#i did not kill this bitch in the deadfire just for her to be the second coming of the apocalypse

[tarbuchyloewenthal]

so about that godless mural and inquisitor lödwyn...

anything you'd like to share with the class, woedica??

[risualto]

#3, 7, 24, 25 for each of your Watchers?

Thanks for asking~ happy Watcher Wednesday!

Tai Lon

3. Their greatest achievement Repairing Caed Nua, I think.  Making it into a home and a bastion of safety in the Dyrwood for everyone who needed it, not just nobles.  That’s what Tai Lon was most proud of, I think, and one of the things that made the whole debacle with Thaos worth it.

7. How they like to dress Leather armor and dark blue clothes that let her move quickly and flexibly.  She’s very much a function-over-form person, but she will choose to wear blues if she can because she likes them.  Useful for stealthing in the White March, too.

24. What motivates them Already answered!

25. Why you enjoy them She was my first Watcher and a character I co-created with my mother.  She has parts of both of us in her soul, and I like that a lot.  She’s also probably the most unequivocally “good” Watcher of the three, which is wholesome and fun to play.

Junisce

3. Their greatest achievement This is a tie between discovering the truth of Eora’s moons and saving the Crucible.  Both were deeply personally rooted quests for her that she felt changed the world in just as many ways as the whole Deadfire disaster, or even the Leaden Key in the time she knew them.  She feels the world will be better as a result of her choices, but she also feels more free, like she is no longer bound to the gods for saving her way back when.  A debt repaid in a way that made things good.

7. How they like to dress Junisce actually really likes her robe with a hood.  She likes to wear either base white or base brown colors with gold and green accents or detailing, purely for the aesthetic.  However, as someone who often has to fight, she doesn’t usually get the luxury of choosing.  She’ll switch to light or medium armor if she needs to for a fight.

24. What motivates them Already answered!

25. Why you enjoy them It’s so interesting trying to parse the world of Eora while being simultaneously curious and skeptical of everything.  Junisce is more religious than my other two Watchers, and given the Watcher’s relationship to such things, her headspace is really fun to explore.  She also has some very interesting found family relationships with her companions.

Lila

3. Their greatest achievement This is a hard tie between kicking Thaos’s ass and getting Xoti to fall for her.  Both were impressive and probably should have been impossible, but she sure did them.

7. How they like to dress Think like...Hot Topic meets LOTR.  She’s all about blacks with bright red and orange highlights, heavy makeup, artful shadows, tight leather and asymmetrical layers over he armor.  Heavy, heeled boots that could kill.  Darkly gorgeous weapons.  Etc.  She’s the kid who thought they were going to be a Bad Bitch in high school who never really got over that.

24. What motivates them Spite.  So much spite.  She’s mad at the world, mad at Thaos, mad at the gods, mad at her parents, mad at nobles, mad at herself.  It keeps her going for so long, but stretches her so thin.  When it finally breaks, she does her best to keep going for redemption, but it’s really the few friends she has left that help her get there.

25. Why you enjoy them She’s so furious.  She gives no fucks.  But there’s a part of her that could be worth redemption if she tried, so it’s an interesting experiment in being as unempathetic as possible while not becoming irredeemable.  And sometimes, it’s just fun to step on people in a fictional game.

[ariela-of-aedyr]

How To Fight My Watchers

[A Guide to Defeating Eora's Champions. Or not.]

I wanted to do something a little bit different for Watcher Wednesday this week, so... well, here it is.

Ariela Rosethorn:

A beautiful and smooth-talking mixed race elf, Ariela was the youngest child of a minor Aedyran noble house, until a falling out with her family- on account of them trying to kill her, just a whole bunch of times- caused her to pack up and leave home in the dead of night. She's kind hearted, and even before becoming a Watcher, all that she really wanted to do was help people and improve the world around her. But don't let that fool you; beneath her calm and composed exterior hides an extremely tough and scrappy individual. She's survived a lot in her life, and she plans to keep on surviving. Her family couldn't kill her, The Leaden Key couldn't kill her. A God couldn't kill her. Do you think that you can?

Why You Would Fight Her: I mean, honestly? I don't know, why would you? She's a sweetheart. What is wrong with you? Maybe you heard that she was a pacifist, and thought that meant you would be able to get the upper hand on her? Probably a bad decision on your part, honestly.

Things to Watch Out For: Well, she's a cipher for one. If your friend tries to help you fight her, she's almost certainly going to make you fight each other, and that's just embarrassing really. She's also a crack shot with a pistol, so you probably want to hope you challenged her to a fist fight and not a duel, because that could be bad for you.

Verdict: Ari doesn't really care for fighting, but if you don't give her a choice, she'll likely kick your ass. If you catch her unaware, you might be able to get close enough to get a few hits in before she locks you in place with her psionics and wipes your memory of this event ever having taken place. On the off chance that you did manage to defeat her, somehow, be prepared to deal with a pissed off Iselmyr, because the Aedyrans are never far from one another.

Aubrey Stargrove:

The amnesiac orlan, and devout follower of Wael, Aubrey woke up from grave injuries as a teenager in a small town in the Deadfire with no memory as to who she was or how she got there. No-one in the surrounding area seemed to recognise her, and from that moment on her life became one big mystery that she intended to unravel. She's smart and inquisitive, but absolute chaos to deal with. Don't let her small form fool you; she's spent most of her life travelling on her own, and is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She's killed beasts for dinner, she's killed bandits that made the mistake of attacking her. She's killed her fellow followers of Wael. What makes you think you're so special?

