#king: jaws of hakkon

[alienturnipp]

Update: Image description in Alt

This comic is made as the response to @thedasincolor's prompt, exploring how the Contact Clan Lavellan mission could have gone for my Ellana ✨

Splash of Color Saturday Prompt: Tell us about how different families, groups, cultures, and societies welcome visitors! When Inquisition Agents reach out to Clan Lavellan, or when they enter the Jaws of Hakkon, what might they expect to encounter? When a Warden calls upon the Legion of the Dead, how are they welcomed, and what are the customs that differ between the dwarves outside of Orzammar and those within? When we reach out to allies across the sea, or meet with diplomats from the indigenous Seheron people or in Rivain--or elsewhere? How do these welcomes differ for strangers, for armed people, for unarmed people, for children, for long-lost family?

Ellana's hand poses in the "folding betel leaf" page is heavily referenced from this video. The phoenix-wing betel and the trope of Deshanna recognizing her daughter from how the betel was prepared are also inspired by the Vietnamese folktale "Tấm Cám", which has a similar ending reveal to Cinderella where instead of the glass slipper, the King saw a set of phoenix-wing betel and immediately recognized it as being made by his long-lost love, and reunited with her at last. I've included some images under the cut of how it looks like in real life.

A noble's betel kit (with gold, silver, jade, ivory, Nguyễn Dynasty):

[thorgans-guide-to-thedas]

Can you guys re-imagine the culture(s) of the Chasind?

Hey anon!

That's a fantastic suggestion! Our campaigns have been taking place mostly in northern Thedas, so we didn't even have Chasind people/Kocari Wilds on the map yet, but you're so right. I didn't know much about the Chasind before reading up on the Bioware Wiki (BW for short) and.....yooof.

We'll definitely do a more thought-out and 'official' entry, but since a lot of our re-imaginings move at a snail's pace, I'll share some of our immediate thoughts after discussing this:

Geography:

It's giving BIG bayou vibes, and we're taking that and running with it, nodding at inspiration of early Black-American culture that emerges in the southern USA and the greater Caribbean Islands. Visuals of the Florida Everglades and Bayou Bartholomew in Arkansas, with a majority of the villages being built on stilts or the massive trees that are similar to the ones seen in the Frostback Basin (Jaws of Hakkon DLC specifically). There are settlements on more solid land, but most of the population and the 'civilians' live inside the swamp, as the tricky terrain doubles as protection and security.

The People:

Based off the BW, we're seeing patterns of love for nature and the seasons, and the mention of "animalistic goddesses" is making us think....DND druid style. (we took one look at the "barbaric" descriptions and tossed it all out, thank you)

Animal companionship is common among Chasind, whether they are "working animals" that warriors and hunters may keep that help them in their tasks, or companions for your local shopkeep or fisherman. Big or small, smart or.....lovable...animals are all around and children may even receive their companion at very young ages, growing up with their animal friend.

Some more magically gifted Chasind can even transform and take an animal form.

Chasind are bonded by clan systems, not blood or background. Meaning that if someone needs help in the village, people will band together to support that person. Once you settle in the swamp, you're family.

The Chasind have a large population of people with darker skin tones, but people with lighter skin tones are not uncommon either.

The Culture

Being situated on top of it, of course, water is EVERYTHING.

Navigating the bayou is no easy feat, and children are taught from a young age through legends, stories, and all sorts of oral histories how dangerous the water can be.

There are definitely some pretty cool eldritch beings living out in the swamp, and there are definitely stories about them.

Fishing culture is HUGE. Fishermen are taught a very sophisticated type of navigation and tracking, most commonly using the stars as a guide to chart the swamp, because the landscape can be incredibly difficult to navigate, especially after dark.

According to the BW, the Chasind have "developed their own language, but are capable of speaking the King's tongue", so we took this as they've managed to blend an older language like the one spoken by their Alamaari ancestors and merged it with the King's tongue (not unlike real-world languages, such as Haitian Creole, Jamaican Patois, or Michif)

People also traverse the swamp on stilts to keep out of the water and out of the way of other water predators. Whether they are walking across the village or going out to the fishing holes to get a daily catch.

