#beraht

[illusivesoul]

Something I hadn't considered until now is how brutal the mission to kill Jarvia and most of the Carta in Orzammar is for Brosca. I'll never forget the emotional gut punch that was having to fight and kill Leske, who is probably only true friend Brosca has ever had in all their life (I remember desperately searching if there was a dialogue option or something to let him live but there is none), but I also just thought that Brosca must have known most, if not all of those Carta members that we fight through the mission.

And knowing how the casteless are pretty much cut off from the rest of Orzammar's society and most are forced into a life of crime, Brosca must have known and possibly have been friends or at least care for for a lot of the Carta members, and also possibly have worked with them often under orders from Beraht and Jarvia.

Then after becoming a Warden, returning to Orzammar and under orders from either Harrowmont or Bhlen, they have to go to their old home in Dust Town and kill Jarvia (who was alledgely planning to use her growing power in Orzammar to force the Assembly to recognize the rights of the casteless), Leske and pretty much everyone else they knew during their many years growing up and while being a part of the Carta.

Just another bit of tragedy for Brosca's story.

[biancadavri]

they couldn't have rica as an ambassador at the winter palace because she would have took one look at cadash glancing at those stupid garden lattices and she would have Known. there's simply no polite enough way to have her say Hey. i understand you. i understand what life has been like for you and i understand the kind of position you're in now more than you'll ever know but jesus fucking christ isn't my job hard enough without the ever constant sense of déjà-vu? and i would have felt instantly guilty and put down the game forever

[vigilskeep]

The "companions whose last names have negative associations taking the warden's instead" thing is so powerful to me as a Brosca enjoyer. Cause like imagine going your whole life with a name that's less than worthless, and then suddenly you're a paragon and your name is important now and you can share that with all the people you care about. Why shouldn't I add surfacers to my new noble house? They declared me a living ancestor what are they gonna do about it?

so very true. also as an aside from the symbolism of it all, not only suddenly being the king of orzammar’s wife’s family but making ur whole friend group the king of orzammar’s wife’s family is a power move actually

[pillowprincessvarric]

Anyways dialogue from the other characters in the dwarf commoner prologue does kind of imply that the Warden is, or at least has a reputation for being, "slow" (or at the very least Weird). Which is kind of interesting to me as that's not a choice that's common as far as baked-in characterization for a player characters goes.

[quotesthatiliked]

I love when in Enemies to Lover romance books,after they kiss or do the deed their reaction is like, and I quote-

"It had never occurred to Beraht that he would ever be in such a position with the Scarlet Wolf. If the thought ever had crossed his mind, he would have forsaken any chance at the stars and killed himself to avoid going further into madness."

-Megan derr,Prisoner(Kria book 1)

[heniareth]

Khêd Brosca customized the armor Beraht lent him with stolen bits of metal so it would better serve him when he wanted to play front-liner and tank (as is his Stone-given right as a warrior). Sadly, in the process, he absolutely ruined it for stealth missions. Beraht’s people immediately jumped at the opportunity, and Khêd got called everything from tin man to jingle-jangle-mangle.

[saltdrinker]

It's finally here everyone!

Since my inbox is open, feel free to stop by and ask Vicki + her friends anything!

But before going into my inbox, I will have to lay down some ground rules...

You are free to ask Vicki and/or her friends anything (dares, requests, questions, etc) 

Keep the questions pg-13! Most of them are still minors :/

No discriminatory or offensive comments/asks (racially motivated, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, etc) 

Please keep roleplay scenarios with your ocs to a minimum (it’s fine if it’s a one-time thing per person, but that's all I will allow)

(Just a heads up, it may take a bit for Vicki and her friends to respond to asks so please be patient with them. And you may get to see Vicki's other friends in the future ^^)

Other than that...

GO HAVE FUN!

[varrics-chesthair]

[ultimatecryptid]

Emery Brosca Banter

Emery: You can't cast when you're a spider.

Morrigan: Curious about my skills, Warden? I assure you they're up to par.

Emery: Not what I said.

Morrigan: I suppose not. No, I cannot cast when I'm a spider. I am thus relegated to biting things. Not a terrible fate, even if our enemies are usually less tender than I prefer. Is this where you explain your real question?