Why You Would Fight Her: If you started the fight, then it's likely because you've made the mistake of thinking the small orlan is an easy target, and, my friend, that was your first mistake. Most likely, though, she's the one that's chosen to fight you, maybe because you looked at her funny or seemed otherwise suspicious or aggressive. Sucks to be you.

Things to Watch Out For: What's not to watch out for with Aubrey, honestly. She's unpredictable, and has a God on her side who's entire philosophy is Do It For The Lolz. She's a healer, but you should probably be ok on that front, because 90% of the time she's too focused on fighting that she forgets she can do that. Oh. Well, I guess the 'her being focused on fighting you' thing probably isn't great news, though.

Verdict:

She likes to think that she's a fighter, but she's a little squishier than she gives herself credit for. If you manage to get in a few good hits before she hits you, and piss her off enough that she forgets to heal herself, then maybe you'd stand a chance. More likely, though, she'll defeat you quickly and you'll wish you hadn't picked a fight with her. On the off chance you do manage to win, be prepared for your stuff to start randomly disappearing for the rest of your life, because Wael is nothing if not a petty bitch.

Mia:

The charming and voluptuous Mia is a world renowned actress and singer. She's very likely toured to a town near you, and you can bet that everyone who's seen her perform pretty much universally agrees that she's just as talented as she is lovely. The life of a performer, though, has left her rather soft. Sheltered and a little naive to the world, she isn't exactly experienced in the art of fighting, but ever since her soul was Awakened, she's been learning to survive. She's survived beasts, she's survived bandits. She's survived a biawac. Just maybe she can survive you, too.

Why You Would Fight Her: Maybe you got fed up of listening to her talk about herself, and honestly no-one can blame you for that. Maybe you made a remark about her performance not being show-stopping and she launched at you. Either way, if you have to fight one of my Watchers for some reason, then Mia is probably the one to go for.

Things to Watch Out For: The big one is probably that her songs aren't just songs, they're magic. If you startle her, she has a tendency to let out a scream that's also a wave of force that'll send you flying backwards. She's also deceptively strong, so while she doesn't have a lot of fighting experience, she does pack a good punch.

Verdict:

There's a decent chance that you might beat Mia in a fight, if you manage to catch her alone and off-guard, and maybe cover her mouth to stop her chanter spells. The buzz of your victory will quickly be replaced with fear, however, when her large, devoted fanclub mobilizes to hunt you down in vengeance.

Faenna:

A quiet and reserved Nature Godlike, Faenna is as difficult to read as they are tall. Which is to say, very. They don't really like to talk about their past, but you hear that they were part of a group of Bounty Hunters that specialised in hunting dangerous beasts back in the Living Lands, before they ended up heading out the the Dyrwood and becoming a Watcher. From what you hear, they've hunted trolls, and eoten. They've hunted dragons. You're probably nothing to them.

Why You Would Fight Them: Maybe you thought that because they're quiet, their reputation is a bit exaggerated. Maybe you're racist against Godlike or something. Either way, you've picked a fight with a giant of a kith now, and you've got to live with that decision. Don't worry though, you probably won't have to live with it for long. 

Things to Watch Out For: Faenna is a skilled surgeon, and as such knows all of the best vitals to aim for to incapacitate an enemy, or cause them pain. They're also a druid, so if you try to run, you're likely to find yourself tangled in vines, or pursued by something that they conjured to help them out. Tldr: you're fucked.

Verdict: They're going to beat you, no two ways about it. You probably won't even get a hit in. After the first couple of seconds, you'll quickly switch from an attacking stance to a defensive one, and maybe if you're lucky, they'll not kill you. I wouldn't worry about what might happen on the off chance that you win, cos that's not the timeline you're living in.

[acindra]

My Dragon Age characters, updated to include the twins as well as a lot more info for a few characters than last time.

My ‘canon’ warden is the elf mage Rhyssa Surana. (Rhys is Welsh for enthusiasm/passion) She’s mainly an ice mage and her most used spell is the cone of cold. 

She’s doesn’t put up with any bullshit and is super persuasive. Though she comes off as stoic (because of the many abuses she suffered in the circle), she’s passionate about what she believes in (and will covertly manipulate anything needed to get what she wants). 

She has a moment similar to Oghren’s leaving Orzammar when she leaves the circle with Duncan and later than night cries in secret for being free for the first time in her adult life.

She gets along with everyone for the most part, though she immensely dislikes Wynne’s attachment to the circle and just doesn’t really understand Sten much at all. While she respects Leiliana’s faith, she explains in no uncertain terms that she will never believe in a higher power that allows for the atrocities mankind (as in all of the people in the world, is there a better way to say that to include elves and qunari and dwarves?) to happen. (For a far better phrasing of her opinion, watch this clip of Stephen Fry) She lets Alistair name her mabari (Barkspawn) and it takes her a long time to adjust to the concept of dogs so they kinda co-parent him for a while (Walking The Dog was a long discussion they had that it took forever for her to wrap her head around). She finds Morrigan, Shale, and Oghren (and Sten) fascinating, as they have had such significantly different lives than her.

