#with 2 lines and a codex entry letter

[andrewknightley]

Have your game in tevinter aka Elf Slave Country Where Human Mages Rules and then have the only relevant tevinter characters be Good human mages or Evil human mages was a choice for sure

[supoctosss]

31 Days of Dragon Age

Based off this post

The past 5 days have been hell, HOWEVER, I am finally getting out of it and forced myself to get up and get ready for Veilguard tomorrow (it’s currently downloading while I’m typing😭) so speedrun off all the days I missed

Day 26- Favorite DAI NPC

The return of Alistair as a Warden or King, Hawke, and besides the obvious ones I would say Either Alexius or Maddox bc I love a good tragic ending, and Alexius is such a nuanced villain and Ketheric from BG3 reminds me a lot of him

Day 27- Favorite Scene/Dialogue

So many, Morrigan's "I will not be the mother you were to me" makes me sob violently, it hit such a deep part of soul that I had to take a break from the game, combining that with Morrigan freaking out seeing her son with Flemeth and not being able to do anything bc of the well. It's why I will always drink out of the well bc I could not fathom being at the beck and call of someone you have been running from.

Day 28- Favorite Lore/Codex Entry

For just small things, the letter from HoF and the Dalish camp war table saga. Big things are definitely all the Dalish lore, especially in Trespasser, Lyrium being titan's blood (therefore making all magic blood magic) everything we learn about the Qunari, and Cole in general

Day 29- What I love about Dragon Age

The companions and people you meet along the way, each character is incredibly nuanced and no matter who they are or what they feel you can clearly see where it came from. Each character is full of love, and it's really where BioWare shines, so many backstories, lines, even cameos evoke so many emotions from me it's astounding. I also really like how there's someone for everyone, every person who plays has that one character that they just resonate with (Morrigan) and it really makes me feel seen and not alone.

Day 30- What I am most looking forward to

New choices, I've played every DA game at least 15 times, and I feel like I know every line of Dialogue by heart, I know every gifts in Origins and who they go to, I can do a completionist run of the first 2 without looking a single thing up and most of it's just muscle memory, and I wish I could experience seeing Loghain betray Cailan, or Anders blow up the chantry, or Solas' reveal just one more time for the first time. So, I am incredibly excited to see something new that I have no idea of, I'm also going to keep off all Wiki's until I finish my first run so I can see everything blind

TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW

I will come on here just to do my LAST DAY of this and will be dead silent until I finish the game (as I suspect many of my mutuals will be too) I am genuinely in such shock that I currently have DRAGON AGE 4 downloading, that tomorrow I finally get to see Davrin and make my Rook

[vibrathor]

i finished datv

its a decent game, just not a decent dragon age.

This was the first game in the series where I felt nothing upon reaching finale, no excitement, no sadness, no epicness, just wanted to get it over with. I still started a new character, mostly to see if I can get more lore tidbits on this particular combo of race/faction (and to unlock the last achievement Im missing from 100%). Its just... shallow. Good for "relax, consume and dont ask", but if you want just a tad bit more, youre in for a bad surprise. Not to mention the constant hand holding, jesus christ, trust your player to have a brain, Bioware.

More under the cut, spoilery

it will be chaotic, but hey ho...

Honestly, I played it for the lore. I knew certain aspects that got confirmed, i was baffled by others, especially contradictory to the previous games... which still would be okay if only it didnt just started snowballing into one big mess.

Old gods lore? Gone. Seems like quickly attached to the elves, which would have been great if it was done better. Much better.

It was elves all along? Spirits into bodies? Expected. Shame they decided to just cut through it with a blaster and infodump en masse on the player, it really took me out.

Blight? See, thats interesting, but we also first learned that red lyrium is blighted lyrium. To have titans infected blood could be interesting, except also red lyrium means angry. What.

Statues of the dread wolf in every single elven place? Yeah why. There was a big point of having his statues in mythals temple in dai, big enough to get its own dialogue, but nope, lets just reuse assets, enviromental storytelling? what is that

Isabela only shared the name with Isabela I knew. Same with Dorian. Morrigan had a few good lines, but it wasnt my Morrigan.

I also like how we dont care about the previous choices and characters, except the ones we need and are as bland as possible, and all have selective amnesia. Either leave the south and the past completely, or import more choices, this is just jarring.

I expected a soft reboot, which we get with letters telling us about the South getting wrecked, and im sort of at peace with that? It stings, but still. The ILLUMINATI reveal at the end tho? I hope they pivot from the implication that ALL of the previous villains/heroes/events were influenced by THE ILLUMINATI, not just observed, DIRECTLY INFLUENCED, cause thats not just shitting on lore, thats shitting on some amazing characters and their agency (LOGHAIN OF ALL), and amazing stories, for the sake of what...? Clearing cut from the past team? I was never a big fan of Trick W, but this is just... ugh. Unless it is a VERY GOOD WRITING, that im not expecting from this team.

Writing is very bland, and mostly bad, way too anachronistic, tonally not even at all, characters are just meh, and the fact you HAVE to be nice to all of them doesnt help. I cant dismiss them, i cant fight with them, i cannot NOT recruit them, the most i can do is not do quests (but loot. and codex entries. and stuff), which is such a regressive decision. POWER OF FRIENDSHIP LESSSGOOO

I think I truly liked only Emmerich and Davrin, even Harding was a shadow of herself. I knew Taash was written by Weekes instantly, same bratiness, same annoyance about them as Sera... whom i actively dont like, but i cared about anyway, and I was prepared and did it for Taash, but certain in your face, including breaking the forth wall, preachy scene made me fucking cringe. Like i literally had to pause cause it was so bad. Taash is kinda too childish as well, not straight to the point like some people claim, just fucking daft. Neve is flat, Bellara is a worse Merrill, Lucanis had a promise, but its like hes written by 2 different people at all times, even Solas contradicts the one I knew before.

Also its so... weird that like Harding gets stuff from her Ma and wants to go camping, but at the same time we know South is barely holding. Antaam is so good theyre every fucking where.

Wardens are great, Id die for Evka. Assan is my boy. Manfred is the greatest wisp that ever was.

What was the most disappointing though, was the zones. What do you mean i FINALLY go to tevinter and see only fucking dock town? Where are my villas? Where are the bad magisters? Wheres the rampant injustice (except in the passing or the codex)? In Treviso, where are the scary Crows, not this anti-hero italian nice mafia? Kal Sharok is just different, but everyones nice and looks normal, but theyre different, lets not get into it though.

Where are dozens of elves following Solas? Whats up with that 6th sense twist that was SO BAD?

Theres probably more stuff that I already forgot about.

I know this games development was hell, the whole process got restarted like 3 times, but the way they sanitised almost everything (shoutout to the Blight cause it has some good moments), and the writing that is even more chaotic than this post, make me feel so... bitter? Disappointed? Disillusioned?

Certainly nothing positive.

[erikacousland]

Ram in Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 2

Ram Rams are often found roaming grassy plains or woodland hills. The males and females of the species are indistinguishable, both possessing horns and shaggy coats. This has led to the entire species being referred to as "rams," although the term usually applies to male creatures. Like the druffalo, the ram is important to the livelihood of farmers and shepherds throughout Thedas. Rams are a source of meat, wool, and milk, the latter of which is used to produce fine cheeses.

"This has led to the entire species being referred to as"rams," although the term usually applies to male creatures."

