#except about the part where the grey wardens don’t like him

[atiredsalmon]

Watching the inquisitor show up and give 5 minutes of exposition is funny because my inquisitor Fahleon 1) was arrested in Minranthous just prior to Solas’ ritual for killing slavers in broad daylight and 2) he’s selectively mute

[hyperions-light]

hey I was planning another post today but instead let’s talk about how much I love that there’s not really a ‘good’ ending to the companion plotlines in Veilguard. It reminds me of Leliana and Alistair’s plotlines in DAO in that what you choose says more about the player/protagonist than anything

I just finished Isana Negat a second time, and I did the other ending and I thought it was just as good. Like, yeah, Harding does deserve to be angry! They did fucking get everything taken away from them! It’s so painful and horrific; yes you can, and should, be mad! But also Harding prioritizing her very real love for and compassion towards other people is not wrong. It’s just different! It’s just Rook’s friend/lover asking them for advice, and Rook giving it! You know, like in real life except with huge magical rock giants

And okay I’m never going to kill Illario because I think it would make Luca really sad and he has enough problems, Whoops I misremembered this, I don’t think you can kill Illario actually. I love that for Luca <3 But yk, I’m probably still not going to imprison him. but I can see it! Because the cycle has to end, right? The violence and infighting of the Crows endlessly attacking each other over power is part of what allowed the Antaam to get a foothold in Antiva, because there was like a double agent or something (if I’m remembering right from Tev Nights). Some kind of ending needs to be made to this endless violence. And I suppose it depends on how retributive Rook is, which is a great question to ask of the player (one that is asked repeatedly throughout the game). It’s not like Illario didn’t do anything, you know! He probably deserves punishment. But Rook, as they always can at various points, can be merciful, can choose absolution. Wow no, I’m glad I was wrong I love it more like this.

And oh boy, I LOVED the ending of Emmrich’s quest, don’t even get me started! Like!! I thought it was going to be ‘well obviously we HAVE to save Manfred’, but how Emmrich talks about accepting his death and his sacrifice convinced me! I was like alright man, this is a real choice! I actually did make him a lich last time (made a lot of sense from a Watcher perspective, imo) and not only was the cutscene sick as hell, but the follow-up was so funny and I got some really sad Spite dialogue which fucking wrecked me. It was great— seriously, his plotline is one of my favorites in the whole game.

And Davrin’s! I’ve already expounded at length about how much I like his quest line and how it ties into the Grey Wardens, but I really think both of his options for the griffons are so workable, because you know the Grey Wardens, especially under Antione and Evka, aren’t going to hurt those little guys again! But also the scenes with Eldrin are so endearing, and Davrin’s hope for a brighter future for them is so sweet and genuine. It’s hard to pick! It’s about Rook's perspective!

Neve's I'll admit I don't vibe with as much just because of the like 'trust the authorities' angle, but i haven't tried saving Minrathous yet and I think it would be sooooo involving as a Shadow Dragon especially. Because that's what they're fighting for, right? That better Minrathous where they CAN be sure that if they send the insane cultist lady to prison she’s going to stay there? But there’s always the practical consideration of people’s lives being at stake NOW, of Neve needing her friends safe NOW. And just killing Aelia ensures she will never be an issue again. So I can see both angles for sure

And Taash ;-; oh, Taash. I haven’t posted about them that much yet because they make me very emotional and it’s hard to organize thoughts like that. But I really love their quest, and their struggle to define themselves. And look, I know people wanted the option to tell them they could be both, but like as a person who has lived a similar experience, it really feels sometimes like the world is making you choose. It can feel like you’re not enough of either thing for anyone. And there are parts of your identity that you will have to make a choice on, and I think it’s trying to speak to that. I did the Rivaini one, and it’s like… well, they’re embracing the culture of Rivain, but it’s not like anyone is ever going to look at them and NOT see a Qunari. You can’t get away from that. What you choose to do in response is a real dilemma and I think that if you engage with the text genuinely you can see what Trick was doing. Also, there is a really great dialogue from Rook that I think gives more context to the discussion; they can say that they have been many things, and it’s important to take what works from each experience and make it part of yourself. So I don’t think Taash’s plot is trying to make them throw away any of themselves, just defining priorities. (Sorry, that got long. Feelings, opinions about that one)

And I don’t think Bellara’s is obvious, either, especially with how they involve the Nadas Dirthalen in her personal plot. This is a thing that is really emotionally and culturally significant to her, but at the same time it is part of what hurt her brother and ultimately took him away from her. She’s really preoccupied with not causing harm by her actions; she spends the whole game worried about it! And even though Rook doesn’t see the dangerous elements of the repository, that doesn’t mean they’re not there. The puzzle quest you can find in Arlathan proves that other people besides Cyrian were taken in by Anaris. And also, there’s the plot thread they briefly touched on in the last game which is that the culture the Dalish have built, that they have RIGHT NOW, is not wrong. But it’s also important to remember history, even if it’s unpleasant or could be dangerous, which is another thing you can discuss with Bellara during the game. So there’s no wrong choice! It’s just about Rook and Bellara and what’s important from their perspectives.

Anyway it was super refreshing to have these kinds of choices! It reminds me of the best character choices in DAI and DAO, especially, and I’m so happy they carried those things forward and improved on them.

[elavoria]

Tagged by @sheirukitriesfandom, @dirty-bosmer, and @boethiahspillowbook to fill out this tag game of Sheiruki’s, thank you! Time for a trip through Knight’s Star…

A line from your fic that makes you laugh:

Struck by a sudden thought, she put their palms together to see just how they compared. “You are very small,” came Sten’s observation. Amaryllia laughed softly and looked back up to him, only to blush when she saw how intently he had been watching her. Their eyes locked again, and a playful smile spread across her face. “Have you considered,” she asked, “that you are very big?”

Most of my humor is in the form of dialogue exchanges rather than single lines, alas.

A line from your fic that makes you sad:

“I have lived a whole life,” he said with a melancholy that pained her, “and you have hardly begun yours. All those I considered my peers are now dead.” He paused, troubled, and she ran her hand through his hair as she waited for him to continue. “It is… difficult to shake the feeling that I should be among them.”

Loghain Being Sad is such a substantial part of this fic…

A line from your fic you’re proud of:

He had been a concept to her for so long, someone to write letters to as regularly and with as much expectation of response as a journal; he had been a political adversary that she could outmaneuver, even a physical adversary that she could defeat, but now that he was standing before her as a mere person, the ally she had wanted for so long finally hers, she had no idea where to begin.

The culmination of everything she ever wanted, and she has no idea what to do about it… :’)

A line from your fic you think could have been better:

I don’t have any of these… occasionally the phrasing of a sentence will fight me, but I always manage to wrangle it into something I like in the end.

A line from your fic that makes you want to punch a character:

“He left the king to die and declared your order responsible for it, did he not, Grey Warden?” she asked. “Or am I mistaken about the bounty he put on your head?” Amaryllia opened her mouth to protest, but Wynne didn’t give her a chance to speak. “Now is not the time for this argument. After I revealed Loghain’s treachery”—she emphasized the word ever so slightly, eliciting a scowl from the warden—

This was difficult because I don’t actually want to punch anyone except Uldred and I can’t take credit for his lines, so have a bit of Wynne purposefully needling Amaryllia about her loyalty to Loghain.

A line from your fic that makes you go ‘aww’:

She nuzzled against his chest and breathed deeply of his scent—strong and metallic, just like the steel plate he had been polishing, and once again she couldn’t help but think of him as her armor.

I only get to choose one…? :3c

A line from your fic that’s full of symbolism:

Their bodies had been calling to each other for so long, and now, finally willingly defenseless against the sweet song of desire that pulsed through their veins, they fell into an emotional embrace, both tender and passionate, gentle and all-consuming.

I purposefully liken Amaryllia and Loghain’s love and desire for each to music to evoke the Calling itself, lending their love something of the fatalistic.

A line from your fic that contains an Easter egg:

Not sure I have one of these either… I’ve included things from the novels and World of Thedas, but those are just supplementary materials for the same setting.

A line from your fic that’s shocking:

At Uldred’s name, the last thin threads of her patience snapped, and she stiffened as her rage consumed her; her full hair expanded further with building static electricity, and she tightened her hold on her staff to channel her mana into it. “Do not bring Uldred into this,” she hissed, bringing her staff down hard against the floor as she spoke, sending streaks of discharged lightning skittering across the stonework and eliciting gasps from the gathered nobles.

I couldn’t not make this one literal. Ah, Landsmeet fun… Alistair, you should have known better.

A line from your fic you want to talk about more:

She reached out and stroked his face, hoping to reach the Cullen she knew in the process, and smiled slightly when he didn’t pull away. After a moment, however, he removed her hand from his face, but it was only to examine it and run his fingers along her own. “Only mages have that much power at their fingertips,” he said with a quiet intensity that almost masked his own anguish.

This is really just a line that I’m proud of, part ii, because I’m so proud of how I managed to weave his dialogue in this little sequence into something painfully poignant instead of something merely angry, combining words and touches and making the in-game dialogue so thoroughly my own. I just love working with dialogue so much, original or otherwise.

Tagging anyone who wants to share! : )

[donner-mathis-official]

Swap AU make my pea-sized brain ping around my head like one of those brick breaker games.

Mathis was on a flight to Great Bear to visit his son in prison. He booked a flight with Archer Remote Transport, flying with a serious woman named Molly who doesn’t seem to particularly like him. Their plane goes down, and he finds himself in a quiet apocalypse.

Molly is a pilot who hunts in her spare time. After her husband died in mysterious circumstances, she’s generally regarded with suspicion by the people around her, and it weighs heavily on her.

Astrid is a doctor in the small town of Thompson’s Crossing. Shes taken over the community centre as a clinic. She would go out and search for crash survivors, but the people here need all her attention.

Mackenzie is a convict who recently got transferred to Blackrock. After one of his guys, a stern man named Jeremiah, got sent here, he got himself sent up to break him out. By the time he reached the prison, that had already happened, so he started searching the island for someone who could get them off it.

Heller takes Jeremiah’s position almost exactly.

Jace takes Methuselah’s position, but isn’t quite as cryptic about it and instead speaks in scientific terms that leave Mathis like “please have mercy I got a C in high school physics”.

Lilith Barker takes Jace’s place, ensuring that Donner doesn’t escape. She was climbing Blackrock mountain when the first flare happened, and when she saw from above what was happening, she rushed down to try to help.

Vachon takes Hobbs’s place but isn’t as obviously dead meat after his cutscene though. Hobbs is the guy who they mentioned got shot with arrows (who is Leclerc in canon).

Mackenzie, in spite of being a convict, isn’t actually a bad guy. He’s exceedingly practical, but he cares for his people, and when he learns Mathis is trying to get to Blackrock, he immediately agrees to help him. Then a faction conflict happens in Blackrock because some dudes are like “hey fuck you and fuck this guy from solitary you’re not the boss of me”. So Mackenzie wrestles with that and keeps them in line while Mathis goes to do all the quests.

The warden and Father Thomas sort of swap places except the warden ends up more in Molly’s position. He went off the deep end a bit with the fire and brimstone and most people stopped attending his services, which he resents them for. He kills the convicts because “it’s the will of the Lord”. Just fully cuckoo bananas with the religion.

Grey Mother is Mackenzie’s other henchman because I think epic gun grandma should get to commit crime and also hang out with Mackenzie more. It’s part of why in this AU, Donner does actually escape; because Lily gets distracted by her mom being there.

Methuselah goes where Grey Mother does. He has the player go look for buffer memories instead so they can write down the story of Milton because he doesn’t want it to die. They need to go to the farmhouse to get the key to the office, not the lockbox.

Father Thomas isn’t locked up (because in this AU, the convicts didn’t murder everyone bc the staff weren’t as horrible to them) but he is completely useless in sorting out the conflict in the prison. Just like “oh no, please don’t— oh no you’re doing it anyways :(“

[exhausted-archivist]

The boggling thing is the lie 100% came from Fiona, or rather was based on a comment she made about pretending to be a washer woman and her wish that Alistair be told his mother was human and dead. She wanted him to be human, she wanted him to have a better life than she did and be raised not as an heir to the throne. So while Maric definitely fulfilled the first part of that, and found someone to really "sell" it since he had to make the lie plausible to even Loghain, its still so messed up. On top of that, everyone involved after Maric left just really drop that ball.

Especially Duncan, who was suppose to be checking in on Alistair and giving Maric discrete reports. Which he supposedly does but not only does Alistair not recognize him, but Duncan also didn't tell Maric Alistair was being housed in the stables instead of a proper room -- which while the stables were actually a pretty comfortable and respectable place to reside up in the hay loft during the era that dao echos, still would have really bothered Maric if he knew that was the case -- but he allowed them to raise Alistair there! He also some how missed Alistair getting shipped off to the monastery for templar training but knew exactly where to find him to recruit him when he got the first inkling of the Blight. The man Alistair hero worships. The man who does deeply underhanded/regulation breaking tactics in recruitment

Also, you can't tell me that Fiona was okay when she learned Duncan made her son a warden. Especially given the circumstances of his birth and the very shady way the Wardens were treating Fiona.

I have a theory that she had to pull some shit to get Weisshaupt to not treat Alistair like a test subject given how she acts in The Calling. Like she elludes to the fact that the Wardens potentially theorizing about Alistair/Maric being why she's cured of the taint. Like:

“It’s gone,” she said flatly. “The mages at Weisshaupt weren’t sure if it was because the First Enchanter’s brooch sped things up artificially, or . . . at any rate, all the corruption vanished. They don’t think it’s going to come back, either. There was test after test, but they think I may be the first Grey Warden that never has to endure the Calling again.” “That’s good, isn’t it?” “Oh, yes.” She nodded. “They’re keeping the brooches, in case they can figure out how they worked, but in the meantime they want to keep an eye on me.” She hesitated only a moment before adding, “I’m being recalled to Weisshaupt. For good.”

Additionally, its not like he didn't even know who his father was. So the point of hiding Maric as his father I guess was from everyone but Eamon and Loghain? Like he knew Cailen was his brother, knew they shared a father. Knew that the chantry sister was trying to make him a templar for political reasons.

Like no one in this man's life has never not tried to use him except his mother, his father, and maybe your warden. Two of which at that point have never met him after they gave him to Maric/Redcliffe. The other conditional by player choice. And that is absolutely tragic.

and the insane thing is (sorry for starting all my posts this way) the insane thing is if it was so important to keep alistair’s parentage secret and give him a good life and a fresh start like his mother asked, they could have literally not told alistair anything. they didn’t have to make up some confusing lie abt a servant mother complete with an amulet to my knowledge never mentioned by fiona, if hiding that he was maric’s son was the important thing. they could have told him he was anyone’s son. but they wanted to raise him in the kennels with the dogs and then pack him off aged 10 to the templars where he was supposed to get addicted to lyrium to better imprison and kill people like his own mother, and have him as a spare to pull out from nowhere if anything happened to cailan. so he had to know maric was his father regardless of how it completely fucked up his perception of himself, just in case it was useful. and what they did decide to lie to him about was that his mother was an elf and a grey warden and a mage, because that would tarnish that usefulness and their ability to drag him into yet another life he didnt want whenever it was convenient

[heniareth]

I was really curious about what your opinions on the DAO companions are :) I know we have talked about some, but I'd love to hear more and about the others as well :D I hope it's ok to pose this as an ask :)

Sure! That sounds like a ton of fun. This might be a long one tho. Mind you, this is not the finished version of the answer. I'd like to link stuff and add a cut, but rn that's not possible. I'll update it when I can.

Edit: I have updated it ^^

Let's go alphabetically bc why not.

Alistair:

Sweet guy. So sweet. There was a moment when I was hard pressed chosing between him and Zevran (alas, Zevran won). Also, he's weirdly tall according to the wiki? How did I not notice that before?

