#throwing almost all my altmer ocs in here

[madam-whim]

The Stars Are Never Wrong

Sapiarch Erilwe tilts her head as she watches the two mer walk towards her, hand in hand. She knows both of them, of course, though the last time she has met them, they were nothing more than little boys chasing each other through the palace gardens while Erilwe dealt with their parents.

Even among the Sapiarchs, who rarely ignore signs and portents, Erilwe is known for her skill and experience when it comes to deciphering the signs the constellations give her. As such, it falls to her to assist the nobility in finding suitable partners for their children, even if those children are far too young to even grasp the concept of marriage beyond what they can understand of their parents’ relationship, which is often very little.

It was that way with the two young nobles who now stand before her as well, and Erilwe can hardly say that she is surprised to see them again. She’s been waiting for them to pay her another visit, this time as grown mer, though she had rather expected to be called to Alinor rather than them coming to visit the College of Sapiarchs, and unannounced at that. That is quite uncommon indeed. Still, she gives the two of them a reassuring smile, hoping that it might settle their nerves a bit, although she doubts that it will. Couples are always nervous when they come to her, especially when it is a love match, and that is undoubtedly the case.

These two, however, look almost frightened, and that, Erilwe finds rather concerning. A certain degree of nervousness she can understand, but they look as if they are expecting her to separate them at once, which is frankly a ridiculous idea – she’s seen their stars before, when they were children, and although she was quite obviously unable to tell whether their relationship would ever be of a romantic nature, she knew even then that they would always be incredibly important to one another. Now that she sees them as adult mer – even if they are still quite young – she is quite tempted to describe them as destined for each other. Only rarely does she come to such a conclusion, but if it is indeed fitting for any couple, it would be Prince Naemon and Helcarion. And so they can hardly expect her to speak against their relationship, can they? She would understand, of course, if they were furious with her – she was responsible for Naemon’s rather awful first marriage, or at least she was the one to suggest Estre. But they do not seem the least bit angry, only tense and uncertain.

Despite all of their apparent discomfort, they look good together, she thinks. Content in their relationship. Like two people who trust each other deeply. She can see it in the way they lean into each other just the slightest bit, supporting one another and showing true affection instead of merely playing the role of a happy couple as it is often observed among the nobility. And trust and affection are the most important parts of a relationship, are they not? The two of them have everything the need. Now she simply has to do away with their concerns once and for all, Erilwe muses, and walks towards them. She owes them that much.

“Welcome, welcome!” she greets, gesturing for the pair to follow her across the courtyard and to her study, and they walk over to her after only a moment of hesitation. They are completely silent for the entire duration of their little walk to the study, where Erilwe usually takes her visitors when she has them. Once they arrive, she ushers the two mer inside and shuts the door behind them so that the other Sapiarchs will know not to disturb them. Tense as her guests are, she assumes they do not want an audience.

“Come, make yourselves comfortable,” she says, gesturing towards a rather comfortable sofa that she’s had brought in here some time ago for occasions just like this. “I will admit that I have been expecting to see you,” she states carefully when she takes a seat opposite them. “But perhaps not like this. I must assume nobody else knows you are here.” Now that they are alone and she does not have to keep up the cheerful act, she can speak more freely, and it seems that her assumption is correct when her guests do not deny it. Now she is truly beginning to worry. Helcarion’s face looks nearly as pale as his white hair, and Prince Naemon’s lips are pressed into a thin line. Neither of them look as if they wish to be here, and that is not quite what Erilwe usually expects of couples who come her hoping to find their relationship strengthened by the knowledge they are well-suited to one another. Has someone said something to them, challenged them in any way?

It’s Naemon who finally speaks first, despite looking rather like he wants to run. “If you were truly expecting us, I assume that you know why we are here as well,” he says coolly.

Erilwe frowns. That tone, clipped and carefully neutral so as to not give away any emotion, is not what she is used to dealing with in these settings. But then again … he does remind her very much of his mother, whose face resembled a nearly perfect mask whenever she was in public, never allowing her true feelings to show.

“I do,” she replies evenly. She knows perfectly well why they are here, after all. With Naemon being brother to the queen and Helcarion hailing from one of Alinor’s most influential families, their relationship will be under much scrutiny, and as rushed as their engagement seems to have been, a visit to the Sapiarchs seems like a wise course of action. It still doesn’t explain why they look so nervous, almost frightened. Surely they have to know this is nothing but a formality at this point, brought about by the fact that it will be Naemon’s second marriage? Or did someone dare to challenge their relationship? Erilwe does not doubt that some people might care a bit too much about the fact that the two young mer will no longer be available to the young women of suitable rank who were hoping to secure a match with one of them. But to voice such concerns out loud would be inappropriate at best.

Still, ever since that nasty series of events involving the Veiled Heritance, she cannot say she would be surprised, and so she resolves to do whatever she can to help.

“Would you like a cup of tea before I head to the archives and retrieve what we need?” she offers. She thinks she recalls perfectly where the star charts recorded on their respective birthdays are kept, but the archives can be a bit tricky at times, what with them moving along with the constellations.

