Name: Jenni Age: older than jesus Contact:jennibeans Other Characters: Ilias Interests: Magic nerdery, weird Fade shit, and ends-justify-the-means political intrigue.
CHARACTER
Name: Caius Porthmeus (born "Claus") Canon/OC: OC Journal:sumptus Race: Human Nationality: Tevene Occupation: Magic grad student Division: Research Mage or Not: Yes Age: 24
History
cw: child abuse ahead
Born in Tevinter to an Ander couple who had immigrated looking for work and only found enough to get trapped in a debt pit. They're technically Soporati, but with status close enough to slaves that they feel the need to be shitty about the distinction.
His parents discover their disinterest in having children by having him and aren't shy about sharing that revelation with him.
Markedly intelligent and mechanically minded from a young age, which his father considers a personal insult and takes out on Caius with regular physical abuse.
Learns to hide goddamn everything about himself that might attract negative attention, which comes in handy when his magic manifests in his preteen years.
Until he slips up and uses magic in front of his father. Dad assumes he's been hiding it to avoid improving his parents' status (not 100% inaccurate) and beats the shit out of him; exciting adventures in traumatic brain injuries ensure
Caius ditches his parents for good and heads to the farthest-away Circle he can find, hello it's me definitely an orphan
Turns out Circles that take in orphans aren't great!
Works his ass off both in school and outside it to earn a place in increasingly prestigious Circles, at first out of an overabundance of survivalist paranoia, but that gradually blossoms into ambition
Realizes his dreams are not like other mages’, suspects he might be a somniari but that would be crazy right? Ha ha anyway.
Decides to keep that revelation on the inside where it belongs.
But one of his professors notices he's attracting demons all the damn time and starts working with him on that, oh my god Caius. She keeps his secret as a temporary gesture, likely for her own future gain, but is killed by a rival before she can share it.
Caius makes some rich friends but has a chip on his shoulder the size of Orlais about being anyone's charity case.
When he next transfers Circles, he decides to straight-up lie to his new friends about his status and family situation, pretending his dad is a rich, loving Laetan merchant who happens to be gone all the time, anyway don't worry about it.
Then Corypheus seizes Minrathous which??? seems like a dick move??
Likes Calpernia, but is unsure about destroying this class ladder he was just getting good at climbing. Rather than risk losing his footing, though, Caius opts to go with the flow, however uneasily.
Gets recruited to help with research re: power sources, which is half academically fascinating, half terrifying in its practical applications. [ unease intensifies ]
Until a shard lands in one of his friends, and wow yeah that's apparently the limit, let's not consign any of our friends to be Corypheus's research subjects.
Unsure if Riftwatch will be better but it's not like they've got many options.
Personality
At first pass, Caius comes off as a sharp but cautious young man who keeps his thoughts and emotions close to the vest. Old habits die hard, and his are to play silent observer until he knows the lay of the land. Anyone who spends more time with him will find a lack of confidence or social ability isn't his problem; he's just as likely to be considering whether other people are worth his time as vice versa, he just prefers to do so from inside his own head.
For people who get over that initial hurdle, he can be surprisingly personable, in a salt-of-the-earth way that he's careful to spin as "authentic" and not "boorish" in polite company. He's more even-tempered than first impressions might suggest, with a dry, stealthy sort of humor that sneaks up on you and pushes you into the pool when you least expect. Caius doesn't want to be class clown, but he's happy to enable whoever is. Left to his own devices, he can get kind of intense and bitter, so he's learned to surround himself with people who don't take him (or anything else) quite so seriously.
But even within a tight-knit group of friends, Caius is stubbornly independent. He's been an army of one as long as he can remember; apart from said friends, no one has ever looked out for him, and he doesn't expect that to change. Caius believes most people's actions are motivated by cost-benefit analysis and self-interest -- and that's not a bad thing, he's just not interested in pretending otherwise. Altruism isn't real, kindness is essentially transactional, and he doesn't want to owe anybody anything when he finally claws his way to the top of the shit mountain that is Tevinter.
