Isma'il al-Cid Avilas
From Dynasts End
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| Full Name | Isma'il al-Cid Avilas |
| Aliases (if any) | Al-Cid Avirace |
| Age | 34 |
| Birthday | May 8th |
| Nationality | Rozarrian |
| Race | Hume |
| Job | Orator |
| Occupation | al-Cid (political adviser) |
| Height | 6'3" |
| Weight | 172 lbs |
| Family | Sofya Avilas, 28, wife; Havva & Zahla, 10, twin daughters; Ayson, 8, daughter; Hamza, 4, son; Leyla, mother; Mila, 31, Adil, 27, Jahda, 25, younger brothers; Nawon, 35, older sister; Shazi, 33, Maram, 29, younger sisters. |
| Languages | Rozarrian, Archadian, Old Archadian, Dalmascan, trying to learn Lemures. |
| Current Home | Tartessos |
| Played By | Stephen Campbell Moore |
| Journal | wringinglilies |
| Player | Lissa |
Contents |
[edit] Appearance
Isma'il lives on the line that separates the homely from the handsome. Some people, usually those who've caught wind of his rank or have known him a long time, would consider him good-looking- he has decent bone structure, well-shaped features and gentle grey-blue eyes. Others, however, find him plain or awkward-looking. His forehead is domed and much too wide, his nose is short, upturned and flared, he's sunken in all the places he should be puffy and puffy in all the places that respectable men are sunk. And, well, the freckles that cover almost every square inch of him (from a distance, it looks like he has a tan) make him look like an oversized child rather than a man.
He dresses extremely well and is always neat as a pin. His dirty blonde hair hits the first notch on his spine and is usually slicked back into a tiny ponytail. His posture, as is typical among al-Cids, is painfully perfect- he can only sleep on his stomach because of back problems. Though he does subject himself to exercise when he remembers to, Isma'il is mostly flab and bones, possessed of a narrow build, but solid throughout. He cuts a much better figure from the front than from the side.
[edit] History
Born the first son (second child) of the highly-esteemed Rozarrian family, the House Avilas, Isma'il spent the majority of his youth being groomed for the position he would one day inherit from his father. He was schooled by some of the brightest tutors money could pay for, learned how to speak well, how to shoot, how to read maps correctly. He was taught all the things a proper Rozarrian man should know and, as he was a quick learner, mastered most of them while he was yet a boy. As luck would have it, he would have to be a quick-learner; at the age of 9, Isma'il's father died in an airship crash and the title of al-Cid fell to his uncle until the time came when he could bear it himself. At 14, he was admitted to the council, though his opinions were largely ignored.
Over the years, he watched each of his siblings fall into disfavor in the city- one running off with a servant, another gambling excessively, two engaging in an illicit affair with one another. It seemed his family was cursed. His mother, born deaf and dumb, offered him little council in the matter. It was up to him to keep the Avilas name clean. He would never fall to the gossip mongers, he promised himself. He would also never live much of a life outside of politics and books.
When he was 20, Isma'il became acquainted with a young girl, the daughter of an old Valdivyan family, Sofya. She was only 14 but already possessed of an incomparable beauty in Isma'il's eyes. He was sure at once that he loved her. Why shouldn't he? She was intelligent, talented in poetry and music, sweet-tempered, beautiful, and she seemed to like him. Yes, he was sure that he loved her. Having kept his chastity- something that earned him a few sneers in Tartessan society but also kept his name off other people's lips- he was unaware that certain chemical aspects were missing from his attraction to Sofya. But after a short courtship, they were married and, for a while, blissfully happy.
His family was cursed. Largely, he'd ignored certain feelings he'd had for other people, other men. It was normal, he told himself. But after his first time with Sofya (and a woman), he learned that he was far from Rozarria's conception of "normal". For a while, he ignored that, too, but all this hiding was making him irritable. He snapped and berated Sofya all the time, blamed her for their inability to produce a male heir. And, on nights when he could feel her crying herself to sleep beside him, he hated himself more than he'd realized he could.
Secretly, as all men of his predilection in Rozarria must, he met with men, trying to ignore his feelings in a new way. Through indulging in the physical aspects, he could keep himself in good enough spirits to lavish spiritual love, non-physical, real love on his wife. He convinced himself that he was not breaking any confidence between them so long as his heart belonged to her.
Then he fell in love with a boy, a member of the lower-aristocracy five years his junior. The fleeting infatuation he'd felt before was nothing compared to this and Isma'il was surprised to find that he could love him as well as his wife. He's long-since separated from the boy, but the guilt still hangs on him. He's positive his wife knows about him (how could she not?), but cannot say anything unless she, too, would like to lose all her possessions as well as the futures of her children. And though they've had a son, his health is poor and, should he fall ill and die, the al-Cid title would pass to one of Isma'il's brothers.
[edit] Personality
Keywords: Intelligent, restrained, sentimental, shrewd, guilt-prone, socially precise, over wrought, deceptive, objective, level-headed, cowardly, meticulous, critical, possessive, mild-mannered, pessimistic, snobbish, decisive, materialistic.
As someone who has lived most of his life in the limelight, Isma'il is above all other things cautious. Socially restrained (some might even say repressed), he talks very little outside of being directly addressed and usually confines himself to business, the weather or the health of his family. As a result, most people find him rather predictable and dull, but that's preferable to being stock for gossip. In political settings, however, Isma'il is outspoken, opinionated and extremely forceful. Among the al-Cids he is looked down upon for making waves and occasionally admired for his integrity. The moment he's stepped outside the meeting room, though, he fades back into meekness.
With his family, especially his daughters, he is more animated. Isma'il is a stern father, not one to spoil his children, but can never resist a childish game or lighthearted teasing, usually at his wife's expense. He is less confident around his son, but still does his best to raise him well. And, despite his wife's coldness, Isma'il pays her as much attention as he can, treating her with a gentle hand that's as much forced by real affection as it is guilt.
More an intellectual than anything else, violence turns Isma'il's stomach and the sight of blood is enough to make him begin to faint. He prefers to keep peace by whatever means necessary- lying, giving up and running away, while he's not proud of it, are all viable options. He does harbor prejudiced against the poor (though the poor who manage to keep themselves clean don't bother him nearly as much as the ones who don't) and the common. Etiquette is something he strictly observes.
[edit] Skills
Public speaking, learning languages, verbal persuasion, able to usually look at situations impartially, extremely loving and nurturing to those he is close to.
- Strengths: Good at talking sense into people, so long as he's got a sheet of paper in front of him he can address the whole world and not break a sweat, lying, long attention span and at least above average in terms of articulateness.
- Weaknesses: Easily tempted, can't swim, morally confused (if you can argue any point with a degree of certainty, how do you discover what you truly believe in?), demure, a lack of masculinity by Rozarrian standards, extremely repressed in personal life, guilt-ridden, pompous, burns in the sun like a bitch, terrible shot.
[edit] Other Information (optional)
[edit] Favorites and Likes
- Color Dark blue
- Food Pork and chickpea stew
- Activity Reading
- Other Likes An aged red wine, talking about literature, tidiness, hunting and the moment right before he falls asleep at night.
[edit] Least Favorites and Dislikes
- Color Bright green
- Food Any pungent cheese
- Activity Dancing
- Other Dislikes
