Sad, really.
I am a sad loser. So far I love my translation class, even as the steam wafts gently off my simmering brain.
In other news, I am still a sad loser, and have done four more of those list things to prove it. XD
For glaringly obvious reasons, this is pre-Hold Cochalyon. ;P
What is Cochalyon's attitude towards ...
1. life in general?
Cochalyon considers life to be endlessly fascinating and beautiful, and tends to take more time than others to stop and wonder at shiny little bits and pieces. He does, however, have rather stark opinions on action versus indolence in life - living alone on a beautiful mountain drinking springwater, for example, would only be admirable for someone who didn't know that there were others who couldn't.
2. death?
He believes in the Circle, but would really rather not die and then wait again for his turn to be reborn when there's still so much going on. A million lifetimes wouldn't be enough time in the world for him.
3. friends?
Cochalyon values all his friendships greatly, but never transgresses the hierarchical system he grew up in - he can be (and is often) familiar with friends, but never to the point of denigrating his position in public. He remains first and foremost the titled prince of Mithyaron.
4. family?
Utterly precious to him. He fights like a tomcat with his brother on a regular basis, but adores him more than any other in Mithyaron or Inyaron, and loves his father and mother in the usual, reserved way of Mithyaronian royalty (though the general populace aren't even remotely known for the same reserve).
5. love and marriage?
Cochalyon is in most senses a pragmatist when it comes to relationships - what is and is not expected of him always comes first - but he did fall rather heavily for Yurahaina in the end; she was at least half his reason for swearing his oath. He believes that marriage should be a pairing of appropriate complements - either equals, or individuals whose good traits each cancel out the other's faults.
6. children?
He has little experience with children, but likes them well enough.
7. their fellow man?
His view of others is coloured by his upbringing: hierarchy is everything. It is the duty of those below to serve those above, and it is likewise the duty of those above to protect those below. He thinks that for the most part people are very willing to act in their fellows' best interests, but there are always a few who will try to take advantage of the lesser.
8. the law?
The law is the law. He would never conceive of directly contravening it, though he takes a certain tricky pleasure in bending it when it comes to diplomatic affairs.
9. duty?
His duty as a prince rules his life, though he does not find it a particularly onerous duty - in fact he enjoys it. He does not like to defer duties.
10. rulers/leaders?
Fairly obvious opinion ;) Again, hierarchy rules all. A great leader makes for a great country in his eyes.
11. the truth?
Requires very delicate handling in the diplomatic sense.
12. violence?
Cochalyon is not opposed to military force, but he is not an overtly violent person. He finds some of the human and fae excesses in Inyaron deeply distressing, war or no.
13. arguments?
He loves them, provided they're not based on pure emotion or opinion, in which case they can become useful, but irritatingly inarticulate. Clever, well-thought out arguments in the style of a debate are a delight to him, particularly reasoned and rational counterarguments. He is far likelier to change his mind for a skilfully put argument than he is for loud shouting (which he often opposes purely on principle).
14. injustice?
He feels keenly about things that he sees as unjust or unfair, but his idea of such issues is rather narrower than the common man's.
15. promises?
Cochalyon doesn't think promises are very sensible for someone in his position - his duty to his own can override such promises without notice. Like any good politician, too, he doesn't like to be tied down to something solid ;P
16. failure?
He is very cautious about failure, particularly public failure and loss of face, and goes to great lengths to avoid it or associated blame - he would prefer to redress injuries in private.
17. forgiveness?
Cochalyon forgives readily enough, but he never, ever forgets - he thinks it's always important to weigh past behaviours and outcomes when considering actions for the future.
18. adventure?
He enjoys a bit of excitement, but the constant consideration of responsibility never lets him get too carried away with it. He doesn't really mind, however; moderate excitement is enough for him.
19. learning?
Learning all about people and their habits is particularly fascinating (not to mention useful) for Cochalyon, but he also enjoys much of the fine fae arts and magic. He does have a fairly strong dislike for languages, however, and tends to rely on translators in his official capacity as a result.
20. new experiences?
The new, the strange and the beautiful are all powerful attractors for Cochalyon, though he is likelier to notice and appreciate such things small-scale than on a grand basis (waking up on a particularly lovely morning with different stars in the sky, seeing new kinds of flowers, that sort of thing).
What is Maios's attitude towards ..?
1. life in general?
Maios believes life is a bit like a war - you have to fight to get whatever it is you want and to take care of your own, and nothing is ever going to be easy (or if it is, it won't stay that way for long).
2. death?
Maios has a fairly mainstream view of death as per the dominant Fae religion - he believes in the Circle - but is rather less glib on a personal level. He thinks that although he and all his loved ones are going to be reborn after they die, there's no guarantee it'll be under better circumstances, so it could just as easily be another parting. In other words, better not to die ;)
3. friends?
