Darian Gedwyn
Pronounced: 'Do-ri-ahn 'Gedh-win
M'hael

Profile:

Darian Gedwyn is a tall and slender man; son of a Domani mother and a Shienaran father. Being of mixed blood, he lacks the actual massive build of a true Shienaran. Compared to some other men, Darian is slender, yet muscular and perfectly balanced in strength and speed. He compensates his lack of great physical strength with astonishing speed and keen wits.

Darian has mid-long, black hair and light blue eyes. They used to have a very friendly, open expression in their gaze, but that changed a long time ago. Nowadays the same light blue seems more like frozen pools: cold and impossible to tell what these eyes have seen... or what they’re hiding. In general, Darian’s gaze is more or less wolfish: he doesn’t look at you, he looks through you… Darian has been severely wounded on several occasions, and his chest is covered with scars that remind of the wounds he suffered. Aside from these, he has another scar on the left side of his neck. When he’s absent-minded, Darian often strokes this scar by following its line with his finger.

Darian’s style of life is a very disciplined one. Every day he takes physical training (sword forms, running, working out…) as well as mental training. He often meditates on solitary places. He has an athletic figure and his way of moving is graceful but somehow cautious. This also makes him a good dancer. Darian was brought up with the sword in a Shienaran citadel and thus is very skilled with the blade.
Aside from that, Darian lived in Cairhien for seven years and has mastered the Great Game of Houses, Daes Dai’mar. He has an aversion towards nobles because of his experiences in Cairhien. He knows the ropes of etiquette and protocol, but doesn’t rave about it. He just applies them when necessary.
Darian hardly ever speaks about his past, and even if he does he remains as vague as possible. He would only reveal he has made mistakes he must atone for… Though he never mentions it, Darian is a rich man. He owns a fortune that’s invested in several financial institutions in Mayene. The money is, however, blood stained…

Biography:

Summary of Darian’s biography
This is an out of character summary of the biography of my character Darian Gedwyn. It’s meant for those who don’t feel like reading my entire biography, those who dropped in just to get a first impression of my character or those who came to look for a specific detail.
However, this summary is nothing but a short synopsis of the content of every chapter, an enumeration of the most important events. I can only advice those who seek to read Darian’s thoughts or came to have an idea on his personality to read the entire thing. Good luck! *grin *

Part One: The Wheel of Time turns

Introducing Darian’s parents: Valura Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah (White Tower) and Yoritomo Orikanu, son of a Shienaran general.
Important detail: Darian was originally named Seigan Orikanu. It was but later he changed his own name.

Part Two: A young boy in a land up north

A sketch of Seigan’s youth, his education in a Shienaran Citadel amidst the soldiers. In the second part Seigan if forced to witness the death of his mother Valura. The horrifying scenery is carved into Seigan’s heart.

Part Three: Tragedy one winter’s night.

Seigan feels guilty for not being able to protect his mother and blames himself for her death. For the next two years, he does nothing but practice sword forms and undergo physical training. At age 15 he’s one of the best swordsman serving under his father. One winter, looting trollocs attack the citadel and manage to conquer it. Yoritomo decides to destroy the citadel rather then let it fall into enemy hands, but before doing so he brings Seigan to safety.

Part Four: Kenjiro Seta

Bewildered by the loss of his father and friends, Seigan wanders around in the mountains. He is attacked by a bunch of trollocs and saved by a mysterious blademaster, Kenjiro Seta. Seta tells Seigan to travel to Fal Mora and tell the story of the trolloc assault to the Court-Martial.
However, the Court-Martial turns a deaf ear to Seigan’s testimony. Yoritomo is considered a traitor and Seigan is exiled. He returns to Kenjiro, who accepts him as a pupil.

