#and then as justinia takes power as divine and leliana becomes more and more involved with the institution of the chantry the gentleness | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kvcatnip · 6 years

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Howling Embers, Ch. 1

I was hesitant to write this character chronologically, but she beckoned me in. This is Eirika Trevelyan, my new OC. I’m starting with waking up through fighting the Pride Demon, because her interactions with the characters show a lot of her personality. So bear with me, as this chapter is longer than I usually write!

Also, shoutout to @veridium-bye and @blarghlearghle for listening to me talk about this problem child for the last week! <3 <3 <3

Her head was pulsing. Headache, yes, but something past that… it felt like magic?

Had she been smited? Eirikia hadn’t ever been smited, but from what she understood it was like putting a wall up between a mage and their magic, emptying them out. This seemed opposite. It felt like her magic was overwhelming her, pushing her insides to make room for itself.

Taking a difficult breath, she realized the rest of her body was only in slightly better shape. With the iron discipline that she had developed after a life spent in the Circle, she slowly opened her eyes. Careful to move her head or body too much, she observed the room around her. It was mostly dark, save a few torches. That didn’t bode well. Squinting, she could make out what seemed to be storage crates. That also didn’t bode well. A small flare of anxiety made itself known in her stomach.

Eirikia heard a crack and saw a flash of green, and then her hand was on fire. She was a moment too slow in realizing the former had come from her hand and that was causing the fire sensation. She steeled herself, taking a deep breath. She was not the type to freak out as others did. She was careful, calculated, clever. She took sharp breathes and observed whatever was on her.

Observation #1 - it hurt like hell Observation #2 - she was in shackles Observation #3 - it seemed to actually be some form of a magical… slice? Observation #4 - it felt powerful. Besides the power causing the pain, her magic was touching it, trying to feel it. I felt….old.

At that moment, the door opened. Two women stormed in, one coming close to her and drawing a sword. ��Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now?!” She looked blankly at the end of the sword, and then to the other woman who was watching from the side. The woman continued, “The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you.”

The Conclave! She hadn’t thought about it since she awoke. “What do you mean everyone is dead? How is that possible?”

The woman rushed forward, grabbing her wrist. “Explain this!”

She flicked her eyes to her hand, and then back to the woman. “Actually, I was hoping you could do that for me.”

Her accuser makes something of a snarl in her throat and moves to strike her. The second woman appears suddenly, grabbing the arm of her companion. “We need her, Cassandra!”

Eirikia uses that diversion to speak. “I honestly don’t know what this is, but I would like to find out as well. As for the Conclave,” she pauses to swallow. This still seems unreal, too implausible to imagine. “I wish I could remember what happened. I would tell you honestly if I did. Whomever or whatever caused this is a threat that needs to be dealt with.”

The other woman frowns at this, and Eirika could see the pain she was trying to cover. Cassandra takes a breath before saying, “Is there nothing at all that you remember? Anything would help us.”

She takes a moment to think. Images come to her, flashes of something, but she isn’t able to discern what exactly that something is. “I remember running, trying to escape, and… a woman? I realize that isn’t much to go on.”

Cassandra turns slightly to address the other woman. “Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take her to the rift.” Leliana opens her mouth like she wishes to say something, but stops herself before turning to leave. Turning back to her, Cassandra helps her to her feet. Eirika asks, “Is there anything you know that you can tell me? I feel as confused about all of this as you seem to be.”

“It would be easier to show you. Then I will try to tell you what we know, though it is not much.”

Cassandra leads her outside. The brightness stings, but she adjusts quickly. She lets out a small gasp as she looks up at the sky. There is a massive cyclone of green magic in the air, hovering inside a mass of storm clouds. There are flares and meteors shooting out of the Breach, and even from this distance she can see the explosions they cause in their wake.

“We call it The Breach. It’s a massive rift into the world of demons —“

Eirikia cuts her off quickly, asking, “Are you saying the Breach is a hole in the Veil?”

Cassandra’s mouth is in a tight line as she nods in response. “There are more than one, but this is the largest. It was caused by the explosion at the Conclave.”

Eirikia makes a noise in her throat, then says, “That was more than a simple explosion.”

Her mark flares, bringing her to her knees. Cassandra kneels in front of her and says, “As the Breach expands, your mark grows. We.. we think it’s killing you.”

She raises her eyes from her hand to meet the other woman’s. “What do you mean it’s killing me?” Cassandra’s face is unreadable. “We don’t know where it came from, but the foreign magic is leeching your life. We think it might be the key to stopping the Breach, but we won’t know for sure until we test it.”

“Well then,” she says, rising to her feet, “I suppose we should get going.”

Cassandra releases a tight breath before saying, “Thank you… for being so reasonable despite all this. Truly, amidst this disaster it is a relief.”

Placing a hand carefully on her arm, Cassandra guides her toward their destination. As they pass through the throng of people gathered, it becomes clear they know who Eirikia is. Cassandra notices as well. “They mourn Divine Justinia. They had hoped when she brought their leaders together that there was a chance to have peace. Instead we lost everything.”

Coming to the gate of the town, Cassandra removes her shackles. Eirika nods in thanks, rubbing her wrists. She looks around them to see the dead already being wrapped, soldiers with fear on their face, and a Chantry brother trying to comfort the group. Swallowing hard, she turns her head to the path ahead of her. This wasn’t the time to fall apart.

Once outside the gates, the true chaos becomes visible. Barricades have been erected, soldiers stand ready for a fight that may not come. The Breach is roaring, cracking, and spiting. Truly, it is a terrifying sight. It causes another burst of pain that brings her to her knees. Cassandra helps her stand, as Eirikia clenches her jaw and continues moving forward.

Cassandra steals a glance out of the corner of her eye. Finally she says, “They are saying that you dropped out of a rift and then fell unconscious. They also believe they saw a woman behind you, though no one knows who it was.”

Eirikia knots her brows, thinking. Finally she says, “I.. remember a woman, but not anything about her. It does concern me, however, that they’re saying I fell out of a rift, as that implies I was once inside it.”

“You don’t remember anything about being inside?”