It's probably the most stupid thing from DA I've ever heard…

Does they even know there a thing called "Sexual segregation (in biology)"?

That were just a bunch of dude sheeps hang out there enjoy their bachelor days together.

Codex entry: Ram The ram is a marvelous creature. Its wool makes the best lining for winter coats this side of the mountains. The horns and bones can be crushed into powder and mixed with the soil for a healthy crop, or charred and ground into ink powder. The hide makes a good cover in a window against the winds. You can burn the dung in a pinch. Melt down its fat for candles. I haven't even mentioned the meat! With a full-grown ram, you could make a stew big enough for a village and have enough left over for a week. So there'll be no more complaining about "being paid in sheep" for your work during the harvest. With that ram and a few ewes, you can start your own flock. You're lucky to have them handed to you instead of needing to go and tame a wild one. Listen to your father for once: take care of those animals, and they'll take care of you. —Letter from a Fereldan farmer to his son

"With that ram and a few ewes"

Fereldan (the writer of the codex) know their rams better alright?

Note:

The design of the ram is more like a goat than sheep.

I just calling them Fereldan britches.

[idrellegames]

Wayfarer Public Build 1.0.4 (April 10, 2021) has been released.

THIS IS NOT A CONTENT UPDATE! There are no new major content additions to Chapter 1 from version 1.0.3.

Play the Game

Bug Report

Patreon

This update is purely focused on making tweaks to the UI design and overhauling some of the behind-the-scenes mechanics. Because of the changes to the skill check system, you will need to start a new file (otherwise you will fail all of your skill checks).

Here’s a quick look at some of the major changes:

UI Tweaks and Additions

The Faction and Companion sections of the Journal have been redesigned. They now feature a selection of cards, which you can now click on to view information about that faction or character.

The Codex page and Codex entries have been tweaked. The Codex page now features boxes that change colour when you hover over a selected entry. The Codex entries themselves have been given a new background.

I have added a toggle button to turn the handwritten font for letters on and off.

Skill Check Overhaul

The most significant part of this update is in regards to skill checks. The player now starts with a base skill level of 5. The Prologue / Quick Character Creator still gives the player 9 skill points across all choices (2 from your origin, 4 from your Wayfarer master, and 3 individual choices) to increase their skills from the base level.

Dice rolls and the number required for a successful pass have been reworked. It is now impossible to 100% fail OR 100% succeed a normal skill check (there are still some skill checks that are purposefully easy or difficult than average). There is a level of risk across all regular choices.

For regular skill checks in Act 1:

Level 5 – 40% chance to pass

Level 6 - 45% chance to pass

Level 7 - 50% chance to pass

Level 8 – 55% chance to pass

Level 9 - 60% chance to pass

Level 10 – 65% chance to pass

Level 11 – 70% chance to pass

This new system allows for more flexibility as the player grows their stats. I found the system before encouraged players to continue to grow the stats they were already good at, which would eventually lock them out of choosing certain options entirely because their skill level would be too low. If I am committing to the idea that every choice is a risk, then there cannot be 100% chance of success or 100% chance of failure for regular checks (there will still be times when the story demands higher or lower chances of success and failure).

The player will not be able to see their chance of success before they select an option; however, I am planning on including that as an unlockable trait down the line.

For a full list of changes in this update, please see the changelog below.

Change Log

Content Additions & Changes

Re-wrote the letter the MC receives from their master (it is now a letter specifically from Brissa Varyn)

Added letter titled “A summons from the Grandmaster” to the Codex

Edited some lore in the Rona codex (look for the word greendrift! It’s important!)

Edited some timeline references (the MC and Aeran have been in Rona for six months, Luthais is specifically referred to as a greendrift in place of a street urchin)

Bug Fixes

General typo fixes and small continuity fixes

Fixed a bug where the MC receives +1 Random Stat in the Prologue and proceeded to not receive any stats. They will now receive +1 random stat.

Fixed a bug after the fight with the Count, where if the player executed Rhodarth, the text treated it as if he was still alive and left at the villa

UI Updates

Added a setting that turns off the handwritten font for codex letters

Fixed some issues with the font size settings

Improved font and passage re-sizing on mobile

Attempted to place a “Return to Game” button in the sidebar, but ran into an unfixable issue where the Inventory duplicates when the player clicks “return to game”.

Moved the chapter header to the sidebar. The chapter number and title will now appear above the sidebar menu, rather than in the top right-hand corner of the passage

Removed the Font-Awesome icons next to Saves and Restart, as well as the icons next to Save to Disk, Load from Disk and Delete in the Saves dialogue (these are part of the base SugarCube stylesheet)

Added a new toggle icon for the sidebar

Changed the Save notification icon

Added box shadows to all passages to add more dimension against the background

Added a header box on the Journal pages

Moved the Guide to be accessible from the sidebar right away, rather than from the Journal

Adjusted the sidebar for Combat screens (new combat icon and new background)

Updated the header image on dialogue boxes (Saves, Restart, etc)

Made significant progress on mobile optimization. It’s not 100%, but fonts and headers should resize for smaller viewports. The UI bar cannot be resized without destroying its functionality (not sure why), so it must be collapsed if you’re playing on mobile.

The Settings popup now launches on one of the opening pages after you click “New Game”. This is to ensure players don’t skip over elements that may be helpful for their particular playstyle

Game Mechanics Updates

Skill Gain and Action Key now default to being “on” rather than “off”

Added a tutorial popup in the Prologue that explains skills and skill checks

Lockpicks are now no longer consumables. They are a reusable item, like the grappling hook, and can be used as long as they are in the MC’s inventory.

Added a “Pact Forged” icon to the MC’s dialogue options when they accept their contract from Zenaida (this will also be tracked in their records in the Journal)

Reworked the skill check system for more flexibility (see above for a full explanation). It is now impossible to 100% pass or 100% fail regular skill checks.

Known Issues on Mobile / Smaller Viewports

Scrollbars on dialogue pop ups that contain a lot of text are broken on mobile and can’t scroll all the way to the bottom of the dialogue box (you close the popup, but there is text that gets cut off

Formatting of stat bars doesn’t resize properly on mobile

Hover box on character cards in Companions and Factions section of the journal do not re-size correctly on mobile

The Settings dialogue box changes the text layout on smaller viewports

Dropdown boxes in the Settings do not trigger on mobile

[inquisitoracorn]

First line meme

Hello!! Sorry for the inactivity, things have been extremely busy! Thanks for tagging me, @melisusthewee, @johaeryslavellan, @morganlefaye79, @noire-pandora, I just got around to checking my notifications :)))

I didn't think I had ten works posted, but AO3 says I do :)))

Rules: List the first lines of the last ten (10) stories you published. Look to see any patterns you notice yourself, and see if anyone else notices any. Then tag some friends.

So let's get into it

1. Two Songs and Three Serpents (Trevelyan backstory, my baby)

It was late in the afternoon of the festivities.

2. Winning the Endurance Game (gift exchange, Zevran x M!Tabris, NSFW)

It was only a matter of time before they finally came to blows.

3. Rogue in Redcliffe (prompt, Varric notices things about the Inquisitor)

This was a good Thursday by Varric's standards.

4. Down is closer (prompt, Valta in the Deep Roads)

Down is further, further is closer.

5. Our name shall be cleansed (prompt, codex entry, damaged letter)

Dea------------ Much has happened since ------------------------------

6. Dance the dance, chant the chant (prompt, light Inquisitorial angst)

It was high time for the fortnightly concerts at the Herald's Rest.

