Let's talk about Characterization!

Portius

In the fine tradition of Lusternian threads in which we discuss our characters, I think we need to have a thread about FATEifying them. What is this FATEification, I hear all of you asking? Why, it's a thing which can be described by quoting myself from another thread!

"What matters more than anything else is characterization that leads to actions. Your character can have all the deep dark secrets in the world, but if they don't have an effect on how he acts, when played, they don't actually matter. Same thing goes with backstory. It doesn't do a whole lot of good if it doesn't lead to you doing something. That doesn't mean you have to tell people about it all the time. If it influences your choice of actions, then it can be useful. And telling people about it is itself an action, so talking about that backstory can be useful, too. A lot of people seem to feel like they need huge backstories and piles of secrets and whatnot that, in the end, don't really effect anything. This is a stumbling block for some people when it comes to, well, characterizing. They want depth, but they don't want to do a huge history. That's alright! There's an easier way that works out to be a lot more useful in practice.

There's an RPG system called FATE that turned this into a core mechanic, and I'm going to use their terminology here. A character has some number of aspects which are core points of characterization, the character's defining traits. These are big, important traits, not little things like appearance, unless of course appearance is important to that character (it usually is not.) They get snappy names to really hammer home the nature of the aspect, and to make them memorable. In FATE, there are some game mechanics that encourage people to act according to these aspects. That doesn't exist in Lusternia, obviously, but it's stilll a good way to structure a character. When deciding what to do, look at your list of aspects and see if any of them seem relevant, and act accordingly. That's not to say you always have to follow them. There could be other situational factors involved, after all! But they do provide a very strong place to start thinking about things, and generally following them is a good way to stay reasonably consistent without acting by rote.

You don't want too many aspects. These are big picture type thing, after all, and having too many dilutes the characterization too much (Some complexity is good. Excessive complexity is not. This can be a hard line to find, and it depends on the type or roleplaying/writing that's happening.) FATE uses five aspects for a player character, and that's a good number to stick around. Maybe use a little more, maybe use a little less, but stay in that ballpark. FATE also kind of elevates two of them above the others in the character creation process, a core concept and the trouble, which in the context of the RPG is the big one that causes problems for that character. These are a little less applicable to something like Lusternia, but can be useful to keep in mind nonetheless.

Let's do Portius as an example!

The Lord-Librarian- Portius is a peer. This is probably the single most important part of his characterization. He's at the very top of Hallifaxian society, and he got there through his own merit. He's aware of his status, and he doesn't like it when people don't respect it. That can be devaluing his work or his position, or it can be from claiming to be high status without having done anything in the arts/sciences. This covers his vanity, his pride, but also his dedication to being good at things, because that is what it is to be a peer. That's the crux of this aspect. He's a peer, he knows it, and he makes a point of acting accordingly.

Glory to the Collective- Portius is a devoted Hallifaxian nationalist. He cares about its economic health and so forth, but he's mostly concerned with making sure it's glorious. He recognizes that he's one of the most public people in Hallifaxian culture, and he revels in doing that much to build Hallifax's reputation. Even with practical matters, like industrialization, Portius cares just as much about making sure Hallifax is better than other nations as he does about the actual benefit to the city.

The Sublime Theorem-Beauty comes from comprehension. Truth is beauty. Thus, scientific research is the pursuit of beauty as much as it is any practical knowledge. This aspect, more than anything else, is Portius as the pure scientist. This is Portius alone in his lab, or presenting a lecture, marvelling at the sheer beauty of reality as it is understood. He is a peer because he is a scientist. He is a scientist because knowing things is magnificent.

A Civilized Man is a Virtuous Man-To shy from technology is foolishness. Willful ignorance is a sin. Those are both problems for the forestals. He might like an individual one here or there (Remember what I said about being able to break away from aspects sometimes? This is it!) but on the whole, they are pathetic savages. You can be evil without living in the forests, like Gaudiguchis are, but you cannot be good without living in a city. Ultimately, those luddites are worse than Celestines or Magnagorans. We can use them, but we can use horses, too. Doesn't mean that they're people.

Virtue is a Choice-Being good or evil comes down to your choices. If you live in the forest, or in Gaudiguch, you do it by choice. You could leave. But you haven't, you chose not to. That means you're choosing to be morally worse than him. That makes him pretty harsh on moral failings. But at the same time, if you can choose to be evil, you can also choose to be good. That means there is always a chance for a person to chose virtue and redeem themselves. You have to be wary of them, because it could be a trick, and sometimes it's just too dangerous to trust them, but it can happen. There is always hope.

That covers the things about Portius that actually matter pretty thoroughly. Him disapproving of Zyphora being married to Turnus? I'm invoking (the FATE term for choosing to use an aspect) A Civilized Man is a Virtuous Man to hate Turnus and Virtue is a Choice to be really hard on Zyphie about it. After all, she's letting her emotions drive her to consort with a confounded savage when she could just control herself and make a better choice! Mad at Cosette for disrespecting the peerage? Naturally, since he is The Lord-Librarian!

There's an absence in that list of aspects that some of you might have noticed. There isn't anything that refers to him being in @Isune order, even though he's in the Grand Salon and everything. That's because him following Isune isn't a terribly important part of his character. Leaving it wouldn't significantly change how he acts. He follows a goddess of beauty because he has strong ideas about The Sublime Theorem, but those ideas cause him to worship Isune, not the other way around. If there was a god that was more openly about that kind of thing, he'd drop Isune (who is occasionally kind of dismissive about science in a way that bothers Portius) in a heartbeat. Same thing if she ever said something really anti-sciencey.

And that's Portius, as expressed through the aspect system. It's not everything about him. It's the important things, the parts that are really relevant to deciding what to do. Try putting your character through it. Makes you decide what's really important to the characterization."


Now you should all put your characters into that same system. @Zitto and I want to see them.

