From an outsider's perspective, one couldn't discern much about Aerin's appearance by visual analysis alone. The Aerin that everybody sees wears a dark gray/dark blue hooded cloak inscribed with traditional designs based in Arcana. The rest of his clothing is the same color and bears the same designs, with the exception of his footwear. Although one could only afford slight glimpses of his face, they would see one hidden by shadow and piercing, ice blue eyes.

The Aerin rarely anyone, save for authority figures and people he holds in high regard, gets to see is a far cry from the face he wears in public. His hair is an odd shade of light gray tinged with blue, giving him an appearance of being older than he actually is. His icy eyes are softer, as are his facial features. Due to his extensive hand-to-hand combat training, his body has been sculpted into a lithe form that allows for maximum strength and fluidity behind his movements. Being proficient at physical activity comes with a cost, however; this price comes as scars that cover most of his body. Perhaps the most prominent is the scar on his face; it runs from the side of his right eye down to just under the right corner of his mouth. Although he isn't vain, he's enchanted his cloak to hide the scar while he wears it, completing the illusion of having two faces.

Jerec Lok'Har was born in the city of Eko. His parents were adamant about teaching him from the time he could talk that taking comfort in solitude and introvertedness were admirable qualities in any Ekoian youth; in truth, they had been less than happy about his arrival and did their best to distance themselves as his parents, only doing the bare minimum they needed to do to raise him.

When he was old enough, his parents were more than happy to ship him off to a school where he could learn the Arcane arts, as well as hand-to-hand combat.

Although he caught on quickly to Arcana, he harbored feelings of resentment for his parents that eventually culminated in him almost trying to kill another student in combat training. He was severely punished but was allowed to remain at the school.

As time went on, he figured out that his teachers were putting him up against highly proficient opponents in an effort to keep him from being able to defeat his opponents and repeating his previous infraction. As they had planned, he was defeated on a constant basis and humiliated in front of the other students. Despite this, he continued on in his training in both combat and Arcana.

During the remainder of his time in school, he became more proficient in Alteration than any other school of Arcana, much to the happiness of his teachers. He began to incorporate it into his combat training, although it was forbidden from being used during training. He practiced with other students outside of classes, putting the new combination of magic to the test in unmonitored combat.

In his last year at school, he became entangled in a murder that happened to another student he'd been training with. The victim had been brutally beheaded and Jerec was in danger of being blamed, but was saved by the testimonials of several students. He was let off, but rumors still flew around the school about his involvement.

When it came time to leave school at the age of twenty, Jerec didn't look back; in fact, he only kept looking forward as he left Eko to distance himself from the parents who didn't want him and the school that had been so quick to pin him with murder. He finally found refuge in Haven, and he spent thirteen years there before returning to Eko. His coming of age came and went without notice, although he did treat himself to new clothing.

When he arrived in his home city, he was a totally different person; no one in Eko would have been able to recognize him as he now wore clothing and a hooded cloak emblazoned with Arcane Ekoian designs and he was known as Aerin Tarrowind, a name he'd crafted for himself as an escape from his previous life. Through various incidents and battles, he became marked with several scars, including one that raked across his face.

With his new identity forged, he was able to settle down in Eko and begin life anew. He was happy to discover that his parents had died in his absence, causing him to feel complete. Now that every trace of his old life was gone, he could finally be happy.

Now, he lives primarily in Eko, although he makes the treacherous journey to Haven to return to the place that had taken him in after he'd been so brutally rejected by his home city.

Through the twisted teachings of his parents, Aerin is an introvert. He spends most of his time alone as he was taught to do as a young boy, which gives him more time to focus on becoming a better mage and combatant, although he tends to stray from physical conflict.

Despite his withdrawn personality, he tends to choose his words carefully rather than slinging sarcastic barbs. If his infraction at school taught him anything, it was that one needs to watch what they do and say lest they be betrayed by figures of authority. With this attitude comes a great disdain for the Ekoians who "raised" him, and this is often passed on to other Ekoian authority figures, although he abides by the law.

There is a downside to being reflective and introverted; he has a hard time making friends. Unless he finds common ground that he deems important, he generally tends to steer clear of forming casual acquaintances. He holds lasting, meaningful relationships in high regard, and despises anyone who doesn't.

“Can I help you?”

The words caused the hooded man to turn around.

“Excuse me?” he asked, seeing the twinge of fear coming from the Ekoian shopkeeper as he answered.

“Is there anything I can help you find?” the older Ekoian asked, looking nervous. Oh great, he probably thinks I’m going to rob him, Aerin thought as he surveyed the clerk’s face.

“Dried sea ferns. Do you have any?” he said brusquely, and the shopkeeper became noticeably less nervous.

“Of course. Right over here,” the man said, guiding Aerin to a box that contained the plants he needed. Grabbing a handful, he took them up to the counter and paid for them; the shopkeeper’s relief at seeing him go was tangible as he put Aerin’s purchases in a bag. Aerin pretended to spit as he left, illustrating his disdain for having been treated so poorly.

“You think he’d never seen anyone wearing a cloak before. I’m never going back there again,” he muttered to himself, opening the bag to breathe the herbaceous scent that emanated from the dried plants.

The journey back to his house in Eko was short, but as always, he got strange looks, mostly from children, as he traveled. He tried not to let it bother him but as usual, it did.

Didn’t they understand that he was trying to hide his appearance because it was the only thing from his old life that constantly stayed with him? As far as he knew, there weren’t any Healers in Zathryn that could fix that. As long as he looked the way he did, the hood would stay up, especially if there was a chance that he could run into anyone he knew.

He was glad to be back home, and he closed the door behind him. There was a certain comfort in the silence he heard, but that was just one of the advantages of living alone. Nobody to be considerate of, and nobody to answer to. It was just how he liked it.

In the kitchen, he walked over to a pot suspended over a fire in the hearth. The flame had gone down, which was perfect, as the clay pot had heated sufficiently enough to simmer the stew contained inside. He lowered his hood and dumped the sea ferns into the pot, using a long wooden spoon to stir the contents. Almost immediately, a hearty and satisfying aroma flooded his house and he took a deep breath, enjoying the fragrance. It wasn’t often that he cooked but when he did, it turned out amazingly.

-X-

He spent his time waiting for the stew reading a book on Alteration and attempting the techniques. It told him how to infuse his muscles with strength to enhance hand-to-hand combat and, after a few trials, he was able to make a hole in his wall. He’d have to repair it later, but knowing that he could temporarily imbue himself with super-strength would give him a great edge in battle, should the need arise.

The subtle smell of the cooking sea ferns told him his concoction was ready and he got up to go into the kitchen. The aroma was much stronger in there, but he grabbed a spoon and ladled some into a bowl. After an initial taste test, he determined that sea ferns made stew amazing, so he sat down in a chair and began to eat, contemplating a journey into Haven the next day.

Since 2005, so around 4 years.