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Name: Vandilenne “Vandi” Morganach
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Date of Birth: 27 Guardian, 10 Dragon
Occupation: Inquisition scout
Companion(s): Hafter, a massive black wolf with golden eyes and a slight limp.
At nearly six feet tall, Vandi inherited her height from her father, but not his bulk. She looks thin at first glance, but when she strips down to go swimming, the physique revealed is all wiry muscle, with little to speak of in the way of curves. She is not bothered by this and moves with the ease of one completely comfortable in her own skin.
Her hair is black, kept cropped short and indifferently maintained, save for a single thin braid that begins behind her left ear, trails to just below her shoulder blades and is tipped with a red-dyed bead carved from a bone from her first kill with a bow.
Her face is all angles, from the narrow blade of her nose (that has been broken at least once) to the high cheekbones and sharp chin to the thin line of her mouth. The potential harshness of her features is mitigated by her eyes, which are a deep green and rimmed with thick lashes, and the lopsided grin that frequently graces her lips.
Her clothes are all cut for function: wool, leather and fur to keep her warm in the Fereldan winter and dyed in colors that allow her to blend into the forest. Her leather boots and gloves are meticulously maintained, and she has two hooded cloaks: one of grey wool lined with black fur and one of simple oilcloth that can be worn over the first or by itself in warmer weather.
Class: Rogue
Specialization: Ranger (Master)
Weapons & Armor: Vandi carries a composite recurve bow made of yew, ram horn and sinew that was a gift from her father when she became a full member of the Blackstone Irregulars. She maintains it herself, and can make and repair her own arrows. For close combat, she has a hand axe (which doubles for chopping wood) for the left hand and a dagger for the right, both of them made of steel.
She wears hunter armor made of bearhide, lightweight, designed not to hinder movement and dyed a mottled mix of greys, greens and browns. It is intended to protect mainly from glancing blows, as her preferred defense is to not be there when an attack lands.
Languages: Common (Native Spoken & Literate); Orlesian (Conversational spoken, can read a bit but not write)
Non-Combat Skills:
Master: Climbing, Scouting, Stealth (Wilderness), Wilderness Survival
Expert: Natural Lore (Ferelden), Poison Lore, Stamina, Tracking, Traps
Intermediate: Boyer/Fletcher, Cartography, Cooking, Gambling, Healing, Hearing, Historical Lore (Ferelden), Military Lore (Ferelden), Navigation (Land), Running, Searching, Swimming
Novice: Riding
Combat Skills:
Master: Bows (Longbow), Tireless Hunter, Nightshade Oil
Expert: Go For The Throat, Camouflage
Intermediate: Natural Hazards, Fleet Footed, Dual Weapons (Axe and dagger), Single Weapon (Axe or dagger), Unarmed
Novice: Summon Companion, Exploit Terrain
To those who don't know her, Vandi is the quintessential ranger type: silent, stoic and aloof (some might even say arrogant). The 'silent' impression usually only lasts until they say or do something stupid, because she does not suffer fools gladly, and will not hesitate to speak up, particularly if she feels that what is being said or done puts lives in danger needlessly. The 'arrogant' impression generally lingers after such encounters.
That perceived arrogance is simply a steadfast confidence in her own skills and abilities. In the forests and mountains of Ferelden, Vandi has few equals, and is perfectly content to spend days or weeks on end in the wilds, with no company save Hafter.
That she can be alone does not make her a loner, however, and among those that she calls friends and family: the Blackstone Irregulars, Lace Harding and the other Inquisition Scouts, Bull's Chargers and a few others, she will readily crack jokes, roughhouse, drink and gamble. The circle of those that she trusts enough to truly open up to is smaller, and at the heart of that circle is always her father.
She is fiercely proud of her Ferelden heritage and her history as a Blackstone Irregular, but having sworn allegiance to the Inquisition, her loyalty to the Inquisitor and the new Divine is unswerving.
Vandi was born in a small farming community bound to Redcliffe. Her father, Valdon, having no desire for the life of a farmer, had set a good many tongues to wagging when he joined up with the Blackstone Irregulars, leaving his young wife, Merienne, to manage their small farm, but the coin that he sent back regularly let her live a good deal more comfortably than many of their neighbors. He visited as often as he could, and when they discovered that she was pregnant four years into the marriage, both of them welcomed the news. He was due to be promoted to an officer soon, which would pay him enough to bring her and the baby to the Blackstone compound in South Reach, but when he arrived to fetch his family, a newly made Lieutenant, he discovered that Merienne had died in childbirth, leaving behind a daughter named for his own father, Vandon.
