that was in Riddleport", corrected Jearis, not noticing the boredness of the skeletal man's voice. "And he wasn't old, he was in fact quite young, though I do imagine he had reached his full height by then, unlike when I first met him." Jearis smiled a little at the memory of a smaller Skrym. "Nevertheless, he was indeed one of the people who helped in killing those goblins. There was also Dairhe, a wood elf from far to the east, and some local human called Niero."

"And this goblin incident happened where? I apologize for losing track of all the names and places. I'm getting a bit lost."

Smiling slightly smugly, Jearis replied: "That was in Sandpoint. I imagine it could be easy to get confused. The exact flow of the events was that first Dairhe came to visit us in Riddleport. Then Tiraimi and Paleal got it in their heads to go to Sandpoint and wanted to drag me along. Dairhe agreed to take us there, and just as we were leaving, we met Skrym, who was also heading to Sandpoint, so we all went there together." The elf obviously enjoyed explaining the details.

"And obviously this goblin event inspired you to become an adventurer... What exactly have you been up to since then?" Mr. L asked, though he didn't seem particularly interested in the answer.

"Oh, plenty of things!" started Jearis. "First, it turned out that the goblins had conquered a nearby fortress and they were led by a priest of the Demon Queen. In addition, we found the ruins of an 'ancient' civilisation, on top of which Sandpoint was built." Jearis sighed a bit and continued: "It is sad that humans can't seem to build anything that would last... It is difficult, of course, with all the monsters attacking and avatars of the gods doing their own plots." Jearis actually tried to observe the man's reaction to the last comment.

"I can imagine," Mr. L said, scribbling something in Jearis's file. "So you and your comrades defeated the goblins and are now, I'm assuming, romping around the countryside doing... alright, I have a good question for you. But first I need some clarification on something. My understanding of adventurers is that they travel around, seek out... quests I suppose you'd call them, and if they successfully complete said quests, they are rewarded by whoever or whatever employed them. Is that an accurate description of what you and your fellows do?"

"Well, after a certain point it becomes more like stepping into a plant here and out of another on the other side of the world, rather than just running around. Unfortunately I haven't mastered the art of teleporting quite yet, myself. Then again, I do like to travel in the wilderness, even though some don't", continued Jearis with its somewhat long-winded reply. "Some adventurers do seek out quests, but I imagine that's more of a job for the Pathfinder Society. I and my group just ran into that goblin problem that needed to be taken care of, and there was no one else available, and then it escalated wildly. Honestly speaking, if those humans hadn't been so desperate, I might have left it for someone else anyway. But as it was, I found I quite liked it." Chuckling a bit, Jearis added: "No one even pays us for what we do, even though it's... really important. I do like money, but adventuring tends to be its own reward."

"So you are just a band of good-doers..." said Mr. L, sounding displeased. "Helping people for money or no. Living heroically... Have you ever had to compromise your morals to survive?"

Jearis looked at the man a little oddly, getting the distinct impression that he was affiliated with an evil god of some sort. As such, that wasn't really important. "I suppose it does look like that, but it is better than the alternative." Jearis scoffed a bit at the question of its morals. "No." The elf then smiled widely, knowing it hadn't lied since it had very few morals to compromise in the first place. Jearis turned to seem a little contemplative because the discussion sounded like it was going in the direction where the man would ask what those morals were.

"So you're just a beacon of goodness," Mr. L sighed. "You seem to be the only honest and righteous person in your immediate family, you're lifestyle revolves around saving the weak and confronting evil... Tell me, Jearis, have you committed any regrettable actions in your life? Was there ever a time you weren't so good?"

"That is quite of an oversimplification. I'd rather say the paladin I work with is a beacon of goodness, literally even", said Jearis, laughing a little. "You assume too much. There is in fact one thing I regret, and that is not running away soon enough when I and my adventuring companions were in a situation that we were losing." Jearis seemed quite nonchalant about telling about this regrettable act. "I've never been one to choose good or evil, only myself or the convenient."

"But I would thi-" An an odd little jingling noise erupted from Mr. L's pocket. With a shocked expression he retrieved his watch and flipped it open, his thumb pressing a little button on the side, silencing the thing. He observed the time and sighed. "I'm afraid this will have to be the last question..." He put the corner of the folder to his temple and closed his eyes, trying to think of something meaningful to ask. After a few moments he sighed and let his arm go limp and slap the folder to his lap. "I don't believe you. You say you're morally gray, yet you had strong feelings regarding the clearly immoral actions of your family. Furthermore, fighting and protecting people without any compensation is hardly convenient. You seem to enjoy doing what's right, so tell me, Jearis, are you really as neutral as you claim to be, or are you, deep inside, a truly valiant being?"

When the man said he didn't believe Jearis, the elf replied: "Yes, it's called an opinion. I have reason to believe my opinion is better than theirs, but it is still an opinion." Jearis's tone started sounding like it was explaining things to a child while still being overly complicated. "While I don't really consider myself having strong feelings toward what I don't consider to be clearly immoral, you're welcome to believe so. As for protecting others, well, the compensation comes in the form of free stays at the inn and I can keep whatever I take off the corpses of our enemies. Unlike pathfinders!" The elf made a rather funny face at being asked whether it was valiant and answered somewhat triumphantly: "I'll leave the discussion of alignment to those whom it concerns! Like paladins. But I do suppose that I have a bit more valiant in me rather than not." Since the man had implied that his gathering of information would soon end, Jearis too got up and prepared to leave, staying over two arms' length away from the man. Still, it asked innocently: "Are you sure that was all?"

"Yes," said the man bluntly, looking angry and unsatisfied. "Feel free to leave."

Jearis left, glad that nothing else had happened and moving at a supernatural speed.

Character Challenge