Terri+

This is the author access character template for Terri. As such it contains many more spoilers than the regular character sheet, and is not reader friendly. Credits to KittySpace for the template.

***The Character Physically***

1. What is the character's stature and build? Is s/he overweight? Thin? How much of his/her build is muscle and how much fat? Is s/he visibly out of shape?

Terri is a buxom young village girl, built on a medium/average scale like her brother, Paul. She is lacking in curves, her build being mainly wiry muscle. She could be described as skinny.

2. Describe her/his posture. Is it good? Does s/he carry himself well? Is s/he crooked and bent over? Slouched? Straight?

Terri is a bit lazy, she slouches and saunters around most of the time, straightening up only when important.

3. Is s/he in good shape or out of condition? Is s/he coordinated or does s/he move awkwardly or stiffly? If there is combat, would the character be swift and capable or sluggish and slow to react? Is s/he a trained dancer or some other physical profession that would give the character grace?

Terri is well conditioned, she spends a lot of time moving about. Her movement gives an impression of lacking coordination, but she moves quickly, reacts quickly and tends to achieve what she wants when she does so. Terri is a hunter, an archer, a ranger. She inherits physical traits from that, in the same vein as Zacharias, albeit with a quiet grace.

4. How is her/his health? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?

She's fifteen, so perhaps not relying on the strength of her prime so much as her slightly older companions. Other than that, healthy.

5. Is s/he physically active or sedentary? How is the character's stamina? Does the character tire easily because of lack of habitual exercise or physical disability, or is the character capable of going for a few hours without significant rest, or days?

Bit of both, she avoids acting unless she needs to, enjoys napping, but with a respectable pool of stamina, she can keep moving, in her own economic way, for a couple of days before getting tired. This is to say, she will be taking sleep where available.

6. Does s/he move in straight or curved lines? Is s/he physically tight or fluid? Tense and controlled or relaxed and free? Is the character free with motions or largely still, economizing movement?

Terri moves with fluidity, in curved lines, weaving and circling. Relaxed movements in an economic sense. In the group she functions as a sniper, so she doesn't move much more than is required for that.

7. What are her/his chief efforts? What actions is s/he accustomed to taking? What physical movements are habitual and embedded in muscle memory?

Aiming and shooting a longbow. Also throwing stones.

8. Is the character good-looking by the standards of the setting, pretty, beautiful, average, plain, ugly, disfigured?

Terri is a fairly plain girl, she falls short of her sister and appearance-wise, among the least notable in the group.

9. How aware is the character of herself/himself physically? Health and physical ability? Her/His looks?

She knows how she looks, and makes an effort to care for her appearance. At the same time, she enjoys the freedom of movement afforded by her healthy physique, so doesn't avoid moving, so that she stays in that shape.

10. Describe the character physically, as you would in the story itself. Skin, hair, typical grooming, body shape, teeth and nails and any habitual ornamentation or medical devices.

Light skinned, slightly tanned, average height and wiry. Her brown hair is in pigtails and she has distracting brown eyes.

***The Character's Appearance***

1. How many clothes does this character have? What sort of clothes, and why? How much ornamentation (bracelets and earrings, body piercing items, hair decorations) does the character have? In a given day, how many does this character use? In a given month? For what purpose? Is s/he aware of fashion, does s/he go through longer cycles (seasonal to multiple years) of wearing the same style(s), then change drastically? Why?

Unlike some of the characters, Terri gets quite irritated at being stuck on a coach for a week without a change of clothes, she wears ranger garb, a light tunic, gloves and leggings but beyond that doesn't have the time to spare for clothing that would be described as ornamental. The arrival of Renata alleviates this slightly, as does the arc spent in Porthold. Between the two she makes fruitless attempts to embrace fashion.

2. What are her/his favorite articles of clothing? Why? How often does s/he wear them? What about ornaments?

She most often wears her favoured tunic, but shopping with Renata would eventually produce dresses of a clinging nature, specifically for embarrassment purposes. However, she would choose not to ruin them by wearing them on the road.

3. What colors are the clothes? Is there a wide range? Bright or dull? What are her/his favorite colors to wear? What are the character's favorite materials to wear?

Terri likes to wear bright, light colours of clothing, particularly greens and yellows. She has commoner senses when it comes to materials, she doesn't know, but is happy to learn about them. Still prefers relatively simple clothes though.

4. Were they bought or home-made, hand-me-downs, expensive? How long has the character owned the wardrobe? Is there a mix of origins and ages to the clothes and ornaments?

Her clothes were made in her home village, then mostly what's affordable from Porthold and the High Kingdom. She does update her outfit in time for the arc where she has to track Zacharias.

