LEONIDAS BELGRAVE
[CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONNAIRE]
BASICS -
1. Height?
Leo is 6′0.
2. Eye color?
Blue/Gray.
3. Do they need glasses?
No.
4. Scars and birthmark?
They have a star-shaped scar on the back of their neck, due to them being incidentally stabbed with a screwdriver by their older brother. They also have a small, round birthmark on the right side of their rib cage, which they affectionately refer to as Pascal, the third nipple.
5. Tattoos and piercings?
They have a poke tattoo of the Aries constellation on their left shoulder blade, which they have no memory of getting.
6. Right or left handed?
Left!
7. Any disabilities? Physical or mental.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
8. Do they have any allergies?
Not that they’re aware of.
9. Favorite color?
Doesn’t have one. Prefers warmer colors, though.
10. Typical outfits?
As eccentric as possible. Sometimes, when they feel more modest they’ll opt for baja hoodies, shawls, mismatched socks. But they also aren’t too shy to wear something more revealing. Sometimes skirts, sometimes slacks, one time literally nothing at all. The colors are always vibrant and eye catching regardless of what they are wearing though.
11. Do they wear any makeup?
Sometimes, though usually only when going out. They like to keep it simple, with a bit of mascara, eyeliner, and gloss. Their nails are always painted, though.
12. What weapon do they use, if any?
They always carry a mace around in their bag, but never once have they used it. Why a mace, you may be wondering? Because it is just as chaotic as they are.
PERSONALITY -
13. Are they more optimistic or pessimistic?
Optimistic.
14. Are they introverted or extroverted?
Extroverted. It’s nearly impossible for them to meet a stranger.
15. What are their pet peeves?
Boring conversation, people who act indifferent about everything, people who get offended easily, using eating utensils when you could use your hands, slow walkers, people who don’t wipe their mouths when they’re eating.
16. What bad habits do they have?
Oh boy. They chew on their cheek, they pull on loose threads, they fidget, they’d bite their nails if polish wasn’t so damn expensive. They are willing to take anything for a temporary escape: usually alcohol and halfling weed but... they are open to other options. They also tend to switch topics quickly and usually focus on having their own reply ready instead of focusing on what the other person is saying.
17. Do they have any phobias?
Getting old. Not physically, but spiritually. In a sense, they’re afraid there’ll be a day where they wake up and realize everything they thought they’d achieve is behind them and they no longer have anything to look forward to or be excited about. Also, sailing. They get seasick easily and there’s too much about the ocean that remains unknown. No thanks.
18. How do they display affection?
They’re super physical. They hold hands a lot, and poke people, and kiss their cheeks, and lay in their laps, and would probably permanently attach themselves to someone if they could swing it. They’re all about affection. It’s intimacy, true, genuine vulnerability, that they can’t really get comfortable with. All the physical attention usually does a good job as a deterrent, though.
19. How competitive are they?
They are ridiculously competitive, even when they don’t mean to be. If they see someone else walking toward the exit at the same time as them, they consciously walk faster and when they beat the other person, who is likely completely unaware there was a race, Leo thinks to themselves, ha, I won!
20. If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?
Bigger butt. Next question.
21. Do they have any obscure hobbies or routines?
They are really good at knitting and crocheting. A good percentage of their wardrobe is home crafted. They also collect rocks and crystals so that they can make jewelry out of them. They always considered themselves artistic, but their drawing and painting abilities were abhorrent, and their singing voice was... well, not great either. So they found their expression through clothing, which is why they make such weird and bold fashion choices.
BACKSTORY -
22. What are the names and ages of their close family members? Parents, siblings, etc.
His parents, Percival and Herron, are each 59. His brother Tiberius is 34, his sister Elexus is 31, and his brother Maximus is 23.
23. Is their family alive and are they still in contact with them?
Yes, and no. To Leo’s knowledge, they have not spoken in about seven years. They have no memory of this, but they only left home about 11 months ago.
24. Where are they from? City, nation?
They were born in Crowmire, Hegaehend. They grew up there, but ultimately moved to Khaggon in their early twenties.
25. Did they have a childhood best friend?
Leo has never had many close friends, as they tend to hold others at a distance for fear of rejection and of any other sort of downfall that would dampen their spirits. They’re open to the idea, but also no one has bothered to try and break down the walls thus far so in a way, they feel they’ve been right to build them up in the first place.
26. Have they had any pets?
They would love one, but they’re way too irresponsible. There is a stray cat that often hangs out on their windowsill. Leo calls it Blue because it is actually red, and sometimes they feed it scraps.
