#he also approves when you help the Dalish clans and elves in general even despite having personal beef with them

[lillotte17]

...

[o-samus]

Alaina Lavellan (Companion)

Here it is !! No one asked for it but here it is !! It took me two days but Alaina was worth it ♥ if anyone wants to do it I got the template from here (and if you do it I want to see :’) )

Inquisitor’s Name: Alaina Lavellan

Nicknames: Lainie, Lanes

Race, Class, & Specialization: Elf, Rouge, Assassin

Varric’s Nickname for them: Doey (dough-we, like a doe)

Default Tarot Card: Queen of Wands

How they are recruited: After arriving at Skyhold, Dorian will mention to the Inquisitor that he had received a letter from an friend who is in need of assistance. If the Inquisitor accepts the request, they will meet with Asiel and Alaina at the Gnawed Noble Tavern in Denerim (only avaliable for that quest). Asiel will explain that he is a runaway magister-to-be from Tevinter and the Dalish elf with him, Alaina, is a friend he met along the way to Fereldan. The Inquisitor has the option of recruiting them in exchange for offering protection to Asiel and Alaina from his family and anyone his family sends or just simply declining to give them safe harbor.

Mini Bio: Alaina was born in Antiva City and lived a small but normal life with her parents. Her mother was a baker and her father was a florist. Although both of her parents had been city elves, they still worshiped the Elven Pantheon and tried to maintain much of their culture and language and passed all their knowledge onto Alaina.

When Alaina was eight years old, her parents were murdered by a group of humans who had been angered by her mother who had refused their advances earlier that day. With no family and being unable to provide for herself, she roamed Antiva City’s streets for a month, surviving by being stealthy, fast, and subtle. She was able to get by by steal most of her meals and conning her way into temporary shelter.

One day she was caught stealing from a Crow and instead of punishing her they recruited her to become one. Alaina stayed with the Crows, learning how to become an Assassin and became friends with the only other elf her House, Elio. When she and Elio were thirteen, they were about to finish their training when they decided they didn’t want to live the life of a Crow. They devised a plan to escape and executed it right before their ceremony. Unfortunately, they were caught and Elio sacrificed himself so Alaina could escape. She headed south and made it into the wilderness between Antiva and the Free Marches where she found by the Lavellan clan who had been passing.

She stayed with the Lavellan clan, and although she was happy and accepted she still felt like she truly didn’t belong. When she turned eighteen she choose Mythal as her personal deity for her vallaslin, and was greatly influenced by memories of her being her mother’s favorite deity. When Alaina was twenty she was out hunting when she found Asiel who had been gravely injured by mercenaries who had been sent to capture him and bring him back to Tevinter. Alaina and her clan took care of Asiel until he was fully healed and when it was time for him to leave, Alaina requested for him to take her with him.

Where they are in Skyhold: At the Herald’s Rest at the bar. (Depending on your choice after her personal quest) In the chair beside Bull.

Things they Generally Approve of: Snarky funny comments, helping anyone in need, supporting/defending elves, flirting with her, doing other inner circle quests, anytime you pick flowers (crystal grace, dawn lotus, etc.) ?? it’s like automatic approval and it’s like god Alaina shut up.

Things they Generally Disapprove of: being a meanie >:(, conscripting the mages or templars, hostility towards elves, racism towards any race tbh, with Alaina it’s really hard to gain her disapproval because she’s so neutral

Mages, Templars, Other?: Alaina doesn’t care which one you choose as long as you don’t force them to join the Inquisition and treat them like prisoners. However, if you have the Templars join she’ll approve but if you have the Mages join she’ll greatly approve

Friends in the Inquisition:

Blackwall: Alaina fully and completely believes that Blackwall is a warden despite the fact that a lot of his responses towards being a warden are so vague. Although she thinks they have a friendly relationship, Blackwall is not very fond of her due to her inquisitive nature and the fact that she’ll constantly ask him questions about being a warden, what he did before he was a warden, etc. so he often tries to avoid her.

Cassandra: Alaina loves Cass and can be often caught biting her lip as she stares at Cass’ arms because oh gosh those guns ??? ♥ Can she lift Alaina with those arms ?? She has a friendly relationship with Cass due to the fact that she is very pushy to spend time with her to get to know her. It also helps that Alaina is also a fan of Varric’s smutty romance novels.

Cole: Alaina is very friendly towards Cole and likes Cole but for the most part her dumbass has no idea what he’s talking about even though he might be mentioning her thoughts and feelings or others’ thoughts and feelings about her.

♦ Dorian: Alaina absolutely adores Dorian, and almost immediately considers him a close friend. She thinks he’s one of the most hilarious and charming people she’s ever met and loves listening to him and Asiel banter due to the fact they have a rival kind of relationship. She loves spending time with him in the library and although she isn’t very good at chess, she’ll play with him. Dorian absolutely loves the fact that Alaina makes her own oils and loves it even more that she makes him his own. Everyday she compliments his mustache at least once and everyday he compliments her hair at least one.

♥ ♦ Iron Bull: The first time Alaina meets Iron Bull she practically swoons. Oh gosh those arms ?? Do you work out ?? After the initial “holyshit he’s so hot” moment, she and Iron Bull are thick as thieves. Alaina loves Iron Bull because not only is he funny and likes to drink and party, but he often helps guide her in many aspects of her life. Iron Bull likes her also because she loves to drink and party, but also because gets amazingly along with the Chargers. It is implied she and Iron Bull have slept together, and if Iron Bull and the Inquisitor or Dorian are not in a relationship with him by What Pride Had Wrought, she and him form one. After What Pride Had Wrought, the Inquisitor can find a Necklace of Kadan equipped in her inventory.

