#the warden commander and the warden constable

[batterycows]

Was wondering who would be more fun than Stroud to have as Hawke’s warden friend and then it came to me: his literal cousin !!!

[crossdressingdeath]

On the subject of Nathaniel, I think everyone needs to know that he and Aster absolutely have a friends-with-benefits situation going on. More specifically the sort of friends-with-benefits situation where they discuss Warden policy as pillow talk. Sometimes foreplay. Occasionally during sex, which has definitely given them both some weird boners during normal meetings. "Discussing policy" is a euphemism for sex among the Amaranthine Wardens specifically because of these two. Aster insists that creating a euphemism is his greatest achievement and no one can tell if he's joking.

[revvethasmythh]

blackwall's whole situation is hilarious to me because he's posing as the warden-constable of orlais and this is never interrogated by anyone. what the fuck do you mean the warden-constable of orlais is chilling in my adventuring party after apparently being no-contact with any other wardens for multiple years and was found living in fereldan for some reason. leliana has a file of warden-constable blackwall's speech to his soldiers (in orlais!) during the fifth blight when blackwall outright tells you he was in fereldan during the blight and then after the truth comes out cullen is like "yeah even leliana didn't know blackwall was lying because she has a blind spot when it comes to the wardens". girlfriend that is not a blind spot that is a black hole. do we not communicate did i not tell you that blackwall said he was in fereldan. what breakdown in communication had to occur to allow this ruse to continue

also if he's the warden-constable of orlais that means he's clarel's second in command and this NEVER comes up. you leave the warden contact behind in the fade and some junior warden scuttles up to you like, "but we have no one left of any significant rank!" okay well the guy claiming to be warden-constable is literally stood five feet to my left, how's that. no one's ever like "hey blackwall wanna take over command of the remaining wardens" despite the fact that his own cover story outright makes him their commander. like the way blackwall lies is hilarious but also he should NOT have feasibly been able to get away with this. claiming to be the warden-constable is a level of audacity rarely witnessed in nature. what the fuck even happened here

[wardensantoineandevka]

sometimes I think about the just incredibly insane trajectory of Antoine's life.

merely existing as an elf in Orlais sucks as is, already a terrible start. the country estate he was working on experiences a rare incident of a darkspawn attack, it's not even a blight, and he nearly dies ensuring the other servants get away safely. he spends multiple days dying alone in a situation so dire that he tells himself that plan A is to keep living and plan B is to simply die. the Warden who arrives on the scene decides to offer him the Joining, despite him not even barely fitting the typical profile of a Warden-Recruit, and against the odds, he survives. he is assigned to a quiet outpost for his first posting, but the two of them are intercepted on the way and their orders changed to go to Weisshaupt because this is a very fraught political moment within the order following the events of Inquisition, not that he would know about any of that. while on their way to Weisshaupt, they stop to fight some werewolves created by a hunger demon in the third, fourth, and fifth combats Antoine has ever participated in — during which the demon plays mind games with Antoine (it's winning) and bites him, very briefly cursing him with lycanthropy.

I point out that he's been a Warden for like two or three fucking weeks, maybe four, by this point just based on travel times. he's having a WILD month.

he hasn't even met his new boss yet, a guy who clearly doesn't like him and that Antoine clearly dislikes in return by Veilguard. he eventually falls in love with and marries the Warden who saved him. he turns out to have a particularly high sensitivity to the blight. haven't even mentioned that he is pursuing research in mechanical engineering, chemistry, and alchemy, and has projects on a wide range of things from automatic doors to higher grade explosives, not even to speak of the other research he's doing in ecology and folklore just out of personal interest. after the Siege of Weisshaupt, he's functionally second-in-command of the order, arguably functioning High Constable? if the griffons return to the Wardens, he is in charge of training them.

what a whirlwind of a life he's living. what a series of events. in such a short period of time too.

[felassan]

Note: Silverite Wings of Valor

"Silverite Wings of Valor Not all stories must end in sacrifice. For an act of selfless bravery and on the recommendation of Alisse Fontaine, Commander of the Grey, we award the Silverite Wings of Valor to Warden Gordon Blackwall. Where seven of our own might have perished, all now live."

