#breach mage adept

[dailycharacteroption]

Prestige Class Spotlight 11: Blackfire Adept

(art by Yuan Chang on Artstation)

 The idea of there being a cosmology of planes, of spaces beyond space as we know it, where all sorts of wonders might be found is truly an exciting prospect, and I for one know many people who would be chomping at the bit for an opportunity to visit such places if they existed and such a thing were possible.

…but there’s such a thing as being too eager, isn’t there?

Knowledge is power, after all, and power corrupts those without the conviction to stay true to their principles. Thus can an erstwhile planar explorer go from being a wide-eyed scholar to being a servant of the end times.

Naming themselves after the black flame-like energy release that is sometimes seen when planar barriers are torn asunder without regard for stability, the Blackfire Adepts are a loose cabal of mages with an interest in conjuration. Certainly they wish to see and study other planes, but true to their name they are also very interested in the blackfire itself, a cosmic destructive force that eats away where the threads of reality have been severed, consuming matter on a molecular level when it gets in the way as well. To that end, they specialize in using conjuration in deliberately “wrong” ways to induce flareups of blackfire to observe the effects and turn against their foes.

It should be no surprise to you that they learned most of these secrets from fiends of all descriptions, nor should it shock you to know that blackfire burns away at the barriers towards the lower planes the fastest.

That the blackfire adepts, so obsessed with mastering the planes and studying the very fabric of reality by, of all things, destroying it, that they cannot or will not see they are being used to erode at reality to make it easier for fiends to enter and cause harm and destruction is the very picture of hubris. Even those that are in on it surely think that they will be spared, or that whatever knowledge and power they gain will be worth it.

Needless to say, this makes them the sworn enemies of the Riftwardens, who seek to protect the barriers between planes.

Whether they are unscrupulous scholars who don’t realize or care about the harm they cause, or full on villains, this is the very picture of a mage taking things to far, and they can start this path with knowledge of planar and magical lore, mastery of summoning spells, and knowledge of how to enhance said conjurations.

 As a spellcasting prestige class, they do continue their mastery of spells, though sometimes they are too busy mastery other aspects to master the traditional spellcasting aspects.

They do, however, learn to enhance their casting of summoned fiends, conjuring them faster than other summoned beings.

By channeling a few elusive flickers of blackfire between themselves and a foe, these mystics can enhance their attacks and spells against them for a brief while, but said foe must remain within a certain range.

As part of their pursuit of forbidden knowledge, these adepts make dark pacts with entire categories of fiends, choosing several throughout their careers. These pacts may not mean much more than a slight amount of mercy from fiends they encounter in the wild, but when they call a fiend to perform greater services, the pact enhances the outsider, making them that much more powerful.

By sacrificing a spell, these conjurers can harness the power of the blackfire, causing an eruption of the stuff. The greater the amount of magic expended, the greater the unholy destructive power they unleash.

Perhaps their most infamous ability, however, is their ability to use blackfire to breach boundaries, most notably by empowering their summoned allies to be conjured through dimensional locks, or pass through wards that would normally keep summoned creatures at bay. It does take energy to do so though. Later on, they can pierce through antimagic fields, the greatest abjurations, and even extradimensional havens that normally would not let invaders inside, though doing so is obviously difficult.

More dangerous is that these adepts can choose to empower (or perhaps unshackle) the summoning power many fiends have that they could not ordinarily use as summons. However, such extra summoned beings are not under their control, making it a gamble to use.

Later on, their ability to enhance their spells with traces of blackfire improves, causing destructive resonance when their enhanced attacks and spells strike true, dealing additional damage, and even granting a little vitality to the caster when they slay a foe.

Finally, their mastery becomes so great that they can turn their blackfire power against the conjuration effects of foes, causing those that are summoned, called, or teleported in to be seared by a flash of that blighted flame as they enter.

As you can see, this prestige class is all about bolstering your fiendish summoning and having an untyped damage blasting spell they can use pretty much whenever. This truly is a powerful, if morally bankrupt option for a neutral or evil summoner. Naturally, no matter what your base spellcasting class is, you’ll want to favor the whole summoning and calling suite, as well as a variety of other spells you can use or sacrifice for those unholy blight spells. Naturally, assume that you’ll be fighting from the back line most of the time, supported by your fiendish allies.

 At their worst, these mages are villains in the service of fiends, witting or unwitting. Some less villainous ones might channel their powers in moderation, but they are still playing a dangerous game. By default good blackfire adepts aren’t allowed, and honestly, I don’t think there’s any way to reflavor the class to be otherwise. Even the most chaotic good character appreciates at least enough stability that the multiverse isn’t collapsing. While you could go a neutral character that thinks they are using the power for good, blackfire is such an inherently destructive force that they’re just kidding themselves.

  Normally, the Flame of the Rifts leaves little to nothing behind, but not even the breakdown of reality can be perfectly thorough. Such remnants are usually left to rot, but sometimes the anguish of such utter destruction reanimates the pieces into a swarm of blighted bits similar to the undead horrors known as the undigested.

 Despair can rip apart the soul just as easily as blackfire consumes matter and reality. Such was the case with a young trox scion who lost the love of his life to an accident of fate, and has begun to heed the whispers of the shadows in the dark, who offer absolution from his pain if her brings reality crashing down on a cosmos that ripped his love from him.

 Once a common sight, the eidolon Rivasai, a plant-like draconic creature hasn’t been seen with his summoner Valtas in months. He assures everyone that Rivasai is simply not needed or out doing errands, but the truth is more horrific. Valtas’ secret experiments into blackfire obliterated his companion, and left something horrible and empty in it’s place.

[canonical-transformation]

oh gods oh no oh no how could you do this to me Intelligent Systems [A'lear part 3]

(Spoilers up to Chapter 3 of Fire Emblem: Engage.)

A'lear has a weird dream in which everything is on fire and she's red (hair, eyes) and she's grinning menacingly at Lumera.

It unsettles her, but Marth is there to comfort her. He's there because he was watching over her as she slept. She wore his ring to bed, which he doesn't mind, and after a thousand years together it would feel weird to be apart.

Historians would later say Marth and A'lear were besties.

But never mind that! The castle is under attack! Unknown enemies have breached the defences and now they're almost at the Ring Vault! Where the Rings are!

But... how!? Wasn't this castle supposed to be magically warded against the Corrupted? And isn't it a castle? Like, an extra secure, extra-defensible building?

To answer the first question, it's humans attacking. As for the other questions, let's have Framme explain:

Queen Lumera is up ahead in the Ring Vault, fending off invaders. To reach her, A'lear and co. will need to fight their way across a long bridge-hallway full of soldiers.

They begin making their way there, trying to avoid the attention of the pegasus knights hovering outside the breached walls. It doesn't work, and at the end of turn 1, a lot of enemy soldiers start swarming towards them.

Thankfully, the cavalry arrives in the form of the crown prince of Firene and his retainers.

Prince Alfred (lance cavalry) is a gentle soul who's obsessed with strength training and putting on muscle. Etie (archer) is a gym junkie who attaches weights to her teacups so that she's always training. Boucheron (axe infantry) is a kindly big fellow who is not obsessed with workouts, but is already kind of buff.

They're fun characters, and I expect they'll mostly be on the backbench by Chapter 10 (*). 🥲

We're introduced to a few more types of unit class here. Of the four we've already seen, Cavalry is self-explanatory, Mystical is for infantry mages and ignores enemy terrain bonuses, Qi Adept is for special supports and grants Chain Guard, and Dragon is for dragons (really cool OCs with two-tone hair, and Queen Lumera) (**).

Archers are Covert, a designation shared with snipers and thieves. Covert units get twice the usual Avoid bonus from trees/etc, which this map has exactly zero of.

Axe fighters, and most generic melee infantry, are considered Backup units. They have access to Chain Attacks — when an ally attacks an enemy in Boucheron/etc.'s weapon range (adjacent, in the case of Boucheron's iron axe), he'll throw in a free attack before his ally's first attack. A Chain Attack is always 80% hit, 0% crit, and chips away 10% of an enemy's HP (***). To be clear, this ignores everyone's stats except for enemy HP, making it an amazing tool for taking down enemies with stupidly high Def/Res.

(On the flipside, the existence of Chain Attacks means you can't just throw a tank or dodge tank into an oncoming mob and expect them to last the turn. This is an amazing addition to the Fire Emblem formula and I love it.)

The battle begins in earnest.

A'lear has Etie kill a few enemy fliers here and there, but only when the numbers need thinning.

Framme punches a pegasus so hard its rider falls off, which is pretty sick.

And the whole team fights its way to the far end of the bridge, where the enemy leader tries to cut us off.

The boss has Veteran+, which makes her unbreakable and negates effective damage against her. (For example, Marth's "effective against armour" rapier is no better than the Libération.) The majority of the bosses we encounter in Maddening mode will have this skill, which is... infuriating. Saddening, even.

Thankfully, it's possible for everyone to do a bit of damage against Abyme, chipping away at her health bar. And Clanne the mage can pummel her around, because like most armored units, she has next to no Resistance to magic.

Abyme is defeated, to be seen again.

Finally, to the Ring Vault! Where the Rings are!

(To recap: this vault accounts for nearly half the world's Emblem Ring supply. Whoever collects all twelve Emblems gains untold power.)

In a cutscene, A'lear encounters a creepy dark mage. How creepy, you ask? Well, they use magic to disappear... and reappear behind her!

The creepy dark mage has little time for banter, and casts a spell at A'lear called Major Character Death.

(actually the spell appears to be Obscurité, the same one Sombron was using in the Prologue. It's characterised by that purple cylindrical shape and the miasma-looking effect. Perhaps... could this attacker possibly work for Sombron, the only character known to covet the twelve Emblem Rings?)

Anyway, A'lear stands there in shock. Don't just stand there, A'lear! Move!

Thankfully, Lumera is there to throw A'lear out of the way and...

...oh, oh gods, that looks like it hurt. They're... they're not going to kill her, are they? Intelligent Systems wouldn't just kill off the protagonist's parent like that, would they?

Lumera then scares the dark mage off with some form of dragon laser attack. With that, the attack on the castle is over, but... at what cost?

A'lear cradles her wounded mother in her arms. In the scarce moments they have left, mother and daughter weep.

The others arrive. (Framme tries using a staff on Lumera. It doesn't work, but now Youtubers can't add "just use Heal!" to their unimaginative "Top 58 Plot Holes" listicles.)

How could a Divine Dragon be unable to heal from this? In the scarce moments she has left, Lumera explains that she gave most of her lifeforce/power to A'lear, over the latter's thousand countless years of convalescence. "I hoped it would be enough to bring you back to me someday..."

"...but now, it would seem that I am completely spent."

And so that's it.

In the scarce moments she has left, Lumera tells A'lear not to blame herself. This is an expression of her unending love for her, that there is nothing she wouldn't do for her beloved daughter.

And here: the Ring of the Holy Knight. May Emblem Sigurd protect A'lear.

Lumera says she had really hoped to give A'lear that red and blue ring at some point, but...

Oh, the Emblem Rings! Don't forget about those!

Lumera uses the scarce moments she has left to entreat her daughter to collect the remaining Emblem Rings. Do not allow Sombron (presumably) to collect the other rings. Collect the 12 Rings and seal Sombron away. Only... with the power of the Twelve Emblems...

