Renata+

This is the author access character template for Renata. 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?

Renata is small and adorable. For her age, 17, she is very small, petite. She's relatively frail, if scrawny, but light for it, though she puts on weight quickly when not in danger of starving to death.

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

Oh, poor girl, brought up by nobility and with exquisite posture, that counts for literally nothing when she's forced to create her own knife fighting style, she's a young woman fighting her own body. Her good posture lasts only while she's not moving.

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?

She's swift and in good condition, but initially quite weak, due to lack of food, constant stress, etc. She's certainly capable of being graceful, but this is jarring with her more comfortable knife fighting style.

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

Minor anemia, due to her lack of decent food, but this gets better by the High Kingdom arc. Her size is her greatest disability, but like Zacharias she uses it to good advantage.

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?

Because she has a pumped up opinion of her own importance, she is only active when she has no choice, she doesn't work or fight of her own accord. As a result, she can only move in short bursts due to her very limited stamina.

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?

Renata at her best moves swiftly and in curved lines, keeping her movements tight and agile, while also free and slightly reckless.

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?

Unlike most of the characters, Renata's best physical abilities are restricted to fighting. She's very stealthy and one of the speediest members of the party, as well as an excellent climber, but often these abilities fall short in non-combat environments.

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

Renata is a fairly plain girl, her face and body not being alluring or striking by any means, this is alleviated slightly by the fact that she makes an effort to look good.

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

Renata wishes she were taller, and that her special skills weren't climbing or matching wolves and trained soldiers in a fight, but she will use these to her advantage when pressed. She thinks she looks much worse than she actually does.

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.

A short, skinny girl with a plain, boyish face and golden blonde hair over hazel 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?

Renata owns lots of clothes. Witness the scene where Zacharias is forced to liberate a huge stack of frilly dresses from a castle... She insists on dressing as a princess where possible, in extravagance, though for the majority of the first chapter she's stuck with ill fitting clothes. Her alternate outfit is a functional cardy and skirt with a nice scarf as well. She's stuck wearing this for the first chapter too, though she at least has alternative items. Since the High Kingdom arc she has fitted clothes of the dress type she loves but also access to even stealthier gear.

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

She loves her frilly dresses... but she owns a sash, that was used to bandage a wound, by Zacharias. So... she wears it all the time, possibly along with the piece used to bandage his leg.

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?

Fairly tame clothing in terms of colour, she likes to wear washed out lilacs and subtle pinks.

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?

Until the High Kingdom arc she has to make do with overlarge hand-me-downs from nobles in Madrass's castle, in conjunction with a few items bought in Porthold. As a queen regent, however, she has access to clothes which are both expensive, and which fit her.

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?

She feels most comfortable in her stealth gear, it fits her the best and gives her independence. not to mention the fact that she knows she is more respected by the other heroes in this state. She is beautiful and confident when made up like a princess, and it brings out her stubborn side, but she doesn't end up comfortable.

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

Renata relies on other people to care for her clothes, and of course wishes to keep a good look.

***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?

Renata's voice is thin and high pitched, she hasn't used it in a while when she is met by the heroes, she can put on a deep voice and this is her default state when feeling a strong emotion. Her even tone is one of the most notable things about her, though.

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?

I picture a soft spoken, quiet girl who speaks though her nose, but can project remarkably well when giving commands, mostly untrained, but, like Zacharias, naturally talented, and in her case, experienced.

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?

Renata doesn't control her voice's emotions, but she certainly can, if pressed. There is a proper way for a princess to speaks and she makes an effort to do so, if she spends enough time in disguise or in the presence of Mark, though...

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?

Fully High Kingdom, and well spoken at that. The only people she spoke to were nobles, one does not um. She can be caught off guard, though.

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]

Renata doesn't do well at public speaking, she's very competent when speaking directly to another person and will do that over addressing a group.

***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?

Renata has a tendency to jump to conclusions, her quick actions usually serving her well, but on the occasions where she has to think a problem over, the result is usually better. In that sense she's quite a competent strategist. She has a good memory.

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

It takes an incredibly long time for Renata to get over her princess fixation. She is a princess, there are certain things a princess shall not be seen doing. She has an alternative identity to facilitate those things, and under no circumstances shall she be recognised for that. In essence, Renata never really had to change her ways, her emotions lead her to change herself.

