#the possibility of leliana freeing you from there as well?? not the same dungeon but the same danger??? ouch. ouch!

[tabriscadash]

#okay no i'm not done actually#the way it feels like destiny for you to die on the alienage's behalf (soris is still in the dungeons in other origins when you get there)#and not only is that fate averted by duncan's presence#but what feels like the fate laid out for you by adaia's death is shifted too#this makes the ultimate sacrifice ending so much more awful imo#because it almost feels like a final destination-esque reckoning#you thought you escaped? no. this city will eat your bones and spit out a golden savior#who tabris actually *is* was always irrelevant and i am!!!#eating this#excuse me i am just writing baby arianwen and adaia right now and i am Feeling Things#i just!!! her boots!! is anyone listening? is this thing on?? her *boots*!#*buries face in crossed arms and sobs*[...]#oh shit oh god i just realized also#you free adaia from the dungeon in leliana's song right#and then in turn escape from the same dungeon#and when imprisoned at drakon's rise you break free from that too?#now it's tastier if you free yourself from the dungeon but#the possibility of leliana freeing you from there as well?? not the same dungeon but the same danger??? ouch. ouch!

the fact that you start the Tabris origin by literally stepping into your mother's shoes. the fact that what you get is a wedding outfit and your mother's worn boots, kept carefully intact for years, tucked away for this exact moment. the fact that you then immediately take the path she never could, leaving behind the alienage and the wedding and following Duncan (who would have recruited Adaia first, if not for baby!Tabris) to what ought to have been death.

And Then!! instead of fighting and falling as she did, cheating death and becoming the fighter she always intended you to be instead??? Reliving and simultaneously subverting the story of her life??

[pikapeppa]

Fenris/f!Hawke and the Inquisition: Trouble

Chapter 2 of Fenris the Inquisitor is up!

In which Fenris remembers why he hates magic, is generally mistrustful of everyone except Varric, and wonders what the fuck happened to Hawke. 

It’s a long one, so this is just an excerpt. Read the whole thing on AO3.

******************

What the fuck is this? Fenris thought in horror.

He ignored the handful of sword-bearing guards in his cell and stared at his left palm. Glowing green lines of light seemed to flicker across the creases in his skin, and as he watched, the lines on his palm started to swell.

Suddenly his entire left hand burst into a flickering network of verdant light. Fenris instinctively recoiled from his own hand, unable to breathe from the shock and the feel of it. It felt like… not like pain, not exactly, but like pins and needles: an uncomfortable and restless pulsing, as though something in his skin was wriggling to escape.

There was a sudden metallic thunk of a key in a door. Fenris looked up from his shackled hands as two female silhouettes stepped into his cell.

One of the women strode directly toward him. Her scarred face was creased with fury as she circled around behind him and bent close to his ear.

“I know exactly who you are,” she said.

He stared at her in surprise as she slowly paced around in front of him. He’d never seen this woman before. How did she…?

A sliver of suspicion wiggled its way into his mind. He narrowed his eyes. “Seeker Pentaghast?” he said.

She glared at him more ferociously. “I knew Varric was lying about knowing where you were,” she said. She folded her arms and looked down her nose at him. “Maybe everything else he said was a lie as well. Maybe he lied about your innocence in all of this.”

Varric. So Varric was safe, then - or at least alive. That was a relief. But where the fuck was Hawke?

He swallowed the lump of fear in his throat and lifted his eyes to the Seeker’s angry face. “If you know who I am, you know I don’t take kindly to being chained,” he growled. “Release me. Now.”

She drew back slightly in surprise, then ignored his demand. “The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead, except for you.”

Fenris lifted his eyebrows. This was news to him. But… how had the Conclave been destroyed? When had that happened? The last thing he remembered was arguing with Hawke to stay hidden in the woods. He remembered setting off alone, but he didn’t remember making it to the Temple of Sacred Ashes. But he supposed he must have done, if Cassandra was saying so-

She suddenly grabbed his left wrist. Fenris snarled and tried to wrench his hand away, but another flare of green light burst across his fingers.

He gaped at it in shock. Then the Seeker flung his hand down and pointed accusingly at his palm. “Explain this,” she snapped.

“I can’t,” he said dumbly. He stared at his own left hand, feeling oddly betrayed by what was clearly the mark of some evil magic on his skin.

An old and familiar feeling of rage started to swell in his chest. More magic, forced upon me against my will, he thought. As if the lyrium brands weren’t enough, now he had yet more unknown magic in his body, stuck beneath his skin and trying to burst free.

“What do you mean, you can’t?” the Seeker demanded.

He glared at her. “What part of my words do you not understand?” he taunted. “I don’t know what this is, or how it got there.”

She surged toward him and grabbed the collar of his coat. “You’re lying!” she shouted.

Fenris couldn’t help it: his lyrium tattoos suddenly burst to life. He was too enraged, too frustrated by all these unknowns, and the fear… venhedis, the fear was the worst thing of all, this terrible, sucking fear that something had come of Hawke -

Fire. A burning, stabbing agony was suddenly thrumming across his whole body, almost as though his skin was boiling, and he cried out in surprise and pain.

“Cassandra!” The second woman’s voice broke in, and Fenris gasped and slumped forward on his hands as the pain disappeared as quickly as it had come.

The Orlesian-accented voice was sharp with censure, and vaguely familiar. “We need him, Cassandra,” she said quietly.

Fenris panted for breath and lifted his face. “Leliana?” he rasped. He remembered her from her brief visit to Kirkwall a few years ago, but more so from her unexpected presence at Chateau Haine during that foolish wyvern hunt. She’d seemed to trust Tallis about as much as he had.

Leliana slowly crouched in front of him. “Hello, Fenris,” she said softly. “I regret that we meet again under such… dire circumstances.”

He blew out a careful breath, then sat back on his heels. ���Whatever you think I did, you are wrong,” he told her. “As far as I remember, I wasn’t at the Conclave at all. I don’t… I can’t remember how I got here.” He clenched his jaw to control his ever-present rage. This was all too horribly familiar: the shackles and chains, the unwanted magic staining his body, the gap in his mind where his memories should be… It was almost like he hadn’t left the Imperium at all.

Except that this time, his life wasn’t the one he was most concerned about.

Almost as though she knew what he was thinking, Leliana tilted her head. “Where is the Champion?” she asked. “Would she know anything about this?”

Leliana hadn’t seen Hawke, then. Fenris wasn’t sure whether to be relieved that Hawke hadn’t been caught, or even more afraid about where she might be.

He swallowed hard and forced his face to remain neutral. “I wouldn’t know,” he said. Assuming Hawke was alive - he refused to entertain any other possibility - there was no chance Fenris was going to tell these people where to look for her, not when it was clear that they suspected her just as much as him.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Cassandra said sharply.

He shot her a sharp glare. “I don’t know where she is,” he said loudly. “We parted ways a long time ago.”

Cassandra snorted skeptically. “I don’t believe you,” she said. “Varric made it clear that that would never happen.”

Fenris continued to stare at her flatly. Blasted damned Varric with his blasted stories, he thought angrily. Was there anything Varric hadn’t told this woman?

“Besides,” Leliana added, “this looks quite new.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a familiar piece of fabric.

It was Fenris’s red kerchief - the one Hawke had embroidered and tied around his wrist before they’d left Alamar. Without thinking, he grabbed for the kerchief. “Give that back,” he commanded.

Leliana tilted her head, and Fenris pressed his lips together, furious at himself for his slip. Then Cassandra took a step forward. “Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take him to the rift.”

Leliana studied him for a moment longer, then placed the red fabric in his hand before rising to her feet and walking away. Cassandra knelt in front of him and began unlocking his shackles.

He gazed mistrustfully at her face. She still looked angry, but she seemed more worried now than outright enraged.

He finally hazarded a question. “What did happen?” he said quietly.

