#v. in the name of andraste. / *

[lottiesnotebook]

Hi!!!! Happy Friday <3 (and happy Valentines also!!!) SINCE you're sharing prompts this week, can I ask for some Rheyah Adaar/Viola Trevelyan? Maybe a "[ palm kiss ] – for the sender’s muse to kiss the palm of receiver’s hand." or a "[ shock ] – for the sender to recoil a bit in shock at how quick the receiver latches onto them in a moment of high emotion, before returning the affections."?

Happy Friday! <3 I love Viola and Rheyah so much, despite the fact that Viola isn't even technically my OC, so please enjoy some hurt/comfort based on the second prompt you chose! For those of you who don't know, Viola Trevelyan is the twin sister of @adainesjacket's Seong Trevelyan, who in my heart is the Inquisitor while my Rheyah Adaar is the Herald of Andraste...

Rheyah Adaar/Viola Trevelyan, angst, hurt/comfort, Tranquil character, forced detransitioning (implied, past), happy ending

@miladydewintcr | @dadrunkwriting

tangle up the true and the fable

Viola Trevelyan is something of a legend to Rheyah Adaar long before they meet - the beloved twin of her kadan, Seong, the other half of his heart. She’s the secret heart of all his stories, too — the girl in the tower, the princess stolen away from her Kith in the night. In his stories, she is kind, mischievous, practical — an imp with a heart of gold and a face the perfect mirror to his own. The last she can see in the woman before her, but for the sun-shaped brand on her forehead. The rest…

Her hair is close-cropped, unevenly shorn where Seong’s is long and flowing. I want us to match when I see her again, she remembers him saying, She was just starting to grow her hair out when the Templars took her. They have taken more than her hair, she realises, from her qamek-blank stare, the loose, masculine cut of her robes…

“I’m Rheyah,” she says, as gently as she can, swallowing her fear, her anger. “Your brother Seong sent me. I’ve come to take you to him.”

The Tranquil girl blinks, looking her over with empty, dispassionate eyes: her horns, her antaam-saar, the greenish glow of her left hand. “You are the one they call the Herald?”

“I am,” she replies, a little surprised Viola has been told enough by her captors to recognise her at all. “I- we’ve come to rescue you.”

“You have need of my assistance?” she says, and Rheyah swallows down her nausea.

“Let’s get you back to your brother first,” she offers. “The assistance- we’ll figure out later. What matters now is that you’re safe.”

“Safety would provide the optimal efficiency for my work,” she agrees, and then, bizarrely, unexpectedly, tucks her hand into Rheyah’s: “You will ensure my safety, and that of my colleagues?”

Plenty of other people have asked the same question of her, since they named her Herald. They have pleaded, begged, wept, clung to her hands or to her knees. She’s come to almost expect it when they come to a new place and its horrors are revealed, and she’d thought herself numb to the devestation. She does not feel numb to it now, as she tucks Viola’s hand into hers, as she wraps her cloak around her gaunt, angular shoulders.

“I’ll keep you safe,” she says, like a contract, or a vow. “No harm will come to any of you while you’re under my protection, I promise.”

She’s said those words before, of course, to other petitioners, other people who’ve begged for what little protection she can offer. She meant them every time, too, at the time, but in retrospect they feel like meaningless gestures compared to- compared to this. Viola is Seong Trevelyan’s sister. Viola is Tranquil, the closest these southern lands have to an understanding of saarebas, perhaps the only thing more worse than becoming saarebas. Even Viola’s twin, her brother, the other half of her heart, cannot quite bring himself to look at her as she is.

Rheyah looks at her, though. She has to. Someone has to ensure that the Tranquil are properly fed, housed, clothed. They will not advocate for themselves, and her people in Skyhold look through them, unpleasant, too-visible reminders of the crimes that the Templars committed in the name of preserving order. So Rheyah watches her: she ensures that she has proper dresses befitting, if not a noblewoman, at least a respectable southern lady, circle-veils to cover her shorn hair, the potions and herbs that ensure she begins to resemble herself again rather than her brother’s hollow shadow. And in return… Viola watches her, she realises. She is not intrusive, or noisy, but if Rheyah is in Skyhold and outside her quarters, Viola is always in the room, researching or taking down notes or minutes or fetching whatever Rheyah needs before she even realises she required it.

“You don’t need to do this for me,” she says, as Viola fills her cup with water before she even realised it was empty. “You’re not a servant, you know, and there are plenty of people who are paid to run around after me.”

“I wish to contribute,” she says, voice neutral and level as it always is.

“You do contribute-”

“I wish to contribute,” she repeats, “while remaining close to you. You will not allow me to be harmed.”

She says it with such certainty that Rheyah’s heart hurts. “Seong-”

“My brother loves me. Or who I was.” Her voice betrays no hurt, no sorrow, but Rheyah could almost weep for her. “But love alone will not keep us safe. He is a bard. You are the Herald of Andraste. You came for my colleagues and me when we were held by the Seekers. You give us comfortable quarters and sufficient rations. You give us payment for our contributions to the Inquisition, and allow us to work according to our preference. My preference is to remain close to you.”

She cannot argue with that preference — where any of the Tranquil express a preference, she tries to see that they receive it — so she does not try. Viola Trevelyan becomes her assistant, shadows her through Skyhold’s halls, and if her other companions still cannot look directly at her, they at least do not look through her any more. Sometimes, when the night finds them still working, Rheyah will glance up to find Viola snoring gently on her pile of papers, and with the firelight warming her skin, softening the lines of her face, she looks like Seong’s storybook sister, rather than his hollow-eyed shadow. It’s improper, perhaps, but in these moments, Rheyah gathers her up like a child and lays her in the great, empty bed that holds far too much space for even a Qunari to sleep well alone. Perhaps especially a Qunari: sleeping without her Kith around her is still an unhappy, alien thing, and she sleeps better for the company. Viola seems to as well: sometimes, when she wakes, she finds Viola still curled beside her, unreadable blue-grey eyes fixed on her features, and she feels her cheeks heat, and does not know why.

She learns, though, when they uncover the cure for Tranquility, when they are as sure as they can be that even if it fails, Viola will not be harmed by it. Still, she feels her heart race as she watches the other woman stir, then open those familiar blue-grey eyes, slowly scanning her surroundings. Her movements quicken, become more certain, less diffident, and she throws herself into her brother’s arms and buries her face against his shoulder, a body made whole again by their reunion, the world spinning true on its axis. This is how things should be, what she always expected when she first heard Viola’s name-

She did not, does not expect what happens next, and perhaps that’s why she flinches back from it at first, less from revulsion than its sheer impossibility: Viola Trevelyan pulls free from her twin’s arms and turns to Rheyah with a brilliant, burning look, and launches herself at her before she’s quite prepared to catch her. The embrace alone is enough to stun her — it takes her a few moments to remember where to put her arms —but then Viola reaches up, takes firm hold of her horns, tilts her head down so that their eyes meet:

“You saved me,” she says, voice soft and wondering, as if Rheyah’s the legend, the storybook girl. “You kept me safe.”