Please feel free to add your own comments or thoughts on this re-imagine! This entire project is a joint effort, and having perspectives from other backgrounds is always helpful to make it more inclusive.

[fereldanwench]

started thinking about what worldstate i wanna create for my first run in veilguard because of course i have.

we can't import past saves and we won't be using the keep anymore, so I'm not sure how detailed we'll be able to get with it but I've got a few possibilities to play with:

the first and most likely is my mostly canon-compliant worldstate with these bbs:

lorelei cousland [rogue; double-wield] warden / queen of ferelden / li: king!alistair

daphne caron [rogue; double-wield] warden commander / ruler of vigil's keep / li: warden!bethany

ansley hawke [warrior; board & sword] champion of kirkwall / pirate / li: isabela

melisande trevelyan [rogue; archer] herald of andraste / inquisitor / li: cullen

rosalind hendry [mage; knight-enchanter] former chantry scholar / inquisition agent for leliana / li: blackwall

the second is my slightly less canon-compliant worldstate that i never brought into inquisition because i didn't want to have to choose between alistair and my favorite hawke in the fade lmao:

karina amell [mage; i do not remember her spec] warden-commander / li: warden!alistair

rhiannon hawke [force & elemental mage] champion of kirkwall / temp viscount of kirkwall / li: cullen or fenris*

*last summer i did replay da2 with an iteration of rhiannon that actually romanced fenris and i loved it and I've complicated shit for her, lmao. rhiannon x cullen were my goro x valerie of 2013-2014 and making her officially with someone else feels wrong bc i loved them together so much. but i just can't enjoy cullen anymore. so do i do i give rhiannon a boyfriend upgrade? do i make a whole 'nother hawke inspired by her? do i just let rhiannon x cullen and rhiannon x fenris exist in different AUs? i don't know!

and the third is kind of the opposite of the second one: a worldstate i made just for inquisition in the keep with some choices i had never made in the previous games. i don't even have the worldstate in the keep anymore so i don't remember everything but i think it was like this:

default f!mahariel [rogue; archer] no li / recruited loghain / made alistair marry anora

default m!hawke [mage] li: anders / sided with mages

keagan trevelyan [mage; knight-enchanter] herald of andraste / inquisitor / li: cullen (although i headcanoned a polycule with her, cullen, and josie)

one of my conundrums with all of these is, as i mentioned, i can't enjoy cullen anymore. he was obviously a big fave, i think his arc is fascinating especially in da2 and especially if you side with the templars and he has to contend with the shit he's done for meredith, and i enjoyed all the different shipping dynamics with all different kinds of ocs. but i can't separate him from his dipshit VA at this point. hearing his voice is just an instant NOPE for me now

i am 99% positive cullen will not be in veilguard for 2 reasons: 1) the writers said during inquisition that they were no longer trying to work in characters whose fates could be too varied depending on player choice and 2) that twitter shitstorm a few years seemed to guarantee ellis will never work with bioware again lmao

now i suppose there's a possibility that ellis could have recorded lines before that happened and somehow they would be able to be used despite all the changes that happened, but I'm trying to be an optimist here

nevertheless, all of the inquisitors i played were with him, and it sounds like we'll be able to engage with our inquisitors in some capacity in veilguard so do i even want to have a passing mention of cullen? idk. i mean, my disdain for his VA isn't so bad that this would ruin the game for me or anything, but i also feel like this is an opportunity to enjoy another character

between keagan and melisande, melisande was definitely my more developed OC, but i just loved playing as a knight-enchanter gameplay-wise so keagan is actually the only one of the two who did trespasser and jaws of hakkon. i never did the descent--the only DLC in all the games that i haven't played. I've been debating firing up my inquisitor!valerie game again to play that with her but i know the descent recommends a pretty high level and i can't remember how far i got in the story with her (I think i just reached skyhold that last time i played)

so anyway, i've got some decisions to make!

