Valroth the Half Drow Paladin

||| ANCESTRY

1. What is this character’s lineage?
		As a Crinti he is a half Drow, and he is of mixed human, Elven, and Drow heritage. His biological mother is also Crinti, as is her wife, though his father is uncertain.

2. Are there any genetic factors that may affect them? (Mental illness/disabilities that run in the family, magical lineage, etc.?)
		Magical lineage as is expected in one of Drow blood, though the effects are somewhat lessened due to not being a full Drow.

3. What is/was their parents’ social class?
		His mother is a noble, though a fairly minor one who occupies a very fortunate niche that leaves their family with enough station to be considered nobility and to weigh in on important matters, but not so high as to be at great risk of sabotage or attack. No one else has claimed or been given responsibility regarding his parentage.

4. What are their parents/caregivers like prior to their being born?
		His mother - Thalnistra Dryaalin - was always a shrewd and distant woman who preferred to dedicate herself to important matters and carefully delegate all other duties, as was her right as a noble. Both politically and in combat she was quick to prove she was not to be trifled with, and she was known to have taken down two different assassins single-handedly among an undisclosed number of attempts. She did nothing without at least two reasons behind the act, from her familial interactions to what she wore each day.

		Her wife - Narceris Dryaalin - was a sharp woman in looks, personality, and intelligence. She usually handled the second most important duties, unless that involved any sort of diplomacy or other social matters, as she was stubborn and refused to give ground, especially if she suspected she was being insulted, as well as selfish and ambitious, which all made for a hazardous combination. Her attempts to advize Thalnistra varied wildly in how useful and how listened to the advice was. While Thalnistra could be seen as fond of her children in her coldly logical way, Narceris wanted as little to do with them as possible, though Valroth most of all.

5. If not raised by their parents, then by whom? Are their caretakers of a different social class than the character? How are they treated as a result?
		He rarely even saw his mother while he was growing up; political matters and the training of her daughters took precedent, and visiting a son who would be of no use to her was not one of those important matters she dealt with personally. He was raised by various retainers, distant relatives, and servants over the course of his childhood. One of the notable caretakers was one of those distant relatives and his partner who lived in and tended to the family villa in Maarlith.

6. In the case of non-human characters, what is the status of their “kind” prior to their birth/construction/etc.? (E.g., are they the first generation of a new AI? Are they the first generation of vampires to live in the light?)
		While in any other country his status as a half Drow would raise suspicion or confusion, in Dambrath it marks him as part of the ruling class.

7. Are there changing social values between prior generations and their own that may affect them?
		No.

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||| CIRCUMSTANCES AT BIRTH

1. What is their parental status at birth? (Single mother, both parents, etc.)
		Living mother, though not raised by her.

2. What social class is your character born into?
		Nobility, though as a man he still had restrictions and was looked down upon.

3. What is expected of your character based on the social class that they are born into? By their parents/caregivers? By the society they live in?
		As the youngest of four children, as well as the only boy, he existed in a strange and murky area. He had no hopes of inheriting anything, and his mother wasn't going to essentially sell off a portion of her wealth by marrying him off, even if Narceris and all three of his sisters would have to die for him to be next in line to his mother's holdings. He wasn't going to be brought to events, or given the lessons his sisters were on how to run their noble house just like their mother. The biggest expectation he had leveraged at him was that he shouldn't destroy the family somehow, and the second biggest was to keep as out of the way as possible.

4. How are they advantaged/disadvantaged at birth? Disability? Poverty? Etc.
		A noble, but with many restrictions and was very much unwanted.

5. Are there any circumstances surrounding their birth that may affect their early childhood? (For example, they were unwanted by their parents/caregivers, they were the long-awaited heir to a kingdom, or they were born (assigned as) a girl when the parents were hoping for a boy?)
		His mother already had three daughters and didn't really need a fourth, but when she had a son instead she was even more disappointed. He was very unwanted, and Narceris even suggested trying to get rid of him one way or another before he could grow into a burden, though he was instead handed away to the nearest person that could be instructed or expected to tend to him and keep him out of the way.

