Telcontar, Elessar - Warders

[Elessar]

DM Handle: Elessar

 

Character’s name: Elessar Telcontar
Age: 45
Place of Origin: Kandor, near Canluum
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Dark
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 225

 

Rank: Warder

Bond: Bonded to Calia Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah

 

Former Bonds: to Leandreen Sedai (Green), Carrain Sedai (Yellow), Carys Sedai (Yellow), Kathleen Sedai (Green), Myrrhi Sedai (Green)

Weapon Score (old WS system): 18 (official and approved) Blademaster level
Philosophy: The Flame and the Void
Primary Weapon: Longsword
Secondary Weapon: Hand to Hand
Tertiary Weapon: Short Bow

 

 

Warder Sword skill

 

Elessar is quite a large man and so is not light on his feet, but he compensates with sword skills and techniques learned and refined over many years. Embraced in the Oneness - the calmness of the Void - Elessar becomes one with the sword and is very proficient/skilled in the dance of the blades having reached Blademaster level.

 

 

Physical Appearance

 

Fairly dark complexion, short dark hair and hard dark eyes. Strong build (result of hard physical training over several years). He has some battle-scars, most prominent is one across his abdomen. In fury over the death of his mother and his inability to prevent it, he shaved off his forked beard (so common in Kandori men) and never re-grew it.

 

 

Personality (Mental & Emotional)

 

Elessar is a strong believer in loyalty and in excelling at all he does. He believes in duty, service and honour and wants to make a difference in a changing world. Borderlander-born he hates the Shadow. He is kind despite his rather hard looks (he is often serious), is a bit of a loner but nice to be with once you get to know him,  and, surprisingly for some, has a knack for -and interest in- poetry and old stories and legends (hence being called a “Warrior Poet” by his 1st bondholder). From an early age he had had a passion for both history and swordplay never seeing them as mutually exclusive. He wanted to enjoy both.

 

On the negative side, he sometimes pushes himself too hard to excel, sets standards for himself that are often unreachable, and sometimes is a little too stubborn for his own good. He closes himself up too much. He lives with a stain upon his soul due to being unable to save his 1st bondholder from death, failing in his paramount duty as a Warder, a stain which haunts him at times but which he manages to cope with most of the time. It is, however, a part of him, a vulnerability, that will never disappear.

 

 

Character History

 

OOC Intro: Elessar has been a regularly active RPed Warder in DM RP for over a decade++, created as a character all the way back in 1999, and all the information below with other Aes Sedai characters is as roleplayed with approval at DM (canon). Elements have some places been summarized / simplified out of necessity.

 

 

Origin:

 

Elessar Telcontar, second son of a minor Kandorai House, was brought up by a harsh and unloving father and a kind but repressed mother-figure. His father, a proud man of fairly dark skin with angry dark eyes and a hard face, insisted he become a soldier and from an early age started weapon’s training, and physical training, with him, pushing him hard and unrelentingly. Elessar endured and in time started to enjoy the physical exertions and became better with the sword. As he grew he developed a strong muscular build and good fitness and in the many staged spar-fights he most often won against the other boys on the manor (boys of servants mostly). His elder brother Valdherien was more politically minded, the heir to the estate and title, and did not care much for the weapon’s training, while Elessar’s younger brother Vehran  usually watched in awe while his older brother fought. Elessar did not take much interest in politics himself but enjoyed reading and - at times - writing poetry, something his father deplored (a waste he said) but his mother approved of.

 

When Elessar neared the age of 17 he decided he would go to the White Tower in Tar Valon and join the Warders. He wanted to excel at swordplay and who better to be his teachers than the fabled Gaidin. His father was proud of him while his mother, though understanding - as did all Borderlanders - his eagerness to stand against the minions of the Shadow - looked at him with pride and kindness but also worry for the harshness she saw in her son. She knew he was kind at heart and very loyal, he had always been that, but he often pushed himself too hard and excelling almost became an obsession with him, an obsession she was afraid would destroy him one day.