The couple share a look, silently communicating in the way only people who’ve known each other for years do, and Helcarion shakes his head. “We do not wish to be rude,” he says, fighting to keep his voice from shaking. “But we would like to know as soon as possible. We’re … we are going to get married no matter what the stars have to say about it, no offense meant - “

“None taken,” Erilwe assures him quickly, and there’s the hint of a smile on Helcarion’s face when he continues.

“But we know what all this looks like, with us setting the date for the wedding so early, and we know that others will try and find out whatever they can, and there will be rumors, so … We would like to be the first to know what the stars have to say about us, before anyone else uses it against us.”

Erilwe freezes. Auri-el, she is such a fool not to consider the likeliest possible reason for their fear, and only now does she understand why they look so scared, why Naemon especially looks like he wants to run – they do not know about their stars at all! They are not here for confirmation of what they already know to be true, they are here hoping to receive good news.

“Oh dear,” she mutters, wide-eyed, “Your parents never told you, did they?”

“Told us what?” Naemon grinds out.

Erilwe shakes her head, smiling sadly, and stands.

“Wait here, you two. I shall go and fetch everything we may need, and I promise you, you will get all the information you require, but I am most definitely making tea first. I have a story to tell you, and do not worry, I am quite convinced you will like what it entails.”

~*~

“Oh dear.”

“What is it?” asks King Hidellith, who is standing closest to Erilwe, peering over her shoulder. If he were anyone else, she would remind him of the concept of personal space, but he is the king, and so she allows it. She has bigger things to worry about, anyway.

Erilwe can almost imagine the concerned looks the king shares with his wife and their two friends when he doesn’t find any clue as to what’s wrong within the charts in front of her. Those look perfectly normal, after all, if a little hard to understand for someone who hasn’t spent most of their life studying documents just like these. Still, she cannot bring herself to turn around yet, and so she stares resolutely at the records – the ones detailing the exact circumstances of the birth of two children, Prince Naemon and Helcarion.

The royal couple has been here before, and they have faced disappointment once already. Erilwe recalls that day with perfect clarity – the proud parents of a young princess coming to learn about their child’s future, and finding out it is so uncertain that it is hard to tell whether she even has one. The constellations had told Erilwe nothing back then, as if the stars had chosen to hide on the day of Ayrenn’s birth, obscuring her fate from view. There are records of that day, yes, but they offer no clues about her fate. (Or a possible husband, which is really why people come to Erilwe in the first place – to find suitable marriage candidates for their children early on, so that negotiations for a profitable engagement can begin as soon as they are old enough. Erilwe doesn’t necessarily condone that practice, but it’s how it has always been in Summerset’s high society. Bloodlines and status are everything, after all.)

And while she’s on that particular subject …

“It’s not like it was with your daughter,” she hurries to explain. “For neither one of the boys.”

“Then what is it that has you so worried?” High Kinlord Faevaral wonders. At least he sounds like a caring father instead of an angry noble, which is something.

He and his wife, High Kinlady – formerly General – Silrenisse, have joined the royal couple for this appointment – with them being such good friends and their son, Helcarion, being mere weeks older than Prince Naemon, it is hardly surprising that they would undertake the short journey from their estate just outside Alinor. They are here often enough anyway, because Naemon and Helcarion are almost attached at the hip. Erilwe has already seen the two little ones, barely six years old right now and already inseparable. If the stars are correct – and they always are – they will remain that way for centuries to come unless something goes horrendously wrong.

“Well,” Erilwe begins, “while I am able to find a few possible matches for Naemon and Helcarion both, there is … an issue.”

She can feel herself starting to sweat despite the palace being rather cool. Gods, this conversation is awkward at best, and it is quickly getting worse. There’s no sense in drawing this out, though.

“First of all, I would advise you that once they come of age, you should not attempt to marry either one of them off to a lady the other does not approve of,” she states. “That can only end in disaster. The stars are very clear on that much. As for everything else … I think it may be easiest to simply visualize it, with your permission.”

The king tilts his head, looking at her with a curious expression on his face. “Granted.”

“Thank you, your Majesty.” Erilwe takes a deep breath, and then summons just enough magicka to project the night sky onto the ceiling, a perfect image of the sky just as it was on the night of Helcarion’s birth. “These,” she explains, “are Helcarion’s stars. Do you see how the Ritual lights up?” She waits for the nobles to nod, and then makes the projection shift to match the young prince’s stars instead. “These are Naemon’s.”

She watches as the four parents focus their attention to the Lord, Naemon’s birthsign, which is now illuminating the ceiling.

“It all looks perfectly normal to me,” Silrenisse says hesitantly, “though I will admit I am hardly an expert on this.”

“I never said it was not,” Erilwe replies. “And what I am about to show you is, too, but it is rare. Please keep that in mind, yes?”

And then she summons the first set of stars again, layering them on top of each other.

The resulting burst of light is bright enough to make all of them avert their eyes for a moment, and only after a few moments does it become bearable to look up again.

“What was that?” High Kinlord Faevaral mutters, staring at the starlit ceiling above them.

