#hissera

[headachecat]

Someone asked me recently why my Rook’s name is Hissera, although she’s an elf. Let’s talk about it!

The simple answer to that would be that initially I intended for her to be a Qunari, but found the character creator not satisfactory. I also wanted to pay homage to Sera from Inquisition, as Hissera is a constant ball lot laughter and energy and a ray of sunshine character very much taking inspiration from Sera.

The canon answer for her lore would be that she wasn’t named initially, but as she grew to run around the city, the wisps would react to her with a hiss as she passed them, curious of the child.

She became known as the „Little Hiss” around the Necropolis, as the sound always heralded her arrival before she came into view.

With time the few Qunari Watchers came to call her Hissera, both for the sound and for the Qunlat word for „hope”. She’s just a sight for sore eyes, a very enthusiastic and optimistic character. As for her nicknames, it would be remain Hiss, rather than Sera, until she took on Rook.

Please ask me more about her!

[aaesaesthetic]

Finally got my laptop upgraded to an actual PC, so I'm diving into the adventure of Dragon Age Veilguard! I've been waiting for so long, finallyyyyy

Did a quick sketch of my Rook, Hissera to pass time before the upgrade

LOOK AT MY BABYGIIIIIIRL

[dasstanzydraws]

An average Antivan garden party after Lady Montiliyet's wife moves in

[direct-from-orzammar]

A sketch I did for @songofamazon's Quiz-Quisition

1: Who is your Inquisitor? Give us a basic bio of who they were before they became Inquisitor and any key choices they made during the Inquisition.

(answer under the cut, and I guess DAI fic spoilers...even though that won't be for a while)

Hissera was only eighteen years old when she rose to fame (Well, about nineteen when she became The Inquisitor, but details, details).

She had a life before that, though. She came from quite humble beginnings, in fact. She's from a little village in the general vicinity of Starkhaven. You can tell as soon as you hear her accent. It's a little village where a group of Tal-Vashoth settled together to watch eachother's backs. She and her stepbrother are some of the first generation of children to actually be born there.

Speaking of family, the sketch features her family. From left to right:

Tamassran "Tama": Her biological mother. She left Par Vollen while she was still pregnant with Hissera. She kept her name from when she lived under the Qun and...honestly sometimes isn't 100% certain of her decision.

Irene: Hissera's stepmother. She was born in Kont-aar to Viddethari elves. She's a mage, so got the standard Saarebas treatment...until she stabbed her Arvaarad and ran off for Darismuid. By the time she had met Tama, she had a toddler, who became Hissera's stepbrother.

Revesan "Taashi": Hissera's stepbrother. He's a year or two older than her. Both he and Hissera are the town troublemakers. Their given names, Hissera and Revesan, mean "Hope" and "Freedom." But they earned the names "Adaar" and "Taashi" ... The fireball and the dragon. He's a farmhand, but does end up working with Dennett once his sister becomes the Inquisitor. Keeping an eye on her to either be a support system...or be in the front row when things blow up tae fuck.

She started doing mercenary work at like sixteen. It was small time stuff. Half the time, it was just guarding trade wagons from bandits who would get scared off just by nature of a couple qunari being on the lookout. She wasn't doing really dangerous stuff until around the start of Inquisition. She really thought she was just going to work security at the Conclave...though she did also hope that things would work out in favor of the mages.

As far as her choices during Inquisition...Hissera tends to relate more closely with the "common folk". She and Sera hit it off right away (and I'll be real, they speak really similarly. They just understand eachother) She sympathizes with mages, and while she never experienced the circle, it's not like Qunari mages are...much better off. She was pretty in over her head most of the time, so she trusted her gut and her friends a lot. Major story decisions...see the template

(Mages recruited as allies, Hawke left in the fade, Wardens recruited, Briala rules through Gaspard, Inquisitor drank from the well)

Additionally, Hissera never claimed to be the Herald of Andraste.

[elfmagesurana]

Found another pretty picture maker, so here's my canon PCs as they r in the veilguard. except alma she fucking died ig

[dasstanzy]

Filled out this worldstate meme from omgkalyppso for the worldstate I'll be going into Veilguard with when it comes out! It's my "canon" run and the one I'm basing my fanfic around.

Also I cheated a little and put two besties per character. Text Transcript under the cut:

The Warden Name: Helsi Brosca Age: 19 (Origins) 41 (Veilguard) Origin: Casteless Dwarf Status: Alive, searching for a cure Allegiance: Grey Wardens Romance: Alistair BFF: Morrigan/Zevran Mages or Templars: Mages Werewolves: Broke the Curse Connor, Isolde, etc: Isolde sacrificed herself Anvil: Sided with Caridin Orzamaar: Supported Bhelen (reluctantly) Sacred Ashes: Didn't defile the ashes Dark Ritual: Completed the Ritual Fun Fact: She's trans! Also, she likes to learn about geology in her spare time.

