#marsh rook

[little-elf-wanders]

An attempt at Marsh.

The horn obviously isn't broken here and he has some face paint to indicate the Vitaar they'll probably give us. I thought I'd hate the hair colour but it actually works really well with his skin.

[little-elf-wanders]

Veilguard Vault: Character Planning

~ Warrior Role ~

Basics

Name: Marsh (Aka Rook)

Age: 29

Gender: Male/Nonbinary 

Height: Average (Note: Short for a Qunari)

Race: Qunari // Tal-Vashoth

Faction: Lords Of Fortune

Class: Warrior // Two-handed

Subclass: Reaper 

Sexuality: Closet Bisexual (He gay panics)

Possible Romance: Lucanis (He makes him feel tall)

Possible Friends: Taash, Harding, Assan, Davrin?, Emmerich, Varric, 

Possible Yikes: Solas, Neve, Davrin?

Possibly Unsure: Davrin, Bellara

Personality

Likes: Money, Loot, Breaking things, Stealing things, Shady business schemes, The ocean, Biting, Changing his hair an ungodly amount of times, Sharp teeth, Coffee, His rings, Bright colours, Adventuring, Flirting his way into and outta situations, Singing (though he won’t like comments about it).

Dislikes: Orlais, Politics, Solas, The law (sorry Neve), Slavers, Being stared at, Big statues, Long debates (he has no attention span), The Qun, Being told what to do. 

Quirks: He picks his teeth when he’s bored, He sharpens his teeth because sometimes he likes to bite people in the middle of battle, Very self conscious that he’s not as big as most Qunari so out of sheer spite he’s learned to use a battle axe, He has a big mouth that often gets him in trouble but he’s also very good at getting out of it, Really wanted to explore under the ocean but it was impossible. (He tried and nearly drowned. Twice.)

Backstory: Marsh was always a scrawnier Qunari than the other boys, which you’d think would mean he’d have more incentive to behave, obey and fit in. It had the opposite effect, as instead it spurred him to rebel and prove himself even harder – growing to quickly learn he hated being told who he was and what he should do, tension built between him and… everyone around him. Somewhere along the way, he developed behavioural issues. He was cocky, had a smart mouth, a shit eating grin and talked too much smack for the kid who got his ass handed to him by the bigger peers. Marsh wasn’t a happy kid, he was an angry kid, leading to multiple incidents in his youth that didn’t earn him any favours. “Marsh” - not his Qun name -wasn’t fit for the Qun. After one incident once he was fed up with his assigned job as a blacksmith, he got into it with his teacher when he kept pocketing materials meant for weaponry, he was caught red handed. A bad fight broke out, which cost him half his horn and earned him half an ear from his assaulter, and although deep down he knew stealing wasn't a smart move, he was too angry at everything to admit it when he had the chance. He was promptly sent to re-education which broke the final straw for him. Unable to accept the Qun or his role, or how everything he did was always wrong, bad or against the Qun, he snapped and snuck away from his home in Kont-aar, moving further into Rivain where he disappeared into trading markets. It was a long journey just to get there and it really let him experience more than he ever would with his teacher. He escaped young at the age of 15 and became a dreaded Tal-Vashoth, where he’d scrap and scavenge anything and everything he could to survive. As it turned out, he was exceptionally good at it. His life in the Qun and his breeding as a Qunari gave him more of an edge than he realised. Inside the Qun, he was weak, yet out here? He had options. So many options. Which he took full advantage of; he watched merchants, watched pirates, watched the people of Rivain and grew incredibly fascinated by their customs, their blatant acceptance and reverence of magic, and just everything he came across felt like seeing colour for the first time – it felt like life, life perfectly wrapped in sea salt air. Marsh swiftly discovered he wasn’t as bad socially as he initially thought – where he’d get pushback, chiding, scolding or flat out strict snaps with the Qun, here he was more… accepted. Some younger kids even began to look up to him when he stuck up for them, and they helped him get better accustomed to life in Dairsmuid. They welcomed his conversation, taught him their language and from there he began to network.