She romances Zevran and then also romanced Anders and they brought him into their relationship. They bond over the hardships in their lives, from the crows and circle, respectively. 

She doesn’t recognize immediately that Zevran was trying to commit suicide in the ‘assassination attempt’ but quickly becomes suspicious about it by reading between what he says. She figures out pretty fast that his stories of his work are made to make the party less uncomfortable about his presence, recognizing it as a way to protect himself. She knew immediately after meeting him that his being blase’ in the face of death is also this, as well as his pseudo easy going nature. She doesn’t know how to call him on it without him possibly fleeing, and honestly with the camping situation it’s hard to get much privacy anyways and she definitely doesn’t want others to overhear. 

They bond by both being half Dalish but raised in neither Dalish clans nor alienages. In a sign of faith she tells him about some of the horrors of being in the circle (though not the worst things until after they’re in a romance together) and eventually he starts telling her less restricted/humanizing stories from the Crows. 

Since she’s the most blatantly asexual, only using sex to get what she wants when she has to, the start of their relationship is kinda awkward. They end up talking about it a LOT. Not just about her, but about how Zevran also wields sex as a tool to get what he wants. The concept of love after the earring thing also sparks a lot of talking (though before that there is a lot of avoiding and also bitching about minor unrelated things because they’ve both been trained to be scared of positive emotions) It’s Very Complicated™ and unbeknownst to them everyone else in the party has a betting going about what’s going to happen. Leliana wins (partially because she also eavesdrops a lot, but that’s a secret that’ll go to her grave)

Though she personally loathes Bhelen, she works for him to put him on the throne of Orzammar for the good of everyone and especially because she finds their caste system vile. She puts Anora on the throne and lets Alistair kill Loghain (she refuses to let someone who condoned enslaving people live) in the hopes that he can find peace with the loss of Duncan.

At the beginning of Awakening about 3 hours after the joining Anders is hungry and tries to seduce/manipulate her because he kinda sees her as his new jailer and that’s what he did to protect himself or gain favour in the circle. She realizes this immediately (having a lot of experience doing the exact same thing, unfortunately, in her time at the circle) and promises him that he never needs to do that if he needs or wants something from her. She tells him he doesn’t even need to stay as a grey warden; she will not force him to fight a battle he did not sign up for of his own volition. She tells him that he is not beholden to her or any of the people in Vigil’s Keep, but if he remains she will protect him. And yeah they may get into disagreements and if it’s something to do with their job then he has to defer to her since she is the superior officer, but he is free to do what he wants now. And if any templars cause him trouble, no matter the circumstance, she will defend and protect him to the very last.

Later, before she leaves for Weisshaupt, she sits him down and tells him if anything happens whilst she’s gone and he feels the need to run, run as fast and as far and as long as it takes for him to feel safe again. She tells him to make sure his pack is ready to go at any time (though she neglects to tell him she has put a significant amount of money in it as well) and to make sure he always has it on him.

Later he tells her he had wanted to stay. Even after Stroud showed up. Even after they made him give up Pounce. To show as much loyalty to her as she showed to him. He wanted to be a good warden, to help people, to stay with his friends and to stop running. But Rolan showed up and Anders merged with Justice and he knew he couldn’t remain after slaughtering so many wardens, even though his friends at least would support him.

She is very fond of her crew in Awakening, but she worries about them a hell of a lot more. Even with them being actual wardens and all the political power that grants them.

After the events of Dragon Age 2 she travels with Zevran to the Free Marches, seeing if they can help whatever mages managed to escape the gallows. Before they get there though, they notice Anders in a small village they’re restocking in, though he looks a lot older, more ragged, and has dyed his hair dark brown. Before they get the chance to intercept him, they notice he is being followed so they decide to watch first. 

After following for a while they figure he is either being hunted or tracked and she does NOT like that, so she intercepts the person, who happens to be Fenris. After a lot of bickering and suspicion, Fenris admits he’s not hunting Anders but is following him to make sure no harm is done, to himself or others. He admits they have known each other for years, though they are not friends. She says she is much the same, but they are friends, and if Fenris harms Anders even a little she’ll choke him to death on his own dick.

A couple days later Anders is travelling through another village but it’s quiet like the grave and, unsurprisingly to all four parties, he gets ambushed. Unfortunately there’s more bandits in the houses than he expected and he runs out of mana. He gets knocked out while trying to get away and Fenris and Rhyssa spring into the fray to protect him.

After killing all the bandits, Rhyssa drags him into a house and gets to healing, exceptionally worried because there’s a significant amount of blood pouring out of his head. Anders doesn’t awake after she’s done healing him though and by nightfall they’re both pillars of stoic fretting. Rhyssa calls Zevran in out of the shadows and they lock down the house as best as they can.

There’s more to that story but I haven’t decided on it yet.

I also played Rhyssa as a male at one point (Rhys) because I really love Origins.

Edit: ALSO, I used Rhyssa as my Watcher in Pillars of Eternity and Deadfire, where she could fulfill all of her dreams of being able to pick locks. And have so many pets

My ‘canon’ Hawke is Idrilla, a fire mage. She’s mainly purple with occasional blue and is suuuuper passionate about mage rights. Anything about mage oppression and she defaults to red immediately. 