Friends (and family) are more of a motivational factor in Maios's life than duty, if the truth were known. He tends to prioritise the former over the latter, even to the extent of ignoring duty where it seriously harms those dear to him. The best example was the furor that arose during his (extremely) short tenure as an officer - a scout who happened to be a close friend was captured near a town called Monrey, and when Maios promptly led all his command to the town in an ill-advised rescue attempt, it failed and half of his own force was killed as well.
4. family?
Family are a powerful, all-encompassing influence. Maios's natural family died when he was a very young boy, so he was raised as a foster son in a moon fae family, as was the common practice at the time. Maios still loves both mothers and fathers very dearly. He adores and admires his foster brother Arathalian, and babies Inyamenna with great delight. Most of the arguments in the family arise over one of two key issues: Arathalian getting mad at Maios for coddling Inyamenna, and Maios getting mad at Arathalian for spending too much time with the Quicksilvers.
5. love and marriage?
He doesn't really like the traditional Corruthian moon fae idea of marriage, since it traditionally requires forming a new and separate family unit elsewhere, and keeps insisting to Arathalian that if he does marry, his wife will move in too. The 'wife' he usually has in mind is their old playmate Vaeliandis.
6. children?
Maios adores children. He usually prefers their company to that of adults. He has definite designs on making nieces and nephews for Inyamenna as soon as possible.
7. their fellow man?
Pondering the philosophical makeup of others isn't terribly interesting to Maios. He thinks that people in general are pretty much like he is, whatever that is. His opinion of humans, on the other hand, is very much the mainstream 'monster' dismissal common in fae society.
8. the law?
He operates solely on the basis of 'I won't do this if it gets me into too much trouble'.
9. duty?
'Duty' is a word that rubs him very raw. He does believe in his responsibilities (especially the familial), but he would rather see people take care of their own things first, and argues frequently with Arathalian for neglecting what is personal and more important, as he sees it.
10. rulers/leaders?
Maios likes and approves of Queen Yurahaina, as most do, and has never thought to ponder the notion of rulers in general in such a hierarchical society.
11. the truth?
Maios is a stinking liar whenever he feels like it ;P
12. violence?
He sees it as one of life's necessities. He derives no particular enjoyment from inflicting harm, but he is definitely a retributive thinker, and sees nothing wrong with practices such as revenge killings.
13. arguments?
Maios hates arguing and only engages when he has to. He prefers to bend his own wishes rather than keep arguing (or, of course, agree to something he doesn't like at the time and then do the opposite).
14. injustice?
He thinks there is a lot of unfairness in life and that the onus is on the individual to keep it from affecting them or their loved ones.
15. promises?
It depends on who the promise is made to. Maios thinks a promise made to someone dear should be set in stone - one of his biggest clashing points with Arathalian. Any other promises are subject to alteration, however.
16. failure?
He has quiet feelings of inadequacy and uselessness after his failures in service, but counters them by reminding himself that he's still taking care of his own.
17. forgiveness?
Maios is fairly easygoing in general, and is quick to accept all apologies he feels are genuine. This is probably one of the reasons Inyamenna gets away with so much ;)
18. adventure?
He adores anything out of the ordinary - taking steps along the road less travelled is one of the codes he lives by. When he and Arathalian were young he was usually the one getting them into trouble, and he's never completely grown out of it.
19. learning?
He enjoys the study and practice of magic very much, and across a wide stretch of 'fields'. He also loves to hear about foreign cultures/places (the sea fae in particular fascinate him).
20. new experiences?
If Maios could do something completely new every day, he would.
What is Lorannon's attitude towards ..?
1. life in general?
Although Lorannon would never use a word like dichotomy (Immovan, however ...), that's exactly how he sees life: a dichotomy of the joyfully exquisite and the miserably unspeakable. He does not believe one can ever cancel out the other, and although he accepts it, it frequently frustrates him. His general approach to life is thus rather aggressive - something along the lines of "Screw you, Universal Dichotomy (TM), I'm going to enjoy as much of the good stuff as I can, and make sure as many people around me as possible do as well!"
2. death?
Lorannon is at once a pragmatist and a realist with regards to his own demise - a pragmatist in that he'd really rather not die, but a realist in that he knows he's eventually going to. ;) In terms of others, his application of realism is less successful, and he tends to get angry or apportion blame first before finally grieving and accepting their passing.
3. friends?
The prerequisites for becoming one of Lorannon's friends are extremely low: a pulse and a moderate sense of humour are usually enough. Becoming one of his close friends is much, much harder. He is extremely protective of his personal space and would rather be seen in his role as the bubbling Paladin than anything deeper.
4. family?