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

Scattered, yet still effective tutoring by upper class ladies, indoctrination into an upper class with little meaning, followed by a time spent breaking those chains in solitude and necessity.

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

Poise, grammar, history, stories, all the teachings natural for a proper young lady. She knows the nobility inside, though not necessarily out, and has a good grasp of genealogy. She was taught how to hide, too. Even as her unfortunate sponsors were disappearing, one by one, Renata was being shown to secret passageways, taught how to move without making a sound, given an ornate knife and ordered to aim for the heart, secreted into cupboards, and learning to fear certain sounds with a passion. When there were no nobles left, then no food, she was forced to take what she could find from the larders, avoid the castle golems, and finally trying to escape through a confusing, wolf and undead ridden forest. She learned to kill, and climb trees, but never escaped.

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

Renata is very emotional, reacting with emotion before logic to any kind of problem. Except, in the case of an emotional problem, maybe a little less emotion than you'd expect.

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

Renata tends to plan things out, the alternative is more difficult, but not impossible for her.

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?

Renata ends up being too busy to contemplate things, but at times will consider exactly how much she enjoys the non-princessey parts of life. Is it always worthwhile following the path you were given at birth?

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?

Hands down an idealist who will act for what she believes in over thinking it over. Believes every physical event to somehow represent the knightly heroics featured in the stories she grew up on, but gets better.

***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?

Renata likes being around people, though her best interactions are with the one or two she trusts the most. She is fairly trusting, however, and it is hilariously easy for her to charm someone just by being small and adorable.

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?

Renata's somewhat aloof nature means that she doesn't let many of her friends get close to her, but she at least gets on well enough with those who are friendly to her.

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

Renata is the definition of a hot-blooded hero, beyond her princess tendencies. Why else would she go out of her way to survive the way she has. In keeping with this, she is 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?

Renata shows exactly as much emotion expected from her class, i.e. very little. However, she will always work with those emotions, and doesn't bother to hide them among friends. Heroes are emotional, and Renata knows that the place for emotions is on the battlefield.

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...?

Renata will trust anyone she meets, but is suspicious of any who go out of their way to meet with her. This isn't helpful in political situations. She usually keeps her past to herself, it being very unpleasant and beneath her.

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?

Renata, tragically is passive, because she never had a way to become anything else, but though she tends to let things happen to her, she's always quite clear on the matter of whether she's happy about it, and can come up with the odd short-sighted goalpost.

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?

In a danger or emergency situation, Renata is usually unable to move unless given clear instructions, and cannot flee or attack effectively where a friend will be endangered because of it. That being said, when it comes to holding her ground and defending herself, she's a devil.

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?

Renata is quite humourless, she doesn't get jokes, and is more often than not, the butt of them. This is all due to innocence more than anything else. Situational humour works well for her, as do in-jokes, but she takes everything too seriously to make them herself. She's too proud to laugh at herself, unless the jokes are made by a certain someone... She'll avoid offense if making a joke.

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?

Vengeance, or if her life is in danger, or if somebody important to her asked her to. Would overall prefer to destroy a person without killing them, but it's still an option.

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?

Renata has strong romantic love, but little filial love, she's afraid to make those kinds of ties. Even the romantic love she feels is sketchy and new to her. Then, later, she discovers that she is capable of interacting in a loving way. She is loved in a protective sense by many of her friends.

***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?

Renata, on occasion, has all the riches of the high kingdom to draw upon. Less than the empire, maybe, but more than enough to get what she wants from those in the know.

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

Never having been the monarch of a country before, Renata is unfortunately quite whimsical with kingdom money, leaving her steward in tears.

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?

She was born into her social position, and has initial difficulty in being anything more than a figurehead, though she eventually learns to play chess with all the important people in her kingdom, and the accompanying respect earned by one with power but unpredictability. She still enjoys the status quo less than she thought. She uses all of her influence, all the time, when not disguised. The more powerful empire throws her off though.

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?

Within her household, Renata is little more than the quaint one who believes she is important. She doesn't have any real influential effect on the people around her, who were either her travelling companions from the start, or advisory and need not be influenced. These friends are simply happy to have a new home to go to, even if that is a palace.

