#heir of ferelden

[higheverweave]

Yall…

Hero of Ferelden X either ruler of Ferelden hear me out

The heir to Ferelden is not a Child named Duncan but a baby Gryphon like.😂✋

You go to what is supposed to be a meeting with the royals and you just see a Gryphon and a Mabari cuddling in the hallway

[aces-to-apples]

Think whatever you want, I just know Kieran is spending Veilguard bopping around Ferelden putting out fires and fighting darkspawn with King Dad, truly fulfilling the Theirin family curse tradition of learning what it means to be prince (and eventually king) of Ferelden in the most dogshit circumstances available

[clavicuss-vile]

making ocs purely to give ferelden some semblance of stability despite knowing approximately fuck all about politics >>>>>>>>>>

[galaxywhale]

if veilguard is set ~10 years after inquisition and inquisition is ~10 years after the origins, that means anyone born during the events of origins would be 20 or so during veilguard so theoretically there’s absolutely nothing stopping me making endrin aeducan my da4 protagonist

[lizzybeeee]

DATV Spoilers - The Story We Lost

Posted earlier that I was compiling a list of lore/story threads that have been dropped with DATV's handling of Southern Thedas. The sheer number of things means that I've made this into two parts - this one focusing on all the story threads that have been effectively dropped.

Spoilers for the game ahead, of course.

If you've played the game then you'll know that Southern Thedas - everything from the past three games - was basically swept away by the blight.

A double blight should have catastrophic consequences for the entirety of Thedas, I don’t deny that, it’s nothing short of a mass extinction event – the absolute worst case scenario for all of Thedas.

However, waving away the fact that Southern Thedas - specifically every area you ever traveled to and interacted with in previous games – is gone, devastated by the blight, in a codex entry and line of dialogue makes it abundantly clear that BioWare is attempting to clean the slate so that they can move forwards with the game series with no ties to the previous ones.

The Warden, Hawke, and the Inquisitor effectively accomplished nothing.

As I put it in another post: I never expected them to consider every decision in game outside of the three options they gave us, but I certainly didn’t expect them to go scorched earth on the possibility of ever seeing the results of those decisions either.

How the lore has been handled in this game, summarized to “the elves did it” and “there’s been a shadowy organization in the shadows pulling the strings on everything” is absolutely devastating to the franchise.

The lack of care with which this was treated just bleeds, “There, we’ve answered all questions and finished with this era of Thedas. Moving on now.” At the same time, this destruction absolutely obliterated whatever story threads remained from the first three games.

Could BioWare bring these threads back? Yes, I suppose. But it doesn't change that it was so carelessly thrown aside in the first place.

If they didn't want people to care about their decisions and the impact they made on the world, perhaps they shouldn't have made that a feature of all the previous games.

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Story Threads/ Plot Points that were dropped:

Limited my points to what was in the Dragon Age Keep and what points were brought up frequently in codex entries, conversations, etc...

Edit: I never expected all of these points to be answered in DATV - this is just a list of what was effectively brushed to the side through very bad handling of lore and story.

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Dragon Age: Origins

What is the line of succession in Ferelden?

Things are looking very grim for Ferelden's succession and the Theirin/MacTir line if nothing is done. And nothing was done. The entire plot of DAO literally culminated in resolving this issue, yet no one seems to have learnt a thing from it?

- Anora ruling alone is unmarried with no heir - Alistair ruling alone is unmarried with no heir - Ruling together they have no heir - Alistair and a Cousland Queen have no heir - Anora and a Cousland King-Consort have no heir

The only potential candidate that can fit into several of those world states is Kieran.

Fergus Cousland, according to lore, is the second closest to the throne that is confirmed to be alive in DAI - potentially the brother in-law to the King/Queen of Ferelden.

Ferelden's succession with Alistair as King hinges on whether or not the Warden was able to cure the blight. Alternatively, it is hinted that he may be more resistant since he has dragon blood in him from Calenhad.

The potential implications of Kieran being the bastard son of the King of Ferelden.

Kieran being used as a political pawn to depose Anora using the Theirin bloodline.

DAI took away whatever destiny Kieran had with the Old God soul – that didn’t mean that BioWare had to take away everything else too. Regardless, it doesn't matter. Denerim and Redcliffe have fallen to the Blight - it's unlikely that any of this will ever be brought up again.

2. Did the Warden find a cure?

Unknown. Irrelevant.

Ferelden ended up blighted. Denerim fell. If Ferelden rises from the ashes, it will be without any sign of their influence. Any mention of them will likely be their title alone - no mention of their accomplishments.

3. General Questions about the Landsmeet

What happened to Anora if Alistair is named King? Who rules the teyrnir of Gwaren following the blight?

What happens to Alistair if he's exiled? We know Teagan finds him in DA2 but what happens after?

If Leliana becomes divine does that mean that Connor Guerrin is potentially an heir to Redcliffe?

4. Companion Plot Threads

Morrigan's sisters - the many daughters of Flemeth.

Shale's quest to reverse the process of becoming a golem.

Whatever the hell Nathaniel Howe was going on about when you run into him in DA2 in the blighted thaig.

What, if anything, Avernus leaned from spending a literal age or two studying blighted blood.

5. Zevran's Crusade against the Crows

RIP Zevran's one-man crusade against the Crows and their child slavery ring.

DATV messed up immensely by portraying the Crows as more of a ‘found family’ rather than the horrifically abusive organization it was set up to be.

The very same organization that preys on the weak and disenfranchised - honing them to be tools for the nobles/powerful of Thedas - are now the heroic freedom fighters of Antiva.

The literal decade he spent hunting down the Crows and their leaders is up in flames. No mention in DATV whatsoever.

Wasted a perfectly good opportunity to have a schism in the Crows, with Zevran at the helm of kicking out the antaam, taking in Crows who are are sick of what's happening.