The midwife told him that there were childless couples who would welcome a daughter, but Valdon refused and set tongues to wagging once more when he signed over his farm to the midwife and her husband and took his newborn daughter back to the Blackstone compound to raise himself.
Vandi grew up running underfoot among the Blackstone Irregulars, raised by her father with the help of hired wetnurses and the few wives and sweethearts of other members of the company that resided at the compound. Dolls and tea parties were nowhere to be found; she played with wooden soldiers and swords carved for her by her father and her playmates were grizzled soldiers and the occasional other child that would visit their parent at the compound. Vandi loved it, and that she would join the Blackstones when she was grown was never a question in her mind.
As she grew, it became apparent that she would not have the bulk to stand beside her father on a shield wall, however. When she was twelve, she came under the tutelage of Gavin Eads, one of the company's veteran scouts, and spent long hours beside him and his wolf, Torruck, learning the skills of the ranger and also learning to love the wilds of Ferelden. Her first companion was Dane, a wolf pup that she raised after finding him half drowned beside a river after a flood had washed him from his den when she was sixteen.
The Blight marked her first experience as a full fledged member of the Blackstones, and it was a trial by fire. The leader of the company, Raelnor Hawkwind, chose to ally the group with the Grey Wardens, believing that they were the only real chance of ending the Blight. It was a risky path for a man who had worked hard to turn the band of near-brigands that he had taken leadership of after the death of his own father into a respectable mercenary company. But it was not enough of a risk for his oldest son, Taoran, who wanted the greater coin that could be made by taking on contracts for illegal activities. The conflict between father and son culminated in Taoran attempting to bribe the Wardens to kill Raelnor, only to be killed by them when he attacked them for refusing.
Still grieving the double loss of his son's betrayal and death, Raelnor nonetheless led the Blackstones through the remainder of the Blight; they defended Denrim during the final attack of the darkspawn, losing many of their number in the process, including Gavin and Torruck. Afterward, the company was recognized by King Alistair for their loyalty and granted a royal charter that, while having little intrinsic value, provided a tremendous boost to the group's reputation. In the years following the Blight, that reputation continued to grow under the continued leadership of Raelnor and his younger son, Thaelor. The Blackstones now commanded the level of pay that Taoran had been so eager for, and never lacked for jobs big or small.
By the time Vandi was thirty, she had risen to the rank of Lieutenant herself, and was lead scout for the Blackstone Irregulars, having served in Orlais, Nevarra and the Free Marches as well as Ferelden. Raelnor had turned over command to Thaelor and semi-retired to the compound, training new recruits with Valdon. Dane's muzzle had gone snow white with age, but he still shadowed her steps wherever she went, and if he was a bit slower on the kill, his bite was no less dangerous.
The explosion of green light from the west was visible in Ferelden halfway to Denerim, and even those beyond that point could not have missed the rifts that opened in the fabric of reality, spilling demons into the world. Dane was killed in a fight against them in the early days, when no one knew what had happened to cause such a catastrophe.
Word soon reached the compound as messengers spread east: the Divine conclave had ended in a mysterious explosion that had killed hundreds. Divine Justinia was dead, open war had broken out between the rebel mages and the templars, and the Inquisition had been declared reborn, with a qunari supposedly the Herald of Andraste, escorted from the Fade by the Maker's bride herself and gifted with a mark that allowed her to close the rifts.
Vandi volunteered to investigate these claims and moved swiftly west, where she encountered Inquisition scout Lace Harding leading a team attempting to set up forward camps in the Hinterlands. She assisted them, observed the truth of the Herald's abilities for herself, and was ultimately offered a place in the Inquisition's forces by Officer Charter. After traveling back to report her findings to Thaelor, she was given his blessing, and that of her father, to join the Inquisition, and told to pass word that the Blackstone Irregulars stood ready to serve the Inquisition.
Early on, after the Herald and her companions had killed a demon that had been controlling the wolves of the Hinterlands, Vandi found a half grown pup with a broken leg in an abandoned den. Under her care, Hafter healed with only a slight limp, and has remained by her side ever since. Together, they have served the Inquisition through the defeat of Corypheus and the attack by the Qunari and stand ready for whatever lies ahead, though they make time to visit Valdon at the Blackstone compound whenever they can.
