Gabriel Martell
“Divinity? By who's definition?”“He questions our traditions, and then his heritage?! Look at him, brother. His eyes, his skin... He is not of our people.”
N A M EGabriel Nymeros Martell
N I C K N A M EGabe
G E N D E RMale
A G E14
S E X U A L I T YTechnically pansexual; but he's queer (questioning) at the moment
F A T H E RPrince Verynn Martell is the current ruler of Dorne and Lord of Sunspear; however, his claim to the throne is often disputed in whispers among the royals outside of court. When his elder brother, Dovan Martell, failed to give birth to a suitable heir, he abdicated power to Verynn at the behest of his advisors, lest he leave behind a power gap upon his death. Ever since, Verynn has been a fair and just prince, as his forefathers before him, and steadfast ally of House Targaryen. In the end, however, he is simply another prince to occupy the Sunspear throne. Gabriel's father lacks any outstanding qualities that make him appear strong or resilient in the face of an adversary. It is this very absence of a "true prince's" qualities that make some in Dorne believe he is ill-equipped to even handle the pesky pirates of "King" Doreo.
M O T H E RAllusica Martell makes up for her husband's shortcomings by being the charismatic and ruthless politician at the negotiating tables. As is expected of Dornish women, she is also an able-bodied warrior in her own right and will insist upon leading the vanguard in any skirmish with dissidents of the state (be they rebels of the Iron Throne, or miscreants within Dorne). On the downside, Allusica is not of Dornish descent. Rather, she is a noble from greater Westeros, chosen in an arrangement long ago. Her fair skin and blue eyes were passed on as dominant traits to Gabriel; thus, placing a heavy burden on his shoulders as appearing to be an outsider.
S I B L I N G SGabriel is the eldest of three siblings (Malak and Shemar Sand), though his younger brothers are bastards. They have no succession rights or claim to Dorne's power as Sands; but they carry themselves as though they are princes in their own right. As to Gabriel's grief over his mixed ethnicity, they are the primary instigators.
R E L I G I O NAgnostic, despite his family's adherence to the Faith of the Seven.
S T R E N G T H SGabriel is an exceptional fast learner, particularly in any academic pursuit. History and politics are his favorite studies, despite his youth; and he uses what knowledge he can muster in his favor when communicating with other lords in matters of state. He is never one to shy away from a good discussion of philosophy or the arts, but religion is a more delicate subject for him. His tendency to value free thinking and progressive academia runs counter to the religious dogma he hears preached by those that practice any sort of faith.
W E A K N E S S E SIn spite of his intellect (or, rather, because of it), Gabriel's cynicism draws out a pessimistic world view that can cripple his faith in, not only himself, but also mankind as a whole. This particular weakness of the mind often plagues him with preconceived notions of others, standing in the way of any attempt he may make to socialize on a normal level. In brief, he can be a tad rude or come off as cold. Adding to his introverted image, Gabriel is also not the most agile prince of Dorne. The Martells have always prided themselves on their physical abilities and combative prowess. The young man may have all the training his forefathers have received, but he lacks their gut and brawn. Finally, he has an aversion to cold climates. This was discovered by him falling gravely ill during a trip to the North, when his father wanted him to see all of Westeros at an early age to better prepare him for his destiny as a future crowned prince. Harsh coughing and wheezing kept him bedridden until he was able to return to the warmer climate of the south. Dorne's wisest maesters concluded that he susceptible to weakened lungs (asthma, basically) in colder climates.
W E A P O NAs previously mentioned, although Gabriel is a weaker fighter than other Dornishmen, he is still highly trained in their signature arms. His talent with the spear isn't nearly as commendable as his talent with the bow, however; which is possibly the one weapon that he is truly gifted with. His mother, Allusica, claims that the bow suits his personality: "Poised, pointed, and far reaching." For his thirteenth birthday, the lord of House Caron gifted him an intricately carved bow of black glazed wood as a show of loyalty to the young prince.
