#because some orlesians are just...like... that... @___@

[star--nymph]

Vivienne's fear being 'becoming irrelevant' isn't something that's linked explicitly to her pride, no matter what Solas says about her (and the irony of Mr.Pride himself saying that should not be lost on you), it reveals what and who Vivienne truly is.

She's a survivalist.

Because we don't spend as much time in the Free Marches or Orlesian circles, we don't get to experience what being a mage is in these cultures. In Ferelden and Kirkwall, a mage is a lesser being without freedom no matter what they do--but in the Free Marches and Orlais specifically, mages are commodities that are given freedom so long as they play an entertaining enough role. They can explore the world if they have a noble patron, if they catch the right person's eye. They are, in a way, two sides of the same coin--refusing mages agency and forcing them to relay on higher powers. Vivienne lucked out, as sad as it is, when Bastion fell in love with her; she found someone who was contrarian enough to recognize her as a full person and also someone with power that could help her rise through the ranks. This is not to say that Vivienne on her own wasn't an exceedingly talented and intelligent individual--by nineteen she was already the youngest full fledged mage in Circle history and she was skilled enough to make herself an enchanter. But, I can not emphasize this enough, none of that matters if she didn't also play the Game and impress enough people.

Vivienne could have been the most brilliant mage in the history of Thedas and it means nothing if she was overlooked by nobility.

So when Bastion made her his mistress, she gained not just a lover but also a means to an end. Now she can use her magic to protect herself. Now she can roam where she wants and not be question for it because she's Madame Vivienne. Now, she can walk into the Orlasian court and belong there.

And what happens? Celene notices her and makes her the Court Enchanter, a position that has always been the equivalent of a jester. Vivienne took that title, ignored that it was essentially a glorified insult to who she is, and made it a position of power. She made the Court Enchanter into an advisor, a political rank. She had done the impossible and made mages an actual political entity in the Orlasian Court, something that wasn't seen outside of Tervinter (not counting what players can do under very specific conditions if they made mages in DAO and DA2).

All that, however, only continues as long as the court recognizes her as something worth their attention. Vivienne needs to maintain her act as Madame De Fer, The Lady of Iron, the Court Enchanter, The Jewel of the High Court, because the second she just becomes Vivienne, it's over for her. The assassins coming raining in, her name gets devoured by rumors and gossip, and she'll be found dead at bottom of the stair case with a dagger in her back if she's lucky.

So of course when the Circles fall apart during the Rebellion, she clings to that Loyalist Mages to maintain that structure--of course she moves her pieces to the Inquisition, knowing that if the Circle DOES fall, she at least as another place for herself and mages latch onto--of course when she hears that Celene replaced her with a new Court Enchanter that appeared out of no where, she grows to resent Morrigan.

Like, Morrigan literally pops up out of thin air, makes herself invaluable to Celene, and then plants herself in the place Vivienne had to claw her way up to and create so she could survive. Would you not be resentful when your life's work is usurped by some random witch of the wilds because she happened to charm the Empress? Everything Vivienne strived for all whisked away because the court find a gem who glimmers ever so slightly more than Vivienne.

So yes, Vivienne fears becoming irrelevant because the world has made it so that irrelevance for an Orlesian mage means death.

[goatanarchy]

Part two for the character line up.~ I had to dress up Duncan at some point of course. 🥰 Commander of the Grey - I wanted to give him something lighter as he is a rogue. So its a long tabard over padded armor jacket with some elements from his original armour. :3 His casual look is what I imagine he would wear under the armour, just your typical puffy shirt with long boots since I feel like it would be very orlesian. And also because its a perfect outfit everyone deserves to wear, lol.

And then an expensive jacket with black boots and gloves(he is a goth in my heart) for some formal outing.

[vigilskeep]

a quick guide to dog lords, telling your arls from your teyrns, and generally how ferelden works

okay, this isn't quite what anon asked for, by which i mean not at all, but unfortunately they activated my interest in some of my favourite lore. it should hopefully contain a lot of the relevant stuff and i’ll try to branch out to less fereldan specific information in other posts!

okay, let’s start with the hierarchy. there’s four kinds of noble in ferelden

royalty: you know who these guys are. except for during the orlesian occupation, ever since ferelden became one kingdom, it’s been ruled by the theirin family. which i think is for 388 years, i really hope that’s right, i got out a calculator

teyrns: these are super powerful lords, basically banns so powerful that other banns swear fealty to them. they’re second only to the king, who is essentially just the most powerful one of them. there used to be a lot of them, but with one dynasty in power for so long, that kind of opposition has been eroded away. there are only two remaining: the couslands of highever in the north, and the mac tirs of gwaren in the south

arls: these are extra special banns. they answer to a teyrn or king and hold a strategic fortress for them. we know of six—amaranthine, south reach, denerim, redcliffe, west hills, and edgehall—but i’m unsure if that’s because they are only six or because there are unnamed others

banns: these are your common or garden noble, the lowest ranking and most common. this is your local lord type. they seem to vary the most in power, though, with some banns having big speaking roles in the landsmeet

but i kind of should have written that list in the opposite direction. what do i mean by that? well, in your standard medieval hierarchy, and in a lot of the rest of thedas, power comes down from the king, who lets you hold the land. but in ferelden, most of the land is owned by freeholders: commoners, well-off enough to own their land but still not by any means nobles.

how does that work? well, let’s say i’m a freeholder.

i own my land, but thedas is a rough place. if i want to keep my land, i’d better swear fealty to a bann. i’ll pay him a portion of the goods produced on my land, and in return, he’ll protect my land from anyone wanting to beat me up and take all my goods... and also, you know, not beat me up himself, as he probably would if i didn’t have any bann looking after me. it kind of sounds like he has all the power, right? like a medieval protection racket? it’s certainly how he gets his power and wealth

so i, freeholder harker, have signed up with bann jeff. it makes sense, because he’s the closest to my freehold, and i want soldiers to actually get here in time if i’m in trouble. that’s why my family has been swearing fealty to his family for generations. it’s just how things are done

but the thing is: i hate bann jeff. maybe he takes too much of my harvests, maybe he sides with a different freeholder when we go to him with a dispute, maybe his men don’t mind their pleases and thank yous when they come for my goods. i’m well within my rights to say fuck bann jeff and leave him. especially if there’s another bann nearby who would be perfectly happy to take my goods instead and treat me right. and the less freeholders bann jeff has, the less resources and men he has to make a fuss about it with. if bann jeff pisses off enough people, he might not have any freeholders left at all. and where will his wealth and power come from then? maybe soon he won’t be a bann at all

of course, bann jeff’s family might feud with the family of the bann that stole me away for a few hundred years. but that’s hardly my problem, is it? “courting” someone else’s vassals is apparently the biggest cause of conflict within the bannorn

anyway, this isn’t just how banns work; it’s how all power theoretically works in ferelden. there are no serfs/“unfree” men. every peasant has a right to go where he will and choose which freeholder he works for, just as every freeholder has the right to choose their bann, and banns who swear to teyrns can break away. (the latter is probably less common because a teyrn could fuck you up. i’m guessing you’d have to get the king’s backing about it to survive that.) and even the king answers to his lessers in the landsmeet, the super ancient gathering of nobles where law is made, which can override the king on any matter of law. (but they’re not going to do it if the king is really popular or powerful, because. you know. there’s a limit to all things called common sense and they would prefer not to get squashed about it.) but generally, everyone who holds power in ferelden has to curry favours with their so-called lessers in order to keep their goodwill.

everywhere else in thedas thinks this is weird as hell, by the way. having to court the approval of those beneath you? even the king having to do that? wtf? but the level of freedom means everything to fereldans. it’s their highest ideal and they’re really proud of it.