Then, through choked sobs, Lumera says:

“When your scattered memories return to you, you must fight on with the utmost divinity. I believe in you, my child!”

And... that's it. Lumera is dying. There's nothing to be done.

In the scarce moments she has left, Lumera reassures A'lear that no matter how brief their reunion, her heart is so full. She's so happy and full of joy.

Lumera pinkie promises A'lear that she'll always be with her. The two of them. Always.

Her grip slackens. "Mother!", A'lear cries out, but there is no answer.

(Before today, Lumera was the last of the Divine Dragons. Now, that woeful title falls to A'lear.)

In the scarce— nah, I'm messing with you, there's only so much death scene Lumera's allowed to have. She's gone now.

----

(*) The problem is growths (and the lack of Greenhouse). I like Etie's personality, but besides her good Strength growth she has median-or-worse growths for every other stat. (IIRC the only thing stopping her from being the worst return-on-investment unit in the game is that Vander exists.) Boucheron has the opposite problem — his strength growth is lower than everyone but a few of the mages. His HP basically always increases on level up, making him pretty tanky, but if he can't occasionally hit hard then tanky alone doesn't cut it.

Alfred's growths are actually ok, with his default special class suggesting a "heavy cavalry" defensive build. The problem is that he doesn't start with enough Def to fit that role at first, and by the time he catches up on defence he's behind on all the offensive stats.

(**) Dragon classes—which really just means A'lear's personal classes—get bonuses when Engaged with any Emblem that range from "okay" to "pretty good". Of the non-DLC Emblems, only Corrin or Byleth are noticeably different when engaged with A'lear like this.

I will probably be moving A'lear to Paladin in the mid-game. She'll be weak to dragon-slaying weapons and anti-cav weapons, and I'll miss her combo with Corrin, but I'll take the trade-off.

(***) barring DLC emblems and one niche case I will mention when I get there

[animezinglife]

I've copied/pasted most of this from my earlier post about her (the first prompt):

Mira [Trevelyan] is cursed with what we might consider "radical nuance." She struggles with absolutes--it's unclear to her whether this has always been her nature or if it's a result of the survival/coping tactics she developed during her upbringing. She has an uncanny ability to accept situations for exactly what they are, and her mental gears turn quickly to develop and analyze potential solutions and outcomes. She accepts that at times, that means being left with choosing the "best of the bad options."

She is an avid historian and doesn't view the world in black-and-white. She is a deeply critical thinker, and one who's fully aware of her own capacity for evil. Mira follows the path that she cannot fully understand her own capacity for good without acknowledging and understanding her own capacity for evil. This comes up often in dialogue options where she admits she doesn't know whether she or the Inquisition will remain uncorrupted--she is instead fully aware that there is a high risk it will become that way, especially if too many favors are promised or they have too many hands outside the immediate goal of sealing the Breach.

Mira is objective at times to a fault. This generally serves her well as a leader, but can also make her difficult for the people to understand. It can make her seem like something more or other than human.

She breaks complex issues down into smaller, more manageable problems. What basic need has to be met? Which elements are the problem are most immediate and non-negotiable? What resources are necessary for Person A or Small Group B to become self-sufficient? How can those resources be arranged and negotiated in a way that benefits both provider and recipient? Mira can't solve the war between mages and Templars, but how can she get them working together and functioning as a unit at Haven and Skyhold?

These are the same tactics she used in her youth to mediate and survive both her family and the Circle, and she continues to grow them with the Inquisition beyond what even she thought possible.

These skills combined with her perceptiveness towards human (well, any people's) nature make her extremely adept in handling herself in court. She utterly despises the Game and prefers authenticity and directness. She believes in simplifying problems to address the larger whole and believes the Game--very similar to what she experienced within her own family and the Circle--is made to benefit the inauthentic. It makes it more difficult to identify, address, and work to resolve real problems.

She's all about humility and self-reflection to be higher indications of quality character than most traits.

In terms of faith, Mira believes in a higher power, though her faith is deeply fractured at the start of Inquisition.

She has a much harder time believing everything is the Maker’s will.

Mira does not believe she is anything other than a person. She makes a distinct point of mentally separating the Herald perspective held by others as a role just like Inquisitor: a job, and an opposing figure to Corypheus and tyranny. She doesn’t claim to be a holy figure.

She admires those who can maintain a steadfast faith, though she relates far more to someone who can openly express a lack of knowing or doubt.

In my game, she expresses this most freely with Mother Giselle, Cullen, and Blackwall (all for different reasons). Mother Giselle takes her doubts in stride and offers her gentle suggestions and guidance. Cullen tells her it’s enough that she will try to help, Herald or not (and later, has that conversation with her about luck and fears). Blackwall just rolls with not knowing and doesn’t overcomplicate it.

These approaches all comfort her—they acknowledge her humanity and that it’s remained unchanged.

Her walk in the Fade and the guidance of Divine Justinia (or the spirit taking her form) is the catalyst that begins to strengthen her broken faith again, and she is able to develop her own relationship with it.

Mira never perceives herself as the Herald of Andraste, but she grows to accept the Maker. She learns that part of having faith at all is a lot of blind trust and hope.

She opens her mind to hope out of her own, genuine will rather than responsibility.

It helps her having strong, steadfast support around her. She feels safer and more comfortable in the vulnerability of hope.

Quizquisition 3: Journey to Veilguard

Hey you! Yes, you. I have some questions about your Inquisitor from Dragon Age.

Because I love learning about people's Inquisitors and sharing about mine too. I'm going to ask open questions about your Inquisitor(s) leading up to The Veilguard (yes, yours too!). I'll be posting new questions roughly every other day.

Inquisitor question the third!

3. What does your inquisitor believe? Has that changed over time?

Answer however you want: in fact bullets, fanfic snippets, interviews, art, comics, audio, video, interpretive dance, etc.

Answer as many or few of the prompts as you feel like.

Answer with one or many of your Inquisitors.

Let's hype each other's characters on the way to Veilguard!

If you want to tag it with something searchable, how about #Quizquisition ? Please do tag any spoilers or put them under a cut so no one gets caught unawares.

Previous Prompts: First, Second

[yoongisjuicebox]

I don't know if there is a Fandom out there but I am starting one. For Aeons End and for Void Bringer Xaxos and Breach Mage Adept Xaxos.

[askdragonagecompanions]

what about a demon inquisitor? The mark would probably hurt real bad whenever it acts up

[I’ve actually thought about this concept a lot because this is cannon for one of my own Inquisitors, so here are my headcanons about it]

The anchor only hurts when it flares up. Normally it doesn’t really bother them as they’re made of fade magic themself. When it does flare up, though it’s a very intense pain that also risks exposing what they are to the others (if they haven’t already told their companions what they are)

I think they would definitely freak out in the beginning of the game, trapped in a chantry dungeon and then called the Herald of Andraste despite being a demon.

The first people to know are going to be the advisors, Solas, and Cassandra as they are the ones that see the Inquisitor’s true form either in the dungeons or healing them up. The agree to keep it a secret and under wraps because they need to seal the breach.

I think they would insist on a magic cap (i.e like a leash on how much of their demon powers they could use so that the Inquisitor can’t just betray them)

Solas is fascinated by the Inquisitor truly. He has many questions, many theories he wants to try, especially with how the anchor is affecting them. 

I think either the Inquisitor themself or with the help of Solas could create a human/elf/qunari form to disguise themself as to stave off suspicion around the others, but their disguise is a mage because demons do use magic

Depending on what type of demon the Inquisitor is they may lean heavily into one “sin” (just using it because the main demons we’ve seen so far in all three games are based on some of the 7 deadly sins), though, a fear demon might enjoy telling scary stories or pulling pranks more, and a despair demon could be more prone to pessimistic thoughts and being known as a downer

Facing off against Corypheus is interesting that first time. With everyone gone they can shed their human disguise. It both impresses and disgusts Corypheus 

I think a demon would have different specs to lean into and its not as much leveling up as the leash around their power being loosened so they can access more of their true potential

Perhaps even the Inquisitor could have been a mortal at one point eventually becoming a demon in their own right but still remembering their mortal life making them a rare demon?

The Inquisitor would be very adept in battle against mortals and undead, but against demons especially demons of the same type they aren’t as adept. 

Perhaps the Inquisitor eventually ends up enjoying their disguise as part of the mortal realm once more

They, like Cole, would need either a charm to keep their mind their own or to become almost human again to keep Corypheus out of their head near the end battle

After Trespasser The Inquisitor could either stick around and continue to try to be human and enjoy this life they’ve made for themself or disappear into the shadows, after all tearing down the veil would be a good thing for them. It’s interesting to think about. 

[amarmeme]

Can I request 3, 5, and 20 for the writer asks?

Thank you for the asks!

3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

This is a hard question. I don't know that I've shied away from any scenes. If I want to write something I usually do, capabilities be damned! I get a lot of story ideas though, far more than I have time for. I guess a story idea that I love but could not be bothered to attempt is a crossover AU where Shepard ends up falling out of the breach and mage!Trevelyan ends up being found by Ceberus. So swapping between ME2 and DAI. Shepard ends up with Cullen and Trev ends up with Kaidan. It's such a crack fic idea.

5. What character that you’re writing do you most identify with?

To be completely cliche, I really relate with Varric and Cass. Varric because duh, tortured writer who says shit to hide his actual feels, and Cass because I'm straightforward and blunt, but have a side that adores romance novels and is actually a sucker for dramatic love stories

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Oh goodness, I usually ramble in the notes. But I don't think I'm very adept at symbolism. 🙈

[animezinglife]

I tried.

Thanks for tagging me, @sweetjulieapples!

Mira Trevelyan: Intelligent, introspective, and reserved, Mira was also a bit of a loner within Ostwick's Circle. Her reserved nature was at times mistaken for aloofness, and she threw herself into her studies. Though outwardly she was a model student, her diligence (almost obsession) towards her training was largely the result of her feelings of betrayal and abandonment she experienced at the hands of her family when she begun showing an inclination towards magic.

(This got long, so click to read more).

Her family was distrustful of mages overall with the expectation that their children would grow to serve the Chantry in some capacity. They made Mira's talents about themselves and how it would impact their reputation within the Chantry, Templar Order, and among other nobility. Mira becomes increasingly guarded when it comes to herself over time due to her sense of abandonment and the competitive nature of the Circles, not wanting to experience that hurt again. She blames herself even for occurrences that were not her fault.

Like so much else in life, her family loved her and she them despite it all. Fear and hurt contorted themselves as they so often do in human nature and both, combined with Mira being made to leave them, severely strained communication and chances at reconciliation. While the morality might be argued, the matter was complicated, especially given the world they live in.

Mira was always balanced and fair by nature, but she became cursed with what we might consider "radical nuance" as a survival tactic. She is a gifted mediator and that becomes prominent in her leadership style as Inquisitor.

She struggles with absolutes--it's unclear to her whether this has always been her nature or if it's a result of the aforementioned survival/coping tactics she developed during her upbringing. She has an uncanny ability to accept situations for exactly what they are, and her mental gears turn quickly to develop and analyze potential solutions and outcomes. She accepts that at times, that means being left with choosing the "best of the bad options."

