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groundrules) wrote2021-01-08 03:30 pm
groundrules) wrote2021-01-08 03:30 pm
Entry tags:
applications
Eastbound is primarily an invite-only game — each existing player can currently invite up to one person per month, or get in touch about further invites. Existing players can hold two characters in game. A third character can be applied, if players can prove they have met activity requirements for two consecutive months with their existing two characters and have stayed engaged with the game. If you don't have an invite, somehow stumbled upon this neck of the woods, and you’d like to stay, drop the mod journal a line — we'll try to figure it out.
As of Oct. 1, cast/game caps are off. Please note, as of Dec. 1, Eastbound only has 3-4 months of gameplay left.
WHAT CHARACTERS CAN BE APPLIED?
YES: canon and original characters, if they have a solid and consistent personality and background. Characters brought in after they've died are a-okay. For characters taken from a time point just as they're in the process of dying, please read below on meeting medical requirements.
NO (at this time): real people, original characters set in a canon environment, characters from canons or canon instalments that have been released for less than one month, characters with imported development from other games (CRAU), alternate universe, or gender-swapped versions of canon characters.
Children or characters with very specific medical/magical/environment needs: appable, but please make a note of how your character will ICly meet their requirements and stay alive. Likewise, if you are applying for a character taken just as they're dying, provide a suggestion for how they can be kept alive on arrival (this might be easier in some app cycles than others). You can bend the world a little to make miracles happen (ex: a substitute for the medication your character needs to survive can be found for a high price at certain apothecaries, etc.)
Characters that were dropped or swept by activity checks: yes, but they’ll come back without their previous memories, if they are applied in by a different player.
APPLICATIONS CLOSED
→ NAVIGATION MENU
Merrill || Dragon Age 2
CONTACT:
CHARACTER: Merrill
CANON: Dragon Age/Dragon Age 2
CANON POINT: Dragon Age 2: (Act 3 - after A Talking To)
BACKGROUND: "The past is important, to you and to all of us. We must know it to move forward."
A lot has happened. In summary:
Merrill started out in a different Elven clan, but was given to the Sabrae clan in order to be Keeper Marethari's First, which is a very honored, though somewhat solitary position that could eventually lead to her being Keeper. She was raised with a different education than others in the clan, and so was not overly socialized even before she began blood magic. She did have two friends, however: Mahariel and Tamlen. But the discovery of an Eluvian mirror was their undoing, causing Tamlen to disappear and a dying Mahariel taken by the Grey Wardens (eventually becoming the Hero of Ferelden). After the incident, Merrill's world view shifted a little, focusing completely on what she saw as a symbol of hope for her clan rather than a dark taint. She decided to devote herself to repairing the mirror, believing it's ancient secrets could be the key to her people's heritage.
It's in trying to repair it that she finds help from a Pride demon trapped atop Sundermount, and learns the secrets of blood magic. Already having been isolated from those of her clan, this only made them actively shun her, especially with Marethari's open disapproval. It isn't long after that Merrill decides to leave and join Hawke (The Champion of Kirkwall) and his party in the hopes that their travels will also line up with hers.
After three years, she tells Hawke that she needs a special dagger from Marethari that will help repair the mirror, and goes to retrieve it from her. She sends the party on quest, and there Pol, a member of the clan, runs when he sees Merrill and right into the jaws of the monster they were sent to kill. They're too late, and after that Merrill learns that Marethari herself had been warning the entire clan that Merrill was a danger to them. Shocked and hurt, she still demands the dagger, but it's given to Hawke to make the call, who decides not to give it to Merrill. Betrayed by those she thought closest to her, Merrill locks herself away in her house for a short time, arguing with Hawke whenever he comes near, though eventually they make some amends.
Three years after that, it's just as Merrill is realizing she needs to talk once more to the demon who taught her blood magic, that she's brought here.
ABILITIES | POWERS: "Magic can't be made safe and it can't be destroyed. Fear makes men more dangerous than magic ever could."