Hawke Name: Oliver Amell Origin: Apostate Status: ??? (in the Fade) Allegiance: Mage Rebellion Romance: Fenris BFF: Varric/Merrill Mages or Templars: Mages Bethany and/or Carver: Carver (Templar) Tome of Koslun: Given to Isabela, returned later Arishok: Killed in duel Feynriel: Given to Dalish/Tevinter Charade: Reunited with Gamlen Anders: Killed Fun Fact: Favorite animal: Nug. Favorite plant: Crystal Grace

The Inquisitor Name: Hissera "Adaar" Origin: Vashoth Mercenary Status: Alive, Inquisition Disbanded Allegiance: College of Enchanters Romance: Josephine BFF: Cole/Dorian Mages or Templars: Mages (Allied) Grey Wardens: Recruited Left in Fade: Champion Divine: Leliana (Softened) Well of Sorrows: Hissera drank from the well Orlais: Briala rules through Gaspard Solas: Attempt to Redeem Fun Fact: Great singer! Studies Magic under Fiona after Inquisition.

[chroniclesinlacuna]

better version of my girl! ...before I remembered to change the jammies. I just can't win man

[direct-from-orzammar]

Did my main worldstate+my planned Rook! Helsi, Oliver, Hissera, Faustus

found a cute picrew! :]

[cassiaorsellio]

HISSERA & HER AFFILIATIONS | TEMPLATES BY @arcandoria (1 | 2)

Dad —

I know Father's upset, but what else was I meant to do? School can wait. I only have my dissertation left anyway and I'm in no hurry to write that. But Venatori trying to kill him because they suddenly grew some balls to go for him again is a bit more of an immediate problem, don't you think? Especially when he won't do anything about it. Has he always been like this?

I've tracked them to Minrathous, connected with the Shadow Dragons in the area. They're gonna help me out if I do some work with them. Say whatever you need to say to make Father stop being such a Tama and worrying so much. I can take care of myself — I've got the explosive Antaam trap schematics, my war bow, a few alchemical recipes, and Dorian's in the city too. What's the worst that can happen?

I'll be in touch soon, and I'll make sure to headbutt a few Vints for you and Krem in the meantime. — Hissera.

(note: Harding's love lines are familial love as they have a sisterly relationship, vs. Bellara's which is romantic love)

[wardennthorne]

he has transfixed me

[ghcstcd]

I'm bringing him back. I'm going to play Dragon Age Inquisition, and I'm going to bring my best boy back.

[headachecat]

Thought I’d share this freaking stunning pic of my Rook today. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

[darkfeanix]

Thedas Tuesday

I started this last Tuesday, and you wanna know how many relationships I wrote between then and yesterday?

Varric. I wrote up Ariel's relationship with Varric last Tuesday, and then didn't get around to writing any of the others until this afternoon. Even having a clear idea of most of them, that took a lot out of me. Aveline in particular completely surprised me with the direction her relationship with Ariel took.

This is where I realised that my canon, while it aligns with the games it takes place, doesn't necessary line up with the game that followed. Again, this is about Aveline. In Dragon Age II, it is canonically possible to get her to a point where she will resign from the City Guard, and I decided that that I wanted to write that into her relationship with Ariel. That does mean it contradicts literally everything about her in relation to Dragon Age Inquisition, but you know what? That's Bioware's fault for giving me the option in Dragon Age II and not considering the follow-through in Inquisition.

Anway, without further adieu, please find the companion relationships for Dragon Age II under the cut (including Dog, because Dog counts, dammit).

Dermid Hawke

Ariel's shrewd mabari hound, undeniably the fourth Hawke child, and overall good boy. Expert card shark and frequent player at Varric's weekly Wicked Grace games.

Bethany Hawke

Ariel always got on better with Bethany than she did with Carver, and while that initially led to some tension between them after his death ("Could I have done more if I hadn't been so focused on protecting my sister?" is a question they both ask themselves many times in the years to come), ultimately the love they have for each other is deeper than any outside force. While Bethany initially resented Ariel for leaving her out of the Deep Roads Expedition, and was scared when the templars arrived to take her to the Circle, over time it grew to be more of a relief to not be looking over her shoulder anymore. This only reinforced Ariel's own beliefs that the Circles served a necessary role, and she would spend the next few years maintaining this perspective as their correspondence continued.

It wasn't until Bethany was abducted by Thrask and Grace, who hoped to use her as leverage to force Ariel to act, that Ariel was forced to admit that the situation in Kirkwall had gotten out of control. Even then, she resisted all efforts to force her to pick a side, toeing the line with Meredith right up until the moment when Meredith took it upon herself to annul the Kirkwall Circle of Magi in response to Anders destroying the Chantry. At long last, Ariel was forced to open her eyes and admit that she couldn't stand by and watch while the templars continued to abuse their authority. When the templars came to execute their charges, the Hawke sisters stood side by side and held the line, rebuking the attack and, when it came to it, striking down Knight-Commander Meredith.