27. Did they grow up rich or poor? What were their living conditions like?
They grew up pretty comfortable. Their father owned several profitable businesses in Crowmire, so they were lucky to afford a house big enough to fit four children comfortably, and Leo never had to worry about going to bed hungry. All the siblings were meant to stick around and take over the businesses as their own. To Leo’s knowledge, they are the only one who left.
28. What is their educational background?
They went to school full-term, but genuinely did not apply themselves. For instance, when their mother demanded Leo take language courses, they took Draconic and Sylvan. Once they felt they’d learned everything they needed to learn, they sort of tuned it out and waited for it to be over. As a result, Leo isn’t very smart in terms of academic knowledge, but they feel they more than make up for it with street smarts and life experience. (However, they do not in fact make up for it.)
29. As a child, what did they want to be when they grew up?
A performer of some sort. They used to put on dramatic performances with their family where they’d write scripts and force each of them to play characters. Leo, of course, was always the lead. And yes, it was silly, but they actually weren’t a half bad actor. Oh well.
30. What advice would they give to their younger self?
They’d say, “If Mom ever tells you she is good at cutting hair, disagree and politely decline. And the way you’re feeling right now: overlooked, misunderstood, confused- that um... that gets better. You end up liking yourself, so, uh, you know. Might as well start right away. Oh, and when you’re at that one bar with the dog that pees on that dwarf lady, don’t smoke what she sells you. Seriously. Still don’t know where my pants went that night and those were some expensive pants.”
31. Growing up, were they ever bullied or were they the bully?
When they were younger, back before they really discovered themselves, they were bullied quite a bit. But as they grew to enjoy themselves and realized how cool they were for someone so young, they started to genuinely not care, and also they developed really good debate skills so when someone tried to belittle them, Leo usually ended up coming out with the upper hand.
32. Who do they look up to/who is their role model?
There really isn’t anyone they’d consider a role model. They are not at all like the people who raised them and there weren’t many outside influences who ever bothered to try. That might be a large reason Leo is so aimless most of the time: they don’t know which direction they want to go in yet.
PRESENT -
33. Do they currently have a place of residence?
They have an efficiency apartment that they pretty much just use to shower and, sometimes, to sleep.
34. What is their most treasured possession?
Their Reliquary! They keep it in their closet under their sewing supplies but anytime they’re going on a long trip they bring it with them.
35. What is their drink of choice?
Alcoholic. They don’t care if it is the cheapest ale or the most expensive spirit one can find. If it gets them drunk, it’s good.
36. Which king/queen are they loyal to, if any?
If they had to choose one, probably Kaylynn just because she’s the only one who isn’t currently dealing with a war. They actually don’t mind the idea of moving to Anari some day, and would seriously consider it if it didn’t mean such a long sea voyage.
37. Have they ever killed anyone?
They aren’t sure, but they hope not.
38. What was their last promise and did they keep it?
They promised their landlord that they would have the rent, and they did! Two days late, but, still.
LOVE -
39. What was their first kiss like, if they’ve had one?
They were thirteen and had to kiss a boy named Oliver at a slumber party. As far as they recall, it was not terrible. It must not have been too bad, because they kissed again several times after.
40. Are they in a relationship/have a love interest?
No. Single and terrified of intimacy, unfortunately.
41. Have they ever been in love?
They don’t think of love as some sacred thing that is rare to find; Leo has loved lots of people and lots of things and experiences and memories. Have they ever been in love? No. But if you asked them, they’d lie and say it was all the same.
42. Have they ever had their heart broken?
Absolutely. One of the reasons Leo is so guarded from everyone is because they care so easily. And they trust unwavering. And they’re devastated when things don’t pan out the way they expected them to.
SPIRITUALITY -
43. Do they follow a god, if so who?
Yes: Tymora. There was a while where Beshaba was actively trying to get them to start following her instead, but Leo doesn’t remember this. Not that it matters, they ultimately stuck with Tymora anyway.
44. What do they think happens to them after death?
They don’t know. They keep their options open, but if gods exist and magic exists then it’s perfectly reasonable to believe that there is something waiting when the journey is done.
45. What is their spirit animal?
Fox. Chaotic and sly and pretty and full of mischief.
AVRIEL LORLAMIR GLYNWARREN -
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONNAIRE
BASICS -
1. Height?
Avi is 6’1.
2. Eye colour?
Brown.
3. Do they need glasses?
No.
4. Scars and birthmark?
He has permanent Lichtenberg figure scars climbing up his left hand and forearm that glow when his powers take effect. He also adorns a large scar across his chest from a previous battle, and lots of smaller scars on his arms and legs from regular mishaps on the farm. He has a brown birthmark on his shoulder blade that’s the size of a golf ball.
5. Tattoos and piercings?
None.