She is an avid historian and doesn't view the world in black-and-white. She is a deeply critical thinker, and one who's fully aware of her own capacity for evil. Mira follows the path that she cannot fully understand her own capacity for good without acknowledging and understanding her own capacity for evil. This comes up often in dialogue options where she admits she doesn't know whether she or the Inquisition will remain uncorrupted--she is instead fully aware that there is a high risk it will become that way, especially if too many favors are promised or they have too many hands outside the immediate goal of sealing the Breach.

Mira is objective at times to a fault. This generally serves her well as a leader, but can also make her difficult for the people to understand. It can make her seem like something more or other than human.

She breaks complex issues down into smaller, more manageable problems. What basic need has to be met? Which elements are the problem are most immediate and non-negotiable? What resources are necessary for Person A or Small Group B to become self-sufficient? How can those resources be arranged and negotiated in a way that benefits both provider and recipient? Mira can't solve the war between mages and Templars, but how can she get them working together and functioning as a unit at Haven and Skyhold?

These are the same tactics she used in her youth to mediate and survive both her family and the Circle, and she continues to grow them with the Inquisition beyond what even she thought possible.

These skills combined with her perceptiveness towards human (well, any people's) nature make her extremely adept in handling herself in court. She utterly despises the Game and prefers authenticity and directness. She believes in simplifying problems to address the larger whole and believes the Game--very similar to what she experienced within her own family and the Circle--is made to benefit the inauthentic. It makes it more difficult to identify, address, and work to resolve real problems.

She's all about humility and self-reflection to be higher indications of quality character than most traits.

She is also fiercely loving, even if she doesn't tend to show herself that love.

In terms of faith, Mira believes in a higher power, though her faith is deeply fractured at the start of Inquisition.

She has a much harder time believing everything is the Maker’s will.

Mira does not believe she is anything other than a person. She makes a distinct point of mentally separating the Herald perspective held by others as a role just like Inquisitor: a job, and an opposing figure to Corypheus and tyranny. She doesn’t claim to be a holy figure.

She admires those who can maintain a steadfast faith, though she relates far more to someone who can openly express a lack of knowing or doubt.

In my game, she expresses this most freely with Mother Giselle, Cullen, and Blackwall (all for different reasons). Mother Giselle takes her doubts in stride and offers her gentle suggestions and guidance. Cullen tells her it’s enough that she will try to help, Herald or not (and later, has that conversation with her about luck and fears). Blackwall just rolls with not knowing and doesn’t overcomplicate it.

These approaches all comfort her—they acknowledge her humanity and that it’s remained unchanged.

Her walk in the Fade and the guidance of Divine Justinia (or the spirit taking her form) is the catalyst that begins to strengthen her broken faith again, and she is able to develop her own relationship with it.

Mira never perceives herself as the Herald of Andraste, but she grows to accept the Maker. She learns that part of having faith at all is a lot of blind trust and hope.

She opens her mind to hope out of her own, genuine will rather than responsibility.

It helps her having strong, steadfast support around her. She feels safer and more comfortable in the vulnerability of hope.

For the first time in her life, Mira starts to consider herself and her own happiness during her time as Inquisitor. She finds comfort, understanding, acceptance, and safety among her friends. She finds love in all forms; falls in love with the man who ends up being the love of her life and eventually becomes her husband. For the first time in her life, she starts to consider a future for herself that she might choose rather than simply accepting where the world has placed her and trying to bloom where she's planted.

I was tagged by @charmedcleric to make my OCs with this picrew! Thank you for tagging me!

Audrey Amell: Audrey is a very talented mage and was quite popular in Ferelden's circle, often making friends easily. She was more than relieved to be recruited by the Grey Wardens, always dreaming of adventure. She loved travelling Ferelden and being outside of the tower, dark spawn aside. She's very cheerful and chatty, often striking up conversations with strangers on the road. She loves to laugh and goof around, and has no hesitation to tease someone for being an idiot (Sorry Alistair). She comes up with some sick burns, which is rather ironic for an ice mage.

Rhiannon Hawke: Rhiannon is most definitely a "purple" Hawke. She rarely takes things seriously unless someone she cares about is hurt. She's a fierce warrior one moment and a smart-mouthed buffoon the next. She learnt fairly young to laugh off pain, especially emotional pain, which she has had her fair share of. She has a good heart and wants to do what's best for the greater good of Thedas, but also understands that sometimes the most morally correct choice isn't always the right choice.

Juliette Trevelyan: Juliette was always very quiet and reserved and was considered a bit of a loner during her time at Ostwick's circle. She has impressive natural talent as fire mage, however is very insecure in her abilities and is terrified of drawing too much attention to herself. She's kind hearted and nurturing, and once she comes out of her shell a little, can sometimes be a bit silly. She'd much rather spend time horse riding and daydreaming than being Inquisitor, but pushes herself to step up because she knows it's the right thing to do. (and well, she doesn't really have a choice, does she?) She can sometimes be a bit immature and bratty, especially when it comes to her emotions because she was never taught how to properly express herself. For the first time in her life she makes solid friendships with her companions & advisors and with their support learns to trust not only others, but also herself.

Tagging (no pressure of course): @animezinglife @sasha199 @johnny-i-hardly-knew-ye

[hawkbucks]

It’s AUnytime which means I finally have an excuse to post a myriad of AU’s. Dragon Age!AU because I said so and also because the 4th game is coming out and I’m very, very excited for it, I love Dragon Age so much, thanks. Also: ROGUE 4 LIFE.

Idk when this takes place, so please do not ask me hgfjdksl I’m inclined to say after Inquisition but we all know how nothing is really set in stone with me so  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Do not ask me where this takes place either, because I also don’t know. Ferelden? The Free Marches? Orlais? Nevarra? Who knows, because I certainly don’t. I said that but teyrn is a specifically Fereldan term, so they’re in Ferelden, I GUESS. Let’s pretend that Kinloch is… better (which would probably put this after Origins and sometime before Inquisition or… god, I should stop).

Anyway, basic stuuuuuuuff:

Anthony is the son of the influential teyrn Howard Stark. He comes into his magic at the age of 8 when he burns–and scars–a young Tiberius Stone after Tiberius kept harassing him. All his life, he’s grown up hearing about the dangers of magic: it’s a punishment bestowed by the Maker upon mankind for their ambition and greed. Wielders of magic are usually taken from their families when their powers manifest and brought to schools called Circles. Anthony, scared of both the implications of being imbued with magic and the very real threat of being separated from his family, flees.

‘Course, he’s 8 so he doesn’t get very far. They find him in a wheat field, scorched earth forming a circle around him. Maria begs H*ward to keep Anthony with them. She’ll find a teacher, pay them well, just please don’t let them take Anthony away. H*ward doesn’t really give a shit, though. Mage children cannot inherit land or fortune, so what’s the point of keeping Anthony? Plus, he’d be accused of nepotism and his reputation would go down the chamberpot.

He lets the Templars take Anthony away. It’s a shame, really. Anthony  has shown great prowess with an anvil and a pair of blacksmithing tools, and Howard has no doubt that Tony’s natural charisma would’ve been a great help in the court of Thedosian politics. The only thing they allow him to bring is a plush mabari that his mother bought for him when he was a wee bit younger (he named it “Dummy” and he’s refused to part with it ever). There are tears, yes, quite a bit of them. When Maria pulls away, her entire shoulder is soaked, but there really is nothing that she can do. As much as she hates H*ward’s decision, she also knew it was the only way Anthony could stay safe.

It is in the Circle that he meets one James Rhodes, the child of a fisherman and seamtress from some town near a lake whose name Anthony finds to be somewhat familiar. James is maybe a year or two older than him, and he’s the only one who didn’t scoff at him when he arrived. Plus, he helped get Dummy back from a bunch of other children who wanted to tease the new arrival. He’s also much kinder to Anthony than what Anthony would’ve expected, whether that means James giving Anthony the rest of his broth if he notices that he still looks rather hungry, or James draping another blanket around Anthony’s shoulders if he notices him shivering.

(This is, of course, thanks to the fact that James has been in the Circle for a good amount of time and he knows how crushing it can be to remain alone. In Anthony, he sees this kid who’s confused, scared, just had his blood taken to make a phylactery, and who reminds him so much of how he was like when he first came in, so he tries his best to make it better. He is far, far too young to be acting this old.)

Anthony eventually nicknames James “Rhodey,” and it sticks. However, James only lets Anthony call him that. He, in turn, nicknames Anthony “Tones.” “Tony” for something slightly shorter. They spend pretty much any moment that’s not studying or learning or sleeping with each other.

(Just adding this, but Tony is shown to be adept at Primal magic, particularly fire, while Rhodey has talent in the Force side of things.)

Also, Harrowings! Harrowings are good and not at all traumatizing! Rhodey goes through his first. He’s just sitting there, eating some nice cheese with Tony, and bam! A couple of Templars take him because the enchanters decided he was ready. Thankfully, he’s able to resist the temptation of the demon and exit. Tony, when he sees him again, admits to nearly crying because he’s heard of the Harrowing—even if he doesn’t know what it specifically entails—and he was worried for Rhodey.

When Tony is taken for his Harrowing, Rhodey just prays to the Maker that he doesn’t find his best friend Tranquil or worse: with a sword driven through his body. But it’s all good. Tony comes back.

The Templars are hardasses, and some are just downright creepy, but thankfully none of them try to antagonize Tony or Rhodey.

I do want to have Pepper in this, but I was thinking of introducing her by having Tony and Rhodey eventually leave the Circle [whether through egress or me backtracking on my previous statement of not knowing when this takes place and having it be when the Breach appears in the sky and it All Goes To Hell therefore giving Tony and Rhodey a better chance to leave and not be found out] and coming across her humble little farm. She’d be older than they are and she’d have a husband, Harold/Happy, and she’d basically take them under her wing. “You’re not put off by the fact that we’re mages?” Rhodey would ask, and she’d shake her head. “Why should I be? You’re human like the rest of us. It just happens that you both are—” she’d look at the both of them up and down, taking in their robes, their silver rings, and the staves strapped to their backs— “more… talented than others.”

As for other characters, I am considering making Steve a Templar. His mother was a devout Chantry goer, and during their trips he’d see them and think they were doing the Maker’s work. Of course, he was a child, so he didn’t really… know about how terrible Templars can be, he just thought they would help protect the mages from people that wished them harm and from themselves if need be.

The only thing about him being a Templar is that I cannot see him putting aside his morals to blindly trust the command of a superior. He can’t be that emotionally rigid. “A Templar’s obedience to the Chantry is more important than their moral center.” “Bullshit,” Steven Grant Rogers replies, throwing his sword down on the ground.

If he were to be a Templar, he’d be one of those Templars that does not stand for any other Templar’s shenanigans. He calls out everyone and anyone, whether they be a lowly recruit or the goddamn Knight-Commander. He’s got a mouth; he’s going to use it. (He’s pretty sure there’s a contingent that’s planning his assassination. He wishes them luck, because he’s rather skilled in swordplay.) He’s not going to let them stray from their duty of protecting mages and the outside world.

There’s also lyrium and all that. Which brings me to Bucky. I could also make Bucky a Templar, and… it would make sense, right? A bit? That’s where him and Steve meet, and the both of them have such strong moral compasses that they hit it off almost immediately. It’s like they’re both going “Same hat! Same hat!”

