✦ apoc app.
Oct. 31st, 2022 08:46 pmCharacter Name: Delloso de la Rue (they/them)
Age: 1000+
Canon: Dimension 20: A Court of Fey and Flowers
Canon point: End of the final episode, after Rue has left the Court of Wonder
History: Wiki Link!
Personality:
✦ Composed - Molded from childhood, Rue was built from the bottom up to be the perfect representative of the Court of Wonder - effortlessly composed, undeniably gregarious, and wondrously gifted. Because of the demanding nature of running the Bloom and the burden of continuously wearing a glamour, Rue had to become someone who was unflappable in the face of every kind of situation. From their cool interaction with Gwyndolin (R: “There was a moment where a watchful eye would have clocked we made eye contact that lasted a bit too long, wouldn't you say?” G: “It was nice.” R: “Hmm.”) to any dealings with the Lords of the Wing (“Oh, my dears, that means so much coming from you two. I must admit, you have caused me a lot of trouble in the past, but that was to be expected.”) and, of course, the very charged conversation with Hob post boss fight (“Major Hob. That was a battle, wasn't it? We did it. We were successful in our mission. Congratulations. I'm sure you have to report to the Goblin Court and debrief.”) it’s clear that there are very few moments they ever truly lose their calm.
It’s especially telling how in control Rue is of their emotions and self that while we see BINX’s glamour crack multiple times at heightened emotion, Rue’s never once does, even during their run in with Hob during the Hart Hunt.
✦ Dogmatic - One of Rue’s most notable flaws is how when they feel deeply about something, they will stand by their own opinion and fully believe it to be the only truth. There are some ideals they simply refuse point-blank to acknowledge, sweeping away the evidence that doesn’t fit perfectly with their own vision of the bigger picture. The biggest, most obvious example would be Rue breaking off the engagement between Viscountess Grabalba and Prince Apollo. Though the marriage would have been a great boon to the Goblin Court’s lesser standing among the Courts, Rue saw fit to end it without ever once addressing their concerns to Grabalba herself.
Though most of what they do comes from a place of love, the way that Rue sometimes goes about the things they believe so deeply in is not always correct. This can also be seen in the way they proudly declare to The Chorus that they wish to abolish the idea of Courts altogether or how they struggle to understand why Hob himself struggles so much between duty to his court and duty to himself. Rue sometimes oversteps on the things they are most passionate about, believing that their way is the only way.Rue: Do you think Apollo loved Grabalba? Do you think Grabalba loved Apollo? Sickening, the things people do for power. The things people do for honor. And for what? Ultimately, for what? I couldn't allow it to happen.
Major Hob: So you admit it.
Rue: Yes, I ended the marriage. It had to be done.
✦ Passionate - Though they’ve had to keep so many of their emotions buried for so long, Rue is simply bursting with feeling towards the people and things that mean most to them. They are a hopeless romantic at heart, someone who has been kept from the world for so long, that their mind runs wild once they are finally set free. Some of the best examples would be how immediately after the Hart Hunt with Hob, they pen the most excessive love letter to him, claiming a deep connection and understanding that feels like way too much for one brief afternoon with the man. And then there's their equally heated outburst to the Chorus, fervidly explaining that the Chorus' idea of the Bloom only belonging to them is an affront to the very idea of the event, which Rue has always used in service of cultivating love between courts. And then during their fight with Major Hob over the broken engagement, Rue reveals just why they took that step too far in interfering:
✦ Charismatic - As the Master of Ceremonies for the biggest event in Faerie for thousands of years, Rue’s personality is magnetic when they are in their element. They float through conversations with practiced poise and effortless elegance, a personification of the Wondrous Court they hail from. As an emissary for the Bloom, Rue has dealings with every Court in Faerie, and as such, is an expert at using their charm to their advantage, soothing over disputes between Courts and knowing exactly how to work the crowd of mischievous fey to their benefit. When the Lords of the Wing make their over-the-top entrance to the Bloom, Rue is on them immediately with the tempting promise of a wager to keep them behaved for the whole of the event, even inviting along the whole eager audience of the Bloom to participate.Rue: Understand that everything I have done was for love.