At 17, he established many groups or... gangs, might be the better word, networking with his own little group of troublemakers. Finding information, items, lost things... it all became his talent, of course backed up by his teeth and battle axe. He especially learned of his love of trade through those years. Money, shiny things, bright fabrics, unique items, you name it he got it. He got a hunger for it and a passion for finding things people wanted, things he was never allowed to touch before. 

This led him right into the arms of the Lords Of Fortune, whom he worked with for a good sum of years, and eventually that brought Varric. 

[Image was made on picrew]

[little-elf-wanders]

Qunari's are hard to make.

[little-elf-wanders]

Before he was Rook, he was Marsh, and before he was Marsh... well, it didn't matter, did it?

His opponent certainly didn't care, the battle axe was too deep in the cranium; any opinion buried under a cracked skull and ripped staining hide that was seeping red, a helmet that didn't do him any good.

"Tits, Marsh! That's disgusting!" Came the horrified yelp of his friend, Otto.

Marsh shoved his boot up onto the chest of the bandit, or raider, or whatever piss poor occupation had led this now-corpse into thinking mugging them on the road was a smart plan. It's like they never saw the horns anymore. He wiggled his battle axe to try to rip it free, but somehow he'd gotten it stuck. Too much force? Whatever, this was his favourite, he needed it back. There was a glint from his spiked silver piercings as the bridge of his nose bunched up on a crinkle. "Fuckin'. Make her look away." He shot at Otto in frustration. "This isn't gonna be pretty."

"None of that was pretty! Talking to me about pretty." Otto, his elven friend, turned to the girl who'd asked them for help. She was currently trembling a little ways back from them - stuck staring in wide eyed terror. So much blood. So many shards of bone. Her expression was hollowing, wailing without ever uttering a peep. He went to turn her away from the bloodbath that became of her quest, no doubt a sight that'd haunt her for awhile to come.

"How is this so easy for you, man?" Otto asked, glancing over his shoulder, hands holding the girls tightly to make sure she stayed turned away for the bile inducing crunching that came from Marsh trying to tug his axe free. "Aren't your people all about order or... something?"

"Do you even know anything about the Qun? My people sew the eyes and mouths of the Saarebaas, they collar them, leash them, and command them like dogs. Just for having magic, just for having the poor luck of being born with it. So maybe out here is less brutal in comparison." Finally, the blade came loose, along with the splatter of blood that he wasn't fast enough to dodge. It stained over his cheek as a reminder of the bloody path he'd chosen for himself. Still a choice, though, eh? The body slumped back with a thump into the sand, eased back by a light kick of his boot, and he turned to look at Otto.

"Don't look at me like that."

Otto had magic, and he could see that elf picturing the pain behind his words. His grimace was enough to make him mad. Because now that he was out... it was fucking mad, wasn't it? Nothing sounded normal anymore. "That... doesn't explain why you can kill a man and not even flinch." Not everyone was a merc or a cutthroat. Otto fancied himself something else. "You never did tell me much."

Marsh sighed, shoulders slumping. They weren't very hulking shoulders for a Qunari. He looked underfed, mostly. Scrawny. Though he did have some toning definitions that'd dissuade from the idea that he couldn't punch someone's lights out. The litter of bodies on the sand would back that up.

"Who were you... before... all this?" Otto pressed on.

"Not what you're probably thinking. I never once touched the Karataam. Or anything close. I just..." He dropped his gaze to the grim display of bodies. Whatever he said now wouldn't have been believable, huh? "It doesn't matter. Would you rather I let them take her?"

"No..."

"Then don't worry about it." Otto was a good guy, a gentle guy. There was no way to tell him that he could kill so easily because he was angry enough to do it, and that the people coming at him with their blades were likely just as angry at something else - a vicious, bloody cycle. Or that it was survival of the fittest.

Well. Almost. He had one weak spot. The gentle.