“There was something chasing me, and then the woman. I remember running, but everything turned black. I would assume that is when I fell out of the rift and into unconsciousness.”

Cassandra nods in response, wrapped in her own thoughts. After a moment she says, “Everything else in the valley was destroyed. Including the Temple. You’ll see soon enough, but I thought I should prepare you for what you’ll see.”

Everything else was destroyed. Except for me.

She wasn’t allowed much time to dwell on this, as a projectile from the Breach crashed into the bridge ahead of them. It crumpled onto the frozen river, taking them both down with it. They had barely stood up before a demon begins rising out of the ground. Eirikia is quick to throw a barrier over them both, while Cassandra draws her sword and rushes ahead. Another demon rises out of the ground in front of Eirikia. Her mouth slides into smirk as she raises her hand. A flame manifests in her palm as the demon shrieks into the air. She tosses it into the demon’s face, while her foot moves to create a glyph on the ground before her. The demon panics, clawing at itself to put out the flame. It surges towards her, touching the edge of glyph only to be thrown back several feet. Slowly walking towards it, she readies another ball of flame in her hand. The demon shakes off its confusion, turning its head to shriek at her again. She throws the fireball at its feet, then closes her hand making the flames roar to life, engulfing the demon. It shrieks as it burns. She smiles, watching it char and collapse. She looks up to see Cassandra pludge her sword into the chest of the other demon. It too falls away, as she turns on the mage.

She grits her teeth, pointing her sword at her chest. “You’re a mage?”

Eirikia shrugs. Brushing away the hair that had fallen in her face, she simply says, “I’m surprised you didn’t notice before now.”

Clenching her jaw, the warrior says, “We suspected magic was involved, but we didn’t know you were a mage.”

Eirikia levels her gaze on the other woman before replying. “Magic was involved, yes.” She holds up her hand which flares to life. “Whatever this was supposed to be, I can’t say. I can tell you that the magic is very old and powerful. The fact that is causes me pain should tell you it was not meant to be in my body, and therefore is not mine.”

Cassandra sighs, sheathing her sword. “I suppose you are right. You have been nothing but reasonable and helpful, despite the situation you are in. You agreed to come willingly, and that speaks to your character.”

The mage nods. “Thank you. May we keep going?”

In the end, the distance truly isn’t that far, but the demons continually appearing doubles the time it would normally take them. Cassandra finds Eirikia a staff, making the fighting much easier, though she wishes she had her own.

They finally approach a hill where Cassandra says, “You can hear the fighting. We’re close. Get ready.” Eirikia throws a preemptive barrier over them both, and they race up the path to the hilltop. There are more demons and a small group of what she assumes is their soldiers fighting them. A green, glowing crystal hovers in the sky above the group that causes her mark to react. Cassandra runs forward to join the fighting while Eirikia throws fire from a distance. There’s another mage in the group with demons surrounding him. She focuses on him, raising a wall of fire in front of him, causing him to look around in confusion. Seeing her in the distance, he nods in gratitude, and uses that opportunity to put distance between himself and the throng of demons.

One or two go down when she erects the wall of flames, and the rest she and her fellow mage dispatch quickly. He then runs over to her, grabs her wrist to thrust it into the air. “Close it quickly before more come through!” There’s an intense pulling sensation in her arm, but then the rift seals, snapping the air back into place. She pulls her arm out of his grasp, rubbing it.

“Care to explain what my hand just did to that rift?”

He smirks at her. “The magic that caused the Breach also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorized that perhaps it would also allow you to have some control over the rifts left in the Breach’s wake. It would seem I was correct.”

Cassandra speaks up from behind her. “Then it might also be able to close the Breach itself.”

Nodding, he says, “It is possible. It would seem you hold the key to our salvation.”

Eirikia narrows her eyes at him. “You seem to know a great deal about all this.” Cassandra steps up beside her, taking her hand to investigate it for herself. “Solas is an apostate, and knows much about the Fade.” Satisfied with what she sees, she puts Eirikia’s hand down.

He bristles at this. “Technically all mages are now apostates, but yes. My experience has allowed me to learn a great deal more than any Circle mage.”

From her side, she hears, “Whatever he knows, it kept you alive while you were out cold. Apostate or not, he’s useful.”

A dwarf with a rather large crossbow walks up. Slinging it onto his back, he reaches out a hand for her to shake. “Varric Tethras. Rogue. Story teller. Occasionally unwelcome tag along.” He winks at Cassandra, who scowls at him. Amused, Eirikia responds with, “Pleased to meet you, Varric. Would you happen to be the same Varric Tethras that writes the novels?”

The dwarf lights up at this. “You’ve heard of me?”

She smiles brightly at him and says, “Oh yes. Swords and Shields was vastly popular among the girls in the Circle.”

He seems taken aback and stammers out, “Oh well, those are my worst, but I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The mage speaks up. “If we’re having introductions, my name is Solas.”

She glances at him for a moment before turning to face him. “Solas, it would appear I owe you my thanks. My name is Eirika Trevelyan.”

Cassandra takes in a sharp breath. “You’re a Trevelyan?”

She smiles sweetly at the woman. “I am indeed. I apologize. We did not have a chance to speak about this before.”

Varric laughs and says, “I was going to call you Red, but now I can call you Lady Red and that’s just so much better.”

Solas raises an eyebrow at the trio, and Varric fills him in on her nobility. He also seems surprised, but for different reasons. Turning to Cassandra, he says, “She may be a mage. A noble mage at that, but I doubt any mage was capable of what happened here. I doubt she is the one responsible.”

“I had expected as much, but thank you for confirming it for me. Lady, I apologize for our poor treatment of you.”

Eirikia waves her hand in dismissal. “I would have done the same in your place, Cassandra. I am hardly offended. But let us press on to see about fixing this mess.”

More demons and more fighting find them before long, but having the others with them allows these fights to be quicker. They were finishing what seemed to be the last of the demons for the time being, when Varric asks, “So you’re a Free Marcher. I’m from Kirkwall, myself.”

“I’ve heard stories about the Mage Uprising in Kirkwall. Tell me, was it really as bad as everyone makes it sound?”