Her version of Malcom was a dalish elf which is why her name is Idrilla (little rebel) but she doesn’t know why he was put in the circle. Unfortunately, neither does Leandra and since Malcom is dead no one knows. 

She came into her magic pretty late and so was initially trained as a rogue. Bethany lives and Carver dies and Idrilla pretends her staff is a quarterstaff for bludgeoning. 

She romances Merrill but is best friends with Anders (and in another playthrough life she romances him instead).

I’ve not put a lot of thought into her story since I’m still working on Rhyssa’s and also for the longest time I used Marian because creativity is not my strong suit. She doesn’t actually have cat ears in canon, I just thought it was cute.

As a side note she also lived another life as a city elf in the Dragon Age Uprising mods and she led the rebellion in Denerim and Highever and romanced Fladayus. I haven’t finished playing that mod yet because I got distracted, though. So I don’t know how it ends. I’m like right before the big revolt too...

My ‘canon’ quizzy is Synne Lavellan. (Synne is Anglo-Saxon for Gift of the Sun) She’s an electricity mage who is very set (and pretty good at) on getting as much information as possible before she makes any decision. Especially after she is named inquisitor, since her decisions will affect so many people.

Before the game she read a looot about inequality in Thedas and feels so much sympathy to elves and mages. She chose the Elgar’nan vallaslin as an oath to protect and aid those who need it most and enact vengeance on the Chantry. 

She sides with the mages and romances Solas. She thinks he’s an idiot at the end of Trespasser, but wants to find him and try to come to a non-apocalyptic solution. 

She reunites Celene and Briala because she disagrees with Gaspard’s methods, though she pretty much hates all of them. She drinks the well because she absolutely cannot in good conscience allow Morrigan to drink it when she has a child. Even at the risk of her own life.

I also have not put too much thought into Synne’s life beyond and inside inquisition because I’m still working on Rhyssa.

I’ve also sent her back through time to be the Warden and Hawke because mods are wonderful and I love Dragon Age.

This is Imogen Cousland. (Imogen doesn’t really have a set meaning because it’s thought that Shakespere made the name up by purposely misspelling the word for girl/maiden, but a few places have it listed as ‘Innocent’) She is also a mage because I don’t play non-mages pretty much ever and mods exist. 

Her main goal was to DESTROY Howe and Loghain. She wanted to have power in order to bring about change before becoming a Warden. She marries Alistair and becomes Queen of Fereldan so I guess she got her wish. 

She’s very playful and teases her companions a lot but is a good leader and tries to do what is necessary to hold the country together.

This is Ataashi Adaar (original, I know lol). She has no idea what she’s doing tbh. She is very unprepared and VERY gay. She had no intent on leading anything at all ever and so has to rely on the advisers a lot which is hard when three of them are female. 

She romances Josephine and was super willing to Throw Down with that one guy for her hand. She ends up siding with the templars because she doesn’t know a lot about either side and definitely doesn’t know that mages can dispel magic but she also doesn’t trust templars at all so she conscripts them. 

Her own magic is pretty wild at times and she mainly does rift magic.

This is Isabelle Travelyan. (Isabelle is Hebrew for Devoted to God) She’s supposed to be like 16-17 at most. She thinks she’s the Herald of Andraste and is a Chantry apologist. She sides with the templars, marries Cullen, makes Cole a spirit, makes Vivienne divine (only because she herself cannot be) and her main goal is... idk power I guess. She’s ambitious. 

She marries Cullen and keeps the Inquisition going as a force of the Chantry. I hate her for her choices, but that was the point when I made her- she’s everything I would not do, wrapped in fabulous outfits.

Leilani and Eolas Lavellan, twins, were made for the question ‘what if we could romance Krem’. Leilani is Dalish for she who helps with shining thoughts, and Eolas is Dalish for knowledge.

Leilani is a dual wielding rogue who is upbeat and curious about everything- her goal is to have fun and experience new things. Eolas is a mage but he mostly focuses on protecting Leilani because she likes to charge into battle like an idiot. He is also curious about everything but is very timid and shy and prefers to read than to experience things firsthand. 

Leilani is technically the inquisitor- she’s the one who has the mark- but Eolas deals with the political stuff. Eolas was not the first for Clan Lavellan but was not sent to another clan because they didn’t want to break the twins apart and they needed hunters, so he can use his magic for hunting too. Mostly glyphs and stuff to trap creatures so Leilani can take them out. 

When Leilani meets Bull and the Chargers she immediately latches onto them. She will often ditch meetings to drink with them in the evenings. Eolas follows Josephine and Leliana around like a duckling because he never knew words could be weapons. He dutifully attends every meeting and fills in his sister on everything she misses while she repeats the tales she has heard from/about others. He spends most of his time in the library, specifically on the couch in the rotunda, reading.

Eolas is the first to meet Krem, when Krem is outside the chantry in Haven, trying to get someone to take his message. Eolas doesn’t see him at first, intent on finding Leilani to give her info from the meeting they just had in the war room. Krem catches him by the arm as he goes by and Eolas immediately tries to whack him with his staff which he blocks. He immediately lets go and apologizes, hands up to show he’s not a threat, and tries to explain why he’s there. But Eolas is having a hard time listening because of the sudden fight or flight instinct- but also Krem is really handsome and the sun has flooded Haven with golden light which is silhouetting him, and Eolas’ brain hasn’t caught up so he’s just standing there staring like he’s seeing an angel. Krem eventually gets his message across and leaves with the mumbled promise that the inquisition will check out the Chargers.

