#calenhad aeducan

[vigilskeep]

Why don't you think Cal's gonna do the ritual?

loves morrigan, but has long since learned not to necessarily trust the people he loves

has already damned one son just by being his father, and i mentioned recently that i think the stigma against harm to children in orzammar culture is profound, let alone the stigma against failing to protect your own children

has just gotten to grips with how much it fucked him up to be raised by a mother who cared more about the purpose he had been born for than about him as a person, which is exactly what morrigan’s intentions at the time seem to be for this child

will have zero interest in preserving an old god soul which, probably regardless of morrigan’s explanations, he would see as part and parcel of his people’s great enemy that must be destroyed

magic is something he has little experience with except as something to fight. he doesn’t fear it as a whole, but he knows he doesn’t know enough to understand what morrigan might be doing, and that makes him wary

my current expectations are that at this point he will have committed to being in a monogamous relationship for the first time in his life, and that his overpowering sense of honour and duty will not take well to the idea of breaking his word there merely to save his own life

accepted his death when he was exiled until duncan said come, take your punishment with me. the blight was his purpose. when he slays the archdemon, that purpose will be over; why, then, should he extend his life at such costs/risks? in his head, it wouldn’t be so terrible to have lived the very best months of his life and end them in the moment of victory; he has seen those who deserve far more receive far less

all he has ever wanted or been taught is to do his duty. noble sacrifice has an appeal to him, and value in his culture, so just the idea of trying to evade such a thing—of shirking his duty, of cowardice—makes him flinch

i can see a potential version of events where he does do the ritual but the, uh, scales are weighted one way. i did make him with the intention of this being a possibility because it’s a worldstate i want to explore. yes i will still be brokenhearted about it on your dash even though i chose this

[dragonagekeeper]

Disclaimer: This poll only covers the six individual Hero of Fereldan origins, which is why Amell and Surana are combined in here.

If your canon Warden is a Circle Mage please consider voting here to distinguish if your Warden is an Amell or Surana.

Dragon Age Origins Polls

Class related polls: Mage Warden, Rogue Warden, and Warrior Warden

Race related polls: Dwarf Warden, Elf Warden, and Human Warden

See origin descriptions from the keep below

1. Dwarf Commoner (Brosca)

The Hero of Ferelden was born casteless in the slums of Orzammar. They impersonated a man of Warrior Caste in Orzammar's Provings, a crime punishable by death. However, the Hero's showing in the arena impressed Grey Warden Commander Duncan so much that he recruited them before they could be executed.

2. Dwarf Noble (Aeducan)

The Hero of Ferelden was born to noble House Aeducan of Orzammar, the second child of King Endrin Aeducan. After being charged with fratricide, the Hero was exiled to the Deep Roads. There, they met Grey Warden Commander Duncan, who recruited them into the order.

3. City Elf (Tabris)

The Hero of Ferelden grew up in Denerim's impoverished elven alienage. A bitter clash with a Denerim noble during the Hero's wedding resulted in the Hero facing arrest by the city guards. The Grey Warden Commander Duncan recruited the Hero, saving them from a certain death sentence.

4. Dalish Elf (Mahariel)

The Hero of Ferelden once belonged to a clan of Dalish elves. An encounter with a tainted magical mirror corrupted the Hero, and only the Grey Wardens held the cure. To save the Hero's life, the clan gave them up to Grey Warden Commander Duncan and the order.

5. Human Noble (Cousland)

The Hero of Ferelden was the younger child of Bryce Cousland, Teyrn of Highever. When Arl Rendon Howe's forces attacked Castle Cousland and murdered most of the Cousland family, the Hero escaped to safety with Grey Warden Commander Duncan, who then recruited them into the order.

6. Circle Mage (Human: Amell / Elven: Surana)

The Hero of Ferelden belonged to the Circle of Magi in Ferelden, and resided in the tower at Lake Calenhad for most of their life. First Enchanter Irving recommended the Hero to Grey Warden Commander Duncan; shortly after the Hero's Harrowing, Duncan recruited them into the order.

[sapphim]

Another multiwarden worldstate post. Previously on! Duncan conscripted Rafael at Kinloch Hold and the two of them made for Orzammar where the other wardens, Alistair included, await Duncan's arrival.

It's about a (here I take some time to squint wearily at my old-ass travel time spreadsheets before giving up) fuck it, I dunno, it's about a ~several days~ trip from the shores of Lake Calenhad up through Gherlen's Pass to the gates of Orzammar, and since Rafael was up all night in the escape attempt and since Duncan had to drag him out of the Tower in the wee hours of the morning, and since he does not sleep well out on the road in the elements, he's absolutely dead on his feet for a few days.

They finally arrive (and Rafael is able to collapse in a bed in their spacious Diamond Quarter accommodations, thank the Maker) and find that Orzammar is making a big deal of their arrival, with a week's worth of Provings and other festivities on the docket before a joint venture into the Deep Roads. Several concurrent ventures, to be more precise, one of which will be lead by the ruling family's second child and only daughter.

Raf'll have his tits blown clean off with culture shock once he wakes up.

Proving Loyalties

Micah [Brosca], in her late 40s or early 50s, is Kalah's elder sister and Rica's aunt. She's been working for the Carta her whole life (while taking care of first her and Kalah's ailing parents and then, after that, her nieces). Her role in the Carta is as something of a fixer. She's smart, experienced, and can be trusted to operate under her own agency. She'd be on a level akin to Jarvia, if Beraht and Jarvia didn't kind of fucking hate her (and the dislike is entirely mutual).

With Rica beginning to work as a noble hunter and her youngest niece of a teenaged age where she too is looking into picking up Carta work, Micah is starting to worry for them. The girls are good and bright and want to contribute to the household and take some of the weight off of Micah's shoulders, but Micah doesn't want them to feel pressured into the sort of life that she's had to lead.

Her latest ongoing job has put her in charge of rigging the Provings for the Carta. In the process, she's been investing her own earnings, with an eye toward building a nest egg which would allow her to retire and still see the girls provided for. Jarvia catches wind of this and, taking offense and feeling threatened, sabotages her operation, forcing Micah into fighting in the provings herself to maintain the grift.

Quite dangerously for her, the Princess Aeducan has quite a penchant for battling in the Provings herself, and the bracket pits Micah against her. Micah DOES knock her flat on her ass. This might actually have saved her, in the end. When Micah's identity is revealed a few fights down the line, the powers that be see it prudent to sweep her under the rug rather than see her publically executed and draw further attention to the ignomious spectacle of a duster defeating a royal in combat, and so she is instead turned over to the Carta to quietly dispose of.

She, of course, refuses to go down quietly, and in the aftermath of her escape, Duncan steps in to recruit her. This is reluctantly allowed under the condition that the Wardens take her and leave the city IMMEDIATELY and not return.

The Wardens' preparations have all been made and Duncan wasn't too hot on the idea of wasting more time than necessary when a literal Blight is starting so he's like, okay, see ya, and they go ahead and head into the Deep Roads ahead of schedule. Damn. Sorry Raf in particular. The Deep Roads are definitely the wrong kind of culture shock for a baby mage fresh out of the Circle who just discovered the concept of parties.

So they go to make contact with the Legion of the Dead. But right before they go they send word ahead to Highever to update them on their timeline because, guess who also wants to host a Tournament in honor of the Wardens~~ A literal Blight is starting and everyone wants to throw parties, goddamn.

My first playthrough with an (intentional) Alistair romance, I happened to trigger Alistair's love confession with the rose when the party was standing around in the Deep Roads absolutely caked in darkspawn blood, and it was so funny that I'll never, ever let him live it down. So Alistair speedruns his bisexual awakening by falling head over heels in infatuation with Rafael immediately after meeting him while they're all fighting desperately for their lives in dank tunnels underground. Really, Alistair? Really. That's my son and he's a fucking mess, god bless.

A Noble Expedition

The festivities continue unabated but now they're all for the glory of Royal House Aeducan yay~~ Eydis Aeducan (late 20s) is, a huge bitch! High on her own farts, and absolutely fuming after the Proving situation. Let's just say that if Bhelen hadn't beat her to Trian and framed her for his death, she might very well have killed him herself. She strongly considered it, anyway. She's pompous and ruthless and very well acclimated to the bloodthirsty game of Orzammar politics.

Aeducan Thaig is, I don't want to pull up the spreadsheet again, it's not far, it's a couple days round trip, especially since they already sent the shitkickers in ahead of time to clear the way, and her triumphant return will kick off the final evening of glorious festivities. She's not about it. She doesn't want ~parties~, she wants to show up her shitheel brothers, secure her place as future Queen of Orzammar, and engage in w4w (warrior4warrior) fingering in the hot springs, in that order.

When she's exiled into the Deep Roads, she knows her only remote chances for survival are to either find and join the Legion of the Dead or find an exit to the surface, so she makes for the latter, based on her memory of the maps she studied prior to her expedition. This sets her on a converging path with the Wardens, who have wrapped up their business in the Deep Roads (Blight's started!) and are making their own way out, and she begrudgingly presents herself for recruitment. She's not hot on the idea but she's also not going to tag along in their wake for safety like some charity case, and she certainly can't go back to Orzammar. It's not like any of her other options on the (blech!) surface will be any better. And besides, she's a real catch.

When they do reach the surface it does take a gentle amount of time to coax the dwarves out under the open sky (it will be another week at the very least before a still seething Eydis even deigns to so much as look at Micah). Meanwhile Alistair and Rafael immediately collapse in the grass in open relief that they're not in some awful fucking darkspawn infested tunnels anymore. They're crying a little bit but in a very adult and manly way, it's fine.