She is nothing like a story, when she surges up onto her toes to kiss her. She is warm and solid and not-at-all ethereal in her arms, and Rheyah is almost too surprised to kiss her back. This, in retrospect, is probably the only thing that keeps Seong from challenging her to a duel on the spot. That, and the blessed, long-lost sound of Viola Trevelyan’s laughter, like a song the world had half-forgotten until this moment.

[chantlight]

Here follows a timeline of major events in Cassandra's lifetime. Note that I expand DA:I to three years. year — age — event

9:03 DRAGON — 0 — Cassandra is born in Nevarra, halfway between Cumberland and Val Chevin

9:10 — 7 — Her parents are executed in the Nevarran purge. She and Anthony are taken as wards by their uncle, Vestalus, and move to the Grand Necropolis. Cassandra and Sidony meet.

9:12 — 9 — Vestalus becomes the Prelate of the Mortalitasi.

9:15 — 12 — Anthony is murdered by blood mages before Cassandra’s eyes. Cassandra and Sidony part on bad terms.

9:16 — 13 — Cassandra undergoes the rite to discover a spirit name and emerges with the name Refn. She joins the Seekers of Truth and moves to Montsimmard, Orlais to begin her training.

9:17-9:18 — 14-15 —Cassandra undergoes her Vigil, becoming the youngest to do so since the Storm Age.

9:21 — 18 — The Day of Dragons / Day of Black Skies occurs. Cassandra is declared the Hero of Orlais and made the Right Hand of the Divine.

9:29 — 26 — Cassandra begins a relationship with Joanna of Tantervale.

9:32 — 29 — Cassandra and Sidony ally for a mission.

9:34 — 31 — Divine Beatrix III dies and is succeeded by Dorothea (aka Divine Justinia V). Cassandra becomes her Right Hand.

9:40 — 37 — The Mage-Templar War begins.

9:41 / Justinian — 38 — The Divine Conclave is attacked. Cassandra declares the Inquisition.

9:41 / Firstfall — 38 — Corypheus attacks Haven. The Inquisition relocates to Skyhold.

9:44 / Bloomingtide — 41 — Corypheus is defeated. Cassandra assumes the mantle of High Seeker and begins rebuilding the Seekers of Truth. She and Sidony are engaged soon after.

9:46 — 43 — Events of the Exalted Council. Cassandra formally resigns from the service of Divine Victoria. Cassandra and Sidony marry. Cassandra dies but is returned to life by Sidony with the help of Alanari. Aminah is revealed to Cassandra as a prophet. Cassandra initially rejects her, but after divine intervention, she becomes her champion. They are revealed to Nevarra as such. Divine Victoria secretly convinces Cassandra to commit her Seekers to the hunt for Solas. They also privately coordinate to prevent an Exalted March while publicly remaining on bad terms.

9:49 — 46 — Vestalus dies but not before blowing the whistle on Markus being undead, puppeted by the Mortalitasi. This sparks controversy on whether the dead can rule or a new dynasty should be declared. Cassandra and the Divine work harder than ever to avert an Exalted March, particularly as Aminah's popularity grows.

9:52 — 49 — The Sixth Blight sweeps across Thedas. Cassandra steps up to unite Orlais, Ferelden, Nevarra, and other groups against the Blight. She coordinates with Rook to aid them in their fight against the Evanuris as much as possible.

9:53 — 50 — Anatolius Reinhardt, a dark horse candidate for the throne, comes to accept Aminah as a prophet. When he succeeds as monarch, he adopts the Nevarran Orthodox Chantry as their official religion. Cassandra becomes one of the faces of this new Chantry but still hopes to avert all-out war with the Chantry of Andraste.

[pricemarshfield]

got curious & went poking through your oc tags-- if you want to share, i'd be v curious to hear more about evelyn & josephine or neria & leliana!

HI YES AND ALSO THANK YOU. i loveee talking about my ocs so you get BOTH. below the cut bc i love to yap

evelyn trevelyan is not a good person but josephine gets the best of her. josephine makes evelyn want to make the world better for its own sake rather than because it gets her more influence. there’s a kindness to josephine that evelyn can—and has—imitated but never felt beyond her family until meeting her. josephine makes her want to be good, not just act good.

that’s not to say that josephine misses evelyn’s less-than-selfless tendencies—if anything, josephine’s relieved to see someone who understands the work it requires to get and to maintain said influence, and the power of presentation. maker knows the mage thing is enough of a hard sell. (evelyn Does sell it. being pro-circle helps QUITE a bit with ameliorating noble’s concerns, even if it makes family dinners with her templar brother and pro-rebellion mage sister…tense at best)

but yeah, evelyn is by nature a politician first and a hero second and that suits josephine just fine. they’re happily married and the most powerful couple in thedas. i think vivienne (the divine in my canon run, bc evelyn was like well if they won’t accept me, i’m making sure it’s my bestie with most of my opinions! fuck you, thedas!) officiated their wedding just to make a point. (the point is evelyn trevelyan can do no wrong in the new chantry’s eyes.)

neria is also a pragmatist concerned with optics, but explicitly Not for her own sake. she barely remembers her childhood in the alienage after her time in the circle, but she remembers the desperation of it, and she remembers the way elves fell on suspicion before anyone.

leliana is (almost) everything neria distrusts—chantry sister, human, orlesian—and despite it all, she’s someone neria can’t help but adore. neria loves leliana desperately, and leliana loves her the same. it’s almost enough.

the only reason neria doesn’t pollute the sanctity of andraste’s ashes is leliana. otherwise she is ruthless in getting support for the blight—she recruits loghain over keeping alistair because the hero of river dane dying at her ally’s blade would make her the villain, she refuses taking a stance wherever she can afford to, she does all she can to avoid ruffling feathers and dragging support against the blight from those who would deny it.

the reason she doesn’t do the dark ritual is because she knows what will happen if the world finds out an elf mage did blood magic to avoid death. she doesn’t tell leliana, because leliana would convince her not to. she couldn’t bear to look at her grief, knowing she caused it.

i don’t think morrigan ever tells leliana, and i think the party, sad as it is, leaves leliana to mourn. the dog stays with her, though. neria never did get around to naming it, too afraid to lose something she cared for. leliana can’t bear to name it anything else now. hardened leliana by the time inquisition rolls around, no matter how much the inquisitor reminds her of her lost love. (they’re really not even that similar but leliana’s got grief-vision)

[serbarris]

calliope and Andraste for the facts ask!

Calliope is Andrastinian, she doesn't really know if she believes in the Maker, she's more of a major holiday partaker - even then I hc these to be v different in Nevarra compared to what we've seen in Ferelden

I feel like with growing up in the Necropolis she had less of a relationship directly with the Chantry, as she was banded about different Watchers she was exposed to a wide range of views and levels of devotion, and she sort of took parts she liked and left the other bits

she will take the Maker and Andraste's name in vain at any given moment, but she doesn't really ever pray

Name an OC and a topic and I’ll give you 3-5 facts about them to do with it

[mournflame]

TALEIME / OVERVIEW.

Here follow foundational thoughts on Johanna's birthplace: Taleime. This post aims to give an overview of recent history and cultural notes. Further details will be added in subsequent posts.

