Senior Enchanter Idris
Formerly of the Ostwick Circle
Name: Idris Van Markham
Birthplace: Cumberland, Nevarra
Appearance: Green eyes, ash brown hair
Idris was born in 9:7 Dragon to a lesser branch of the Van Markhams, working in trade in Cumberland. The family moved their business on to Kirkwall for a while, then settled in Ostwick. He showed magic talent at the age of 5 and was welcomed into the Ostwick Circle of Magi. Being so close to home, Idris could visit with his family on the Circle grounds. When he was 7, his mother gave birth to a little girl, Aurana, who did not show signs of magic and would grow up to be the captain of the guard in the city.
Idris possessed a strong will and resilient mind, and excelled at his academics at a young age. His focus as a mage was mental fortitude and the development of shielding for the mind against influences of other mages and the potential of possession by demons. He passed his Harrowing with little effort and though mages were forbidden to speak of what happens in the Harrowings, Idris found himself questioning the methods of testing the readiness and strength of young mages in such a manner. It seemed almost cruel, and by design, destined to cause tragedy.
At 17, he undertook a teaching position at the Circle in Ferelden, in Kinloch Hold. He spent several years teaching the youngest mages meditations he designed to help strengthen their young minds and give them better concentration when working with their magic. He had a further talent in healing, not just the body, but the mind as well. He spent much of his time helping children with past traumas or fear of their magic. Many of the senior mages questioned his methods, as well as the templars who had a reputation there of being suspicious of mages with unusual talents. But Idris was charming and knew how to soothe the concerns of the templars and senior mages alike. He was good at negotiating, and wanted only what was best for all.
Idris was among those who attempted to negotiate peace during the events leading up to the tragedy that befell Kinloch Hold, but his voice was lost in the chaos. By the time the Warden(Sovaan Surana for my own DA timeline) entered the Circle Tower, Idris was trapped in the first floor apprentice quarters with children and Tranquil he was trying to protect.
The Warden and their company, accompanied by Wynne, arrived in time to save them—but not before Idris was gravely injured by a rage demon’s claws. They are able to save him, but he would end up blind for the rest of his life.
After the Blight ended, Idris traveled to the Circle in Val Royeaux, seeking a possible cure for the strange blindness he’s suffered since his injuries. He spent several years in Val Royeaux, visited Montsimmard occasionally, and came to the conclusion whatever happened to him at the time of his injury robbed him of his sight—in spite of being healed immediately, but left him with a strange sense of awareness of types of magic he could ‘see’.
Idris returned to Ostwick and looked to settle there as a teacher or advisor to the Circle. He took on a young elven girl, Solaris, as an apprentice and assistant. Solaris eventually revealed she doesn’t identify as a girl and wanted to be called Kelvryn, and dress as a boy. Which Idris encouraged in spite of others in the Circle having mixed thoughts about it.
The Mage Rebellion was in full swing when he was nominated for a position on the Senior Enchanter counsel of the Ostwick circle. In spite of that, or because of it, Idris went out of his way to be a calm voice of reason to all that would listen. When the templars withdrew from Ostwick, Idris was the first to step forward and speak against joining the fight against the templars.
He was 34 when the Conclave was called to come together at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. He was on the verge of becoming a Senior Enchanter but remained in Ostwick as a firm hand on the reins of the Circle’s shaky calm as the war continued to rage in other parts of Thedas. The First Enchanter and Senior Enchanters were hopeful of the peace summit Divine Justinia called together.
In the absence of other Enchanters, Idris struggled to keep the peace, more news of the war in Ferelden between the Templars and mages was pressing on the tension in the Ostwick Circle. Among the chaos that was slowly spirally out of control there, his young assistant, Kelvryn, was accused of attempting or considering blood magic and was made Tranquil against Idris’s wishes. Upon being made Tranquil, they insist their identity return to Solaris.
In light of the calamity, Idris gathered those mages who believed, like him, in peace with the templars, and set out to aid the efforts of the Inquisition in whatever way they could. That mostly consisted of helping the wounded of the Mage-Templar War, and staying out of the way of the fighting itself. His sister, captain of the guard in Ostwick, left her post to join him, with a few other young fighters, to protect him and the mages and Tranquil of their band.
In time, they would make their way to Haven and offer themselves to the cause. The mages as healers, the Tranquil as assistance wherever needed, and the fighters to join the ranks of soldiers.