Next up! A tourney at Highever, a wedding in Denerim, and a mystery in the Brecilian.

[shanamahtopoeia]

Origins cut content

long list incoming!

Recently I released a mod restoring some little bits of cut content, and I wanted to make a list of other stuff I've found in the toolset. Since I have an obsessive need to be thorough, here're all the interesting things I've found and where, usable or not. It's likely not comprehensive. Doesn't include things that seem to be accidently unobtainable, like the Ancient Elven Boots. Also didn't include dialogs because most cut dialogs are attached to cut creatures and/or quests. (* marks more things I'm probably going to end up trying to restore) (** marks things that have already been restored in mods, either by myself or others)

Areas: *arl160ar_wilhelms_cottage (Shale's original recruitment quest, Redcliffe) zz_orz560ar_shale_taig (Orzammar/Deep Roads - different than Cadash Thaig from Stone Prisoner) zz_orz570ar_deeproad_outskt (Orzammar/Deep Roads - uses the same area script as Aeducan Thaig, so probably an alt/cut version) --Based on item/plot codes and dev notes it seems that the entrance to Orzammar and the Frostback Mountain Pass were once two separate areas. Ignacio & Cesar were originally going to be found at the latter.

Characters (not utcs - these are used by the toolset to link creatures with soundsets and provide additional developer info): Stanley (Circle Mage origin - note: "Stanley is shielded and the player can practice spell-casting on him." 😂) Anyon (Global - Human commoner origin) Brigid (Global - Human commoner origin) Herbalist** (Denerim Market) Bookie Thug (Denerim, cut quest "Find the Spy") Dashiell (Denerim, cut quest "Find the Spy") Raymond (Denerim, cut quest "Find the Spy") Liselle's Brother (Lake Calenhad) Belm (cut quest "Find the Spy") Ezram (cut quest "Find the Spy") Fran (cut quest "Find the Spy") Grance (cut quest "Find the Spy") Spy Guard (cut quest "Find the Spy") Jurice (cut quest "Find the Spy") Mich (cut quest "Find the Spy") Trude (cut quest "Find the Spy") Steal Dwarf (prob. a cut encounter for stealing in Orzammar) Ran Templar (cut encounter with friendly templars?)

Creatures (utcs): Fade Maric (Lost in Dreams, Broken Circle) Kid Cailan (Lost in Dreams, Broken Circle) Gerient** (Frostback Mountain Pass) Templar Inquisitor (cut unnamed Chantry board quest) Hired Mercenary (cut unnamed Chantry board quest) Commoner Seeker (cut unnamed Chantry board quest) Feoran* (cut quest "Ransack the Competition") Pomer* (cut quest "Suffer the Little Children") Gabon** (cut quest "The Lost Son") Jareb** (cut quest "Failed Delivery") Renold the Propagandist* (Denerim, cut quest "Slander on Demand") Market Patron x2* (Denerim, cut quest "Slander on Demand") Harrowmont Guard (Orzammar, apparently from a cut deepstalker attack in Harrowmont's Estate) Commander Telm of Harmon** (cut quest re:Ostagar) Hanald Farmerson** (cut Blackstone quest "Proving Your Quality") Loran the Hack** (cut Blackstone quest "Proving Your Quality") Phillum Greely** (cut Blackstone quest "Proving Your Quality") Tyrus the Drunk** (cut Blackstone quest "Proving Your Quality") Delli** (cut quest "The Lost Son") Young Pickpocket* (cut quest "Suffer the Little Children") Bound Ash Wraith (Ruined Temple, Urn of Sacred Ashes) Nurse** (Ruined Temple, Urn of Sacred Ashes) Temple Guard** (Ruined Temple, Urn of Sacred Ashes) Wounded Cultist** (Ruined Temple, Urn of Sacred Ashes) The Magnificent Gaider (cut easter egg encounter) Demanding Grobnard (cut easter egg encounter) Dirty-Minded Grobnard (cut easter egg encounter) Excitable Grobnard (cut easter egg encounter) Petuland Grobnard (cut easter egg encounter) Lothering Merchant (in Dane's refuge, not the one from the altercation outside)

Items (utis): Duncan's Robe (most versions of Duncan actually do have this in their inventories, but they're not equipped or droppable, and have the same model as the female-only noble A dress) Varathorn's Gems (Dalish Camp, Nature of the Beast) Ironbark Bracer (Nature of the Beast) King Maric's Blade (cut quest re:Ostagar) Control Rod* (Shale's original recruitment quest, Redcliffe) Letter* (Shale's original recruitment quest, Redcliffe) Note of Sale* (Shale's original recruitment quest, Redcliffe) Sealed Orders** (cut Blackstone quest "Retrieve the Lost Orders") Letter from Tylora (unnamed cut Blackstone quest) The Heirs of Anumon (unnamed cut quest) Glyph of the Eagle (unnamed cut quest) Glyph of the Owl (unnamed cut quest) Glyph of the Serpent (unnamed cut quest) Stolen Goods* (cut quest "Ransack the Competition") Sack of Cabbages** (cut quest "Failed Delivery") Silver Cylinder (unnamed cut quest in Korcari Wilds) Golden Handle (unnamed cut quest in Korcari Wilds) Jolien's Journal (unnamed cut quest in Korcari Wilds) Ruby Counterweight (unnamed cut quest in Korcari Wilds) The Secrets of Anathul (unnamed cut quest in Korcari Wilds) Crystalline Shard (unnamed cut quest in Korcari Wilds) Propaganda Page (Denerim, cut quest "Slander on Demand") Knight's Journal (Lothering, unnamed cut quest) Telmanes' Key (Lothering, unnamed cut quest) Diseased Bear Organs (Lothering, unnamed cut quest) Diseased Spider Organs (Lothering, unnamed cut quest) Diseased Wolf Organs (Lothering, unnamed cut quest) Imrek's Letter for Bhelen (Frostback Mountain Pass) Ancient Documents (Prelude) Cultist Robes (Urn of Sacred Ashes) Heavy Chainmail** (The Gauntlet, Urn of Sacred Ashes) Magic Greatsword** (The Gauntlet, Urn of Sacred Ashes)

Merchants: Circle of Magi (Redcliffe Castle) Quartermaster (Redcliffe Castle) Couldry's Wares** (Denerim Market) Danal (Lothering) Ahren** (Frostback Mountain Pass) Kaddis Store** (Frostback Mountain Pass) Arms Merchant (Orzammar Commons) Shaperate (Orzammar Shaperate) Tranquil Merchant (Prelude)

Quests: Statues are People Too* (Redcliffe) Lost in the Fade: Loghain (Broken Circle) Slander on Demand* (Denerim) Retrieve the Lost Orders** (Blackstone Irregulars) Proving Your Quality** (Blackstone Irregulars) Show Them the Ropes** (Blackstone Irregulars) Ransack the Competition* (Denerim) Suffer the Little Children* (Denerim) Failed Delivery** (Frostback Mountain Pass) The Lost Son** (Redcliffe) Irreconcilable Differences (cut area - Mountain Pass) Long Forgotten Mysteries (cut area - Mountain Pass)

[schmooplesboop]

Hero’s background...

(If the HOF was Cousland) The Hero of Ferelden was the younger son/the daughter of Bryce Cousland, Teyrn of Higever. When Arl Rendon Howe’s forces attacked Castle Cousland and murdered most of the Cousland family, the Hero escaped to safety with Grey Warden Commander Duncan, who then recruited him/her into the order.

(If the HOF was Mahariel) The Hero of Ferelden once belonged to a clan of Dalish Elves. An encounter with a tainted magical mirror corrupted the Hero, and only the Grey Wardens held the cure. To save the Hero’s life, the clan gave him/her up to Grey Warden Commander Duncan and the order.

(If the HOF was Aeducan) The Hero of Ferelden was born to noble House Aeducan of Orzammar, the second son/the daughter of King Endrin Aeducan. After being charged with fratricide, the Hero was exiled to the Deep Roads. There, he/she met Grey Warden Commander Duncan, who then recruited him/her into the order.

(If the HOF was Tabris) The Hero of Ferelden grew up in Denerim’s impoverished elven alienage. A bitter clash with a Denerim noble during the Hero’s wedding resulted in the Hero facing arrest by the city guards. The Grey Warden Commander Duncan recruited the Hero, saving him/her from a certain death sentence.

(If the HOF was Surana or Amell) The Hero of Ferelden belonged to the Circle of Magi in Ferelden, and resided in the tower at Lake Calenhad for most of their life. First Enchanter Irving recommended the Hero to Grey Warden Commander Duncan; shortly after the Hero’s Harrowing, Duncan recruited him/her into the order.

(If the HOF was Brosca) The Hero of Ferelden was born casteless in the slums of Orzammar. He/She impersonated a man of Warrior Caste in Orzammar’s Provings, a crime punishable by death. However, the Hero’s showing in the arena impressed Grey Warden Commander Duncan so much that he recruited the Hero before he/she could be executed.

Outcome of The Final Battle...

(If the HOF did the dark ritual) The Hero fought and killed the Archdemon, and lived to tell the tale. With the Archdemon gone, the darkspawn ranks broke, and the horde was easily routed.

(If the HOF did not perform the dark ritual) The Hero fought and killed the Archdemon, making the ultimate sacrifice and dying to save Ferelden. With the Archdemon gone, the darkspawn ranks broke, and the horde was easily routed.

