Approved CotL bio (Vadin Shan) - CC'd by BT

[Nynaeve]

DM handle: Knytiri

Character Name: Vadin Shan

 

Age: 21

 

Email address: knytiri[at]gmail[dot]com

 

Division: CotL

 

Subdivision: Undecided

 

Physical Description: Vadin is of average height, about 5'7", with a lean farmers build, toned from long years spent in the fields, his skin tanned, his brown hair bleached from long hours of exposure to the sun. His features are firm but not bold, his chin covered in a short goatee, also bleached nearly blond by long hours of being in the open. His eyes are a light brown, nearly tan.

 

Place of Birth/Raising: Born in Baerlon, Vadin was raised in the mountains to the north of the city, on his father's farm/ranch, working alongside his two brothers and few helpers that his family employed, along with their families.

 

Character History: Vadin was raised with hard work, and lived by the code of "up and down with the sun." He woke each morning to chores, and was still doing them up until the point in time where he was tipped into bed. He had two older brothers that generally looked out for him, when they were in the fields, along with several men and other boys around his own age that worked just as hard as he did. His father made a living off of raising a number of crops, from wheat and grain to even the rare cotton field that he would plant from time to time, and cattle trade, moving them in and out of their area of land. He would buy the cattle, other farmers around them would come to him to purchase from him, and slaughter the animal or use it for milk and cheese, and sell the goods generally back to Vadin's father's employees. It was a system that had been in place for years upon years; Vadin's grandfather, and his father before him, had owned the farmstead, and done the same things. As eldest son, Vadin's father had taken over when his grandfather had passed away, but Vadin would not be so fortunate.

 

As the youngest, he would not be inheriting the farm unless something tragic struck their family, and that was not something he hoped for. He found himself pondering just what it was that he would be doing as he got older, and as he hit his teenage years, he realized that he would never  be happy living here, working for his brothers. He was happy now, helping his father, saving what little silver his father could pass him from time to time for the work he did, but he could tell there would come a time when he wanted, or needed, more.

 

When he was sixteen, a delegation of Andoran soldiers had visited Baerlon, for some reason or another that Vadin had never learned. He watched them ride into the city, armor shining, lances tipped just so, their banners flapping in the breeze as their horses cantered along, and knew in an instant that this was what he wanted. He wanted to be one of those men, to wear that armor, to use that lance, to right wrongs across the country side and save damsels in distress. He hurried to the city, intent on asking the captain of these men how he could join, but met his oldest brother halfway there, and learned something terrible.

 

One of the Andoran soldiers, shortly after riding into town, had raped one of the women of the village. A young girl, who had visited the farmstead more than once, and who was known, at least to Vadin and his friends, to fancy his oldest brother, and not just because one day he would own the farm. The oldest, Riktor, was still at the farm, and had no idea what had happened, of course, but Sael, his other brother, had found out only moments after it had happened. He had started heading back to the farm to gather some of the boys, but found Vadin first, and grabbed him instead. He was insistent, he said, on seeing "true justice" done.

 

They arrived to a scene of chaos. The townsfolk, upon hearing what had happened, were gathered in the commons, around the Andoran soldiers. They were backed into precise ranks in a small square, swords free, looking nervous as more and more townsfolk gathered. The commander and the mayor were busy shouting demands at one another, neither one being heard, and the people were getting angrier and angrier. Sael joined in the shouting, demanding that the Andorans give up the guilty soldier to face his punishment at the hands of the townsfolk. The commander was yelling that he would personally see to his discipline, and that the townsfolk were to stand down, immediately, or be charged with the obstruction of the Light's duty.

 

Things were heating up quickly, and suddenly snapped.

 

With a roar, one of the townsmen hurled a rock at the soldiers. It dropped a man to his knees, blood covering his face. The commander and mayor both bellowed; but to little avail. Two soldiers struck out as people were pushed closer. One went down without a sound, the other screamed as the blade cut his flesh. Vadin could not believe what was happening. These soldiers had been his heroes a few minutes before, but now, he wasn't sure at all of their heroines. They seemed untamed, wild, demonic, evil. Another man fell, clutching the stump of an arm. More rocks flew. Screams rose. Then people were running, everywhere, and it seemed to be over, everything happening so fast that Vadin couldn't believe it all. The guilty solder had went down, a blade in his gut, but whether from one of his own men, or whether someone else had taken the blade and stabbed him, no one knew for certain. The commander quickly got his men out of the town, and never looked back. The town recovered, slowly.

 

Vadin did not. When he and his brother returned to the farm, he knew his time had come to leave, but he could not say where he was going, yet. He took what money he had saved, and made his farewells. His family understood; his uncles, his father's younger brothers, had also set out on their own at early ages, and were all doing fine. He bought a horse from a trader merchant he encountered on the Kings Road, and stopped in a few villages. He did odd jobs for people to make more money as he went, being careful with the little he had. He bought a long dagger, to protect himself with, and even trained with it at night, when he was at camp, alone. He practiced throwing it, but never got very good with it. He learned how to brandish it effectively enough to scare off a couple of would-be bandits, and even cut another man once in a tavern brawl that broke out over some girl getting pinched.

 

He wandered for a few years, until he met Dareath, an older man who claimed to be a retired soldier. The two talked late into the night in the middle of nowhere, some random village at some random inn, and Vadin learned about the Children of the Light. This man, Dareath, had soldiered for them for nearly thirty years, and told some of the finest tales Vadin had ever heard. By morning, his desire to be a soldier had returned. A soldier for the Children. He set out immediately for the Fortress, seeking his destiny within their ranks.

 

 

 

Nyn

CotL

 

[Arath Faringal]

Apart from one little book conflict, it looks good.  Cotton (algodon in the books) is only had among the Aiel.  The people of Randland have never heard of it.  But it's not a big deal.  

 

I'd be more concerned about the distinct lack of crazy in this one ...

 

*BT STAMP*

[Nynaeve]

algodon is cotton in spanish  >.>

 

Just a fun little detail  ;D

 

And I had no idea... but now I know  lol

 

 

THANKS!

 

 

 

 

Nyn

[Arath Faringal]

Dang ... the books call it algode ... stupid Spanish messing up my Old Tongue now ...

[Nynaeve]

*snickers*

 

 

 

Nyn