Although he left his family (and country in general) over one of many disagreements as a child of 21, he does still love them dearly, and misses them and his soultree at various periods in his life. The idea of returning to them and that insular lifestyle in general, on the other hand, does not appeal to him at all. He is quite aware that he is more human than Elven in experience and personality by now, and the idea of hiding leagues away from where all the demons are starting to move is profoundly uncomfortable - even immoral. He'd rather his family came to him.
5. love and marriage?
Lorannon has been in love before, but even for her he was simply not prepared to become a 'city-sitter' - a Paladin who settles in one place and takes on a trade as well as (sparser) Paladinic duties.
6. children?
He thinks they're great, but doesn't like parents who let them run completely wild, and Binnilinde gives him the occasional twitches (yes, he is a hypocrite).
7. their fellow man?
He has a complicated, complicated approach to his fellow man. The only equivocal truth is that they fascinate and frustrate him. His outlook is heavily cynical - he does not hesitate to believe and expect the worst in others - but he also sees them as capable of incredibly beautiful acts under the right circumstances. In short, he adores them even when they infuriate him, without quite knowing why, and does believe that doing what he does is essentially worthwhile.
8. the law?
Lorannon is powerfully suspicious of any and all words set in stone, given that he sees life as containing so many graduating shades of grey. He prefers guiding principles arbitrated by an actual individual's judgement.
9. duty?
He considers doing things purely out of a sense of duty to be mechanical and soulless, and that actions should be driven by honest desires. Source Knights, for example, do not impress him as they do others. Doing something out of duty and desire is what Lorannon sees as the optimal arrangement.
10. rulers/leaders?
He has always considered it horribly dangerous to have whole regions and their thousands of residents subject to the whims of an individual. Systems like the circles of the oldest in the Great Woods or the Paladin Lords' council are more to his liking, though he has his problems with them too (possibly irrelevant information; of course he has an opinion on everything).
11. the truth?
The Paladinic code states that lies are detrimental to character. Like many of the finer points of the Paladins' code, however, Lorannon disagrees. *cough* He has, for example, a very specific application for the old 'need-to-know basis': in times of danger, it is altogether common for him to act as though he's not worried or bothered at all, regardless of how serious things may be (or how terrified he actually is), or to understate the severity of the situation ("how many? oh, yeah, I think I saw two or three ..."). This does make him very good at keeping up morale, but in terms of actual, practical informativeness in a dangerous situation, his misinformation can be harmful.
12. violence?
Brute force fails altogether to impress Lorannon. He sees most conflicts as aggravatingly pointless and stupid (see his comments on cows as a source of conflict) and does not consider fighting an 'art'. If he believed that Dark Elves had some kind of control over their impulses, he probably wouldn't fight them either, but he considers them identical to everything else that comes from the Void - a mindlessly driven threat that doesn't respond to reason.
13. arguments?
Lorannon argues. A lot. The reasons are probably a halfway split between a short temper and a highly opinionated personality. He rarely calls a stop on an argument until someone's conceded that he's right, either (hence the rather extended sessions with similar personalities, like Simbelyne ;D).
14. injustice?
Life contains a lot of the 'not fair', as he well knows, but that doesn't mean he has to like it.
15. promises?
Promises fill the role of laws for Lorannon. If he makes a promise, he fully means it, and does everything in his power to keep it. Being a horrible cynic, however, even in the case of those he likes, he rarely expects the same in return, and tends to be pleasantly surprised when it occurs.
16. failure?
His coping strategies for failure are the same as his coping strategies for every kind of misfortune: he either laughs and pretends it doesn't matter, or gets extremely angry at (insert recipient here). Actual depression is rarer and more serious. The years he spent after first abandoning the Paladinic Order were unquestionably his darkest period.
17. forgiveness?
Lorannon's cynicism gives him an oddly broad (and ever-so-slightly condescending) scope for forgiveness. Given that he expects so little from people in general, he is rarely surprised when they do wrong, and content enough to attribute it to their nature. Sincere apologies are usually all that he requires.
18. adventure?
Excitement, new places and (especially) new faces all appeal to Lorannon immensely. Life for a border-rover is frequently solitary and repetitive, and he enjoys distractions from the old travelling routine.
19. learning?
He rather prefers the lessons of experience to book learning, though he admires the learned. He does have a vague liking for reading, and like most Paladins he can write, but he doesn't really enjoy intensive theory of any kind, scholastic or otherwise.
20. new experiences?
He will actively chase the new over the old, given a choice (such as a new roving route), and he will try anything once.
What is Schiri's attitude towards ..?
1. life in general?
This is the kind of question that inevitably confuses Schiri. Life is, and that's it. In terms of his aims in life, however, he intends to elevate his position and that of his family as high as possible, securing their immortality.
2. death?
Again, death is. It doesn't worry him in itself - what concerns him is the possible end of his family, which would leave him and all the Palantasi spirits rootless without an heir in life. Even then, though, there is scope to be 'immortal in remembrance' if they remain famous enough, so Schiri doesn't see any real need to worry about all that yet.