Then, at some point, Bucky leaves to visit his family and he just doesn’t come back. I’m still rough on what happens, but obviously that would be the “Winter Soldier” part of his life where either a) whoever has him drastically increases his lyrium dosage to further heighten his abilities at the expense of horrific lyrium-induced nightmares and episodes of paranoia or b) red lyrium which is infinitely more worse and you know what, nah, I can’t do this to Bucky :(

Natasha is definitely a bard. Full stop. She’s a master in deception, manipulation, espionage, and she knows her way around a blade or two. She also has a delightful singing voice. However, even with the adrenaline rush of a job done right, the thrill of being caught spiking through her veins, she can’t say that she enjoys her job. It’s just that she’s good at it and Orlesian nobles are stacked with royals.

(Another option would be her being an Antivan Crow, because it certainly is as brutal as her backstory, but I just felt like her being a bard suited her better?)

Okay, that’s it for now before this gets too big gjfdkls

[leximperialis26]

Task Force Sigma

Created in response to, and at the conclusion of, the most recent Incursion War, Task Force Sigma is a specialized unit of Hunters who's job is to prevent further incursions from the Infernal Realm, or, failing that, find and seal any breaches and then destroy any and all demonic entities that managed to come through. The task force is divided up into five squads, each focusing on a specific area of expertise, and all working in concert to eliminate enemies, seal breaches, and minimize collateral damage and civilian casualties.

((Authors Note: Anything written [Like this] is an aside by me to help you guys picture what some of my custom races look like))

Gladius Squad

Led by Darrius, these Hunters specialize in frontline combat and eliminating larger enemies. They are the first ones in, and the last ones out of a fight, and are masters of physical combat or close range battle magics.

Leader: Darrius (War)

Borris - Kinetic Mage (Human)

Feyla - Shillarti Blade Mistress (Elf)

Rook - Battle Construct (Unknown Makers)

Charris - Mountain Guard (Dwarf)

Goratt - Greater Forest Spirit [Look up a DnD Flurry, it'll be the first pic under Images]

Decima Squad

Expert marksmen and artillery specialists, the Hunters of Decima Squad, under the command of Joseph, are masters of long range combat, focusing on prescion fire support and area denial. The work most closely in concert with Gladius, to ensure that the frontliners dont get swamped and overwhelmed by swarms of foes, a favored tactic among demons.

Leader: Joseph (Famine)

Ajax - Lightning Mage (Human)

Korrus - Pyromancer (Half-Elf)

Hallax - Rock Slinger (Stone Troll)

Amir - Greater Fire Elemental (Ifrit)

Zacarias - Ranger/Sniper (Human)

Oracle Squad

Coordinated by Allister, this squad consists of Hunters who wield healing, defensive, and supportive skills or magics. The Hunters of Oracle Squad are adepts at ensuring their comrades dont take too much damage, and repairing any injuries received. They also are the squad that has the knowledge and skill to collapse the breaches.

Leader: Allister (Pestilence)

Neveen - Life Mage (Half-Dryad)

Tarkis - Earth Mage (Human)

G'harn - Forge Lord (Dwarf)

Krotak - Shaman (Orc)

Reaper Squad

Made up of highly mobile, hard hitting Hunters who specialize in lightning strikes, scouting, and ambush tactics, Reaper squad functions as skirmishers, harrying the enemy formations, herding them towards Gladius Squad, or striking at targets of opportunity with devastating force. They are led by Erissa, astride her horse, Oblivion.

Leader: Erissa (Death)

Noxa - Changeling (Shapeshifter)

Rubax - Ranger (Loenka) [DnD Tabaxi]

Perun - Ranger (Elf)

!'illi - Antean [The scorpion/centaur dude from the end of the second mummy movie, but more insectile upper body]

Soo'kan - Druid (Orc)

Draco Squad

The Hunters of Draco Squad are skilled at aerial combat, eliminating any flying demons, and providing close air support to the other squads on the ground. They strike from above without warning, performing high speed strafing runs against large groups of demons. They are led by Alek, who also uses his overall view of the battlefield to provide valuable intel to the others.

Leader: Alek

T'las and Luvan - Elf Wyvern Rider/Mount

Biena - Lesser Wind Elemental (Sylph)

Suntail - Juvenile Red Dragon

Frostfang - Juvenile White Dragon

Thunderwing - Juvenile Yellow Dragon

Zephyr Squad

After the first few missions, it became apparent that a squad was needed to find and evacuate civilians caught in the combat zone, as demons tended to try and force breaches in densely populated areas in order to cause as much damage as possible. Recruited and led by Essylla, the members of Zephyr squad are all exceptionally powerful, and easily capable of defending themselves and those they find from all but the gravest of threats.

Leader: Essylla (Elder Forest Pixie and Priestess of the twin deities Imvalla and Imvarra)

Thrissel - Elder Sea Pixie

Ranfré - Elder Storm Pixie

Gelt - Elder Shadow Pixie

Sarana - Elder Fire Pixie

Rose - Greater Fairy Dragon [DnD Fairy Dragon, but with iridescent scales]

Rover - Technosprite/Tank

((Hope you guys enjoyed reading this, and hopefully I'll be able to start posting some new short stories soon too as soon as my brain decides to behave itself. As always, lemme know whatcha think, feedback is always appreciated, and if you have any prompts youd like to see me write, dont hesitate to shoot me a dm! Ciao! ^^))

@nox919 @kitvinslakte @syalar @dierotenixe @officialleehadan

[theharellan]

so inquisition describes the spirit school of magic as one which “...call[s] upon spirits for protection, as well as the essence of the Fade itself.” given solas’s specialisation in-game is rift mage, which is described as “draw[ing] upon the force of the Fade” i do think solas is more than capable of using the essence of the Fade to cast barriers, blast back enemies when he’s surrounded, etc, but given his close relationship with spirits he’s certainly capable of calling upon them, as well. so i’m going to do a breakdown of how he uses this particular tree of magic and abilities

barriers: “A barrier provides an additional health bar that must be destroyed before the target will take any damage.” solas has an understated talent for casting barriers, and they’re almost entirely from Fade essence rather than calling on another person. his barriers are stable and even, definitely the sort of barrier you’d want to have on you if you’re being flanked. his barriers come with a distinct smell of rain and wet earth, that carries even when they’re doing battle in the desert. it isn’t a lingering smell, and dissipates as soon as the barrier itself does. they also can be cast to glow longer than the animation plays in-game, if necessary. for example, if solas were to be taken into the descent, then when coming upon the section of the deep roads where there is next to no light, he might employ a barrier to both increase visibility and allow for protection.

guardian spirit: “A protective barrier springs into place around you automatically when you are badly injured.” this is an ability that requires the intervention of a spirit. at any point in time, solas is attracting the attention of spirits from across the veil, when he’s actively casting spells even moreso. this will occasionally be a stranger, a spirit he has never met, protecting him. this is the spirit equivalent of pulling someone out of the way of traffic, you might say. something small that you can do to save another’s life. in cases like these, he will often (try to) find the spirit in question to thank them when he’s next able to cross into the fade. most times they don’t remember him, even if he has only lived a few hours since they saved his life. others might remember after he has reminded them, regardless not only is it polite but also a means to make new allies/friends. others times it will be a spirit solas has some personal connection to, a friend. these barriers are more potent than the ones cast by strangers and hold their full strength longer before they begin to decay. of his current cast of spirit friends, a spirit of Hope he met after the herald sealed the breach, drawn to the hope they inspire, and a spirit of Diligence, also a relatively new friend compared to those he has known centuries, but fond of solas if only for his dogged persistence of his goals.

peaceful aura: “Your aura of tranquillity makes enemies less likely to attack you in battle, even when you damage them.” this is another ability where does does not necessarily require the aid of a spirit. dialogue with iron bull indicates solas has a pretty subdued style in battle, stating that “Half our targets never even see you coming.” i believe that this ability fits that observation pretty well, not in the sense that solas is in some way a rogue, but that he diverts attention away by means of magic. however, a spirit’s aid makes the ability all the more effective, and the spirit solas knows who’s best at helping him here is, unsurprisingly, a spirit of peace. the Peace he knows isn’t necessarily a pacifist, hence why he’s willing to aid solas in a battle, but embodies instead the idea of individual peace. his feelings about solas are, overall, mixed, but he has worked with solas since the rebellion (never explicitly allied with him). his experience with making people less attention-grabbing actually goes back to those days, developed to help aid escaped slaves make it safely to their destination-- be that fen’harel’s sanctuary or his own refuge. that Peace is willing to do this for solas doesn’t go unnoticed, either, as it’s something he’s confident he wouldn’t have done for him when he had the mantle Fen’Harel (and he’d be right about that).

dispel: “You remove hostile magic and status effects from allies while stripping beneficial effects from enemies.” this is probably solas’s weakest spell in this tree. given the effects of the spell, it feels like it has at least some stuff in common with templar/seeker abilities, even if the source isn’t the same. solas describes it as “reinforcing reality” to cassandra, and given solas’s struggles with reality throughout inquisition it isn’t something he can bring himself to do as easily. it’s something he gets more adept at as you go through the game, and he becomes better acquainted with reality and more accepting of its current state. but it’s something he’ll always struggle with in a post-veil world, even if hypothetically the veil was somehow brought back and he was still alive to see it, having experienced a veiled reality would making using dispel difficult.

mind blast: “You send enemies staggering with an explosion of willpower that drives them back and makes them less likely to target you again.” i don’t really have much to say about this one. it’s wholly his own spell, but he’ll often utilize unused energy from other mages (if they’re around to do so). vivienne and dorian especially are stated to have very flashy styles, with vivienne in particularly apparently keeping a latent magical aura around even when they’re not in a fight. i imagine with them in particular he’d be able to use energy they touched but didn’t use, essentially, which would have the added effect of confusing someone enough to not target him after they climb back to their feet.

rejuvenating barrier: “When you or your allies have an active barrier, the beneficial energy invigorates them and helps the recover mana or stamina more quickly.” i also don’t have too much to say about this one, beyond that i think this is an ability he influences but does not directly control. even with barriers he summons, spirits drawn to the spell are likely what cause the rejuvenation, with him only casting the barrier in such a way that it encourages that behaviour or rewards them. i also imagine the spirits in question to be more akin to wisps than fully-formed spirits, not complex enough for him to know personally, or else pieces of fully-formed spirits.

revival: “You summon spirits to heal fallen allies in the area, getting them back on their feet and fighting again.” this relies wholly upon a spirit and isn’t something he can accomplish without them. what’s more, i don’t believe this would be something he would like to do with a spirit he’s not well-acquainted with. he expresses discomfort with the idea of a necromancer inquisitor using intelligent spirits for their spells, and here i believe that discomfort might have some overlap. so with this spell i think it would have to be something pre-negotiated and agreed upon with a spirit he’s known for long enough to trust with his friends’/companions’ lives, while also ensuring they are not being used. also i imagine that this spell isn’t something he can use consistently, and one he would prefer not to use in places like adamant where calling upon allies may harm them. this spell also has a very distinct feeling upon the target, although the sensation will depend upon the spirit he asks for aid. if he were to call upon Peace, for example, the target would most likely hear wind chimes or be motivated with the idea of rest after the battle is through, a taste of what could come if they rise to their feet.

strength of spirits: “Your barriers draw on the magic of the fade to absorb more energy before depleting.” the name implies that spirits are involved, but i actually think this is just a consequence of how solas casts spells. he seems relatively energy-conscious, although very much capable of overdoing it (hence how he sets his coattails on fire) esp b/c he has to draw them through the veil these days. he removes residual energies on his staff and warps the veil to enhance the overall effectiveness of his spells. this is a similar technique, managing energy usage and conserving it so he doesn’t tire himself out.