TALEIME IS SITUATED IN FAR eastern Nevarra: fertile plains nestled in the arms of the Taiin Lakes. Ancient legend claims there was once a great battle at that place, and a goddess sacrificed herself to preserve her favored city. The details have been lost or greatly altered as the result of time and politics, yet it is recalled that the largest northern lake is meant to be her torso, while the two smaller southern ones are her arms protectively encircling her people. Some say the waters are her blood, while others say it is the tears of mourners. Whatever the case, the lakes still collectively bear her name (Taiin) with the individual lakes bearing the names of her daughters (from west to east on the map: Sarad, Suriw, and Sahin).

Like most of Thedas, they were once subject to the rule of the Tevinter Imperium. They were the center of research into terraforming applications of magic, particularly how to protect land from the Blight or else reverse its taint. However, it was not considered a priority of the Imperium and was easily liberated by Andraste. They accepted Drakon's Chantry of Andraste when it flowed to their gates, yet they were never close enough to Orlais nor significant enough on the world stage to warrant close oversight. In some ways, they benefited from proximity to Nevarra, who has often been more capable of resisting the Chantry and Orlais throughout history. Thus they retained certain views and practices that would be considered off-color by devout adherents, if not heretical. This has led to conflict with more devout city-states like Tantervale.

Most Taleimites thus blame Tantervale for them coming under Nevarran rule. When Nevarra began their bloody conquest of the Free Marches in 8:82 Blessed, they were hit first. They had no true navy or army and a weak militia, but they were agriculturally rich — and magically, with one for the eye to see it. They fell quickly, though not without a costly fight. Costly for Taleime, that is. When Cade Arvale stopped Nevarra at Tantervale and negotiations were held in that city-state to formally end the war — yet Taleime was among the city-states abandoned to Nevarran rule — how could they not take it personally? How could they not assume that a long history of tension had turned vindictive?

Nevarra's hold on Perendale and the portion of the Fields of Ghislain they claimed after their war with Orlais has remained strong, yet they have failed to truly integrate these regions. They learned from those mistakes when dealing with these newly-conquered city-states, far more independent and likely to cause trouble. It is not Nevarra's way to strong-arm their culture and traditions on others, yet creating a coherent cultural identity is paramount. (They, too, were once a weak city-state on the verge of collapse that expanded into one of the most powerful nations in present Thedas, if not the most powerful.) Thus they approached integration subtly. They launched programs to incentivize population shuffle: for citizens of one city to move to another or into western Nevarra, and for citizens of western Nevarra to move into these cities. They also incentivized the shuffling of clergy and mages — above all mages, both because Mortalitasi are a cornerstone of Nevarra and because a people with few loyal combat-ready mages will be hindered in fighting Nevarra. As populations mix so do their traditions, ideas, identities. Organized resistance also becomes more difficult as those who would band together are dispersed.

Details regarding Johanna's family history belong in their own post, but it is relevant here that the above is how she first ended up with the Mortalitasi. A percentage of Taleimite apprentice mages are randomly chosen (or may volunteer, though few do) for an exchange program with apprentice Mortalitasi. She didn't have a choice in the matter initially.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES.

Though officially Andrastian, Taleime has been known for its religious tolerance. This has attracted a notable population of non-Andrastians or those who are Andrastian in unorthodox ways, further leading to large dwarven and elven populations. This contributed to the tension with more orthodox city-states like Tantervale.

Taleime has always taken a favorable view of mages. Though they have a Circle, it exists more as an institution of learning than a prison, such as is seen in Nevarra and Tevinter. They are not outcast by society or their families; magic is not stigmatized. They are not quite held on a pedestal either but simply seen as an integral part of society.

All that separates Taleime from the Silent Plains is the Minanter River. Their mages specialize in Nature-based magic, specifically focused on promoting the fertility of their land. This is how they've held out against the taint that claimed the Silent Plains — and even flourished. Their mages are not, however, generally skilled in combat or healing magics.

The stark contrast between the desolate, tainted Silent Plains and the rich, fertile plains of Taleime has led to it jokingly being referred to as the Singing Plains or the Shouting Plains.

Taleime is also termed the City of Gardens. They are famed not only for their fertile fields but their beautiful, sprawling gardens. They boast some of the most magnificent in Thedas, both public and private. They favor those that harmonize with the natural landscape, and every building features greenery. What was formerly the palace still boasts the most wondrous hanging gardens in Thedas, built to please a homesick bride.

Their proximity to the Silent Plains and historic research into combating the hold of the Blight over land has resulted in a close relationship with the Grey Wardens. This relationship has become . . . strained since the war with Nevarra. Though it is known Grey Wardens are to remain politically neutral, that so many capable fighters stood idly by in Taleime's time of need despite all the support the city-state gave them over the years has soured popular opinion.

[ourdawncomes]

THORA CADASH

triggers: drug use/drug trade

Notes

I write Inquisition as having been about three years, not one. I do make the time between Trespasser and Veilguard shorter for the sake of the timeline, so Veilguard still takes place in 9:52 Dragon.

Thora's criminal past becomes common knowledge, although what she did is subject to rumour.

Her default Hero of Ferelden is an f!Paragon Aeducan (Tamar Aeducan) written by Joly. I am happy to write with others, naturally.

Iander Lavellan (@theshirallen) is a canon companion/agent in her story.

Any choices she made in-game can be changed to respect the other writer's choices/preferences regarding their character (for example, Thora will always recruit the mages, but if you prefer human!Cole I would defer to the Cole rper).

Basics

Nickname(s): Sunflower, Salroka Title(s): Inquisitor, First-Thaw, Cometesse, Herald of Andraste Profession: Carta smuggler (formerly) Age: 32 (in Inquisition) Birthday: 4th Solace, 9:9 Dragon Race: Dwarf Gender/Pronouns: Cis Woman, She/Her Orientation: Bisexual

Personality

Faith has always been one of the driving motivations in Thora’s life. Faith in the Chant, faith in the Stone, and faith in the people around her. Her willingness to cooperate and spread work around aided her when she found herself leading a small team of smugglers. As a leader she’s personable, and inspires more loyalty in her subordinates than she often realises. The one person she has very little faith in is herself. She has a tendency to second-guess herself and rarely takes credit for her accomplishments, preferring instead to spread the praise to others.

History

Born in Ostwick to the infamous Cadash family. Thora was given two choices: marry rich, or join the Carta. She had no interest in finding a suitable husband, and so as soon as she was physically capable she joined the Carta alongside her brother, Tetrak. For most of her teenage years she was used as a unassuming mule for lyrium deals, a non-threatening presence that rarely drew the eye of the authorities. It was among the Carta she received her casteless brand, the mark meant she was as good as dust, but at least she was apart of something.

Her first real assignment was in Amaranthine. After the Fifth Blight the Cadash family were ready to get a foothold in Ferelden, with the Ferelden Circle decimated and the Templars in disarray it was easy enough for her team to move in. In Amaranthine she witnessed the the destruction of most of the city, but her team were able to make it out with a tidy profit to show for it.

From Ferelden she was sent to Kirkwall alongside her brother. They arrived at the height of tension between the Chantry and the Qunari. Her brother, moved by the purpose and acceptance the Qunari offered, joined their ranks. Thora was left isolated, establishing ties in the fracturing Templar and mage ranks. She didn’t hear from Tetrak until months after the Qunari attack, in a letter which urged her to join him.

