Twenty (thousand) Questions
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Albion has the build of a thin young artist - slight and fine-boned. He is maybe 5'5", short for a boy.
2. How old is he?
Aheheheh. He stopped aging normally when he was 17. He's lived for about 2,100 years since and now looks 18, maybe 19? He'll go back to being a proper youth if I ever find a younger pb that I like as much as this one.
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
Quiet dignity best describes it - Albion is not proud or arrogant, but for most of the many years of his life, a young man slouching would get scolded.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Albion does not get sick, and he rarely gets hurt. He's blind, but that was congenital. He has a few physical oddities that I'm trying to decide whether to keep or to adapt, given his recent history and his move to the nexus.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
Albion is deliberate. He is blind, and while he echolocates like a mofo, he can still never be entirely confident in his footing. This will not stop him from running, but it does mean that he doesn't like doing it.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
He doesn't. BADUMCHING. Albion sees himself as nothing special, physically. He knows he's an odd specimen, and it always takes him mildly by surprise when people show sexual interest in him. The fact that people tend not to approach him in such a way not because they find him physically offputting but because of his weird, quiet personality doesn't...necessarily register.
Albion is actually younger mentally and emotionally than he appears. He has had all the important decisions in his life made for him from birth to enNobling to his current existance, and is far more accepting of such things than an adult would be. This is not to say that he lets people boss him around - he is very aware of his chain of command and where he stands in the order of the universe. He's just not at all prone to crises of identity.
The fact that he had one quite recently is, therefore, of some signifigance.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Very very pale, and on the pinkish side of things. He burns easily, but tends to ignore it as unimportant when it happens.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
White-blonde. Forever in my head he's had lightly curly hair, but the style really depends on who's minding him at the time.
9. What color are his eyes?
Blue shot through with read, and milky.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
Not...really.
11. What are his chief tension centers?
His back and neck are always tense. Holding himself still in mild apprehension is a constant default state for him.
12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he have six of the same suit?
Left to his own devices he'd go back to chitons and sandals if he can get them...but it's pretty much impossible to get them anymore. When he picks out his own clothes, he asks for anything in the store in his size that's white, and then goes through them based on feel, and thus just trusts to those around him that he's not putting on anything with wildly inappropriate colors or patterns. Obviously this doesn't work very well all the time, and there's usually something incongruous in his outfits because of it.
He likes natural fibres and will collect nicer items if he can. Linens are a particular favorite.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
They do, and he does, whatever they look like to others.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
His natural inclinations as far as cut and fabric go keep him to the nicer end of business casual, so he's pretty good for just about any situation.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Briefs.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Rather high-pitched. He sings in a beautiful, high tenor.
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
Soft, unsurprisingly, and melodic. He speaks easily, if formally.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
None whatsoever. No matter what language he's speaking in, he has no accent.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
All of them. Literally. Any language living or dead, human or inhuman, animate or inanimate. Nobilis is like that.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
He will default without thinking to whatever language is most prevalent wherever he is at a given time, but has no trouble focusing in and switching to something else for his audience's benefit. All this usually happens unconsciously.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
He's pretty solid, though since he's so quiet he's rarely called upon to do so. He thinks quickly anyway, whether he responds quickly or not.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
Eloquent. The less comfortable he is in a situation, the quieter he gets. If he feels a duty or obligation to speak, he will do so, but by and large he's more of a listener.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
...Thousands of years of experience-smart. He's trained in classical medicine, but has no modern education. He is, in fact, rather stubbornly ignorant about modern technology, and the ebb and flow of current mortal politics. He's gotten along just fine doing what he does in his own way up to this point and sees no reason to change his methods for the sake of trendiness.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
He prefers time to deliberate. There have been situations where he's had to think and react quickly, and he's handled himself well in them, but really, most people could use more patience.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Most of what's going on in Albion's mind at a given time is just listening to the world around him. Meditating, or following the memories that constantly stir up in the breeze of consciousness. Albion doesn't remember everything all the time, he needs prompting for all but the most important events in his life, but just moving through the world calls up references and forgotten things, so he's constantly re-observing past experiences while moving through present events.
When it comes to being presented with problems, there's a lot of "do I need to worry about this, yes or no?" If the answer is no, wonderful, he'll move on to other things. If it's yes, then he begins considering whether it's a social problem or something that needs magical interference. Albion is a noncombatant, but he has no compunctions just putting things to sleep in order to get from point A to point B.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
See answer to #5!
