#dianis

Let’s Talk OCs!

Awww! Thank you! Sentinels are my favorite to write because they’re this wonderful mixture of badass and capable while still being utterly flabbergasted by everything going on in the modern world. You know what they absolutely don’t understand? The Blight. Have you ever tried to explain the Blight to someone? It sounds pretty fucking fake.

Answering with Dianisamahl, a sentinel of Elgar’nan.

4. What would your character wear to a formal gathering such as a dance, a wedding, or a funeral?

Generally, a sentinel is expected to wear their armor. Since sentinels mostly attended formal gatherings as honor guards, Dianis would primarily wear that. However, a sentinel is sometimes given a leave of absence and Dianis took one to see her sister, Ryatha, graduate from the university in Arlathan. Since she technically doesn’t own anything or have her own money (she’s provided for by the temple she serves), a priest she was close with let her borrow one of their more modest dresses. Elgar’nan had clean, geometric aesthetics (which you still see in Dalish designs today) and Dianis likely looked quite intimidating, especially since she still wore a short sword on her hip.

9. Does your character have a dream job or life path for themselves?

Dianis is a simple woman. She wants to see Solas dead for his many, many crimes and the Evanuris (or at least Elgar’nan) freed from the prison he put them in. She wants to keep her sister safe and to plea for the gods to treat the Dalish with the love and kindness they deserve, as per her agreement with Belavhana. After that, she doesn’t ask for anything more. She doesn’t see why she would want to.

10. Does your character have a particular way of talking or acting?

Dianis maintains a crisp, formal air and has closed body language. Like many ancient elves living in the modern age, her speech sometimes comes off as florid, but this is less an aspect of her personality and more the result of translating the way Elven flows directly into the Trade Tongue. By Elven standards, she’s quite direct and simple.

Around people she’s close to, such as Ryatha, Belavhana, and Seldras, she will sometimes relax and loosen her body language and make jokes. She is a very mission-oriented person, however, and this is rare.

16. What’s one memory that your character will always be fond of?

The aforementioned graduation of her sister. A person doesn’t choose to be a sentinel, they are chosen by clergy and there is no opting out. However, the people that are chosen are usually offered something in exchange for their commitment, assuming that they successfully make it through sentinel training. Dianis asked for her sister to be elevated and granted an apprenticeship and a chance at university education. Ryatha is a smart woman and would have served Elgar’nan better as a researcher than a simple temple slave.

From Super-Detailed OC Asks

Challenging myself and answering for Dianisamahl of Elgar’nan.

25. What do they find funny? Do they have a good sense of humour? Are they funny themselves?

Officially speaking, sentinels have no sense of humor. Unofficially speaking, they do get a bit of time off sometimes and that is one of the few times that Dianis will take off the serious facade and joke around with her peers. She loves puns, which should tell you that no, she is not funny and does not have a good sense of humor because puns are awful. I’m so disappointed in her.

38. What do they admire in others? What talents do they wish they had?

Dianis admires hard work and discipline, values that have been drilled into her since she was an adolescent. Even for as much contempt as she has for Solas, she admits he worked hard to make his rebellion as successful as it was and shows him respect for it. For herself, she wishes she had a more diverse set of spells to call on in battle. She’s never been as talented in magic as other ancient elves and struggles to make up for it by making sure each spell counts.

48. Do they enjoy any parties? If so what kind? Do they organise the party or just turn up? How do they act? What if they didn’t want to go but were dragged along by a friend?