as for what i'm leaning towards playing in veilguard: at this point in time, i'm pretty sure my first rook will be a mage of some kind and lucanis sounds like he was made specifically for me lmao so odds are looking good that'll be my first ship

[theeflowerofcarnage]

Just finished Jaws of Hakkon dlc in DAI so I got to learn all about the first inquisitior Ameridan how nobody remember the sacrifices he was forced to make as inquisitor, how everyone refused to believe he loved an Elven Mage (bc fantasy racisms and fear of magic blah blah blah) and the new age of heroes he created with the invention of The Templars and Seekers (before it turned to shit) and you know fucking what? This explains a lot about why I love the emperor romance from bg3! That man was NWAT a hedge fund manager in his past life he literally feels like a protagonist from a prequel game coming back for a final time. He was just a random ass dude w no money then he became pirate king then he became a city founder then his legend got SO big people invoke his name in game ljke he’s Jesus Christ. He’s older than Bhaal God of Murder. Yeah he “came back wrong” (not to me tho) but he still falls for you and sees himself in you!. And ima b real if i got to play as Balduran I’d make all the same mistakes. Yeah I would get a little egomaniacal abt the unique seat I occupy as “God Emperor” of a wealthy port city hmmm yeah I’d totally build an underground trial named after ME to test future hero’s abilities and of fucking course I’d put my dragon husband in charge of the place when I inevitably realize this is too much for me n go back to doing what I love which was treasure hunting and adventuring then boom accidentally made Ilithid :/ womp womp

[black-emporium-exchange]

Looking for inspiration in writing your requests/prompts?

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Below the read-more, find some inspiration for how to write those tricky request prompts, as pulled from our Walkthrough Guide:

Feel free to use the "Description" field in your Sign Up Requests to go into some detail about what you would like; this helps give the creator of your work some different ideas about what they could make for you.

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Examples of prompts or helpful information you could share with your recipient (reminder, your creator is not required to follow your prompts/likes):

General trope likes, e.g., Fluff, First Kiss, Dwarven lore, There Was Only One Bed, Enemies to Lovers, etc.

Stylistic likes, e.g., 2nd person writing, Tarot Card art, chat-fic, etc.

World state options you favor that are relevant to your prompt, e.g., Anora is Queen/Alistair is King, Canon Divergent - Multiple Wardens, Modern AUs, etc.

A sentence or two about why you like the pairing, e.g., "I love Cassandra being flustered around people she likes!"

"What If?" prompts, especially open ended ones, e.g., "What if Blackwall did the Joining ceremony with the Hero of Ferelden in DAO? Or met HoF in the Deep Roads during the Jaws of Hakkon DLC in DAI? Would they have similar perspectives, or different?"

Rating restriction clarifications, e.g., interested in E rated smut, but not E rated violence

Example Description. Please see the FAQ for more help formulating your DNWs.

[kinlochstories]

The Jaws of Hakkon

fifth ruler of the kinloch pride. his was a time of peace and prosperity, and the pride swelled beneath his rule. his end came quietly and painlessly. 

Stories:

The End of Nijinsky

Story Goes Here

Story Goes Here

[blarrghe]

Dragon Age 4: Snake Kings vs Moon Men

[vaguely-concerned]

I just replayed jaws of hakkon again and the avvar still fucking rule honestly haha. listening to all these chantry-educated people (listen I love you all but you are being so RUDE I can't take you anywhere!!!!) lose their goddamn minds over how they treat magic while the avvar side eye them like '...okay weirdos' never fails to bring me joy.

BUT also since the avvar take a bunch of inspiration from scandinavian culture, I thought I'd put on my friendly neighbourhood norwegian hat and muse about some of them!