6. The Dwarves of Orzammar

The impact of Bhelen/Harrowmont's reign - ruthless progression verses strict traditionalism

The rumours of an uprising of the casteless dwarves in DAI

Will we ever hear of noble House Brosca or Queen/Lady Rica? Nope.

Will we ever hear of the son that Aeducan can have with Mardy? Nope. (RIP Duncan Jnr - I still love you)

The Anvil of the Void and potential links it may have to the Titans.

If Branka lives what happened to her?

No more fine goods direct from Orzammar

The entire caste system has been simplified by Harding in DATV to effectively be: 'surface dwarves' and 'deep roads' dwarves.

7. The Magisters Sidereal / Awakened Darkspawn

According to a codex in the Descent: one went mad, consumed another, and the final magister fled into the Deep Roads.

Corypheous + Codex Magister + the Architect (most likely) = 4/5 magisters remaining? Possibly?

Reminder that it's hinted that there's an eighth Old God that was struck from the records of Tevinter.

The Architect and his Awakened Darkspawn.

No, it was all the elves. They're all dead now anyway. Thanks BioWare.

8. The Guardian and the Urn of Sacred Ashes

"Where did you come from, where did you go? Nobody in Thedas will ever knowwwww."

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Dragon Age 2

Dragon Age 2 was pretty self-contained, with most things being tied up in Trespasser or DAI. The worst of the plot points abandoned relate to the companions in the game and the lack of closure/answers about them.

General Questions:

Kirkwalls, apparently, endless line of 'provisional' viscounts and constant political instability since Varric ran off to go after Solas.

According to DA: Absolution the Red Templars are still in Kirkwall...yet the show is set after Trespasser - when Varric is viscount? When he mentions that they threw a parade when getting Meredith out of the Gallows?

Aveline, Varric, Merrill and whoever remains of the Kirkwall crew apparently just allowing red templars take over the Gallows?

What happened to Petrice if she lived?

What happened to Feynriel if he went to Tevinter?

If Hawke lives following DAI - where are they?

I have a whole list of lore that's also been brushed over: the Sundermount, Corypheous, the Band of Three etc... I decided to put them in Part 2 since I feel they fit in more with 'lore obliterated' rather than 'abandoned plot points'.

2. Companions

Merrill's Eluvian:

Merrill spent years fixing an eluvian with a piece of string, a potato, and some gum - managing to actually do it.

And it meant nothing.

Eluvians are now a fast travel hub - all mysticism and awe at this marvel of magic are completely gone. Whatever sacrifices Merrill went through to save her sliver of elven history is meaningless.

Imagine if Merrill's eluvian aided in the fight against Solas - if having it intact gave you an advantage against him. Imagine Merrill weeping as Bellara fixes every other single eluvian in ten seconds with her magical omnitool.

Fenris and Slavery in Tevinter:

DATV utterly trivializing slavery in Tevinter is abominable.

Disregarding everything Fenris went through, everything he ever fought for, and making it something barely touched upon in DATV is insanity.

You wouldn't know there was slavery in Tevinter if the Shadow Dragons didn't drop a line or two about it.

Fenris' entire story of going to help free the slaves is diminished because no one wanted to show the ugly, dark side of Tevinter in DATV.

DATV has retroactively made this choice for him to be so unfulfilling.

Where is Anders?

What happened with Sebastian's crusade against Anders? Was he ever captured? Was he executed? Are you telling me that no templars ever pursued this man fanatically after what happened in Kirkwall?

Does his fate vary if Hawke was friends/romanced him?

Varric appointing a new Viscount’s Keep healer called ‘Banders’ who just happens to sleep in the same room as Hawke and their children call him ‘daddy’ lmao

Does his fate vary according to who is Divine? Vivienne hunts him down, Cassandra puts him on trial, while Leliana pardons him?

How does he react to Leliana abolishing the Circles? How much does he weep when the rebellion fails and the mages are destroyed? This man instigated the starting event for DAI and drove most of DA2's major plot and he's just...gone.

The Hawke Siblings:

From DAI we know that Warden Bethany/Carver are safe, but what happened to them if they're in the Circle?

Give us Knight-Commander Carver and First Enchanter Bethany Hawke, you cowards! Have them dismantle the Gallows and be the shining examples of human decency we know they are.

What happens to them after DAI and the Mage/Templar War is concluded? In a world that can embrace or reject them - how do they find their place?

Varric

Trespasser gave him a satisfying conclusion - he's viscount, he's in his shit hole of a city, he's surrounded by the people that he loves and cares about. He has the chance to truly build up Kirkwall after all the shit its gone through.

It just feels so bitter, so meaningless, that they gave him the end that they did in DATV. Varric should never have been the one to go after Solas - the only reason it was him was because he's a popular character in the franchise and was used to draw interest.

Why not Cole?! Who was literally mentioned in Trespasser as being on hand to help his friends - who has the ability to get through to Solas in a way no one else could?

No proper send off - no acknowledgement from those who loved him as to his fate...Varric was reduced to a marketing gimmick to draw people in who wanted to see if he died or not.

Isabela

Isabela's story was brought to a close in DAI - she became an admiral, got a fancy hat, helped the Inquisition, and kept in contact with those she loved/Hawke if defended from the arishok.

Imagine bringing her back in a terrible outfit, having the most sex/gender positive character misgender another person, and making her part of the group that steals cultural artifacts from others.

The tomb of Koslun and Aveline would like a word with you?!

The entire Lords of Fortune group is also extremely bland? No commentary on the ethics/effects of colonialism/cultural appropriation - because confrontational topics/ideas are not allowed in this game. Just like topics of slavery/indoctrination.

Her entire character just seems to have regressed from DA2. Why bother having her cameo in the game if she's not going to meaningfully contribute/comment on whats happening?

Edit - Thanks to bunnyiscthulhu for reminding me that Isabela's mother sold her into marriage...yet she does nothing when Taash's mother is outright forcing them into a life they don't want. Isabela, who believed that everybody should be free - that no one should be forced into a life they don't want, just...lets it happen to another person?

