#skyhold dnd

[vitaeplaysda]

Finally a complete set with all my planned Rooks! It's just a first take, depending on the CC and the game and how I will feel in the next months they will change for sure. Also the clothing is all random. Purple because... it's Rook. Time to go back to Elgar'dad, commissions and other artworks. I will talk about them under the cut!

◆ Nadir "Lil'Rook" Lavellan

Elf ◆ Transmasc nonbinary ◆ he/they Antivan Crows ◆ Orb/Knife Mage (Spellblade)

My little baby, my firstborn, the first Rook I designed. Used to work as a lil kid in Skyhold's kitchen, until he met the demon Enfenim in that abandoned library hidden there, befriending him (it's another OCs of mines, check my pinned!)

Long story short he gets adopted by my Lavellan after his magic manifested, in the kitchens. Near boiling oil. The left side of his face and shoulder is covered in burn scars. Still he grows up to be a great but VERY unlucky mage, to the point he considers himself bad news and slowly starts to embrace this side of him in a selfdeprecating way. After yet another incident, he leaves her mother and their community, deciding he wants to make just one single good thing for her: finding Solas. Hiding his identity he ends up joining the crows, finding out he's quite good as an assassin. Relationship wise I brutally ship him with Elgar'nan, but more specifically he's in a weird... double triangle romboid (?) relationship with also Sulenan and Bellara??? (aka Sulenan also has a relationship with all of them but Bellara and Elgar'nan don't deal with each other.... unless the game will state otherwise >:D) He's hella young, in his early twenties, but usually fakes his age and tries to pass as someone older. He's also the shortest elf you'll ever meet.

◆ Saara(?) "Rook"

Qunari ◆ female ◆ she/her Veil Jumpers ◆ Bow Rogue (Arcane Archer)

She's meant to be the real Rook, you know, the one who Varric recruits. Qunari who was taken in by a (very open minded) Dalish clan. I'm still unsure if she was born in the Qun or not, in any case she embraced the elven culture as her own. She can be considered diplomatic and understanding, a good bean. The idea behind her is linked to the Qunari having metallic like skin... I wanted to make a golden one since they're usually grey in games. I'm not sure about the name Saara just because I remembered now Sera has a very similar sound. We shall see if I'm going to change it.

◆ Sulenan

Elf ◆ Male ◆ he/him Shadow dragons ◆ Two handed Warrior (Slayer)

I idealized him as a... mortal form Elgar'nan would use to mingle and learn the hell has happened while he was gone but he became a whole unique character. A Liberati of dalish origin, he's one of the angriest characters I have, hating humans for what they've done to his people and their rotten society, hating the chantry for its comforting lies, hating the elvhen gods because... well apparently they're evil now. In the end he's just very lost and heartbroken, desiring only for things to get better. Alas he's also practical and knows you gotta make your hands dirty if you wanna achieve anything. Headcanon wants Elgar'nan can control him through Vallaslin, I also fantasized about Sulenan sharing the same blood of his god. He feels comforted by Bellara's presence tho, his "Official" relationship it's going to be with her. For the headcanon chaotic one check LilRook above 👀

◆ Anarca

Qunari ◆ Agender nonbinary ◆ they/them in game but any pronoun works Mourn Watch ◆ Staff Mage (Deathcaller)

It's just... chaotic. Take the Dnd core rules and turn them into a person. They're unpredictable, at times taking a kind choice, while another time they will act in scary ways. It isn't like they don't like rules and push against them, for Anarca rules simply aren't part of their world. Beside their peculiar behavior, Anarca loves to experiment but mostly they want to have *fun*. You want to see the skeletons dance? You'll have that. Look wise people are always scared as they're extremely tall, most of their face half covered by hair with just their horns poking out.

◆ Veronica

Elf-blooded Human ◆ Female ◆ she/her Grey Wardens ◆ Shield Warrior (Champion)

Melancholic gal whom had to join the wardens in order to survive not so different from the Hero of Ferelden and also the token human (?) of this group. While she has a rooted sense of duty which made her a good warden, she still misses and fantasizes about the kind of life she would have gone through if she stayed among nobles, instead she had and still has to fight monsters and to come into terms with her Calling being closer than not. The idea was to have her romance Emmrich, letting her coming to term with the concept of death through him.

◆ Raibeart

Dwarf ◆ Male ◆ he/they Lords of Fortune ◆ Daggers Rogue (Sabouter)

The cheerful and funny guy of the group but also the most clueless one. Honestly he doesn't know why he joined the Veilguard... he probably doesn't even know he's part of the Veilguard. Still, he isn't one to ask complex questions to himself or others, somehow he's able to work with whatever is at hand, navigating through every situation, hopefully bringing a smile on people's face in the meanwhile. He's goofy but still charismatic and enthusiastic, a disney princess in the body of a burly pirate drawf.

[galdorcraeft]

Heya! I am curious- you have any other OCs in any other fandoms you want to share? Lilith is sweet so I was wondering!

Thanks!

Hello there!

first of all thanks for the question - and I am happy that you seem to like Lilith <3 Well, I have a few 😂 I won't give you all of them and if you wanna know something specific about the one or other just ask :) I am guessing the question mainly aims for their looks ^^

My very first and still very beloved ones were for Bioware games - Mass Effect and Dragon Age in particular. So meet Blue Shepard and Numin Lavellan ^^

I dearly love these characters and both series will be among my favourite of all time. The Normandy and Skyhold will forever mean HOME for me. I really am one of these epersons who also enjoyed ME Andromeda and I also have an OC there - but she simply isn't as dear to me as the two above (sme goes for DA 1 and 2)

I have quite a few Star Wars characters (in fact I have a legacy - generations constructed from the old republic until the new republic - I even have a Clone OC ^^) but since it would be too much for this post I give you Iego - one of the dearest OCs I have ever created, my little Sith monster of whom I am really proud of. A LOT. (to this point one might see that I have a thing for color coding. Iego is like Lilith an albino. Most of my chars are color coded white or black.... I simply cannot change my taste xD)

I love this Nautolan Bitch way too much - he has a freaking great playlist and he is the OC to whom I turn quite regularly to to be honest. For years now. He is pretty different from the rest of my squad and is pure fun to play with. The only one of my dorks who has a whole homepage btw. I have so much fun writing him - even quoting him. He also might have the greatest backstory in my opinion.

The newest additions to the flock are my Baldur's Gate chars - Ares Lucien Brouillard and Eloise Moisissure - him being an Oathbreaker Paladin worshipping Myrkul, her being a Druid of the Spore. I have a Necromancer thing in DnD without ever playing a true Necromancer and I am a sucker for Myrkul and mushrooms - so there we go. Do not get me started on the color coding again xD! By the way - Eloise was at first created with the thought of "what would Lilith play in Baldurs Gate" and I simply loved her way too much and she and Ares shared a story very quickly ^^

Last but not least - I am into MMORPGs for about nearly 20 years now, so I guess you can say my oldest OC by my side for all these years is my WoW character Phyrok:

The second MMORP in my life is TESO and here I have a Khajiit skooma dealer as main - and a sweet little Dark elf guy with the longest name in forever :P

There are more - as I guess we all have way too many of these beloved characters, but these are the ones dearest to me. I guess you might say they are family ;)

Thanks again for the interest and sorry for the long post xD If anyone wants to share their OCs as well (or you want) pls feel free (also to tag me so that I do not oversee it) <3 It is always a joy to see the OCS of others from the different fandoms <3 (or even the very same)

[scriptores]

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄 : asteria amell , dragon age: origins

overview: in the world of thedas, the darkspawn are orc-like creatures who dwell in an underground network of tunnels known as the deep roads. every few centuries, they rise to the surface in a hive-mind attack led by an archdemon. these apocalyptic scourges are known as the blight. out of the darkspawn's tainted essence, enhanced warriors known as the grey wardens were created to kill the archdemon and put a stop to the blight no matter the cost. it has been over 400 years since the last blight, but the fifth blight finally takes root in the country of ferelden. asteria is a newly initiated mage who was conscripted into the order at the eve of the first battle against the blight. political treachery lost them the battle and killed the king of ferelden, as well as nearly all the grey wardens. only asteria and alistair survived. with ferelden's borders closed and political ambitions still taking precedence, these two rookies and their motley crew of unlikely companions are thedas' last hope to stop the blight before it spreads beyond control.