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Date of Birth: 27 Guardian, 10 Dragon
Occupation: Inquisition scout
Companion(s): Hafter, a massive black wolf with golden eyes and a slight limp.
Her hair is black, kept cropped short and indifferently maintained, save for a single thin braid that begins behind her left ear, trails to just below her shoulder blades and is tipped with a red-dyed bead carved from a bone from her first kill with a bow.
Her face is all angles, from the narrow blade of her nose (that has been broken at least once) to the high cheekbones and sharp chin to the thin line of her mouth. The potential harshness of her features is mitigated by her eyes, which are a deep green and rimmed with thick lashes, and the lopsided grin that frequently graces her lips.
Her clothes are all cut for function: wool, leather and fur to keep her warm in the Fereldan winter and dyed in colors that allow her to blend into the forest. Her leather boots and gloves are meticulously maintained, and she has two hooded cloaks: one of grey wool lined with black fur and one of simple oilcloth that can be worn over the first or by itself in warmer weather.
Class: Rogue
Specialization: Ranger (Master)
Weapons & Armor: Vandi carries a composite recurve bow made of yew, ram horn and sinew that was a gift from her father when she became a full member of the Blackstone Irregulars. She maintains it herself, and can make and repair her own arrows. For close combat, she has a hand axe (which doubles for chopping wood) for the left hand and a dagger for the right, both of them made of steel.
She wears hunter armor made of bearhide, lightweight, designed not to hinder movement and dyed a mottled mix of greys, greens and browns. It is intended to protect mainly from glancing blows, as her preferred defense is to not be there when an attack lands.
Languages: Common (Native Spoken & Literate); Orlesian (Conversational spoken, can read a bit but not write)
Non-Combat Skills:
Master: Climbing, Scouting, Stealth (Wilderness), Wilderness Survival
Expert: Natural Lore (Ferelden), Poison Lore, Stamina, Tracking, Traps
Intermediate: Boyer/Fletcher, Cartography, Cooking, Gambling, Healing, Hearing, Historical Lore (Ferelden), Military Lore (Ferelden), Navigation (Land), Running, Searching, Swimming
Novice: Riding
Combat Skills:
Master: Bows (Longbow), Tireless Hunter, Nightshade Oil
Expert: Go For The Throat, Camouflage
Intermediate: Natural Hazards, Fleet Footed, Dual Weapons (Axe and dagger), Single Weapon (Axe or dagger), Unarmed
Novice: Summon Companion, Exploit Terrain
To those who don't know her, Vandi is the quintessential ranger type: silent, stoic and aloof (some might even say arrogant). The 'silent' impression usually only lasts until they say or do something stupid, because she does not suffer fools gladly, and will not hesitate to speak up, particularly if she feels that what is being said or done puts lives in danger needlessly. The 'arrogant' impression generally lingers after such encounters.
That perceived arrogance is simply a steadfast confidence in her own skills and abilities. In the forests and mountains of Ferelden, Vandi has few equals, and is perfectly content to spend days or weeks on end in the wilds, with no company save Hafter.
That she can be alone does not make her a loner, however, and among those that she calls friends and family: the Blackstone Irregulars, Lace Harding and the other Inquisition Scouts, Bull's Chargers and a few others, she will readily crack jokes, roughhouse, drink and gamble. The circle of those that she trusts enough to truly open up to is smaller, and at the heart of that circle is always her father.
She is fiercely proud of her Ferelden heritage and her history as a Blackstone Irregular, but having sworn allegiance to the Inquisition, her loyalty to the Inquisitor and the new Divine is unswerving.
Vandi was born in a small farming community bound to Redcliffe. Her father, Valdon, having no desire for the life of a farmer, had set a good many tongues to wagging when he joined up with the Blackstone Irregulars, leaving his young wife, Merienne, to manage their small farm, but the coin that he sent back regularly let her live a good deal more comfortably than many of their neighbors. He visited as often as he could, and when they discovered that she was pregnant four years into the marriage, both of them welcomed the news. He was due to be promoted to an officer soon, which would pay him enough to bring her and the baby to the Blackstone compound in South Reach, but when he arrived to fetch his family, a newly made Lieutenant, he discovered that Merienne had died in childbirth, leaving behind a daughter named for his own father, Vandon.
