Hello! What does Qurin think of her companions? Also, given that the godlike are canonically iffy with gender/sex, has that been an important or relevant part to her life? I find it very neat that you have a whole arc to her backstory! (((also if it gets obnoxious with the questions, that's okay! You have just written a very compelling character :} )))
I would never find obnoxious being asked about my characters. I find it super flattering that you are interested like wow, WOW. :’) So absolutely thank you for asking!Alothfirst impression: well-off Aedyran came to a place like Dyrwood and doesn’t know how handle this at all, in this he reminded her of Heodan and it’s not a good thought, she honestly anticipated they will be just companions out of convenience and he will leave as soon as he finds his own goal to pursue
later: oh dude, he grew on her more than she expected he would? turns out they are good at sharing comfortable silence and not pushing more than the other one is comfortable, so things develop rather naturally and they don’t realise until they already care. they are salty over animancy together. when Qurin learns about Aloth’s past she gets extra protective over him and it frustrates her to no end that he retreats into being quiet and obedient, because she copes in exactly opposite direction
Ederfirst impression: ‘okay but like chilling next to that tree and counting dead is weird, why are you like this?’ when she heared that he is still just standing in Gilded Vale despite the fact that his own neighbours would prefer him dead, she decided that whatever he is doing is definitely not healthy, so even going with her will be better for him
later: she likes Eder, he is far more observant than she gave him credit for and she loves hearing his remarks about what is going on in Dyrwood, they fight really well together too, he is defence to her offence. she appreciates his simple honesty and warmth, they talk and joke while smoking pipes together
Durancefirst impression: well, he was an odd one and a priest at that. but the moment he started to shit talk Magran, Qurin was like “I don’t know what you are selling and why to me in particular, but I’m bought”
later: mmmm, I think the big thing in their relation is that in their life they had exactly opposite development, Durance went from moderate to extreme and Qurin did the leap from extreme to moderate, in a way that makes them meet in the middle and understand each other to an extent, while also they keep disagreeing on many issues, for her it feels like ‘your premises seem good, but your conclusions are garbage’, they argue on regular basis, not always politely, Qurin is not bothered much by how crude Durance is, she knew worse than him and she prefers that to deceitful politeness
Kana Ruafirst impression: she didn’t understand why some old ruins, or text would be worth all this hassle, but okay, whatever, come along
later: she still doesn’t understand why some old ruins, or text would be worth all this hassle, it’s not like past is some magical secret that holds all the answers, it was different time, with different ideas and problems. but it’s okay, they agree to disagree. after spending years in a monastery that was a fairly peaceful and slow-paced place, she appreciates Kana’s excited energy and passion, it’s like a breath of fresh air. he tells her stories from different parts of the world and in exchange she teaches him meditative chants
Saganifirst impression: she found her story and quest fascinating? she wanted to be a part of it, Sagani impressed her with her calm determination
later: there is absolutely nothing she has against Sagani, she never stopped thinking she is cool, if Qurin was 10 years younger she may have been a mother figure to her, but as it is they are just good friends who respect each other, she loves hearing stories about Naasitaq and imagines what it would be like to grow up in such tight-knit community
Hiraviasfirst impression: stop joking around and let me roast that deer meat
later: hearing his story makes her need to take care of the outcasts kick in really hard, she considers it strange how much love and respect she still has for his tribe and druid circle despite how much grief they gave him, she just wants him to know that he is more than good enough on his own, his usual joking attitude makes her either sigh and roll her eyes (because she is above that sort of humour) or laugh hysterically in her fist (because actually she is not), but she likes him the most when they talk one on one and he becomes less guarded, she loves seeing him being passionate about something
Palleginafirst impression: why do you expect me to know anything about how those vailian merchant diplomacy things work, I respect your anger, but I’m kinda lost
later: aaaaaaa it’s really difficult with Pallegina, because Qurin would want to be closer to her, she admires her strength and is fascinated by her experiences as a godlike, but the problem is that they are in a very different places in life, Qurin doesn’t like her ‘my life belongs to the ducs’ tune, but on the other hand supporting animancy is not a cause she can get behind, so I can’t see them becoming very close, but if there was a ‘Pallegina deserves better than the shit she gets from life’ movement, Qurin would join the cause immediately. I kinda hope they will get a better chance to bond in poe2
Grieving Motherfirst impression: ???? ?? ??? ??(childbirth is weird) (so is what just happened) (I need a moment)
later: after getting accustomed to the way their communication works, she mostly feels bad for Grieving Mother? there is wisdom to her, but at the same she feels... broken in a way? even if that’s not the best way to describe it. aside from delving deeper and deeper into her memories, she just want to offer her some presence and company, because being Grieving Mother seems like a lonely place
I will write abt White March companions when I get the expansion and can hang out with them a bit
as for gender stuff I consider Qurin a demiwoman and yeah you can say it is connected to her story! she sees gender as just another set of boundaries that people put on themselves to separate each other in ‘us and them’ fashion, since yanno, souls don’t have gender and reincarnate between all sorts of bodies, so she takes it all with a grain of salt, but as much as I don’t think she ever faced people denying her gender altogether where she lived, she probably did get your casual ‘you poor thing, not being able to bear children’ or other sorts of indiscreet ‘concerns’, so yeah she puts importance in her womanhood, but on her own terms and hearing that there are nations that outright decide that godlike can’t be neither man or woman only makes her more stubborn nad assured in this
