Character Profiles: Dawn-Seeker Verroak

In-game

Name: Verroak Krasha
Race: High Arakkoa
Gender: Prefers not to specify ((male))
Age: 32
Class: Sun-Sage
Professions: engineering, jewelcrafting
Religion: New Dawn (a restoration of the old Apexis religion)
Alignment (per D&D): Neutral Good
Traits (per CK2): Quick, weak, scholar, mystic, diligent, proud, deceitful, shy, ambitious, kind

Place of residence: Awakened Spire, Ashran
Friends and associates: During his time with Order of the Awakened, he befriended Rilak and Rukaryx. He’s also colleagues with Krek and Vallar. His old friends from Skyreach are either dead or don’t want to know him.
Romantic partners: Wife Alarik Shienor, albeit their current relationship is rather strained.
Children: five eggs that will hatch in January – Kirrik, Orkan, Raknor, Kura and Anker
Pets: none at the moment
Mounts: Mosshide Riverwallow, Shadowmane Charger, Sun Raven, Solar Spirehawk
Known languages: Arakkoa, Common, Primal
Most important value: Karma

Describe your character’s relationship with their mother or their father, or both. Was it good? Bad? Were they spoiled rotten, ignored? Do they still get along now, or no?

My father, Orkan, influenced my personality a lot. Although he was a Sun-Sage, he was never particularly religious. At no point in my life did he pretend he really cared about Rukhmar. So when I grew up and wanted to pursue the truth about our gods, he merely warned me about enemies I would make asking the wrong questions. Unfortunately, he was a conformist. He would never speak up against the ruling elites, no matter how bad they were. And for a good part of my life, so did I. Only after I was forced to turn that beam on innocent people I decided I cannot stand by this injustice no longer.

My mother, Sekkta, was a calm, quiet woman. I don’t recall her ever raising her voice. She worked from home and sold her wares, teaching me the basics of alchemy when I was young. I don’t think she ever really believed in our gods either, but whenever I would say something negative about them, she would shush me, afraid they’d listen.

They don’t get along. They’re dead after an aerial accident when their raven lost consciousness and killed all three. I was just eighteen back then. I miss them a lot.

What are your characters most prominent physical features?

People say I have very wrinkled eyes. Probably because I sleep so little.

Name one scar your character has, and tell us where it came from. If they don’t have any, is there a reason?

There’s one particular scar just below my neck. It’s very fresh, Ranjit did it. When he found out about my allegiance, we fought and I thought I killed him. He left a rather painful wound on my chest and although it healed in time, it’s still rather visible. I should invest in some collars.

How vain is your character? Do they find themselves attractive?

I think I look pretty average. I don’t think a lot about beauty, but of course I like to wear nice clothes and jewelry just as anyone does.

What’s your character’s ranking on the Kinsey Scale?

I can find males just as attractive as females, but I never acted on same-sex attraction. I don’t really know why, I probably just wanted to have hatchlings one day.

Describe your character’s happiest memory.

Probably learning my wife was going to lay eggs, and maybe when she actually laid them. I was overjoyed to see a promise of my future little ones.

Is there one event or happening your character would like to erase from their past? Why?

My parents dying in an accident when I was young. I wish they were still alive to see what I achieved.

What’s your character’s favorite ice cream flavor? Color? Song? Flower?

Ice cream: peach.
Color: gold.
Song: Arak ma’shkaa, by a classic composer Ishkur Shraan
Flower: Chamaeleon Lotus.

Who does your character trust?

I trust Rilak and Kirrik, and my family. Rilak and Kirrik and their order led me out of a particularly dark period of my life, and in the end saved our people. And my family I will always trust.

Can you define a turning point in your character’s life? Multiples are acceptable.

The day when I was seated in the “Hot Seat” – the chair that pilots the giant scorching beam the Adherents used to terrorize and wipe out many veils. I always knew what they were doing, but until that day when I actually saw that with my own eyes… no, when I was the one doing it, only then I knew what a horrible regime I served. I was despondent and got myself drunk the following night and in that drunken haze, I decided to join the Awakened that Skyreach wanted eliminated. That single decision changed everything.

Is there an animal you equate with your character?

I don’t think people should compare themselves to animals. Any values we ascribe to animals are just our conceptions of them, animals only care about survival and reproduction. Owls aren’t wise and wolves aren’t loyal, they just do what will help them best.