Let's get a bit more serious now, Alistair is a great guy. The only reason he's not the hero of the story is because he doesn't want to. He has all the qualities of a leader: he's good at dealing with conflict (as evident with the conversation with the mage at the beginning. He gets where he wants to get without antagonizing the mage, but without allowing him to trample all over him). He's a solid tactitian and knows how to make allies (he suggests to use the Grey Warden treaties, after all). I bet if he was in the leadership position, he'd even not bicker with Morrigan. His moral code is pretty tight; some might say too tight, but I think it's less about the moral code and more about learning to judge people by their actions, not by the labels they fit into (Morrigan is a proud apostate and therefore bad. Wynne is a humble circle mage and therefore good). He also has a bit of a black-and-white way of seeing the world. I empathize a lot with Alistair, especially with his experience with the Chantry and his subsequent reluctance to deal with it. I really wish I had gotten to know more about concrete experiences he had during his training as templar, but he seems reluctant to talk about it (gee, I wonder why).

Since I've only played the game once, I haven't really picked up on Arl Eamon's abuse towards him, which apparently exists (Isolde, however... I mean, even if he were Eamon's illegitimate son, he's a kid, ma'am, he didn't exactly get to chose his parents. So that's so not okay). Alistair's way of speaking about them both, however, is either sign that he has not come within a hundred miles of acknowledging how much it hurt him, or that he's already gone through the whole process and has decided to forgive them. The latter shows a very strong character; yes, he relies on the approval and leadership of others, he has his issues, but he's already started working on them.

That being said, irl Alistair would be like a little brother to me. I'd tease him relentlessly (all in good fun and I promise to stop if it makes him uncomfortable, but he's just so teasable). I still wish the videogame gave him the chance to take important decisions for himself. But that, of course, would somewhat defeat the point of the game.

Leliana:

Another sweet, sweet person. Her singing voice is amazing. Her belief in the Maker inspires me (I'm a religious person and seeing religious characters represented in a positive light is Very Cool. It's also sometimes a source of discomfort, because the Church has done a lot of very messed up stuff and positive representation can sometimes veer into apologetics for things that should not be excused, but that's a whole other can of worms. The bottom line is that religious characters sometimes work for me and other times don't and Leliana works for me very much bc she's an outsider inside the Chantry).

Leliana is best friend material, tbh. I'd love to get to know her irl, discuss theology and philosophy and maybe even politics? She makes mistakes and has prejudices, but, tbh, so do I. And I do get the feeling that she tries her best to learn. From the times she intervenes in a conversation between the Warden and an NPC, she shows herself to be compassionate and open to the needs of others. What I get from her character is that she genuinely wants to help, which is something that I adore of her. I suspect that she sometimes has a hard time deciding wether she's a good person or not. She has killed and seduced and worked for a morally dubious person, and she doesn't show the same nonchalance about it as Zevran (though they both do discuss their line of work in very... professional terms). This is, however, more of a headcanon than actual factual canon.

I also very much enjoy her girly side, like her interest in shoes and dresses. She's one badass woman who also looses her cool about the latest fashions in Val Royeaux. I like that. Between her and Alistair, a non human noble Warden has as good a help to navigate the Fereldan court as they're going to get. Leliana is also, I can't forget that, clever and insightful. It'd be easy to write her off as the innocent chantry girl, but she's so much more than that. Her kindness is paired with foresight, I think. She knows that taking on the trouble to help now can go a long way in the future. I just have a lot of respect for her.

Loghain:

This one's gonna be short bc I didn't recruit him. He's an amazing villain and would probably be a great Warden as well. He reminds me of Denerhor from LOTR; once a hero/stewart of his people, ambition and desperation have driven them both down a terrible path. I have also only little idea about his past. People say he lost a lot, and I believe it wholeheartedly; it doesn't excuse the fact that he plunged the country into a civil war in the middle of a Blight. I don't have a lot of sympathy for short-sighted politicians. I wish he hadn't made himself regent. That's what I take away from his character.

Edit: One thing I forgot to mention that really impressed me was his death. I had Alistair duel him (that was a rough duel), and then it kinda just jumped to a cutscene of my Warden nodding and Alistair executing him. That didn't sit well with me. I didn't want to kill Loghain, and less so in front of Anora. But what impressed me was that Loghain just accepted it. That takes a whole lot of guts. Compare that to Howe's death, and how he screams out that he deserved (more, probably, or anything but death) and it's crystal clear who the more noble of the two is. Loghain strikes me as very lawful neutral, and any neutral alignment has the particularity that it can be dragged towards good or bad, sometimes without the characters noticing it (which is interesting from a DnD perspective; neutral is often concieved of as just as stable as good or evil, but that may not be true. But that's a different post). Anyway, Loghain's death was impactful.

Morrigan:

I could kick myself for not maxing out her approval in the first play-through. I got to enjoy a bit of her friendship by the end of it and boy was even that little bit worth it. Friendship with Morrigan is something that is hard-won. It's all the more precious because of that.

Morrigan is full of paradoxes, I think. She's incredibly wise in some ways, yet also very short-sighted (”just kill them, don't solve their problems”. Morrigan, dear, I'm not going to gain a lot of allies if I kill everybody who poses a problem to me). She is so intelligent, but emotionally... not so. She knows so much about some things, and very little about the next. She's incredibly wilful and knows what she wants, but follows Flemeth's orders all the time through. She hungers for power and independence, yet craves closeness, but won't allow herself to have it. She asks you to prove yourself to her and is extremely critical of your actions, I think, because she's afraid. She bites the hand that feeds her because it might hit her next.

Like with Eamon, I haven't managed to catch the undercurrent of abuse that seems to permeate Flemeth's relationship with Morrigan. Except there are signs, because there must be something Morrigan is scared of and who has instilled all that rage in her, and that's Flemeth. Also, she clearly hates/does not care about her and wants her dead (unless killing Flemeth was part of Flemeth's plan as well? Hm.)

Morrigan is that one person who you are nice to, continuously, because nobody else is. And suddenly she becomes less cold. And then friendly. And suddenly you're asking yourself why everybody hates her, because she's a really good friend! I just wish the other companions came to a similar conclusion, especially Alistair and Wynne.

Oghren:

They did this man dirty. He has such great lines and I'm convinced he was a great person before Branka disappeared. He has that dwarven warrior spirit, and while he looks like Gimli, some of his most impactful lines remind me of Dwalin or even Thorin Oakenshield himself. He could be so noble had he gotten some character development, damnit!

Oghren as he is written is somewhat disgusting. I hate the lechering comments and the drunkenness. And still, I don't hate him because of those amazing lines he has when he's actually sober. It's frustrating and I'll give him that character development myself if the game won't. I strongly associate the song Whiskey Lullaby with him, bc that's how he would have ended up if the Warden hadn't taken him along (warning: the song talks about suicide and alcoholism). Like I said, they could have done such cool things with his character. As he is written now... it's just sad. Moments of lucidity drowned in alcohol and creepy jokes. As you can see, I don't blame the character for either. The alcoholism happens all too often irl. The creepy jokes... I put that one on the writers' tab.

I actually think Oghren could have been a great mentor figure (I know, I shock myself as well sometimes). Next to the Grey Wardens, the ones who know most about fighting darkspawn are the dwarves because they have to deal with them constantly. Especially a warrior caste dwarf like Oghren could have brought a lot of that invaluable knowledge to the team, especially since there are no Grey Wardens in Ferelden but two extremely green recruits. Next, you get the chance to give Oghren the command of the teammates you leave behind in the battle of Denerim with the reason that he has lead men into battle before. Where did that suddenly come from? Oghren should have been right up there telling my Warden that they were doing this wrong, that they needed more food (and booze) and a confident leader to keep the armies they've called together going. Oghren should have been able to tell my civilian city elf who got recruited into the Grey Wardens a six months ago how one leads an army. How one presents oneself to inspire confidence, how one doesn't crack under the pressure, how one gets the leaders of said armies (some who hate each others guts i.e. Dalish elves and humans) to work together. And, last but not least, Oghren could have had a great story about grief. This is a man who has lost most of what made him (and what he hasn't lost he's spilling down the drain with every mug of ale). This is a man who, if you take him into the Deep Roads, has to see what his wife did to his family, how his wife got absolutely obsessed, and can be forced to kill said wife or watch her die. All Wardens loose their home and families at the start of the story. It would really have rounded the whole narrative out if the Warden and Oghren could have recognised their grief in each other and hashed it out somehow. Such as it is, Oghren is a depressed drunkard and there is nothing we can do about that. I find that frustrating.

Rascal (a.k.a. Dog):

Best boy. 100/10. I wish we had gotten to see the reaction of the different origins to the mabari (because elves probably have a whole different experience with them from mages or humans. And dwarves just... I think they straight up have none? XD). Other than that, no complaints. The name Rascal was the one I gave my dog because you have to be a right rascal to survive what he did and play the pranks he plays. Smartest breed in the world indeed.

Shale:

Shale is one of those characters that I recruited rather late in the game, so I haven't had the chance to explore their personality and worldview, really. I didn't even get to take them to the Deep Roads (this will be ammended in playthrough nr. 2). As such, I don't have particularly strong opinions on them (or her? The wiki refers to Shale as 'it', but that sounds weird). But, because I know so little about Shale, I have a lot of questions. First, what were they like before they were a golem? Shayle, as she was called then, was the best warrior of her time if I remember correctly. Why did she become a golem? Was it to be able to eternally protect her people? Was the sarcasm the golem Shale exhibits also part of the dwarven warrior Shayle or did that come later (if for thirty years you have nobody to talk to but yourself, you better be entertaining. And I can imagine how it could make somebody terribly jaded as well).

Next, how attached is Shale to their golem form, exactly? According to the banter, they infinitely prefer it to a squishy fleshy form. If that is the case, however, why go to Tevinter to try and become a squishy dwarf again? It's not like that process could be reversed if they wanted to become a golem again; if Shale survives to the end of the game, the Anvil of the Void is destroyed and Caridin is dead. Was the whole spiel about their indestructible form a façade? It might have been, but not because Shale actually disliked their form. I think it would have more to do with the loss of their memories and with the very invasive experiments and alterations of Shale's body made by the mage Wilhelm. The loss of memories means that Shale is unable to remember life as a fleshy creature. They might be deflecting by pretending that they didn't care for that experience anyway because of the superiority of their golem form. The modifications made to their form by Wilhelm would have alienated them from their body. In light of this, it's significant that Shale asks the Warden to decorate their form with crystals.

All of this is, of course, pure speculation. I may have easily missed or forgotten details that would disprove the above thoughts. All in all, I like Shale and I hope we meet them again in DA4 (given that it's mostly set in Tevinter). It's a liking from a respectful distance, because Shale is tall and made out of rock and also way more experienced than I will ever be (they are literally the oldest member of the Warden's little Blight fighting squad).

Sten:

Sten is another person I'd keep a respectful distance from physically. That seems to be the what he would prefer, at least. I've enjoyed his character a lot, especially because he seems pretty clear-cut at first, but slowly lets the nuance of his person show (gruff and stoic, but then he has an eye for art, a sweet tooth and he likes cute animals). It's also very interesting that there's no moment when you learn "the truth" about him the way you do with Zevran or Leliana. There's no big reveal about his life under the Qun before coming to Ferelden. He says he was sent to monitor the Blight, but honestly? If neither Ferelden nor Orlais knew there was a Blight, how could the Qunari know? I think he's lying, and he takes his secrets back with him when he leaves Ferelden. And yet I think I know him enough to say that a Warden who has become friends with him has nothing to fear from Sten.

One thing I find very interesting about Sten is how he thinks. His conversation about how women can't be soldiers has been analysed a lot on this page I think. He seems to be arguing based on a different paradigma than the one the Warden has. He also seems to have a very clear-cut view of the world. What is fascinating to me is that, when arguing with the Warden and learning about their culture, he is not necessarily becoming more lax about his worldview. I think it's more likely that he is expanding his paradigma, the structure of thought through which he understands the world. I don't think that he is now convinced that women can be warriors as well. I think he rather understands that, in Ferelden, the relationship between occupation and gender is different than under the Qun. Which of the two he thinks is more right or more agreeable, I have no idea. I'm also not very interested in that. But I find it fascinating how he always seems to be looking on quietly, gathering data, classifying it and trying to fit it into his understanding of how the world works. I wouldn't be surprised at all if his original party was a scouting party to see how vulnerable Ferelden was at that moment to outside forces. One thing I don't understand with all of this is why he urges the Warden to meet the Blight head on. No smart soldier would suggest that, except if they are foolishly proud (and Sten doesn't seem like that kind of guy tbh). I get that the Warden takes way longer to gather allies than expected because they first have to solve all of their allies' problems. But surely Sten sees the need to have allies? Is he just that impatient? Does he have a death wish (à la, I lost my sword and am without honour, better to die sooner than later and in glorious battle)? Was he his group's previous commander and is he now having trouble following somebody else's orders? Or maybe it's his way to make sure the Warden knows what they are doing? To push them into becoming the self-assured commander their allies will need once they're all gathered? I really don't know. I like the last option best, however.

For me, Sten is my fellow, more experienced soldier. Like Alistair, he can potentially be the Warden's brother in arms, but he's definitely the older brother here. He probably doesn't take kindly to tearful confessions of how hard everything is, but I feel like he's otherwise a solid rock to lean on. I feel like the Warden can trust him to do what is necessary and count on him no matter what, especially after they get his sword back. His devotion from that point on is honestly so powerful.

Wynne:

Wynne was such a support for my Warden (except with the whole conversation about love vs. duty and that she may have to choose between Zevran and ending the Blight and that she should therefore break up with him. Wynne had a point. Astala was so not willing to sacrifice her relationship with Zevran. But the whole conversation came at a point where she was already so disillusioned that she blew up in Wynne's face (”can i please just have one (1) nice thing????”)). But all in all, Wynne is great.

She has a lot of flaws. She was very marked by her life in the Cricle and, for all her age, she has little experience living outside of it. She is also a conformist despite her strong moral core. In a way, her ability to find peace with her lot in life impresses me deeply because it speaks to a lot of strength of character. Sadly, however, strength can be ill applied and used to suppress. I think she has convinced herself that the Chantry is right under (almost) all circumstances to be able to rationalize the life that mages live. She's had her son taken away from her as a baby and an apprentice killed. Her reaction seems to have been to convince herself that this was right, or for the greater good (and now I'm thinking about the Guardian's question at the temple of Andraste's Ashes; are you wise or do you just repeat what others have told you? The answer is not as clear-cut as it might be). This is why she is so irritated by Zevran and Morrigan. By aligning herself with the Chantry, she is, in her eyes, good. Zevran and Morrigan are not; they do not conform to Chantry morality and they defend themselves tooth and nails against somebody who would try and convert them. This is something Wynne never allowed herself to do; she always did the "right" thing and it has cost her so much. I'm not saying she was right (it would probably have done her some good to rebel from time to time, and to trust her own gut instinct more), but in light of this, it hardly surprises me that she's so judgamental. She has to be, or she would be forced to confront all the evil she has not fought against all those years and all the hurt that has been caused to her by the very institution she protects (and thank God she only tries to argue and can appreciate it when people have found a good life outside of her comfort zone. If she tried to convince by force or, for example, drag her former apprentice back to the Circle... boy oh boy that would get ugly). If you think about it, Wynne really is a good example for what happens if you live by a philosophy of always choosing the lesser evil.

Something that I keep forgetting over her grandmotherly and dignified character is how damn powerful she is. She has escaped the carnage at Ostagar; HOW!? She protected those mage apprentices in the Circle tower for God knows how long. In the battle of Denerim, she wades through an army and comes out alive on the other side. The wiki lists her age at 40, I think, but that doesn't make a lick of sense unless 75 years of age are the Fereldan equivalent to 100. This lady, about whom people make grandmother jokes, did all that. It's impressive.

Zevran:

You know, I would really love to know what Wynne thinks about the events at Kirkwall in DA2. It might be a disaster for her, or it might pave the way for one last bit of character development. She certainly didn't want to return to the Circle after fighting the Blight. That may be an indicator of some change in her stance on the Circle of Magi.