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||| CHILDHOOD

1. If they lose a parent/are orphaned/adopted/parents divorce, etc., at what age does this happen? a.) How does the age at which this happened affect them? Do they remember this change? Are they affected by the change?
		No change.

2. Does their social status/class change at any point during childhood? Why?
		No change.

3. What is their relationship with their parents/caregivers like? How do these interactions affect them in later life? (For example, a perfectionist character may have only received approval from their parents for big achievements.)
		His relationship with his mother is depressing and barely there, and he learns as the years go on that seeking her approval is a fruitless endeavor, especially as he interacts with her so rarely. His relationships with the tutors, relatives, servants, and others that he was passed between varied from person to person, though the desire for attention and approval made him eager to please them, which sometimes warred with the feelings of resentment and discontent he also felt.

4. Do they have siblings or other close relationships with family members of a similar age? (Do bear in mind that early relationships with siblings can play a strong role in the way that people approach friendships in later years.)
		He has three older sisters - Drisinil, Talice, and Belarbreena - that he also saw very, very rarely. Though not as absent as his mother, they were often busy with lessons, or being shown around at events, or trying to work their way into the good graces of their mother if not any other noble they had their sights on as potential options to further themselves now or later, or indulging in their own downtime with books or with friends, or even simply avoiding him.

		Other family he was sometimes much closer to, usually the men such as uncles and male cousins, though the female members of his extended family were still rather cold towards him. Additionally, almost all of them were older than him by almost a century at the very least.

5. If they have siblings, what is their birth order, and how does this affect them?
		Drisinil is the oldest, then Talice, and then Belarbreena as the youngest daughter. Valroth is the youngest child in total, and the only boy. He wondered if being born earlier would have made a difference how he was viewed and treated by his family.

6. What are some of the most impactful moments from their childhood? How do these moments affect them? What do they learn from these experiences? (E.g., “authority figures aren’t to be trusted).
		"Authority figures aren't to be trusted" just comes with being in a land ruled by people with an Evil alignment. From the age he was old enough to understand what he was seeing and hearing, he has seen and heard proof of this. Merchants charging outsiders extra, nobles scheming against those below them, other nobles scheming against each other, secrets told in confidence being sharpened into knives to be used against the confessor when any opportunity arose; there was no one impactful moment that brought this realization, only a slow and never ending parade of moments throughout his life.

		One time when he was staying with family in Maalith, he was around 12 at the time, he was walking through the outer market and stumbled, grabbing a nearby kiosk to catch his fall and, unknowingly, knocking it somewhat off-balance. Nobody noticed or reacted, so he only carried on with his day. Later that night he found out the kiosk had fallen over, taking the goods down with it, and the woman in charge of the kiosk had accused a nearby human man of pushing it, and at her word against his he had been deemed guilty and flogged for the crime. When he found this out, he felt incredibly guilty that someone had suffered for something he'd done, but couldn't think of how to make it up to anyone as he didn't even know the man's name.

		He learned to ride when he was 17, and tried not to let the knowledge that his sisters had all learned when they were younger sour the experience. This turned out to not be difficult, as while the first few riding lessons were tedious, the actually riding was exciting once he got the hang of it. Already wistful of the idea of the lands beyond Dambrath and of seeing them one day, he now could add daydreaming of riding a horse of his own out across the land, meeting new people and exploring new places. These were along with the usual ones, of course, where he'd watch the ships coming and going from the docks and wonder where they'd come from, what they brought with them, and where they'd go from here, and imagine setting sail to somewhere far away and seeing Cathyr fade into the distance.

7. Was their childhood a happy one? If not, how do they see their childhood as an adult? Does this make them angry, do they try to ignore it, or have they moved on?
		In general, no. Some moments were better than others, but he was very lonely, bitter, and melancholic.

8. What are their typical social interactions like as children? Do they have a lot of friends, are they shy, etc.?
		He wasn't socialized well by his immediate family, and had no true friends. He had distant family who would care for him, tutors who sometimes took pity on him and would go easier on him, retainers, servants, but none of them could really fill the position of friend. He found he had somewhat better luck when he tried on his own, and away from his family and others who openly looked down on him when they bothered to look at all, though even the merchants, sailors, and others that he would interact with kept a certain distance between them that left a certain ache in his chest.

