Character Survey

[allergictohalla]

Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?

Like most elves, he's skinny enough to look like a stiff breeze could snap him in half. Unlike most elves, he's average height for a human, about 5'10", making him tower like Godzilla over his wee little clanmates.

2. How old is he?

28.

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?

His posture is terrible. When standing, he practically bends himself in half in an attempt to look shorter, and when sitting, he drapes himself all over the furniture like a particularly casual blanket, no matter how formal the situation is.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?

Having grown up in itinerant poverty, he hasn't had access to the same kind of medical care or nutrition that some of his better-off companions have, but he's fortunate in that it didn't affect him in many negative ways. He's susceptible to the kind of illnesses that people living in cities are accustomed and resistant to, but he's in good shape, and has more stamina than most.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?

When he's just walking around or running, he's a lanky, awkward windmill of limbs. Fighting, however, is another matter. He's graceful and very well-practiced with a staff, and getting better with a spirit blade (it helps that he doesn't have to worry about holding a shield, or blocking incoming blows, or...doing much of anything else that makes fighting with a sword difficult.)

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?

He thinks he's pretty average. Which he is, for an elf. His type of slightly androgynous prettiness is attractive to people who like that sort of thing, and inoffensive to those who don't.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?

Pale and clear, though a little prone to sallowness and dark circles under the eyes.

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.

White-blond, wavy and shoulder-length, usually pulled back out of the way.

9. What color are his eyes?

Gray.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

His face is decorated with traditional Dalish tattoos, the vallaslin. The particular pattern he's chosen honors Dirthamen, the god of secrets and knowledge.

There's also the matter of the Anchor, the large glowing green stigma on his left palm. It doesn't hurt, much.

11. What are his chief tension centers?

Shoulders and upper back, from all the hunching and staff-swinging.

12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he have six of the same suit?

His wardrobe, at the insistence of his advisors and PR people, is expansive and fancier than he would like it to be. Since his organization is headquartered in a country where appearances are very important indeed, he's grudgingly stepped up his fashion game and begun wearing a series of fine velvet dress uniforms even in his spare time. When in Orlais, do as the Orlesians do.

His armor, which he wears more often than not, is designed to be flashy as well as functional, bearing the insignia of the Inquisition everywhere it can possibly fit, and made of fine leather and rich cloth. He's tried to keep the shape of it at least somewhat familiar, the tailcoat-esque style a slight nod to the traditional vestments of the clan leader he was supposed to become.

13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?

Everything he wears is tailored to perfection. He kind of hates it.

14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?

He's never not on the job, in one way or another, and therefore everything he wears needs to project some kind of image. He doesn't get a break from being the Inquisitor.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?

Commando. Underwear is for humans.

Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?

A surprisingly deep baritone, rather mellow and pleasant.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?

He's always had a way with words, and he's good at sounding authoritative even when he doesn't know what he's talking about. He's practiced at speaking evenly and disarmingly.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?

Corentin's accent is a flawlessly posh impression of the way well-to-do humans of his native land speak--he can imitate any accent from the Free Marches, even Starkhaven, down to the little idiosyncrasies. He and his clan found long ago that humans are willing to be a little less hostile and more understanding when talking to people who sound like them, and Corentin's talent with accents soon made him the designated negotiator whenever the clan had to pacify the locals.

It's a defense mechanism, in a way, but it's served him well, especially now that lives depend on making wealthy humans see him as a trustworthy equal. Before the fakery became necessary, he spoke more like the rest of his clan, in a lilting, Welsh-sounding dialect sprinkled with Elven words, but he's kept up the fake accent so consistently for so long now that he's not sure he could turn it off if he tried.

4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?

His native language is the common Trade tongue of Ferelden and the Free Marches, but he's retained more of the extinct Elven tongue from his studies than most of his people. There's only so much of it that's survived to learn, but he can construct some sentences from the bits he knows, and incorporate the better-known words and phrases into his speech with minimal clunkiness.

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?

The Dalish tend to be mocked for their habit of shoehorning Elven words into everyday speech just to show that they still can, but it's a habit that you will have to pry from Corentin's cold, dead larynx.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?

He's very good at speaking off the cuff, even in tense situations. Winging it is one of his greatest skills.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?

He's usually quite eloquent, though there is usually an adjustment period as he concentrates on figuring out how best to appeal to the person or group he's talking to.

Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?

He's a smart guy, though most humans and most of his fellow mages would consider him uneducated. (They would be wrong, as he would indignantly point out, but it's a common sentiment.) His street smarts take the form of an ability to adapt and imitate different cultures, but his book smarts include a thorough education in magic and Dalish history from the Keeper of his clan, passed down for centuries according to elven tradition. He deeply resents that Dalish magical education is considered inferior at best and invalid at worst by proponents of the Circle system.

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?

He's good at thinking on his feet, but if he has time to deliberate, he'll take it.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

Intuitive when trying to figure out what people expect of him, and practical to the point of cynicism.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

He's been educated from early childhood, ever since his magic manifested, by the leader of his clan, Keeper Deshanna Istimaethoriel. As her First, her primary apprentice, he was being groomed to take her place as clan leader, and so he was taught leadership skills along with the history, mythology and religious ritual that it would be his duty to teach others in turn. He was also taught how to use and control his magic, both in everyday situations and for defense purposes, and given a basic grounding in how to heal injury and illness both with and without magic.