7. Lucky odd pair (M!Trevelyan x Elven OC, cute date, awkward idiots)

"Go on then! You can put one foot in front of the other, can't you?"

8. Nothing, again. (Dorian x M!Trevelyan, modern AU, NSFW)

Nothing, again. (pattern?? what fucking pattern aadsdfjdkgjh)

9. What shouldn't be (gift, Solavellan, bad ending, Solas wins)

They were not meant to have survived.

10. Who is the lamb and who is the knife? (prompt, dark!inquisitor AU, what I write when I'm moody)

On a clear night such as this, it was very easy to mistake silence for peace.

Yeah so, I'm extremely creative with them as you can all see. I don't repeat anything at all :)))

Either setting or cryptic shit. I am not ashamed one bit!

Tagging: @blarrghe, @retrowondergirl, @musetta3, @kittynomsdeplume, @hollyand-writes

[common-blackbird]

it’s time... for a dragon age 2 playthrough post. scroll on!

The things i loved most:

1) the frame of the game - Cassandra interrogating Varric.

What a great way to get hook the player. Like, the opening of guards dragging this poor dwarf with cuts of the title, and then Cassandra demanding answers... Whoaaa! I have no idea if that’s usually done in games or not, but it’s definitely such an amazing intro with characters introducing themselves as well as the story so perfectly, it captivates instantly. The tutorial has a charm to it bc varric is messing around. Which serves to show more of his character. Cassandra’s personality was pretty much blank here but her presence is so powerful. Something happened, something huge and they know and i was about to find out. I can’t describe how excited that intro made me feel. Each time the scene cut to the interrogation scenes, my eyes were glued more than ever. Just GREAT.

Also it makes for a very convenient scapegoat for every plothole ever with the argument “it’s just his version of the story”.

2) The story.

It’s tragic. It’s amazing! The further you play, the more you can see that no matter what you do, everything leads to a disaster. Hawke doesn’t want to take sides, tries to mediate, does not want to get involved, but just can’t stop it. For every thing gained, Hawke loses two more. Your friends come with packages that get you involved in terrible stuff. Your good intentions result in disasters. The whole game you spent time climbing  the social ladder not only to reach the top hauntingly alone after losing all of your family, but also losing even that empty title and watching as the city you started to find your place in fall apart in blood. UGH! GAH! FEELS!

3) Kirkwall.

“ But, I beg you my dear readers, never forget that, no matter the subject of any story that might ever be explored between the cliffs of Kirkwall, She will find a way to steal the thunder of the protagonist. Or become the antagonist. Kirkwall is never a mere background. We could even understand it so: the challenge for you dear readers is to prevail against the smokescreens and observe to what extent our characters are players or played by the merciless black souled stone giant. Enjoy playing the dare of the ages between the lines of these humble memoirs. “

Memoirs from the Downfall - Act I. Mirage    by Pfefferminze on ao3 (fic rec!)

This paragraph summs up what Kirkwall is better than I ever could. This shrouded mystery that surrounds Kirkwall keeps you on toes. From the first intro when Varric describes it (paraphrasing from memory) “Kirkwall. The city of chains. It is a free city - keeping in mind i use the  the word loosely”. You already start seeing how dark Kirkwall gets. The name, that derives from its black walls (interestingly, the walls in the game aren’t black...), the history of slavery etched into every corner of that city  and its surroundings - the names (The Gallows, the Bone Pit, the Wounded Coast, the pub The Hanged Man), the scenery (sculptures of slaves, the sunken ships by the Wounded Coast, slums and underground of the Lowtown and the Darktown).

I was really digging the History of Kirkwall and it loved it. Kirkwall has a history of violence, from the times of slavery of the Tevinter Imperium, to Qunari conquests and liberation from Orlais. Many revolts and uprising. And though free now, it’s suggested that, seeing that the Templars hold the most influence, Kirkwall is in the hands of the Chantry.

It’s full of cultures mixing together. I love how not one of your companions is a native to Kirkwall, and it feels like a crossroads to every character’s life. a very tragic crossroads in their life, seeing there’s nothing ever good waiting for you in Kirkwall.

Also there’s these codex entries you look for about the Enigma of Kirkwall. It was when i started digging that up that i fell in love with the city and all. Combined with the History of Kirkwall and every codex entry for every place in and out of Kirkwall, I was pulling my hair out reading about the Enigma. I..i’m still not quite sure what happened. Did the magisters use blood of thousands upon thousands slaves to unbound a forgotten one? if so, is that corypheus? And around what time did that happen?? I get that part (or all?) of Kirkwall’s mysterious violent agency is owed to corypheus slumbering relatively close to the city, but is that all? or is there something more? In either case, the Band of Tree are my heroes.

4) The characters.

I’ll talk more about them later, but in general, i just love how they oppose each other, how complex they are, and there is just not pleasing everyone. They feel genuine. They are all deeply flawed. They all have a solid background that makes their beliefs and actions convincing. The friendship/rivalry points are shaky though, and sometimes really don’t fit the character, but i guess there must be someone hating/loving your bad choices for the sake of the game regardless of characterisation. But all in all, i really appreciated each and every character, and loved how their viewpoints challenged me.

First i want a disclaimer: i love each and every character in the game, whatever i say against them doesn’t diminish my liking of them. My issues really aren’t significant. Also, i might and probably will say smth wrong bc i’ve only played it once. I’m a baby.

let’s start with Family:

Mama Hawke:

i really loved mama hawke. after reading her codex entry and an excerpt of some book on this site, i really feel for her. I mean, imagine going back to your home city where you only remember being respected and wealthy only to find out everything you remember is gone, you are forced to live in poverty, your kids are doing dangerous jobs and you can’t stop them bc you do need that money, you write letters trying to get the old connections but keep failing (at least it was implied?), it’s really been hard for her. I get why she was so obsessed with her legacy. She wanted her childhood home back. She can’t feel like Kirkwall is her home until she is home.

Also loved her antagonism towards Hawke. It seems she can no longer treat him like a child, so she criticises him instead. and honestly, hawke is doing some crazy things so he defintiely deserves some criticism. And stopping Hawke from taking carver with him is just logical to me, idk. since she knows she can’t stop Hawke from going, she will at least attempt to prevent the last kid from going into mortal danger. I’d do the same. AND AFTER HAVING CARVER DYING IN DEEP ROADS I AGREE WITH HER

All in all, i don’t think she’s a perfect mom, but there is no perfect mom, and Leandra does care a lot for her kids. The All that remains killed me too :’(

Bethany

RIP :(

Her codex is not long, but i guess she wasn’t happy with her magic :(

CARVER

My favouritest bestest bro in the game. A secondary character with an inferiority complex towards his sibling, with no sense of humour, blaming everyone else for his inability to get a life? I see a lot of myself in him.  He is sooo bitter, but doesn’t even realise (or at least doesn’t admit) that he’s his biggest obstacle. He feels like it’s Hawke’s fault for Carver not getting his place in the sun, but honestly, it’s Carver’s devotion to Hawke that keeps him from getting a life. He’s just tied with that responsibility and can’t break from it unless forced to.

