#halsin is a dalish keeper

[saturdaysky]

Gale of Minrathous

Dragon Age AU where Gale is a Tevinter magister who accidentally infected himself with red lyrium. He's found a way to halt the lyrification. Mostly.

More tidbits:

Devout Andrastian with a bit of Leliana's "the Maker speaks to me" thing going, except it's "Andraste—so obviously a mage btw, I have 5000 words prepared and ready to go on this topic—sings to me, magic prodigy"

"therefore I am sure to be the one to unlock the secrets of this powerful, strange new lyrium that is singing to m—oh. golly. that went poorly"

joins the inquisition after he emerges from isolation and his former peers have all become Venatori. If his own folly has emptied the sand from his hourglass, why not spend the little time that remains to him serving Andraste's chosen?

0 moral qualms about blood magic except that all participants must be willing. All magic is neutral—its use determines whether it is good or bad

Tara is his possessed cat, who has lived far longer than a cat should, but Gale isn't complaining. who says abominations can't like chin scritches

talks about Minrathous, a lot

would break open the heavens to see the throne of the Maker, just for the experience

Final AU thoughts under the cut!

what the magisterium doesn't want you to see:

the staff that I know, deep in my heart, Gale uses and insists is artistic:

[ar1shan]

@AR1SHAN. writing blog for halsin 'silverbough' arishan from baldur's gate 3, adapted to the tolkien's legendarium/dragon age franchise following detachment from the source material, extremely hc-based and fandom-divorced. sideblog to vinduri, refer to main blog for rules etc. additional portrayal-specific info under the cut.

NAVIGATION # INSP / # HCS / # STORYBOARD

OVERLOOK. were it not for his gentle disposition, halsin would strike as intimidating for his imposing size and bulky, muscular physique. square-faced, with a strong angular jaw and drawn, sharp elf-ears; his face is inked with red vines climbing vertically from on the right side, trailing from his jawline across his cheek ending just above his eyebrow. on the left side, his forehead is rent by three scars cutting slantly across his other eyebrow, courtesy of the claw of a she-bear during the mating season. big nose, slightly crooked. copper-brown hair, loosely styled in a half-ponytail decorated with thickly plaited strands, frame a neither old nor youthful face—visibly wrinkled but vigorous and inclined to joyfulness. bearing the glazed shine of animals, the outer rim of his eyes is forest green, darkening into bark-brown towards the center; hooded beneath the arch of his reddish eyebrows, they begin to elongate into faintly marked crow's feet at the corners. large, calloused hands, rough with a lifetime of manual labor in the woods.

PERSONALITY. tame, gentle, tempered. non-confrontational, seeks to sort disputes out by compromise; endlessly patient, willing to tolerate insults, open to being questioned to the point where it endangers his own authority—yet, by virtue of his reassuring aura and powerfully calm demeanor, instills faith and dependency in the hearts of those that rely on him for safety. when the tear is pulled long enough to rip, he is blunt and coldly disdainful but does not fall into unreasonable anger or cruelty. does not believe he is owed anything, does not expect anything, and does not owe anyone anything in turn. deeply dismissive of his own hurt, extremely considerate about the well-being of others. charming, passionate, playful but not childish. welcomes beauty, but does not believe it essential; things have a purpose regardless of how well-arranged they are. suffers quietly, laughs quietly, does not ask for help. an old, experienced heart.

PORTRAYAL NOTES my portrayal of halsin is deeply divorced from the source material and highly influenced by other forms of high fantasy media, as such i will not be writing him in his original context unless it is with someone i know i can trust. do not come to me making crass jokes about my muse or downplaying/trivializing his trauma or his relationship with sex. halsin is a sa survivor—i might, however tactfully, mention this in regards to his canon backstory; everything will be appropriately tagged.

VERSES. (#tolkien's legendarium) a nandorin elf, born in ossiriand in the first age, moved west following the war and the rampage of morgoth's forces. (#dragon age) dalish mage, former keeper of his clan that was displaced after he was captured and taken to minrathous, eventually freed by the shadow dragons he attempted to return to the arlathan forest by the start of da:v in order to find his lost clan; joins the veil jumpers when the gods escape their prison.