Erilwe steels herself, not knowing what to expect from them next, but she answers truthfully. “That was a visual representation of the bond two people with perfectly matching stars might share. Your sons … have such a bond. They are connected in a way I have rarely, if ever, seen. The light we just saw, that intensity – that represents what someone well versed in reading the constellations would have taken away from looking at the charts as I have. As for what this means … Well, you must already be aware of how close your children are. Their bond will only become deeper as they grow up, to the point where they will never allow anything or anyone to separate them, or if they do, it may very well destroy them both.”

There’s a moment of utter silence following her statement, and Erilwe has just enough time to start worrying again before the queen speaks up.

“What, exactly, does that entail?” Tuinden inquires, watching the Sapiarch with her eyebrows raised but showing no emotion otherwise.

It is really her reaction Erilwe is afraid of, mostly. Yes, the High Kinlady could crush her with one hand and barely any effort, and both the king and the High Kinlord can be very intimidating indeed, but the queen is … more concerned with tradition and keeping up appearances than the others are. It’s not for her own sake that Erilwe worries, of course – she can hardly be blamed for the whims of the stars. But she is concerned for the boys, for their happiness, so she nearly pulls a face when she finally answers, but stops herself at the last moment. It won’t do to show how displeased she is at such a question.“For now? Nothing,” she says. “And then, later, we will see, I suppose. It entirely depends on some factors we simply cannot determine yet.”

Tuinden sighs wearily. “Factors like them preferring the company of males, you mean.”

“We cannot possibly know that yet, dear,” Hidellith cuts in, resting a hand on her shoulder. “They are six years old, there’s no telling what may happen in twenty more. They just might end up exactly the way they are now, as inseparable friends.”

Tuinden smiles weakly, and Erilwe watches with no small amount of surprise as the perfect facade gains some cracks at last. “I didn’t mean it like that, Sapiarch, please do not misunderstand me. I just … I want them to be happy,” the queen mutters, “and I’m worried that if even if they loved each other, they could never be together, not with all of this.”

The queen gestures all around them, but even without that, it’s easy to understand that by this, she means everything – the nobility as a whole, and the position the boys have been put in simply because they are highborn. They will likely be forced to marry well, and to marry women, simply because heirs are expected of them. It is that or renouncing their titles, and Erilwe imagines that neither option is very pleasant.

“No use in worrying over things we can’t control,” Silrenisse decides resolutely, “and I did get a valuable piece of knowledge from this. I know now that unless we allow ourselves to ruin things, my son will always have a loyal companion by his side. That is a rare thing indeed, for someone in his position, and I am content with that.”

Faevaral nods along with everything his wife says. “I wouldn’t worry, Tuinden. Our boys are smart. They’ll figure something out, should they need to.”

Tuinden’s smile is still brittle, and she’s more pale than she’d been earlier today. Erilwe expects that she will be worried for some time still, maybe even have some sleepless nights over it, but at least she seems somewhat comforted by the optimism the others are showing.

“I suppose they will,” she agrees, smoothing a hand over a wrinkle in her otherwise perfect dress. “And what kind of a mother would I be if I had no faith in my own child?”

The king nods approvingly, and so the matter is settled. “We thank you for your advice, Sapiarch, and for your insight,” he says then. “Now, I myself find the whole sifting through marriage candidates rather distasteful. But it is tradition,” he waves his hand around in what Erilwe thinks is a rather dismissive fashion, “so may we get it over with, despite already knowing better?”

Faevaral and Tuinden discreetly elbow him at nearly the same time without their faces even twitching, and Erilwe has to bite her tongue to keep herself from giggling. “Certainly, your Majesty,” she agrees, and turns back to her star charts.

And when the two couples leave, some time later, Erilwe finally allows herself to smile.

~*~

“They knew all along,” Helcarion mutters, wide-eyed. “Why didn’t they ever tell us?”

Next to him, Naemon laughs quietly and leans back into the cushions on the admittedly very comfortable sofa. It appears that the moment he learned about their star-blessed bond, all tension’s drained out of him. “Well, I, for one, cannot imagine my mother willingly providing me with that information, if only to spare me the pain of knowing. Though I admit that now her relief at seeing me with Estre makes a lot more sense. I always thought she seemed worried I would not want to marry.”

Erilwe winces along with the two of them at the mention of the name. “I do apologize for that one,” she grinds out, “I should have known better than to suggest her.”

“No apologies needed,” Naemon replies. “She was only a little bit older than I was when you suggested the match, and I don’t suppose she had plans to overthrow the crown when she was eight years old. You could not possibly have known.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Helcarion grumbles, sipping on his tea, but Erilwe can tell that he is at least mostly joking. And also an exceedingly good judge of character.

She carefully places her cup back on the side table. “In any case,” she says, “I do believe your parents kept it all secret to protect you. They would have told you, I believe, if you had fallen in love with each other earlier, but ...”

“But it was only me at first,” Helcarion sighs. “And so my parents didn’t say anything either.”

Naemon, who already has an arm wrapped around him – a display of affection that Estre would never have allowed, but that the prince obviously delights in, and isn’t that telling – pulls Helcarion closer and gently kisses his cheek. “Only because I was an unobservant fool.”