Edit: I forgot that she is what the Circle considers a literal abomination! Holy cow, how could I forget that?? Anyway, her conversation about what being an abomination means is so... heartbreaking, actually. It's so tentative. So careful. "Am I an abomination? Am I the same thing that has killed my students? The same thing as Uldred? Am I lost and damned? Did I invite this spirit in? Is this my fault?" Like wow, Wynne is going through something huge right there. I love it. I have to continue playing the game to see what it ends up as, but it's fascinating and such a huge thing that she allows the Warden in on that.

Ah, Zevran, my beloved (he has stolen my heart so much it's not even funny anymore). He's funny, he's charming, he's so so loyal and it breaks my heart. Zevran is the one about whom I've read most meta: these three wonderful posts for instance, as well as this one about his possible lack of scars, and this one about his lack of freedom. All of these have influenced my opinion of him and they are great reads.

I have talked about Zevran with you before, so I'll just skip to the new stuff. I have come to conclusion that Zevran is an artist at heart. This is totally not biased by the fact that I also do art, but hear me out. One of his preferred gifts are bars of silver and gold. While those have the obvious utility of basically functioning as money (they can be sold to any silversmith or goldsmith and their value is pretty stable through time and in different countries), there's also this from his codex: "Zevran shows an affinity for the finer things in life—hardly surprising for an Antivan Crow—but his appreciation can be more poetic than he lets on. A simple bar of refined silver or gold, uncomplicated by a craftsman's hammer, is elegantly valuable." Tell me that is not an artist's eye that sees that gold and sees the beauty in it. Then, there's also the meta about Zevran the Seducer which I linked above and link here again. It talks specifically about how he lets himself enjoy the target and be seen in his enjoyment. Tell me that is not an artist's eye that beholds the beauty of something he is set out to destroy. Even his talk about his assassinations show this. He talks about it as an art, the way somebody would talk about the brutal intervention in stone that produces a sculpture. Yes, it's a rationalization of the act of killing and yes killing is still wrong. But he doesn't go on about it on a moral tangent the way Alistair or Wynne would (”this person was bad, killing them was necessary”) or even through the argument of survival like Morrigan would (”it was either them or me and it sure as Hell wasn't going to be me”). He talks about the pleasure of a job well done, of the satisfaction of striking the precise point and executing a plan to the perfection so as to minimize chances of discovery and to make a clean death possible. And pleasure in seeing and in doing, this I firmly believe, is absolutely fundamental for an artist.

My favourite part about my Warden and Zevran as a pairing is that Zevran precisely brings out that ability to take your pleasures as they come and to really savour them. Fighting the Blight is tough; it's so important to find good things amidst the chaos to stay sane. If Astala saves Zevran from himself by offering him a place to stay and a purpose, Zevran saves Astala from herself by keeping her from running herself into the ground trying to save the world.

There are some things I don't like about Zev. The incessant flirting, for example, sometimes makes me uncomfortable (it becomes enjoyable for me once the Warden and him are in a relationship, but before that? Nah, no thanks). I wish he would also leave the other female characters alone (and there's so many more shameless comments of his aimed at Morrigan, Leliana or Wynne than at Alistair or maybe even Sten).

---

And that's my take on the Origins companions (this was rather long. Whew ^^' I hope it was still readable and that you enjoyed it!!) Thank you so much for the ask!! It's been a joy thinking about this. I was worrying at first that the less prominent companions like Sten or Shale wouldn't get as much content but... well XD

[dalishious]

DA:O and DA:2 Loading Screen Texts

“The Andrastian Chantry believes that if the Chant of Light--first written by the prophet Andraste--can be spread to all four corners of the world, the Maker will forgive humankind for their sins.”

“Dwarves have no formal religion, instead venerating the Paragons--those of their ancestors who have contributed in some meaningful way to society.”

“The second elven homeland, the Dales, fell to an Exalted March called on the “heathens” not long after the end of the Second Blight--almost 700 years ago.”

“There have been four Blights in total; the last ended four hundred years ago at the Battle of Ayesleigh. Humanity mistakenly believed the darkspawn were permanently defeated there.”

“The Grey Wardens were once exiled from Ferelden for conspiring to overthrow the king. They were permitted to return twenty years ago by King Maric, Cailan’s father.”

“At the Battle of River Dane, Loghain Mac Tir became known as a hero when he and his men finally drove the forces of the Orlesian Empire out of Ferelden after more than 80 years of occupation.”

“The Grey Wardens were once known for the griffon mounts on which they flew into battle. The griffon numbers waned after the last Blight, finally disappearing completely 200 years ago.”

“Grey Wardens possess the Right of Conscription: they may draft anyone into their ranks without question, from prince to lowly commoner. This is not always done without consequence, however.”

“The dwarven kingdom once encompassed 12 great thaigs spread across Thedas, joined by the underground Deep Roads. Only two remain: Orzammar and Kal Sharok.”

“An elven alienage is a city quarter where elves live, often poor and walled off from the rest, rampant with crime and strife.”

“In their first homeland, Arlathan, elves were immortal and possessed an advanced culture and language. After a millennium of slavery and poverty they lost it all, and even the Dalish have only reclaimed but a little.”

“The Orlesians conquered Ferelden in 8:24 Blessed, beginning a long and brutal rule that ended only 30 years ago. Most Fereldans still remember that time vividly.”

“King Cailan Theirin assumed the throne five years ago upon the death of his father, marrying Lady Anora Mac Tir--daughter of Teyrn Loghain--exactly one month later.”

“The Circle of Magi was formed by the Chantry to keep a watchful eye over the mages. According to the Chant of Light, magic is meant to serve man and never to rule over him.”

“Templars are warriors that exist to monitor mages and hunt down those that go rogue from the Circle of Magi. They have the ability to disrupt magic and drain mana from their adversaries.”

“The Korcari Wilds extends far to the south of Ferelden, stretching into an uncharted frozen wasteland. It is a dangerous place, supposedly filled with witches, barbarians, and monsters.”

“The Circle of Magi's tower, standing off the shore of Lake Calenhad, precedes the mages themselves. It was built by the Avvar a thousand years ago, before being conquered by the Tevinter Imperium.”

“The ancient Tevinter Imperium, ruled by the magisters and powerful blood magic, once spread over all of Thedas. Many of its ruins still remain in Ferelden even today.”

“The Fade is a dream realm where the spirits of all beings but dwarves go when they sleep. Only mages remain conscious once there, but others can “awaken” if they are trapped there unwillingly.”

“The Fade is the realm of hungry demons that constantly seek to pass through the Veil into the land of the living. Those that succeed will try to possess a body, living or dead.”

“Demons are drawn to mages, and should they ever succeed in possessing one they transform them into an abomination--a terrifying and intelligent monster with access to great magical powers.”

“Demons primarily come in five varieties, based on the part of the living psyche that they feed from. From weakest to strongest they are rage, hunger, sloth, desire, and pride.”

“Not all spirits of the Fade are evil things. Some are beings of compassion, fortitude, and justice. They have little interest in crossing the Veil unless summoned, however, and thus are far less known than demons.”

“Ferelden has existed as a nation since the fabled King Calenhad, the Silver Knight, united the warring Alamarri teyrns almost 400 years ago.”

“The Qunari landed on the northern island of Par Vollen three centuries ago, coming from an unknown land far off to the east across the Amaranthine Ocean. They began a war to conquer Thedas almost immediately, one that ended in a truce after more than 150 years of fighting.”

“According to the Chantry calendar, every hundred years is an age--named at the end of the last age according to omens discerned that year. The Dragon Age is the ninth since the ascension of the first Divine of the Chantry.”

“Dragons were once worshipped by the ancient Tevinter Imperium, and existed in number until the Nevarran dragon hunters brought them to the brink of extinction. They only reappeared at the beginning of the Dragon Age, giving the age its namesake.”

“Those that survive the darkspawn taint eventually become “ghouls,” their minds corrupted and twisted to seek out and serve the darkspawn until eventually they die in anguish or disappear underground forever.

“Without an Archdemon to lead them to the surface, the darkspawn remain below in the Deep Roads, battling the dwarves. Few—save for the Grey Wardens—know anything about them.”

“The ancient mining tunnels beneath Hightown and Lowtown now form the city's sewers, as well as the slum known as Darktown. Residents refer to these tunnels collectively as the Undercity.”

“People from the Free Marches are called “Marchers,” but usually only by outsiders. A citizen of Kirkwall thinks of himself as being from the city first and the Free Marches second.”

“The Fifth Blight began in 9:30 Dragon and lasted only a year before the Archdemon was slain. The Hero of Ferelden spared the world from the ravages of another war against the darkspawn.”

“There are fourteen Circles of Magi in Thedas, excluding those in the Tevinter Imperium. The Circle at the Gallows in Kirkwall is one of two in the Free Marches and is the center of templar power in the East.”

“Kirkwall was once part of the Tevinter Imperium and the center of its slave trade. Slaves worked the quarries until they revolted more than 900 years ago.”

“The Qunari live on Par Vollen, an island nation in the tropical northern climes. Some believe they originally came from elsewhere, since they weren't seen in Thedas until 300 years ago.”

“The Qunari invaded mainland Thedas 200 years ago, and were driven back during the New Exalted Marches. The Llomerryn Accord in 7:84 Storm established an armistice between the Qunari and every nation except the Tevinter Imperium.”

“The raiders who plague the waters of the Waking Sea and the Amaranthine Ocean are based out of the chaotic Rivaini city of Llomerryn.”

“Although the slave trade is legal only in the Tevinter Imperium, their slavers are present almost everywhere. They prey on elves and the poor, bringing victims back to the Imperium to sell to magisters and shady foreigners.”

“The largest guild of thieves in Kirkwall calls itself the Coterie. Although the association is very informal, the Coterie is vicious against anyone who looks like competition.”

“The Gallows sits in a harbor that was carved through the cliffs by magic to allow ships to dock in the middle of Lowtown.”

““The Twins” is the local name for the two great Tevinter statues that flank the entrance to Kirkwall’s harbor. They are not merely for show: a massive chain net can be raised between them and the fortified lighthouse.”

“Kirkwall’s Lowtown once held the city's slaves. Individual sections could be closed off in the event of a rebellion, and the winding streets were designed to discourage slaves from attempting to organize.”

“Both the Viscount’s Keep and the chantry were built by the dwarves. They were originally intended to house the city’s magister overlords, back at the height of Imperial rule.”

“The Free Marches is not a single nation, but an alliance of independent city-states. Kirkwall, Starkhaven, and Tantervale are the largest.”

“Kirkwall has been ruled by a viscount since the Orlesian Empire installed one as governor in 7:60 Storm. The city retained the title even after it rebelled against foreign rule.”

“Kirkwall’s less illustrious residents assemble at the Hanged Man. The tavern's feature dish is its stew, made from a different mystery meat each morning.”

“Kirkwall was built almost entirely through slave labor. Part of the city was once a quarry, worked by thousands upon thousands of slaves. Massive quantities of jet stone were carved straight out of the rock face, eventually creating the pit that is now Lowtown, as well as the city’s broad harbor.”

“Kirkwall has had numerous dragon sightings, but they are generally peasant exaggerations. One “imminent high dragon flight” turned out to be an emaciated drake in a pained rage caused by passing a Griffon Helm.”

“Kirkwall declared the common nug a noxious vermin in 5:20 Exalted over fears that the animals carried the Blight. The extermination became known as the Battle of the Squealing Plains. It is not spoken of in polite company.”

“Don't play cards with Qunari--it's impossible to tell when they're bluffing. Don't play against elves, either--they never pay their debts. And never play against dwarves--they'll kill you if they lose.”

[ladeaeveld]

Notes on Tevinter Nights

I finished reading Tevinter Nights not so long ago, so here is an overview of what is happening in Thedas. There is probably nothing particularly new since I'm a bit late to the party. However, I find such overviews convenient to refresh my memory when needed. Perhaps it will be useful to someone else!

This overview was meant to be short, but there were so many interesting details... now, it is huge.

Also, since I’ve read the translated version, any help with wording clarifications is greatly appreciated!

The post is under a cut due to Tevinter Nights spoilers (and length).

Global events

- There is a war between the Qunari and Tevinter.

- Three branches of the Qun do not agree with each other. The Antaam, the military branch of the Qun, attacked Ventus and continued the invasion without the permission of the other two. It results in faster progress of the invasion as the other two branches were a moderating influence on the Antaam. The Ben-Hassrath holds a neutral position.

- In Tevinter, the Venatori are still a problem.

- Smaller countries like Rivain and Antiva are under serious threat of the Qunari’s invasion.

- The heads of the Antivan Crows, eight Talons, held a meeting to join their forces, protect Antiva, and withstand the Qunari's invasion. The meeting was disrupted, and four out of eight Talons were murdered. New heads of the Crows will be chosen soon.

- The king of Nevarra is on the brink of death. The Mortalitasi, who have always had great power in Nevarra, continue to interfere in politics.

- All the Grey Wardens were summoned to Weisshaupt.

- We were introduced to a considerable amount of characters from the guild of treasure hunters, the Lords of Fortune.

- Regarding the Inquisition, little is known. All external issues of the organization seem to be handled by Varric Tethras. He gives quests, monitors their implementation, hires new people.

- One of the Executors, or ‘those across the sea’, showed up in the flesh. Solas said they are particularly dangerous and cautioned against interacting with them.

- By now, many have heard rumours of the Fen’Harel’s cult.

Minrathous

- A demon or something far worse is imprisoned under Minrathous. With the help of the Venatori, it is now unsealed (will probably be sealed again later). Yet, to awake it, some blood-magic ritual must be performed.

- The creature was sealed with eight blood-bonded enchanted clay disks. They showed a long and thin four-winged dragon rising from the dark waters.

- It is said that ‘demon’ is not the best word to describe this creature. It is something ancient and mighty, unnamed, something that will subject to god only.

- This ‘demon’ was a part of Corypheus’ plan of making Tevinter great again. According to this plan, Minrathous was to become the cradle of the new world. If Minrathous had not surrendered to Corypheus, the ‘demon’ would have left the city no choice.

- Most of the population of Minrathous could have perished as a result of this creature awakening.

- Enchanted predators and monsters resulting from magical experiments seem to be common in Minrathous.

Elven experiments

- In Nevarra, under a mountain with three asymmetric peaks wrapped around each other, there is a dwarven thaig. This thaig is called Hormak, and it was lost to the darkspawn hundreds of years ago.

- In Hormak, Grey Wardens have found elven halls, where experiments on living were conducted. And it is quite lively in these halls now.

- There is a huge pool with a greyish fluid that reeks of brine. It creates hybrids.

- There were different types of hybrids: darkspawn with other darkspawn, animals with other animals, darkspawn with animals, and even a centipede and a Grey Warden hybrid.

- When a hurlock stepped in the greyish fluid, it was enveloped and then transformed into a drake and a hurlock hybrid.

- The transformed Grey Warden said that the fluid affects ‘them’ (sentient races?) differently. To be transformed, it is not enough to touch it. The fluid should get inside the body.

- All over the place were large repetitive bas-reliefs depicting ancient elven. There were three types of them. The first one showed majestic elven kings and queens with reverent supplicants. The second one showed elven mages healing sick. The third showed big aravels, drawn by herds of hallas, going to distant mountains (one of the mountains had three peaks wrapped around each other).

- Later, those bas-reliefs were described differently. On the first one, elven rulers were arrogant and despised their subjects, who seemed to be in great terror. On the second one, mages weren’t healing sick, but on the contrary, they were injecting corruption into bodies. On the third, a halla had a strange rounded body and very long and ridged horns, and an aravel had bars on its windows, which made it look like a cage.

- Somewhere at the entrance of the halls was one more type of repetitive bas-reliefs. It showed three figures: a supplicant, a priestess, and a monster. On each subsequent bas-relief, a supplicant and a monster were different, while the priestess remained the same. It seemed that with each subsequent bas-relief, her grin grew wider.

- The experiments are directed by some will, which is referred to as a female. ‘She’ is not yet there, ‘they’ are waiting for ‘her’.

- Symbols of horns of a halla are present on each column in the halls.

- According to bas-reliefs, there are twelve such places in total.

The Inquisition members and allies

For completeness, this part should have included information from the comic, but I tried to avoid that.