“Probably worse.”

“I suppose I should be grateful for having been in a neutral tower. Ostwick’s tower didn’t vote for either side.”

Cassandra asks, “And what is your opinion? Are you partial to a side?”

“I am partial to the side that doesn’t treat mages as less than. Other than that, however, I don’t really care either way.”

At this Solas asks, “So you don’t care if mages are locked away in a tower like prisoners?”

She levels him with her gaze before answering. “As an apostate, I would presume that you have never actually been inside a Circle tower. There are many that consider it a prison, yes. They crave freedom or rebellion, but for most of us it is a haven of knowledge and learning from the outside world.” She waves her hand, gesturing around them. “Out here, we are seen as monsters, forced to shrink or hide away in order to protect ourselves. In the Circle, however, you are free to simply be what you were made to be. Depending on the Circle, often mages that prove to be above reproach are allowed to leave the tower when they wish. But always they return, because there they are safer.”

Turning to look at him, she can see that he has been listening with intent. The clench in his jaw tells her that the opinion he was given was not one he had previously thought possible. Good. Let him chew on that.

Varric, however, asked, “But what about the templars? Most mages I know hate them.”

Eirikia didn’t respond immediately. Templars were a difficult subject, as most of them proved to be mere animals. Finally she said, “Occasionally they are the right tool for the task at hand. More often than not, they stand stoically in rooms and simply watch you. As for the rest..” she pauses, wanting to let this truly set in. “What happens is what always happens when you teach a group they have power, and the other group is merely weak.”

This seems to give them pause. They walk in silence until the mark flares again. Cassandra says, “Another rift! We must close it!”

Flung into action again, the group charges at the demons. It isn’t long before the rift is closed, and a hesitant man opens the gate ahead of them. “Thank the Maker! They just kept coming!” He ushers them through quickly before closing the gate shut behind them.

Up ahead, Leliana is in what looks to be a very heated discussion with a man from the Chantry. She shakes her head in aggravation, and sees the group approaching. Gesturing to them she says, “Grand Chancellor, this is —“ “I’m aware of who she is, Sister Leliana, and as Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I order you —“

Cassandra looks ready to rip the man’s throat out when she speaks. “Order me? You have no authority to order me, Chancellor.”

“As we have no Divine to give orders, *someone* must.”

Erikia watches them spat with her arms crossed. Rolling her eyes, she untangles her arms, and steps up to the table. “I would think closing the Breach should be our primary goal here, Chancellor. Lives are lost with inaction.”

He nearly spits as he says, “You *caused* the Breach in the first place!”

Cassandra moves in front of her, protectively, as she says, “I do not believe that, and right now she is our best hope at stopping this.”

The Chancellor shakes his head, sighing. “Your soldiers will die before you can get into the valley, Seeker.”

“Our forces can cause a distraction while we take the path up the mountain. It’s not as direct, but it would feasibly be safer, “Leliana adds.

Eirikia shakes her head. “I will not allow good men and women to die covering me. If we go with soldiers directly into the valley, at least I can help them fight.”

Unable to argue this, the group heads into the valley.

It’s worse this close to the Breach. Bodies are everywhere, charred and black. Groups of soldiers stand ready to attack demons as they appear. There’s another rift near the Temple, and they jump into the fight. Eirika is quick to make sure the soldiers have barriers placed on them. She uses electricity to paralyze the monsters, better allowing the soldiers to go in for the kill. They cheer as the last demon goes down, only for the rift to burst open, steaming onto the ground. “Another wave is coming!” Solas yells to the group. Eirika repeats the process as before, and is pleased to see that none of the soldiers had died on her watch. Solas reminds her to use the mark, shoving her closer to the rift. Holding an unsure hand to the sky, she feels it attach and pull before snapping.

She’s looking at her hand in awe when Solas and Varric join her. “You seem to becoming quite proficient at this,” Solas observes. She scoffs at him. “I hardly do anything other than raise my hand to the sky. That doesn’t require much proficiency.”

Varric laughs and says, “Well, let’s hope your lack of proficiency works on the big one then.”

She’s smiling at him when she hears, “Lady Cassandra! Thank the Maker you were able to close that rift! It’s been difficult on our soldiers to maintain.”

“Do not thank me, Commander, this was her doing.”

Eirikia turned when she was mentioned, smiling at the man. He was tall, broad shouldered, and definitely a templar. He looks uncertainly at her as he says, “Is that true? I hope this means they were right about you. A lot of people have died.”

Internally, she flinches at that. Externally she shows her sorrow, saying, “I hope they’re right too.” The templar seems surprised at this. “Yes well…” Turning back to Cassandra, he adds, “The way ahead is clear. Leliana is joining you there. Maker watch over you all.”

Cassandra turns to Eirikia. “The Temple of Sacred Ashes is up ahead. What’s left of it, anyway.”

As they approach the remains of the Temple, it takes all of her willpower to remain noticeably unaffected. Perhaps later, she could let herself fall apart, but this wasn’t the moment for that. Emotions seemed to something they had an overabundance of, while rational thought seemed in short supply. If they needed her to be made of steel, she would be that.

So for now she glances at the charred bodies crowded outside the Temple. She smells the putridness of it, tucking it away to mourn over when she’s alone. With her head held high, she follows Cassandra into the Temple and sees the Breach up close for the first time. The magic in her hand flares and flicks, responding to the call from the rift. She stands quietly, observing and watching, noting how the mark reacts. She’s deep in thought when Cassandra walks up beside her, “This is your chance. Our chance to try and end this.”

Looking away from the rift to the woman, she says, “I’ll do my best, Cassandra.”

From her other side, Solas speaks. “This rift was the first. If you can close it, it may close the Breach as well.”

She nods. Cassandra turns to give orders to the soldiers and scouts present. As their smaller group makes their way to ground level, a voice echoes around them. “Now is the hour of our victory. Bring forth the sacrifice.”

Cassandra stiffens and asks, “What are we hearing?”

Eirikia speaks up. “One would presume that is the voice of the person responsible for this mess.” Solas seems surprised, but nods his agreement.

