OOC || Application

[aestivation]

PLAYER

Name: kate/k2
Age: old
Contact: whisper "naval" three times into a mirror at night
Other Characters: Melys, Luwenna Coupe
Interests: i'm interested to see if a tranquil character is at all sustainable & hopefully make some people sad

CHARACTER

Name: Casimir Lyov
Canon/OC: OC
Journal: aestivation 
Race: Human
Nationality: Nevarran
Occupation: Formari
Division: Research
Mage or Not: Mage
Age: 34

History

• Raised mostly by his older sister and her family in Nevarra City. They breed messenger ravens. 
• Magic happens, it's Nevarra so that's not as big of a deal as it could be.
• Excels at the academic side of Circle life.
• Hits his teens and begins to behave erratically.
• Not entirely expected to pass his Harrowing.
• He does! Neat.
• Research specializes in spirits interacting with inanimate materials (ex: suits of armor, giant killer statues) and how it compares to necromancy theory.
• Starts doing some shady shit without getting the proper approval. 
• Tells a Chantry bro about it in confession, gets told on.
• Abruptly transferred to backwater Hasmal to be someone else's problem.
• Tries to keep his head down.
• Chills out semi-successfully for a few years. Put back on Enchanter track.
• Begins acting recklessly, isolating himself, etc. Clearly isn't well.
• Decides it's an awesome idea to start trying to shove spirits into simple living creatures. Doesn't tell anyone about it this time.
• Kirkwall happens.
• Gets caught.
• Had been endangering the tower, checked off like six boxes on the abomination hazard list, and it was a second strike.
• Offered a choice between execution & Tranquility.
• Picks Tranquility.
• That this went on for so long unchecked isn't something you want publicized, but keeping it under wraps also means there's no good explanation forthcoming for why a Harrowed mage was made Tranquil in a pretty chill Circle.
• After Hasmal's rebellion, remains because it's familiar.
• When everyone picks up to head for the Inquisition, stays behind a little longer to help catalogue and remove any remaining magical items/stuff that shouldn't fall into scavengers' hands.

Personality

Tranquility severs emotion, not history. Who Casimir was before is still a piece of who he is now — a set of reference points by which he understands and prioritizes the world.

Casimir's always been curious to a fault. He's very interested in furthering knowledge for its own sake, but he's not blind to the efforts of those around him, and it led to a certain envy of others' success. In his relationships with others, he prized ability, thoughtfulness, and stability.

A Circle upbringing meant that Casimir recognized early the importance of managing himself, and he did alright at it for a while. His disciplined approach to life and work made him a bit intense, but was somewhat effective at moderating his behaviour.

Willing to listen, and able to laugh at himself, Casimir didn't cultivate a wide circle of friends but was loyal to those he maintained, remembering small kindnesses as easily as petty slights. That hasn't entirely changed: He still keeps a mental tally, albeit one without a great deal of positive or negative regard. Observation acts as a base of data from which to interpret actions and views no longer intuitive to him. Though he doesn't experience empathy, he's still capable of drawing connection and pattern in others, and in his own past self.

While faking feeling is usually more than he can manage, Casimir sees the value in courtesy and in keeping others calm, and will mimic some mannerisms accordingly. Though he doesn't have true preferences about most things, he's found that it's often more efficient to default to his old ones, than to explain his indifference.

Of those wants he retains, familiarity and consistency are the most important, as they allow him to follow patterns and devote the bulk of his attention elsewhere. He prefers to keep his focus on his research, as he's aware it mattered to him before Tranquility, and he lacks the imaginative drive to see much value in a new routine. 

Casimir experiences some form of true loyalty. Part of it's due a sense of pragmatic reciprocity, but there's a piece that's more difficult to explain. He avoids examining it too closely. There are pieces of his life that he can no longer understand; while there's value in that, as he believes there's value in any unknown, it's as close as he ever comes to discomfort.

Opinions & Affiliations


Mage/Templar War -

Unfortunate. Hasmal's rebellion upset the balance of his life, and created uncertainty and violence. Doesn't consider himself safe with either Rebels or Templars in isolation, and supports whatever resolutions will restore his short-term, personal stability. 

Prior to Tranquility, avoided committing to a specific faction. That seemed like a good way to attract unnecessary attention.


The Chantry -

Previously a faithful (if not.....great at it.......) Andrastian. Continues to passively follow those routines. Believes that the Chantry are the best-equipped group to supply his needs, and the most likely to do so. Doesn't currently support any major reforms on the basis that it would further unsettle things.


Other Races -

Familiar and at ease with elves, though being supposed equals didn't immunize him from all prejudice. Tranquility has more or less stripped away that which remained. Spoke to a small handful of dwarves through his work as a Formari. Has only ever seen Qunari in drawings, previously strongly disapproved of the Qun. 


Nevarra - 

Home before Tranquility. It would be unfamiliar by now, and difficult to deal with. That's true of anywhere that's not Hasmal, but in Nevarra people would expect that he adapt better than he would. He still has family there, but sees no need to return.



Strengths & Weaknesses


+/- Tranquil

Cut off from the Fade: No magic, no dreaming, (more or less) no emotion. Between his voice and his brand, he's not going to pass for anything other than Tranquil. 
 

Tranquility enables Casimir to handle lyrium without much effect, allowing him to study runecrafting. While not immune to possession, he's uninteresting to most spirits and can only interact with them in the waking world.

Free of many distractions beyond base need, his work is focused and methodical, if at the cost of some inspiration.


+ Well-Educated

Fluent in Nevarran, Orlesian, Trade; studied some Tevene. Excellent memory, good with numbers. Widely-read. 


- Non-Combatant

Uncoordinated with a staff when he had one, and doesn't now. Relies on others to protect him, and will only attempt to defend himself if directly attacked.


? Sort of Still a Wizard

Once a mage of considerable ability, and not inconsiderable problems. If reversing Tranquility is ever explored in game, he'll be a liability for multiple reasons.




Inventory

• Robes, clothes, etc.
• Enchanting tools.
• Old personal journals.
• A caged raven. "Not every character needs a bird motif, Kate," just watch me

Motivation

The remains of his Circle have been cleared out, and a bunch of them have joined the Inquisition. The Gallows is a somewhat familiar environment, with a few recognizable faces. He can work there in relative comfort.

The apocalypse is a more distant, existential threat than Casimir can easily hold to; however, he believes he'll be safer surrounded by a mix of templars and mages than he would with either group individually, or by remaining in Hasmal outside Circle walls.