Application
Name: Callie
Personal LJ: callie_chan
Contact Info: FyreflyzBlaze on AIM
Other Characters Played: None
Character Name: Zevran Arainai
Character Series: Dragon Age: Origins
Character Age: Never stated in canon, but I tend to hazard it in the early twenties(or, if elves age differently than humans - they used to, and may still be slightly different, but the game doesn't address that either - then the elvish equivalent). For the purposes of having a solid number, I usually say 23.
Background: There are elves on the continent of Thedas, but anyone looking for a wise, powerful, and long-lived race there would unfortunately be showing up centuries too late. Having long ago been conquered and driven out of their homeland as slaves by humans, the elves of present-day Thedas have lost almost all of their culture, their immortal lifespans, and most of their dignity. The only elves not living in slums in human cities and being looked at as second-class citizens are the Dalish elves, nomadic groups trying desperately to preserve what little of their heritage remains and avoiding confrontation with humans so that they will never again be forced to submit to them.
Zevran is an odd mix of both of these very different worlds; his mother was one of the Dalish, but she fell in love with an elf from the city working as a woodcutter in the forest where her clan was currently staying. She opted to leave her clan forever to go back to the city with the man she loved...but, tragically, the poor living conditions of the elven slums led to the woodcutter catching a deadly disease and dying shortly afterwards. With her clan having moved on, Zevran's mother found herself alone, destitute, and pregnant, and was forced to work as a prostitute to survive. When she did finally give birth, she died in the process, leaving Zevran an orphan in the care of the brothel.
Unsurprisingly, as a child living in a brothel, Zevran's education in sex was early, thorough, and highly practical. By his own recollections, life was decent there, save for having to duck the occasional beating, though there was really only one future for children left to the brothel...especially elven children, as elves - for all that they are looked down on by humans - are still considered beautiful and exotic by them. Zevran's future, however, changed drastically when he was sold at the age of seven to the Crows.
The Antivan Crows are, in fact, the most powerful organization in their country, an elite order of assassins who play a greater hand in the society and politics of Antiva than their royalty does. Indeed, often their work decides who is (and is most decidedly not) royalty to begin with. The Crows are known and feared throughout Thedas, to the point where Antiva doesn't even have a standing army; the reputation of the Crows prevents any ruler from ordering an attack on them, and any commander from passing on such orders, as it is understood that the entire chain of command would be picked off one by one regardless of their army. The Crows purchase their recruits as children and force them to undergo a harrowing training process for years before they can even earn the honor of becoming a full-fledged assassin(their methods are demonstrated to include torture on a rack, at the very least, torture that Zevran himself has undergone). Zevran's initial resistance to their indoctrination was eventually broken down, and he both survived and excelled in his training. (Actually, the one may denote the other.)
As the Crows do provide a number of benefits to their assassins - luxuries and lovers chief among them - Zevran, who became an excellent and efficient (and, perhaps most importantly, lucky) killer, soon found himself becoming quite pampered, and became quite cocky and arrogant as a result. One of the Crow masters took exception to his attitude, and accepted his bid to perform an extraordinarily difficult assassination. Accompanying Zevran was his friend Taliesin, and an elven girl named Rinna who - rather disconcertingly - Zevran had become infatuated with, something strictly against everything he had been taught about keeping his emotional distance as an assassin. During the course of the job, the assassins discovered that their plan had been leaked to their target by a traitor, something Taliesin blamed Rinna for. In an impassioned plea, Rinna begged Zevran to believe that she loved him and would never have sold them out...but Zevran, relieved to have an excuse to dismiss his uncomfortable feelings for her, declared that he didn't care, and stood by while Taliesin killed her - even spitting on her as she lay dying for her betrayal.