Thora remained in Kirkwall, withdrawing a few months before the Chantry explosion set the Mage-Templar War in motion. When the Conclave was called in 9:41 Dragon, she and a team of Carta dwarves were sent to the summit, knowing the decision would impact the lyrium trade as surely as it would the mages.

Verses

v; once more unto the breach ( thora | inqusition ) default. open.

She was a mistake, an oversight- she was supposed to be dead. Whether it was sheer luck that saved her or divine intervention Thora stumbled from the Breach, broken, but breathing.

Before that day she had never been anyone, at least so far as everyone else was concerned. Most days she was lucky if people used her name, she'd been trained to answer to 'dwarf' and worse, 'Herald' took some adjusting, and 'Inquisitor' took more. Yet Thora is determined to do the most with her newfound power, knowing it was broken before any holes tore the sky in two.

Main choices: Mages allied, Celene rules alone, took the Well of Mythal, redeem Solas

v; and then the dawn came ( thora | trespasser ) plotted.

(veilguard spoilers - anything veilguard is a wip)

In the wake of Corypheus's defeat, Thora spent most of her time negotiating and going to banquets. As time went by most of those she considered among her Inner Circle moved on with their lives, with a few exceptions. Though she and Divine Victoria put off the Exalted Council for as long as they could, soon the time came when she had to face them.

She arrived, resolved to keep the Inquisition intact despite Ferelden's call for dissolution, ignoring the ever-present sting in the middle of her left hand that had been getting worse by the day. Considering the revelations of corruption within her own people, and the realities of Solas's plan, Thora disbanded the Inquisition.

In the years since the Exalted Council and Solas's ritual, Thora resides in Kirkwall. Her half-sister takes her family's seat at the Merchant's Guild. She presides over a small network of spies, scouts, and more, and commits to research in her hope of understanding Solas's plans and how to save him from himself.

When the Blighted hordes are at Kirkwall's door, with Merrill's (or Morrigan, if writing with a Merrill who has a different verse) help, Thora takes refugees to Cadash Thaig through an eluvian. It was discovered during Inquisition by herself and Solas, and now lies under the protection of ancient Elvhen spirits who seek to guard what Kal-Sharok had destroyed long ago. For now, it is safe, and from there she redoubles her efforts to see if there is a better way for her friend's story to end.

v; dust to dust ( thora | youth ) plotted.

Thora is born in the city of Ostwick. She is the eldest daughter, and grows up with an expectation of marrying above her station put upon her by her father. Instead, she joins the Carta when she is old enough to carry a weapon. Though initially she's little more than a kind face to smooth negotiations, she becomes a part of the organisation in her own right.

Over time, she creates a reputation for herself and is given her own team, small though it may be. She deals, for the most part, with breaking deals and pushing lyrium. In the wake of the Fifth Blight the Cadash clan decided that it was best to get their foot in the door of Ferelden, so to speak. They sent several groups, and Thora, now twenty-two, was given a postion in Amaranthine. She was there when the Darkspawn attacked the city, and while the city burned the Carta hid, their swords drawn, but unwilling to fight. She remained just long enough to see that the Carta turned a profit before she left for Kirkwall.

v; because of these souls we sang ( thora | companion ) plotted.

Before or after the events of In Hushed Whispers / Champions of the Just Thora can be recruited as a means to bring more lyrium into the Inquisition. She joins the party, and boasts the powers of a dwarven beserker, albeit an untrained one.

As a companion she is less confident than as Inquisitor, and without the affirmation of a whole organisation is not inclined to think of herself as anything more than a Duster. If befriended, she can be encouraged to leave the life of a Carta agent to pursue other goals. If Leliana is crowned Divine, she may join the Chantry as either a Sister or Left Hand. If it is someone else, then she will put her services to use in some other way.

Tags

#become the storm you are hiding from ( thora | about )

#the sun ( thora | visage )

#like dust‚ i’ll rise ( thora | ic )

#write me down in history ( thora | headcanons )

[dabunny90]

The Backstory of Minerva

Minerva was the only daughter of the Keeper of the Clan Lavellan. She had an older brother named Nox, who was a rogue hunter for the clan. She was a mage. She was blessed by Mythal as a baby. Mythal told the Keeper that Minerva would save not only her clan but the whole world of Thedas when she was older. No one really believed it besides the Keeper.

She started showing signs of being a mage when she was 5. She seemed to be able to make friends with the animals of the forest without having any problems and always seemed to know what they were thinking or close to it.

Her older brother taught her how to use daggers and pick locks to help her when she should get in trouble. Then the day of Nox's coming of age celebration as the other clan members were busy preparing everything, she was playing with a couple of nugs and followed them away from the camp.

Scared and alone, she tried to find her way back to the camp through the forest. She couldn't though. As she hears footsteps she tries to hide behind the tree she was sitting under. A strange elven man comes around the tree then squats down and smiles at her. He offers to lead her back to her camp.

It had been a couple of days, but the strange man gets her back to where her clan's camp should be but there was no signs of a camp. She cried for the fact they had left without her and hadn't even searched for her.

Eventually she got over it and started to trust the man, which she learned his name was "Fen." He taught her how to use her magic and how to blend in around humans in cities. As the years passed, she applied the skills that Fen taught her with the skills that learned with her brother.

Once she was closed to her 18th birthday, Fen took her to back to where her old clan's camp was. Suddenly she felt sleepy, when she woke up she was in the Keeper's tent with Deshanna and Nox looking at her with smiles on their faces and tears streaming down their faces.

Confused, she asked what was going. They explained that she had missing for almost 9 years and the clan stormed the forest looking her for days and couldn't find any signs that she was there. Eventually, they did move on but came back every year around the same time and made offerings to the forest for her to return safely to them.

She had no recollection of what happened in the last 9 years. Just that she knew how to do things that she couldn't do before. She remembered the day she followed the nugs into the forest but that was it. It was like someone erased her memories of the last 9 years after that.

All the while Fen watched from a distance and kept an eye on her. Mythal knew that someone was intervening with Minerva but couldn't figure out who.

*A few years later*

Deshanna sends Minerva and Nox to the conclave to spy on the meeting, not knowing that it was gonna change everything for Minerva. She tries to save the Divine Justinia V. Only to be knocked unconscious and wake up 3 days later with some strange glowing mark on her hand and swords pointed at her. Again she loses more memories of what happened there.

She eventually agrees to help Cassandra and Lelliana if they release her brother. Lelliana agrees and sends word to release him. Minerva then sets out with Cassandra to return to where it all happens. She meets Varric Tethras, a dwarf with a nice crossbow, and Solas, an apostate like her. That strangely enough felt familiar.

Minerva sees first hand what happened at the Temple of Sacred Ashes and sees echoes of what happened there. After fighting a pride demon, she closes the biggest rift there and stops the mark on her hand from growing. All the while, Solas was anxious that somehow her memories would come back from her childhood and would recognize him.

As the months carry on the people of the lands started calling her the Herald of Andraste. She meets more people and eventually meets the monster that plagued her dreams, Corypheus, as he attacks Haven in order to kill her and take back the mark on her hand. Eventually she manages to push him back and save as many people as she can.