CANON VERSES.

✧ origins : the events of the first game unfold and ultimately end with asteria being the warden who kills the archdemon. she survives the ordeal albeit changed, having incidentally absorbed the archdemon's soul unto her own, a fact that is evident to anyone who sees her violet eyes (as further explained here). [ alt. companion verse ] asteria can be picked up (or snuck out) during the circle tower crisis and join the warden's party. afterwards, she'd either live as an apostate mage or request to join the wardens as a new recruit during awakening. [ full bio ]

✧ awakening / da: 2 : asteria becomes the new warden commander of ferelden tasked with rebuilding the order. however, tensions are high as her survival and rumors of her absorbing the archdemon's soul brew resentment among the ranks. after she vanquishes the darkspawn threat in amaranthine, tensions begin to smooth over. she establishes the silver order and comes the new arlessa of amaranthine (although actively seeking a means to separate the two roles). when the mage-templar war starts, asteria receives an influx of mage and templar refugees alike seeking to join the order. she sets out looking for a cure for the taint so that those who chose this path in desperation could someday reverse it. ( a good crossover verse, since asta's search can take her to all sorts of places even outside of thedas )

✧ inquisition : my default is that asteria gave up her search for the cure and went straight to skyhold upon learning of the breach from a wisp in the fade. this happens sometime after warden commander clarel and the wardens of orlais are killed. after adamant, she becomes the temporary warden commander for the surviving orlesians and leads them in tandem with ferelden's warden forces against corypheus, should the inquisitor accept their aid.

AU VERSES.

✧ greek myth : asteria is the titan goddess of fallen stars and nocturnal oracles. she was a commander leading her father's northern celestial forces during the titanomachy, but was spared from being locked away in tartarus by her daughter, hekate's appeal. after being pursued by zeus, asteria fled to the underworld, and has been nyx's ward ever since. [ full bio ]

✧ dnd / critical role : asteria is the matron of ravens who presides over fate, winter, memories, and death. she was a mortal mage during the age of arcana, but ascended into her position after killing the previous death god. her name and her story has been wiped from historical memory. any remaining legends about her are varied and conflicting, but the one thing that is certain is that she has a disdain for orcus, the demon prince of undeath (or koschei if we decide to integrate his au here too). she actively seeks champions to defeat his undead forces and cult followers.

✧ fae verse : asteria is a faerie from the unseelie court and/or winter court. lots of flexibility here, but my default is affiliated with maeinade's unseelie queen, whom asteria assisted in usurping the previous monarch. she also has a proclivity for sorcery outside of faerie magic that she doesn't frequently employ in fear that it could raise suspicions that she isn't fully fae. [alt. acotar verse] also flexible. default is that asteria is illyrian, secretly a witch, and was one of the girls who joined the ranks in book 3. she fights in the battle against hybern, and uses her magic to save some but unfortunately not all of the illyrians who were caught in the cauldron blast.

DOSSIER

name. asteria amell diminutives. asta pronouns. she/her titles. champion of redcliffe, hero of ferelden, warden-commander of ferelden, arlessa of amaranthine (verse dependent) age. 19 (during origins), 31 (during da:i) origin. free marcher (w/avvar roots), identifies as ferelden etymology. human mage, spirit medium (spirit of command incarnate)* sexuality. bisexual alignment. chaotic good / neutral

relations. revka amell ( mother, presumed dead ), aerick ( biological father, presumed dead ), ethan amell ( father, deceased ), leticia amell ( half-sister, deceased ), diana amell ( half-sister, deceased ), apollonius amell ( half-brother, deceased ), hawke (cousin, alive)

height. 5'7" build. athletic & mesomorph hair. black & smooth as a river stone, usually kept back in a long braid. eyes. originally blue; now an unnatural violet scars. multiple faint scars, but the most prominent one is from the arrow she took at the tower of ishal. it sits right on her left shoulder, just below her collarbone, about the size of a coin and shaped like a gnarled silver star. there's an identical one on her left shoulder blade where the arrow pierced through. scents. rosemary, deathroot blossoms, & bergamot. 

abilities / skillset .

entropy & necromancy specialization.  the school of entropy deals with spells that attack the life force of an enemy and includes: creating death clouds to drain life energy (which can be absorbed to heal herself & companions), drawing residual spirit energy from the surrounding dead to replenish mana, paralyzing, disorienting, spirit bombing etc. necromancy allows her to call on and bind spirits from the fade to dead corpses and command them to attack on her behalf.

spirit medium . not a specialization that can be learned, but one she was born with. mages can interact with spirits and demons in the fade in their dreams, by physically summoning them with spells, or through their possessed vehicles, but spirit mediums are mages who have one foot in each of the two worlds. they can see through the veil and communicate with the beings on the other side at any given moment. 

grey warden abilities . wardens undergo a ritual (the joining) where they infuse darkspawn blood (the taint) with their own. this grants them: enhanced strength, durability, immunity to blighted illness, ability to sense when darkspawn are near, a connection to the darkspawn hivemind controlled by archdemons during a blight. typically, the archdemon can be seen & heard through dreams

archdemon soul absorption . after absorbing the archdemon's soul in the final boss battle, asteria essentially became an archmage, with an increased capacity for mana storage. she refuses to tap into that extra powerbank for a variety of reasons

restrictions .

other schools of magic . asteria was one of the top students of her class in the circle, and had to learn all the schools of magic at some capacity, but in the years since she's become a warden, she's been out of practice, and relies almost exclusively on entropy & necromancy if not her weapons.

high risk of possession. as a spirit medium, she can see through the veil in the waking word, but likewise those entities can see her. demons are often drawn to mediums like magnets and chisel away at their peace until their will is weak enough for a possession.

the calling . while the joining grants wardens increased abilities, it does not come without consequence. the taint is a poison which corrupts and overtime her mind will become more darkspawn than warden. this process is known as the calling. eventually through delusions it draws a warden to the deeproads where they are sure to meet their death or worse. it usually takes up to 30 years after a joining to hear the calling, but wardens, like asteria, who are active during a blight have this process accelerated, bringing it closer to 10 years.

archdemon soul absorption: although asteria has an increased mana powerbank to draw from, she still has a human body and to tap into that powerbank will take a massive toll on her physically. to draw on it completely might actually kill her.

themes. battle cry, imagine dragons / ezio's family, assassin's creed / to the stars, tyler bates / female robbery, the neighbourhood

[shivunin]

✨ Called for a distraction? ✨ Let me give you a lot to mull over! :D (of course do how many you'd like, I'm curious and there's... A lot, LOL)

ESSENTIAL: 4 for everyone/anyone you'd wish to reply (intended in a D&D way: Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic Good/Neutral/Evil, it's something small but I always find it super interesting for character development) 7 for Arianwen

LIFE: 3 for Emma and Adahlena 6 for Salshira (who had a rocky relationship with the clan… But what about the culture?)

DAO: 3, 8 and 17

DA2: 9, 10 and 15

DAI: 13 for whomever/how many you'd like (and the mandatory: who did drink from the Well in the end?)

ooooh *rubs hands together* thank you! <3

(Questions here)

4. What is their moral alignment? (Using the DND Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic, Good/Neutral/Evil schema)

I will open this by saying I was on the fence about several of these haha. So:

Arianwen: This was hard! I can see elements of a lot of alignments in her behavior. After some thinking, I want to say LN. She has little respect for the actual law, but she has a very strict internal code that she abides by even when it causes her difficulty/pain. If she has said she will do something, she will do it even if it kills her. She is endlessly loyal to those who've proven themselves to her, does not go out of her way to look for people to help, but will offer aid under if it fits into her own internal reasoning. She'd do just about anything for people who are "hers" to take care of.

Maria: If there is a midpoint between NG and CG, that's where Maria hangs out. Laws are for people not quick enough to dodge them, but she's driven to help people as much/often as she can. Unfortunately, some people need to be helped to an early grave, and that's really not her fault.

Elowen: Somewhere between LG and NG at different points of her journey. Elowen needs the world to make sense/be orderly and laws initially do that for her (the clan's rules are, after all, intended to keep the clan safe above all else and they're administered by someone she respects deeply; initially, I think her underlying assumption was that human laws were made the same way). At the same time, she sees many of them as unjust and would not want to follow them (especially once she's exposed to the Orlesian legal system via Josie). This is definitely a contradiction that she doesn't necessarily spend a lot of time examining until after the Inquisition moves to Skyhold, I think, and then she begins to make a new set of "rules" for herself that make more sense.

