Chapatrap — Roleplayer Guild

I've gone with a diplomatic, charismatic-ish character.

Name: Peren Di-Jaga
Gender: Male.
Age: Approx. 160 years.
Race: Southern/High Elf

Appearance:
In an attempt to fit in with the large human populations he is used to dealing with on a daily basis,  he attempts to hide his more obvious Elvish features, with varying degrees of success. He crops his hair close to the scalp, wears simple human clothing and even has made an attempt at a scraggly blonde beard, that clutches to his chin and neck in clumps. However, he cannot hide his more obvious features - his ears are pointed, his complexion is oily and he has lived far longer than any man. Peren is by no means in good physical shape but he still holds the universal slim, tall look elves are famed for. Contrary to the local Elves of the Wood, Peren is a Southern Elf and possesses minute differences that set him apart from elves of other sub-races. Most humans do not notice that his eyes are flecked with yellow or that his cheekbones are lower, for example. 

History: Peren Di-Jaga hails from the famed Elvish trading city, Jaga. Deep within the southern lands, Jaga is unusual for being a maritime Elvish exclave, surrounded on all sides by human cities and itself having a sizable human minority. Peren was the only son of a well-off merchant and his wife. Much of his youth was spent making trips to the far north with his father, who is a prominent member of the Jagan Guild of Merchants. Due to his fathers wealth and powerful position in the guild, he was eventually enrolled by a private human tutor, who had a profound effect on the young Elves life. Peren had never shown much interest in humanity prior to meeting his tutor but as the years slipped by, he became fascinated with human culture and philosophy. His tutor, a man fresh from a prestigious human university, had an eccentric and unique manner of teaching that only fed Perens obsession with humanity. Perens tutor, whether intentionally or not, implanted several false ideas into his mind pertaining to the nature of men and Elves. The young elf came to the conclusion that humans were "noble savages", only corrupted by the greed of Elves. "Elves are greedy and pretentious, wasting their long lives on furthering their own interests, while humans, whose reputation is being tarnished by these High Elves, better spend their short lives, dying for a greater good and in the belief that in their death they will assist even one fellow soul..."

Peren's father was not impressed by his sons interest in humanity, holding the traditional Elvish view that humans were cocky and uncultured. This led to a rocky relationship between Peren and his father, who eventually used his contacts within Jaga to oust his now-elderly tutor from the city. Peren was devastated at the fate of his old friend and it only deepened the rift between father and son. When he reached his 50th year, Perens father decided to enroll him in a prestigious university, hoping to properly educate him in the ancient ways of Elves. Peren, however, showed no interest in furthering his education, especially among Elves and instead left his family and High Elvish culture to live among humans. 

In those days, Peren was young and naive and now regrets the way in which he and his father ended their relationship. For the next seventy years he wandered across the Southern Lands. At first, it was great - he settled in small hamlets, worked for human lords and befriended locals. Watching his human friends grow old and die, however, only confused him and caused heartache, which is not common among Elves of his status. As he grew older, he grew frustrated with the ignorance and contentedness of human peasants, who were happy to toil their days away in fields, get drunk in evenings and die without achieving anything. Women he loved and men he hated all grew old and died while he continued living. What was the point in their short lives, other than to procreate?

One event changed his opinion of humans dramatically, however. He was invited to a party for the nobility, where the proud, rich humans partook in hedonistic drinking and sex. Conversations with these people mostly concerned their own suspicions of other races ("OH, not you, young Southron! Of course, we mean those dirty Elves of the Forest!") and their disdain for those they deemed poorer or richer than themselves. After that night, Peren came to the conclusion that both humans and elves were little better than animals. They were suspicious of those different to themselves and disliked even those of their own race. They pissed away their lives selfishly, living to further their own gains. From that moment on, Peren no longer identified as elf or human. He was now just a sentient animal.

Disappointed that 120 years of his life had led him to that conclusion, he returned to Jaga with a cloud of melancholy hanging over his head. What was the point in living to eventually die? Why were wars fought over patches of land? Why did man and Elf quarrel and feel a hatred of each other when they were just two of the same animal? What was the point of learning anything if it was all to be lost at your own death? Peren spent the next few years in a drunken haze of depression, prostitutes and fights. It was only when one of these fights led to the death of man did Peren wake from this melancholy and decide to return to society.