Emery: You're making yourself… something you're not. You like your magic. When you change, why wouldn't you keep it?

Morrigan: 'I like my magic,' what a strange way to put it. I do not simply like it, it is inseperable from the rest of me; if I were to cling to any part of it I would not be able to make the change.

Morrigan: For all it's strengths, a spider is not a mage.

Emery: This spider always turns back to one though.

Morrigan: Indeed.

[deimcs]

Deep beneath the Frostback Mountains sits Orzammar, largest and proudest of the two remaining dwarven cities. Once the seat of an underground empire, Orzammar now stands alone, cut off from the world by the darkspawn, still clinging to the memory of its former glory. Below the vast statues and gilded halls where the noble families play at politics, the lower castes live in their shadows, scurrying to serve like their Ancestors before them. Below that… is you. You are casteless, the dirty secret staining Orzammar's perfect society, forced, along with your sister, to sell your services to the crime lord, Beraht. To the rest of Orzammar, you are proof that the casteless deserve their fate; but you know you do what you have to—the same as everyone—just to survive.

[matan4il]

I’m making this post at the request of the lovely @siflovesbuddie​​. Thank you for sending me your ask, and for your interest in my own thoughts! xoxox

Resource post with names info for all the notable 911 characters, compiled by the fandom’s resident name geek (slightly better than your average baby name site, which doesn’t give a damn about accuracy or about respecting the original cultures).

Gif makers and fic writers, please feel free to use this! If you do, credit or a reblog would be nice.

Also for anyone into enjoying different cultures and languages!

Here’s an open invitation if anyone wants to consult me on any other character’s name.

Under the cut: the info for all the characters in text, including a little more detail and explanation for the (giffed) main characters

Michael

origin: Mikhael (Hebrew). meaning: Who (mi) is like (ka) God (el)? evolution: Mikhael (Hebrew) > Michael (Greek) > Michael (Latin) > Michael (English)

David

origin: David (Hebrew). meaning: Beloved (dod, spelled in Hebrew exactly like David). evolution: David (Hebrew) > David (Greek) > David (Latin) > David (English)

May

origin: Maia (Latin). meaning: The name is derived from the Roman month, which is itself named after Maia, a Roman goddess of spring. evolution: Maia (Latin) > May (English)

Harry

origin: Heimirich (Germanic). meaning: Home (heim) ruler (rich). evolution: Heimirich (Germanic) > Heinrich (Germanic) > Henri (French) > Harry (middle English)

Josh

origin: Yehoshua (Hebrew). meaning: God (Yeho and its abbreviation Yo represent the explicit, unmentionable name of God in Judaism), save (shua)! evolution: Yehoshua (Hebrew) > Iosue (Latin) > Joshua (English) > Josh (English, short form)

Denny

origin: Dionysos (Greek). meaning: God (dios) from Nysa (the region of Greece that the god of wine and dance Dionysos was born in). evolution: Dionysos (Greek) > Dionysius (Latin) > Denis (French) > Dennis (English) > Denny (English, diminutive)

Linda

origin: Lintha (Germanic). meaning: Soft (linth). Nowadays sometimes merged with the Spanish word for beautiful (linda). evolution: Lintha (Germanic) > Linda (Germanic) > Linda (English)

Sue

origin: Shoshana (Hebrew). meaning: Lily (shoshan. Sometimes conflated with rose). evolution: Shoshana (Hebrew) > Sousanna (Greek) > Susanna (Latin) > Susan (English) > Sue (English, short form)

Albert

origin: Adalbert (Germanic). meaning: Noble (adal) and bright (beraht). evolution: Adalbert (Germanic) > Albert (Germanic) > Albert (English)

Ravi

origin: Ravi (Sanskrit). meaning: Sun (ravi). evolution: Ravi (Sanskrit) > Ravi (Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Gujarati, Nepali and more).