(the people who really don’t have a voice are what the ttrpg calls “low freemen”, which according to its handbook, consists of criminals, prostitutes, and elves. they still have the right to freedom of movement and to be paid for their work, but they’re not going to have freeholders and banns seeking their favour and speaking for them, and they typically have to resort to bribery for entrance to cities, their homes are bought and sold by others on a whim, things like that. ultimately it makes their position incredibly vulnerable to abuse, as we see in the games. i’m sure we’ve all played the tabris origin. there’s a reason the potential boon to get a bann for the alienage is so wild.)

so, let’s say you made it, everyone loves and/or tolerates you, and you’re a noble. what good does that do you and what can you do? firstly, you have a voice in the landsmeet, which is super important and means the king wants your goodwill and advice. more generally, you have three basic functions of a noble: raising taxes/tribute, commanding soldiers, and dispensing justice. nobles are expected to live off the wealth provided by their land and it would be hugely looked down on if they did work instead, with exceptions for, like, military careers and the chantry, which are respectable for their status. they raise militia from the commoners when necessary, and they also have trained soldiers or possibly knights (see postscript) in their service. that means you can protect your land and you can win glory and spoils when the kingdom goes to war, it also means you’ll be expected to provide those men when your liegelord calls for them. and lastly the law is their responsibility. remember how in the awakening dlc you had to make judgements as the arl of amaranthine? like that! the smaller scale you are, the smaller scale it’s going to be. in turn, if you want a dispute sorted by a higher power, you have to go up to your liegelord, maybe a teyrn or the king, or if you can’t get one of them, a more powerful bann or arl in the area. possibly the chantry would be an alternate option? if it’s just about finding someone you will both listen to, which is usually the main issue

some privileges other than the standard “power over those beneath you” that you can typically expect to belong to the noble class, even if it’s not specific to dragon age: the right to carry a sword, the right to have a coat of arms, the right to precedence on formal occasions and a special seat up front in your local chantry... sometimes niche ones, like fabrics and clothing that are only permissible to wear for people of a certain rank, so it distinguishes them. you can expect favours from/common class interests with your king, you would expect to be given a trial or treated chivalrously if things did not go your way, depending on era you might be captured for ransom in battle rather than killed outright, you probably have exemptions from certain royal taxation... etc. etc.

that’s what i have! i hope these are some helpful fundamentals and that anyone who has more knowledge than me on any aspect feels welcome to contribute it

P.S. as an aside, i’m a little confused about the fereldan use of knights. they definitely exist as lesser nobility, but i don’t understand how they fit into the hierarchy. a real knight was typically a vassal who held land from his liegelord and fought for him in exchange. i... don’t know how that works in the context of land ownership mostly going upwards. they’re definitely around, anyone addressed as ser is a knight, you have the knights of redcliffe and people like ser jory and ser cauthrien. (someone in an order like the templars has the rank of knight and gets ser and everything, but is not a noble.) as a rule of thumb i think generally they’re probably just members of noble families with that dedicated military training and no greater title to lay claim to? i’m basing that on stuff like nathaniel howe being sent as a squire to his mother’s cousin, a chevalier; if he’d completed that he probably would have been a knight unless/until he inherited his father’s place? i don’t know. i’m making this up. and on the other hand, there’s very little distinction in fereldan between your regular noble and a some kind of warrior class, which is why i struggle to see the purpose. (there are also inexplicable career soldiers who are not knights. what the hell is funding that upkeep and armour, buddy. you and whose land ownership? this is why you were fighting the darkspawn with your whole arms out, aveline. stop trying to imply ferelden has a standing army you can go off and join. yes i see you carver lore. i will not buy it.) ANYWAY, because knights are more prevalent in certain areas, i do wonder if it’s an import from the long orlesian occuption, based on the knightly order of chevaliers? i don’t fucking know. worth chewing on

[breadedsinner]

I think Blackwall with a non human Inquisitor (especially Cadash but that's just my bias) is so compelling because it adds challenge to what's perceived as justice.

You can make the argument that regardless of method or intent, by freeing Thom Rainier, the Inquisitor has done a corrupt act. This seems fairly straightforward for a human, especially one of noble background like Trevelyan especially non-mage Trevelyan... but what about Cadash? They were already considered a criminal before this began, only "absolved" by the supposed grace of Andraste. Any chantry cleric will tell you, and some of them have, that dwarves are not of the Maker.

Now the absorption of their identity by becoming the Inquisitor does muddy the waters a bit here; by becoming Inquisitor they agree to abide by and act on behalf of various lords (that's why they can judge people in Skyhold, I always thought that was obvious?). Yet had this one thing not happened, Cadash would likely still be a criminal. And Thom, under the guise of Blackwall, would be quietly atoning until something finally came around and delivered the unceremonious death he thought he deserved. Would a dwarf think this justice? Or is this specifically human justice?

When a non-human Inquisitor is characterized as "well he lied to me and got some kids killed so to the Wardens it is / we're breaking up" it just feels like a missed opportunity. Shit, even a Lavellan you could explore that more, show me a Lavellan who thinks to the Emerald Graves and all the Orlesian estates built there. Where's the justice in THAT. Who are these people, building houses in sacred ground, to decide what is and isn't just?

Idk, something to chew on.

[dalishious]

Sorry but I wanted to ask your opinion on this thought: Vivienne is unable to understand not everyone is as privileged as she is in regards to leaving the circle at first. She honestly thinks it’s that easy to find a patron and be allowed out.

It’s one of those things I notice a lot in certain communities I’m part of: those who are better off sometimes cannot understand why it’s hard for others. People whose parents have money don’t get why other people with the same disabilities as them are struggling to hold down jobs. Vivienne lucked out in her own way by getting into a somewhat decent circle and then having Bastion fall for her, so Templars wouldn’t risk pissing off a noble man.

What are your thoughts on this?

"Every person within each tower had an experience of Circle life unique to themselves. Some people suffered, and some were content. Some were cruel, some compassionate, and some indifferent." —Vivienne, when asked about Circle life

Now, one could certainly argue that the above quote is a cop-out. I certainly think it's part of the larger thread of Inquisition's push to make the Circles seem like they weren't that bad, despite every bit of previous lore showing and telling otherwise. But regardless, here Vivienne does acknowledge that she is aware to some degree that there was suffering.

"Nobody "winds up" at court, my dear. It takes a great deal of effort to arrive there. I caught the eye of Duke Bastien de Ghislain, an advantageous connection that opened many doors. When the position of enchanter to the Imperial Court became vacant, I was able to secure it." —Vivienne, when asked how she became court enchanter

Here, Vivienne says that she had to work hard to get her position, and I believe it. While luck played a role in terms of her love life with Duke Bastien, rising in power and connections and playing The Game from the disadvantage of being a mage is a challenge she had to overcome.

Vivienne has shown to be a uniquely talented and well spoken player of The Game. But 9/10 mages aren't going to have that skill, and they shouldn't have to just to have the small freedoms Vivienne won. And I say small freedoms, because let us remember that as Duke Bastien's lover, as court enchanter, her freedom is still entirely reliant on others. She must maintain good graces with those higher up on the Orlesian privilege scale in order to be treated as a fellow person. She is not allowed to slip up, even once, or she risks everything. It's no wonder Vivienne constantly holds herself with such structure and high standards.

[thechildofbhaalhasawoken]

DA:I Cullen Headcanons part 1: Dining

Some people enjoy cooking and dining so much that they say they live to eat. Cullen is not one of those people. He eats to live, and often forgets to eat if he is too engrossed in his work, which happens very often. 

He often feels nauseous in the mornings and thus has no appetite for breakfast. The lyrium withdrawal symptoms and recurring PTSD fits make him forget about his appetite too.

That’s why Cullen often eats a lot when he finally does eat. When he finally gets a dish of food in front of him, he suddenly realises he’s ravenous enough to eat a horse. He eats whatever is on offer in Skyhold dining room, and never complains. He finds he likes most kinds of food - honest Fereldan grub is of course the best - but is not a fan of things that are difficult to eat, like most seafood or whatever fancy unrecognisable flowery things the Orlesians have come up with this time.

He sometimes misses the ordered days at the Circle tower. He had set meal times several times a day, and routine gave him structure and comfort. Sure, his troops and subordinates in the Inquisition have routine and structure, too,  but more often than not the Commander finds himself doing one more task before going to the dining hall. And maybe just one more…

Because of his life as a Templar and then leading the Inquisition’s forces, Cullen never really learned to cook. He’s really good at chopping firewood - which he actually enjoys a lot - and making a fire, but he has relied on other people’s cooking all of his life. 

Despite that he has begun to dream of a different life. A life outside of institutions, armies, castles and towers. A simple life living in a cottage by a lake, perhaps. When he was a boy he used to go fishing, but he hasn’t fished in decades. He’d like to sit on a pier or in a rowing boat early in the morning with his fishing rod, enjoying the calm and quiet. He’d like to have a vegetable garden, he’d like to chop his own firewood for his own fireplace, he’d like to have a walking distance to the nearest village to trade. He’d like to learn how to make a good breakfast so he can cook for his wife in the mornings, in their little cottage by the lake. It’s a new dream, one that he has never had before, and he has never told it to anyone. It seems all too far fetched in the middle of long hectic days in Skyhold. 

[thedinanshiral]

What's in a name? A (very) simple guide to find your Rook's name.

I’ve seen some people are wondering how some of us already have named Rooks, others have no idea how to get names or which names could be good, and since i kinda overdid it and have 11 Rooks already planned and named i thought i’d share some of my process and drop some ideas. This works for me, but maybe it can help others find their Rook’s name(s).

Keep in mind these are also fantasy names, they don’t have to make sense or have a specific meaning, you can literally make them up. I also take into consideration known naming conventions, for example in Elven we have Solas and Abelas’ names, with specific meanings (Pride, Sorrow) and judging by what Solas tells Abelas, it’d seem ancient elvhen would change their names according to roles or events in their life. Similarly in the Qun, we know their names aren’t names as we understand them but simply descriptors of the role that is assigned to them within the Qun.

It’s probably easier when it comes to human nations in Thedas: Orlesians are likely to have French names, Fereldans to have anglo names, Antivans to have Spanish and Italian names. Tevinter is a bit trickier because it’s based on the Roman empire and Latin is a pretty dead language, but they sure liked to make records so we have names there too.