(If the dark ritual was not performed and Alistair or Loghain killed the Archdemon) The armies the Hero had raised killed the Archdemon. With the Archdemon gone, the darkspawn ranks broke, and the horde was easily routed.

After the Blight...

(If the HOF survived) After ending the Blight, the Hero of Ferelden took up the mantle of Warden-Commander and began the task of rebuilding the order in Ferelden.

(If the HOF was a Cousland who married King Alistair) After ending the Blight, the Hero of Ferelden was wed to King Alistair and crowned queen of Ferelden. She and the king now rule the country together.

(If the HOF was a Cousland who married Queen Anora) After ending the Blight, the Hero of Ferelden was wed to Queen Anora-- he now bears the title of prince-consort.

[allisondraste]

They always wanted him to be king...

I just answered that anon ask about Orzammar politics, and it made me imagine a really funny little head canon.

Imagine if Warden Lady Aeducan were allowed to take the throne in Orzammar (since technically, it is rightfully hers). Now imagine that Queen Aeducan made Anora the Queen of Ferelden, but married Alistair and had him rule beside her in Orzammar.

First of all, it would freak out the stodgy conservative Dwarven deshyrs and nobility. “You intend to let this human BOY rule beside you? This is madness!!”

It would also upset the Ferelden nobility, such as Arl Eamon (may he rot in a pit). “Calenhad’s blood??On the Dwarven throne??While Ferelden is without a proper ruler???”

Of course, it would be very dangerous for Alistair, as the dwarves are known for poisoning their royalty as they see fit. Killing a human man who they do not even consider legitimate would be nothing.

“Marry you? And be king in Orzammar? Now that’s not an ending I ever expected.”

“Okay, I’ll do it, but I’m never eating anything ever again. I like breathing. Breathing is nice.”

“Sorry to be a nuisance, but we’re going to need bigger furniture. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s interesting for my knees to be at ear level, but it has to be bad on the joints after a while, you know?”

I love it. What have I done?

[sulevinblade]

(Talesfromthefade) things you said when you were drunk, for the DWC?

OH MY GOD this was a little idea that got away from me in a big big way but I’m still pretty happy with it. For this and for “cafune - the act of running your fingers through the hair of someone you love,” from @contreparry! For @dadrunkwriting!!

Alistair/Leohta Aeducan, T for language, dumb suggestive jokes, and alcohol use, 4k+ words (awaaaay from me, I wish I had time to edit it but uh I spent the entire time writing it instead). 

On the cusp of the party’s visit to Orzammar, Alistair learns what kind of drunk Leohta can be, and shares a little lesson of his own. Light angst, serious fluff.

He finds her standing on the rocky beach, well away from the dim glow provided by the Spoiled Princess’s small windows. It takes a moment for Alistair’s eyes to adjust to the complete dark–the night watch Templar doused all the torches at the dock, as clear an indication as anything that no one else would cross Lake Calenhad tonight–but even if he’d had to follow her blind he could’ve found her by the sound.

Bloop.

Normally finding Leohta by sound means the clank or grind of armour, the grunts or barks of Leon, or even her rare laughter at something Zevran said (it was always Zevran making her laugh), but tonight the sound is completely unfamiliar. It’s still enough to guide him, though.

Bloop.

Last he’d seen her, she was swapping some of the coin they’d made selling things to the Templar quartermaster for three large bottles of deep pink liquid. It seemed a bit of a racket to Alistair, that they should collect the mages’ items as they cleared the Tower only to sell them to the Templars who would then in turn sell them back to the Mages, but surely if that wasn’t how the economy of the Circle usually worked, Wynne would’ve said something. That was Alistair’s hope, anyway, as he’d watched Leohta count the coins before they left, then again at the tavern’s bar. She’d tossed the bag back to him before collecting the bottles and heading outside, and he in turn had left it with Zevran.

Bloop.

“You have known our illustrious leader the longest among any of us. Has this always been a habit of hers?��� Alistair squinted across the table, trying to determine Zevran’s game, but succeeded only in giving up his own. “You think I see this as a weakness I can exploit, but I would think even you would see that if I were going to do so, I would have done it by now and certainly would not draw attention to my plans by involving you.” His eyes only narrowed further–how does Zevran make talking down to him still seem so seductive?–but Alistair did sit back in his chair.

“I haven’t known her all that long, really, but I don’t think so. Why d'you ask?”

“My Antiva makes the finest wines in Thedas, so it is not uncommon to see those there who overindulge, but there are many types. Leohta, she is young and exploring her limits, yes, but she is also trying to drown things she does not want to feel. Her limits are low and the things she seeks to kill are very large. It is a dangerous combination.”

Alistair glanced again toward the door. Of course she hadn’t come back inside, that’d be too much to ask for, but what was he supposed to do?

“If it is too much for you, I will go after her, but she should not be alone.” Both of their chairs scraped back at the same time but Alistair was the first to stand, something that for some reason brought a sad smile to Zevran’s face. Alistair could only look at it for a moment before looking away.  "I know you do not think much of me, Alistair, and while that is entirely your loss, I do know that one thing we have in common is how much we care for her. Go see to her, my friend, before her sorrows are not all she drowns. It is probably for the best; I am not much of a swimmer myself.“

Bloop.

So now here he is, approaching carefully, pretending to be taking in the constellations while Leohta hurls rocks at the water like she’s trying to knock the waves down before they can reach the shore. The night is perfectly clear; Kinloch Hold is merely a dark space in the sky where the stars are missing, but everything else is black sky and white twinkles. He clears his throat in case she somehow hasn’t noticed since he doesn’t fancy getting one of those stones thrown at him, but she only pauses for a moment before bending to search the area around her feet for another suitable candidate. One bottle is already empty, stuffed mouth down among the pebbles and into the sand underneath them, and as Alistair finishes closing the distance Leohta gives up her search and instead tips to land on her backside, legs out in front of her and a second bottle in her hand. He knows they’re not small but her stature makes them seem even larger; it makes the sight of her lifting one to her lips almost comical but the effect is spoiled by how long it stays there. Maker’s breath, Zevran was right when he talked about drowning.

"You planning on coming up for air any time soon?”

There’s a pop as she breaks the vacuum she’s created, then a dry laugh. She still isn’t looking at him. It makes his chest hurt, how badly he wants her to turn her head. “Breathe through your nose and you can use your mouth for whatever you want.”

“You’re spending too much time with Zevran, saying things like that.” Sighing, Alistair drops down crosslegged at her side and extends a hand. “What are you even drinking? I’ve never seen anything that color in a tavern before.”

“One of the Templars told me about it. I guess–” there’s a pause and she bunches up her eyebrows, apparently trying to put the pieces back together, “I guess the mother started making it as a tribute to her daughter and now of course it’s all very sad but the owner still makes it as a specialty. Sweet mead made with roses.” She passes over the open bottle, not bothering to wipe the top, and the expression on her face, like she’s sharing a secret, distracts him so much he can’t be bothered either. She wasn’t kidding when she said it was sweet but the roses are strong too, floral and delicate. He passes the bottle back after just one mouthful.

“I’ve never had a mead like that before. It’s very… different.” Leohta seems to accept that answer, nodding before lifting the bottle to her lips again.

“There’s nothing like this in Orzammar. Not even in the palace. Not even to make it. No honey, no roses, and when there is if you said you wanted to make something like this with it, you’d be laughed out of the kitchen.” She holds the bottle in front of her contemplatively, swishing the contents back and forth gently and tilting her head in time with the motion. Alistair’d almost think it was a contented sort of gesture but then she sighs and drops her head back, hair falling over her shoulders as she lifts the bottle skyward. “Nothing like that, either. No stars, no sky. Some of the caverns are so high the ceilings are invisible, but you still know they’re up there.” Slowly, she lowers the bottle but keeps her gaze fixed upward.

“Do you miss that?” It’s not something he’s given a lot of thought to but it’s hard to imagine. Even within the walls of the Chantry there were windows. The sky was always there, or not-there maybe, when compared to a ceiling of stone. Trying to imagine life without it or everything it held–the sun, the moons, the clouds and stars and birds–was virtually impossible, but here was Leohta not just imagining the opposite but living it.

“Dunno. I still don’t understand all this. What keeps it up there?” Her hand waves up at the stars but only briefly; even sitting down she’s unsteady without both hands to support her. “With the stone, you know that even if you can’t see the ceiling, it’s still held there by the stone. Nothing floats, nothing rises or sets.” Watching her profile, he can see the way it hardens as her train of thought jumps the track. “Nothing changes.”

He shifts a little, the pebbles grinding softly underneath him as he leans to try to catch her eye. “You changed.”

This time when she looks over at him, it gives him a chill. The stone she’s been so contemplative about has found a home in her eyes, the set of her mouth. They seem cold and stiff and almost lifeless, soft evening blue turned to lapis lazuli. Still beautiful but hard. “I left, and not by choice. You wouldn’t know how much I’ve changed, Alistair. You have no idea what I was like before we met.”

“I suppose not, but I do know you’ve changed in the time I’ve known you.” He keeps his voice softer now, speaking carefully to avoid that stony shift becoming somehow permanent. He hasn’t seen her look like that since before Ostagar, and to lose all the little ways she’s softened since then would be the greatest waste. “Do you miss that? Or her, I guess. Do you miss who you were before?”