A reference to Warden-Constable Gordon Blackwall - the man who recruited Thomas Rainier - and his heroism after the Fifth Blight, from the Library at Weisshaupt Fortress.

[vigilskept]

warden commander roshan mahariel sabrae

warden constable shiva’nasalin

viscountess of kirkwall* rowan hawke-amell

lord inquisitor felassan

tagged by @treatsformeeko for oc vibes (go to pinterest, search "your oc's name + core", post six pictures. then tag six people) except in this case you get 3 pics each for all the ocs in my worldstate where no one can ever go home bc i’ve been thinking about them <3

tagging: @ikarons @asharaks @gyrovagi @cacturne @thedragonagelesbian @abyssal-ilk (& anyone who feels like it!)

[sapphim]

Ok I have returned with more, actually. Here's what we know about the Ferelden Grey Wardens from Duncan's and Alistair's time, before the Blight:

Warden-Commander Polara

Duncan became Ferelden's Commander of the Grey in 9:10 Dragon [see note], assuming the mantle from Commander Polara, under whom he had served since the order's restoration in Ferelden. Polara, who hailed from Antiva, had built an amiable relationship with King Cailan. She overcame many of the objections of Teyrn Loghain, who had argued strenuously against the order returning—after all, the Wardens had attempted to overthrow the Ferelden throne centuries before. When Polara disappeared—perhaps recalled to Weisshaupt, although none in Ferelden saw her leave, nor have seen her since—Duncan bequeathed to her son a silverite axe of great value. Duncan said he had wielded it and a twin in younger days, back when he had been a far different man. He'd named the axe "Fiona" after a Warden who inspired him, and suggested that the son ought to take similar inspiration from his mother. It's unknown what became of Polara's son, other than that he fled Ferelden during the same Blight in which Duncan perished. —DA2 Codex Entry: Item: Fiona

note: The events of The Calling took place ca. 9:10 Dragon [That timeline has been riddled with errors but per WoTv2 p.81 "...when the Grey Wardens first returned to Ferelden in 9:10 Dragon... King Maric joined a much younger Duncan and his fellow Wardens in a mission to the Deep Roads."]. The 9:10 date given for Duncan to assume command of the Wardens is certainly in error, as at that point in time he was a babey Warden who'd been recruited about six months prior [per The Calling].

Warden-Constable Reyor

The following is an excerpt from a letter [...] written by a Warden-Constable Reyor two months after Alistair's recruitment: "I know you said it was unnecessary, but as I investigate all new recruits I looked into this Alistair lad... and it's rather odd. There was an old groundskeeper who knew him and seemed quite fond; she reminisced about the night Alistair was first brought to Redcliffe Castle. She mentioned a young man of Rivaini descent bringing the boy, and intrigued, I gave her your description. She didn't know if that original young man was you, but she said she'd seen you come to the castle often through the years, asking after Alistair's progress and watching him. I have to ask: Is that true? Is there something about the lad the Wardens should know?" And the response from Warden-Commander Duncan: "Alistair is the son of an old friend. As my travels indeed bring me to Redcliffe from time to time, I have looked in on him. I believe he is a worthy addition to our ranks. There is nothing more you or the Wardens need to know." —World of Thedas vol. 2, p. 80