Major Hob: For love of your court? For love of your prince?
Rue: For love.
✦ Courageous - Though Rue spent so many years making themselves fit into the perfect box that was expected of them, since taking that first step out into living proudly as themselves, their bravery has only blossomed. It began at the tea party, where after living under a glamour for many millennia, Rue finally revealed their true owlbear form to everyone in attendance at the Bloom. They knew there would be repercussions, that even if no one spoke up to their face, that their reputation would ultimately suffer and they’d be the subject of gossip for the rest of the event, but still, they went through with the scariest thing possible to them and came out from it relieved to have it behind them. From there, facing the world became easier. When the Chorus came calling to ask Rue to join their ranks, Rue flat out refused to hide themselves behind a second mask, and even went so far as to call them out.
Even knowing this confrontation would mean the loss of their home and their title and the only life they've ever known, Rue does not hesitate to refuse them and let them know exactly how they feel about their offer.Rue: And you have the audacity to tell me that this event should be orchestrated by one of our own, and only by one of our own. That stands against everything I hold important, everything I hold dear.
Chorus: We admire your passion, and we see your purpose here. And we do not fault you for your outburst. It's in your nature. We do not rescind our offer. We think, we think it is better for you to stand with us.
Rue: Than against us.
Chorus: We didn't say that.
Rue: You didn't have to.
Suitability: To be quite frank, Rue has no where else to go. Having left their only home and career of the last millennia, they are now orphaned from the courts and finally free to live their own life. If given the choice to simply wander or to help save the world, they'd most definitely want to side with the ones doing the saving.
Powers/Abilities: As it always does, D&D comes into play to complicate everything. Luckily in the case of Rue, their magic, though important to what they do, isn’t quite as destructive and game-breaking as some other classes. Rue is a level 9 Bard and as a bard, they cast spells through using music as their magical focus. For Rue, that’s their voice. I’ll break down their spells between general mundane magic and magic that inspires effects in others.
General, more mundane magical effects:
✦ Most of Rue's more mundane magical effects can be summarized as minor, cosmetic effects. They can create a shower of sparkles in the air, they can instantly mend tears in fabrics, they can create spectral servants to carry out very simple tasks, etc. Much of what they've learned over the years has been in service to their job as an event coordinator, so it's been more about cultivating an experience than about doing anything relating to combat.
✦ Locate Creature - By speaking their name, Rue can sense the direction of another creature’s location.
✦ Dimension Door - A teleportation spell that allows Rue to take one other willing creature along with them.
✦ Glamour - As a fey, Rue can cast a glamour on themselves at anytime, though the image they create is only a convincing illusion, not a true transformation. Any touch would reveal the truth about their form underneath.
Magic that inspires effects in others:
✦ As a bard, much of Rue's magic is related to inspiring effects in others through their music. Rue can influence allies to perform better at tasks, to have their wounds healed, or to disrupt any mind-influencing effects on their person.
✦ Command - Rue speaks a one-word command that a creature must follow.
✦ Sending - Rue sends a short message of twenty-five words or less to a creature with which they are familiar.
✦ Polymorph - Rue can transform a creature (unwilling or otherwise) into a new temporary form.
Entity Affinity: Considering Rue's long history of pretending to be someone they are not, the Stranger rings true to them. It's a fear of their own, for certain, but also a fear they can inspire in others. Who is Rue really? They spent so long wearing a mask and being someone else, that there is no telling if even now they are genuine or just continuing to play the role they were molded to play. They can't even be too sure themself.
Inventory: Only the ring they made from Hob's medal of courage and their gorgeous outfit from the theatre.
Samples: TDM here!