Elvhen names:

I literally opened a tab with the Elven language DA wiki page and read everything -for the bazillionth time tbh-; DA elven language is a cipher, not a conlang, so feel free to make things up because we don’t have the full cipher -i’m not even sure BW does- .

For Elven names i check the wiki for words that i like the sound of, the meaning of, ideally both. If i feel something is “missing” i may add a letter or combine different words into a new one.

Here are some examples:

Athima, from athim, humility

Atisha, from Atish'an, atisha is peace

Sethena, from Sethen'a or Setheneran, land of waking dreams or where the veil is thin, aka the Fade.

Revaren, from Revas, freedom, and Renan, voice.

Alasan, from alas, earth/dirt, and suffix an, place.

Sulahni, from sulahn, sing.

Samahli, from samahl, laughter.

Vardanehn, lit. Our little joy.

Mir'as, Banal'ras is shadows, implying ras refers to light, Mir is mine. Lit. "my light".

Qunlat names:

Same process as elven, but trying to modify as less as possible, keeping in mind the Qunari are very rigid in their ways and can be very literal as well.

Anaan, victory

Asaarash, rivaini horsebreed used by the antaam.

Kaaras, navigator.

Asaara-kaaras, wind navigator, wind rider.

Saar, dangerous. Saar-asaara, dangerous wind. Saar-meraad, dangerous tide.

Sata-kasi, mauler.

Vattic-kos, vat is fire, tic is cold and kos refers to nature damage, all three words are in reference to damage done with a mage staff. So Vattic-kos could be elemental damage.

Shokra, shok is struggle or war, shokrakar is rebel.

Antivan names:

These were way easier as i’m Latina of Spanish and Italian descent which in this case feels a bit like cheating. I think any Spanish and Italian name could work, these are just some i like.

Vittoria/Victoria

Chiara

Alessandro/a

Stefan

Dante

Aria

Tevinter names:

I literally googled for Latin names for this one, and also checked previous Tevinter characters’ names. Some of this could also work for an Antivan Rook.

Aelius

Amadis

Bastian

Caelus

Camilla

Dena

Dante

Desideria

Ella

Enora

Favian

Fausto, Faustino, Faustus

Gaius

Gloria

Grazia

Klaudia

Laurena

Lavinia

Liberia

Merit/Mérita/Mérito

Remus

Salena

Sarina

Sidonia

Sollemnia

Tatius

Terentius

Tiberius

Urbano, Urbanus

Valentio

Varinia

Viatrix

Virgilio, Virgil

Vitus

Xandros

I’m leaving out the numerals like Primo, Segundo, Quintus, Octavio... check Cesars' names, that could work too. I think you could just search the scientific name of any fauna (hello House Pavus) or flora and pick whatever sounds nice too. Also we recently got a new Magister’s name in the Dragon Age: Vows & Vengeance trailer, Magister Andante. Y’know what “Andante” means? Walking. Magister Walking. Fear nothing and go wild with these names, seriously.

You could also check other cultures and native names, respectfully of course. Here are some guaraní and mapuche names i like, i didn’t modify these at all.

Kerana, guaraní “goddess of sleep”, or sleepy one.

Karai, guaraní, “respectable man”.

Luriel, guaraní, “lord of the wind”.

Amaru, guaraní, “rain”.

Anahí, guaraní, from a legend, the name of a young woman burned at the stake by the conquistadors, after which she is transformed into the flowering tree.

Newén, mapuche, "strength"

Nahuel, mapuche, “jaguar”

Ayelén, mapuche, “laughing”.

Tahiel, mapuche, “hombre libre”

For Dwarven names, i am deeply sorry i haven't decided on a Dwarf Rook yet so i haven't done my dwarven research, but the same process applies: check the canon dwarf names we got so far, if the lore says anything about dwarven naming conventions, if they're a commoner or noble, if there are caste-specific names too, and so on. And if you want to name your dwarf Rook Bob, that's fine too! ( if DUNE can have Paul and Jessica, why couldn't we have a dwarf named Bob?? like i said, go wild, name freely, be happy)

I understand some people don't want to or aren't sure about naming their Rooks until we learn what the different canon surnames will be, and i totally get that, i felt the same way. But i couldn't resist until we got that info so i overdid it, particularly with my Tevinter-Nevarran mage whose name i picked clearly inspired by Cassandra's full name, only for me to end up calling her by the first of her five names that i kinda struggle to remember. So far we've only seen one canon surname, "Thorne", and since surnames are defined by factions, Thorne seems to be the Grey Wardens' canon surname. The elf Grey Warden champion seen in the recent high-level combat gameplay is named Esha Thorne.

I think maybe surnames should depend on what they're now calling lineage (elven, qunari, human, dwarf) rather than on factions, or they could have offered options, one per lineage and one per faction, and let us decide which one to keep. An elf named Thorne sounds a bit odd to me, even if they're a Grey Warden. Will any of my chosen names match the canon surnames? Probably not, but at least i had fun while naming them. My only GW for now is Favian and Favian Thorne doesn't sound bad.

Anyway, I hope this helps those who are a bit lost to find names that works for you and your Rooks, have fun!

[illusivesoul]

Why Rendon Howe is evil

This is a little theory thats been going around in my head for several days.

Rendon Howe. Evil personified. Probably one of the most despicable and hated characters in the Dragon Age series. One of the characters thats most easily defined as being just plain bad and evil, with good reason. Even in the game itself no one likes him (with 1 exception that I'll mention later in this post)

In the game, we really aren't given many reasons as to why he is the way he is and why he does the thing he does beyond saying he's evil, power hungry, and like he himself says as he dies, "I deserved more!" But recently I started to become curious about him to try to find out what had made him become like this, cause I prefer villains to have some complexity that goes beyond just "He's evil just because".

Rest of the analysis under the cut.

.

My main theory of why I think Rendon became "evil" is cause he may have suffered brain damage due to his injuries while fighting against Orlais with Maric and his rebels. My first thought for this came cause historically, Henry the 8th of England suffered several brain injuries during sporting events, and its believed that his injuries led to him having a severe personality change, which led to him become more radical, tyrannical and murderous.

After the death of his father and the Howe family joining the rebellion, Rendon joined Maric's forces and became close friends with Bryce Cousland, future Teyrn of Highever, and Leonas Bryland, future Arl of South Reach. The 3 of them fought together in the Battle of White River, which was the worse defeat the rebels suffered in the war against Orlais, and only 50 of the initial thousand soldier strong fereldan army survived.

Rendon was very badly injured during the battle, and Bryce and Leonas had to dragged him away to safety as the rebel army was crushed by the orlesians. Bryce was injured in the arm while trying to save Rendon from a chevalier. They got Rendon to Redcliffe and stayed with him for a month while he recovered before leaving to rejoin Maric and the rest of the rebel forces. While Rendon recovered in Redcliffe, he was tended to by Leonas's sister, Eliane, until he eventually recovered months later. He eventually proposed to her and they got married.

And here is the first bit of evidence we get of Rendon's attitude and behaviour completely changing after that battle and his wounds. From the wiki: "Leonas had become concerned by the changes in his friend's behavior since the battle and attempted to prevent the marriage." And some other quotes from Leonas that we get to her in dao: "Rendon Howe was no friend of mine. The boy I knew... died at the Battle of White River" and "That he didn't die years ago is the only thing worth mourning here." Leonas cut all contact with Rendon after he told him that he was only marrying his sister for her dowry and connections.

This goes back to what I mentioned earlier about the one person that seemed to care for Rendon. That person is Bryce Cousland.

Bryce and Eleanor were the only people that attended Rendon and Eliane's wedding, and even though Rendon was treated as a pariah by almost everyone in fereldan nobility, Bryce still maintained a friendly relation with Rendon, and seemed to have an almost protective attitude towards him, which contrasts greatly with how Leonas feels about Rendon. And this is where I came up with another theory about why this is. I believe that Bryce feels personally responsible for the injuries and near death that Rendon suffered during the Battle of White River and feels that he is somehow obligated to look after him. I can only hc why these could be, but maybe Rendon got injured while protecting Bryce, or maybe Bryce's actions during the battle led to Rendon's injuries. Maybe that's why Bryce seems to have keep pushing for the friendship that he once had with him, even though he clearly no longer was the same person. Cause Bryce felt responsible for the way Rendon had turned out.

Its possible that Rendon was just always like this, and those months he spent recovering just made him become super resentful against everything and everyone, but I do believe that the near death injuries he suffered during that battle, including possible head injuries and brain trauma, led to his personality changing and to him becoming the sheer villain we see ingame.

And to finish, a bit of background as to why Rendon would have hated Bryce even despite of this, here's a bit of info about them and about the relation between Highever and Amaranthine.

Rendon's father, Tarleton, supported Orlais during their occupation of Ferelden, and was eventually hanged by the Couslands before the Howes officially joined the rebellion. Adding the fact that Highever was once part of Amaranthine before they rebelled to gain their independence and annexed a good part of southern Amaranthine after winning their independence war, it adds some context to how Rendon could have seen this part of his greater vengeance against the Couslands and Highever for killing his father and taking away land from Amaranthine.