5. Do her/his clothes fit well? Is s/he comfortable in them or does the character fight and tug and pull at the clothes and decorations? Do the clothes increase or decrease his/her confidence?

Terri would never let little things like clothing change her confidence, or how comfortable she feels. Overall, her clothing is as well fitted as one could expect from the age.

6. Does s/he care for her/his clothes? Keep them up and neat? Is s/he worried about how they look?

Yes, she gives her clothes the attention they require, though she often has to pass off the trickier sewing to Zacharias.

***The Character's Voice***

1. Does s/he speak in a high or low pitch voice? When might s/he be higher than usual? When lower? Is there a wide range to pitch and volume or is the character's voice largely consistent and even?

Terri has a medium range, she's probably an alto. Her voice tends to deepen when she's being sarcastic, which is a lot, and raise in pitch when she's irritated. Her voice has a range, she's fairly expressive in terms of vocals.

2. Is s/he a loud or soft talker? Resonant or reedy, windy, or nasal? Is the character a trained speaker or actor? Does s/he know how to project the voice?

Like her siblings, Terri has a loud, resonant voice. Of all of them she uses that to the greatest effect, swaying minds and controlling emotions. She also has a tendency to drop the volume when she wants to make a point or threaten somebody. Not a trained talker, but one with experience of talking over irritating relatives.

3. Does the character show emotion through voice or is s/he tightly controlled in that aspect? Make an effort to speak properly or not bother to control his/her words at all?

Terri is emotive, showing emotion through her voice but is also manipulative, and can choose not to if she wants. Puts more of a point into getting what she wants to say out than by correctly phrasing it.

4. Is there an accent? Anything unusual in pronunciation? Emphasis? Phrasing? Does the character speak with consistent and correct grammar? Does the character stutter and 'um' a lot?

Low High Empire accent from the village, possibly a bit less than the others. On the other hand she gives a very "village" impression, using simple words and ums to convey a concept.

5. Is s/he self-conscious when s/he speaks to others? How large a group could the character speak to before s/he became self-conscious? [code-switching goes here]

Second rule of Souls Alighting. Terri is NOT self conscious, under any circumstances. ANY.

***The Character's Mind***

1. Is the character clever and quick-thinking? Slow of thought and ponderous? If quick, does s/he rush to judgment and conclusion or are his/her thought processes just that quick? If slow, is it because the character wants to examine every angle or because it takes them longer than most of the other characters?

Terri is a quick-thinking, slightly mad character. Certainly rushes to conclusions, which are right maybe 7/10 times. Typically, the longer she thinks a problem through, the less rational the scheme shall be.

2. Does the character grasp new ideas quickly or slowly? What about new ideas that contradict what the character previously thought?

Terri is one of the more flexible characters. If she gets told something new she will probably agree with it, and if it changes what she already knows she'll probably be the most outspoken about presenting the new idea to the others.

3. What kind of education has s/he had? [oh lord the class/race/gender questions depending on your world might go here, too]

Family based education from a small village. Her father, Nicolas's uncle, and Nicolas himself were primary tutors, though she also learned odd things from other villagers here and there.

4. What subjects does the character have knowledge or expertise in?

She can quote scripture, knows more about magic than most courtesy of her sister, and perform maintenance, useful tasks at about average effectiveness. She learned to hunt from a pro, who she shot, it was an accident.

5. Is the character logical, rational, or emotional? How does the character approach a logical or logistical problem? An emotional problem?

Terri represents common sense. She brings common sense to the problem right at the start, which means she usually ends up parroting Zacharias. She also solves emotional problems using common sense. She's quite a manipulative girl.

6. Does the character think out things before speaking or can s/he "think on her feet" while speaking?

Terri can think on her feet, certainly. However, she has limits, and will occasionally think ahead of her speech and create confusion within conversations.

7. Does the character have contemplative times? Under what circumstances? What are the recurring issues or questions s/he thinks about when thoughtful and at rest?

Terri is not very contemplative, but when she's alone she tends to worry about how much use she's being to the group as a whole. She also juggles being true to her friend and seducing a certain someone.

8. Is the character an idealist or a pragmatist? Thoughtful or inclined to action? How does the character balance thought and action? How does the character relate abstracts with practical, solid concepts?

Pragmatic and action inclined. That's why she's the best watchman. "Hey guys, there was a problem, but I shot it and it's not a problem now". She thinks during action. Doesn't tend to stop action just because she needs to think. Uses common sense to shatter abstract concepts.

***The Character's Emotions and Personality***

1. Does the character regain energy from being around people or from solitary activities, or being around one or two specific people? Does the character get along well with people? How much effort does it take for him/her to charm someone? How about a group of people?