The tragic ending to the story is, of course, that when Zevran and Taliesin finished off their target, they discovered the true source of his information - a source that was not Rinna. Though deeply grieved and regretful, Zevran allowed Taliesin to talk him out of reporting their mistake to the Crows, saying instead that she had died in the course of duty - however, the Crow master who had set these events into motion made certain to find Zevran and tell him that not only did the Crows know what had transpired, they didn't care - and that Zevran's turn would come one day.
That was Zevran's most recent job, and he has since left Antiva, having taken on an even more dangerous job than the last - one that, in his lingering guilt, he half hopes never to return from.
[Here's a wiki article with more Zevran info; I felt it wasn't really in-depth enough to stand on its own: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Zevran )
Personality: One would never guess, from the life Zevran has led, that he'd have the personality he has - though, to be honest, no one would ever guess Zevran of having the personality he does under any circumstances, given the sort of reaction he tends to get. Having lived a brutal and nearly joyless life with almost zero personal freedom, all to mold him into one of the Crow's renowned assassins, Zevran is almost obscenely cheerful as a rule. It's highly unusual to see him depressed, or even put out; his attitude to take life as it comes, and extract all possible pleasure from it, means that he's usually making the best out of every situation and dwells very little on any of the less enjoyable aspects of any given moment. This also means very little brooding on the past (which, in the case of any Crow, was probably miserable) and not much contemplation of the future(which, again for any Crow, is likely to be short), meaning that he is usually focused on the present and whatever pleasure or challenges it brings him. This approach is quite practical - so practical, in fact, that it's actually quite a difficult philosophy to live by, though Zevran himself has clearly acquired the knack out of necessity.
And practicality might as well be Zevran's watchword. He approaches questions of morality logically - which means he often falls on the shadier side of debates, not because he's cruel or maliciously inclined, really, so much as amorality is often more beneficial than the reverse. There are a few subjects, however, which strike too close to home for him to be callous or detached about; it's usually quite obvious when these come up. (Slavery, betrayal of service and loyalty by a person in power towards their subordinates, and the mistreatment of prostitutes simply because of their profession are all examples of hot topics.) While he can certainly make logical arguments to back up his objections to these things, he's far more likely to get angry and speak heatedly while doing so due to his personal investment in the subjects. For the most part, however, Zevran's motto would be 'live and let live' if he weren't an assassin; since he is, though, it's more like 'live and let live until someone pays me'.
The most obvious facet of Zevran's personality is that of the blatant hedonist - especially as it relates to sex. Zevran enjoys sex unashamedly, and will seek it equally unashamedly with just about anyone he comes across; his only actual stipulation is that it be done well, so age and gender are entirely negotiable. He's cited a slight preference towards women, but won't for a moment balk at sleeping with an attractive and receptive man. (He's also not above trying to cajole the less than receptive into a more willing frame of mind. How much of this is a refusal to take no for an answer and how much of it is just teasing is debatable.) He prefers good looks in his partners, but has hinted that using sex as a tool is strongly encouraged by the Crows and that he has to do 'distasteful' things in the course of his work, which suggests that when it comes to accomplishing what he needs to professionally, he'll go well beyond his own comfort zone as to who he'll bed.
Zevran's views on sex are breathtakingly uninhibited by any societal constraints; growing up in two separate environments where sex was not just openly discussed and displayed, but in fact a professional consideration, has resulted in his not just having any compunctions about discussing, offering, or doing it, but having difficulty comprehending what's so private about the subject when it comes to others. He recognizes that maybe people are bashful about it as a rule, but considers this a rather silly attitude all around and encourages openness as a far healthier alternative. As far as hedonism outside of sex, Zevran unsurprisingly enjoys all the finer things life has to offer, whenever he can get them, though no one would call him pampered; he's as capable of making do with crusts of bread and a hard floor as he is with foie gras and a bed with silk sheets, though as he himself would point out, only a very foolish man would choose the former over the latter if he were given a choice.
Abilities: Though Zevran has been exceptionally trained as an assassin and possesses quite a few useful skills to help him perform in that capacity, he has no supernatural abilities, or even talents that could be considered honed beyond the high-end norm.
