#he goes undercover as a normal templar recruit so he can gather evidence but then hawke and co. accidentally find out he's a seeker

[persephoneggsy]

A sort of follow up to that, "What if Sebastian went to the Wardens instead of the Chantry?" what if...

So you think there was ever thought or discussion about Sebastian going the Templar route in his Chantry service, vs the sworn Brother route? Why or why not? What would a Templar!Sebastian's life end up looking like if it ever did happen?

So I actually had an AU for this — not Templar!Sebastian, but Seeker!Sebastian.

Apparently a Vael served as the leader of the Seekers (Alandra Vael, per the Dragon Age wiki), so instead of being sent to become a brother in the faith, Sebastian’s parents send him to the Seekers of Truth. He’s a bit older than their usual recruits, and he’s certainly more rebellious, but he shows great potential, so they accept him.

Sebastian fights against his training at first, and tries to escape multiple times. He’s always caught, however, and the senior Seekers treat his escape attempts as amusing distractions. Eventually, he has a talk with an older Seeker, Cassandra Pentaghast, who at first disliked him due to his arrogant nature and perceived selfish attitude. She offers him the chance to escape for good, but asks what he plans to do.

This causes him to realize that he has nowhere to go. His family won’t take him back, they might even send him somewhere worse. He breaks down at this revelation, causing Cassandra to feel pity for him. She tells him that the Seekers are a good and noble group, and she thinks he could do very well here, if he chooses.

He calms down and returns to the Seekers. Cassandra opts to supervise his training herself, and true to her word, once he applies himself, he does very well. Archery remains his primary skill, but with some help from Cassandra, he becomes a passable swordsman as well. He also takes his studying more seriously and turns more to his faith.

Soon, he’s able to undergo the process of becoming a proper Seeker; a full year of fasting, prayer, and seclusion. He completes this process, but when he comes out, there’s unfortunate news: two weeks after his seclusion began, his entire family was slaughtered.

Of course, Sebastian is distraught, and furious that no one told him (because they wanted him to complete the ritual uninterrupted). It’s been long enough now that his cousin Goran is seated comfortably on the throne, and due to marry Flora Harimann. The prime window of opportunity for staking his claim to the throne has passed, and his choice is made for him.

It takes him some time, but he has Cassandra and perhaps other Seekers as support, so eventually he accepts his lot in life and faithfully carries out his work as a Seeker. He’s still restless and angry and grieving, but he’s learned to hide it better.

Then, one day, he’s given a task by his superiors to investigate the suspected abuse committed by the templars at the Kirkwall Circle of Magi. As it happens, he’s been conducting his own secret investigation into his family’s deaths, and his last lead also ended in Kirkwall.

Cassandra confides in him before he sets out and tells him she recommended him for the assignment. He’ll have to do his duties as a Seeker first, but if he has free time, she doesn’t see why he can’t look into his own business while he’s there. Touched by her support, Sebastian thanks her, and sets out.

I like to think he arrives sometime before Act 3 starts, and runs into Hawke, the newly-named Champion of Kirkwall…