Old Republic Survivor
Innocence and Curiosity
Overview
Arlen is a young survivor raised entirely within the Bowl — an enclosed, subterranean refuge shaped by scarcity, strict routines, and the stories of a world he has never seen. With no known parents and no experience of life above ground, his understanding of the outside world comes only from fragments, rumours, and the memories of older survivors. His environment instils caution, but his personality pushes against its limits.
Role in the Saga
Arlen represents the civilian cost of collapse. He has no political allegiance, no military training, and no inherited position. Instead, he embodies survival from the lowest rung of society — the perspective of a child shaped entirely by confinement. Through him, the saga gains a lens of vulnerability, hope, and raw human resilience.
Psychology
Arlen is naturally inquisitive. He speaks quickly, asks without hesitation, and processes the world by engaging with it verbally. His curiosity is both a coping mechanism and a quiet rebellion against the boundaries placed upon his life. Under pressure, he is anxious but observant, using questions to understand danger rather than shrinking from it. His innocence is genuine, but never naïve.
Core Motivations
Arlen is driven by:
• a need to understand the world beyond the Bowl
• a hunger for connection and belonging
• the instinctive urge to survive
• the quiet hope that life can be bigger than tunnels and ration lines
His motivations remain pure and straightforward — shaped not by power or ideology, but by the simple desire to know more.
Relationships with Key Figures
Arlen responds strongly to authority, searching for guidance rather than defying it. He forms fast attachments and trusts easily when someone shows him patience or protection. Around hardened adults, his openness often disarms them, forcing them to confront the cost of their world through his questions and reactions. His presence tends to soften those who travel with him.
Why This Character Matters
Arlen embodies what is being fought for. He personifies innocence surviving in a broken world, reminding the saga that beneath every conflict lies the fate of those who had no say in how the continent fell. His perspective widens the emotional scope of the narrative, grounding the larger events in the experience of a child who represents both the fragility and the future of Eurussia.