5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?

He wants to know all of the schools of magic. All of them. Even the creepy death magic ones, just for curiosity's sake, even if he never makes use of it. Kirkwall force magic, Rivaini witchcraft, the shapeshifting of the wilds--it's all fascinating.

He wishes desperately that he could be truly fluent in Elven, too. It seems impossible, but he's still bent on learning as much of it as he can. He'd like to learn Qunlat, too, because it seems useful, and Tevene, just because.

He really ought to get along better with Solas, but condescension and philosophical woo are his two least favorite things in the world, and he can't bring himself to actually ask Solas for Elven grammar lessons when it would require spending more time with him.

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?

More of an introvert, despite his skill at negotiating with people. Observing people is a different animal than interacting with them, and he's content to keep to himself when circumstances allow.

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?

Even-tempered in that he isn't one for unnecessary violence or vengeance--he's known for being a merciful judge, but he doesn't mince words when delivering sentences, either. He is prone to outbursts of irritation when in the company of people it's safe to speak his mind around, which helps him stay more diplomatic when it's important to be.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

A little wary, usually, but good at feigning enthusiasm (or nonchalance, depending.)

9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?

More likely to act, and to take charge in situations where nobody's sure what to do.

10. Which is his default: fight or flight?

Fight, usually. He likes to be in the thick of the fray, hence the whole Knight-Enchanter gig.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

Cutting sarcasm, usually, but when pressed, he won't openly disapprove of pie-in-the-face type monkeyshines.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?

It's probably cheating to mention the day he was given his vallaslin, because that would be a defining moment for pretty much any Dalish elf, but his experience was somewhat notable for engendering disapproving gossip among those who thought he was too young for them at fifteen, and that the Keeper demanded too much of her apprentices.

Thirteen years later, as he was being declared the accidental prophet of a human goddess after one of Deshanna's crazy missions gone horribly awry, he began to think they might have had a point.

14. What does he fear?

Spiders, possession, pitchfork-wielding human mobs.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations?

16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?



Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.

Fairly distant. Dalish mages don't usually have to worry about being dragged off to Circles like others do, but they may as well be the Keeper's children. Corentin and his fellow apprentice Isenna were raised in Deshanna's aravel from the age of seven and eight, respectively, and while the camp was small enough that he still saw his parents every day, they felt no more like family than any other clanmate did.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?

He'd been an only child before his magic manifested, and his parents, fearful of producing another mage who would have to be sent away to a different clan entirely, never tried for another.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?

He always got along well with his cousin Siana, one of the clan's archers. They traveled in different social spheres, inasmuch as a tiny and close-knit clan can have different social spheres, but she was the only friend he really had as a child.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?

Completely in spite of himself, he's more or less adopted Sera as the younger sister he neither had nor wanted as a child. He finds her unprofessional, obnoxious, self-absorbed, wildly offensive to everything he holds dear, and much more trouble than she's worth--but anybody who tries to harm her is going to eat a lightning bolt for it.

He can't imagine life without Cassandra or Dorian, either, and worries about what will happen once the Inquisition's purpose is fulfilled.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?

There was a crazy Tevinter magister and some forced time travel involved.

6. Does he have other close friends?

Not as such. He has his inner circle of companions, people he'd trust with his life in battle, and whose loyalty he wants to earn and keep, but for the most part, they aren't really his friends. He can't confide in them, and he's only occasionally asked to do anything fun like hang out and play cards with them.

7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?

Getting along with people and making friends with them, he would argue, are two very different things. Superficial bonds are easy to forge, but friendships are another matter, and he's never had a lot of those.

8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?

He doesn't have many of either, but he'd go with friends.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?

Never married, and technically single (he has romanced Cassandra, Dorian and Josephine in various playthroughs, but in the land of RP, they're all just buddies.)

10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?

Nope.

11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?

His relationship with Isenna, the Keeper's Second, has always been a weird, complicated and unhealthy one. Growing up as the only two mages in the clan besides Deshanna herself, and knowing that only one of them could succeed her, they considered each other rivals before anything else, which only intensified after Corentin was named the First.

But rivalry aside, they were still the only two people capable of understanding each others' situations, and the nature of Dalish magical education made it so that they spent more time together than they did with anyone else, so it wasn't really a surprise to anyone that they ended up sleeping together. They were not nearly as subtle about it as they thought they were.

He's still convinced that she must have been pleased when the Conclave blew up, though. She always wanted to be the First, and now she is, so really, it worked out for everyone but the hundreds of dead people.

As for the latest, he's not going to admit to wanting Cassandra to pick him up and fling him over her shoulder and carry him off for hot Amazon sex, but he kind of does.

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?

Probably around a 2. He prefers women, and he doesn't have any experience with men, but there are guys out there he wouldn't say no to.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?



Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?

3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?

4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?

5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?



Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?

3. Where does he live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his home his castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he share it with others?

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?

5. What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else?

6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?

7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?



Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:

1. Color?
2. Smell?
3. Time of day?
4. Season?
5. Book?
6. Music?
7. Place?
8. Substance?
9. Plant?
10. Animal?



END
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