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Dragon Age: Inquisition

What's going to happen to the Red Lyrium that's popped up across all of Thedas?

Ferelden, Orlais, Kirkwall - all areas are reported to have red lyrium on the surface.

What happens to the Red Lyrium in Suledin?

DAI speaks about how they can never stop the spread of red lyrium, only slow it – animals, insects, organisms - whatever life is in the ground is all susceptible to becoming blighted by red lyrium. Suledin Keep in particular was utterly devastated by the Red Templars - what happens to life there?

2. What happened to Corypheous' Inner Circle?

What happened to Samson? How long did he live *if* he’s given the chance to help Cullen? Can something good come from his cooperation?

What happened to Calpernia?

Looking at previous concept art for DATV she was a companion - freeing slaves, gossiping about Samson & Corypheous. Just...what a waste. Any potential insight we could have gotten into Corypheous is gone.

3. The Mage / Templar War:

How does the world vary if you conscripted vs allied with either?

How do the remnants of what faction was not chosen fit into this new world?

How does the world deal with abominations and weird magic shit now? Is an alternative to the Order made if it's wiped out in DAI?

How is Cullen's templar clinic doing? If the templars still exist, how is Divine Victoria changing/adapting the Order to better support mages/templars?

4. Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts:

How do Orlesian politics reflect who was made ruler?

Is Gaspard looking to expand into Ferelden once more? Are the elves being brutalized under his rule like they were by his chevaliers? Does he do away with the grand game like he threatened in DAI?

How does this differ if Briala has collared him? How do his supporters feel that Briala has his balls in a vice?

Do Celene and Briala stay together? Do things improve for the elves and for the culture of Orlais at large?

Do improvements for the elves mean that Solas' arguments to his elven agents are less persuasive?

If Florianne is alive what the hell is going to happen to her? How quickly does she fall on her blade after being forced to wear flat shoes for the rest of her life?

How quickly does shit fall apart if you get all three to cooperate lmao

Friendly reminder that DATV sets up that all of Orlais, except for the Winter Palace has been overrun by the Blight - and that a coup from the Venatori is inevitable, likely resulting in any ruler dying.

5. What is the line of succession in Orlais?!

Why does every noble family in Thedas have no contingency plans for if their head of government dies?!

Part of why we needed to resolve the leadership problem in DAI was because there was no clear, direct heir if Celene died!

Celene has no heir Gaspard has no heir

Florianne planned to frame Gaspard, murdering Celene herself, leaving no clear heir to the throne - Orlais was already in a civil war, the council of heralds/nobles would have all campaigned in their own interests...that was why this was so important!

Orlais shortsightedness and pride in their nation being the greatest in Thedas led to them almost falling in a single night!

6. Here Lies the Abyss:

What are the ramifications of having the Warden's exiled verses remaining in the south?

Trespasser literally states that there's a schism in the Order because some Warden's believe they should touch grass more often and not listen to some bloke up in Weisshaupt for what they do down in the south.

Perfect opportunity to have the wardens remaining in the south mean something! Greater numbers in the south means that there's a greater chance of holding against the blight - while greater numbers in the north can effect if Antiva/Tevinter end up blighted in the first attack!

How does public perception towards the Wardens/King of Ferelden change when they learn they were exiled for committing human sacrifice to demons?!

Give us a warden coup and First Warden Alistair / Blackwall, you cowards!

7. The Well of Sorrows:

What was the point of drinking Mythal's bathwater?!

It's been set up as something that changes you. Bound to Mythal forever?!

Retroactively, Solas feels like he's going mental about nothing! One of the few times he ever breaks - he begs you not to - and...for what? Nothing.

DATV does not acknowledge that in the slightest. Such a waste and disappointment of what was made out to be an impactful decision in DAI.

Imagine if the Inquisitor drinking from the well made us forced to fight against them during the fight with Solas - imagine if Solas, in a world state who hated the Inquisitor, used them as a puppet! Just like the envy demon in DAI - and no one notices until its too late. Imagine Mythal herself, wanting Solas to go through with his plan - (or one of the other evanuris) using an Inquisitor/Lavellan he loved as a puppet - imagine the horror he feels as another one of his friends is reduced to nothing more than a mindless slave of the evanuris once more. Imagine the devastation as he watches Lavellan lose all sense of self - perhaps swaying him to, maybe, not go through with his plan?! Imagine having Cole come back to help save the Inquisitor - or Solas begging Rook to save them.

8. DLC Implications:

What happens if Hakkon is not slain? What happens to Southern Ferelden and the Avaar?

How does the rest of Thedas react to the truth of what happened at Red Crossing and the Dales? How do they react to learning that Inquisitor Ameridan - First Inquisitor and leader of the Seekers - was a dalish, elven mage?

What happens if you do not save the mines in the Descent DLC? How badly is Orzammars economy crippled? There are already rumours of riots occurring within Orzammar - it this enough to push the caste system over the edge?

9. Elven Uprising and the War with the Qun:

The elven uprising that was implied to be occuring all over Thedas as a result of years of oppression, systematic abuse, and Solas’ influence? What happened to it?

Where are the agents of fen'harel?!

It was set up that Solas was planning to use this rebellion as a smokescreen for his plans - the elves, all rebelling for good reason, rallying to his cause while Solas planned to restore the world that once was. The rest of Thedas would only see an elven uprising, not knowing the true face behind it until it was too late!

The war between Tevinter and the Qun?!

Everyone conveniently forgetting that the Qun literally attempted to assassinate every noble family in Thedas? Why was there no exalted march because of this? This should have destroyed any accord between the chantry and the qun. There would absolutely be blood for this – Tevinter could have attacked the Qun and all of Southern Thedas would have applauded - no one would have differentiated between extremist qunari and the normal qun, especially not after Kirkwall.

The implication at the end of Trespasser that we could convince Solas to abandon his plans? Him saying that he welcomed giving us the chance?!