As they approach the stairs leading to the main section of the rubble, giant red protrusions become visible. They’re glowing and giving off a subtle heat. Varric seems anxious and says, “That’s… that’s red lyrium.”

Eirikia whips her head to look at him before looking back at the material. “Varric, isn’t red lyrium what cause Knight-Commander Meredith to go mad?”

Even in Ostwick, they had heard the tales. Notices had been sent across the Free Marches’s Circles to destroy the stuff should it appear. If it was here along with the Breach… she didn’t think this was a coincidence. The Breach might have been the cause and lyrium the effect, at the very least, but definitely not accidental.

His face changes, showing that of a person who had seen too much to not react. “Yeah, it was. Why is it here?”

Solas says, “Magic could have drawn on lyrium beneath the temple, corrupted it…”

Varric interrupts him. “It’s evil. Don’t touch it. Or breathe it. Or really even get near it.”

The voice booms around them again. “Keep the sacrifice still.”

Another voice erupts, “Someone! Help me!” Cassandra gasps, “That’s Divine Justina!” Then Eirika hears her own voice answering, “What’s going on here?”

Cassandra and Eirikia look at each other in surprise. Cassandra says, “That was your voice… she.. she called out to you.”

A vision appears in front of them. The Divine is being held in place by swirls of red energy, matching the glow of the looming being that’s speaking. A vision of herself walks in, asking the question they had heard previously.

The looming figure speaks. “We have an intruder. Kill her.” The Divine looks pleadingly at Eirikia and yells, “Run while you can! Warn them!” There’s a flash and the scene disappears. Cassandra turns on her, “What is this? What did we just see?”

Eirikia is too stunned to say anything. Instead, Solas speaks, “Echoes of what happened here. The Fade bleeds into this place.”

She looks at him, soaking in his words. She was there when the Divine was killed. This implicates her, surely, but she can’t remember anything. Had she been involved in the Divine’s murder, unknowingly? Surely she acted to save the Most Holy. What had happened?

She’s lost in her thoughts. It’s getting more difficult to push it down, waiting until later to deal with. She’s strong, made of steel and fire and angel’s wings, but today she has seen too much. Steel bends, fire wanes, wings burn.

Solas speaks, dragging her out of her self contained misery. “This rift isn’t fully open. We will need to open it completely, and then seal it shut using the mark. This will draw attention from the other side.”

Eirikia breathes out, “Demons. Good. I could use a fight right now.” Cassandra makes a noise of agreement, shouting at the soldiers to ready themselves.

At Cassandra’s signal, Eirika thrusts her hand into the sky. The rift expands, and a massive form appears in front of them.

Pride demon.

She throws a barrier around everyone nearest the beast, and feels Solas throw one around them. He looks at her and says, “If you get a clear opening, use the mark again. It will weaken it’s defenses, making it easier to kill.” She nods. Looking at the demon, she throws a fireball at it’s face as Solas freezes it’s legs. This allows the warriors to get in a few good hits. She fade steps to the opposite side, using the mark to pull at the rift. The demon falls onto a knee. The archers hit it shoulder, head, eyes. More demons come through, but Cassandra appears beside her, and they dispatch them quickly.

And they repeat. Finally the demon stays down, and Eirika throws fire at its feet, pulling to create a full flame while Cassandra goes in for the kill shot in between it’s eyes.

Solas yells, “Now! Close it!” She reaches up, feeling the current wanting to pull her in, and then a thunderous noise sounds around them.

She feels herself falling, hears people cheering, and then… darkness.

#dragon age fanfiction #Eirikia Trevelyan #my ocs #Solas #cassandra pentaghast #Seeker Cassandra #varric tethras #dragon age inquisition #Howling Embers

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collagedraws · 6 years

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Inquisitor as companion

Inquisitor’s Name: Osa Trevelyan

Race / Class / Specialization: Human / Mage / Rift Mage; Osa relies heavily on storm and winter schools of magic, her spells focus more on attack than stat-boosting or defense

Gender Identity: Female

Varric’s Nickname for them: Stormcloud - “Always carrying something heavier than she lets on, takes a bit to find that silver lining, but she’ll get there.”

Short bio: A child of the upstanding Trevelyan family, Osa was previously deeply entrenched in Chantry life, dedicated to honoring her family’s Andrastian loyalties. She and her brother have been scrambling to navigate the burning landscape of post-Circle Thedas and reimagine their lives moving forward. She moves with confidence, something that might almost be grace. That paired with a talent for powerful magic makes her deadly in combat

What would their companion card look like?

Initial Card: The high priestess, reversed

Loyalty: The hierophant, reversed

Romanced: Temperance - Osa faces east, one foot half submerged in choppy water and the other balanced on the rocky shore. Her hands are clasped together lightly, one resting on top of the other. Something bright spills from between them- glass, perhaps. She is looking at the viewer, head tilted slightly, a faint smile on her lips

Recruitment mission:

Upon interacting with Leliana, she will tell you that her scouts have reported a particularly aggressive clash between a group of apostates and templars in the Hinterlands that is endangering farmers and refugees passing through the area. She points out that it would be to the Inquisition’s advantage to pacify the conflict and aid the threatened passersby, cultivating goodwill and securing the area for the Inquisition.

When you arrive at the location marked on the map, you will find a group of five templars closing in on a group of frightened and injured apostates being tended to by a mage and her templar brother. Once you approach, it will trigger a cutscene.

Shiori stands to confront the advancing templars, calling for them to back down and end the senseless violence, letting the mages live. One of the templars calls him a traitor and Osa, laying a newly dead mage gently down, cuts in. Invoking the Chant of Light, she lashes out, likening their mindless slaughter to the death of Andraste herself. The templar commander accuses her of heresy and demands that they submit to the Chantry’s judgement. As they are poised to attack, two mages who had been huddled together on the ground murmuring to themselves give in and transform into a pair of despair demons, much to the horror and grief of the Trevelyans. A battle then ensues in which you help the twins defeat the templars and demons to complete the mission.