Solas decides to help them find a new place to live and leads them to abandoned castle of Skyhaven. But as the days drag on and trying to figure out ways to defeat Corypheus, Minerva can't help but to start falling for Solas as she feels there is something already there between them. Solas slowly starts to fall for her too. Knowing he shouldn't but can't fight the emotions anymore caves and falls for her.

They try to stop the assassination of Celene but fail. After that they find out that Greywardens have been disappearing and find the last one, who tells that they haven't just been disappearing but are hearing a song that is making them go to the Deep Roads and have themselves killed because they think the blight is coming for them. She solves that mystery only to find out that someone is controlling the Greywardens.

She gets sent into to fade with Varric, Hawke (Hero of Kirkwall), Stroude (The Greywarden from Origins) Solas and Dorian. Only to regain all her memories, even the ones from her childhood. She doesn't tell Solas when they return because she is afraid that it will ruin their relationship. At last after Morigan's mother and saving her child.

They figure out how to defeat Corypheus and put an end to his madness of becoming a god and reimaging the world. But a few nights before the big battle. Solas take Minerva on a walk in which he explains her Vallaslin to her and asks her if she wants rid of it. She says yes because she wants to free herself from such atrocities. He obliges and tells her that she is even more beautiful without it.

(Now this is where I add my own flare to the story for her as well as her beginning.)

They kiss and one thing leads to another and they have sex. They eventually return to Skyhaven and head to battle with Corypheus one last time, this time defeating him and his arch dragon. The orb that Corypheus had falls to ground and shatters to pieces. Minerva tries to talk to Solas about it seeing as it has bothered but he just dismisses it and her. As she and the others are celebrating, he takes part of it and disappears.

[wardencommander-surana]

Cathaire Trevelyan name reference btw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ96E3YicOg

like.......i can literally hear her calling herself the commander of Andraste's armies.........she's so delightfully unhinged already

[firebroken-blog]

@makercursed (( ♡ ))

Caleb has heard many different definitions for ‘ the boundaries of magic ‘, but there seem to be two answers that appear more often than the rest. The first is the one the Circle drills into the skulls of young mages: what we teach you is right, the rest is wrong. Blood magic, in particular, is something they call ‘ beyond the boundaries ‘, because although it is possible, it is disdainful. No, worse, it is dirty and immoral. 

The other definition is the one that seems the least satisfactory, despite its many possibilities: there is no natural boundary to what magic can do or produce. It is less satisfactory because it doesn’t contain any guidelines, it doesn’t explain how to get to those more abstract terms or ideas, nor does it even provide any proof that what Caleb seeks is indeed possible.

He has gone in search of her in the hopes that she can provide him with some answer. The Champion. Silly of him to think that she will spare him a moment of her time, of course, but he has decided to try nonetheless. Trying is hard enough, in fact; it is not particularly easy finding an enemy of the state who has made a living out of hiding. But Caleb is perhaps the most qualified for this task, seeing has how he has spent the last five years of his life in the shadows.

Through whispers, careful uses of magic, and other fragments of reality, he finally locates someone he thinks is whom he seeks. The abode is more like a shack, nestled in shadows like a dragon lying in wait. His palms are sweaty when he raises a shaking fist to hit the wood in three, solid knocks.

[genocidalfetus]

First Sentence Tag Game

Got tagged by @morganlefaye79 and need a distraction, so here we go!

Rule: Post the first sentence of your last 10 fics.

10-8 are Cyberpunk2077, 7 and 5 are Dragon Age, 6 and 4 are Mass Effect, 3-1 are Dragon Age.

Post from new to old cuz it makes sens.

10. "J4ckr4bbit The Nomad No More"

Blood. I hated the sight of it. It made me anxious, made me nauseous at times, made my lungs ache as I struggled to breathe, and it made my heart start behaving like a goddamn motor gone haywire, threatening to burst through my sternum at any moment. Aside from the panic attacks, it also reminded me of the day I lost my parents. I learned how much blood a human body held that day, as it spilled out of their bodies after the Raffen Shiv was done with them. A lot. 

9. The Life And Times Of A Former Corpo Rat

Vincent Harkon was a 'Corpo rat' once. Was being the word you ought to be focusing on. He had it all. A nice place to live, a life coach, money. One could say he was happy, but they would have been wrong.

8. The Name's V

I watched Jackie take his last few breaths, my head hurting from the damn biochip he shoved into my head for safe-keeping.

7. An Arm For Charlotte

The look of regret and sadness on her elf friend's face as he turned away from her and disappeared into the Eluvian pierced into Charlotte's heart like a dull dagger.

6. Shepard

It had been a few months since Lilith was 'grounded', so to speak. She wasn't thrown in the brig but was confined to her room at Alliance headquarters. She was thankful for that, being that she had creature comforts like a nice soft bed to sleep in and decent food. But she was watched like a damn hawk, or at least her comms were

5. Magic Can Destroy, But Magic Can Heal

Anders and Kronis had said their goodbyes to Isabella and Fenris nearly a month ago. They could have stayed on Isabella's ship for as long as they needed, but Kronis felt that they would become a liability sooner rather than later. After all, he was the hero turned terrorist accomplice and Anders was labeled as said terrorist. Not a good pair of titles to wear and those around them wouldn't be seen in such a good light either.

4. Good Girl Shepard

This wasn't The Normandy. Not her Normandy, that is. Lilith felt like a stranger on this ship. For all intents and purposes, she was. This was a copy. Her ship, or what was left of it, was in pieces on some ice planet.

3. Inquisitor

The Herald Of Andraste. Charlotte cringed inside when she heard Cassandra utter that title in the 'war room'. It chilled her blood to think that her strange tale of survival at The Conclave, as well as the mark on her hand being able to close the large rift in the sky, would cause others to see her in a religious light. How she had survived, and the mark on her hand, was both other-worldly, but she didn't believe that either was divine intervention.

2. Hawke Leaves For Skyhold

Kronis felt Anders tossing and turning in their bed, trying to keep himself quiet and calm. But he wasn't winning the battle. He was taking deep breaths, but the exhales were coming out in shakey whisps. He couldn't keep control any longer and sat on the edge of the bed with his hands on his head, holding onto his sweat-drenched blond locks, rocking back and forth.

Hawke

Do not punch, Kronis kept telling himself as he and Carver glared at one another. He really wanted to just swing, just once. Take the kid down a peg, leave him on the ground with an aching jaw at the very least.

[chantlight]

Here I'll compile links to some of the most important metas and headcanons I've written. These are the big "cornerstone of my portrayal" ones so people can easily reference them. This list will likely be updated in the future.