Sera: Alaina likes Sera’s nature and the fact that she just wants to have fun and put things back to normal, because in all honesty so does Alaina. Often Sera will be begging Alaina to participate in pranks with her but the thought of making fun of someone, even if it’s not in a harmful way, makes Alaina want to cry.

♦ Solas: Alaina loves Solas and treats him like he’s a Hahren, drinking up all of the knowledge he can provide her. She can often be found lounging on the couch next to him, listening to his stories of the fade, his opinons on their current mission, previous historical events, and even elves, although he’s learned to be a bit more gentle about that subject with her. Solas also likes Alaina because she is so willing to listen and learn new things, and he loves how her opinion on elves isn’t too extreme due to the fact that not only is she Dalish, but she was born as a city elf so she understands both sides of the track. Solas also loves her kind and gentle nature and how she’s so idealistic, but he’s also afraid how idealistic and naive she is. He believes that something is going to happen to crush that point of view of hers and he’s not sure how he will react to his friend losing that part of her.

Varric: Varric often tells Alaina that she reminds him of his friend Merrill, and every time he says it she practically beams because she can see the fondness in his eyes. The two get along very well, Varric loves teaching Alaina how to play Wicked Grace because she’s just so bad at it and Alaina loves listening to all the stories Varric has to tell.

Vivienne: There has been so many times that Alaina has said that she wants to grow up to be just like Vivienne. She loves the strong and important aura Vivienne always presents and looks up to her almost like a mother figure. Vivienne in turn loves being that motherly figure for Alaina, because she is just so happy and adorable and loves listening to Vivienne. One thing, however, that irks Vivienne is Alaina’s fashion sense. By the Maker, how can that girl just run around Skyhold in an over-sized tunic?

Romanceable: Alaina is romanceable by any gender and any race. After the Inquisitor recruits her and Asiel, and after a couple of flirting options, a cutscene will trigger when you talk to her at the bar where she invites the Inquisitor to her room. The Inquisitor can accept and have sex with her, decline but continue to have romantic advances, or simply reject her all together. If the Inquisitor chooses one of the first two options, after that night Alaina will explain to the Inquisitor that it’s okay for them to have a casual relationship, and that she will not object to the Inquisitor sleeping and/or seeing someone else. It is not until after finishing her personal quest can the Inquisitor make the relationship official.

Small side mission (Sweet Smells): This quest is activated by going into the Undercroft after recruiting Alaina where the Inquisitor will find her sitting on the floor in the corner making oils and soap out of herbs, flowers, and fruit. The Inquisitor will then be given the quest Sweet Smells where they can collect flowers and fruit for Alaina to make her oils. If the Inquisitor completes the quest, it will turn out that it was an oil for the Inquisitor. ♥

Companion quest (At The Bottom of the Bottle):

The Inquisitor will wake up in the middle of the night due to some banging on their door. Opening it, they find Alaina giggling with an almost empty bottle of wine in her hand. She slides her way in, throwing her arms around the Inquisitor, blatently flirting, begging the Inquisitor to take her. The Inquisitor will set Alaina down, asking her what she’s doing. Instead she doesn’t respond and take another drink. The Inquisitor will then ask why is she so drunk and they are very confused because they’ve never seen her like this before. After enough pressing, Alaina eventually breaks down and starts sobbing, telling the Inquisitor she’s not sure how much longer she can take it all. She’s afraid, she’s weak, she’s confused, and she apologizes for feeling this way, because she knows there are others out there suffering more than she is right now. She’s supposed to be strong now, she’s had her suffering and she must learn how to move on but she feels like she can’t do it. She reaches for another drink...

  Option 1 (”It’s okay, Alaina.”): Stop her drinking and console her. Explain to her that it’s okay to be afraid and to have these feelings and that she doesn’t have to be strong all the time by putting on a face, especially if alcohol is something that is helping her do that. Instead she should rely on her friends, including the Inquisitor and trust that they will all be strong together.

Alaina will thank the Inquisitor and if they are in a romance she will tell them that one of her fears is that she loves them but she is unsure if they love her. The Inquisitor can either tell her that they love her back or simply tell her that they wish to be friends. If the Inquisitor chooses to continue their romance with her they will fall asleep together in the Inquisitor’s bed. If they remain friends, or were simply friends before, Alaina will pass out on their couch.

  Option 2 (”Grow up.”): Tell her to get over it and move on and the Inquisition has no time for tears.

Alaina will agree with the Inquisitor and quietly leave their room. The next day everything will seem fine and Alaina will be acting normal. However, throughout Skyhold there will be remarks made by everyone on Alaina’s health and her drinking habits, saying they often find her drunk at the bar. Alaina will then become incapacitated for the final battle due to being too drunk and a cut scene will trigger before then of Asiel yelling with tears in his eyes at Alaina that she has a drinking problem and that they need to fix it together.

Tarot card change

Option 1: Death

Option 2: The Moon

Romance: The Lovers

Cole’s reflection on their thoughts: “Pain. So much pain. But it’s better isn’t it? Better than before. Nothing could be as worst as it once was. I just need one more drink.”

Cole’s reflection on their thoughts if romanced: “You feel like home.”

Comment(s) on Mages: “I wish I had magic! I bet it’s nice to not struggle while making your campfires. New rule! All mages must make the campfires!” - Dorian (if in party): “New rule! Alaina must make all the campfires!” / “Sometimes magic is scary, and sometimes magic is cool! Right now it’s pretty scary!” / “How do mages not trip with their skirts so long?”

