Post by Cullen Rutherford on Jul 8, 2015 23:58:09 GMT
SER CULLEN STANTON RUTHERFORD,
COMMANDER OF THE FORCES OF THE INQUISITION,
FORMER KNIGHT COMMANDER OF KIRKWALL
Basics
NAME:
Cullen Stanton Rutherford
GENDER:
Male
RACE:
Human
Human
CLASS:
Warrior
(Ex-Templar)
Warrior
(Ex-Templar)
NATIONALITY:
Fereldan
Fereldan
AFFILIATION:
Formerly Chantry, Templars
Inquisition
Formerly Chantry, Templars
Inquisition
PERSONALITY:
Strong and commanding with a head held high, it's very rare to see anything else from the Commander of the Inquisition's Forces lest you be an advisor or the Inquisitor. He is a pessimist by learned experience but shows extreme optimism when the man he was shines through the cracked interior of a man born in blood and fear. He is far stronger than ever given credit for but, in personal moments, it isn't uncommon to see him stumble over his words. Talking to his men is far easier than talking to a love interest. Cullen does not take to being embarrassed well. He blushes quite easily at any sort of innuendo ( he may laugh, however embarrassed ). He does stutter when put on the spot in a personal moment but is known for his creative speeches when his men need it most.
HISTORY:
Due to the sheer length of this, I am putting it under spoiler tags.
Born in the Fereldan village of Honnleath, Cullen was the second eldest child of four. He was eight years old when he told his brother Branson and his sisters Mia and Rosalie that he would become a Templar. Though his siblings took the proclamation playfully, Cullen's intentions did not waver. He started visiting the local chantry in Honnleath, asking the templars there to teach him anything they could. Honnleath had only a few templars, but they humored the boy and taught him basic sword techniques.
From a young age, Cullen had a strong desire to enter a profession that helped people, and he refused to be swayed from the path he had chosen. Despite his siblings' initial teasing, Mia became Cullen's greatest supporter, insisting that the others help Cullen train. When he was thirteen years old, a visiting knight-captain took notice of Cullen's hard work and offered him the chance of formal training. His parents agreed to the request, as the Templar Order was known to be a respectable and honorable profession, and they wanted to give their son the opportunity to have a life he would be happy with.
As most Templar recruits were taken in at a young age, Cullen, at the age of thirteen, was considerably older than the other recruits and less prepared than some. But any concerns of him falling behind his peers were quickly dispelled. Finding that the training was everything that he had imagined it would be, Cullen quickly caught up to the other recruits, matching them in their expertise. When the time came to take his final vows at the age of eighteen, Cullen was eager to pledge his life in service to the Maker and take the lyrium that would bind him to the Order. He finally achieved his childhood dream to become a Templar when he was assigned to the Circle Tower at Kinloch Hold, under Knight-Commander Greagoir.
Cullen is the templar assigned to execute the Magi if they were to fail their Harrowing and become an abomination. It is later revealed that he had feelings for a female mage and hated the idea of having to be the one to kill her. If the Warden tries to pursue relations with Cullen, he ends up becoming extremely nervous and runs away with the excuse of attending other duties.
Cullen will be found once again as the last surviving templar in the upper levels of the Circle Tower during the Broken Circle quest. When the Warden meets him trapped inside a magical prison (conjured by Uldred), he tries to dismiss the Warden as another illusion which points out that is how Uldred saw fit to torture the templars he had captured. Once Cullen has calmed down, he will try to convince the Warden to kill all the mages in the Harrowing Chamber, not just Uldred and the abominations, as he fears they may be blood mages in hiding. If the Warden does not side with him, then he will try one last ditch effort to get the mages killed by complaining to Knight-Commander Greagoir, however Greagoir values Irving's word more.
ALL RUMORS OF WHAT HAPPENED TO CULLEN AFTER THE BROKEN CIRCLE ARE FALSE.
Cullen was sent by Knight-Commander Greagoir to the Circle in Kirkwall, where he was promoted to Knight-Captain and second-in-command to Knight-Commander Meredith. He eventually encountered and became a recurring associate of Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall.
Cullen's view on mages and magic have developed since his service under Greagoir. As a templar, Cullen accepts his duty to monitor the Circle of Magi and bring apostates to the Circle. As the story progresses, Cullen will confess to Hawke that Meredith is leading the Kirkwall Templar Order down a path he does not support. Cullen maintains that the Templar Order's purpose is not only to protect the population from magic, but also to protect the mages that the templars are sworn to oversee. As a result he begins to have doubts about his loyalty to Meredith versus his loyalty to the Templar Order.