He stepped away from his mess, leaving them for the birds and other wildlife. His battle axe was hefted back up, where it rested on his shoulder on his approach to the woman. He didn't blame her for flinching when he crouched down so he could get in her line of vision, his eyes weren't the nicest to see. Especially after something like that. He never hid his thrill during the violence, the grin that he could never explain away. His eyes were another story, and certainly didn't help ease her nerves; they were vibrant gold against pitch black, demonic if you were religious and judgemental. Very sharp looking, built to appear like he was in a constant glare. The blood across his face, clothes and dripping from his axe probably didn't help. But he tried to soften those shitty eyes of his regardless, because he could see how terrified she was. "I won't let anyone hurt you, alright? Let me worry about the threats out here."

She turned to tuck into Otto's chest, a small nod and a whimper leaving her.

"Just stick to Otto, he's good one." He didn't linger near her long, or try to convince her any more than that. That was Otto's job. To be the face. He pushed up and puffed a breath, while looking out along the beach trail, "Right, we should continue. It's a big walk to this village of yours, and they're bound to have noticed you're gone by now. We should pick up the pace."

Otto sighed, and rubbed at her back, his head dipped to murmur soft words. Comforting. Everything he couldn't do, and like a charm, she was stepping back with a whole new determination in her eyes. She took to walking again, and he looked at him. "One of these days, I'll teach you how to talk to women."

"Don't bother." Marsh scoffed, "I can talk to them when I want."

"Can you!?" Otto dared a laugh and nudged him into a walk, just to brush off his arm that came away with some sticky red. "Maybe try it when you aren't covered in a man's fluids, hm?"

Marsh deadpanned, "Why'd you gotta say it like that?"

"My friend, since I've known you, you've been like a grubby stray with an aversion to your own appearance." Otto shook his head, "Affectionately, you'd do well to care. You're handsome under all that gore. You might even go far if you knew how to use it."

Often, he'd brush off these comments from Otto. He was a conman, after all. The elf who smiled so dashingly at his marks while he set them up for ruin. It was foolishly political with him, so his marks usually had grudges that meant more than a beating. Yet...

"How far? You're the businessman, tell me my worth." Curiosity nipped him.

Otto smirked, a sly, foxish smirk that almost had Marsh retracting everything he just asked. It was too late, though, he'd stepped into it, and now this silver-tongued rogue was going to let him know his long con. "How many Tal-Vashoth go out their way to actually change peoples opinions of them, hm? If you managed to command that, to defy certain preconceived notions? You'd be immortal, mate."

"...You're really dumb sometimes. You know there's plenty out there who defy this shit."

"Fuck off, I mean in the business sense, which frankly, is abysmal on your peoples end - no offense. The Qunari I've seen don't trade, and if they do it's to humour us or watch us, reading us for conversion or conquering. Meanwhile, Tal-Vashoth do it to survive. I've never once met one who actually likes the act like you do. You know the respect you'd get for doing and them knowing you fuckin' mean it? You know how many doors that'd open for you? To be actually trusted? You like finding things, and so far you've been perfect at it, but so far no one trusts you to be anything but a spy or hired muscle. Because you act it and look it."

Here he goes. Marsh would have droned him out like any other ramble he gave him, yet something in him was listening. Up until now, he'd been surviving. He'd use the excuse of trying to find himself but... He'd really just been hiding. Fuck, he thought. Otto was good at knowing what to say to crawl into his brain. Because now he had him thinking. And the more he thought, the more something stoked in his gut, a fire he couldn't quite put out.

Marsh hadn't left the Qun to hide. He'd left it to do something with himself.

"Alright, I'm listening. If by the end of this journey, you can teach me to somehow not scare the shit out of her any time she looks at me? I'll believe you and put in the effort."

Otto grinned, and clapped him on the back, "Oh, my friend, by the time I'm done with you... you'll be a shark."

"I prefer barracudas." He interjected.

"Huh?"

"Barracudas." Marsh side-eyed him. "Make me a barracuda instead, they're cooler and they are perfect at ambushes. Sharks are obviously just the oceans Qunari."

"...I'll make you a barracuda, then. Yes, yes."

Marsh's lips curled up, revealing those sharpened teeth, two rows of points meant for ripping and tearing.