3. friends?
He does not understand the concept. Even remotely. 'Ally' is the closest he comes to it. The behaviour of humans like the Riveredges bewilders him constantly, but even then he attributes it to some kind of faulty ally selection (ie. they wrongly believe that they've chosen useful allies for themselves).
4. family?
Schiri's family is a part of who and what he is. He literally worships his ancestors, whose spirits he can take on for added strength and power, and abides by his mother's rulership. The real notion of 'family' for Schiri, though, is family as an institution: the Palantasi. If he saw his mother as transgressing Palantasa interests, he would not hesitate to oppose or kill her. On the other hand, Schiri has a slightly more anarchistic leaning than most obedient noble sons - he has protected his own interests and kept himself safe without external help almost all his life, and does not set much store in traditional law as weighed against his own wellbeing.
5. love and marriage?
The former makes no sense to him, but the latter is something he anticipates later. His choice would be based strictly on strength of personality and political gain rather than personal preference, however.
6. children?
Quite obviously Schiri intends to father a child to carry on the Palantasa blood at some point. In terms of children in general, he has no real opinion, except that human children appear to be extremely shrill and irritating, and their parents are idiotic to let them outside where there's danger.
7. their fellow man?
All bloodlines are inferior to the Palantasi in Schiri's opinion, naturally, but otherwise the worth of others is directly related to their function and ability in his eyes. Humans mystify him completely. He finds it hard to understand how such a weak and haphazard bunch with such wildly irrational ideas can be so successful and numerous, besides friendly comparisons to rodents. The misconception that he hates humans is common, but in actual fact he simply considers them lowly (and, of course, incredibly annoying).
8. the law?
Schiri is a law unto himself. He believes that whatever he does must be correct, since otherwise he'd have died by now, wouldn't he?
9. duty?
He does abide strictly by duty, but only as applied to himself (and by extension, the Palantasi). If a duty does not benefit him, it is clearly detrimental, and to be ignored.
10. rulers/leaders?
A ruler should be nothing but the best, the strongest and the smartest of their peers, as Schiri sees it - blood alone is not enough.
11. the truth?
Truth and lies are irrelevant. Both have their benefits in separate circumstances.
12. violence?
Violence is, of course, Schiri's way of life. Like everything in his life, though, he believes it must have a point. The Amalarr'ai, the dominant warrior's code of Alachast, is quite clear on that principle. Beating or killing someone simply because he can is bizarre and wasteful behaviour, and furthermore demeaning, since a noble should only expend his energies where he sees a need (and thus wasting it on a human implies that said human must be a threat). He does not enjoy killing - except for a long-awaited revenge ;P - and nor does he find it abhorrent; it is simply a neutral activity, something he does when the necessity arises.
13. arguments?
Like violence, according to the philosophy of the Amalarr'ai, arguments should only be engaged in where there is a recognisable need. If Schiri acted as a fully proper noble should, he would probably not argue with those below him at all, since it should already be an established fact that their opinions do not matter. Of course, the opposite is actually true, and Schiri rants and argues with Isaille and company all the time. This probably implies that he has some desire to improve them and make them see reason, though they can be forgiven for not appreciating it. XD
14. injustice?
Schiri really doesn't get this concept either (tricky questionnaire for him, this one ...). Things are which are. He doesn't understand 'what should be' and 'what should not be' except in terms of what people personally desire, and 'fair' is an outright mystery. If you want something, you take it; if you can't, it's your own fault.
15. promises?
A noble's promises are worthless, as Schiri cheerfully tells Isaille at one point. Unless he swears on his name or family and makes it a point of honour, there's no use asking.
16. failure?
Failure simply does not fit into Schiri's (insert adjective here) skull. The prospect doesn't frighten him simply because his brain has edited out even the possibility, which would probably induce some sort of mental breakdown. Schiri grew up believing and being told he was useless, 'Tuchatar', and when he began to find out hints to the contrary, he seized on them and never looked back. When he is beaten or thwarted in something now, he goes at it again and again to the point of obsession, because only if he finally stops will he actually have failed.
17. forgiveness?
Makes no sense.
18. adventure?
He thrives on tests and trials of all kinds, the harder the better, and is usually happier out of Alachast than in it.
19. learning?
Schiri is an oddly curious sort, and although he would be quick to declare that he already knows everything worth his knowing, he is actually passingly interested when he learns new things. He has nothing but contempt for any kind of learning without what he sees as an applicable purpose, however (such as philosophy).
20. new experiences?
He likes challenges and being out of his element - he sees all such things as a chance to test himself - but is not extremely happy in *completely* alien settings, like spectatorship at a stew-eating contest between Nuan and Jeren.
Next time will be the Sailley, I think :D and someone else, and then I might leave it. Maybe.