“And because I wasn’t brave enough to tell you the truth,” Helcarion admits. “I could have confessed at any time, or at least told you that Estre made me uncomfortable, and then a lot of unpleasant things could have been avoided. But you seemed happy with her, and that was what mattered most to me.”

Naemon shakes his head fondly, and Erilwe gets the suspicion that the two of them have had this particular conversation before, many times over. Still, they are undoubtedly very happy together, or else they would not even be contemplating marriage with the scrutiny it puts them under.

“I think,” she says, “that now, everything is as it should be, as the stars decreed. You were right to come to me for confirmation, and if anyone should dare to question your relationship, feel free to point them here. I shall endeavor to correct them. Trust me – I can demonstrate as I did for your parents, or I can give them a lecture on ascendants and their influence on relationships, or perhaps even include some interesting new theories that take the influence of Masser and Secunda into account, courtesy of a Khajiiti scholar I met just a few months ago ...”

“Thank you,” Naemon says, his smile clearly indicating he understands very well that she is offering to use her knowledge as their shield. “This means more to us than you know, after … everything.”

And it cannot be easy for them, Erilwe knows that. People talk, and there will likely be several attempts to tear them apart again – they are both too high in rank that their relationship could be overlooked, open as they now are about it, and people who protest the mere implications of going against tradition are far more numerous than Erilwe would like. There’s a fair number of them even among the Sapiarchs, enough that sometimes Erilwe would love nothing more than to run off and join the Psijics, if only she could find them.

But Helcarion and Naemon? They are choosing to face those challenges one at a time, and Erilwe is only too happy to help.

“Now,” she says, spreading the papers she’s brought from the archives across the table between her and the young couple. “Let us talk about these records, so that if anyone should ask intrusive questions, you will know how to discourage them or at least provide enough detail that it should throw most of them off. The rest, you send my way. You, Helcarion, were born in late Morning Star, under the sign of the Ritual, and Naemon, you’re a Lord sign, early First Seed. Given that you were both so close to being born under the sign of the Lover, that is one of the things linking you together. As for traits usually associated with your birthsigns ...”

Erilwe talks for what feels like an eternity, although it is likely no more than an hour. But when Helcarion and Naemon leave to return to Alinor, they do so with their heads held high, and Erilwe knows that they will be alright in the end. The stars, after all, are never wrong.

@tes-summer-fest Day 3: Starlit

[elddansurin]

i filled out that entire got damn OC meme not once but four times for my main TES OCs because you know what? i have that power.

featuring: Gavriil, my dragonborn, Serras, the dragonborn’s weird boyfriend/travel companion, Lleris, my Nerevarine, and Gerrick, a non-vestige 2E OC who lives out the aldmeri dominion questline. this thing is long as shit behind the cut, but idc if anyone reads it, i did it for me. 

1. It’s a little unreasonable for everyone in a Middle Ages-esque fantasy to be perfectly literate, and writing with quills was considered legitimate labor! How well can your oc read and/or write? How detailed is their quest log/journal, if they keep one at all? -Gav: He's extensively literate and very well read. He keeps a pretty detailed journal going, though it's kind of a hybrid of field notes/emotions log. He does a lot of alchemical research when traveling, so he might have a few pages of notes on reagents, field sketches, etc, then another five pages of intrusive thoughts. His biggest fear is they'll be published after his death and everyone's just gonna be like "huh." -Serras: Just barely literate. He's got very childlike printing abilities, can barely spell, and struggles reading any big words. He's extremely self conscious about this. He doesn't keep any journals, but he writes letters about his adventures to his father every now and again. -Lleris: Again, quite well read. He does a lot more reading than writing, and his journaling is kind of the equivalent of writing notes on his arm. -Gerrick: I'd say he maybe has around an 8th grade reading level. He's got the core stuff down no problem, but as soon as technical jargon or anything too esoteric kicks off, his eyes glaze over.

2. How educated is your oc? Did their parents teach them, did they have a tutor or were they apprenticed to a master, or did they attend a university? What university? What are they educated in? How long did their education take? (Learned skills like blacksmithing count here too!) -Gav: Overly so. He has the education/research equivalent of phD, I'd reckon. All the best schooilng daddy's money could buy. -Serras: He was "home schooled" by a man with no resources undergoing a 30+ year nervous breakdown. So like, it's shitty that Serras is as uneducated as he is, but kind of understandable, given the situation. -Lleris: Also more or less home schooled, but at the opposite end of the spectrum. His aunt (the person who raised him), was a fucking genius. Balls-out eccentric, but a genius. -Gerrick: He was raised and educated by kind of an ensemble cast of characters, so his education is fairly well rounded and extremely based in practical over theoretical. He later joins the mages guild, but he uses that less as an opportunity to pursue higher education, but moreso a way to figure out how to sling a better lightning bolt

