RPG Questionnaire: Dwarf

The DM for my current campaign recommended completing this questionnaire to help flesh out my character.

Please bear in mind that EVERYTHING on this page is out-of-character knowledge unless and until my character brings it up. Considering that she went from Bas-Litha straight to the temple of Pelor, there is not much opportunity for anyone (except possibly another dwarf) to have learned of her story, and this is not something she will readily talk about.

Now then.

Name

What is your character's full birth name?

Tudra Opal Beryl Coppereye.

Does you character go by another name?

Yes. "Dwarf".

Why?

Family disowned her and took her name away when she became a cleric of Pelor (a human deity) instead of Moradin (the dwarven deity revered by her family). Dwarves are forbidden to take another dwarven name if their birthname is taken away, and she'd rather have no name at all than a name belonging to anything but a dwarf.

Any other nicknames?

Yes. "Nunya".

It's short for "Nunya damn bizness, now leave me alone."

Did the character's parents have any names for the character?

Nope. Her family places a great deal of importance on lineage and history, and takes names very seriously.

Family

Who are/were the character's parents?

Father: Mica Malachite Bloodstone Coppereye. He earns his living as a tinsmith; tin is of little use to most dwarves, but he shapes it into toys and other frivolous trade goods. And there is a sufficient supply of tin that he does fairly well to support himself and his wife.

Mother: Opal Beryl Moonstone Coppereye. She has a talent for making jewelry, but does it more as a hobby than a career.

Is the character's mother still alive?

Yes.

Is the character's father still alive?

Yes.

Is/was the character close to their parents? Why or why not?

They had a good relationship until Dwarf made her Big Decision. Her parents do well for themselves, but couldn't really afford a large family, so the kids they did have were very much doted upon.

Does the character have sibblings? If so, how many? What are their names?

One; an older brother named Jasper.

Does the character have any other living family? Relation to character?

Yes; plenty of aunts, uncles, and of course grandparents and great-grandparents. If they ever come into play, just think of the name of a mineral, gem, or semi-precious stone. =)

Any living family members that hate the character?

All of them. They can't believe she would go and defy their god like that.

Friendships

Does the character make friends well?

She is affable enough that plenty of folks would consider *her* a friend. The feeling is not requited; her definition of "friend" is what most folks would consider "best friend" or "trusted friend".

Does the character have a best friend? Who?

The person who comes closest to that is probably Sister Christine, a human who resides and serves in the same Temple as Dwarf. They are confidants and confessors to each other, and get along very well. Outsiders may underestimate the depth of this bond, because neither of them are inclined to being silly or frivolous, even with or toward each other.

Who are the character's other friends?

Pretty much other folks who reside/serve in the temple, or who visit frequently. As far as party members go: right now, she can pretty much take or leave all of them, as she hasn't known them for very long.

Enemies

Does the character have an enemies?

Herself and her guilt. She has finally realized that Pelor is not actually superior to Moradin, so she could have become every bit as strong as she is now without drawing down the wrath of her family/clan.

Does the character seek any revenge?

Only in the sense that she's excited to be on this quest and possibly get some feats of daring-do under her belt. It may or may not redeem her to some degree in the eyes of her family, but it might help her feel like there was a darned good reason she was called to serve Pelor instead of Moradin.

Does the character feel the need to make enemies?

Nah.

Feelings

Will the character show their feelings?

Yes and no. Strong positive emotions are usually kept in check; strong negative emotions are usually manifested as agitation, which may or may not belie what she's actually feeling. For example, Dwarf did not show fear per se when she encountered a dead woman, but she did get very adamant about how to dispose of the body.

How do they feel about others showing their feelings?

It's just an unfortunate consequence of not being born a dwarf.

Has the character ever been in love?

A few schoolgirl crushes, but that's it. She got turned out when she was in her 30's, which is the equivalent of the preteen years for a dwarf, and it's awfully rare for any creature that immature to actually experience "true love".

