Describe your character in 140 characters. Now have your character describe themself in 140 characters. Also provide any of the basic biographical stats you wish: full name, age, pronouns, gender, class/specializations, etc.
Me : Xalynir is an altruistic and naïve young man, trusting and always ready to help.
Xalynir : “I’m Xalynir Trevelyan. I’m a mage, currently Inquisitor. I do think the world could become a better place. Hope makes us live, doesn’t it.”
Full name : Xalynir Callan Molan Astor Trevelyan
Age :24 at the start of Inquisition ; born in Wintermarch, 9:17 Dragon
Birthplace :Ostwick, Free Marches
Gender :male
Sexuality :Bisexual
Class/Specialization : Storm mage | Knight-Enchanter
Character traits : altruist, patient, social, trusting, kind, steely resolve || naïve, emotional, envious, predictable, idealistic, impressionable
Tagged by @sunshinemage , thank you ! :D Tagging @vilemie @bogatyris @quizzikemen @hinatanara @starryundertiddy and anyone who wants to do it :o
XALYNIR TREVELYAN -
SIGHT.
small towns. big cities. six thirty curfews. lights that take the place of stars. blanket nests. light through the blinds as a wake up call. found family. finding a single star in the middle of new york city. window shopping. watching something terrible and enjoying it. growing numb to the sight of injustice. wilted flowers. faded caricatures. bright, bold colours.
HEARING.
crickets and lightning bugs. car engines and a / c units. a phone call to mum / dad. laughing with friends. jokes that are so bad you have to laugh. the clicking of computer keys. noise cancelling headphones. the sound of silence. muffled music from another room. drumming fingertips on a table. clicking of pens. listening to a clock and swearing the ticks get slower. ringing in the ears. the voice of someone you love. pitch shifted songs.
TOUCH.
being held close during a long night. fleeting reassurances. holding hands when you’re scared. brushing fingers through strands of hair.freshly dried clothes. bruises on your knuckles. silk and satin. your favourite pet’s fur or feather. wringing your hands anxiously. snuggles. comforters in the dead of winter. nails against skin. cold metal. leather in summer.
TASTE.
coffee in the morning. tea in the evening. bubblegum that lost its flavor. alcohol burning the back of your throat. homemade cooking, no matter what’s made. blood in your mouth. stale air. mint. fresh vegetables. that processed taste of citrus candy. the first meal you cook by yourself that tastes good. foreign sweets. fast food. bittersweet. sour. spicy. sweet. bitter. too much salt on fries.
SMELL.
morning glories and honeysuckles. freshly cut grass. hot chocolate in the middle of winter. nail polish. acetone. hospital rooms. smoke. hair spray. your favourite shampoo /conditioner. the scent of home. perfume. cologne. mint. something burning. wet dogs. copper. metal. unemptied ash trays. something familiar yet different. camp fires.
ARALC MAHARIEL -
SIGHT.
small towns. big cities. six thirty curfews. lights that take the place of stars. blanket nests. light through the blinds as a wake up call. found family. finding a single star in the middle of new york city. window shopping. watching something terrible and enjoying it. growing numb to the sight of injustice. wilted flowers. faded caricatures. bright, bold colours.
HEARING.
crickets and lightning bugs. car engines and a / c units. a phone call to mum / dad. laughing with friends. jokes that are so bad you have to laugh. the clicking of computer keys. noise cancelling headphones. the sound of silence. muffled music from another room. drumming fingertips on a table. clicking of pens. listening to a clock and swearing the ticks get slower. ringing in the ears. the voice of someone you love. pitch shifted songs.
TOUCH.
being held close during a long night. fleeting reassurances. holding hands when you’re scared. brushing fingers through strands of hair.freshly dried clothes. bruises on your knuckles. silk and satin. your favourite pet’s fur or feather. wringing your hands anxiously. snuggles. comforters in the dead of winter. nails against skin. cold metal. leather in summer.
TASTE.
coffee in the morning. tea in the evening. bubblegum that lost its flavor. alcohol burning the back of your throat. homemade cooking, no matter what’s made. blood in your mouth. stale air. mint. fresh vegetables. that processed taste of citrus candy. the first meal you cook by yourself that tastes good. foreign sweets. fast food. bittersweet. sour. spicy. sweet. bitter. too much salt on fries.
SMELL.
morning glories and honeysuckles. freshly cut grass. hot chocolate in the middle of winter. nail polish. acetone. hospital rooms. smoke. hair spray. your favourite shampoo /conditioner. the scent of home. perfume. cologne. mint. something burning. wet dogs. copper. metal. unemptied ash trays. something familiar yet different. camp fires.