After the fight, you speak with the twins, learning that they had been attempting to escort the small band of apostates to a safehouse. When they arrived, they were met by the templars, who had reduced the barn to rubble. Requesting that you take the remaining injured mages into your care, they willingly accompany you back to Haven, after which they can both be found on the party select screen.

Where they may be found in Haven: She and Shiori can be found outside the village perimeter, across the road from the gates on a snowy bank. They stand huddled together, exchanging quiet words and occasionally glancing towards the sparring recruits

Where they may be found in Skyhold: Initially, the twins can be found in the back corner of the lower courtyard near the stables. Once repairs are made and things are more settled, Osa can be found at a table on the second floor of the Herald’s Rest nursing a drink and studying a book

Personal quests:

Quest 1: Far From the Tree

The cutscene will open in Skyhold’s library where Osa chats lowly with a smiling Dorian, retrieving a book from a high shelf and adding it to one already in her arms. She will greet you, asking if you have a moment, at which point she will lead you out to the battlements for more privacy. She is straightforward- she wants to reach out to her family. She hasn’t had contact with them since the fall of the Ostwick Circle, and more to the point, she’s sure their connections in the Tevinter Imperium or Nevarra could benefit the Inquisition. However, she is unsure if they will be willing to work with the Inquisition, given the speculation over Divine Justinia’s death and the future of the Chantry.

This will trigger a war table operation. Leliana will not participate in this mission. Josephine suggests delivering a message through an allied noble in the region, insisting that going through the proper channels will make for a smooth reception. Cullen reminds you that it doesn’t hurt to make a grand impression, and recommends sending an outfitted Inquisition unit to deliver your regards, as well as Osa’s message.

Quest 2: Bitter Pill

Osa, having a drink with Shiori and the Chargers, spots the Inquisitor down the bar at the Herald’s Rest and indicates that she wants talk. She gets up, sharing a laugh with Krem, and comes to sit beside the Inquisitor. She is more relaxed this time around but her tone, though light, is still serious. She wants your help obtaining a recipe for a healing potion, though she will only specify that it’s for her brother to a high-approval Inquisitor. She already has a contact for the recipe and hopes to meet with them as soon as possible. Upon completing this conversation, the location of the meeting will become available on the war table.

You travel to a crumbling chateau that initially appears abandoned, but as you draw closer, you can see that a large, thriving clinic has set up camp amongst the ruins. When you get close enough, you find the clinic besieged by a group of red templars. Once you help defeat them, the leader of the clinic, an elven mage and healer named Mailani offers her thanks. They had been operating covertly for weeks, treating refugees and sheltering apostates, when they were discovered by a band of red templars. According to a missive you find on one of the corrupted templars, they had received orders to cut off the camp’s supplies before moving in to finish them off. The leader tells you that they were after not only the mages in the clinic, but the tomes of spells they had been protecting. It is a relatively isolated area, and supplies are hard to come by. She is glad to accept help from the Inquisition in exchange for the knowledge they have collected, including the recipe that Osa is after.

Back in the Herald’s Rest, Osa thanks the Inquisitor, saying that it means a lot to her personally. She confesses that things hadn’t been easy for her and her brother after the fall of the Circles. She speaks a bit more candidly about the strictness of her family and the pressures of Circle life. If the Inquisitor has high enough approval, she talks wistfully about Shiori’s confidence. In a harder voice, she says that she would do anything to preserve his sense of self worth. Her words hint at past turmoil, perhaps related to the potion, but she will not go into detail even if pressed. Shaking off the seriousness of the topic, she jokes that she’ll have to hunt you down if you ever tell her brother about her protectiveness. Despite the hardships, she insists that having their freedom for the first time in their lives has been worth the trials they still face, and that she’s glad to be here with the Inquisitor.

Breakdown of Approval Ratings for Major Missions:

Fate of the Mages

Conscript: Greatly disapproves

Ally: Greatly approves

Fate of the Templars

Disband: Slightly approves

Ally: Slightly disapproves

Inquisitor’s Lead:

A Dwarf/Elf/Qunari Stands for us all: No approval change

Example as a Mage: Approves

For Faith: Slightly approves

For Order: Slightly disapproves

For What’s Right: Greatly approves

To Stop Corypheus: Approves

For Personal Power: Greatly disapproves

For Vengeance: Slightly disapproves

Fate of the Wardens

Exile: Disapproves

Ally: Approves

Ruler of Orlais

Gaspard: Disapproves

Briala: Slightly approves

Celene: Disapproves

Reunite: Disapproves

Spare Everyone: Slightly approves

Arrest Florianne: Approves

Save Celene: Slightly disapproves

Kill Celene: Slightly approves

Abelas Alliance

Ally: Approves

Reject: Disapproves

Drink from the Well:

Non-Lavellan Inquisitor Drinks: Disapproves

Lavellan Inquisitor Drinks: Slightly approves

Morrigan Drinks: Slightly disapproves

Other ways to gain approval: Gaining high approval from her brother, helping mages, generally using reason over force, helping Josephine restore her family’s status, working with Frederic of Serault

Other ways to gain disapproval: Disrespecting Andrastian faith (neutral to different beliefs, but active scorn is regarded with distaste), mistreating mages, killing dragons

Are they romanceable? Yes, by a female Inquisitor of any race

Can you have sex with them? Yes, but only mid- to high-approval Inquisitors

Are they open to polyamory? Yes, but only when it’s relatively casual. If it starts involving more serious feelings from any party, she won’t want to get too tangled up in it and will take her leave

If they can be romanced and are not, will they begin a relationship / relationships with other character(s)? If so, who? There are hints that she and Sera hook up, but nothing serious ever comes of it, and Sera still ends up with Dagna if unromanced

Who are they friendly with? Dorian, Bull (plus Krem and the Chargers), Varric, Sera (kind of). Osa finds solace and understanding in Leliana, and shares some much-needed levity with Josephine (the family connections help, but really she kind of appreciates the frivolity of chats with Josie)

Who do they dislike? Vivienne. She tries initially to approach the Court Enchanter with deference, but her disdain and rigidly structured views end up rubbing Osa exactly the wrong way. She likes Solas initially, curious to learn and see from different perspectives, but eventually his aloofness and world-weary pretensions get old. She generally avoids Cullen. She doesn’t necessarily have a problem with him, and she’s not going to find out. Too much trauma with templars

Opinions on mages / templars / how the world is going to shit? “Faith may not save us, but it gives us the strength to face another day. The sun rises and we move forward.”

