Olander (/oʊˈlændər θænˈθɪliot/)

Olander carries the signet ring of the Thanthilliot family which is made of woven wood that turned metallic over time. In its core lies a shimmering amber that the sapling of the first tree ever grown in Sithaline is embedded in. The seeds of this tree carry the power of creation, helping Olander build Camorand with the sheer power of his will.

There is a series of biographical and autobiographical texts to be found in the Grand Library of Sithaline that tell the story of Olander and his ancestors. They are considered divine in nature, even though Olander gives little notice about his reputation. In his eyes, the present and future are more valuable than the past, showing a massive difference between him and other elves of his generation.

White peacocks and white bellbirds are seen as Olander's signature transformations. Therefore, all around Camorand, you will find buildings that use said birds as symbols. Peacocks are seen as the patrons of the entertainment quarters, while the bell bird is the mark of public safety - the fire brigade, the guards and police, as well as members of the advisor's order wear the bell bird on their clothing.

It is said that a bellbird appears every time that danger is near, making it a valuable companion in dire times. The first bell bird sighting was at the first time Camorand was burnt down. Olander used this specific animal to alert the crowd quickly and thoroughly. He led his people outside the gates before they could take any more damage and saved hundreds of lives.

Even though he is not considered a deity in the sense of the word, those that follow Olander's ideals aim for a diverse and considerate society. Camorand is known to be one of the few cities in Aradeia that is glad to accept people of all walks of life to live in their town.
They are excited to welcome adventurers and strangers to live with them and is a beloved town for traders and merchants.
Therefore, his mindset is quickly taken over by those who accept him as the leader of the town.

The shared values include:

• diversity
• openness and kindness towards every being
• a general willingness to assist
• admiring hard work and honest business
• advocating for the arts and cultural exchange

Most followers of Olander's ideals celebrate the Elven holidays (Spring's Odem and Winter's Call, as well as the harvest celebrations), but there is one that is celebrated especially in Camorand - the Rooting Ceremony.
It is celebrated in honour of Olander's first creation, setting the foundation of the coastal town we now know and love.

The Rooting Ceremony takes place on the last day of spring. Similarly big arrangements are made for Olander's birthday which is celebrated on the last day of summer.

Olander's goals are simple:
He wants to create a world in which every living, breathing being can live in harmony. Since he was brought up in a very restrictive and destructive household, he yearns for freedom and self-expression and wants to enable the people around him to have what he was missing for most of his life.

As most elves, Olander has barely aged physically considering his impressive life span. He is still similarly fit and active as he was in his younger years. Only small crow's feet and a dimple at the corners of his mouth show that he is older than his younger citizens.
He has long, silky, blonde hair that reaches his shoulders and tends to curl at the ends. He has sharp, elegant features with observing, friendly eyes and his overall body shape is lean and muscular.
He sticks to a mostly vegetarian diet as most Elves do and enjoys a good wine now and again. His workout is mostly combined with his training, both in and out of his wild forms. To this day, he has not known sickness or curse, much to his relief. He assists the healers of Camorand when needed, even though he considers himself a soldier, not a paramedic.

Despite his immense reputation and battle prowess, Olander is considered as surprisingly small and slender. If not for his title, he vanishes behind the massive orcs, giants and men among the crowd. Even most Elven guards and his older sister Lumaia tower over him, Lumaia being about 8 cm taller than he is.
Therefore, he stands out with clothing and attitude.

Olander has sharp features, showing his Elven heritage. He has a pointed chin and a striking v-shaped jawline, high cheekbones and bigger, green eyes that are slightly tilted upwards. His head is rather narrow, fitting to his slim built.
The younger brother is considered as remarkably expressive for an elf. He shows his emotions truly and openly, even though he is able to hide them, whenever needed.

As most full-blooded elves, he is unable to grow facial hair beyond peach fuzz.

The texture and colour of his hair combined with the striking green eyes are the most telling of his heritage. The Thanthilliot family all carry these traits and are said to be immediately identified among many. (Most elves have brown, red or black hair.)

Druidic Prowess:

• Wild Shape Transformation: The Skill to turn into animals of nearly all shapes and sizes, bound to context and familiarity
• Plant Manipulation: The ability to grow and guide plants with the blink of an eye, helping harvests, and building things out of plantlife
• Fauna Communication and Taming: Expertise in Animal Handling; makes it easy for him to communicate and engage with animals and beasts
• Element Manipulation: Even though he is a plant-based druid, Olander is able to cast fire magic; a rare feat in male Elethien elves. His expertise lies in molten stone (lava/magma), fireballs and meteor showers.
• Healing: Due to his magical focus, Olander is able to heal negative status effects and can heal wounds of smaller and larger sizes. He cannot resurrect.

