Application

[lyrium_specter]

PLAYER INFO
Player Name: Joh
Preferred Contact Methods: love.a.riddle@gmail.com
Other Characters: None.

CHARACTER INFO
Character Name: Fenris [OU]
Series: Dragon Age series
Canon Point: Before Hawke chooses sides in Act 3 in Dragon Age II.
History Link: Fenris @ Dragon Age Wikia.
Given that Dragon Age 2 is fairly malleable in which order things happen and what tone of relationship Fenris has with the Champion Hawke (and to an extent, his other companions) I'm flexible with whatever the Hawke player wants in regards to Fenris (as long as he's recruited, obviously).

AU/OC History: N/A

Game Import: N/A

Personality:
Throughout the adventure of the Champion of Kirkwall, all of the party members will make it a point to comment on Fenris' broody behavior. Also, Anders points out that Fenris has allowed one incident in his life to color each and every one of his views.

... yeah, that's basically all there is to Fenris. He's not incredibly deep, and he's majorly damaged, wearing his heart on his sleeve. He's not shit for CR, though. For the sake of making it look like I know what I'm talking about, have several more paragraphs of personality so this application isn't completely barren.

The incident in question (in case you skipped over the history link above) is that Fenris was a slave from the Tevinter Imperium, used as a bodyguard for the Magister Danarius. The Tevinter Imperium is basically a country full of (corrupt) mages, and the lyrium tattoos etched onto his skin wiped his memory clean. As a consequence, Fenris is a man who's very divisive in his opinions regarding mages and slavery - mages are always bad (and if they aren't yet, they will be [except in the case of Hawke if s/he's a mage]) and slavers deserve to die.

His name is obviously derived from the Norse legendary wolf, Fenrir, and derives the same meaning as his former master oft called Fenris his "little wolf". It's an apt description, to say the least, as Fenris is a lone wolf and rather feral in combat and prefers to not get close to anyone. He also snarls at any and all mages under the belief that mages = trouble. A lone wolf, Fenris can often be found in the late Danarius' old manor, not bothering to clean it up after the team ransacked it. It's known that in his spare time he likes to play card games, dice, and probably most other forms of gambling - as he typically does with Varric.

He also often swears in the Tevinter language. Classy. (He's also illiterate for the duration of the game unless Hawke teaches him.)

Outwardly, Fenris is the strong, silent type, not one to really speak if he has nothing to add to the conversation present and only really speaks up when addressed. I mean, brooding. Seriously. He may be a hot head during most of the game due to the conflict between the Mages and the Templars, but Fenris is usually as cool as a cucumber in most situations, earning the title of brooding Squall Leonhart, eat your heart out.

His "brooding" aspect is easily attributed to the chronic pain he feels from the lyrium burnt into his skin. Not only is it painful, it serves as a constant, unrelenting reminder that he was a slave to mages. Unlike other "brooding" heroes, Fenris isn't necessarily in deep thought because he's just trying to numb the pain by zoning out. When you punch one of his triggers, though, he's all the more snappy and hostile because of it.

That's not to say that he lacks a sense of humor, though. After Fenris feels comfortable enough with someone, he's been known to make jokes (much to the surprise of Varric and Isabela. More so Varric). Getting close to Fenris is another story, however - aside from obviously sharing his views on mages and slavery, Fenris is more likely to have favor found with him if you just listen to him, rather than coddle or ignore him. He appreciates it when someone just takes the time to listen. Yes, he's a hypocrite in that regard, but aren't we all? He's damaged, no trying to hide it.

While Fenris definitely has empathy for the lower classes and slaves, he has little love for mages all around. To him, mages are powerful time bombs waiting to happen - and he has no issue with defusing them if necessary. Fenris has little compassion for slave herders and goes out of his way to free their slaves by any means necessary, including spilling blood. Ironic since most mages are in fact slaves to the Templars, but Fenris doesn't see it that way - the mages of the Tevinter Imperium were the slave owners. In the world of Dragon Age, apparently mages are tempted to use Blood Magic which involves contracting with a demon, which is what Fenris hates. If he encounters more magic users, obviously old habits will die hard regardless of mechanics.

When it comes down to it, you could say that Fenris is not a believer in the concept of karma - bad things happen to innocent people, and bad people get away with doing bad things. It's the way things are - he also at first does not believe in divine intervention, as all he's seen is pretty bad in the world. If Fenris spends some time with Sebastian, Sebastian will see Fenris praying in the chantry - whether or not this means Fenris believes in a benevolent higher power or not is debatable, but even if he did he's not about to join organized religion.