His interactions with other characters are so funny. Either he’s bitter or he’s awkward, i die every time ;;__;;

Anyways, he became a templar in my game and i thought it fits better thematically (throughout the game the grey wardens felt more like a fanservice material since they really aren’t connected to the story), but after reading that meta about carver and seeing the striking difference between warden!carver and templar!carver i wanna reload and redo everything ;;__;;

i mean... carver isn’t exactly a templar material. The codex entry for templars says that the wanted characteristics of templars are strong faith and utmost  obedience, none of which carver really has... . But that moment when he stands up against meredith was *chefs kiss* worth it. I’m just wondering what happens after, is he still a templar? is he with hawke? is he in Kirkwall or if not, where did he go?? so many questions ;A;

Uncle Gamlen

I feel bad for him. Mostly he’s mean but i like to think it’s bc he’s so ashamed that his sister sees what he’s become. And he’s bitter about his own life. I was so happy when i realised he has a personal mission ;__; I feel bad that he didn’t come to live in the hawke estate tho, especially since Hawke is also alone there :(

COMPANIONS!

Varric

There are no words that can properly convey the amount of love for this guy. He is simply flawless. He’s a charming godfather of the dwarven mafia. I wanna have a charming godfather of the dwarven mafia in my life... He already becomes interesting with the intro, and i gotta say, out of all ~storyteller~ types of characters, he is the best. he puts a disclaimer at the beginning with that game tutorial, and during the whole interrogation he’s like “well, how do you know i’m not lying? i could be.” Also, his voice is the second best voice in the game. 

As for his personal missions, oh wow, that thing with his big bro really hurt. I also gave him the red lyrium... was that a mistake? will i regret it? ;__; I know the true friend would prevent him, but i also trust that varric knows how to handle dangerous stuff...

On a side note, since i’ve read the comics (no self control whatsoever), i loved the beginning of the Until We Sleep, where varric mentions it’s easier to imagine all the people he had to kill were evil than to face the fact that those were normal people just doing their job or trying to survive. Man, it hurts TAT

*garret hawke’s voice when he looks a certain way at the family crest in the hawke estate* ISABELA!

Ok ok, so, i love Carver bc i relate,  i love Varric because he’s simply perfect. But I love Isabela because she’s the most intriguing.

She just crashed in Kirkwall and really didn’t sign up for all the trouble she got. She never likes to have deep conversations, she is always downgrading herself and you just wonder, what is it that happened in her life, and you know her past mistakes haunt her, and she’s doing her best to move on. Her arc was i think my favourite. I think the comic Those Who Speak really adds a lot to her arc in DA2 and makes some of her choices more understandable. Her whole story is about her internal conflict of whether to survive or do the right thing. Her story about freeing the slaves got her ship wrecked is great and all for making her be a pirate with a golden heart, but that story about her drowning all the slaves few years previous make this freeing of slaves a big character moment for her. She finally did the right thing. And she got for it was more trouble, because she’s a pirate which means she can’t afford to just do the right thing. And throughout the game, that same story is going back and forth. She runs off with the Relic bc she’s done the right thing before and it got her nowhere, so now she decided to put her own survival as a priority, but comes back bc she’s too kind to just leave Hawke standing like that. And again, with the slaver papers, it’s the same reasoning: it’s her or the higher cause. She needs that ship. She chooses herself. It’s her biggest flaw. But hey, between pros and antis in your party, it was really refreshing to have someone who, along with varric, just gives you a break with moral high-grounds.

I only wish we actually got to see her more as a captain in power in the game or that she showed me that amazing hat she saw in lowtown. It’s cool that it’s implied that her crew doesn’t like her and she also lost most of them during the crash while the others probably left her after.

I love it when she says she goes sometimes to the docks just to watch the ships. That there is no feeling like sailing. I just want a spin-off with captain isabela’s terrible adventures (´A`)

Also, isabela’s VA is my fave, she really did an amazing job. she voices so smoothly, i wouldn’t know if i was playing a game or watching a movie. And has such a pretty way of talking...

Aveline

I’m really neutral towards Aveline. I like her personality and i like that she’s found herself a purpose and advanced in the guards, and she’s always looking out for everybody. I just wish her personal missions went in the vein of the one in act 1... i feel it would have been more interesting to see her having trouble in her position and that you can’t just waltz into Kirkwall and take command. It’s implied she’s being pressured, so i guess she’s just dealing with it herself, but i just... eh. She’s ok.

Merrill

Merrill actually has one of the if not the most tragic story-line that really challenges you both morally and emotionally. 

Her cheerful and cute personality is dampened by her constant dark leitmotif of willingly practicing blood magic. And i think her story really showed well the indirect consequences of it.

Not in one instance was Merrill’s practice of blood magic an active culprit for all tragedy that surrounds her. First, it seems that blood magic is practiced in the clan, seeing there is no freeing Flemeth without it, but i’m guessing it’s seldom practiced and with great caution. So Merrill wasn’t in any danger of being prosecuted for her blood magic. It’s actually her wish to study it further with the help of the demon that makes her an outcast. That and the magic mirror that apparently is forgotten for a reason. Also, it’s made quite clear that Merrill would be welcomed back no questions asked if she at any point decided to ditch the demon and live without the study of magic mirror. She, on the other side, is driven by the higher cause, the idea that figuring out the forgotten purpose of some evil mirror might help her clan, and is willing to be an outcast if it means reaching her goal and helping her clan. Fast foward to act 3, the clan is still there when they should have moved away, and it’s only when you face the demon possessed Keeper, you realise why. She knew Merrill would sooner or later bargain with the demon again. And she sacrificed herself, trapping the demon within her, as to prevent it. And i think that is why the clan stayed so long there. She waited for Merrill because she wanted Merrill to kill her, and hopefully with her the demon. It didn’t go as planned, obviously, but i really think she had good intentions. When Merrill does manage to kill the Keeper she’s forced to face the clan and i chose the wrong option of telling the truth which resulted in a massacre. Merrill gets back and regrets everything. She, however resolves to help the alienage.

The thing is, there is no one to blame Everyone had the best intentions. Everyone is working for the safety of the clan. it’s a story of sacrifice and when sacrifice feels like the wrong choice (whether it truly is or isn’t depends on your worldview) and it’s really done well.

But here are my issues with Merrill. I love her as a character, but i don’t agree with her decisions.  It’s a personal issue. Merrill is giving up everything as to help her clan by learning history of the evil mirror. And while this is a game where old things are important and significant, her mission is always explained as this duty of preserving history. And while i agree that preserving history is very important, there is a limit to it. you should never put history before the present. If your research endangers the present, you give up on that line. The other is that you need to make peace with the fact that many, many things are forgotten and will be forgotten. It’s sad, but you gotta make peace with the fact that some things are just gone.

And Merrill, who is a magic historian, fails to see that. So that kinda irks my historian moral codex. And in the end, as far as i know, Merrill doesn’t succeed in reviving the evil mirror and dedicates herself to help the alienage. It was a terrible way to learn that some things aren’t worth it.

The other, less personal issue, is that none of this had to happen. I mean, the keeper obviously didn’t think Merrill was experienced enough to actually deal with demons and therefore distrusted her and warned the clan about it. So, if Merrill was a little bit more patient she could have just studied normally under the keeper, and when she herself becomes the keeper, she could have fraternize with that demon however she wanted without much complications. So yeah... i guess youth is made of idealism.

But as i said, minor issues. Her story is really, really great.

Fenris

Fenris and Anders are my “i love you but i am soo annoyed by you but i still love you” characters. Half of the time they’re just there to make you feel guilty for being a neutral party. Which sometimes has me rolling my eyes. If Fenris and Anders actually got along with each other, slavery and mage oppression would have ended in 2 days. Which makes it all the more frustrating that they do not.

