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Name: Dristan Xuresh
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: 3 Kingsway, 8:94 in Eastshore
Occupation: Apothecary
Companion(s): N/A
Dristan is of average height with a lean build that sometimes appears gaunt in unflattering light. His olive skin is in contrast to his light blue-grey eyes, and his arms feature several light scars, with more prominent scars appearing on his torso and especially his abdomen.
Very meticulous in his appearance, Dristan keeps his naturally wavy black hair tied back in a tight queue, and his beard tidied and trimmed to follow his jawline. While a few grey hairs have sprouted prematurely at his temple, he pays them little mind.
His clothing--while hardly noteworthy in quality--is kept in immaculate condition, and he typically wears dark trousers and a vest over a long-sleeved shirt with the cuffs folded neatly back. Though it clashes with his usual attire, Dristan can also often be seen wearing an old, patchwork leather coat that’s become practically threadbare over the years, with a very worn copy of Thelion’s Field Reference tucked under one arm.
Class: Civilian
Specialization: N/A
Weapons & Armor: It’s been a great deal of time since Dristan’s seen anything resembling combat, and as such he only keeps a very sharp steel knife on his person at all times.
Languages: Common (written and spoken), Rivaini (spoken)
Non-Combat Skills:
- Master: Healing, Alchemy
- Expert: Natural Lore (Ferelden, Free Marches), Research
- Intermediate: Evaluation, Bartering, Cooking
- Novice: Poison Lore
Combat Skills:
- Novice: Single Weapon (Dagger)
Dristan is cautious, thorough, and prefers to think everything through to exhaustion before arriving at a conclusion. Not that he’s incapable of thinking on the fly, of course. His line of work has often demanded quick and confident decisions, but he often second-guesses those decisions later, poring over them in a few old, worn notebooks.
For the most part, he’s a man who prefers to keep to himself, and anyone in his company would certainly describe him as distant. He has obsessive tendencies and can appear completely driven at times, while at others seems as though he’s just mechanically carrying on with the monotony of his day.
Beneath the somewhat cold exterior, he’s a fairly passionate man who will argue at length about herbalism, conflict, and even politics. At times he even displays a sharp wit and keen intellect, though those are often used as a defense mechanism.
His moral compass has seen a little wear and tear over the years, but he still firmly believes that his first duty is to help, not to harm. No matter who comes through his doors.
Born in the small bannorn of Eastshore to a Fereldan apothecary and a Rivaini merchant, Dristan was the second oldest of five children. His family seemed to always just scrape by--largely due to his father’s insistence on investing their meager savings into various schemes--but Dristan’s childhood was a relatively happy one. He was close with his older sister, Yvarin, and he quickly took to apothecary work, spending his days in the shop with his mother.
At the age of sixteen, Dristan was sent to Redcliffe to fetch supplies. There he met Thestian Thelion, the arl’s personal apothecary and the author of a field guide Dristan had dog-eared too many times to count since finding it languishing in a traveling merchant’s cart. Seeing potential in the boy, Thestian offered him an apprenticeship which Dristan happily accepted--after convincing his family.
He apprenticed under Thestian for three years, eventually meeting the man’s strong-willed teenage daughter Andriel. Dristan was quite taken with her and despite the outward differences in their personalities, the two became fast friends. That friendship grew into more, and Thestian’s approval of the budding relationship made his future as a member of the Thelion family more and more certain.
While Dristan’s mother was happy for her son, his father saw the relationship as an opportunity. As they were all to become family one day, Edarin Xuresh convinced Thestian to let him market and sell his concoctions across Ferelden and beyond.
The business was profitable, even helping to draw Dristan’s family out of near-poverty. The relationship between the Thelions and the Xureshes mended some rifts caused by Dristan’s younger twin brothers being sent to the Circle Tower after displaying magical affinity, and the unexpected and taxing birth of the youngest child, Eva.
But stability and certainty wasn’t enough for Edarin. While still operating as a partner to Thestian, he got into the lyrium trade, finding it profitable beyond his wildest dreams. Dristan wouldn’t find out about this until Thestian was being arrested for lyrium trafficking alongside his parents.
Ashamed of his own family but knowing he was the only one who could clean up the mess they’d made, Dristan left in the night without a word to Andriel or anyone else. It was his fault her father was falsely imprisoned, and he intended to make it right before he faced her again.
For months Dristan searched for proof that Thestian was never involved in illicit activities, all while trying to keep what remained of the Xuresh Apothecary afloat in Eastshore with Yvarin. Throughout this time he sent at least forty letters to Andriel, but when all of them were returned without answer, he let go of any hope of reconciling with her or the rest of her family.
Despite everything crumbling around him, Dristan became obsessed with proving the innocence of Thestian and his mother. He followed the trail of records to the Free Marches, all but abandoning the rest of his family in the process. It wasn’t long before he was swept up in the conflict between city-states, serving as a combat medic for wounded soldiers and civilians alike.
While recovering from wounds he sustained in the field, Dristan learned that Thestian had eventually been released, while his own parents remained imprisoned. Some time later, his father took his own life in his cell. His mother’s mental status deteriorated so greatly that she was released, prompting Dristan’s return to Ferelden. She was suffering the effects of dementia from lyrium withdrawal, and Dristan found himself needing to acquire the substance that had already destroyed so many people he cared about. His efforts further ostracized him from his sister who wanted nothing to do with the stuff or their mother, and he remained her sole caretaker until the sickness became too much for her to handle.
With his life in Eastshore in shambles and knowing there was no place for him in Redcliffe, Dristan traveled for several years, providing his services where they were needed. Eventually he opened an apothecary in Amaranthine where he’s remained ever since, living a quiet existence while still trying--in his way--to set things right.
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