- According to Tevinter Nights, Varric and Charter remained in the ranks of the Inquisition.

- Charter mentions her lover, Tessa.

- Vaea and ser Aaron show up but without a clear relation to the Inquisition.

- There are two mages, Vadis and Irian, who saved a peaceful Qunari settlement called Kont-aar from an agent of Fen'Harel, thus keeping the chance of subtle peace between the Ben-Hassrath and Tevinter. The Ben-Hassrath returned the favour by directing said mages to Kirkwall, to a certain dwarf, where they intend to go after seeing Val Royeaux.

- Sutherland and Company are still loyal to the ideals of the Inquisition.

- Quentin Calla, who was a bearer of the enchanted clay disk for a while, provided the Inquisition with some information.

- Philliam, a Bard!, (formerly) Sister Laudine, and Brother Ferdinand Genitivi, with the help of the Lord of the Fortune, Mateo, accepted and completed the quest from the Inquisition.

Fen’Harel and the red lyrium idol

- The red lyrium idol's adventures ended. It is now in Solas' hands, or at least he says so.

- There are three descriptions of the red lyrium idol's appearance. The first one, made by the dwarf, the Carta assassin: two figures, too thin to be dwarves, caressing each other. The second one, by Mortalitasi: two lovers or a god mourning the sacrifice. The third, by Solas: crowned figure comforting another one. (Note: I remind you these are not exact quotes but a translation of the translation, and nuances might have been lost.)

- Some qualities of the idol: red lyrium weighs more than the usual one; the idol is liquid inside; it reacts to other lyrium.

- The idol created or revealed a ritual blade.

- Solas calls the idol his.

- The Mortalitasi recounted the events in the Fade in which Solas took a form of a giant wolf the size of a high dragon. He had burning eyes like those of a pride demon and wings of fire which later resolved themselves into lesser demons. The Fade is called his natural home, and it is said spirits serve him gladly.

- Solas pays special attention to the actions of the Inquisition.

- Members of Fen'Harel's cult would rather die than be captured.

- The ritual the Dread Wolf performs already affects the Fade.

Random interesting facts

- The Qunari slowly cut down a part of the Arlathan Forest.

- The Ben-Hassrath are said to know the most about Solas’ actions.

- Among four killed Talons was Giuli Arainai, Eighth Talon, and this might be a good time for Zevran to show up somehow.

- There was a lyrium crystal that produced a light with shades of green and yellow in Hormak.

- Dorian no longer has slaves, only hired labourers.

- Josephine sent Dorian some good Antivan wine. :)

- Vaea now possesses a healing artefact, which seems to be able to heal anything except death.

- There is an example of a dwarven metal prosthetic of a leg, which does not seem to restrict movement in any way.

Since I’ve read Tevinter Nights after the last Dragon Age Day... - Evka became a Grey Warden and did rescue the next one!

- The hunger demon that turned a person into a werewolf in the village called Eichweill was not completely defeated.

- It seems those elven artefacts do strengthen the Veil, after all.

- The Randy Dowager is Ferdinand Genitivi. Five scarves fluttered in shock out of five.

⠀

This is all for Tevinter Nights for now. I did not include plenty of curious facts, probably enough for another post. I hope you enjoyed it anyway!

If you have any corrections regarding facts, or grammar, etc., don’t hesitate to DM me! Or you may leave a comment in my ask box if you want to stay anonymous.

Thank you for the attention, and have a nice day!

[bollitosensible]

Epilogue of Harrow The Ninth [theories]

Okay, I've just finished HtN and have come up with some ideas I'd like to share.

(I don't want to make any spoilers, so please keep reading if you are interested. I would like to know your opinions! 🥺)

Palamades, Camilla and the ending of HtN:

I think it's pretty clear that, by the end of HtN, Palamedes and Camilla have work out their own way of inhabiting the same body. I wouldn't call that lyctorhood, not without knowing the details, given that Camilla is a cavalier, not a necromancer. But we see Palamedes' eyes in Camilla and, taking into account what we know about it, I think we can be sure about Palamedes' soul being on Camilla's body.

"But, hey, are you sure those are Palamedes' eyes?" Let's look at the descriptions displayed on the books.

This is how Gideon describes Palamedes eyes the first time she sees him:

«Up close, he was gaunt and ordinary looking, except for the eyes. His spectacles were set with lenses of spaceflight-grade thickness, and through these his eyes were a perfectly lambent grey: unflecked, unmurked, even and clear. He had the eyes of a very beautiful person, trapped in resting bitch face» (GtN page 130)

And this is how, our unknown person, describes Camilla's eyes at the very end of the epilogue in HtN:

«...and she loved without reserve the eyes — those great lambent eyes, the iris so skilfully and gently blent it seemed there was no tint or shade in that clear and beautiful grey.» (HtN page 507)

I marked in the same way (bold, italics and red) the points in which the descriptions coincide. Camilla's eyes, in contrast, are described like this by Gideon:

«...Camilla's eyes were much darker than her necromancer's: his were clear stone or water, and hers were the unreflective, fathomless colour of overturned Ninth House sod, neither grey nor brown.» (GtN page 131)

In short, I think there are no doubts that this mysterious person is watching the eyes of Palamedes in Camilla, and therefore, is living within her, whatever this means.

The identity of THAT person

Having this clear, I would like to provide some insights on who this person might be. The hints are quite vague, but I think we can assume we are talking about Gideon's body, as the cohort was unable to locate her, and Mercymorn saw her body:

«...When they show me your corpse I didn't think to check the eyes. Stupid, Mercy» (HtN page 409)

This post may also help to reconstruct what happens immediately after GtN. Knowing this, I'm holding the hypothesis that BoE took Gideon's body along with Camilla, Judith and Coronabeth, and that Mercymorn was, at least, supervising part of this operation -which concurs with the fact that she was collaborating with them.

Another thing that points at Gideon is the next scene:

«She and the person who looked after her had used to go to a different haunt, where the food was cheaper and the sausages more juicy —but there the man who fried the food had once said warningly, "It's hot," only to find that she had already stuffed her mouth full of lacy fried things anyway. The man had said, laughing, "Her lips should be burnt off, eh?" But her lips had not been burnt off. It had barely hurt."» (HtN page 506)

As it has been shown multiple times in GtN, not only does Gideon have some incredible high pain threshold; she also guzzles down very hot tea without thinking and stuffs down easily any other hot meal she's given — she even states she has never taken a hot meal before.

With this evidence, I'm quite confident about this body belonging to Gideon. But...whose soul is it?

I've read on some reddit post (can't find it, sorry) that it might be a mixture of Dulcinea's and Harrow's souls, based upon the fact that «she loved without reserve the eyes», and who, if not Dulcinea, would love Palamedes's eyes, even unconsciously. HOWEVER, it's quite impossible, isn't it? We're told, both by Cytherea and Dulcie herself, that they HAVE NEVER MET in person. They just knew each other by letter, so there is no way Dulcinea would recognise the Warden's eyes.

I think this affection might have develop during the time gap. After all, Camilla is the person who looks after her, and presumably, she has been doing this for, at least, six months.

Could it be Gideon? I'm pretty sure Gideon would still be on Harrow's body for the next book. We know she dies, but she also sees the Body (and Alecto, at least that's my take on it) commanding CPR on her.

What about Harrow? Here is where it starts getting a bit...messy. I'm unsure about the location of Harrow at the end of HtN. I'm guessing she's either in a new bubble in the River or she has reached the place Gideon's soul was occupying while Harrow erased her from her memories (would that mean, she as somehow, returned partially to her body?). I'm not into the idea that she has appeared in Gideon's body and now has amnesia. At least, I'm hoping that this isn't it — please, enough of erasing memories.

My fave hypothesis here is that we have been presented Nona The Ninth, whoever she is, and we would —hopefully— get some answers in the next book.

[weirwoodking]

what do you think sansa's endgame is? and i'm not talking ships. like what do you think she'll be doing by the time the books end.

Anon, you accidentally made me write an essay.

So, to try and guess where Sansa could be at the end of the story, we have to look at where she’s heading currently.

She’s currently in the Vale, stuck under the control of Littlefinger. I think Sansa’s arc in TWOW will revolve around breaking free of his manipulation. There’s a line in Bran’s first ASOS chapter that seems to foreshadow this:

Sometimes he could sense them, though, as if they were still with him, only hidden from his sight by a boulder or a stand of trees. He could not smell them, nor hear their howls by night, yet he felt their presence at his back . . . all but the sister they had lost. His tail drooped when he remembered her. Four now, not five. Four and one more, the white who has no voice.

These woods belonged to them, the snowy slopes and stony hills, the great green pines and the golden leaf oaks, the rushing streams and blue lakes fringed with fingers of white frost. But his sister had left the wilds, to walk in the halls of man-rock where other hunters ruled, and once within those halls it was hard to find the path back out. The wolf prince remembered.

—Bran I, A Storm of Swords

It’s hard to find the path back out, but not impossible. I do believe Sansa will return to “the wilds” that belong to her and her siblings.

George was asked once if Sansa still has skinchanging powers even though Lady is gone, and he said she does. We’ll probably see that aspect of her character start to make an appearance in Winds, especially since the presence of magic ramps up with each book. I think it would make sense if she bonded with a bird (such as a falcon or a hawk), seeing as she has quite a lot of bird imagery (particularly caged bird imagery) in her story. Sansa “flying free”, both literally and figuratively, seems like a logical step for her arc.

I do wonder how her connection with the “pack” will be handled. All of the Stark kids except for Sansa have the telepathic bond through their wolves, so I wonder what GRRM will do with Sansa there. It’s heartbreaking, that she doesn’t have that mental connection that the others do. I don’t know if that could somehow be reformed without Lady? There are a lot of unanswered questions about the Stark kids skinchanging powers (and the telepathic bond). Why did their powers only show up when the wolves did? How far do their powers go? How powerful could they become once they’re properly trained? How does the telepathic bond work? Is that a thing that other skinchangers can do? Is it there because of the wolves or is it through the kids themselves? Is it forever broken with Sansa because Lady is gone, or could Sansa reform that connection through another wolf that joins the Stark warg pack? Would it make sense narratively and thematically for GRRM to give Sansa another wolf?

Anyway, no idea what he’ll do with that. (Some sort of scene where Sansa is like “I don’t have a wolf anymore”, and then all the other Starklings crowd around her for a giant group hug and say “that’s okay, you’re still a part of the pack no matter what” is something I could see happening. It’s not like the other kids would treat her any less for not having a direwolf, she’s still their sister.)

A common speculation I see for Sansa’s endgame is that she could become the new head of House Arryn. And, well, the aesthetic of Sansa being Lady of the Eyrie/Lord Protector of the Vale/Warden of the East is definitely cool. The Queen of Birds up in a mountain palace with her flock all around her like a winged army? That’s some gorgeous imagery.

But...

I don’t think Sansa would ever willingly choose to stay in the Vale if she had the option to go home to Winterfell:

She awoke all at once, every nerve atingle. For a moment she did not remember where she was. She had dreamt that she was little, still sharing a bedchamber with her sister Arya. But it was her maid she heard tossing in sleep, not her sister, and this was not Winterfell, but the Eyrie. And I am Alayne Stone, a bastard girl. The room was cold and black, though she was warm beneath the blankets. Dawn had not yet come. Sometimes she dreamed of Ser Ilyn Payne and woke with her heart thumping, but this dream had not been like that. Home. It was a dream of home.

The Eyrie was no home.

—Sansa VII, A Storm of Swords

One of the largest themes in the stories of the younger POV characters (Theon, Jon, Dany, Sansa, Arya, Bran, Rickon (even though he’s not a POV character)) is that of home. Just go on A Search of Ice and Fire and search for the word “home” in each of those characters’ chapters. I think Sansa will end up at her home, with her pack. We know she must return at Winterfell at some point, as she has the final part of this prophecy to fulfill:

"I dreamt a wolf howling in the rain, but no one heard his grief," the dwarf woman was saying. "I dreamt such a clangor I thought my head might burst, drums and horns and pipes and screams, but the saddest sound was the little bells. I dreamt of a maid at a feast with purple serpents in her hair, venom dripping from their fangs. And later I dreamt that maid again, slaying a savage giant in a castle built of snow."

—Arya VIII, A Storm of Swords

The wolf howling in the rain is Grey Wind (or Shaggydog/Rickon, since it’s raining on Skagos when Jon dreams of his “black brother”), the clangor is the Red Wedding and the bells are the ones on Jinglebell’s hat when Catelyn sawed at his throat, and the maid at the feast is Sansa. And Sansa will “slay a savage giant in a castle built of snow.” That castle is obviously Winterfell, although the fandom has yet to concretely agree on who the “savage giant” is.

Evidently, Sansa will return to Winterfell, and she probably has to get there before winter really starts setting in, or else the journey would be nearly impossible in the deadly weather. So, probably at some point in the next book.

Now, I believe that there’s a big moment coming for Sansa in TWOW: the moment where she unrepresses/uncovers her memories. Sansa knows a lot of important things. She knows the truth about Jon Arryn, she knows that her hair net was used to poison Joffrey, she knows that Littlefinger was involved in the disappearance of Jeyne Poole. Sansa’s memory swapping/adjusting/erasing/repressing (whatever you wanna call it) is important to her character. It’s her brain’s way of coping with the trauma she’s been through.

I think that one of these memories coming to the forefront is going to trigger something big: Littlefinger’s downfall. I speculate that what will most likely come out in the open first is what happened to Jeyne Poole. Sansa finding out what Baelish did to her closest childhood friend could definitely be what turns her against him.

Warning, I’m going to mention the sh*w here for a second. George has said that he wrote Sansa and Jeyne’s interactions into season 1, and that he tried to build Jeyne as a character, but her scenes were cut by the showrunners. Clearly, George cares about her, her friendship with Sansa, and her value in the story, he was very upset about the deletion of her character and of Sansa’s friendship with her.* I believe the reveal of what happened to Jeyne will be a major part of Sansa’s story in Winds. She’s repressed her memories of Jeyne and her disappearance because it is, understandably, too much for her mind to handle thinking about.

The reveal of this memory could be a catalyst to the other memories coming forward, especially since they involve Littlefinger. I think Sansa will be a key part in wrapping up the political aspect of the story, she can reveal the truth of why the Stark-Lannister conflict began all the way back in book 1. She can expose Littlefinger’s lies and schemes. That’s where I think her narrative is heading, at least in TWOW.

I’m not sure what Sansa’s story arc will be in ADOS (I’m not sure what anyone’s story will be in ADOS, but Sansa’s is a bit more of a blank page than others). If the Littlefinger conflict gets wrapped up in TWOW, I don’t know where her story will go from there. Supposedly, she could be in Winterfell at that point. What will happen then… well, then it’s Long Night time. Sansa is not one of the “key five players” (Tyrion, Dany, Arya, Bran, and Jon), but I still think she’ll have an important role in the book. I think Sansa and Arya’s relationship is something that will be focused on a lot through both of their chapters in the final novel. We’re going to see Ned’s quote, “you need her, as she needs you”, really matter.

No matter where her arc goes over the next two books, though, I do think she’ll end up at Winterfell. And like I said, I don’t think Sansa would choose to leave her home again after returning. I think that her story will end with her staying at Winterfell with the other kids. The Stark children would never willingly leave each other after reuniting. Jon literally describes the separation from his siblings as “a deep ache of emptiness, a sense of incompleteness.” And, of course, the iconic line Ned delivers to Arya: “The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.” I don’t see any of their endings being them as “lone wolves” again.

So, to answer your question, I think the endgame for Sansa will be her back in Winterfell with her family, where she belongs, where she is strongest. I do suspect, however, that there will be some sort of epilogue at the end of ADOS, possibly a “10 years later” or somewhere along those lines. Where she’ll be then, I have no idea. She’ll probably be involved with something politically by then, like ruling or advising.

*Based on what George himself has said about the show’s post-season 4 portrayal of Sansa, I don’t think her story will be similar in any way to the show’s very different version of her character (same goes for everyone). George is typically very mild when talking about the show, saying stuff like “they chose to go down a different path with the story”, but this is one of the only times he flat out criticized the show for how wrong it is. He was very upset the show cut out her storyline. He has also said that “every character has a different end” in the books. So take from that what you will.