Richu & Tamarel

Duncan stood silently at the gates of the village. To his right crouched Tamarel with her bow. He had recruited the young elf for her sharp eye; she had justified his confidence through methodical, deadly hunting [see note]. To Duncan’s left waited Richu, as experienced a Warden as Duncan himself, thick arms crossed and waiting. In war, victory Duncan recalled the start of the Grey Wardens’ motto, the part he held closest to his heart. War never offered any choice but to win; in the battles the Wardens fought, losing meant the destruction of everything they knew and loved. Any sacrifice, if it meant victory. Triumph, no matter the price. The three were nearing Redcliffe when they felt the tugging at their souls, the sensation familiar to any Warden that warned of twisted foes approaching. It is a blessing and a curse, thought Duncan, to sense the darkness in time to fight it, but also to know that a piece of that darkness will always be with us. In peace, vigilance It was centuries now since the end of the Fourth Blight, and the world had moving on. Some said the darkspawn no longer existed, or thought that occasional darkspawn raids in remote lands proved them now no more than a nuisance. But although the battles were hidden from human eyes, the dwarves still clashed with the darkspawn in the Deep Roads. Ignorance would not make the threat disappear. Here, in this remote village in southern Ferelden, the darkspawn had risen in such numbers that the people had been completely overwhelmed. Duncan shook his head, nodded once, and a several darkspawn near the center of the village fell to Warden arrows. Duncan and Richu charged, steel glinting in the moonlight, to engage the creatures in close combat. There were more than a score remaining to confront the three Wardens, but Duncan reckoned the odds fair. Blades slashed through dark flesh, and Tamarel cautiously pressed forward into the village, loosing arrows upon any darkspawn that thought to flee. The Grey Wardens cut the darkspawn down to the last. Covered in dark ichor and his own red blood, Duncan surveyed the combination of partially eaten human corpses and newly dead darkspawn. A few, maybe three or four, villagers stirred, staring out at the scene with lasting horror. “We were too late,” Tamarel said. She was right; Duncan knew in his heart that the survivors had already been tainted. Those who avoided a quick, excruciating death would be driven mad, turned into diseased and rabid killers. He cursed and spit and wiped his sword clean. He stepped forward. The villagers looked on him with mounting terror, their eyes growing wide as they turned black. They turned and fled. Tamarel’s arrows slammed into the villagers’ spines as they ran. They died because they must, died to prevent the spread of the same taint that gave the Grey Wardens their connection to their enemy. That same evil that would eat away at the three Wardens until one day each would decide it was time to descend into the Deep Roads for one final walk into the shadows, to end their lives with purpose rather than wasting away from sickness. In death, sacrifice The final line of the Wardens’ motto is doubtless the most crucial. Every life must have meaning; every death must have purpose. Waving his hand, Duncan called the others to him and they began the bitter task of burning the village to ashes. Nothing was to be left. —Bioware Wiki: Duncan

note: We know that Tamarel was no longer present at the time that Alistair was recruited [six months prior to the events of Dragon Age: Origins, per his dialogue] as he states [see below] that there were no women in the Ferelden Wardens during his time, and the only elf was a man named Tarimel................ wait oh my god he transitioned good for him

Gregor (Grigor?) & Kherek & Tarimel

Warden: What was it like to be a Grey Warden, with all the others? Alistair: I didn’t know them for very long, but I guess it was longer than you. You never met them all, did you? Alistair: They were quite a group. Actually, they felt like an extended family, since we were all cut off from our former lives. Alistair: We also laughed more than you’d think. There was this one time… well, you probably don’t want to hear stories about men you didn’t know. Warden: Weren’t there any women? Alistair: Not as Grey Wardens, not while I was there. I saw pictures of some who had been, and they all seemed to be able warriors. One was even a templar. Warden: Were there any elves amongst them? Alistair: Just one, a man named Tarimel. He kept to himself, mostly. I got the impression that his life before the Grey Wardens was… unpleasant. Warden: Were there any dwarves amongst them? Alistair: There was one when I first joined, a dwarf named Kherek. He was one of the elders and he… left for Orzammar before the reports of the Blight began. Alistair: It’s too bad, really. Kherek said that he never wanted to go back. He wanted to die fighting darkspawn on the surface. Alistair: There was one Grey Warden who came all the way from the Anderfels. What was his name? Gregor? Grigor? He was a burly man with the biggest, fuzziest beard you’ve ever seen. Alistair: And the man could drink. He drank all the time but never got drunk. Finally we all made a pool to see just how many pints it would take to put him under the table. Warden: Sounds like you had a lot of fun. Alistair: Sometimes. We were kin, of a sort. All of us had gone through the Joining, so we knew… anyhow, it doesn’t have to be deadly serious all the time. Warden: I bet I could have out-drank him. Alistair: Oh, I honestly doubt it. You might have tried, but this fellow had a supernatural constitution, I swear. Alistair: Anyhow, we never did find out. He said he’d drink a pint for every half-pint that the rest of us drank. He was still going by the time the rest of us were passed out. Alistair: I’m told that Duncan walked in later on and saw us all passed out from one end of the hall to the other, and Gregor still drinking. Duncan laughed until he nearly… until… —Dragon Age: Origins