The difference that the Inquisitors friendship, love, or hatred could have in either convincing Solas to take another path or damning him to go ahaead with his plan, no matter the cost?

Have our decisions in previous games matter! How we treated the elves - if we worked to better their lives or 'put them in their place' - can be used to convince him that the world can change! Have the ripple effects of these decisions be seen when the elven gods return, blighted - does the world turn against the elves, hardening Solas, or does the world defend the elves from those who would blame them?

Why was Sandal in the Crossroads?! Where is Bodahn?!

10. Divine Victoria!

How does the world of Thedas change with Leliana, Cassandra, or Vivienne at the head of the chantry?

How does Tevinter react to having a mage divine?!

Do relations change between both nations because of this?

Leliana allowing elves, dwarves, and even qunari to join the Chantry! Leliana also allowing members of the chantry to get married if she's romanced by the warden.

What happened to the Seekers? Are they being rebuilt?

Does the chantry inform the masses, the rest of the mages, that they can CURE tranquility?!

If either Leliana or Cassandra was romanced - what are the implications that may have on the chantry?

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No wonder the writers insisted that none of the past choices would have an impact on Veilguard - they literally went scorched earth on everything we ever did.

Ferelden is blighted - any legacy of the warden is gone.

Kirkwall is destroyed - any impact Hawke had is gone.

The hard won peace/order of the Inquisition was rendered meaningless since every single place that you went to and helped is now destroyed by the blight.

Orlais' ruler will likely be assassinated by the venatori who are plotting a coup with the nobles - making whomever you chose obsolete.

AND IT WAS ALL THE WORK OF THE MAGICAL ILLUMINATI FROM ACROSS THE SEA???

[flowersforthemachines]

Some facts about Lucanis (and also Spite and the Crows) gathered from the banters

I went through all companion banters on DanaDuchy's channel after playing the game to write down all facts about companions/the world that I haven't seen brought up anywhere in the game as a writing reference (and for funsies).

Note: This list may not be exhaustive. I might have missed some something or didn't write it down because I considered it common knowledge. If you have anything to add, please DM me or send an ask! (do specify what banter the information is coming from, though)

Note 2: Posts from this series (mostly) don't include information from banters specific to quests or between companions and faction members. I plan to do another playthrough to capture more of those and will add any relevant info to the character posts.

Other characters' posts: Bellara, Davrin, Harding, Emmrich, Neve, Taash. I'm also planning a post about just the Lighthouse some time later

About Lucanis: 

Family and the past:

Lucanis learnt to cook while helping the kitchen staff at the villa when he was a little boy. One of his motivations was learning how to make churros

Side note: Lucanis mentions that cioccolata calda was his favourite drink when he was a baby, and he serves churros to a romanced Rook who picks cioccolata calda as their favourite drink. It’s all coming together! 

Lucanis wanted to be a Crow when he was a child (at least most of the time)  

All of Lucanis's relatives were Crows as well, and all of them were killed by a rival Crow house

Lucanis says Caterina would be proud of Illario hiding his plans well, as well as killing her 

Lucanis says that the hard part about setting Illario free would be convincing Caterina 

Lucanis says that nightlife was more of Illario's thing, and he never got out as much

On Crows and Antiva:

Viago still stares daggers at Lucanis for throwing his (Viago's) pet snake out of the window in a dream

Lucanis doesn't like it when people confuse murder and assassination ("Murderers are hobbyists, we are professionals")

Lucanis has taken contracts in Orlais

Lucanis doesn’t know Treviso as well as he once used to 

Heir didn’t train Lucanis

Lucanis says he has never killed an innocent “by his count” (other people may disagree) 

Lucanis doesn’t think of the Crows as a “big organisation” (unlike the Inquisition) because they stab each other too much

Lucanis became a mage-killer at Caterina’s behest (she wanted to tap into new markets)

The nickname “The Demon of Vyrantium” came from Tevinter news-sheets, though Lucanis thinks Viago started it

Lucanis says that there aren't any special tricks to killing mages. Though, if nothing else works, you can try pissing them off, as that could attract a demon that would eat the mage

Lucanis once killed half a dozen venatori while stuck inside an elevator 

Lucanis doesn’t consider himself a gentleman assassin, manners are less important than getting the job done

Lucanis sometimes spares his targets. He mentioned letting go of a servant who killed her master, as well as a 14-year-old boy. He thinks it’s wrong to kill people so young because they still have time to change

Lucanis doesn’t accept contracts without merit, and the merit is decided by the talon of the house

General:

Lucanis can make bread

Lucanis has never been to Ferelden

Lucanis isn’t interested in killing wyverns, just looking at them :)  

Lucanis has a pet snake 

Lucanis stays awake at night by cleaning his gear, exercising, studying Orlesian and knitting ("it’s just another kind of blade work") 

Lucanis doesn’t understand a lot of things people find attractive

(In a conversation with Harding) Thinking about cooking was one of the things that helped Lucanis stay sane in the Ossuary (the other was thinking about killing his enemies) 

(In a conversation with Davrin) Lucanis survived the Ossuary by shutting down and not thinking about anything except escaping

These two points sort of contradict each other. Either an inconsistency or Lucanis describing his experience differently to different people. 

The Wetlands ruined at least one pair of Lucanis’s boots

(If Rook chooses to save Treviso) Lucanis offers to pay for any supplies the Shadow Dragons may need 

Lucanis doesn't get a better bed because he's afraid of accidentally falling asleep 

Lucanis can identify the killer’s weapon and the height difference between them and the target just through the blood splatter left at the scene

Lucanis considers Grey Wardens dangerous 

Lucanis doesn’t like necromancy, because bringing people back to life is a waste of hard work

Lucanis finds the ice coffee from Minrathous offensive (Harding describes it as “snow, but made of coffee, sweet, and with cream and toffee sauce on top”)

Lucanis had never been in a romantic relationship before Rook/Neve

Relationships with other companions: 

Lucanis gets into reading Bellara’s serials (very passionately - they chat about it a bunch)

Lucanis is outraged that the Veil Jumpers don’t get paid for their work and offers Bellara his contract negotiator

Lucanis made biscuits for Assan

Lucanis is sceptical that the griffons will be safe with the Wardens

Lucanis think that Assan shouldn’t go soft (referring to the time he took care of a halla) because he is a predator at heart

(If Emmrich becomes a lich) Lucanis offers to hold a funeral for Manfred

Lucanis and Harding talk a lot about dreams (mostly silly things like showing up naked for the job, getting chased by someone/something etc.)