He wrote to his father in Elvish, apologising for the decades of silence and begging his forgiveness. His father did not accept his apology and refused to meet him but took pity on his only son and got him a job in the Guild of Merchants. Peren was grateful and decided to set a new life goal. He was not a sentient animal anymore. He was a sentient being and he would make it his life purpose to improve the lives of other sentient beings, in any way possible. Despite this, the elf is cynical beyond his years and some have mused that he is an old human trapped in the body of young Elf. 

Peren is well established in the powerful Guild of Merchants but has no time for the pointless bureaucracy and intrigue of the central Grand Bazaar. Instead, he set himself up in a town in Brackenhorst, deep within the realm of men and far from the influence of the Guild. He lives with his human wife and half-elf son above their shop and has done his best to fix fair prices for the humans. It would almost seem like a fairytale ending - surely, this is Perens happily ever after? 

Sadly, no. The rumbles of violent clashes with orcs have deeply disturbed Peren, himself something of a pacifist, and stirred something he hasn't felt inside of him for a while. As his wife edges closer to the grave and his son closer to a man, Peren is beginning to feel a restlessness deep inside him that he hasn't felt in decades. There are still questions on the nature of man and elf to be answered and this inquisitive Elf is yearning to answer them. With the backing of the Guild of Merchants and his local community, he set out to join Thaddeus and help in anyway he can.
        
Personality: Peren is privately rather cynical and pessimistic but tries to display an aura of confidence and optimism. He is a natural speaker and can start a conversation with almost anyone. He finds he has more in common with Elves and Humans than other races. Due to the years spent wandering the lands, experiencing new things and meeting new people, he has wisdom beyond his years and can easily spot if a situation is not going in his favour. He is something of a pacifist, preferring to talk his way out of fights but if required to, will defend himself to protect his own life. He will always stop short of killing another (sentient) being and has something of a weak stomach when it comes to extreme violence. Despite being extremely philosophical in his youth, Peren has come to realise some of the decisions made in his past were immature and he has learned his lesson - no being is perfect but he can try his very to improve those lives around him. He may not always stay true to this philosophy but he tries to his best.

Peren can be, unknowingly, quite haughty and stuck-up around other Elves but upon being pulled on the fact, he will always attempt to apologise. He tries not to distinguish between different races but old Elvish habits die hard. Despite his faults, Peren always tries to better himself and change his way of thinking. An unrealistic attempt at Uberelvsch, maybe but an Elf can dream.

Skills: 
Peren has spent his life empathizing with humanity and has developed great skills of communication with both men and elves. His down-to-Earth personality is appealing to men and his polite, well-spoken dialect of Elvish appeals to many elves. He is completely fluent in Common and Elvish but struggles with other languages, such as Dwarfish or Goblin. His Common comes with a slight accent that, to the untrained ear, can be hard to understand. After spending a portion of his life with his father and the Guild of Merchants, he has picked up several skills in negotiation and bartering and is a popular choice in sorting out petty disputes in his local area. Peren is by no means a skilled swordsman (despite knowing some basic parries) and prefers to talk his way out of problems than to fight.

Possessions:
Peren wears simple, yet comfortable, human clothing and no armour. Boots wrap around his knees A well placed sword or arrow could easily end his life but he relies on his status as a Guild Merchant to protect him. This is made apparent by the bronze, Guild chain around his neck, which he wears over his clothing. The Guild chain awards him a lot of respect in certain Human/Elvish circles but those living far from civilisation care little for it (for example, Dwarves, Orcs and certain Wood Elves). He carries with him a thin rapier in a leather scabbard at a belt across his shoulder but the shine on the blade makes it obvious it's rarely used. Peren doesn't carry mementos or trinkets (apart from his official Guild chain), deciding instead to leave them at home. Rations hang around his belt and a small coin purse hangs at his wrist. Apart from this, Peren is woefully unprepared for fighting but more than prepared to talk his way across the Tall Mountain.
 
Miscellaneous:
Di-Jaga is an adopted surname, as High Elves from that part of the world do not take on the names of their ancestors. Peren adopted it for the benefit of his wife and son, Rolen Di-Jaga.

EDIT: Wow, Sawdust, that was some good timing.
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