Rowland

[Rowland]

Rowland Curtain Morcer Appearance Race: Human. To his deepest regret, Rowland is pure human Gender: Male. Age: 28. Birthday: 34th day of Spring, Green Watchstone, 485 Birthplace: Alvadas Appearance: This part is very important, so we have to put the appearance in context first. More than anything else, Rowland's actual appearance defines him. That is to say, the entire goal of this character is to change his appearance. He looks in the mirror and wants to change everything about himself. Which is paradoxical as he is very handsome, for a human. Rowland just wants to be more than plain human. He'd be happy if he was even a unique human, such as the Svefra or the Inarta, or if he had multiple arms or wings and mer-badger bottom. He see himself as dull and ordinary, plain and boring. He is not delusional: this is indeed how he has come across for most of the last decade. This is because for many years, he was trained to appear as drab and ordinary, colorless and normal. He spent many years as a Listener on the street and it is the credo of the Listeners that they are not to stand out but must always blend in, always staying in the middle of the pack, always just watching and observing, smelling, touching and listening. No talking, no attention drawn to themselves. "Listeners are never seen, never. They wear plain clothes and go out every day looking as all the other Alvads look, and that is what gives them power. Their ears are everywhere, and they themselves move through the world of Alvadas without leaving so much as a ripple behind. Fear is their weapon—fear of discover, fear that no one on the streets is who they truly seem to be." (From the Wiki page; Credit to Fallacy & Bedlam) He dislikes his appearance and always wears something: it could be a wig and makeup, it could be a fake mustache, it could be a quicksilver-colored robe and a mask and hood. Rumors abound that he was disfigured in a magical experiment gone wrong. Other rumors claim he is wanted man hiding from the Syliran Knights (or some such authority figures). Other rumors claim he is a rich and powerful man who is incognito, hiding from the Triad or the Womiyu. Those are all just rumors, mostly that he himself started, and they don't make much sense as he in fact works for the Womiyu. Actually, he is ashamed of himself, both his appearance and past actions, and desires redemption and change. He didn't actually do anything wrong; he's just very hard on himself. A man driven by seeing himself in such a negative prism is capable of anything if he feels it might lead to applause from the audience. And he does it all for the applause that he can never give himself. It is clear from what can be seen that he has chocolate hair and grape green (CCFF66) eyes, he is skinny (not scrawny, just not fat) and above average height, and he has a high-pitched Lyric Tenor voice such as might be found among the plantation owners in Kenash. He is handsome, but with some variation of vanity where he only sees the imperfections. Character Concept A human illusionist & stage performer, a lifelong resident of Alvadas, who grew up in wealth and luxury but has lost it all in his pursuit of his goals. Rowland is very nosy and curious and almost rude in his desire to know everyone and everything a little bit. ( Not sure if this character has the proper mindset to worship Eyris, but definitely someone who would respect anyone he meets who does worship her. ) And then he writes it all down. However he is not critical, except about himself, and will invariably write compliments and flattery. Because he compares everyone to himself and is often filled with envy and jealousy. Sometimes he will accidentally say things that sting, but this is simply the thoughtlessness of the jejeune actor obsessed with being famous as opposed to the type who wants to be a star: there is only room in his mind for his all-consuming pursuit of novelty and change and so there is no long-term room for love of hate of anyone else. He does spend a great deal of time contemplating the unseen world, the occult and the arcane. He worships Ionu devoutly as much because Ionu is a mystery to him as for the evidence of Ionu's power. Certain gods require faith to believe in them; Ionu's powers of illusion are ubiquitous in Alvadas but still Rowland realizes he knows nothing about the being behind the mask, a fact on which he contemplates daily. Character History Rowland has spent most of his life in Alvadas; his Uncle-- a minor member of one of the top 5 families of Alvadas who had married Rowland's Aunt-- worked for the Womiyu and to perhaps prove that corruption and nepotism trump even illusions, got him a job as a Listener. Rowland spent many years learning how to be a good Listener; a good deal of time was spent in establishing a network of friends, contacts, and informants, and