Lucanis thinks Harding is deadly with her bow

Lucanis offers to pay Harding for being his lookout/aide at the rate of 6000 gold per contract

Lucanis offers the help of his contract negotiator to Neve after he finds out she doesn't have one

Lucanis made deep-fried peppers for Taash

About Spite: 

Emmrich can hear Spite even when he doesn’t take over Lucanis’s body (at least from a close distance)

Spite is impartial to Emmrich, believing him more than Lucanis

Emmrich says it’s impossible to separate Spite and Lucanis without killing them

Emmrich encourages Lucanis to read to Spite to bring them closer. Lucanis agrees to let Spite pick a book

(If Emmrich becomes a lich) Spite asks if he and Lucanis can get rid of their skin too 

(If Manfred is revived at the Necropolis) Spite asks Emmrich to teach him how to use fire magic. Lucanis isn’t thrilled by the idea

Emmrich sets up wards to prevent Spite from leaving the room when Lucanis is asleep

Spite no longer sleepwalks after “Inner Demons” because he apparently understood the concept of space

By the end of the game, Spite has agreed to stop sleepwalking completely

Spite controls the wings (confirmed in banter with Harding) 

Spite wants to try swinging off the astrolabe at the Lighthouse

Spite is very excited about Manfred having hands and feet (Curiosity. Has. Feet!)

Spite finds the wisps in Neve’s room unnerving (as do Lucanis and Neve)

Spite likes to play with whetstones Bellara got for Lucanis (Bellara got them from the Irelin who supposedly got them from somewhere in Arlathan) 

Spite wants to try eating self-lightning candles at Blackthorne Manor

About the Crows: 

Crows frequently visit Nevarra and have received 20 contacts to assassinate the king. The King has been poisoned 7 times

Crows get a lot of contracts for Divine Victoria

Some seers in Rivain are powerful enough that there are contracts on them as well

Caterina once killed a man with a thimble

When Crows kill someone, most of the time they want others to know it was them (rather than presenting the death as an accident) 

The crows buried six different Eight Talons and rarely take contracts in Ferelden after the Zevran fiasco

[arlathen]

speaking of couslands i have long had a scene in me mind where elise is w alistair during in hushed whispers and she and amadea meet and it's just delightful.

[slutauthority]

yeah Alistair has a demon baby and it ain’t Kieran

i think a lot about Kieran (born with an old god soul) interacting with possible Alistair/Hero of Ferelden kid (theoretically born with the blight). its melodramatic and fascinating

[eliphasgraham]

I absolutely love playing an Aeducan warden because. What are the odds seriously. Not only two very young warden managed to survive Ostagar and end the Blight but they just happened to be the heirs to the thrones of Orzammar and Ferelden. The rich are actually saving the world it makes no sense

[vigilskeep]

7 and/or 30 if either take your fancy?

7. something written by a character from a previous game about rook

To the Hero of Ferelden, Arlessa of Amaranthine, Warden-Commander of All the South, and bearer of many other such absurd names,

First, I regret that I could not come to you in person. The Inquisitor has promised to deliver this missive. Allow me to remind his agents that should they read any farther, I will have no recourse but to turn their grasping fingers into spiders’ legs, and their prying eyes will fall out within the week.

Minerva, I write lest worry distract you from the task at hand. I have met Tethras’ apprentice. They are young, but we were younger. They possess a somewhat concerning degree of confidence in their abilities, but you and I ought to remember that no-one attempts such quests without some foolhardiness. Their skill cannot be doubted, and they lead their team admirably. Think not of a replacement. It is too late to be done now, and you know where you are needed. If it is of any consolation, they expressed some interest in the history of the Fifth Blight, with all appearance of admiration for your role. I am never to be free of Fereldans, it seems. They claim to be one, despite their allegiances.

In regard to your questions on that matter: they were addressed as a member of House de Riva by their fellow Crow companion, who is himself some heir or other of House Dellamorte. Doubtless you know more than I of what import these names hold. Nevertheless, I suggest you withhold your interest in Zevran’s crusade. When the work is done, do with these two what you like, but at present they display the fabled Crow commitment to a contract of which we have seen so little. Have the trust in me that you promised, and believe that the gods, for now, are the only enemy that matters.

Do not concern yourself further with me or the changes I have undergone. I am well. I am myself. I remain your eyes in the North, though I leave it to the Inquisitor to discuss the rest, for I confess he knows more of war strategy than I. Remind both your son and mine, if you please, to attend their lessons, for whether our world is lost or no, there will be a test of their skill in glyphs before Summerday comes.

Yours,

Morrigan

[pinkyjulien]

🟪 DAV Companions "Canon" Infos

Found some interesting bits from the game files with information on the characters like their age and archetypes!

Sadly, not all of them have infos; Davrin and Bellara do not have anything other than their gender

EDIT: After more digging, I found more character's infos and decided to gather it in a sheet!

▶ DAV Characters information Sheet

- Harding

Age Range: 29 Gender: Female Accent: American Race: Dwarf Archetype: "Girl Next Door" Description: "Scout Lace Harding, from Inquisition. It's been almost a decade and Harding's a little older and wiser, but she still thinks of herself as the simple country girl from Ferelden. Harding is cheerful and friendly, and always tries to be positive. She is kind, warm and compassionate, quick to laugh and slow to anger."

▶ (Rest of the companions under read more!)