Aveline Vallen

Initially tentative friends after fleeing from Lothering, the two of them grew distant in the year of indentured servitude to Athenril and her smugglers, as Aveline resented being made to do illegal work. The very day that their debt was cleared, Aveline enlisted with the Kirkwall city guard, and that put additional strain on their relationship as Ariel continued to associate with Kirkwall's criminal underworld. Even so, it was to Hawke that Aveline turned to when she began to suspect something untoward was happening with Guard Captain Jeven, and in the years to come, she would credit Hawke with her own rapid rise to the role of Guard Captain.

The relationship took another serious hit when a blood mage abducted and killing Ariel's mother. Ariel blamed the City Guards' inaction during an earlier investigation – and Aveline in particular – for her mother's death, while Aveline viewed it as a tragedy that she could not have prevents despite how much she wished it. It became a point of contention between them that wouldn't be resolved until a couple of years later. Aveline's involvement in the Arishok being moved to take action against Kirkwall drove an additional wedge between them.

With little in the way of friends and no family to speak of, Aveline threw herself into her role as Guard Captain for the next three years, taking the lessons she had learned from Leandra's death and the Qunari invasion and applying them to the City Guard with ruthless determination. Her new exacting standards produced a higher quality of guard overall, at the cost of quantity. And despite herself, Ariel's respect for Aveline grew, particularly as Meredith blocked all efforts to crown and new viscount, while the templars refused to step up and support the Guard. They finally mended fences after Jeven returned to stir up resentment in both the current guards and those who had failed to meet Aveline's standards. Realising that she had been trying to save something that was determined to destroy itself, Aveline decided to resign from her position and dedicate herself full time to the cause of keeping the city safe, alongside Ariel.

Varric Tethras

They get on like a house on fire. What began as a mutually beneficial business arrangement quickly evolved into a lasting friendship, and it wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that Varric is Ariel’s best friend. In the early days, Varric helped Ariel practice her lockpicking skills, giving her pointers and advice. As the years passed, she became his confidante and the person he turned to whenever he needed help. Similarly, Varric was always ready with a flagon of ale and an ear to listen when Ariel was fed up dealing with the Kirkwall nobility.

When Varric’s traitorous brother returned to Kirkwall, Ariel was eager to get some good old-fashioned revenge along with her friend, but she changed her mind after seeing the state he was in. She persuaded Varric to spare Bartrand’s life, and with her family’s connections to the Chantry, was able to help him find a sanitarium where he could receive the care he needed. For the remainder of her time in Kirkwall, Ariel would pay fortnightly visits to Bartrand, bringing flowers and reading to him. And a couple of years later, as the situation with the templars got worse and the Veil in Kirkwall grew ever more fragile, the two of them needed to return to the manor where Bartrand had been holed up, recovering a piece of the red lyrium idol that had driven him mad. The two of them debated for several tense minutes before Varric convinced Ariel that keeping the chip of the idol was worth the trouble, as it might help him help Bartrand.

When things finally came to a head with Knight-Commander Meredith, Varric expressed concerns about actively opposing the Templar Order, but he still backed Ariel a hundred percent.

Sebastian Vael

Grand Cleric Elthina might have said that Ariel brought out the worst in Sebastian, but the truth is that she only ever encouraged him to pursue what was rightfully his. Their relationship was tempestuous at times, but they developed real feelings for each other as the years passed, and the result was that Sebastian did begin to pull away from the Chantry as his focus turned to Starkhaven and how its people continued to suffer.

After Elthina's death at Anders' hands, Sebastian realised he had nothing left to hold him back. With Ariel's support, he returned to Starkhaven and claimed the throne that had been his all along.

Fenris

Ariel met Fenris through her connections with Athenril's smuggling ring, and the two became fast friends, with Fenris accompanying Ariel and Varric on the expedition into the Deep Roads along with another of their friends, Isabela. In the years the followed, he became one of Ariel's most reliable allies, and she his. Though they would never quite see eye-to-eye on the issue of mages, Ariel did help him to heal from many of his worst traumas, and in the end he stood side-by-side with her to protect the mages of Kirkwall when Meredith tried to annul the Circle of Magi.

