An Unexpected Interview

So, as a quick intro to this...I was talking with my friend Elena the other day, about the campaign that she's picked up recently. It's her first time playing in person, although she'd played a little over e-mail with myself and a DM. So, long story short, she came up with the idea of having an interview, where I ask her about her character, and so on. I thought that was a splendid idea.

To all of those who will possibly be showing up from her blog, there's some abbreviations and terminology I use frequently on the blog, that I'll be giving an explanation post on. Also see the following links:

What is the Player's Side of the Screen?
The Journey System: A Game of Heroic Adventure

Now, without further ado...the interview.

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So, can you give us a little bit of an overview about your character?
Her name is Hestia. She's a changling trickster bard, who works as a spy for a group called the Ravens. The Ravens are an intelligence group that are still loyal to the old empire that fell many years before, and are working actively to restore that Empire. Hestia has some very personal stakes in seeing the empire restored. She's very sanguine (secondary choleric) and is strongly feelings based. The rest of the party is fairly dark and gloomy, so she has her work cut out for her sometimes!

What inspired this character?
It was a very organic process. Differant pieces sort of fell together. I wanted to play a character I could have fun with, and I wanted to play someone that would fill a gap I saw in the existing party. Everyone else was dark or depressed or far too focused, and there was clearly a need for someone who could liven things up. They also needed someone who wouldn't be afraid to take responsibility for pressuring the party to move along and not just stay in one place anymore.

Why are you playing a bard?
Because I'm an actress. ;) Actually, that really is the best answer. I wanted to play a leader, and my DM thought bard would be a good class for me. Plus it gives me a certain freedom with my character's attitude that the others don't have. She's used to playing a role, so she can seem very open when actually she's hiding a lot. Acting a part is her job...

What's the most fun thing about playing a bard?
Let's see. I love playing songs and annoying the dwarf. I also had Hestia memorize a gigantic magic textbook in one day and recite most of it dramatically to illustrate a point. That was pretty amusing. Plus the lute... gotta love the lute...

You're playing a character who can shapeshift...any fun things you've done with that?
Well, I randomly shifted into a darkman (our villians) and completely freaked my companions out because they didn't all know that I was a changling. ;) Also, I did have some fun during our last roleplaying session. We have two characters, Jorin and Misery who were formerly "together" but she (Misery) "died." Now she's a revenant. In an effort to trigger some of Misery's lost memories, Hestia went to Jorin and asked him to describe Misery's younger sister. As he described her, Hestia took on the sister's form. Now the sister happens to look a lot like Misery looked when she was alive and that ended up creeping out Jorin pretty badly!

And you've got a winged cat hanging around? What's up with that?
My DM asked me if I wanted a familiar (intelligent animal companion) and first offered me a raven because my intelligence group is called "The Ravens." However I have a bit of bird phobia myself, so I asked if I could have a flying cat instead. Turns out I could (though it cost me some extra points) so I gained Mercia the Tressym. She's basically a librarian spy and somewhat of comic relief as well as a way for the DM to give some advice to my character when he so chooses. Mercia and Hestia share a ranged telepathic link which makes them a team to be feared.

So, I'd gather your character is a bit of a trickster. Is there anything more to her?
Oh yes. She's perhaps the most talent spy that the Ravens have. She also is intensely devoted to her twin brother, who is currently missing. This is an intensely difficult time for her, as she wants to search for her brother, but is called instead to her duty to the Ravens. To make matters worse, her superior officer and she have somewhat of a love thing going on, but they're currently mad at each other for reasons unknown. And now, while she is away on her mission, she's discovered that he's fatally wounded...

Every character has their Crowning Moment of Awesome. Has yours gotten one?
Our very last round had two Crowning Moments of Awesome. One was when Hestia was trying to cheer up her very gloomy-minded superior officer. She was trying to get him to look at life in a more humerous manner, and he said that acting so would probably get him killed - and she was probably going to get herself killed if she didn't start acting serious. So she said "Since when have I ever died?" and he replied "It only takes one time." Meanwhile our party revenent looked on in an oddly amused manner...

The second Awesomeness was later in that same game. Several of our party members had deep and foreboding dreams of darkness. Hestia woke up screaming, having seen both her twin brother and secret beloved in deadly danger. I didn't actually scream, but I acted out the rest of the freaking out and had a pretty awesome time doing so. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it as well.

If you were to give one bit of advice on playing a character, what would it be?
Be bold - be creative with your character, develop it, and dont' be afraid to really get into character and interact with the other players. However, be aware of how much time you're taking and make sure that you are always considerate of others. You want to have fun, entertain the others, and benefit the party - NOT become annoying.

What's your favorite part of roleplaying a character?
Well, my DM says that there are several differant kinds of players. Tacticians, storytellers, actors, etc. I'm definetely primarily an actor. I LOVE roleplaying. Combat is fun, but kind of slow. I prefer dramatic interaction. However I'm also an instigator. When things are moving slowly, I go around and get people moving. (No, as my DM also pointed out, I'm not the silly instigator that pushes the shiny red button that says "Do Not Touch." Of course I haven't seen any shiny red buttons yet, so... that's still to be tested, I suppose).