She tied his hands together with rope. “It will be easier if I show you,” she said, and she led him out of the dungeon and up a set of stairs.

Fenris glanced around surreptitiously. It seemed that they were in a rather small Chantry. As Cassandra pushed open the Chantry doors, his eyes were instantly drawn to the sky.

His jaw dropped. “What is that?” he breathed. The sky was dominated by a huge, swirling… cloud, perhaps? Or tornado? Some kind of unnatural, magical formation of light, and it was the same sickening green as the magical mark on his hand.

Suddenly he understood her suspicion. Magic on his hand and magic in the sky… Of course they suspected him. If he was in their shoes, he would be suspicious too.

“We call it ‘the Breach’,” Cassandra said. Her eyes were on the sky as she spoke. “It’s a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour.” She turned to look at him. “If it continues to expand, it may swallow the whole world.”

He stared at the Breach without replying. While he watched, the Breach seemed to swell, and then his palm burst into flickering light again.

Fenris hissed with discomfort and shook his bound hands in frustration. “Fasta vass,” he spat.

Cassandra took a step closer to him. “Every time the Breach expands, your mark spreads. And it is killing you. It may be the key to stopping this, but there isn’t much time.” Then, to his surprise, she pulled a knife from her belt and cut his bonds.

Fenris rubbed his wrists, then carefully tucked Hawke’s scarlet kerchief into his pocket. “Where are you taking me?” he asked.

“To the Breach,” Cassandra replied. “But your mark must be tested on something smaller. This way.” She jogged toward a gate, and Fenris followed her out of the settlement and into the snow-covered wilds.

Read the rest on AO3.

[cosmiciaria]

Dragon Age Origins review! (spoiler free - long post)

Dragon Age 2 review

Dragon Age Inquisition review

So at last I closed this cycle and finished Dragon Age: Origins. I'm still playing Awakening and will probably comment on it but it won't be a proper review.

I left Origins for last because I had a few mishaps in the way here. My first Dragon Age ever was Inquisition, so I'm so so sorry for having started this story by the third installment. However, you may be very happy because thanks to that awesome game I plunged myself into the world of Thedas and now I'm stuck in that dark pit of hell forever.

After I was done with Inquisition (for like… eight times), I said to myself, hey, I should play Origins. I don't own a ps3 so it kinda discouraged me quite a bit, because I am a trophy hunter after all, but the PC version had to be enough for me (the same with DA2). I booted the game, created a female mage warden, played through her origin story, met Alistair, fell for him, recruited Leliana, Morrigan and Sten and… arrived at the Broken Circle main quest. Boy was I put off by it! I had a ragequit when I reached the Fade mission and left the game for dead.

But lately I've been hearing things about a possible DA4… and fangirled about Inquisition with a friend and… Well I wanted to play Inquisition again, but the thing is I know that game by heart now and I wanted something new. My friend insisted that I should fall for Fenris, Fenris this, Fenris that, and so I obeyed her and played DA2 only to fall for Anders (sorry my fren!). And once I was done with this? Alright, I went back to Origins. But I discovered my save files had been eradicated from earth! I almost quit but gathered courage and said to myself that I hadn't lost much gameplay hours. I restarted the whole thing, a new mage again.

And this time, I used mods!

And this time, I finished the game!

It was SUCH an experience. I'm really put off by the graphics of this game. Let's face it: it doesn't push the ps3 hardware to the limit, not at all, on the contrary I might add, and sometimes it may very well be a ps2 quality game. Textures are all dull, brown, grey. The color palette isn't very broad, character creation is quite limited (thank god for the mods) and animations are rigid and repetitive. So much so that I noticed (and I think everyone noticed it too) that animations are the same across the three games. DA2 added a few more, specially for mages, but they reuse the same five or six animations all over again. Faces all look the same, except for some important characters; gameplay is slow, ordinary fights take up too much time and playing as a mage in this first installment is a nightmare (whereas in the other two games it was greatly improved and accelerated).

I can understand if the game had low budget. Great things can be achieved with low budget. Just look at The Witcher! Just beware: if you really care about graphics, you're going to suffer through this game, because some scenes look cringy and terribly animated.

Some quests and dungeons drag on forever. You know of what I'm talking about. The Fade side mission inside the Broken Circle main quest (which is recommended to be done early in the game) it's such a huge warning for players, because it's even longer than main one. It can greatly discourage people to keep playing, as it is long, it doesn't add much to the actual plot that we care about, and it feels like a filler for the sake of adding more hours to the story. The other "oh god please end me right now" main quest that lasts forever, is the I STILL DON'T KNOW WHY mandatory Deep Roads level. I just, I just really hate the Deep Roads, guys. For those of you who don't know, the Deep Roads are the underground labyrinth built by dwarves. After playing The Descent expansion pack of Inquisition, I began to feel dread whenever I entered a dwarven architecture, I felt claustrophobic. The experience was such of running around with no goal whatsoever in these endless halls that I can't bring myself to enjoy it. So when there's a Deep Roads quest, I always have a bad time.

But… does all this make it a bad game? Not at all.

So you play as the Warden, a main character you create. You can be a human, an elf or a dwarf. Depending on the class you choose (warrior, mage or rogue) you are going to have a different origin story. For instance, a rogue or warrior elf can be both a city elf or a dalish elf (you choose), but if you make them a mage, then you're forced to play the magi origin. Also, not all classes are available for everyone, as dwarves cannot be mages. So on and so on.

The interesting thing about these origins (it happens the same in Inquistion) is that all the possibilities that you can have at the beginning, actually happen. It's just that it's the character you create the one who is chosen to be a Warden. I mean: if you choose a human mage, all the other characters you didn't choose (human noble, city elf, dalish elf, dwarf commoner, dwarf noble, mage elf) they all happen and go through their origin stories as well, it's just that they aren't lucky (or unlucky?) enough to become a Warden. Proof of this is that Hawke (our main oc in DA2) is linked through their mother to the Amell human mage, whether this one was the Hero of Ferelden or just another ordinary mage with no heroic career in the Circle. You encounter the secondary characters of each origin story across the story of the main quests, just as it happens with Jowan, a mage you meet in your magi origin, but if you're not a mage, he still appears in the Redcliffe main quest. This is confirmed by the wikia, and it's pretty interesting! You, as the player, have the power to manipulate these threads that intertwine: you are the one who decides whose fate will be heroic.

Depending on your origin, your initial story varies. But at one point or another, you're going to come across Duncan, a Grey Warden who is recruiting lads and lasses to the Joining. Duncan offers you to accompany him to Ostagar, and you must accept.

And what the nugs are Grey Wardens? Grey Wardens are an "elite" army who fight the darkspawn, and they are the only ones who can fight them. Darkspawn are their own version of zombies let's say: they live underground, in the Deep Roads. They're not intelligent but crave for surviving, so they're dangerous and a plague. Every now and then, a Blight occurs: a creature called Old God – a dragon – transforms itself into an Archdemon and commands these armies of darkspawn, giving orders and destroying everything in their stride. Wardens exist to fight the Blight, as it is the moment the world is in more peril.

And why so much secrecy? Why not an ordinary army? Grey Wardens are different from an ordinary soldier since, to become one, you must drink darkspawn blood. From now on, you'll sense the darkspawn, you'll hear their whispers in your head, and your lifespan is heavily reduced. This is the price Grey Wardens pay: many see it as an honor, others as a punishment.

You've joined the Grey Wardens: alongside the other junior Warden, Alistair, you're going to take part in the next battle in Ostagar. People are still arguing if this is a Blight or not, because there had been no signs of an Archdemon, but everything changes when the armies strike, and a huge, blood-red dragon pierces the sky with its shrieking howl.

King Cailan has come to your aid and he fights valiantly with Duncan on the field. Meanwhile, you and Alistair must head to the tower to light the beacon for the reinforcements led by Ser Loghain Mac Tir know they must come to the rescue. You are overrun by darkspawn, your Wardens can't take it anymore, you manage to reach the top of the tower, you light the beacon – you can make it, you can…!