Emmaera: Solidly NG. Emma also goes out of her way to help people whenever she can, and I think if you looked at her behavior sideways she would seem very lawful...but really she thinks laws in general are made by those with power who almost never have the people's best interest at heart. The legal system is unjust, those in power are often taking advantage, and being in charge of the Inquisition only solidifies this idea for her. She abides rules when it makes sense to her and doesn't otherwise.

Salshira: CG. Salshira has never been overly fond of authority figures and really doesn't like being one. Though she is very clever, Salshira has an impulsive streak tied strongly to her sense of self-protection and sometimes does (outwardly) nonsensical things to keep herself safe from scrutiny. I wouldn't say she's selfish, but she seeks physical comfort over many other concerns. She would gladly put herself in harm's way for someone who needs it, but she would be just as likely to skip out on a crucial meeting even if missing it means people will be hurt.

7. How do they dress in their downtime, while fighting, in formal settings, etc.? (Arianwen)

She dislikes bold colors or constricting clothing. In downtime, she prefers loose shirts and leggings or trousers that are supple enough that she can move around in them. She likes studded leather armor and wears it most frequently, but is fine with anything that is not too heavy or loud.

If she could, she would wear dress armor to any formal function. If pressed, she will wear a dress; tbc, she is not reluctant because she doesn't want to appear feminine, but because skirts get in the way when fighting and she doesn't want to have to account for them. When she does need to wear dresses, she prefers ones that are dark-colored end no lower than her calves, but isn't especially picky about style. Her ability to be armed is paramount.

Life 3. How many languages do they speak? Do they have any sort of accent?

Emma: Elvhen and Common, knows basic phrases in Orlesian and Antivan. I usually imagine her with a Welsh accent (I pretend all the Dalish have a Welsh accent tbh) but I think her voice is lower than the British VA and higher than the American VA.

Adahlena: She is fluent in Elvhen and Common, and is between conversational and fluent in Orlesian, Antivan, Nevarran, and Avvar. She has a little Tevene, but definitely falls short of conversant (never had much call for using it). She travelled a lot as a child and picked up languages pretty easily, so it became a sort of game for her and her father to see how quickly she could gain conversational language skills when they were in any given country. Language and literacy were always very positive things for her. Adahlena is conscious of her accent and adapts it to her situation; she usually speaks Elvhen with the accent of the northern lands (the southern kingdom has flatter vowels and softer consonants) and Common with a faint Antivan accent.

Life (6) Which aspects of the culture they were born into holds the most significance for them? (Salshira)

I think, despite feeling very alone in the clan growing up, Salshira actually loves a lot about being Dalish, especially as a mage. It is a lot more difficult for her to resent how she grew up after she sees how mages outside the clans fare (and saarebas? she has nightmares for months after seeing her first saarebas). There is a lot about being Dalish that feels more practical to her (marriage customs, clothing, job training, and inheritance, to name a few) even if she would never go back.

Origins:

3. What did they think of King Cailan and Duncan? How did they react to their deaths?

Ooooh such a mixed bag. Wen hated Cailan on principle (how could the nobles in Denerim be so awful without his implicit approval?) and didn't really care that he'd died except that it seemed to set the country against them. She didn't go back to Ostagar until somewhat late in the game, well after she knew he was Alistair's brother, and she offers him final rites out of respect for Alistair more than any genuine feelings about the state of his body.

Duncan, though---Duncan bore the brunt of her most volatile period immediately after leaving Denerim. She'd chosen a noble death; dying to save Soris (in her mind, a fitting punishment for failing to save Shianni in time) was what she'd expected and planned for. She resented him from keeping her from that, even as she accepted training to sharpen the skills she'd allowed to get rusty. They didn't speak much, and when they did it was often about her mother (why did he try to recruit her? What was she like? Why did she say no? etc). She felt indebted to him and hated it, and she hated that he, too, was someone she simply couldn't help when it mattered most.

8. How does your Warden feel about Loghain painting the Wardens as traitors?

Honestly? Yet another noble human who uses and discards others for his own enrichment. She is not surprised, but she despises him for spending so much effort fighting the two of them and inciting a civil war instead of doing literally anything about the darkspawn horde threatening all of Ferelden.

Being called a traitor personally means little to her and she has no stake in the honor of the Wardens at that point. The act of painting the Wardens as traitors is not, in and of itself, something that upsets her. The utter waste of time bothers her greatly.

17. What did they think of Anora? How did they feel about her betraying them?

....That her days are numbered.

She didn't want to trust Anora in the first place (again, she's immediately suspicious of wealthy, powerful humans) and when the queen immediately turned around and sold them out to Cauthrien, she was not surprised, but she was livid. She definitely let Anora think Alistair would be okay with getting married so she wouldn't betray them again at the Lansdmeet. After that? Well. Anora should've hedged her bets better. Her mistake for thinking Arianwen was the safer bet to sell out.

DA2:

9. Do they feel any connection to their family’s noble status? How did they feel about rising to Kirkwall’s aristocracy?

Being a noble only matters to Maria to the extent that a title and property can be used to protect her friends. She is not fond of the aristocracy at large (Where were any of them when the docks were crowded with starving Fereldens? Where were they when any of the awful things were happening in the streets?) but she tolerates them, again, to preserve the safety that a title and property provide. Other than that, the family name doesn't really mean much to her. As far as she's concerned, she's a Hawke through and through.

10. What was their relationship with Leandra like? How did they feel about her death?

Complicated? She loved and resented Leandra and she felt like she'd lost her reason for living when her mother died. She did all of this---the Deep Roads, the estate, the money, the connections---for her mother. Who is she when she's not keeping her mother safe? Who is she supposed to take care of if not Leandra? Losing her mother broke something in her and it took a very, very long time for Maria to put herself back together again.

DAI:

13. What do they think of Flemeth? If they drank from the Well, how do they feel about being now beholden to her as Mythal?

Elowen: Internally? Oh Creators That's Asha'Bellanar D: (Ma'am) Drank from the well, has very mixed feelings about it; if it's Mythal, she shouldn't mind being beholden to Flemeth; but also, she's Flemeth---so that can't be good, right?

Emmaera: Fascinated in a sort of removed, academic way. She's read a lot about Flemeth and knows better than to bring it up to the woman herself. Wonders about the magical implications of turning into something like a dragon; animals, even giant spiders, are one thing, but a dragon? Where does the additional mass come from? Where does it go when the spell ends? What---oh, dear, they're still talking. (Did not drink from the Well even though she really, really wanted to; she weighed the pros and cons and it made more sense to let Morrigan do it)

Salshira: Kind of a milf c: (cannot seem like she is freaking out externally but she is freaking out; she heard a lot of stories about this woman and most of them are not good. And now she has the power of a god??? Nuh-uh. She is going to play dumb until she can get out of here). Did not drink from the Well, didn't even consider it. Good luck, Morrigan!

Adahlena: Healthy respect. Knows what Flemeth is capable of and knows that she can be bargained with. Drank from the Well because of course she did; she owes it to her people to keep that kind of knowledge accessible to them, even if it costs her dearly.

[cumbiazevran]

I remembered by some some of divine grace, but today is Arviraven’s birthday!! happy birth to the he/they with rosewood eyes, gothic romance lover, best baker in Skyhold, life crisis giver with his insight, and incidental political schemer!! have some fun facts

God knows how I’m calculating his age, but I think they should be like 39 this year

One of his mom’s (Sitasahlin) is Dalish, the other (Mireva) is a runaway city elf from the southern coast of Antiva, who ended up taking refuge with the Lavellan

He’s a Taurus Sun, Scorpio Moon, and Sagittarius Rising

Utility belt wearer, they need their tools and trinkets? 

His favourites are gardening, veil research, gothic romance stories, the colour brick red and that one red of the leaves in autumn, tomato soup, chamomile and mint tea. A good silk and cashmere blend shawl. Oh, and marigolds, aside from Roses. Drinks of choice are cider, malt ale and flower liquors.