 

A short time before he left for Tar Valon his mother died of a fatal illness. She had been sick for quite a while but Elessar had somehow believed she would pull through, and her death created a coldness inside him and a fury that he had not been able to save her.

 

 

Becoming a Warder:

 

Upon reaching Tar Valon, Elessar enlisted with the Warders. In his training to become a Tower Guard and then a bonded Warder he learnt to focus his anger and mould it into strength and focus which he used to excel at swordplay. He became one with his sword and found that place and calm deep within, that Flame and Void, where he could focus his will and power as he improved his skills and learned his craft. A certain coldness still was within him - and always would be, he suspected - but he kept it in check and used his new ability to excel at what he did.

 

After much training he finally passed the tests and reached his first goal: he was now a Tower Guard. The multitude of months had flown by as he had practiced his sword-skills in addition to learning all the other skills that Tower Guards had to learn to reach the proficiency the Tower demanded.  

 

As a Tower Guard, he kept on training, improving his skills, and served to the best of his ability. 2 years passed, and then one day, on a sunny spring day which he would never forget, he was approached by an Aes Sedai who was in need of a Warder. Her name was Leandreen and she was of the Green, the Battle Ajah. He joined her on several trips in the months that followed, to see how their working relationship functioned. Though both knew that he was obligated to serve in whatever capacity necessary, they also knew that for a Sedai and Warder to work well together they needed a certain understanding and “chemistry” for it to function well. She had said as much on that first day and he had nodded softly, in agreement.

 

 

Bonds and RP-history

 

 

Bond 1: Leandreen Aes Sedai (Green)

 

They bonded after this period and their bond was one of companionship and friendship. His final goal reached, he worked as hard as he could to protect his Sedai and to do his duty honourably and well. They were a good and efficient team, travelling often in service to the Tower and enjoying the companionship, and Elessar’s world consisted, day and night, of protecting and serving his Sedai. It was a life with which Elessar was very content. It was what he was. It was who he would always be. It was all there was for him.

 

It all ended on the day, many years later, when his Sedai died.

 

They were on a mission for the White Tower and were caught in an ambush, by bandits, and Leandreen Aes Sedai was killed by an arrow in the heart. It all happened so quickly that she was unable to put up a shield of Saidar in time. Elessar felt the bond snap and in a moment of shock the world stood still for him. With a scream he ran to his fallen Sedai, but too late. In a terrible rage he stormed toward the bandits and dispatched of two men with his blade while the remaining bandits, who were on horseback, galloped away. Returning to his Sedai he knelt and lay her head in his lap as tears of sorrow and anger streamed down his face. He lifted his head to the sky and howled in fury. In near-madness he headed for the Blight a little to the north to avenge her not caring if it would be his death. All that mattered to him was vengeance and to strike at the hated Shadow.

 

 

Bond 2: Carrain Aes Sedai (Yellow)

 

Carrain Aes Sedai, a Sister of the Yellow Ajah, travelling in that region, found him there a little while later. She approached him very carefully, spoke with him in measured tones, and saw his loss and his extreme rage. She knew that like most Warders who lose their bondholder in death Elessar was losing his will to live and was ready to throw away his life in some berserker rage, likely against the Shadow. And so to save his life, and to give him new purpose, she bonded him against his will. He went through a difficult time in the following months, the anger in his heart only slowly lessening, but he embraced his new duty and focused everything on protecting and serving his Sedai to the best of his ability.

 

As time went by he slowly became himself again and a friendship grew between them and for several years they worked well together for the benefit of the White Tower and the Light. A stain upon his soul like a wound that would never quite heal remained, however, from his inability to save Leandreen and fulfil his paramount duty as a Warder (“my life before yours”) and in periods he felt this perceived darkness within though for the most part he functioned well in his role.