[little-elf-wanders]

Baby Marsh before he lost his horn, utterly bemused at his assigned job. I think I've settled that he had white hair like a lot of the qunari do, it's easier to settle with in my head.

[little-elf-wanders]

I can see it now.

Davrin: Is... is he alright?

Marsh, face down on the sand, bloody, not breathing. Battle axe imbedded in a foes skull, fingers still tightly gripping the sheath.

Lucanis: Give it a minute.

Marsh gasping into life and pushing up, absolutely wrecked but grinning like a masochistic lunatic.

Davrin: .....He's insane isn't he?

Lucanis: Probably.

[little-elf-wanders]

The Warrior can become a Reaper, which uses night blades to steal life and risk death to gain unnatural abilities

oh no

Marsh is gonna be the "HE NEEDS SOME MILK!" meme when he spitefully uses the power of death to do massive damage, just to crumple into a puddle right after

[little-elf-wanders]

It's interesting when you recycle characters you have for games because they can change so drastically.

For instance, Marsh is originally a merman character I write in roleplay - a supernatural urban fantasy type deal, he's a barracuda merman who's whole schtick is that he can find people things and has a whole business surrounding it but he's also sort of a conman on the side. He's got ties in both the deep ocean cities and the land cities. And barracuda's are exceptional ambushers, they're the type of fish to steal fish right off human's catches so I tried to find a suitable... build. To me a warrior reaper sounds about on brand. (he'd be a reaver if we had them but I think reaper might be close to reaver? Who knows! but he's a warrior anyway because Lucanis is a rogue and I'm wanting the synergy to match in game since you can combo abilities) The fortune faction also lines up incredibly perfect for that.

The appearance is where I found the most issue. I looked over all the dragon age universe races and had to try to link Marsh to one of them. Elf was out because I already have an idea set in stone for Effie (another completely different recycled character), human would suit him due to his human alter ego but I find humans pretty boring in fantasy games, dwarf just wouldn't fit him, and the only one that made any sense was Qunari. (which I haven't fully committed to ever playing before so this should be a fun step out my comfort zone. I've never been able to be happy with designing one anyway) But he isn't super bulky so it had me scratching my head. The news on the character creation really saved my ass because I thought I'd need to make another elf, but since the sliders are pretty in depth, I'm hoping I can make a twinky Qunari. I doubt I'll get to add his nose bridge piercings, though, but height is also adjustable so I can make him more in line with his merman alter ego. His greyish/silverish skin will also work because he has two forms as a merman; human disguise, where he's definitely more on the tan side, then his medium dark grey and silver scales as a merman, the shades for qunari typically line up with silver and grey so I can match that up. I'm keeping the sharp teef. Even if we can't make teeth like that, canonically, he'll have them in my heart.

Trying to actually design him as a qunari is a nightmare only when I think about the adjustments I need to make, because he has brown hair in human form, and tealish/blue in merman form. So I think settling on the ability to change it a lot will be better, I can also just let him experiment in game with colours to see what might fight better. I have the basic concept in my head but finalising it might need to wait until I see what I can toy with in character creator. The image I do have in my head? I love him, he's a disaster.

So! Basically, what I have so far is;

Qunari

Grey skin - light or dark, as long is it's more grey I'm not picky

Sharp teef

Any piercings the game will allow (facial and ears) Ideally nose bridge spikes or something for the lip or eyebrow

Broken horn

POSSIBLE chipped ear or one being a cauliflower ear - just evidence he's been scrappy

Not a beefcake, he's supposed to be still barracudaish and have a hidden lethality

Short for a Qunari but realistically he'd be about 6'' or 5'10

Tattoo's

Hair can be brown or teal (dyed regularly is also fun) Unsure what his natural hair would have been - white is the typical colour so maybe that. Hairstyle wise I'm picky and stuck. Either something with an undercut or he's got long hair he ties back.

Eyes were supposed to be green but research shows they have more vivid tones, soooo, likely the final concept of him will be yellow or silver eyes, red only if it fits better

Scars - I envision him with an eye scar and a cheek scar in this world

I won't know fully until cc but hey, it's a start!