Will the character want to find love now? Why or why not?

Not right now. She can't imagine being attracted to anything other than another dwarf, and the odds of another dwarf wanting anything to do with her are slim to none.

How does the character handle jealousy? How does the character handle hate?

As above, she usually just starts getting cranky or agitated without necessarily belying why she is cranky or agitated. She is more than happy to stew over something, or hold a grudge, but luckily it's not easy getting her to that point.

Seeking For

Does the character have any goals or ambitions?

She hadn't had them for a long time after being pledged to Pelor. But now that she's been sent on this expedition, she has been remembering her old wish to redeem herself to her family. She will not leave the temple again unless she is sent away, but she may now be in the habit of asking to be sent on future expeditions that are of interest to the Church.

Does the character seek to better themselves?

Yes, mostly in the form of closer communion with Pelor.

Does the character seek to better those they're close to?

Most of the people she's close to have similar self-betterment goals.

Does the character seek to better the world?

Not really. She knows she can (and SHOULD) be a positive influence to the people around her, but her dreams are not grandiose.

Does the character want more money, power, or land? Why or why not?

No; all she earns really belongs to the Church, which in turn takes care of her. The only thing she really *wants* is to redeem her name, and even that dream has been suppressed (or been dismissed as impossible) for decades.

How hard will the character work at achieving their goals or ambitions?

Alas, not very. Her service to Pelor pretty much consumes her life, because there wasn't much of her life left after her family turned her out. She derives a lot of comfort and strength from her adopted faith, but has sacrificed a lot of her personal ambition as a result.

What does the character believe morally?

That the chance to do good is reason enough to do it, although she usually stops short of endangering herself or others. She'd rather pass up one chance to do good so she can survive to do ten others in the future, and putting others in danger is not what most people consider "doing good" toward them.

Role Models / Mentors

Has the character or do they now have any role models? Why or why not?

Brother Lyle; a human in his late fifties. He's the cleric that inducted her into Pelor's service. He had passed through Dwarf's hometown while on business elsewhere in Dremen, and Dwarf saw him work some amazing miracles. That's actually what led her to forsake Moradin for Pelor - she thought Brother Lyle was stronger than the clerics she knew because Pelor was a stronger god than Moradin, and not because he'd spent more time in his god's service.

Had the character or do they now have any mentors? If so, were they close?

Her father taught her the art of brewing, because it's good for dwarf women to have knowledge of at least one useful craft or skill; it makes them more attractive as a bride. She enjoyed her few years of school and combat training, but was never close to any of those teachers.

Does the character have any healthy or unhealthy fixations?

She's had this more or less trained out of her by now, but the whole reason she became a Cleric is so she too could work big grandiose miracles. Somehow she went her entire childhood without ever seeing a Wizard or Sorcerer, so she got it in her head that Clerics were the way to go if you wanted to wield spectacular power. If Brother Lyle had been a Wizard instead of a Cleric, though, that would have impressed her even more and she'd be in a mage school instead of a temple.

Like I said, this has been so thoroughly trained out of her that even she believes her greatest goal as a cleric is perfected communion with Pelor. But still, she's going to be so thrilled when Pelor finally sees fit to grant her knowledge of the level 2 spells. =)

Childhood

Did the character have a good or bad childhood?

It was a happy and fairly comfortable childhood. Her parents were not wealthy, and decided it was better to defy the tendency to have a large family so they could better provide for the children they did have.

Were they raised by their parents?

Yes.

Name one memory of the character from childhood.

She had this *massive* crush on a boy in her literature class when she was ten years old. So she wrote him a poem and didn't sign it. It didn't get his attention too well (duh! she didn't sign it!), and he turned out to be a jerk anyway, but dang was he cute.

Did the character have any childhood friends? Why or why not?

Yes. Formalized education is great for socialization opportunities.

If yes to 38, are they still friends with them? Why or why not?