…Only to watch Loghain command the order to his armies to retreat.

And they do.

And everything turns black when an arrow pierces your chest.

You wake up fresh and recovered in an old hut, where Morrigan and her mother Flemeth live. Flemeth has saved your life with her obscure powers – she remains a calm force, albeit a mysterious one. Alistair is safe and sound as well and as the only two Wardens left alive in Ferelden, you must regroup with those in Orlais and recruit as many possible allies as you can. The world opens up for you: you have the power to reach each corner of the map to make use of your title. Morrigan joins your team, forced by her mother, with a somehow vague motive, and soon you're sent to your main quests to gain allies.

And from here on out, the game will take the route you, the player, desire. In each of the main quests you'll end up having to make a huge decision that will undoubtedly change the future of the plot. Then again, you feel like the god of this game, choosing what to do, who to save, who to side with. It's all up to you! And since this is really dependent on the player and spoilers, I won't delve into it. Just know that there are multiple endings, and that there are characters you can save (or not). My piece of advice: trust in your team members!

And since we're on that topic, let's talk about companions! As it is a staple of these games, you can recruit not only allies for the war but also companions for your team. Your first party member will be Alistair, that I have mentioned a few times before. He's a junior Warden as well and the golden boy with a golden heart. His past is soon presented to you: he's the bastard son of late King Maric, and half-brother to King Cailan, now dead as well. This changes your whole view on him, now that the throne is being disputed for. He was training to become a templar when Ser Duncan recruited him. He highly respects Duncan, who took him in, and the Arl Eamon, the man who raised him. He's awkward, has some funny interactions with Morrigan and is easily teased because he's just too good. And I don't know what are you doing with your life if you don't romance him.

Morrigan is the mysterious daughter of Flemeth, the Witch of the Wilds. She'd lived secluded in a hut in the Korkari Wilds with her mother, learning black magic and how to shapeshift. She's witty, and her greatest weapon is her tongue, for she can be cruel and deceitful with just a few words. But if you open up to her and she starts to trust in you, behind that veil of "I don't care" you'll find a great friend who speaks her mind. Personally, towards the epilogue, I felt so much joy in having befriended her, because she truly shows her caring side.

Leliana is a sister of the chantry who happens to know how to fight (convenient! Or suspicious!). She joins your team because she had "a vision" that told her to do it, and so following the light she reaches you. She used to be a bard in Orlais, but now she has renounced her freedom to the Maker, their god. But if you dig deeper in her life… you'll find some interesting things and a very protective and supportive friend. She seems naïve, always wishing for a peaceful approach, although when she readies her arrows she's as deadly as Morrigan with her words.

Zevran is an assassin elf who was hired by Loghain to kill you, but he soon realizes he's outmatched by you. You can spare his life or not, but if you, you'll gain a very handsome and funny ally. He comes from the Antivan Crows, a guild of mercenaries who kill for the best bidder. He wants to leave that life behind, but he also wants to be free from a past who is (literally) hunting him. It's up to you to help this poor precious man or not!

Sten is a qunari whom you can free quite early on. Qunari are a race of big guys with horns that come from across the seas to conquer these lands, so they're mostly seen as criminals and scum. Sten is actually not a name but a title: he won't tell his real name though. He's very hard to talk to at the beginning, since qunari take everything a little bit too literal, and his culture differs greatly from what we're used to. But once he starts talking about his past and you learn about his principles, he becomes an easy man to deal with.

Wynne is a potential companion if you decided not to slaughter all the mages in the Broken Circle main quest and I advise you to do so, because she'll be your best healer, for at least the early part of the game. Wynne is an old woman who's seen her fair share of things in life, from tortured mage apprentices to demons taking over bodies. She holds a secret she kinda is ashamed of, and despite her full life, still has a few regrets here and there. She's kind and wise, but she may sound a bit nosy when she wants to interrogate you about your personal life. Still, she does everything with the outmost love and devotion, so she deserveS the WORLD ALRIGHT DON'T HURT MY MOTHER!!! AND SIDE WITH THE MAGES DAMMITTT

I should mention Shale, although I was too stupid not to recruit her. I thought I didn't have the dlc needed for her, as she isn't one of the vanilla party members. Shale is a golem brought to life with dwarven magic. I can't say much about her but people seem to love her a lot, as she brings a new fresh perspective into this too much humanly story. Many of the main quests may change her fate, so be careful when you act in her presence!

And last but not least, how could I forget about best boi in town, Dog. Yes, you have a dog as a party member. Yes, it's almost as good as Persona 3 where you have a dog who can summon other bigger and badasser dog to fight, almost as good. Dog plays out as any other warrior in the game, you can play as him as you can play as Alistair, and he's got his own ability tree and his own set of armor. And you can also interact with him as well! He loves you so much that you start the game at 100 love with him and that number will never diminish. He's always present at party camps, and sometimes you can trigger cutscenes of him with the other companions for the comic relief section of the game.

With these guys you up against the world, yay!

Decisions play a huge role in this game. Each playthrough can differ immensely from another one from the very beginning. Since it's a lot to cover, I'll leave all the discoveries to you. But don't be afraid to choose! Although, like I said before, trust in your comrades. The rest comes and goes.

So, is this a good game? It definitely is. The amount of possibilities, the countless sidequests, the ability to shape the story as it unfolds – it has the perfect recipe for a good plot. Do I think it's the best out of the three? Well, that's personal. I do think this game lacks in a lot of aspects that DA2 and Inquisition have mended and even improved upon, but that's because this one was the first attempt at something like this. You can't blame it for trying! In the story department, it is a good story, don't get me wrong, but maybe a bit too Young Adultish – in the sense of that you're the chosen one, you become the hero, you're a special snowflake and you can romance Alistair who's taken straight out of a love story for teenagers (I'm not complaining though!). It's a bit like all the other stories we've been seeing, watching, reading, playing for a while. If you're an avid reader of fantasy books (like me) then this game won't bring any new concepts to the table, except perhaps for the Grey Wardens and the fact that you can choose your adventure your story. Gameplay was sluggish and many a time I felt like I was playing World of Warcraft, specially when my mage had to cast a huge spell. Luckily, mods exist and they make everything easier, smoother and faster.

I would've loved to have played this game in a console, but alas, I'm stuck with my non-trophy-hunter pc version. I encourage everyone who's new to the series, to give this one a try. And if you don't dig the graphics or the long ass quests that never end, don't stop here, try the others! You might be like me, who played them in complete disorder, and still managed to love them all.

I'm in love with Thedas, with its lore, its characters and its endless possibilities for future titles. I just hope that someday, somehow, Dragon Age 4 can see the light.

[alittlestarling]

Welcome Home, Good Hunter

It’s the Avvar AU no one asked for and the thing I’ve been yelling at @rhetoricalrogue about for months now, honestly. Currently I have a few parts planned and more to come. Featuring Vincent Trevelyan and Rosalind in a “what if Vincent were Avvar and Roz were inquisitor?” AU.

Part 1: Fallow Mire

“Herald, watch your step,” Cassandra held a hand out as Roz’s foot slipped into the muck for what felt like the millionth time. It was hard to see the pathway through the swamp; not for the first time, Rosalind Marlowe wondered exactly who would settle down in the Fallow Mire. Rain had assaulted them with an annoying consistency since they had made camp along the borders, there was more water than land anywhere she stepped and, of course, the residue from a plague as well as the dead rising gave this place little charm.

“Thank you,” Roz shot a quick, grateful smile as she shook the peat and mud from her boots. Armor felt strange to her despite having been decked and dressed in it since waking in the dungeon in Haven. The last few months had rushed past in a blur of faces, battles and all eyes upon her as she made choices that she never wanted to be part of.