He can play the flute, speaks Elven (dialect, modern and ancient), Common, Antivan some conversational Qunlat, and rolls the best elfroot joints

His least favourites are sewing (he’s terrible at it), piss brown-yellow as a colour (why would you make jaundice an aesthetic? when was your last check up?), and being cold. He likes the cold, the problem is being cold, like when he discovered stone halls cold like Skyhold’s are a very different type of cold than Forest cold. Also, in general, being taken advantage of and when they’re not being listened to

His tarot card is Judgement

Forgoing DA:I mechanics so I can stay true to him, he’s closer to a Nurse - Physicist combination of mage. Their main area of research is the Veil. Had they had the time and lab access to do it, he would’ve developed the equivalent of the Strings Theory for the Veil

He still formalises his research, who do you take him and the elves for

His hobby is gardening and loves cultivating roses because they grow wild and messy, and refuse to be killed

In my worldbuilding (honorary mention to @atypicalacademic​ because we develop most of our worldbuilding together, if not all) the Dalish have different naming customs which derive from Elvhenan’s Imperial days. The Lavellan, having originated in the annexed province of the Tirashan, their naming custom is Clan Name (formerly House name) + Given Name + Secondary Clan/House name + Patronymic/Matronymic/Filiation name, so he would be “Lavellan Arviraven Tirashan Sitasahlin’den” - Sitasahlin is his Lavellan mother, so she gets to claim the matronymic as a way of identifying where they come from.

The other three naming customs are the North-Western (Elvhenan’s territory in the Anderfels with Public Name +  Greater House/Clan name + Personal name + Secondary House/Replaced with place of birth or a parental allusion sometimes but mostly disappeared with the modern Dalish), the Arlathan Imperial (Personal/First Name + Middle Name + Filiation name (a combo of both your parents name and the suffix ‘len) + Family name); and the Dalish Modern which Name + Clan (aka Arviraven of Lavellan, so in elven it would be Arviraven vhenas’Lavellan, sometimes abbreviated to vhen’Lavellan or v’Lavellan)

The Lavellan also kept the Tirashan ancient custom of Nickname vs. Name only the Nickname is something everyone can call you and only people of your clan, or people you’re close to call you by your given name, which is why most people call him River

If I could do whatever I wanted with skill trees, this would be Riri’s

More under the cut so this doesn’t look massive in everyone’s dashboards

Arviraven has a younger brother called Vieradhalen Lavellan, “Viera” for most people. His brother is perhaps the most important person in the world to him

His favourite way to annoy him was casual blackmail (they do this to each other still). Also, despite Viera is a Reaver and a Knight, River knows how to tackle him which is terrifying bc Viera’s a powerhouse

It’s bc he knows physics lmao

If I had to pick a DND class for him he’s somewhere between a Monk and a Sorcerer, but he’d also make a great Cleric. Viera would be a Paladin

River can use his staff both as a staff and as a melee quarterstaff

However, his greatest weapon is his capacity to make friends or allies wherever he goes, which is honestly terrifying to me because I don’t think I had ever had an OC which is this emotionally stable and mentally not that unwell. River is genuinely well adjusted which I don’t know what to do with

Bisexual and poly as fuck, he’s Merrill’s teenage/early young adulthood ex

Man’s** very perceptive, he pieced Solas was an ancient elf quicker than anyone realised, its that he just never talked about it. They didn’t think fucker was Fen’Harel but that’s on the moments that keep them humble

His inquisition besties are Cassandra (my favourite hc about their friendship is that not only they would’ve gotten together if they both realised that was an option, and that they constantly give her identity and belief crisis even if they don’t get anywhere. It keeps her humble) and Josie because they bond over the diplomacy first, scaring people shitless second and they both care about everyone being settled and taken care of

Dorian and him are physics boyfriends. Aside from it being an emotionally jarring experience, in terms of academic investigation, the two of them being blasted into the dark timeline by Alexius in In Your Heart Shall Burn was an absolute field trip (positive)

He also gets along with Vivienne really well even if it makes her uncomfortable that they can tell how fear driven she can be. They give her grace so it works. Its something similar with Varric, because he sees too much for him to be comfortable, and they’re too resolute to fictionalise

Bull thinks he’s insane in a way he does not understand but respects to an insane degree. It’s mutual. Also, Arviraven holds their alcohol like someone thrice their size and is terrible with most animals bc he spent all his skill points in plans, biological tissue and physics, which means they always walk straight into the dragons which is always a perk for Bull

Sera’s a bit of a raw spot because despite how much grace River has, they’re so notoriously communitarian and “little people” driven. Their normal mood is a warm, welcoming, cheeky cheer that makes them get along, until Sera remembers all those things about River which does not, and perhaps will not ever, make sense to her. Their cookie baking sessions have monthly breaks

Cullen and them do NOT get along personally, just professionally, and its because River puts his entire worldview into question, without any of the things River’s relationship with Cassandra have to soften that blow. Also Viera’s he’s co-general of the forces bc he’s a First Knight of Elgar’nan which means the Dalish and other elves which have come to aid their own answer to Viera, not to Cullen, and while Viera is a softie and a cry baby at heart, he looks like he could kill you and he can also kill you, so its River’s change-driven force making the way and his shorter, RBF having, petty as fuck, reaver brother guarding his back

Cullen respects him more than what River respects Cullen, he thinks the man needs to retire to keep some bees and calm the fuck down, not lead anything

River, however, does not like Cole which has nothing to do on whether he should be more or this and that, but on the no being with that little understanding of the physical world should be out there wielding knives. First we learn the tools to handle ourselves, then we choose a style of combat

His positives are that they’re gregarious, committed, kind, cooperative, protective, dutiful, fair minded, principled, patient, wise, nurturing, hopeful, observant, charming and generous. His negatives or hardships are that they’re more distrustful and temperamental than his usual demeanour suggests; can be obtusely headstrong, it’s hard for River to relax when he has something on his mind. His openness to help people can play against him, sometimes. Can be sacrificial

To them, two wrongs will never make a right, and again forgoing game mechanics, his biggest take on the “it can be or this people, because it’s either this way or chaos” is some of the biggest bullshit he had ever heard, and he knew the shems were unwell but this is more dire than he thought. Let them get this right: so they created a socio-historical system that they dominate, and that is completely unsustainable and refuse to help anyone about it? So if they’re in a sinking boat, they don’t build a better boat for next time, they just think “well, we fucked up we’re all sinking sorry not sorry”? Do they hear themselves. This is nonsense, they want XYZ information, and they’re investigating solutions so HELP him Mythal. You people being wrong and making him conform to their mistakes is a them problem, not River’s

Which made him an incidental political schemer and he never course corrected, because why would he. His people recognise him as something akin to Thedas’ Keeper, the Chantry is a negative externality for them at this point, give him like, five to fifteen years if something else doesn’t kill him first, which is likely, but moving on

Never mistake his serenity, gentleness and generosity for passivity. The flame inside him is imperishable, a Scholar without passion and a Keeper without drive are oxymorons

Which means the moment he learns Solas ruined their life, and their people’s lives, and literally everyone’s lives because he was displeased about being born an Ancient Elvhen Kardashian and had mommy and daddy issues the size of the Fade, who refuses to learn, is ontologically incapable of being honest because he’s the God of Lies and what is truthful will always be against his nature and thought he was some hick to be brought into enlightenment, River becomes so angry that you could’ve created Thedas’ first nuclear reactor powered with that anger alone

He never forgot and he will literally never forgive

That said his prosthetic in a bio-alchemical finery work. It’s made of a hardened dragonbone exterior, an iron wood middle layer and a fade touched alloy combination that allows it to connect to his tendon and nerves. However, that also means he needs to use mana to make it functional

Insanest thing he’s done in the name of the scientific method and his newfound circumstances is training his resistance to holy blasts after experiencing the first one in his life, which left him vomiting and useless for several hours. Cassandra was the only person who is equally insane that would holy blast him into oblivion as he made his research notes

It worked tho

[variaoftevinter]

meet some Dragon Age OCs!

cw: mention of abuse, tevinter slavery

Zena

Born and raised Tevinter, left to a single father with no means of paying for a child and sold into slavery, into the custody of a midwife. By the age of 17 she was purchased by a magister named Yvaine. She became Yvaine's mistress, governess, and lady-in-waiting all in one. They were very intimate but Yvaine's literal ownership made for a very abusive relationship. At 19 she got pregnant and had a daughter, Varia. She did her best as a single mother, but Zena grew farther from Yvaine, upsetting the magister. Yvaine forced Zena into dirty work-- Zena had to work in the kitchens on top of caring for and essentially raising her 5 kids for her. Around the age of 24, Zena uncovered a plot to assassinate Yvaine and her husband. Despite all her resentment for Yvaine, she took every step to prevent her death, and poisoned the traitor, which landed her in jail and her daughter being torn from her. A slave poisoning a conniving politician was the talk of the Imperium, leading the Inquisition to intervene. Leliana could not convince Tevinter to pardon Zena or halt her execution, so she instead helped Zena escape, training and employing her to become an assassin for the Inquisition. She changed her name to Fatine so the Imperium couldn't trace her. A dark job, but a "necessary" one. At Skyhold she would meet Sera. They fell deeply for one another, Sera never wanted to leave her side, but Fatine was hesitant, feeling undeserving of her. This lead to Sera pursuing a relationship with Dagna, but the feelings Fatine and Sera had for each other would always remain. Plus, her daughter never left her mind. She had no idea of Varia's whereabouts, and when the Inquisition disbanded, she left, almost without telling Sera, for Tevinter to find her daughter. Being chased by slavehunters wherever she went, she joined in with a group of mercenaries to find Varia.