[bisexualryder]

How well does Olivia get along with her advisors and companions? Dorian and Solas not so much apparently, but how about the others?

That’s definitely a loaded, mixed-bag question! And I’m grateful you asked ❤️ Playing again with her has made me realize, and remember, things aren’t wholly what I thought they might be when I was planning her out.

Also… uhhh, putting a cut halfway thru cause this got long.

Case and point on that is Sera. They have this playful relationship that’s friendly and flirty, but also gets quite strained at times. Olivia’s faith and her strong belief in the templars is a huge problem with Sera. The strain gets a bit much for Olivia and she begins to distance herself to cut out the complication.

Cole is another interesting one. Olivia is so very torn about Cole. In her heart she knows he wants to help, that he is helping and did help her with Envy. But everything she’s learned in her life as a templar has taught her to fear what he is, to cast away (if not kill) what the Chantry has told her is a demon. It’s her compassionate side that allows Cole to stay, but the wary templar in her keeps him at a distance.

Cullen she knew before the Inquisition. He was her superior in Kirkwall and while they didn’t know each other well, they ended up bonding in Haven about shared experiences there and talking about what brought them to the templars, etc. By the time she becomes Inquisitor, their friendship has grown into “bff” territory. They argue like siblings, on occasion, not always seeing eye to eye, but they’re always supportive of each other.

With Leliana it’s friendly professional? Olivia would like to know her and be closer, but after she catches Leliana in her moment of weakness in Haven it quickly becomes an uphill battle. She also manages, though not entirely intentionally, to send off mixed signals? Like, her attitude toward a lot of things, and how she views the world and what they’re doing ends up translating to Leliana closing herself off more and going colder. Leliana’s want/need to be more effective for what the Inquisitor ultimately requires of her closing off that door Olivia hoped to pass through some day.

On the flip side, we have Josephine, who Olivia admires. While unsure of someone so adept at the Game and keen on politics at first, Olivia doesn’t take too long to warm up to Josie. She also develops quite the crush on her, but oh Maker is Olivia bad at flirting. And we all know Josie isn’t the best at picking up on those flirty signals to begin with. As much as Olivia wishes it, that avenue ends up going nowhere, but they do become pretty good friends.

Other than Cullen, probably one of her closest friends is Vivienne. Having only experienced life as a templar in Kirkwall, Olivia’s keen to learn everything she can about Vivienne’s experience. That curiosity leads to many evening discussions between them about how both the Circle and the Order should be and how that change could be implemented. Vivienne is also the one, along with Josie, that helps keep Olivia… presentable to the masses. The outfit she wears in her downtime was a gift from Vivienne, and she even has special armor commissioned just for Olivia once she becomes Inquisitor.

And we, of course, know that Solas and Dorian definitely dislike Olivia - and she them. After a bit of time passes, she and Dorian come to tolerate each other. But it never passes more the chilly professionalism stage between them. He’s there to help and she appreciates that, for the sake of saving the world, but also struggles to look past both the man of Tevinter and the mage. With Solas they just disagree on every fundamental level. She also despises his holier-than-thou arrogance (as she sees it) and takes every opportunity to make sarcastic jabs at him and, whenever possible, prove him wrong.

With Bull, Olivia is wary. They’re generally friendly, but she tries to keep her distance from him. The idea that he’s a spy, even that he willingly shared this information, puts her ill at ease. After the issues with the qunari in Kirkwall, she’s more than a little gun shy, as it were, when it comes to dealing with the Qun. She’s friendly with Krem as well, and has no issues with the Chargers on a whole, just doesn’t spend much time around them. And Krem is usually around when she’s interacting with Bull, acting as a bit of a buffer sometimes to ensure things stay friendly.

At first, Blackwall cannot stand Olivia. He thinks she’s arrogant, can’t see past her own faith, and is too stubborn to accept dissent from others when they disagree with her on whether it was truly divine intervention that saved her at the Conclave. She proves him wrong, however. Helping everyone she can in the Hinterlands, he realizes that she’s not just focused on closing the Breach by “whatever means”. Also when he watches her interact with non-rebel mages (aka those that don’t attack them on site), he realizes she’s not just another templar. And also maybe most importantly she expresses an interest in learning about him, beyond just being a warden, and he realizes she sees him as a man and not a tool. I’ll have to revisit how things go after the… reveal. Not sure I can judge right off hand how that’ll go tbh. She’s been growing more as I’ve been playing her beyond how I planned her out.

Uhh, let’s see, I think that leaves Cassandra and Varric. They’re… interesting ones. Cassandra she mostly gets along with, but sometimes they’re so much alike that Olivia gets… hm, not bored but… I can’t put my finger on the word I want. At any rate, for as much as they can be alike, they also disagree. Or well, mostly when it comes to the purpose of the Inquisition and what can be done with it. Olivia feels Cass looks too much to the past, and even hates when Cass goes off about being among the “few women that have shaped the world”. Olivia wants to be her own person, but also realizes that Cass isn’t really wrong about that and that bothers her. Also Cass totally gets Olivia reading Varric’s books and it’s dreadful for poor Varric.

And speaking of, Olivia and Varric have a tense relationship. He’s much in the same boat as Blackwall was at the start, but doesn’t offer Olivia as much opportunity to… “right” that viewpoint. Not that she particularly tries with him. Like many others, she appreciates that he’s there to help, but they simply disagree about how to go about things and how she wound up where she is. He also may or may not hold past prejudices for her being not simply a templar, but one of Meredith’s. He sees her and fears the chance that red lyrium could somehow wrap itself around her, to steal away their once chance at saving the world.

Bonus round!

I need to think it out a bit more, but Olivia has a good chance of romancing Dagna :3 And along that line, she actually gets along quite well with Harritt and enjoys learning about crafting arms and armour from him.

She also befriends Adan and always goes to him when she needs to resupply on her personal lyrium stores. She usually hangs around for a bit, lending a friendly ear for him to bounce ideas for new recipes off of. He knows she’s bored to death by it, but the fact that she even tries warms his heart. But hell if he’ll ever tell her that. 

And lastly Ashley Hawke. They are a bit unsure of each other at first. Ashley thinks Olivia looks vaguely familiar and the fact of the matter is they probably ran into each other once or twice in Kirkwall, but never much interacted. They end up getting along decently enough - friendly, for sure. More than Varric expected, if one were to ask him about it. They end up enjoying laughs about stories from Kirkwall and Ash enjoys telling stories of growing up in Ferelden. Annnd they do also 100% bang once before going to Crestwood. No strings attached and while Olivia can’t help but feel that extra flutter in her chest later on when talking to Ash or hearing about her, nothing ever happens beyond that. They remain friendly for as long as Ash hangs around to aide the Inquisition.

SO THERE YA GO. I’m sure at some point some of this may all change, lmao, she’s ever shifting but this was fun to answer! And I apologize it took me so long, I was noodling through it while at work (and also just didn’t get a chance to sit and work on it till well after getting home). And also that it’s so damn long lmao.

[warcraft-lore-archives]

On Nightborne: Schools of Magic

Spellblades

Chronomancy

Warpcasting

Telemancy

Ley Magic

Astromancy

Spellblades

Spellblades, as the name indicates, are those who combine both melee skill and magic into a single form of combat [Dungeon Journal: The Nighthold, Spellblade Aluriel]. Spellblade Aluriel, captain of Grand Magistrix Elisande’s guard, was the first Nightborne to take on the rank of spellblade. She is not only adept in the magical schools of fire, frost, and arcane, but she also commands great prowess with a sword, making her both expert mage and warrior [Dungeon Journal: The Nighthold, Spellblade Aluriel]. Although it was once popular to specialize exclusively in just magic or weaponry, Aluriel was the first to combine both skills and pave the way for generations of spellblades to come [Post: Azshara’s Court - Guards].

In addition to spellblades, a type of melee-based fighter called a spell-fencer also exists within the Duskwatch’s ranks. It is unclear how spell-fencers differ from spellblades, if at all, but there may be a marked difference between them since they are referred to separately. Both Thoramir and Silgryn, who previously served together under Spellblade Aluriel, are spell-fencers [Quest: Waxing Crescent, NPC: Thoramir Dialogue]. Spell-fencers, and most likely spellblades by extension, can empower their weapons with arcane magic [Spell: Arc Blade].

Aluriel may be the first Nightborne Spellblade, but high elven society developed their own version, which may or may not differ from the Nightborne’s spellblade [NPC: Sunreaver Spellblade, NPC: Silver Covenant Spellblade].

Chronomancy

Time magic, or chronomancy, holds a rather significant place in Nightborne society. In fact, Elisande’s command of temporal magic, given to her by the Eye of Aman’thul, rivals even that of the bronze dragonflight’s [Quest: Temporal Investigations, Page: Eye of Aman’thul]. With the Eye of Aman’thul, which was used to create the Nightwell, Elisande could look into the future and freeze, speed up, slow down, or even rewind time [World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume I, pg. 104, Dungeon Journal: The Nighthold, Grand Magistrix Elisande].

Nightborne who specialize in temporal magic are known as tempomancers [NPC: Nightborne Tempomancer, Tempomancer Virinya]. Although a ‘Nightborne Chronomancer’ file exists, the NPC does not actually appear in-game [NPC: Nightborne Chronomancer]. These tempomancers can increase others’ haste and rewind time to heal themselves [Spell: Tempomancer’s Grace, Spell: Celerity Zone, Spell: Rewind Wounds]. Time magic is also used to shorten the wine fermenting period of Arcwine, allowing the Nightborne to produce the magic wine at a rate much quicker than usual [Quest: How It’s Made: Arcwine].

Some Nightborne carry chronometers on their person [Item: Flashy Chronometer].

Warpcasting

Warpcasters can warp the very space around themselves [Quest: Network Security]. Warpcaster Thwen created a warp field around herself that redirected all attacks and spells, however this warp field failed when exposed to unstable space [Spell: Warp Armor, Quest: Network Security].

Warpcasting and telemancy may be related magical arts, since they both entail the ‘warping’ of space [Quest: Survey Says…]. Chief Telemancer Oculeth, who trained Warpcaster Thwen, gives out a buff called ‘Warpwalking’ that causes each kill to increase movement speed [Quest: Network Security, Spell: Warpwalking].

Thalyssra built a device to generate a warp-field that would trap and excite mana in a ley feed conduit, causing a manastorm [Quest: Ephemeral Manastorm Projector].

Telemancy

Telemancers specialize in teleportation, a form of magic known as telemancy. Although telemancers can teleport and cast portals freely, they prefer to use a system of telemancy beacons to stabilize their portals, making them much safer to travel through [Quest: Oculeth’s Workshop, NPC: Chief Telemancer Oculeth Dialogue]. Beacons do this by supplying power for teleportation triangulations, which makes portal calculations much more exact and, consequently, safe [NPC: Oculeth Dialogue, Quest: Bring Home the Beacon, Quest: Survey the City]. Placing too many beacons, however, has the adverse effect of overloading the telemancy network [Quest: Staging Point].