True, she had participated in rebellion (Leliana and Josephine had gently asked her not to disclose that piece of information to anyone looking to join their ranks), but even with the unsteady legs the rebel mages had stood upon, they at least were fighting for freedom. Yes, saving the world was important too, but Roz only felt shackled again, caught in a web that she knew she might never escape so long as the mark remained on her hand.

It crackled and sparked to life in the dim mist, the sickening green tingle running up her fingertips. Strange magic and an even stranger lapse in her own memory left her searching, seeking answers that always seemed just out of reach. Not to mention the looks people gave her. Some were caught in reverence, bowing and scraping and called her Chosen by the Bride of the Maker; others watched with wariness, tense and uncertain, as if she might spring forth a demon in disguise.

Perhaps it was better they remembered she was a mage and that she should be feared. In the end, though, it left her feeling more lonely than satisfied.

Cassandra had never swayed after their first attempt against the Breach, steadfast and faithful beyond words. Not many others had looked upon her the same way. Varric had this way of watching from the corner of his eye, as if mentally taking notes, sometimes narrating under his breath, but never getting too close to her. Blackwall was polite and uncertain, strong on the field but the wandering Warden hadn’t opened up much since joining their party.

“You really do take us to the nicest swamps, Rosebud,” Varric quipped from behind, “though I don’t think I care so much for the undead.”

“Perhaps you’ll have to write a strongly worded letter to the bog,” Roz snorted, shooting the dwarf a small smile. “Find some good words to use to describe this place. Damp, squelching, muddy-”

“An ever-constant fear of stepping in water and summoning the dead?” Varric added. Roz brushed back a small piece of damp hair off her face with a shake of her head, pausing only a moment to keep an eye on the shore nearby.

“Whatever magic’s afoot here, it’s not good.” Was it the rifts? Or perhaps someone else had harnessed something deeper and darker to bend and twist to their own will? The beacons in the bog didn’t give her a good feeling either way, not when she sensed it wasn’t the only one.

The world was filled with more magic, wonder and dread than Roz could have ever possibly imagined. Had she been told only a year ago that this would be her life, she would have laughed. But now stepping through dangerous territory, fighting off bandits and undead alike had become normal, along with the magic that swirled and surrounded her.

“Another broken home,” Blackwall tilted his head towards yet another run-down building in the distance. “Poor sods. I’ve seen plague, it’s not pretty.” Roz could believe it, wrinkling her nose against the putrid scent of death and decay that permeated the air around them.

Her own mind wandered to charred bodies, those broken by the fires set in the Circle and the people she had lost when they ran for freedom. How many bodies made anything she did worth it? How many deaths could be justified for the cause of seeking a life free from the Chantry and the Templars?

Shaking herself from a familiar spiral, Roz wiped rain from her face and kept them moving forward.

Magic was calling to her, a shift in the air drawing her closer to it. The mark offered an unfamiliar tang in her mouth, a strangeness that felt so unlike her own power that she’d nurtured and lived with almost her entire life. That was a force she knew well, a vast warmth that glowed and smoked like embers in her chest. The magic she could taste felt like the mark and she knew before they’d reached the strange green glow that there was another rift.

“Well,” Varric frowned at the stitch that glimmered green against the sky, cursing under his breath a moment. “Looks like the one in the valley, doesn’t it?”

“Not fully closed,” Roz sighed from the ruins of the house they’d paused in, eying the improperly sealed rift with irritation. Her hand sizzled at the thought of opening it, the magic already tugging to the stitch, the mark given a mind of its own when they got close to these when they were in the field. “Come on, let’s see what we can do.”

“Wait-” Cassandra had an arm flung out before Roz could move further ahead, running straight into Cassandra’s armored arm before slowing down. A gesture and Roz turned her attention to the shadows. Solid, strong and far bigger than she was, the stranger made no move forward to attack when Roz became visible.

“Is he friendly?” Varric intoned under his breath, the question they were all asking. It was hard to tell friend from foe in the wilderness sometimes, especially when they had yet to run into the Avvar who had apparently caused all this trouble and fuss.

“It doesn’t matter, does it? We need to close this. Properly.” Magic surged in her fingertips, wild and free as she stepped forward, lifting her hand to rip apart the veil. It struggled against her attempts, harder to control and contain, but she grit her teeth and let out a snarl as the world exploded in a green haze and demons burst into the world.

Roz held her staff, magic channeled within it, focusing the raw energy that raged within her. She was a wildfire, a clean burn that surged forth with spells and stabs of burning, bright energy. Fighting had never come easily to her; she had focused her own skills into herbalism and learning how to hone healing as an art. It helped in hiding evidence of her darker dealings, developing poultices to keep scars closed and healing. She wasn’t graceful in a fight nor did she have the brute strength that came with a warrior’s body.

Cassandra and Blackwall could dive into a fight, clashing metal and steel against their enemies, drawing forces to them to slash and hack away with brutal precision. Varric picked off stragglers, keeping them from getting too close, his line of sight always seemingly clear, despite his height. Despite only being grouped together for a few months, they worked rather well as a team. Roz alternated between savage bursts of flame and cool, shimmering barriers to protect as the dead rose from the peat bog around them.

All it took was a moment when her attention turned away, focused on setting a mine below the feet of a corpse near Varric, that she nearly missed another one ambling towards her; first slow, then fast, tripping over it’s feet momentarily in anticipation of slicing into her. There was a brief should from Cassandra, but before Roz could turn to face the creature, an axe sailed just past her, landing with a dull thud against the head of the creature.

There was no time for her to do more than react, instinct shooting flames into the mist at the sudden arrival of, what? Friend? Foe? Neither?

“Hold, I come in peace!” The fire bounced off a barrier, the figure light up a moment as all the breath left Roz’s lungs. Dark hair clung to his face, a smattering of scars along his face and one hand up, the other clutching the twin axe close to him. Another flash of green light and she noted, without looking too closely, that he was undoubtedly Avvar.

Roz swore internally. Of course, two would appear when they were in the middle of battling a rift.

“More demons!” Cassandra bellowed and Roz shifted her attention quickly from and then back to the stranger.

“If you intend to stay, then help fight them with us.” Roz called out, muttering a prayer under her breath. A glance to her side and she couldn’t help her eyes widening as lightning and blue energy surged along the axes in his hands.

“Hakkon guide your blade, Herald.” And the fight was on.

“Be careful, Rosalind,” Cassandra was eyeing their new friend with caution and wariness. Roz couldn’t blame her, not when he had arrived at just the right moment and found himself among those his people were trying to fight.

“Not my people,” Vincent clarified when the rift was closed and all eyes fell upon him. “I’m not of that clan, lowlander.” He was a little gruff, despite his earnestness to help, watching them all with a relaxed gait that still held coiled concern in each step. He may have helped, but he didn’t trust the companions he’d found himself amongst.

That is, everyone but Roz.

There was...something there. A tug not unlike what Roz felt when she grew close to rifts. It didn’t feel quite so severe or strange. As though there was a force calling to her, drawing her in when she got close. Intoxicating and strange and filling her with a sense of calm that she hadn’t felt since she left the Circle.

“I don’t bite, Lass.” Vincent hadn’t even looked up from the fire he was tending to, blowing across embers before the steady flow of magic turned them into bright, glowing flames. The warmth felt good; she had used magic on her clothes and the others earlier, drying the dampness from her armor

Rain continued to fall outside, puddles forming at the cave entrance and mist rolling inside. Roz couldn’t help herself – she was desperately curious, a million questions already forming in her head. “Yes,” she huffed softly, shifting from foot to foot, as though uncertain. Sit? Stand? But a glance from him followed and his gaze was warm, open and she could see the same curiosity echoed back at her.

“So,” Roz began, sitting down on a nearby log, rubbing her hands together before the fire. “If you’re not with the Avvar here, where are you from?”

“My clan is from Stone-Bear Hold,” Vincent answered, lifting his gaze from the fire to meet hers across from him. “My home is in the basin, along the mountains to the northwest.”