Talk about your OC’s race. How do they define their race? What influence does it have on their identity? What is their experience of their history & community?
Xalynir is human. Nothing fancy about it. He’s never given much attention to races, and being human never got him persecuted. He is aware of the condition of other races, the treatment some humans have towards them. He works against it when he’s confronted with such a situation. He uses his humanness to protect those he can. And he expects the same from other humans.
History: He grew up in Ostwick, with his family. He grew up on adventure and knight stories, on companionship and friendship.
He knows the history of Thedas, the different conflicts, the wars, and peace; he’s always wished for the world to become a better place. He may not know/hasn’t endured the hardships and cruelty and other horrible things other races endured, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to change what happened.
Community: Family is important, and it’s a safe haven. Friends are a treasure and have to be cared for.
Xalynir never liked the reigning hypocrisy in noble parties, casual evenings or lengthy discussion with other noble families. His parents were good at that - his father too, surprisingly. He wasn’t. The Game he hated, putting a mask, pretending, circling like vultures.
The hypocrisy that suddenly disappeared when you learn that the heir to the Trevelyan family is actually a mage, the one you wanted to marry your daughter, your niece, anyone, to. Then it’s all whispers and side eyes, grabbing your kid closer to you, because who knows...
Xalynir was never Andrastian either. He never liked the history of the Chantry, their views, their doings. It was too far from what he believed in.
Fortunately, Xalynir never had to spend too much time in those parties and wasn’t old enough to understand the stakes. He just didn’t like those ladies wrapped with layers of perfumes pulling his cheeks while inspecting him with a satisfied look. ‘This would make a good match for my daughter.’
Briefly describe your OC’s mental state. Are they neurotypical or neuroatypical? Do they have any mental illnesses or a history with mental illness? How do they handle stress?
Xalynir is a very emotional person. Whether in bad or good. Events can have a quick impact on him - positive or negative. He’s more likely to remember them thanks to the emotional link attached to it. He feels so much, everytime. For example, when he was a kid, his fright when he got locked in a cupboard while playing hide and seek turned into claustrophobia. Or the time when he lost his horse during a harsh winter made him reluctant towards ice magic.
He does have some trauma from losing his lover when he was at the Circle. And the Inquisition did leave some marks too.
He’s not a stressed person, as surprising as it may look. He’s still quite reasonable when stressed, even though sometimes his emotions get the upper hand. It’s better for him to not be stressed by the slightest thing, especially when he’s Inquisitor (and when he has to deal with a bunch of trashes @bogatyris @vilemie @quizzikemen @hinatanara )
He’s less assured in the Game or during such events. He doesn’t like the reigning hypocrisy and isn’t quick-witted at all.
He also tends to build up what’s on his mind, doesn’t talk about it to not bother people. Until he explodes.
Briefly describe your character’s physical appearance. Are they able-bodied or disabled? Are they comfortable with their looks/body, or did they wish their body was different? Do they have any significant scars? How fit are they?
What is their experience with the Anchor? If/when they lose their hand, how does that go? How do they handle it afterwards?
Xal is well built, a bit smaller than average at 172cm (5′6″). Broad shoulders and slimmer down the torso. He has muscled arms, thighs and legs, a minimum to be able to fight with a staff and a magic sword later on. Although as years go by, he becomes softer and has some belly due to him cooking regularly - especially cookies. He does groan when someone points it out, but overall he’s never complained about his looks.
He has striking blue eyes, ones you’d rarely forget, usually filled with kindness. He has a light rosy skin, that tends to redden quickly on the cheeks when embarassed or under the sun. It’s smooth and soft, and he can’t grow a beard to save himself. Not that he’d want to, on the contrary. He even shaves his legs - eventhough he has blond hairs.
His hair is short and light brown, and tends to wear his fringe on the left. Sometimes he switches.
INJURY | FITNESS : Xalynir has an old ankle injury that makes it painful for him to do intense movements on humid days. He usually wears a brace to hold it in place, and regularly goes to the healer for physiotherapy sessions. Later in life, when the weather is too awful for him, he has to use a cane to walk around. Something he doesn’t really like.
Other than that, he is fit.
Another interesting thing about him is that he’s naturally warm. He doesn’t need much protection when it’s a bit cold and gladly serves as a heater.