Isune

Portius said:

There's an absence in that list of aspects that some of you might have noticed. There isn't anything that refers to him being in @Isune order, even though he's in the Grand Salon and everything. That's because him following Isune isn't a terribly important part of his character. Leaving it wouldn't significantly change how he acts. He follows a goddess of beauty because he has strong ideas about The Sublime Theorem, but those ideas cause him to worship Isune, not the other way around. If there was a god that was more openly about that kind of thing, he'd drop Isune (who is occasionally kind of dismissive about science in a way that bothers Portius) in a heartbeat. Same thing if she ever said something really anti-sciencey.

Shaddus

I keep eyeballing this thread, but it seems slow to get started. Are your aspects ones you basically made up, or is there a list you took them from?

Portius

You make them up to describe the character's most important traits.  Then you make sure to give them snappy names because it's cool and to make them memorable, of course.

Daraius

Yeah the tricky part is that our characters weren't designed around "Aspects," so we have to kind of reverse engineer them from how we play. I'm trying to get to the nuclei of Dar's behaviors. Stand by.

Enyalida

I'm also going to try and post up @Enya's aspects, when I gets a minute.

Portius

@Zitto seriously implied that he would as well. Hint.

Zitto

Portius said:

@Zitto seriously implied that he would as well. Hint.

You cannot make me take over your job and then be surprised when I'm busy.

Shaddus

Let's see if I can do one or two of these. The first one is Entrias, because if he gets smited or sent horrible messages, meh.


Collective or Nothing.

Entrias puts the Collective before himself in every way possible. The bad part about this is that he interprets "putting the Collective first" in a very skewed manner; if he sees someone who is part of the city who he feels is detrimental to the future of Hallifax or if he sees the city making a decision which he feels isn't acceptable, he will go out of his way to sabotage said person or plan, up to and including falsifying information or going beyond the Articles to achieve his goal. Spying on other citizens and sending anonymous letters to citizens who he feels are not "up to snuff" are things he has done in the past. He seeks no recognition for his work, and believes it to be justified no matter what. This figures into the next aspect as well.

A smaller facet of this is that he envies Glomdoring due to their idea of "Nothing Matters But Glomdoring", and if he ever left the city (unlikely), he would likely work to join Glomdoring. This will factor into a few other aspects


A Man Chooses, a Slave Obeys.

Entrias is not, nor does he ever want to be a leader. While he can lead as needed, he would rather take orders and follow commands like a good soldier. He has a bit of an inferiority complex and though he can always take initiative in order to achieve his goals, he prefers the cloak of responsibility to be on someone else. In no way does he really seek glory aside from appreciation for the things he designs. So long as the orders he is given don't go against what he believes is best for the city, he doesn't question authority.


Hopeless Romantic.

Entrias is still very much in love with Zyphora, his first wife. Though he realises she has found another love, and he would never seek to try and find a way into her affections without believing she wished the same thing, he still watches over her in every way possible. When he found out she was going to marry Turnus, he almost went to Turnus and threatened to kill him, and burn his forest to the ground if he ever hurt Zyphora. After watching Turnus for a long while, he realised that Turnus was (publicly) a man of honour, and grudgingly "allowed" Turnus to marry her. If Zyphora ever came to him in need, he likely wouldn't turn her down even if it went against Collective or Nothing. Probably.

He realised at one point that Zyphora was staying away from the Matrix because he was there, and he actually took a long sabbatical away from the city in order to keep from hurting her emotionally by his presence. This hurt him, but she was more important to him than he was.

Among the other women in his life who he has been somewhat attracted to but not married to: Nihmriel, Isune, Tulemrah, Phoebus. People who create and design things attract him, and especially women who would hold a position in the caste system over him.

As a side note, he has the utmost respect for Shikari, as he realises that it is a harsh fate to love someone from afar who may or may not ever love him back. This may only be his own perception as to the connection between Isune and Shikari, but once again Hopeless Romantic.

Beauty in Creation.

Entrias finds beauty in many things. While some may find frilly plumes or cold white marble beautiful, Entrias finds beauty in utilitarian things. If something comes in handy, serves a purpose or is "useful", he finds beauty in it. This often clashes with Isune's version of Beauty, in that things holding Beauty aren't always useful or utilitarian. Thus, he doesn't always agree with his order's tenets, but so long as it allows him to create and be useful, he's all for it.

Entrias also designs and creates things for the people he feels are important to him. This is actually a personality trait shared among all of my characters, so if I've ever designed something for you, that means I think you're pretty awesome.

Maligorn

Don't you Think There's Something Out There? - The basis of Maligorn's desires, and my/his ultimate long game is to build spacecraft on Prime to explore the heavens, particularly the planet Papaxi, as it has an orbit that is very similar to Lusternia's (thus implying that it might be in the habitable zone). Reasons are manifold. One, the planet we live on, Lusternia, is hopelessly barren. Only a relatively tiny patch of fertile ground yet exists, and the only other place that is arable is made that way because of half of a Healer's heart (indeed, I do think Lirangsha would begin to wither without it). Two, there are twinkling stars in the Heavens. That means that Father Sun might be hella hella OP if he can draw on all the Suns of the First World. Deserves investigating. Also, checking on Father Sun's prison. Three, Astrology is a skillset that has very little backstory. To a Hallifaxian mind, the way that certain Astrology powers are affected by planets' and Sun/Moon's locations "just because" is horrific science, and thus deserves more investigation. (You can imagine my joy when I learned of the existence of the crystal comet curio).

The Foreign Loyalist - Maligorn's pre-Portal days were spent as a farmer in Estelbar. Naturally, to the southeast, every day he could see this giant floating city and would think to himself of how badly he wanted to go there. So, he did. As an unmarked citizen, he went (in my headcanon), took some tests, and once he passed them favourably, was shoved into the Portal of Fate by officials. Knowing his past, then, Maligorn will never feel as anything but a servant of the Collective, unable to ever join the elite of trill and lucidian, and will always think of himself as truly adopted rather than Irillia and Raikogen's long-lost son. Something else out there also encouraged him to leave Estelbar, because a floating city so close to his beloved stars must have an excellent observatory. And it totally does.