Leilani gets the whole story out of Eolas pretty easily and spends a ridiculous amount of time teasing him about his crush. They head off to the Storm Coast pretty soon after that and after the battle she goes to talk to Bull. Eolas is kinda awkwardly standing there watching the Chargers clean up and make sure the job is done. Krem greets him and he tries not to blush because here on the beach, dirty from battle and wet from rain, Krem is no less beautiful than before.

Leilani is delighted by Bull and the Chargers and when she’s done negotiating the terms of their contract, she wanders around bothering the Chargers because she’s never met mercenaries before. Krem, of course, is willing to talk more than the rest of them so she interrogates him for like half an hour, he devious grin getting wider and wider as she occasionally glances at Eolas. Eolas, for his part, wants to go drown himself because that’s never good. Leilani parts with Krem with a wink and Eolas is like what did you say to him??? Cuz sibling paranoia is real.

Eolas is reading in the rotunda like usual one day when Krem comes through with some fade touched animal bit for Helisma but he stops to chat since Eolas is rarely in the Herald’s Rest. Eolas manages to stick his foot in his mouth or fumble too many words or something and embarrasses himself because he was not expecting to see his crush, but Krem just laughs it off. Once Krems heads upstairs. Eolas is like I need to hide forever now and leaves for the twins’ chamber to hide in bed. 

A little later, Leilani stops by the tavern to get a drink in with the chargers and hear more stories and after hearing one is like oh I should go tell this one to Eolas, he’d love it! Krem chips in that last he saw Eolas he was in the rotunda, but he had left by the time Krem was dropping off research materials. Leilani goes to ask if Solas knows where Eolas has gone and he tells her he went to hid and that young love is adorable. 

She finds him in bed with the covers over his head and he asks her to kill him because he made a fool of himself in front of Krem. She’s like maybe you should tell him you like him. Yanno, see if he’s interested? instead of acting like a startled halla anytime he’s within 15 feet of you? Just a thought? Eolas says he can’t do that- because he’s not pretty, or clever, or brave enough. Plus who knows if Krem likes boys. Leilani smacks him for being self-deprecating. She does point out Krem might not like people romantically at all, now that she thinks about it. From all her time hanging with the Chargers and listening to all of their stories, he had never talked about sex and romance in relation to himself. Eolas is like great, so he’s either celibate or a gentleman which means he wouldn’t want me or I don’t deserve him. Leilani keeps prodding at him to drop the self-deprecation.

A while later and Krem remarks that he’s curious about Eolas. Eolas occasionally talks to him but it’s very short conversations and only about inquisition things really. But Leilani’s tales always feature her brother, though maybe not very actively most of the time. So he wants to know more. 

He tries to find him, but can never seem to find him beyond a flash of ginger hair across the courtyard or up in the rookery and once he gets to where he thought he saw him, Eolas is gone. So he asks Leilani what Eolas does in his free time. She’s like ‘He reads, mostly. The fucking NERD.’ and he subtly tries to find out what he’s reading right now and convinces Leilani to get him to come up to the battlements at night between rounds of drinking and other conversations between the Chargers. But she gets giddy almost immediately, knowing Eolas’ crush, and he’s maybe not as subtle as he wants to be after a couple of beers. Bull notices this all but doesn’t say anything.

Eventually Leilani finds her brother reading (hiding) outside on the patio ledge thing outside of the rookery and she’s like hey I gotta do a thing with Dagna for one of my daggers but can you go meet me out on the battlements between cullen’s office and the tavern tonight? He’s concerned but she brushes him off, muttering about enchantments and fire runes. He agrees to meet her so she makes herself scarce (she does actually get Dagna to help with the fire rune- she likes talking to Dagna, because it’s cool to see the world from different perspectives and Dagna is so good at that!)

Eolas gets up to the battlements eventually and as soon as he exits the dilapidated room between Cullen’s office and the tavern he’s confused and tense because Leilani is not there. But he reasons she’s probably just late because 1. of course she is and 2. she and Dagna carry on conversations like magpies- jumping from one shiny thing to another. Then there’s the sound of someone in armor getting up and saying ‘Your worship.” And he whirls around, throwing up a barrier in surprise. It’s Krem, of course, who has once again realized he has startled Eolas and puts his hands up and apologizes until Eolas drops his barrier.

Krem has apparently dragged a bench from the room out onto the battlements. Eolas apologizes and asks if he has seen his sister around. He promises as soon as he finds her, they will move locations to leave Krem in peace.

Krem processes for a second and is like I’m sorry, I was the one who wanted to talk to you and I asked your sister to relay the message. Eolas tries not to blush for being singled out (and fails, but if anyone asks he’ll say it’s 100% because of the chill and wind up here and nothing to do with Krem). Krem explains that he figured Eolas doesn’t like crowds much since he doesn’t go to the tavern much and when he does it’s for business and he doesn’t stick around, so he thought it’d be easier if it was one-on-one and away from prying eyes.

There’s more to it but I haven’t really gotten far in the conversation since the last time I added to the story.