Varia

Zena's daughter, born 9:34 Dragon. Varia is as calculating as her mother with a fearlessness that Zena was never allowed to have. Lady Yvaine was in fact assassinated by opposing Houses, leaving Varia in custody of whoever paid the highest fee. She worked in kitchens, waited on high-up mages at fancy parties, the only memory of her past to cling to a tiny plush monkey. Zena is able to save her! Still working on when or how.* I can't decide if I want her to be a rogue or a mage, but she grows up on a farm with her mother, never aware of the troubles Zena saw. She is trained to fight by her mother when she's around 15 years old, and is rebellious, passionate, and childish. She does not give a fuck what anyone thinks of her, which sometimes hurts Zena's feelings but she cannot help but take pride in her daughter's unabashed attitude. Sorry I have way less to say about her than Zena, it's a shame because Varia's personality and story is amazing to me, although it's pretty intertwined with her mother's. Aren't all of our stories woven in with our mother's, though?

*Renderings made with MetaHuman!!! I wish I could draw these beauties*

*I'm doing a DND campaign playing as Zena (it's absolutely amazing) and we are actively in the process of finding her daughter, I can't wait to see how it unfolds, the DM is amazing!!

If DA: Dreadwolf allows, with time jump, protag backstories, etc. I would give ANYTHINGGGG for Varia to be my DA4 protagonist. I absolutely adore her.

[fandomn00blr]

Days 73, 74, and 75

of @the-wip-project’s 100 Days of Writing

73. Are you a plotter, a pantser, or a plantser? Would you like to be different than you are?

I have seen these terms. I have discussed them at length with writerly friends. But they never mean what I think they mean. I hate pants, for one, but I still put them on most days. And I really am winging it about 85% of the time. Most of my favorite writing happens spontaneously when I’m trying to write something else. But I also love outlining whole plots around those mostly-pantsed snippets, and my detailed outlines very easily become first drafts as I keep filling in the parts of them that interest me (always out of order, mind). So I guess I’m a plantser? I do like plants.

74. Share a dumb line from an old WIP.

Oh. I have A LOT of these. How will I choose?! 

Here’s a bunch of dumb lines prompted from a Discord convo about members of the Inquisition playing DnD (of course, Dagna would DM) that I’ll probably never get around to finishing (this is how Cullen finds out and then subsequently asks to be allowed to join...):

“Who has been moving things around on the War Table?!”

“Cullen…!” Josephine squeaks, looking uncharacteristically surprised. And a little bit guilty.

He narrows his eyes at her. “You see everyone who goes in or comes out of there…right?”

“Well, yes, but…”

He begins to loom over her desk and Josephine leans back in her chair.

“So...who was in there last night?”

“I promised not to tell.”

“You promised who?!”

“If I said…”

“Ambassador, please!” He throws his hands up into the air. “This is a matter of Inquisition security!”

Josephine laughs. “I assure you, it is not.”

“Cullen…” Leliana strolls into the office with three cups of coffee balanced next to a stack of reports. “There’s no need to interrogate her.”

“So you are aware? That she’s been allowing people into the War Room at night?”

“Of course.”

“And…?”

“Just some much-needed recreational fun for several members of the Inquisition.”

“Recreation...? On the...the War Table?” Cullen looks less angry now than he is somewhat horrified, and perhaps a bit intrigued.

“Yes. They needed a large, flat surface.” She smirks, handing him one of the cups. “I was the one who suggested the War Table for their weekly...appointments.”

“I can speak to them about leaving things the way they found them if that would be more agreeable to you, Commander?” Josephine offers, smiling slyly and winking at Leliana as she grabs her own cup of coffee.

But Cullen doesn’t even seem to hear her, his whole face reddening as he considers Leliana’s words. “W--weekly?”

“Tell me, Cullen...how often do you play chess?”

“That’s entirely different!”

“I don’t really see how chess is that different from Dagna’s tabletop role-playing sessions…”

75. Do you write in past tense or present tense? Why do you prefer one?

I do both. I think I used to prefer past, especially for DA because of the ‘historical record’ vibes it allowed me to play with, but then I switched to present by accident one day (probably in a frenzy to write down some dialogue or some smut that just devolved into stage directions), and now almost everything I’m writing is present. It’s hard when I go back to work on WIPs that are in past. I really do think the different tenses take your brain into different spaces, and there are also times when/where mixing tenses can be very effective, like to signal some kind of shift in the narration or the POV character’s voice or for flashbacks or flash forwards, etc. I firmly believe that tense, like almost every other aspect of language, is something to be played with!

[naeviss]

Giveaway commish wip ! #dragonage #skyhold #bioware #fantasy #illustration #traditionalart #art #artist #dnd #rpg #coloringpencils https://www.instagram.com/p/CKCJoYjjL8r/?igshid=1ai42l0kikil2

[thevikingwoman]

WIP ask game

Tagged by @roguelioness @harumeau and @kittlesandbugs Thanks friends!

Tagging forward to: @redinkofshame @coldshrugs @galadrieljones @lyriumsings @sunshinemage @a-shakespearean-in-paris @noire-pandora SORRY  if you’ve been tagged before, I’m slow!

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have wips! I have deemed that this isn’t just for writing either. Sketch titles? Comics? DnD campaigns? If you have an unfinished project, it counts!!

So I don’t have a WIP folder, I have - many. And most of my DA fics are languishing and probably will never be completed? Some of these are very old, but I picked some I MAY work on (sobbing quietly) or are interesting and then some Wayfarer ones most of which are ideas, not actual WIPs. 

Dragon Age: 

peg

pride

knots

skyhold the city

bdsm au

tranquil au

ties2

pirates

infidelity

Wayfarer MOST Of these are idea stage sorry!

vy first meeting

Bhrianna shoes

bhrianna fighting

veyer pancakes and orgasms for breakfast

something something bloodoath breaking

drunk veyer

[eluviansandevanuris]

Thank you to the lovely @modernagesomniari​ for tagging me in this piccrew. I really enjoyed being able to screw around with my character designs and also this will be so so handy for DnD, so thank you!

also your Amell was terrifying and I loved it.

So here’s a couple of my gals from DA and one OC who will feature in my fic.

 Amonkira Lavellan (pre-trespasser).

This is her, right after being named inquisitor in Skyhold, she still can’t really believe that she’s alive.

and here’s Amonkira during Trespasser, considering murdering the entire Exalted Council, minus Divine Victoria.

And here is the ever amused Marian Hawke, trying to figure out a way to tell Fenris that she volunteered to stay in the fade, she’s smiling on the outside and crying on the inside.

And lastly here is my OC, Shartan. She’s a Tevinter guerrilla fighter and rebel, she and Dorian are going to kick the hornets nest in Tevinter and it will be glorious.

and ach @vysarion​ and @enasallavellan​ come and join the fun.

[mcousland]

🍓 for Maeve, Theo, Emma, Ellana, Greer!

Oh hey thanks :3c It said facts so I'm gonna give 'em 2 each and also bc I am incapable of shutting up // Give me a 🍓 and one of my OCs, and Ill tell you some random facts about said OC!