- Lucanis

Age Range: 36 Gender: Male Race: Human Appearance: "Lean, sinewy, handsome, but haunted Antivan human man. Mid thirties." Accent: "Hint of Italian, but not as strong as Zevran's. (He is from a coastal city in Antiva, which had an influx of Tevinter refugees from Seheron after the Qunari invaded 100 years or so ago. That's why he looks and sounds different from Zevran and Josephine.)" Speech Pattern: "Smooth but with a dangerous edge. Scary when angry. Sexy when charming. Not delicate." Description: "Once the heir to the First Talon and the Antivan Crows' best mage killer, Lucanis now bears scars both physically and mentally from his time as a brainwashed executioner for an evil mage cult. No longer the pragmatic assassin always in control, he wrestles with becoming what he's spent his life hunting: a demon-possessed abomination. He longs to return to his former glory, but the monster inside him demands blood and vengeance. With his future hanging in the balance, Lucanis must decide whether to give into the demon or control it."

- Neve

Age Range: 30 Gender: Female Description: "A mage who knows the streets of Minrathous, Neve helps investigate crime in Tevinter's capital. Hired by Varric to assist in the fight against Solas, Neve brings her unique blend of time and ice magic, along with her investigative skills, to the team. Neve is clever and driven, with a dry-but-playful sense of humour. She can be cynical about the world - especially Minrathous - but she believes in doing the right thing herself and has a strong sense of duty."

- Taash

Gender: NonBinary Description: "Taash is a Qunari agent with a specialization in infiltration -- a thief, basically. She can scale buildings, pick locks, and take out enemies with quick and brutal efficiency. She is also blunt and laconic -- more likely to answer with a single word than give you a big long monologue. She's not grumpy as much as badass deadpan -- she doesn't trust people in general, and she doesn't like thinking or talking about her feelings, but she believes in what she does."

- Emmrich

Age range: 50

-

Davrin and Bellara sadly don't have any info Assan get his own lil sheet too!

-

Obligatory Tumblr Disclaimer: don't read too much into it, these are dev files and doesn't make Bioware bigots for not including Davrin or Bellara information or for misgendering Taash in the description - these files were written during development and characters evolves and change

I'm sharing it here cause it's still interesting for the other characters, but please don't use this as a reason to fuel conspiracy theories 🙏

[justabrowncoatedwench]

*technically* it's supposed to be, just like the rest of the nobility, being an heir to any title is supposed to be merit based, not primogeniture or the like BUT *gestures to the plot*

i have to believe ferelden’s monarch is an elected position because i hate divine right of kings hope this helps

[vigilskept]

a lot of this has already been said probably but what keeps getting to me about the statements around the worldstate decisions is that aside from all the reasons it feels really shitty as a player coming from previous games, it erases the interconnectedness of thedas as a continent

putting together the choices from origins & inquisition, you can leave ferelden with a monarch who will leave behind no heir who at this point will be appearing less and less healthy each time he is seen in public. you can leave orlais with an emperor who has effectively gained this position by coup and garnered support on the promise of restoring orlesian glory through war (against ferelden AND nevarra. btw.)

but sure. let’s say that’s a peripheral conflict for the north. already stretching the limits of believability given how quickly tevinter slavers and antivan crows were able to react to the unrest during the blight but sure. let’s say they have bigger things to worry about rn.

let’s consider the divine election in trespasser then. any of the 3 divines can propel the chantry to the very brink of fracturing based on their approval. if they do manage to keep it united, then you can have a chantry under divine vivienne who empowers mages more than ever before under the chantry or divine leliana who has abolished circles entirely and opened the priesthood to elves, dwarves and vashoth/tal-vashoth. because of the timeskip this is now a state of affairs that has existed for a decade. there is no conceivable way that the social & political implications of this have not reached across thedas

there’s admitting you wrote yourself into a corner with the branching and need to do some retconning to stabilize the worldstates… and then there’s saying “that was all in the South. it doesn’t matter here.”

[heroinesofthedas]

Meh, I was bored so I thought I'd try and complie a small "Where are they now"? List for Dragon Age companions as of Veilguard.

Origins

Alistair

Dependent on player choices, Alistair can either end Origins as King of Ferelden, A Warden Commander or a Drunk living miserably in Kirkwall.

King Alistair seems to be the "canon" or at least default ending for him, as most Dragon Age extended media such as the comics have him as king. If he is king, Alistair can either rule alone, is married to his half-brother's widow Anora, marries a Female!Cousland warden (either romantically or the warden can push it politically) or have a non-noble female warden as his mistress. Due to the taint (and Anora's suspected infertility) the future of Ferelden's crown is in question as it is unlikely that Alistair will have an heir of his own.

If Alistair does not become king and does not leave the Wardens, then he will be Hawke's warden contact in Inquisition and depending on the player's choices, either he or Hawke can sacrifice themselves in the fade, it is assumed that they died but behind the scenes info from Veilguard suggested that they did plan on bringing back the Fade Sacrifice so keep an eye out for him?

If Alistair does not become king of Ferelden and leaves the Wardens, he can be seen in the Hanged Man sporadically in Dragon Age II as a bitter drunk, in Act 3 his step-uncle Teagan is there trying to convince him to return to Ferelden.

--

Morrigan

Depending on the players choices, Morrigan can end Origins as a mother, but reguardless she will leave the group after the Archdemon is killed. It is later learned that she has managed to get an Eluvian working and has plans, ending slides of Origins mention her as Empress Celene's Court Mage.

If romanced, Morrigan can have a normal son with the Warden named Kieran, or the Warden can chose to do Morrigan's Dark Ritual and seal the Archdemon Urthemiel's soul inside the fetus, Kieran will be an odd but otherwise harmless kid when you meet him in Inquisition, if the Warden does not do the Dark Ritual (either by themself if male, or by convincing their Warden companion Alistair/Logain to do the deed) then either the Warden or their Warden companion will die killing the Archdemon. If a romanced Morrigan is confronted by the Eluvian in the Witch Hunt DLC, the pair can enter the Eluvian together. A Morrigan whose a mother mentions that she has taken great pains to ensure that nobdy at the Orleasian court is aware that Kieran is her son.