Rondall

[...] it appeared Alistair did well among the Grey Wardens. He flourished in a way he never had in the Chantry, quickly growing attached to his fellow Wardens and they to him. One can see this in a letter he wrote to Arl Eamon but never sent: "I didn't think I belonged anywhere, Uncle. You said I should try my best, and I really did when I was in the chantry. Well, that's a lie, I suppose. I wanted to try. It was hard to want that, however, when everyone's always scowling at you.[...] "But the Wardens are different. Everyone who comes here... they didn't belong anywhere, either, and then they found this cause. They found each other. They don't know anything about me, where I come from, and they don't care. Duncan said I was worthy, and that's all that mattered. I thought the man must have been insane to pick me out, me of all people, but now... Now I don't know. They say I'm learning fast. I beat Rondall in a spar the other day, beat him honestly, and... I think I might be good at being a Warden. They think so, too." —World of Thedas vol. 2, p. 81

[wardencommander-surana]

my @fromthedaswithlove letter exchange - a missive-style letter from Neria Surana to Anneliese Cousland for @thewardenisonthecase!

Warden-Commander Cousland, I've heard from our mutual contact at Soldier's Peak that you made an interesting discovery during your brief time in Amaranthine that resulted in quite the unorthodox alliance. If the tales of your new friend are true, as hesitant as I am to work alongside them, I'm quite curious to see how this will impact our research. I plan to make my way to Vigil's Keep at once so we can catch up and gather our resources - you owe me a drink after all, and I hear the Crown and Lion's quite the step up from the Pearl. See you soon, my friend, Warden-Constable Surana P.S. - congratulations on your upcoming nuptials and coronation, Your Majesty! Ferelden could ask for no finer queen.

[sapphicsocialistspacegamer]

A little rambly, so sorry, but it was very interesting to see how similar the Grey Warden storyline in Veilguard was to my friends' Dragon Age D&D campaign we played in 2023.

I'm personally very attached to the Wardens. Wardens like the Hero of Fereldan, Alistair, Antonie, and Evka embody what I think the Order should be. And even though I think the raise-a-demon-army-to-storm-the-deep-roads-and-finish-off-the-archdemons-cuz-we're-all-hearing-the-Calling plot from Inquisition is kinda stupid, I do think it's good to explore the other side of the coin: that the Order is just here to fight darkspawn/end Blights, not help every random person who needs help, and what unsavory things might they end up doing in pursuit of that.

In Veilguard, I cried just when talking with Antonie and Evka about what role the Wardens might play in the world if this IS the last Blight. Where do they fit in the world then? And I cried when deciding the fate of the griffons. So much of what the Order was/can be is thanks to the griffons--their iconography is EVERYWHERE. They are tragically heroic and self-sacrificing just like many Wardens are. But it's the end of an era and they should be free to find a different, better path.

My OC for our D&D game was a Tal-Vashoth qunari, Grey Warden ranger. His parents left the Qun and started a bakery in Amaranthine so they took the surname Baker. We started our timeline just before the events of Ostagar and played all the way through to ten years after Inquisition. Atlas Baker barely survived Ostagar, was in a coma in the Korcari Wilds for many months, and woke up in time to help during the siege at Denerim. He became Warden-Constable of Fereldan, second in command to the HoF. At the end of our game, the HoF returned with a cure for the Blight and my poor himbo Atlas was thrown into emotional turmoil because if he isn't a Grey Warden, who is he? What purpose does he serve? Ultimately, it turned out he would live life much the same, traveling the world, protecting people alongside his mabari Barkspawn, griffon Crookytail, and giant nug Nugget.

But anyway, I found the identity crisis parallel from Veilguard and our campaign interesting and it made me miss my giant, himbo Warden, who once died and had to be brought back because he failed, like, ten CON saves in a row and choked to death on some dust of sneezing and choking.