I will say that later on after they have gotten into a relationship, Leilani starts showing up and insinuating herself into the relationship which culminates in her sneaking in to wherever they’re sleeping and lying down on the other side of Krem and when Krem wakes up confused the twins are like bleary eyed and confused and make him lay back down for more sleep.

Imagine the PR disaster Josie has on her hands when it gets out the inquisitor is not only sleeping with a vint merc but also sharing him with her mage twin brother. 

Also when I went to play Leilani, I used the wrong version of Falon’din’s vallaslin because i’m dumb and honestly I’m not sure which one I like better.

This is Isana Cadash. She’s a mage dwarf, though the game considers her a rogue out of combat. Isana is one of the dwarven words for lyrium so I thought it was a good name. She romances Bull. 

[haledamage]

Reunion

(AO3)

Even after the sun had set, it was still sweltering hot in the northern islands of the Deadfire Archipelago. The air was thick enough to swim through, and night insects whined and buzzed in Aloth's ears as he picked his way though town. It made him oddly homesick for summer in the Cythwood; the climate was right here, but the smell of it was all wrong. Wrong flowers, wrong spices, wrong ocean.

Ye pure could fin' a way tae bitch aboot anythin'.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Iselmyr was right. He was frustrated, chasing dead ends and false leads for months now. The Deadfire wasn't so bad, he supposed. At least it wasn't the Dyrwood.

Fye, as if ye wouldn't drop e'erythin' tae be back there wit yer lass.

Our lass, he corrected, but it's petty. He knew Iselmyr missed Kai as fiercely as he did. He hadn't heard anything in weeks, not since receiving Edér's hastily written letter:

She's alive. We don't know what happened. Caed Nua is gone, but Kiki's okay. I'll tell you more when I have it. --ET

He hadn't heard so much as a rumor since, and with no luck finding the Leaden Key sect he knew was here, he had way too much time to spend worrying.

Aloth rounded a corner toward the inn and froze in his tracks; there was a crowd of kith outside the door, and he caught a flash of firelight on drawn steel. He'd walked right into the middle of a fight.

A huge folk man, skin red with too much sun and blond hair coarse and green from saltwater, loomed over a figure Aloth couldn't quite see from his vantage point. He drew his rapier, keeping it close to his thigh so it wouldn't catch the light, and side-stepped around the group to get a better visual angle.

The big man twitched an arm at his unseen adversary, clearly brandishing a knife. His voice was thick and slurred with anger and drink, "All I want, Aedyran, is an apology."

"All you want," said a familiar voice, Aedyre accent thick with rage, "is the loving embrace of your sister."

Aloth felt like the rug had been pulled out from under him, and was moving forward and into the gathered kith before he had a chance to think about it. That's mah line! Iselmyr's laugh rang through his head and he let her step to the fore, her speed and strength filling his limbs.

Iselmyr touched the point of her sword to the jugular of the blond pirate lad, her grin wild. "Ye harm sae much as a freckle 'n' I'll pull yer knob oot thro' yer eyes."

How uncouth, Aloth admonished, but she ignored him. Instead, her attention was on the big man as he took a step backward with hands up, and the tiny gasp she heard from the array of red curls she could now see over his shoulder. "Ye a'richt, Kiki?"

"Never better, darling," said Kai, and at the sound of her voice Aloth and Iselmyr shared a wave of intense relief that threatened to bring them to their knees. "You do have quite a sense for timing."

"You killed my cousin, Aedyran witch, and I'll see you paid in kind!" Even with Iselmyr's sharp blade and sharper, eager smile pointed at him, the blonde pirate still only had eyes for Kai.

"Perhaps if members of your family stopped attacking me, dear, they'd have a longer life expectancy," Kai said coldly, and she took a step back and finally came into full view.

Her hair whipped behind her like a banner on the ocean breeze, longer than they remembered it. Her bare right arm bore a web of scars, healed but still pink and new, that flowed from her wrist up, over her shoulder and up her neck, stopping just below her jaw. A souvenir fae Caed Nua, Iselmyr thought, and felt Aloth's agreement. He also agreed, as Kai finally looked their way and a smile lit her eyes, that she was still the most beautiful woman either of them had ever seen.

Iselmyr heard movement behind her, and turned just a touch too slowly to be able to avoid the axe swinging for her head. Kai shouted a quick word and the axe stopped little more than a finger's width away, its owner frozen in place as ice crystals crawled up the weapon's handle, crackling in the balmy night air.

Things went very quickly after that as the pirates screamed and rushed forward. Iselmyr dispatched the blonde with barely an effort, sword meeting no resistance from flesh or bone, and she lifted her other arm toward an aumaua woman who Aloth stopped cold with a barrage of conjured missiles.

Only in the aftermath did she realize that Kai wasn't the only friendly face here. Two others stood with them among nearly a dozen dead pirates. One of them was a tiny elven woman with an unkempt mop of black curls and a wicked, dark curved blade in each hand. Her green eyes were hostile, watching as Iselmyr picked her way across the bodies toward Kai, but the color was familiar, and that combined with the spray of freckles across her cheeks and shoulders left little doubt to who she must be. As for the other…

"Edér?" Aloth asked, shocked, as Iselmyr stepped back again and let him retake full control of his body.