TL,DR: Rendon Howe suffered grieveous injuries during the war against Orlais, including possible brain injuries which may have led to a complete personality shift and to him becoming the person that we see him being in the game.

[linka-from-captain-planet]

This is Part 2 of #celeneposting about the notion that content from The Masked Empire is "missing" from WEWH: the purge

What's interesting about this take is that often, the biggest thing that people cite as being "missing" isn't missing at all: Celene's purge of the rebelling elven slum in Halamshiral.

It's most definitely present in the game - it's just not emphasized in a way some fans find satisfying, because the fans and the narrative have different priorities.

Fans rightfully see this event as a major tragedy because they're sympathetic to elves... but Thedas isn't. Nobody but the elven servant from Halamshiral brings it up in any significant way because it's only a significant event to the elves of Halamshiral. Otherwise, it's only remarkable because it was the first major gambit and battle in the Orlesian Civil War. It was a rebellion against the Empire, the Empire crushed it, 1 + 1 = 2. Narratively, the point of the purge is to move the plot of TME and introduce a major rift in Celene and Briala's relationship, leading to its later implosion and the choices they both make as a result. It was never meant to be an all-consuming world-defining event.

That it's only brought up in reference to Briala's blackmail makes sense. Again, the purge itself isn't the point - the point is that Briala spent most of her life serving and sleeping with the Empress who did it, but then installs herself as the leader of the elven advancement movement. The blackmail is that Briala tried to eliminate her associate - one of the people she's allegedly championing - to keep this a secret, and prevent others from doubting or judging her commitment to her cause. That's the scandal that Briala wants to bury enough that she can be blackmailed over it. The purge couldn't possibly be used as blackmail against Celene, because firstly it's common knowledge, and secondly because it holds no such leverage over her that the Inquisitor could use to force her cooperation in the quest.

Beyond that, it also makes sense that the quest de-emphasizes this atrocity against elves as a factor in the player's choice to support Celene or not, because then the quest would have also had to emphasize Gaspard's hatred of and violence toward elves as a factor in the choice to support him or not. (This is also something that the player would only really know by reading TME, but is mysteriously rarely cited as "missing" from the quest). It would have been a wash - you cannot put an ass on the Orlesian throne that hasn't bathed in elven blood, so it's more important to spend time and resources on the other reasons for supporting either candidate that show their differences.

And even if it were emphasized, only Celene is openly remorseful and wants to do better, so she still would have come out looking better than Gaspard. There's no choice of a candidate who has not committed state-sanctioned violence against elves - only a choice of who is less likely to do it again.

Regardless of the de-emphasis, if the player feels that Celene doesn't deserve the throne or deserves to die because of the purge, the information is there and there's nothing stopping them. They just might have to metagame and/or headcanon a bit, and that's just the way the cookie crumbles when a player makes an RP decision outside of the intent of the quest.

[sapphim]

All variations of that scene where Hawke's companions try to rescue them from the dungeon in Mark of the Assassin (someone please help them they're trying so hard). There is, of course, a danaduchy video compilation, but! I wanted something searchable so here it is.

also, while I'm here: look at my mod boy

Anders + Aveline

Anders: How many blighted rooms does this place have? Aveline: We've passed that sconce three times already. Anders: This is ridiculous! How could you get us lost inside the castle? Aveline: Right, it's my fault. Shall I go ask one of the guards for directions?

Anders + Bethany (Act 1)

Anders: Don't panic, but I think we've been through here before. Bethany: How can you tell? Every part of this dungeon looks exactly the same! Anders: You too? I thought it was just me. Bethany: Some rescue this is! My brother is probably being tortured right now, and we're lost in the middle of the hallway! Bethany: Some rescuers we are! The duke could be torturing my sister right now, and we're lost in the blighted hallway!

Anders + Bethany (Act 2-3)

Anders: Don't panic, but I think we've been through here before. Bethany: You're the one tearing your hair out. Anders: Typical Warden disregard. Do you even care anymore? Bethany: Yes, you should talk about what caring looks like. Keep moving. Anders: Does the Kirkwall Circle teach you to be smug? In addition to obedient, I mean. Bethany: When appropriate. Come on, let's just find them.

Anders + Carver

Anders: I told you we shouldn't have turned left back there! Carver: Excuse me if I don't share my dear brother's sense of direction! Carver: Maker forgive me for not having my sister's sense of direction! Anders: Oh, for Andraste's sake! Leave Hawke out of this! Carver: Perhaps we'll find our way by considering the plight of mages in modern—shut your bloody face!

Anders + Fenris

Anders: That's it. I'm taking the lead. Fenris: You think I'm going trust you to find Hawke? Anders: Could you stop with the, "All mages are evil," diatribe for one minute? Fenris: They may not all be evil, but one of them in particular is extremely annoying.

Anders + Isabela

Anders: All right, we should have tried your suggestion. Isabela: Which? Challenging the guards to a game of riddles and making, "Where is Hawke?" one of the questions? Anders: I meant the, "Follow one wall, and you'll navigate the maze," idea. Isabela: Well, we can try it next time. Either that, or, "Let's get a sledgehammer and break down the walls." I thought that had merit.

Anders + Merrill

Anders: What is wrong with Orlesians? Why build a prison with this many identical cells? Merrill: Maybe we should ask for directions. Anders: Of course, we'll say, "We're staging a daring prison break. Could you tell us where our friend is and then tie yourself up? Thanks!" Merrill: It's not possible to tie yourself up, is it? You'd never get the knots right.

Anders + Sebastian

Sebastian: Andraste, Lady of Sorrows, lead us from the darkness into the Maker's Light… Anders: Would you stop that? Andraste is not going to find Hawke for us! Sebastian: Have some faith, Anders. Anders: I have complete faith in your ability to make a bad situation worse!

Anders + Varric

Varric: Blondie, I hate to say this, but I'm pretty sure we've been here before. Anders: Blast it! But we went left this time! We shouldn't have come full-circle again! Varric: I wish I hadn't given that ball of twine to Daisy. Anders: You can't tell anyone about this! I mean it, Varric! Not a word!

Aveline + Bethany (Act 1)

Aveline: This can't be right. Bethany: We could sneak back to the kitchens and ask the servants where they are! If… we knew how to get there. Aveline: I'm not getting turned around again. Straight ahead. Bethany: Right. Because that's been working so well thus far.

Aveline + Bethany (Acts 2-3)

Aveline: This can't be right. Bethany: We could double back, I suppose. I expect we've got time. Aveline: Knowing your [sister/brother]? Probably. Bethany: Still, better make it look good. Wouldn't want her to feel neglected. Bethany: Still, we'd better hurry. Poor Brother might think we don't miss him.

Aveline + Carver (Act 1)

Carver: You never listen to me! Aveline: Say something worthwhile and I'll start! Carver: Right, shut up and follow orders. Left, right, that's what makes a good guardling. Aveline: Ugh. You're still such a tit.

Aveline + Carver (Acts 2-3)

Carver: The place is a maze. Another pass and then double back? Aveline: Sounds good. we'll do that. Carver: Really? Aveline: There a reason I should doubt you, [Warden/templar]?

Aveline + Fenris

Aveline: Did we turn left last time, or right? Fenris: What does it matter? Lost is lost. Aveline: I'm trying to change that, you sour…. Aveline: How does Hawke put up with this?

Aveline + Isabela

Isabela: If you'd let me handle that last guard, we'd have found Hawke by now! Aveline: Right. You'd be bent over a desk, and we'd be no closer than we are now. Isabela: Well, I'd be closer to something. Aveline: Shut up, whore.

Aveline + Merrill

Merrill: Aveline? Remember how you told me to tell you if I noticed anything peculiar? Merrill: Well, we've passed the same cracked floor tile nine times now. Aveline: We've been walking in circles and you only tell me now? Merrill: I wasn't sure. Maybe there are a lot of tiles broken in exactly the same way!

Aveline + Sebastian

Aveline: Ugh! We're back where we started! Sebastian: Blessed Andraste, guide us. Protect our friends in this dark hour. Aveline: While you're at it, ask the sky for reinforcements. And pie. Sebastian: You know, that kind of prayer has never worked for me.

Aveline + Varric

Aveline: We've been going in circles for over an hour. Varric: I'm so used to Hawke leading the way, I think my sense of direction has withered. Varric: So… wait here for [him/her] to rescue us? Aveline: When you tell this part? Leave it out.

Bethany + Fenris (Act 1)

Bethany: What am I going to tell Mother? "Sorry, I got lost and left your heir in an Orlesian's dungeon?" Bethany: She will never forgive me. My [brother/sister] will never forgive me! Carver and Father will come back from the grave just to haunt me! Fenris: What she'll say should be the least of your worries. We may die in here, and she'll never get the news. Bethany: You are not helping.