Her laugh is a single humorless sound that moves her entire body, shaking her shoulders and flexing her stomach. “What does that matter? She’s dead. Worse than dead.” There’s venom in her voice but Alistair doesn’t flinch since for once he’s certain it’s not directed at him. He watches as Leohta stands, a wobbly process that involves repeated planting of hands and feet before she can push herself vertical. There’s a powerful temptation to offer her help but the set of her jaw makes him stay his hand, even if whatever effect she might be going for is already ruined by her own unsteadiness. “Nobody mourned her, nobody misses her, but it doesn’t change the fact that she’s dead. Bhelen killed her as sure as he killed Trian. The prince is dead, the princess is dead. Princess Aeducan is dead.” Her voice is raising, getting louder and more raw the longer she speaks, until finally she’s yelling out at the water. “Princess Leohta Aeducan, second born and best beloved daughter of House Aeducan, is dead!” She punctuates the last word by throwing the empty bottle into the water but it’s a bad throw, short and shallow. The bottle makes only a small splash then floats, reflecting the moonlight as it bobs its way back toward the shore.

Alistair rises, brushing at the back of his breeches, and makes his way up to stand beside her. He’s well within punching range, possibly a dangerous gamble, but if the way she’s carrying herself is any indication, it wouldn’t hurt very much right now. Plus, if she punched him, at least it’d prove she was feeling something. “I’d mourn her but like you said, I never did get to meet her. I’ve met Warden Aeducan, though, and I think she’s pretty great. Accomplished a lot, too.”

She’s bent back down and is sorting through the stones at her feet, tucking some in the bend of her other arm. Standing back up is a careful process but she’s shaking her head the entire time. “They’re not gonna think so.” Her voice is normal again but her profile is still stony.

Bloop.

Was this was he was like heading into Redcliffe? Of course, he hadn’t gotten drunk on sickly sweet mead to deal with it, but he’d had his turn as the prodigal royal-but-not-really. The main difference was he never wanted it, but she spoke so little of her life before the Grey Wardens. Was the crown of Orzammar what she’d really wanted? Not that it really mattered now. “Seems to me they had their chance to appreciate you and they blew it.”

“Oh, no. That’s the thing. Up until the end, they loved Princess Aeducan. That was the whole problem. She was too well-loved. Luckily, I’m not.” Leohta stares out at the ripples from her last throw but the fight��s going out of her. It ought to be a comfort, less risk of being punched, but instead it just hurts more. He curls his hands into fists at his sides to keep from reaching out, swallows the words that’d tell her just how deeply loved she is and not only by him, as much as he might wish it were so.

“We could go back to Denerim without going to Orzammar.” Aaaaaaaalistair, what’re you doooooooing? He ignores the voice in the back of his head, prepared to make an argument for mounting their assault without the help of the dwarves, but Leohta shakes her head. She’s drunk and she’s still got better sense than you.

“Just because I don’t want to go back doesn’t mean we don’t have to. Being a Grey Warden isn’t supposed to be fun, hasn’t been so far, why start now?” She seems to consider the matter closed as she turns her attention back to the rocks she’s holding, sorting through them as though looking for a particular one. They start to slip away and clack into the pebbles below and with a frustrated sigh she picks one, letting the remainder drop. “This is supposed to be, though. How the fuck do you do this?” Another windup, another bloop.

“Wait. What are you trying to do?”

“Make it…” She shakes her head, the word apparently lost, and instead makes a bouncing motion with her hand.

“You’re trying to skip stones… by heaving them at the surface of the water with all your might?” And there’s the punch he was waiting for, exactly as painless as expected. It’s not even hard enough to stop him laughing.

“I saw you and Zevran do it in Redcliffe before we left and it seemed to calm you down so I thought I’d try. You made it look easy, but if you’re just gonna laugh then forg–”

Alistair intercepts her before she can start to walk away. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s just that I never would have guessed that’s what you were trying to do. I thought you were mad at the lake or something.” She’s looking up at him, wary, so he holds his hands up in innocence. “If you still want to try, I can show you.”

“No more laughing?”

“No more laughing. Warden’s honor.” When Leohta seems satisfied with his intentions, Alistair finally looks away from her, crouching down. “The first thing you need is the right kind of rock. It needs to be pretty flat and you want a triangle shape if you can find one, but flat will do for now.”

She’s crouching as well. “I thought it would be better with a round rock, like a ball.” She’s quiet, almost chastized, and Alistair has to duck his head and cough into his fist to hide the grin it conjures.

“No, that’ll break through the water and sink. A flat rock will bounce better. Something like these.” He shows her the three he’s found, all rounder still than he’d like but they should do the trick. She holds up a couple of her own and really, they’re no better, but they’re only for learning. “Yes, those will do. Now.” Alistair drops to his knees and crooks his fingers around one of the stones. “You have to hold it like this, because the important part is that you get it to spin. That’s what makes it skip.”

Leohta’s squinting at his hand, then she tries it out herself. Her hands are smaller so she can’t quite circle it the way he does, but Alistair hopes it’ll work out. “Like this?”

“Just like that. Now, the other trick is not to throw it up but to flick it. You want it to stay flat so you have to kind of–” He turns his arm out at the elbow and flicks the rock out onto the water. Four hops, not his best work but not bad.

When he looks back at Leohta, though, she’s entranced. She watches the ripples so long he has to clear his throat to get her attention back, but this time every trace of the stone is gone from her face. She looks eager, determined, but also a little embarrassed. Surprised to have been caught, probably, but it’s a charming expression nonetheless. She turns to face the water again, weighing the rock in her hand, then moves her arm and throws.

It splashes and sinks just like all her other attempts. Leohta curses softly and starts to turn away but Alistair catches her wrist.

“Hey, no way. You’re not giving up after one attempt. C'mon. We’ve got two more rocks, so two more tries, then I guess I can let you give up.” He starts to move before she can start to argue.

“It’s not giving up, Alistair, it’s accepting the inedible. Inedibibble. Ined… remind me to compliment the tavernkeeper tomorrow. His stuff is good.” Her voice gradually gets softer, a delayed reaction to where Alistair has taken up a position just behind her. It’s extremely convenient for him: she can’t see how his face is burning up from the presumptuousness of being so close to her, but it’s also the best position to show her how to move her arm. He wraps his hand around hers and lifts her arm into position.

“From here, you have to flick your hand out. Try to imagine the rock spinning out from the inside of your thumb and taking all that energy with it. The harder you can flick it, the more it’ll bounce and the more hops you’ll–all right, that’s it, you and Zevran are officially being separated because that’s not even dirty and now you’ve made it dirty. I hope you’re happy.” The woman in front of him is struggling to contain her laughter, he can tell, and as much as he wants to keep her focus on him, it’s hard to be genuinely upset. She doesn’t laugh nearly enough and especially not around him. The fact that whatever is so funny is lost on him is a far distant concern.

Alistair waits for her to compose herself then takes a moment to compose himself in turn when she settles back into a proper posture that puts her in contact with him from shoulder to hip. She’s nearly as tall as he is when he’s on his knees like this, a fact he’s thought about many times but never quite in this situation. Leohta gives herself a little shake, tossing her hair in his face as she does. He tries to blow it out of the way but there’s just too much. All right then, one thing at a time.

“Now. Just remember, angle your hand back and then flick. That word is ruined for me now, I think. You’ve ruined flicking.” In front of him Leohta snorts and Alistair make a private vow to forbid Zevran from using that word. He wants it to be their joke even if he doesn’t understand it. “Do you think you can manage?”

“To flick? I’ve done all right for the last few years anyway.” She giggles and clears her throat. “All right. Angle my hand back,” and her hand is moving inside of his so he loosens his grip, “then forward and flick!”

Alistair peers over her shoulder and sure enough. Blip, blip. One hop, but it’s one more than she’d managed before. He puts his hands on her shoulders and squeezes. “There you go! Well done, Warden Aeducan.” She lifts one hand to pat his but he can tell she’s still looking at the ripples.

After a moment, he releases her shoulders and, feeling a little bolder by the fact that she hasn’t elbowed him away yet, reaches forward to comb his fingers through her hair. It’s a practical gesture–even as he’s speaking, her hair is getting in his mouth–but hardly exclusively practical. Her hair is thick and her scalp surprisingly warm underneath it. In front of him she’s gone very still; he thinks she might even be holding her breath but then again, so is he. He focuses on his own hands until he’s gathered her hair at the back of her neck, but then the tension in it changes and oh.

Alistair looks up and she’s right there, her head turned to look at him. Maker’s breath but she’s close, her mouth gently open and her eyes searching his face. Her breath smells like honey and roses and his hand is still in her hair, it’d be so easy and it might be perfect but she’s been drinking and that’s not right. Or might it be OK, with her looking at him like that? The motion of her lips is so mesmerizing that it takes him a moment to realize she’s speaking to him.

“Alistair.” And like that, the moment is over, or at least set aside. “Would you do that again?”

“Of course.” She could ask him to fetch the moons from the sky right now and he’d say yes, but… “Wait, do what?” He didn’t do anything other than have a whole lot of thoughts in a very short span of time.

“Touch my hair. That was nice.” She’s leaning more of her weight against him now and it’s nice but also just starting to make him concerned. Still, he already said yes, so Alistair releases her hair from where he’s holding it and threads his fingers through it again, starting at her temple, mindful of and parallel to the little braid she’s so meticulous about. As he does it, her eyes drift closed but her face is relaxed. It’s not quite a smile but he’ll take it. “Again,” she murmurs as his hand comes to rest on the back of her neck.