“You’re a ways from home,” Roz noted, “why are you here?” She paused, adding quickly, “I mean, I know why you’re here-here, but why are you in the swamp?” No one, certainly not anyone in her group, would have come here willingly. Not with the rain, the undead and the threat of strange beacons in the dark.

Vincent tilted his head to the side and for a moment it felt like his gaze was boring straight through her. As though he could truly see her, Rosalind, not the Herald of Andraste. Her cheeks flushed and her heart thumped in her chest but she didn’t drop her gaze, she couldn’t bring herself to look away. Here, among the undead and the peat, this man sat before her and it felt like nothing else seemed to matter in that moment.

Maker, what a lovely man he is.

“I was looking for you.” Her heart hammered with an odd uncertainty at the intimacy in his words. Cassandra’s warning to be careful echoed though as Roz swallowed hard.

“Me?!” But her alarm was short-lived, realizing a half-second after she’d spoken that he obviously hadn’t been looking for her; rather, he had been seeking the mark and the woman behind it. Her silly fantasies that had cropped up effortlessly were wiped from her brain, flushed now more out of embarrassment than pleasure.

Silly, foolish, of course he seeks the mark, not you, you dolt.

Shifting along the log, gaining her composure again, she stared at the fire to collect herself, adding her own magic into the mix.

“Herald of Andraste, you have made quite the commotion in the world.” If he had noticed her strange shift, he said nothing of it. “I almost wouldn’t believe it unless I’d seen it with my own eyes,” and his tone dipped, low and soft, “but you can heal the sky. How does that work?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Roz murmured with a small sigh. That was the mystery of it all: more than just how she had gotten the mark, but the why continued to plague her.

As if it knew they were speaking about it, the mark sizzled in a sharp contrast of green against the warm firelight. Roz gave a soft hiss, a frown creasing her brow as she fought off the sudden wince that followed. Instead, she clenched her hand into a fist, all but willing to light to stop. It does with an abruptness as Roz adjusts her gaze back to the lowlight around them.

Vincent watched her, curious and almost concerned by the looks of it. “Does it hurt?” He asked gently. Roz shrugged in an attempt to look nonchalant.

“Sometimes. It’s more of a sting these days, annoying but not terribly painful.”

Roz rarely talked about how the mark was affecting her and very few people asked. Josephine had often shown concern and sympathy when they were together in Haven but everyone else seemed to comment in passing and were far more intrigued in how it worked and how useful it would be to them and the world around her, not for her, the person. The shift in tone and the soft gaze across the fire felt odd to her as she busied herself with the folds of her shirt, gently warming the fabric to continue to keep herself dry.

As if sensing the discomfort, Vincent didn’t seek to fill the silence or push the subject. Roz was grateful for that as she glanced back up to him, watching him shift before the fire. It was only through subtly watching a moment that she caught the half-wince, the little grimace when he moved.

“Are you hurt?”

Vincent, for all intents and purposes, tried to wave it off without fussing. “Just a few scratches, nothing serious. I’ve lived through worse.”

Roz scooted over towards him, a frown on her face as she reached out. Gently, gravely, she asked, “May I? I can help.” There was a moment, a longer pause before Vincent gave a sharp nod.  

Despite her training, healing had never come quite as easily. Yes, she could find ways to use blood and make it work in her favor, but the healing arts were stiff even after practicing for the last few weeks on the road. The magic within her stuttered awkwardly a moment as her hands reached out, resting along his clothed chest. He took in a sharp breath, eyes wide and apologies fell from her lips.

“Sorry, sorry, I know, healing isn’t my strength but I’m getting better at it.” Letting the cool, blue magic wash over Vincent, Roz tried not to linger in silence long. “Give me an herb garden and I can create a poultice for almost anything. Or tea, I can do tea, too,” She gave a nervous little laugh, pulling her hands away when she was finished. “This is just a necessity of traveling, I suppose. How do you feel?”

“Better,” Vincent murmured, looking oddly winded, eyes fixed still so intently on her. The crackle of the fire was the only noise between them for a long moment as Roz shifted away again, aware how close she had gotten to him.

“So,” She tucked a leg beneath her, adjusting to sit as comfortably with a little distance between them, “you’re a mage? I saw what you did, with the lightning and your axes.” He nodded and Roz continued, asking the questions that burned from within. “But you use martial weapons as a focus? How did you learn to control it?”

Her teaching had always told her a mage outside the circle as dangerous, an apostate without any clear control or careful watch on their powers that could leave them open to hurting themselves or others. And the fear of possession and abominations had often been spread as a tale of caution for all who lived within the circle walls. Yet she had watched him during the fight, impressed with the strange mix of physical combat strength that blended with magic that crackled and fizzed in the air around them. There had been control and power without either outweighing the other and that had surprised her more than anything.

“A spirit of Patience taught me to use this gift.”

Her shocked silence followed this statement and he glanced at her with genuine confusion. “What? Is that not how you lowlanders do it?”

“Hardly,” Roz gave an incredulous laugh, half-curious, half-hysterical at the notion that anyone would willingly taken on possession when they were taught from an early age just what a demon might do. “You’re talking about being possessed. That’s a dangerous thing to us.”

Yet you have offered the same. Hypocrite.

The voice at the back of her mind was bitter and judging and she ran her hands along her arms where she knew scars remained from the rebellion. It was the only way to stay safe, she reminded herself, the only way she could ensure they made it to the conclave alive. Regardless of what had happened, she had done what she needed to survive. No one knew this, but Roz wasn’t going to divulge anything to her companions, not even this strange and handsome Avvar.

“Mages are a conduit to the gods, Lass,” Vincent interrupted her thoughts, leaning forward, “it’s a sacred duty we perform when we use our gifts. Spirits help us learn to channel that.”

“Don’t let anyone from the Chantry hear you saying that. Or a Circle mage, for that matter.” Roz shook her head, her magic flittering to stoke the fire once again. “I didn’t learn how to use my magic from spirits, that’s for certain.”

“How old were you when you began to learn with your gift?” Vincent asked and Roz realized he meant that genuinely. Magic to him was a gift, something that hadn’t been tucked away in a tower for years at a time and feared. It was simple and extraordinary and a lump rose in her throat fast. She swallowed against the sudden emotion, dropping her gaze away, afraid she might cry if she thought about living that life too hard.

“I was six when I came into my abilities. I accidentally lit my older brother’s eyebrows on fire.” That had been a sight - Matthew with no eyebrows, smoke floating in the air and the pair of them caught between amazement and, after a moment, horror at what had happened. “He was fine but my mother and father were swift to do what we necessary.”

“Necessary?”

Roz nodded. “Within a week, I was packed and off to Ostwick Circle with Templars to accompany me.” Her memories from home often felt fuzzy, a piece of a life she couldn’t quite grasp. Now and then she missed it, the sensation of home but that had faded with time when her family had ceased communications with the Circle. “I miss Matthew the most. I hope his eyebrows grew back in properly.” The comment was light but her heart did have a certain ache when she tried to picture her big brother, uncertain these days if they shared the same eye color or whether their laugh sounded the same.

“You didn’t stay with your family? Why?” Vincent looked horrified when she glanced up again, his own brow creased deeply with a glower of someone who hadn’t grown up in her world. “You were a child, you shouldn’t have been taken from them.”

“Magic exists to serve man,” Roz recited by heart, “never to rule over him.” When he looked even more bewildered, she went on. “Mages are inherently dangerous with magic and must be watched. Whether you believe it or not doesn’t really matter; we have been taught we need to stay locked away for the safety of ourselves and others.”

“That’s backwards thinking,” Vincent voiced and Roz couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped her lips. Bitterness prevailed in her tone though as she stared at the fire again.

“Perhaps, but like I said, it doesn’t matter.” The fire had begun in Kirkwall and now it spread across Thedas with a force that almost gave Roz hope for true, real change for all of them. Alderis had given her hope for such a thing; he paid for it, but that flame still burned brightly within her chest.