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?

Renata influences her country indirectly and financially, and her friends directly and socially. Even without power she regards them as equals and heroes.

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?

Renata would never do anything without Samuel's leave, and indeed would try to do anything she was asked by one of her friends. Even her steward can command her effectively at times.

***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?

Renata would very much like to spend her free time doing as little as possible, conversing with her friends, and acting according to her position, but as it happens, even Samuel is regularly busy with some kind of chore, and she is often asked to help out even though she abhors the concept.

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

Takes the longest to get dressed of all the characters, argues about a task given before doing it anyway, the depth of argument depending entirely on who's asking, merely a "yes sir" in the case of Zacharias. Will spend a lot of time giggling with the other girls, before falling asleep.

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

Journeyman rogue, which involves sneaking, climbing, fighting, and killing... except she is also a figurehead princess, for a time, and her activities mainly involve getting nobles to see how taking her side is the most viable option. Lots of banquets and secret discussions... and she occasionally sneaks into their rooms at night to dig up dirt with Terri.

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.

Renata likes to plan time off to be with her friends, and Zacharias, she's rapidly learning how to control social situations, and negotiates time where neither she, nor her friends have anything to do except what she wants. She also recently took an interest in learning to sew, because that's a pretty ladylike thing, isn't it, and clothes are nice...

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?

She finds most of the food cooked among the heroes to be highly disappointing, but then she had little choice but to eat whatever she could find at one point, so accepts food being satisfying. Of course, not all cooks are beneath her.

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?

"Don't look at me, don't look at me, don't look at me!... Hey, why aren't you looking?!" Renata is embarrassed by her own body, high class, so fully expects a full declaration of marriage, with rings and flowers, before any man is allowed to try anything! Not that she knows what "anything" refers to, and honestly would quite like to know, and why nobody is trying to do it! "heavy breathing" She's just a typical hormonal teenager, and is very irked by the fact that neither she, nor her prospective partner, have any idea of what she wants from a relationship!

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?

Pretty things, pretty things! Important people love pretty things, right! Then she stares at an opera or a painting until told to stop. Sometimes there is genuine interest, and she knows that if other people are interested, then of course she must be... but she gets more enjoyment out of the other side of her life.

***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?

Brought up as orthodox High Kingdom Goddess worship, anyone in Renata's position would lose faith after a time, and as a result she is a total atheist (or as close as one can be) who frowns at the very concept of worship. If the Goddess never helped me, despite my prayers, why would she help anyone else. She's philosophically competent, and loves to debate with Herschel.

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

Obviously not important, since it's one of the few things in her former life that she discarded. Brought into belief, by those of equally shattered faiths.

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?

Nothing like normal, she was hidden, raised by a diminishing pool of differing noblewoman mothers and then left on her own in a cold, dark castle. True, one of the women was her mother, but she didn't get a real upbringing (in her opinion) till she left the castle.

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?

Her family is none other than the other eleven heroes... She has no ties left to the women who brought her up... and it's too painful for her to feel them, not when she has the warmth of her new family to turn to. She was positively distraught when they started to go their separate ways.

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 saved her life while she was in disguise, followed up by being the only one to witness her removing the disguise, cementing his place as a figure of trust. From then on, he was the only one she would confide in, and as far as she was concerned, they were effectively married. He didn't have a clue, and it took a great deal of effort on Renata's part to press the point, she helped him through a difficult and traumatic point in his life.

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?

Renata, I imagine, would be uneasy around her own children, and overprotective.

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 the Empire for a spell, 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?

She's deathly afraid of blood, and people dying. The hero has to triumph, they can't be allowed to die, leaving her cold and alone. Being important she has the potential to fail a lot of people, and the idea of her life crashing about her ears cannot be tolerated.

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?

She wants to marry a hero, and be rescued by one, just like the princesses in the stories... she kinda half fulfills that part, in a way... But then she ends up wanting to give over her responsibility to somebody else.

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

She wants to do her own class proud, and prove to the world that she's a worthy queen, but this comes second to helping a friend in need.

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

She hates to wear frilly dresses, politics bore her, and she has a secret ambition to go on the run with a certain subject of hers... and do a lot of questionable things.