Something guaranteed to make them leave the party: Osa won’t be tempted to leave that easily, but if you manage to make Shiori leave, she’ll follow his lead

Special Events:

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

She stares unseeing at the wall of her cell, trying to read the lines of lyrium that cover its surface like spiderwebs. She murmurs to herself, pieces of phrases that might be an ill-remembered Chant of Light. Her head snaps up, eyes clear for a moment, as she says “Shiori-,” then trails off, descending back into muddled recital before the Inquisitor interrupts. “Inquisitor!” She stands quickly, pressing a hand to her temple, slowly shaking her head as if plagued by a bad headache. She breathes deeply, slowly coming back to herself, and her muddled thinking is replaced with angry intent.

At the Winter Palace: Does your Inquisitor enjoy the party, any special events with them at the Palace?

Osa loves Orlais. Fascinated with the sheer opulence almost as much as the Game, she thoroughly enjoys the masquerade from behind a half-full glass of wine that she nurses the whole night. She’s knows that it’s not nearly as glamorous as her first impression, but she’s striking enough in her own right to pique the interest of powerful people and it’s at least a little thrilling. She’s been trained her whole life to wear a mask and she falls into the push and pull of intrigue with ease. Plus she gets to see Cullen surrounded by a flock of cooing nobles and it’s hilarious enough to make the evening worthwhile

In the Fade:

“Maker help us, what next?”

Osa is awed, wide-eyed and fascinated, edging on disbelieving. Fear keeps everyone on their toes, but she is obviously taking everything in with a hint of wonder. However, she is particularly shaken by the encounter with the spirit of Divine Justinia.

Nightmare: “You’ve worked so hard to be what they wanted. Such a shame, really. What a disgrace.”

Osa: “Right. Just another voice to temper. But piss off!”

Her gravestone reads: “Aimlessness”

Trespasser:

Inseparable as ever, she and Shiori can be found crowding the bar (with the Chargers, if spared). They look a bit older, a bit road-weary and significantly more seasoned by the experiences of the past few years. Osa has penned the occasional missive to the Inquisitor, informing them of her and Shiori’s whereabouts and ongoing projects. Over the last two years, the twins have traveled all over Thedas, lending aid mainly to refugee resettlement and support for displaced mages building new lives. Josephine’s notes reveal that several attempts by their family to reach them through the Inquisition have gone very clearly unacknowledged.

Marriage, while not completely out of the question, is not on the visible horizon. It is likely that the ensuing commitment to stopping Solas’ newly-revealed plans will leave little time for the indulgence of a full-blown romance. Osa will go where she is needed, finding purpose in helping those displaced by the events surrounding the Breach who are making the effort to rebuild their lives. However, she will return to the Inquisitor’s side when she can. When she does, she lingers. Maybe for longer than she ought to, she thinks. But solace is fleeting and some kinds of healing can only happen in the company of someone you love

#dragon age ocs #oc stuff #ocs: osa trevelyan #da #my writing #I guess #portait yet to come #hnnngghh my brain is dead rip #talk about wordy #osa's changed a helluva lot since I first started expanding on her character

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daughter-of-the-prophet · 7 years

Text

Ilona Cousland

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Class: Warrior

Title: - Lady (formally)

- Grey Warden (Origins)

- Warden-Commander of Ferelden (Awakening)

- Arlessa of Amaranthine (Ex-Officio)

- Champion of Redcliff

- Hero of Ferelden

- Queen of Ferelden

Affiliation: Grey Wardens

Family: - William Cousland (paternal grandfather)

- Fearchar Mac Eanraig (maternal grandfather)

- Bryce Cousland (father)

- Eleanor Cousland (mother)

- Fergus Cousland (brother)

- Three unnamed maternal aunts/uncles

- Alistair Theirin (husband)

- Kieran (step-son)

- Duncan Theirin (son)

- Eleanor Theirin (daughter)

- Oriana Cousland (sister-in-law)

- Oren Cousland (nephew)

- Cailan Theirin (brother-in-law)

- Anora (sister-in-law)

- Loghain Cousland (nephew)

- Bryce Cousland II (nephew)

- Maric Theirin (father-in-law)

- Fiona (mother-in-law)

- Moira Theirin (grandmother-in-law)

Voice: Colette Whitaker

Appearance: - Dragon Age: Origins

- Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening

- Dragon Age II (mentioned)

- Dragon Age: Inquisition (mentioned)

- The Descent (mentioned)

Ilona Cousland, commonly known as the Hero of Ferelden, is the main protagonist of Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Awakening. She is the youngest child of Bryce and Eleanor Cousland, the younger sister of Fergus Cousland, and the wife of King Alistair Theirin of Ferelden.

Background

Ilona was born in 9:10 Dragon to Teyrn Bryce and Teyrna Eleanor Cousland of Highever, giving their firstborn child Fergus a younger sibling. She was extremely close to her father and was believed by the people Highever to be considered his favorite child. At the age of five, Ilona developed an active interest in melee, combat, and swordsmanship after watching her father and brother train in the castle courtyard. Despite her mother’s stern denial to let her train as a warrior, Bryce and Fergus, caring very deeply for her well-being, began training the young girl themselves in secret.

Five years later, however, Eleanor discovered the deceit. While Eleanor was initially very angry at her husband and children for defying her orders, Bryce was able to reason with his wife, making her accept the potential danger that would come some day. Eventually, the Teyrna lightens up and allows her daughter to train as a warrior, under the condition that she would be trained more rigorously than any of the soldiers in Highever and even trains her in archery herself.

Involvement

Dragon Age: Origins

After being tasked with instructing Fergus to depart immediately with the bulk of the Cousland forces by her father, Teyrn Bryce Cousland, and collecting her dog Brutus from the kitchens by her mother, Teyrna Eleanor Cousland, Ilona heads for bed for an intimate night with Dairren, the son of Lady Landra, a friend of her mother.

