Post by Alexander on Oct 28, 2012 16:23:59 GMT -5
GENERAL
Full Name: Alexander Salvatore.
Race: Human
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Birthplace: Llomeryn, Rivain (raised in Ferelden, and considers himself Ferelden)
Residence: Kirkwall, Free Marches
Affiliation: Kirkwall Guards
Occupation: Executive Officer of the Kirkwall Guards.
Religion: Andrastian
COMBAT
Class: Warrior
Character Stats:
Strength: 3
Dexterity: 2
Willpower: 1
Magic: 0
Cunning: 0
Gear: Guards officer armor (think Aveline's armor, cept less fancy). His shield is dark blue with a red cross and bears the emblem of a black lion. His sword, the Sataareth, was a relic of his father’s, who when he was younger took it from a Qunari after a battle. He also has a dagger in his boot, but that’s a habit he picked up from his mother’s tales about his father.
CHARACTERISTICS
Appearance: Stands at 5'9, with dark black hair and blue-green eyes. White, but with a distinct olivish tint that comes from Antivan origin. While never the strongest, he has an athletic body type, with a scar along his right arm where a darkspawn severely wounded him at Ostagar. On his back is tattooed the emblem of the Royal Ferelden Army. Maintains a well-trimmed beard, and is constantly aware of his surroundings.
When not in armor, he wears baggy pants, leather boots, and a leather vest. He still has a dagger in his boot at all times, because one can never know when one will need it.
Personality: Of the many words used to describe Alex, one word can best sum up one’s first impression. “Selfless.” Being of disenfranchised past himself, he always sought to help not just his lot in life, but of those around him. Never one to sit idly by, if he sees an injustice he will often correct it, by the edge of the blade if necessary. Alex has always had a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong, and despises the fact that many of his countrymen are abused in the city of Kirkwall. Having seen so many of his friends fall to betrayal at Ostagar has left him permanently distrustful of anyone in authority, yet serves in the guard as his desire to protect people overrides everything else.
He can be a very charismatic leader. Many of those who have fought with him claim that he maintains such a veneer of calm and grace in battle that they cannot help but themselves be motivated to fight beside him. His mind is always clear and focused, allowing him to make important decisions on the fly even when all hell is breaking loose around him. Out of combat, he is very sociable… when drunk. He loves to drink with and celebrate with his comrades (should he have any), but once the festivities are done, he returns to his usual, somber self. Should someone say something stupid in his presence, he typically has a scathing comedown, which borders from sarcastic to just plain mean.
On the dorkier side, he is a huge lover of history. Since he was young, he loved reading on the histories of the Chantry and Exalted Marches when he was younger. He also has a nasty tendency to put his foot in his mouth, and say things that get him in trouble or sometimes make him appear foolish. While not the case, it does happen.
Finally, he cannot stand one race in particular. To him, the Kossith will always be butchers. He despises all followers of the Qun, deeming them little more than tyrants and slaves to a code that allows for no upward mobility in life.
As for his faith, it is... a roller coaster, at best. At times, he despises the Maker, for all the wrongs in his life. However, he can't help but feel the Maker has some bizarre plan for him, as by all accounts he should very much be dead. While he has tried to improve his faith (mainly because of Briana, the templar he has happened to have fallen in love with), it is a bit difficult when he sees the abuses of her comrades in the order.
HISTORY
Alex’s birth was an unconventional one at best. His father Sergio, a passing Antivan merchant and former mercenary for the Rivaini military, fell madly in love with a noblewoman, Amelia Cousland, cousin to the Couslands of Highever, in the town of Denerim. She, for her part, was quickly enchanted by the charm and wit of the merchant, but never spoke to him aside from casual business at the markets. One night, at a royal banquet, she left the main party after she discovered her fiancé had left her for another woman, and wept bitterly in the wine storerooms of the castle. This just happened to be the time when Alex’s father entered the room to check on the stores of wine, and found her there. After a long night of crying, wine, and flirting (on the father’s part), they made love and conceived the boy.
His early years he spent in Llomeryn, but he does not remember much about it. His father died when he was only 2 at the hands of the Antivan Crows, and his mother moved to Highever, asking for her cousin to aid her, with a much subdued reception. The only way she'd be allowed to keep her out of wedlock son was if she was not allowed to recognize the boy as legitimate, and he was made a servant boy in the castle of Highever as soon as he became of age. The days were long, and he was regularly treated like dirt by the old Nan, but the Couslands themselves treated him as well as any other servant, mostly unaware (except for Bryce and Amelia) of the truth of his origins. They even allowed him to get an education, something he would well utilize later in life. Bryce also allowed Amelia to play with him away from the public eyes, but it was never quite enough. Alex grew up thinking his mother secretly wished she had never had him, and hoped he would be able one day make her proud to call him her son...