Merrill is a blood mage, meaning she can use her own blood or that of others as a resource pool instead of mana. While her blood magic is activated, she isn't able to be healed by conventional means, but she causes serious damage. She's able to corrupt or rend the blood from within others, no matter what armor they're wearing, and she can even enslave someone to fight at her side. Enemies without blood are immune, of course.
Because of her special case, Merrill also has access to the Dalish Pariah specialization, which uses both her blood magic and nature magic, with Outcast activated. Her other talent trees include: Elemental, Primal, with only a few skills in Spirit, Arcane, and Entropy. She's also an herbalist, meaning she can create poultices, balms and potions if she can access the right ingredients.
PERSONALITY: When Hawke first meets Merrill, she appears as a naive and perhaps overly talkative elf, and this isn't generally off. But she's also later seen to be wise and wary; a paradox. She's seen as odd even by her own clan, but that may have to do with her being First to the Keeper, or most likely with her dangerous "hobbies" - blood magic and restoring an ancient, evil mirror called the Eluvian. For these reasons, Merrill decides to follow Hawke and temporarily leave her clan. At least she wants it to be temporary.
First and foremost, Merrill's priority is her clan, even if they don't necessarily see it that way. She is devoted to them, despite admitting she's been close to very few of them; maybe less than a handful. But her love is unique, and encompasses not just the clan and its Keeper, but her ancestors and the heritage they carried. Her love is that of a dreamer's - hope for what could be and obsession with what once was. She isn't fond of ignorance or the bigotry that stems from it, and knowing of Tevinter and the state of Kirkwall's alienage only fuels her desire further for knowledge and power.
While Merrill might know everything when it comes to elvhen history and myth, she starts out as utterly clueless when it comes to humans and their customs. It's her first time ever away from her clans, and she's eager to know everything. She's excitable at the drop of a hat, and isn't shy when it comes to asking questions or voicing ridiculous assumptions or comments regarding everything she sees, hears, feels, or even smells. Likewise, Merrill's always been more than happy to answer questions about herself, even by people who judge her choices. After six years in the city, Merrill does begin to understand sarcasm and joking a little better, even sharing her own (sometimes dark) sense of humor as she's grown more comfortable with the group - at least, most of them. Though she'll jest at Fenris or Anders occasionally, and even Hawke, their constant judgments and hypocrisy still leave her feeling wary and scared at times.
Over time with life in the city and among her friends, she also grows a backbone, much more willing to defend herself and less willing to apologize, even to Hawke, as she has been constantly spurned by his reluctance to help mages, and much more willing to verbally bitchslap or even try to shun those who openly oppose her way of life (see: everyone). She has always been stubborn, however, openly defying the wishes of Keeper Marethari and her entire clan for what she thought best for them. She's always been quite willing to physically smack down anyone who attacks her or friends, as well, not reluctant to kill in a world where it's kill-or-be-killed.
In her own way, though, Merrill still remains somewhat dense and bumbly when it comes to innuendo and social interaction, as she never really stops isolating herself from strangers whether she's with her clan or in Kirkwall. She rambles, talks about griffons and wishing to fly, and then asks if she 'missed something' when returning to the original topic at hand. Sometimes it might make her seem flighty or out of focus, but it can actually lead to her tunnel vision. As she is so good at dreaming (at least in the beginning), that's why all her real attention is on the Eluvian and what it could lead to for her and the clan. Maybe she would be loved, and the elvhen could be proud of their heritage once again, and maybe even find a place in the world. She doesn't dream small, that's for certain, and because she dreams so high and pushes her curiosities to the next level again and again, this aspect helps doom her clan rather than help them.
And despite time and constant defeat and tragedy eventually shattering Merrill's rose-colored glasses, she has always been aware of the dangers. When Merrill made a deal with a demon (spirit) to learn blood magic and of how to repair the mirror, she was more than aware that the demon could likely turn on her at any given moment if she wasn't extremely careful. Every time she uses blood magic she's aware of the danger to herself and others, but always claims to be in control and aware, and in her opinion this is enough. Everyone telling her that her fight is a lost cause only angers her, and she is quick to point out their own hypocrisies or simply end it with saying she knows what she's doing. She thinks Anders is the naïve one to separate spirits and demons like they're book titles to be organized; to think a 'Justice spirit' is any more trustworthy than a 'Pride demon'. She is sad when he learns his harsh lesson, though, not wanting him to suffer despite his treatment of her. Though Merrill slowly grows more bitter and unsure of her place in the world, and now understands how tragic things can go no matter the intent, she still cares deeply for the few friends she's made; even the ones who don't call her friend back and treat her poorly. She may not feel like any of them will have her back, but she'll still have theirs.