Comment(s) on Templars: “They’re so big~ ♥” / “Don’t they get hot in all that armor?” / “*gasp* ... *whispers* metal skirts...” /

When looking for something: “I spy with my little eye!”

When finding a campsite: “Inquisitor, can I take a nap?” / “Is it snacktime ?!”

A non-rogue Inquisitor trying at lockpicks: “Need some help? I’ve been told I have very skilled hands~”

In combat:

And a stab here! And a stab there!

Can’t touch this~

What’s all the fuss?

When the Inquisitor Falls:

Oh no !!

Are you alright ?! Dumb question ! No you’re not !

If Romanced:

Vhenan!

Amore/a!

I’ll be right there, my love!

When they are low on Health:

I don’t want to impose, but i’m dying!

*whine*

When they see a Dragon: “Raah, raah like a dungeon dragon!” / “Woosh !! It’s huge !!” / “*gasp* A dragon !!”

When during their small side quest: “Thank you Inquisitor! ♥”

Default saying:

Low Approval

Uhm, h-hello.

*sad hmm*

*singing* ninety-nine bottles of mead on the wall ! O-oh ! Hello...

Farewell: Goodbye.

Neutral:

Aneth ara!

Goooooood morning Inquisitor!

I just love abyssal peach ! ♥

Farewell: Make sure you take me with you when you leave !

High Approval:

Why is it called Skyhold ? Does the sky hold us ? Or do we hold the sky ? Hm...

Hello hello hello !!

Inquisitor ! Have a drink ! It’s on me ! ♥

If it’s the first time hearing the line: 

Alaina: Put it on my tab, Cabot!

Cabot: You don’t have a tab.

Alaina: Oh...

Farewell: Aww ! But i’ll miss you !

Romance:

You are looking so wonderfully wonderful today ♥

*The most adorable and most alluring giggle you’ll ever hear*

Vhenan ! I have a funny story to tell you !

Amore/a, i’m not busy later if you aren’t~

Farewell: I’ll see you later! My room or yours? ♥

Travel Banter with Canon Companions of your choice:

Blackwall:

Alaina: Oh Blackwall that’s amazing!

Blackwall: What is?

Alaina: That your parents named you ‘Warden’! It’s like they knew you were going to become one!

Blackwall: Please tell me that you know my first name isn’t ‘Warden’.

Alaina: Aww...it’s not ?

Alaina: What is it then ?

Blackwall: Er- oh look, it’s one of those flowers that you like!

Alaina: Oh ! Where ?!

Cassandra:

Alaina: Cass you were so amazing in the last battle ♥

Cassandra: Thank you, Alaina.

Alaina: The way you just picked up that guy and threw him?

Alaina: Creators, I wouldn’t mind if you threw me like that ♥

Cassandra: I’m going over there now.

Cole:

Cole: Big arms, strong arms, rough hands, I want to be held, need to be held by those.

Bull (if in party): Alright, whose dirty thoughts?

Alaina: Ooh, strong arms? Where ? ♥

Bull (if in party): Go ahead Alaina, ask me to flex.

Alaina: *giggles*

Cassandra (if in party): Ugh. 

Dorian:

Dorian: Lainie, how do you do that?

Alaina: Do what?

Dorian: Walk around with no shoes?

Dorian: Don’t your feet hurt?

Alaina: Don’t your feet hurt wearing shoes?

Dorian: I-uh...

Dorian: Well played.

Iron Bull:

Iron Bull: Alaina, I have a surprise for you when we get back to Skyhold.

Alaina: Ooh! Ooh! What is it?

Iron Bull: *Laughs* well it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.

Alaina: Oh please Bull! Who knows how long until we get back to Skyhold!

Iron Bull: Alright, alright, it’s a nice big bottle of Abyssal Peach.

Alaina: *gasp* ! Oh Bull, thank you!

Alaina: When we get back to Skyhold, i’ll give you my peach~♥

Dorian (if in the party): And now I can’t finish my snack.

Asiel (if in the party): Don’t get too excited, she has a peach garden and I wouldn’t be surprised if she gave you an actual peach.

Varric (if in the party): Would the two of you be offended if I used this for my next book?

Sera:

Sera: Oh c’mon Alaina, it would be real quick. Just a small go.

Alaina: I can’t Sera! I would feel awful!

Sera: People feel awful all the time!

Sera: Feel good now!

Sera: Feel good now and with pie! And their face!

Sera: Pie! In! Their! Face!

Solas:

Solas: Alaina, I never asked, but why did you pick Mythal for your vallaslin?

Alaina: Oh! She was my mother’s favorite deity, and now she’s also mine!

Solas: Your mother’s? I thought your parents were both city elves?

Alaina: She was! But we still worshiped the pantheon, and she used to tell me the legends about Mythal.

Solas: I see.

Varric:

Varric: So Doey you got a name for your daggers?

Alaina: Ooh ! I’ve never thought of that !

Alaina: I should name them something cool!

Varric: Yeah ! Something like, ebony and ivory, or thunder and lighting, or-

Alaina: Lefty and righty !

Varric: Ahh, we’ll work on it.

Vivienne:

Vivienne: My darling Alaina, please tell me that’s not your horrid over-sized tunic underneath your armor I see.

Alaina: Oops, haha, yes...

Vivienne: What happened to the new ones we had purchased together?

Vivienne: The ones with the pretty lace?