Years later, Alex is a young man of 16. Having gone all his life being a servant, he went to join the Ferelden Royal army, much to the dismay of his mother. . There, in the army, he found the one thing he had never had in Highever. He found belonging. He found men who he’d be willing to fight and die with, and gained a reputation as a quick witted, bright young soldier. At the age of 22, he was made an officer through a combination of ability and his mother’s connections. It was the proudest day of his life to finally receive the officer’s sash on his uniform, and those he had served with as a soldier were more than happy to call him their leader.
All seemed to be looking up for Alex, until the battle of Ostagar. His unit was placed in charge of covering the retreat of Cailin’s main forces should the worst come to pass and the darkspawn break through. When the battle turned into a route, he was responsible for covering the retreat, his men marching forward were most ran away. Alex saw his men butchered, his comrade’s ripped to shreds. His survival can be attributed to one twist of fate. While battling an emissary, he was knocked back into the lines, and knocked out cold. When he awoke a day later, he had the bodies of three of his former comrades on top of him, and a field of dead all around.
After Ostagar, he fled to Kirkwall via the port of Gwaren, and joined the Red Iron mercs. He hated it, but it was the only way he could get into the city at all. After serving with them two years, he quit (on not-so friendly terms) and joined the guard.
Times in Kirkwall were tumultuous, and Alexander grew disgusted with the way the Templars treated people. He had heard stories that the templars of Kirkwall were particularly brutal, but still... It angered him to see them act with complete impunity. Also, the way his countrymen were treated infuriated him, and as a guard regularly worked hard to protect them from the native, xenophobic kirkwallers, sometimes including his own fellow guardsmen. After a few months, he was made a sergeant after they discovered he was an Ostagar survivor, and he regularly conditioned and trained his men to fight like soldiers, not guardsmen. It worked well, especially after Captain Jevem was removed from command (an act he agreed whole heartedly with, Jevem was a prick) and replaced by a Ferelden and fellow Ostagar survivor, Aveline Valen. It was a good day to see one of his countrymen take command of the guard. He knew she'd turn the unit around.
During this time, he also happened to meet a templar by the name of Briana. Their relationship at first was... Interesting. They actually met when both of them were going after the same blood mage, Alexander falsely believing that the mage was simply a criminal, and didn't believe her. He even bet her a round of drinks she was wrong. Well, he lost, and they ended up going to the hanged man later. There, the night was electric, yet cut short by her seeing a runaway mage, and her duty called. They continued to see each other again from time to time however, and their unlikely friendship (borderline blasphemous, mage sympathizing guard-staunch templar) grew to be much more than that, including sneaking into the viscount's garden at night where the two had a sparring match that ended in a much more playful tone than when they had started, and ended with Alexander on top (a win, in his book. Don't tell Briana that though, she's in denial!)
When the qunari rose up and tried to attack the city, Alexander and his fellow guardsmen were caught completely off guard. Alexander was furious. He knew the damned templars would do something to push it over the edge, and now the city was on fire. Still, there was no time to point fingers. His squad was cut off in a small corner of the city with a group of panicked civilians, with the qunari quickly advancing. Here, Alexander led the resistance, at one point holding them off himself while his fellow guardsmen tended to wounded civilians. Afterwards, he was promoted to lieutenant, a promotion that afterwards made his life much more difficult.
See, being from Ferelden, he was given many of the tasks Aveline did not trust many of the native Kirkwallers with. Mainly, keeping the templars off of Hawke, Merrill, and Anders' back. This proved very frustrating, especially while trying to balance his relationship with Briana, but for the most part he was successful. A large part of him, however, wishes he had let Anders get caught. After the idiot blew up the Chantry, insanity ensued, but Alexander refused to be a part of the group that helped take down the mages. Under Aveline's orders, he worked to keep civilians as safe as possible, resisting the urge to both help the mages (who he deeply sympathized with) and help the woman he loved. He ended up breaking and went with Briana, but refused to enter the gallows proper. When Meredith went insane, he then resisted the urge to shout "I told you so," but helped take her down all the same.
Now, being one of the few officers who survived the entire ordeal, he is Aveline's executive officer, the second in command, and is working to rebuild the guard as much as he can. He's currently chaffing under templar control, wanting to have the city return to the secular rule it had prior to the Qunari incident, but his desire to protect the people of the city, his countrymen who still live there, and Briana, has made him decide to stay instead of return to his native Ferelden. However, if he could convince the right person to go with him, he'd go back to Highever in a heartbeat, in hopes that perhaps he could finally introduce himself to what little family remains, and enter their service.
Player’s Pen Name: Well, my real name's Mike, but just call me David.
Contact: Pm's the best. Skype is good too.
Roleplay Experience: been roleplaying about a year or two.
Language(s): English, Spanish
How did you find us?: stumbled upon you all by accident really.
