#i have a strong hc that the dagoths *are* the same as ashlanders except that they live in big stone fortresses. for comfort

[rucow]

i imagine that when nerevar and voryn visit an ashlander camp together he truly notices how well voryn fits in and how much they Look like the velothi...he points it out and voryn's just like "well yea that's bc this *gestures at ashlander wise woman* is my aunt on my father's side"

[kagrenacs]

do you have any hcs on how the first council acts around strangers, acquaintances, friends, and lovers??

(This is an interesting one but its gonna be long)

Nerevar: He’s the leader of the country, the Hortator, he needs to constantly appear calm, collected and in control, Morrowind sees him as a figure of strength, pushing out Nordic occupation. He’s incredibly persuasive too, so this mask fools everyone apart from close friends. Around acquaintances he’s fairly similar to how he is around strangers, but perhaps showing more emotion to show he’s mortal like everyone else, he wants to appear as a strict, yet compassionate leader. With friends he lets the mask slip away for the most part, he wants to be upfront and honest with friends and is hurt when others aren’t the same (part of the reason the first council didn’t last) but he also wants to appear as a figure of strength. With lovers he wants to be as open and honest as he can possibly can, telling them his hopes, fears and dreams, he’s like a tree, as you move closer you see its true core.

Almalexia: She grew up under Nordic occupation, she saw the oppression and struggles of her people and needed to be a figure of strength and hope. She’s a master at hiding her emotions and true thoughts. To her people she wants to be a matron, someone kind yet firm and most of all powerful, but I think her emotions get the best of her- more so than Nerevar (often its anger or frustration vs Nerevars compassion) But over all she appears queenly, powerful and calm. Around acquaintances she still composes a queenly, cool and in control feeling. She knows politics, she grew up a puppet queen, she doesn’t want to slip up, but she’s more aggressive in her approaches, she knows what she has to do to get things done and she will do whatever it takes to ensure the future of Morrowind. With friends she’s more relaxed and comfortable (however still slightly paranoid, she doesn’t want to risk someone getting close to her only to stab her in the back) and she allows herself to show her emotions, I think she was especially close with Sotha Sil and shared many of her thoughts with him. With lovers (Vivec in mind) she’s as open as she can be and shows a lot of affection towards her love. (Nerevar was an exception, I don’t think she ever loved him.)

Sotha Sil: He wants to retain a cool, detached and mysterious vibe, but somewhat fatherly? He’s a very serious person and wants to be strictly business, but also some part of him yearns to be a leader, someone you go to with your problems. I think his secrecy is also a way of detaching from the grief of losing his family at the burning of Ald Sotha, and that also ties in to the desire to be a father, he misses his family. He’s fairly the same with acquaintances, maybe talking a bit more? With friends he allows emotions to show through and is very open with Vivec and Almalexia, the only people he’d really consider true friends. He shares with them everything, he considers them his family.

Vivec: Ze is interesting, in order to survive living as an orphan ze needed to construct a web of lies around hirself to keep people from getting to close, because if people got close that could potentially be dangerous. But aside from that, and when you get to acquaintance level, ze’s a fun person to be around and that shows through fairly quickly (especially after Nerevar finds hir.) With friends ze’s a little more open, but not overly, they keep things secret for a different reason than Nerevar and Almalexia, while Nerevar does it to appear strong, and Almalexia does it to appear in control and to protect herself, I think Vivec does it more or less out of instinct (and also survival much like Almalexia) There’s a lot of layers to Vivec and to really be considered hir friend it takes a lot, ze is very smart and knows how to appear to others. Happy and eccentric and while that is part of who ze is, ze’s also frustrated and scared. With lovers ze is more open but still keeps secrets, not many but some.

Voryn Dagoth: He is a politician (more experienced and knowledgeable than Almalexia and Nerevar tbh) he wants to appear approachable, but still in control. He’s naturally skilled in persuasion (while I think for Nerevar it was more learned) and he knows what to say to the people to get their support. I think his house respected him a lot and he knew this. With acquaintances he’s fairly open about certain things, because he knows that’s the way to gain peoples genuine trust, but he still knows what to hide and how. I think he genuinely loves the people he’ll eventually rule over and only hides these things because he has to, he can’t worry them or that would be disaster. With friends and lovers he’s more willing to share his fears and anxieties, he knows he can trust these people and is willing to show what he’s about with them, somethings are held in secret, I think he had many secrets to hide, but didn’t hide them out of malice, he didn’t want to hurt anyone.

Alandro Sul: Alandro is a follower, he would follow Nerevar off a cliff, and however Nerevar appears he’ll appear. But before he met Nerevar I think he kept to himself mostly. He’s somewhat an outcast being the son of a Daedric Prince, and that makes it hard to connect with others. With acquaintances he isn’t much better really, he attempts to make conversation and be civil, but its hard, he grew up mostly alone and doesn’t always know what to say. And being thrust into a world of politics that’s nearly the opposite of ashlander ways, I think that was hard for him. I don’t think he really has anyone he’d consider a friend apart from Nerevar and Vivec, who he traveled for a long time with. He jokes around with them often but still remains responsible and serious, when in his comfort zone he really opens up.

Dumac: Dumac is a really good guy and a good king. I hc he came into power after the Aetherium Wars and he had to be strict yet charismatic, he’s very loved by his people and he only wants the best for them. (sometimes though he’s too optimistic and ambitious and that contributed to the downfall of the council) he wants to be as open and honest as possible, making him very compatible with Nerevar. When the war first started after Voryn learned of the Numidium and Dumac had no idea the treachery Nerevar was heartbroken his friend would lie to him, right to his face, and that’s what really tore down their friendship. Generally he tries to be open with his people (even moreso than Nerevar and Voryn) but does have some dark secrets and knows some information he keeps to himself.

Kagrenac: I headcanon she’s one of the youngest Tonal Architects and to be in that position she needed to always appear calm and in control. She appears distant at first, but as you get to know her she’s someone whose very excited about her work and very passionate about it. She can be a little intense as soon as you get to know her, she’s energetic and loud at times but at others will completely shut you out, (later in the timeline this is especially increased due to exposure to the Heart of Lorkhan). To be a friend you have to be very patient with her, the only people I think she’d really consider friends are Dumac and Almsivi. As you get to know her she opens up and defrosts a little, she’s fairly open, but is completely willing to go behind your back to further her own agenda.