[potatowitch]

Hawke as Companion

Template by @little-lightning-lavellan

Is your OC a Companion in the Dragon Age series? What would it be like for a player to select them to join their party for quests (or romance them, perhaps? 👀)

I did originally plan on doing this for my Inquisitor but, as always, I've got Hawke brainrot instead, and I figured writing some companion interactions would be so much more interesting with her as a companion than my Lavellan. This got .... very long.

You have selected RIAN to join your party!

Race: HUMAN

Gender: FEMALE

Class: MAGE

Specialization: BLOOD MAGE

BACKGROUND

Marian Elaine Hawke, known also as “Rian”, “Chuckles”, “Champion of Kirkwall” and “Hawke, NO” was born in 9:06 Dragon to Malcolm and Leandra Hawke. Despite having to keep her father's magic a secret, she was never led to believe that magic was anything but a gift. Therefore, she spent much of her younger years experimenting to see if she could produce magic, eventually managing at age 9 to light the fireplace with a tiny fireball.

Growing up, she was attached to Malcolm at the hip - the two of them shared not only their magic but their senses of humor and general chaotic energy.

After the Hawke family fled Lothering during the Blight, Hawke joined Athenril’s smugglers to pay off her entry into Kirkwall. As soon as she met Varric at the start of Act 1, they became inseparable best friends - Hawke often cites Varric as her soulmate and the platonic love of her life. During the Deep Roads expedition, Carver became infected with the Blight, and with the help of Anders, Hawke was able to lead him to the Grey Wardens so he could join their ranks.

Over the years, she developed close relationships with most of her companions except for Aveline and Sebastian. Her friendship with Merrill eventually developed into a committed romance, and Hawke started to practice blood magic after recognising that Merrill could do so without being "evil". The two of them eventually also developed feelings for Isabela, and as such she joined their romance as well.

By Act 3, Hawke had become a staunch supporter of mage rights, a dedicated member of the Underground, and wholeheartedly supported Anders’ choice to destroy Kirkwall’s Chantry.

Following the destruction of the Chantry, Hawke and her friends fled Kirkwall, splitting up despite Hawke desperately wanting them to remain together. Isabela and Merrill chose to remain with Hawke, and the three of them traveled across the Free Marches, occasionally running into Anders and assisting him in rescuing mages from rebelling Circles. Eventually, Isabela managed to acquire a new crew, and her partners were more than happy to sail with her as she established herself once again as the Queen of the Eastern Seas.

INQUISITION

Depending on the player’s choices in Here Lies The Abyss, Hawke can be convinced to stay and help the Inquisition further instead of accompanying the remaining Wardens to Weisshaupt, becoming a full companion. She will move to sit with Varric by the fire in the main hall. Hawke will also be present in Varric’s companion cutscene where he invites the Inquisitor to play Wicked Grace.

Upon first being recruited to the Inquisition, Hawke’s specialisation is not available - when automatically leveled, she will put points primarily into the Inferno and Storm trees. Her unique specialisation, Blood Mage, only becomes available if the Inquisitor has allied with the mages at Redcliffe. At that point, Hawke will initiate a conversation with the Inquisitor about their opinions on blood magic, and if the Inquisitor states that they have no problem with it, her specialisation will open. Otherwise, she will refuse to admit her use of blood magic to the Inquisitor.

At this point, Hawke will also speak more openly about her support of Anders. She will eventually admit that they are still in contact, though she won't tell the Inquisitor anything that could give them an idea of Anders’ whereabouts.

Her specialisation is not open to the Inquisitor, however Hawke can offer to teach a mage Inquisitor "a neat trick", which will give the player the choice to replace their current Focus ability with Hawke's.

BLOOD MAGE

Upon unlocking Hawke's specialisation, she will gain a large increase to her Constitution but her mana bar will become considerably shorter, and conventional healing effects will only operate at 25% efficiency. If she is out of mana, she will automatically revert to using her health pool to power her spells instead.

Her spell tree is very similar to the Dragon Age 2 Blood Mage tree, however it does not include the Blood Slave ability - it is instead replaced with Blood Bomb, which is a variant of Walking Bomb. Instead of applying a damage over time curse to a target, Hawke channels a spell that corrupts the targets' blood from the inside until the target dies - at which point they explode, doing damage to nearby enemies. This spell continually consumes Hawke's mana and health while it is being channeled.

Her Focus ability is Major Sacrifice, a variant of the Knight-Enchanter's Resurgence. Instead of healing the party to full health and providing an ongoing healing aura, Major Sacrifice will instead heal the party to full health but take 25% of Hawke's current health, and will provide an aura of ongoing damage to nearby enemies, converting their health into health for the party.

VARRIC'S PERSONAL QUEST IN VALAMMAR

If the Inquisitor brings Hawke to Valammar, she will be suspiciously quiet throughout the quest - though she will pipe up to complain about the Darkspawn. Following the reveal that Bianca shared the location of the thaig, Hawke will be furious and will argue with her.

Upon returning to Skyhold and speaking to Varric, the cutscene will begin in the middle of a conversation between him and Hawke.

HAWKE: You deserve better, you know. VARRIC: Yeah, you've said that before. HAWKE: It bears repeating. As many times as it takes to get it through your thick head. You deserve so much better. VARRIC: *sigh* Thanks, Chuckles.

APPROVAL AND ROMANCE

Hawke is not romanceable, though she welcomes playful flirting from a female Inquisitor. She will eventually initiate a conversation where she makes sure the Inquisitor isn't expecting the flirting to go anywhere further, as she is already in a relationship.

RIAN APPROVES OF: Supporting mage freedom, open-mindedness with magic and spirits, sarcasm, humor, stealing from nobility, pranking nobility, loyalty to your friends, being nice to Varric, terrible puns.

RIAN DISAPPROVES OF: Chantry rhetoric, the Circles, Templars, Tranquility, authority, betraying your friends, ignorance, pomposity, being mean to Varric.

Hawke will not leave the Inquisition, even if her approval is at Hostile. When questioned about this, she will say:

HAWKE: Did you miss the part where Corypheus is my responsibility? I’m going to fix my fuck-up, Inquisitor. If I have to put up with you while I do it, then, well … I’ve always said the Maker has a sick sense of humor.

TRESPASSER

Following Corypheus' defeat, Hawke leaves the Inquisition to rejoin Merrill and Isabela.

Once Trespasser is started, Hawke can be found accompanying Varric and Bran to the Winter Palace.

During exploration of the Eluvians, if both Hawke and Varric are in the party, they will briefly discuss how excited Merrill would be by all this, and Hawke will say "You'd better be writing all this down, Varric."

She will approve of redeeming Solas, though she won't disapprove if the Inquisitor decides they would rather kill him.

High Approval

If Varric has chosen to give the Inquisitor an estate in Kirkwall, Hawke will pipe up during the conversation saying she's excited to be neighbors, offering to give the Inquisitor the key to her wine cellar - though she will complain that Varric has never given her control of the harbor, to which Bran will mutter "thank the Maker".

Regardless of the Inquisition's fate, Hawke will return to her lovers, occasionally keeping in touch with the Inquisitor via letters.

Low Approval

If the Inquisitor has low approval with Hawke, they will be informed that she left as soon as the Inquisitor stepped back out of the Eluvian following the final confrontation with Solas. The epilogue slides will state that her whereabouts are, once again, unknown.

COMBAT COMMENTS

Killing an enemy

And stay down!

One more for me. We’re keeping score, right?

Have at you!

How’s my hair looking? (COMBAT ENDS)

I wonder what’s in their pockets. (COMBAT ENDS)

Oh, ew. I’m not cleaning that up. (COMBAT ENDS)

Low Health

This is going badly!

Little help, maybe?

Why are none of you healers?

This hurts! This really hurts!

Low Health (Companions)

INQUISITOR: You good over there, boss?

VARRIC: Varric, that blood better not be yours!

COLE: Help the kid!

CASSANDRA: They’re swarming the Seeker!

BLACKWALL: Hang on, Beardy!

IRON BULL: Bull’s in trouble!

Fallen Companions

INQUISITOR: Shit! Trevelyan/Lavellan/Adaar/Cadash is down!

VARRIC: Don’t you dare leave me now, Varric!

COLE: Cole! No!

CASSANDRA: Seeker is down! How did they manage that?

SOLAS: Come on, Solas!

DORIAN: Help Dorian!

SERA: Awful quiet, isn’t it? Oh shit, Sera!

LOCATION COMMENTS

(first time seeing a High Dragon) *laughing* "Oh, this will be fun!" IF VARRIC IS IN THE PARTY: "Hawke, the last time you fought one of these you nearly died." "Yeah, but I didn't die. That's the important thing."

(approaching a campsite) "Well ... I've slept in worse places."

(when collecting a Shard) "Let me guess. We have to collect a stupid amount of these for a really stupid reason, and they're all going to be in really stupid, hard to reach places. *sighs* I love adventuring."

HINTERLANDS

"Have we been here before? Feels like we've been here before."

(upon unlocking the cabin in Redcliffe with the Tranquil skulls) "That's ... fucking Maker. Tranquil have always made me uncomfortable but ... they were still people. They were still... shit, I need a second."

FALLOW MIRE

"Eugh, that smell! Worse than my dog when he's eaten cheese, and that's saying something."

(upon killing Widris) "Something, something, crazy mages ... "

"Oh, walking corpses. That's nice."

STORM COAST

(upon seeing the dragon vs giant fight) *laughing* "Oh, that's brilliant!"

"Not to sound like Varric, but why are there so many bloody hills around here? My legs hurt."

EXALTED PLAINS

"Maker, I hate Orlais."

(finding Valorin's corpse) *sighs* "Might sound a little hypocritical coming from me, but ... blood magic is not for the careless."

(seeing the ruined bridge, if Varric is in the party) "Hey Varric - " "Don't you dare, Hawke." "C'mon, please?" "You are not tossing me!" "Spoilsport."

EMERALD GRAVES

"I've always thought it was beautiful how the Dalish bury their dead under a tree sprout. Like ... I don't know, maybe death doesn't have to be the end."

HISSING WASTES

"There's sand in ... places. So many places."

"Have I said I hate sand? Because I hate sand."

EMPRISE DU LION

(seeing Red Lyrium) "Maybe don't touch that. It'll do all kinds of weird shit to you."

"I'm fucking freezing. When can we go home?"

(seeing Red Lyrium giants) "What the fuck?"

(Elfsblood River rift - near the lady with titsicles) *giggles*

SHRINE OF DUMAT

"I'm getting the weirdest sense of deja vu." IF VARRIC IS IN THE PARTY: "You're not the only one."

DEEP ROADS (THE DESCENT)

"Why do I always end up back in the Deep Roads? Am I cursed?"

COMPANION COMMENTS

VARRIC: "I was worried about what would happen if I brought her here, but ... it's nice to have Hawke around again."

CASSANDRA: "I have to admit, I do admire the Champion. A woman who built herself up from nothing to defeat the Arishok ... there's a certain romance to Varric's stories about her."

SOLAS: "I've been informed that Varric also calls Hawke "Chuckles". I ... don't see how we are similar."

DORIAN: "Hawke? Oh, I like her. She's not as daft as she acts."

BLACKWALL: "The other night, I found her getting teary-eyed in the tavern over how much she misses her dog. Don't quite know what to make of that, really."

VIVIENNE: "She is a powerful mage, I'll give her that, but she's also a naive fool. No wonder Kirkwall fell to pieces around her."

IRON BULL: "She's fun. Got a lot going on in that head she doesn't talk about, though."

COLE: "Fleeing, fighting, falling. Failed father, failed mother, failed Beth and Carver too. Fire and freedom, and she knows it's right but it still feels wrong. Old wounds that never healed, sometimes she can still taste the blood in her mouth. You chose to save her. She wishes you chose differently."

SERA: "Thought she'd be scary, but she makes me laugh. Hasn't let owning a mansion get to her head, either, and have you seen those arms? She's strong."

CULLEN: "I'd ... rather not talk about her, if you don't mind. We've a less than friendly history."

JOSEPHINE: "Lady Hawke is charming, certainly, but I cannot imagine her being popular amongst her neighbours in Hightown. She throws the very concept of decorum bodily out of the window."

LELIANA: "I knew her when she lived in Lothering. She didn't seem to like the Chantry much, but she was always sweet, and her jokes made me laugh. It's a little odd to see the woman she's grown into."

TRIVIA

Malcolm also made sure he trained Hawke in using a sword. She's not very good at it, preferring instead to use her staff as a melee weapon if an enemy gets too close.

She has a mean right hook.

Her and Varric have matching tattoos on their left buttcheeks.

Despite being Ferelden and adoring her own mabari, Hawke has a preference for cats.

She's awful at singing. She sings a lot anyway.

[thethirdamell]

Have you written anywhere how you'd change inquisition?

Cause I'm really curious

It is entirely possible I have written something like this before because I have the memory of a goldfish but here are some rambling thoughts for you. 

We open with an origin story that follows your character and how their particular origin would fare in the Mage/Templar war. The Mage/Templar spans across Thedas and impacts everyone, and remnants of it are felt throughout the rest of the game. (Not just in a handful of throwaway fetch quests to STEAL BLANKETS FROM HOMELESS MAGES). Each origin has ties to a larger part of the story encouraging replayability and pushing some origins to favor some roles over others. 

An underlying current throughout each origin (told in rumors, ambient dialogue, and throw-away codexes) is the belief that there is currently a Blight. While no one has seen darkspawn, they have seen an Archdemon and the mobilizations of Grey Wardens. Either this the Sixth Blight or the Fifth Blight never really ended. (It only lasted a year - the shortest in history. Tensions run high between Ferelden and other countries who believe reports of the Archdemon’s defeat were fabricated.)

Dwarf (Any Class): A member of the Carta, you have close ties to the templars as a result of generations of lyrium smuggling. Since the war, things have never been better. Business is booming and you don't have to work in the shadows anymore, but greed is an insatiable mistress. Your operations take you to Valammar, where you've heard tales of a different kind of lyrium.

*This origin encourages you to side with the templars from a narrative perspective. You’re introduced to Barris.

Elf (Any Class): A member of the Dalish, your clan is visited by Mihris, First of your sister clan, Virnehn. Her clan was massacred by a demon unleashed by Michael Chevin, a Chevalier in service to Empress Celene. She comes to ask your clan to help aid the elves of Halamshiral, seeking refuge in the aftermath of Celene’s massacre. In exchange, she promises ancient knowledge of the Eluvians. 

*This origin provides the background of the Masked Empire that was hidden in the books. It encourages you to side with Briala. 

Human (Non-Mage): You are a templar. Your family gave you to the Chantry at a young age, and it's all you've ever known. You've never had much of a choice about anything in your life. Even your break from the Chantry is forced, your Knight-Captain having killed your Knight-Commander in a bid for power. Your first real choice comes when they hand you the red vial: drink or die.

*This origin encourages you to side with the templars from a narrative perspective. You’re introduced to Samson.  

Human (Mage): You are a mage. When your Circle called for the right of Annulment, you ran, and you've been running ever since. The First Enchanter is dead. Most of the Senior Enchanters are too. The Venatori come down from Tevinter are the first friendly faces you’ve seen in months. Then they start killing the Tranquil. 

*This origin encourages you to side with the mages from a narrative perspective. You’re introduced to Calpernia. 

Tal-Vashoth (Non-Mage): You're Tal-Vashoth. You and your brothers were separated from the antaam during the siege of Kirkwall, and have been branded as deserters. You've made a living for yourselves working for Gaspard de Chalons as mercenaries, though some of you still hope to find your way back to the Qun. He gives you a new contract to protect a Revered Mother on her way to the Conclave. 

*This origin encourages you to side with Gaspard and possibly the Qun from a narrative perspective. 