In the middle of the night, however, Arl Howe's "late" men unexpectedly turn on the Couslands and seize the castle. After Ilona and Dairren wake up and Dairren is killed by one of Howe’s men, Ilona fights a way out of her bedroom and finds her mother, who explains that her father is missing. A quick search reveals Fergus' son and wife murdered which devastates both Ilona and the Teyrna. Eleanor, saddened and outraged, suggests retrieving a family heirloom or two. In the main hall, Ser Gilmore, directing the few remaining defenders, says Teyrn Bryce has headed for the kitchen.

In the pantry, Ilona and Eleanor find Bryce, gravely wounded and unable to move. Duncan fights his way in and asks to recruit the Ilona. Bryce relents, wanting his youngest child to tell Fergus what has happened. Duncan offers to save Eleanor too, but she refuses to leave her husband's side, and they are both killed as Duncan and Ilona escape.

Duncan and Ilona travel to the ruins of Ostagar to take part in the upcoming battle with the King's army against the darkspawn. After receiving a royal welcome from King Cailan himself, Duncan instructs Ilona to seek out Alistair and the two other recruits to prepare for the Joining ritual. They are then tasked with heading into the Korcari Wilds to obtain three vials of darkspawn blood for the ritual, as well as recovering old treaties from a Grey Warden cache in the wilds. While in the Korcari Wilds, they meet an apostate named Morrigan and her mother Flemeth, the legendary Witch of the Wilds who gives them the treaties claiming to have been keeping them safe.

After surviving her Joining ritual, Ilona and Alistair are given the task of lighting the beacon atop the Tower of Ishal. The tower is crawling with darkspawn by the time the pair reach it, and though they successfully fight their way to the top and light the beacon, Loghain Mac Tir, teyrn of Gwaren and leader of King Cailan's armies, abandons his king and retreats. Alistair and Ilona are overwhelmed by darkspawn and would have perished, but are saved by the intervention of Flemeth.

After Alistair and Ilona recover, they along with Morrigan set out to rebuild the army lost at Ostagar and defeat the Blight. Along the way they are joined by Leliana, A bard and cloistered sister from Orlais, Sten, A Qunari warrior of the Beresaad, Wynne, A senior enchanter from the Circle of Magi's tower, Kinloch Hold, Zevran, An elven assassin and member of the notorious Antivan Crows, Shale, a war golem, and Oghren, an alcoholic beserker dwarf. Also during the journey, Ilona and Alistair fall in love and start a romantic relationship.

Before the final battle against the Archdemon, Ilona learns that the only way to permanently kill the beast is the sacrifice of a Grey Warden. She then faces a dilemma: sacrifice her own life or that of the man she loves or accept Morrigan's Ritual to have Alistair impregnate her (Morrigan) with a child that would bear the taint and absorb the essence of the Archdemon and therefore prevent either of them from dying. Ilona chooses to convince Alistair to go through with the ritual.

After Ilona slays the Archdemon on top of Fort Drakon during the battle of Denerim, she is acclaimed as the Hero of Ferelden, and accorded the highest honor, achieving a legendary status across Thedas. She also marries Alistair, who being half-brother of the deceased King Cailan is made King of Fereldan, therefore making her his Queen.

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening

Six months after the conclusion of the Fifth Blight, Ilona is promoted to Commander of the Grey and assigned as Ferelden's new Warden-Commander succeeding Duncan.

The new Warden-Commander is tasked to rebuild the Grey Warden Order's. She is given the fortress of Vigil's Keep - formerly the seat of Arl Rendon Howe - as a home base as well as rule over the Arling of Amaranthine.

Even though the archdemon is now dead, the darkspawn have not retreated back to the Deep Roads (as was natural following prior Blights) and there are reports of a new, highly intelligent breed of darkspawn. This new darkspawn identify themselves as the Disciples. Through investigation, Ilona discovers that the darkspawn have broken into two warring factions, led by two unique darkspawn: the Mother and the other led by the Architect. Both amass darkspawn armies and their civil war threaten the safety of Amaranthine.

Ilona tries to stem the darkspawns' destructive capabilities until the Mother eventually sends her legions to simultaneously attack both the City of Amaranthine and Vigil's Keep, thus dividing the Commander's forces. Eventually, the Commander chooses to save the City of Amaranthine. The Architect then offers an alliance with Ilona in exchange for allowing him and his followers to continue their work in peace. The Warden-Commander accepts the alliance. The Mother is slain by the Grey Wardens and peace is restored to Amaranthine but at great cost.

Witch Hunt

While searching for her former companion Morrigan, Ilona also seeks clues regarding an Eluvian - a mirror with the power of transportation to a dimension beyond both Thedas and the Fade.

After finding the Eluvian and Morrigan in The Nest beneath the Dragonbone Wastes and being warned by Morrigan of change coming to Thedas, Ilona allows her former companion to enter the portal through the Eluvian. After her departure, Ilona recovers the items from her camp and leaves with Ariane, Finn, and Brutus.

Birth of the Twins

In 9:35 Dragon, Ilona became pregnant with twins, much to her’s and Alistair’s extreme surprise and delight as Grey Wardens were known to have low infertility. Some months later, Ilona gives birth to the twins, a son they named Duncan and a daughter they named Eleanor.

Dragon Age II

Ilona is first mentioned when Varric Tethras tells Cassandra Pentaghast how Flemeth helped Areida Hawke's family travel safely to Gwaren in order to escape the Fifth Blight. The Seeker expresses incredulity at the involvement of the Witch of the Wilds, but Varric reminds her of Flemeth's role in Ilona's story and she concedes the point.

When Hawke first meets Bodahn Feddic, she inquires with him about the fact that he is personally acquainted with Ilona. Bodahn's comments about Ilona being married to King Alistair and therefore becoming Queen of Fereldan. Ilona is also mentioned when King Alistair visits the Viscount’s Keep during Act 3.

By 9:40 Dragon, it is revealed that Ilona has disappeared without a trace.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

When Divine Justinia V made the decision to restore the Inquisition, Leliana and Cassandra Pentaghast sought out Ilona to name her the Inquisitor. Failing to find her, however, they set out to locate Areida Hawke to offer the same role to her, failing to locate her as well.