Hawke first meets Cullen while Cullen is on an investigation and is interrogating a templar recruit about other recruits who have been recently disappearing. Later, if a non-mage Hawke does not take Bethany to the Deep Roads, it is Cullen who takes Bethany to the Circle. After Hawke's encounter with Ser Alrik, Cullen will admit that Alrik's "Tranquil Solution" had been discussed among the templars, and there are no plans to go through with it. Saying that the Harrowing has served them well enough and that it'll be up to the mages, if they push the templars to more stringent measures. He avoids saying if he supports it or not, by discussing the merits of the Rite of Tranquility and that there is an argument to be made about applying it more widely. Cullen alerts Hawke to the accusations against Aveline and participates in the resolution of the short-lived conspiracy to oust Knight-Commander Meredith.
Cullen and the other templars attack the Gallows after Meredith invokes the Right of Annulment. If Hawke sides with the templars, they will be asked to decide the fate of 3 mages who surrender. If Hawke asks Cullen for an opinion, Cullen questions the necessity of annulling the Kirkwall Circle. He says the situation in Ferelden was much more dire and even then they saved some of the mages. In response, Meredith asks Cullen if he will take responsibility if it is proven that their prisoners are blood mages, Cullen answers that he believes that is what being a templar is about.
During the final confrontation with Meredith, Cullen orders her to step down when she orders Hawke to be executed, stating that they had agreed only to arrest the Champion. Meredith will accuse him and the surviving templars of being blood mage thralls and then attack. Cullen will fight alongside Hawke.
Cullen stands down after Meredith's defeat and allows Hawke to leave the city peacefully.
Following the Kirkwall Rebellion, Cullen rallied what remained of the city's templars and restored order. Seeing his potential, Cassandra Pentaghast recruited him into the Inquisition, granting him the rank of Commander. He now leads the military arm of the organization and serves as the tactical advisor to the Inquisitor.
When asked about his feelings about mages, he states that he has seen the suffering that magic can inflict and has treated mages with distrust because of it in the past - sometimes without cause. He admits that it was unworthy of him and says that he will try not to do so in the future. However, he still thinks that mages should be checked with safeguards to protect people - including the mages. Though he disagrees with the Templar Order's actions, he sympathizes with the Order's frustrations of having their work taken for granted.
As the war council assembles, Cassandra and Leliana suggest approaching the rebel mages for help with the Breach. Cullen disagrees, suggesting recruiting the templars instead, fearing that pouring too much magic into the Inquisitor's mark may destroy them all.
Appearance
Height:
6'0"
( six foot, even )
Hair color:
Blond
Eye color:
Amber
Hazel when on lyrium
Skin Tone:
Fair
Build:
Streamlined for endurance and efficiency
Sword and shield ONLY, no dual handing
Strong and commanding with a head held high, it's very rare to see anything else from the Commander of the Inquisition's Forces lest you be an advisor or the Inquisitor. He is a pessimist by learned experience but shows extreme optimism when the man he was shines through the cracked interior of a man born in blood and fear. He is far stronger than ever given credit for but, in personal moments, it isn't uncommon to see him stumble over his words. Talking to his men is far easier than talking to a love interest. Cullen does not take to being embarrassed well. He blushes quite easily at any sort of innuendo ( he may laugh, however embarrassed ). He does stutter when put on the spot in a personal moment but is known for his creative speeches when his men need it most.
HISTORY:
Due to the sheer length of this, I am putting it under spoiler tags.
Born in the Fereldan village of Honnleath, Cullen was the second eldest child of four. He was eight years old when he told his brother Branson and his sisters Mia and Rosalie that he would become a Templar. Though his siblings took the proclamation playfully, Cullen's intentions did not waver. He started visiting the local chantry in Honnleath, asking the templars there to teach him anything they could. Honnleath had only a few templars, but they humored the boy and taught him basic sword techniques.
From a young age, Cullen had a strong desire to enter a profession that helped people, and he refused to be swayed from the path he had chosen. Despite his siblings' initial teasing, Mia became Cullen's greatest supporter, insisting that the others help Cullen train. When he was thirteen years old, a visiting knight-captain took notice of Cullen's hard work and offered him the chance of formal training. His parents agreed to the request, as the Templar Order was known to be a respectable and honorable profession, and they wanted to give their son the opportunity to have a life he would be happy with.
As most Templar recruits were taken in at a young age, Cullen, at the age of thirteen, was considerably older than the other recruits and less prepared than some. But any concerns of him falling behind his peers were quickly dispelled. Finding that the training was everything that he had imagined it would be, Cullen quickly caught up to the other recruits, matching them in their expertise. When the time came to take his final vows at the age of eighteen, Cullen was eager to pledge his life in service to the Maker and take the lyrium that would bind him to the Order. He finally achieved his childhood dream to become a Templar when he was assigned to the Circle Tower at Kinloch Hold, under Knight-Commander Greagoir.
