Appearance

Mentality

Personal history

Born to a human mother who was a victim and survivor of a Dark Elf raid, Jennis grew up visibly different from those around him. Even in Caerdsdryl, notable for its acceptance and diversity of cultures, people took a second glance at a half-Dark Elf child playing in the streets. Miriela Bassa - now a caretaker at the Temple of the Skymother, who had taken her in at her most desperate - took pains to ensure that her son grew up knowing that his father’s crimes were not his own, that such terrible violence could spring such great joy. As such, Jennis grew up very much aware of his difference, but at the same time, he was very comfortable in that much darker skin he had to inhabit.
As he got older, people in his neighborhood became used to him. He still drew odd glances - frankly, he doesn’t think that will ever stop - but for his day-to-day life, with people he knew, things smoothed out. As a joke, he started to carry around small printed cards that he would hand new people who would be startled at his appearance:
 
Hello!
Yes, I am half Dark Elf.


No, I don’t know any other Dark Elves.


Yes, I’ve lived here all my life.


No, I’m not going to hurt you.


Yes, I have a human name. I also have a human mom!


This has been a great conversation.


 
He was surprised to realize that the cards actually helped in breaking that initial tension. Mind you, they didn’t always work. Some prejudices are hard to dismiss, and he found himself on the receiving end of more fights than he’d like. He never was very adept at physical combat, and it took a few beatings for his mother to sit him down and explain in no uncertain terms that while she was raising a kind son, that did not mean he had to suffer for their ignorance. To never start a fight, but to always end it, to whatever ability he had (privately, he referred to this dogma as “do no harm, take no shit”). And to do it under whatever terms he felt most comfortable.
 
This started him down the path of magic. He had always been fascinated by it, living so close to the Academy, but he always thought of it as an impossible dream, something other people got to do. And so, he started going to the library as often as he could between jobs that he’d take to help his mother make ends meet, studying and practicing until he could feel that dream inching closer to reality. The next time someone picked a fight, he was able to hit them with a blast of wind and make his escape; subsequent times getting sharper and sharper with that skill until he could reliably use it in his own defense.
 
He was hooked.
 
Now, every day, he would make a point of passing by the gates of the Academy, staring up at the towers. Nights were devoted to hard studying for the entrance exam, trying not to let his fear that he would only have one shot at it because of his heritage slow him down. He still worked hard, pulling in as many extra jobs as he could with the hope that he could leave his mother comfortable in his absence, until Miriela once more gently sat down with him, and told him to stop worrying. To push for his own future, and to know that doing so would make her happier than any extra job he did. He would have her full support, as long as he kept working hard for it. It was the final release he needed to sign up for the exam.

Personality

Social

Birthplace

Caerdsdryl