- most people probably know this by now, but 'storvacker' means literally 'big beautiful' with swedish spelling haha. (with kind of an implication that it's beautiful because it's big, or that the bigness is integral to the beauty? it's really quite sweet as a name)

- hakkon seems to be a riff on håkon/haakon (listen I don't have time to explain all the tedious langague history right now but let's say for short that the pronounciation is the same either way and from a norwegian pov it has a lot to do with being under danish rule for a couple of hundred years there) which is a very common name for scandinavian kings through the ages. and yes a bunch of them did love them some war so it's not a bad choice at all! the current norwegian crown prince is named haakon (and his dad is harald, which is one of the other most common name for kings. there's also a 'sverre magnus' in the family now, so between them they hit about 75% of all norwegian kings through the ages lmao)

- avvar poetry works somewhat along the lines of traditional norse poetry, being heavy on the alliteration and kennings and heiti (essentially turning perfectly normal words into metaphors and shit, calling a boat a 'wave-steed' would be an example, often to ensure the alliteration haha. one of the reasons odin has so many fucking names, you can find a way to alliterate that dude with just about anything through pseudonym.)

- more on names because it's h i l a r i o u s to me for some reason-- the fisherman dude you meet on the shore and who would otherwise be perfectly forgettable? well, his name is arvid rolfsen. having a character named 'arvid rolfsen' in a fantasy universe is like... that's just a normal man. like 'that's the name of my denist' level of just some guy. dragon age often does the fantasy name balancing by having at least either the first name or surname be kind of unusual/fantasy-ized, but those are simply two incredibly common names hahaha.

avvar names ending in '-sen' and '-dotten' is a very obvious parallel to how scandinavian surnames traditionally work (and still do in iceland), in that it's 'parent's name' + sen/son (son) or dotter/dottir (daughter). however. in changing the female ending of that to 'dotten'. some Things have happened, to my norwegian ear. namely that 'dott' (which turns into 'dotten' in the definite singular form, the dott as it were) means... hm.

1) most literally, something like a small untidy ball or clump of something, like hay, dust, wool -- my instinctive translation would be something like 'fluffball', probably.

2) a useless weakwilled hapless and naive but ultimately harmless person

3) slang term (though a mild one) for the vagina. yup it's another one of those, as if boba 'fett' didn't already fill that particular cross-language hilarity niche (though that one is a whole league more obscene and technically dialect). especially 'kuldsdotten swamp' (so something like... the cold ahem ahem swamp) conjures... Imagery.

[melisusthewee]

WIP Wednesday - Let’s Talk Music

Thank you to @cleverblackcat @kittynomsdeplume @noire-pandora and @morganlefaye79 for tagging me!

I don’t have any writing to really offer today.  I’ve been trying to work on that Haven fic but unfortunately Aloysius hasn’t been co-operating with me despite all my best efforts to make him speak.  I may take a break from writing and pivot towards completing some art memes, but Wednesday just sort of crept up on me and here we are.  So instead, I’m sharing something that both is but also isn’t a work in progress?

It’s “in progress” because while I’m happy with where it currently is, I’ve said that about playlists and soundtracks before and later changed them.  I’ve worked hard on this and talked several friends’ ears off about songs I’ve heard or artists that seemed to work and thanks to their feedback I think this is a really good one.  It’s gone through several edits as well, and may potentially even go through more down the road.  So I’m saying this counts for today.

If you give it a listen (and I hope you do because I’m very proud of it so far), I hope you enjoy it and maybe discover an artist you didn’t know before.  It clocks in at around 51 minutes and features 13 tracks which span Quinn Trevelyan’s story and important events of the main game through to Trespasser.

If you are interested, below the cut is a list of tracks and a brief blurb or description about who or what they’re meant to represent.  I was going to go into things in more depth and talk about how I built it, why I picked the songs I did, and the B-Sides that were left on the cutting room floor, but after realizing I had written nearly 4 pages about just as many songs, I realized it was too much for anyone to read.  So below is just a very brief summary and I think that most of the music would speak for itself, but I’m happy to expand more on anything that anyone finds either interesting… or confusing.  (There is also Solas content because I knew a few of you love that.)

You have to click on this sentence to go to the playlist because Tumblr’s coding for “Read More” seems to be conflicting with the HTML code to embed a functional playlist.  Because of course it is.