Abby

origin: Avigail (Hebrew). meaning: My father (avi)'s joy (gil). evolution: Avigail (Hebrew) > Abigail (Latin) > Abigail (English) > Abby (English, diminutive)

Carla

origin: Karl (Germanic). meaning: Man (karl. Sometimes used specifically in the context of ‘free man’). evolution: Karl (Germanic) > Carl (German) > Carl (English) > Carla (English, feminine)

Ana

origin: Chana (Hebrew). meaning: Grace (chen). evolution: Chana (Hebrew) > Anna (Greek) > Anna (Latin) > Ana (Spanish)

Eva

origin: Chava (Hebrew). meaning: Living (chai. The biblical character of Chava is described as ‘em kol chai,’ the mother of all who are living). evolution: Chava (Hebrew) > Eua (Greek) > Eva (Latin) > Eva (English)

Lou

origin: Hludwig (Germanic). meaning: Famous (Hlut) in battle (wig). evolution: Hludwig (Germanic) > Ludwig (Germanic) > Ludovicus (Latin) > Louis (French) > Louis (English) > Lou (English, short form)

Shannon

origin: Sionainn (Irish). meaning: Old (sen). It derives from the name of the longest river in Ireland. evolution: Sionainn (Irish) > Shannon (Irish) > Shannon (English)

Isabel

origin: Elisheva (Hebrew). meaning: My God (eli) is perfection (sheva is the Hebrew word for seven, a number representing perfection in Jewish tradition) or My God (eli)'s oath (shvua). evolution: Elisheva (Hebrew) > Elisabet (Greek) > Elisabeth (Latin) > Isabel (middle Occitan) > Isabel (Spanish)

Ramón

origin: Raginmund (Germanic). meaning: Decision (regin) of protection (mund). evolution: Raginmund (Germanic) > Raimund (Germanic) > Ramon (Catalan) > Ramón (Spanish)

Josephina

origin: Yoseph (Hebrew). meaning: He will add (yosiph. From the biblical language of oath taking: ‘So will God do to me and so he will add if I...’). evolution: Yoseph (Hebrew) > Ioseph (Greek) > Ioseph (Latin) > Joseph (French) > Joséphine (French, feminine) > Josephina (English)

Helena

origin: Helene (Greek). meaning: Torch (helene) or possibly derived from moon (selene). evolution: Helene (Greek) > Helena (Latin) > Helena (English)

Lucy

origin: Lucius (Latin). meaning: Light (lux). evolution: Lucius (Latin) > Lucia (Latin, feminine) > Lucie (French) > Lucy (English)

Toni

origin: Antonius (Latin). meaning: The name derives from Etruscan and its meaning is unknown. The first notable historical figure to carry the name was Marcus Antonius (Mark Anthony), bringing many to link the meaning to him, or incorrectly to the Greek word for flower (anthos). evolution: Antonius (Latin) > Antonia (Latin, feminine) > Antonia (English) > Toni (English, diminutive)

Nia

origin: Nia (Swahili). meaning: Purpose, aim. evolution: Nia (Swahili) > Nia (English)

Beatrice

origin: Viator (Latin). meaning: Voyager, traveler. evolution: Viator (Latin) > Viatrix (Latin, feminine) > Beatrix (Latin) > Beatrice (Italian) > Beatrice (English)

Samuel

origin: Shmuel (Hebrew). meaning: His name (shmo) is God (el). evolution: Shmuel (Hebrew) > Samouel (Greek) > Samuhel (Latin) > Samuel (English)

Doug

origin: Dùbhghlas (Gaelic). meaning: Dark (dubh) river (glais). evolution: Dùbhghlas (Gaelic) > Dùghlas (Gaelic) > Douglas (English) > Doug (English, short form)

Ali

origin: Adalheidis (Germanic) or Alexandros (Greek). meaning: There are two names whose English diminutives are Ali. Adalheidis means noble (adal) kind (heit). Alexandros means defender (alexo) of men (andros). evolution: Adalheidis (Germanic) > Adelais (Latin) > Aalis (middle French) > Alison (French, diminutive) > Alison (English) > Ali (English, diminutive) or Adalheidis (Germanic) > Adelais (Latin) > Aalis (middle French) > Alice (French) > Alice (English) > Ali (English, diminutive) or Alexandros (Greek) > Alexandra (Greek, feminine) > Alexandra (English) > Ali (English, diminutive)

Daniel

origin: Daniel (Hebrew). meaning: God (el) judges me (dani). evolution: Daniel (Hebrew) > Daniel (Greek) > Daniel (Latin) > Daniel (English)