And he's going to claw his way to the top. In the absence of parental validation or support, Caius has become tremendously ambitious, with a driving need to prove himself to the whole damn world. That has fueled an obsessive work ethic and unhealthy commitment to pulling himself up by his own bootstraps, which, while effective so far, is probably not sustainable. His friendships in the Circle have helped him learn to chill out and occasionally accept help, but he is still pointed due north at "accomplishing everything I can without stopping to examine what I want."
It helps that he's smart and good at things that are rewarded in Tevinter. Caius is a fixer, a problem-solver, the sort of person who asks whether he can without sparing a thought for whether he should -- and usually finds a way to make the answer "yes." In his work and life, he prefers to withhold judgment until presented with hard evidence, but is increasingly unafraid of making bold moves once he has that. However, his belief in the pure and unbiased nature of logic means he often ignores emotional arguments and overlooks human consequences until he's already done things he regrets.
Opinions & Affiliations
Venatori -- know a lot of interesting magic Caius wants to learn, have a lot of social power he envies, but as a die-hard skeptic he has trouble with their blind devotion to Corypheus (and some of the human consequences thereof, as he's become slightly more familiar with them).
Chantry -- Speaking of blind devotion, he doesn't love the South or North iterations, but sees the Imperial Chantry as more harmless since it doesn't involve locking him in a tower.
Old Gods -- more academically interesting, seem powerful in more ways he can observe and test. He doesn't trust or worship them either but he's more likely to believe they can do anything for him.
Qun -- he likes his tongue attached, thanks. Hasn't thought about the war very hard.
Slavery -- is happening, but for most of his life he's been more concerned about making sure it doesn't happen to him. As he's gained social status he's had a harder time existing in proximity to it without feeling like he's becoming the thing he hates most. Cool! Current feelings: complicated.
Tevene class structure -- shitty, but shitty in ways he understands and wants to conquer. He's vaguely aware that systemic change would supposedly make that unnecessary, but the problem is too personal for him; he doesn't really believe there's a solution beyond bootstrapping his way up like he's already doing.
Race relations -- seem fine in the Circles, seem like something he'll put his foot in his mouth over if he tries to have an opinion otherwise.
The South -- well, he sure wishes he'd cared more about what the rest of the continent was up to before now. You know those nightmares where you show up for a final exam and realize you've studied for the wrong test? That, but it's his whole life.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Academic: Focused on magical energy -- mana from the Fade, lyrium, blood, whatever, he's good at figuring out how to get the most out of power sources and amplify the energy they produce, usually through mechanical means like glyphs or more involved physical rituals.
He understands Ander, knows enough Ancient Tevene to make complicated nerd jokes, studied whatever scraps of old languages he needed for research, and is otherwise well-read in the way of obsessively diligent Tevene Circle students.
Combat: Never been, Would Prefer Not To. He's highly uncomfortable with being physically threatened (by people/demons at least, animals are fine), so there's a 50/50 chance he'll either freeze up or produce So Much Lightning if cornered. From a safe distance, he could make a good mana recycling machine for other mages, and he's decent at primal magic, but only if he's not busy having a panic attack.
Dreamer: His training was cut short not long after How Not to Become An Abomination lessons. At this point, Caius can "see the stitches" in the Fade the way Feynriel can at the end of DA2's Night Terrors quest; he lucid-dreams well enough to have self-aware conversations with spirits and manipulate the Fade in small ways. Wandering the Fade and visiting people's dreams are feasible but risky given he doesn't know what he's doing. However, he can't impact the walking world or drive people mad (or worse) in their sleep, and he'd need a teacher to ever get to that point. The presence of demons outside the Fade also causes him physical pain.
Mostly I'd like to use this for random dreamscape threads and someday have him scout the Fade for (likely inaccurate) information, the way Solas dreams in ruins and watches ancient battles or consults with spirits, etc. But ICly it's dangerous enough he wouldn't use it often, and OOCly I'd submit a plot request if I wanted him to learn anything accurate or plot-relevant.