Fenris.. his voice. What a nice voice colour. So elegant, but kinda rough, sometimes he talks like he’s 80 years old, sometimes like he’s a teenager. I love it.

As for the rest, i mean, i don’t agree with his methods, but very often, the guy’s got a point. I get his experience with mages colours his view on them, so while i symphatise, it’s really hard to have him on my “free mages” missions when he’s my best tank and i want him to be on friendly terms with Hawke so this makes things... difficult. That aside, it’s interesting that fenris doesn’t see mages as evil per se, but rather victims who, in his experience, will always, always going to succumb to a demon. It’s an inevitable reality to him. And this makes me wonder if he ultimately, despite being his friend or lover, is just waiting for the day he will be forced to kill Hawke too :(

As for his missions, they were ok, it led up to culmination and i didn’t let him kill his sister bc Hawke has just lost his mom, don’t do smth you’ll regret ;__;

also, somewhere around the end of act 2 i decided to romance fenris bc i love to suffer, so i worked the whole act 3 trying to get more aproval points and also wondering why are there no romance options when i talk to him... turns out that one night stand with isabela romanced her and canceled fenris. But i never even finished the romance with her so i’m just ??? about it all.

I wish it was more explained about the tattoos fenris has? I just thought the tattoos would play a big role somewhere in the game and it just never happened. There was a banter with Merrill about how his tattoos are similar to valaslin, so i thought, hmm, interesting, maybe the two are connected. But nah they just glow in the dark and make you pass through walls. Whatevs.

also dude just goes and kills without a second thought, i’m just “mate, you gotta calm down”. But that’s his thing. He’s constantly bitter and is very bad at anger management. I can’t blame him, considering he lacks around 10- 20 years of experience due to amnesia.

He’s the only one who left me when Hawke sided with mages, and i was like, “ok i getcha, it’s been nice knowing you”, but then when i asked him to join me 5 minutes later he just went “ok changed my mind” which was so funny, like, where did all that integrity dissappear??? It would have been more impactful if the dialogue went in the line of “i want to stand by my principals but you’re a living breathing proof that not all mages are weak to succumb to demons so i’ll join you in the end” (and then side-eye “i told you so” when orsino turns into a demon)

And i wanna read the fenris comic now bc my question for every character here is what is their fate after kirkwall. I only know that isabela & varric are working for alistair and merrill wants to help the alienage. Aveline is i guess either dismissed from her job or got a pass after cullen took  the command.  But Carver?? Fenris?? Anders?? They never talked about long term plans...

Anders

ooh boy, here we go. there are many questions i have for him and am generally just hmmmm. First, as for his pro-mage rights - it’s like opposite fenris so i just have the same feelings: you mean well, i don’t agree with your methods, your experiences define your worldview so i let some things slide, but other things i will not agree with. Though, question: in how many circles has Anders been? He knows the kirkwall circle, he knows the fereldan circle. Seeing he has excaped 7 times, did they send him to a different circle each time or was the fereldan the last one? or the first one? Or maybe it was his boyfriend they transferred? did i miss something?

I’ll just whisper: awakening!Anders >>> da2!Anders. I just miss the old anders. Which says a lot bc during the awakening i was just “shut up anders”. I miss his bad jokes, his terrible attempts at flirting, his enjoyment of freedom, nagging all the time, and generally being more moderate in pro-mage rights. Like, in awakening, because it was not the only thing he talked about, it felt more personal and intense. Here mage-rights are the only thing he ever talks about + justice. I mean, please correct me if i’m wrong, this was just general impression. But to defend da2!Anders here, it makes sense that merging with mixed both of their personality, and i like that they did that. It’s also very sad.

The thing is, when i’m thinking about anders, i love his story and character. Just as it’s terrible that Fenris, having no memory from before being Fenris, Anders can never go back to being just Anders. And this, people, is why you don’t fraternize with spirits. He’s obviously afraid of how justice is affecting him and there are some bare traces of his old personality and i guess he wouldn’t be as radical if he didn’t have justice personality that can’t stand the injustice. And in combination with anders quite selfish personality (form awakening, and i say that lovingly), it makes him do things that justice wouldn’t condone. Anders is literally a walking bomb.

Again, same problem as with fenris, i really thought that the justice glow would have a incredibly significant culmination, and it didn’t, it was just to show that anders and justice are very bitter. Eh, ok.

Also, i let anders join after he blew up the chantry, bc he started it, so might as well follow it through.

Some minor characters that i remember

Senechal Bran for the next Viscount! He hated hawke so much but still put up with him.

Feynriel is the coolest mage in Kirkwall. I think his missions were my favourite. Dude goes from “oh no i’m a mage” to “i will just dreamwalk to tevinter and learn control the reality” to “i dream-killed bad people from thousands of miles away”. Does he appear in the next game? I want him on my side. He’s so cool.

I think the Maker is sending Cullen signs to quit being a templar. First job: evil mages that tortured you. Instead of “this job will kill you” h took it as  a “never trusting mages again, got it”. Second job: your boss is evil possessed paranoid maniac. Man, talk about bad luck.

What is the story of the Lady Elegant?

Flemeth had that big great talk at the beginning of the game and i thought by the end of the game i’d realise what it meant, but nope, still no clue.

Ok so I defeated Corypheus, but there was this looong shot of Larius walking away. Corypheus possessed larius, didn’t he? He’s out there. In a madman’s body. I know he appears in inquisition.

Many thoughts

I gotta say, in Kirkwall, at least, it didn’t feel like much of a challenge to pick a side. Like, there was no mage who said “hey i actually really like it here in the circle, the templars aren’t so bad”, and having templars actually smuggling mages from the circle says a lot to say the least. Every time a mage talks to you, unless you go with “oh they’re 100% lying”, their stories invoke sympathy and of course you want to help them. And then in 99% cases they turn to blood magic bc there was no other way. Except that dude who always hanged out with the wrong people, he only did blood magic to save Carver. But yeah, that turning to blood magic was like having Fenris side-eye me with an unspoken “i told you so” bc every mage, whether in desperation or hunger for power, will turn sooner or later into a demon. Regardless, blood magic was always in the act of desperation and self-defense. The only times where magic was actually evil was the slavers and the serial killer, who is a madman.

When i was reading the Enigma of Kirkwall, there was a part that talks of a blood-mage conspiracy and i was all, oh shit, there is a reason why templars are mean to mages! maybe the conspirators are framing innocent mages on blood magic crimes that they actually commit, maybe Meredith is actually on trail of the conspirators, maybe there is a reason for animosity on both sides. After all, Kirkwall was known for having a bigger number of apostates, a bigger number of blood magic cases and far more ruthless templars. It added up.Thinking back now, i never even got any specific reason why meredith was so intensely anti-mage, other than going mad.

But yeah, no conspirators. Just sad mages and mean templars, and good templars that get screwed by desperate and mean mages.

While in Kirkwall it’s easy to be a pro-mage, i was thinking a lot about mage-rights in general so let me indulge myself: there are circles, but the mages aren’t oppressed. Rather, the circles would be educational centres and society in every larger city where one learns how to properly handle magic bc magic is dangerous. You can leave when you pass the final exam and also come back anytime to hang out with mages who decide to live there since the institution would support mages.