3. Does your oc have any kind of crafting skills that either aren’t in-game or don’t have as much importance in-game as they would in real life? (For example, can your oc sew or weave, etc? Are they skilled in any kind of art? Can they make jewelry or work glass? Are they musicians? etc) -Gav has a practical knowledge of most crafts necessary for a sad bachelor life. He can cook well enough to keep himself fed, he can patch up most of the wear in his gear, but nothing that would really impress anyone. I'd imagine, in another lifetime, he played the lute. Not sure he'd remember how at this point, though. -Serras is extremely crafty. He'd an extremely resourceful cook, he can repair just about anything, and he's a natural outdoorsman. Dude's had a lifetime of learning how to do a lot with very, very little. Art is kind of a hobby for him that he doesnt get to indulge in quite as much as he'd like. -Lleris can barely function on his own. He cannot cook a damn thing, when his clothes tear he throws them out, and he almost dies of exposure on more than one occasion. It's a sad sight to behold. -Gerrick is fond of roughin it. His life skills are exactly as honed as they need to be. Not much, but enough to keep him alive and scrappy.

4. What pantheon does your oc worship? If they worship the Cyrodiilic/Imperial pantheon, does that include Talos? If they secretly worship Talos, how do they justify hiding it?   -Gav: Pretty straightforward believer in the Altmeri pantheon. He's especially devout to Mara, though he's got a long way to go toward internalizing the whole "love yourself" thing -Serras: He's never really figured out what to believe in. Way back in the day, his family was heavily involved in House Indoril, and when the Tribunal kind of fizzled out, they were all pretty lost and not exactly stoked to go back to worshipping the "good" daedra. That more or less carried down to Serras, although he's not even aware of his ties to House Indoril or any of that Tribunal stuff. He has a learned fear of any sort of daedra, courtesy his father. -Lleris: He's pretty tight with Azura, natch. -Gerrick: Dude straight up does not care, but will absolutely pay lip service to Auri-El if it makes him look good.

5. How religious is your oc? Do they come into conflict with others over their beliefs? If their patron deity told them to do something extremely undesirable or against their moral compass, would they do it? Would your oc sell someone’s soul for a corn chip? -Gav is devout enough to have taken a shake at becoming a priest. Didn't pan out, because he couldn't deal with the pressure of being any kind of authority figure, and he's been kind of having a crisis of faith in the midst of his most recent extended nervous breakdown. As soon as he starts clearing his head again, he pretty much goes back to being pretty dang devout. -Serras is struggling to figure out his moral compass on his own. He wouldn't mind being religious, but growing up in a non-religious setting can make it hard to just start believing in something. -Lleris becomes way more into Azura worship as the whole Nerevarine thing plays out, and he would absolutely fuck things up in her name. His sour opinion of the Tribunal is absolutely influenced by Azura’s grudge. -Gerrick, again, does not care. His morals are his own, and no one's going to talk him into doing something that doesn't align with his own beliefs about life.

6. Does your oc have a family of origin? How many members of their FoO are still living? Do they have a good relationship? How much contact does your oc have with their FoO? How in-the-loop is your oc’s FoO about your oc’s being Dragonborn/HoK/Nerevarine? -Gavriil's immediate family are all still alive (except his sister, who died before he was born), and they have not been in contact in like, 200 years. None of them even know if he's still alive until a few years after the whole Dragonborn thing starts making its way back to Auridon. His parents are just kind of like "huh." and then continue to never bring him up in conversation. His younger brother eventually seeks him out to try and forge the relationship they never got to have. -Serras has a codependent relationship with his father. They love each other a lot, but their relationship was very, very unhealthy. That's the major reason why he ended up leaving home, because he finally realized the only way to heal the unhealthy dynamic was to learn how to be his own person. He has a pretty good relationship with his (maternal) aunt. His mother is still alive, and he has three half-siblings he's never met. None of them ever end up meeting. His mom never does figure out what happened to her firstborn. It is what it is. -Lleris is completely on his own at this point. His parents died when he was barely a year old, and he went to go live with his wacky aunt abroad. Those two were thick as thieves, but when she passed, Lleris was legit on his own. -Gerrick and his weird pirate family are all still on good terms. Both of his parents are still alive and although they dont see each other often, it's a grand old time when they finally do.

7. What social class was your oc born into? Did they change classes at all? How? -Gav: Super, super upper-crust. His family was nobles marrying nobles all the way back, and Gav just couldn't cut it in that world. His slump into absolute poverty is gradual, but pretty vicious. He does eventually pick himself up out of the gutter, but I'll go more into that a few questions down. -Serras: He was born into a weird, backwoods cult and spends the next 30-something years of his life living an extremely hand-to-mouth existence either in some slum or the legit middle of nowhere. Dude wasn’t exactly born into privilege. -Lleris: He was born into House Telvanni and lived a pretty well to do life until he was in his early 20s. After his aunt passed, he lived a few months as a street urchin before being arrested, then he slogs across Vvardenfell for like three years, "re-joins" House Telvanni and starts living a cushy life again, then gets tossed onto an Akavir-bound boat with a bag over his head. Takes a bit of a while before he lives the high life again after that. -Gerrick: Outlaw from birth. He was the son of the ship’s captain and her then-lover, and he was raised by the entire crew, more or less. He grows up to become, of all things, an Eye of the Queen. Yeah.