Tal-Vashoth (Mage): You were saarebas. You’re not sure what you are now. You were separated or escaped from your avaard during the siege of Kirkwall, and you’ve been on your own ever since. A retinue of templars finds you, but you’re saved at the last minute by a group of Grey Wardens. They tell you they’re on their way to their Calling, but offer to take you to the Conclave before they go, where you might find a place for yourself among the mages. 

*This origin encourages you to side with the Grey Wardens and possibly the mages or the Qun from a narrative perspective. 

The Conclave is called and serves as the ‘Ostagar’ of Inquisition. You spend time in Haven and meet the larger than life characters. You also have the option of encouraging or discouraging some of your companions from your origin to accompany you up to the Template of Sacred Ashes. (Anyone who accompanies you will die.) Demons swarm the Conclave. You fight towards the heart of the conflict. Then you get the Anchor and everyone with you dies. 

Back in Haven, you wake as a prisoner. Varric is in the cell beside you, and provides you with a quick overview of what you missed while you were unconscious. You can attempt to convince Varric to help you escape, but he will decline. You are given the option of attempting to escape on your own or attempting to plead your case

1. Escape - You can theoretically make it out of Haven but it is almost impossible to do so without being caught. If you successfully escape, you can continue as normal to help close the breach, or leave. If you leave the game ends with a bad ending circa early 90’s games. 

2. Plead Your Case - You fail miserably. You are kept a prisoner and used to close the breach and then taken to trial before the Chantry. If you’re successful in pleading your case then you’re released into the Inquisition’s service. If you’re not successful Leliana will save you and recruit you into the Inquisition’s service. 

Unsuccessful Plea - You are given less choices on the order of your next few quests. (Impacts what you have available when Corpheus attacks Haven)

Successful Plea - You are given complete choice on the order of your next few quests.  (Impacts what you have available when Corpheus attacks Haven)

Escaped and Closed the Breach - You are still made to plead your case before the Chantry but it is extremely unlikely you will be unsuccessful. All companions except Casandra are extremely impressed and receive a boost to approval. 

From here the game focuses on the formation of the Inquisition. You can make a case for Varric to be granted freedom or be left a prisoner. If left a prisoner you can come visit him and he will not begrudge you any. He can be freed at a time by speaking with Casandra with at least a modicum of approval, or by speaking with Leliana with high approval. 

You are more or less an indentured agent of the Inquisition. Your incentive as a player for completing your quests is the promise of freedom if you help close the Breach. The type of Inquisition you form is up to you in terms of who you recruit, the message you put out, and the army you create. You are not necessarily labeled the Herald of Andraste, just the Herald. What you are the Herald of depends upon your backstory and choices and can change over the course of the game. 

I.E. : Herald of the Qun, Herald of Mythal, Herald of Andraste, Herald of the Stone, Herald of Death, Herald of Freedom, etc. 

When the Inquisition is relatively stable, you are given a choice of who is the Inquisitor among your companions / advisors. You do not have to be the Inquisitor. You can also reject the idea of an Inquisitor altogether. 

After completing your choice of a few main quests, Haven will be attacked by Corphyeus. ANYONE can die on the attack on Haven (companions, advisors, etc.), and your army will also take losses that can be mitigated by mounting a solid defense. The individuals you save exist as recurring minor characters and don’t just evaporate when you get to Skyhold. 

*If Varric is still a prisoner at this time he will die. 

When dealing with Skyhold, you actually have to repair it and build up defenses by recruiting troops and companions for a final ‘lead them or fall’ suicide fight with Corphyeus akin to ME2 which many other folk have written much better than I ever could so I’ll skip that. 

For the main quests, the Templar/Mage War is the main priority as you attempt to restore stability to Thedas. Unfortunately no one believes you about Corypheus. They also find their own matters to be more pressing, and will not help you until you help them. The consensus is it is just another Blight, and that you should consult the Grey Wardens about it. 

You’re presented with four options for the mage/templar war: Mages, Templars, Broker Peace, or Ignore the Conflict.

1. Recruiting the mages can result in having Fiona, Calpernia, or both as allies. 

2. Recruiting the templars can result in both Samson, Barris, or both as allies

3. It is not possible to broker peace if all four leaders live. Some leaders will refuse to work with others. Some leaders will refuse certain conditions. This is where you get a choice of conscription versus recruitment and what the new framework of the Circle looks like, if you’re not pursuing pure independence for one side or the other.

4. Ignoring the conflict will give you more time to focus on the rest of the world. The war will continue to ravage the countryside without you, and depending upon other choices one side will win and offer to assist you later. 

Beyond the war, the game focuses on convincing the countries surrounding the Breach to focus on it as the real threat. World leaders are more concerned with the Mage/Templar War and with the possibility of a new Blight than they are concerned with the Breach. The general consensus is that it is a side-effect of the Mage/Templar War brought about by the mages. There are (possible) civil wars taking place in the Free Marches, Ferelden, and Orlais. The game primarily spans these three locations. 

Orlais - The civil war is as seen in the game between Celene, Briala, and Gaspard. How quickly you stop the civil war determines how many forces are alive in the final fight against Corphyeus. How you choose to fight in the civil war swings the outcome in favor of one leader or another. Winter Palace will not trigger until one side is ready to capitulate. The choices you’ve made during the war will strongly influence your score in the Winter Palace and your ability to sway the nobility to your side. (Similar to Landsmeet)

Ferelden - The civil war in Ferelden is conditional to your world state. If Anora is made Queen without Alistair, a civil war is started in his name whether or not he is alive, though it is much weaker if Alistair is dead or if Cousland is King. How quickly you stop the civil war determines how many forces are alive in the final fight against Corphyeus. (Arl Eamon leads the civil war and can be persuaded to end it immediately if Alistair is recruited as a Grey Warden). If Anora is removed from the throne and NOT replaced with Alistair, Ferelden is significantly weakened and not able to provide aid in the final battle. 

If the Warden was a mage and requested freedom for the Circles, this has been granted in Ferelden. Any leader will automatically provide shelter to the mages, and in the event you ignore the mage/templar conflict, this strongly pushes victory in favor of the mages. This also makes it easier to recruit both Calpernia and Fiona if Fiona knows the mages have somewhere safe to turn that isn’t Tevinter. 

If the Ferelden Circle was destroyed and you ignore the mage/templar conflict, this strongly pushes victory in favor of the templars. This also makes it easier to recruit both Samson and Barris if they know the templars will have the support of the Ferelden Crown after the war is over. 

Free Marches - If Anders was spared, a civil war takes place between Starkhaven and Kirkwall. How quickly you stop the civil war determines how many forces are alive in the final fight against Corphyeus. 

If Hawke sided with the mages, and in the event you ignore the mage/templar conflict, this strongly pushes victory in favor of the mages. If Hawke sided with the templars, and you ignore the mage/templar conflict, this strongly pushes victory in favor of the templars.

If Hawke sided with the templars, and spared Anders, this greatly increases Kirkwall’s chance of victory in the civil war with Hawke as Viscount. 

If Sebastian was rivalled and encouraged to reclaim his throne, this greatly increases Starkhaven’s chance of victory in the civil war. If Sebastian is not rivalled, this decreases Starkhaven’s chance of victory in the civil war, but increases Templar/Chantry support of Sebastian. In the event you ignore the mage/templar conflict, this slightly pushes victory in favor of the templars.

*Some templars will not side with an Inquisitor who supports a Hawke who spared Anders. 

*If Anders was killed, he is seen as a martyr by southern mages. Some mages will not side with an Inquisitor who supports a Hawke who killed Anders. 

At any point in time you can seek out the Grey Wardens for help who actually know what they are doing and have an excellent plan to use demons to defeat the Archdemons before they all go to their Calling that has nothing to do with Venatori influence and is just a solid plan. They have done nothing wrong ever in their lives and everyone loves them. Upon being informed that the Calling is fake, they agree to help you against Corphyeus, because YOU ARE NOT A MONARCH AND HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO EXILE THEM.

That’s all I got for right now but I could add to it / clean it up if you thought it was a fun read.

[allisondraste]

Ambivalence: Chapter 3

Fandom: Dragon Age

Pairing: Nathaniel Howe x Female Cousland

Story Summary: It has been just over a year since Nathaniel Howe and Elissa Cousland were reunited, childhood friendship forged into a love that endured a decade apart.  However, every love is tested at some point. Presented with circumstances that could either make or break their relationship, Nate and Liss are no different.

Chapter 3: Bull-Headed

Chapter Summary: 

Previous Chapter

[AO3 Link]

Chapter 3: Bull-Headed

Chapter Summary:  Liss turns to Alistair for advice and supportive words, only to ignore every word.

Vigil’s Keep, Solace 9:33 Dragon

The path from one end of the Keep’s main hall to the other stretched on for a million miles. Or so it seemed to Liss, who had to use every ounce of restraint she possessed to resist making a mad dash toward the door.  Hers was a desolate sojourn through a space that was far too loud to be so painfully empty. Then again, she had no assurance her own screaming thoughts would quiet once she made it outside, thoughts that told her she was a stubborn fool and a coward, the ones that insisted she turn on her heel at once and speak with Nathaniel as he’d begged her to do, those that demanded she truly acknowledge the extent of his hurt.

How in the Maker’s name was she supposed to do that? It was far simpler to pretend that she had not heard him sigh in frustration and call after her, that she didn’t know she’d ruined his day before he even got out of bed.  Face him? No, she couldn’t.  Coward though it might make her, she was not prepared to have the conversation he wished.

Still , she thought, Nate did not deserve the way she was treating him.  She could have at least reassured him that she loved him more than anything, and that she would explain everything once she was ready. Once she managed to cobble together the proper words.  Just before she reached the door she turned abruptly, just to see if he was still there, if she could rush back to him and apologize.

It was too late, however, as he was sat on a bench talking to Sigrun and Velanna.  Shame boiled in her gut and rose to warm her cheeks.  She wondered how much the others knew, how much he’d told them.  Did they think she was an awful person? She certainly felt like one.

Shaking her head she spun back around, pulled open the heavy door, and stepped out to the Keep’s exterior.  It was an especially cool, cloudy day for midsummer, with a storm brewing along the dark horizon.  The perfect weather to complement the turmoil that brewed inside of her.  Better that than the sun blazing brightly above, mocking her misery.  

Luckily, there were few people outside, with the exception of guards and the Keep’s servants.  Those who would have recognized her, her fellow Wardens must have been inside or otherwise preoccupied.  Even so, she kept her head down as she made her way to one of the battlement towers, and went inside, climbing the stairs in a near run.

That was until she collided into something, someone if the cool metal sting of armor and exclamation of surprise were any indication.  A pit hollowed itself into her stomach as she wobbled backwards from the impact, her balance slipping away from her completely.  She slammed her eyes shut, the entirety of her terribly short life flashing before her eyes as she braced for impact.  Would this be how it ended for her, tumbling down a flight of stairs and breaking her neck, without ever getting a chance to fix things with Nate?  

That would certainly have been a cruel twist of fate, if she were to have fallen.  However, just as soon as she began to fall backward, there was a rustle of movement and a firm grasp of her wrist by a gloved hand, tugging her up and back into balance with both feet planted on a step.  Letting out a sigh of relief she allowed her eyes to open, revealing her friend’s frowning, worried face.

A bewildered “oh,” escaped her as she blinked up at the man, who appeared to be examining her with a mix of amused curiosity and concern.  “Hey, Alistair.”

“That could have been... disastrous,” he observed sternly, then softened into a lopsided grin, “Y’know, I hear that ‘watching where you walk’ is all the rage these days.”

She shook her head, laughing. “R-right. I’m sorry.  I should have been paying more attention.”

“No, no.  Don’t apologize.  I get it.”  He waved his hands in front of him. “I’ve always preferred tackling staircases with my eyes closed, too. It’s not quite as dangerous as juggling swords, but I take my excitement where I can get it.”

Liss snorted out a graceless laugh that turned into a sob as the emotions she’d been tamping down surged forward past her broken guard.  She brought her hands up to her face, embarrassed at her loss of control.  She was a grown woman, the sister of the Teyrn of Highever, and a Grey Warden, and yet she stood trembling and sniffling like a child over entirely self-inflicted wounds.

“Whoa,” Alistair said, chuckling as he placed a hand on each of her shoulders. “Didn’t realize sword-juggling would give you a fit.  You have nothing to fear, my lady.  I can’t actually juggle a damn thing.”

It was another joke, she knew, his preferred method of providing emotional support in a pinch.  She looked up at him, smiling and attempting to scrub tears from her face. “Maker, I am such a mess.”

“Yes,” he replied, matter-of-factly, “But that’s not new.”

She shot a dagger of a glance at him and he smirked, raising his hands in defeat.  She rolled her eyes before straightening her posture and brushing away the unruly strands of hair that had stuck to her tear-dampened cheeks.  Her eyes were still full to brimming, but she fought back another wave of sobs, hoping to recover at least a shred of her dignity.

“Right, well,” she said stiffly, “These past few weeks have been a very difficult time for me.”

Thoughtful brown eyes examined her more closely, clearly unconvinced by her flimsy attempt at brushing off her feelings. With a sigh, he held his arm out to her, tapping his bracer with an index finger.  “Want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” she muttered, taking the offered arm anyway and letting out a breath she’d been holding, “But… maybe it’ll help me sort things out.”

They continued on up the stairs toward the top of the tower that opened out onto the battlements.  When Liss had lived in Highever, she had always found strolls along the outer walls of the castle to be soothing.  As she grew into maturity, she realized that the change in perspective achieved by peering out over the landscape from a distance, helped her to see her own problems more clearly.  It was in that space between her feelings and the world that created them where she most frequently found her clarity.

Liss released Alistair’s arm, and stepped forward to rest her elbows on the parapet, and look down at the grounds below. Part of her hoped that Nate would come outside at any moment, having escaped conversation with his friends to search for her desperately.  The other part of her knew he was far too sensible, too considerate of her boundaries to ever do such a thing.

“You know he’s not going to come looking for you, right,” asked Alistair at her side.  She’d been so lost in thought she had not even noticed him, the lumbering mass that he was, sidle up beside her and lean over the parapet as well.

“Only too well.” Liss slouched forward even further with a groan before glancing back up to Alistair. “That infuriating man is about as bull-headed as they come.”

Alistair’s eyebrows rose so far up on his forehead at her statement that Liss thought they might escape. He blinked at her skeptically.

“What,” she asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

A laugh burst from his chest and he shook his head. “Do you want the honest answer or the supportive one?”

She thought for a moment then answered. “Honest.”

“Nathaniel’s not the one being bull-headed about this. You are,” he explained, words direct but not harsh and each one stinging as if they were tiny shards of glass thrown at her.

“That’s not… I’m not…” She trailed off, unable to form a proper argument. “Okay, I’ve changed my mind.  I’d like the supportive answer please.”

“Nathaniel’s not the one being bull-headed about this. You are,”he repeated, more gently.  He smiled and added, “And I’m here for you.”

“Thanks,” Liss answered with no small amount of sarcasm.

“Liss,” Alistair said, taking her shoulders and squaring them up to him, “I don’t think he blames you for feeling the way you do.”

“Why?  Has he spoken to you?”

“Hardly.  I just—”

“You just think you understand,” she cut him off, swiping his hands from her shoulders and taking a few steps back and away from him, “But you really don’t.”

“Fine.” Alistair snorted, and looked down at his feet, then back up to her. “Don’t say I didn’t try to help you.”

Liss frowned. “You did try.  I’m just beyond help at this point.”

“Yes, of course,” Alistair snapped, voice sharp with sarcasm, “In fact I’m not even sure why I bothered. You might as well just end things with Nathaniel right now.  Save you both some misery.”

“You really think that?”  Her bottom lip quivered despite her efforts to stop it.

“Do I really think—? No! ”  He shook his head and laughed out of, what seemed to be, disbelief. “What I really think is that you need to talk to the man.”

“I—” she began to protest, but thought better of it.  He was right, after all. “I know.  I just don’t even know where to start.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

“I hope you’re right.”  She kicked at the stone beneath her, and let out a sigh. “Thank you for… putting up with all of this.”

“Hey,” Alistair said reassuringly, “That’s what friends are for.”