SCARS : He has scars, some of them more visible than others. The first ones are on his left side of his face : the one on the eyebrow he got when fighting intruders back at the Circle. The one on his cheek results from his fall at Haven after the avalanche.
Other scars are the storm magic induced ones. Lichtenberg figures, going up his arms. They’re not visible right away, you’d need to look at his hand to notice them first. Because of them, later in his life, he loses some sense of touch at the tip of his fingers.
There must be other scars on his body, due to the fightings. Some of them due to emotional reasoning (instead of rational one).
ANCHOR : Xal was always a bit torn between the fascination towards that unknown magic and the burden it was. Towards the end of Inquisition and in pre-Trespasser, he started to feel the bad side of the Anchor. Pain would come in crises, growing everytime. Sometimes he could see the green glow on some of his scars and he’s never been this afraid of magic before. Because he realized what the Anchor could actually do. It would sometimes fuck up his mana, and in these moments he prefered not to use his magic to prevent any unfortunate accident. He was definitely not on his best days during Trespasser, the Anchor asking more and more of his strength.
This is probably something he’ll always be bitter about, internally - because he would never say it : how much the Anchor took from him, that some people knew or had suspicions about what could happen. Not that he could’ve prevented it.
When he lost his arm, at first he was relieved. The pain was gone and he was still alive. But quickly he realized how much he’d relied on his left arm -but made him glad he was ambidextrous. Still, it was hard to learn to live with one arm. The first months, aside from phantom pain, he had to relearn how to get dressed, wash, eat etc. He didn’t want to hear about prosthetics, because it reminded him too much of what he lost.
Eventually he got one and he was glad to have it. Made his life easier.
Lack of honor, selfishness (he grows to understand that though), not helping people
What he likes to do :
Cooking, reading swashbuckling adventure stories, gardening (even though he doesn’t have green fingers)
About his magic :
Always loved thunderstorms: that’s why he has an affinity with storm magic
Lost a horse younger during a particularly harsh winter: that’s why he's reluctant towards ice magic
Becomes knight-enchanter because he saw how badass Vivienne was, and also because he’s read lots of stories about them and it reminds him of his childhood books - also he can heal
He has a great mana pool
Other :
No sense of direction
Ambidextrous
Sleepwalker during stress periods
Sleeptalker
Fidgets with his fingers when nervous
Good contact with horses
Life before the Circle :
Lived with his family at the Trevelyan domain, in Ostwick ; sometimes they’d go to Wycome for holidays and such
Had private tutors for his education
Good horserider
Loved taking care of his siblings
Life during the Circle :
The Circle reframed his views on the chantry
Discovers his exceptional mana capacity, his storm affinity
Meets Miral who mentors him; they develop a romantic relationship
At 17 he passes his Harrowing
Miral dies when Xal’s 22; he earns a scar from the event
After his mourning, he becomes a junior enchanter
When was is declared he flees the Circle
Life after the Circle :
During his flight, he’s caught in a wolf trap; he’s healed by elves (?)
Has after-effects because he left before he was fully healed
Escape lasts a year or so
Probably got lost around Ostwick
Goes back home before being sent to the Conclave
Long-term handicaps :
Wolf trap: ankle tendon remains fragile despite the healing; wears a brace; during humid weathers, he sometimes has to walk with a cane; recurrent sessions of reeducation with the Inquisition’s healer
Magic induced scars on his arms, Lichtenberg figures; on the long term (so after a dozen years), has reduced sense of touch at the tip of his fingers; doesn’t like being touched on his arms when the act is uninvited
Xal does his morning stretching and feeds his bird Blue. Then goes around Skyhold to greet those who are awake ! And some mornings he needs to take care of a particular tent… Man’s got his needs after all…
Aralc first untangles her hair for the night sleep. Then goes to bathe if possible… And some stretching too, after putting clothes that won’t shock the others…
36. what is their “nighttime ritual”?
Xal bathes in the evening, helps soothe the tension from the day. He likes to spend some time in the tavern with his crew before heading back to his quarters when everyone leaves. He finishes some reports until midnight, spends a dozen minutes on his balcony outside watching the stars and then goes to bed, sometimes reading a book.
When she’s on guard duty, she usually sharpens her daggers and checks her bow and arrows. She silently patrols around the camp. When she’s off guard, she puts some traps around the camp for game (after eating of course). Then she just pulls up whatever she was working on : learning to read, to write, asking questions to her campmates until they push her away. She braids her hair for the night and continues reading in a tree before going to bed.
