What is their name, and how old are they? Does their name or birthday hold any significance?
How many languages do they speak? Do they have any sort of accent?
Which companions (or advisors) do they like to spend time with when they’re not travelling?
How do they feel about dragons?
What did they think of King Cailan and Duncan? How did they react to their deaths?
Who rules Orzammar, Bhelen or Harrowmont? How did your Warden make their decision?
How did they resolve the conflict in the Brecilian Forest? Did they side with the werewolves, the elves, or did they reach a truce?
What gifts would raise their approval rating if they were a companion?
Kalina Tabrys is 19, I think. He's just hit adulthood, he's ready to solve everyone's problems with friendship (and incredible rageful violence). Kalina is named after kalina berry bushes. I learned a lot of songs and poems about kalinas in Ukrainian, and it's got an association with home and healing, but the berries are really bitter. I like the contrast, I think it fits well with Kalina's desire for social connection and solutions and his thorough destruction of people who hurt him or his folks.
Kalina speaks the Trade Tongue and really desperately wishes he was fluent in Elvish. He knows a few words from his mother's books, all related to religious rituals, but that's it. He doesn't have an accent, per se. But he talks slowly and over-enunciates his words, with the exception of a few rehearsed or familiar phrases and names. He himself imitating other people's accents without meaning to as well.
Kalina likes each of his companions in a unique way, but I think he spends the most time with Zev and Morri. They're so different from him, in their worldview and experience, yet Kalina finds himself in them. Morri with her connection to nature and interest in the world, and Zev with his elven heritage, all important to Kalina. It's comforting, almost validating, to see such familiar things in people who are so different. He could listen to either of them talk for hours. He likes to braid their hair when he's listening to their stories or insights. I think, if they all got more comfortable, he'd love to make woodworking or textile crafts with them. Besides them, Kalina likes to sit and goof off with Alistair a lot. He sees Al like a brother and it really makes him miss his cousins.
Kalina likes animals and creatures, and initially, dragons are no exception. As a kid, he absolutely has fantasized about somehow having a dragon companion he could ride as it flew. The nightmares from the Joining have put a big damper on this enthusiasm though. Thinking about dragons now just makes him shudder.
Duncan and King Callan were symbols of hope to Kalina, who I think really struggles with hopelessness. He has been supported by his community for most of his life, and on his wedding day, his community was not enough to protect his beloved cousins. So he solves the problem with violence, despite his instinct to seek social solutions. He's full of rage and reeling from this experience when Duncan whisks him away to join the Gray Wardens. To Kalina, this is another chance to protect his community effectively and find hope again. Duncan singles Kalina out, makes him feel special and capable, and Kalina clings to that hope. Kalina really likes King Callan. The king seemed a bit brazen and impulsive, which are traits that Kalina doesn't realize he shares. He liked his sense of humor and enthusiasm, and it gave him hope.
Then they both die. Duncan dies and leaves Kalina in an entirely new world, where Kalina does not know the social scripts, how to connect with people, how to protect and be protected. He's alone. On top of that, King Callan is dead now too. King Callan's death made Kalina feel unsteady in his own enthusiasm and leadership. If King Callan can't make it in this world, with his hopeful approach and attitude, how can Kalina? What hope is there? But Kalina can't think about that right now, can't have doubts or let these deaths or the loss of his community affect anything, because he's a fresh, baby-faced leader and if he looks shaky even for a second, the world is at stake.
Bhelen rules Orzammar! Out of game, my partner suggested it lol. In game, Kalina doesn't really like underhanded deceitful politics and unnecessary grandeur and violence. Harrowmount did some underhanded shit and was going to ask Kalina to do some sort of Champion fighting. Kalina does not understand political games like that or the importance of those rituals. He prefers the ruler who will be direct, because that is communication he will be able to understand. He thinks that's Bhelen.
The Brecilian Forest was not a fun time for Kalina. He was so so happy to find elves who still followed the ancient traditions and who could teach him. Honestly he was probably daydreaming about settling down there after the small matter of stopping the Blight. He talked to literally everyone he could, read every scrap of paper and every plaque on a statue, and remembered it all. When Kalina heard about the werewolves, his instinct was to resolve it peacefully. He was angry, maybe, about their attacks, but hitting fist and asking questions later has gotten him nowhere. He was absolutely devastated and lost to find out about the whole complicated situation. The leader of the elves, who in Kalina's imagination was already teaching him the ancient ways of the elves, was not who he said he was. During the last fight, Kalina was angry and spent the entire time chasing the elven leader until he gave up. He didn't even think twice about the werewolves doing what they did. He came away from that arc heavily disillusioned.
I think that Kalina would like random lil trinkets, rocks with cool symbols on them, like Alistair. Books about elven lore or elven artifacts would also send him over the moon.