Telemancy beacons also reduce teleportation time. While mage portals take some time to cast, telemancy beacons foster instant transmission [NPC: Oculeth Dialogue]. Teleport pads and telemancy orbs, in addition to beacons, are other means of transport [Quest: The Delicate Art of Telemancy, Quest: Breaching the Sanctum, Item: Entangled Telemancy Orb]. Certain things, like magical wards and manastorms, create interference that prevent teleportation [Quest: All In].

To establish a portal, one must first use the beacon to survey any given area for optimal placement. After the beacon has been placed, a connection can be anchored to it, creating a stable two-way portal [Quest: Survey Says…]. Some beacons can also be used for one-way teleportation [Quest: Grand Theft Telemancy].

According to Chief Telemancer Oculeth, who created Suramar’s telemancy network, telemancy is a delicate art [Quest: Oculeth’s Workshop].

Other Nightborne telemancers include Apprentice Telemancer Astrandis and Third Telemancer Syranel [NPC: Apprentice Telemancer Astrandis, NPC: Third Telemancer Syranel]. 

Ley Lines

Ley magic is the very cornerstone of Nightborne society. According to Arcanist Valtrois, ley lines are rivers of raw arcane energy running beneath the land. Although they are at times chaotic and difficult to control, the Nightborne have become adept at drawing power from them [Quest: Feeding Shal’Aran]. The convergence of ley lines in Suramar feeds power to the Nightwell, which in turn sustains the Nightborne [Quest: A Dance With Dragons]. This unique relationship, combined with centuries of ley line research, has given the Nightborne power over the ley lines.  

Suramar City was constructed on top of a nexus of ley lines that extend beyond the city proper into outlying regions like northern Azsuna. The Arcway, a vast labyrinthine network of tunnels, was built thousands of years ago under the region of Suramar for the purpose of tapping into and channeling the power of those magical ley lines [Quest: Tapping the Leylines]. At some point following the sundering, the Arcway was abandoned after a disaster disrupted mana collectors operating there [Quest: The Arcway: Opening the Arcway]. This is why all ley line feeds require an infusion of mana to operate properly [Quest: Leyline Feed: Falanaar Depths].

The Nightfallen maintain Ley Stations in the Arcway using ley line feeds, large pillars that channel the ley lines. These ley line feeds are topped with leydar dishes, which collect ley energy [Quest: Leyline Feed: Ley Station Moonfall]. The circuit at Tel’Anor’s Ley Station was broken and had to be mended by recharging the chamber’s seals using a high and low potency current in tandem [Quest: Power Grid]. Oculeth owns several personal coils for tapping into the ley lines [Quest: Oculeth’s Workshop].

By placing ley line taps on key points of any given ley line, one can direct the ley line’s flow of energy [Quest: Unbeleyvable]. A ley line stream powerful enough can vaporize anything [Quest: Feeding Shal’Aran, Quest: Flow Control]. However, just as much as it can destroy, arcane energy from the ley lines can also repair physical damage [Quest: Leyline Feed: Ley Station Aethenar, Quest: Leyline Feed: Ley Station Moonfall]. A plant called Manaroot that grows underneath ley lines in Suramar possesses healing properties and can be made into a salve that heals wounds [Quest: Soothing Wounds, Quest: Salvation].

Valtrois casts a buff called ‘Leyline Mastery’ that causes the wearer to attract ley lines, triggering ley line rifts to appear [Spell: Leyline Mastery].

Shal’dorei silk has some ley energy woven right into it [Quest: Runic Catgut].

Nightborne society is full of all sorts of people dedicated to studying the ley lines, from Ley Line Channelers and Ley Line Researchers to Duskwatch Ley-Wardens [NPC: Ley Line Channeler, NPC: Ley Line Researcher, NPC: Duskwatch Ley-Warden]. There is a specific class of mage, known as Ley Walker, that specializes in ley line magic, however it is an RPG only class and cannot be considered canon [RPG: More Magic & Mayhem, pg. 20-22]. Although Arcanist Valtrois is an arcanist, she is clearly vested in the ley line arts, as she has been studying ley lines for millennia, and could be considered a ‘ley walker’ of sorts in her own right [Quest: Unbeleyvable].

Astromancy

Astromancy is undoubtedly just as important in Nightborne society as any other school of magic, however there are very few specific details about Nightborne astromancy, perhaps because it is so subtly woven into the very fabric of Nightborne culture.

The denizens of Suramar began studying the stars as early as twelve thousand years ago [Object: Highborne Astrolabe]. Even when the protective shield put up over Suramar obscured the Nightborne’s view of the sky, they continued to dedicate themselves to studying the stars in Astromancer’s Rise [Quest: The Nightborne Pact]. Suramar’s foremost astromancer, Star Augur Etraeus, uses the Nightwell to draw upon the essence of alien worlds to amplify his own powers. He, Astrologer Jarin, and a coterie of celestial acolytes and astral spell-users dedicate themselves to understanding the celestial forces from the Nighthold [Dungeon Journal: The Nighthold, Star Augur Etraeus, NPC: Astrologer Jarin Dialogue].

[eggtober]

Anastasia

Art done by the wonderful @destinyapostasy

Gender/Pronouns: Female. She/Her

Name: Anastasia Maria Treyvellan

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Straight

Age: 22

Birthdate: 12th of Cassus 9:19 Dragon

Occupation: circle mage, inquisitor.

Height: 162.5 or 5'3

Build: athletic somewhat chunky

Skin Tone: olive

Hair: black

Eyes: Violet

Appearance: shes 5'3 with a somewhat chunky build slightly toned. she has long to medium length black hair that she keeps in

a loose low hanging messy bun with a single braid on the left side connecting to it. she has olive skin and violet eyes that

are almond shape, full lips, and somewhat sharp jaw.

Personality: shes quiet polite and humble but deep down she does a lot of things out of sheer spite.

Motivations: bettering herself and her situation and pure spite

Current Goal: close the breach try and fix the world

Life Goal: to thrive and live a comfortable life

Motto: do what must be done, trust is hard earned but easily broken.

Best Quality: headstrong

Worst Quality: secretive

Fears: being forgotten, failing.

Hobbies: reading, learning.

Talents: quick to piece things together

Skills: she's great at forming strategies.

Alignment:chaotic neutral

Group/Organizational Affiliations:Circle of magi, Chantry, Inquistion.

Family: Mother - Acelina Treyvellan

Father - Luther Treyvellan

Brother - Calvin Treyvellan

Relationship Status: Taken

Significant Other: The Iron Bull

Influential Memory: hearing about Vivienne's success in the circle  

Role Model: Vivenne

Backstory: Anastasia was born from a noble family, her mother an orlesian noble and her father a free marcher noble. she has one brother who is her

eldar by 10 years named Calvin. her mother had loved the game so much while she was in orlais so she made it a point to ensure her daughter was adept

in the game at an early age. she was 13 when she came into her magic and thusly sent to the circle. she was terrified to leave her family for

the circle scared shed never see them again. luckily her father was good friends with the knight commander and was allowed visitation, only

once in a while though.after being taken to the circle her brother joined the templar order as so many men do. lydia, the first enchanter, used to

tell her stories of a young mage rising to the ranks and being move to montsimard's circle. which quickly became a dream for her she loved the

game as much as her mother so she strived to catch the eye of those above her. she worked long and hard learned as much as she could then finally she

was granted to move to the montsimard circle she was only there three years when the circles rebelled. during that time Vivenne had taken her under

her wing as much as she was willing to and helped her grow more. when the circles rebelled she stuck with Vvivenne who claimed to be apart of the

last loyal mages of Thedas. when the conclave was called she and a small group of mages and templars went. that's where it all began.

[monstersandmaw]

Cute elf boy headcanons yes please... ... Does he like Cassandra? Whats' his thought on Cole? Whats he like? I love DA: Inquisition so much so I'm so happy watching you work your way through it and fall in love with it the same I did

And because @theladypirate​ also wanted to know about Kaelas my elf boy, here’s an extraordinarily long set of headcanons and backstory for him…

Kaelas Lavellan is a male elf, about 22yrs old at the timeof the start of the Inquisition game timeline. As with game-canon, he was his clan’sFirst, a mage training to take over the role of Keeper one day before he wassent to the disastrous conclave… His name in his clan’s dialect (suspend yourdisbelief here, ok?!) means ‘one of embers’.

Buckle up for a bit of a sad backstory (tw for sibling death) andsome headcanons on relationships with the other main characters fromInquisition. The romance in my playthrough is Dorian-orientated too.

Kaelas has dark red hair, shaved short above his ear oneside and long to mid chest on the other (longer in my mind than the gamehairstyles will permit…). His grey eyes are piercing but actually he can’t seeclose-up very well – he has great long distance vision, but he probably needslenses to read… (which Dorian finds hilarious, as no amount of reading bycandle light has affected his eyesight at all). Kaelas is naturally lean, he’s quite fit, but he won’t be winning anyathletics contests at Skyhold any time soon. He’s very adept at storm magic, and is good with using his staff formagic spells but not at close quarters. He’s cut himself on the blade on the endmore time than he cares to admit… *seeCassandra’s role below…*

He has no vallaslin, (sacred facial tattoos) because the Keeperdecided he was not ready at the age of eighteen when most Dalish elves gettheir tattoos. It is a mark of great shame to him because he’s very proud ofhis Dalish heritage, and he would probably have born the mark of Falon'Din. (Falon’Dinis “the elven God of Death and Fortuneand guides the dead to the Beyond. He and his twin brother, Dirthamen, are theeldest children of Elgar'nan the All-Father and Mythal the Protector.”)Kaelas lost his own identical twin brother, Kaenas, (who was also training asan apprentice with the Keeper, and was a better diplomat than Kaelas though hehad no magical talent) when they were eighteen, the week before they weresupposed to get their tattoos.

I’ll stick in a ‘keep reading’ just to save people scrolling through… haha

Kaelas did not take Kaenas’ death well (whose name means ‘oneof the stars’: ‘kaen’ meaning ‘star’, while ‘kael’ means ‘ember’). In a screamof grief and rage while at his brother’s funeral, he half resurrected him fromthe dead by accident. He had had no training in necromancy, and had no interestin it, but because of his connection to his brother’s soul, the spell worked.Sort of. What he raised was a half revenant that wasn’t his brother, and which tookthree clan hunters to put to rest again… Because of this he was denied hisvallaslin for at least five years until he learned the responsibility of hispowers. He also has no desire totouch necromancy, but is learning from Dorian that it’s not all bad, especiallygiven Dorian’s history with blood magic. He left for the conclave a year beforehe was due to get his marks.