The Brotherhood of Sacrifice - Being an Isunite, Maligorn understands Sacrifice as one of Her main tenets. What that also applies to is everyone in Lusternia. Anybody that would call themselves Protector, Security or Champion earns some serious respect in Maligorn's eyes, regardless of faction. To give your life for the advancement of your org, and knowing that you'll be prepared to do it again and again is truly an inspiring and noble art. Thus, Maligorn becomes really unhappy and almost sick to his stomach when he sees combatants that are in it for the bloodlust or "fun" rather than sacrifice. Enemies (or allies) that complain too much also really chafe his nerves. (Of course, I know how much of a bleeding heart I can be on the forums about combat, but this is IC Maligorn).

Creature of Curiousity - Maligorn is always working on some project to elucidate the inner workings of x, y, or z. As such, he is often preoccupied and reluctant to speak until he has a definitive answer on whatever he happens to be pondering, whether it's "I wonder what pink loti mushrooms taste like" to "Can I trust this individual" to "Will Pejat-sempai notice me". As such, he often puts himself in danger for experimentation, without any real regard to his safety. After all, he'll just come back to life anyway.

Elders are Just Like Us - Of course, most of us have figured out by now that the Elder gods are not perfect -- they have their own intrigues, shortcomings, and mindsets that make them all unique and flawed. That's a given. Maligorn takes it one step further, understanding that since we shards used to be Elders, we should be lauded as equals or perhaps even superiors for succeeding in containing the Soulless when the Elder Gods could not, and because we all were once Elders too (except for humans/viscanti/faelings). For the Elder Gods to come back and assume authority after abandoning the shards, their former Elder friends and comrades, to their fates is bordering on preposterous, though expected from perceived egomaniacal Traitors. Maligorn has naturally had heated discussions with Isune about this.

Zitto

Zitto is a little young and unimportant, so I apologize for this wall of text primarily for the benefit of @Portius

Uphold the Meritocracy

  Zitto is a fanatical believer in Hallifax's caste system, accepting the society's inequality as a fair tradeoff for a society that rewards talent and ability with upward mobility.  Given his strong feelings for the caste system, he is extremely deferential to those above his station.  Zitto views one of the duties of the upper castes as guiding and advising the lower castes, and is consequently very helpful and friendly, but reacts extremely poorly to criticism or defiance.  This dynamic also plays out in his addressing people of higher standing by their particular titles while referring to his peers and lower caste members uniformly as 'comrade.'

We Owe the Foreigners Nothing

  As a researcher and the Hallifax Librarian, Zitto believes strongly in making use of every source of information.  He is extremely eager to learn about the other societies of the Basin, not out of respect for them, but because they may have knowledge worth pilfering.  He desires to maintain genuinely good relationships with individuals and, where possible, the divinities of other cities, but ultimately does his best to ensure that transactions are one-sided in Hallifax's favor.  He holds genuine respect for some foreigners, particularly those he associates with scholarly work, like @Kalnid and @Marcella, but is prepared to treat even genuine friendships as a tactical resource if the good of the Commonwealth requires it.

Remember Their Kindness
 
  Many high-caste citizens of Hallifax were extremely helpful to Zitto in his early days out of the Portal.  While he understands that they have a personal interest in retaining and supporting new citizens, he also realizes that their patience, support, and guidance were essential to his establishing himself in Hallifaxian society.  Consequently, he is inclined to show great patience and provide material support for new citizens.  While this support is absolute for citizens who recently emerged from the portal of fate, it can diminish quickly for recently citizened foreigners.

We Use The Tools At Hand

 Zitto finds the idea of dismissing any potential resource for moral reasons to be unthinkable.  Consequently, he views the Taint as a potential natural resource, capable of being used for the good of society if correctly applied.  While he appreciates the difficulties in containing and controlling the taint, he would be as adverse to seeing it totally eliminated as he would seeing the entire basin tainted.  In his mind, utilizing it is no different than utilizing fire, which can burn those who are not careful with it.  As a consequence of these ideas, his opinions of foreign societies are based primarily on their scholarly reputation and social structure rather than their position on taint.  This puts him in the small pool of citizens who see the idea of an alliance with Magnagora as consistent with the ideology of Hallifax.

Solder, Scholar, Priest, and Peer

  Particular individuals made a very strong impression on Zitto in his early days, particularly @Vivet and @Portius.  He finds their achievements particularly laudable and strives to emulate their example.  He works particularly hard to make a good impression on them and strives to emulate their examples.  This is particularly visible in his attempt to mimic Portius' humor around him.  The other overwhelming impression was his first meeting with Jadice, who was the first to call Zitto on his excessive flattery and servile nature.  His impression of Her was responsible for the start of a slow transition from a nakedly ambitious chatterbox to a more reserved scholar in his society.  From these examples, Zitto derives his long-term goals of joining the peerage through scholarly work, establishing himself as a valuable combat asset to Hallifax, and developing his mannerisms after the example of the analytical and distant Frost Queen.

Selskia

Betrayal is the greatest sin

Loyalty is important to Selskia, to put mildly. Once she has decided something is worth being loyal to, she will stand by it, even if it turns into nearly the opposite of what it once was -- as many things have done during her century-long slumber. Unusually, she doesn't judge other people too harshly by this belief, mostly because she believes that people have their own reasons and are, inherently, trying to do what they believe is right.

Cling fast to the hope and wonder of childhood

Selskia believes in the goodness in people, and believes that there is value in optimism and hope -- even when she is aware that it is completely unrealistic. She'll also always give someone a second chance. And a third. And maybe even a fourth, because after all, people really do try to do what they believe is right, and they try their best. Right? Then, there is the matter of simple curiosity, which is something far too many people have lost in her opinion. There is wonder in exploring the world and poking all the things, even if it gets her in trouble sometimes. Although there are exceptions.

