Rolan Headcanons part 2
Thought I would put down some more of my brainrot thoughts about our fav grumpy Tiefling.
Some of these definitely aren't original, just sort of my take on them.
Has an almost completely imperceptible interdental lisp, like to the regular ear you would not hear it. However, it sneaks out sometimes if he's sick or extremely exhausted.
Fit as hell. That man is pure definition under those robes. I think in part it's genetic, but also he does make it a point to keep himself in shape, especially once he's no longer constantly on the move after residing permanently at Ramazith's tower. Loves running and swimming (the latter I have seen in another headcanon post and its perfect).
Incredibly touch-starved. Constantly caught between freezing at touch because he doesn't know how to respond and wanting it vehemently. Over time, after being in a relationship with tav/companion, he will get more comfortable and will velcro himself to them, especially in bed.
Absolute coffee snob. Takes pride in the ritual of making good coffee. Once, when visiting the tower, Tav said they didn't mind instant and Rolan felt physically ill.
Fantastic navigational skills.
Say he's a red wine drinker because it's classy and mysterious, but would absolutely prefer a chardonnay or a pinot gris.
Was abandoned as a baby because he was a Teifling. Either from an elf/human/half-elf mother who had a child with a Tiefling and didn't know their genetics were dominant, or from the idea (that I saw in another post) that there are dormant infernal genes that beings can carry and can be randomly expressed. Either way, that was why we was abandoned.
As a result, and I think he's always kind of known this, he has an odd relationship with his body and sometimes he forgets that parts of him are infernal and it makes him incredibly self-conscious sometimes.
Is a 100% a sorcerer (I think Gale is too but thats for another post). When we meet him, he is clearly a man in his 30s at least, who has never had any formal wizard training and has made his own spells. We see in the Lorroakin fight that he has 'Rolan's' spells' that are different to the normal iterations for spellcasters. He pulls a light show at the Tielfing party and then next time you see him, he's rescued all the Tielfing children with his magic. It's clearly innate to him.
Because it's innate, he never seeks another apprenticeship after Lorroakin, partly because of the trauma and partly because he knows that he can do something others can't. There are gaps in his knowledge and actual training, yes, but in those times, I think after The Netherbrain, he's comfortable enough to reach out to Gale for assistance.
Out of all the companions, Rolan gets along with Astarion the least, and it’s because they are very similar. Beneath the surface, both of them are gentle, caring, sensitive, and deeply affectionate people, but their baseline way of moving through the world is to keep others at an emotional distance so they can’t be hurt again. For Astarion, this shows up as flirting, biting comments, and theatrics. For Rolan, it manifests as arrogance, dismissiveness, and a sense of superiority. They are, in many ways, looking at the same wounds and I think they struggle to recognise the mirror in front of them.