The Mayor of Dyrford looked up from cleaning his sabre on the shirt of a dead pirate and barked a laugh. "Well, look who it is! Hope these weren't friends of yours."

Aloth flipped the big blonde pirate over so he could see his face. No one he recognized. He sneered, "Even if they had been, that would have changed the moment he threatened Kai."

She was at his side, then, and her smile was the best thing he'd seen in years. "Good to see you too, darling," she said softly, and then she was hugging him and he let himself relax his guard a moment and hold her.

"Okay," said the dark-haired girl loudly, "what the fuck is goin' on?"

"Ari, meet Aloth Corfiser," Kai said without lifting her head from his shoulder. "Aloth, this is Ariana Cirdani, my younger sister. Known around here as The Black Blade."

"Your sister is a pirate." He remembered her mentioning a sister in the Deadfire, but nothing beyond that.

"My sister is a successful pirate," Kai said proudly, "and one who does not believe in charter discounts even for immediate family, apparently."

"Oh please," Ari's accent was unique, a mix of Aedyr and Deadfire and a touch of Hylspeak, "tell me ye didn' make me sail ta the Dyrwood and back just so ye could find yer boyfriend."

"Ah, if only it were that simple." Kai pulled away enough to look up at Aloth. He reached out and smoothed away the worry in her brow. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch as she continued, "I should have known you'd be here. I ran into some old friends of ours the moment we stepped off the boat. This one's cousin, I imagine." She nudged the lead pirate with the toe of her boot.

Edér threw at small cloth bag toward him and Iselmyr caught it without so much as a glance. Aloth opened the bag and pulled out a necklace, one of several identical ones within the bag. It bore a black medallion, engraved in silver with a stylized key.

Iselmyr laughed in his head again. Three months we're 'ere huntin' 'n' she finds thaim soon as she lands. Gods' blood, bit ah dae love that lass.

All he said aloud, though, was "interesting" as he dropped the pendant back into its bag, but the coy smile on Kai's face said she knew exactly what he's thinking. Some things never change. He laced his fingers with hers and said, "I suspect we have a lot to talk about."

"Maybe in the mornin'," said Ari with an eyeroll, "if I hafty watch ye stare at each other all night I'll lose me dinner. C'mon, farmboy, buy a gal a drink." Edér clapped Aloth on the shoulder and followed without another word.

Once they were gone, Aloth pulled Kai to him again and they held each other for a while, quiet except for the night insects. He found himself idly tracing the new scars down the length of her arm. I should have been there, he wanted to say, but he bit his lip to stop it from escaping.

She heard it anyway, or at least still knew him well enough to know his thoughts. "If you'd been there, you'd be dead. No one made it out but me. And Steward, such as she is. Her head's in Edér pack."

He chuckled. "Of course it is. And… Arabella and Moire?" He knew Kai's older sister and her wife had been staying in the keep for a while.

"They left after Inestu. They were safely back in their own estate when the walls came down."

"Good," Aloth said, though it seemed insufficient. "We should probably head inside before someone else comes by and starts asking questions."

"One more thing first," Kai said, and then she was kissing him and it was then, finally, that he let himself believe this was real. That somehow after years and miles apart, she was here and it was as easy, as effortless as if no time had passed at all.

"I missed you," Kai, Aloth, and Iselmyr all said, as soon as they parted to breathe.

Kai laughed and kissed him again. "Let's go inside. You'll have to pay for drinks, though, I'm afraid. My sister seems to have stolen my coinpurse."

Aloth's laughter carried in the night air as they stepped into the inn together.

[zandalorscat]

OC Interview

RULES

1. PICK ONE OF YOUR CHARACTERS

2. FILL IN THE QUESTIONS/STATEMENTS AS IF YOU WERE BEING INTERVIEWED FOR AN ARTICLE AND YOU WERE YOUR OC.

3. TAG PEOPLE TO DO THIS MEME: If this looks fun, do it. Show me your OCs!

I saw @queen-scribbles doing this ages ago and it looked like just the thing to get into my new Pillars of Eternity character. Can’t believe I left this thing in Drafts for so long.

1. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

“Riss.” She shakes your hand with a firm grip and the two of you sit down a bit aways from camp. She leans forward, elbows on her knees, seemingly giving you her full attention.

2. WHAT IS YOUR REAL NAME?

“It’s *Clarissa.*” She makes a mock disgusted face.

3. DO YOU KNOW WHY YOU WERE CALLED THAT?

“See, when Mom and Dad were young, they made a bet - winner would get to pick the baby’s name, if they ever had one. Each time Dad tells the story, he changes what the bet was about. Last time, he said it was rock climbing. Time before that, who could eat more cinnamon rolls in an hour. Either way, Mom won, and she had truly terrible taste in names.”

4. ARE YOU SINGLE OR TAKEN?

“Single. For now.” Her eyes drift toward the camp, lingering on a dark-haired man pouring over a heavy-looking book by the fire. She smiles.

5. HAVE ANY ABILITIES OR POWERS?

She motions to the scabbard at her hip and the shield strapped to her back. “I’m a capable fighter. Mercenary, born and raised. And then there’s the Watcher thing. Basically, I see dead people.”

6. STOP BEING A GARY STU.

“Sure.” Her look clearly says ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’

7. WHAT’S YOUR EYE COLOR?

“Blue-green-grey-ish?”