Also, when one gets possessed, i’d invest more into “walk into their head and free them of demons” specialists. It’d be cool if you could have a dreamer who does that bc no lyrium spent. Honestly, why don’t they ever do that? How did the keeper do that rite for Feynriel? Was it blood magic?

I guess, you’d still have to answer for your crimes, tho no death punishment and degradation allowed. Blood magic wouldn’t be punishable by death, but rather have specialists who study it, but practice with extreme caution and use of another person’s blood is strictly prohibited.

Templars would still exist but completely reformed. No more “mages are all potential disasters”, but i’d rather make it that mages can too be templars, since they both have abilities that prevents the others from casting magic. This way the control system would be much like the dalish: if the keeper(mage) is possessed, the clan (which means the non-mages and the first(mage)) need to kill them. You could argue that you don’t need templars as non-mages, since mages can do it too, but seeing that in general people fear magic and feel inferior to it (since there’s a collective memory of the great tevinter imperium), having non-magic specialists would make them feel like on equal ground. The extra-reformed templars would be under Circle, not under direct command of the chantry, and circle, depending of whether chantry is reformed, might or might not be under chantry.

(a side note, i was thinking about templars recently and i can’t recall an instance where it says who had the clever idea to chew lyrium first? i just wanna know)

I know that DA2 wasn’t about grey wardens and therefore not about darkspawn, but seeing as in legacy we get corypheus being... an evil version of the Architect(??), i was only wondering do we get more answers about the darkspawn? is there hope for them? is the Architect still alive?

And oh, to turn to the Anders question:

Is he a terrorist, or was that just activism? I mean, i don’t see why those two can’t go together. blasting a building with a symbolic significance killing and harming many innocent people to get a message of your radical activism across belongs into a schoolbook of terrorism. Does he have a good cause? He sure believes so, and i, too, agree that mages should not be oppressed for just being mages. But does that mean this is the right way to do it? Personally, i do not condone any act of violence in service of a political or religious cause. I know it’s sometimes inevitable, but i like to believe there are more diplomatic ways, or at least not including an attack on civilians.

That aside, the moment where anders goes in front and just announces that the church was gonna blow up in a minute was the best anders moment for me. Until that point i more or less just viewed his activism as a hobby since he just did it in his free time, but now he put his money where his mouth is and freaking went all out. Cool character moment. And incredibly heartwrenching. He was aware of how many innocents he killed, but just didn’t see other way to get the point across.

I still don’t agree with his idea of blowing up the church tho. Maybe if he told Hawke, they could have done something to empty the church previously and further people away from it and then blow it up?

But still, blowing up religious buildings isn’t the answer. If i was the radical mage activist, i would have gone for the open assassination. Seeing it worked in WW1, i don’t see why it couldn’t start a fantasy war.

Some random things i liked:

uniportant but lovable interractions in the house: it starts innocently with gamlen’s house, to see how you’re doing, and becomes really fun during act 2 when you see your friends have been here and left you things. In act 3, however, it feels melancholic. no more family to come back to, just ghosts of friends that have visited, Bodahn and Sandal being there for you, Orana still not getting some sunlight and your dog at the fireplace. The Hawke Family Suite is playing, and you feel older than you are, lonlier than you should be. just... ouch. I hope Bodahn adopted Orana and took her out of Kirkwall :(

t i named the dog “Maker” which is very funny to me bc every time i summon the dog i just imagine Hawke yelling “Maker help us”. Carver hates the name bc he needs to chase the dog often in the streets. Mama Hawke never ever calls the dog Maker, but she never has to call the dog anything: he’s super obedient towards her.

Fighting wasn’t as hard as in origins, i like that.

The haunted house mission was so cool.

When random people greet aveline in Hightown.

And that’s i think about it. There are probably plenty more things i loved, but i think this is already enough. if somebody told me i’d be playing so much this year, i’d laugh, but I already want to play the next game ;;___;;

[kessielrg]

[DA+KH] CODEX: Read Between the Lines, Sunshine

Summary: An unoffical part of @chibi-mushroom‘s Dragon Age AU for the Kingdom Hearts series. In this entry, found during Dragon Age 2, Axel Tethras writes a letter to one of his avid readers.

Rating: K

Word count: 717 words

-

[Found at the writing desk in Hawke Estate at the start of Act 2]

. . .

Ser Tethras,

I didn't want to mention it, but I've noticed that in our past few letters you've been addressing them as 'Sunshine.' While I do not directly oppose the idea, I am curious. Why that particular name? Why not simply ask for my real name?

I'm sorry that this letter is not more about your books. But this has been an issue that has been sitting on my mind for awhile now. I'm very curious and I am eagerly waiting for your answer.

-S.H.

-

Sunshine,

Oh, no well thought out analysis of racial divide between the denizens of fictional Kirkwall? Not even a mention of the suave younger brother in The Dasher's Men and his possible romantic partner should there ever be a second novel? (Which, as you know, will never happen if it doesn't earn my publishers a good bit of coin.) For shame, my friend. For shame.

However, I am not a man without poetic explanations on certain matters. So allow me to put it this way, by answering your question with another question.

Do you know why the sun sets red? Depending on how poetic you are, there are a lot of answers to that. But all those scholarly types will tell you that it's because light is made up of a whole bunch of colors. Red, as luck would have it, is the color that travels that furthest. And you know what else travels rather far? Your letters to me, penned entirely with red ink.

Yes, I've noticed Sunshine. I happened to notice it after the letter where we discussed our favorite colors. Coincidentally, around the same time, purple ink became the shortest, most costly fad in Kirkwall. A whole crate of the stuff got dumped off at my office and now I return fan letters solely in that color. Funny timing, right? The fact that purple is your favorite color must make this mistake one of your favorites, I'm sure.

Now, I bet you're sitting there and thinking 'What does this has to do with my question?' And you'd be right to assume that it has very little to do with it. Perhaps you could use your skill of reading between the lines to truly see what I mean. Let's start with that bit about light, shall we?

I don't get to see much light in my office. Apparently these stuffy dwarves that cling to the (lack of) glitter from Orzammar despise the sunlight. Makes them shrivel up like prunes, or something. It's very boring. So boring, in fact, that I've started to bring my mail with me just for something to do. Occasionally, I'd find a letter or two from fans of my books; people who just want to say a few words of thanks, or give a very unwelcome opinion. And, of course, there's you; who only wanted to clarify some context and wished to know more.

Reading your letters feel like a good dose of sunshine after a long day in an underground cavern. All authors love to blab about their work- it's encoded in their blood. But it takes a real feat to get a writer the blab about themselves as well. I don't know how you did it, and I hope you burned that one letter I sent to you about that embarrassing scar. Not even my drinking buddies know that story and I'd like to keep it that way.

I've written far more than I intended to with this letter. Moreover, you have a talent for reading between the lines. Perhaps I need not say much else? I eagerly await our next correspondence, Sunshine. Never doubt that for a day in your life.

Truly yours, Axel L. Tethras

-

(An official looking note has been attached to the envelope. It contains the stamp of the Thedas Department of Personal Mailing and Business Correspondences.)

To Whom It May Concern,

In light of recent events regarding the Fifth Blight, your letter to Lothering can not be sent to its intended address. Should we receive word that its intended receiver is available, we will redirect your letter to their new address or next of kin. Thank you for your understanding.

