fcousland

[fcousland]

overview: as the eldest son of house cousland ( the ruling family of the teyrnir of highever ), fergus was sent to ostagar on a scouting mission to assist king cailan's efforts against the coming blight. in his absence, arl howe laid siege on the cousland castle, killing fergus' parents as well as his wife and child. only his sister, alys, escaped the attack, but was conscripted into the grey warden order as a result and likewise sent to ostagar. fergus had been reported missing shortly before the battle, and for weeks he was presumed dead. however, his scouting unit had been ambushed and fergus was found by a chasind who tended to him in his lengthy recovery. it wasn't until the landsmeet that fergus was finally able to reunite with his sister and learn of his family's tragic fate. after she ended the blight, fergus took his place as teyrn of highever, and hopes to rebuild his fallen house.

verses

main : for all plots centered around the games. i'm pretty open to playing around with different scenarios and aus ( i.e. fergus being picked up as a companion in origins, rescued by someone else in the wilds, etc. ) but unless plotted otherwise, the default is that he becomes teyrn, his sister is the arlessa of amaranthine, and he enters an arranged marriage with evelyn trevelyan ( verdraste ) who is also my default inquisitor, unless ofc i'm writing with other non-trevelyan inquisitors.

fantasy : very easy to drop fergus and house cousland in any fantasy setting !! so this may be the primary choice. the gist remains relatively the same. his land is on the stormy coast of whatever country applies, and default is that his family is recognized as being second in power to the crown, or close to it. they're known for their highly adept soldiers ( great for muses who need allies & reinforcements ! ), strong network of spies, and breeding and raising mabari warhounds. more than likely, fergus succeeded his father after a similar tragedy, but we can play it by ear.

regency / bridgerton : fergus is the eldest son of the duke of highever. given his family's legacy in the military, he voluntarily fought in the napoleonic wars, but sustained injuries that left him incapacitated and unable to return home for a few months. during his recovery, his estate was infiltrated by an unidentified murderer who killed his parents, but luckily did not find his sister. after returning home, fergus steps in as the new duke, and is being pressured into finding a wife soon. understandably, this is currently the last thing on his mind. he's besties with benedict and anthony ( <3 ).

dossier

name. fergus cousland titles. teyrn of highever ( addressed as "lord cousland" ) pronouns. he/him age. 27 (da:o), 37-40 (da:i), 47 (da: veilguard) origin/nationality. ferelden etymology. human noble / warrior of the champion class sexuality. bisexual alignment. lawful good, fealty to the ferelden crown or his sister

relations. alys cousland (sister, alive), bryce cousland (father, deceased), eleanor cousland (mother, deceased), oriana cousland (first wife, deceased), oren cousland (son, deceased)

height. 6'1" build. herculean, defined but not chiseled; strong like a bear, not a pretty statue; just enough softness to make for an excellent hugger (also he has great tits idc idc) hair. dark brown, curly eyes. hazel, variety of browns and honey tones scars. riddled with them. he's a tank who battles in the frontlines and take critical hits. his body is a testament to this. he wears them with pride, aside from the worst one : a large crescent shaped gash across his abdomen from the battle of ostagar. he had to cauterize the wound to avoid bleeding out. the chasind took care of the rest when they found him, but not even magic could heal it all the way. scents. petrichor, sea salt and cypress

known languages: ferelden, and most other languages from across thedas. it was required in his noble studies, but frankly he is sorely embarrassed to admit he has not retained most of them and will butcher the conversation on more than a few accounts. his avvar is pretty great though, thanks to aerick, an exiled avvar/highever guardsman, originally from kirkwall, who mentored him through his youth.

abilities / skillset

* weapons master. proficient with most weapons (i.e., shields, halberds, crossbrows, axes & mauls). he'll often carry 2-3 depending on the situation and his position in the battlefield, but his sword is the most consistent choice. dual wielding it with a shield or a maul crafted in the shape of two mabari jaws is his other consistent choice.

* great tactician. by the time we get to da: origins, fergus pretty much functions as a commander in his father's stead. he led the forces of the northern ferelden banns and strategized the battle alongside king cailan, loghain and duncan.

* superior survival skills. again thanks to aerick, but, as an outdoorsman who hated being cooped up in the castle, these lessons were mainly through fergus' insistence. he's always taken a great interest in hunting, as well as aerick's avvar roots, so aerick would sometimes oblige fergus and his friends by guiding them through long hunting treks in the mountains, to learn how to hunt, set traps, and survive more practically in tougher terrains. eventually, he made a habit of frequently hiking at his own leisure despite protests from his mother, so at this point you can throw him in the middle of anywhere and he'll be quite capable and adaptable.

* basic nautical skills. thanks to his oh-so-fun summer weeks spent with grandpa fearcher on a warship :))) old man put your boy through it, but he came out with callouses a plenty, knowing the basics of rigging, how to tie excellent knots, star navigation, etc.

restrictions

* speed. he is meant to be a powerhouse, and is fast but only to a degree. when faced with someone of the rogue class, this could very well be to his detriment if he can't manage to get in a good hit that knocks them into next week.

* post battle of ostagar. his right leg was broken and poorly set when he was found by the chasind, and while healed, it does still fail on him if he exerts himself too hard. he also suffers from ptsd which may compromise his focus while in action. his combat days are much more limited because of this, but he's still a tactician and inspires high morale in the ranks where he can.

* politics. he hates everything about it. while a warm and generally charming person, he cannot abide to be disingenuous and lacks the patience to engage in shallow or false conversations. he's a man guided by his heart, who acts more quickly than he thinks, and will often be brutally honest if there's someone or something he doesn't like. regardless of political consequence. one of the reasons why alys was thought to be better suited for the role of teyrna.