Bethany + Fenris (Acts 2-3)

Bethany: Bloody runaround twisted shite of a maze. Fenris: You've learned a few new words. Bethany: Wardens get called a few. Fenris: Undeservedly, I'm sure. Bethany: Not every book in the Circle is high literature. Fenris: Obviously.

Bethany + Isabela (Act 1)

Bethany: What are we going to do? Isabela: All right, just stay calm! What do we usually do when we're lost? Bethany: We ask my brother. Bethany: We'd ask my sister where to go. Isabela: Oh. Right. Well, we're screwed.

Bethany + Isabela (Acts 2-3)

Bethany: So, know where we're going? Isabela: Not a damned clue. Bethany: (Laughs.) Me neither! Isabela: Right. We pass the kitchen, I'm grabbing a bottle.

Bethany + Merrill (Act 1)

Bethany: Are we out of twine? Merrill: Yes. I was going to drop breadcrumbs, but we don't have any bread. Bethany: I can't believe we're this lost! Merrill: Don't worry! If we keep going, eventually we'll get somewhere! Probably an airing cupboard. I seem to wind up in those a lot.

Bethany + Merrill (Acts 2-3)

Bethany: Lost your spool of twine? Merrill: Yes. I was going to drop breadcrumbs, but we don't have any bread. Bethany: We'll find them, if they're still here to be found. Merrill: Don't worry! If we keep going, eventually we'll get somewhere! Probably an airing cupboard. I seem to wind up in those a lot.

Bethany + Sebastian

Bethany: No, the layout is wrong. We're back where we started. Bethany: [Warden] I swear, what I wouldn't give for a straightforward Deep Road and— Bethany: [Circle] It's backwards from every book on Orlais I've seen. It's just not— Sebastian: [the stupid little smirk and the head tilt and then running off full tilt without saying a word why did he do so much lmaoo] Bethany: [Sebmance active] Sister, you lucky bitch. Bethany: [else] Oh, Maker.

Bethany + Varric (Act 1)

Bethany: Aren't dwarves supposed to have some sort of "stone sense?" Varric: What good is that? Most of the chateau is stone. Knowing where the floor's at isn't going to help us. Bethany: Can't you… I don't know… always find your way around in… caves or something? Varric: Sunshine, all the caves we go to look exactly the same to me.

Bethany + Varric (Acts 2-3)

Bethany: Keep up, Varric. I'm sure we're almost there. Varric: You've certainly quickened your stride in the last few years. Bethany: [Warden] I found out there's a lot more to run from. Varric: And towards, I hope. Speaking of which, to the rescue! Bethany: [Circle] Too much to learn, or, you know, rescue. Varric: There's my Sunshine. Let's go!

Carver + Fenris (Act 1)

Carver: Shitting… piss-eared Orlesians and their… blighted dungeons! Fenris: "Piss-eared?" Did you get that from Meeran? Carver: We're lost and all you can do is criticize me? Fenris: It passes the time.

Carver + Fenris (Acts 2-3)

Carver: Orlesians. Can't build a hallway without turning it into a maze. Fenris: Keep going. I'm sure your training will kick in any moment. Carver: Still don't like me? I've tried to change. Fenris: You have. Now you're dangerous. Let's move.

Carver + Isabela (Act 1)

Carver: You just leave this to me. I can handle everything. Isabela: How could I possibly interfere? Carver, the magnificent hero to the rescue! Carver: Do you have to do that? Really? Isabela: No, this is strictly optional.

Carver + Isabela (Acts 2-3)

Carver: You just leave this to me. I can handle everything. Isabela: I'm starting to think you could. Carver: What was that? A compliment? I'm a little frightened. Isabela: I know! Let's get these people rescued before it happens again.

Carver + Merrill (Act 1)

Carver: I don't understand it! This should be the right way. Merrill: If we have to be lost somewhere, at least it's a nice hallway! Very well built, not at all likely to collapse. Carver: Don't worry. It's got to be… left. Is it left? I mean, of course it's left. Merrill: Also, I'm pretty sure spiders won't attack us! Not even the little ones.

Carver + Merrill (Acts 2-3, no Merrillmance)

Carver: Okay, we're lost together. Both of us, not that we're "together" together. Merrill: If we have to be lost somewhere, at least it's a nice hallway! Very well built, not at all likely to collapse. Carver: Right, well, back to rescuing… wait. You're doing that on purpose! Merrill: (Giggles.)

Carver + Merrill (Acts 2-3, Merrillmance active)

Carver: A shame we didn't have time like this back in Kirkwall. Back then. Merrill: If we have to be lost somewhere, at least it's a nice hallway! Very well built, not at all likely to collapse. Carver: Right, well, let's get to it. My [sister/brother] will be missing you. Merrill: I'm glad you think so.

Carver + Sebastian

Carver: And we are back to front yet again. Sebastian: Blessed Andraste, guide us. Protect our friends in this dark hour. Carver: Right. Prayer. Useful, useful. Or we could do something. Sebastian: Guide us by the wisdom of your light… in silence.

Carver + Varric (Act 1)

Carver: Go ahead. I know you're thinking it, dwarf. Varric: What? What did I do now? Carver: "Your brother wouldn't have gotten lost. He'd have rescued everyone by now." Carver: "Your sister wouldn't have gotten lost! She'd have us all back at the tavern by now!" Varric: Actually, I was thinking, "All these hallways look alike." But sure, knock yourself out, Junior.

Carver + Varric (Acts 2-3)

Carver: So, we're lost. Varric: Just like old times. Carver: Maker, I hope not. I was an ass. Varric: (Laughs.) Fair comment, Junior. All right, let's get this done.

Fenris + Isabela

Fenris: So… we're lost? Isabela: Definitely. Fenris: Now what do we do? Isabela: I could try to guess the color of your underclothes again.

Fenris + Merrill

Fenris: I don't want to hear another word out of you. Merrill: But I was just— Fenris: Not. One. Word. Merrill: Is it all right if I hum? Or maybe whistle?

Fenris + Sebastian

Fenris: Maybe you should start praying that we'll find them. Sebastian: I have been for the last half an hour. I could do so out loud, if you'd prefer. Sebastian: Blessed Andraste, Bride of the Maker, deliver us from this warren of evil. Fenris: In that case, maybe you should stop.

Fenris + Varric

Fenris: And… here we are again. For the fourth time. Varric: Fifth, I think. Fenris: What do we do now? Varric: Play Diamondback and wait for Hawke to find us?

Isabela + Merrill

Merrill: Isabela? Um… I think we've been here before. We've passed that same cracked tile six times now. Isabela: Andraste's granny-panties! I knew things were going too smoothly! Merrill: Does Andraste really wear granny-panties? How do you know all these things? Isabela: (Sighs.) Come on, Kitten. Let's see if we can find the entrance and start again.

Isabela + Sebastian

Isabela: Eenie, meenie, miney, moe… Sebastian: I'm not sure that's the best way to find them. Isabela: We already tried "pray for Andraste to guide us" and "wander like drunken vagrants." We're running out of options. Isabela: Unless you want to find a chicken for an augury, we're going with counting games.

Isabela + Varric

Isabela: I give up! We've been through every inch of this place twice, and there's no sign of them! Varric: Or we've been through the same twenty feet of this place about a dozen times. It's hard to tell, Rivaini. Isabela: We should have gone treasure-hunting in Wildervale instead. Varric: You're still upset that you couldn't swipe a drink from the party, aren't you?

Merrill + Sebastian

Merrill: I… think we've been through here before. Sebastian: Now that you mention it, we have seen that chipped cornice a few times, haven't we? Merrill: All right, don't panic! Every other time I've gotten very lost, Hawke has found me. Sebastian: Merrill? I don't think he can rescue us until we rescue him first. Sebastian: Uh, Merrill? I don't think she can rescue us before we rescue her.

Merrill + Varric

Varric: Daisy? You don't happen to have that ball of twine, do you? Merrill: I knew I forgot something when we left Kirkwall! Varric: Don't beat yourself up over it. We'll just… wait here until I think of something. Merrill: I'm sure that won't take very long. You're always thinking of things!

Sebastian + Varric

Sebastian: When you tell people about this part of our adventure, what are you going to say? Varric: That depends entirely on the audience, Choir Boy. Sebastian: You change the story to suit the listener? Varric: Of course. All the bullshit in the world won't convince Hawke we rescued him if he finds us first. Varric: No bullshit—however well-told—will persuade Hawke that we rescued her if she finds us first. That's common sense.

[moghedien]

the timeline of Leliana’s Song vs things said in the city elf origin leave wiggle room for interpretation of exactly when Adaia died and there’s no clear answer for that which I love because I go feral for the potential there

like I’m obsessed with the idea that maybe Adaia did escape the dungeons and maybe she did tell her teenage child that there was a good human that saved her. And that child got their mother back for a little while and was old enough to consider that maybe their mother wasn’t lying and there might be a few decent humans. And then more humans caused trouble and Adaia was killed and there was no “good” human around to save her this time.

