Details
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Appearance: Van has the dark, deeply tanned copper skin of an Island native, courtesy of his father, and startling dark blue eyes courtesy of his mother, a foreigner. Years spent on islands subjected to strong magical resonances has bleached his hair a solid white. Like most islanders, he keeps his hair cropped short. He wears loose white clothing, like many residents of Atanwan, the scholars and librarians in particular, interspersed with bright colors, mostly blue and green.
Reference Images: Pretend his eyes are blue || That his hair is shorter || There is no collar on his neck || And he dresses something like this ||
Family/Friends: Van's mother is a well known linguist, and one of the few foreign born scholars to remain as staff at the University after graduating. She sometimes works as a translator, but is famed more for her teaching of skilled translators. She is a full Professor. His father is also a scholar, but island bred, and significantly less famous, as he studies tidal formations and some marine biology. He holds the rank of Scholar, although he is currently working on a dissertation to become a Professor. Van has a sister, Ann Fidda (16) who is an artist training at the Heart, in hope of eventual patronage, two brothers, Johan Rashid (22) and Evan Nasir (20), who are both scholars and hopeful professors.
While Van gets along with many of his fellow scholars, as well as a good half of the staff of the Library, he has no single best friend. This is partially by choice, and Van understands that his sexual leanings are not commonly encouraged, and he worries that any close friend may become uncomfortable with him if it was discovered. While he has had lovers in the past, he has never been in a serious relationship.
Skills/Abilities/Training: Van's education includes six languages (Atanwan/Trade Tongue, Ancient Antanwan, as well as the languages of Ester, Targessa, Vulfuhre, and Barrenshore), basic cultural studies, current history, Pre-Great War history, as well as the standard higher education offered at the University. He also has experience tieing sailor knots and using sailing terms, having spent much of his younger years on board various ships, traveling with his parents. He is also an avid swimmer.
Interests: Years spent traveling from port to port, and living among sheltered islanders and world weary sailors has given Van an intense interest in the cultures, languages and histories of other nations. While he has no particular reason for acquiring more knowledge, having no interest in becoming a professor, he does live to learn new things. However, he despises math and any purely scientific area of study, like physics or geology. He prefers the indoors to the outdoors, with the exception of anywhere there is water (a lake will do if the ocean is not available), and does not much care for most animals.
Official title(s): Scholar Fehray; Second Assistant to the Lady Steward; Assistant of Foreign Affairs; Sor En Hamid (a family title).
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In Depth
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Personality: Van is neither quite nor studious, but steadily enthusiastic about both learning and life. He is most often seen smiling, and often uses laughter as a default response to most situations. The possibility of new knowledge always brings a large, toothy grin to his face. Even talk of math, or worse, physics, cannot bring him down too much, as he merely smiles and zones out. Van is quick to provide knowledge and facts when asked for them, and never presents information in a patronizing or belittling tone. He generally believes that all people love to learn, and does not see fault in those who different fonts of information.
Biography: Van was born on one of the smaller islands in the Archipelago, where his father was studying tide pools filled with strange fish and unusual coral. Unfortunately, the island was strangely contaminated with magical fallout, likely from centuries before, and anyone who spent more than a year there prior to puberty ended up with white hair.
When he was six, his parents moved to Port Topalla in Targessa. They lived there for three years, during which time both of Van's younger brothers was born. The family then spent about four years onboard a ship following the Greater Southeastern Tide. Shortly after returning home to Atanwan (which neither Van, nor his brothers had ever set foot on), the youngest Fehray was born.
After that, Van's studies, already intense under his mother's stern tutelage, took over all his time and energy. While he had studied and used many languages during their travels, he mastered them in Atanwan, where travelers from all the world gathered together. He filled gaps in his knowledge of history, and took his interest in foreign culture from a mere hobby to a serious area of study. When he was sixteen, he was accepted into the University, to study under Professors other than his mother.
During the hottest times of the year, when the University let its students return home, Van traveled with is family other countries and other ports, exploring more of the world. While he has never been to Ester or Reinkuni, he has spent a full day in at least one port of every nation, including Pohoni. His travels only incited greater interest in other nations and cultures with him.
At just barely 21 years of age, Van graduated from the University and became a full Scholar, able to access the Library of Anox-Emon, and to study any area that caught his interest. While his mother pressured him to try for a Professorship, and the attached acknowledgement of his fellow academics, Van was content to spent hours in the library, and even longer walking through the city, meeting strangers and learning about their life.
While at the library one day, roughly four years ago, Van noticed the same harried looking man coming in and out, always going back to the same book. After a few hours of this unusual behavior (for most scholars and academics took their time to peruse the library, and rarely referred to the same text so soon after finishing with it), Van approached the man and asked him what was wrong. The man revealed himself to be Malik, an assistant to the Lady Steward, who needed information on the formal terms of address and proper greeting courtesies used in Ester. Van, who wanted to visit Ester more than any other nation, gave the man the simple, easy to understand answer that the book could not provide.
Two weeks later, Malik was back, with another question about protocol, culture and language. For months Van helped Malik whenever the Lady Steward had a question. Eventually, the Lady Steward sent for Van directly, when her Malik failed to relay Van's information properly, even after three tries. Shortly after that, almost without Van realizing it was happening, the eldest Fehray became the Second Assistant to the Lady Steward, and eventually earned the title Assistant of Foreign Affairs.
With the Year of Reconciliation so very close, Van's expertise has become even more important. When he isn't providing information for Lady Claudia he is buried in the library reading, searching the halls of the University for new questions, or wondering the Bazaar and practicing his language skills.
Extra/other: Van is mildly allergic to animal dandruff, especially that from horses. As a consequence, he never rides. He also avoids Lady Claudia's pet cat, although he cannot do so entirely, as the creature roams where it will.
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