Olander is known for his extravagant looks and choice of clothing. Furs, feathers, wood, ember and gold are often found in and on his garments to make him stand out among the crowd. The furs he uses are taken from fallen creatures, preventing the use of animals that would have otherwise been slaughtered. One of his signature pieces is a long, white coat with the fur of a white fox around his collar.

Olander Thanthilliot was born as the second son of Thanthillion II, a strict and unforgiving king who was forced to take over the throne after his wife Luiana had been brutally killed. Being the younger son in a matriarchal society, he knew he wouldn't be the next heir, so Olander concentrated on his own education.

Always standing in Lumaia's shadow, he watched his sister grow into a beautiful, powerful matriarch while he was scolded and shunned by his father for his 'inappropriate' behaviour. Even until his father's death, he denied any requests for marriage. He wasn't interested in an alliance, nor was he interested in having children. He wanted to be free.

As Thanthillion was slain in duel by his daughter, Olander stepped in to advise her. Soon, he found similarities in his father's and Lumaia's actions and asked her to step out of his advisor's position in Sithaline. Since they were constantly fighting over how to lead the Elethien kingdom, he asked Lumaia for a piece of land far away from Elethien to build his own country somewhere near the coast.

Lumaia granted him his wish. He wandered through the Wilderness with a handful of soldiers to his name and build Camorand from the very ground he rested upon.

Since then, he lives for Camorand, having built a city state that is made following the values that are close to his heart.

Olander is familiar with the struggles of gender identity. Even though he has found his peace and happiness in being a man, he has been an advocate of self-expression and considers himself a spokesperson for everyone struggling to find their own identity. He guides them and is their spokesperson in legal and societal matters.

Olander is openly gay and doesn't hide that fact, especially not since he had become the founder of Camorand. To this day, it's a point of tension between him and his sister.

Due to his heritage, Olander is well-educated and trained. Apart from having learned several languages over the course of his life, he is highly interested in Aradeian history, culture and politics. He is well-versed in everything arcane and has a special interest in astronomy.

Most of his life, Olander has been a druid and a prince, if one can call it a job.
Nowadays, he is the mayor of Camorand, administering the matters of the town and its people.

Even though he appears balanced and kind, Olander wasn't always this resilient.

When he was a child, he was a timid and concerned boy, looking out for his family and scared of abandonment. He was scolded for his attitude on the daily, claiming he was too soft to be a member of the royal family. His father was ruthless and after the death of his mother, he suffered from nightmares for several decades.

As he discovered that Lumaia, his sister, mirrored his father's antics, he decided to leave. Thanthillion had left marks on his soul that noone could take away. He wanted to be free without ever being in so much pain and fear again.

He is intelligent and sometimes slightly ignorant, depending on context and cause. He's an intricate and passionate writer and reader, knows his way around numbers and keeps a cacophony of details ready in his mind to be accessed whenever they are needed.

Olander has a recorded distaste against racism, prejudice, sexism and unfair treatment of innocent people.

• advocate of the arts
• believer in the good in everyone
• watchful eye in social and political matters
• father of the confused
• hides his true thoughts behind a knowing smile

Olander takes a lot of pride in his hygiene and grooming. He is always well-dressed and taken care of, his hair is never out of place, his face or clothing never tainted. He is known to carry the scent of wood and flowers with him, making him smell like spring.

• acquainted with Iomer
• penpal of Konkôr Barbendt

• brother of Lumaia (trade partnership)

He is an extroverted character who is considered especially striking during his hours in the performance district and rather calm and collected when you meet him at home on the hill. Usually, he is very polite, but enjoys to use a rather direct and friendly approach, ignoring formalities.

Olander is known to use his hands while he speaks, as well as his facial expressions. His eyebrows speak a language of their own. Sometimes it's enough for him to give a certain look to make his assistants and employees run for errands.

For several decades, a purple-black cat called Yinta resides at Olander's mansion and spends day and night with him. To this day, nobody understands how it could survive for that long, but the two of them are inseparable.

Since he has created a buzzing city near the coast, he is quite wealthy and has a considerable amount of gold to his name. His heritage definity plays a part in this, but mostly, his hard work and keen intellect made him one of the wealthiest elves in Aradeia.