Personal LJ: callie_chan
Contact Info: FyreflyzBlaze on AIM
Other Characters Played: None
Character Name: Zevran Arainai
Character Series: Dragon Age: Origins
Character Age: Never stated in canon, but I tend to hazard it in the early twenties(or, if elves age differently than humans - they used to, and may still be slightly different, but the game doesn't address that either - then the elvish equivalent). For the purposes of having a solid number, I usually say 23.
Background: There are elves on the continent of Thedas, but anyone looking for a wise, powerful, and long-lived race there would unfortunately be showing up centuries too late. Having long ago been conquered and driven out of their homeland as slaves by humans, the elves of present-day Thedas have lost almost all of their culture, their immortal lifespans, and most of their dignity. The only elves not living in slums in human cities and being looked at as second-class citizens are the Dalish elves, nomadic groups trying desperately to preserve what little of their heritage remains and avoiding confrontation with humans so that they will never again be forced to submit to them.
Zevran is an odd mix of both of these very different worlds; his mother was one of the Dalish, but she fell in love with an elf from the city working as a woodcutter in the forest where her clan was currently staying. She opted to leave her clan forever to go back to the city with the man she loved...but, tragically, the poor living conditions of the elven slums led to the woodcutter catching a deadly disease and dying shortly afterwards. With her clan having moved on, Zevran's mother found herself alone, destitute, and pregnant, and was forced to work as a prostitute to survive. When she did finally give birth, she died in the process, leaving Zevran an orphan in the care of the brothel.
Unsurprisingly, as a child living in a brothel, Zevran's education in sex was early, thorough, and highly practical. By his own recollections, life was decent there, save for having to duck the occasional beating, though there was really only one future for children left to the brothel...especially elven children, as elves - for all that they are looked down on by humans - are still considered beautiful and exotic by them. Zevran's future, however, changed drastically when he was sold at the age of seven to the Crows.
The Antivan Crows are, in fact, the most powerful organization in their country, an elite order of assassins who play a greater hand in the society and politics of Antiva than their royalty does. Indeed, often their work decides who is (and is most decidedly not) royalty to begin with. The Crows are known and feared throughout Thedas, to the point where Antiva doesn't even have a standing army; the reputation of the Crows prevents any ruler from ordering an attack on them, and any commander from passing on such orders, as it is understood that the entire chain of command would be picked off one by one regardless of their army. The Crows purchase their recruits as children and force them to undergo a harrowing training process for years before they can even earn the honor of becoming a full-fledged assassin(their methods are demonstrated to include torture on a rack, at the very least, torture that Zevran himself has undergone). Zevran's initial resistance to their indoctrination was eventually broken down, and he both survived and excelled in his training. (Actually, the one may denote the other.)
As the Crows do provide a number of benefits to their assassins - luxuries and lovers chief among them - Zevran, who became an excellent and efficient (and, perhaps most importantly, lucky) killer, soon found himself becoming quite pampered, and became quite cocky and arrogant as a result. One of the Crow masters took exception to his attitude, and accepted his bid to perform an extraordinarily difficult assassination. Accompanying Zevran was his friend Taliesin, and an elven girl named Rinna who - rather disconcertingly - Zevran had become infatuated with, something strictly against everything he had been taught about keeping his emotional distance as an assassin. During the course of the job, the assassins discovered that their plan had been leaked to their target by a traitor, something Taliesin blamed Rinna for. In an impassioned plea, Rinna begged Zevran to believe that she loved him and would never have sold them out...but Zevran, relieved to have an excuse to dismiss his uncomfortable feelings for her, declared that he didn't care, and stood by while Taliesin killed her - even spitting on her as she lay dying for her betrayal.
The tragic ending to the story is, of course, that when Zevran and Taliesin finished off their target, they discovered the true source of his information - a source that was not Rinna. Though deeply grieved and regretful, Zevran allowed Taliesin to talk him out of reporting their mistake to the Crows, saying instead that she had died in the course of duty - however, the Crow master who had set these events into motion made certain to find Zevran and tell him that not only did the Crows know what had transpired, they didn't care - and that Zevran's turn would come one day.