Cullen is the templar assigned to execute the Magi if they were to fail their Harrowing and become an abomination. It is later revealed that he had feelings for a female mage and hated the idea of having to be the one to kill her. If the Warden tries to pursue relations with Cullen, he ends up becoming extremely nervous and runs away with the excuse of attending other duties.
Cullen will be found once again as the last surviving templar in the upper levels of the Circle Tower during the Broken Circle quest. When the Warden meets him trapped inside a magical prison (conjured by Uldred), he tries to dismiss the Warden as another illusion which points out that is how Uldred saw fit to torture the templars he had captured. Once Cullen has calmed down, he will try to convince the Warden to kill all the mages in the Harrowing Chamber, not just Uldred and the abominations, as he fears they may be blood mages in hiding. If the Warden does not side with him, then he will try one last ditch effort to get the mages killed by complaining to Knight-Commander Greagoir, however Greagoir values Irving's word more.
ALL RUMORS OF WHAT HAPPENED TO CULLEN AFTER THE BROKEN CIRCLE ARE FALSE.
Cullen was sent by Knight-Commander Greagoir to the Circle in Kirkwall, where he was promoted to Knight-Captain and second-in-command to Knight-Commander Meredith. He eventually encountered and became a recurring associate of Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall.
Cullen's view on mages and magic have developed since his service under Greagoir. As a templar, Cullen accepts his duty to monitor the Circle of Magi and bring apostates to the Circle. As the story progresses, Cullen will confess to Hawke that Meredith is leading the Kirkwall Templar Order down a path he does not support. Cullen maintains that the Templar Order's purpose is not only to protect the population from magic, but also to protect the mages that the templars are sworn to oversee. As a result he begins to have doubts about his loyalty to Meredith versus his loyalty to the Templar Order.
Hawke first meets Cullen while Cullen is on an investigation and is interrogating a templar recruit about other recruits who have been recently disappearing. Later, if a non-mage Hawke does not take Bethany to the Deep Roads, it is Cullen who takes Bethany to the Circle. After Hawke's encounter with Ser Alrik, Cullen will admit that Alrik's "Tranquil Solution" had been discussed among the templars, and there are no plans to go through with it. Saying that the Harrowing has served them well enough and that it'll be up to the mages, if they push the templars to more stringent measures. He avoids saying if he supports it or not, by discussing the merits of the Rite of Tranquility and that there is an argument to be made about applying it more widely. Cullen alerts Hawke to the accusations against Aveline and participates in the resolution of the short-lived conspiracy to oust Knight-Commander Meredith.
Cullen and the other templars attack the Gallows after Meredith invokes the Right of Annulment. If Hawke sides with the templars, they will be asked to decide the fate of 3 mages who surrender. If Hawke asks Cullen for an opinion, Cullen questions the necessity of annulling the Kirkwall Circle. He says the situation in Ferelden was much more dire and even then they saved some of the mages. In response, Meredith asks Cullen if he will take responsibility if it is proven that their prisoners are blood mages, Cullen answers that he believes that is what being a templar is about.
During the final confrontation with Meredith, Cullen orders her to step down when she orders Hawke to be executed, stating that they had agreed only to arrest the Champion. Meredith will accuse him and the surviving templars of being blood mage thralls and then attack. Cullen will fight alongside Hawke.
Cullen stands down after Meredith's defeat and allows Hawke to leave the city peacefully.
Following the Kirkwall Rebellion, Cullen rallied what remained of the city's templars and restored order. Seeing his potential, Cassandra Pentaghast recruited him into the Inquisition, granting him the rank of Commander. He now leads the military arm of the organization and serves as the tactical advisor to the Inquisitor.
When asked about his feelings about mages, he states that he has seen the suffering that magic can inflict and has treated mages with distrust because of it in the past - sometimes without cause. He admits that it was unworthy of him and says that he will try not to do so in the future. However, he still thinks that mages should be checked with safeguards to protect people - including the mages. Though he disagrees with the Templar Order's actions, he sympathizes with the Order's frustrations of having their work taken for granted.
As the war council assembles, Cassandra and Leliana suggest approaching the rebel mages for help with the Breach. Cullen disagrees, suggesting recruiting the templars instead, fearing that pouring too much magic into the Inquisitor's mark may destroy them all.
Appearance
Height:
6'0"
( six foot, even )
Hair color:
Blond
Eye color:
Amber
Hazel when on lyrium
Skin Tone:
Fair
Build:
Streamlined for endurance and efficiency
Sword and shield ONLY, no dual handing
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