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
He was the educated slave of a Roman doctor in an Italian province of the Roman Empire around the year 100 BCE, and was trained to be his nurse and assistant before the angel Iahhel took him and transformed him into a Noble. Since then he has learned a GREAT deal about mythic reality, and has seen the wall of Heaven from the top of Yggradsil and fallen into Hell which burns below its roots, and visited other worlds that hang from the branches in between. He has stood before the court of Lord Entropy, and he has traveled through time. It leaves one with a broad range of experience to draw from.
Right now, he is curious about the Nexus and will make his slow way through it.
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
Introvert, very much.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
Very even-tempered with a tendency toward melancholy and nostalgia. Despite this, he's deeply dedicated to the mission Heaven and his Imperator have given him.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
Relaxed and quietly curious. About everything, from meeting a kitten to walking into a gunfight.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
This sortof depends on what is going on. If he's got an agenda, he will act to achieve it, but since he tends to move a little slower than everything else in the world it often leaves him reacting to situations that evolve faster than he can keep up with.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
There isn't all that much that can inspire him to either. His version of "fighting" is to put everyone who is trying to hit him to sleep, and to then just continue inexorably onward toward whatever he's trying to get done. If, however, whatever is going on is something he has no great stake in, he'll ignore blustering and bullying and just leave.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
He enjoys a a well-turned phrase. He'll tolerate anything that isn't too raucous.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
How do you mentally diagnose a two thousand year old teenager who can see into mythic reality?
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
His mortal master/father figure allowing him to be killed by an asshole Roman general and Iahhel's divine interference was pretty much the defining moment of his life. He plugged along for a good long time after that, until the Industrial Revolution hit and all the noise drove him insane, literally. He spent a long time wandering, lost, until friends found him and helped him find a way to deal with the fact that the world of science and progress was just gonna be loud. Of greater importance was when Iahhel, who had always been cold and demanding as an Imperator, started to go mad as well, and it became clear that the angel was falling. His master had betrayed itself. The second great defining moment in Albion's life was when he chose his Imperator's cause over Iahhel itself, and went to the Archangel Michael, commander of the Armies of Heaven, with his evidence. Michael had the power to take Albion from Iahhel, saving him from destruction at the cost of either being made mortal again or continuing to serve Heaven by leaving Earth (and his wife and children) and taking new, nascent world to care for. A slave to the end, he chose duty over purposeless freedom, and sacrificed the last of his human selfishness in the act.
He does not know what happened to Iahhel, his savior and master of two thousand years. He is afraid to ask.
14. What does he fear?
Iahhel's wrath. Michael's displeasure. His wife's hatred. The lonely path that stretches before him.
15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
He has a new-made world to help shape. He hopes to have learned enough to be a wise shepherd and keep it from the rough treatment Earth has received.
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
That he truly believes, deep down, that he is incapable of making his own decisions.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
Albion never knew his mother and father, who took their pale, blind son as an ill omen and would have left him to die of exposure had the doctor who raised him not taken him as a slave. That man was all the father he knew, and actually did quite well by Albion for many years. He was clever enough to compensate for his blindness, and was well cared for and taught a useful trade, and his master treated him with vague affection. The rest of the household never let him forget that he would be dead but for the doctor's mercy.
That mercy finally gave out when the doctor had to chose between interceding on Albion's behalf or facing the wrath of a noble General himself. Even then, Albion could not blame him, for if he had spoken up, the General would likely have killed him instead, and then Albion would have been blamed for the incident and died anyway. All the same, it confirmed to him that his value is intrinsically tied to his usefulness.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
When an Imperator has more than one servant, they form a family of sorts (called, appropriately enough, a Familia), and the Familia of the Blinding Rays has had members come and gone over the years. Albion was the longest-existant member of that family, but never its head. He is unflaggingly loyal to his siblings, offering aid freely and expecting it in return, but all this changeover leads Albion to have built up a lot of emotional distance from them that simply takes time to cross.
At the time of his betrayal, Albion had three Familia members and two former members: Malcolm Crawford, power of Angles (not angels) an implacable, calculating bastard whose long-term planning and dedication to his son were simultaneously worthy of respect and a comlete pain in the ass; Ansel, power of Fracture, a time-travelling rapscallion and escaped anchor of Death who likes nothing better than his motorcycle and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; and Kami, power of Paper, a...giant alien vampire of an origami sculpture. Of these, Albion only really trusted Malcolm, and at least gave the guy warning before he went to Michael.