Alaina: U-Uhm! Well, I didn’t want to ruin it so I left them at home !!

Vivienne: Hm..

[felassan]

Blackwall: 2, Solas: 1 and 3, Sera: 3, Cole: 2, Bull: 1, Vivienne: 3 and 5, Varric: 2, Dorian: 1 and 5, Cassandra: 4 and 5 and wow that's a lot of questions but I missed Gryff tbh

omg ♥♥ thankyou sm. me too tbh. she’s still my favorite of my children. I think maybe another run of DAI is due.

[msg refs this post]

cut for length.

Blackwall2. What did they choose to do with him and how did they feel about their choice? Were they guilty about leaving him in cell, if they choose to do so?

Blackwall joined the Inquisition and stayed until the Inquisitor could declare victory. Blackwall considered the Inquisitor a friend. Gryff strongarmed him out of prison using Inquisition resources and had him continue to fight as part of the Inquisition. ah, but his judgement specifics was a tough one. on one hand, she doesn’t care about what he did before she met him and things he did while outside the Inquisition. she doesn’t care about treason to a human kingdom, nor about the murder of nobles really. on the other, she values honesty and not being a coward, and more importantly, the betrayal of the loyal men under his command was unconscionable and indefensible to her - you protect your men, soldiers who trust you with their lives as their commander. to do otherwise goes against everything she believes in, she’d sooner die herself than betray her men. that was what she took most issue with really, over the general deception, lies or the murder of some people. if he’d done that or a similar thing as part of the Inquisition, while he was under her command, she would have executed him without a second thought. she had respected him as a warrior and as a Warden, but her respect for him completely nosedived and evaporated on learning what transpired between him and his men.

the first time around I had her free him and reveal his identity, but in hindsight I think it makes more sense for her as a character to opt to send him to the Wardens to undergo the Joining for real after Cory’s defeat. thank goodness for the Keep eh?

Solas1. Did your Inquisitor engage Solas academically with questions or were they uninterested in his experiences?3. If your inquisitor was told they were “unlike others of their race” by Solas, how did they respond? Were they angry or grateful? 

1. not at first, because she mistrusted him from the outset. she also has little interest in intellectual matters outside of theories of war (and definitely not in the metaphysical), and did not appreciate Solas’ criticisms of and comments about the Dalish. silly really, because they each looked down on the other for a time. it made for a bad combination initially - they had a strange, bitter and belligerent association for a time. the development into mutual respect, comrades-in-arms and eventual friends there is really interesting to me, maybe I’ll write about it to chart it out ‘on paper’ someday.. it doesn’t follow the game exactly.

she came to accept that he was an expert on the Fade, the anchor and the sort of forces she was dealing with when it came to sealing the Breach. consequently, ever the pragmatist, she sought his counsel on those subjects and had him join her in the field as she journeyed around closing tears. eventually her Dalish desire and drive to recover and relearn as much of the past and their culture/history as possible got the better of her pride and distrust, and she would ask him about what he’d seen in his travels through the Fade, about ancient elves, the ancient elven kingdom and what had been lost. then about other stuff, like spirits (her growing friendship with Cole helped springboard that one, she wanted to understand Cole better) and magic in general. and it went from there really. (I will say that I dooon’t headcanon or think of Solas and Gryff as having had a teacher/student or elder/child relationship, for me personally that’s an uncomfortable power dynamic. I think of them as two equals who just had different areas of knowledge and expertise, who learned from one another in a give and take sort of way. I think it’s possible to pick someone’s brain/knowledge banks about a topic without that kind of dynamic being present.)

he did continue to frustrate her sometimes with his occasional bursts of intellectual and general superiority, tendency to longwindedness, and especially over their clashing ideas on how to help the elves. I tend to think that some of the arguments Solas has with Disapproval Inquisitor still occur in a manner of speaking between Solas and Gryff. you know, like DA:I’s main basegame plot spanned a whole year or so and a lot can happen in a year, and Solas content was not as extensive as some of the other companions’ were, particularly as a romance compared to the others. a game is inevitably constrained by length, resources, simplistic axes like “approval” and “disapproval”, unrealistic mechanics like “touch all these orbs for bonus approval points”, etc. real relationships between people are obviously a lot more complex. ah sorry.. these 2 just fascinate me so much, 2 very different individuals who both deeply love the People but have totally different ideas about how to help them.

3. he did tell her that, and she was angry. smh Solas. Gryff believes the Dalish made her who she is, that she’s no different from the rest of them and that Solas misjudged them. she loves and respects the Dalish. there are the new pieces of information regarding portions of elven history and the Evanuris, and she has her newfound.. atheism? secularism? (the main change is that she no longer believes in the Evanuris as gods the way she did before) and has disdain for aspects of the upper echelons of ancient elven culture (ex. the keeping of slaves by an elite upper class), but she is still proud to be Dalish. she feels there is plenty of value and worth in modern Dalish culture and (still practises and takes part in) their traditions, and in what they have reclaimed and made their own. she will always be Dalish and culturally Dalish.

Sera3. How did your Inquisitor respond to the truth of Sera’s childhood (the cookie scene), if they received it? Did they empathize?

despite the differences and initial teething problems between Gryff and Sera, she received it. she did empathize and was angry at the notion of a human noble lying to a young elf and telling her that a baker hated her simply for being an elf. go figure. but she was initially a bit ? about what the hell they were doing on the roof with cookies, and doesn’t have a great interpersonal manner. Sera clarified that she was trying to say she liked it in the Inquisition, and share this with the Inquisitor. kinda ‘thats great and I’m glad, but this is a bit ?. I know! why are we yelling? because we’re friends now. oh okay. let’s go get drunk. :)’ by Trespasser they are good friends.