Kaelas is actually pretty naïve, despite the training and occasionalexcursions with his Keeper. His clan was more open to trade and contact withhumans than many, but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily all that… adept. Heoften puts his foot in things by asking the innocent questions which just sort offall out of him before he’s had time to engage his brain. In that respect, he’sa little bit like Cole, though not quiteas oblivious. He always misses sexualinnuendos and flirting (queue Dorian beating his forehead against Skyhold’slibrary wall in frustration at how oblivious this stupid elf is), and he can bequite hurt by the sort of soldiers’ humour and jokes that were just intended tobe harmless fun, not realising their not serious…

Similarly, Kaelas takes most things, situations, and peopleat face value, which means he leaves himself open to being hurt, but he’llalways give people a chance to prove themselves. He is actually very warybecause he’s not good at reading people, and since all the ridiculouspoliticking that has come with his role as Inquisitor, he’s learned the hardway that people do not say what they mean, so he usually doesn’t trust peoplevery easily at all because he knows he’s gullible, if that makes sense. He alsohad absolutely no idea that Krem is trans. At all. Krem and Bull still teasehim about the expression he made when he found out because they both like towatch his ears go red. His ears go red very easily. He was so worried he’d offendedKrem by not realising somehow that he couldn’t speak to him for days, and Kremactually cornered him at the Herald’s Rest when Kaelas had had too much todrink and asked him if he’d made Kaelas uncomfortable by talking about himself.Kaelas was mortified that Krem hadgot the wrong end of the stick, and confessed that he’d never met anyone likehim – among the Dalish gender is all very fluid and all names are neutral etc.so it never occurred to him that someone would have to hide a side of themselvesfrom others like that. Krem and he laughed it off and they’re good friends now,though Kaelas is wary the Chargers’ humour as they all like to see if they canget him drunk and turn his ears beetroot red…

Cassandra was kind to him when he first set out with her forthe breach, despite her having no reason to trust him, and he appreciated that andrespected her for it. Much later he asked her if she’d teach him to fightbetter, so while he’s recovering from the avalanche and near death fromexposure on the mountainside after Haven, he begins his training with her, andthey form a rapport. He’s not intimidated by her straight way of talking, and infact, he likes it. He likes that she doesn’t mince her words or play prettyword games. She’s honest, and she’s actually a laugh in more private settings. Theytalk salacious fiction in private too, but don’t tell Dorian because he’s rudeabout it…

Kaelas doesn’t believe he’s Andraste’s herald, but herespects Cass and Leliana’s faith. He’s wary of Solas, but talks to him aboutthe Fade and about elves etc. because he’s interested to hear more about differentelves and their way of life (and he’s curious as to why Solas looks down on theDalish as provincial and rather backward…)

Cullen he’s a bit intimidated by, but he respects him andthinks his heart is in the right place.

He looks up to Varric a bit like a cheeky older brother,ever since he struck up a bond with him shortly after meeting him on the way tothe forward camp.

Kaelas would defend Cole to the death. He is unnerved by theway the kid spouts out people’s deepest thoughts, and is grateful that theanchor goes some way to masking some of his feelings from Cole. He knows that Colecan sense his deep grief from the loss of his twin, and he’s terrified thatCole’s going to start spouting out his pain around the others – he’s not toldanyone, even Dorian (yet), about Kaenas’ death). But he appreciates that Coleonly wishes to help and to heal.

And finally, Dorian. To say that to begin with Kaelas was extra ary of a Tevinter magespecialising in necromancy is a bit of an understatement, but he was. Dorianseems all brash confidence and flippant flare, until he gets to know him betterwhen he comes back to Haven with them. Dorian makes attempts to talk to Kaelasto get to know him better, and in time Kaelas starts opening up a bit, and theytalk about magic. They flirt a bit – Kaelas very poorly, much to Dorian’samusement – and when Kaelas is presumed dead in the avalanche, Dorian isdevastated.

Anyway, please feel free to ask me more about him – I wantto start writing Dragon Age fanfiction soon, but I should probably finish the gamefirst and get to know the world better. It will be Kaelas x Dorian though, abit like my series with Lein x Argis from Skyrim…

Thank you for asking me this, by the way. I’m always thrilled to get questions about my OCs. Seriously, you have no idea. 

[happyorogeny]

The Gossip Chapter 10

(~3800 words)(Illidan, Kael’thas, Rommath)(tw violence, near drowning, substance abuse like behaviours)

Rommath didn’t get the chance to go challenge Akama over what, exactly, he’d said. Kargath stood and cried out what sounded like a ritual challenge. Rommath wasn’t quite sure of the correct response, but he found the nature of these things tended to hold true across all languages and instantly snapped back a classic Sin’dorei acceptance, to many delighted ohhs and ahhs from the surrounding crowd.  

Rommath was ready to start there and then- only nobles needed to wait until dawn to get their act together- but apparently the orcs had regulations about this kind of thing. Five of the elders immediately called out for a halt, bringing both him and Kargath to a rather abrupt stop. Wait, they could just challenge their leaders decisions openly like this and it brought everything to a standstill? How did they ever get anything done?

The issue of his obvious illness was raised, rapidly followed by whether or not an underling could accept a challenge on behalf of their prince. He bristled as one rather withered looking man waved a cane at him.

“Tis a mage. It’s not right to fight a skinny mage.”

“I am not skinny!”

The woman who had handed him a mug when he first entered the hall appeared at the old man’s elbow.

“The elves tend towards a slender frame when compared to ourselves. That might well be normal for him.”

This garnered him a number of sympathetic glances, and three elderly women near him put their heads together and started to speak rapidly to one another. Some interactions transcended all language barriers. He wasn’t getting out of here without a meal.

It was immediately decided that the circle needed to be an oval, so that Rommath had enough time to get his spells ready, and that he also needed a second and at least one assistant. No, he most certainly was not going to drag any poor unfortunates into this nonsense!

“There’s no need for such theatrics. I’m a busy man. Let us end this.”

“It wouldn’t be fair. Name your second.”

Romamth flatly refused. And it was at this point that Akama decided to get involved.

“Why not that courtesan you spend so much time with?”

Rommath felt himself pale. Mei’le was quick with her little knife but she wasn’t a fighter, not the way the average orc was, and Xi’an was a scholar. Neither of them were fit for this kind of work. Let him send for Kayn if he had to. But he was gone, and though he knew the second in command of the guards her name quite slipped his mind- worrying in and of itself, for his memory was usually ironclad- and the courtesans were too brave for their own good, and the courier was sent to summon them before he could stop them.

So now he had to worry about that, too. Great. He already had precisely one white hair at the back of his head and he wanted no more.

Mei’le appeared in the most practical blouse she owned and couldn’t quite resist cracking a number of lewd jokes as she offered to help him grease up. Xi’an couldn’t quite keep the worry off his face, but was clever enough to hide his expression with a fan.

“He’s huge.”

“I’ve fought larger.”

They both shot him an odd look. Honestly. Folk tended to assume an affinity for the magical arts left someone physically inept. As if! In fact if a person was anything like himself, they immediately noticed such a weakness and took steps to render themselves adept in physical combat. A feature that had led to the assassin’s guild in Qual’thalas refusing to accept contracts on him. Rommath was bad for business, they said. Made them look incompetent.

“Please let me fetch one of the soldiers, or a duelist-”

“No.” He kept his response short. More rushing around would only weaken his position, and possibly his ability to actually fight this fool. Besides, he needed to concentrate on this potion.

The Sin’dorei at large tended to disregard potions. It had always struck him as strange, given how much they loved their cooking, their weaving, their brewing. A potion was all these things with extra arcane added in. Everyone ought to have excelled in potion craft, but no, and now they looked at him askance as he called for a vintner, for the tea set from the Den, for coffee and a number of dried herbs, and laid them all out with the four multicoloured flasks he brought with him wherever he went.

Halduron had called him paranoid for bringing these to Outland. Just as well he had nerves of glass. He fussed at Xi’an and Mei’le until they were opposite each other, one with the wine and one with the coffee. This had to be done just so or it all tended to go a little askew. Himself and Kael’thas had designed and perfected this potion themselves, in order to constantly function through nightly study sessions and ornate balls and magi exams that had made up their life for so long.

He set the four flasks around an empty carafe and stood. His magic grumbled. It was as weary as he was, and to think he would have no rest when he returned, only a million jobs needing personal attention and-

Come on. Once more into the breach.

The courtesans poured together and he brought his hands up, lifting the potions out of the flasks and weaving all six streams into one with a quick motion. It was somewhat rewarding to have the crowd gasp and cheer at such a complex display, but the bulk of his attention was focused on the potion.

It was icy cold as he drank it, enough to make his stomach clench. He made himself relax, finishing it to the last drop. Not a pleasant draught. Not something he liked to rely on. But it was perfectly suitable for situations like this, or perhaps to bolster himself and Kael’thas through their final mage exams. All at once his lungs and muscles forgot he was yet recovering from an illness. So this was what it felt like to breathe easily once more!

He would of course suffer for this over the next few days. The last time he’d done this he’d ended up bedridden, never mind while still unwell. But such were the requirements of duty. All going well, Kael’thas would arrive back any minute now and stop this before it started. He had an instinctive sense of dramatic timing.  

He waited for the doors to burst open.

Nothing.

His ears went flat with annoyance. Fine.

The orc’s had an insistence upon fighting shirtless and greased. This struck him as profoundly unsportsmanlike. Was it not a show of skill to get a grip on someone they couldn’t escape from?

He didn’t particularly like disrobing in public. But so be it.

The angular scarlet tattoos on his arms remained still, vivid and unyielding. But they were the ones he’d inked last, after he perfected the process. Those geometric patterns on his chest, his stomach, his back and his neck, they moved. Not with the fluid grace or sinuosity of living things but in a strange and fractal pattern, spinning and splitting in angles and lines, hexagons and whirling squares that swelled and merged to form shapes anew. He’d used his favorite sewing needle to etch them and thus enchanted himself quite without realizing.

An extremely intricate crosswork of triangles unfurled across his chest and stomach as he tucked his hair into a bun. They fit together as close as armour and nearly resembled the scales of a dragon.

Kargath’s second was the very same woman who’d pushed a drink on him as he came in, alerting him to the chalk circle. She glared at him from across the battlefield. Anyone else would have thought it a glare, at least. But he was a gaze, very intent and very focused. A spotlight rather than a glow.

Rommath suddenly felt himself in the presence of a fellow spirit.

What is it? What are you trying to show me?

She inclined her head, just slightly.

Akama? What about him?

He had no time to demand clarification, for the orc managing the fight slapped the ground to signal the start of the match. Rommath startled everyone by charging Kargath head on, ducking under his guard and punching him in the kidneys. The trick with a big fellow like this was to get in close, where they couldn’t use their long reach and greater strength to full advantage. Distantly, he heard Xi’an whoop.

Kargath’s back was covered in stitches. Poorly done ones at that- the healer mustn’t have liked him very much. Or perhaps he was the kind of fool who would barely give a healer time to do their job.

“So, the lapdog has teeth.”

Rommath resisted the urge to bite him in retaliation and skipped back out of range as the orc closed on him. He was damned fast for such a big man.

“Why did you try to lure Prince Kael’thas here for a duel?” A damned silly idea that was, in and of itself.

“He dishonours us with his behaviour.”

“What are you talking about!?”

Kargath took advantage of his good will by tripping him and Rommath suddenly found himself pinned.

Spending so much time around Kael’thas had caused his magic to shift, subtly, over the centuries. The princes magic was gregarious thing, mingling with the powers of nearby mages and altering them, if mildly. Kargath recoiled with a curse as he burst into crackling flames, jerking loose.

“I fear we are been set at each others throats, to weaken the Temple.” He squinted meaningfully at Akama.

“The shaman is more honourable than all of you combined! I’ve noticed how the orcs are abandoned but for war- we’ll not become the fodder of another demon!”

“There is no secret from which you are excluded!”

“No? Then where is the Highlord? Where is the Prince?”

Mei’le’s face slipped into his mind.

“They’ve eloped.”

Kargath blinked, but he didn’t laugh or instantly become suspicious. What in the name of the Sunwell were they doing, that this was a commonly held notion? Rommath pushed his advantage.

“Think, why would they vanish alone in the dead of night with no guard?”