[vigilskeep]

so one thing i was thinking while i was at a castle today (castle thoughts) is i was reminded that constable can, in medieval terms, mean castellan, i.e. the person in charge of running and defending a particular castle. so there’s a high chance that if nathaniel howe post-awakening becomes a warden-constable (which is the next rank under warden-commander) as i have seen in several hcs, that actually makes it his job to govern and organise the defence of vigil’s keep, which is, small reminder, his childhood home that was probably once going to be his one day, which was instead stripped from his family and awarded to the wardens. wild. how the turns table and all that

[perditus]

Antoine & Griffons 

First and foremost, his primary goal with the griffons is to help rebuild them as a species. He is training them so they can work alongside the Wardens again in the future but he is also keen on ensuring they don’t go extinct again. So he intends to keep them close to the Wardens for now while they work through drills and formations. It’s important that they can also fight well on their own since he’ll be one of the few Wardens working with them for the time being. He actually does dedicate most if not all his future research going forward in learning how to care for them using the notes left behind by Lancit and Remi. 

He also actually re-recruits Valya with the express purpose of asking for her assistance in caring for the griffons as well. If you didn’t know, Valya is the one who deciphered Isseya’s clues and discovered the hidden clutch of griffon eggs. She’s technically a warden-recruit because while she joined the order she never did her Joining. So she isn’t a full Warden. Antoine requests her assistance in helping him as well but doesn’t ask her to join the Wardens officially unless she would like to - it's more about the Griffons than the Wardens in this case. 

Antoine does take over as the Flight Commander / High Constable with Evka ascending to the First Warden position afterwards. It does make him the second-in-command, though most of his focus is on the Griffons more than anything else. He doesn’t really care for authority that much – he’s just doing what he believes in. In the future he would be the one in charge of assigning any griffon/warden pairings if he feels its right to do so. 

At the moment, especially right after Veilguard, Antoine does not believe its the right time to assign a griffon to any Wardens. Assan is an exception since he’s with Davrin. Antoine won’t interfere with that relationship whatsoever and if anything would ask Davrin for advice.

[wardensantoineandevka]

After the fall of Weisshaupt, and apparent loss of all Warden leadership in the Anderfels, Evka is clearly in charge, so that would logically make her First Warden, at minimum effectively or acting First Warden.

Given that Antoine acts as her second-in-command in all cases, and especially given he takes over training the griffons if you choose for them to stay with the Wardens, does that make him High Constable, or at least effectively High Constable?

[thesummerstorms]

As of right now, my Hawke dies in Inquisition.

I also think that Niamh Amell, Warden Commander of Fereldan, has a decent relationship with her younger cousin, Warden Carver Hawke, despite never knowing his sister well before watching her die in the Fade.

Additionally, Niamh absolutely has a faction of Fereldan and formerly Orlesian Wardens who have been slowly growing more and more estranged from Weisshaupt.

The "looking for a cure for the Calling" was a story put around by Weisshaupt to cover what was more or less the First Warden's attempt to forcibly demote/banish Amell due her power over the Fereldan Wardens. Niamh was never actually doing that, and when Hawke sends a letter to her via Carver, she shows up to Adamant and end up taking the reigns from Clarel.

Weisshaupt immediately strips authority of Orlais from her and gives it to a distant cousin of one of Celine's advisors, Warden Commander Euphrasie Sauveterre They are genuinely afraid of the schism that will happen if they let Amell amass more power over a second country.

Unfortunately, the thing that Weisshaupt forgot in their political play was that Euphrasie Sauveterre specifically ran off to the Wardens to escape the Game. She isn't great at politics despite her pedigree. More than a few Wardens who once served with Clarel find themselves to suddenly be magically "Fereldan" now, and Euphrasie doesn't try to fight it.

This means when the worst parts of the southern Blight are happening, there are Wardens to hold the line. Niamh writes a letter acknowledging Evka Ivo as acting First Warden, and sends a handful of her inner circle and senior officers north, knowing that the cause of the threat is there. But the south isn't abandoned. Blight must be fought, wherever it rears its head.

Which brings me back to Carver.

Two of Amell's senior officers/inner circle have very direct ties to the Free Marches: Nathaniel Howe and Carver Hawke.

Nathaniel trained for years in the Free Marches, and with his brother favored as heir, expected to remain there until the events of the Fereldan Civil War. His wife, Cecily Cousland, has to remain in the south to command Fereldan's armies and protect her niece, the Crown Princess/ new Queen... but she also understands both strategy and duty. They need the Free Marches' support to continue to hold Fereldan. So, at her urging, Nathaniel requests and is granted permission to travel north to the Marches.