“Change had to come with a battering ram and we’re still picking up the pieces.” Uncertainty still remained and Roz could feel it whenever they’ve visited with folks across the map. “I hope to build something better than before with those pieces. Not everything was broken, but enough of it needs to be destroyed completely.”

“A lofty goal,” Vincent murmured with a little nod of his head. Roz shook her head, closing her eyes with a small yawn.

“Yes, and one I doubt will come easily.”

“Then I pray the Lady will guide you to your goal.” Genuine was a hard thing to find these days, especially among those who tried to wriggle their way closer to Roz. But that’s exactly what she saw when she gazed over at Vincent. Her heart thumped again in her chest when he smiled at her and she prayed to Andraste Herself that he didn’t notice the flush that reappeared along her neck.

“Well, first I need to rescue my soldiers.” It was better to change topics, she thought, careful not to lean in too closely as she added, “What can you tell me about the castle in the swamp?” It wouldn’t hurt, she told herself, to enjoy being around him for a moment. Even if he were to leave them in the morning, his help had been a necessity. It didn’t hurt either that his smile gave Roz butterflies.

It’s a harmless daydream. I doubt I’ll see him again after this.

[maiden-of-wolves]

OC’s as Inquisition Companions

Name: Ariel Grace

Race / Class / Specialization: Human / Archer, then must switch to daggers or sword/shield when her glasses break/are broken / Tempest (or Ranger, if we’re allowed to use other game’s specializations…)

Gender Identity: Female; she/her

Varric’s Nickname for them: Pixie

Short Bio: Having grown up with fantasy stories and playing games to escape her ever-mediocre life back home, she was very familiar with Dragon Age. Impressively so, by some people’s measure. Now, she’s here and she has no idea what to do about it. She finds that she has to relearn how to read and becomes ill often because she has not encountered the diseases of Thedas. Another curiosity is that she appears to either reflect or absorb magic, essentially making her immune to both offensive and defensive/restorative magic. She is able to expel it as well, but it often comes out as a different element than was used on her and is hard for her to control in the beginning.

What would their companion card look like?

<<Death Tarot>>

Recruitment Mission: It is an optional war table mission. It’s next to Haven on the map and is simply a notification from Solas about having gotten notice from scouts of an unusual rift. And that he needs to see them as soon as possible. If you choose to “Go to” you will go outside and towards the dungeons and Solas will come up dragging a bound Ariel with him.

Basically, she appears near Haven and is found by a scouting party before you decide to look for help from either the Mages or Templars. She’s taken to Haven’s dungeons and interrogated by Cassandra and Solas. Mostly Solas. He brings her to the Inquisitor to have them decide what to do with her, citing that she seems to have foreknowledge of the world, but he cannot place how she came there or even what she is. You will have the option to allow her to join the Inquisition or to kill her. If you don’t choose the mission, she will simply starve/freeze in the Haven dungeons.

Where would they be in Skyhold / Haven?

In Haven, she would be near the mines area you fall in while escaping or in the clinic, being treated.

In Skyhold she’d be in the library, with Varric in the hall, by the stables talking with the horses or with Dagna (if you recruit her) in the Underforge.

Quest 1: <<TBD>>

Quest 2: <<TBD>>

Quest 3: <<TBD>>

How to get their approval:

Help “the little guy” (aka people that are down on their luck and need help, beggars, slaves seeking freedom, etc.); Be curious, since she very much wants to know everything she can (if she doesn’t already know about it from the codex entries); Be snarky to nobles or those that are snarky with you; help/be nice to your fellow companions.

How to get their disapproval:

Protect nobility at the expense of those beneath them; turning a blind eye in exchange for gold; flirting with others if you are in a relationship (with her or anyone else); being abrasive when you could have saved people by being diplomatic/clever.

Are they romanceable?

Yes! By men and women, (race gated against dwarves and qunari - Sorry! T_T) but you will need to go VERY easy on the flirting for a while if you’re a lady. She’s not had a physical relationship with a woman before, but is open to the idea.

Can you have sex with them?

Only if you’re on friendly terms; none of this ‘rivalmance’ nonsense. If you’re on her blacklist, she’d rather stick some acid on your lips than kiss them.

Are they open to polyamoury?

Only if it’s talked through and everything is out in the open. She will be very upset for quite a while if you just randomly decide to add another person. And she will be VERY hesitant to join an already established relationship because she needs reassurance that she’s worthwhile.

If they can be romanced and are not will they begin a relationship / relationships with other characters? If so, who?

If Cullen isn’t being romanced, she’d probably start one with him. She’d be there for him during his lyrium withdrawal episodes and sing him back to sleep when he woke.

If Zevran was there and not romanced with the Warden, she’d go for him; same with Fenris not romanced by Hawke.

Who are they friendly with?

Varric is her best friend (except the Inquisitor, if they’re good to her).

The Iron Bull and she get along well; he’s curious about her and likes teasing her.

She likes reading those smutty novels with Cassandra and encourages her so she can “practice reading” ;P.

She and Cullen will be all but kindred spirits in temperament and will get along well; she invents a potion that tastes like lyrium to help his withdrawal (like a kind of placebo). She will also question him about his views on mages and remind him of how he used to talk about them. She wants him to really grow as a person, not just be forgiven for who is was and no follow-up made.

Dorian and Ariel have a kind of love-hate relationship, since he loves to tease her/play flirt and enjoys her easy-to-blush nature far too much. Still, she respects him for trying to change Tevinter and since she spends a lot of time in the library they’re near each other a lot. They often have discussions he has a hard time stomaching about his homeland (usually regarding slavery).

She respects Josephine but the Antivan is very confused by Ariel’s venomous reaction to nobility considering her background.

She also respects Leliana’s abilities but they argue over the Chantry and faith when either topic comes up.

She both likes and hates Cole. She appreciates that he helps people and often asks him to help her help people, but she hates when he reads her.

She likes Blackwall and they often discuss his past (after she reveals she knows) and she encourages him to just atone as Blackwall. She affectionately calls him “Dad” because he reminds her of her father and often gives her fatherly advice, especially about combat.

Who do they dislike?

She knows what Solas wants to do and she hates him for it. They often argue about it, as she’s trying desperately to change his mind. Still, he helps her manage her odd abilities and helps her deal with her odd relationship to the Fade.

Though in goal/opinion they are very similar, she dislikes Sera. She sees her as little more than a snotty brat with a vicious temper and a deplorable liking for “pranks”.

She dislikes Vivienne on principle, as she’s a noble in every aspect and enjoys that life. Eventually, she comes to respect her and it is somewhat mutual.

Cole’s reading:

“Thoughts… so much. Home. It’s not a game anymore. I can’t say it. What’s the point of knowing… if you can’t change it?”

Companion card changes

Loyalty:

<<Temperance Tarot>>

Romance:

<<TBD>>

Side Mission:

<<TBD>>

When nearing a hidden item:

“Looks like things have been disturbed here...”

When seeing a high dragon:

“Well, great! There’s death coming from every possible direction now.”

Or, if The Iron Bull is in the party:

“...No, Bull. I’m not dying today.”

Side quest reaction(s):

<<TBD>>

Low health:

“Some help would be nice!”

“I wonder...where I’ll go…”

The Inquisitor falls:

(If friendly/romanced) “NO! I won’t let you go!”

(If neutral) “Our Inquisitor needs us!”

(If low approval) “You can’t give up!”

Greeting(s) / Goodbye(s)

Low approval:

“What do you want now?”

“Yeah, you go have fun elsewhere. I’ve got actual work to do.”

Neutral approval:

“Do you need something?”

“Okay. Bye then.”

Friendly:

“Oh, hey! What’s up?”

“Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be around.”