Happy Monday to ye, me dears, and how be ye today? ^_-
In other news, I am still a sad loser, and have done four more of those list things to prove it. XD
For glaringly obvious reasons, this is pre-Hold Cochalyon. ;P
What is Cochalyon's attitude towards ...
1. life in general?
Cochalyon considers life to be endlessly fascinating and beautiful, and tends to take more time than others to stop and wonder at shiny little bits and pieces. He does, however, have rather stark opinions on action versus indolence in life - living alone on a beautiful mountain drinking springwater, for example, would only be admirable for someone who didn't know that there were others who couldn't.
2. death?
He believes in the Circle, but would really rather not die and then wait again for his turn to be reborn when there's still so much going on. A million lifetimes wouldn't be enough time in the world for him.
3. friends?
Cochalyon values all his friendships greatly, but never transgresses the hierarchical system he grew up in - he can be (and is often) familiar with friends, but never to the point of denigrating his position in public. He remains first and foremost the titled prince of Mithyaron.
4. family?
Utterly precious to him. He fights like a tomcat with his brother on a regular basis, but adores him more than any other in Mithyaron or Inyaron, and loves his father and mother in the usual, reserved way of Mithyaronian royalty (though the general populace aren't even remotely known for the same reserve).
5. love and marriage?
Cochalyon is in most senses a pragmatist when it comes to relationships - what is and is not expected of him always comes first - but he did fall rather heavily for Yurahaina in the end; she was at least half his reason for swearing his oath. He believes that marriage should be a pairing of appropriate complements - either equals, or individuals whose good traits each cancel out the other's faults.
6. children?
He has little experience with children, but likes them well enough.
7. their fellow man?
His view of others is coloured by his upbringing: hierarchy is everything. It is the duty of those below to serve those above, and it is likewise the duty of those above to protect those below. He thinks that for the most part people are very willing to act in their fellows' best interests, but there are always a few who will try to take advantage of the lesser.
8. the law?
The law is the law. He would never conceive of directly contravening it, though he takes a certain tricky pleasure in bending it when it comes to diplomatic affairs.
9. duty?
His duty as a prince rules his life, though he does not find it a particularly onerous duty - in fact he enjoys it. He does not like to defer duties.
10. rulers/leaders?
Fairly obvious opinion ;) Again, hierarchy rules all. A great leader makes for a great country in his eyes.
11. the truth?
Requires very delicate handling in the diplomatic sense.
12. violence?
Cochalyon is not opposed to military force, but he is not an overtly violent person. He finds some of the human and fae excesses in Inyaron deeply distressing, war or no.
13. arguments?
He loves them, provided they're not based on pure emotion or opinion, in which case they can become useful, but irritatingly inarticulate. Clever, well-thought out arguments in the style of a debate are a delight to him, particularly reasoned and rational counterarguments. He is far likelier to change his mind for a skilfully put argument than he is for loud shouting (which he often opposes purely on principle).
14. injustice?
He feels keenly about things that he sees as unjust or unfair, but his idea of such issues is rather narrower than the common man's.
15. promises?
Cochalyon doesn't think promises are very sensible for someone in his position - his duty to his own can override such promises without notice. Like any good politician, too, he doesn't like to be tied down to something solid ;P
16. failure?
He is very cautious about failure, particularly public failure and loss of face, and goes to great lengths to avoid it or associated blame - he would prefer to redress injuries in private.
17. forgiveness?
Cochalyon forgives readily enough, but he never, ever forgets - he thinks it's always important to weigh past behaviours and outcomes when considering actions for the future.
18. adventure?
He enjoys a bit of excitement, but the constant consideration of responsibility never lets him get too carried away with it. He doesn't really mind, however; moderate excitement is enough for him.
19. learning?
Learning all about people and their habits is particularly fascinating (not to mention useful) for Cochalyon, but he also enjoys much of the fine fae arts and magic. He does have a fairly strong dislike for languages, however, and tends to rely on translators in his official capacity as a result.
20. new experiences?
The new, the strange and the beautiful are all powerful attractors for Cochalyon, though he is likelier to notice and appreciate such things small-scale than on a grand basis (waking up on a particularly lovely morning with different stars in the sky, seeing new kinds of flowers, that sort of thing).
What is Maios's attitude towards ..?
1. life in general?
Maios believes life is a bit like a war - you have to fight to get whatever it is you want and to take care of your own, and nothing is ever going to be easy (or if it is, it won't stay that way for long).
2. death?
Maios has a fairly mainstream view of death as per the dominant Fae religion - he believes in the Circle - but is rather less glib on a personal level. He thinks that although he and all his loved ones are going to be reborn after they die, there's no guarantee it'll be under better circumstances, so it could just as easily be another parting. In other words, better not to die ;)
3. friends?