Respect and duty are important to society

Most people, especially within the Serenwilde, will first meet Selskia's prim and proper dutiful persona. She's extremely formal, exceptionally nice to the young, and stoically kind though intolerant of disrespect. She's an elder, after all, and in a leadership position -- she has an image to uphold, and will not stand for people undermining that. It'll affect her ability to do her work, and duty, like the closely related loyalty, is deeply important to her. This is one area where she does expect the same, or at least similar, behaviour from others -- a separation between work and life is important, after all.

In the end, what works is what matters

A pragmatist, Selskia has been known to put what works before what philosophically makes sense, to her gain and detriment alike. Have a puzzle that needs solving? She'll poke and prod at it from all different angles, even ones that go against her teachings sometimes, to get the answer. Find something useful that doesn't really have a place in your beliefs? Well, it doesn't matter -- it works, doesn't it? When she does something extremely out of line, though, she pulls back quite quickly into her dutiful/loyal roles.

Sudden change is terrifying

Selskia has a hard time accepting sudden changes. Part of it comes from growing up in the Serenwilde, where "the way things have always been" is an important factor in most decisions, albeit not the only factor. Combine that with a slew of drastic changes for the worse when she woke up from her slumber and you get a change-phobic individual. Gradual change is acceptable to her, as are 'normal' life changes like getting married or having a friend fade away, but the big, scary, sudden changes scare her, like the arrival of a new city (once the fascination has worn off) or the disappearance of a beloved Divine.

Ushaara

A Man of His Word - Not just in the sense that Ushaara keeps his promises (though any promise of work may end up being years or decades overdue. Not so good with deadlines!), but also that Ushaara believes a man -is- his word. As such he considers his words, actions and commitments very carefully, especially regarding personal interactions or positions of power. He will not agree to something if he knows it deserves, or will require, more than what he is capable of. Further, anyone who says one thing and then acts differently receives a permanent black spot on their character in his eyes. Grevious betrayal would render the offender an 'unperson' to him. The greatest personal betrayal he has felt was when his platonic husband, Morbo, quit Zvoltz's order despite being High Exemplar and in His Inner Circle. Ushaara attributed this to failing in his instructive role as Zvoltz's Keeper, and though Morbo later rejoined the order, it never felt the same to him.  

Solitary Sentinel - Aside from a brief stint as a novice and unskilled Aeromancer before the Sentinels guild opened, Ushaara has always been a Sentinel. Being a Sentinel meshes well with A Man of His Word, and Ushaara takes the Company's oath of service to the State and its Artistic and Scientific families as seriously as any other promise he makes. Going with his oath, he recognises and values the Company's doctrines regarding duty, loyalty, service and obedience. He is accustomed to being on his own, and with most of those who were his closest friends now absent, while not lonely, is increasingly solitary. While there are still a few people who can/could rouse him to action and stop him from isolating himself further, he maintains a cautious distance from them because OTHER REASONS. While he will still interact, offer to teach, lead hunting trips or generally help out, most of these people he interacts with now will never manage to cross the barriers he has raised around himself.

The Faithful Constant - As Keeper of the Archetype, he feels it is his burden to keep Zvoltz's teachings and secrets, even if he may be the only person to remember them. Though he has been rattled at times, he has come to have absolute faith in Zvoltz's Foundations, and believes that as long as he keeps to them, all that was lost can be restored when Zvoltz returns, including parts of himself. It is the duty he is most conscious of, and will put before all others since Zvoltz's self-sacrifice. He appreciates Isune greatly in this regard, knowing that while other mortals may forget Him, She won't, despite Her dalliances with Shikari.

On the whole, trying to stick to 'A Man of His Word' has lead to some of the best RP interactions I've had while playing.

Tacita

Some of these came more obviously to me than others, which is why it took quite so long.

Mortals are Emotional - This is obviously something that Tacita has spent a lot of her time in conflict with, primarily because it goes directly against the way Nocht told her to be. Nocht told her that emotions were an unnecessary burden, so she tried to do without them - but ultimately this only cemented her belief that emotions are the lenses through which mortals view and understand the world. That they are irrevocably intertwined with them and that this is something that should be celebrated, not rebelled against.

Everyone has their Place in His Amalgam - This is one of Nocht's tenets, but one that is now inherent to Tacita's worldview and how she approaches things. She believes wholeheartedly that everyone serves the Wyrd in a particular way that fulfils a particular role within it - that scholars are as necessary as combatants who are as necessary as politicians who are as necessary as socialites. However, all of these people are replaceable - what matters is the greater whole, the Wyrd, which is made up of the roles within it, but is far greater than the sum of those roles or people.

Wyrd is Salvation - To Tacita, the single most important reason that Nothing Matters but Glomdoring is that the Taint is anathema to creation and the Wyrd is the only thing that can save the world from it. She totally, utterly, zealously believes that one day the Taint will break out of Magnagora and try to consume the world again, and in order to survive the rest of the basin will have to accept the Wyrd as their saviour, which they will do. This has knock-on effects; it is for example one off the primary sources of her belief in the importance of learning to understand enemies as well as fighting them (because one day they won't be the enemy anymore).

Love is Rebirth - The only force in the world more dangerous than the Taint is love. It can strip a person of all that they are, render them weak and helpless. But from that destruction a new life can be reborn. The more pain one endures, the stronger one becomes, and the more they learn. And even when you find a love that is 'good' for you, it will still remake you over and over, as you spend every day coming to understand how it is that you love - not only romantically but in a familial context and even in terms of love for one's Elder God.