Lena

origin: Helene (Greek) or the town of Migdal (Hebrew). meaning: There are two names whose short form is Lena. Helene means torch (helene) or is possibly from the Greek word for moon (selene). Magdalena refers to a woman who is from Magdala, the Greek pronunciation for Migdal, the town in ancient Israel mentioned in the Bible. The town’s name means tower in Hebrew. evolution: Helene (Greek) > Elena (middle Slavic) > Yelena (Russian) > Lena (Russian, short form) or Migdal (Hebrew) > Magdala (Greek) > Magdalene (Greek) > Magdalena (Latin) > Magdalena (English) > Magdalena (English, short form)

Noah

origin: Noach (Hebrew). meaning: Comfortable, pleasant (noach) or resting (nach). evolution: Noach (Hebrew) > Noah (German) > Noah (English)

Taylor

origin: Taylor (English). meaning: Tailor (from the Italian verb ‘taliare,’ to cut). evolution: Taylor (English)

Jeffrey

origin: Gautfrid (Germanic). meaning: While ‘frid’ refers to peace (fridu), ‘gau’ might derive from the word territory (gawi) or from gautaz, a reference to the Germanic tribe of Geat. evolution: Gautfrid (Germanic) > Geoffroi (middle French) > Geoffrey (English) > Jeffrey (English)

Elaine

origin: Helene (Greek). meaning: Torch (helene) or possibly from the Greek word for moon (selene). evolution: Helene (Greek) > Helena (Latin) > Hélène (French) > Elaine (English)

Jonah

origin: Yona (Hebrew). meaning: Dove (yona). evolution: Yona (Hebrew) > Jonah (English)

Evan

origin: Yochanan (Hebrew). meaning: God (Yeho and its abbreviation Yo represent the explicit, unmentionable name of God in Judaism) has graced (chanan). evolution: Yochanan (Hebrew) > Ioannes (Greek) > Iohannes (Latin) > Johann (German) > Johan (middle English) > John (English) > Ifan (Welsh) > Evan (English)

Eddie

origin: Eadmund (old English). meaning: Rich, wealthy (ead) protection (mund). evolution: Eadmund (old English) > Edmund (English) > Edmundo (Spanish and Portuguese) > Eddie (English, diminutive)

Athena

origin: Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom and fair, smart, brave war. meaning: Unknown. The goddess got her name from the city she was a patron of, Athens, but the city’s name comes from an undetermined language (likely an unknown language spoken in Greece before Ancient Greek even developed), so its meaning is also a mystery. Most people therefore associate the meaning of the name with the qualities the goddess represented. evolution: Athene (the name of the city in Ancient times) > Athena

Bobby

origin: Hrodebert (Germanic). meaning: Bright (beraht) fame (hruod). evolution: Hrodebert (Germanic) > Robert (Germanic) > Robert (English) > Bobby (English, diminutive)

Howard

origin: There are three names that have entered modern English as Howard, Hughard (Germanic), Ewehirde (middle English) and Harvardr (old Norse), making any of these likely to be considered the origin of the name. meaning: Brave, hardy (hart) spirit (hugu) or ewe (eowu) herder (hierde) or high (har) guardian (vordr). evolution: Hughard (Germanic) / Ewehirde (middle English) / Harvardr (old Norse) > Howard (English)

Maddie

origin: The town of Migdal (Hebrew) or Mahthilt (Germanic). meaning: There are two names whose English diminutives are Maddie. Magdalene refers to a woman who is from Magdala, the Greek pronunciation for Migdal, the town in ancient Israel mentioned in the Bible. The town’s name means tower in Hebrew. Madison means Maud’s son, Maud originating in a name that means might (maht) in battle (hilt). evolution: Migdal (Hebrew) > Magdala (Greek) > Magdalene (Greek) > Madeleine (French) > Madeline (English) > Maddie (English, diminutive) or Mahthilt (Germanic) > Matilda (English) > Maud (French) > Madison (English) > Maddie (English, diminutive)

Hen

origin: Heimirich (Germanic). meaning: Home (heim) ruler (rich). evolution: Heimirich (Germanic) > Heinrich (Germanic) > Henri (French) > Henriette (French, feminine) > Henrietta (English) > Hen (English, diminutive)