 

 

Bond 3: Carys Aes Sedai (Yellow)

 

After around 4 years unbonded in the White Tower, serving as a Tower Guard again for the most part but also a few times as a messenger outside Tar Valon, he met Carys Sedai of the Yellow Ajah who was to become his 3rd bondholder. A Yellow Ajah Investigation party from the White Tower was in Cairhien and Elessar was accompanying an Aes Sedai there. At one point in a dark alley he sensed something was wrong and ran toward the cloaked figure of a woman, even before he knew what he was doing, and with a shout of warning and a massive leap he threw himself at her, carrying them both crashing to the ground, just as a deadly arrow embedded itself in the building just behind where she had been standing a moment earlier. A second arrow whistled in the air and narrowly missed them both. A third arrow, however, was embedded in his left leg and he began to feel dizzy and realized the arrow had been poisoned. He lost consciousness but was found and Healed by an Aes Sedai. Waking up, he saw her standing near him, the woman who had saved his life. It was Carys. It was the same woman he had saved. So they had saved each other’s lives and were inadvertently indebted to each other.

 

They talked a little later when they reached the estate but when Elessar mentioned returning to Tar Valon she faced his squarely and said “I would prefer that you stay here rather than leave for Tar Valon. We have need for a Warder here, especially me, apparently having stumbled onto something close to the hearts of those we are pursuing. Someone is aiming poisoned arrows at me and Saidar cannot Heal death; I cannot Heal myself. I … would feel safer if I had someone to guard my back as I search.” Elessar felt conflicting emotions. He met her eyes but did not reply. Part of him felt duty-bound and honour-bound to assist her, she was Aes Sedai after all, but part of him protested. Guilt surfaced in his thoughts, guilt and shame from having failed Aes Sedai before. If she put her trust in him and he failed.. what then? Could he live with that? Eventually he decided that he must assist this Sister of the White Tower who he also owed a great debt. She appreciated his help standing by her side almost as if he were her Warder. Some time later, as they hunted their enemies, Elessar triggered a booby trap and was almost killed and only by major Healing from the Yellow Sister and bonding him to give him added strength mental and physical did he survive. They were joined now in a bond of hope as Warder and Sedai and went on several new adventures/missions for the White Tower in the following years.

 

As time went by, however, Carys wanted to spend more time in the White Tower, Healing in the Infirmary, and so they were in Tar Valon almost all the time. Elessar understood his bondholder’s choice, she was a Yellow after all, but often felt restlessness and missed being out on the road. Her also felt somewhat useless, for what danger could face Carys here in the White Tower that she needed to be protected from? And how could he make a difference in the world staying in Tar Valon. Carrain had been happier on the road as had Carys in the beginning. He got a bad conscious for complaining for it was his duty to be at her side, after all. Even so this all was something he was unable to shrug off.

 

When Carys of a sudden mentioned that she planned to pass his bond to another Aes Sedai, he was caught totally off guard and reacted in anger, saying he would not be passed on “like a sack of potatoes”. ‘To death and beyond’ a Warder served, that was what he had promised his bondholders. That was what he had promised Carys. That was what she had accepted. Now he would be unable to fulfil his duty to her. It was like a broken pact. There was sadness because of their close friendship - and partnership - as Warder and Sedai, a friendship which had strengthened as time had passed, a friendship which meant much to him, and - he knew - to her.

 

But there was also, when he managed to process his feelings, a sense of relief, because giving him a new bondholder would solve his frustrating situation, would give him the chance to shed his current anguish and make it possible for him to fulfil his Warder-duties out in the world, out of this ‘cage’ which the White Tower had become for him. He felt a little shame to think so, considering he was as a Warder dutybound in whatever capacity was needed, but he could not quite help himself.

 

Carys explained that she was sorry, which was not something one normally hears from an Aes Sedai but which she thought he deserved given their history. That she had been called back and that she hadn’t make time for him, for them, and that she had let the distance between them grow so far. She was also sad that she was the cause of his unhappiness. “You have fulfilled my every command and request as Warder, of course.” She said. “Perhaps unknowingly, you also became my dearest friend. Your pain is my pain and it's crippling us both. Each going through the motions but unable to truly commit to how our lives have changed due to the missive I received.. more simply put, Elessar, I hate seeing you this way. I hate knowing that I'm the cause..” She paused. “But I think I may have found a solution, short of death.. I think I have found a way to pass the Bond to another, willing, Aes Sedai..”