Cole2. What did your Inquisitor think of Cole’s ability to see into people’s thoughts?

she thought it was unnatural, but quickly realized the strategic value of and advantages to be gained from the ability and indeed, of Cole’s other abilities, both on and off the battlefield. later, she would come to love Cole as if he were a member of her clan.

Iron Bull1. Was your Inquisitor wary of Bull upon learning he was a spy?

yes, and she was wary anyway. it didn’t unsettle her though, and she understood where he was coming from and why - flip the script, and from a certain angle she was a bit of a spy for her own people for their own ends, among other races and cultures, at the Conclave. their early interactions were engaged on a level akin to two soldiers from opposing factions during a time when a temporary truce or ceasefire had been declared. I think they both recognized that. professionals.

Vivienne3. Did the feelings of your Inquisitor towards Vivienne change at all after completing her personal mission about Duke Bastian, if yes, in what way?5. How did your Inquisitor feel about Vivienne? Friends? Allies? Rivals?

3. Gryff got her the heart she requested. Gryff didn’t really know what to say when Bastian died, or in the aftermath, but she felt for her. this sad and unfortunate event showed a side of Vivienne Gryff had understandably not been privy to before.

5. initially she did not really trust her, but Gryff doesn’t trust many people at all early on. early on they had a bit of disagreement for example about the Dalish and mages, the Circle etc. but I think this was not great writing on the writers’ part regarding Vivienne here, as opposed to Vivienne herself. Vivienne is a formidable, compassionate, smart and wise woman of considerable ability and power. Gryff rejected the Game but appreciated Vivienne’s insights and political acumen, for often Vivienne saw what Gryff could not. they were definitely allies, and perhaps something akin to friends by the end - I think Gryff developed great respect for Vivienne, in time. they have some different views on some topics, but this is not a bad thing at all.

Varric2. How did your Inquisitor feel about Varric’s situation with Bianca? Who did they decide was right about what Bianca did?

Varric and Gryff are friends but she doesn’t really have opinions on his personal life. Varric tracked the red lyrium source. gryff thought Bianca was in the wrong with what she did, but at the time just shouted at them both to knock off the arguing.

Dorian1. How does your Inquisitor feel about Tevinter? Did Dorian change their feelings at all about the Imperium?5. Did your Inquisitor agree with Dorian’s decision to return to Tevinter? How did they feel about his choice?

1. dislikes Tevinter. dislikes what it did to Arlathan, dislikes it for its continued slavery and subjugation of elves. Dorian showed her that some Tevinter mages (later, Magisters, even) are different (they became good friends), and it is now of course known that the fall of Arlathan was more complicated than Dalish lore suggested, but she still dislikes the Imperium. she hopes Dorian and his faction gut it and reform it and burn away all the rotting corruption. she wishes them every success.

5. [bit of repetition here sorry] she wholeheartedly agrees with the need to reform the Imperium and remove the corruption, and with his desire to do so. she thinks there’s nobody better suited to doing so. she hopes he will succeed, and would render any aid she’s capable of giving, wolfhunt and clan-protecting duties permitting. she hopes he’ll be safe, be careful and that he’ll find success. she will miss him a lot though. they keep in touch via the sending crystal.

Cassandra4. Did your Inquisitor agree with Cassandra’s vision for the Chantry? Did they choose her as Divine?5. Does your Inquisitor know all of her middle names?

4. on balance Gryff doesn’t give a shit about the Chantry (dislikes it really) and didn’t really care about who the human grand clerics were favoring or not favoring to put on the sunburst throne, but is insightful and strategically-minded enough to realize that it was important to Cassandra, and, more importantly, that the belief structures of whoever ascended would most likely have far-ranging impacts on Thedas. by that point in the storyline she had been using her power and position as Inquisitor to help the People (Dalish and City alike) whenever, however and whereever possible. she supported Leliana for Divine because she agreed with the need for radical reform (specifically, Leliana’s ideas that all races are equal and that the Chantry’s tenets should reflect that). she had no desire to see elves be Andrastian and join the Chantry per se (if they didn’t really want to be that is - in the cases where ones do that’s totally fine), but Leliana’s ideas for how the Chantry should be were doubtless going to improve the lot of elves in southern Thedas in general. she also disagrees with Circles and Templars, and didnt want to lose her friend Cassandra to the Chantry throne, l0l.

5. yes. (♥ω♥ ) ~♪ there is a great affection between the two women, and they’ll always be friends. in turn, Cassandra knows the fabled deeds of the Emerald Knight Brocair, from whom Gryff’s name preserves her descent. its a love story for the ages tbh.

wew! there we go

[teiranlavellan]

HIHI, your friendly neighborhood Secret Squirrel here *smiles* So, while I am trucking away on reading your fic, I need to know more about our girl Teiran! tell me all about Teiran as a person. Does she have a good relationship with her family and Clan? Any siblings? Past Loves. Tell me more about Teiran BEFORE the Inquisition :D

Hello!  Well, let me tell you more!  A short-hand to the Ao3 chapters containing backstory: Chap 10 is Teiran about 6 yrs old with her parents and brother.  Chapter 18 is her current relationship with her Clan and her brother.  Chap 23-25 give some insight into Teiran’s thoughts about her Clan and their attitudes and ways of teaching magic.  Her brother and her as a young teen.