And the idea of this random good human becomes like a bitter thing in her child’s mind because the child has seen no evidence of this. They’ve only seen the evil humans can commit in them. They took Adaia twice. But that doesn’t change the fact that a human DID save Adaia from being tortured and killed in a dungeon. They got Adaia back for a little while because of a good human and it becomes a sort of nagging bitter feeling they feel conflicted about.

And then that child grows up and has a wedding that humans use as an excuse to hurt them and their family. They’ve never met a good human. Maybe some (like the priests) will tolerate them enough to perform chantry rituals for them. Duncan may have only helped them because he wanted to conscript them into the Wardens and take them from their family when they’re needed the most.

So Adaia’s child is taken from their home because they’re useful to humans. They end up getting burdened with responsibilities because they’re useful and because of the skills Adaia taught them. They end up traveling with a number of humans. They get exposed to the world outside of the alienage for the first time. Things probably change slowly for them, as they’re getting closer to people and experiencing more. Some humans will like them because they’re needed to save the day. Some humans might just be nice to them for no reason. Then again, a lot won’t and will resent them regardless. Some will just pretend not to notice that a knife ears is leading the Wardens, but it’s clear they do. It’s both validating and complicating their worldview. Maybe their mother wasn’t lying about a human saving her because they were just good. Then again, maybe the human just saved a random elf by happenstance and not from goodness.

They probably get close to number of their human companions in a variety of ways. The fact that the humans are all different and get along to varying degrees is probably complicating their worldview. The fact that they might try to get closer to an elf for no obvious reason instead of sticking together probably complicates it more. Everything is probably very confusing for a very long time.

Maybe Adaia’s child recruits a strange Chantry sister from Lothering, another human. Maybe they find themselves getting closer to her in ways they never expected possible with a human (or with another woman even). And then they find Leliana more and more complicated the more they get closer to her. She’s Orlesian and Ferelden. She’s a spy and a killer, but a Chantry sister and the most earnestly devout person they’ve probably ever met. She’s says offensive things about elves to their face and then actually apologizes to them and thanks them for showing her it was offensive. She will talk big about her seduction skills and then stumble every step of the way as she’s trying to flirt with them. Information about her history and her life trickles in slowly as she gets closer to them and is willing to reveal more.

By the time they’ve learned much about Leliana, Adaia’s child probably realizes how complicated the world actually is for everyone. Maybe they’ve met the dalish and found themselves being looked down on and treated either as human would be or as a child. Maybe they’ve gone to Ozrzammar and realized that oppression can exist outside of human and elves and the Chantry. Maybe they’ve returned home. Maybe they’ve tried to return home and found they weren’t allowed in, to protect them from the rioting elves within. Maybe they’ve saved the queen. Maybe they’ve killed Logain. Maybe they’ve slayed the archdemon and saved the whole damned world by the time it comes. It could be never or after these or anywhere in between when it happens.

But imagine Adaia’s child who is not an adult with a very complicated and shifting worldview, who used to only have the concept of there being at least one good human to complicate their world. One good human that gave them their mother back for a little while at least. And now they’re close to a human. They’re in love with a human who is extremely complicated and who won’t tell them honest truths about her past until they’re very close and much time has passed. Time in which their worldview has probably shifted a great deal and got much more complicated.

Imagine how it would go for Adaia’s child in this circumstance when the details of Leliana’s past finally come out and she’s willing to talk about them. When they find out that the same estate where she was betrayed and tortured was the estate they rampaged through, slaughtering humans to save their family and themself.

And it isn’t even pride that makes her reveal it. She isn’t bragging. She didnt feel like she was a good person in the moment. She struggles to feel like she’s a person now, even when she knows her actions are for the greater good. So imagine Adaia’s child when Leliana almost offhandedly mentions saving other prisoners from the dungeon. Including an elven woman who said she’d tell her child about Leliana and the fact that there are good humans like her.

[quitefair]

alright time to gripe about inquisition again (what’s new)

dyou know i barely understood what the fuck was going on in orlais politically from just playing the game? i’m basic, i never read the masked empire, also by the time we hit like wewh i am absolutely not reading all the codex entries because im distracted with how pretty orlais looks VISUALLY and also mentally scarred from all the warden nonsense

but in doing research i found out a bunch of COMPLETELY WILD THINGS that the game does that they don’t??? talk about???

okay so here’s the deal:

Vivienne’s lover is this guy called Duke Bastien of Ghislain. A dude you have to help kinda save as part of Vivienne’s personal quest (I have even more gripes about how Vivienne’s character and arc was so poorly handled but that’s a post of its own)

So yeah this dude

Crusty old guy you kinda only see as some random B plot side quest with no relevance. But okay okay I went in and read up about him right? 

He’s the head of the College of Heralds. Yknow what they do? They literally handle any and all problems to do with titles and lineage related to them among the Orlesian nobility. They were called in when Emperor Florian died in 9:20 Dragon without an heir. They were the ones that chose Celene over Gaspard as the new ruler of Orlais.

They’re technically the reason the entire Civil War happens in the first place!!!! The Fuck!!!!!!! I may be stupid but I don’t think anybody stressed on this in the game???

Also wait, there’s more yeah!!!

This dude had a wife (who died or something idek the details sorry) and had two kids - Calienne and Laurent

Calienne, mind you, went on to fuckin MARRY??? GASPARD DE CHALONS??? Duke Gaspard was this DUDE’S SON IN LAW???? A dude that he (as part of the College of Heralds) chose to snub as they chose his cousin as the Empress instead of him????

This is fucking wild you guys.

Calienne supports Gaspards claim to the throne despite what her father did, plays a part in the assassination of Celene’s mother, and eventually was murdered by Celene’s father and cousin (another thing I had to read with my own eyes was that Duke Motherfucking Prosper of Mark of the Assassin infamy was Celene’s relative. Oh also that his son Cyril is also on the Council of Heralds and is also the Orlesian representative at the Exalted Council??? What the Motherfucking Shit???)

On the other hand, we have his other child Laurent.

On first pass I seriously got him confused with the dude that tries to get the Inquisition to pay taxes to him cause he owns the land around Haven?? THEYRE WEARING THE SAME OUTFIT???

But apparently they’re not the same guy. And the only time you interact with him in person is in Skyhold after Vivienne’s personal quest where he thanks you for helping his dad or something. You barely see the guy, and he’s apparently the heir to all his father’s lands and titles, including the seat at the Council of Heralds?? While his BROTHER IN LAW is MOTHERFUCKING GASPARD DE CHALONS????

And despite all of this, the only more you can learn about him is through this absolutely random war table mission where you help him out and they give the Inquisition some insignificant strip of land in Orlais??

Dude what the fuuuuuck.........

[vigilskeep]

Do you ever wonder about Wardens that joined during the Blight? I dont mean Daveth or Jory, or even the PC, I mean Wardens from entire countries outside of Ferelden who like, joined in anticipation for when Ferelden was overrun by Darkspawn, preparing to die to keep the Darkspawn away from thier boarders, to go down swinging sticking it to the Archdemon, or at least die trying.

Only the fight never comes. These rookie chucklefucks somehow stop the Blight in under a year. An unprecidented ammount of time when previous Blights were considered short if they took decades to stop, nevermind the aftermath of the taint on the land, but somehow, just 2-3 novices manage to set the speedrun record of stopping the apocalypse at a year. And depending on your worldstate, they don't even have the decency to have died doing it like they were supposed to, either.

How robbed, do you think some Wardens felt? How many of them do you think felt absolutely rattled at the injustice of it all? You had this destiny, even if it was as one soldier against a hoarde, you were going to die a hero in a blaze of glory, even if it was just as a soldier keeping the hoardes away from the smallfolk. Only, no. That isn't what the Maker or Creators or Anscestors had in mind for you. You threw away your life, shortening it to 30 years from now, for nothing. Your blaze of glory is going to be in a deep dark tunnel miles from the surface overwhelmed by darkspawn or you become a ghoul.

How sick with jealousy, do you think some wardens are, after Origins?

(Sorry for the ramble, I was thinking about Last Flight and how it went in depth on that Blight and blacked out)

i think about this a lot actually when thinking about the orlesian warden-commander who replaces a dead HOF. the orlesian wardens didn’t come to help you in dao because they decided to cut their losses, let the darkspawn have ferelden, and prepare. for a year. weisshaupt must have been sent to. a continent full of wardens were mobilising and surely recruiting like mad. and then nothing. it was all for nothing, there is none of the fight you promised these new wardens in exchange for their lives, there is no reasonable answer for any of the powerful people you requisitioned resources from, and if the dark ritual was done, the warden who made it—someone with no training, who is nothing like you—didn’t even die! they didn’t even pay the price for the glory, and maker only knows how they gambled with the grey wardens’ duty to achieve that.

i think it was a missed opportunity not to get one of these people as a companion for awakening, actually. would’ve been really fun to have that resentment turn to respect as they realise you earned all you won

of course all the orlesian wardens who come after the blight die like suckers off-screen at the start of awakening so maybe it’s for the best the fight was never up to them

good thing to think about for grey warden rooks who are 40+

[v-arbellanaris]

hello! i was perusing your ‘vee-verse’ timeline and noticed that you have arl howe poisoning arl eamon in loghain’s name. i know canonically the circumstances surrounding the poisoning of that old man are, broadly speaking, temporally interesting, and that does seem like a satisfying way of resolving it to me, but i was wondering if you had any more developed ideas on what arl howe’s game would be with that premise?

like, from a watsonian perspective, if you’ll forgive the usage of the term, what was his long term plan if ostagar hadn’t gone down the way it did? was the intent to generally sow discord btwn the king & his advisors, or was there a motivation behind framing loghain specifically? what’s the political motivation for going after eamon outside of the whole ‘civil war ending landsmeet’ context? i suppose it’s enough that he was powerful & influential/would have reinforced cailan wrt responding to the cousland business..? unless there’s another angle i’m missing.