Niamh can't afford to send very many Wardens with him, especially not when she's sent some of her best to aid the Veil Jumpers or find Divine Victoria. But she of all people, knows what a small, skilled band of Wardens can do.

So she finds a few volunteers. No one so important or skilled as to be irreplaceable, but no one so new as to be incompetent. And then she asks her cousin Carver for a favor. For all that Carver still considers himself Fereldan, he understands what he's being asked.

When the small band of Marcher Wardens cross the Waking Sea, half go with Nathaniel Howe. The other half follow Carver Hawke to Kirkwall, then to Starkhaven.

What follows may be one of the most grueling times in Carver's existence. But when the Free Marcher armies turn south under a united banner to aid Fereldan, Warden Constable Carver Hawke is at their head. When the Kirkwall refugees say the name Hawke, for once they aren't talking about his sister, dead now for a decade. Its his name on their lips, said gratefully, said in obedience even.

Somehow, it doesn't taste quite so sweet as he once imagined.

He leads an army into his devastated homeland, hoping the comrades he left behind have been able to hold out despite all odds of violence and starvation. That Fereldan hasn't been dealt its killing blow. That his older cousin, his only surviving blood kin, hasn't succumbed to either an enemy blade or her calling, that he will be met by her wryly arched brow and stony face rather than cold ashes from her pyre.

He is forty, and wiser, understanding. He is a decade older than his older sister lived to be, and absolutely exhausted.

Sometimes before even dawn has woken, when he prepares for yet another long day, he finds himself talking to his sister. He pretends she can hear him. He knows she can't.

He understands now.

[wardentabriis]

Expanding on this later probably but! My Veilguard canon Rook + Companions because I can never just make one character

Sulana'lin "Lin" Thorne - Rook

30 - he/him - elf - Grey Warden - mage (spellblade) - ♡ Lucanis

Former Dalish First, cousin of the Hero of Ferelden. Survived the Fifth Blight as a child and became fascinated with studying the blight, along with ancient elven magic. After leaving his clan to track down a tome supposedly belonging to Ghilan'nain, he was infected with an ancient, virulent strain of the blight, joining the Wardens at Weisshaupt by using his research as leverage. He was convinced there was a tie between the blight and ancient Arlathan, but was missing key components to prove it, and was often blocked along the way by Warden protocols and red tape, so to speak. After nearly 8 years with the Wardens, Lin was exiled for disobeying orders, collapsing a tunnel to the Deep Roads by blowing up a village's town hall on top of it. While his actions saved lives, he had directly disregarded orders from Weisshaupt, and the First Warden couldn't let that stand. When Varric and Harding reached out to their contacts in the Wardens--namely, Evka and Antoine--for help, they were directed to a certain recently disgraced Warden, and told that his research into the connection between ancient elves and the blight could benefit their mission.

Gideon Cousland-Mac Tir/Laidir

21 - he/him - human - Lord of Fortune - rogue (saboteur) - ♡ Taash

Gideon is the rebellious son of Queen-Consort Inka Cousland of Ferelden, stepson of Queen Anora Mac Tir and Divine Victoria (Leliana), fathered by Warden-Constable Nathaniel Howe. With such a prestigious family, and as crown prince of Ferelden, Gideon was afforded every luxury, and expected to achieve greatness in his own right. Gideon, however, chafed at the idea from a young age, spending as much time as he could sneaking away from the palace. While he was too young to join the Inquisition in its prime, when he was 19, he heard its remnants were gathering in the North to continue the fight against Solas. Running away in disguise, he made it as far as the border between Tevinter and the Free Marches before being kidnapped by slavers and put to work aboard a Venatori magister's ship. When the vessel was liberated by the Lords of Fortune, Isabela recognized Gideon, and took him under her wing. He has since sent word to his family that he's safe, but unwilling to return to Ferelden.