9. Do they exhibit expected behaviors or have difficulty conforming? (Conforming to gender roles or not, for example.)
		Both, though mainly the first and then the second as he grew older, when the bitterness and dissatisfaction found outlets in acting out in ways that were still within expected behaviors of someone of his station but pushing just enough to be a bother. It was one of the only ways he'd managed to pull a reaction out of his mother, and he considered that flash of uncontrolled annoyance that crossed her face to be a personal victory. Even if that hangover had been awful - if only because it had been his first - and he'd been forbidden to treat the aches that had come with it, Narceris calling it a lesson from Loviatar.

10. What are their primary interests as a child?
		Daydreaming, seeking approval or at least attention, the world beyond Dambrath, spite, travel.

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||| ADOLESCENCE

1. Is there a turning point that moves your characters from childhood and into a more “mature” perspective? (For example, the death of a loved one.)
		Gaining more knowledge of the outside world, probably, along with a more concrete idea of what was there.

2. Does their social status/class change at any point during adolescence? Why?
		No.

3. How does their relationship with their parents develop from childhood to adolescence?
		It remains mostly stagnate and almost non-existent, as before.

4. Do any major changes occur in their life during adolescence? How do these changes affect them?
		Once, when he was 19, staying in Maalith, he was sailing a small boat around the Bay. He was daydreaming and almost missed the figure on the opposite shore to the south, and would have missed it completely if he'd been positioned almost anywhere else. Using his spyglass, he saw it was a person who was limping towards the shore only to collapse to the ground, then after a moment of struggle managed to stand again, repeating these steps again before he put the spyglass down. Believing that maybe the figure had also seen him and was trying to reach him for aid, he cautiously brought his boat to the shore, where the figure - a man, he could tell now, though not from any of the limited number of races he'd seen before - had made very little progress getting to the shoreline. While he was staring with uncertainty, the man had noticed him and asked if he was there to watch or if he would help, and Valroth was jolted from his thoughts and went to help him. The man was a Triton, it turned out, and a young one, who had been curious of the world above and had broken his leg after falling from a cliff, and was trying to make it back to the water. They talked while Valroth helped set his leg and helped him to the boat. Valroth had always been curious of the rest of the world and had many questions about what a Triton was and what they were like, and the Triton - named Khadas - was more than happy to answer, regaling him with stories that had been passed down of mighty battles and heroic warriors. Valroth was fascinated not only by the stories, but by the kind stranger telling them. Once on the boat and out on the water, Khadas directed Valroth to a specific patch of water as he spoke, one that he said would made the journey home easier, though before he left he made Valroth promise - twice - not to tell anyone about him or that this spot was at all significant, only leaving when Valroth had promised both times, simply dropping over the side and down into the waters below with one last smile. Valroth kept his word and never spoke of the events to anyone, though he found himself missing and thinking of Khadas from time to time.

		Though  he - and all with Drow blood, whether they admitted it or not - had of course had a dream of Eilistraee before, it was a distant memory that he could scarcely remember, though he knew it was a good dream, somehow. However the dream he had on the night of his 20th birthday proved unforgettable, with the Masked Lady appearing before him and speaking directly to him. He awoke with tears in his eyes and a feeling like hope rising inside him, and though he couldn't recall her exact words to him he could remember the feeling of them, as though they'd been written into his very bones.

5. In the case of LGBT characters, at what point does your character realize they are “different” than the expected social norm? What are the circumstances surrounding that?
		While he'd always listed towards men, actually mulling over the way he kept daydreaming of Khadas for a long while after having met him and saying goodbye in the space of an hour was probably a large clue for him. It helped that relationships between people of the same gender are fairly common among both the Drow of the Underdark as well as their descendants, the Crinti.

6. What is your character’s attitude toward sex and sexuality? How does their interaction with their parents/caregivers affect them?
		Somewhat...warped by the society he was in. All relationships, especially among the nobility, were more about power than anything else. If a wedded couple eventually grew fond of each other, fine; but that was rare and consorts and mistresses were common. Sex, like many things, could be wielded like a weapon or offered as incentive, and while the idea of relationships and sex existing for more than power and control wasn't really a foreign concept, it was just a very distant one that existed for people that were very different than all the ones he knew.