How is your character with technology? Super savvy, or way behind the times? Letters or email?

I’m getting quite adept with Apexis technology after some work I did for the Awakened. I may be no Sol-Shaper yet, but I think I’m on a good road to that.

What does your character’s bed look like when he/she wakes up? Are the covers off on one side of the bed, are they all curled around a pillow, sprawled everywhere? In what position might they sleep?

Oh, when I wake up it’s a mess, naturally. Alarik tells me I toss around like crazy when I sleep. But I always make up the bed almost instantly after I wake up.

How does your character react to temperature changes such as extreme heat and cold?

When you live in Skyreach, you learn to tolerate quite a lot. In summer it can get really hot up there, and everything we arakkoa do is in full sunlight, so it only gets hotter. In the winter, although we rarely have snow, the winds up in the spires get really cold. I still prefer hot to cold, but neither would really shock me.

Is your character an early morning bird or a night owl?

As a Sun-Sage I used to wake up with the dawn. It’s actually a religious rite to live with the sun’s natural cycle. Nowadays, I’m starting to wake up and go to sleep later and later.

Are there any blood relatives that your character is particularly close with, besides the immediate ones? Cousins, Uncles, Grandfathers, Aunts, et cetera. Are there any others that your character practically considers a blood relative?

We have few distant relatives. My grandparents are dead, and my uncles and aunts never really kept in contact with us. I should check up how they survived the coup.

What’s your character’s desk/workspace look like? Are they neat or messy?

Very neat. I like to know exactly where everything is. I even label my shelves.

Is your character a good cook? What’s their favorite recipe, whether they’re good or not? (Microwave mac-and-cheese applies.)

I tried cooking a bit. I wasn’t very good at it. But maybe I’ll keep trying one day.

What’s your character’s preferred means of travel?

I prefer to fly to places myself. Of course, that slows me down quite a bit so I sometimes take a mount from the Awakened but if I can, I fly on my own power. There is nothing like the feeling of wind in your wings.

Does your character have any irrational fears?

Wind serpents. I just can’t stand the things. Them being related to Sethe doesn’t help.

What would your character’s  cutie mark be?

I have no idea. I wouldn’t exactly equate myself with a horse of any kind. Maybe a pegasus, if I have to. A purple-orange pegasus with a… I don’t know… sun on his back? I know, a rising sun to symbolize the New Dawn.

If your character could time travel, where would they go?

I’d rather not travel in time. I fear I would only make a mess of things and change history for the worse. Maybe if I could just watch, I would watch how the Apexis really lived.

Is your character superstitious?

Is it superstition if it’s true? Wind serpents and scaled things really are evil.

What might your character’s ideal romantic partner be?

I like to think my wife Alarik is my perfect fit. We’ve fallen on hard times in our relationship but I believe we can still work this out.

Describe your character’s hands. Are they small, long, calloused, smooth, stubby?

Smooth. Definitely smooth. I hardly ever had to do any hard work. I’m getting some bruises and scratches now from the Apexis machinery but most I can heal quickly.

Second day of favorites! Favorite comfort food, favorite vice, favorite outfit, favorite hot drink, favorite time of year, and favorite holiday.

Comfort food: I don’t usually eat out of stress. I turned to drinking once or twice.
Vice: How do you define vice these days?
Outfit: The one I’m wearing on that picture! It’s an all-purpose robe. Good for official gatherings, good for everyday work – it’s perfect!
Time of year: Spring, I’d say. It’s not full-on scorching climate yet, but it’s already out of the cold winds of the winter.
Holiday: Awakening of Rukhmar, which marks the beginning of Spring. It’s a time of happiness and charity all around. I hear the outlanders celebrate something similar at the beginning of winter – the timing surprises me.

Pick two songs that describe your character at two different points of their life, and explain why you chose them.

((Pretend I came up with entire two high arakkoa songs to describe him))

If your character’s life was a genre, what would it be?

A spy story, probably! It’s not as exciting as some of the existing ones, but it would do, I think.

How does your character smell? Do they wear perfume or cologne?

I have those “fresh forest fruit” perfume I got back in Skyreach. I don’t know where will I get more when they run out.

And finally: Write a letter to your character, from yourself.

But, like, from present me to present me? Or from present me to past me, warning him or advising him? I don’t know. You should specify the question more. If it’s from the present to the present, how does that even work? What would I tell myself that I don’t already know?