 

He thanked her for her warm words and said he was sorry too. He told her why not being able to serve and protect her for life troubled him, as was his duty and purpose, but that he understood her arguments and her solution. When she said that the Aes Sedai in question who could take his bond was Kathleen Sedai of the Green Ajah, he smiled inside with some relief since he had met Kathleen a few times before in the White Tower together with her other Gaidin and they had spoken freely and with kindness. Also she was Green and he had felt an affinity with the Battle Ajah from his days with Leandreen. Green Sisters were also often out of the White Tower, on missions and fighting the Shadow, which suited him the best.

 

 

Bond 4: Kathleen Aes Sedai (Green)

 

A short time later the bond was passed from Carys to Kathleen Sedai of the Green Ajah who became Elessar’s 4th bondholder. He had met her a few times as mentioned in part because he needed someone to talk to due to his anguish over his situation, in part because he felt drawn to the Battle Ajah. Now as they were Warder and Aes Sedai they would build on this shared trust and, as it turned out, view of the world. In the time that followed they went on missions for the White Tower, got to know one another better, in a Warder-Sedai partnership based on friendship (Elessar was not a believer in a bond which went beyond friendship anyway, he had always been of the opinion that bonds built on love would make them vulnerable in stress situations and less able to fulfil their duties).

 

After a while they were sent on a mission to the Borderlands. Kathleen’s other Warder was elsewhere on a personal mission and so she and Elessar headed northwards. Carys and what had happened still stayed with him but he was able to focus on what he thought of as his “renewed” purpose and duty in the Light, happy to be out on the road again. It was another New Beginning which he appreciated. Leandreen’s emerald eyes faced his in his dreams, sometimes in anger and betrayal, other times with kindness as would be the case in the years that followed and he kept working on keeping the stain on his soul - his eternal guilt - in check. That they were heading toward Kandor made him recollect that he had spoken very little to Kathleen about his past. He needed to open up a little, he owed it to her to show trust. He knew from his previous Bonds how important it was that a Warder and Sedai trusted each other, only then could they function as an efficient team. Trust came from familiarity and some personal knowledge. Trust came from openness and honesty.

 

And so he told her about his past, about the boy he had been in the Borderlands, about growing up there and what made him journey to the White Tower at age 17. She appreciated learning his history and thanked him for sharing. She shared her compassion and offered her comfort and her ear, late into the night, something he appreciated. She also assured him that if he wished to stop in his old stomping ground she would be honoured to accompany him there. He had not been at his old home in Kandor for a long time. Going back would bring him joy but also possible pain. Unsure he did decide in the end that it was worth visiting his home anew.

 

Travelling further north he shared with her his passion for history and stories, of old poetry and legends, while keeping their end destination at the back of his mind. He felt they were working well together and when Kathleen shared some painful memories with him it was a reflection of his trust in her. To him it made their connection feel even stronger and despite their different backgrounds and different struggles in life it made him think of them as kindred spirits. They entered the Borderland Kingdom of Kandor one afternoon and headed toward the city of Canluum which was near the Telcontar Estate. Upon stops Kathleen brought forth a journal and pen from her travelling bag, which made him think of Carys, his former bondholder, who had also travelled with such a journal in which she had drawn and written on occasion. When he asked, out of curiosity, she said this was the journal she had started during her days as Initiate of the Greens.

 

Some miles south of the estate, they stopped in a small town. Elessar felt pride at being back in his old homeland something which surprised him a little. "There is something I want you to see". Elessar said, as he led his Bondholder to the ruins of an old building-structure on the western part of the small town. It had been a stable of sorts once, paired with a small building that had housed a smithy, but now it was all worn down and had been abandoned long since. "Father used to take us here on occasion when I was a boy". He explained, gazing at the ruins as memories came back to him. "My brothers and I would play outside while my father talked with the owner inside. There were horses here and a smithy as well. I remember picking up bits and pieces of metal that had been discarded by the blacksmith and pretending it was a warrior’s sword I was holding and that I was a famous warrior, swinging the blade heroically against imagined opponents of the Shadow. " An amused smile came upon his lips at the adventurous dreams of young boys. "This was always one of my favourite places in this town and I always begged father to go here whenever we visited."