We Speak in Chorus - This essentially represents Tacita's philosophy about leadership and especially the sort of Regent she tried to be (and ultimately failed at, because she resigned out of an inability to uphold it). She believes that the role of leaders is above all not to dictate but to collate: to take the disparate voices of an organisation and find a way in which they can be arranged into a unified voice. Essentially, to poll the masses and work out the best compromise between their varied views. A bad leader is a leader who imposes their presence; a good leader is one who is a complement to the rest of their organisation.

Haezon

This was hard for me as I prefer freeform RP and adapting things on, and I'm not surprised so far it appears to be Hallifax players who have posted here (Being influenced by where their character's are, and there is nothing wrong with that). I've made his ones more poetic and story-like. If someone was describing him, basically.

For The Forest, Not The People.

Haezon has made a commitment to his home, not the people within. His mothers Celina and Astraea showed him the difference between the forest, and the people. People come and go, people leave and disappoint. They betray the forest, they lie and abuse in the forest, in his home. People within have fought him, and tried to get the best of him, and they are gone, scattered or rejected, rebuked, shown for what they are. Countless times Haezon has predicted someone is not right for the forest, and they have gone. Just as Glomdoring has shucked and thrown out those unworthy, it will continue to do so. It is not his job to worry, or care. If he is wrong, then he is wrong. The forest has shown and punished him when he was wrong, and it will when he is wrong. Love the forest. Screw the people. He will defend them, like them, and respect them, but if he has to choose between the forest, or them, always the forest. Despite this, sometimes it is hard that he cannot leave, and perhaps within him is a little hint of jealousy at those who can give up and go the easy route. But he powers on.

Honouring the Sacrifice

After breaking from the harmful illusion concerning he had of himself and the Lady of the Thorns, he has turned to a Divine which has given him the most. Lady Trillillial. Truly the greatest of the artists, one of the only two to ever splinter, gifting him with the spirit she had to paint the sky and fly through it with joy. His work and art he does for the forest, but every piece of created delight honours more and more the Divine which gave Her life to help stop the Soulless. He will never meet her, only connect with her, through his art, and his joy. He is grateful to her for blessing his race with their artistic ability, allowing him to serve Glomdoring well, and pay back all it has given him.

Extra: Hallifax annoys him. Although inspired by his Lady, it is marred by the cold and heartless conformity of Xyl's influence, and Lucidian, and he considers it a terrible shame that it had to be like that. Some may say it was Hallifax who made the Glomdoring, by pushing the Taint to Gloriana, but as this was done out of cowardice, Haezon feels no gratitude, just disappointment in what Hallifax is. Still, he likes to visit sometimes and gaze upon unfamiliar architecture for inspiration.

Alone, but not Alone

Once he flew. Once he flew the entire stretch of Icewynd. He reached up high to when he could not see the ground below, and it was just him within Night's bosom in the eternal sky above. Then he awoke. In the sky of his beloved Goddess' creation (He uses False Memory to erase anyone else's contribution) he flies and turns. High up in Lirangsha, where he can look over the Basin, or over the frozen wastelands of Icewynd, rich with the history of his race, he feels at peace. He wanted a mother, a sister, a family. He wants a lover, a confidant, but these things escape him, and the Glomdoring is not there to be a loved one. Is wanting family and love weak? He does not think so, but for now, he finds himself alone, but not alone, together as one with the sky, and Trillillial, and Mother Night, but not being able to be with them, only to see and feel them. How can it be enough?

The Black Minister

Being Culture Minister is not as fun as he first thought it would be. But it has defined him, and now he is defined by it. When people call him Minister, he feels happy, and trusted. But he can't rate plays (He considers this very unfair), and whether he likes it or not, has to play with politics. He feels obligated on certain points to tend to what political topics interest him, and has strong feelings about certain things one way or another. The joy it has given him, and the responsibility, is great, but his dislike of politics makes him… naive. He does not see it as a political position, just as a way to help Culture and have fun, as well as easy access to making and directing plays. Having minions to help him with work is also fun for his consideration.

The Night-Minstrel

Haezon is an artist, but also a poet and writer. Researching and writing about his guild's Voice, he finds it the ultimate expression of how to get ahead in the Basin. The rich history of his forest and the experiences of Lady Mahalla inspire him to represent the Harbingers and himself well. He likes to talk to different people, adapting mannerisms and being friendly with everyone. To date, only Serenwilde has people he is not friendly with, but as they never reach out and he never meets any nice people, he doesn't mind. As Culture Minister, too, he tries to make Glomdoring's culture known and his contributions seared into people's minds. Haezon also talks, a lot, and it's rumoured only two people can shut him up without using their authority.

Patriot, Minstrel, Minister, Playwright

In general, the patriotism has been drummed into him by varied experiences from within his home and in his experience not having faith in the Glomdoring can destroy people. He has seen many people come and go, and when two of what he considered mentors or helpers abandoned the forest and left (One going insane to his mind, and the other just leaving), it showed him really that there is no point honouring idiots, only leading by their example and not going insane or leaving, instead honouring what they were, and what they told him. He doesn't have any ill-will towards anyone who is polite and friendly, nor does he mind discussing philosophy with others. Do not try to convert him, however, or he will make his feelings clear.

His soul is black, his skin is black, his wings are black, Mother Night is black so he is Haezon The Black. What sort of black is it, you ask? The Void's black.

When Haezon comes up with a new idea for a play or event, he acts with abandon, finding everything acceptable as long as it is in the right light. He is Honouring The Sacrifice, however, The Black Minister rears it's head, and he must remember to temper his works, to make them appropriate. Otherwise, because of Honouring The Sacrifice, he'd be completely unrestrained, completely untamed, and pure abstract thought (Extract from play: "Your attempts at rebuttal are painful to watch, I defy you now by grabbing my crotch!").

(Aside note: Just realised this is slowly becoming '@Isune bashing thread' from our characters. Sorry! I just remembered halfway through Isune was Trillillial's sister too, but er yeah, False Memory~)

Tomo

Haezon said:

the experiences of Lord Mahalla

Mahalla was female...