8. How politically active is your oc? Are they obviously influential, or is their influence more subtle? -Gav willfully keeps his head in the sand when it comes to politics, especially in places he doesn't think of as home. It's not an accident that he started moving further and further away from Summerset as the Thalmor became more entrenched in local politics. He absolutely does not touch the Imperial/Stormcloak tension. And honestly, even when he was at the height of his Dragonborn influence, no one wanted his opinion about the war, because not a single person in Skyrim wants to hear what an Altmer has to say about Nord politics. -Serras has a lot of opinions about the way Nords treat non-Nords, but he has pretty much no political agency. -Lleris starts out mostly entangled in Telvanni politics and helps his bff Aryon sack Gothren. He also tries and mostly fails to rub elbows with Neloth, because Neloth. Later on down the Nerevarine rabbit hole, he starts getting more and more vocal in general Morrowind politics, which culminates in him "volunteering" to go "explore" Akavir. -Gerrick, surprisingly for someone born a pirate, he canonically carries out the Aldmeri Dominion questline from ESO, so yeah he's just a little bit involved in politics.

9. What unplayable faction would/did your oc join, if any? Why? -Gav is associated with the Mage's guild, or I guess was associated. Which by the way? Bullshit that the guild was written out. But also, since I absolutely headcanon that enough of House Telvanni survives the Red Year to rebuild outside of Vvardenfell, I also imagine Gavriil worming his way into House Telvanni after he busts ass out of Skyrim. He never becomes very involved in House politics, he's more interested in going back into academia. Which he does. He more or less spends the rest of his days chillin in a mushroom house in Morrowind, writing books about levitating and shit. -Serras briefly had a stint with the Skyrim thieves guild, but he cuts ties pretty quickly because he is pretty disgusted with robbing from the poor to give to Maven Black-Briar.  -Lleris has always had ties to House Telvanni, though he does have a brief stint with the Mages Guild before they are like holy shit, please leave us alone forever. He later swings by Solstheim as an old man to bother Neloth, who is like holy shit, please leave me alone forever. -Gerrick may not actively be a pirate anymore, but he is on pretty good terms with a bunch of them.

10. How trustworthy is your oc? Would they ever change opposing factions? -Gav: He's pretty much your lawful good kind of guy. He's decently loyal, even if only due to constant, overbearing guilt. At very worst, he'll just disappear rather than fulfill an obligation, but he'd sooner die than double cross anyone. -Serras: This is a guy who's mostly looking out for himself and the ones closest to him. In otherwords, Gavriil and/or his father. Probably not wise to put too much trust into him otherwise, because he's not exactly loyal if he's not actively benefitting from the arrangement. That said, he's not too much of a double-crosser, but don't trust him not to steal from you then lie about it. -Lleris: His loyalty can be bought. He won't feel too many qualms about changing sides if it benefits him more. So far, no one's offered him a better gig than being a champion of Azura, so it'd take a lot to get him to betray her. -Gerrick: His trustworthiness is super situational. He's in tight with Ayrenn, because you can't get much better than being the queen's go-to guy. He's smart enough to know not to betray her or the people involved with her. For the average person that he meets? Might be best to sleep with your eyes open around him. Patty is pretty much the only other person he wouldn't stab in the back at the drop of a hat. Outlaw roots, and all.

11. What is your oc’s main source of income, if they have one besides plundering tombs and adventuring? If they’re mercenaries, are they part of a company? Does your oc own their own business, and if so, what is it? -Gav has no source of income. Most of what he earns in his time in Skyrim is from acts of charity. For a few months, he pulls a legit job copying old texts for a bookseller in Solitude, but that only lasts as long as his precarious mental state will allow. Apart from that, he's pretty reliant on Serras's money. -Serras steals almost impulsively. He doesn't exactly keep a steady income, but its enough to keep both him and Gavriil in good supplies. Mostly. That they're both living off the land a lot does help. -Lleris does a lot of odd jobs where ever he goes. That and he has a bit of a history of pawning high ticket items that don't exactly belong to him. Keep your eyes on your soul gems when he’s in your house. -Gerrick lives the high life when he's actively working for the queen, but between Queens Eye stints, he's mostly earning a mercenary's salary. And he picks a lot of pockets. Why do I have so many thief-y characters?

12. Is your oc good with finances? Bartering? How long can they keep the money they make? -Gavriil: Not at all. At least not anymore. His parents never really taught him the art of finance to begin with, and his whole "functional" alcoholism thing makes it a bit hard to hang onto his money. He does get a bit better with time, but it DOES take time. -Serras: He's very good at knowing what things generally cost. Not worth the risk of stealing something that doesn’t get a good return. -Lleris: He can spend pretty loosely, but he also earns a fat cut with all the daedric weapons he gets his hands on. Him and that mudcrab merchant are pretty familiar with each other. -Gerrick: Generally earns a lot more than he spends. His standard of living is not particularily high, so even when he's "living large," he's not living THAT large.