Misc: Has done a lot of random manual labor to get by, so he can build a fence and mind a horse and do minor handyman tasks, along with regular rural household chores and generally looking after himself. Not as great at navigating elite circles, though he's trying hard to catch up. Can't hear in his right ear and has a dodgy sense of smell/taste as a side effect of his childhood head injury.
In Riftwatch: Scary Vint Mage, actual former Venatori ally, could be a liability in a lot of situations even though he is generally polite. Abomination risk. Practical in a way that sometimes fails to account for other people's morals. On the plus side, he's got some nice Venatori intel to sell.
Inventory
Travel clothes Basic field research kit Research notes Maps Staff Terrible bowl cut
Motivation
His friend caught a shard and he doesn't want her to become a lab rat for Corypheus. He's hoping Riftwatch will be an improvement and figures two of them together have a better shot at escape if that proves not to be the case. But quite honestly, he's afraid this isn't going to work and they won't have anywhere else to go, so he's coming in prepared to both offer Riftwatch as much information as he can and strategically withhold the vital bits if necessary to negotiate their safety.
OOCly I'm fine providing Benedict a neighbor for a while but would like to avoid RPing indefinite jail time, so I'm happy to rework things if that seems inescapable currently.
caius | native oc
Name: Jenni
Age: older than jesus
Contact:
Other Characters: Ilias
Interests: Magic nerdery, weird Fade shit, and ends-justify-the-means political intrigue.
Name: Caius Porthmeus (born "Claus")
Canon/OC: OC
Journal:
Race: Human
Nationality: Tevene
Occupation: Magic grad student
Division: Research
Mage or Not: Yes
Age: 24
History
cw: child abuse ahead
Personality
At first pass, Caius comes off as a sharp but cautious young man who keeps his thoughts and emotions close to the vest. Old habits die hard, and his are to play silent observer until he knows the lay of the land. Anyone who spends more time with him will find a lack of confidence or social ability isn't his problem; he's just as likely to be considering whether other people are worth his time as vice versa, he just prefers to do so from inside his own head.
For people who get over that initial hurdle, he can be surprisingly personable, in a salt-of-the-earth way that he's careful to spin as "authentic" and not "boorish" in polite company. He's more even-tempered than first impressions might suggest, with a dry, stealthy sort of humor that sneaks up on you and pushes you into the pool when you least expect. Caius doesn't want to be class clown, but he's happy to enable whoever is. Left to his own devices, he can get kind of intense and bitter, so he's learned to surround himself with people who don't take him (or anything else) quite so seriously.
But even within a tight-knit group of friends, Caius is stubbornly independent. He's been an army of one as long as he can remember; apart from said friends, no one has ever looked out for him, and he doesn't expect that to change. Caius believes most people's actions are motivated by cost-benefit analysis and self-interest -- and that's not a bad thing, he's just not interested in pretending otherwise. Altruism isn't real, kindness is essentially transactional, and he doesn't want to owe anybody anything when he finally claws his way to the top of the shit mountain that is Tevinter.
And he's going to claw his way to the top. In the absence of parental validation or support, Caius has become tremendously ambitious, with a driving need to prove himself to the whole damn world. That has fueled an obsessive work ethic and unhealthy commitment to pulling himself up by his own bootstraps, which, while effective so far, is probably not sustainable. His friendships in the Circle have helped him learn to chill out and occasionally accept help, but he is still pointed due north at "accomplishing everything I can without stopping to examine what I want."
It helps that he's smart and good at things that are rewarded in Tevinter. Caius is a fixer, a problem-solver, the sort of person who asks whether he can without sparing a thought for whether he should -- and usually finds a way to make the answer "yes." In his work and life, he prefers to withhold judgment until presented with hard evidence, but is increasingly unafraid of making bold moves once he has that. However, his belief in the pure and unbiased nature of logic means he often ignores emotional arguments and overlooks human consequences until he's already done things he regrets.
Opinions & Affiliations
Venatori -- know a lot of interesting magic Caius wants to learn, have a lot of social power he envies, but as a die-hard skeptic he has trouble with their blind devotion to Corypheus (and some of the human consequences thereof, as he's become slightly more familiar with them).