Haezon

Tomo said:

Haezon said:

the experiences of Lord Mahalla

Mahalla was female…

Or was she? OR WAS SHE? (Yes she was, damn typo).

Arien

I thought I might join the party here about characterization.

She who holds the scales of Justice  – Arien's attachment to the forest is changeable as is her very behavior. She is a chimaera without the visual, clear deception that someone like that brings. A lot of her views and actions are attuned to the beyond the physical, meaning that her connections to primal energies, the Spirits, the different aspects of the Elder Gods of Serenwilde and especially @Lisaera are forefront. She is, without a doubt one of the most difficult I have played due to this aspect of her, that every object that breathes has life, spirit, name, the interconnection of those threads and portents can change her direction.  It is not that her loyalty is fitful; it is simply that she attempts to make balance, even when those who are involved may not deserve it from many others perspectives.

Serpent of Paradise – In her youth, Arien learned of the tales of her grandmother’s fate concerning both Lady Maylea and @Nocht. She knew that this Silent Elder God had, to terrible effect torn her family apart. But after one brief moment of being inhabited by his presence, the allure of Night and His strange ways were present when doubt would come into the ‘garden of paradise,’ so to speak.  Often times, this has caused disquiet with her; that she is so easily tipped towards something that is unknown, something despite her degradation of the shadowlings of the south, is quite possible. In these moments, she sees the possibility that she could convince the southern forests to be at peace with Serenwilde, just so that Night and Moon could work in tandem with the feminine powers they hold. Even, these thoughts as going so far as to manipulate those of Night from a political side to do their biding to certain unfavorable organizations. But, she is jolted out of this by her connection to the Trinitarian whims of Mother Moon.

Enthroned of Winter - Basically,  one of her many goals is that she plans to renew her family as the main family of the Winter Court in Serenwilde, and revitalizing the ideals of the House Myeras. She outwardly projects that elfen and faeling purity are key success to a line, but will not openly admit this attribute to racism. She enjoys all kinds, but believes her family can be only successful through the ties of a certain kind of blood magic. She believes that out of all of her family, she bears enough wisdom to be seated on the High Throne of Winter, not just because of her accomplishments, but for the temperament she bears from ‘good breeding.’  If this were to be cultivated further, she would likely be a great warlord or tactician under the wing of someone who could teach such a thing. For the time being, she only thinks of this with ritual importance. Beauty can be useful, but it is the mind and blade that conquers.

Eyes of the Hunter – Bearing the mark of the Hart does not necessarily mean one is a gentle, delicate soul. There are no happy rainbows, or dancing faeries, or prancing fawns with pretty pink bows. There is no laughter without purpose, no smile, no word that cannot be justified by what she plans. Everything. Is. Planned. Everything. Is. Guarded. Everything is censored until a judgment or ‘kill’ can be made about a decision, person, thing. Her dedication of this is shone through most current events. She shows her loyalty and devotion, her faith and hope first. But not her terror of losing everything that she loves, and has worked tirelessly for. The fear of abandonment does not outweigh what she wishes to convey to the people she protects, despite its crippling effect.

Motherly Crone - Though there is little development in her family life, she is known to be more gentle than violent. Imparting wisdom to her young, but also keeping a firm hand. She has not yet had to be wrathful against her own, but it does not stop her from committing acts to teach them lessons that Nature yet have not. This can be seen in a most recent interaction with @Everiine, where she both chastises and comforts concerning the Serenguard lock. She can see aspects of youth that remain in people fairly easily, and while she does not look down upon them for it, she sees that a lesson must be taught, or words must be spoken.

Milune

I want more of these, official necro initiated. I'm making one too. Make more!

Maligorn

+1 for the necro, I love re-reading what I wrote about myself #egotism

Aerotan

Temple Cat - Wyle is first and foremost a Templar. A keeper of the sacred peace of Gaudiguch, and someone who must sacrifice her own time and energy so that others are free to indulge with theirs. She takes this commitment very seriously, and is willing to sabotage others perceptions of her character of person in order to ensure that the personal freedoms of those around her are upheld and their individual natures allowed to flourish. If she ever discovered the manipulative side of Gaudiguch, it's highly likely that she would integrate herself into it to make sure that the citizens of Gaudiguch were kept happy, even if that happiness was ultimately just a subtler opiate.

Fiery Zeal - Once she's set her mind to something, Wyle puts her entire effort into believing that thing. She does not brook well with questioning her beliefs, and I personally style her paradigmatics not as her intentionally manipulating inherent instabilities within reality, but that her convictions are so fervent that reality itself must bend to meet them.She wholeheartedly believes that everything she does is for the greater good, and that ultimately the entire world will be reborn into a more enlightened civilisation because of actions like hers. The idea that others might not also have the same passions in other directions is, to her, a sign of their delusion.

Sacred Space - While she really enjoys being part of a crowd, Wyle strongly prefers being independent of others. This doesn't mean she's a loner, just that she get uncomfortable spending every waking moment with someone, no matter how much she likes or cares about that person. This has caused its fair share of strife in her past, but due to Fiery Zeal she refuses to back down about this issue. The short-ticket to her bad side is to try and be around her when she doesn't want you specifically there, or to try to actively monopolize her time.

Shaddus

Subotai:


All work and no play makes you a bad person - Subby isn't afraid of working hard when he needs to, but he can turn it off as needed. He can be fighting against you one minute, and sending you cupcakes after the raid is over. He feels that if you can't enjoy life, why live it? What good is hard work if you can't enjoy the fruits of your labors? Subby has a severe dislike of people who are constantly at attention, constantly on guard and constantly unable to relax. If you can't lighten up, he has no place for you in his life.