The midwife told him that there were childless couples who would welcome a daughter, but Valdon refused and set tongues to wagging once more when he signed over his farm to the midwife and her husband and took his newborn daughter back to the Blackstone compound to raise himself.
Vandi grew up running underfoot among the Blackstone Irregulars, raised by her father with the help of hired wetnurses and the few wives and sweethearts of other members of the company that resided at the compound. Dolls and tea parties were nowhere to be found; she played with wooden soldiers and swords carved for her by her father and her playmates were grizzled soldiers and the occasional other child that would visit their parent at the compound. Vandi loved it, and that she would join the Blackstones when she was grown was never a question in her mind.
As she grew, it became apparent that she would not have the bulk to stand beside her father on a shield wall, however. When she was twelve, she came under the tutelage of Gavin Eads, one of the company's veteran scouts, and spent long hours beside him and his wolf, Torruck, learning the skills of the ranger and also learning to love the wilds of Ferelden. Her first companion was Dane, a wolf pup that she raised after finding him half drowned beside a river after a flood had washed him from his den when she was sixteen.
The Blight marked her first experience as a full fledged member of the Blackstones, and it was a trial by fire. The leader of the company, Raelnor Hawkwind, chose to ally the group with the Grey Wardens, believing that they were the only real chance of ending the Blight. It was a risky path for a man who had worked hard to turn the band of near-brigands that he had taken leadership of after the death of his own father into a respectable mercenary company. But it was not enough of a risk for his oldest son, Taoran, who wanted the greater coin that could be made by taking on contracts for illegal activities. The conflict between father and son culminated in Taoran attempting to bribe the Wardens to kill Raelnor, only to be killed by them when he attacked them for refusing.
Still grieving the double loss of his son's betrayal and death, Raelnor nonetheless led the Blackstones through the remainder of the Blight; they defended Denrim during the final attack of the darkspawn, losing many of their number in the process, including Gavin and Torruck. Afterward, the company was recognized by King Alistair for their loyalty and granted a royal charter that, while having little intrinsic value, provided a tremendous boost to the group's reputation. In the years following the Blight, that reputation continued to grow under the continued leadership of Raelnor and his younger son, Thaelor. The Blackstones now commanded the level of pay that Taoran had been so eager for, and never lacked for jobs big or small.
By the time Vandi was thirty, she had risen to the rank of Lieutenant herself, and was lead scout for the Blackstone Irregulars, having served in Orlais, Nevarra and the Free Marches as well as Ferelden. Raelnor had turned over command to Thaelor and semi-retired to the compound, training new recruits with Valdon. Dane's muzzle had gone snow white with age, but he still shadowed her steps wherever she went, and if he was a bit slower on the kill, his bite was no less dangerous.
The explosion of green light from the west was visible in Ferelden halfway to Denerim, and even those beyond that point could not have missed the rifts that opened in the fabric of reality, spilling demons into the world. Dane was killed in a fight against them in the early days, when no one knew what had happened to cause such a catastrophe.
Word soon reached the compound as messengers spread east: the Divine conclave had ended in a mysterious explosion that had killed hundreds. Divine Justinia was dead, open war had broken out between the rebel mages and the templars, and the Inquisition had been declared reborn, with a qunari supposedly the Herald of Andraste, escorted from the Fade by the Maker's bride herself and gifted with a mark that allowed her to close the rifts.
Vandi volunteered to investigate these claims and moved swiftly west, where she encountered Inquisition scout Lace Harding leading a team attempting to set up forward camps in the Hinterlands. She assisted them, observed the truth of the Herald's abilities for herself, and was ultimately offered a place in the Inquisition's forces by Officer Charter. After traveling back to report her findings to Thaelor, she was given his blessing, and that of her father, to join the Inquisition, and told to pass word that the Blackstone Irregulars stood ready to serve the Inquisition.
Early on, after the Herald and her companions had killed a demon that had been controlling the wolves of the Hinterlands, Vandi found a half grown pup with a broken leg in an abandoned den. Under her care, Hafter healed with only a slight limp, and has remained by her side ever since. Together, they have served the Inquisition through the defeat of Corypheus and the attack by the Qunari and stand ready for whatever lies ahead, though they make time to visit Valdon at the Blackstone compound whenever they can.
