#she has some severe arthritis in her shoulders due to her leg length

[gryffon]

if anybody is curious, ferris is doing well :^}

[idolbound]

Meredith’s Appearance

BODY TYPE & PRESENCE

Regarding Meredith’s body type, she stands at a tall 5′11″ (180cm) in height, maintaining a fit, lean figure through her adult life.As an adolescent girl, she was quite tall, thin, and lanky, eventually growing into her armor as a young initiate in the Templar Order. 

Meredith’s muscular frame gradually developed from the years of hard work and training that followed her initiation. She learned under Ser Wentworth Kell’s watchful eye, day in and day out, first as his personal page, and then as a young knight. She wanted to prove herself better than her ‘templar brothers’ and often pushed herself to keep up with the young men of her age cohort, sculpting her body into the epitome of a templar warrior.

Later wielding Ser Wentworth’s inherited great sword, Meredith maintains a certain finesse and agility in the way that she swings the blade, perfected in her decades’ worth of training. Her lean figure and long legs give her speed in battle, even while wearing a full kit of armor. Her broad shoulders hold the weight of her pauldrons with ease; her core strength is her center of balance; and her legs do not quiver under the weight of her blows. 

While Meredith is no longer a young woman, she maintains a regular and active training routine, consisting of both prayer and exercise before dawn. 

Along with this, Meredith utilizes her dominating presence and stature to intimidate and coerce people into agreeing with her orders or demands. Her taller-than-average height often gives her an advantage over those who are smaller (and those she considers weaker) than she is to force them into agreement. The way she presents herself with her shoulders back, chest forward, and her chin tilted upwards is a way that also makes her physically look down upon other people; it’s another assertion of her self-perceived dominance. 

There are times that a few people stand taller than she does (mainly men, with a  few exceptions), but she doesn’t allow them to stare down at her if she can best help it, be it by standing on a taller surface to level the height difference. It isn’t an obvious tell, but if one pays attention, actions like this are all a part of how Meredith presents herself very carefully to the public. 

Meredith’s presence radiates power among other people. She is, at her core, a charismatic leader who upholds all that the Chantry teaches. She is a figurehead to Kirkwall’s Chantry and believes she must set herself as the perfect example for her templar knights to follow. This comes by way of her body language, and the way she speaks to other people.

Meredith speaks in a methodical manner. There is a certain drawl to her dialogue that is slow and purposeful, allowing those listening to her to take in what she is saying. Her charisma enables her to promote the confidence of her knights with speeches before heading into battle.  People listen to her without questioning her authority (in the early years, at least). She inspires as she leads. 

The notion that Meredith “glitters like the sun” suggests that she is a beacon, a white knight in shining armor to protect the people and the city as a whole. She makes it a point to be seen as outstanding, as well as a woman to be respected (read: feared) and doesn’t accept anything less. And that, all starts from first sight.

FACE & SKIN 

The years have been somewhat kind to the Knight-Commander; many do not anticipate that she is under the age of 50. The crow’s feet at the sides of her eyes and the wrinkles around her mouth are truly the only initial indicators of her age as the rest of her body is still in great physical condition for her position as Knight-Commander. However, the stress that comes from maintaining the Gallows to her standards and foiling the plots of apostates and blood mages has brought other signs of stress to her body. Primarily, some nights she cannot sleep (in part, because of her PTSD-related hyper-vigilance or due to nightmares) and thus, she often wakes up exhausted, with dark circles beneath her eyes, giving her a particularly haggard appearance.

She has a square-oval shape face with prominent cheekbones and cheeks that narrow towards her mouth. Her chin is square, but comes to a slight point. Her nose is the most forward feature, sloping in a slight concave fashion, with a slight flare to her nostrils. She has thin lips, often pursed together, surrounded by deep nasolabial folds and wrinkles from the corners of her mouth. Her ears are big, hidden by her hood, but are round and stick out to the sides, usually also hidden by her hair when it is not tied back.

Her eyes are the shade of aquamarine, bright and brilliant in all reflections of light and times of day. They are her mother’s eyes, though not quite as vivid. Some would argue that lyrium consumption has made her eyes more vivid over time, but that is simply speculation. Her eyes are round and do not sit too far apart in her skull, set in an average distance apart. Her eyes are fairly expressive, and because of how bright they are, they are one of her most notable features. She is always alert (again, due to hyper-vigilance and paranoia). 

Meredith is pale, and the circles under her eyes are rather pronounced, as with any veins or marks upon her skin. She runs an average temperature that is neither cold nor hot.  Age has taken its hold, wrinkles are sporadic throughout parts of her body, most notably on her face, back, and hands. She does not blush often, but when she does it is very noticeable given her complexion. Her skin is not too soft, but she has callouses upon her hands and feet; her skin is taut across well earned muscle. 

Meredith also has freckles. They are faint across the middle of her face, and were far more prominent when she was a child. As an adult, they appear only in the dead of summer when it is incredibly warm outside, and she spends time out of her office and actually outdoors. She does not tan, but after being in the sun, the freckles upon her face, and shoulders become visible. Even then, they do not generally last into the fall when autumn rains and overcast days replace the sunshine.

Meredith does not often wear cosmetics, finding that she has little to no interest in spending the time to apply them when she has so much to do as it is. While cosmetics in of themselves are not considered ‘terrible’, Meredith simply does not believe they have a place among her duties. Perhaps should she attend a formal event, she may indulge, but it is extremely rare to see anything more than eye colour and a painted lip.

As Meredith is of a relatively wealthy status in the Templar Order, she has access to the means to maintain decent dental hygiene. While she is not obsessive over it, brushing her teeth is included in her daily routine. Given her enjoyment of indulging in wine, Meredith’s teeth are far  from perfectly white. She has never had a dental-related injury.

HAIR

Meredith’s hair is soft, thick, and grows in waves that can curl if her hair is braided whilst wet. Her hair is easily manageable, which is why she allows it to remain down, tucked partly beneath her red hood. If she is to wear an actual helm, however, she will tie it back into a low bun to be out of the way.

Another reason many mistake her age is because her hair has yet to turn grey, much like that of First Enchanter Orsino. However, in the later years of Act III, some slivers of grey hair begin to grow out, stemming from Meredith’s temples. It is hard to see the contrast of grey within blonde, but they are most certainly there.

In the summer, with Kirkwall being a port town alongside the Waking Sea, the humidity often makes her hair frizzy. When Meredith was younger, she attempted to cut her hair short, but found it would get too ‘poufy’ beneath her helmet. She has not properly cut her hair in decades; she has simply trimmed every few months to maintain the proper desired length. 

As for Meredith’s body hair, her eyebrows (and pubic hair) are of a light brown variety and are thus visible against her pale skin. Like other women of a medieval era, the concept of ‘shaving’ body hair is entirely unknown and foreign, and as such, is covered in natural body hair. Hers is not as thick as some, but it is certainly present. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Meredith has a number of scars, earned throughout her years as a templar. Primarily, they range from blades and arrows to burns from magic in the gaps of her armour or leather. There are too many to count, but none are overly severe and noticeable. 

Meredith also has “Dimples of Venus” on her back (also know colloquially as ‘butt dimples.’)

Meredith walks with a slight turn of the toe outward, but nothing substantial. She has arched soles and is long and narrow footed. She has one knee that is weaker than the other and subject to arthritis (often triggered by changes in the weather) but it does not bother her enough on most days to keep her weight off of it.