Eavan Aldwir

32 - she/her - elf - Veil Jumper - mage warrior (reaper) - ♡ Harding

The half-sister of Inquisitor Cianan Lavellan, Eavan was born in Halamshiral to a Dalish father from Clan Lavellan, and an Orlesian city elf mother. When her magic manifested in her teens, her father threatened to hand his willful, disobedient daughter over to the templars, but her mother helped her escape Halamshiral and find shelter with a nearby Dalish clan. Not long after she left home, Empress Celene's forces burned down the alienage at Halamshiral, destroying Eavan's home and killing her parents. From then on, she wore the vallaslin of Falon'din in honor of the dead, and dedicated her life to defending other elves from suffering the same fate. Believing the Agents of Fen'Harel would help free her people, and trusting that Solas was the best hope for the elves, Eavan joined his organization in the aftermath of the Inquisition, travelling Orlais and Ferelden as a spy. She was captured in Denerim, where she was sending reports back to Solas about Warden-Commander Tabris' campaign against him. Taken to Kirkwall to be questioned by Varric and the former Inquisitor (who she was unaware of her relation to), Eavan learned the truth about Solas' plans, and offered to put her knowledge to work for them. With their recommendation, she joined their allies, the Veil Jumpers, who could use her insight and connections.

Claudius Mercar Vesperian

27 - he/him - human -Shadow Dragon - mage (death caller?) - ♡ Neve

Yes, those Vesperians. The youngest son of one of Tevinter's most prominent altus families, Claudius in his youth was pompous and arrogant, believing he was owed respect for his bloodline and rank. Despite this, he was sent to train with the military as a teenager, kept far away from an older brother who he quickly discerned he was little more than a backup for, and realized the best he could hope for was military prestige and an arranged marriage. This would not suffice. Being exposed to life and people outside wealthy magisterial families, Claudius grew discontented and disillusioned with Tevinter. After his schooling was over, he did his best to disappear into the underbelly of Minrathous. Covering his tracks became more difficult after his brother was named Divine, but notoriety came with some benefits; when he could, Claudius used his name and position to hide dissidents and runaway slaves, disappearing yet again before his family could find him. He was invited to join the Shadow Dragons not long after they formed, unaware of any familial connections he might have.

[lone-blade]

Carver becoming Constable of the Gray as well as being Commander if the Inquisitor recruits the Gray Wardens --- only for him to be excommunicated from the order in the fallout once the Inquisition is disbanded is mmmm. tasty.

[heylavellan]

Happy Friday! Could I suggested "Can you just stay a little while longer?" For Bethany/Nathaniel?

youre so right for this <3

@dadrunkwriting | @lottiesnotebook

rise with the sun

rating: t

words: ~380

additional notes: in a world state where the hof is not the warden commander of ferelden

For how intense Nathaniel usually was, he looked unusually serene asleep. Worried wrinkles were traded for a slack jaw drooling on the pillow and his unruly hair stuck to his cheek. Bethany felt an iota of pride that she was the only one to see Howe like this -- bare and unburdened.

But there was only so long she could enjoy mornings like this. Someone had decided it would be brilliant for her to have a morning shift. So instead of spending the early hours in bed and enjoying a cuddle, she was slipping into her warden fatigues and mentally preparing to receive orders from Warden-Commander Sigrun. She'd probably be sent to investigate reports of lone darkspawn near the Wending Wood.

Once she was dressed, she sat down on the bed beside Nathaniel. He'd be grumpy with the hair plastered to his face. As she brushed his hair out of his face, he began to stir. Shit, he really needed the rest. "Go back to sleep," she whispered, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

Despite his drowsy state, Nathaniel grabbed her hand. His lips brushed the palm of her hand, making her a bit lightheaded. How she wanted to get back under the covers, kiss him, and reacquaint herself with his body. Howe didn't make it any easier, as his gravelly morning voice begged, "Can you stay just a little while longer?"

She sighed softly, squeezing his hand. "I'm afraid the Commander outranks you, Constable," Bethany said.

"I'll deal with it," he grumbled, tugging at her hand once more.

Bethany leant down for one more kiss, not minding their morning breath or the way he tried to sneak his tongue in her mouth. His hand slid up the nape of her neck, tangling his fingers in her hair. By the Maker, was he tempting. His lips promised a far better morning than she knew was ahead.

"I need to go," she gasped when their lips finally separated. She wanted more. She wanted to stay. But her duty was to the Wardens this morning.

Nathaniel smiled, kissing her one last time. "Then I will wait for you tonight," he promised, watching as Bethany rearranged herself and hurried out the door. She'd be back shortly, anyway. She forgot her staff in her rush.