[hider=Are You Afraid of the Dark?]
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[img] https://i.pinimg.com/564x/cd/ad/9f/cdad9f1a5d4cc086214edec21208c526.jpg[/img][/center]

[center][color=cadetblue][h3]Valok Grimmrot ⋆ 162 ⋆ Male ⋆ Dark Elf[/h3][/color][/center]
[center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0oIoR9mLwc]Dark Necessities[/url][/center]
[hr]
[color=darkslategray][u]Appearance[/u][/color]

[color=darkslategray][b]Height:[/b][/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]6’[/indent][/color]
[color=darkslategray][b]Weight:[/b][/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]185lbs[/indent][/color]
[color=darkslategray][b]Hair Color:[/b][/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]Coal black that begins to fade into an ash gray[/indent][/color]
[color=darkslategray][b]Eye Color:[/b][/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]Bright orange embers that burn with the intense curiosity[/indent][/color]
[color=darkslategray][b]Skin Tone:[/b][/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]Pale gray, littered with scars[/indent][/color]
[color=darkslategray][b]Brief Clothes Description:[/b][/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]Dresses almost exclusively in black as it allows him to better blend into the shadows.[/indent][/color]

[color=darkslategray][u]Psychology[/u][/color]

[color=darkslategray][b]Likes[/b]: [/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]- A clear night’s sky
- Quiet places
- Music
- Hot meals
- Fighting[/indent][/color]
[color=darkslategray][b]Dislikes[/b]: [/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]- Light Elves
- Bright lights
- Needless Cruelty
- Being automatically seen as evil
- Finding weakness or vulnerability in himself[/indent][/color]

[color=darkslategray][b]Fears:[/b][/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]- That his nature as a dark elf makes him evil by nature and his past actions have already left him beyond any redemption
- His upbringing leaves him afraid of showing any signs of weakness or vulnerability
- That he is unable to think for himself or move past his upbringing[/indent][/color]

[color=darkslategray][b]Sexuality:[/b][/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]Undetermined[/indent][/color]

[color=darkslategray][b]Personality:[/b][/color]

[color=cadetblue][indent]Valok is a quiet elf by nature, he takes things in, watches with intense curiosity, and tries to learn. He speaks when necessary but in general, tries to keep to himself. Primarily an introvert he does like having others around, finding comfort in knowing he’s not alone while still enjoying the peace of the occasional quiet moment when he is alone. Val does not know what it means to be selfish, his last thought in most situations is himself. While there are many who would see him as cruel, he sees himself as a faithful soldier who followed his orders as given, but given a choice, Valok would never choose to be cruel. He does not kill for the enjoyment of it, he will end his enemy quickly so that they do not suffer. Valok is the type to risk his life when necessary, he sees himself as disposable. That was how he was raised, how he was trained, and he knows no other way.
 
Val was raised from birth to be a disposable soldier, he has never had family or personal connections to give him any attachment to the world. While he shows no fear in battle to call him brave would be incorrect, for he has nothing to lose, he doesn’t even see his own life as his belonging to him. The blood in his veins seems to run almost as cold as the air of Daka, he rarely loses his temper, and violence is saved for when it must be done. He is patient, quiet of voice, and finds following orders much easier than making his own decisions. Underneath the cold exterior is almost limitless anxiety. A bundle of fears regarding who he is, things he’s done, how he was raised, whether being a dark elf means evil regardless of choices, and not knowing if he can be anything more than a tool of war. His reactions in combat are quick and instinctual, this is one of the few things that come easy for Valok, everything else is shrouded in doubt and confusion. 

Not only poorly educated but most of what he has learned comes from the heavy-handed dark elf propaganda. All he learned in his early years painted every race but dark elves as cruel villains. The strongest form of hope in his life has always been his faith in Halastra, the goddess of the dark elf race, and her gift to her chosen people, of bending the darkness to their will, a kindness to help them bear their sorrow. His life experience has taught him to question these teachings but he has not forgotten them entirely. He is, however, observant and intensely curious. He lacks charisma, his tone is often soft and emotionless, echoing his own hollowness. Manipulating people is not a skill for a weapon, but the skill of leaders and so it is not something that would ever occur to him. Jokes are quickly lost on him, and rarely makes any attempts at humor. Valok was never given a choice in his life, and for the vast majority of it, he simply accepted his circumstances and lived with them.[/indent][/color]