Friends (and family) are more of a motivational factor in Maios's life than duty, if the truth were known. He tends to prioritise the former over the latter, even to the extent of ignoring duty where it seriously harms those dear to him. The best example was the furor that arose during his (extremely) short tenure as an officer - a scout who happened to be a close friend was captured near a town called Monrey, and when Maios promptly led all his command to the town in an ill-advised rescue attempt, it failed and half of his own force was killed as well.
4. family?
Family are a powerful, all-encompassing influence. Maios's natural family died when he was a very young boy, so he was raised as a foster son in a moon fae family, as was the common practice at the time. Maios still loves both mothers and fathers very dearly. He adores and admires his foster brother Arathalian, and babies Inyamenna with great delight. Most of the arguments in the family arise over one of two key issues: Arathalian getting mad at Maios for coddling Inyamenna, and Maios getting mad at Arathalian for spending too much time with the Quicksilvers.
5. love and marriage?
He doesn't really like the traditional Corruthian moon fae idea of marriage, since it traditionally requires forming a new and separate family unit elsewhere, and keeps insisting to Arathalian that if he does marry, his wife will move in too. The 'wife' he usually has in mind is their old playmate Vaeliandis.
6. children?
Maios adores children. He usually prefers their company to that of adults. He has definite designs on making nieces and nephews for Inyamenna as soon as possible.
7. their fellow man?
Pondering the philosophical makeup of others isn't terribly interesting to Maios. He thinks that people in general are pretty much like he is, whatever that is. His opinion of humans, on the other hand, is very much the mainstream 'monster' dismissal common in fae society.
8. the law?
He operates solely on the basis of 'I won't do this if it gets me into too much trouble'.
9. duty?
'Duty' is a word that rubs him very raw. He does believe in his responsibilities (especially the familial), but he would rather see people take care of their own things first, and argues frequently with Arathalian for neglecting what is personal and more important, as he sees it.
10. rulers/leaders?
Maios likes and approves of Queen Yurahaina, as most do, and has never thought to ponder the notion of rulers in general in such a hierarchical society.
11. the truth?
Maios is a stinking liar whenever he feels like it ;P
12. violence?
He sees it as one of life's necessities. He derives no particular enjoyment from inflicting harm, but he is definitely a retributive thinker, and sees nothing wrong with practices such as revenge killings.
13. arguments?
Maios hates arguing and only engages when he has to. He prefers to bend his own wishes rather than keep arguing (or, of course, agree to something he doesn't like at the time and then do the opposite).
14. injustice?
He thinks there is a lot of unfairness in life and that the onus is on the individual to keep it from affecting them or their loved ones.
15. promises?
It depends on who the promise is made to. Maios thinks a promise made to someone dear should be set in stone - one of his biggest clashing points with Arathalian. Any other promises are subject to alteration, however.
16. failure?
He has quiet feelings of inadequacy and uselessness after his failures in service, but counters them by reminding himself that he's still taking care of his own.
17. forgiveness?
Maios is fairly easygoing in general, and is quick to accept all apologies he feels are genuine. This is probably one of the reasons Inyamenna gets away with so much ;)
18. adventure?
He adores anything out of the ordinary - taking steps along the road less travelled is one of the codes he lives by. When he and Arathalian were young he was usually the one getting them into trouble, and he's never completely grown out of it.
19. learning?
He enjoys the study and practice of magic very much, and across a wide stretch of 'fields'. He also loves to hear about foreign cultures/places (the sea fae in particular fascinate him).
20. new experiences?
If Maios could do something completely new every day, he would.
What is Lorannon's attitude towards ..?
1. life in general?
Although Lorannon would never use a word like dichotomy (Immovan, however ...), that's exactly how he sees life: a dichotomy of the joyfully exquisite and the miserably unspeakable. He does not believe one can ever cancel out the other, and although he accepts it, it frequently frustrates him. His general approach to life is thus rather aggressive - something along the lines of "Screw you, Universal Dichotomy (TM), I'm going to enjoy as much of the good stuff as I can, and make sure as many people around me as possible do as well!"
2. death?
Lorannon is at once a pragmatist and a realist with regards to his own demise - a pragmatist in that he'd really rather not die, but a realist in that he knows he's eventually going to. ;) In terms of others, his application of realism is less successful, and he tends to get angry or apportion blame first before finally grieving and accepting their passing.
3. friends?
The prerequisites for becoming one of Lorannon's friends are extremely low: a pulse and a moderate sense of humour are usually enough. Becoming one of his close friends is much, much harder. He is extremely protective of his personal space and would rather be seen in his role as the bubbling Paladin than anything deeper.
4. family?
Although he left his family (and country in general) over one of many disagreements as a child of 21, he does still love them dearly, and misses them and his soultree at various periods in his life. The idea of returning to them and that insular lifestyle in general, on the other hand, does not appeal to him at all. He is quite aware that he is more human than Elven in experience and personality by now, and the idea of hiding leagues away from where all the demons are starting to move is profoundly uncomfortable - even immoral. He'd rather his family came to him.