Merrill

The relationship between Ariel and Merrill did not get off on the right foot, as Merrill's use of blood magic and consorting with a demon in the pursuit of knowledge to restore an ancient elven mirror immediately put Ariel on edge. It was not until after Bethany was taken by the templars that things began to change. Ariel, for all intents and purposes, adopted Merrill as a surrogate sister to protect, just as she had been taught all her life to protect Bethany. This didn't always go well. Merrill was no Bethany, and Ariel didn't always make the right choices in her efforts to "protect" Merrill. She always walked a thin line between trying to support Merrill's pursuit of lost knowledge and showing an interest in elven culture, and trying to discourage Merrill's use of "forbidden" magic.

Things finally came to a head some six or seven years after their first meeting, when Merril's former teacher and maternal figure, Keeper Marethari, took it upon herself to put a permanent end to Merrill's pursuit of the knowledge she sought by taking the demon into herself and becoming an abomination. Merrill was forced to fight and kill Marethari, and when the last remnants of her clan – those who hadn't already departed to find a home with other clans – found out what had happened, they turned on her and attempted to kill her. And Ariel did what she had been taught to do: she protected her sister.

Filled with shame and despair for her role in the death of her clan, Merrill shattered the mirror that she had poured so much of her life into. Ariel, surprising both of them, told Merrill that she couldn't hold herself responsible for the actions of Marethari or the clan, and encouraged Merrill to not give up on her pursuit of ancient elven knowledge.

Anders

Ariel had a great many concerns about Anders from the beginning, and the only reason the didn't turn him over to the templars on the spot was because of the potential attention it could bring to Bethany. As time went on, she had to concede that he did a lot of good work for the residents of Darktown, in particular the Fereldan refugees, but she never fully trusted him.

Isabela

While nobody looking from the outside would have called Ariel and Isabela friends, they did move in similar circles, and had a relationship built on mutual respect and sometimes also flirting. They both knew nothing would ever come of it, as Ariel was too pious for Isabela's tastes and Isabela too reckless by half from Ariel's perspective, but it was fun to play pretend all the same (and they did play, that one time, but again, nothing ever came of it). The two of them were also bonded by their shared love for Merrill.

Isabela blamed Ariel's influence on her for her decision to bring the Tome of Koslun back to return it to the Arishok, and also for her decisions to keep coming back to Kirkwall again and again over the next few years. For her part, Ariel did really appreciate Isabela's company, and was always happy to buy a round or three at the Hanged Man in Lowtown and listen to the latest tales of Isabela's attempts to leave Kirkwall behind.

Tallis

A Qunari agent who tricked Ariel into helping her recover a list of names that would have identified countless other Qunari working undercover in southern Thedas. Ariel bitterly regrets not being fast enough to put an end to Tallis and recover that list for herself.

[dasstanzydraws]

Aaaaand it's Hissera!

3/3 Dragon Age OC references done! With this, I've also got down the main protagonists of all three Dragon Age games. My obligatory plug for my ongoing Dragon Age fic project: I'm currently working on an adaption of Dragon Age: Origins on Ao3 and I eventually plan to do the same for Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Also "Adaar" is in quotes because I treat it a little more like a nickname than her surname. Since she likes fire magic and all.

[direct-from-orzammar]

Quiz-Quisition question 4!

4. Tell us about your Inquisitor's family. What does family mean to them?

Family's pretty central to Hissera. She grew up with a strong family unit and a strong community, and she values the support system that they gave her. Once she gets to the Inquisition, the inner circle becomes a sort of found family to her.

I already introduced Tama, Irene, and Taashi in question 1 so I'll go a little deeper into her relationship with them.

Tama loves Hissera. More than anything. She went Tal-Vashoth for her daughter. But they butt heads a little sometimes. Tama is used to the order and predictability of the Qun, and Hissera is chaotic and unpredictable. Their relationship is ultimately good but they just have completely opposite personalities. Still, Tama never blamed Hissera for any doubts or difficulties that she faced after leaving the Qun.

Irene and Hissera have a unique bond since they're both mages. Irene picked up some Rivaini techniques after she escaped her arvaarad, and she passed those along to Hissera. She was technically not an apostate too, since Irene spent some time at the Darsmuid circle. That circle was just really generous in allowing mages to yknow...have freedom. Irene died during the rebellion because she happened to be visiting Darsmuid to visit colleagues when the circle was annulled.

Taashi is a couple years older than Hissera, but since he's so much shorter than her people outside of their community tend to assume he's the younger brother. Nope. He's just short. They bicker and roughhouse a LOT, even as adults. Before he learned the name of the Inquisitor, he figured out it was his sister who had gotten herself into this situation. He ended up joining the Inquisition, not in a combat role but as a stablehand for Dennet. He's a good guy, but has a little bit of a temper (thus the nickname). Blackwall has absolutely come back to the barn from the Herald's Rest to see Hissera pinning Taashi down for getting on her nerves.

All together, this family only exists because two people in impossible situations found eachother, fell in love, and decided to support eachother as they move towards the future.

[elfmagesurana]

forgor if I ever posted these