Former familia members include Bora Jurgagan Nasaan Gan, once the Power of Last Stands, an immigrant to Earth who gave up her Noble status in order to save the Earth from certain destruction, and to have her lost world re-born. That world is the one that Albion has been sent to help protect. Then there's Vivianne Wedgewood, former power of Porcelain, who betrayed the Familia and joined the Excrucians. (Powers from beyond reality who want to destroy all that exists. Think Deep Ones crossed with Ecthroi.) Albion never liked her, and she may be the only being in existance that he can be said to truly hate.
Now that he works for Michael, I don't actually know if he has Familia members! Something to talk to my STs about, I suppose. Regardless, they're not in the Nexus, so this is of importance only to me. Just like...all of the above. Hi everyone.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
Albion married an innocent, an Indian girl named Seama, during one particularly chaotic misadventure to save the Earth from certain destruction. He likes her well enough, she has never been anything but sweet and dutiful, has a lovely voice, and he cannot see her scarred face... but he had never wanted to marry and the guilt of effectively tricking her into thinking she was marrying an odd but otherwise normal human boy always hung between them, even when his old friend the power of the Dawn chose Seama to succeed her as she died. Coupled with his choice to leave Earth in the service of Heaven, Albion feels very strongly that he has done nothing but betray and disappoint a beautiful and blameless soul.
All the same, they were blessed with fertility at their wedding (literally, THANK YOU NOBILIS) and had thirteen children. Some of these he hopes to take with him to the new world.
Oh, also, the former power of the Dawn was a dragon, and transformed Seama into a dragon as part of the You Take Over For Me deal. So that's fun.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
He had a cat named Frank, who he brought back to life twice, and who he made his Anchor. (More or less a ghoul.) Using their connection, Albion could see out of Frank's eyes. Frank sacrificed himself to save the Earth from certain destruction, and Albion is still sad about it. He's...more sad about Frank than he is about Vivian, so that maybe says something about him. And about Frank. And about Vivian.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
The Anubis of Albion's world is one of those true immortals. He was a hero/mentor figure to Albion during his days as a young Noble, he rescued Albion when the Industrial Revolution sent him reeling and wandering, and is just good-natured, funny and dependable. But then, a boy who need not fear death should have no fear of the power of Funerals, yes?
6. Does he have other close friends?
His other friends include the power of Architecture, the power of the Dawn, and another Anchor of his, a little Korean DJ who introduced him to the concept of sound-dampening headphones, and who Albion would sometimes just call up and bother. He'll miss that kid.
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
He gets along fine with most people, but does not make friends easily. He does not invite closeness.
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
Familia, specifically.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
See above answer. Whether Seama divorced him or not after all the crap he put her through is...up to her, really.
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
No.
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
Albion doesn't really...do crushes.
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
He needs someone patient, certainly, and soothing to the ear. Otherwise, someone intruiging enough to get his numb heart to warm. Despite his somewhat fey appearance, he's not attracted to boys.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
He has thirteen kids, five dragons and eight humans, all hatched from eggs. It was a really surreal time, even for a Noble. All but one of the dragons are boys, and all but one of the humans are girls. He is leaving the girl dragon with Seama, and his favorite dragon son is...involved in other plot, but he'd like to take the other three boys with him when he leaves Earth. He may end up taking three of the human girls as well, but he doesn't really...know how to raise little girls, so it's sortof up to them if they want to come along. All of these kids are toddlers at this point, so the process of figuring all this out will probably take a few years.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
Vivian, certainly, and the Excrucian she has joined. It is a smooth-talking stain of a creature called Demachiarri, and is none too pleased that the planet it destroyed has been un-destroyed.
Other Nobles that he does not care for include Kalishnakov, power of Guns.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
He's not homophobic, but is certainly straight.
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
Sex is not something he's had a lot of. He finds it kindof alarming, how...worked up the body gets, and the loss of control, the rush of emotion that come with it. It's seductive. It's dangerous.