CASSANDRA.

timeline

explanation of names + titles

actions post-Trespasser + DA:TV involvement

default armor + inspiration

a few superstitions, including Nevarran

languages

the Knights-Divine during her time as Right Hand

regarding contradictory approval and dialogue in DA:I

is the Herald of Andraste a prophet?

eating habits and food culture

on the Galyan “romance”

NPCS.

spirit of Faith

immediate family + a little more on Viuus

adoptive nieces + nephews

Byron + Daniel + Emery

Beatrix III

Justinia V

former Left Hand

former apprentice / order of fiery promise double agent

Faith

Anatolius Reinhardt

Aminah

Joanna of Tantervale

SEEKERS OF TRUTH.

recruitment and training

the trials and vigil

heart symbolism

mock skill tree

tent making

the star brand

NEVARRA.

timeline

the Nevarran Purge

House Pentaghast overview

House Pentaghast heraldry / the crowned skull

state of Nevarra at the start of DA:TV

funerals

Death Watch Beetle

dragon-hunting guilds + addition

tattoos

titles + styles

currency

spirit names / veil names + clarification

regnal names

ANDRASTIAN-RELATED.

the Writ of the Divine

prayer cabinets / moon and star symbolism + when Satinalia occurs

changes made by the Nevarran Orthodox Chantry

regarding angels

the importance of seeking

the Divine Binity in Nevarra

seven deadly sins / seven heavenly virtues

structure of the Knights-Divine

[simmancy]

Inquisitor, I've something for you.

A little while ago, my dear friend Sam (@samssims​) joked that she should just create her own tiny hair palette for her characters--and I took that as a request. So: introducing the Requisition Palette, a tiny add on palette of 15 unnatural hair colors. The colors are vaguely inspired by one of our truest loves (Dragon Age) as well as our own personal needs.

Together we’ve managed to recolor all EA hairs. In the folders you’ll find them organized by pack type, as well as resources for recoloring. Below the cut are examples of each swatch as well as recoloring tips. 

💚 download here: simfileshare / mediafire / google drive 💚

Frostback / Herald of Andraste / Jar of Bees / Nug / Kadan

Seeker / Eluvian / Veilfire / Fade Rift / Lyrium

Warden / Notorious Raider Trash / Champion of Kirkwall / Nightingale / Witch of the Wilds

TOU:

if you recolor with this palette for anything, please don’t put it behind paywalls!

that’s it, that’s my only real rule

tag me if you recolor in it!

Recoloring Tips:

The Requisition Palette is meant to be recolored on an EA Dirty Blonde swatch

The resources folder includes the photoshop action, photoshop swatches, a Sims 4 Studio Palette, an image with swatch names; a txt with the hexcodes and Secondary Index numbers, and a handy zip file containing everything.

The secondary index numbers for these start at 1005. If you are importing the palette into S4S, be sure to change the last swatch before import to 1000.

[tuffypelly]

When V met Harding

Just a small drabble about a Valo Kas dwarf meeting a pretty dwarf

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

V walks alongside Athena down the winding forrest path. Her eyes were fixed on the Qunari's back, ignoring the other dwarf bemoaning every part of the journey. The way Athena carried herself was... was wrong. Her shoulders were stiffer than they should be and her gait was much longer. V found herself having to try to keep up as they followed a scout to the camp.

The reminder that they were here made her blood boil. Damn Andrastians. Forcing her friend to be some supposed prophet just days after she found out her brother was gone, along with half their ranks. It was disgusting and V had half a mind to tell them so.

Athena may be a mercenary but she had a good heart. Too good for her own good. Its why she needed the rest of them. Needed to keep her level headed. But with half of them gone and fanatics often swarming the Qunari the remaining Valo Kas was often drowned out. More than once V had noticed Athena never return to her bed and instead work through the night to help those who simply wanted to use her.

The group came to a stop at the camp and V remained focused on her friend. Her commander. She was roused from her thoughts however by a womans voice.

"The Herald of Andraste! Ive heard the..."

V didnt hear the rest of the sentence, her heart pounding in her chest as she layed eyes on quite possibly the prettiest dwarf she had ever seen her eyes went from her freckles to her eyes to the way she carried herself. The Valo Kas could barely breathe from how beautiful the sight before her was.

She must have been staring because soon Athena was nudging her.

"Well? Are you going to introduce yourself?" Athena had a knowing quirk to her lips as V couldnt find her words and just looked at the scenery. This seemed to make the pretty dwarf nervous as she continued to speak with Athena. V couldnt even pay attention through the drumming in her ears. She couldnt believe how she was being. What was wrong with her? She was a mercenary not some young maiden!

It was later, as they walked through the woods that V found her words again.

"So... what was that scouts name?"

Athena couldnt help the laugh that escaped her, that deshyr chuckling as well.

"You really like her dont you?" Athena teases as V tries to look casual. "Harding. Scout Harding. Didnt catch her first name."

V made note to include that name in the reports she requested. Maybe she could find a reason to see her again.

[jacklyn-flynn]

@cartadwarfwithaheartofgold here’s lookin’ at you babe 😉

Varric hesitated at the door to his room. He could see the soft glow of a fire at the bottom. He adjusted the shoulder strap to put Bianca in a more secure position and pulled the dagger from his belt. Silently, he tested the knob and found it unlocked. Over the span of several seconds, he opened the door and slipped in. 

Relief ran through him when he saw a familiar figure curled up on his worn leather chair in front of the hearth. 

“Andraste’s belly lint,” he murmured under his breath. 

Closing the door, he walked over to the chair, being sure to walk loudly so as not to startle her.

 “Hey Button,” he greeted, “I didn’t expect you back for another couple of weeks.” 

She set down the tea mug she’d been cradling in her hands and turned in the chair to look up at him. Lace smiled, wide enough to reveal her dimples.

 “I got someone to cover for me so I could come back for Satinalia. If I waited the two weeks then we’d only have one day before you left for Crestwood. A girl’s got needs, you know? After all, you introduced me to said needs.” 

The half-smile that Varric gave made her pause. 

“Yeah, can we talk about that?” Varric set aside his gear and walked to the bed, sitting heavily. “Come ‘ere.”

Brows furrowed slightly, Lace rose from the chair and walked over. She was wearing one of his shirts, all of which were low cut. It was one of the reasons he’d given her permission to wear them if she’d wanted. The deep V revealed the soft swell of her breasts and they were so incredibly enticing. 

When she got close enough, he grasped her wrist and drew her closer to stand between his knees. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his forehead between her breasts. She could feel his breath tickling her skin. She tugged at the leather thong that held back his hair and ran her hands through it. 

“You’re kinda making me nervous here,” she said quietly, still stroking his hair. 

“I’m not sure I wanna do this anymore, Button.” 

He felt her stiffen in his arms, fingers stilling in his hair. He looked up at her, then laid back on the bed, pulling her with him. 

She fell over him with a yelp. Varric’s hands drifted around her hips to grasp her backside, squeezing. Lace planted her hands on either side of his head and pushed herself up so that she could look down at him.

“You’re really giving me mixed signals here.” Her hazel eyes were pensive, the carefree smile no longer close at hand. 

“I know.” She could feel his chuckle against her breasts. “This casual meeting in the dark of the night has been pretty great. I didn’t think I would ever want more than that after Bianca. But I’ve gotten pretty fond of your cute little ass over the last couple of years. I know we’ve never done anything special for Satinalia before, but I thought maybe this year we could try something new. Like you, staying here all night. Ya know, until after the sun rises. See how we like it.”

Lace’s smile returned, albeit hesitantly. “And if we do? Like it, I mean.” 

“You could join me for the Inquisitor’s holiday breakfast shindig.” He watched as her dimples started to reappear. 