Maeve —

When she was originally created, I think that I said Maeve doesn't sing much but?? after the months spent with her I think that's way off base and I couldn’t have been more wrong with my initial vibe check of this bard. I actually believe that she’d be quite talented, though doesn’t rely on its as her main source of bardic talent because she prefers her writings. She’ll sing for plenty of other reasons, but the most notable occasions I think would be during the downtime she has while traveling with witchers, where she sings to fill a silence or lighten the mood. 

Maeve almost always hums a little tune to herself while tying up the laces that keep her stockings in place because her mother would sing a song every time she did it for her growing up, just a short thing to help remember the steps of the process that she never quite shook off.

Theo —

She and her brother, Alec, have come up with a truly ridiculous amount of silent gestures to communicate with each other without alerting others. Sometimes it's used to avoid starting a whole argument back at camp, but more frequently it's used in gambling to better each other's odds at winning.

I know that I joked about her being fine with Phineas up until he tried to fuck with her memory and that just ruined the entire understanding she had with him,,, BUT. One of Theo’s whole things is that she was raised with the belief of “do what it takes to survive” and though she may disagree with her mother on a few things, that’s not one of them and it’s fully why she started going along with whatever Phineas was telling her in the first place. So give her another day or two to process and get around to the “he was just doing what he thought he Had to” conclusion, whether it's right or not, and she won’t have any real hard feelings against the beach boi. Still some feelings, but not hard ones lmao

Emma —

Let me take this opportunity to say that Emma’s distaste for lying is truly Not That Deep. I just thought it’d be funny to add as a little trait that her paladin mother is firmly against deception and it was something that rubbed off on Emma as she grew. She gets Uncomfortable if asked to lie and does Not Like being lied to because she’s been told for so long that it’s not a good thing to do and there’s simply no reason for it, the truth is always preferable.

In my heart I just know as a truth that Emma had her own little square of garden back at home, separate from everything else so that her own progress and skill could be tracked on its own. And I also know that she had cute little signs that she made herself for identifying different plants when younger so she wouldn't forget what was what. She never got rid of them because they'd always get a little smile from her parents and she's a Sucker. There is also 100% a little patch dedicated and decorated very close by for the animals that would approach Emma and chat with her because of her speak with animals spell.

Ellana —

She’s one of my characters that suffers the most from the “if I don’t try to save the world, then who will?” syndrome and it’s fully because I enjoy exploring that theme and the different routes that can come from it. Ellana’s is a continual loop of having a heavy burden placed onto her shoulders and deciding to bare it because she thinks that no one else will, and if she’s perfectly capable of handling it herself then there’s no reason for her to complain or offload the work onto anyone else. Which may or may not lead to a couple of breakdowns in the dead of night but that’s none of anyone’s business and frankly I’m offended that you’d even ask about it tbh

I could write an entire essay of her feelings on the topic of justice, but I think a very telling fact is just that when Erimond was kept within Skyhold’s cells to await her judgement, Ellana very nearly throttled the man through the bars of the door because she foolishly let herself get riled up by his nonsense. She shouldn’t have been down there in the first place, Blackwall and Leliana remind her that she only gets upset every time she visits the place (whether it’s empty or not), but damn if she hadn’t been weak that day and positively shaking with her rage over what the man had done to countless Wardens.

Greer —

Greer had been fighting in her Circle for years against the iron first that the Templars there tried to control her and her fellow mages with, and it landed her in the dungeons more times that she can count. It became a bit of a sad but common bit of knowledge that if somebody couldn’t hear Greer by midday, she had a 90% chance of being imprisoned for one of the numerous crimes the Templars liked to accuse her of. … Well, usually they were right about the accusations, but that’s not the point. This all led to her becoming the Libertarians leader of her Circle, and later a very loud and proud Apostate when the Mage-Templar war came about.

In the world of dnd, Greer is actually the daughter of my other character (Elide Harker-Westenra Andar) and her husband (Tyrus Rhogar)! While discussing what their kids would be like with the DM, we jokingly pointed out that a lot of the traits of Greer and her twin, Cormac, fit both Elide and Tyrus and it kinda spiraled from there into being a pretty set-in-stone thing. It was a funny whiplash for a while there going from thoughts of Greer having a quite estranged relationship with her parents in Thedas, and then swapping over to Andaria where she’s the biggest papa’s girl and is constantly spoiled by her mama.

[artistic-fuss]

5 Things

@whatsanwritepocalae tagged me!!

5 Things You’ll Find In My Bag: (which bag we talking about???) papers, pens, dice, a single Littlest Pet Shop lizard, my cat, phone charger

 5 Things You’ll Find In My Room: books, crystals, feathers, sea shells, me

5 of My Favourite Things: dragons, elves, WARMTH (PLEASE ITS COLD), my friends, inspiration

5 Things I’m Currently into: my boyfriend, cats, DnD, Dragon Age, writing drabbles, making playlists

5 Things On My To-Do List: My boy-No I’m not making that joke, finish editing 436 Baker, tidy my room, make a cake, finish up my @clan-lavellan-of-skyhold blog, find a new series to watch

Tagging: @darthfluff @flurrybird @serana-dragontongue

[heyscience]

If I Were Inquisitor - Ask Meme.

@batsintheshadows @tea-me-and-smut @foxywolfmeerkat13 @howling-at-night OMG THIS IS SO FUN YOU GUYS HOLY SHIT!! Thanks so much for writing yours, and I’m so stoked to finally share mine!

If you are reading this and want to give it a shot, please reblog the original post and I’ll send you an ask! I LOVE THIS SO MUCH, I LOVE READING PEOPLE’S ANSWERS. THEY’RE ALL. SO GOOD!!!!

1. Race: I want to be a giant muscley mountain of a Qunari. I wanna be the very best, like no-one ever was, at smashing my enemies’ faces in and giving the best goddamn hugs there is. 

2. Class/Specialization: Two-handed Warrior/Champion. I like hitting things, and I love the idea of getting involved in all that pompous Orlesian chevalier bullshit and RUINING IT for ALL OF THEM.

3. Your homeland? It’s gotta be somewhere warm and by the sea (because I love the ocean and also I can’t deal with the cold cos I am WEAK), so I’m thinking Rivain. Ooh! And that would mean I’d have a bunch of sick tattoos and piercings! Rad.

4. Your family? (Ok so I’m basing this loosely off my irl family because they’re my best point of reference I guess????)

So, my family. I love them, but they’re a mess.

My Mum was the ideal Tamassran. A devout adherent to the Qun. She worked as a healer and was very well respected in her field.

That was until she met my Dad, who in short, looked at the Qun and was like ‘fuck this shit I’m out.’

Dad was a soldier and one day he was wounded in battle, ended up in the hospice where Mum worked, wooed her, and they ran away together to Rivain.

They had my brother and I and then realised that they’re actually polar opposites and it’s a wonder they were ever attracted to each other. They split up, re-partnered and had more kids. So I have a pile of siblings that I have varying degrees of blood relation with, but we all consider each other fully part of our extended, convoluted family (for serious - irl I have 9 siblings).

Mum taught me business sense and how to tend to battle wounds, Dad taught me how to fight. I’ve got a lot of family of various races all over Thedas, all related (not necessarily by blood) one way or another. People say lovely things about my Mum, and the craziest things about my Dad - the stories of his exploits are so outrageous it’s difficult to believe any of them are true (like irl my dad was involved in organised crime for a while but quit cos he got bored????).

I love my family but I’m really bad at keeping in contact with them, so I get the occasional letter from Mum being like ‘ARE YOU DEAD?!’

Leliana has taken to sending her reassuring updates preemptively.

5. Who were you before? I imagine I’d be part of something like a dnd adventuring party.

We started out as a ragtag group of misfits, travelling the land in search of gold and glory. It was mostly treasure hunting and mercenary gigs, and some of the work we did on the high seas was um, legal-adjacent (piracy). But occasionally we’d stop to lend a hand to those in need, pass ourselves off as bards to earn extra coin in small-town taverns, and we even involved ourselves in vigilante justice a couple of times.

We grew into our own little family, and eventually we found ourselves wanting to do the type of work that really mattered. That’s why we signed ourselves up to work security at the Conclave, with a plan to move into aiding refugees in Ferelden afterwards. It didn’t. Quite. Work out that way. Unfortunately.