[redinkofshame]

I tried to combine traditional Noir with Hard in Hightown to bring us Varric Tethras, Private Eye. These thirteen codex-sized chapters are filled with drugs, sex, violence, and old timey slang. (Also, Varigold!) I’ll be posting one a day on tumblr, and then I’ll post them all at once on  AO3. 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Chapter Three

According to my information, Guillerme de Launcet primarily worked from home. Maker knows why — he had at least half a dozen kids, and while some were full grown and living on their own, I could still see plenty running about the estate, all bare feet and sticky fingers. Grandkids, maybe.

I staked out the property for an hour or so, timing my entry though the victim’s office window so that no kids, adults, or servants would catch me. It wasn’t difficult; the damn thing wasn’t even locked. I climbed in, sighing in relief when I saw that the door was closed.

The room had a stillness I couldn’t name. I knew it had less than a week since the murder, that the police had recently combed the place, yet it felt unused. I could still see the half-cleaned bloodstains on the carpet.

I examined them for a moment, but I didn’t dwell on it. That wasn’t what would get the answers I needed.

I moved to Guillaume’s desk and skimmed over it. Telephone, family pictures, a rolodex that I flipped through, but nothing caught my eye. I began quietly opening drawers. I found office supplies and paperwork in the first couple — no surprises there. There was an accounting ledger, a big binder of sums. The dates were recent, the older stuff probably in the filing cabinets against the wall. I didn’t bother checking those. If Guillaume cheesed anything it would be in his desk.

There might be useful information in the ledger, but unfortunately I didn’t have time to go through it line-by-line. I ripped out the last few pages, opened my briefcase, and shoved them in. I kept looking.

I smiled when I discovered the last drawer was locked. I didn’t even bother looking for a key — I’d done my share of box jobs, but you didn’t need to be a can opener for something this easy. I popped the lock, and inside I found something interesting at last: a small, engraved, velvet-lined oak box, also locked, containing lyrium and all the paraphernalia for snorting it.

If the police had found it they hadn’t bothered bagging it, and I wasn’t going to either. Just knowing he was a user was enough for a lead.

I emptied the drawer smiled even bigger when I felt the telltale hairline seam at the bottom; a hidden compartment. Jackpot.

Moving quick but quiet I slid the cover off. I found a single folded letter inside. I scanned it quickly, and just like you might assume, it was a lead. A big one. Guess the coppers hadn’t figured that Guillaume was being blackmailed.

I started putting everything back after tossing the letter in my briefcase. It was from a woman. A pregnant woman, demanding payment for her silence. Just how far would this woman go to get what she wanted?

As I thought about it the door swung open. I froze, and locked eyes with an equally frozen kid, probably around 10. With what I hoped was a disarming smile I pressed a finger to my lips, closed my briefcase, and climbed out the open window. I didn’t look back to see if he was going to keep his silence.

I sprinted, thinking what a shame it was that the blackmail letter was unsigned. That would be too easy, I supposed. Still, I recognized the stationary it was on.

It was time to head to the Hanged Man.

[solasan]

oh sh*t i was going to send u an ask ab the oc codex entries and i forgot fml!! lol anyway: 2 for adelheid and 4 for cedany uwu

002: a letter written by your OC’s family member

[a bloodstained letter half-destroyed by mud, found trampled underfoot in the remains of lothering]:

Bethy,

We reached Ostagar this morning, so stop worrying, would you? Tell Ma that we’re all fine. Or, you know, in Del’s case, as fine as she’ll get. You know how she can be. At the very least, Bear’s loving it; there’s mabari everywhere, so he’s got a lot to keep him occupied. And before you ask, so do I; the other soldiers are brilliant, better than anyone I’ve known before. We’ve even spotted the King a couple times — I’ve got loads of stories to tell you when we get back.

Del’s not settling in so well. She got in a fight with one of the Grey Wardens on their way in this morning, if you can believe it. It’s Del, so you should believe it. Dunno what it was about, but probably something stupid. It usually is. Honestly, she’s had a real stick up her arse since we left — worse than usual. She’s driving me mad.

Bet Lothering’s quiet without us. Don’t go too barmy, sister. We’ve already got enough of that in this family. 

Anyway, word is we’ll be marching within the next week. I promise I’ll send another letter before we do, alright? We’ll be fine. Don’t worry.

Carver

004: a letter from your OC to their love interest

[a letter, badly worn and ripped in places, marked with dried mud and still vaguely possessing the scent of pungent rot. its words are smudged and shaky, and there are occasional holes in the vellum where it would appear that a quill has been pressed through it on letters. the lines where it has clearly been crumpled up, combined with the lack of a seal or any marks of sending, make it clear that this letter was never delivered. dated 9:41 dragon]:

Alistair,

Can you hear it, too?

Look, I [an unskilled doodle of a flower, here, as though the writer was considerably distracted] I don’t really know why I’m writing you. I shouldn’t be, but hey, we both know I’m pretty shit at doing what I should do, so. I just…

I didn’t realise this was what it sounded like, you know? The Calling. Figured it’d be a lot more madness and organisation and shit, a lot less… this. It’s fucking bullshit. This is all just… just bullshit. The bogs here are hot and dry and fucking awful, and at night it’s freezing cold, and we still haven’t found the cure and Nidelan and I keep fucking fighting about it, and I’m tired all the bloody time but I can never fucking sleep, and I just. I don’t know what to do.

Ha bloody ha, bet you’re laughing yourself sick at me. Shut up, idiot.

I’m scared, I s’pose is what I’m trying to tell you. Like, really, shitting bricks and sweating gallons and shaking like a fucking leaf scared. Which is ridiculous, ‘cause I don’t get scared, right? Ever. But I’m scared now. And I really… I really fucking wish you were here.

I s’pose if anyone finds this letter and actually sends you it, which is, you know, pretty bloody unlikely, I just want you to know. Well. I’m sure you do know, you should know, I mean I might say you’re an idiot but you can actually be quite smart at times, but. Right. Just in case, yeah?

So. I love you. Because I’m fucking thick. And probably dying. And you probably are too. And I just… I just fucking love you, and I want you to know that, before this is all over. I don’t think there’s a life where I don’t love you, not anywhere. Would probably be easier if there was, honestly, but it’s not like we’ve ever been good with easy.

Maker. I should’ve told you every day for the last fucking decade, shouldn’t I? Ha. Fucking stupid, shit-for-brains idiot, that’s me. Should’ve snogged you senseless. Should’ve told you to choose me. I almost did, you know. When I first found out about Gwenore. Wrote a letter and everything. Doesn’t matter now, I s’pose.

Wouldn’t have mattered then, either. Doubt you’d have listened. Still, you’d have known. That’d be… well, something. A good something, maybe. Fuck if I know anymore.

I love you, anyway. And I’m still yours, if you want me, for however long we have left. I always will be.

Cedany

ask me questions

[thereluctantinquisitor]

OC codex 4 for Kael? Wanna know more about him :D

Codex Entry - “We need to talk…”

A personal letter from Warden Kaelan Tabris, addressed to Zevran Arainai, a former member of the Antivan Crows. It was found at an abandoned campsite, kept inside a small wooden box that contained other various keepsakes. The site appeared to be hastily abandoned, but mostly intact. It is likely the inhabitants intended to return, but were waylaid. 

Zevran,

I’m… not good at this sort of thing. I kinda wish I was, because at least I could feel like I was going toe-to-toe with you, but I guess you’re the charming one and I’m the one who just rushes in and puts his foot in it. So… shit, here it goes. 