7. How much independence is your character granted as an adolescent?
		He's granted quite a lot simply because of his position of the unwanted youngest child, so while he still has most of the laws to follow and some rules he's meant to obey, and some of his relatives like to keep an eye on him while he's with them, he's otherwise relatively free ranged.

8. Does your character have more/less responsibility than the typical adolescent? In what ways? (For example, having to take care of a younger sibling.
		As the youngest child, who is also a man, from a family that occupies a somewhat minor role in nobility? He has about what would be expected, which is almost nothing. He's not in the public eye, not an inheritor, not expected to take care of anyone, he's not a candidate for arranged marriages, he's nothing.

9. How does their social life change (or not change) from childhood to adolescence?
		Sometimes he tries to find some kind of connection with others, almost desperately so. It almost invariably doesn't turn out how he'd like it to, and after these outbursts he'll close himself off again.

10. How are they prepared for adulthood as an adolescent?
		His lot is not expected to change or improve, so he isn't really prepared by anyone in any real way.

11. When in their society are they expected to become an “adult”?
		Age 20 is generally considered "adult" in terms of age.

12. How do their interests evolve from childhood to adolescence?
		They remain much the same, though he picks up swordsmanship.

13. Is there a defining moment that transitions them from adolescence into adulthood? (Joining the military, moving out, etc.)
		Devoting himself as a Paladin of the Masked Lady.

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||| ADULTHOOD

1. What is their primary attitude towards life based on their experiences in childhood and adolescence?
		The glass is not half full, it's not even a quarter full, but he clings to the hope that there's something in the glass at all. And if he can help add a little to the glass, that's wonderful.

2. What kinds of events would be necessary to change these attitudes?
		Very Bad Ones.

3. Does their social status/class change as they reach adulthood, or at any point after? Why?
		Still no.

4. Are they generally independent as an adult? Why/why not?
		Still in this weird border between yes and no, though more "yes" now as he can take care of himself without being passed between those willing to look after him like an unwanted party gift.

5. Do they retain their relationship with their family on reaching adulthood?
		For better or worse, yes. It's exactly the same, changed only by being even more distant now than ever.

6. Do they retain their social group from adolescence?
		He didn't really have one besides a few acquaintances and family members. He does say that as long as the Masked Lady is with him he can never be alone, and considers her as a sort of friend.

7. How/where do they meet new friends/love interests?
		At this point he's sure he needs to leave Cathyr and Maalith, if not Dambrath itself, to find any. He has a special sort of bitterness that gets renewed any time a man is taken in by his act of being nothing but an indolent wastral and a shallow fop, both because they're not seeing him for himself but for the mask he's hiding behind, and because the men attracted to the act are usually the exact types he doesn't want to be around.

8. What is their attitude toward romance/love/family? What are their main goals regarding this as they enter adulthood?
		Longing tempered by immense, ocean-sized levels of caution and pain.

9. What is their main goal as an adult? (A high-paying career, romance, family, to have fun, to survive, etc.)
		To try to be. To exist. To find himself and then to find a place to be himself.

10. How do their goals change over time? As they meet old goals and set new ones?
		He also wants to help people.

11. How do their interests mature from adolescence to adulthood? (For example, an interest in writing as a teen may lead them to a career in publishing.)
		He can actually act on more of them now.

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||| OLD AGE

1. Do they accomplish their goals as set out in earlier adulthood? How do they feel if these goals are not met?
		Who knows?

2. As they approach older age, what is their social class?
		Who knows?

3. Do they build a family in their adulthood? What is this family like?
		Who knows?

4. If they become a parent, how is their relationship with their children affected by the relationship they had with their own parents?
		Who knows?

5. What do they want to “leave behind” in the world?
		Who knows?

6. Do they become a mentor/teacher to others?
		Who knows?

7. As they grow older, how do they feel about the concepts of aging? Weakening? Death?
		Who knows?