Ivun as a person

In general, Teiran is their First.  Her mother was Keeper and she started Teiran’s training.  After both parents died, Ivun raised his younger sister (young teen age).  Teiran welcomes the responsibilities of a Keeper and has a personality molded for it (building and maintaining Clan community, sharing and learning stories, decisive leadership, etc.).  However, she also has a critical mind from her Mother’s early teaching who advocated for changing some Dalish Clan traditions like adopting alienage elves.  So, she often has opinions and gains knowledge (from human libraries throughout the Free Marches) that is not Clan-approved and asks critical questions of the oral histories rather than just memorizing and reciting them.  She gets into a lot of trouble and it is an unspoken assumption that the Clan’s Second is most likely to become their Keeper even if Teiran is more skilled and a more powerful mage.  This does not help her social standing, so any crushes or flirtations Teiran had as a youngster were one-sided.  She also did not receive her vallaslin until she was near 17 and only then because she lost a bet to Ivun.

All of which results in a strained relationship between her and her Clan.  Her Clan respects Ivun’s current leadership as Master Hunter and he would like her to be their Keeper.  Ivun teaches her how to hide being a mage and trains her as an archer in accordance with the Clan rule of only using magic when necessary.  And being sent to the Conclave was Teiran’s chance to shine and gain respect among the Clan.  She is the best at fitting in with Outsiders and this is a Conclave to decide the fate of mages.

If Teiran were to look back at her time before the Inquisition, it would be bittersweet.  She loves her Clan despite their faults (in her mind) and wants to help them.  She finds what she would consider to be her place in the world being the Inquisitor (not the Herald of Andraste) and anything before that felt like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole.

[vespidolive]

you said that the dalish inquisitor would have an older sibling vibe to keeva and cyran. how close are they? do they have any thoughts on the other romanceable companions?

An Inquisitor Lavellan is, naturally, closer to Keeva and Cyran by virtue of growing up in the same Clan as opposed to the Inquisitor’s other possible origins.

As regular siblings will; the Lavellan Twins do and will act on their opinions of romanceable companions:

Cassandra Pentaghast:

Keeva Opinion- Keevadislikes the Chantry in general and isn’t too fond of Cassandra. The Seekersbeing very similar to the Templars doesn’t help matters. Keeva is EXTREMELYprotective of her family and the Lavellan Twins have been threatened by thelocal Chantry before and with the Chantry’s lovely habit of wanting elveskilled because they don’t follow the Maker... Most of Keeva’s and Cassandra’sconversations are usually about the Maker and the Creators with Cassandraasking something along the lines of “Isn’t there any room for the Maker?” “No.”The Inquisitor can get the two to put aside their differences for the greatergood of the Inquisition, but there’s a lot of snark. If the Inquisitor doesn’twant the two constantly be bickering, they’ll need to get Cassandra on Keeva’sgood side. This is done by a mission where the two of them need to go tellstories to a bunch of elven kids.

Cyran’s Opinion-Cyran loathes the Chantry with hiswhole being. His first impression of the Seeker was already bad when sheordered her men to knock out his sister (due to Keeva recognizing their clan memberand wanting to protect the Inquisitor) and only further soured when he saw howshe treated Inquisitor Lavellan in the intro. Cassandra does try to get on hisgood side, but Cyran shuts her out and down. Most of their conversationsinvolve snark, talk of the Maker and Creators, apologizing for her actions inthe intro, treatment of mages and A LOT of shit that the Chantry has pulled. Cyranwill even threaten Cassandra if shedoes anything to hurt the Inquisitor. He never really approves of Cassandra andthere’s nothing much the Inquisitor can do about that. He does show somesympathy for her after Cassandra’s personal quest, and he does gain a(grudging) respect for the seeker at the end of the game. However, the elfwon’t show it.

Overall- Neitherapprove of Cassandra at first and both worry she might convince the Inquisitorto give up who they are in the name of “love”. Keeva can be convinced thatCassandra isn’t that bad but it takes a long time. Cyran doesn’t ever reallycome around until the end of the game and even then, it’s not by much.

 Cullen Rutherford:

Keeva’s Opinion- Growingup with a mage twin made Keeva suspicious of Templars and she still is. Shewill generally try to keep her distance with the Commander, but will “ruin themoment” for Cullen and the Inquisitor (especially if the Inquisitor is a mage).The Inquisitor can point out that Keeva can’t control who the Inquisitorromances and that they can take care of themselves. From that point on, Keevawill ease up and leave the two love birds alone. However, she will expressconcern for the Inquisitor (mainly to Cyran).

Cyran’s Opinion-As a mage, Cyran is a natural prey for Templars. Therefore, Cyran is not fondof the Commander (especially if the Inquisitor is a mage). Cyran will threaten Cullen if he does anything tohurt the Inquisitor as soon as they get to Skyhold. Fortunately, Cyran is lesslikely to disturb the mood then his sister. He is far more prone to pointingout to the Inquisitor that, unless the Circle and the Templars (and possiblythe Chantry) are disbanded outright, they’ll become a walking target due to thefact that they’re an elf (and possibly a mage). Like with Keeva, the Inquisitorcan point out to Cyran that they aren’t children, they can take care ofthemselves and how Cyran’s prejudice against Templars (however justified) is unfair.Cyran will back off, but express his frustrations to Keeva (preferably when theInquisitor is out of an earshot).