Generosity is its own reward - Subby spends a lot of money on people, and doesn't think much about it. If he has gold, he spends it. If he doesn't have gold, he makes it and spends it. He's sort of easy-going, and it doesn't bother him to dump a load of gold on a novice who needs stuff, or to pour gold into a feast to feed a bunch of people, or even to sell food below cost just because people like his cooking. He's not wasteful, he just believes in giving what he has to others in need. Why hoard something that is so easily received?

Passionate Peacock - For a long while, Subby was a hedonist. He whored around (not really), wore fancy clothes, got drunk and threw up all over the place, and generally did what he wanted, where he wanted, simply for the pleasure of it. Since joining Crumkane's order, he's grown up a bit; he still loves wearing fancy clothes and trying new foods for the sheer pleasure of it. He's learned a bit of self control, but that doesn't stop him from buying a new robe simply because he enjoys the feel of the fabric or how it matches his hair.

Selenity

The Darkest Nights have the Brightest Stars

There is always hope, even if the situation seems really bleak. Even one of the songs that she sings - regularly - has the following lines, "Mother Moon watches from above / And should She hide Her face to us / The Stars will always be there to Guide us / We shall never be lost in the Dark!" Selenity is a hope machine, and even though she's realistic and can see how terribly things can go, she has her fears counterbalanced by her hope.

Divine Love

Not like that, you lot! She loves @Darvellan, which many characters can likely say about their Divine. However, she ends every prayer with 'Love, Selenity' and he occupies this unusual spot of... idol, parental-like figure, and obviously, Divine Patron. She looks up to Him for more than He likely realizes, and does her best to emulate His best traits from what she's seen. While she is scared of disappointing a lot of people, the one she's scared of disappointing the most is Darvellan. So when people jokingly point out that she's slipping up in offerings - likely not realizing that she has to offer twice what they do to even be on par with them! - she feels waves of guilt and worry.

Ethereal Child

Selenity spent her pre-Portal days in Ethereal Serenwilde. She was raised by Selene... which led to her name, and likely a good deal of her caring, nurturing nature. And a good deal of her cluelessness to how or why things operate the way they do on the Prime Plane. She doesn't understand why people would lie, though she knows that they do and can usually spot it as a result. If her family were to lie to her, she would be clueless to it as she believes they would never lie to her, a result of her time on Ethereal being told and taught by Selene how families were supposed to function... not actually how they do. Also, emphasis on child. She did leave the Portal of Fate and is indeed a woman, but her mindset is still very much like that of a child. She tries her best to act as an adult is expected to, but when scared, or sad, or extremely extremely comfortable, she acts like a little girl.

Dakhamunzu

Native of the Undervault

While her memory of her youth is still mostly clouded by her passage through the portal of fate she finds the Undervault comforting and familiar. She strives to uphold her racial heritage through what her Hive Queen teaches her and what she discovers for herself through her visits to her homeland. Dakhamunzu also strives to keep her fear of the sky deeply hidden. She honestly hates Serenwilde sometimes for it's lack of proper buildings and caverns. She seeks out places that have some familiarity to them and tries to stay indoors when it is raining.

Everything and Everyone Has Their Use

Dakhamunzu hates waste, she finds it abhorrent and completely repugnant. This doesn't necessarily mean that everything has to live up to its full potential but neither should it lay on the wayside and rot. With people this mostly translates to her looking down upon those who do not contribute in someway to their community. With objects it's a bit more complicated. She has learned that while the surface has many more resources than the Undervault does, it is still limited by the simple fact that much of the world has been devoured by the Soulless. This has led her to question why people built cities that further use up these limited resources when forestall communes and small villages seem much more logical.

Manners and Appearance go a Long Way

Violence, threats, and insults will only make a situation worse. Simply being polite and actually talking about things in a reasonable manner will solve far more disputes than a more confrontational attack. This includes appearance and how someone presents themselves. As a result Dakhamunzu wears upworlder clothing despite how uncomfortable she feels in it and tires to be polite to even those who have been aggressive towards her or those she cares about.

Edit: I forgot one!

Records or it Didn't Happen

Dakhamunzu is extremely unsettled that she doesn't remember her life before the portal. As a result she now keeps a journal so that if the inexplicable ever happens again and she forgets everything she will at least have her journal as a reference point. This has also lead to respect for books and the knowledge they contain. It's an anchor that will always stay the same. If she comes back to a book it will provide her with the exact same information it did the last time she read it.

Lavinya

Loyalty is not a matter of convenience
Lavinya has the lowest opinion of those that she deems disloyal - most especially to her own loyalties, but also those who seem to have no passion or conviction in any of their beliefs, seemingly changing them at whim. Loyalty is unwavering, and she strives to always hold strong - to Lord Morgfyre, to Magnagora, to the Demon Lords, to her husband. In doing so she may even turn a blind eye to short-comings or flaws, because being constant is more important than being fickle. She is fierce in her loyalty, unwavering in her devotion, and open in her derision to anyone who isn't. And it has lead to some (ongoing) inner conflict regarding her decision to leave the Nihilists.

Appearances are everything
Vanity is really the foremost trait that became evident in Lavinya, from a very young age, and it has only increased over the years. She cares about how she looks, but it goes deeper than that. She cares about how she is perceived. If outwardly she is perfection, no one will question the doubts and uncertainties inside. She is quite self-conscious and insecure, but she keeps that all hidden away under a shroud of arrogance and haughtiness. And fabulous good looks. Also, as viscanti she is very aware of being considered an abomination, and is thus often torn between pride in her heritage and wondering warily how an outsider perceives her. Putting forward the appropriate facade is of utmost importance, as a true leader and representative leads by example. It's not always easy, and she often has outbursts of revealing emotion that she can't always hide. It is a very, very rare person that is allowed to see the woman behind the public facade.
 
