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Estraven the Traitor
A Shadow on Snow

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Therem Harth rem ir Estraven

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Light is the left hand of darkness
And darkness the right hand of light.
Two are one, life and death, lying
Together like lovers in kemmer,
Like hands joined together,
Like the end and the way.

'Do you know that sign?' He looked at it a long time with a strange look, but he said, 'No.'
'It's found on Earth...It is yin and yang. Light is the left hand of darkness...how did it go? Light, dark. Fear, courage. Cold, warmth. Female, male. It is yourself, Therem. Both and one. A shadow on snow.'

Therem Harth rem ir Estraven is from the planet Gethen, also named Winter by the Ekumen (a futuristic governing body dedicated to peacekeeping, trade, and cultural awareness between known inhabited planets). As a planet inhabited by humans who have developed such that they are androgynous for most of their lives, Gethen is a planet with no war, nor even any armies. Estraven, the prime minister of Karhide, one of two major civilizations on Gethen, forms a sort of convoluted friendship with an envoy sent from the Ekumen to scout out Gethen and learn whether its inhabitants are ready to join the collection in interplanetary trade in goods and culture.

For his friendship with the envoy, Genly Ai, Estraven is considered a traitor against the mad king, and exiled. When Genly is similarly tricked into a trap and later rescued by the exiled politician, the two of them must make an unheard-of journey over a great glacier and in doing so spend weeks in each other's company.

As one of the Handdarata, a secretive spiritual group, Estraven has certain training that allow him to induce a meditative state (dothe) not unlike an extreme adrenaline rush, during which he can run long distances and lift extremely heavy loads. It is not something he is ever likely to do without good reason, and once this state wears off, there are significant side effects that last far longer than the dothe. Additionally, he has been taught by Genly the skill of mind-speech. He is able to recieve telepathic communications sent to him, and is able to respond; however, he finds it extremely disturbing and will not use it without extreme need.

Physically, Estraven is small (under 5') and dark-skinned with thick black hair and downwards-tilting eyes. He is in his late 30's, though extreme physical and mental stress have taken their toll and added premature years to his face. Having been born and raised in Karhide, he cannot say the letter "l." It is assumed that Bar makes it seem as if he does so in normal speech (as he would otherwise be speaking Karhidish), but proper names may be mispronounced.

At the time of Genly's visit to the Domain of Estre, Esvans' age is estimated at 70 years.
Therem, having been exiled 20 years following the birth of Sorve (aged 19 or 20), is estimated 36-40 years old, based on various descriptions given at other points in the book, especially the tendency of Gethenians to have children young, and the fact that Therem's first kemmering was his full brother.
Arek, his brother, one year older, was dead 14 years at this point, making his estimated age of death 22-26.
Therem vowed kemmering with Ashe Foreth ten years prior (Ashe's age is unknown). They broke kemmering seven years after that, making their two sons no older than ten, and no younger than 3. For purposes of RP, the mun arbitrarily assigns their ages 9 and 7.

Disclaimer:
Estraven is from The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. This journal is intended for entertainment purposes only. No profit is being made from the use of this character.

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