Lest…i am simply taking all of it too seriously and it’s just that someone had to take the dipshit cartoon villain plan L??? i come to you, in humble supplication, for your thoughts. thank you for your time!

AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVE BEEN WAITING 84 YEARS FOR SOMEONE TO ASK ME ABOUT THISSSSS

RIGHT OK so my understanding of rendon howe's character is that he feels DEPRIVED. "maker spit on you, i deserved more." his LAST WORDS, and to me, it's so revealing about his intentions.

he gave everything to the rebellion - his father sided with orlais. howe fought against his own family for ferelden. the couslands executed his father, and his uncle - who also fought for the rebellion - was put up as the arl of amaranthine. howe fought at the battle of white river - he was so injured during the battle that leonas bryland and bryce cousland had to drag him off. the battle of white river happened after maric disappeared, while the southern army was searching for him. the northern army fought off two new regiments of chevaliers before they could cross the border and storm the hinterlands.

and it was a catastrophic loss.

only 50 rebel soldiers survive. howe was so injured he couldn't rejoin the army. imagine you're rendon howe. queen moira is dead. you have given everything to this rebellion, fighting on even as the prince has disappeared. you don't really know if you're going to recover, or even if you do, if you'll ever be the way you were before the war. your friends stay with you, for a little while, but they leave and rejoin the army, they go on fighting without you.

bryce, equally complicit in the loss at the battle of white river, your friend, who only injured his arm protecting you, recovered enough to take part in the rest of the war, destroys a dozen ships in the battle of denerim harbour with the seawolf herself. his father dies - not because of the rebellion, but an illness - and when he goes home to bury his father, everyone lines up to swear fealty to him. even your own people swear fealty to him, before you. you, who gave everything to claim this country's freedom. you, who stood apart from your own father to protect the nation. you, now stuck in south reach, tended to by bryland's sister. and even bryland gets a medal of valour, for making the journey. what do you get, for the blood you spilt? what do you get for your sacrifices?

prince maric - now king - is found. a new general at his left hand. some fucking nobody poacher, some fucking farmer's son pretending at lordship. rumours of a battle in gwaren, that this commoner was in, and how king maric survived the battle, their forces won against great odds and were able to push the orlesians back unlike at the battle of white river. the commoner is promoted. the southern army, with maric in tow, attack west hill with the idea of crippling the chevaliers' resources. they lose the battle, but loghain - this fucking commoner - ensures maric survives, and somehow maric walks away with half their forces dead and a new treaty with the legion of the dead. king maric, with his left hand commander, reclaims gwaren for ferelden; orlesian forces flee.

and then, of course, the battle of river dane. two regiments of chevaliers sent over the river. loghain mac tir, this commoner made commander, somehow wins. it's a pivotal, historic win. the loss at river dane makes emperor florian retract his support of meghren's occupation of ferelden. without this support, meghren's forces retreat to fort drakon, and meghren himself is killed by maric in a year's time. for his victory at the battle of river dane, this commoner maric found by the roadside is named teyrn of gwaren.

what do you get? what do you get for your sacrifices?

ok enough of that, i hope u get the idea. that's why i do think he targeted loghain specifically, though. and i do think he planned to sow discord between cailan and loghain - if you talk to the soldiers at ostagar, they do mention that loghain and cailan have been arguing for a while, even before the battle preparations. loghain's legitimacy as teyrn and the commander of the king's army comes from his personal connection and relationship with maric, and by extension, the theirin line. you can see how quickly the bannorn turn on him, and anora, the moment cailan dies. irrespective of whether you believe he did it on purpose or not (and i, personally, do not believe he somehow rigged the entire battle of ostagar so as to leave cailan to die, but ymmv), the fact is that the entire civil war is a rebellion against loghain, and i've talked a bit specifically here abt why that is kind of... insane to think abt, contextually. i think that's specifically bc loghain has a commoner's background and is not nobility by birth. i suspect that howe's plan was to kill the couslands, pin the blame on loghain and watch this already unstable relationship between the theirins and the mac tirs explode. and if that wasn't enough - and honestly, it was a pretty shoddy scheme considering loghain and his forces are all at ostagar at the time of the murder and cailan himself does not seem to suspect loghain of the act (if you play the cousland origin, he seems to already know abt the couslands dying before you demand justice for what was done to your family, so i assume that holds true irrespective of whether or not the warden is a cousland), which i take as a vote of confidence in loghain as opposed to cailan simply not knowing abt the attempt to blame loghain - then he'd continue on with eamon, and then likely teagan, etc, until he successfully shattered the theirin-mac tir relationship... or sowed enough discontent with the bannorn that they would collectively push cailan to act, even if he didn't necessarily think it was warranted.

i think howe would have thought he'd be content with the teyrnir, whether it was bryce's or loghain's, but the way he decided to kidnap anora independently of loghain... and imprisons her in his estate, his house where he lives... a few rooms down from where we know the bedrooms are if we played the city elf origin... the flimsy accusation of treason for her imprisonment, acting like loghain ordered him to do it... when loghain himself consistently & firmly argues that he is anora's regent (presumably because his daughter is... oh... idk... mourning her recently deceased husband mayhaps???...) and the general of her armies but that anora is already the queen ferelden has & needs... when in actuality anora came to confront him about some dark rumours she heard abt her father...

to me, that says he's already plotting his next steps - take loghain out of the picture, marry anora himself and assume the throne. idk what he thought he was gonna do about teagan, but i assume it wouldn't have been pretty.

but again!!! this is all my headcanon and based off my interpretations of canon events and information, and not canonically true or factual! so ymmv!

[azems-familiar]

This is random but you are the first person I’ve seen headcanon the same thing I do about Lavellan ending up pregnant right before the end of the events of DA:I and having to deal with the political fallout because it is most definitely Solas’

I always feel so weird for talking about it but hey now there’s at least two of us!!!! The angst potential is just so good. Anyway ily🖤

oh thank you!! YEAH i've had that hc since i finished dai last year - Vythral'a never officially admits who her father is, and tries very hard in general to keep her existence a secret, which probably works ish right until trespasser happens, when everything starts falling apart. for a While since i didn't think we'd ever get a da4 i headcanoned her telling Solas about Iveani during the end of trespasser and joining him, but now with everything i've been hearing about dav and things i think it'd be way more fun and angsty to not do that - have Vythral'a suffer the fallout of her lover she won't denounce, her child she won't admit the paternity to, she has a clan she won't go back home to, her best friend is Tevinter, she strong-armed the Orlesian government and they aren't very happy with her....i just don't foresee her having a very good 10 years, and i am honestly SO excited for it. (i've also been considering editing her canon to have her sacrifice the Chargers. i love them A Lot but Bull is her other best friend and how crunchy would it be to have. her lover be the Dread Wolf and leave her. her best friend and daughter's uncle goes to Tevinter, the land she was enslaved in as a child. her other best friend turns on her for the Qunari and she has to kill him. like. OOF.)

ty so much for the ask! i'm always down to chat about it. and here's some art of Vythral'a and Iveani (by darlingvhenan), for your time:

[anneapocalypse]

DAI Companion Styles: Josephine

Dragon Age Companion Styles Series

Next up by special request from @magneticmage is the lovely, the gracious, the refined, the stunning Josephine Montilyet, Ambassador to the Inquisition. (And yes, Josephine is an advisor, not a companion; yes this series is called “Companion Styles”; yes I’ve decided to just lump the advisors in with them and not change the name, and we’re all just going to have to live with it. 😉)

Disclaimer: I am not a fashion expert, dress historian, or professional designer! I'm just a gamer who likes to sew and has a casual interest in historical fashion, and a great interest in fantasy worldbuilding and the implications thereof, and that's where I'm coming from on these posts. I'd also love to hear thoughts from fans who have a more in-depth background in historical dress, textiles, and armor.

Also, we’re going to be talking about gendered clothing, so let me state for the record that I don’t believe clothing has any inherent gender. However we’re going to be talking about fashion in a cultural context here, and in the context of Thedas (and specifically Orlais), fashion is heavily gendered, and how characters engage with those gendered expectations can be personally and socially interesting.

