She hails from the days long before the era of Andraste; a bloodline that dates back to the timeless age of the Immortals–the Empire of Arlathan. A family’s whose roots are thick and twined with the veins of Falon'Din, God of Death and Fortune, brother of Dirthamen; Master of the Ravens. A family, once known for their royalty, cast down and slaughtered just as their Elvhenan brethren were; swallowed by the Blood Magic of the Tevinter Imperium. Remains of their records were recovered by descendants of Andraste’s Freedom { elven slaves who had been freed by Andraste and Shartan }, a new era for the elves–the time of the Dales. However, the fall of their ancients would no sooner be put to rest despite the kindness of Her grace. One elder bloodline sought something other than peace; they sought revenge.
Lin'Assan; whose , vallaslin ’ — blood writing { tattoos } — were subtle, but present; evanescent, yet, r e m a i n i n g. A flesh toned pattern upon the chin, belligerent in its symbolism, but known only to history. It is unknown what the rest of their vallaslin look like upon their body, as the clan became private and very secluded. They took on the lives of thieves, assassins, mercenaries, false prophets and priests, traitor politicians and sometimes queens with the help of magic, infiltrating shem lives. Devout worshipers of the Creators, favorable of the Brother of Ravens, and servants of the God of Death, these elves were born from the shadows of oppression and suffering. It was no surprise when they were a rumor, as their existence only disappeared and become underground. As the generations passed, it is said the bloodline also branched off and rooted itself deeply in the Crows.
Lin'Assan roughly translates to blood arrow {as Elven language has been lost to the countless tragedies of the past and the invasion of shems, translations can be difficult }. Her family has survived for thousands and thousands of years, but much is from scraps of records and by word of mouth { though it is accepted throughout the Dalish that there were factions of secrecy and the unknown, as with all civilizations }. Modern day, however, has impacted how they work. With the advancement of the human race as well as others, their work has dwindled down to cult-like secrecy; meetings in the Old Oak at midnight, by the river at Death’s Hour. Their methods were forced to become sacred and many of the Lin'Assan Crows found it acceptable to worship and still {albeit, perhaps distantly} focus on their contracts.
But Vlaya is not of such feelings.
Stolen away and raised in a family of Vhenlin { roughly “people of blood”; children of the Lin'Assan bloodline, fervent followers of the Old Ways }, Vlaya was taught skills of the Shadow, Assassin, Thief, and Duelist. She practiced the craft of poisons and potions, herbs, the witty exchanges of charisma; whatever it took to sculpt a Vhenlin. Though these people were not her blood relatives { as her father had been killed and her mother gone missing, leaving her no other known family }, they had been the ones to retrieve her as a young girl before she was to be sold to Orlais as a slave.
Do not be surprised if there is some hostility towards you if you are not Dalish { and even then it’s bound to happen }. Vlaya has a seeded dislike for city elves, and she is blatantly distrusting of humans { and whoever seems to align with them }. Duly note, though, that there are humans amongst the Crows that have said they worked by her side and found some flicker of tolerance. Note: { i do not mind anyone who would like to be a part of the Lin"Assan or use it in their history/writing!! as long as you give credit i don’t mind ;w; }
Not much else is known, nor has enough information been sought to understand these elves correctly. A very common saying among them, though, unknown to non-elvish speakers, is used to communicate their presence to anyone who is { or can understand it }.