Kargath frowned, face suddenly thoughtful, and then twisted so that half his stitches burst loose. Rommath winced even as the referee called a halt.

“Go, take water,” Kargath said, voice meaningful. For Akama was slipping away down a side passage at a remarkably quick pace for an old man with a limp. Despite his growing suspicion Rommath couldn’t help but admire the cloak. It was very finely made, indeed, and…

He frowned. The…wool didn’t just unravel when cut like that. It frayed as well, turning into a fluffy mass.

While illusions weren’t his favourite thing to dabble in, Rommath had made it his business to be competent in the eight major schools of magic, as well as having a strong understanding of the magics utilized by sorcerers, druids, shamans.

This felt wrong.

That wasn’t Akama.

…

“FOOL! YOU’VE FLOWN INTO MY TRAP!”

Illidan, already in mid-air so as to avoid Maiev’s attack, started as the demonic voice boomed through his head. A burning purple shape hurling itself out of the lake at him and he recognized the Nathrezim immediately, having killed this one once already. Xas’icus was a brute and an assassin, somewhat heftier than him and infinitely more awkward in the air on account of his short wings. What was that wretched creature doing here-

Ah. Demonic politics. The council of incubus was low-ranking in the Legions army, usually the servants and footsoldiers to the shivarra and the succubi. Ma’niqu had been sent after him in an effort to boost their reputation. But clearly the Nathrezim wanted the honour of killing him for themselves, and had stationed an operative here to snatch the prize away. All the information he had about the demon flicked to the forefront of his mind in a matter of seconds and he forgot Maiev, forgot about everything as he turned to face the attack.

“YOU WILL DIE HERE, ALONE-”

Kael’thas knocked the demon out of mid-air with a spectacularly explosive fireball, cackling as it went skidding over the ice. Maiev turned her furious gaze on the demon, then to him, then to Kael’thas, briefly torn in her choice of targets.

“Get in line, demon! His head is mine!”

“What fool are you to come between the Legion and their prey?!” Xas straightened out of the snow and snarled as a dozen arrows rebounded off his armour and sank deep into the joints of his wings. Illidan knew a surge of glee. Let them have at each other and he would very graciously bow out, snatch Kael’thas away from this nonsense and dash through the temple towards home. But sadly it wasn’t to be. The skin of his arms prickled in warning of portal magic and he flicked himself away as Xas tried to cut him in half.

Imbecile. That hadn’t worked the last three times he had tried it.

And Illidan, much to his frustration, still hadn’t figured out precisely how he did it. But now an opportunity presented itself. For when he fed on demons it sated more than his hunger for magic- he devoured fragments of their memories, of their spells. And Xas was very adept with his portal work.

He dived upon Xas as the demon left the ground, harrying him over the ice, and behind him metal sang as Kael’thas unsheathed his sword and turned to face the wardens.

…

“Ladies, please! There’s plenty of me to go around!”

The wardens plainly didn’t appreciate his attempts at politeness for he almost immediately lost an eye. He hurled a fireball at the offending warrior, then threw himself flat and rolled up as metal hissed through the air behind him. These Kaldorei threw the circular glaives one handed as if they weighed nothing, bouncing them off the heavy armour of their mounts so that they ricocheted in from unexpected angles. The women themselves attacked him head on with short blades so that he was in a virtual vortex of weaponry, testing his wards and armour for weak points. A distant part of him now understood why Illidan had so many scars.

A trio of throwing knives bounced off his wards, striking sparks. One of the wardens let loose a ringing cry and bulled through his ward on saberback. So determined was she that she managed to knock him across the head before his magic threw her back. The spell after that was almost instinctive, flash heating the upper layer of ice so that it burst into steam around them. The scalding cloud was harmless to him, and it gave him a moment to breathe as the wardens twitched back.

Illidan was brawling with the demon in mid-air, beating it around the head with his wings. The dreadlord tried to shout some spell at him only for Illidan to immediately kick it in the midriff, winding it and bullying him back further. Illidan was much more adept in the air to Kael’thas eye, his wings rotating in their sockets to pull him just out of range before diving back into the fray. One ear tilted towards him and he half turned, hovering.

Idiot. He wouldn’t be able to disengage without leaving his back completely open to attack.

“I’m fine! Kill it!”

And then he had no more time for the largest warden shook herself and leaped through the steam to chase him. He gave her his most dazzling smile as he moved back, step by step, steady and sweet as a dance. Five. He counted only five of them and their mounts prowling along in the edges of his vision. Where was Maiev-

Something smacked into his side. He looked down in confusion. A feathered shaft jutted out of his ribs, gleaming with anti-magic runes. His armour had slowed it, but not enough to-

Ah. There was the pain.

He blinked away from them, thirty feet to the left. Maiev observed him as he tried to force himself upright and stumbled. Content that he wasn’t going to escape her, she turned back to study Illidan. The other wardens eyed him briefly and came to a swift decision amongst themselves, for two of them drew long, incredibly sharp knives from their belts and moved towards him, one circling left and one circling right, before their outlines blurred and vanished into the snow. Ah, yes, all the night elves could do that. Unfortunate.

Plainly they thought to kill him and let Illidan and the demon maul one another, before sweeping in to finish them off. And to think folk had the nerve to call the Sin’dorei arrogant.

Gritting his teeth, he wrenched the arrow out and burned the wound closed in one swift motion. For a minute the agony rendered him nearly blind. That was a lot of blood. And that piece of flesh there rather seemed like it should be inside him. Perhaps this wasn’t his best plan.

Illidan seemed to have gained the upper hand. Having driven the dreadlord through the air above the lake he now harried the demon against the mountainside, pinning him against the temple steps. His wings were spread wide and his tattoos blazed as streamers of green mana flowed from the demon into him.

He was eating it.

Ah. No wonder he hadn’t wanted breakfast, part of him thought distantly. He’d probably eaten enough of Ma’niqu to keep himself going for a few days.

Now that he was distracted, Maiev whistled to her sisters and they all took off across the ice. A nasty trio of daggers gleamed between her fingers. He gathered himself, blinked forwards and bashed into Maiev’s shoulder as she threw her weapons, sending them skittering over the ice.

“May I have this dance?”

She punched him in the head and only his wards protected him from a cracked skull.

“Get out of my way and I may allow you to leave.”

The hell she would.

“Illidan comes with me.”

“You realize that isn’t Illidan, do you not?”

“If that’s the case you really ought to go figure out where he really is.”

“I would rather he didn’t claim another victim, even a Highbourne as wretched as yourself.” Maiev swayed slightly on her feet, testing his reactions. Her sisters circled past, ignoring them, racing to attack Illidan while he was distracted.

“Illidan? You have houseguests.” Aloud he said;

“The term you’re looking for is Sin’dorei, there’s an emphasis on the S.” He barely deflected the boot dagger she tossed towards his eyes and had to lock Felo’melorn into the grooves of her vambraces to prevent her scalping him. Maiev leaned into him, unbelievably and inevitably strong.

“He’s corrupted, just the same as everyone that touches fel and thinks they can master it.” She spoke with an absolute certainty and Kael’thas felt himself quail a little. He had suspected as much, deep down. Fel magic was famed for its corruptive qualities, and elves well known to be particularly weak to its lure. And Illidan had been alone with that and nothing else for endless ages.

“If you’ll forgive me saying so, ma’am, you may not be the most reliable source of information.” But it was important to present a united front. He radiated enough heat to melt the outer layers of Maiev’s armour and it trickled down his sword, dripped onto his hands, into his hair. He was briefly glad for his magic, protecting him from burns.

Maiev had no such power and she didn’t seem to care a whit.

“You think he’d want to be a vector for such a thing? It’s a mercy to kill him. More than he deserves.”

Demonic energies were well known to drive the bearer to madness. Illidan might well believe he was battling the Legion, rather than spreading it’s contagion to many other worlds. That would explain why he had yielded to Kil’jaden so easily, how the demon overlord had found them in the first place. Why he allowed demons into the Temple.

And yet. He hesitated in teaching the Sin’dorei how to feed on fel, concerned they wouldn’t be able to control it. That seemed somewhat counterproductive, did it not? And Kael’thas had touched the magic and minds of creatures corrupted by fel. All of them lived in a state of chaos, a churn of energies. Not the sensations he’d felt from Illidan last night, an orderly if idiosyncratic library.

“He tells you he can control it, promised that there’s a cure for your hunger? Lies. It ate him up from the inside just the same as his mother, the same as you will be in time. You are lost.”

Lost? Did she think he would be here if he had any other choice?

He had always had something of a temper, but largely controlled it. A fire mage with a hot temper was too much of a cliché for him to play into. But all at once it came bursting out.

“You don’t remember, do you? I wrote you letters pleading with you to take and train some of the women, so that they’d have food and shelter.” Rage flared through him. “Illidan brought aid and rescue where you and your precious Kaldorei would have let us hang, where the humans let us starve. We needed refuge and in the grimmest hour of our existence everyone turned away.”

And he still couldn’t understand it. What had they ever done that was so wrong that the whole world abandoned them? No sympathy for them, no compassion, nothing.

It was the oldest damn trick in the book, yet he fell for it. Maiev suddenly stopped pushing him back and he lurched forwards towards her. She grabbed his ears and spun him to slam into the ice, pressing a knee into his chest. It splintered beneath him. Icy water soaked into his hair, slipped around his throat as she shoved his head underwater. He slammed the pommel into her helm to no avail, and she tilted her head so as to catch it against her shoulder so he couldn’t strike her again. Her hand tightened around his gorget as he boiled the water around them, trying to clear it away from his face.

And then suddenly the pressure was gone and he was falling, through a portal, to land completely winded on the ground. Illidan’s voice echoed in his mind as he rolled to avoid a deluge of lake water.

“Kael’thas!” And he recoiled at the sound, half-deafened. Illidan rattled off a stream of incomprehensible demonic. Since when could he make portals!? That would have made this whole thing so much easier!

He lurched upright, coughing, in time to see the portal snap closed.

[aeonsforever]

Xaxos (Core Set)

Xaxos has utterly abysmal breaches. Despite being a "Breach Mage Adept", he has some of the absolute worst breaches in the entire game. What Xaxos does have is a signature card that deals approximately 2.2 damage per cast and a pretty powerful ability (though it's situational on your allies having strong abilities as well). The majority of Xaxos's power comes from Flare, which has an ever so slightly than 60% chance of revealing a player turn order card, assuming you're casting it at random with 4 player turn order cards. However, Xaxos can also pay attention to the turn order discard pile to maximize his chances of landing a Flare hit. But even in the random case, the expected damage output is about 2.2, which allows Xaxos to quite reliably take out early minions. Furthermore, Xaxos's ability allows him to give a ton of consistency to the turn order deck at a very low cost, essentially one charge to re-order the turn order deck assuming that all of the four charges he gives out are used well. Do these pieces make up for his utterly awful breaches? In my experience playing the character, I would generally prefer to play a mage with better breaches. Flare is great, but the breaches being as poor as they are make him a really tough mage for me to use, as I do love getting those spells up and running. Admittedly, it could be that I'm not playing him properly. His poor breaches means that he's pretty bad at scaling his damage, but he starts with a pretty amount of damage anyways, so he could be quite good at scaling economy and destruction, rather than raw damage. It just seems a bit out of character that Xaxos isn't good at scaling damage, knowing what his character is like now.