Fenris has also shown a disdain for anything doing with the past. He cares not for the Dalish elves' history nor the fact that his tattoo markings are of Dalish origin. While Merrill will take some joy in teasing Fenris and constantly attempt to remind him of his elven heritage, Fenris will have no part of it. However, even in that case, when the Keeper died, he gives some sympathy to Merrill, if only because he knows it sucks to lose someone you care about. It's this seemingly random quality of his towards random acts of kindness that contradict his usual behavior is what makes him somewhat charming and draws some people to him despite his gruff demeanor. Also known as Stockholm Syndrome 101.

Even without Hawke, Fenris isn't incapable of friendship or comfort - if neither Isabela or Fenris is in a relationship with Hawke, it's hinted that those two hook up. Fenris' serious demeanor balances well with Isabela's carefree attitude, as both are free spirits and value their non-conformity. That, and it's pretty hilarious how Isabela believes Fenris to have been slathered in oils to glisten for his master, despite his servitude not requiring those services. So. Much. Glistening.

Even if his past is painful, Fenris makes no effort to cover his markings - he has complete and total faith in his combat abilities, and pities more the people who come after him after Danarius' death. Fenris is more than capable of taking care of himself, and even after Aveline makes an effort to tell Fenris to try to at least look the part of someone living in an estate, he'd rather still look like the squatter that he is. Fenris makes no apologies for who and what he is, and while he may rage when the mention of slavery or mages is made, he sort of lives by example by showing others that they aren't necessarily tied to their fate.

All in all, Fenris is a stand-up guy and while he has major baggage, he makes no apologies for it and doesn't try to hide it. He's a take-it-or-leave-it kind of dude, but that just makes him all the more genuine. Polarizing and divisive, yes, but so are most of the rest of the cast, too. Of course, if he's acting nice to you all of the sudden, it's a safe bet to say that he wants something from you.

Powers:
Fenris is a Warrior despite his lanky build, and prefers two-handed weapons.

His specialization to set him apart, combat-wise, is his class specialization, Tevinter Fugitive. The lyrium tattoos grafted onto his skin allow him to phase through solid objects, such as walking through walls or dropping a floor in a building bypassing the stairs. In combat, Fenris can basically phase his hand through a person's chest and rip out their hearts. Presumably it's also useful for pickpocketing. In battle, it doesn't render his invincible - he can still take damage, though it's more difficult to track him on the battlefield and he takes less damage from attacks.

The majority of the skills underneath his Tevinter Fugitive class specialization are passive abilities which bolster Fenris' defense, though he does have a few specialized attack options. Notably, Spirit Pulse (and its upgrade, Spirit Flux) basically Hadoukens enemies while he's in his "ghost" form.

He also shares the same voice actor as Balthier of Final Fantasy XII, which increases his hotness level to over 9000!

Other Details:
None.

SAMPLES
The taste of ale was bitter, but at least it numbed the pain.

The flickering of the lantern was only a reminder that he wasn't just drinking here tonight. His eyes narrowing, the lone wolf's vision focused on his opponent across the table, and his arms. A game of cards was always a relaxing past time after a hard day's word - as charming as Hawke's escapades were in dealing with the locals in Kirkwall, Fenris could only take so much before he needed to unwind and relax. If you asked him five years ago that Varric would have been one of his preferred companions in dealing in cards and dice, he would have ripped your face off and used it to feed a local stray. Surprisingly, it wasn't all bad.

Freedom was bitter, though better than imprisonment. Fenris already knew that his life in the Tevinter Imperium wasn't the worst there was - for instance, the Qunari had quite... an impressive way of getting the most mileage out of their ranks, slaves or not.

Flashes. Bits of memories. A boy slaughtered as a sacrifice so that a mage could compare his magic-mojo-length to someone else's. Disgusting. No, Fenris had nothing but distaste for anything regarding slave traders and mages. Perhaps Anders was right - he focused too much on it. No, of course a mage would say that - mages were vicious creatures just waiting to go to the other side. The alcohol did nothing to dull the pain Fenris felt crawling all over his body into his skin.

Looking up, he saw his gambling companion staring at him. He had no clue, did he? No, he probably did - there was only ever so much on his own mind. Realizing it must have been several minutes since the hands were dealt, Fenris picked up his cards and gave a good, long hard look at them.

"I'll take two," Fenris smirked. Poker face, he didn't have. Taking the new cards, Fenris looked at his new hand.

Any Concerns:
None.