Quinn’s tarot card is the Wheel of Fortune as his story is a series of unpredictable highs and lows.  What the Maker giveth, He also taketh away.  The playlist follows that trend of highs and lows with upbeat songs followed by darker or more mellow ones.  Whenever I create a playlist, I try to think of a general tone or sound that I want to be carried through the soundtrack.  I want the overall genre or sound to tell the story as much as the individual songs.  Because of that, you’ll see artists repeat a couple of times, and when they do it’s always intentional.  You’ll also notice that most of the vocalists are male.  This was again intentional because this is Quinn’s story, and he’s a man.  They are his songs and I wanted the vocals to reflect that.

The Cult of Dionysus - pre-Conclave Quinn

Quinn at his most basic and stereotypical before any character development happens whatsoever - poppish, upbeat, and maybe just a little obnoxious.  He smokes, he drinks, he fucks, and nothing else matters.

The Sound of Silence - Aloysius’ Theme

I like Aloysius as a more practical view and examination of Quinn and the cult that grows around him.  He affords an opportunity to look at Quinn both as the Herald but also as just a person.  He is stoic and mild-mannered, a dutiful soldier, and an excellent foil for Quinn.  This is also absolutely a reference to an Arrested Development joke.

Isle of Dogs - Quinn’s true theme

Quinn is a walking disaster constantly falling victim to his own hubris.  There’s a morose sort of resentment to the lyrics, of someone who is constantly struggling against the tide.  In a lot of ways, this is basically a reaction or push back to all the crap I have put him through.

Providence - “In Hushed Whispers”

There are no Templars here.  The first few lines relate a lot to the dismissal the fledgling Inquisition receives from what remains of the Chantry, but the rest of the lyrics are very much about the mages and Fiona’s dealings with the Venatori.

Seven Devils - “In Your Heart Shall Burn

No male vocals in this one to symbolize the change in perspective.  This is both a bit of an easy and obvious choice for this story beat.  Female vocals for Corypheus might seem strange, but when I created my Warden’s soundtrack I tended to use powerful choruses and female vocals for anything related to Blight, Archdemons, or the darkspawn.  I carried that idea over to this as Corypheus is one of the seven Magisters.

Caesar - becoming the Inquisitor

This is a softer and quiet interlude in the wake of the loss of Haven and struggle through the snow.  If the previous song marks the end of the first act, this song marks the beginning of the second.

King - “Here Lies the Abyss”

In my written world state, Alistair is both the king and the Grey Warden contact (this goes back to that longform fic I am working on).  I suppose it’s a bit unfair because in the end that has a major impact on why Quinn makes the decision he does at Adamant (a rather threatening letter from the Warden helps too).  Think of this as a duet between Quinn and Hawke.

My Type - the love interest

“Here Lies the Abyss” was completed first, then a romance triggered, then “Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts”.  This is that sort of inbetween interlude and is very much inspired by how I may have flirted with multiple characters a little too much and basically triggered several romances at once.  I also went into Quinn’s playthrough having no idea who I was going to romance and just let him shop around.  And it came down to a coin flip in the end, so “you have a pulse and you are breathing” is pretty much the only standards he has.

Boheme Supreme - party at Halamshiral

All I have to say is that I love techno swing, every single lyric in this song is perfect, and I want you all to picture Quinn Trevelyan walking into the Winter Palace with his Inner Circle entourage around him, dressed up in that outfit I drew with that peacock feathered cap and having a drink in his hand throughout the entire night’s affair.

Hell’s Coming With Me - “Doom Upon All the World”

This is the climax of the main game, the rematch between Quinn and Corypheus which I have to imagine is more impressive in concept than it was in game.  I chose the dialogue option when Corypheus calls Quinn an imposter, “I am the Maker’s chosen” as his final challenge.  Sometimes it’s easy to forget that this main is actually very Andrastian.  But he is, and the lyrics, “I am the righteous hand of God/And I am the Devil that you forgot/And I told you one day will see/I’ll be back I guarantee/And that Hell’s coming with me” are the perfect declaration.