She drew up her legs, straddling his hips. “You mean….like a couple?” 

His hands squeezed her supple backside, drawing the cradle of her hips against the tent in his pants. “Yeah, just like a couple.” 

Lace lowered herself to kiss him. Her lips were teasingly light and when he rose up in an attempt to deepen it, she pulled away with a nip of her teeth on his lower lip. Reaching between them, she slid her hand into his pants. Varric was only half-hard. He hadn’t gotten his hopes up in case she’d bolted at his suggestion. But, her soft fingers around his length, thumb brushing over the piercing through the head of his cock made him twitch and swell. 

“I thought you would just want to be friends with extremely nice benefits until one of us inevitably died. What changed your mind?” she asked curiously, stroking him slowly. Her deft hands, long-practiced and well taught had him rock hard and aching in no time. 

“You did. You were hoping for this, weren’t you?” He bucked into her hand, an instinctive reaction when she squeezed the base of his cock. 

“Mmhmm,” she murmured, kissing down his rough jaw. His hands slid up her backside, drawing his shirt up with them. He found the band of her smalls and teased with his fingers, the rough pads tickling her soft skin. 

“But you never said anything?” Varric more mused aloud than asked. “You would have been content to keep going like that?” 

Lace slipped her hand from his pants and sat up. The freckles on her face trailed down over her collarbones and dusted her chest. The sight of her full thighs straddling his hips, the peek of her breasts, and the voluptuous hourglass figure he knew was hidden beneath the shirt made it feel like his pants were four sizes too small. She gave him a crooked smile, one dimple appearing in her rosy cheek. 

“Better to have some of what I want than nothing, right?” She shrugged, though her green eyes still held that vulnerability of rejection. 

“That’s what changed my mind. Never asked, never pushed. Certainly never whined about it. Andraste’s puckered asshole, Lace. You never expected more than I was willing to give. Gave me time to figure out what exactly I did want to give.” His hands squeezed her hips, made her move against him. 

“And you know what that is n-AHH!” She squealed when he threw her to the side, rolling over her and trapping her beneath him. 

“Sure do, Button,” he growled, the low timbre of his voice making her shiver as he brushed his nose against hers, the source of her nickname. 

“What I want is to make you come so hard you forget your own name. I love making you do that.” Varric drawled, one hand sliding beneath the shirt and palming a heavy breast, making her breathless. Her teeth bit into her plump lower lip. “Would you like me to do it slow and sweet, or hard and fast?” 

“Hard and fast,” she breathed out, sliding her hand in his hair and gripping until pain bit into his scalp. The other found his chest, slipping through the coarse curls. “Hard and fast to make up for the lost time and then, after, slow and sweet since we have plenty of time ahead of us.” 

“After?” Varric scoffed. 

She arched her back to press her breast into his hand, her light, musical laughter making his blood burn. “I know you’ve got it in you old man.” 

“Only for you, Lace,” he huffed with a laugh. With her eyes closed, he lowered his head kissing along her collarbone. He rubbed his chin against her soft, speckled skin teasing her with the roughness. He continued lower, suckling enough to leave a light mark on the side of her breast. Then, Varric took a deep breath, pressed the circle of his lips to the soft swell, and blew. The resounding raspberry was only matched by her bright laughter. 

That was his gift. To himself, to her, to the world. As much as he loved being buried inside of her, making her wet, making her scream and quiver, he loved her laughter the most. He hadn’t contributed many good things to the world. Nothing of substance. It always went sideways on him. He lost everyone, even his best friend. But, two years later, she was still here, expecting nothing more of him than he wanted to give. 

And he could still make her laugh. One thing he could offer this awful, messed-up world other than death and smart-ass quips was this beautiful woman’s laughter. Though, he was also a selfish man and would keep a lot of her laughter for himself. Something to savor, he hoped, for a long time to come. 

[traci0417]

So I had an concept that just exploded in my head & I have to post this somewhere. No idea if this has already been done, but please let me know if it has so I can tag stories like it.

V long post- sorry. I’ll add a ‘read more’ if I can.

[spoliers, trauma, angst, alt trespasser ending, abandonment, found family ect - Youll get it in a min]

•Imagine if the inquisitor was a child. A little slip of an elven girl no more than 12. Who was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. Her mother, a scout for her clan who wanted to bring her too curious daughter to see shems In person.

•Cassandras heart cracks at the sight of the kneeling prisoner in the cell. They didn’t even bother restraining her, the chains slipped off her thin wrists any time she moved. She’s a child! A child! Cassandra looks down, and the girl looks up at her with too big, too green bloodshot eyes. The tear stains on her face finally break Cassandras resolve, in the best way she can, she kneels, & as gently as Cassandra can, she asks “What happened?” The girl hiccups, her face crumples into another sob, and in between gasps she tells her all she knows.

•The trek up the mountain is no easy feat on a good day- So nevermind adding holding the hand of a little elf and fighting demons in the mix. But they do well, the girl doesn’t get in the way or scream every time an attack comes to close- then halfway up, the girl picks up a discarded mages staff, “So you are a mage?” The girl looks up at the seeker, cracking the first smile the woman has seen from her ,”With arms like these, I don’t think I’d do too well with a sword.” Cassandra gives a rare chuckle, ”no, I suppose not- are you proficient enough to defend yourself?” The elf stands straighter, “yes ma’am” “Then you must protect yourself well- we still have much to go.” And they continued.

•When Solas sees her- he feels something shoot him through the heart- grief? Remorse? You are only a child, I am so sorry, I have put you on a path that was not meant for you, you survived only for me to set you on the path of death once again. He is so angry, so enraged, it was not enough for Fen’Harel to damn his world, but in order to set it right he has to put a burden too great on a child? There is no atonement for what he means to do- but every time he sees that green glow on too small hands- he truly feels like the monster that this world thinks he is.

•Back at haven, she is getting more life back, her spirits are high despite the odds, She asks too many questions, but no one can deny her. Every time they see her flit about the encampment, smiling and laughing with the soldiers, the blacksmiths, no one knows how they should treat her, the herald, so they treat her as a child. She sits with Lilianna while she is writing messages, asks if she can help, and lilianna gives a gentle smile, because no way the girl can copy down & understand the codes needed, “I think just you being here helps” and the girls smile is filled with such joy that the spymasters heart aches- after she leaves, and goes to ask Jospehine, Cullen, Varrik, Blackwall, Bull & Solas a million questions- they all th ink the same thing after she turns in for the night. A child must bear this burden- we are so sorry for the pain that you must go though- we are so sorry that we cannot help you more, you were not meant for this path, but we will protect you with our lives.

•Despite the odds, she saves everyone. Haven is destroyed, she faced an arch demon, but she lived. The small settlement blooms with newfound hope because the herald is back. Solas holds her hand while she sleeps on the cot, healing magic Long spent, but he cannot bear to leave her, he underestimated her, she sacrificed herself, this little elf barely even 12, had saved them and faced against the abomination- Solas is in awe- he vows to protect her better. The advisers looked to her cot, seeing her sleeping body, tears running down their faces, although no one says anything about it, they’ve never been so relieved. They all vow to protect her better.