Alistair laughs softly but he complies with her request, stroking his fingers through her hair again. And again, and once more, until she leans forward completely and drops her head onto his shoulder. Her breath is warm on his neck as he gives her one last stroke, then stops to reach out away from her. She grumbles softly in protest but he hushes her. “I’m just getting your other bottle. It’s bought and paid for, no sense leaving it here.”

“Why, where’re we going?”

“I don’t know yet about myself but you are doing to bed. Sleeping standing up is only good for horses and probably Sten, and sleeping on your knees is good for no one. Now, come on, up you get.” He hooks the hand holding the unopened bottle of rhodomel under Leohta’s knees, his other arm coming up behind her shoulders. She grumbles again as he starts to stand and he pauses before beginning to walk.

“You’re carrying me like a princess.” The humor in her voice warms him but now he feels a little more confident about deflecting it.

“I’m a Warden carrying another Warden like a Warden. No princesses here. Well, except for the tavern but I’m certainly not trying to pick that up. I could throw you over my shoulder if you wanted, but you have to promise not to throw up on my back.”

“No promises.” She slumps against his shoulder as he starts to walk. It’s only a few steps from the beach to the door but he takes his time. Who knows what Orzammar will do to her, or what she might do to Orzammar? The answer is liable to be complicated but this, for as unexpected as it is, feels strangely simple. She might not even remember it in the morning, but it’s not a feeling Alistair’s going to forget any time soon. “Alistair.”

“I don’t have a free hand to pet you, but if you can stay awake until we get inside, maybe I’ll give you scritches once I get you upstairs.” He’s trying to figure out how he’s going to open the door when she shakes her head and answers.

“Thank you for coming out tonight. I’m sorry I’m–”

“None of that now. You have nothing to be sorry for, and if anything I should say thank you for having me.” Alistair manages to hook the latch with his pinkie then wedge his foot into the gap, kicking the door open as he maneuvers her inside. “You may not have found it so, but I think being a Warden can be a little bit fun, if you’re with the right person. Or people,” he continues, scrambling to cover for himself while trying to ease the door’s closing with his foot. Once he’s got both feet back on the ground, he looks down at the woman in his arms. Fast asleep, looking as young as he’s ever seen her and more peaceful than she has possibly the entire time he’s known her. The inn’s main room is empty, the fire doused, and he’s almost loathe to speak again and interrupt the silence, but he does.

“Or person. Just the right person.”

[lavalampelfchild]

Tentative Timeline for DAO, with Realistic Travel Times

Out of curiosity and some frustration, I decided to add up the different travel times that would make up the entirety of the DAO main quest line.  So I did.  Here are the sources, I used (definitely check them out, compare, and see if you have any different interpretations):

http://leliaanaa.tumblr.com/post/139369241215/origins-travel-times-distances-taken-from-this

http://myrandacousland.tumblr.com/post/62319977661/ferelden-travel-distances-and-times

Keep in mind, this is only taking into account travel times, and not the times that would be spent dedicated to a single location or destination.  And the order in which I completed the quests, which is the basis for this timeline, is:

Lothering and the Imperial Highway

The Arl of Redcliffe

Broken Circle

The Arl of Redcliffe, cont’d.

The Urn of Sacred Ashes

Nature of the Beast

Paragon of Her Kind

Landsmeet

The Battle of Denerim

So, with that order in mind, here is the tentative travel timeline I came up with, using the above sources:

Ostagar to Lothering, post-battle: 3 days (I’m going to bump it down from 4 because they’re moving quickly to escape the horde, but I don’t feel it would be close enough to a forced march to warrant the same time.)

Lothering to Redcliffe, to find Arl Eamon for the first time: 4-5 days

Redcliffe to Kinloch Hold, once discovered that it would be best to gain help of mages to go into the Fade and save Connor: 15-16 days (including 3 hours of rowing from the docks to the hold.)

Kinloch Hold to Redcliffe, mages in tow: 15-16 days (presumably it might take slightly more time if the Wardens are traveling with a group of mages who are unused to strenuous travel and require rest more often. 

Redcliffe to Denerim, to chase the rumor Isolde had about Genitivi: 16 days (Important: this is the option that includes investigating Genitivi’s house right then and there, instead of following up with what the fake Weylon said and going to the Calenhad docks, and then all the way back to Denerim, which would add several weeks to the overall travel time.)

Denerim to Haven, once they find out the truth of what happened to Genitivi: 24-26 days

Haven to the Temple of Sacred Ashes, once Genitivi has been found: 6 days (to account for Genitivi’s wounded leg, if he is taken with the group.)

Temple to Redcliffe, to take the ashes back to Eamon: 13 days (this is taking the route from the Temple back to Haven, then to Rainesfere, then back to Redcliffe, as opposed to going through Honnleath in the other direction directly from the temple, and then going to Redcliffe, which would take 18 days, and would take the group closer to the main horde of darkspawn while transporting a wounded man; i.e. Genitivi; this number also takes into account Genitivi being moved with the group to Redcliffe for proper healing.)

Recliffe to the Dalish camp: 15-17 days

Dalish camp to Brecilian Ruins: 8-9 days (taking into account the general unfamiliarity with the Brecilian Forest of any non-Dalish companions.)

Brecilian Ruins to Dalish camp: 8-9 days

Dalish camp to Orzammar: 25-31 days (the different sources that I’m using seem to vary here on the amount of time it would take to get from Redcliffe to Gherlen’s Pass because of the nature of the roads traveled to get there; how mountainous are the roads up to Gherlen’s Pass, and how much would the state of those roads slow the progress of the group?)

Orzammar through all the Deep Roads quests: 15-16 days (this is including Caridin’s Cross, Ortan Thaig, Aeducan Thaig, Dead Trenches, Anvil of the Void, and this is only the trip in to find Branka; I’m uncertain if this is the correct interpretation, but from the source I’m using, it seems to be.)

Anvil of the Void (location) to Orzammar, with either Branka or the crown: 15-16 days

Orzammar to Redcliffe, to tell Eamon about the completion of the recruiting of allied armies: 10-16 days (again, the sources seem to diverge on this greatly.)

Redcliffe to Denerim, for the Landsmeet: 16-17 days

Denerim to Redcliffe, post-Landsmeet, pre-Battle-of-Denerim: 16-17 days

Redcliffe to Denerim, to fight the archdemon: 10-14 days (Important: This is now where we see a definite forced march, but with a full army of Redcliffe soldiers.  Had it been the Wardens’ smaller group making this march alone, it most likely would have been 9-10 days, but with the addition of this army, plus the dwarves or golems, the mages or Templars, and the Dalish or werewolves, we have several additional components to worry about.  And this is assuming that all allied armies are stationed at or near Redcliffe and not still in Orzammar, Kinloch Hold, or the Brecilian Forest.)

Conclusion: For the main quest of DAO, the total travel time, given the notes I’ve added above, and with a specific order of quests performed, the total travel time is 263 days.

The events of DAO occur in the year 9:30 Dragon, and end neatly at the beginning of 9:31 Dragon, which marks the death of the Old-God-turned-archdemon, Urthemiel, and the beginning of the events of DAA.  I’ve looked but haven’t found specific dates to mark the definitive beginning and end of DAO, though.

These calculations are travel time only.  This does not take into account the number of days or weeks the Wardens will have spent at any of these given locations.  If we allow them a full year of 365 days, we’re left with 85-91 days to allocate to stops on the roads during travel, or days spent in a given location (like Orzammar doing Bhelen or Harrowmont’s bidding).  And of course, some of those days need to be given to Duncan’s travel time with the Warden down to Ostagar.

I feel like this exercise lends some perspective to just how much time the Wardens and their companions would have to devote to this quest, in addition to just how urgent some of these time sensitive quests might be.  For example, the Warden is going to have to spend over a month on the Urn of Sacred Ashes quest for travel time alone, with the possibility of Eamon’s imminent death hanging over their head.  In Nature of the Beast, The Dalish hunters’ conditions will be rapidly deteriorating while the Warden is devoting those 9 days to traveling to the ruins to find Witherfang, meaning there might be more werewolves or dead Dalish when they return.  Bhelen and Harrowmont’s clash over the throne will have escalated without question after the weeks the Warden and co. have spent in the Deep Roads looking for Branka.

And then, of course, the big whammy, before the Battle of Denerim, Eamon states that the darkspawn horde is two days away from Denerim while the army needed to defend Denerim is at Redcliffe.  Well, if it truly does take even 10 days of forced marching to get the army there (and that’s the kind estimate) then Denerim is well and truly screwed.  That’s 10 days of siege and an archdemon they need to outlast.

[daobssesed]

Sobre el logro “Viajero” (DA:O)

Después de mucho buscar, y pasarme el juego varias veces, logré conseguir el logro “Viajero”. No se si le sirva a alguien lo que estoy por poner, pero estos son los lugares que visité. 