It is revealed that since Fiona was able to remove the taint from herself through means unknown to her, and Avernus was able to prolong his life to unnatural lengths through experimentation Ilona is currently following leads that may allow her and Alistair to prevent the effects of the Calling, and grant them a longer life.

After being contacted by Inquisitor Rosabelle Trevelyan, Ilona sends her a letter.

Ilona also receives mentions from other members of Rosabelle’s team. Solas mentions that he had a dream about the actions of Ilona during the Battle of Ostagar, specifically the lighting of the signal fire, and Blackwall mentions he knew Duncan, Ilona's mentor. Several codex entries also mention Ilona, referred to in these entries as The Hero Of Ferelden.

The Descent

Renn and Valta discuss the Hero of Ferelden's journey into the Deep Roads during the Fifth Blight. Renn notes that he never had the pleasure of personally meeting Ilona, but that the Legion of the Dead commander Kardol did, and that the Grey Wardens are fearless, tough in a fight, and "a good bunch".

#dragon age #dragon age: origins #Ilona Cousland #cousland #female cousland #The Warden #Queen of Fereldan #queen cousland #warden commander #Grey Wardens #Warden Commanders #Arlessa of Amaranthine #hero of ferelden #Cousland family #Theirin family #Ferelden Royalty

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mllemaenad · 8 years

Note

Obviously a Grey Warden would be the best choice for a military commander in Inquisition, but...Through avoiding the fight or some other plot contrivance, what are your thoughts on a disgraced and disillusioned Arishok in that role? Or would that create too many of the same problems as Cullen(which was covered wonderfully in your previous meta posts) to be of any interest?

Hmm. Honestly, I’m doubtful it would even be possible without radically changing the theme and structure of Inquisition.

Cards on the table: I have a soft spot for the Arishok. To be clear, he is the military leader of the Qun, and before that he was a garrison commander in Seheron. I’m pretty sure he has done things in the name of the Qun that I would find despicable. He certainly holds some views (e.g. on mages) that I can’t condone. I cannot and will not attempt to excuse any of this. It is only the very specific circumstances of DA2 and the nature of Kirkwall politics that make him an underdog of the story.

But … I like the way he handled himself in those circumstances. I admire his forbearance, his respect for those who deal honestly with him and his attempts to engage fairly with the viscount. I admire his fierce defence of his viddathari, too, although I think he made a terrible mistake and murdered a man who did not deserve his wrath: I think if he’d marched on the Chantry and cut off Elthina’s head, everyone might have been spared some grief.

I think there’s room in his character for growth and redemption, and he is definitely on the list of people I’d be happier to see than I am Cullen. I mean – that’s a long bloody list, but he’s on it.

Here’s the problem, though: Inquisition is an ugly story, politically speaking. It has lovely scenery and some fun characters, and I admit I get a strong sense of having cleaned up an area when I close a rift, but … the behaviour it seems to present without criticism is really scary.

It is the story of how the Chantry took back control of Thedas, when Thedas was this close to breaking free of it.

The Chantry is at its weakest at the beginning of the game, when the explosion at Haven takes out the Divine and her most likely successors. However, you can see it even before that, in DA2:

Let me guess. Your precious Chantry’s fallen to pieces and put the entire world on the brink of war. And you need the one person who could help you put it back together.

– Varric Dialogue, Dragon Age 2

Varric is no fool: he knows these people will go to any lengths to regain power. And they do. They gather the surviving faithful at Haven and form them into a makeshift army. They stomp around occupying bits of foreign territory and planting flags on things. Through both quests and war table missions, they manoeuvre their supporters into positions of power and destroy their detractors. They force a person to become the Herald of Andraste, without regard for whether the person actually believes in Andraste as a divine figure, and use that imagery to garner support from other Andrastians. Ultimately, they crown a Divine from among their number: a woman backed by their military might and political ties.

I’m not trying to paint every individual involved as an outright villain. I realise Leliana’s politics, for example, are pretty damn progressive, all things considered. But nothing changes the fact that the highest ranking members of the Inquisition believe in Andraste and the Chantry, and work to put it back together. Sure – Leliana will cheerfully burn a lot of it to ashes before rebuilding, but she will rebuild.

Where would the Arishok fit into this? What would you do with an advisor who just … did not give a fuck about the primary goal of the other advisors? The banner of the Eye, the Herald of Andraste, the Chant, the election of a Divine – all of that would be just noise to him.

Cullen, though wildly inept, is a known quantity. I mean – I’m reasonably certain that Leliana spends the whole damn game just one aggravation from murdering him in his bed, but he doesn’t act outside expectations. He’s usually (not always, but usually) the conservative choice in war table missions: send in the troops, pit Templars against mages, generally show the world your might and expect them to obey. If you’re a militant Inquisitor you can use him. You’ll likely make the Chantry scarier if you do, providing more precedents for Chantry occupation of recalcitrant lands, but you won’t make the Chantry weaker because ultimately the game ensures that you have enough soldiers to win the day and he, like the others, is trying to put the Chantry back together.

To even allow them to recruit the Arishok, you’d have to fundamentally reshape the nature of the Inquisition. I’m not even sure it could be the Inquisition. The Inquisition that appears in game is Divine Justinia’s attempt to reclaim the military arm of her organisation. The actual Inquisition, the one last led by Ameridan, reformed when Lambert voided the Nevarran Accord. The Seekers of Truth are the Inquisition: those are two different names for the same thing.

In creating a ‘new’ Inquisition, Justinia could hope to recruit a new army and attempt to take back her power. She didn’t live to actually do that, of course, but her Left and Right hands managed quite well without her. It is an Andrastian organisation. It is a Chantry organisation. Yes, it recruits (and conscripts) some non-Chantry members, but fundamentally this is where its interests lie.

It would be … a different game, with the Arishok in Cullen’s role. I might like it better than the game we got, but it would require such thorough rewriting it would be hard to say for sure.

#dragon age #dai #the arishok #Anonymous

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