L I K E S- Reading codexes (books) and scrolls of worldly knowledge
- Discussing academic subjects with maesters
- Trying exotic foods from different cultures
- Watching warriors as they train with one another, silently envying them for their abilities
- The warmth of the southern Westerosi regions
- Listening to septons carry on about the Faith
- Any arduous physical exercise with seemingly no point
- Adhering to tradition for tradition's sake
- Conversing with strangers that clearly don't think for themselves
- Being patronized over his age and lack of experience
- Eavesdropping on meetings regarding kingdom or state affairs
- Coming off as callous or cold when pointing out flaws or making assertions
- Quick to judge others based on first impressions
- Reading in libraries and studies
- Shadowing maesters and assisting them with odd experiments
- Practicing with his bow at the archery ranges
- Fanatics like the Faith Militant and those similar to them
- Snowfall and cold rain, as it may cripple him due to his weak lungs
- Being rejected by the Dornish people when it comes time to take his parents' place
P E R S O N A L I T YGabriel is an early adopter of a new school of thinking that has arisen across the Narrow Sea, known as virtuity. Unlike the classic faiths of the west, virtuity is a type of old cynicism that teaches humanity's purpose in life was to live in virtuous harmony in accordance with the laws of nature; rather than serve higher powers or submit to a predetermined "destiny". This far separates him from the more conservative peers of the courts, even though many in Dorne are already thinking this way (in part due to their penchant for always running counter to northern traditionalists), despite their unwillingness to admit it publically. Gabriel's intense value for free thinking is what drives his desire to be an academic and a wise future prince of Dorne. In his pursuit of knowledge and an understanding of political affairs, he as abandoned many opportunities to simply live as most noble children would. He is distant around strangers, keeps a very small inner circle, and remains estranged from his eccentric half-brothers.
The young man finds amusement with life's unexplained mysteries and is admittedly fascinated with the idea of magic; seeing the ancient practice as another puzzle piece in explaining the machination of the world. However, he is as curious as he is naive. Unable to grapple with the idea that some things "just are", he will brush away nuanced answers given to him by his elders that tire of his brash inquisitiveness.
When it comes to romance, he is even more naive and inexperienced. At times, he finds himself looking at both men and women equally, unable to understand why he finds either sex attractive. Even though he abhors following tradition without meaning, he realizes that taking a liking to the same sex isn't something that is publically acceptable--especially outside of Dorne, where such sexuality is merely understood as a means of licentious amusement. Fearful that he will never be able to grasp the motives behind his attraction to certain people (regardless of gender), Gabriel prefers to keep strangely quiet around those that his adolescent eye is drawn to.
H I S T O R YGabriel Martell began making a name for himself early on after he turned eight years old and assisted Sunspear's master maester in solving an arithmetic equation that would be used to develop a new telescope for the Citadel's astronomers. The boy had a keen grasp on numbers and could see patterns without having to touch a quill. Upon hearing of this, Gabriel's mother insisted he taken under the maester's wing as an apprentice in every conceivable academic study. In five years, he had demonstrated unparalleled progress and was a welcomed new voice among his father's close advisors. A thirteen year old boy offering counsel to Dorne's highest prince was unheard of and most would not stand for it. In order to keep their good company, Prince Verynn quickly revoked his son's seat at court, but did so only publically. He never stopped listening to Gabriel's take on state affairs in private.
Even though he was still able to engage in some official politics with his parents, Gabriel's pride was wounded when his father's advisors practically ousted him. Unsettled, he debated with himself if his ideas and advice had been of any negative consequence to Dorne; but, upon learning that he had been right on almost every issue, he began to suspect that another factor had been the influencer in his expulsion... His ethnic background. It was then that he adopted a more stoic outlook toward adults.
T H E M E S O N G
E X T R A S T U F FNothing at the moment... He won't have much history, given his age.
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