he worked on various skills and abilities to best help him do his job. More experienced Listeners taught him how to Morph his appearance to better blend in, how to Hypnotize someone with a suggestion such as forgetting they had met, how to disguise himself, impersonate others, and how to act so as to blend into a crowd. Years of dealing with contacts and informants gave him some knowledge of leadership and persuasion. Rowland became a man capable of roaming all over Alvadas; he could be flashy or he could be drab and colorless, as the situation demanded. Rowland has an intricate knowledge of covert bureaucracy tucked deep within him. He is so used to wearing a facade personality everywhere that even when he does theater he is playing both the character and also the actor. Eventually, Rowland was promoted and became one of the High Listeners, a man who analyzed the reports of the street Listeners and determined if a case should be forwarded to the Speakers and Silencers. He was quite good at his job, getting along both with undercover Listeners, uniformed Speakers and Womiyu brass such as the Highest Listeners. He realized that he enjoyed analyzing and adjudicating these cases as he felt various of his colleagues either wanted to have everyone excused or everyone Silenced, and he considered himself an impartial man in the middle, striving for justice and balance for all. He was inspired by Ionu-- neither man nor woman nor young nor old, so he felt that a truly devout worshipper of Ionu should likewise always be in the middle, arbitrary and capricious compared to those firmly on the left or the right of things. At any rate, the defining moment of his emotional life came when he met a Vantha and he realized how extraordinary she was with her amazing hair and ever-changing eyes. He realized that his years of being a colorless, drab Listener had made him boring and ordinary in comparison and so he became obsessed with wanting to find a way to change his appearance. He spent enough time with her to pick up some basic Vani. His best friend is a Svefra named Peter Puddlehopper, who taught him a few words of Fratava. They met in church because unlike many Svefra, Peter does not worship Laviku; he worships Ionu as passionately as Rowland does. Language Fluent Language: Common Basic Language: Vani Poor Language: Fratava Skills Skill EXP Total Proficiency Acting 10 SP 10 Novice Disguise 15 RB 15 Novice Hypnotism 10 SP 10 Novice Impersonation 5 SP 5 Novice Intelligence 5 SP 5 Novice Leadership 10 SP 10 Novice Persuasion 5 SP 5 Novice Morphing 5 SP 5 Novice Observation 2 XP 2 Novice Rheotoric 2 XP 2 Novice Running 2 XP 2 Novice Singing 1 XP 1 Novice Detection 1 XP 1 Novice (All his skills reflect a man obsessed with changing how he appears, or skills he learned or needed to learn to join the Womiyu.) Lores Starting Lore: Lore of Religion: Ionu Lore of the Womiyu (Rowland works for the Womiyu and is devoutly religious to Ionu.) Lore gained in threads: Alvadas: The Withering Rose Alvadas: Be a Part of Alvadas Alvadas: Capricious Illusions Possessions Starting Possessions: 1 Set of Clothing (Very Colorful) -Linen Shirt -Linen Pants -Linen Undergarments -Linen Cloak -Simple Boots 1 Waterskin 1 Backpack which contains: -Comb (wood) -Brush (wood) -Soap -Balanced Rations (1 Week's worth) -1 eating knife -Flint & Steel 100 Gold Mizas On loan from City of Alvadas: Badge with Womiyu Sigil Bought Winter 513: Speaking Horn (amplifies voice) Bird's Tongue (raises pitch) Music Book Wooden Flute 1 black mask 1 silver mask Cosmetics, plain and unusual Wig Powder Pomade acquired Winter 513: obsidian key (acquired here from AS Tapestry Heirloom: Rowland's mother, an actress, left him her disguise kit. Though it serviced his mothers for years, Rowland has constantly used it and so it is down to its last 10 uses. Housing Location: Rowland lives in Alvadas House: Rowland's house is in Alvadas. It cost 500 GM and is the default measurement of 20x20 feet. The house also comes with a key which acts as a sort of compass that tugs the possessor of the key in the direction of the house which the key belongs to (It would be best described as two magnets attracting each other). The house includes a hearth, bunk, chest, chair, and table. Quarters Rowland also has access to the Womiyu Quarters. Listeners Ledger Purchase Cost Total Starting +100 GM 100 GM Speaking Horn -4 GM 96 GM Music book -4 GM 92 GM Wooden Flute -4 SM 91 GM, 96SM Mask -3 SM 91 GM, 93 SM Mask -3 SM 91 GM, 90 SM Bird's Tongue -3 GM 88 GM, 90 SM Common Cosmetics -1 SM 88 GM, 89 SM Unusual Cosmetics -4 SM 88 GM, 85 SM Wig Powder -5 SM 88 GM, 80 SM Pomade -1 GM 87 GM, 80 SM Ending Total -- 87 GM, 80 SM Thread List Winter 513, AV: Day Thread Type 1 Season of Discontent Training 1 Sanity Center Meeting with an Alvadas NPC 2 Meeting with Kuvarakh Social 4 Meeting Renate Social