Terri is typically independent, being around more than one or two people is exhausting for her. For the one or two people she enjoys being around, she acts as a personal foil to them. She gets along very well with her friends, who know her, but her blunt attitude makes it difficult for her to charm one person, let alone a group! Not that she'll give them any kind of chance to ignore her.

2. Does the character have many friends? Close friends? What is the balance between the two, many casual friends but no close friends, many casual and one or two close?

Terri has mainly close friends, her abrasive personality keeps others away. This does include most of the members of the group.

3. Is the character hot-blooded or cool-headed? Does the character have good or poor impulse control?

Terri's independent streak means that because of her balanced personality she shows hot-blooded, rash traits when following orders whilst keeping a cool head when working alone. Very impulsive.

4. Does the character have a narrow or wide range of emotions? Do they show often? Does the character fight his/her emotions or allow them and try to work with them? How does the character feel about emotions in general?

Terri has a narrow range of strong, and visible, emotions. She does, however, have the ability to hide them when she wants and also tries to hold them back in important situations. She knows emotions and finds them both useful and important when she's reading others.

5. Is the character sensitive or receptive to new people or calloused and/or suspicious? Is the character cautious about trusting others with one part of themselves, all parts, just their emotions...?

Terri greets new people fairly eagerly, and is happy to be open with anyone new she meets. But, she'll always leave a little out. Always enough to make them feel comfortable, but not enough to take her leverage.

6. Is the character an aggressive or reactive person? Does the character fight his/her surroundings, look for the negative, or is the character more passive and inclined to let things happen to him/her, or does the character seek out positive things and actively pursue goals?

Terri is reactive, she looks for trouble and brings it to her friends! Admittedly she's the one who decided to follow them around, but it would be boring if they didn't find trouble somewhere.

7. In a danger or emergency situation would the character go to it or run away from it? In what situations is the character incapable of thinking clearly or reacting productively? Is the character more nervous or calm?

Terri would probably go and fetch help... once her quiver was empty. Terri loses the ability to react productively if any of her friends are in danger, or if anything gets too dark or at the sight of human blood. Temporarily, that is. She is more calm than nervous.

8. Does the character have a sense of humor? Is the character capable of making jokes or is s/he better at appreciating them? Can s/he see humor in unfunny situations or dark situations; does the character use humor as a coping mechanism or understand the use of it? Can s/he laugh at himself? Is the character's sense of humor cruel or generous?

Terri has a blunt, brutal and often jarring sense of humour. Especially in the bad situations. This in accordance with rule 2. Also lewd, regularly. More of a coping mechanism than anything, and of course she's not opposed to laughing at herself.

9. Under what conditions could the character be harmful or mean or cruel to another person? What are the character's moral and ethical boundaries?

I think Terri is fairly nice to people as a general rule. But obviously her definition of nice includes blunt humour and cruel language. To her enemies... well, she'd probably stop at the language, to be honest, once they're in talking distance.

10. Is the character a loving person, either romantically or filially? Is s/he capable of or inclined to relate to others in a loving way? Is the character loved by others? In a romantic or a familial way?

Filial love goes without question. She loves her friends and family deeply and unconditionally, and shows that love as regularly as can be expected. Romantic love... is tricky... she recognises its existence and knows it, innately, however she doesn't equate it with physical love because hers goes unrequited.

***The Character's Wealth, Power, and Influence***

1. Does the character have much money? Other material resources? Is it renewable or finite? Does it provide position or respect from others for her/him?

Nope, village girl from the sticks, no money, no respect.

2. Is the character generous or selfish with her/his money and possessions? Is this generosity need based or whimsical?

Yes, she's as generous as necessary with the little she owns.

3. Is the character socially prominent? From wealth, position or office, family history, ability or accomplishment? Is the character socially respected or feared, and how much influence can the character bring to bear for a purpose? How much is the character willing to bring to bear under ordinary circumstances?

Not prominent at all, even later on. This is helpful to her, but not enjoyed.

4. Does the character rate high in the pecking order with her/his household? How is the character's outside influence or wealth seen by his/her relatives?

Terri is poorly rated. She always had difficulty being noticed over her prodigious siblings, and chooses tasks that keep her away from other people. She's known for being a troublemaker, thus is tolerated.

5. By what means does the character exert influence over the people around him/her? Is it direct or indirect? Financial/material or influential/social?

Social influences, when she can find the time.

6. To whom is the character subservient? To whom does the character owe fealty or respect? Is this submission by choice or unavoidable? Is it within a social framework or agreed upon by the individuals involved?

She's subservient to Zacharias, whom she admires, and Renata, whom she respects.

***The Character's Activities***

1. How does the character spend her/his free time? What activities does s/he choose to do and what activities must s/he do? What does the character hate to do?

