Elias Varn

Elias Varn was born to traveling merchants who carried goods between surface settlements and dwarven strongholds. When he was still very young, their caravan was caught in a cave-in along a mountain pass. By the time dwarven rescuers arrived, Elias was the only survivor they could find.

With no way to locate surviving relatives, the dwarves brought him back to their city, where he was raised among Clan Radiantbeard. His quarter-elven heritage made him stand out, and although he was never mistreated, Elias always understood that he did not fully belong.

He learned dwarven customs, trained alongside their youth, and developed enough discipline to stay out of serious trouble. But where the dwarves found meaning in tradition and legacy, Elias often saw customs that existed simply because they always had.

One of the few people who treated him without reservation was Faolan Radiantbeard. The two grew up together, training, competing, and arguing. Faolan was steady and principled, while Elias was more flexible, willing to cut corners, question assumptions, and test limits.

Their outlooks began to diverge after Thurgren’s death. Faolan found purpose and eventually faith in the loss, while Elias saw only the hard truth that a capable, well-intentioned person had died because things went wrong.

Years later, Elias was in Willsforth when the Ascension occurred. He remembers the sky breaking apart and the strange pressure in the air before a surge of power moved through him. When it passed, Elias was left with magic he had never earned, studied, or expected.

The experience only deepened his skepticism. Elias does not deny that gods exist or that they wield extraordinary power, but he struggles to believe that they represent any absolute order or greater plan.

Now, as Verivar continues to change in the aftermath of the Ascension, Elias is trying to understand what truly happened to the world and to himself. His magic remains unpredictable at times, and the more he uses it, the more he senses that something beyond himself may be connected to it.

That presence has not yet revealed itself fully. In time, it may take the form of Kyruss—not as a commanding master, but as someone who recognizes the same questions Elias has spent his life asking.