During Inquisition, Morrigan can drink from the Well of Sorrows, embuing her with thousands of years of knowlege of the ancient elves, but also binding her will to the Elven Goddess Mythal, who as it turns out is her abusive mother Flemeth, someone Morrigan has been trying to flee ever since learning that Flemeth plans on body jumping into Morrigan.

In Veilguard, Morrigan seems to be on good terms with the Veil Jumpers, arriving to help them after Solas' ritual and somewhere in the interim between Inquisition and Veilguard, Mythal was sucessful in posessing Morrigan, we are lead to believe that Morrigan was fully consenting to accepting a fragment of Mythal's essence.

--

Leliana

Leliana is one of those characters that proved to be tricky to the writers of the game, there are two moments where the player can kill Leliana but despite that she is still very prominent in following media as a close friend and agent to Divine Justinia after the Fifth Blight.

If Leliana is killed in Origins (the opportunities are when she tries to force herself into your party, if you keep rejecting her she will get hostile and attack you. The other time if you decide to defile the Urn of Sacred Ashes and don't intimidate her into compliance) then when the Inquisitor talks to her in Haven, Leliana will mention her death and believes that The Maker was who brought her back to life, this could suggest that this version of Leliana is either an Abomination whose spirit posessed her at the moment of death and thus revived like Wynne, or a spirit that believes that they are someone else, like Cole. At the end of Trespasser, an "undead" Leliana's epilogue reads as;

Eventually, Leliana became distant and contemplative, often secluding herself in the rookery with none but her ravens for company. One morning, the residents of Skyhold awoke to a great beating of wings and a vast cloud of ravens blotting out the sky above the fortress. Those who investigated found both the rookery and Leliana's chambers vacant, with only a single message as explanation: "The lyrium sang thought into being. Now time is stale, and the melody is called elsewhere. Until I am needed, I am free."

If you didn't kill Leliana, then her serving her old friend and mentor; Sister Dorothea--later promoted to Divine Justinia--is less of a curiosity and depending on certain choices the player can make in Inquisition, Leliana can end the came as the new Divine of the Chantry; Divine Victoria, where she will go down in history as a reformist, allowing not only male members of the chantry to move up as "brother" status, but also allowing elves and dwarves to join as well as making the Chanticle of Shartan Chantry canon once again. Leliana also allows clergy members to marry and it is implied if not outright stated that a romanced Divine Leliana intends to marry The Warden when they return to Thedas.

If Leliana isn't made Divine, then she will remain in service to the Chantry as the Left Hand of the Divine, though primarily offering her services to the Inquisitor in locating Solas and his forces.

--

Zevran

An Assasin that was sent to kill you, fumbles the ball and survives on charm afterwards.

If you don't kill Zevran after his botched Assasination attempt and recruit him, Zevran will join the party and if you got his approval high enough, will even turn his back on the Crows fully when they come to "clean up his mess".

A datamined letter to The Warden, where he expresses that he wishes he could be with them but these pesky Crows have made their move as well as his cameo Quest in II where he's running from the Crows, suggest that despite his very stern resignation from the Crows, they won't let him retire and he has had to spent a few years of his life fighting them off, if Hawke helps Zevran fight the Crows he will be there during the battle with Meredith to help fight her too.

There is a bug in II where a romanced Zevran will accept Isabela's offer to sleep together because of their past romance (an Isabelamanced Hawke will join in if they so chose) but Zevran is meant to turn her down if romanced, however if you never learned that this was a bug, not a feature and thought Zev and the Warden just had an open relationship, then god for you.

If romanced by the Warden, it is implied that he's joined them on their journey off continent in search of a cure for the Taint, he is the only romanced character to do so (because he has no big important plot elements in Inquisition).

Zevran will be alluded to a few times in Veilguard, though treated more as an embarrasment than anything else, we can assume that house Aranai eventually learned to stop sending people after Zevran after they lost too many assasins to his charm and companions helping him fight.

--

Wynne

During Uldred's uprising against the Circle of Magi during the Blight, Wynne was killed. But she got better. Within the game it is revealed that at the moment of her death, a spirit of Faith came and reached out to her, posessing her and efectively "jumpstarting" her body, after the Blight and as thanks for herservices she was allowed a breathtaking amount of freedom for a Mage during this time and was allowed to roam Thedas, often with Shale for company. After Anders' bomb and the ensuing Annulment of the Kirkwall Chantry, Wynne--who was always a Circle Loyalist--was enlisted by the circles to effectively go on tour and try and talk the other Circles out of rebelling, with mixed results considering many felt like she was a hypocrite to tell everyone to keep to the status quo while she lived free.

When Pharamond, an old friend of Wynne who was made Tranquil and discovered the cure for Tranquility was murdered and the Lord Seeker claiming that the murder weapon belonged to Wynne's estrained son Rhys, Wynne--with the help of Cole, Leliana, Shale and Divine Justinia acting as a distraction to the Seekers and Templars--destroyed the phylacteries of the Orlesian Circle and all hell broke lose as the mages battled for their freedom agains the Templars. During the conflict Rhys' lover, the templar Evangeline was felled in battle and Wynne passed on her spirit of Faith to Evangeline, ultimately sacrificing her life to bring another person back for her son.

Wynne is also a character that can be killed by The Warden in game, this is never adressed in following games.

--

Oghren

Divorced Widow the Paragon Bianca, a recruited Oghren will end up joining the Grey Wardens after the events of Dragon Age origins and reacts to nightmares about as well as anyone whose never dreamed a dream in their life does. Depending on whether or not you do Oghren's personal quest, you will learn that he joined the wardens to avoid fatherhood, his hookup with his past love, Felsi, having resulted in a chid, who he affectionately calls "Nugget" and names after the Warden.