6. Would you be religious? That’s a hard no.

7. Do you have a mabari? YES PUPPY! Who is also a fully fledged member of our adventuring troupe I might add.

8. Your opinion on other races? Elves = rad, dwarves = awesome, humans = eh, dragons?? = HELL YES

9. What would Varric’s nickname for you be? Stubby.

10. What would your tarot card look like? This one is hard! I’m thinking a lot of compass imagery (because the sea and travelling and finding your way etc.)...and I’d have to be facing at an angle that best accentuates my glorious biceps.

11. Where would you hang out in Skyhold? I like to be in the centre of the action, but I’m not sure where that would be?? Probably in the main Skyhold courtyard near the entrance, in amongst the merchants? It’d be a good spot to see the comings and goings, check in with recruits and workers for the Inquisition, and also play with any kids who might be around. 

It’s important to make sure the kids of the Inquisition are happy and healthy and, um, ok Josie I’ll admit it, they’re also way more fun to hang out with than that stuffy noble whoeverthefuck you just brought in from Orlais.

12. What would you do for fun? Knock back beers in the Herald’s Rest with my companions, come up with dirty drinking songs with Sera, get blackout drunk with Dorian (although I’ll eventually realise it’s a very unhealthy coping mechanism and encourage Dorian to join me in cutting down the booze), swap stories and quality bants with Varric, beg Vivienne for fashion advice, gush over romance novels with Cass, have tea and gossip sessions with Josie, poke fun at Cullen, spar with the Inquisition recruits (and scare the shit out of them), and, just anything to distract from the looming horror that is Corypheus.

13. What armour would you wear? Heavy, shiny, and bloodstone red.

14. What would your room look like? Organised chaos. I love playing host so my room would look mostly neat, but the writing desk would be an absolute mess. It would probably make poor Josie hyperventilate (which is why I’d always suggest we discuss things in her office, or at least give me plenty of notice before swinging by my chambers so I can tidy up). 

15. Who would be your friends at Skyhold? I’d wanna be friends with pretty much everyone, but I think I’d be closest with Dorian (BUT of course only after giving him a solid scolding for his views on slavery, and I’d only continue talking to him if he came to his senses).

We have a very similar sense of humour, and. Oh man. I have way more feelings about this than I thought I would. In short - I can imagine both laughing with him and collapsing on the floor together with a bottle of wine (each) and many tears.

16. Would you have any friends outside of the Inquisition? This makes me sad because my closest friends outside the Inquisition would be my adventuring party and they..would’ve...the Conclave...EVEN MY MABARI. MY POOR PUPPY. OH GOD WHY. TOO MANY FEELINGS.

17. Who wouldn’t you get along with? Cole. It’s not that I don’t like him, I’d just be super awkward around him, like ‘HELLO SPIRIT CHILD HOW ARE YOU TODAY. OH, IS THAT AN INSECURITY OF MINE YOU JUST POINTED OUT?! WELL COOL, GOOD TALK.’ 

18. Who would you romance? I know this isn’t possible in Inquisition but I would like to be in a polyamorous relationship with Isabela. SHE IS MY FICTIONAL SOULMATE OK.

(Also I’m more than a little bit in love with Cullen but I hate myself for it so)

19. Would you do pranks with Sera? AbsoLUTELY.

20. Would you sleep with the Iron Bull (casually if not romance)? 100% YES. It’d only be an occasional thing tho, cos while I’m a masochist and I like being tied up I’m not really a sub. I’d mostly go to him for bondage tips and um. Requests for. Demonstrations.

21. Would you keep Cole around? Yes. I’d still be weirded out by him, but I acknowledge that it’s completely not his fault. I’d take his word for it that he just wants to help people and let him have at it with that freaky mind-reading and vanishing shit he does.

22. Can you play the game (politics)? A little bit. I’d have to work the scandal angle. Being a Qunari I could never hope to assimilate into the realms of the nobility, but I could win their favour by being something of a novelty. Much like Casanova in this brilliant adaptation starring David Tennant - watch from 10:42.

You see, you don’t have to be liked by everybody, just the right people, and you can usually get them onside by just being very fucking entertaining.

23. What would be on your tombstone in the fade (What are you afraid of)? Ghosts. I’m not sure how well that translates to a Thedas setting but still, it’s my biggest fear so I’m sticking with it.

24. Who would you recruit to seal the breach? Mages.

25. Opinion on Mages versus Templars? Ok, so I have a proposal for how to fix this bullshit:  

1. The Chantry should relinquish any and all control over the affairs of mages. Separation of Church and State, simple as that.

2. The Templar Order should be disbanded, and the practice of indenturing soldiers by saddling them with a lyrium addiction should be banned.

3. All people in Thedas (and I mean ALL) should be taught about magic from a young age, both the gifts and dangers of its use. Everyone should learn about magical safety and how to resist demonic possession.

4. Mage children should attend the same schools as everyone else, but they can hone their skills in their late teens to early adulthood in mage colleges, with free tuition paid by the State (of wherever part of Thedas this is). They can research magic, learn a trade or train in combat, whatever they choose. Mages will be allowed to earn money, marry, have families, and have some actual freaking rights. None of this ‘hunt ‘em down and lock ‘em up’ bullshit.

5. Also the Rite of Tranquility WHAT THE FUCK. I can’t believe it’s a thing people actually agree to do. This rite should be downright fucking outlawed, and severe penalties levelled at the people who attempt it.

26. Who would be put in charge of Orlais and why? Briala. I wouldn’t suggest to Briala that she should get back together with Celene, because honestly their relationship was really fucked up and Celene abused the power imbalance between them. Briala deserves better (like for example me..maybe...but y’know, only if she wants to..)

So I would keep Celene on the throne but hand over all real power to Briala. Celene is a crafty one however, so we’d have to corner her with blackmail and keep a hidden killswitch on hand in case she tries to pull a fast one on us (just like the Voltron kids should be doing with Lotor, which sorry, I know that isn’t related but I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT IT).

27. Would you sacrifice the Chargers? NEVER.

Seriously Fuck the Qun. The Qun actively promotes eugenics with how they selectively “breed” their people. ALSO the Qunari are gaslighted into believing that they will literally go insane if they don’t follow the Qun?!!!?!?!!??!??! FUCK THAT SHIT.

So yeah, I was never keen on the idea of allying with the Qunari, so when Gatt’s like ‘if you sacrifice the dreadnought there will be no alliance��� I’m like ‘I am ok with this.’ Also, of course, I love the Chargers with all my heart and couldn’t bear to lose them.

28. Would you go after Blackwall? Yeah. He should put all his moral posturing to good fucking use and try being an actual hero. I’d make him join the Wardens, cos it’s effectively a death sentence (or an early grave at least ) and I don’t 100% dislike him, so I know he’d be cool with it because he has a giant fucking hard-on for the Wardens (Jesus fuck). 

29. Would you drink from the well? Nnnnnoooooooooo..and it’s because I would fucking die for Morrigan. I wish I could say I have a well considered reason, but I’m just pathetic like that. She could say jump and I’d say ‘I’d rather not, but, counter offer - would you instead like to sit on my face?’ 

30. Where would you go if the Inquisition was disbanded? Minrathous. It’s warmer there (I love Skyhold but fucking hate the cold), and I would involve myself in the inevitable slave uprising - helping out in whatever way I can. Also I’d just be having a fucking great time terrorising the Magisters, rocking up at the Magisterium like ‘LOOKIT ME I’M A RAGING QUNARI HERE TO INVADE, RARRGHH!! oh hey Dorian, what’s up babe how’ve you been????’

31. How do you react to the egg telling you he is an elven god? The five stages of grief:

Denial - lol no ur not, you’re our painty pyjamas nerd! 

Anger - Wait, so it’s YOUR FUCKING FAULT MY FRIENDS AND EVERYONE ELSE DIED AT THE CONCLAVE??!?! I AM GONNA GUT YOU AND STRING YOU UP BY YOUR INTESTINES SO I CAN USE YOUR WEEDY BODY AS A GORE PINATA YOU FUCKING MONSTER 

Bargaining - but you’re a god right? Does that mean you can bring them back? Can you undo all this somehow? You gotta have superpowers or some shit right??!?

Depression - After all we’ve been through...you never even saw us as people, did you? Did you ever think of me as a friend? Or anyone else? How could you be ok with murdering your friends? Solas, please, you don’t have to do this. I know that if we work together we can find a better way. You don’t have to destroy the world to save it.

