Robert Cousland

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*In alternate worldstates:* Robert Cousland was the second child and youngest son of Bryce and Eleanor Cousland. He was cut down in Highever by Arl Howe's men.

*In his own worldstate:* Robert Cousland was the second child and youngest son of Bryce and Eleanor Cousland. After the murder of his parents, he was recruited into the Grey Wardens. A stoic young man dedicated to doing his duty above all else, he devoted the rest of his life to supporting the Grey Wardens and ultimately died to bring an end to the Blight. He was buried in Weisshaupt with the highest honors, and his memory lives on in those who loved him.

## Appearance and Personality

Robert is a tall, fairly muscular man with dark red hair and brown eyes. He is said to be quite handsome and got a good deal of attention from women (and sometimes men) for his good looks and stoic personality.

Robert is often quiet, thoughtful, stoic, and withdrawn. He is kind and fair, and always tries to do what's best for everyone. And while he loves sincerely and deeply, he often has a hard time showing it.

In addition, Robert has a strong sense of honor, unshakable principles, and a desire to do his duty no matter what, as befits a man of the Cousland line. He will always choose maintaining his honor over everything else, even when it breaks his heart or hurts his loved ones. This is what ultimately leads to his death.

### Talents and Skills

Robert is skilled at fighting with a sword and shield. He is quite tough and can take a lot of punishment before he goes down. As a Champion and a rather tanky fighter, his fighting style is quite defensive.

Robert is also intelligent and well-read, and has a strategic mind, which leads him to do very well in battle. Unfortunately, he lacks his sister Ellie's political savvy and silver tongue and is not always particularly well-spoken.

## History

Robert Cousland was born on 15 August, 9:08 Dragon, to Bryce and Eleanor Cousland. He was their second son after his older brother Fergus. Two years later, his younger sister, Ellie Cousland was born on 29th Drakonis, 9:10 Dragon.

Robert was always the quietest of the siblings, compared to his more boisterous older brother Fergus and his outgoing younger sister Ellie. While he joined his siblings in their combat training and was probably the best swordsman of the three, he greatly enjoyed spending his time in the library, reading and looking up battle strategies.

He also had a great love of dogs, mabari in particular. When he was thirteen, a fat mabari pup in the kennels imprinted on him after he fed it ham scraps from the kitchen. Ellie jokingly said that it looked like a pig, leading Robert to jokingly name it Pig. The name ended up sticking.

When Ellie was fourteen, she was sent to be fostered at Dragon's Peak. Robert was encouraged to go with her, as Bann Sighard was looking for a squire, but Robert had no desire to leave Highever. Ellie ended up as his squire and was knighted herself. Robert was still a skilled fighter and participated in local tournaments, often winning and making a name for himself as a very skilled warrior.

Robert's skill attracted the attention of the Grey Warden Duncan, who wanted to recruit him into the order. The prospect intrigued him, but he chose to stay in Highever; Robert had no desire to leave his family.

When the Blight broke out, Robert was left in Highever to take care of the terynir while his father and brother went to Ostagar to fight the darkspawn. Unfortunately, the castle was attacked by his father's friend, Arl Howe, resulting in the death of most of Robert's family (minus Fergus, who had left for Ostagar, and Ellie, who was at Dragon's Peak at the time) and Robert's conscription into the Grey Wardens.