As with Sera, I’m going to be focusing mostly on Josephine’s style from an in-universe perspective because that’s what I think is most interesting!

Much appreciation to @dragonagegallery, whose posts have made the canon review for this post much easier! The Art of Dragon Age Inquisition was also a great reference.

(Look at her. She even looks good in the Haven Chantry lighting. Nobody looks good in that. Iconic.)

Josephine is an Antivan-born noblewoman educated in Orlais, who trained and briefly worked as a bard before becoming disillusioned with that life and turning to a career as a diplomat instead. She has been working as the Antivan Ambassador to Orlais up until the point she joins the Inquisition as its Ambassador. Josephine is well-versed in the Grand Game and the culture of the Imperial Court and the upper class. If I were to say that Josephine is fashionable, I don’t think most people would disagree with me.

Yet her signature outfit is quite different from what we see on the fashionable upper class ladies of Orlais. There is a fair amount of Renaissance influence in Orlesian high fashion, but as others have pointed out, there's actually quite a lot of variation in sleeves, collar, and understructures (things like crinolines or panniers that give a skirt a certain volume and shape), drawing inspiration from centuries of European historical dress. Yet Josephine still stands apart from the fashions for Orlesian noblewomen, in some very interesting ways.

I should note at the start here that I am working at a bit of disadvantage with Josephine because we've never been to her country of origin in the games, and basically every Antivan character we've met so far has either been wearing armor, or the same styles as the country they're in at the time. (Also, most of them have been Crows, which Josephine is not.) So I can't comment on how Josie's look compares to what is fashionable in Antiva at the moment, because we don't know. Instead, I'll be talking about her style in the context of Orlais, which I think is fair since she went to school in Orlais and has been living and working there for quite a while now. Just bear in mind going forward that there is a whole sphere of potential influence that we can't really examine here.

But I do think there's also good reason to assume that Josephine takes inspiration from Orlesian fashion, starting with her color scheme. One of the first things that strikes me (and I think many viewers) about Josephine's outfit is "Wow, that's very gold." And it is! It's very gold and blue—colors directly associated with Orlais and with the nobility especially. We see gold and blue all over Orlais, from the capital to the countryside, and Josephine has deliberately chosen to dress herself in the colors that signify power and influence in this nation.

So let's take a look at the specific pieces she wears.

Josephine is wearing what appears to me to be a blouse of gold-colored silk satin with puffed sleeves and a tie-neck or possibly a matching scarf, dark-colored breeches ending just below the knee, a heavier sleeveless overdress or vest in blue brocade or damask (possibly even fine tooled leather; it's really hard to say) that ends at the knee, gold stockings, and black flat shoes. She wears a wide leather belt at the waist, with a gold satin sash tied over it. You can see some better images of Josephine's outfit in concept art and her character model in detail on @dragonagegallery.

This outfit is fascinating to me, and if you've read my post on Sera's style, you might have already guessed a few reasons why.

Given Josephine's basic silhouette, it's easy to look at her and assume she's wearing a dress, but she actually isn't. Even if she was, it would be a break from the Orlesian high fashions of the day, which favor floor-length skirts. But this isn't a dress at all. I would actually compare the blue vest to the leather vests we see in some of the Inquisitor armor variants, for mages and for rogues. The detailing on Josephine's makes it look finer, but it's a similar style, with a similar utility: it's easy to move in. Josephine's vest even has large visible pockets on the sides! And this goes all the way back to her concept art.

I think it's easy to get distracted by the big shiny gold sleeves and miss the fact that Josephine's outfit is actually very practical. In fact, you know what else it reminds me a little of?

Variants of this outfit appear in both Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition, and it's always been a non-gendered look. Note the knee breeches, the vest, and the puffed sleeves (though with much less extravagant gathers than Josephine's).

Josephine wears flat shoes, easy to walk in, comfortable for all-day wear. The wide leather belt echoes but does not exactly mirror the popular underbust corsetry seen on gowns; it is of a more practical style and material, and I'd imagine it could be good for back support for those long hours she spends at a desk. And in fact, the way Josephine wears it over her vest with the sash tied over the belt is not unlike the way a rogue Inquisitor wears their armor:

Though Josephine has left behind the life of a bard, I feel it's undeniable that that life has influenced her style. This is rogue fashion—practical but still stylish, easy to move in, easy to carry items you might need. Josephine is dressed as a rogue, but adapted to her current profession and personal tastes.

It’s all an intriguing choice for a diplomat! Because despite the clear Orlesian influence, Josephine’s look does not very much resemble any of what is fashionable for Orlesian noblewoman at the moment. No long full skirts, no outer underbust corsetry (though her belt does offer a cinched at the waist look), no deep V neckline (though her blue vest does create a similar shape over her blouse). When we compare Josephine to these looks, it’s a very different silhouette with mostly very different shapes. Even her puffed sleeves are puffed in different places than the fashions of high noblewomen (which seem to have the most volume at the elbow or lower right now).

But you know what we do see in Josephine’s outfit?

Breeches ending just below the knee. An outer garment that ends at the knee. Knee-high stockings. A flat black shoe. A shirt with sleeves puffed at the shoulders.

While Josephine’s look is ungendered in the context of a rogue, in the context of a noble this look is undeniably gendered, in a way that might not immediately register to our modern eye.

In the context of Orlesian culture, this is a Menswear-Inspired Look.

Now, unlike Sera, I do not believe Josephine to actually be wearing clothing designed for a man; given her station, this was all likely custom made for her. But in the context of Orlesian high fashion, there is some undeniably masculine styling going on here! And this isn’t about “women don’t wear pants”; many women in Dragon Age do, in fact, wear pants, all the time or in certain contexts; see above about rogue looks. Cassandra and Vivienne both have a skinny pants/leggings thing going on, and they both read more feminine in their styles to me, but they’ll get their own posts! With Josephine, it’s the specific styles of the pieces she’s wearing that bear similarities to men’s high fashion in Orlais. In a modern context, think a woman with long hair in a deliberately feminine style, wearing makeup, some statement jewelry, with a custom-tailored suit. Maybe with a few feminine accents on the suit itself; still definitely a suit. Josephine’s sleeves, for example, are not simply a copy of the male sleeve style; they’re taking inspiration but kind of doing their own thing. And of course, her hair is worn in a style that is practical, but still very elegant and feminine. It’s a Menswear-Inspired Look.

And I just love the fact that both of our F/F romance options in this game are kind of playing with gendered clothing in their personal style, but each very much in their own way.

I'm also fascinated by this one set of concept art called "Displaced Pilgrims" in The Art of Dragon Age: Inquisition, meant to represent "Fereldan and Orlesian refugees who arrived in Haven on a pilgrimage and were unable to leave following the disaster" (p. 75). One piece depicts an Orlesian woman dressed in what is from the hips up the same silhouette we see at the Winter Palace: exaggerated underbust corsetry that emphasizes the hips, a plunging V neckline with scalloped embellishment, a slightly puffed half-sleeve. But below the corset, the skirt has been cropped to mid-thigh and the woman wears a pair of breeches, stockings, and flat shoes with a rounded toe—strikingly similar to Josephine's lower silhouette. I can't recall ever actually seeing any NPCs wandering around Haven looking like this, which is a shame, because I love the concept of an Orlesian noblewoman blending masculine and feminine fashions in order to dress more practically for a journey into the mountains, while still appearing fashionable. I think this may be what Josephine is doing.

Josephine’s necklace is of interest to me as well, as it doesn’t bear a particular resemblance to anything I’ve found in Orlesian fashion; while we see a lot of necklines trimmed in gold, and a few necklaces, there’s nothing that looks like this piece. After a bit of research, I don’t think this is just a flashy piece of jewelry. Given the size of the chain and the way Josephine wears it draped over her shoulders, I think this might actually be a livery collar, also called a chain of office, that denotes her position as an ambassador!

Josephine’s whole look is very distinctive, and very put-together. In my opinion, this is a Choice. This is the kind of outfit that says, “I look like this on purpose,” and this from a woman who knows that a first impression may decide the course of a conversation that will affect the fate of nations. She is wearing a chain of office that immediately announces her station. She’s wearing expensive fabrics—again, I am interpreting that shiny gold fabric as silk and that is not cheap. Her vest shows fine detailing. Her clothing immediately says that she is both a person of means and holds a position of respect. Her color scheme speaks to her Orlesian connections. Her clothing conveys power and status. Yet her divergence from the styles of an Orlesian noblewoman also sets her apart. The practical elements of her look say, “I am no idle lady of leisure; I am capable; I am prepared for every occasion, even the unexpected.” And the roguish elements hearken back to her bard training, saying, “I know how the Game is played; I can be dangerous if I must be.”

Above all, I think this outfit speaks to Josephine’s self-assurance. She knows and understands social trends, but she is not beholden to them; she bends them to her tastes, rather than being bent by them. She acknowledges her past and what she has learned from it. She knows herself, and is in control of her own image.

I think this outfit does some pretty brilliant and inspired visual storytelling about Josephine Montilyet. I wouldn’t change a thing.