ooc: application

[taxonomy]

PLAYER

Name: Mhairi
Age: 29
Contact: bansheesquad#0389 @ discord
Other Characters: Yngvi | filthydipper | original (native)
Interests: Homer Simpson voice: neeeeeeeeeeeerd. Basically someone who isn't here for the combat or the politics or the main issues but instead can help with the wild beasts they'll encounter and what the rifts may or may not be doing to them. Will get elbow deep in a dragon. Will probably try to smuggle dangerous beasts back to wherever they're staying. (Don't throw out his entrails, those are experiments you fiend!) Voted most likely to say "I need more data to draw an accurate conclusion, please continue" in response to someone screaming "It's going to eat me!" (But he did say please, he has manners). I'd like to say he was recruited as an expert in his field of biology and because he was making noises about 'but what of the animals' regarding rifts.

CHARACTER

Name: Octavian Nestor Sokolov, much prefers to go by Tavin
Canon/OC: original
Journal: taxonomy
Race: Human
Nationality: Nevarran
Occupation: Scholar/researcher in biology/zoology mostly relating to beasts, non-idle noble
Division: Research
Mage or Not: Not
Age: 28

History

Born to a noble family in Nevarra, Tavin's love of wild creatures started young with the tales of dragons and dragonhunters he was told alongside his siblings as a small child. Generally he was far more interested in the inner workings of dragons than the dragonslayers themselves, a little more than slightly to the dismay of his parents who did have plans for their second son but plans can be adapted and they had an older son than him and a daughter for marrying off. It wasn't a disaster. Plans were made for him to attend the University of Orlais when he was older and in the meantime he was shuttled around Nevarra in his youth, mostly with his mother who liked to involve herself in politics and fundraising. His father was too involved in Nevarra's army to be around that much and didn't know what to do with a son that had zero interest in using a sword.

 

Getting to go Hunter Fell where Toth was slain was probably the highlight of small Tavin's early years.

Generally an awkward tangle of limbs used to a very Nevarran way of life, going off to Orlais and leaving his family behind was a pretty big culture shock for him at the time and he wasn't really into it. He studied hard but didn't have the easiest time making friends by virtue of wanting to talk about weird wildlife theories and facts, usually when people were eating. So there were field trips. The many tales of 'that time Tavin almost got eaten by phoenixes/quillbacks/wolves/feral nugs' made the rounds but what can a man do but endure? The best part of university for him was finishing with it so he could actually go out into the world to publish papers, to research, to not have to deal with quite so many Orlesians. Orlais and their whole 'let's burn the bodies' thing never caught on with someone who'd been raised in Nevarra City, visiting the family necropolis as often as was decent. Someone vaguely fascinated as one is with a thing that isn't exactly in their field.

The Fifth Blight caught his attention for the way that the Blight can affect animal life but no one really wanted to read papers about that, Tavin shut up and get back to whatever it is you do you weird gangly creature. And seriously, Tavin, do you want to get involved with the Wardens? How about no.

But his mother did keep copies of those because one never knows what might be useful for the future.

Most recently, Tavin's been trying to scope out sights where people had said there were rifts or rift activity to see what impact it had had on animal life after returning from a research trip through a few locations to better argue where giants actually fall in terms of categorisation. Yes it matters, you're all going to have to hear his theories when the giants are punching you.

Bonus info on the Sokolovs of Nevarra

Personality

Tavin is the guy who will be unfailingly polite as he watches some horrific wild animal devour you whole for the good of his research because he's terribly sorry, but he really does need more information for this conclusion. Also do you think that dragon could burn down a second house so we can see if the first one was a fluke or not? But that's when he's actually in his comfort zone and realistically, he's not in that comfort zone very often or for very long.

Most of the time, Tavin is nervous, skittish and awkward. He cuts himself off, laughs, waves his hands around and doesn't know what to do with his big gangly body too much of the time so he might not always come off as the son of Nevarran nobility if you looked at him. The education gives it away but catch him after he's been working or stand him next to the family and you'd be surprised. (His mother realised early on that keeping hold of a copy of all her son's research material for the future and knowing who he was in contact with made him far more useful politically than attempting to groom him for any sort of role.)