I am merely mortal
In Magnagora there is a very strong desire and lust for power, for using everything at hand to make oneself and ones city strong. While she adheres to the notion of growth, she has some moderation - she is aware she is merely a mortal. There are some who show derision to the elder gods and believe 'mortals' to be above Them, but Lavinya recognises that she is not on top of the food chain and is quite accepting of it. Even if one could fan their divine spark, a dracnari will never become Dracnoris again. A shard is just that, a fragment of something greater. As such, she has a measure of respect for all the elder gods just because of what They are, even those for whom she holds great contempt due to Their teachings and actions. She believe all of Them have a perspective that she can never have due to Their power and age and will often approach Them (even 'enemy gods') for advice and wisdom from time to time.

Decorum defines us
Despite being something of a rebel in her youth, Lavinya has come to strongly desire and depend on decorum. To her, appropriate behaviour is what separates mankind from the beasts. It is a sign of rigorous control and respect. A city that can adhere to its rules on decorum is a city that has strong discipline and respect for one another (or at least the appearance of it). A healthy respect for the arts and culture, for appropriate dress and speech, respect for superiors shows a desire to improve upon ones base nature. People claim that the taint turns people into mindless bloodthirsty savages, yet strict decorum proves that Magnagorans are in complete control of themselves. The fact that few people even care about appearances anymore is incredibly distressing to Lavinya, she views it as a breakdown on society and a crumbling of the foundation of Magnagora. Indeed, forgoing decorum is only an early step on the slippery slope to complete anarchy and self-destruction. That leaders of the city show not even an ounce of respect for decorum has her inwardly panicking and even more determined to stand against the tide and remind everyone of what a proper Magnagoran should be.

Saran

This looks kinda interesting so lets see...

Hope for the coming storm - Saran has seen Serenwilde at it's strongest and he has seen the decades that followed, he knows the strength that the forest possessed and he struggles constantly to maintain the hope that the forces of nature will rise up to reclaim the land as he believes is the true path.

Life is loss - Saran has lived for centuries now, he remembers glory days that are only vague concepts to many of the people that surround him. He has learned and seen what has happened to nature and especially over the years, tempering, at times even dousing, his hope for a bright future. All around him he sees death and destruction of the natural world and this makes him struggle with his faith at times.

Everything is layered, only the surface is for all - When he was young, Saran was a joyous and rather open person. He aligned heavily with the concept of the Fawn or the Maiden, being nearly a perfect little snugglewilder though with boundary issues that held him back from truly embracing the title. Over the years layers have formed around him that he has withdrawn into due to heavily personal incidents. To those on the outside he is overly formal (to maintain the distance, though if you're not close to/respected by him and he's just using your name... you're probably worse than the general public in his eyes), and likely abrasive(because often... he just can't care). Though as he grows closer and more trusting these traits disappear to reveal a likely more mature version of the person he was. 

Power both deep and ancient - Saran firmly believes that the true power of Serenwilde is in its connection to nature and its history. Through the standing stones he believes he has seen the truth of the White Harts teachings, that if one can learn to draw upon the power within the natural world as well as the powers of the past all the way through to the before-time then little is beyond capabilities the forest. 

The power and gift of nature is growth, the cycles of life are both cyclical (repetition over time) and an ever widening spiral (each cycle ultimately creates more than it destroys) because the forest remains true to its connection to the natural world, and it's connection to the natural world provides a true connection to Dynara(the only city that he considers might have a similar connection is Celest, but he feels that like all cities their path has lead them astray and they lack the necessary bond with the natural world).

Sublimation is the Path - Ultimately, the path forward as Saran sees it is to cast off that which is not necessary. To force mortal will on nature is our failing and while the Elders may have possessed an intuitive connection to the will of Dynara that caused them to follow the true path, they also possessed the ability to go against the path of nature, and as with all things it has only grown when allowed to. 

This manifests in the belief that mortals should call on nature to provide rather than merely building whatever they think they need, perhaps abnormally large trees will provide a home, perhaps a cave system exists that can be used, animals may come to create an appropriate space, or more directly the Fae (being intrinsically bound to the will of nature) may provide permission or direction. 

Of course, there is some need to help fight the battle so he... accepts things such as farming, mining, etc but he also looks forward to the day that nature reaches up from within the earth and reclaims the world from those that have scarred it.

Kiradawea

Hrm... I suppose I could try my hand on this.

Right Will. Right Way - The only thing that ultimately ensures virtuous conduct is the will to be virtuous. External rules and regulations can provide incentive for proper actions, but if you yourself as an individual can't motivate yourself to act morally, then none of your actions have moral, even though they may end up helpful for others. This is also why Kira is so strongly for a collectivist/socialist approach to society. By instilling collectivism as an ideal, you teach people to think of how their actions affect the group as a whole, and not just themselves. 

Trust no one - There is no such thing as friendship. Though there may be an occasional diamond in the rough, the vast, vast majority of people are untrustworthy. Do not believe their claims to altruism. Do not ever rely on good will. People are ultimately selfish. And that people will act selfishly is the only thing certain n sociology. The only way to avoid further stabs in your back, is to never expose your back to anyone ever again. It's better this way.

Beauty is everywhere - There's beauty in so many things. Not just crystal sculptures or tints on a canvas. There's beauty in the way the wind spins the desert sands into amazing patterns. There's beauty in how the marsh-flowers push up from the inhospitable wetlands to thrive, despite it all.Challenging the common perceptions of beauty is not just fun, but it's a necessity. It's a requirement in order to educate the masses on the importance of creativity.

Salvation through knowledge - The most important quality one can have, is the desire to learn.Learn from mistakes, so you don't make them again. Learn from introspection, so you can do right the first time around. Learn, study, grow. Proper will is enhanced by proper knowledge. And proper knowledge provides so many more opportunities. Just think of how many inventions that have helped enhance quality of life. From the humble plow that helps the farmer in the field, to the sleek crystalpads, that helps the Hallifaxian bureaucrats to organize everything. To the knowledge crystals, that help researchers ensure that their technology isn't lost. Learning more can only make life better for everyone.