That isn't the only thing that endures, but also Merrill's attempt to appear cheerful and giddy whenever there's opportunity. When her nerves are so jumbled that her stomach is in knots and her feet feel like jelly, Merrill tries even harder to remember why she fights and channels some level of encouragement for her friends. She hates for them to worry after her, not wanting to feel like a burden, and she doesn't want to be thought of as someone who drags the party down. She wants to lift them up, and in doing so she can feel useful and thus like she has a place to belong. Other times, it really is her curiosity or fantasies getting the best of her, and these thoughts have no filter, much to her companion's amusement or irritation (and oftentimes confusion).
SAMPLE: [ Merrill has had a bit of time to absorb most of what she's been told and witnessed, but she's still wary and confused to the point of uncharacteristic silence for the first stretch of the journey. The thick cloud of sedation slows down her movements as she gazes across the water in the direction of the prison she had just been freed from. She could have sworn that some kind of spirit had tried communicating with her during the escape, but she had been chained to somebody else and they had no time or allowance for her drugged curiosities whilst they stumbled their way out and to the bridge. It's a long walk, and she often forgets she's still attached to someone, the clink a jerking reminder any time she tries to wander a bit too far off towards something or someone interesting looking. That counts as just about everything.
Any native she had seen until now looked very different from her, which shouldn't be unusual even in Thedas, but many here seem to be re-animated via Blood Magic. Other than that, it's not that different from Kirkwall's slums, right...? All right, it's incredibly different, but to them she must seem the strange one. She does indeed stand out in her own awkward way: a petite elf with elaborate tattoos on a face holding large green eyes that glint in shadows like a cat's. She really does seem to be trying to stay out of everybody's way, but a proper cloak might do her some good. If only she was any good at thinking in terms of stealth, but even stone-cold sober it's her worst skill. She certainly wasn't like the hunters of her clan.
It isn't until she's nearly knocked over by bumping into her chained partner again when some form of alertness draws out a yelp from Merrill. Nearly twisting an ankle is enough to make her actually remember she's still attached to somebody, and they don't seem altogether pleased with her continued derailment of their goal to get the chain broken. ]
I'm so sorry! I just— [ Her free hand grasps for the magical charm she was given, dimly wondering even in this fog that she might be able to re-purpose it... ] Where are we going, again? Actually, where are we, again? I still don't...really understand what that person was going on about. I mean, I understood them, because of this! [ A pendant wriggle. ] But I don't...understand. Is this...Tevinter? What he said didn't really sound like Tevinter. This is nothing like what I've heard. Well, except for the blood magic and slavery. I suppose it might be like what I've heard, but I thought it would look...fancier?
[ Already forgetting (again) that she's still attached to the very person she's talking to, Merrill turns to head back towards the bridge that leads to the prison (and what she's sure was a Spirit), the clink once again yanking her backwards and this time right onto her tiny bum...likely taking her unwitting accomplice with her. Another apology erupts from the mess of limbs. ]
Sorry! So sorry!
INVENTORY:
→ dirty clothes + chainmail bits
→ a mostly depleted ball of twine
→ herbal satchel with healing herbs
→ a few lyrium potions
→ some dried/salted meat and a stale honey cake
→ a seashell
→ a small journal filled with her notes and sketches
→ her big honkin' staff (magic)
→ a dagger (not magic)
NOTES: She might become mildly obsessed with any unfamiliar source of magic, especially if there are amulets/symbols or distinctly mirror-looking objects in the world. Good thing she's no rogue.
APPLICATION RECEIVED
ACCEPTED
Aaaaaaaaall aboard… the absentee caravan! Thanks for applying and welcome to the game.
A few loose ends, for your pleasure:
ADMIN
NOTES