Overall- Bothtwins are suspicious of the Commander, however, they eventually warm up to him.If the Inquisitor tells Keeva or Cyran about Cullen’s lyrium addiction, bothwill try to help him. Keeva will leave him flowers and Cyran will make aconcoction that will ease the pain of his addiction. And when I say ease thepain I mean it will taste so bad the poor Commander will focus more on gettingthe taste out of his mouth then the pain caused by withdraw. Fortunately, theconcoction isn’t addictive. Unfortunately, it never tastes the same way twice. SorryCullen. Their relations with Cullen improve significantlyif Clan Lavellan is saved, regardless if he was used or not.

 Blackwall:

Keeva’s Opinion-While Keeva is a little off-put by Blackwall’s respect at first, the Inquisitorcan calm Keeva from the get go and tell her that he’s a good man and treatsthem right. Keeva will immediately back off and support the relationship,especially if Cyran told Blackwall the naughty Dalish tales. Keeva’s meddlingwill, at worst, just be some light teasing at the couple.

Cyran’s Opinion-Grey Wardens were always a curiosity to Cyran, especially on how they endBlights. Cyran was lucky the Fifth Blight ended when he was just 11 andtherefore never got a chance to see it up close and personal. He has someadmiration for the Grey Wardens (especially if The Warden was a Dalish elf)and, despite his initial suspicions, will honestly respect Blackwall with orwithout the Inquisitors involvement. Blackwall’s dedication to protecting theweak, along with his respectful nature, quickly gains Cyran’s approval. AlthoughCyran will threaten Blackwall if he ever hurts the Inquisitor, he doesapologize soon afterwards. He will also be annoyed at Blackwall wanting to knowthe dirty Dalish tales. However, the elf isn’t above teasing the beardedwarrior.

Overall- Despitethe twins being suspicious of shemlen, Blackwall’s respect and honorable naturequickly win them over. Even when Blackwall’s past is found out, Keeva and Cyranwill remain supportive of the relationship. At worst, the Inquisitor will facesome teasing from the two, but otherwise the twins leave the them to theirdevices.

 Sera:

Keeva’s Opinion- Sheinitially approves of the relationship and would enjoy Sera’s company if itweren’t for her hatred of the Dalish. Sera’s comments and her making fun of herpeople do wear Keeva down, however the Inquisitor can suggest trying to findcommon ground with the Red Jenny. In party banter, Keeva will ask Seraquestions about archery, if she was self-taught, what was the smallest thingshe shot, etc. Eventually the two will have an archery contest spanning all ofSkyhold, ending with trying to fire an arrow as close to the Inquisitor’s noseas possible without hitting them, while they’re sleeping. After a lecture fromJosephine, the two act as friendly rivals.

Cyran’s Opinion-Unlike his sister, Cyran is initially put off by Sera. However, he figures sheisn’t that bad if the Inquisitor likes her. Still, Sera and Cyran won’t seeeye-to-eye for a while, but the Inquisitor can mention telling some of the moreobscure Dalish tales. Specifically, the dirty ones. Cyran will tease Sera withthe details of several stories, however it’s implied he tells her in privatethrough party banter. Cyran and Sera may never agree on much, but he ultimatelydoes want what is best for the Inquisitor. Enough to the point where he willthreaten Sera if she ever hurts the Inquisitor. However, he will laterapologize to her.

Overall- Sera’sdisdain for “elfy-elves” doesn’t win her any favors with the Lavellen Twins,however, the Inquisitor can help them tolerate each other. Finding commonground between Sera and the Twins is essential for gaining their approval forthe relationship. If the Twins approve, they can help the Inquisitor with Serawanting them to stop acting “elfy”. For example, if Clan Lavellan is killed andSera wants the Inquisitor to remove their vallaslin, Cyran can point out toSera that the vallaslin is their last connection to their clan meanwhile Keevapoints out that their clan had innocent men, women and children that were slaughtered. This makes Sera back off of theInquisitor being “too-elfy”. If Clan Lavellan survives, the Twins leave Sera anopen offer to visit the Clan, but never the less they try to get her to be a little bit more tolerant of the Dalish.

 The Iron Bull:

Keeva’s Opinion- Keevahad never seen a Qunari, much less one on Iron Bull’s caliber. While she pestersBull with questions, she’s a bit uneasy with his relationship with theInquisitor. If Keeva was encouraged to romance Krem, Keeva’s worries will ease.However, she will still ask if the Inquisitor is okay. In party banter, Bullwill tease Keeva with her crush on Krem, while Keeva will continue to askquestions about the Qun, Krem, how he met the Chargers, and tease him about theInquisitor.

Cyran’s Opinion- Likehis sister, Cyran had never really seen a Qunari before. The Inquisitor’srelationship does worry Cyran at first, enough for him to threaten Bull.However, the Inquisitor can reassure Cyran that Bull won’t try anything and ifhe does, Cyran can freeze his balls off. While he is surprised by the offer,Cyran will talk to Bull and apologize for the threat. Afterwards, Cyran willapprove of the relationship and only ask if the Inquisitor is okay every nowand then. From then on, Cyran can occasionally be found in the Herald’s Restdrinking with the Chargers and teaming up with Bull to tease Keeva.

Overall- While bothtwins are suspicious of the Qunari, if the Chargers survive, they’ll be farless worried for the Inquisitor. The Chargers will do a better job as assuringKeeva and Cyran about Bull. If the Chargers are killed, both will expressconcern and worry that the day will come for Bull to choose between theInquisitor and the Qun and how unlikely he would turn from the Qun. Both aremainly concerned for the Inquisitors safety, however a quick conversation canease their worries, doubly so if the Chargers survive.