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
He does not invite touch, but he does respond to it, so simply kissing and caressing him is a pretty good tactic. He certainly responds well to someone else taking charge of the proceedings. Any sort of loud noise is going to be a turn-off. He is completely silent in bed, barely audible even when gasping.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
No idea. He'd make a fair Aquarius.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
So. Religion in Nobilis. Albion is on the path of Heaven. He serves an Archangel. He's been to Hell and back. All of this is literally true. However, Greek gods, Aaron's serpents, fairies, elemental spirits and horrors from beyond the stars are all also literally true. God is in His Heaven, or so the Angels claim, and Lucifer is certainly in Hell, but all creation is in actuality goverened by three powerful Imperators, greatest of which is Lord Entropy. Entropy's court decides the fate of all souls, spirits and beings, divine or otherwise and while he does not claim to be God, not even the Archangel Michael will cross him.
What does Albion think of Christianity? It has good ideas and terrible execution, produces works of great beauty and acts of horrific cruelty. He's glad it isn't his project.
3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?
He has taken the Code of the Angels as his own. It has three tenants:
1. Beauty is the highest principle.
2. Justice is a form of beauty.
3. Lesser beings should respect their betters.
You will note that there is nothing in there that says anything about God, or goodness or mercy. Heaven is merciless. The term "beauty" is also up for debate, but Heaven is the driving force of order in creation, and stands against corruption in all forms.
Albion's interpretation of the better-to-lesser scale of creation: God stands above all. Below him are the Imperators, first among them Entropy, and then Michael and the other Angels, and below them all other Imperators. Then there are the Nobles, the highest ranked of which are on Entropy's business, followed by Albion's own Familia and the servants of Heaven, and then everyone else. Beneath the Nobles are his own anchors, then the anchors of his Familia, then spirits of Quiet and other sympathetic concepts to his estate, and beneath them are all the residents of Earth, and beneath them are everything else on the World Ash. Earth will be replaced with this new world, as he transitions over.
Albion will not and cannot be made to compromise his beliefs. Even to the point of betraying Iahhel for failing to follow its own code, and abandoning his own children. He's quiet, but he's intense. Albion can have his loyalties played against one another, and this is a prime source of conflict and tragedy in his life.
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
He does not look down on others for holding varied beliefs, but he knows that there is no peace to be found by following other paths.
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
Albion is effectively a mennonite. He does not like modern technology, and modern technology does not like him. He is absolutely terrible with anything electronic, to the point that the mythical aspects of the machines themselves become offended at his disbelief and stubbornness and stop working or break. It's a self-sustaining antagonistic cycle.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
A life-long slave, Albion has never considered himself an owner of property. If anything, he posesses his clothing, but that comes and goes like the leaves of trees. Money comes and goes and changes form and changes value, and he really just doesn't bother with it. He barters for what he needs with other Nobles, or (more common) depends on his Familia members' and Anchors' resources, or just going by unnoticed in situations where someone might ask him to pay for something.
Fortunately, the rest of his Familia and his wife have a much better grasp on how things actually work, and take care of him.
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
Albion is a Noble, and therefore better than you, probably. Within Noble society, he has some respect for the relatively large size of the shard of divinity his Imperator invested in him, and also for his Familia's ongoing and dedicated war against the Excrucians. Effectively, he's been sortof like a Marine.
3. Where does he live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his home his castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he share it with others?
Right now, nowhere in particular. He was given a small island sanctuary by the the power of Architecture as a wedding gift, where his wife and kids live. His old familia came out of one iteration of saving the Earth from certain destruction with a villa in Tuscany. His friend Bora has a houseboat in Venice. He's sortof hiding from all these people at the moment, except for Bora who he doesn't want to bother too much because she's as addled and lost as he is.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
He doesn't really have any money, and he doesn't have many basic necessities - he does not actually need to eat. Anything he has, he gives to Seama.
5. What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else?
He roots out, fights and destroys Excrucians! It sucks. He is...as good at it as someone can be, when fighting alien beings from beyond the stars who want to utterly destroy everything that exists. When he served Iahhel, the Angel's pure light would destroy Excrucians and burn away their taint, but now that he is Michael's servant he will...do whatever Michael wants him to. He's been fighting Excrucians so long, it's going to be an odd transition for him.
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
He likes reading, travelling, discourse, and being around his children. Even though they can be very noisy. All their little heartbeats! And their voices.
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
He likes mutton particularly, and spinach, and properly watered wine, in the Roman style.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
1. Color? White
2. Smell? Rain
3. Time of day? Dawn
4. Season? Winter
5. Book?
6. Music? Forever by Apoptygma Berzerk, and chanty church music. And Simon & Garfunkle.
7. Place? Italy
8. Substance? Water
9. Plant? Lilies
10. Animal? Lamb
END
{{ Get the HTML here so you can do it yourself. }}