OSTAGAR

Espesura de Korcari

Choza de Flemeth

Torre de Ishal

LOTHERING

Refugio de Dane 

Capilla

CAMPAMENTO DEL GRUPO

RISCO ROJO

Pueblo de Risco Rojo Herrería Taberna Casa de Dwyne Casa de Kaitlyn (2 pisos) Comercio Molino

Castillo de Risco Rojo

Túneles de Risco Rojo (Mazmorras)

El Velo (No matar a Connor)

MUELLES DEL LAGO CALENHAD

Taberna La Princesa Mimada

TORRE DEL CÍRCULO

Pentagrama (todas las islas)

Todos los niveles de la Torre

PUEBLO DE REFUGIO

Cavernas (Cueva del Dragón)

Templo en Ruinas

Casa (la que está a la entrada de la ciudad)

Comercio

MONTAÑAS DE LA ESPALDA HELADA

ORZAMMAR 

Tienda

Tienda (desbloqueada al elegir Rey)

Juegos de Orzammar

Escorial Tienda Casa de Gángster (buscando el escondite de Jarvia) Escondite de Jarvia

Barrio Diamante Casa de Harrowmont Palacio Real Moldeato Cónclave

CAMINOS DE LAS PROFUNDIDADES

Encrucijada de Caridin

Thaig de Ortan

Las Trincheras de losa Muertos

El Yunque del Vacío

Thaig de Aeducan

ALREDEDORES DEL BOSQUE DE BRECILIA

Campamento Dalishano

Bosque de Brecilia Oeste

Bosque de Brecilia Este

Bosque de Brecilia

Ruinas (superior e inferior)

Guarida de Hombres Lobo

DENERIM

Elfería Casa de Cyron Tienda Orfanato Casa de Valendrian Apartamentos Edificio en Cuarentena (Hospicio)

Distrito Mercantil Tienda Las MAravillas de Thedas Herrería Taberna El Noble Roído Almacén Casa de Goldanna (Misión de Alistair) Casa de Marjolaine (Misión de Leliana) Casa del Arl de Risco Rojo (Eamon) Palacio Real Casa del Arl de Denerim (Howe) Fuerte Darkon (Se explora completo si se deja arrestar) La Perla Callejón trasero inmundo, Callejón oscuro, Callejón de mala muerte (Misión “Justicia Callejera” en el Tablón del cantor) Edificio desierto (Misión “El último deseo”) Distrito del Palacio Real (Disponible después de derrotar al primer general de los engendros tenebrosos en “La Batalla Final”, pero antes de derrotar al segundo) Escondite de K o D Puerta Misteriosa (Una misión de Jenny)

MISIONES SECUNDARIAS

Guerra  Civil (”El ataque de Loghain”)

Campo de Batalla (”Hermanos e Hijos”)

Refugiados (”Refugio desesperado”)

Escondite de Kadan-Fe (Seguna misión de “La Prueba de los Cuervos”)

[daughter-of-the-prophet]

Blessed Age

8:5 Blessed: Kirkwall rebels against Orlais and gains the status of a free city.

8:10 Blessed: In a grand gesture, Qunari in Par Vollen welcome a group of Rivaini diplomats. The visit dispels many myths about Qunari society.

8:24 Blessed: The Orlesian Empire, under the direction of the “Mad Emperor" Reville, launches the Second Orlesian Invasion of Ferelden. Thanks to the clandestine support of a number of powerful banns undermining Ferelden defense, Orlais quickly establishes a strong foothold.

          Vigil’s Keep and the City of Amaranthine are taken by the Empire, as is Redcliffe. At the Battle of Lothering, King Vanedrin Theirin is killed and Calenhad the Great’s sword, Nemetos, is lost. Ardal Cousland, Teyrn of Highever, is slain defending his king.

8:25 Blessed: Though Vanedrin is succeeded by his son, King Brandel Theirin, the youth is unable to unite the country beneath him, and for the next two decades, Ferelden is mired in blood and battle.

8:31 Blessed: The House of Repose accepts a contract from the du Paraquette family to keep the mercantile activities from the Antivan Montilyet family outside of Orlais.

8:44 Blessed: The Orlesian Empire finally sacks the city of Denerim, claiming victory in Ferelden and driving King Brandel into hiding.

          Though routed, the King and others among the true Fereldan nobility continue to wage guerrilla war against their oppressors.

          When Brandel finally dies, several years after the birth of his grandson Maric Theirin, Orlais crowns Meghren as King of Ferelden, though Brandel’s daughter, "the Rebel Queen" Moira Theirin - considerably more popular and charismatic than her father - keeps the resistance alive.

8:47 Blessed: Emperor Reville, fearing the court turning favor toward rival Grand Duke Gratien, has Gratien, his wife, three grown children, and all eight grandchildren murdered. The youngest, Camille, is only eight months old.

8:51 Blessed: Emperor Reville dies after spending more than a year locked in his room, fearing retribution for his assassination of the Gratien family.

8:55 Blessed: War between the Qunari and the Tevinter Imperium continues as the Qunari land and conquer Seheron within three years. Tevinter is left on its own to fight its war with the Qunari, though the peace between the Qunari and other lands is considered fragile.

         Several attempts by the Qunari to land on the continent and attack Tevinter directly are repulsed.

8:60 Blessed: Aurelian Pentaghast attempts to assume the Nevarran throne before it is revealed he is not a Pentaghast. The disgraced Aurelian joins the dwarven Legion of the Dead, the only human ever to do so.

8:62 Blessed: The Antivan city of Treviso is burned to the ground after a fire started in a warehouse full of lamp oil.

8:70 Blessed: A war between Nevarra and Orlais over the control of the western hills around Perendale results in a Nevarran victory. However, Orlais proceeds to sow dissent and rebellion among the locals in Perendale, who resent Nevarran rule.

8:76 Blessed: In the coldest winter in centuries, Adain of Starkhaven, one of the more successful apostates, escapes the clutches of the Circle of Magi.

8:77 Blessed: The Hundred Days Cough epidemic begins in Orlais which claims the sons of the Emperor Judicael II.

8:78 Blessed: Maric Theirin is born and the bloodline of King Calenhad is continued.

8:82 Blessed: Nevarra begins a bloody campaign of conquest within the Free Marches, encouraged by their taking of Perendale. They are stopped by Cade Arvale, who is named Champion of Tantervale for his deed.

8:84 Blessed: After Emperor Judicael II dies during a fox hunt, his brother Florian Valmont ascends to the throne of Orlais, much to his chagrin.

          Eamon Guerrin, future arl of Redcliffe, is born.

8:91 Blessed: Teagan Guerrin, younger brother of Rowan Guerrin and Eamon Guerrin, is born.

8:95 Blessed: The Witch of the Wilds in the Antivan Weyrs shouts a prophecy about the impending return of the dragons.

8:96 Blessed: Moira the Rebel Queen is assassinated by Bann Ceorlic and several other traitor nobles at the behest of the Orlesian King Meghren.

          Endrin Aeducan takes the throne of Orzammar.

8:98 Blessed: The Fereldan rebels, led by the young Prince Maric, take the isolated port town of Gwaren, their first major victory since the death of Queen Moira.

          House Tethras is exiled to the surface for denying the Voice of the Ancestors and willfully manipulating the sacred Provings.

8:99 Blessed: At the battle of West Hill, the Fereldan rebel army is devastated by the royalist forces. Survivors retreat to Gwaren. Maric is presumed dead.

         With the aid of the Legion of the Dead, Prince Maric emerges from the Deep Roads under Gwaren and wins an important battle and is coming much closer in liberating Ferelden than he or his mother ever did. Afterwards, he also kills Bann Ceorlic as well as the other three nobles who betrayed and killed his mother.

          Believed hunted to extinction, dragons emerge first in Antiva, then devastate rural Orlais and Nevarra. Another dragon is also sighted in the Orlesian side of the Frostback Mountains, just before the battle of River Dane.

          In light of this, Divine Faustine II who was ready to declare the Sun Age, named for the symbol of the Orlesian Empire, instead names the next age as the Dragon Age. It is predicted to be an age of violence and upheaval.

         At the Battle of River Dane, the last two legions of chevaliers that the Emperor sent to the occupied Ferelden are defeated by the rebels who are led by Loghain Mac Tir.

        The Seekers of Truth abandon Therinfal Redoubt in Ferelden due to lack of funding.

[vigilskeep]

um calenhad aeducan lore. known fondly as prince cal by the people of orzammar and also me. he’s called that after the founder of the theirin line, because after ferelden successfully rebelled against orlesian rule, orzammar was like oh fuck we’ve got to repair that relationship as if we didn’t just sit by the whole time that was happening. so there were a bunch of these kind of uh diplomatic publicity stunts happening around the time he was born. and nothing about his life has ever not been someone else’s angle

his mother was one of endrin’s lesser concubines from a lower status house, and every jealous eye turned in her direction when she bore the king a son. despite that, endrin’s queen took her and the baby under her wing. it wasn’t entirely altruistic. the queen had no sons of her own, so cal could serve instead as her “contender” for heir against trian, the son of her long-time rival, a favoured concubine called lady rosdrada. the queen also happened to be a notable warrior, a powerful reaver, who died years later on a deep roads expedition under mildly suspicious circumstances, with many blaming lady rosdrada. (she was never publicly accused but neither did the king ever marry her and allow her to rise to the queen’s vacant place, a fact bitterly resented by her faction.)

cal’s mother, who returned the queen’s protection and favour with fierce loyalty, was first among rosdrada’s accusers. furious that punishment never came, she changed almost overnight from a shy, humble woman to a politician who could in her own right engage in the life or death battle for succession, raising her son to be the fulfilment of the late queen’s ambitions. he was trained since childhood in both the ways of princely charm and the ways of a reaver warrior, all to be the vengeance of a woman whose face he sometimes struggles to remember. perhaps there was a time, as boys, when he tried to be a brother to trian despite it all, but with his mother’s teachings always in his ears and trian less bearable each year, he’s long since accepted that deadly conflict between them is inevitable. he’s never eager to be the ruthless aeducan prince, but he’s always done his duty, however ugly. he never turns down the foul-tasting reaver concoctions, or quakes when he’s sent to the deep roads. he always defends his house’s honour and makes the point in blood. anything less is death; his mother tells him so

he doesn’t truly want the throne. he just wants more than anything to have the weight of expectations off his shoulders, and to no longer dread that his mother, his second, and all who support them will pay the deadly price of his failure. he’ll jump blindly at the chance to get this fight over with—and that’s all the opportunity bhelen ever needed

[ditzydiitsi]

nicknames for the warden based on the wardens backstory

cousland: lion of highever

amell: calenhad's lark

surana: calenhad's lily

tabris: bull of denerim

mahariel: wolf of the dales

aeducan: orzammar's crown

brosca: the ash shield

[whereismywarden]

9, what did you name your mabari?