That was Zevran's most recent job, and he has since left Antiva, having taken on an even more dangerous job than the last - one that, in his lingering guilt, he half hopes never to return from.
[Here's a wiki article with more Zevran info; I felt it wasn't really in-depth enough to stand on its own: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Zevran )
Personality: One would never guess, from the life Zevran has led, that he'd have the personality he has - though, to be honest, no one would ever guess Zevran of having the personality he does under any circumstances, given the sort of reaction he tends to get. Having lived a brutal and nearly joyless life with almost zero personal freedom, all to mold him into one of the Crow's renowned assassins, Zevran is almost obscenely cheerful as a rule. It's highly unusual to see him depressed, or even put out; his attitude to take life as it comes, and extract all possible pleasure from it, means that he's usually making the best out of every situation and dwells very little on any of the less enjoyable aspects of any given moment. This also means very little brooding on the past (which, in the case of any Crow, was probably miserable) and not much contemplation of the future(which, again for any Crow, is likely to be short), meaning that he is usually focused on the present and whatever pleasure or challenges it brings him. This approach is quite practical - so practical, in fact, that it's actually quite a difficult philosophy to live by, though Zevran himself has clearly acquired the knack out of necessity.
And practicality might as well be Zevran's watchword. He approaches questions of morality logically - which means he often falls on the shadier side of debates, not because he's cruel or maliciously inclined, really, so much as amorality is often more beneficial than the reverse. There are a few subjects, however, which strike too close to home for him to be callous or detached about; it's usually quite obvious when these come up. (Slavery, betrayal of service and loyalty by a person in power towards their subordinates, and the mistreatment of prostitutes simply because of their profession are all examples of hot topics.) While he can certainly make logical arguments to back up his objections to these things, he's far more likely to get angry and speak heatedly while doing so due to his personal investment in the subjects. For the most part, however, Zevran's motto would be 'live and let live' if he weren't an assassin; since he is, though, it's more like 'live and let live until someone pays me'.
The most obvious facet of Zevran's personality is that of the blatant hedonist - especially as it relates to sex. Zevran enjoys sex unashamedly, and will seek it equally unashamedly with just about anyone he comes across; his only actual stipulation is that it be done well, so age and gender are entirely negotiable. He's cited a slight preference towards women, but won't for a moment balk at sleeping with an attractive and receptive man. (He's also not above trying to cajole the less than receptive into a more willing frame of mind. How much of this is a refusal to take no for an answer and how much of it is just teasing is debatable.) He prefers good looks in his partners, but has hinted that using sex as a tool is strongly encouraged by the Crows and that he has to do 'distasteful' things in the course of his work, which suggests that when it comes to accomplishing what he needs to professionally, he'll go well beyond his own comfort zone as to who he'll bed.
Zevran's views on sex are breathtakingly uninhibited by any societal constraints; growing up in two separate environments where sex was not just openly discussed and displayed, but in fact a professional consideration, has resulted in his not just having any compunctions about discussing, offering, or doing it, but having difficulty comprehending what's so private about the subject when it comes to others. He recognizes that maybe people are bashful about it as a rule, but considers this a rather silly attitude all around and encourages openness as a far healthier alternative. As far as hedonism outside of sex, Zevran unsurprisingly enjoys all the finer things life has to offer, whenever he can get them, though no one would call him pampered; he's as capable of making do with crusts of bread and a hard floor as he is with foie gras and a bed with silk sheets, though as he himself would point out, only a very foolish man would choose the former over the latter if he were given a choice.
Abilities: Though Zevran has been exceptionally trained as an assassin and possesses quite a few useful skills to help him perform in that capacity, he has no supernatural abilities, or even talents that could be considered honed beyond the high-end norm.