I just wanted to say that… I appreciate it. Everything. You. I know I don’t tell you it enough - probably none of us do - but you deserve to hear it every damn day, so I’m going to go ahead and put it in writing. Feel free to bring it up whenever I piss you off. This one’s a freebie. You’re welcome.

But seriously. When I got thrown into this mess, I felt like I was treading water. Always just one kick away from drowning, you know? I didn’t want any of this. To be a Grey Warden. For anyone to look up to me. For people to think I can suddenly save the world and grow their crops because I drank from some nasty cup and didn’t die doing it. Up until now, all of this has just felt like a bad dream. You know, the kind where you’re running but not going anywhere, and something is chasing you, but for some reason you can’t turn around and get a good look at it. 

Okay, maybe you don’t know. That was a bit… weirdly specific, wasn’t it?

Look, all I want to say is that I want you. All of you. You probably think there’s something wrong with me - maybe you just wanted to have a bit of fun last night, and that’s fine if you did. I’m not going to hold it against you. For a first time, it was pretty damn good, and if I can get just one good memory right now… shit, I’ll take it. I’m not the kind of person to get attached or anything like that. Not to just anyone. But the problem is you’re not just anyone, and I can’t sit here trying to convince myself otherwise. I don’t want to.

You’ve had me once, and if that’s enough for you, I get it. I really do. But if it isn’t then… well, I guess what I’m trying to say is… good.

[The next section is smudged awkwardly, crossed out in places, and a general mess. The only legible line is the final one]

I’m runing out of ink, so pls cme 2 tent if u wnt. Jst 2 tlk.

     - Kael

[spratwurst]

The Warden as Companion - Part I

NAME: Leilani Mahariel RACE: Dalish elf CLASS & SPECIALIZATION: Rogue, Commander of the Grey (unique specialization and tree skill; can’t be learned by the Inquisitor) DEFAULT TAROT CARD: The Emperor ROMANCE: Can be romanced by the Inquisitor regardless of race or gender.

RECRUITMENT

The first time the Inquisitor talks to Leliana at Haven, she will mention her agents have made contact with someone from her past at a Deep Roads entrance in the Brecilian Forest. She urges the Inquisitor to meet this person but refuses to give more details about them, “for your own safety as much as theirs.” 

A scouting operation opens up at the war table in south-east Ferelden.

Scouting Operation: News from the Deep Roads

“Inquisition agents have made contact with someone from Leliana’s past in the depths of the Brecilian Forest. She believes they can aid the Inquisition on the mission to seal the Breach.”

Three power points are required and it can be completed only through Secrets.

“Our agents will secure the rendezvous point. The sooner you meet, the better.”

Completing the operations opens up a new temporary destination on the map (”Brecilian Forest”) and a new quest becomes active. 

In order to recruit Leilani, the war table mission must be completed before In Your Heart Shall Burn and the Inquisitor must travel to the Brecilian Forest before Here Lies the Abyss.

Quest: From the Deep Roads with Love

Upon travelling to the destination, a cutscene begins as the Inquisitor and their party arrive in a small area of dense forest. Ahead of them is a cave entrance, and in front of it a Dalish woman fighting a group of darkspawn. 

The cutscene ends and the party enters the fight immediately. The enemies are three ghouls, one genlock, one hurlock, and one hurlock alpha, and they always scale one level below the Inquisitor’s level. The Dalish can’t be killed nor die in battle. She’s a dual wielding rogue and she’ll aid in the fight, making it considerably easier. 

After the fight ends, a new cutscene begins as she greets the party. The first line is dependent on the Inquisitor’s race. 

If the Inquisitor is Dalish: “Aneth ara, lethal'len. We get around, don’t we?” 

Otherwise: “There you are! Almost thought I got stood up.”

Dialogue 1

First option: You know about me? -> “I’ve long ears, in case you haven’t noticed. I hear a great many things.” 

Second option: That was impressive. -> “(Laughs.) If you’re trying to flatter me, know that it works.”

Third option: Why am I here? -> “Not wasting any moment, I see. Good!” 

“Allow me to introduce myself, then. I’m the Hero of Ferelden, Veteran of the Fifth Blight, Arlessa of Amaranthine, and a few other fancy titles. But do call me Leilani.” 

Investigate

The Hero of Ferelden? -> “Why? Are there any other Heroes of Ferelden? Do we have to fight until there’s only one left standing? Yes, yes, that’s me.” 

So you’re Dalish. -> “I understand your surprise. I’ve heard many tales about myself these past few years. In one of them I was the daughter of an wealthy Orlesian noble with ties to the imperial throne. (Laughs.) I should write the Empress sometime.”

You’ve been in touch with Leliana? -> “Leliana and I fought through the Fifth Blight together. You know what they say: friends who defeat archdemons together, stay together. Or something like that. (Laughs.) So, yes; we’ve been in touch. Although correspondence to and from the Deep Roads is spotty, to say the least.” 

Were those darkspawn? -> “That they were, blasted things. You should get your chance to fight another pack any moment now. That is, if we don’t leave soon.”

What are you doing out here? -> “Picking wild berries and mushrooms. [Camera moves briefly to the Inquisitor’s unamused expression.] Oh, you were serious? Fighting darkspawn, of course. This cave here leads to an entrance to the Deep Roads. Speaking of which, we’ll have to seal it before leaving.” 

Dialogue 2

First option: It’s an honor to meet you. -> “I don’t get that a lot these days.”

Second option: That’s a lot of titles. -> “Give it times and you’ll get yours too.” 

Third option: You still haven’t told me why I’m here. -> “I was getting there.”

“The reason why I brought you here is because I want to join your Inquisition.” 

Dialogue 3

First option: How can you help?

Second option: The Hero of Ferelden wants to join us? -> “Shocking, right?” 

Third option: Why do we need you?

“I have experience and skills and contacts. I can fight-- quite well too, if I might say so myself. I have stories to keep taverns entertained for days-- really, what’s not to love? If that hole up in the sky swallows us whole, there won’t be any darkspawn left to fight. I like my job security, you see?”

Decision Point

The Inquisition would be honored to have you on our side. (Leilani joins the Inquisition) -> “Splendid! Now let me finish here.”

We don’t need your help. (Leilani doesn’t join the Inquisition)  -> “As you wish. Send Leliana my regards.”

Leilani proceeds to detonate a grenade, collapsing the cave and blocking the entrance. 

“That should do the trick.” 

The cutscene ends and the party select menu opens up if Leilani was recruited. 

Either way, the Inquisitor can now explore the area. Several darkspawn corpses are lying around, two of which can be looted for valuables and common weapons. The crafting materials are elfroot, embrium, rashvine nettle, fade-touched iron, and fade-touched obsidian. There’s a small camp with a chest with random loot. Looting it result in “Leilani Slightly Disapproves” if she was recruited. Otherwise, no changes. In the camp there’s also a note that can be read:

Codex entry: Unfinished Letter

Here’s a riddle: who is always on their way here but never arrives? The answer is: your contact, apparently. At least that’s what your agents are telling me every time I ask. Don’t get me wrong; I love sitting in this demon-invested forest and fighting darkspawn all on my own. It’s my favorite thing in the world. But this is not why I came to the surface. 

Even if Leilani is not recruited the first time, she will remain at her camp until after Here Lies The Abyss. Afterwards, the location disappears from the map and the Inquisitor won’t be able to recruit her anymore.