13. Does your oc have any particular rivalry or mutual dislike with any NPC? -Gavriil has a really reluctant relationship with Delphine. He doesn't particularily respect her, and she's not impressed with who he is and who he chooses to be. That said, they do both realize they have some level of dependence on each other, right up until Delphine gives him the ultimatum about New BFF Paarthunax. After that he's like "lol bye" and they never see each other again. -Serras hates pretty much everyone in Skyrim for some reason or another, but they're all extremely one-sided relationships, because no one knows who the fuck he is. -Lleris is in the shit with virtually everyone in the Mages Guild, as well as anyone in every other great house. Both because of his connections with House Telvanni and, well, Lleris can be hard to be around sometimes. -Gerrick had always had a bad feeling about Estre and the fucking second she shows her ass, Gerrick's all “I FUCKING KNEW IT.” Estre wishes Gerrick would just die because who the HELL is this half-Maormer pirate asshole who's suddenly playing way too big of a part in Summerset politics.

14. How well-liked is your oc? What is their reputation, if they’re well-known? Are they simply liked/disliked, or are they respected but feared, or personally liked but not taken seriously, etc? Do major factions consider your oc an important player? -Gav: People have such mixed reactions to him. They usually hear about him well before they meet him, and at first they're like oh shit!!! Dragonborn!!!! Then they meet him and they're like uuuh he's a weird homeless dude with blatant unaddressed trauma. Kind of wish he wasn't the one who was going toe to toe with all these dragons. -Serras: Who? -Lleris: House Telvanni loves him. Except for like, Gothren, who gets killed by him. And Neloth, who never did get that robe of drake's pride. And Dratha. As for the rest of Vvardenfell, people start slowly warming up to him as he becomes more certifiably Nerevarine. Then they get real sick of him again. -Gerrick: His reputation is tied firmly with how someone feels about Ayrenn. If they like her, then Gerrick is unconventional but damnit, he gets the job done. If they oppose Ayrenn, then Gerrick is symbolic of everything that's wrong with Ayrenn and her foreign policy.

15. Does your oc have a horse/other mount? A pet? How did they get this animal? If they were given the animal, do they have the money to maintain it? How careful/careless are they with their animal? What do they do with their pets while adventuring, especially on dangerous quests? -Gerrick is the only one, and he has a giant stag mount that kind of comes and goes. He also has a constant clannfear familiar, which is, you know, conjured.

16. Does your oc take their time as they travel, or are they purposeful? How do they survive in the wilds, especially if they aren’t hunter-types? How dependent is your oc on civilized society? -Gav and Serras both spend ample time in the wilderness, even if civilization might be available. Gavriil enjoys keeping a low profile more and more as the whole Dragonborn affair goes on, and toward the end, he's keeping his head down as much as possible. Serras is fine with it because that's just what his life's like. -Lleris makes a beeline from town to town and will take silt striders whenever possible. He doesn't know how to hunt or dress game, he can barely pitch a tent, and more often than not will just sleep on the bare-ass ground like an idiot. Again, he has almost died of exposure on more than one occasion. -Gerrick could disappear into the wilderness for months and be just fine. He could be equally fine spending months in the middle of a major city. He's flexible.

17. What does your oc like to eat? How much food do they eat? Can your oc cook, and can they do it well? -Gav used to be a super picky eater in his earlier years. Now he'll eat anything that'll keep him alive. Too much grain alcohol has dulled his sense of taste. He knows how to decently fire-roast small animals, but he's not exactly an inspirational cook. -Serras is a fan of good food. One of the biggest inspirations for him teaching himself how to cook was so that he could eat good food on the reg. He can make a little go a long way, in terms of quality of ingredients. -Lleris is the kind of guy who'd burn spaghetti. -Gerrick is a pretty decent cook. His specialty is hearty campfire shit like stews and chowders.

18. What does your oc wear in the city/settlements? In the house? When travelling, but not adventuring or expecting combat? Do they vary their clothes depending on what hold/city they’re in? If they don’t, why not (e.g., if your oc wears the same outfit to tend their garden or lounge around the house as they did to meet Ulfric or Elisif, why?) Does your oc have a good or bad sense of fashion? How many clothes does your oc have? -Gavriil has one outfit, the same tunic and threadbare enchanted robe he's worn for the past dozen or so miles. It's all he's got, babey. -Serras has more outfits than you'd expect from the kind of guy who lives out of a tent 10 months out of the year. He likes to look cute. Also, he's almost always wearing a scarf, because he's pretty sure that's just what Dunmer do. -Lleris's outfit of choice is flowing, elegant mage robes, daedric boots, and pretty much nothing else. Naked under your robes seems like a pretty Telvanni thing to do, if we're being honest here. -Gerrick wears roguish pirate garb fairly often during the adventure phase, but he does have some fancy threads when he's in the company of royalty.