Paradise - Jaws of Hakkon & The Descent

Another interlude song.  If the previous one is triumphant than this one is the beginning of a bad turn.  In the interim between the events of the main game and the Exalted Council, things begin to go wrong in little ways.  His relationship with Cassandra begins to break down, eventually ending in the two of them having frequent spats and going their separate ways after returning from the Frostback Basin.  This song is deceptively sarcastic about how good things are.

I Still Love You, Judas - Solas’ Betrayal

Solas… oh, Solas.  Does this song indicate a very complicated and layered relationship between Quinn and Solas?  Yes! Have I attempted to unpack any of this?  Nope!  Have fun with this one!

Tagging for this week: @kita-lavellan @silvanils @nivenor-krosis @drag-on-age @rosella-writes @inquisitoracorn

Battle Cries - Quinn and Cassandra

I saved this one for the very end because it is a story within a story.  It is sad and bittersweet, but also not.  This entire thing feels to me like a duet between Quinn and Cass on what was good, what could never last, and that it’s all over now but that’s okay.  Because “this isn’t a breakup, dear heart, it’s a season finale.”  Does this mean that Quinn sounds like Joey Batey when he sings?  Sure, why not.

[camelliagwerm]

Pls tell us ur bull secrets king I’ve never been able to make him survivable 😭

okay so I'm playing on Hard with several trials enabled - Take It Slow (level up at half of the rate), Even Ground (all enemies are equal or higher to your level), Walk Softly (some enemies will be promoted and have extra abilities or passives) and Grizzly End (ultra tough bears). The relevant ones here being Even Ground and Walk Softly since they ultimately make the game tougher.

I usually don't take him with me, but I love playing around with builds and party compositions in different games. This time, because I was finding it far too easy with Blackwall, I decided to throw Bull into the mix around the mid-game mark, and trying to make him viable was a lot of fun. The main thing is you absolutely have to set up his tactics correctly, otherwise you'll be doing a Lot of micromanagement and will be playing as Bull the entire time (which hey, maybe you want to do that, but I imagine most people would want to play as their Inquisitor instead.)

We all know this familiar sight, usually without the guard though. We want him with the guard (and usually a barrier too)

I have his preferred actions as: whirlwind, war cry, ring of pain, dragon rage and devour. This means he'll favour these abilities over anything else. War cry and Whirlwind are easy enough to understand - they're there to generate guard and aggro, and an aoe attack. They'll also set him up for an easy Ring of Pain -- any foe in that aoe will take spirit damage and his attacks will get stronger; and if his health is low (which it probably will be if he's drawing all of the aggression for the party), then both his damage and the spirit damage gets stronger. Dragon Rage damages both Bull and his opponents, but the hits are likely to be critical hits; Ring of Pain will increase the damage. Devour will heal Bull up, usually roughly by a bar of health. Take this with the Consume upgrade as it gives Dragon Rage an extra 25% chance to be a critical hit. That's huge, particularly if you take weapon attributes that increase the chance for it to be a critical as well.

Next, go to the behaviours tab. Change it so he doesn't use any health potions, because that's always the most frustrating part about using Bull. He takes all the health potions. There's an option to switch it to "all potions reserved", and then have his health threshold to 10% of his hp. In theory, it's around this threshold that he will use Devour to heal himself up. I also have his stamina threshold at 10%.

You definitely want a strong support mage to pair with him, anyone who can specialize in the spirit school/barriers. Barrier with Energetic Defense works really well. I have Bull set to focusing on the same character as my Inquisitor (Arthur), usually meaning he'll draw aggro away from Arthur and if Bull is in desperate need of healing (if both his barrier and guard are fully depleted and he's on that 10% threshold), I can pop a healing mist or an upgraded regeneration potion on Arthur and Bull will get healed up too.