Chantry -- Speaking of blind devotion, he doesn't love the South or North iterations, but sees the Imperial Chantry as more harmless since it doesn't involve locking him in a tower.
Old Gods -- more academically interesting, seem powerful in more ways he can observe and test. He doesn't trust or worship them either but he's more likely to believe they can do anything for him.
Qun -- he likes his tongue attached, thanks. Hasn't thought about the war very hard.
Slavery -- is happening, but for most of his life he's been more concerned about making sure it doesn't happen to him. As he's gained social status he's had a harder time existing in proximity to it without feeling like he's becoming the thing he hates most. Cool! Current feelings: complicated.
Tevene class structure -- shitty, but shitty in ways he understands and wants to conquer. He's vaguely aware that systemic change would supposedly make that unnecessary, but the problem is too personal for him; he doesn't really believe there's a solution beyond bootstrapping his way up like he's already doing.
Race relations -- seem fine in the Circles, seem like something he'll put his foot in his mouth over if he tries to have an opinion otherwise.
The South -- well, he sure wishes he'd cared more about what the rest of the continent was up to before now. You know those nightmares where you show up for a final exam and realize you've studied for the wrong test? That, but it's his whole life.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Academic: Focused on magical energy -- mana from the Fade, lyrium, blood, whatever, he's good at figuring out how to get the most out of power sources and amplify the energy they produce, usually through mechanical means like glyphs or more involved physical rituals.
He understands Ander, knows enough Ancient Tevene to make complicated nerd jokes, studied whatever scraps of old languages he needed for research, and is otherwise well-read in the way of obsessively diligent Tevene Circle students.
Combat: Never been, Would Prefer Not To. He's highly uncomfortable with being physically threatened (by people/demons at least, animals are fine), so there's a 50/50 chance he'll either freeze up or produce So Much Lightning if cornered. From a safe distance, he could make a good mana recycling machine for other mages, and he's decent at primal magic, but only if he's not busy having a panic attack.
Dreamer: His training was cut short not long after How Not to Become An Abomination lessons. At this point, Caius can "see the stitches" in the Fade the way Feynriel can at the end of DA2's Night Terrors quest; he lucid-dreams well enough to have self-aware conversations with spirits and manipulate the Fade in small ways. Wandering the Fade and visiting people's dreams are feasible but risky given he doesn't know what he's doing. However, he can't impact the walking world or drive people mad (or worse) in their sleep, and he'd need a teacher to ever get to that point. The presence of demons outside the Fade also causes him physical pain.
Mostly I'd like to use this for random dreamscape threads and someday have him scout the Fade for (likely inaccurate) information, the way Solas dreams in ruins and watches ancient battles or consults with spirits, etc. But ICly it's dangerous enough he wouldn't use it often, and OOCly I'd submit a plot request if I wanted him to learn anything accurate or plot-relevant.
Misc: Has done a lot of random manual labor to get by, so he can build a fence and mind a horse and do minor handyman tasks, along with regular rural household chores and generally looking after himself. Not as great at navigating elite circles, though he's trying hard to catch up. Can't hear in his right ear and has a dodgy sense of smell/taste as a side effect of his childhood head injury.
In Riftwatch: Scary Vint Mage, actual former Venatori ally, could be a liability in a lot of situations even though he is generally polite. Abomination risk. Practical in a way that sometimes fails to account for other people's morals. On the plus side, he's got some nice Venatori intel to sell.
Inventory
Travel clothes
Basic field research kit
Research notes
Maps
Staff
Terrible bowl cut
Motivation
His friend caught a shard and he doesn't want her to become a lab rat for Corypheus. He's hoping Riftwatch will be an improvement and figures two of them together have a better shot at escape if that proves not to be the case. But quite honestly, he's afraid this isn't going to work and they won't have anywhere else to go, so he's coming in prepared to both offer Riftwatch as much information as he can and strategically withhold the vital bits if necessary to negotiate their safety.
OOCly I'm fine providing Benedict a neighbor for a while but would like to avoid RPing indefinite jail time, so I'm happy to rework things if that seems inescapable currently.
Sample 1
Sample 2