5. love and marriage?
Lorannon has been in love before, but even for her he was simply not prepared to become a 'city-sitter' - a Paladin who settles in one place and takes on a trade as well as (sparser) Paladinic duties.
6. children?
He thinks they're great, but doesn't like parents who let them run completely wild, and Binnilinde gives him the occasional twitches (yes, he is a hypocrite).
7. their fellow man?
He has a complicated, complicated approach to his fellow man. The only equivocal truth is that they fascinate and frustrate him. His outlook is heavily cynical - he does not hesitate to believe and expect the worst in others - but he also sees them as capable of incredibly beautiful acts under the right circumstances. In short, he adores them even when they infuriate him, without quite knowing why, and does believe that doing what he does is essentially worthwhile.
8. the law?
Lorannon is powerfully suspicious of any and all words set in stone, given that he sees life as containing so many graduating shades of grey. He prefers guiding principles arbitrated by an actual individual's judgement.
9. duty?
He considers doing things purely out of a sense of duty to be mechanical and soulless, and that actions should be driven by honest desires. Source Knights, for example, do not impress him as they do others. Doing something out of duty and desire is what Lorannon sees as the optimal arrangement.
10. rulers/leaders?
He has always considered it horribly dangerous to have whole regions and their thousands of residents subject to the whims of an individual. Systems like the circles of the oldest in the Great Woods or the Paladin Lords' council are more to his liking, though he has his problems with them too (possibly irrelevant information; of course he has an opinion on everything).
11. the truth?
The Paladinic code states that lies are detrimental to character. Like many of the finer points of the Paladins' code, however, Lorannon disagrees. *cough* He has, for example, a very specific application for the old 'need-to-know basis': in times of danger, it is altogether common for him to act as though he's not worried or bothered at all, regardless of how serious things may be (or how terrified he actually is), or to understate the severity of the situation ("how many? oh, yeah, I think I saw two or three ..."). This does make him very good at keeping up morale, but in terms of actual, practical informativeness in a dangerous situation, his misinformation can be harmful.
12. violence?
Brute force fails altogether to impress Lorannon. He sees most conflicts as aggravatingly pointless and stupid (see his comments on cows as a source of conflict) and does not consider fighting an 'art'. If he believed that Dark Elves had some kind of control over their impulses, he probably wouldn't fight them either, but he considers them identical to everything else that comes from the Void - a mindlessly driven threat that doesn't respond to reason.
13. arguments?
Lorannon argues. A lot. The reasons are probably a halfway split between a short temper and a highly opinionated personality. He rarely calls a stop on an argument until someone's conceded that he's right, either (hence the rather extended sessions with similar personalities, like Simbelyne ;D).
14. injustice?
Life contains a lot of the 'not fair', as he well knows, but that doesn't mean he has to like it.
15. promises?
Promises fill the role of laws for Lorannon. If he makes a promise, he fully means it, and does everything in his power to keep it. Being a horrible cynic, however, even in the case of those he likes, he rarely expects the same in return, and tends to be pleasantly surprised when it occurs.
16. failure?
His coping strategies for failure are the same as his coping strategies for every kind of misfortune: he either laughs and pretends it doesn't matter, or gets extremely angry at (insert recipient here). Actual depression is rarer and more serious. The years he spent after first abandoning the Paladinic Order were unquestionably his darkest period.
17. forgiveness?
Lorannon's cynicism gives him an oddly broad (and ever-so-slightly condescending) scope for forgiveness. Given that he expects so little from people in general, he is rarely surprised when they do wrong, and content enough to attribute it to their nature. Sincere apologies are usually all that he requires.
18. adventure?
Excitement, new places and (especially) new faces all appeal to Lorannon immensely. Life for a border-rover is frequently solitary and repetitive, and he enjoys distractions from the old travelling routine.
19. learning?
He rather prefers the lessons of experience to book learning, though he admires the learned. He does have a vague liking for reading, and like most Paladins he can write, but he doesn't really enjoy intensive theory of any kind, scholastic or otherwise.
20. new experiences?
He will actively chase the new over the old, given a choice (such as a new roving route), and he will try anything once.
What is Schiri's attitude towards ..?
1. life in general?
This is the kind of question that inevitably confuses Schiri. Life is, and that's it. In terms of his aims in life, however, he intends to elevate his position and that of his family as high as possible, securing their immortality.
2. death?
Again, death is. It doesn't worry him in itself - what concerns him is the possible end of his family, which would leave him and all the Palantasi spirits rootless without an heir in life. Even then, though, there is scope to be 'immortal in remembrance' if they remain famous enough, so Schiri doesn't see any real need to worry about all that yet.