Karen

origin: Aikaterine (Greek). meaning: There are two Greek names it might have been influenced by. Hekaterine, meaning each of the two (hekateros) or Hekate meaning far off (hekas). Either way, during the early Christian era, the name's spelling was changed, adding an ‘h’ after the ‘t’ and tying it to the Greek word for pure (katharos). evolution: Aikaterine (Greek) > Katerina (Latin) > Katharina (Danish) > Karen (Danish) > Karen (English)

Chris

origin: Christophoros (Greek). meaning: Bearing (phero) Christ (christos, meaning anointed, Greek translation of the Hebrew word ‘mashiach’ which has entered English as ‘messiah’). evolution: Christophoros (Greek) > Christophorus (Latin) > Christopher (English) > Chris (English, diminutive)

[biancadavri]

brosca, after a long day of petty crime, identity theft, public humiliation of the entire warrior caste and still drenched in beraht's blood, maintaining eye contact with orzammar's guards as duncan explains to them why they are NOT going to arrest anyone today

[pillowprincessvarric]

My phone has inexplicably and suddenly decided to start being really aggressive with the spell check so sorry for whatever I may or may not be typing

[vigilskeep]

rica: stay out of trouble!

shae: when do i ever get into trouble

[FIVE MINUTES LATER]

shae: so here’s why beraht won’t notice if we only skim half the stolen lyrium—

[heniareth]

It's interesting to note how the Tabris Origin, which involves a wedding, kidnapping and attempted sexual harassment, and fighting your way through an estate full of guards, is the Origin where gender plays a huge role in what story you experience. M!Tabris will always storm the castle coming to the rescue of his cousin and his betrothed, while F!Tabris will always have to fight her way out because the men in her life can't fully protect her (Nelaros dies, Soris literally hands her the sword, Cyrion is powerless to stop the abduction. Okay, this may be a little unfair to Soris who does fight side by side with Tabris and counsels caution the same way regardless of Tabris's gender). I'd go so far as to say that Tabris is the only Origin where the gender of your PC has a definite impact on the story.

TLDR to the rant in the tags: Tabris is constrained on all sides by being an elf, by their gender, in part by their family, and by society at large (both the Alienage and the wider city).

[kromer]

i've never seen anyone point this out before so i might as well be the one to explain. behold my ted talk on the symbolism of names in the index

first, the proxies: their names all follow a theme of faith and illumination

esther: derived from "stāra", meaning "star". jewish origin. sometimes associated with the babylonian goddess ishtar. i'll also note that this name carries motifs of concealment, as the bibilical queen esther assumed this name to hide her true identity + "The three letter root of Esther in Hebrew is s-t-r (סתר‎), "hide, conceal" (as stated on wikipedia please don't get on my ass for poor citing practices this isn't college). notice how esther hides his face more than any named other named index member

hubert: -bert is derived from "beraht", meaning "bright". also carries some religious associations (i.e., saint hubertus/hubert). also note that saint hubert was the patron saint of many things including metalworking. what does hubert have on his face that may or may not be related to that? a large metal reinforcement

gloria: derived from "glory". self explanatory

it certainly fits, seeing how the index is a religious cult-like syndicate which also distinguishes itself with imagery that suggests light (i.e. the gold, white, and bright blue motifs) or perhaps a lack of it (like how the proselytes are required to blindfold themselves to symbolize their reliance on the prescripts and their superiors to illuminate a path for them). the proxies have proven their faith and they've devoted themselves to their cause. it's evident in every aspect of their lives, from their dogmas to their appearances to even their names

next, moirai. there's nothing to be shared or explained here that isn't common knowledge already, though i will point out that she continues the faith-based naming convention, seeing how her name is derived from greek mythology. though, there's no notion of light... perhaps because she's been stationed underground?

lastly, yan. initially i had some trouble with his name since there isn't a single particular root it can be traced to. first, i noticed that yan happens to be a masculine variation of "john" in hebrew, meaning "god is gracious". that definitely fits the naming convention, but i can't say it really feels much like him. but after a little more digging i found the perfect match: 硯 (yàn), meaning "inkstone"

which, like some other details such as his calligraphy hobby, subtly foreshadows his fate. though, this interpretation strays from the religious theme. yan is also the only character here to (at least partially) break this pattern that symbolizes the index's ethos. it wouldn't be the only time he defied its will, no?