 

As they neared the estate, thoughts of his family swirled in his mind. How would his old, frail father welcome him? Bitter memories stirred inside him and he tried to push them aside, though with only partial success. Will you always blame me for Vehran’s death, father? He had been playing by the river many years before and his youngest brother Vehran had accidentally drowned. His father had ever since blamed Elessar for not protecting his brother, therein blaming Elessar for his death. The Warder feared his father would never forgive him. He had never forgiven himself for not being able to save his poor mother from dying. The Telcontar family had its share of griefs. The family reunion became a mixed blessing. His younger brother Valdherien, lord of the manor welcomed them to the estate, happy to see Elessar, but his father was still a bitter man who reminded Elessar of his betrayal of Vehran as he called it. Elessar begged him to see sense and for them to end this long strife which was tearing the family apart but his father would not listen. Elessar then showed Kathleen, his bondholder, the estate and walked with pride in his step shrugging off his father’s ill-spoken words. When their business in Kandor was done, they travelled east toward Arafel.

 

In early afternoon some days later they rode slowly into the nation of Arafel, almost as if crossing this frontier boundary in the northern hills also meant crossing a line between them. It was, in some ways, true. In the past days, moving from one make-shift camp to another as they headed ever eastwards, the silence had grown between them, both lost in private thoughts. Little did he know that only days later he would be riding south toward Tar Valon, the change within him impossible to ignore, as he no longer could feel Kathleen through the bond. She had released his bond, ending their Warder-Sedai partnership, ending his duty for her. He was in a kind of shock as he rode, miles upon miles, trying to understand what could not be understood. Kathleen had private reasons for ending their bond and he had no right to press her on the issue though he was deeply disappointed. It was another life changing situation for him and he wondered, when a black mood came upon him, if they would never end. Kathleen was an honourable woman and an Aes Sedai of great integrity but he was saddened by the fact that they would no longer be a bonded couple in the Light.

 

 

Bond 5: Myrrhi Aes Sedai (Green)

 

Elessar spent more years in the White Tower as a Tower Guard, performing his duty competently but never forgetting his former bonds and the Aes Sedai he had been of service to. One day, as he was doing sword forms in the Warder’s Yard, a young-looking woman was watching him intently from not far away. She wore an Accepted’s dress, he saw. Meeting her eyes across the distance between them, he gave her a polite nod. She introduced herself, a little unsteadily, as Myrrhi Morrigen and said she had some questions for him, for her studies. He smiled and said he would give answers as he could. This was to be his first meeting with Myrrhi who later was to become his new bondholder. They spoke on several occasions and once trust was built they shared stories.

 

They gradually developed a close friendship over time, beginning with those visits as a Tower initiate to the Warder’s Yard as part of her training, the ‘incident’ in the Tar Valon streets and, not least, the elaborate horse-riding lessons he had given her a few years back and the dramatic, oh-so-secret, near-death experience she had had then. He had subsequently helped her with physical training exercises and had given her different kinds of advice when needed. He had from the beginning seen something of a young Leandreen in her, which had appealed to him, a passionate young woman with a warrior’s heart, and had appreciated her friendship and their many pleasant talks.

 

And now, finally, she had been raised Aes Sedai. Time had passed but he remembered her well. The last time they had met she had looked.. questioningly at him as if she wanted to ask him something but was not sure how. More time passed and then, as fate would have it, one day in Ebou Dar in the far south he suddenly saw her striding toward him. She was Aes Sedai now and it was the first time he saw her since she had been raised to the Shawl. She was now a Battle Ajah Sister. Like Leandreen and Kathleen. They spoke a little and then found a place to sit in private. Myrrhi spoke a little about the hard last months before she took the Test to be raised, then stopped and met his eyes squarely. "I was wondering", she begun carefully, "now that I am a fully raised Sister, ... If you would agree to become my Warder." A panicked gleam came to Elessar’s eyes as he thought of the horror of seeing Myrrhi die in his arms.. He trembled as he replied that he could not! With the look of a wounded animal, his eyes wide, his hands shaking, all self-control lost, he sprang up from his chair in a sudden, abrupt motion, making Myrrhi almost jump out of her skin, crossed the room in long strides without looking back, tore the library-door open, and slammed it behind him on his way out! 