Depending on choices made in Awakening (such as if you have him lead the defence of the keep or not, and if you've fully upgraded your keep for that fact) Oghren can either die in battle or survive. There is no futher mention of him after Awakening.

If the Warden kills him in Origins, he will still show up in Awakening, looking to join and if the Warden mentions that they killed him, Oghren will just shrug it off and say how he woke up with nothing on and compliment the Warden on trying to kill him.

--

Sten

Sten can be rescued by the Warden in Lothering by a number of means, or left to die.

After the events of Origins and the Blight, Sten eventually becomes an Arishok (Qunari Warlord, for lack fo a better term) and it's safe to say that he is the reason why the Qunari have sent and allowed some of their own numbers to join the Grey Warden's ranks after witnessing the importance of their role.

It is Sten-Now Arishok, that teaches Alistair, Varric and Isabela about the belief that Qunari are descended from Dragons, when Alistair and Sten-Arishok end up fighting at one point, Varric lies to the Antaam that Alistair was dubbed "Basilit-An" and thus they could not interfere in the battle, after the fight Sten-Arishok concedes that he does, infact, reguard Alistair as an "Outsider worthy of respect" and thus confirms Varrics lie.

In The Veilguard, there is a codex that mentions that the Antaam working against you and with the Evanuris broke off from the Qun and have gone rogue, opting for a more "Kill anyone whose not us" approach to the teachings of the Qun while the Sten-Arishok's views were more for overall conversion to the Qun, it was this schism and breakoff that suggests that the rogue leaders of the Antaam (I.E The Dragon King and the Butcher among others) attacked Sten-Arishok and left him in critical condition.

--

Shale

A Golem that fought alongside Loghain and Alistairs dad against french colonists, Shale spent a couple of decades in stasis until the Warden came along and woke them up, with nothing better to do after murdering their former master, Shale follows the Warden, potentially learning that they used to be a dwarven woman named Shayle Cadash (Some relation to Inquisitor Cadash, who in The Descent DLC can even mention Shayle being the reason their family was banished from Orzammar when they made a ruckus about Shayle's disappearance) turned golem.

After the Blight, Shale accompanies Wynne around Thedas and sets up shop with the rebel mages in Orlais after Wynne's death to keep an eye on her son.

During Dragon Age II, the barkeep of the Hanged Man can comment that apparently the pigeon population of Ferelden is in sharp decline and wonders who could be killing the pigeons. It's Shale.

--

"Barkspawn" A.K.A the Mabari

Your faithful Mabari companion, its stated that after the Blight, the Mabari population was crippled due to exposure to the taint and thus, the Mabari was put to stud to repopulate Ferelden's beloved dog breed. There is a codex found at Weisshaupt in Veilguard that mentions a Grey Warden's mabari named Ostagar who is supposedly descended from Barkspawn.

--

Loghain

Hero of the River Dane, Tyern of Gwaren, Father of the Queen of Ferelden, fucked the previous Queen of Ferelden, most likely fucked the previous King of Ferelden too. And depending on the player's choices, he'll either be remembered a hero or as a villain.

The most common fate for Loghain is execution in combat at the Landsmeet, but before then both Anora and a warden contact, Riordon, plead his case to join the Wardens (Maker knows you need more Wardens, and someone who knows how to lead an army). If you do recruit Loghain, Alistair will leave the party. You also don't get this option if Alistair is the one to fight Loghain in combat as Alistair will kill Loghain.

If Loghain is recruited, then he can be talked into doing the Dark Ritual with Morrigan, ensuring the Wardens wont be instantly killed by felling the Archdemon, or not and either he or the Hero of Ferelden die landing the final blow against him.

If Loghain survives this, he will be Hawke's Warden contact in Inquisition and can be the one sacrificed in the fade, see Alistair's paragraph for that.

Phew, that took longer than I thought, I'll do sperate ones for II and Inquisition later.

[dalishious]

is there anything in the editor regarding bellara? shes my favorite<33333

Just like Davrin, Bellara has zero notes in the files. It seems half of the companions don't, and then some notes are clearly from older drafts.

NEVE - Here

HARDING - Age: 29 Description: "Scout Lace Harding, from Inquisition. It's been almost a decade and Harding's a little older and wiser, but she still thinks of herself as the simple country girl from Ferelden. Harding is cheerful and friendly, and always tries to be positive. She is kind, warm and compassionate, quick to laugh and slow to anger." Archetype: Girl-next-door

LUCANIS - Age: 36 Description: "Once the heir to the First Talon and the Antivan Crows' best mage killer, Lucanis now bears scars both physically and mentally from his time as a brainwashed executioner for an evil mage cult. No longer the pragmatic assassin always in control, he wrestles with becoming what he's spent his life hunting: a demon-possessed abomination. He longs to return to his former glory, but the monster inside him demands blood and vengeance. With his future hanging in the balance, Lucanis must decide whether to give into the demon or control it."

TAASH - Description: "Taash is a Qunari agent with a specialization in infiltration -- a thief, basically. She can scale buildings, pick locks, and take out enemies with quick and brutal efficiency. She is also blunt and laconic -- more likely to answer with a single word than give you a big long monologue. She's not grumpy as much as badass deadpan -- she doesn't trust people in general, and she doesn't like thinking or talking about her feelings, but she believes in what she does."

[dragonagecinema]

Today is dedicated to one of the most beloved characters, Alistair Theirin 🤴🏼

Alistair is introduced as one of many companions that can join the party in Dragon Age Origins. He is a Grey Warden who fought alongside The Warden against the Darkspawn to end the Fifth Blight ⚔️

Alistair is eventually revealed to be the illegitimate child of King Maric, making him an heir to the throne of Ferelden 👑

Depending on our choices, Alistair may be installed as king of Ferelden, remain as a Grey Warden, become a wandering drunk, or be executed by Queen Anora. He might also commit the ultimate sacrifice in Dragon Age Inquisition 💔

What was his outcome in your playthrough? Do you think he'll make another appearance in Dragon Age The Veilguard?