Important character moments before you have a character built up?

[SangoProduction]

I got into a game that's already been going on, about 2 sessions ago and it's going to be a great big character session that's meant to be traumatic for the characters.
And it feels great that I'm not excluded... But outside of the intro session, there was like 1 roll play scene. The PETA druids called our druid not-a-druid because our druid is a human. As a hunter, my character already had a disdain for PETA, so I went on a scathing tirade about the PETA druid's credentials as a druid.
Yeah. The roleplay experience of the character summed up in like... 2 sentences. Critical traits to be pulled? Doesn't like PETA, is willing to hurt people's feelings (when not slamming a tree on them), and is immediately willing to verbally fight for the honor of a group he only just met.

I have no idea how he would react to his brother coming back as an undead warrior. For context: His brother was conscripted to fight the undead horde, so my character joined the fight. Brother died, so... he buggered off. Went off in the woods where the party later finds him tending to a nice little farm. (He hunts by rooting the target in place with magic before dropping a 50ft tree trunk on them. [Very stronk.] Probably didn't use the same tactics in the army.)

It's *supposed* to be traumatic. So obviously it's supposed to be some form of negative reaction. But boy does that not narrow it down.
He probably wouldn't just break down and cry. Doesn't seem productive.
So possibly he gets angry... at what? And why in particular? His brother for not staying dead? An unnatural state of being is probably quite an affront to everything the character knows. But that seems like a bit of a strange reaction to seeing your brother up and moving around... after you buried them, granted. Especially when their loss was sufficient for you to just up and abandon the army you were fighting against the undead with.
It's clear from the background that he's not some incredibly anti-undead crusader.

I mean. I guess it doesn't have to be initially negative. He could be rather relieved. And then horrified that he's being attacked, before resigning himself to have to put Brother down again. Probably would want to get a tall pint after escaping the hell hole.
You know? That's why I like to write things down as though I were explaining them to someone else. Helps me right my thoughts.
I think that last one wouldn't be too bad of a reaction.

But do you guys have any better ideas?

[Blackhawk748]

My gut reaction says angry. Like, really, really angry. Not at his brother, but at the person who dug him up.

Depending on how well he understands Necromancy he could try and talk to his brother, but if he knows it's not him,then he'd probably drop a tree in him and then just be generally pissy for awhile.

[Analytica]

How about conflicted? Brother was important, his death traumatic. Brother up and moving is both 1) wrong because undead/unnatural and 2) tantalizing because maybe something of him is actually left in there, and that something has been missed, and having him back even as undead somehow changes that? So, it is a problem, he needs burying again. But it also stirs these strange feelings of wanting to bond with/protect even undead brother, which is confusing and unnerving more for the fact that these feelings arise than for the fact that brother is undead.

It also may depend on who/what makes the dead rise.

[Jay R]

"That's not my brother. That is some abominable creature who has stolen my brother's body. His body should be allowed to rest, to return to nature."

[Telok]

First define the original pre-death relationship with the brother. Do the rest of the family as well. Does not have to be deep, one or two sentences. Does not have to be published, its just for you to wrap your head around the character.

Then figure out the character's position/beliefs on death & undeath in general. The combination of the origional relationship & the beliefs & what/how the brother returns as will shake out from there.

In general I'll define relationships to a couple people & places for all characters. You can take a joke character like a cross dressing orc monk Elvis impersonator, throw down 4 lines for... a halfling mafia enforcer, one elven imperial navy ship, a remote monastary, and a lost island. Suddenly people think you have deeply creative characterization skills when you were really just clicking around a silly conspiracy theory wiki.

[daremetoidareyo]

Did you say druid?

If he wants his brother to rejoin life’s circle, even in undeath, then it’s time for him to magic out some magic corpse butterflies, or some such, to devour what’s left of his brothers soul, cacoon up, and rejoin nature, leaving an animated corpse behind and a flock of butterflies.

Any decomposer could work though. Infect the corpse with mushrooms that siphon the necro energy, leaving a normal corpse. Mushrooms that decompose negative energy is totally a Druid thing.

[Jervis]

Last time I used PETA analogs in game was when they freed a hydra from captivity, which proceeded to eat them and rampage across the city. Fun times