Romanced:

“O-oh. Uhm… hi!” o///o

“Hope you can spare some time for me later. I’ve… really missed you.” >////>

Opinions on mages / templars / how the world is going to shit?

She’s very much against mages murdering people to retain their freedom, but she is equally against all the abuses that templars had heaped upon them to bring them to this point.

She thinks the rebel mages could be brought to heel and likes the idea of them creating the College of Enchanters, outside the Chantry’s influence, and wants all mages to be free but to be taught how to control their magic and punished appropriately when they do not.

She knows the Templars are useful, but doesn’t like them as an order controlled by the Chantry. She wants them to be disbanded and made into a separate type of guardsman everywhere so mages could live as normal people but still be brought to heel if they went all abomination or killed someone/manipulated them with magic.

She knows what created the breach so she has to keep her mouth shut about it and thus doesn’t like talking about it.

Something guaranteed to make them leave the party?

If you help slavers, take a bribe to turn a blind eye or kill innocents.

                                          Imprisoned at Redcliffe

How is your OC holding up in Redcliffe, being slowly infected with red lyrium over the course of a year?

She heaves this incredibly dramatic sigh when she sees the Inquisitor. Basically just says, “FUCKING FINALLY, GET ME OUT OF THIS CELL.” She’s not infected but it’s been trying for so long that she’s weak as all hell from it stealing her energy.

                                                      The Fade

How they react:

Awe and nervousness. She dreams of this place but the interactions are all different. She is normally protected by spirits, who found her first as she slowly mastered her ‘gift/curse’ and became visible to the other denizens. She may have several whisps following her about as you wander, as they recognized and found her, but they are scared and weakened in the Nightmare’s territory.

Their tombstone:

Being Nothing but a Burden

What fears look like:

Goliath Tigerfish

“Okay, this is fucked up. I know this is the Fade and the laws of normal existence don’t apply, but still! You need water to swim, not air!” ~points accusingly at an approaching nightmare~ “Stop snappin’ your jaws at me you assholes!”

What the Nightmare says:

“And here is the talk of the Fade. The anomaly. The stranger in a strange land.” ~deep, booming laughter~ “Your spirits cannot save you here, child. I have long wondered what kind of creature you would become were I to claim you…”

OR, if romanced:

“Ah, the anomaly. Do you truly know what will happen here? I will tell you, since you crave knowledge. Your beloved will die and I will throw you back to suffer. Wilt away in your guilt and despair. You will feed me and my brethren for years to come, wallowing in it until it is all you know… just like your father.”

Hawke or Warden:

She understand the reasons for both

There will be a minor approval drop for choosing the Warden (large if it is a romanced Alistair)

If Hawke romanced Fenris, there will be a major approval drop

If Hawke romanced anyone else or remained alone, there will be a minor approval drop

The Wardens - Exile or Allies?

Again, she understand the reasons for both. Only a minor approval drop for exile and minor approval boost for making them allies.

                                                     Halamshiral

Where they linger:

If she’s not romanced she’ll probably be near Cullen, engaging him in conversation in order to help keep the “suitors” at bay.

If she or Cullen is romanced she’ll be seeking shelter with Varric and tells you to hurry up so she can get the hell out of this viper’s nest.

Are they good at the Game?

She could be, if she wanted to be. She knows how she just hates using the skills she was brought up with as a child of an upper-middle class family back home.

What people say about them:

(if neither she nor Cullen were romanced)

“Why must that homely girl take up the Commander’s time? Doesn’t she realize her betters need to speak with him?”

(if the Inquisitor romanced her)

“The Inquisitor keeps such homely company… I can’t see why there are rumors about them. She is unremarkable and abrasive.”

“Who is that mouse beside Master Tethras? A fan of his work?”

Gaspard, Briala or Celene?

Briala and Celene together! Always. OTP. Major approval boost for this option.

She’ll give a minor approval boost for Briala blackmailling Gaspard or Celene ruling alone.

Will have a major approval drop for allowing Gaspard to rule alone.

                                                Temple of Mythal

Rituals or Hole?

Ritual. This is their place and you must respect it. Plus, she knows that you’ll get there before it’s too late even if you take the time and knows how to do the puzzle.

Agree with the Elves’ bargain?

YES. She hates having to kill anyone if there’s another way… unless they’re assholes. Abelas kind of is, but not enough to justify being killed. Plus, it’s easier to get where you’re going if you accept and she will be taking photos of the murals and stuff you find along the way for safekeeping/inspection later.

Morrigan or the Inquisitor for the Well?

She leaves it up to the Inquisitor if they’re not involved.

If romanced or if they are friends, she will tell the Inquisitor that they really don’t want to take it in and to let Morrigan do it. “It will be helpful… you just don’t want the burden. Trust me.”

                                                    Trespasser:

Depending on who she’s with, she’ll have done different things.

If she was romanced by the Inquisitor she’d be busy helping with the Inquisition. Creating new tools/helping advance medicine for non-mages as well as mages/trying to recreate basics from home like running water that anyone can install on their houses. She’d go with them to the Exalted Council if asked and will be able to tell them about what’s going on if they asked/wanted to know. She could also be told to stay behind and use her knowledge of the attending nobles to help Josephine.

If she wasn’t romanced by the Inquisitor and Cullen wasn’t romanced, she would be assisting him. She would have expanded her making of the placebo to give to all the Templars that wanted to be off of lyrium. She will likely have also worked with advancing medicine and providing basic improvements to people’s lives. Again, if asked, she would attend the Exalted Council. If not, Cullen will likely ask her to come just to help him retain his sanity. He will ask her to marry him there, as he would have the Inquisitor. She would happily find the Inquisitor to let them know and tell them they need to survive so they can all meet up again for a proper party and feast for the wedding when they get back to Ferelden.

If Zevran was around she’d help him in dealing with the Crows and set up a library where she takes in and “homeschools” recruits that he liberates from the Crows. She’s soon surrounded by children and is unable to attend the Exalted Council. Before she left the Inquisition she acquired a pair of sending crystals so that no matter where she was the Inquisitor could get a hold of her if necessary. She will advise them on what to do if they ask.

If Fenris was around, they’d travel about tracking down slavers and eventually attempt to lead a slave uprising in Tevinter. Since, by the end of her tale she’d be a powerful proper mage she could do reconnaissance in full view and not be thought much of. She would have given the Inquisitor one of a pair of sending crystals to keep in contact and would offer her knowledge if asked during the Exalted Council. In Tevinter, she tips off the right people and kills those that won’t help and then Fenris inspires slaves to rise. She’d meet Dorian on his way back and chuckle, saying, “time to put out the fires and start again. I did the easy part. The rest is up to you.” She’ll probably get hit for that.

I’ll probably add more at some point. Still can’t decide about her side quests... so that’ll have to wait.

[thehallofgame]

Review: Dragon Age Origins DLC

Dragon Age Origins capitalized on its popularity with a spate of DLC that ranges from fun to must-play. While responses to the varying cost to content ratio of each of these add-ons varied quite a bit, the Ultimate Edition of Dragon Age Origins has rendered those debates moot as it comes with all of the DLC for a reasonable price and often goes on sale to boot.

Fair warning: most of these DLC take place after the base game, or involve story points from it, so there are spoilers inherent in this review. Proceed at your own discretion.

Awakening: 👍🏻  

              More expansion pack than DLC, Dragon Age Awakening is an entirely new story that takes place after the events in the base game. While it could be played as a standalone game it assumes that the player is familiar with the lore of Dragon Age Origins and the characters therein so it’s better not to play that first. Awakening allows for the import of a Warden from Dragon Age Origins, or for the creation of a new player character who will be a Orlesian grey warden brought in to help rebuild the order in Ferelden. It’s a minor tic, but if the player chooses to play as the Orlesian none of their choices from Origins will carry over and the game-world will be built on some assumptions about the most likely choices the player will have made which can be a little disappointing.