6. Right or left handed?
Right-handed.
7. Any disabilities? Physical or mental.
None at the moment.
8. Do they have any allergies?
Cottonwood pollen gives him seasonal allergies, though they were really only common in his village and aren’t found everywhere. He hasn’t discovered any allergies in Hegaehend’s environment.
9. Favourite colour?
Forest green.
10. Typical outfits?
Avi has terrible fashion sense, and still wears his farm clothes on off days. Most of his shirts have stains or tears. When he’s on-duty or in battle, his fashion sense is only slightly better. He wears elven chain with dark clothes and a simple cloak with a hood. His most high-quality item is always his shoes, of which he has two pairs. One is a steel-toed pair of work boots, and the others are impressive, longer, and light-weight leather boots that he wears in battle.
11. Do they wear any makeup?
No.
12. What weapon do they use, if any?
With one hand usually wielding his arcane focus (a homemade wand), Avi uses his other hand to hold either a shield or a battleaxe. He also has two daggers on him.
PERSONALITY -
13. Are they more optimistic or pessimistic?
Avriel is terribly optimistic. It’s not naivety, per say, but rather a stubborn refusal to accept that some things just aren’t possible. He believes in miracles, but mostly he believes that if he works hard and is brave, the world will reward him. He believes good things will come to him because he strives for them, and he believes he can make the world a better place. That, in itself, is optimistic.
14. Are they introverted or extroverted?
He is extremely extroverted. He loves talking to strangers, loves making friends, and he’s incredibly good at both.
15. What are their pet peeves?
Materialism, people who have the means to help others but don’t, bragging, closed-minded people, badly crafted vehicles and roofs, people who neglect their animals, when his nails get too long, geese.
16. What bad habits do they have?
He does everything loudly: yawning, chewing, talking. He bites his nails. He wipes his mouth with his sleeve and puts his elbows on tables. He tries extremely hard to be liked. He works himself half to death. He has a self-doubt so deep that he overcompensates with false confidence and claims that he’s invincible, when in reality he’s just not terribly afraid of injury or death.
17. Do they have any phobias?
Avriel is claustrophobic, and though he has no traceable reason for this fear he has panic attacks when faced with small and enclosed spaces.
18. How do they display affection?
Avi is very casually physically affectionate with those he cares about. He loves hugs, but more often than hugging he doles out shoulder-squeezes and hair tussles. He also believes strongly in acts of service. Rather than telling people directly how he feels, because it can be difficult for him to articulate his own emotions, he’ll do something practical to help his loved ones. That, or he’ll gift them something small but thoughtful, like the pigments his mother used to bring him from her travels.
19. How competitive are they?
He’s mostly competitive with himself. He doesn’t do much of anything to prove anything to anyone else, or to try and be better than anyone else. However, he’s always competing against his own image of himself and trying to improve in a way that’s often detrimental.
20. If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?
He’d make himself more powerful, more capable so it could be easier to make big changes quickly.
21. Do they have any obscure hobbies or routines?
Avi loves to paint, and is pretty good at it. He often paints little poems or sayings in the corners of his paintings to add a bit of a story to them. He also likes to whittle, and though he’s not great at it and has acquired a few scars, it’s a great way to fill his mornings and downtimes.
He still wakes at the crack of dawn no matter what. Without animals or crops to tend to, however, most of his mornings are freed up, so he spends that time wandering the streets and watching the sunset if he doesn’t have to report to his general.
BACKSTORY -
22. What are the names and ages of their close family members? Parents, siblings, etc.
Orion and Immra Glynwarren are 62 and 60 years old respectively. His brother, Efrain, is 37.
23. Is their family alive and are they still in contact with them?
Avi’s parents are alive and well, and he is in contact with them often. His parents remain supportive even though he’s sure they question the path he’s taken and worry about him a fair bit. He stays with his brother every time he’s in Khaggon. They’ve only known each other a couple of months but are very much in contact.
24. Where are they from? City, nation?
He is from a small, tight-knit farming village in Anari named Corduff.
25. Did they have a childhood best friend?
Avi’s best friend growing up and to this day is a halfling named Quoric who he met in grade school. Quoric ended up working for Avriel on his farm as they got older, and is one of the most brutally honest people he has in his life. Avi had a lot of great friendships in his village, and quite honestly was a prized member of the community, but Quoric has always been the most loyal and genuine.
26. Have they had any pets?
Plenty. He loves animals, and would have given his life to save his. He owned all sorts of farm animals for the purpose of selling their product, but he genuinely cared for them and treated them well. He also had several cats and a cattle dog at the time he left Anari, but wasn’t able to bring any of them along. Currently, his parents have an Irish Wolfhound named Ehno and he, of course, acts as though his brother’s cat Weasel is his.