 

Later he felt shame over his outburst and that weakness had pushed all other thoughts away. Myrrhi deserved so much better but the fear of him failing her was too strong to overcome at the moment. Some days later they met again and decided to take a ride together out of the city to find a place to talk some more. This time Elessar spoke of Leandreen and the haunting dreams he had of her at times and his fear of failing in his duty again. And Myrrhi understood that Elessar had never learned how to forgive himself. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said that death was inevitable for everyone, and that all that could be expected was that one did the best one could in the time one had. She added the risks the Green Ajah knew they were taking in their service to the Light, and that Leandreen, a cherished Sister, would be remembered - and honoured - for her service. He should not feel blame for what happened to her, she said, nor look upon it as his failure. "It will only be one", she added, "if you let it destroy you."

 

Later in Ebou Dar they fought enemies and ended up saving one another from death. It reminded Elessar of what had happened with him and Carys and the bond it had created between them. “This is my Sacred Duty as a Warder; an Honour and a Sacred Trust.” He said with renewed confidence. “This is who I am -and- this is what I want. I am ready now.”  It was, for Elessar, an important step on his Path of Redemption. “My Life before Yours. He said reverently. And Light streamed into his Soul as they forged a Bond of Redemption. Theirs was a successful bond and partnership for several years and it was one Elessar would always remember with fondness. It ended one day as Myrrhi was called back to the White Tower and his bond was released yet another time for personal reasons. And Elessar had a new path to walk once again.

 

 

Bond 6, current: Calia Aes Sedai (Green)

 

In the years that followed he returned to his duties protecting the White Tower as a Tower Guard. It was not his preferred service but he was loyal as always and kept on focusing on doing his duties with excellence. He trained regularly in the Warder’s Yard, did his messenger duties and kept the few friendships he had with other Gaidin. He was getting on in years by now, in his early 40s and was one of the older and most experienced Warders in the Tower. He dreamt of another bond and being out in the world fighting the Shadow but knew younger Warders would be preferred by Sisters and so he tempered his expectations. Then of a sudden he was ordered to accompany an Aes Sedai on a mission to Falme on the west coast. She did not have a Bonded Warder and Elessar would take on the role as protector and companion on the road. He was overjoyed at this opportunity and enjoyed his time outside Tar Valon on this mission.

 

It was some time later that he met Calia in the White Flame inn in Tar Valon. One evening she approached his table and asked if she could sit with him since the inn was full. “Please, Aes Sedai”, Elessar replied kindly and in his usual formal way, with a respectful Warder’s bow. “The honour is mine.” He added. “ I am Elessar of Kandor.” They spoke a little and the way she held herself made him think of Leandreen, Kathleen and Myrrhi too. There was a particular strength in Green Sisters, the Warder had found over the years, and not just physical but just as much of character, a passion for life mingled with steel to survive war, something not as easily found in other Aes Sedai. They walked together back to the White Tower when they were set upon by thugs. Together, she using the One Power and he using his proficient hand-to-hand skills, they overcame the threat and took them back to the White Tower for questioning.

 

Some time later the White Tower assembled Sedai and Warders for a mission to the Borderlands and Elessar was asked to join. Calia was one of the Sisters also going and they travelled north toward Saldaea where an army of the Shadow was gathering.

 

This was the start of a mission that saw the two of them bonding in the Light, to Elessar’s delight, having found they seemed to be kindred spirits and shared the same values and grit and determination to stand fast against the Shadow. Theirs will be a bond of Faith as they stand together, loyally and faithfully, strongly and with integrity, as Warder and Sedai in proud enduring service to the Light.

 

     ▀▄

[Arie]

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Edited January 18 by Arie