3. friends?
He does not understand the concept. Even remotely. 'Ally' is the closest he comes to it. The behaviour of humans like the Riveredges bewilders him constantly, but even then he attributes it to some kind of faulty ally selection (ie. they wrongly believe that they've chosen useful allies for themselves).
4. family?
Schiri's family is a part of who and what he is. He literally worships his ancestors, whose spirits he can take on for added strength and power, and abides by his mother's rulership. The real notion of 'family' for Schiri, though, is family as an institution: the Palantasi. If he saw his mother as transgressing Palantasa interests, he would not hesitate to oppose or kill her. On the other hand, Schiri has a slightly more anarchistic leaning than most obedient noble sons - he has protected his own interests and kept himself safe without external help almost all his life, and does not set much store in traditional law as weighed against his own wellbeing.
5. love and marriage?
The former makes no sense to him, but the latter is something he anticipates later. His choice would be based strictly on strength of personality and political gain rather than personal preference, however.
6. children?
Quite obviously Schiri intends to father a child to carry on the Palantasa blood at some point. In terms of children in general, he has no real opinion, except that human children appear to be extremely shrill and irritating, and their parents are idiotic to let them outside where there's danger.
7. their fellow man?
All bloodlines are inferior to the Palantasi in Schiri's opinion, naturally, but otherwise the worth of others is directly related to their function and ability in his eyes. Humans mystify him completely. He finds it hard to understand how such a weak and haphazard bunch with such wildly irrational ideas can be so successful and numerous, besides friendly comparisons to rodents. The misconception that he hates humans is common, but in actual fact he simply considers them lowly (and, of course, incredibly annoying).
8. the law?
Schiri is a law unto himself. He believes that whatever he does must be correct, since otherwise he'd have died by now, wouldn't he?
9. duty?
He does abide strictly by duty, but only as applied to himself (and by extension, the Palantasi). If a duty does not benefit him, it is clearly detrimental, and to be ignored.
10. rulers/leaders?
A ruler should be nothing but the best, the strongest and the smartest of their peers, as Schiri sees it - blood alone is not enough.
11. the truth?
Truth and lies are irrelevant. Both have their benefits in separate circumstances.
12. violence?
Violence is, of course, Schiri's way of life. Like everything in his life, though, he believes it must have a point. The Amalarr'ai, the dominant warrior's code of Alachast, is quite clear on that principle. Beating or killing someone simply because he can is bizarre and wasteful behaviour, and furthermore demeaning, since a noble should only expend his energies where he sees a need (and thus wasting it on a human implies that said human must be a threat). He does not enjoy killing - except for a long-awaited revenge ;P - and nor does he find it abhorrent; it is simply a neutral activity, something he does when the necessity arises.
13. arguments?
Like violence, according to the philosophy of the Amalarr'ai, arguments should only be engaged in where there is a recognisable need. If Schiri acted as a fully proper noble should, he would probably not argue with those below him at all, since it should already be an established fact that their opinions do not matter. Of course, the opposite is actually true, and Schiri rants and argues with Isaille and company all the time. This probably implies that he has some desire to improve them and make them see reason, though they can be forgiven for not appreciating it. XD
14. injustice?
Schiri really doesn't get this concept either (tricky questionnaire for him, this one ...). Things are which are. He doesn't understand 'what should be' and 'what should not be' except in terms of what people personally desire, and 'fair' is an outright mystery. If you want something, you take it; if you can't, it's your own fault.
15. promises?
A noble's promises are worthless, as Schiri cheerfully tells Isaille at one point. Unless he swears on his name or family and makes it a point of honour, there's no use asking.
16. failure?
Failure simply does not fit into Schiri's (insert adjective here) skull. The prospect doesn't frighten him simply because his brain has edited out even the possibility, which would probably induce some sort of mental breakdown. Schiri grew up believing and being told he was useless, 'Tuchatar', and when he began to find out hints to the contrary, he seized on them and never looked back. When he is beaten or thwarted in something now, he goes at it again and again to the point of obsession, because only if he finally stops will he actually have failed.
17. forgiveness?
Makes no sense.
18. adventure?
He thrives on tests and trials of all kinds, the harder the better, and is usually happier out of Alachast than in it.
19. learning?
Schiri is an oddly curious sort, and although he would be quick to declare that he already knows everything worth his knowing, he is actually passingly interested when he learns new things. He has nothing but contempt for any kind of learning without what he sees as an applicable purpose, however (such as philosophy).
20. new experiences?
He likes challenges and being out of his element - he sees all such things as a chance to test himself - but is not extremely happy in *completely* alien settings, like spectatorship at a stew-eating contest between Nuan and Jeren.
Next time will be the Sailley, I think :D and someone else, and then I might leave it. Maybe.
Happy Monday to ye, me dears, and how be ye today? ^_-