27. Did they grow up rich or poor? What were their living conditions like?
Avriel grew up in a very small home that his father made beautiful, not necessarily with monetary things but with art and craftsmanship. When he was young, Avi aware that he was poor, because he never went hungry and he always had a roof over his head. However, he realized at a fairly young age that his parents spent all their time and energy on providing for him and had no time for anything else, so he became a farmhand to help them. After inheriting the farm around age eighteen, Avi made a modest profit from his land and lived more comfortably than he had growing up. He was never rich, but he made a name for himself as a great farmer and had enough to provide for his parents and his employees.
28. What is their educational background?
Avi went to grade school, and then was homeschooled by his father for three years, and then got much too busy with work.
29. As a child, what did they want to be when they grew up?
He once heard a story about a knight who single handedly freed all the slaves in a kingdom through cunning and wit and bravery, and that was all he wanted to be. Not just a knight, but a hero - cunning and witty and brave. Realistically, though, he settled on being a farmer.
30. What advice would they give to their younger self?
He would tell himself to never limit himself to the confines of normality. Just because the average person in his town was a farmer didn’t mean he had to be a farmer. Normal works just fine for most people, but he’d tell himself not to strive to be like most people.
31. Growing up, were they ever bullied or were they the bully?
Neither, really. Socially, Avriel had a very easy time as a child.
32. Who do they look up to/who is their role model?
His mother, for her bravery and adventurous nature and his father, for his idealism and kindness.
PRESENT -
33. Do they currently have a place of residence?
He has a room at the Crayhorn Estate, but travels often with Rolland’s army.
34. What is their most treasured possession?
He travels with the painting his father made him for his last birthday. It’s a scene of a phoenix flying above farmland. When he travels back home and has a more permanent place of residency in Khaggon, he plans to bring more of the painting his father made with him. He has one from every birthday since his first.
35. What is their drink of choice?
Whiskey.
36. Which king/queen are they loyal to, if any?
Right now his loyalty lies with King Rolland because he seems to need his help the most, though Queen Kaylynn will always have a piece of his loyalty.
37. Have they ever killed anyone?
Yes, but only recently after joining the army. Though he feels some guilt, he knows the people he kills have ill-will for him and everything he stands for, and he knows he stands for good. That being said, no good person can rest easily having seen someone die by their hand, so he prays to make himself feel better.
38. What was their last promise and did they keep it?
His last promise, and the promise he’s been giving to his parents since he left a year ago, was that he will return safely someday with stories that will make them proud. It’s too soon to say if he’s kept it or not, but he’s entirely convinced that he will and already has plans of visiting.
LOVE -
39. What was their first kiss like, if they’ve had one?
When he was fifteen, Avriel had his first kiss with a village girl under a cottonwood tree. He sneezed in her face afterward. They continued to date for months. The entire relationship was awkward and uncomfortable.
40. Are they in a relationship/have a love interest?
Avriel is single, and mingling. Currently, he’s getting to know Thea’s brother, Ewin.
41. Have they ever been in love?
Avi has never been in love, but he certainly thought he was. And, truly, he loved Ione - he still does. He knows the deepest parts of her and accepts every part. Avi didn’t know that platonic love could be that raw and consuming because no one had ever told him it could. He was told fanciful stories of true loves and soulmates and meant-to-bes, but he was never told stories of finding home in someone who you were not in love with, but who meant just as much to you. So while he’s never been in love in the way most people mean it when they ask, he’s never really missed the feeling.
42. Have they ever had their heart broken?
Yes, but not by somebody else. Avriel broke his own heart. He’s heartbroken over leaving Ione, over taking her for granted. He regrets always wanting something more and feeling loss because the romance wasn’t there, never fully appreciating that she was his comfort and his home. He left her to better the world - for the greater good - but he knows he broke her heart and that breaks his. He wishes he could turn back time and stop himself from trying so hard to force their love to be something from a fairytale. He wishes he’d never tried to convince her that he was someone she could settle down and have a family with.
SPIRITUALITY -
43. Do they follow a god, if so who?
Avi follows Melora, the goddess of the wilderness and the sea. His mother is a ranger, and Melora always keeps her safe. Because of the wilderness of his powers and the storms that fester around him, he prays for her to keep him safe, too. Though she’s the only god he follows, he believes all gods have validity and is interested to learn more about others’ religions.
44. What do they think happens to them after death?
He believes he will return to nature, become dirt in the ground and renew everything that has renewed him. He doesn’t really wish for consciousness after death, and is comfortable with the finality of it if he’s achieved everything he set out to achieve and can return to nature after it’s all said and done.