Thank you so much for asking!

In my first playthrough, I named him Idris, after my own dog. Then, in the next playthroughs, I gave them names based on my characters’ personalities. 

A few examples with my Wardens:

Surana named hers Rabbit, because she has no idea what a rabbit actually looks like. 

Mahariel’s is Enasalin, the elven word for “victory”. 

Tabris’ is Dog, because she doesn’t have a lot of inspiration. 

Cousland’s is Calenhad.

Brosca’s is named Salroka, the dwarven word for “friend”.

Aeducan is the one to call him Barkspawn.

and Amell named his Noodle because reasons ^^

As for Hawke, he usually names him Carver, lmao.

[Dragon Age Asks]

[serkonans]

Tagged by: @keksetsu, thank you comrade! Rules: list ten favourite characters from ten different fandoms and then tag ten people. Okay let’s see if I even have the fandoms for this. Also since that other meme I just did included a fav characters question I am not going to include any I listed there Dragon Age: Varric Mass Effect: Aria! Fallout: I haven’t played with her as a companion yet but I like Cait Dishonored: Emily Kaldwin Skyrim: Astrid Critical Role: Scanlan Star Wars: Rey Voltron: Lance (that’s all I can think of so I’m adding:) Bioware DLC Characters: Nyreen Kantos Bethesda DLC Characters: Billie Lurk or Lizzy Stride Tagging (let me know if you’d rather not be tagged!): @babewardkenway, @aeducans, @nat-riel, @vividlyme, @vahloks, @calenhads, @anglaziegler, @alistairr, @cinnamages, and @jedinerds!

[erikacousland]

天鹅与夜莺 第18节(龙腾世纪：起源 同人小说)

第18节 死亡花

从宏利斯(Honnleath)返回红崖(Redcliffe)之后的一周，艾瑞卡(Erika)和伙伴们一直留在那里。之前的一系列行动让大家都已经筋疲力尽，需要一段时间修整。而且，艾瑞卡决定安心等待下一个任务的到来。 根据灰色守望者(Grey Warden)的古老契约，他们需要联合法环(Circle of Magi)、矮人以及达利西(Dalish)精灵三方力量去抵御暗裔(Darkspawn)。目前法环已经加入了他们。艾瑞卡派人将她的亲笔信送去奥兹玛(Orzammar)，希望在她亲自前往那里之前可以先和矮人王安德林•埃杜肯(Endrin Aeducan)取得联系。另一边，一支大部分是由精灵组成的探险队正准备出发到博瑞瑟莲(Brecilian)森林，寻找神秘的达利西氏族。 另一方面，“摄政王”洛甘(Loghain)已经下令让全费罗登(Ferelden)的贵族们都听从他的差遣，引发了广泛的质疑和抵抗。而他在奥斯塔伽(Ostagar)可疑的表现只能加剧这一情况。对此洛甘一边粗暴地镇压这些反抗者，一边继续寻找艾瑞卡和阿历斯特(Alistair)的下落，大有欲将费罗登的灰色守望者赶尽杀绝的架势。 为了联合费罗登的贵族们，艾瑞卡还需要伊蒙伯爵(Arl Eamon)的支持。遗憾的是他已经被洛甘所害……因为欲望魔的意外干预，伊蒙虽然���幸活了下来，但也昏迷不醒。在试过任何可以想到的治疗方法后，伯爵夫人伊索德(Arlessa Isolde)和伊蒙的弟弟缇甘男爵(Bann Teagan)都寄希望与寻找传说中可以治愈所有伤病的安卓斯特(Andraste)的神圣骨灰。早在奥斯塔伽之战前，他们就派出了红崖所有的骑士去寻找，一直在研究传说中的圣灰神庙位置的著名学者——杰尼缇维(Genitivi)修士成了他们唯一的线索，但这位学者也已经失踪了。起初，有几位骑士发送消息回来说找到了他的下落，之后这些人也都接二连三的神秘失踪。在红崖的行尸之乱解决后，缇甘男爵又派了几名骑士前往邓瑞姆(Denerim)，去杰尼缇维修士的住处打探他的下落。但是这次艾瑞卡嘱咐他们一旦得到进展就直接回红崖报告，绝不可以独自跟进。 奥兹玛、博瑞瑟莲森林，以及邓瑞姆……哪一边的消息先回到红崖，她才会决定队伍的下一站。

这几天里大家也并非无所事事：起初两天队伍在红崖周围剿杀了一些暗裔的小部队，很快附近再也没了暗裔的踪迹。而休息的时间里，阿历斯特和斯登(Sten)在指导红崖的民兵训练；温妮(Wynne)和蕾莉亚娜(Leliana)经常到村子的教会，帮助不断从南方涌来的难民；莫瑞甘(Morrigan)几乎所有时间都躲在自己的房间里研究弗莱玛斯(Flemeth)的魔法书；而夏尔(Shale)拒绝在不必要的时候离开城堡，因为外面有“邪恶的鸟类”。 至于艾瑞卡，城堡的生活让她渐渐恢复了过去在家的作息。早饭过后她会在书房待上一段时间，研究有关矮人和达利西精灵的知识，那是她过去每天的早课时间。接着是武技训练，午餐之后继续武技训练。在蕾莉亚娜的指导下，她的弓箭技艺有了长足的进步。而到了下午4点钟左右，她必然会叫上温妮、蕾莉亚娜和伊索德一起喝下午茶。

很快，前往奥兹玛的信使就回来了。矮人王安德林•埃杜肯已经病逝，目前奥兹玛已经封闭了和外界的一切联系，不许外人进入。 一周后，骑士们也送回了消息：他们打听到杰尼缇维修士失踪前曾前往卡兰哈德(Calenhad)湖码头，从那里乘船去了某个地方。艾瑞卡和伙伴们前去调查，却遭到��群暴徒的袭击。艾瑞卡想活捉他们审问，那些人竟然都自杀了。看来杰尼缇维修士的失踪和这些人背后的组织有关。她又仔细询问了从邓瑞姆回来的骑士们消息的来源，决定亲自去调查。利维•德莱登(Levi Dryden)也和他们一同返回邓瑞姆。中途他们在法环稍作停留，这一次，在考伦(Cullen)的帮助下，吝啬的骑士队长格瑞高(Greagoir)终于交出了那柄莫瑞甘心心念念的强大法杖……但是是给温妮的。格瑞高还一再嘱咐温妮不能让法杖“落入他人之手”，虽然大家都明白他是特指莫瑞甘……

因为有消息说洛甘在帝国大道的各个要处都布下了军队抓捕灰色守望者，艾瑞卡一行决定直接穿越男爵领(The Bannorn)，不但更安全，还可以早一天到达。没想到这并没让大家免去多少麻烦……进入男爵领的第一天，他们就发现罗兰男爵(Bann Loren)似乎已经投靠了洛甘——他的士兵在森林中抓捕凯兰(Cailan)国王的仪仗兵奥瑞克(Elric)。虽然他们杀了那些士兵，救下了奥瑞克，他还是伤势过重而死；第二天，队伍又帮助泰尔曼男爵(Bann Telmen)打退了洛甘派来强迫男爵服从命令的军队。看来费罗登的内战已经快到了无法避免的地步……

*   *   *

艾瑞卡拿树枝烦躁地拨了拨篝火，她已经这样烦恼了大半天…… 这是在男爵领的第一个晚上。尽管有了不需要睡眠的夏尔，艾瑞卡和蕾莉亚娜还是一起负责第一班的守夜工作。 “你记得我和你说过兰德拉夫人(Lady Landra)？我母亲的朋友。” “当然。”蕾莉亚娜笑了笑，“我记得你说，你母亲想让你嫁给兰德拉夫人的儿子。” 艾瑞卡有些难为情地低下了头。等那害羞的感觉过去，才继续往下说：“嗯……是的。她是位非常善良的夫人……有一个精灵侍女。你知道那多么不寻常。” 蕾莉亚娜有些惊讶地点点头。无论在哪个国家——包括费罗登，城市精灵都生活在社会底层，处处遭到人类的歧视和刁难。他们想找份体面的工作都难，更别说成为贵族夫人的贴身侍女…… “��登•豪尔(Rendon Howe)背叛我父亲的那天，兰德拉夫人就住在我家……”艾瑞卡伤心地说，“她和她的侍女，还有她的儿子都���……他们都是好人……” 蕾莉亚娜急忙移到她身边，轻轻握住她的手。 “我是想说……今天抓奥瑞克的那些人，是罗兰男爵的部下。而他就是兰德拉夫人的丈夫。”艾瑞卡脸上的表情变得严酷起来，声音也变得冷冰冰的。 “噢……”蕾莉亚娜惊讶地瞪大了眼睛，“但是……豪尔杀死了他的妻子和儿子。” 艾瑞卡发出一声沉重的叹息，“这就是我想不通的地方……”

