Character Intro Summary: Coranzan
Quick Summary
Coranzan is a newly (< 2 years) minted Sword Dancer of Eilistraee. Having lived previous lives as a theater actor, servant of Keptolo, and devoted Lolthite commoner of Menzoberranyr, he now struggles to completely rebuild himself anew among his fellow Eilistraeens. Due to a combination of his own stubbornness and restrictive rules on male participation in Eilistraee's cult, it took Coranzan over a century to meet the standards demanded by the Priestesses. Coranzan whole-heartedly believes in Eilistraee's values and mission to rescue drow from their horrid existence under Lolth, but finds her cult restrictive and ineffective.
Name: Coranzan (no House affiliation or surname).
Nickname: Coran
Age : 263 (1492 DR)
DOB: 27 Tarsakh, 1229 DR
Pronouns: He/Him
Race: Drow
Deity: Eilistraee
Height: 5'5" / 165 cm.
Origin: Eastmyr, Menzoberranzan
Class: Light Cleric / Sword Bard (Sword Dancer of Eilistraee)
Background: Entertainer / Acolyte
Personality: Strong-willed, positive, charismatic extrovert.
Ambitious, passionate, confident, determined, empathetic, compassionate, mindful of inner circle, loyal to close friends
Mission-focused, problem-solver, long-term thinker, sociable, charismatic, well-connected (Waterdeep)
Self-absorbed, insecure, restless, high-strung, impatient, domineering, craves acceptance.
Defensive, discouraged by strings of failures, often busy and difficult to pin down - but will give full attention when requested.
Ideals
Redemption: Everyone is deserving of the opportunity to realize the error of their ways and be given a second chance.
Compassion: There is strength in showing mercy and compassion, rather than ending a life. Even the most troubled souls should be given the chance to embrace redemption.
Change: The old, bloody traditions must be transformed into new community-focused ones. Only then the drow may build their place in the world, and Dark Maiden's dream come true.
Flaws
Confident but insecure: Believes in himself strongly, but doubters can rile his inner voice telling himself he's weak and not enough.
Long-term planner but impatient: Can see the long-term goals and work towards them a day at a time - but if not enough positive movement forwards is made, will succumb to defeatism.
Anti-Authority: Does not respond well to authority since leaving Menzoberranzan.
Head-Strong: Believes his method is best, feels most comfortable in leadership position.
Bonds
Family: Nothing is more important to Coranzan than his family. Especially his twin sister, Z'ress, who stood by him through every phase of his life, good and bad. His relationship with his Moondancer parents (Veldrin and Zilharess) improved significantly despite a rocky start on the surface as they mentored much of his life there.
Become Someone: One day Coranzan hopes to become an esteemed Sword Dancer of the Promenade of the Dark Maiden despite the disdain for his arrogance and hard-headedness and wishes to be an example for other men previously barred from this position.
Liar's Reputation: Coranzan used to be a famed young theater actor and noble's pet that pushed Keptolite propaganda and he cannot quite outrun from his past from Menzoberanyr that knew his history. He hopes his works for Eilistraee can make up for his past foolishness singing the praises of a god that abandoned him.
Religions
Eilistraee: Coranzan strongly believes in Eilistraee's mission to free the drow from Lolth's grip. He doggedly dedicated himself to proving he was worthy of the title of Cleric, despite the stringent rules preventing men from joining. After over a century of attempts, Coranzan broke down in a moment of weakness and Eilistraee heard his desperate prayers, told him he was worthy, and graced him with a moonfire blessing in the midst of a deeply intimate moment. This bolstered Coranzan's strong belief and felt a deep emotional bond with here thereafter, near the point of fervent obsession.
Eilistraee's Priestesses: The Promenade of the Dark Maiden maintained a matriarchal hierarchy preventing men from being promoted in their order until 1490 DR. Coranzan bucked against this constantly, feeling this concept was an outdated hold over of Lolthite beliefs. Combined with Coranzan's natural brash arrogance, the Priestesses dismissed his points as power-grabbing where he had not earned the right to hold that honor. It was until he'd returned to the Promenade with moonfire hair that they'd had no choice but to admit him.
Lolth and Keptolo: Coranzan was not strictly religious before the First Daughter that owned his theater troupe approached him to serve Keptolo directly. He was no more a Lolthite than most commoners, but the idea of a noble mistress introducing him to Keptolo and gaining his approval - and becoming an object of his lust - seemed like a sign to him. He was god-touched and he would serve Keptolo and Lolth with every fiber he could for their approval and rewards. All this came crashing down when his mistress and Keptolo left him to die on the surface. The harsh reality of the gods he worshiped taking all and giving nothing sunk in - he'd served these gods for lies.
