Islan Diemyn

Intelligent Yet Naive Bladesinger Noble

Islan was born to a minor noble family, recently (in Elven terms) raised to the gentry, due to the wealth and local standing of his parents, Gelros and Malyra. Both fought in the late war against the humans, his mother Malyra as a front-line officer, and his father Gelros as a mage. They both distinguished themselves in the war, receiving middling honors, which assisted their climb to nobility. This was to be of some importance in Islan's young life. They mingled well in the relatively bustling noble life of the elven city of Celembril, and by the time Islan had reached the beginning of his professional studies, were well thought-of in the circles of power.

He was born the fourth of five children, and the martial tradition continued in his family, leaving him with much to live up to. The eldest child and son, Durtaril, was sent to an officer's training academy, and is a rising star in the Elven army. The second son, Corestel, joined a sanctioned Thieves' Guild, and works as an intelligence agent for the Elven state. Emlan, the first daughter and third child, is the apparent black sheep of the family. She joined the Garanlyon, a freelance Ranger society. Although this society did participate in the elven/human war, during peacetime they work entirely on their own, with the primary intent of preserving the natural beauty of the Elven state, and striving to keep the city Elves in tune with their natural roots. The youngest and second daughter, Arilaw, was just accepted into one of the more prestigious battlemage academies in the elven nation.

Islan himself was loved and cared-for, in an absent sort of way. His parents were often busy involving themselves in city and national affairs (thereby steadily increasing their social standing even more), and so Islan was often left in the care of tutors and governors. He thus grew up with a love of books, and arcane lore. Little less love did he have for the longsword, which he learned through diligent practice and tutelage from his instructors. He had friends, but he never had the easy way with people that his elder brothers seemed to; his friendships mostly formed from other youngsters who shared his passion for books or swordplay. He never really had a bosom friend; most of his friendships were more casual. His primary confidante was his elder sister, Emlan. She was the only one to whom he ever felt he could talk privately. They connected well, even though their interests lay in different directions. When it came time for him to choose a path in life, she urged him to join the Garanlyon, but he felt too much a sense of familial duty to follow in his sister's footsteps.

He sought to put both his blade and his mind to work, so he joined the Temple Of Whispering Air, the bladesinger academy. This was met with mixed approval by his parents, who lauded his continuing in the military footsteps of the family, but who frowned somewhat upon his decision to join the most secretive and aloof group the elven army used. Still, they took pride in his achievements, when they had the time, and he excelled in his work at the academy. The national pride, and the unwitting prejudice against humans which he'd slowly learned at home, were unconsciously strengthened while at the academy. In all his arcane reading and his long hours of study, he had yet to overcome his naivete.

He found that, although he pushed himself to study long hours, he learned quickly and soon became quite skilled for such a young elf. He was soon moved to a more advanced class to allow him to better cultivate his abilities. Still, he was without much knowledge of how the world works, and his natural intrepidity and rashness got him into trouble more than once.

Alignment: NG

Race: Elf, Ithilien (Moon)

Place of Origin: Tel-Tenauril

View the journals of Islan Diemyn.

Contributor: Chris Schuettpelz