Part Five: Fal Mora’s Mad Wolf

After spending nine years as Seta’s pupil, Seigan has become an expert swordsman. Seta tells him to go and find a purpose in life. Seigan returns to Fal Mora and wishes to see the judges at his father’s trial once more. Again they turn a deaf ear to his arguments and threaten to arrest him for violating his banishment.
Seigan decides to investigate the case by himself and ends up discovering the truth. Realizing how foul the world really is, Seigan goes rampage and ends up killing four prominent judges and stealing a considerable amount of money.

Part Six: Darian Gedwyn

Five years later – Seigan has changed his name into Darian Gedwyn and lives in Cairhien as a notorious and respected assassin for hire. Feared by all and only hired by the most powerful in society, Darian lives only for his sword and the huge amounts of money his employers pay him.
The once kind-hearted and friendly young man has changed into a merciless and cold assassin and a master of Daes Dai’mar. He bears a grudge against the entire world and slights everyone around him.
One night, Darian ends up getting wounded when killing someone. Confronted with his own limits, Darian suffers a mental blow. The young Domani woman Aurore confesses her love to Darian and that means the beginning of a slow process of regaining his humanity.

Part Seven: Running the Gauntlet

Another two years later, Darian has married Aurore and has recovered his humanity till the extent he is in two minds about his way of life. On the one hand, he feels he has the right to retaliate against a hostile world that has treated his unjust, and he realizes all his wealth and status was bought by making the world shiver upon hearing his name. On the other hand, he feels reluctance towards killing innocent people and using Seta’s teachings for killing fellow human beings instead of the trollocs the techniques were invented for.
Part seven is an emotional chapter of Darian’s life; it shows Darian’s inward conflict and introduces the only two people who know him as he really is: his wife Aurore and lady Isabelle, a representative from Mayene.

Part Eight: The Cruelties of War

Darian is called to arms to fight in the second Aiel war. At this point of his life he has somehow fell back into his old, gloomy self as he spends less time with Aurore then before. Unconsciously, he has grown a slight tendency to distrust his wife, though it hurts him to do so. Reverting back to his old, cold self, he is furious to be called to arms and works off his frustration on the Aiel. Darian applies his matchless skills to create a massacre among the Aiel, though suddenly he is knocked down by the corpse of an armored knight and covered by the dead horse. A group of Aiel discovers him and tortures him by cutting the tendons in his thumbs.
Duncan, a close friend of Darian, tries to save him but ends up getting killed. In his frustration, Darian discovers his ability to channel and kills the Aiel, but ends up getting severely injured by the powers he has unleashed.

Part Nine: Dark Clouds

Darian has survived the explosion and is taken to Isabelle’s house. It takes him weeks of recovery before he can leave bed. He learns that his house burned down during the Aiel war, probably due to one of the many bolts of lightning or fireballs. Apparently there were no survivors.
The loss of Aurore and his ability to wield a sword – due to the tendons that were cut – are severe mental blows to Darian and it takes him months to recover from his physical en mental injuries.

Part Ten: Crossroads

Six months after the outbreak of the Aiel war, Darian decides to leave Cairhien. Now the Dragon Reborn is in control of the country, assassins are outlawed as they mean a danger to society.
Darian keeps his survival in the war a secret, leaves everyone behind and sets off to start a new life. He is an extremely rich man, having killed countless people for good money, and over one and a half million gold sovereigns are waiting for him in several financial institutions in Mayene.
Darian decides to reside in Far Madding, as its peculiar Ter’angreal will protect him from any harm he might do to himself now he has discovered he is a channeler. He soon experiences he grows depressed after spending too much time within the shielded area of Far Madding and realizes he must find another place for him to spend. After learning about the existence of the Grey Tower, and since he doesn’t have anything planned for the future, Darian decides to go and learn how to control his ability to channel.
Darian has always been a loner and doesn’t realize how the trust and friendship at the Tower will end up changing his personality…

Works by Darian
~ Darian's Raising
~ Where did the Darian Go?
~ Darian Asha'man

Contact Darian
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