Vhaeraun / Vhaeraunites: Given Coranzan's mistress' and Keptolo's motivation was for him to siphon male drow followers from Vhaeraun's growing popularity, Coranzan fears his name might be known to the Masked Lord in the worst way. Additionally, this opened a rift between Coranzan and his uncle who secretly worshiped Vhaeraun. However, during the Masked Lady era (when Eilistraee held her brother's portfolio following his death), Coranzan found some of his closest confidants amongst Vhaeraunites that joined Eilistraee's church. The relief that Vhaeraun was gone and their camaraderie in bristling at the church's matriarchal hierarchy made him feel like he finally had allies that would bolster his cause to a more egalitarian approach in running Eilistraee's church. Unfortunately, when Vhaeraun returned and his dissatisfied loyal followers returned to him, he found himself feeling quite alone once again. Thankfully it was during this time Coranzan reconnected with his uncle and although he would not follow Eilistraee, he had his support once again.
Perspectives
Redemption: Coranzan's own journey was heavily influenced by the mercy given him on his first surface raid. Without a Paladin of Lathander extending him the opportunity to redeem himself, he would be yet another dead jaluk for Lolth's cause. As an Eilistraeen, he's been around many a Lolthite that thought lowly of him and insulted him, but he gave uncharacteristic patience towards them. He believed that if Keptolo's lapdog was worthy of redemption, so might other Lolthites.
Love: Over time, Coranzan has flipped from thinking romantic love is a manufactured concept, to an obsession, a distraction, to unrequited pining. Coranzan came around to the idea of this intense means of caring for another by a human bardic mentor extolling the virtues of romantic love in his own experience. He'd seen his mentor's intense form of love shine bright until his final day, when he passed and his half-drow wife survived him. Coranzan began to understand that such bonds - although they could hurt - were intense experiences, and he sought it. He sought romantic love, stumbled and flubbed it repeatedly. The purest form of this love was something he felt he finally understood when Eilistraee sought him out, comforted him with a night of profound, groundbreaking intimacy. He pined for this moment every since. In the BG3 timeline, this leans into the importance of Minthara's presence in his life to pull him back from his unhealthy divine obsession and ground him in reality with her own flawed but earnest, devoted, and - importantly - real love.
War: Coranzan was never good at defending himself through combat when he was young, compared to most other drow. He leaned instead on his wit and the help of his quick-thinking sister to escape most tough scrapes. Joining Keptolo afforded him some sword training but he still primarily used his words. Under Eilistraee's church, Coranzan was inspired to improve himself to fight alongside other sword dancers. He vigorously retrained himself and it became an endless drive to improve. Nowadays, he is far more deadly with his twin blades, but is now restricted in its usage. Priestesses consider him now far too quick to resort to violence and even bade him take a vow to not kill other drow when a treacherous situation led to him killing his former lover, Amanais.
Sex: With most of the drow cultures Coranzan has run with, sex has always been a relatively detached and easily negotiated affair. In the Underdark, he fell in with the rules: your superiors had control over you and you had no say. He does not view this as abuse - it's just how it was. Unbound by the rules of Menzoberranzan he felt he could now take control. Unsurprisingly, in his early days on the surface, he gained the reputation of being a bit overbearing, abusive, and domineering, resulting in some stigma in his participation in Eilistraeen gatherings. It took him a fair few decades to fully shed this mentality but in time, Coranzan embraces a gentler approach to others generally and finds it is an appreciated approach in all aspects in his life, including sex. As such, it's generally his first approach to engaging with another. This was only reinforced by his encounter with Eilistraee.
Family and Children: Coranzan has learned to love his family, despite their differences and his resentment over his parents choosing to raise him in Menzoberranzan instead of the Promenade. Initially Coranzan had complicated feelings towards the children of the Promenade, feeling jealous of their sheltered life he never got. But in time, he learned to live through them, wanting to help them form a better existence for them. And it doesn't help that his theatrics make for great entertainment, and Coranzan generally enjoys entertaining children. If he had the chance, he'd love to raise his own family some day.
Feelings Towards... (WIP)
Drow Women:
Drow Men:
Drow Nobility:
Driders:
Eilistraeen Clergy:
(Ex-)Lolthites:
Surface cultures:
Vhaeraunites:
Keptolites:
Backstory Overview
Coranzan was born in Menzoberranzan and was generally considered a weak child growing up. He leaned on wit and his sister's help instead.