Acceptance - ..................I fUCKING HATE YOU SOLAS.

[knightsdivine]

Anything interesting about your characters?

Aria Cousland is a very skilled bard (despite being trained as a 2-handed warrior), not that anyone who figures that out lives very long to tell it.

Phann and Leona Calabra were once the same character that I split in two, my monk-cleric Phann Calabra. dnd!Phann was a noble half-elf, so I gave the noble human part to Leona, and the elf part to Phann.

Solaris thinks ZITHER makes a mockery of being a Virtuoso. After ZITHER joined the Inquisition, she traveled to Skyhold to teach the art in a more offensive capacity. She finds that they both did what they had to survive as mages, and they even struck up a pretty good friendship.  

Leona is more a Polearm, than she is a tempest dual wield.

Togashi’s parents were dragon worshipers– and as such his mother drank dragons blood fairly often. His fire magic tends to be much more explosive than other mages.

Phann eventually settles in the Emerald Graves, and does a pretty good job of scaring the locals off. She helps local wildlife and hopes that with the humans too scared to act, she can move more Elves into the Graves. She’s essentially become the Witch of the Wild in Orlais.

Leona, has a pretty idyllic idea of marriage. She has a thing for stories about Princesses running away with knights and it fuels her crushes on Warden!Carver, Cullen, and King Theirin.

Enna absolutely adores children, but they’re very awkward around them. Which doesn’t help as they already have kids.

June was disowned/given to a Cloister. Her mother wants nothing to do with her, but her father was very involved in her upbringing. In fact, he’s the one to urge her to join the Black Divine’s Navy. However, she end up stealing a ship and becoming a pirate, but eh, what can you do?

Emra and Nalia eventually adopt an Antivan boy named Valeriano. Zevran dropped him off very cryptically one night when Val was 4, and whenever they ask where he found him Zev always gives vague answers.

[impossible-rat-babies]

So I figured I would do a quick thing to, I guess, clarify my Lavellan kiddos so people know about them. A majority of this is going to be under the cut since it’s going to be long.

Darva Lavellan

He began back when I first played on the xbox 360 and the only one of my quizzy’s I made on the xbox 360. I did start to play the game on my cruddy laptop, but then gave up and enlisted a friend. I already knew something about the game at the time--mainly Dorian--so I only went into the game knowing I wanted to romance Dorian. I was also neck deep in a dnd campaign at the time, so I made him a rogue. I do have like two surviving phone photos of how he first looked:

(gosh this is so strange to look at). Very first playthrough folks. I didn’t give him eyebrows because I thought they looked strange with his tattoos. I know that when I got to Skyhold that I decided he was going to be trans; I think I also decided he was going to bisexual too. I remember almost finishing up his playthrough when I bought myself a xbox one to play on. I imported him to my xbox one and I did a little editing on him to make him look like how he did before. Still no eyebrows. I finished the game and Trespasser and then moved onto my human warrior Millianna. I think at this time Dragon Age Origins came up on backwards compatibility, so I decided to play it. I ended up remaking Darva so I could play with a custom world state. I made him completely with scratch with only two photos to work off, so he came out a little different. From there, I’ve modified him a little with each playthrough to reflect his backstory and such; I changed his nose to reflect having a high nose bridge and his eyes have gotten a little bigger to align with the canon of how elves look in da2. He’s always had that haircut and green eyes however. I wanna say I remember making him another time since I had modified my world state again. But for the most part he’s stayed pretty babyfaced.

His personality was one that I built originally off of the sarcastic dialogue from the game and changed as I gathered more of who he was as I kept playing and building his backstory. He’s still partially built off of those dialogue choices, but he’s much more polarizing against the Chantry than when I first played him. I remember when I got to the final fight with Corphyeus, I had the dialgoue option to say that: “The Maker is with me.” I don’t get that option anymore.

Livonah Lavellan

I remember making Livonah in a sketch in my notes at the same time I made Millianna. I went with Millianna and then came back to Livonah. I’ve probably struggled the most with getting her how I want her to be. I always knew I wanted her to have dark skin, blonde hair and blue eyes; I also knew I wanted her to romance Blackwall. She was originally a mage since I hadn't played one yet. I hated it at the time since I was fresh off a playthrough of a warrior; so I made her as a warrior:

I didn’t get very far before I didn't like how her face had turned out from what I saw in my head. I ended up remaking her as a warrior with a different pre-set and a few differences:

I got much further in this one, all the way to Skyhold, before I didn't like playing as a warrior. I liked her face and this look, but the class bothered me to no end. I also think I was trying to make her look more like her sister Ashby since she had just been a character my friend and I had decided to play. I thought I could make her as just a rogue and I remade her in the same thread:

I returned to the darkest skin tone like she had originally been along with the short hair. I was settled on this for a long time and I got all the way to right before the Temple of Mythal before I went to playing other characters. I later decided to go back to her first origins and remade her as a mage which is on the top image. 

Personality wise I always wanted her to be a bit outgoing and more of a contrast to Darva’s more quiet and sarcastic nature. I always made her with the intention of her and Darva being very close to each other and that relationship evolved as I built more of a backstory for her, Darva and Fisk.

Ashby Lavellan

My friend was over with me and she wanted to make a Lavellan to romance Bull because he’s by far her favorite character. I think we also wanted her to have the Elgar’nan tattoos and darker skin. By the time we made her, I just had Fisk, Livonah and Fisk set as like my three kiddos. We ended up changing things up a little to include Ashby as Livonah’s sister with only a small modification to backstory stuff. My friend also challenged me to not make a single sarcastic choice since I had a very large sarcastic streak at the time. Her ending up as a rogue was push back against her wanting me to play with no sarcastic choices. I think she’s only ever had a haircut change and maybe a few nose tweeks. Beyond that, she’s been messed with the least since we got what we wanted when we first made her.

I ended up calling her a Disney princess because of how pretty she is and how she was like the nicest person ever. She oddly enough ended up a lot like my friend in regards to her being very cute, kind and bubbly.

Fisk Lavellan

I don’t remember much about making Fisk, but ze has gone through the least amount of physical changes in comparison to everyone else. Ze has always had the dark brown hair with the buzz cut, but zir eye color changed to reflect the similarities between zemself and zir sister Tistle. I also modified zir nose a little to reflect the look of the elves in da2. I also made zir tattoos the more complex ones since when I originally played zem, I had zem get more tattoos between the main game and Trespasser. I was still experimenting with different sorts of choices to make in the game and I think when originally played, I actually completed Champions of the Just.

Zir backstory and personality has changed the most. I knew I wanted to romance Cassandra and I went through the whole game thinking ze was cisgender. It wasn't until I picked up playing zem that I said fuck it and made zem genderfluid and picked the ze/zem/zir pronouns for zem. It was at this time I went with the red lipstick and heavier eye make up because I could.

I always did make zem much older than the other kiddos with the intention of making zem as like someone to watch over them. That part is still there, but ze is more lax than I think I originally played.

Tistle Lavellan

Tistle was made because I wanted a tiny elf with a big sword. There was no real motivation beyond that when I first created her. I later decided to connect her to Fisk and have her as zir younger half sister. (This is when I made a few changes to Fisk’s appearance). I think I was also experimenting with character creator in how I went with red hair and those tattoos in a skin tone color. I also decided to make her relatively young--18 years old--and for her to have no romance and be sex and touch repulsed. (aka me dumping my own traits into her).

Note: Speaking as a white person who is still unlearning a lot of gross shit, I never made Fisk, Livonah, Ashby, or Tistle with the intention of tokenism or having them as props for Darva’s story. I went into creating them as character’s in their own right who could stand on their own. Now I know as I create them I have to be mindful of harmful tropes and other general gross stuff that comes with white people making POC characters. I don’t have them developed as much as I would like to have them, but I’m working towards making them more complex than tropes or stereotypes. 

[tofixtheshadows]

"He may have no other magic than the anchor, but that damnable rogue has eluded death more times than can be natural."

In honor of getting @quicklikelight to play Inquisition and finishing my second ever playthrough, here’s my recent Inquisitor, Tamxan, who I based on my DnD character. I am VERY proud of his endgame armor and daggers (Skyhold f/w ’18 collection).