In any case, the player will have new options for character growth to play with. As the level cap has been raised by ten levels there are two new specializations for each class, a new row of class abilities, a new row of weapons specialization abilities and three new talent tracks. Most of these skills can only be selected after level 20 and represent very powerful, advanced skills, large boots to hp and mana/stamina and a new skill set called rune-crafting, which allows for production of upgrades for armor in the same way weapons were enchanted in the base game.

              The player may recall that the Wardens were granted an estate and lands at the end of Origins, and it is here the Order sets up their new base after the war. The Warden Commander has three goals: rebuild the estate after the war, recruit new wardens and investigate a suspiciously organized series of attacks by the darkspawn. The new hub for the game is Vigil’s Keep. There the Warden will make some minor base management and political decisions, which are fun but feel only incidental to the game (until the choices come back in a big way at the end of the DLC). The new wardens are almost all completely optional recruitable characters with complicated and morally ambiguous backgrounds. While only Oghren returns from Origins, and only Anders will make another appearance in Dragon Age 2, each and every companion is well written and compelling. It’s a genuine shame the player gets to spend only about twenty hours with them. Or less, in many cases, as the last three characters are each tied to the three core story missions, and so the last one will only be recruited shortly before the end of the story and it’s hard to squish all their dialogues and personal arcs into so short a period.

              Despite minor gripes Awakenings borders on being a gift to fans (albeit one that was paid for). The story is good, has major implications for the future of the world of Thedas and does that without trying to undermine or one up the events of Origins. The duality of the Warden both trying to command a small, elite force as well as run what amounts to a small province is enjoyable and very clearly the foundation of what would later become Dragon Age Inquisition, and with good reason.

The Darkspawn Chronicles: 👍🏻

              This DLC is a short interlude, which is probably for the best considering how fast its core conceit would go stale. However, as it stands, it’s quite fun. In the Darkspawn Chronicles the Grey Warden never existed and the player is instead an elite Darkspawn that spearheads the darkspawn vanguard during the siege of Denerim that occurs at the end of Dragon Age Origins. The darkspawn player character, called Vanguard, plays much like the warrior class in the base game, but with the added ability to use poisons and bombs like a rogue. The core conceit of the DLC, however, is to recruit other darkspawn from the hoard as temporary party members. If these underlings fall in battle, however, they’re dead permanently. However, the player is incentivized to keep them alive because the longer the same darkspawn fight with the Vanguard the more their approval of the leader grows, and the stronger they get. To add to the fun and/or emotional torment of the DLC the marauding Vanguard is opposed by every single party member from the base game, as well as every named character with half a reason to be in Denerim during the siege. Darkspawn Chronicles is a fun gimmick and well delivered.

Golems of Amgarrak: 👍🏻

              The Golems of Amgarrak takes place at some unspecified time after the events of the base game. In it, the Warden Commander of Fereldan has been invited along on the search for a missing expedition into the deep roads. This DLC is basically a more focused look at the horror tones of the Dragon Age world, which are especially present in any deep-roads related mission. Golems of Amgarrak is also billed to be only for experienced players, and to its credit, the relatively few combat encounters are very difficult and rely heavily on strategy over raw power level. This is highlighted by the fact that the warden gets none of their companions from earlier appearances, instead they begin only with a dwarf rogue and his pet bronto (think armored hippopotamus). Over the course of the DLC more party members join up, but the arrangement is far from ideal, instead the player must rely on tricks they pick up to manipulate the enemies or the dungeon itself against opponents. Golems is quite short, assuming the combats don’t take several hours to find the right trick for, and takes place in only one smallish dungeon. However, the lore therein is dark, gruesome and compelling and the puzzles used to progress in the dungeon make heavy backtracking feel like it not only makes sense, but rewards thorough explorers with good items and equipment for their pains.

Leliana’s Song: 👍🏻

              Leliana’s Song occurs before the events of Origins and follows the story of how party member Leliana found herself betrayed by her spymaster and in hiding. The DLC is surprisingly meaty, despite using only a handful of reused location and being only a few hours long. Leliana is joined by two henchmen, Sketch the elven mage and Tug the dwarven warrior. Both new characters are charming and the player gets the feel for how the trio works together immediately. The spymaster Marjorlaine is delightfully fun and manipulative. The DLC has consistently good writing and pacing, with an ending that hits just the right notes to set Leliana’s character up for her appearance in Origins. Overall this is a solid expansion to the story of one of the very few characters who appears in every dragon age game.

Return to Ostagar: 👍🏻

              Return to Ostagar is a relatively brief and surprisingly poignant interlude where the warden is encouraged to travel back to the site of first major battle of the game in order to retrieve politically sensitive documents. The best experience is to be had by bringing other party members who fought there, namely Alistair, Wynne and the warden’s dog. Especially Alistair. Not only do you learn much about the character’s reactions to this traumatic defeat, the Warden gains some really nice equipment and the chance to avenge their fallen mentor, Duncan.

Warden’s Peak: 👍🏻

              While this DLC honestly feels a little tacked on and disconnected from the rest of the story via the fact that while significant, the events that occur are never mentioned again outside a cameo in Dragon Age 2, it in fact very good. During the events of Origins the party strikes a deal with Levi Dryden, descendant of the last Warden Commander of Fereldan before the order was banned from the country, to retake the original Grey Warden fortress which has been lost for hundreds of years. The party must fight their way through hoards of ghosts, undead and demons to free the keep from its curse, simultaneously discovering the ugly truth of what cause the Warden’s fall from grace. This culminates in the choice of how to clean up a lingering, demon-fueled mess for the player. None of the choices will leave the player with a particularly good taste in their mouth, which is refreshing change from a game that usually presents questions with a right answer. This DLC is content rich, lore dense and also adds a much needed equipment storage chest to the game after the reclaiming of the keep.

Witch Hunt: 🆗;

              While not actually a bad DLC Witch Hunt gets something of a bad name in the fandom, mostly because it’s not on par with the others. This DLC takes place after the events of Origins, and assumes that Morrigan and the Warden went through with a magic ritual that resulting in Morrigan having a child and disappearing into the wilds with the baby. The warden and their faithful dog begin the story when they receive a tip about a possible sighting of their former friend. This then puts them on Morrigan’s trail, where they are joined by two rather uninspired companions. There’s nothing wrong with the elf warrior and human mage who join up, but neither of their stories get any closure at the end and they’re not particularly interesting along the way, either. Likewise, the ending to the DLC has little flexibility or nuance and no satisfying answers, no matter how the Warden chooses to interact with Morrigan when they find her.

The Stone Prisoner: 👍🏻

              This DLC more or less boils down to a new party member. Shale is a golem who is found in the town of Honnleath, where the massive stone warrior has been frozen in place for over a decade. After the town is freed from a darkspawn incursion, and Shale from Paralysis, the golem decides to travel with the party as they have little memory of their past or personal motivation. Shale doesn’t have a ton of interactions with or from the world, with the notable exception of some events in the deep roads, but they do have fully developed party banters, dialogue with the warden, gifts and a personal quest. Shale’s combat system is also completely unique. The golem has slots for two crytals, an offensive and defensive one, which in addition to acting like armor and weapons, provide elemental effects which can be managed to min-max damage and defense to enemies, but doing so means lugging a backpack full of crystals around and switching them out. In combat the golem has four sustained modes to switch between, and each has specific abilities that can only be used in that role. The roles boil down to a damage-dealing focused role, a defensive tank role, a ranged combat role as well as a support role in which Shale can no longer act but provides massive health and stamina regeneration bonuses to the party. Shale can control the battlefield in a way no other party member can, but also requires quite a bit of micromanagement or very careful manipulation of the tactics system. However, whether or not the player likes Shale in combat, the Golem’s dialogue is hilarious. Shale is at once violent, selfish and yet has a touching desire to find meaning in their existence that comes out over the course of their relationship with the warden. Shale also drops some of the most quotable lines in the game, which is always a good time.