Growing up, he struggled to stay focused on his family's merchant guild business and instead turned to theater.
In time he was noticed by the First Daughter of the House that ran it, Phaethra. She invited him into a scheme to draw Vhaeraun's followers using her propaganda pieces, a plan that had Keptolo's (and Lolth's?) favor.
Keptolo took a personal interest in him, used Coranzan for his own depraved entertainment at times, pushing him higher in Phaethra's priorities with promise of rewards for both of them.
Coranzan is only so useful to her and she's a bit jealous of Keptolo's focus on him, so she plots his demise by demanding him to rid her of her mother, securing her Matron status and proving his loyalty to Keptolo's will that he support her. Miraculously, Coranzan succeeds.
Dismayed she instead refuses him Patron status by saying he needs to prove himself, never having done his Blooding. He's ordered to attend a surface raid with his sister to the surface.
His parents, who have been in and out of his life at this point, find this out and offer to lead him out of the Underdark. They reveal they're Eilistraeen secret moondancers and they've been planning to leave Menzoberranzan anyway and they'd like him to go before his raid.
He rejects them. Vehemently. He's loyal to Lolth and Keptolo. He's disgusted by the revelation. They leave without him or his sister. Coran doesn't out them.
Unsurprisingly, he's bested during the surface raid, despite his sister's attempts to save him. A paladin of Lathander whups him easy and Coran is completely messed up.
In the haze of being beaten and freshly unadapted to the surface, he's a mess of sound and sensations. He's praying unanswered to Keptolo and Lolth, but he knows they won't hear him.
But he does think he can hear Eilistraee's song, sees the dancing of moths. Maybe he made a mistake to reject his parents offer. She is here while his gods are not.
He takes the paladins offer of mercy and redemption and that decides to lead him to the Promenade, where his folks said they'd be.
Coranzan is grateful for the opportunity. He's grateful for the second chance. He decides to serve Eilistraee's message, feeling the burn of being discarded by Lolth and Keptolo.
Over a a century of adaptation, Coranzan trains well, becomes a much better version of himself, physically and mentally. He turns from bitter to joyful thanks to a number of mentors.
However, the matriarchal order of the Promenade of the Dark Maiden restricts his upward momentum, despite his improvement. He's barred from becoming a cleric, due to being a man and he pushes on this issue constantly. He's dismissed as an arrogant man, seeking to power grab.
After a century of working on himself to no avail, Coranzan breaks down in an ugly, sobbing prayer to Eilistraee. She takes pity on him, lets him know that he's seen for his good, she loves him, and intimately embraces him. The encounter leaves him with a moonfire blessing.
The Priestesses can't deny such a blessing and begrudgingly admit him as a Cleric and Sword Dancer.
This is where his canon backstory stops and where a BG3 timeline begins. However, Coranzan is also designed to be played at a table, from this point.
Character Songs
Keptolite Era: Trust in Me - Siouxsie and the Banshees, Siren - Kailee Morgue, Supervixen - Garbage, My Kingdom - Kalandra
Eilistraeen Era: Get Free - Lana Del Rey, 25 - Veruca Salt, Broken - Eivor, Empress - The Arcadian Wild
The Twins: Love Don't Die - The Fray, Comfort Crowd - Conan Gray, So Far Away - Staind, Stand By Me - Florence + The Machine , Sons & Daughters - The Decemberists, Breathe Me - Sia, Glory and Fore - Lorde
Coranzan x Phaethra: Say It - Madeaux
Coranzan x Amanais: Is This Really Love? - d4vd, Blood in the Cut - K. Flay
Coranzan x Eilistraee: Surrender - Eivor, Dear Fellow Traveler - Sea Wolf, ufo ufo - Weightless, Glitter - Rafferty
Coranzan x Minthara (BG3 Timeline): #1 Crush - Garbage, Loneliness Is Worse - Veruca Salt, A Stroke of Luck - Garbage, Jonathan Coulton - Your Tattoo, Divine Feelings - Vance Joy, Move Me - half-alive, White Flower - Rafferty, Protection - Massive Attack
House Zau'drathir Era (BG3 Timeline): Overachiever - Walking on Rivers
Other Links:
Character Sheet
Masterpost - post of posts
References and BG3 Character Creation
Tags: Coranzan, Coranthara, Coranzan Art
To Do:
Background Summary
Timeline
Tags Re-org: Coranzan Posting, Coranzan Asks, Coranzan Lore
dividers by dividers-r-us