19. How picky is your oc about their gear? Do they have different equipment for different adventures, or is it the same suit of armor for everything (not counting upgrades like from steel to ebony)? -Gav, again, has one outfit. He does swap out his tunic after one is shredded/absolutely drenched in his own blood, but the robe has been with him for years at this point. He cannot be assed to enchant a new one. -Serras is not particularily picky about what his kit looks like. He's usually fine with a bit of leather armor, but he opts for pauldrons more often than not as, again, he's convinced that's just what Dunmer do. -Lleris won't wear it if it's not cute. -Gerrick is surprisingly discerning about his gear. He has a very high standard for what his weapons should look like, and everything needs to be properly enchanted if he's gonna be using it.

20. How does your oc acquire their clothes, and from where/whom? -Gav's robe is an old piece he enchanted himself when he was a bit more put together, and the rest of his outfit is more or less charity. Like hey, couldn't help but notice you got nearly torn in half by a dragon, can I offer you this shirt? -Serras's clothes were all honestly bought with money he earned from pawning stolen goods. Hmm. -Lleris will always make the time to shop for cute outfits when he gets to a big city. The boots? Conjured. -Gerrick's things were mostly honest purchases, but not all of them. He's not above pulling a pair of nice boots off a dead man's feet.

21. Can your oc swim, and how well? Have they ever swam in the ocean, or only lakes/rivers? Remember, it’s much harder to swim in the ocean than in a lake! If your oc is an Argonian, do they take special advantage of it somehow (e.g., do they go diving for fun/for profit, do they instinctively hide in the water, etc)? If your oc is a Khajiit who can swim, how do they get their fur dry? -Gav was born by the sea and as long as the water is warm, he loves to swim. The rivers and lakes in Skyrim are all too damn cold for him, even in the summer, so he water walks more often than he swims. -Serras is a decently strong swimmer, though he's never actually seen the ocean. Rivers and lakes, though, no big deal. -Lleris can barely swim and will water walk 99% of the time he encounters water. Even though he knows a water breathing spell, he's never actually used it. -Gerrick was born on a boat and is half Maormer. He fucking knows how to swim ok.

22. How easy/difficult is it to rob your oc? Pickpocket? Bribe? -Gav: Too easy. He's got nothing of value to take, so his guard is at like, 0. -Serras: He's a pickpocket by trade, he knows all the tricks. You'd have to be pretty fucking crafty to life something from under his nose. Even if you did, you can be sure as shit he'd steal it right back. -Lleris: He's been robbed a handful of times. -Gerrick: It wouldn't be impossible to pick his pocket, just very difficult and very unwise.

23. If your oc is part of one of the more morally questionable or outright evil factions, how do they justify it to themselves? Do they still consider themselves as morally good? How well known is their affiliation to these groups? Do they have separate personas (e.g. Dragonborn to some people, Listener to others)? Do their family/friends know? If they have separate personas, how do they keep their less than righteous activities secret? -Gav, despite being provably morally good, deals with a lot of completely unjustified guilt. He doesn't think of himself as that great of a person, because he feels too selfish. -Serras doesn't really hide that he's a thief by trade, at least to anyone who knows him. He's had his shot at honest work, and he just couldn't cut it. And well, a dude's gotta make a living somehow. He tries to keep his mind clear by only stealing from people who can afford to have things go missing. Or just if he hates them. Either way. -Lleris is very hush-hush about any work he's done with the thieves guild. He doesn't consider him to be affiliated with them, moreso that they stay in fleeting business arrangements, arrangements which become less and less frequent the more involved he gets in Telvanni politics. -Gerrick having pirate roots is something of an open secret. Part of his appeal as an Eye is his roguishness, and it's not exactly hard for him to work with shadowy sources. He'll never deny his heritage to anyone who directly asks. Not many people have the gall to do that, however, so rumors do fly.

24. How helpful is your oc, and why? Are they helpful or kind even during difficult situations? Are they pragmatic, or do they have a hero syndrome? -Gav has a weird obligation on/off switch. He feels guilted into helping people in certain situations, while he can walk away from others with a clear conscience. When the guilt hits, he will go so far against his own interests to help people, even if he's actively suffering as he does so. Even then, god does he hate being recognized as some kind of hero. Nothing he does in Skyrim makes him feel like a hero, and he actively lives out the world's most aggressive case of imposter syndrome even after Alduin fucking dies. He immediately leaves Skyrim after Alduin's death, because he can't live with the recognition he feels he fell dick first into. No one knows or cares who the Dragonborn is in Morrowind, so he busts ass to the eastern border the second his ass gets back to Nirn. -Serras historically doesn't go that far out of his way to help people, unless they're someone he already cares about, or who he owes some kind of debt. Part of his Growth is slowly taking up his father's mantel as a healer, and dedicating the rest of his life to helping people. Big claps for Serras! -Lleris has such a bad hero syndrome. The fucking second he gets the impression that he might be Nerevarine, that's how he's introducing himself to people. He does get to play big damn hero for a little while after the events at Red Mountain, but the novelty does eventually wear off, at least for the people around him. Well into his second or third century, he'll still bring up that time he was Azura's champion and killed not one, but two living gods. For like the thousandth time. -Gerrick can help or hurt. When he's helpful, he's super fucking helpful. He's your fucking MVP. But the second you cross him, he’ll be out for blood. And while he does have a reputation that often precedes him, he doesn't exactly milk it.