Terri likes to take walks by herself, or with her friends. She may maintain her equipment in her spare time or keep a lookout for trouble. Other hobbies include matchmaking and sewing chaos.

2. What does the character's daily routine consist of?

Early rise, a quick walk or survey of the surroundings, and then a late night after making most of her friends wish they hadn't been born.

3. What is the character's profession or work? What does this occupation involve, what sorts of actions and activities?

Journeyman ranger/hunter/archer, progressing to professional scout later in the story. She typically scouts an area, thins the numbers personally, then returns to tell the others about how many are left. She also hunts game and performs basic maintenance duties.

4. What kinds of leisure activities does the character plan and look forward to, long term? Such as preparing for a tournament or an event, practicing a sport, or creating a complex craft item.

Getting enough spare time to seduce and/or prank and/or socialise with her best friends. By complex craft item, can we mean setting up her sister with a nice husband?

5. Does the character like to eat or drink, or cook, or does s/he look at food as a necessity rather than a pleasure?

Loves to eat, can can cook, but not very well.

6. How important is sex to the character? What sexual activities does s/he partake in? What are his/her emotions regarding sex? Does the character's sexual inclinations or past affect how s/he behaves in the rest of her life and if so, positively or negatively?

She knows what it is, she sure as hell knows she wants it, the problem is she tends to be lustful with people who are taken, or aren't interested, all while passing over those who are. She's certainly interested by the concept of instigating it between her friends. Actually gets some, for a time, towards the story's end.

7. Does the character enjoy performance or creative arts? How important does the character believe these are to life, in a general sense? In a specific sense, how important does the character believe the arts are to him/her?

Terri enjoys such things greatly. It's all a new experience and at some point she's definitely going to try acting, for fun or profit. Since they bring the world colour, she feels they're important to her and others.

***Character's Personal Life***

1. What are the character's specific religious beliefs? Does s/he belong to a specific sect or creed? Does the character advocate that group's beliefs or only elaborate them when asked? How are these beliefs reflected in the character's actions and activities?

Like most in the Old Kingdom, she advocates the worship of the Goddess of Light, she knows the rituals well, since her father was the priest in her village. Besides that, however, she doesn't find the religion as interesting as real life events, and isn't exactly devoted to its teachings.

2. How did the character come to the religion? How important is it to the character?

Through her family she came to the religion, but it's not important to her.

3. How big a role did family play in the character's upbringing? Was the character raised by a family considered normative by his/her society? Was the character raised by his/her biological family, adoptive family, or a mix of both?

Family was important to her, though maybe less so than the others from her village. Raised by her father and for some time, her mother, along with a slew of her relatives, her upbringing was fairly normal in such wartorn times.

4. How does the character define family, chosen or biological? To which does s/he feel stronger ties, or does s/he feel the ties equally?

She feels the strongest ties to her biological family, but her friends do not fall far behind.

5. How did the character meet his/her current spouse(s)/serious lover(s)? How did the character meet past ones? How long did it take before the character considered the relationship serious? Before the character proposed marriage, or did the spouse propose?

He tried to kill her, failed epically, then she tried to set him up with her friend, while she had her eye on her friend's interest. Then, Mark started to do epic things such as saving her life, and she got a glimpse of his inner self, and she started to be attracted. Their relationship kinda began with "Are we going out?" "Eh, why not."

6. Does the character have children? Does the character want children? How does s/he view the offspring in question, how is his/her relationship with them?

Probably eventually, and as a parent she'd likely be very embarrassing, and very caring too.

7. Does the character have a physical home or is the character a traveler, preferring not to settle in any one place?

Yes, had a home on the island for 17 years, then the High Kingdom for about a year, then Nirvana for an eternity (please don't ask me about this) then somewhere in England (REALLY CLASSIFIED even more don't ask me about this) Not a traveler by choice, none of the heroes really are.

***Character's Hopes and Fears***

1. What things frighten the character, both abstract concepts and concrete items? What would the character's idea of a terrible fate be?

The idea of losing her family scares Terri more than anything else, but being left alone full stop would be terrifying to her also. She has mild agoraphobia too. The terrible fate for her would be being left alive and alone.

2. What are the character's hopes and dreams, abstract and concrete? What would the character's idea of the best fate in the world be?

Terri is possibly the only character who actively seeks adventure. She would love to see new places, meet new people and then sit down with a family and tell stories even better than her father's.

3. What are the character's primary motivations? Are they active or reactive? Solid, tangible goals or concepts?

Terri is mainly motivated reactively. She does what she feels is necessary at the time, along with an intangible desire to experience the world.

4. What is one thing the character wouldn't want anyone to find out about her/him?

How selfish she is. Terri is very emotionally sensitive, but that also makes her manipulative. She would hate for anyone, including herself, to think that her motives are self centred.