[color=darkslategray][u]Background[/u][/color]

[color=darkslategray][b]Occupation[/b][/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]Former soldier in the Dark Elf Army, now, he is nothing.[/indent][/color] 
[color=darkslategray][b]Living/Dead Immediate Family Members:[/b][/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]Entirely unknown, Valok has no knowledge of any family.[/indent][/color] 
[color=darkslategray][b]Current Companions:[/b][/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]None[/indent][/color] 
[color=darkslategray][b]Current and Past Lover(s):[/b][/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]Valok has never known any form of love, romantic or otherwise.[/indent][/color] 
[color=darkslategray][b]Are you a loner or with a group? Have you always been in this place?:[/b][/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]Val has both rarely spent a moment alone, but has in many ways, always been alone.[/indent][/color]

[color=darkslategray][b]History:[/b][/color]

[color=cadetblue]As an infant Valok was either orphaned or willingly given up to be trained as a soldier. He was raised solely to be an instrument of war and of service to his people. He was never told the circumstances of why or who his family was, but Val does not waste time dwelling on such matters. He was not raised to think, but to fight. His life has always been one of strict order and discipline. All moments of his young life were scheduled down to the second, when he woke up, when he ate, when he trained, and when he rested. His schedule was grueling, keeping him exhausted, far too exhausted to think about his circumstances even if he had any interest in them, to begin with. All his life he has been taught that he does not matter; he is but one of many soldiers who fight not for their own glory but for the betterment of their people.
 
Even his surname is not his own, but merely the name of one of many schools that exists for the sole purpose of turning out disposable soldiers for the dark elf army. He has no name to pass on, no family ties to bind him down, no legacy to protect or further. Instead, he has just a single shared goal with every other graduate of Grimmrots; to serve dark elf interests. 

Grimmrots was his home for the majority of his life, he grew up there, trained there, and learned there. From the second he was able he was trained to fight, both with weapons and with magic. His dark abilities have always been a part of him, his people take pride in being gifted by the night. He worked hard, he learned discipline, and any failure in this was punished with swift brutality. Wake up, train, eat, chores, train, eat, rest. The schedule repeated endlessly. Val took comfort in the schedule, he knew what he was supposed to do and where he had to be, he didn’t have time or energy left to worry about anything else. Those who did not take to this kind of life were made an example of and weakness was never tolerated. He learned how to face fear, to bear pain, and to kill. Once he was old enough, he was shipped off to The Pits for more intense combat training. 
 
The Pits held a similar schedule and he adjusted quickly. He then put his training to use, fighting for his life in gladiatorial combat where he learned to kill without hesitation. Some of his comrades in the Pits enjoyed the killing, Val did it because he was good at it and because he was told to do it. This was the experience he needed to become a true soldier, killing was how he would serve his people, and he was raised for service. Once he was deemed worthy, he entered the dark elf army in full; he was loyal, obedient, and well trained. He believed himself lucky to have been born in the age where the great war they were being raised for was to take place, he would get to be one of many that changed Avalia for the betterment of his people. This was a great honor. 

Being sent forth as a part of the occupation of Roshmi City was the first time he questioned any of this. He was prepared to be a nameless hero, sure there would be no glory for him, but his sacrifice would leave a better Avalia for his race. What he was not prepared for was to finally see the reasons why every other race in Avalia so easily saw dark elves as their villains. The endlessly brutal executions, the torture of the fun of it, the examples made of those who spoke out against dark elves, and the rampant cruelty that went so far beyond what could be reasonably necessary. There were orders he was sent to carry out that left deep marks on his spirit. Four months of witnessing a hell he helped bring about shattered any desire he had to remain a loyal soldier. The first choice Valok ever made regarding his own life was to turn his back on everything he knew in search of something, anything, else. [/color]

[color=darkslategray][u]Combat and Magic[/u]:[/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent][b]Strength:[/b] 6
[b]Speed on Land:[/b] 5
[b]Speed in Air:[/b] 0
[b]Magical Ability:[/b] 7
[b]Dexterity:[/b] 5
[b]Weapon Proficiency:[/b] 7
[b]Stealth:[/b] 9 [/indent][/color]

[color=darkslategray][b]Best Ability: [/b][/color]
[color=cadetblue][indent]Blending into the shadows; when you've been raised to believe you are nothing becoming nothing more than a shadow is as easy as drawing breath.[/indent][/color][/hider]