*   *   *

在男爵领的第三天中午，艾瑞卡和蕾莉亚娜带着安拉夫(Anlaf)离开了队伍休息的地方去寻找水源。渐渐的，艾瑞卡走到了前面。无论是偶尔跑过的松鼠还是奇特的植物，都能让她大惊小怪地盯上半天。离开队伍一刻钟以后，她们还没看到斯登告诉她们的小溪。 蕾莉亚娜看着她那个样子，笑着摇了摇头。过去半个月，她已经发现在那冷淡的表象之下，孩子一般的天真无辜才是艾瑞卡的本性。

“我怕再过会儿阿历斯特该来找你了。”蕾莉亚娜再次停在艾瑞卡身边，无奈地笑着说。 刚才阿历斯特吵着要陪艾瑞卡一起，但艾瑞卡只叫上了她。 “有你和安拉夫在，没什么好担心的……”艾瑞卡研究着一株长了宽大叶片和美丽紫色穗花的纤细植物，心不在焉地回答。 “这是精灵草吗？”她回过头看着蕾莉亚娜问。 蕾莉亚娜瞥了一眼……“不，这是死亡草。”她肯定地回答。 “你怎么知道？”艾瑞卡皱起眉头，露出她那个可爱小狗一样的困惑表情。 蕾莉亚娜忍不住发出一声轻笑……“非常明显：精灵草的茎是弯曲的，也更粗壮。” 艾瑞卡看看那株植物，被它的名字吓的退后了两步。蕾莉亚娜被她那可爱的样子逗乐了，又笑了笑。 “不过这二者确实有一点相同之处……”她走上前，用匕首将死亡草挖出，完全没有伤害到它的根。 “它们的价值都在根部。”蕾莉亚娜熟练地清理了泥土，削下那些蟠曲的细根，谨慎地把它们收进了腰包里。 “有什么用？”艾瑞卡好奇地眨眨眼睛。 “制毒。”蕾莉亚娜正色道，“只要一点点就能做成迷药，这么多足以杀死人类……或者更大的动物。” “哦……”艾瑞卡没有继续追问，不过她已经��到蕾莉亚娜应该懂得如何制毒…… “但它的花看起来很漂亮，不是么？像熏衣草……” ‘那是我最喜欢的花。’蕾莉亚娜记得在她们刚认识的那天，艾瑞卡曾对她说过…… “只因为某物是致命的，并不代表它不能是美丽的……”蕾莉亚娜��喃地说，摘下那些紫色的小花递给艾瑞卡。“拿着吧，花没有毒。” “噢～谢谢！”艾瑞卡兴高采烈地接过小花，拿在手里欣赏着……“真的很像熏衣草不是么？” 蕾莉亚娜出神地看着她可爱的表情……

在一边的安拉夫突然警觉地抬起头，仔细辨别着周围的声音和气味。蕾莉亚娜意识到他的异常，收起匕首，取下背在肩上的长弓…… 在他们离开卡兰哈德湖码头，进入男爵领的这三天里，她已经好几次有种被窥视的感觉。起初她以为只是自己过于敏感罢了，但现在安拉夫的反应某种程度上证实了她的猜想——有人在跟踪他们。 “蕾莉亚娜？”艾瑞卡小心地把死亡花收进了腰包，左手也移到了披风下的匕首柄上。 “你觉得我们会不会遇到兔子，或是鹿？我真的受不了阿历斯特做的那些汤了……”蕾莉亚娜轻快地说着，脸上却没有表情，偷偷瞥了一眼旁边生长着茂密植物的高地。 “哦～我也是，昨天晚上的豌豆炖羊肉真的太可怕了。”艾瑞卡假装出玩笑的语气，两手各摸出一把飞刀捏在手里，冲蕾莉亚娜会意地笑笑。 “或者我们可以抓些鱼。”蕾莉亚娜点点头说，“所以别再停下了。” “走吧，孩子。”艾瑞卡招呼了一下安拉夫。他叼起取水的铁皮桶，跟着她俩继续向小溪的方向走去。 “恶……我很庆幸那桶是有盖子的。”蕾莉亚娜皱了皱鼻子，那可爱的样子逗得艾瑞卡笑出了声。

她们又快速向前走了一段，仔细听着高地上隐隐约约的动静。迅速交换着眼神和手势，确定了策略…… “噢～快看！”蕾莉亚娜突然伸手指向另一边，跑了过去。 艾瑞卡猛地转身将手中的两柄飞刀先后掷向有响动的位置，而蕾莉亚娜同时闪过一棵大树，抽出三支利箭快速射向那儿，接着她们迅速闪到了大树后面。 高地上传来一声闷响，接着有什么东西重重摔了下来。艾瑞卡握着匕首，谨慎地探出头向那望去…… 起初那里什么也没有，但很快显现出一片阴影，短短几秒钟后，一个人出现在那儿，一动不动地趴在地上。她走近才看清那是一个精灵女人。 安拉夫突然跑向艾瑞卡，冲高地上低声咆哮着示警。蕾莉亚娜又抽出一支箭搭在长弓上，艾瑞卡慢慢向后退着，突然一头庞大的灰狼从高地上跃下，直扑向她。安拉夫迎了上去，扭身叼住灰狼的脖子，把它按在地上，使劲咬断了那野兽的喉咙。 艾瑞卡急忙召回安拉夫，退到蕾莉亚娜身边。她们在原地谨慎地等了一会儿才稍稍放松下来，走近那个精灵女人的尸体……她身上穿着精工皮甲。一支箭在她的护肩上，另一支箭正中心口。精灵手中拿了一把手弩，一支弩箭掉落在一旁……看来她被杀前已经把它搭在了弦上。

“游侠(Ranger)，他们能差遣野兽为他们战斗。”蕾莉亚娜仔细检查了一下那个精灵，捡起她的武器递给艾瑞卡。一柄匕首和一把手弩，都像她身上的皮甲一样精良。 “达利西？”艾瑞卡仔细观察精灵的脸……她可不想惹上那些潜在的盟友。 那精灵并不年轻，而通常成年的达利西精灵脸上都会刺上“Vallaslin”——血纹。 “应该不是。”蕾莉亚娜回答。“没有血纹，装备也都不是达利西的风格……”她有些迟疑地停了下来，艾瑞卡好奇地看着她。 “没什么，她应该还有同伙在附近……”蕾莉亚娜抬起弓箭，又谨慎地环视了一下周围，“我们应该回去。” “你和安拉夫先回去，我去打水。”艾瑞卡将精灵的匕首挂到腰带上，摆弄着那把手弩。 “艾瑞卡，现在不是开玩笑的时候。”蕾莉亚娜严峻地盯着她的眼睛，“他们至少跟了我们三天，竟然到现在才被发现。这绝不是一般的强盗。” “那他们不会有很多人。”艾瑞卡迎上她的视线，丝毫也没有退让的意思，“我不怕。” “你应该怕。”蕾莉亚娜走到她身前，冰色的眼睛逼视着她，“如果这些人像我猜想的那样，应该已经在附近准备好了，就等我们送上门。” “所以你先回去叫其他人来帮忙。”艾瑞卡眨眨眼睛，满不在乎地说。 “你……”蕾莉亚娜看着她那貌似无辜的表情，一时竟然不知道该说些什么……片刻后，她恼怒地低吼一声，终于移开了视线。 蕾莉亚娜沮丧地发现一旦艾瑞卡固执起来，她拿她完全没有办法……

艾瑞卡轻轻扶住了她的双肩，“我不是要去送死，蕾莉亚娜……”她低声说，没有了刚才假装的轻松…… “我们已经杀了一个。如果这些人有你估计得那么厉害，等他们再来攻击我们，一定会比现在准备得更周全。与其到那时候陷入被动，还不如趁现在他们没意识到已经被发现……” “我明白你的意思。”蕾莉亚娜打断了她的话，抬起头，眼神里满是担忧……“但是那太危险了……” “我只想看看是些什么人，没打算杀光他们。”艾瑞卡用玩笑的语气说，“相信我，需要逃命的时候我会跑得很快。” 蕾莉亚娜审视着她的表情——平静、坚决，没有丝毫低估对手的迹象…… “好吧……”她无奈地点点头，“我和你一起去。” 艾瑞卡正要开口拒绝，蕾莉亚娜抬起右手，轻轻按在她嘴唇上…… “相信我，需要逃命的时候我不会跑得比你慢。”

[vigilskeep]

who's Cal romancing anyways?

right now i’m progressing both morrigan’s and zevran’s but i expect him to end up with zevran because a) i’m a deeply predictable person, b) it allows for my max psychological damage worldstate, and c) as i mentioned in the tags yesterday, i still kind of think cal’s gay

TO ELABORATE. back in orzammar, convincing people he was a stable option who could and would produce heirs was one of many requirements of contending for the throne, as well as a general social expectation. he was sleeping with women and courting them kind of as a matter of course, and i never got the impression that he’s that into it. he doesn’t dislike the experience, but he’s kind of on blandly charming autopilot. and he has not, you know, tried the alternative yet, despite whatever the hell he had going on with gorim

i think there’s still a chance for cal/morrigan because it could simply be that he’s grey ace or something and only interested when he really cares about someone. (which might be why whatever he had going on with gorim prevented him ever having a good time with the ladies, because his feelings were spoken for.) but i kind of get a “[narrator voice] the feeling was friendship but neither of them had ever experienced it” vibe from cal and morrigan lmao, he definitely likes morrigan and cares about her but i think he might be defaulting to what he assumes that must mean