•Although the ceremony is symbolic, and the sword is taller than her, she accepted. Did her best to keep the sword steady.- but, naming her inquisitor was something they never wanted to put on her.

in the war room, hours before the ceremony had taken place, Josephine, with teary eyes and a lump in her throat, looks at red faced Cullen & Cassandra, who have been screaming at her for the better part of an hour. (“How could we even consider this!?” “She is a child, she has already done enough for us!” “We cannot possibly put more responsibility on those shoulders!” “Isn’t this needlessly cruel?”) Josephine stands taller, even though she has never felt so small,”I cannot think of a worse thing to do to her- but to name her inquisitor gives us a political edge, if we do not have a clear appointed leader, we will not be taken seriously- and to not name the only one who can close the rifts, the herald of Andraste, the inquisitor- would be political suicide.” “Damn the game!” Cullen bellows, “no amount of coin or favor can be worth what we are putting her though!” Lelianna has stayed silent, but as Cullen finishes his outburst, she clears her throat, and whispers, “we must.” And with that, the fight leaves the advisors, and despair replaces it.

•She loves freely, as only a child can, despite the sorrow. She triumphs, she charms, she is one of the strongest mages Solas has ever seen. She calls him Hahren & he calls her Da’Len. She never strays far from him, and it is clear to all that she loves the apostate & there is little Solas can do but love her just as much. it could just be homesickness on her part- but the attachment that she has formed with the mage, one cannot help but think it is that of what a daughter forms with a father.

•Solas is weak against her, as is everyone, but Solas in particular. Which is ironic considering he tried everything to put up a boundary between them- he knows how this will turn out- but he is helpless against the too curious, too bright eyes. He has infinite patience for her, her constant questions, her empathy, her aptitude for magic all pull at him. No one teases him for it. Although, one day, as he was walking through the courtyard, Iron Bull ran to him, “Solas! You’re daughter is on the roof- mind getting her down before Josephine bas a heart attack?” Solas’ heart flipped, he was not the childs father- the furthest thing, in fact, but he found he did not have it in him to correct the qunari.

•Despite her gentle nature, they have sharpened her into something to be feared. It haunts them, but they did not have a choice. She always helps, always saves, seems to always make the most righteous judgements- but as Adolescent, 13 now- she is growing before their eyes. Sometimes even going on missions alone(she lets Cole come, of course). No one says anything, but they all see how Solas & her circle leave on horses a few hours after she departed because “they need to check on something.”

•At 13, she charms the courts, Halamshiral was a success and Josephine couldn’t be more proud. Solas could nearly see her in the parties in arlathan, His daughter did so beautifully that he knows she would be the most feared, but he Tamps the thought down, it hurts to think about.

•Dorian and Sera love her more than they thought they could love anybody. She teaches them to look beyond themselves. They are her closets friends, and when it all becomes to much for Da’Len, they do their best to make mischief, so she never forgets to have fun as well.

•ever since she was 12, she has called Solas ‘Father’. It is a sweet pang in his heart every time, but he does not stop her. Just like no one stops her when she calls Iron Bull ‘uncle’ or lilianna, “Aunt”. But Skyhold does notice when the spy master is in a particular good mood for weeks, or how uncharacteristically quite Bull is after that.

•She defeats Corypheous, and Solas tells her how proud he is as he holds the broken orb, that he needs to go to do something important. And that he will be back. She begs to come with him, tells him to wait, that she is his daughter and fathers are never supposed to leave, & it is the first time she sees her father cry, she begs him to wait, but when he turns around. He is already gone,

•2 years have passed and she is 15. She is turning into a great beauty and an even greater mage. Her people worship her like a god, despite her protests. Ever since Solas left, Cullen and varrik have taken up the mantle as best they can, though they know it’s not enough, & Josephine teaches her all she knows, then lelianna teaches her how to hide it. They have done there best despite the worst and she knows that, the seeker is her closet to a mother though, with all of her harshness, she would do anything for the growing elf.

•The exalted council flurries past, she saves everyone yet again, but she is dying, and Da’len knows it. Her anchor is melting down and she tells everyone that she loves them- that she had the greatest family, that she was so grateful to help. She goes through the eluvian alone, leaving her patched up family screaming and crying behind her, to do this one last thing

•Fen’Harel was not prepared. He did not account for how much it would devastate him to see his daughter again. Hunched over in pain, the anchor killing her and oh maker it’s all his fault- but she still looks up at him, her face older, more wise, beautiful, she smiles a bloody smile, “Father, I‘ve missed you so much .”

•Fen’harel swallows down a sob, kneels before her, calms the anchor slightly, “My daughter, I suspect you have questions.”

•she lunges for him, wrapping her arms around his neck in the first hug he’s had since before he left her, “Father, I’ll never ask another question again if it means I can come with you.” He never heard her beg for anything, but she’s begging now. “Let me stay with you, Please never leave, not you, not again.”

•Fen’Harel was always weak when it came to his Da’Len. He carries his daughter through the eluvian, and together they’ll try to build a better future, for everyone.

[antivan-beau]

My Understanding of Dragon Age: Inquisition, based on fandom osmosis:

(immortalizing this for posterity because I’m finally gonna play it for the first time in the year of our lord 2020)

- You play as the Inquisitor. “Herald of Andraste” seems to be a related but separate job. Your purpose is to figure out why these big green columns of light (rifts in the fade?) have opened up around the land. Probably darkspawn come out of them. I don’t actually know why they’re a problem.

- I am honestly not sure what the overall thrust of this story is. Like, in the way you can say Origins is “recruit different groups of people so they come together to defeat the Archdemon and prevent a full-blown Blight from destroying the world.” And Dragon Age 2 is “group of misfits dealing with troubles in Kirkwall as it’s threatened by outside forces (qunari) and civil unrest (mages v. templars.)” Excited to learn what Inquisition is... about.

- Somebody named Corypheus is behind it all. He is one of the ancient magisters who invaded the Golden/Black City. His face looks Bad. Somehow, conflict with him is not gonna be a major aspect of the gameplay, though. Don’t think I’m gonna get satisfactory answers on if the Chantry’s version of Golden/Black City events are real, or possibly elven history/lore events are real.

- You have some companions who are advisors on how to be Inquisition leader, who probably give you quests and stuff, plus some companions who are buddies and travel around with you. Still not allowed to kiss Varric. 

- Solas, an ugly bald elf, betrays you. The circumstances surrounding this are totally opaque to me. I guess he doesn’t tell you that he’s an ancient elven god, but I don’t know what he actually does in this game lmfao.

- There is some kind of mage/templar conflict, but I have no idea how it fits into the other plot threads. My impression is, much like DA2, they won’t let me take a strong enough pro-mage stance to satisfy me, despite making it pretty damn hard to empathize with the templars’ goals and methods.

- Someplace called the Hinterlands is quite reviled. There might also be a bad, spooky swamp. Right now, I always envision it like a Dark Souls poison level. What areas do people like in this game?? I’m not sure. There’s someplace called Skyhold, and some level that’s a fancy party in Orlais.

- I get the feeling this game ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger/not-totally-resolved note.

- The best romance in this game does not involve your character; it is watching Iron Bull and Dorian’s romance.