No. She hasn't had the courage to communicate with *anyone* in Bas-Litha, since the stripping of a name is reserved only for very serious offenses. Even if her friends weren't upset with her, it would still be very awkward for them if she were to try and write to them.

If no to 39, is this a problem for the character?

Yes, but not as much as the animosity of her family.

Religon

Does that character have any religous beliefs? What are they?

Yes. She is a cleric of Pelor, god of the sun.

Did they always have their beliefs? If not, what were they before? Why did they change?

She was brought up in the church of Moradin, and her family was very pious. However, they gave shelter to a wandering cleric of Pelor for a few days (Brother Lyle), and Dwarf saw him work miracles that easily outshone anything she had ever seen the priests of Moradin do. Being young and foolish, she immediately concluded that Pelor was a superior god to Moradin, and asked Brother Lyle to induct her into Pelor's service.

Habits

Does the character have any normal habits? Any annoying habits? Any strange habits?

Probably, but I can't think of any that would actually warrant dignification by being mentioned in the campaign. That, and there's the risk they'd get played on too much, which can just get annoying.

Psyche

Does the character hold any emotional problems? Why?

Yes. A lot of suppressed guilt over the strife she caused her family.

Does the character have any phobies? Is so, what?

No actual phobias.

Does the character fear anything that is not a phobia?

Yes. She is deathly afraid of snakes, which she never saw in her youth.

Does the character have a high or low thresh-hold for pain?

Pretty high. Dwarves are pretty tough, after all.

Does the character have any mental problems?

You mean besides guilt? No.

How does the character view other's mental problems?

I don't think she's been exposed to anyone with serious mental problems; that is to say, anything stranger than a quirk or fear.

World to Character

Was the character born on a celebrated holiday of the campaigning world?

Nope.

Does the character have any famous or infamous family or ancestors?

Not that would be famous/infamous outside of Bas-Litha. Her uncle is a heavily decorated military hero, but that's about as close as they get.

Does the character have any royal bloodlines?

No. Honestly, I don't know why they take such pride in their lineage, aside from it being a dwarven cultural thing. There's not exactly a lot there to be proud of.

Like and Dislikes

Does the character like themselves? Why or why not?

Yes. She regrets the consequences her decision had on her family, but does not regret the decision itself, and finds her relationship with Pelor to be greatly satisfying.

What is the character's favorite color?

It wavers between grey and green. Depends on her mood, I guess.

What is the character's favorite hobby?

Brewing. In fact, the church has asked her to brew ale on a regular basis, and sells it by the barrel to local pubs to supplement their income. But contrary to the jokes of the bartenders, buying and drinking the stuff is not an acceptable substitute for tithes to the temple.

What is the character's favorite drink?

She's actually quite fond of mead. She isn't any good at brewing it herself yet, since honey was hard to come by in Bas-Litha, but she will purchase mead if it is available.

What is the character's favorite meal?

Smoked joint of turkey, with boiled and mashed tubers. She's also very fond of fried fruit pies.

What is the character's favorite animal?

Cats of all sorts. She discovered them after joining the temple. Cats are treated well by servants of Pelor; the feline tendency to bask in the sun has led them to be jokingly considered as fellows in the faith. Dwarf had seen domesticated animals before, but never solely for the purpose of companionship, and she loves the idea. In fact, Sister Christine is currently having to tend a little white shorthair with a black splotch over one eye. Dwarf calls it "Onyx".

What is the character's favorite battle cry?

"Rrrrraaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

What is the character's least favorite color?

Bright orange. It can literally hurt her eyes sometimes.

What is the character's least favorite hobby?

Oh, come on. Why would she engage in it as a hobby if she didn't enjoy it?

What is the character's least favorite drink?

Goat's milk.

What is the character's least favorite meal?

Trail rations. She also doesn't enjoy raw fruits - they have to be cooked down and made into jam or pie or something like that.

What is the character's least favorite animal?

Snakes. She just doesn't understand how they're able to move without legs. It freaks her out.