After a brief hug,  Liss excused herself from Alistair’s company with a promise that she would try to talk to Nate.  She did not, however, give him a timeline on that promise.  She would take that daunting step when she was ready, and no sooner.  

She wasn’t certain how she found herself reclined on the bed she and Nate shared, alone in her casual wear and pages deep into a campy little serial she’d picked up last time they’d visited the market in Amaranthine.  Swords and Shields , by one Varric Tethras, was the story of a Guard-Captain who fell in love with a Templar Knight-Captain. The first of the books, at least, was poorly paced, with overused tropes and repetitive language that was difficult to ignore.  The story, however, was solid, with brilliant characters whose lives Liss now took a vested interest in.

She could not say how much time had passed before a gentle rustling at the door and the sharp mew of a cat pulled her from her book-induced trance.  She hopped up quickly, marking her book carefully with a slip of parchment and setting it on the nightstand before heading over to the door to let Ser Pounce into the room.  The cat had been staying with them frequently, since Anders left, and especially since Liss sent Bear to Highever to keep Fergus company.  Liss missed the mabari desperately, but she did not want to risk exposing him to the taint of darkspawn blood, and she figured her brother could use the company anyway.

When she opened the door, Ser Pounce just sat there staring up at her with his big kitty eyes, tail wagging slowly behind him.  He made no attempt to move, and instead, meowed in expectation.  Liss bent over to give him a scratch behind the ears, but just as her fingertips grazed his fur, he darted away from her and off down the hallway.

“That damn c—” she began to mutter to herself as she rose back up, breath hitching in her throat at the realization she was not alone.  She had not noticed Nate approach, and she had wondered if he was there the entire time she tended to the cat, or if his footsteps were simply too light for her to hear.  He had a bad habit of sneaking up on her like that, not that she ever particularly minded.  

He said nothing—well, nothing with words anyhow. His tired, piercing eyes spoke volumes in the silence between them, volumes she selfishly did not wish to hear.  It was suddenly so very hard to breathe, lungs unable to expand past the weight of emotion that had fallen on her chest.  She swallowed hard, biting back the hot tears that burned behind her eyes before speaking.

“Hey, Nate,” she managed, smiling to hide the other feelings currently choking her, “I’m afraid I haven’t done much in the way of preparing for our trip. I got caught up in a book and lost track of time, you know me.”

He still said nothing, simply offering her a nod and entering the room, pulling the door shut behind him. He walked over to one of the chairs in the corner, and quietly began to remove his boots, unlacing each of them with dextrous fingers.  It must have been later than she realized, she thought, if he were undressing.  She let out a few mental curses at herself for letting so many hours slip by.

“Is it a good book,” Nate asked, much to her surprise, as he stood up, pulled off his gloves, and began to work on the buckles of his armor.

“I, um, no,” she fumbled out a response, half-hearted laugh falling off the ends of her words, “It’s poorly written, but I’ve fallen in love with the characters.”

He snorted, the hint of a smirk at the corners of his mouth, and he stopped what he was doing to look at her. “How very Liss of you.”

“I think you meant irresponsible .  ‘How very irresponsible of you.’”

Another smile flashed across his lips at her response, and he resumed working on his many buckles.  Reflexively, Liss moved forward to help him.  “Here, let me,” she said, but stopped short of reaching out and touching him.  He’d always welcomed her assistance before, but she knew it would be inconsiderate to assume that he still would. “Can I?”

He looked up at her again, an unstated question on his brow. “Of course.”

She nodded, and began to work undoing the buckles that would be harder for him to reach.  It was something they had done for one another innumerable times since Liss joined the Wardens, a bit of casual intimacy she had come to expect from their relationship. However, nothing about the present situation felt casual.  It had been just over two weeks since their return from Highever, and they’d barely spoken, let alone touched in a way that was anything other than affectionate and chaste.  She missed him.  He was inches away, warm breath pouring down atop her head, but Maker , did she miss him.

The desire that pooled in her belly shamed her, as she finished up her work and stepped back, watching him remove the rest of his armor.  He folded and stacked each piece ever-so-neatly until only his faded remains of an undershirt and breeches remained.  Her pulse jumped as he untied his hair and shook it loose, raven strands swooping down and into his face.

She focused her eyes intently on the floor, and attempted to drum up some topic of conversation with which to distract herself, but all she could think to say was, “I’m sorry about the way I behaved earlier.  I didn’t mean to cause a scene, or embarrass you.”

She felt him near her again, and forced herself to meet his gaze.  It was intense, but gentler than before, and he reached out to brush one of her many stubborn locks of hair from her face.  She trembled at his touch, aching in so many different ways she couldn’t tell whether she wanted him to make love to her or hold her while she cried. Perhaps both in succession.

“I’m all right,” he stated firmly, but she didn’t believe him.  He’d always been far better at lying than she was, but he wasn’t fooling anyone with those sad eyes of his. “You needn’t worry about me.”

Before she had a chance to argue with him, to ask him for honesty she was not yet ready to offer up herself, he leaned down and kissed her.  It was slow enough that she could have stopped him— something she very much did not wish to do— but still urgent, passionate, full of need.  She returned the kiss, pressing her body flush up against his as she did so, allowing her fingertips to dance just under the hem of his shirt.  The shaky breath that escaped him at the gesture was a relief, a sign that despite everything that happened between them, he still desired her, and she reveled in the way he clung to her so tightly, running fingers through her hair.

Nate interrupted their kiss, whispering a question against her lips.  “Shall we?”

She smiled, indicating her consent by kissing him again, then leading them to their bed.  They fell easily into one another, familiarity and muscle memory taking over where their connection and communication lapsed.  Even as their limbs and bodies tangled, as they clung desperately to the moment they created for themselves amidst overwhelming turmoil, and even as breathless ‘I love yous’ left their lips, Liss felt empty, a pit hollowed in her chest by guilt over each and every gaping wound left undressed due to her stubborn cowardice.

When they were finished, she lay with her head on Nate’s shoulder, quietly plucking at the dark hairs dusted across his chest.  He traced tender circles over her shoulder before running the tips of his fingers gently through her hair. On normal occasions, they would stay like that until they both drifted off to sleep, lulled by gentle caresses and one another’s heartbeat. However, Liss presently found the quiet unbearable, her own thoughts running circles around her head.

She was grateful when Nate spoke up, the hum of his voice vibrating in his chest. “I’ve missed this.”

“It was certainly a fun way to avoid packing for another hour.” She laughed, but it was short lived, trailing off as Nate’s entire body tensed beneath her.  She rose up on her elbow in order to see his face, and she wished she hadn’t.  

For a brief flash, she was not looking at the strong, stoic man she had come to know in recent years, but rather the young boy she’d met so long ago, broken, and lonely, and insecure.  Then, his mask was back on and he snorted out a laugh. “It was, wasn’t it?”

He slid his arm out from under her, sat up, and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, bending down to pick up his clothes from the floor.

“What are you doing,” she asked, trying to hide the panic that seized her.

“Getting dressed,” he explained, tone dry.  He slipped on undergarments and pants, fumbling with his shirt before continuing. “What does it look like?”

“I—” She suddenly felt very naked, and not only in a literal sense.

Nate picked her clothes up from the floor as well, and tossed them at her gently, offering her the most pathetic attempt at a reassuring smile she’d ever seen. “You should, too.”

“But—”

“We have many things to tend to if we are to be prepared to head out tomorrow morning,” he explained, interrupting her protest, “I am uncertain about you, but I would prefer to not spend the entire night doing so.”

“Don’t you think we should talk,” she asked weakly.

“Yes,” he admitted, tone softening even as his frown deepened, “I do, but right now I am angry, and I worry that will not be conducive to a proper conversation.”

“Angry… with me,” she asked like a child.  Of course he was angry with her.  He had every reason to be.  

He let out a long breath and shook his head. “No, not at you.  Not really.”

“It sure seems that way,” she joked, even through the blur of tears.

“I am angry at our situation, that you won’t talk to me, and that every day that passes since Highever, feels like one day closer to losing you,” he confessed, agitation slipping past the calm he’d managed, “I’m angry that our time together this evening only illuminated how disconnected we are becoming, and that you don’t seem to be taking it seriously.  That is all I care to discuss at the moment.”

“Nate.” She leaned forward to touch his arm, but he shifted away and he might as well have pierced her heart with an arrow.

“I love you,” he stated with so much certainty, “But I can’t keep pretending that everything is fine, when it isn’t.”

“I love you, too,” she echoed, watching as he took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.  There were so many other things that she wished she could say to him, but it was not the time, not for either of them, and she could settle for mutual agreement upon the one thing that remained fundamentally true.  They loved each other.

“I am glad,” came Nate’s reply, as he pushed up from his seat on the bed and walked over to the wardrobe, beginning to select items to pack.

Rather than hop up to join him, Liss scooted back up against the headboard, propping several pillows behind her back, and reached for the book on the nightstand.  If she finished it, then she would only have to bring along the second novel as they made their way to Kirkwall.

[tartcherryscones]

"If you ever truly existed!"

TLDR; @Bioware's Dragon Age writers: If you even truly exist, maybe give Omnism a look, because the way most religions are treated in Dragon Age is kind of depressing.

My fellow fans, you ever think about Corypheus' death scene and psychically shoot a frosty glare at the Bioware team that does Dragon Age? I do. "What was that sudden chill?" one writer asks, shivering. "It's April in Edmonton: the high today is 40," another says. "No, it was that lesbian in Texas! She's at it again!" a third replies, banging a fist on their desk. And then they send me a polite email asking me to stop, because they're Canadian, but I don't because they deserve it.

Seriously, that line where he's like, "Oh noes! I'm having a crisis of faith! Was Dumat ever real? Like, really real???" just makes me cringe. Look, this isn't a hidden god kind of situation. Dumat is real, okay? Like 100% real. I mean, he's dead, but he's still real. You can have faith in Dumat like you can have faith in butter.

No one ever questions the reality of butter; it's so real it has manifested on your plate. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints isn't going to bother checking if butter really happened, because they know it did. Butter leaves no room for doubt. You can have absolute faith in it. You can spread it on toast, you can sauté vegetables with it, you can put a little on a tiny plate to spoil your cat. Now, you don't have to like butter. Arguments about butter are common as milk. You might think that butter is bad for your cholesterol, or that cows deserve better than to be kept in miserable conditions to make butter, or that Bill Gates has put microchips in your butter, but your faith in the reality of butter is more solid even than butter. Maybe as solid as frozen butter even. No one is questioning butter... Until apparently Corypheus does for some unknowable reason. Get this man some coffee and toast, for pity's sake! He must have had a really rough night.

See, the Old Gods were worshiped not because people believed in something their priests said, but because of something the Old Gods said. Namely, "Sup, peasants! We're gods!" Truth of the matter asserted aside, there were definitely dream dragons chatting to people in the Fade! Furthermore, they were out there rewarding followers, punishing backsliders, and doing loop-de-loops in the Fade-sky. They might even have massacred Barindur! And Corypheus knows that because he has talked to Dumat before!

Before he decided to go full-time b-movie horror villain, his day job was as the freaking High Priest of Dumat. He presumably had the privilege of talking to Dumat more than anyone else did. He was the primary conduit of influence for the worshipers of Dumat to their god.

"No, not like this! I have walked the halls of the Golden City! I have crossed the ages!"

Now, Corypheus might have been upset at not being able to find his gods in the Golden City when he rolled up like an unholy Ms. Frizzle in his elf-blood-powered Magic School Bus, but he has surely since figured out where they really were. Somebody must have told him about the fucking Blights, okay? He knows that the Old Gods were actually underground by the final confrontation with the Inquisitor.

So what is up with this line?

"Dumat, ancient ones, I beseech you! If you exist, if you ever truly existed, aid me now!"

Why are you talking like this, Cory baby? Are you okay? Sweetie, he's gone. Dumat is dead, sweetie. He died a long time ago. Literally everyone else in the whole world knows that. Dumat was the first Old God tainted and killed. The Grey Wardens killed him. You know, those guys you mind-controlled? Yeah, those guys. They could tell you all about it. Their order was actually created to kill Dumat. Dumat's tainting actually touched off the First Blight, which was a somewhat important historical event. Maybe look it up in any history book, or in the Chant of Light, or, better yet, just ask anybody; it's kind of a big deal.

To me, Corypheus' line just smacks of the writers trying to pit one religion against another for the benefit of the Christiany one. I don't like it. Firstly because this is badly done, narratively speaking. Corypheus doesn't even worship the Old Gods anymore and having Corypheus react as if his faith in them is being tested here strikes me as OOC.

Let's not forget that Corypheus had started a new religion with himself as a living god. This is not that uncommon in the real world and people who do this (i.e. cult leaders) don't tend to renounce that stance. By appealing to Dumat, Corypheus is admitting his own weakness and admitting the superiority of Dumat over himself. Corypheus' whole schtick was that he was better than everybody else!

And of course it's anti-non-monotheist because that is Bioware's pattern. Elvhen gods? Aristocrats who hunt people for sport. Modern elven gods? Misremembered historical figures. Avvar gods? Swole spirits. Ancient Tevinter gods? Singing dragons who lied about what part of town they live in. The dwarves' Titans/Stone? Singing crystals that give you a really bad trip, bind you to the hivemind, and make you wander away into the darkness, never to be seen again.

But the Maker? He is a hidden god, so nobody knows, except you should infer that He does exist because He can bring Leliana back from the dead, make and fulfil prophecies concerning what no-good demon-worshipers will say in their final moments (see:Corypheus and Andraste 7:19 "They shall cry out to their false gods and find silence."), and give the Herald just enough luck to survive anything. To do otherwise would seem to be taking a particularly un-meta stance.

Look, Bioware, I get it, you're Christians not polytheists. But seriously, you don't have to shit on everyone else's religions to prove that your favorite one is worthy. You set up all these lovey mythologies! Let some of them be true! Also, it makes things feel kind of bleak and disappointing when you focus so much on proving all the polytheists (and only the polytheists) wrong. For me, it strips some of the wonder away.

Religion is the most magical part of our world. It literally involves willing something (inner strength/gods/spirits of nature/souls of the dead/etc.) to change something about the world. That's magic! It might involve a third party (generally), but it's still magic! It might involve sacrifices of candles, burning incense sticks, donating money, giving up meat, saying special words, reading a special book, drawing sacred circles, or burning entrails in a sort of trade for service, but it's still magic, just like in Thedas! A prayer is not different from a spell. In Thedas, prayers to purify one's soul and prayers to set one's enemies on fire both work. At least, the latter demonstrably does.

Ultimately, you take a little bit more of the magic out of Thedas every time you prove another religion wrong there. You are reducing the fantastical in your fantasy. Please stop it.

[sinsbymanka]

Thank you so much @zuendwinkel​ for donating! I am SO GLAD to add this lovely Hawke x Fenris to the collection, writing them was a joy! I’m also SO EXCITED to share the artwork you created that goes along with it! Thank you so much for blessing us with something so soft, beautiful, and detailed!! 

I’m not longer accepting RAINN Commissions but you can see the ones that are already finished in this series on AO3. Thank you to everyone who has supported me!

Title: A Flock of Trouble Pairing: Male Hawke x Fenris Rating: T Content Warnings: Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition, Post-Dragon Age II, Fluff and Angst, Reunions

Read on AO3

Broody,

Listen. We got into a bit of a situation in the Western Approach. Fell tits over ass right into the Fade. I wish I was shitting you. Do you remember those giant spiders outside Kirkwall? They’ve got nothing on fade demon spiders. I have had enough of the whole thing for the rest of my life. Hawke took off with the Wardens to tell Weisshaupt that their whole fighting force is at risk of being controlled like finger puppets by an ancient magister. I got the worse job of telling you where the fuck he was going (Remember, don’t murder the messenger. Who else would get you that wine you like from Tevinter?)

He said not to follow him. Doesn’t want your Broody arse that close to Tevinter, I expect. I’m fully aware you’ll be going anyway. Take the note attached to my solicitor and get some coin to tide you over. Don’t get captured by slavers. Try to lie low.

When you see Hawke - ask him what happened in the Fade. Somebody needs to kick some sense into his ass. You’re the best person for it.