 Solas:

Keeva’s Opinion-Keeva is absolutely fascinated withSolas’s talk of the fade and will constantly ask him questions whenever she hasthe chance. However, she will call out Solas for some of his prejudice againstthe Dalish. Keeva will often leave food on Solas’s desk to make sure he eats orthrow a blanket on him when he’s asleep somewhere. Keeva will approve of therelationship but remind the Inquisitor to not put up with Solas saying they’reunique amongst the Dalish. When Solas eventually breaks up with the Inquisitor,Keeva will try to comfort the Inquisitor either talking out the breakup orletting off some steam by sparring.

Cyran’s Opinion-Cyran doesn’t care for Solas’s opinions on the Dalish. The two often get intodebates/arguments about elvish lore and history and will disapprove of theapostate at first. Like with other love interests, Cyran will threaten Solas atthe start of the Inquisitors romance with him. However, as time goes on, Cyranwill eventually respect Solas and ask for his advice every now and then. WhenSolas eventually breaks up with the Inquisitor, Cyran tries to find out whywhen it was clear the couple were so happy. Despite Solas not telling him, inthe end, Cyran does everything he can to make sure those two end up happytogether.

Overall- Bothhave different opinions on Solas, but they will eventually approve of the elfat the end of the game. Cyran sees him as an interesting debate partner whileKeeva likes asking him questions and getting his thoughts on spirits. Keevawill try to make sure Solas takes care of himself, while Cyran willoccasionally invite him for a drink at the tavern (or at least bring him somefood when he comes back). When Solas breaks up with the Inquisitor, both try tofind out why and comfort the Inquisitor. In the end, the Inquisitor willreceive a hug from both twins reassuring them that they aren’t alone.

 Josephine Montilyet:

Keeva’s Opinion- Josephine’snatural sweetness makes Keeva uneasy at first. Shemlen, especially nobleshemlen, only cause Dalish elves woe but Josephine’s genuine personality winsKeeva over. Keeva will often speak to Josephine about Clan Lavellan’s status.If the Clan was destroyed, Keeva will ask to search for survivors. If the Clansurvived, Keeva will often hand Josie letters to send to them. Keeva’scuriosity will lead her to asking Jose about nobles, the Great Game, and how todeal with unwanted attention of noble shemlen. Josie’s answers help Keeva laterat the Winter Palace if she’s chosen to distract the nobles away from Cyran.

Cyran’s Opinion-Cyran’s natural suspicion of shemlen leaves him distrusting Josephine at first.However, once the Inquisitor makes their affections obvious to Josephine, Cyranwill back off but mention he’s keeping an eye on Leliana. Like his sister,Cyran will often check with Josephine about Clan Lavellan’s status and ask ifthere is anything he can do. Out of all the advisors, Cyran prefers dealingwith Josie and tries to teach her some elven to help when negotiating with theDalish. Cyran will also provide information that may help in contacting otherDalish Clans to gain more support for the Inquisition. After Josie’s personalquest, a letter can be found on her desk from Cyran. “Thanks for being therefor my sibling. Take care of them. -C”

Overall- Bothstart as very wary of the Antivan Ambassador at first, but Josie is no strangerto helping people move past their suspicions. Out of all the advisors, theTwins prefer to talk to Josephine due to her respect of the Dalish and attemptto give her an edge amongst negotiations amongst elves. Regardless of theInquisitors actions, the twins will approve of their relationship and tease thetwo from time to time. If Clan Lavellan is saved, the two will be very gratefulto Josephine, enough to the point to hug her. Eventually, the Twins will simplyask Josie to take care of the Inquisitor and come visit the Clan sometime.

 Dorian Pavus:

Keeva’s Opinion-With Tevinter being well known for its slavery, corruption, and history ofmistreating elves, Keeva encourages the Inquisitor to keep their distance.Despite her initial assumptions, Dorian proves himself to be a good man whenCyran vouches for him. Keeva will then apologize to the two and ask Dorianquestions about Tevinter, how he plans to fix things, what he thinks of theSouth, what he thinks of the Dalish, etc. She will develop a little siblingrelationship with Dorian. Keeva will tease the couple from time to time, butotherwise she approves.

Cyran’s Opinion-Cyran initially has no clue of Dorian’s goals and doesn’t care, what with hisusual suspicion of all shemlen. However, before Skyhold, Cyran was impressed byDorian’s curiosity about the Clan and his showing of genuine respect. That andverbally sparring with the Tevinter from time to time. Once Skyhold has beenacquired, Cyran can be seen debating with the Tevinter about history, research,theories, and sarcasm. Upon finding out about the couple, Cyran wholeheartedlyapproves. Cyran admires Dorian for his tenacity and eventually develops ayounger sibling relationship with the Altus. The worst Cyran will ever do tothe couple is team up with his sister for a little teasing.

Overall- Both arenaturally suspicious of Dorian; however, the Altus proves his worth and wit by respectfullyasking about the Dalish with Keeva and some verbal sparring with Cyran. WhileKeeva remains wary, Cyran’s constant debates with Dorian lead him to ease Keeva’sworries. In fact, Dorian is the onlyromancable companion Cyran does not threaten in any way shape or form. Both willapprove of the relationship and after Dorian’s personal quest, will speak tohim more freely about the Clan. Cyran mentions sending letters to the Clanabout the couple. Meanwhile, Keeva tells Dorian that if his father won’t accepthim for who he is, then he is more than welcome to join Clan Lavellan. In fact,Dorian gets adopted into the Clan with or without the Inquisitor’s approval.