OUT OF CHARACTER:
Name/Handle: LiLi
Contact: winemom, discord @ elfwife

IN-CHARACTER:
Character name: Rowan Cousland
Character journal: trudge
Series name: Dragon Age
Canon notes: After slaying the archdemon (upon his death).

Species: (tainted) Human.

History:
human noble origin
origins storyline
rowan specific choices

Personality:
To start, Rowan is a socialite. Something that is more than a little obvious in the way he approaches strangers and engages them in conversation as if they are old time friends. It's a trait he adopted and honed from a young age, after attending many noble parties with his family. Not wanting to disappoint his parents by being a wallflower, Rowan dove right in and engaged with everyone he could - regardless of whether or not he truly understood the topic being discussed most of the time. It made him approachable, likable, and most importantly; it made his parents happy to see him engaging others. As he grew he perfected this talent, and studied hard to become the ideal noble man - smart and charming, but serious when he needed to be. Hard as it may be to believe, this is not an act either, and such desires to simply hear people talk and tell stories extends beyond the nobility and into the common class. Rowan would engage with everyone in and around Castle Cousland in the same manner - from the guards to the servants, all the way out to those that frequented a tavern nearby.

With all the practice he had beforehand, Rowan was able to adapt quickly to the new role that he would be thrust into after Howe's betrayal. He never once complained when Alistair almost forced him to take the leadership role, and even happily accepted it after the initial surprise wore off. He used his charms to ask for favors and willingly ran arbitrary tasks for anyone that asked. Besides his constant need for human interaction; it was also a means to keep his mind and body occupied, well away from the troubles that came from having his family betrayed and slaughtered, as well as the eventual repercussions of being a Grey Warden. It helped also to build repore with the common folk who believed the Grey Wardens to be nothing but dangerous animals thanks to Loghains slander, as well as making him genuinely feel good by doing good.

Rowan is also a shameless flirt, and given his mentioned demeanor above it isn't so hard to believe that he would often have women (and men) fawning over him to varying degrees. He held no bias toward race, gender, or anything else when pursuing someone; caring only for the stories they could tell and how interesting they were as a whole. Unlike many flirty nobles however, his was not just for show and he would actively try to get many of them into bed - much to the chagrin of his parents, if they happened to find out. He never committed to anyone though, doing his best to remain a bachelor for as long as possible before the inevitable marriage was thrust upon him for some political reason or another. This remains true even after his family falls to Howe's men, though his reasons for being an eternal bachelor change drastically. Instead of staving off potential marriage proposals, he instead staves off the desire to start a family and potentially see them taken from him as well. Opening his heart wholly and truly is a pain he never wishes to experience.

Speaking of his family, though. He adores them with all of his heart. His mother and father raised both him and Fergus to be the best they could be as both nobles and warriors, and he always appreciated their love and dedication. It's this undying love for them that made him harden his heart, however. When Howe attacked them, when he saw his father bleeding to death, his mother refusing to leave, and all of the corpses of friends and other family around the castle, Rowan knew that he would never truly love anyone else as much as he loved them. He knew too that he could never will himself to care for someone so deeply, knowing they could potentially be taken from him again. He never did find out if Fergus was alive, but for all he knew he was dead as well, and that too took a toll on him.

Rowan doesn't blame himself for his family's death. To start, he wasn't the one that told Howe to betray them, and he knows that blaming himself for something beyond his control will only drive him mad. Visions of his Father in the Gauntlet confirmed what he had thought all along: lingering on the past will not bring them back, and that he had to move forward and do all that he could while he remained alive. Rowan vowed as much and did so, taking all of his hurt and pain out on Howe; the man that truly deserved it instead. Thinking he had done all he could, Rowan went out with one last hurrah and slayed the archdemon with his own blades, making sure that the Cousland name would not be forgotten in the annals of history and would remain attached to all the good deeds he had done and all that his family had done before that, instead of the betrayal they faced.

Despite his emotions and desire to avoid the devastation of losing anyone else he loves, he still cares deeply for the friends he made along his journey as a Grey Warden and would have done anything for them - did do anything for them - if they asked him to. Rowan always went out of his way to do things for his companions, as well as giving them gifts if he happened to spot something they might like on their travels. He grew close to all of them, but made sure to keep them at arms length for as long as possible, lest he go too far and risk another potential heartbreak. Unfortunately, he failed to realize that perhaps sacrificing himself after getting so close to these people might actually upset them. Oops.



Abilities:
As a rogue, Rowan is skilled in both melee and ranged combat, and can switch between a bow and twin daggers depending on whom he is fighting. His preferred weapon is his bow however, used in conjunction with his learned bard abilities to both buff himself and his teammates on the battlefield.


He's also skilled in the art of stealth and subterfuge on the battlefield, using everything to his advantage to either create opportunities for his allies to strike or to do so himself with his daggers.

The Joining ritual grants Grey Wardens several abilities: their link to the darkspawn's hive mind allows them to detect the presence of darkspawn and they become immune to further corruption by the Blight. However, they also suffer from bad (if occasionally prophetic) dreams, ravenous hunger, and shortened lifespans (most Wardens have only thirty years at most after their Joining before the taint consumes them). Also, while they can sense darkspawn, darkspawn can also sense them. As much of a boon as this dark gift is for the Wardens, it has also allowed them to be hunted by the darkspawn on occasion.
Augment Skillset:
Tactical support
Sample:
do tdms count