Sincerely, Varric Tethras

P.S. I’m adding the money Hawke lost to me to your gambling debts. Wicked Grace soon?

Weisshaupt appeared as foreboding and desolate as Fenris had expected. 

Sun-bleached stone soared into a clear, burning sky. Walls meant for defense rather than appeal ringed a fortress that looked as if it could withstand an archdemon itself. If Fenris remembered correctly, it had survived at least two. Perhaps three. 

Of course, if Garrett Hawke were there currently, it may soon fall into the blighted land surrounding it. That did seem to be the man’s luck.  And if Garrett Hawke wasn’t there, Fenris would hunt him down, if only to give the man the tongue lashing he richly deserved. 

In truth, Fenris felt uneasy. The Tevinter border at his back reminded him of the last time he’d been so far north. He’d been running then, as fast as he could go, a desperate chase that led to Kirkwall, an empty box, an abandoned mansion and…

And Garrett Hawke. 

Fenris remembered clearly everything that happened after he met Garrett. He had spent hours examining the path he took with a cynic’s wary gaze, looking for the moment it had all changed, the second he stopped running and made a choice. 

A choice that led him here, to the edge of the world, chasing instead of being chased. 

“What business do you have here?” A rough voice barked. It belonged to a woman, old for a Warden, her long brown hair braided neatly down her back. Her hand rested easily on the hilt of the sword on her hip with a warrior’s preparedness. But her stance was casual. Eyes alert and pleasant. There was no whiff of danger here, not for him at any rate. It did not quite reassure him, but there was no reason to reach for the blade on his back. Yet.

“I am here for the Champion of Kirkwall.” He informed the guard politely, wrapping the reins around his fist while he smoothly dismounted. 

The woman rocked back on her heels, a started, humorless laugh slipping from her lips. “The Champion of Kirkwall?” 

Fenris’s heart sunk, but he kept his face impassive. He could not help the way his gauntlets tightened on the leather bridle. “He is not here.” 

“Oh no! The blighted fool is still here. Are you here to take him back to wherever he came from? Cause I’d be grateful, Serah. May even slip some coin in your pocket.” 

Something broke inside him, a fever finally easing. Fenris had been traveling for longer than he wished to recount, and had not allowed himself to consider the end of the journey or who he wished to find there. 

“Where may I find him?” 

The woman opened her mouth to reply, but whatever response she meant to give was cut off by an unholy clatter and what sounded like a small explosion. Her expression darkened and she jerked her thumb to a thin trail of smoke rising above the walls. 

“Wherever there’s trouble, typically.” She sighed. 

Fenris knew Garrett far too well to disagree with that statement. 

The smoke smelled of herbs Fenris recognized, elfroot chief among them, and it was billowing from within a stable of all things. Soldiers, Fenris assumed they were Grey Wardens, stood with various expressions of shock, dismay, and annoyance. 

The nobles in Kirkwall wore the same looks the day Garrett knocked over six of the merchant’s stalls in Hightown. He’d been chasing a dog, who was chasing a street urchin, who was trying to catch a nug with a kitten in it’s mouth. 

Maker only knew how Garrett had gotten roped into the whole thing. 

Fenris simply remembered the chaos unspooling below him from his perch on the steps and that bubble of emotion that rose up in his chest while he chuckled ruefully and Isabela cheered. He hadn’t known what to call that feeling, not then, not watching Garrett retrieve the kitten and present it to the street urchin while the rich nobility stared in bewilderment. 

But when he saw Garrett in the stable doors, waving his arms like a windmill to disperse the smoke, Fenris felt it again. This time he knew its name.  

Joy. 

Knots loosened in his chest. Only to be replaced by a sharp spike of annoyance more than a match for the cloud of irritation hovering around Garrett. 

Except, of course, Garrett was impervious to the mood. He cast his dark eyes around the courtyard, flitting right over Fenris in his search for something. Then, a half second later, sliding back to where he stood. 

“Fen!” Garrett shouted, a joyful grin splitting his face. “You’re here!” 

Garrett bounded away from the smoking door, arms swinging. He wasn’t in armor, wasn’t armed, and a part of that struck a chord that made Fenris both wary and wistful. When was the last time Garrett had abandoned his armor around strangers? 

Garrett stumbled to a stop in front of him, arms out, waiting while his eyes dragged themselves over every inch of Fenris’s lyrium lined face. 

“You’re really here.” Garrett whispered. 

Almost as if he thought he’d never see him again. 

“Yes.” Fenris snapped instead, jerking his chin at the ancient fortress. “I have, once again, followed you to the edge of civilization.” 

At least Garrett had the good grace to look contrite. “I mean. They do have that wine here you like.” 

“It is more easily obtainable this close to Tevinter.” 

Garrett winced. “I told Varric to tell you-” 

“It was too much trouble to write to me with your own hand?” 

That made his lover recoil. Garrett did not grab for him, although he lifted his arm, fingers outstretched in silent plea. “Fen that… that wasn’t it at all. There was an army of demons. Giant spider. Marching across the blighted desert. Griffon eggs…” 

“Griffon eggs?” Fenris repeated, incredulous. 

Garrett’s whole face brightened. “Griffon eggs! I swear on the Maker’s hairy asscheeks, Fen, you won’t believe-” 

Fenris swallowed his anger and shook his head. In one movement, he turned on his heel and stomped away from the human with his beaming smile, warm eyes, and new wrinkles from sorrow on his forehead. 

It was always safest to walk away when he did not know whether to slap Garrett or kiss him, after all. 

Garrett found Fenris on the battlements while the sun was dipping below the western horizon. He stood, awkward and yet endearing, cradling a large white object gently in his arms. On second look, it was indeed the largest egg Fenris had ever seen. 

“I should have written.” Garrett murmured. “I… wasn’t thinking clearly.” 

Fenris did not pull his eyes from the pink and orange sky. “That is hardly unusual.” 

Garrett chuckled to himself, shifting his weight from side to side. “Fair. But… it was bad, Fen.” 

He knew it must have been. Varric would not have mentioned it otherwise. “Do you wish to tell me about it?”

“Yes.” Garrett sighed, placing the egg tenderly on top of a crate. He rested one large hand over it before casting a baleful look at Fenris. “But not tonight. Tonight I’m just… I’m just fucking thrilled to see you. Even if you’re fuming.” 

“I am not fuming.” Fenris stated on instinct. 

Garrett grinned. “Ah. Is this brooding then?” 

Fenris’s lips twitched. “I do not brood.” 

“Not even a little bit.” Garrett stepped closer, holding his arms out with a shy, uncertain tip of his lips. “I missed you.” 

Fenris pushed himself away from the warm stone. For a breathless second, the two men looked at each other. Garrett’s eyes shimmered with emotion, an expression torn between longing and hope. 

Fenris stepped into the man’s embrace and allowed himself to be tugged towards his broad chest. His sword rough fingers yanked on Hawke’s hair immediately, scowling into the grinning face. 

“You are a fool, and I am a worse one for loving you.” 

Garrett laughed, ducking down to press an eager kiss to Fenris’s lips. Fenris closed his eyes, drifting on the sparking heat between them, the way the world settled back into place. Garrett smelled of home, of warm hay, leather, salt and sun. 

They broke the kiss, but clung to each other as Garrett pressed his forehead to Fenris’s. 

“Griffon eggs?” Fenris finally asked.

Garrett smiled. “My newest adventure, Fenris. Much better than the last one, I assure you.” 

Fenris simply sighed and melted into his lover’s embrace under the burning sun. As with most of Garrett’s adventures, it would be nothing but trouble.

Fenris found he did not mind much at all.

[braincoins]

for DA Shallura

I’ve been doing a series of posts about basic Dragon Age canon for my DA fic series, Dragon Age: Schism. HOWEVER, my Dragon Age AU for Shallura has slightly different background (it takes place before DA:O, and thus before any of DA:S) and I include headcanons and whatnot for DA:S in those info posts. 

So I thought I’d make One post with all the info that @tybalt-tisk​ or anyone else could need to make sense of what’s going on in that fic specifically. Some of this will be copy-pasted from what I’ve already done for DA:S because c’mon why write it twice? But everything here should give the necessary bgd for that fic. If you want/need to ask me other questions, feel free!

With credit, as always, to @yslanam​ who started this by first suggesting a DA AU for Shallura. And if you make it to the end, there’s pretty Mitz art! (Or you could skip to it, I know, but... be good, hm?)

Our story takes place in the country of Ferelden on the continent Thedas. Ferelden is basically Fantasy England (though not an island and not shaped that way), and is about the same size and climate (though it’s south of the equator, not north of it).

Shiro was born Takashi Shirogane in a small village where everyone knew everyone else and he liked it there. Loved it there, really. He signed on to be in his bann’s (the noble who ruled the land and its village) army, as did another young man from his town (whose name Shiro rarely speaks now). They served honorably and well and fell in love. 

And then they were called to battle. Shiro survived: plus a scar and some new white hair, but minus his right arm, which was too badly injured and had to be amputated. Shiro’s lover didn’t make it, though. Shiro was discharged with pay and a small bonus, but that money would run out eventually. He’s not sure what to do with himself, and he overhears people talking about what a shame it is, such a young man now destined to just wither away because, well, he’s basically worthless now. Can’t work a farm, can’t fight in wars. It hits him hard. He wants to prove himself worthy of... of something, anything, just to prove them wrong.

That’s what brings him to the Grey Wardens. 

Allura is a city elf. Elves are second-class citizens - at best - amongst humans, and the city elves live in ghettos called “alienages.” Her father was the Elder of the Highever (a city in Ferelden) Alienage: the man in charge, basically. That didn’t mean Allura behaved though; even as a child, she would rant about how elves were people just like humans and they deserved better treatment. This didn’t win her a lot of friends; most city elves learn quick that yelling about the truth just draws a whole lot of unwelcome - and often armed - attention.

But then it was discovered that Allura had magic, and she was taken off to the Tower of the Circle of Magi to be trained... and supervised. If there’s anything worse than being an elf in Ferelden, it’s being a mage. Mages, if they aren’t careful, can basically be possessed by demons and then they kill a bunch of people and it’s a bad scene. Therefore most people fear mages, and the Chantry - the main religious organization on the continent and damn near the only one in Ferelden - has created Templars to watch over the mages of the Circle. 

The Templars are also known as “mage-hunters” because that’s one of their main duties: running down mages who try to flee their gilded cage. They also kill any mage suspected of being demon-possessed. And they’re posted all throughout the Tower, watching... always watching...

Allura liked learning magic but hated that this is how it’s done. She’s just been moved from one cage to another, and she wasn’t silent about that either. Things came to a head after she became an official mage; she saw a Templar about to force himself on a fellow mage, who was terrified of the man. She got angry and killed the man, straight out. She should have been killed, made Tranquil (basically magical lobotomy) or sent to Aeonar, the mage prison, but Duncan, the Warden-Commander, was there visiting and recruited her away, instead. 

That’s what brings her to the Grey Wardens.

And that’s where she meets Shiro.

So, really now, what is a Grey Warden? Well, that depends on who you ask. To most people outside the order, the Grey Wardens are a glorious order of noble heroes! And why is that? Well, they’re immune to the darkspawn taint (which usually kills people) and so they can safely slay darkspawn! They’re also the only ones who can stop Blights!! …though this last bit of information is often forgotten, given that Blights happen once every few centuries.

If you ask me, the Grey Wardens are the biggest dick move in Thedas, which is actually part of why I love them. Here’s all the downsides to joining this “glorious order”:

First of all, the Right of Conscription. Ferelden has it; not sure if other nations in Thedas do? Anyway, it means that Grey Wardens can recruit anyone at any time. In practice, they have to be careful how they wield this tool (especially in Ferelden), but the RoC has been used to save people from hangings or other deadly fates… on the condition that they become a Warden Recruit. So… didn’t want to be Warden Recruit? TOO BAD, YOU ARE NOW. And no, you don’t get a say in the RoC. (Allura was RoC’d, to keep the commander of the Templars from killing her.)

Second of all, there’s the Joining. It turns out that, in order to become a Grey Warden, you have to drink darkspawn blood. And a bunch of other stuff in there, but really now, DRINKING DARKSPAWN BLOOD. You might recognize this as a stupidly dangerous thing to do, given that darkspawn blood KILLS THINGS. But your options are drink it or die, because the Grey Wardens present at the Joining will kill you if you try to back out after learning about this. If you drink from the Joining chalice, you also might die, but your name will be remembered as a Grey Warden at least? Even though you’re dead. And hey, if you live, you… become “immune” to the darkspawn taint, which is to say you’re already fucking tainted so it’s not like it can get worse. Want to know why the Grey Wardens don’t tell people they’re gonna make them drink darkspawn blood? Well, if they did that, people wouldn’t want to join, and we need Grey Wardens.

Supposing you survive the Joining, there’s the shortened lifespan (10-30 years depending on your sources) and the nightmares (that maybe you can learn to tune out). Again, they don’t tell you this until afterwards. Why? Because then people might not want to become Grey Wardens… yadda yadda. (Shiro might not speak Adam’s name anymore but he sure does yell it some nights, jolting out of a night terror and back to reality.)

Oh, and forget about having kids! It’s very difficult if not impossible to have children as a Grey Warden! (Not like they let mages have kids in the Circle. And Shiro’d been in love with a man, so he was okay with not having biological children anyway.)

At some point, even if you were able to tune the nightmares out, they’ll come back and there’ll be nothing you can do about it. That’s the first sign of The Calling. Because it turns out that the Joining is really just turning you into a ghoul, except very, very slowly. You’re getting close to Ghoul-dom now. Most Grey Wardens choose to die in battle against the darkspawn rather than waiting to be turned. It’s tradition.

And if there’s a Blight going on? Oh, well, it turns out that the only way to kill an Archdemon is to sacrifice a Grey Warden. Why didn’t they tell you? DO YOU EVEN HAVE TO ASK NOW?!

The motto of the Grey Wardens is “In war, victory. In peace, vigilance. In death, sacrifice.”

So what I’m saying is that Grey Wardens are SUPER TRAGIC BADASSES. They also wind up pretty cut off from their former lives, so the Wardens become their family. So, basically, SUPER TRAGIC BADASS FOUND FAMILY. 

Shiro and Allura get close because it turns out they work well together as a fighting pair: he as a warrior, she as a mage. Even with only one arm, Shiro can at least protect Allura as she takes shit out. They’re quickly a unit, just the two of them, always sent out together. It’s no wonder it starts to blossom into love.

But Allura sees that Shiro wants to do more than just protect and shield bash, so she starts trying to figure out how to make him a prosthetic: one worthy of a Grey Warden. One... worthy of him. 

There are different schools of magic: Creation is the healing branch, and it seems natural to try to work with that some, but in the end, Allura has to also dip into a forbidden school: Blood Magic. Blood Magic has the reputation of being evil because you’re using people’s blood - people’s life forces - to power your spells. After growing up in the Tower, she’s understandably nervous about using it.

But she talks about it with Shiro, and although he might otherwise be scared of Blood Magic, she tells him she doesn’t need a lot of it, it won’t kill him, and... well, it’s her. He trusts her. And she works hard to be worthy of that trust, she goes over this spell she’s created several times. It should work to attach the arm - made of silverite, a very powerful and durable metal - to him so he can use it.

She just forgot about the darkspawn taint coursing through him. His blood is not normal. And there are some... side effects from messing with it.

I do recommend reading this post (it’s kinda 1/2 meta, 1/2 fic) but if you don’t want to, the short version is that Shiro has trouble controlling his arm at first and so he pushes Allura away because he’s afraid of hurting her. She takes that as a well-deserved rebuke because she did this to him. 

Eventually they scream it all out at each other: he loves her, he was afraid for her, she feels guilty and is so afraid he’ll leave her, etc. They settle down and start working together on figuring out how Shiro can better control this thing. At the beginning of this fic, he’s gotten the hang of it now.

I’ll put up pictures of their uniforms when I can, and other than that, you should be good to go! I know this was long, sorry. Here, have some pretty @mitzoco​ art: