Nicolas+

This is the author access character template for Nicolas. 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?

Nicolas is very large. Taller than most men, broad, very muscular and physically strong, but not so much so that he looks unwieldy.

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

Nicolas is lazily confident, light on his feet and balanced, standing straight, but not too straight.

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?

Very good condition, absurd coordination and dexterity, and excellent reactions. He's not a graceful fighter by any means, but his balance is quite good.

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

Nicolas is blind. The front of his face above the bridge of his nose is a mass of missing flesh and scar tissue, like the whole front of his head was gouged out by a burning brand. As such he can't see, regardless of what else he might do.

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?

Fairly active, but no more than he needs to be to get by, and he won't be active for anyone besides himself. He has decent stamina and can keep going for just over a day, but wouldn't want to if it meant he'd be tired.

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?

Extremely tight curves and controlled movements, a style of movement that looks incredibly reckless but isn't. Won't be anything besides still unless he's got an advanced plan though.

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?

Nicolas isn't just a fighter, he's a commander. Unfortunately that means his non-fighting skills are fairly average and limited by his blindness. All of his combat training and magical skills are habitual.

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

Nicolas takes strong and handsome to their natural conclusions, he's a really attractive beefcake... except for his eyes, which make his appearance very not-beautiful and more disfigured. A shame, because he would otherwise be the prettiest boy.

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

Very aware of his overwhelming strength, to the point of overconfidence. Very annoyed that he's no longer sexy.

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 tall, broad, tanned young man with red hair tied up in a headband which covers his eyes. Carries a scimitar on his back.

***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?

Nicolas carries the clothes on his back, Fireguard gear, thick jacket, mail, feathery cloak, shiny pauldron. He has no need of anything else, save disguise, usually accomplished by a big white cloak and the removal of his despised plumed helmet.

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

He really likes his sword. He wouldn't wear the uniform if he wasn't a little attached to it.

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?

Dark red and dull gold are the basic colours, with his Fireguard plumes being slightly brighter. He's blind, so even though they are his favourite colours, it hardly matters.

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?

His wardrobe was indeed a hand-me-down... albeit hand-me-down and tailor to fit Nicolas. It's a uniform, the parts are probably different ages because of that.

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?

It is impossible to decrease Nicolas's confidence. The clothes were tailored.

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

Well... someone does. He can't remember the last time he performed his own upkeep.

***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?

He has a lovely voice, probably quite sexy, fairly low, expressive, and held at an even, confident tone almost all the time.

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?

Soft... soflty softly, and then you notice that the soft gentle voice is going to kill you. Nicolas can accomplish a lot by talking quietly.

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?

Nicolas rarely makes an effort to control the emotion in his voice, it all comes out the same anyway. Soft, gentle, and potentially terrifying.

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?

Very little accent, comes across as not much of a talker, short sentences with simple words, very precise in terms of grammar.

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]

Yes, actually. Nicolas would get nervy in those cases where he had to address a crowd of more than, say, five.

***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?

Extremely clever and quick thinking. His judgements are rarely wrong. If he's using his seeing magic, he's very ponderous, and usually relies on a plan he made when he was thinking clearly.

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

Very stubborn, Nicolas won't give up a worldview for anyone... but he's normally right.

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

Quite a thorough education, but under his uncle's supervision this was mainly in combat and tactics and magic, grooming him for the command of his people's greatest warriors. Jacob attempted to teach him more regular knowledge, and this was probably what kept him from being completely heartless.

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

Magic, command, combat, and the history of the highly nationalistic tribe to which he belongs. He also knows numbers, literature, medicine, some basic physics, he has a lot of knowledge about laws, especially from the Empire, he understands the way people work, and knows a tavern inside and out, gambling too. Basically a polymath, and his blindness barely detracts from this.

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

Nicolas is a fount of logic and reason, until he encounters a problem that fires up his emotions, in which case he is decidedly not. In a sense there are two of him, "the set people on fire so they can't fight and therefore won't be killed" version and the "I am angry now you all burn in hellfire!" version.

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

I don't think he does think his words out. He does however have a habit of saying the right thing to make someone else reassess themselves. He's simply a natural at speaking.

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?

Nicolas regularly contemplates whether he's doing the right thing. Usually when he's among the others he thinks about whether they are holding him back, and he's often wondering if he really needs other people to stabilise him or if he's fine on his own. He does worry about injuring his friends through his own actions or from picking fights he can't win.

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?

Super pragmatic. He may dabble in the odd ideal if he's relaxed enough.

***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?

Nicolas works best on his own, though he doesn't turn his nose up against the company of maybe one or two group members he respects, including his sister. He finds it difficult to charm most people, simply because he looks so big and scary that this hinders him. Awe works too, though.

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?

Nicolas has one or two close friends, but doesn't keep note of casual friendships, except in the case of the twelve, who even Nicolas becomes dependent on.

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

The hottest of blood. Hot blood is literally the source of his power, and he has a lot of power. At least he has adequate impulse control, coming from the fact that he's a super-genius.

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?

Very narrow. Nicolas is either angry or he isn't, and he makes effective use of his anger, controlling it where necessary. His rage is notably quiet, only those who know him will notice when he's angry. Those who don't don't tend to remember. Nicolas is a master mage, who knows the power of emotion, but he likes to insist his companions learn to control theirs so that they might be strong like him.

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...?

I should make it a point that there won't be a lot of information about Nicolas in the story, at least not coming directly from Nicolas. He won't budge, though he doesn't exactly hide things he won't answer questions either.

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?

Nicolas is very aggressive, a seeker of vengeance and conflict, and training. If there is something to fight, he will attempt to fight it.

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?

Nicolas dabbles in heroics. For the majority of emergencies, the arrival of Nicolas is itself an emergency. He's not stupid, though, he'll avoid actual death, though he's too stubborn to give up if the enemies are people.

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?

How amusing... he can laugh at himself, he can make amusing comments on situations, no matter how dark, and will usually elicit a reaction if he's cruel enough, which he has a tendency to be.

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?

If you got in his way, or touched his family. Yes. These things will make you die. Trying to establish ethical boundaries... he wouldn't torture, would he? Except he probably would, really well, too.

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?

Passion is passion, and when Nicolas's burning passion turns into love, look out world. He loves so fiercely he would avoid making strong relations, much like Herschel. Some people love him back, some people love him who he doesn't even like.

***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?

No more than your typical high ranking mercenary. (I will really have to write out some of his adventures) His clothes and weapons are fairly expensive, but it's his abilities that are for sale and they are renewable.

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

Nicolas isn't very generous. He's not that materialistic, but his default response is to decline if someone wants to borrow something, especially booze.

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?

Nicolas is well known on the mercenary scene. Those who haven't heard of him and his sister are the bad ones. Among the fireguard he is quite well known, and feared. His reputation in the Empire is not dissimilar to Samuel's in his prime. He's also smart about using his reputation to accomplish things. Let people learn what they need for him to get his way, and no more.

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?

Nicolas is right up at the top, with Zacharias. He doesn't fit into the group as neatly as the others and is almost scary to them in terms of his great abilities. So, they judge him by those and keep a wide berth, at least initially.

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?

With his large forbidding presence, how else?

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?

Nicolas serves nobody but himself. Certainly he respects those with power like Gawain, Zacharias, Paul, etc... but in general he is outside social constructs. (Except the Fire Sage, but he's not important in the grand scheme of things (yet))

***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?

Spends half of his time gambling, drinks himself to sleep, and occasionally goes off and breaks something. He hates to do something that other people tell him, but he will reluctantly take the simplest task available. (Which, at his skill level, is most tasks, meaning he ends up actually as quite a helpful member of the group.)

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

Lazy, extremely lazy Nicolas, wakes late, does "1." drinks and sleeps.

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

Mercenary, for most of the story, and leader of the Fireguard for some of it. His actions are mostly combat, though his true ability comes out during his period of leadership.

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.

Nicolas likes to gamble and drink. When all's said and done, that's where he'd like to be, with a bit of sparring thrown in if he ever finds an opponent who can trigger his competitive nature.

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?

Nicolas likes food, but to him it's just another of the many pleasures in life, and there are better ones out there.

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?

Nicolas is magnetic, and as the oldest "young" character I would imagine he has had time to experiment in his life. He probably sees it as yet another pleasure that isn't strictly necessary, but easy enough to come by. So he probably has it where he can find it, his kidnappers, his lieutenant, girls at inns, all candidates. This probably makes him feel initially uncertain around the young girl he meets later who is convinced they are betrothed.

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?

AHAHAHAHA. He's blind, so inn music is about the sum of it. He won't be entirely dumb to its effects though. They make people happy, and if they also make him a little happy, that's enough.

***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?

Technically a Goddess worshiper, but he has far more important things on his mind... until he suddenly doesn't... (Boy, Nicolas, you really have a terrible track record with non-mortals!)

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

Through Jacob, like everyone else that met the man. Highly unimportant.

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?

He was raised by a small enclave of Empire refugees. Following the death of his father, his uncle stepped in, and trained him rigorously in Fireguard skills. Upon being blinded, he was returned to his homeland to be raised under the protection of the Fire Sage and trained as a warrior.

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?

Freida, the Fire Sage, his uncle. Then those from the village, especially Paul. He's naturally more attached to his biological family, and the children he grew up with.

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?

In a very complex spoilery way that is adorable as hell but won't be described until the sequel comes out. Let it be said that he watched her grow up and it took effort for him to take it seriously, or for anything to happen. It was probably Freida who arranged their marriage. Both would find that extremely awkward.

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?

This is still heavily uncharted uber-sequel territory... but yes, he will eventually have a child. The child of the best characters ever is also the best character ever and has the best relationship, so don't worry.

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 10 years, then the Empire for another 7, then went travelling 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) Prefers not to settle, unlike the others.

***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?

He has a foe. It is his duty and his destiny to face them down and win. Losing is not an option, losing to anyone before them is not an option, and letting something happen to Freida (maybe other people) because of his failure chills him to the bone. He's also a bit uneasy about the Sage's curse. Having that happen to him AND being unable to find his revenge would be awful for him.

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?

VENGEANCE! Directly, the best fate would be his completed vengeance... I'm sure he'll think of a better one one he gets that. (he won't)

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

Vengeance! A solid, active goal, that he approaches through constantly bettering himself.

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

The Sage's curse is a nasty thing. He's isolated at the best of times, but not even he wants that much isolation. Nor would he like them to find out about his friendly side. (I'm sure it exists... deep down)