8. HOW ABOUT YOUR HAIR COLOR?

“Red.” She absentmindedly runs one hand through short-kept ginger locks, adding “I liked having long hair, but it’s so impractical. This style feels good too. It’s growing on me.”

9. HAVE YOU ANY FAMILY MEMBERS?

“Got a dad and an aunt back in the Deadfire.”

10. OH? WHAT ABOUT PETS?

“As many as possible, that’s my motto.” A blond, bearded man passes by, carrying water for the evening meal. As he overhears this, he puts down his burden, high fives Riss, then resumes his task. A labrador and a small white wyrmling rush out to meet him as he approaches the camp.

11.  NOW TELL ME ABOUT SOMETHING YOU DON’T LIKE.

She ponders for a moment, then lets out a sigh. “Never getting enough sleep. It’s a bitch.”

12. DO YOU HAVE ANY HOBBIES/ACTIVITIES YOU LIKE DOING?

“Sparring’s fun. And useful. Then there’s travelling, exploring, trading stories round the fire.” A smile lights up her face. “And books. I pick up as many as I can.”

13. EVER HURT ANYONE?

“I’ve been a mercenary since I was sixteen. What do you think?”

14. EVER….KILLED ANYONE?

“Mhm. Not by choice, most of the time. You’d be surprised how few people have the sense to yield when they’re beaten. They just keep coming at you.” There is no tone of sorrow or regret, just casual acceptance.

15. WHAT KIND OF ANIMAL ARE YOU?

 “Dog. I kinda wanna say dragon, but... dog.”

16. NAME YOUR WORST HABITS.

“Thinking too much.”

17. DO YOU LOOK UP TO ANYONE AT ALL?

“There’s people I like. People whose judgement I trust. Not sure I actually look up to anyone.”

18. GAY, STRAIGHT, OR BISEXUAL?

“I swing both ways.”

19. DO YOU GO TO SCHOOL?

“As a kid back in my village, sure I did. Aunt Thea used to teach me things too.”

20. DO YOU WANT TO MARRY AND HAVE KIDS ONE DAY?

A soft smile spreads across her face. “I’d like that. At least the marriage part. And maybe I could picture myself teaching a bunch of little brats to use a sword, too. I don’t know.”

21. DO YOU HAVE ANY FANBOYS/FANGIRLS?

“Probably. I’ve had a hand in a few impressive events. Her gaze drifts to the ground. “Some impressive cockups as well, so there’s definitely a hate club to cancel them out.”

22. WHAT ARE YOU MOST AFRAID OF?

The silence stretches as she thinks, seemingly set on giving you an honest answer. “Letting people down. Getting people killed.“

23. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY WEAR?

“Armor. Tunics and breeches when we’re not expecting battle. Finery is alright too, as long as I can move freely and hide a weapon up my sleeve.” She winks.

24. DO YOU LOVE SOMEONE?

"I love a lot of people. Family, old friends... In the way you mean, though? ... Yes? Maybe? ... Yes.” The smile has returned to her face.

25. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WET YOURSELF?

“That’s an odd question... Been a few years now. You get injured bad enough, your body’s too busy trying not to die to worry about things like bladder control.”

26. WELL, IT’S NOT OVER YET!

“Well, on with it!”

27. WHAT CLASS ARE YOU? (HIGH CLASS, MIDDLE CLASS, LOW CLASS)

“Not sure... My aunt’s a shopkeep and Dad’s a mercenary... Middle class, I guess. I didn’t want for anything, growing up. Not sure what I am now. I handle more money than most folk see their entire life, and I own a keep, so... High?”

28. HOW MANY FRIENDS DO YOU HAVE?

“A few good ones.” She smiles.

29. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON PIE?

“Apple’s the best pie. I will fight you on this.”

30. FAVOURITE DRINK?

“Beer and ale are central parts of a healthy diet.”

31. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE?

“Probably my keep, right now. Spacious, beautiful, easily defendable... It’s really quite cozy now, if you ignore the slightly haunted feel. It’s nice to have a home to return to. Haven’t had that in some time.”

32. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN SOMEONE?

“Mhm. There’s someone I’ve been smitten with for a while now.” 

33. WHAT’S YOUR BRA CUP SIZE AND/OR HOW BIG IS YOUR WILLY?

“Huh, I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that. Kinda wish it had stayed that way.”

34. WOULD YOU RATHER SWIM IN THE LAKE OR THE OCEAN?

“The ocean’s beautiful, but... Coming from the Deadfire, I immediately think of sea monsters.” 

35. WHAT’S YOUR TYPE?

“Thoughtful. Sharp intellect. Deadly in battle. A healthy dose of sarcasm doesn’t hurt, either.”

36. ANY FETISHES?

“I don’t think we’re nearly drunk enough for me to tell you that.”

37. SEME OR UKE? TOP OR BOTTOM? DOMINANT OR SUBMISSIVE?

She raises a brow. “Bit of both, assuming you mean what I think you mean.”

38. CAMPING OR INDOORS?

”A real bed trumps bedroll every time. Camping’s got its charms, though.” 

39. ARE YOU WANTING THE QUIZ TO END?

“This was fun, actually. Now, how about you trade me a story for all those answers I just gave you. Come, we have a fire going and a plate of improvised Rauatai cuisine with your name on it.”