Not overly blessed with friends, he prefers to be around animals and gets on better with them. Genuinely enthusiastic about his studies to the point of being overbearing about it to some because he doesn't know when to just stop, he's not the best at relating to people and comes off as the scholar sometimes. Just that little separation from having a more human element that can make relating to him hard unless you're super into the same thing as him. But it makes him great at what he does because he's willing to put in the hours, to go risk his life, to go off and have a grand old adventure out there in the wild and spend hours sketching and writing until he crashes. Even if most of his work hasn't ever been appreciated because does anyone care about the mating habits of bogfishers? Spoiler: no.

Perhaps surprisingly, he's a staunch believer in Andraste and the Maker. (But then again, he does almost get eaten and/or mutilated by wild animals on a semi-regular basis, he needs them on his side.) He's carried the same figure of Andraste with him since he left home for Orlais and he usually keeps it in a pocket so he can grab it when he needs it. Pretty much any sort of detailing on it has long since worn off but he wouldn't trade it for the world.


Opinions & Affiliations

Chantry: believes in Andraste and the Maker, holds a very Nevarran view of things so he gets a bit squirmy around other Chantries but he does say all his prayers and he has to pray a lot because he almost gets eaten a lot.

Mages/Templars/Seekers: not really a thing for him, he's used to Mortalitasi but that's really all he's used to. Honestly why would the Circle mages rebel they're somewhere they can study and never be interrupted? They were safe and the Templars kept them safe.

Grey Wardens: tell him everything about Archdemons and also can you read his paper on blighted beasts it's only forty pages, he can read it to you if that makes it quicker, he'd like some opinions and perhaps quotes? Samples would be ideal if you have them?

Qunari: do you have wildlife? Can you tell him?

Elves: had elven servants in the home and they weren't treated badly but he's pretty much used to that idea? Which isn't great? Probably has some weird ideas about the Dalish and has had some dicey encounters when trying to go study the halla where 'his best intentions' were him being pretty ignorant about it all. Son you need to improve yourself.

Nobility and politics: would generally prefer to not be involved because why would he want to be involved but he doesn't know when he's being manipulated by them. He's born nobility and he and his family are still good so he doesn't see the inherent issue with it. Also things he could improve upon.

He basically cares most about what he studies but he will try to be polite. And ignorant.


Adaptation Notes

n/a

Strengths & Weaknesses


+ Highly educated, fluent in Nevarran, Orlesian and Trade.
+ Incredibly good with animals even just from observing them
+ Superb draftsman
+ Not at all squeamish about anything, he'll cut open whatever needs cut and he loves a good bad smell, that's how you know it's science
+/- Writes real good! If you're a scholar otherwise good luck he'll take about three times as long as needed to figure out how to explain that thing to you!

- Cares more about animals and studying them than people. RIP hirelings to expeditions, you contributed to science!
- Paternalistic to elves/mages/etc. It's not great.
- Not the guy you go to in a fight, he prefers to keep his distance and chill with a bow where he can have time to fire some shots and run if that's required, hopefully not.
- Went to university in Orlais, did not learn how to play the Game at all.
- Overly enthusiastic about murderous wildlife
- Into all that weird Nevarran death shit and will not shut up about it if there's a chance it will come up.

Inventory

• Various scholarly papers he's written that his mother probably said he should bring.
• Clothes, mostly field suitable but has some fancy Nevarra swag
• Bow and arrows
• Field kit containing: notebooks, quills, ink, scalpels, calipers, spyglass, tiny scales, several maps that make sense only to him, an alarming dissection kit do not touch
• Various field samples/mementos: teeth, claws, feathers, scales, vials of blood and maybe venom??? You can ask him about it (don't ask, you won't be able to leave)
• A horse, Adalberto, that has seen some shit
• A tiny tiny lizard friend, super chill
• Figurine of Andraste, worn, has seen as much shit as the horse

Motivation

Are the rifts making the wildlife act weird: allow him to research and probably explain. In great detail. For ten hours. Also Riftwatch has been fighting dragons and he would like to dissect a dragon corpse and narrate it to the sending crystal. As you do. Maybe he can be recruited as ~a skilled person~ to join them on purpose because Tavin isn't much use field-wise unless it's to deal with your wildlife and study it. And smuggle it back. I mean what.

SAMPLES

TDM 1
TDM 2