This build definitely needs more testing but considering I knocked out Suledin Keep and Imshael today at level 19/20 and he didn't go down once, I think it's working out quite well. I'll be able to see if this actually works when I hit up Jaws of Hakkon and the Descent. I remember them actually being quite difficult vs. the base game. I also kind of want to test it out on an Inquisitor (I've been considering finally doing a Cadash or Adaar run) to see just how viable it is. I do think if you're playing on Easy or Normal, then this will certainly keep him alive.

[quillfulwriter]

See the previews below:

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Although the Inquisitor's exact story varies based on the player's choices, their experiences are more or less the same in a broad sense and highly talked about across Thedas. For example, whether your Inquisitor approves of being called the Herald of Andraste or not, people will call your Inquisitor that. The decision to allow it to happen is largely up to Josephine and the rumor mill, not the individual Inquisitor. This kind of runaway opinion forms an image of the Inquisitor as a legend that they personally can't shape, and since it's not just the Herald rumor going about, their legend quickly separates itself from reality.

In the words of Scout Harding in the Jaws of Hakkon DLC: "Every time you're more than just a person to someone, you're also... less... than a person to them. They don't see that a real, normal woman fought the Avvar and killed that dragon. And they certainly don't know about your strange fixation with elfroot."

And as for how Varric knew that about the Inquisitor's legendary status, Hawke is really the poster child. They weren't thrown into heroics by circumstances and given no other choice like the Warden or Inquisitor. When Hawke saw something they could help with, they did. And they got to a place where they could help in those situations because they wanted to provide a good life for their family. The Champion of Kirkwall really became a legend at their own expense because they chose to get involved each and every time they could have sat things out. That makes them a very different kind of hero than the other two Dragon Age protagonists that were forced into it by events outside of their control.

Yes, the Blight forced the Hawke family out of Lothering, and Hawke couldn't have controlled that. They had to work as an indentured employee for a year to get entry into Kirkwall in the first place too, which they didn't have any say in. But there were plenty of story quests that Hawke could have absolutely declined to get mixed up in, only they did.

The legends of The Dread Wolf, or Fen'Harel, are not all that favorable. He was believed by the Dalish to hate kindness and wisdom above all else, and he was rumored to have snuck through the Fade into a Keeper's dreams to twist them against their clan. The Dread Wolf has power that can affect the whole world according to his tales, from the Veil to the stars. He is willing to injure himself to get away with his misdeeds, and he's apparently had some aversion to dogs, haha.

But a large aspect of The Dread Wolf's in-world lore is that only he could walk among the gods and the Forgotten Ones alike. This ability meant he could deceive both of them without either one interacting, using their mutual trust of him to betray both sides. He is a highly superstitious figure for the Dalish with some seeing him as completely evil. Of course, the truth of his actions is more nuanced and complicated (although still terrible).

To give Origins a little more love, we'll go into King Maric, otherwise known as Maric the Savior as the legacy left behind by his deeds. He freed Ferelden from Orlesian rule and restored his family to the throne with the help of some of his closest friends. His accomplishments there quickly made him legend across Ferelden and whatever he wanted for his life, Maric had no other choice but to rise to the throne. As he described it in the Dragon Age novel by David Gaider, The Calling:

"I had to go on, because Ferelden needed me. I married a woman who was in love with my best friend, because Ferelden needed me. And when she died I kept going, despite the fact that everything in my life felt empty, because Ferelden needed me." He looked at her again, his eyes sad. "Everything was because Ferelden needed me."

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[phylophe]

I did another full playthrough of Dragon Age (well I still have Trespasser left but I know how it’s gonna go down for my inquisitor). I call this the Footshooter worldstate because while for the Canon worldstate I’d picked characters who I thought would make a good protagonist, these three are mostly just stumbling into things, trying their best, and often shooting themselves in the feet.

Templates by Marian Churchland.

More of each character’s key decisions and notable notes under the cut.

Eryth Surana

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Themes: Freedom. Experience. Fulfilment

Specialisation / Build: Mage - SPIRIT HEALER > Blood Mage

Other significant decisions:

Gave the guard’s lunch to the prisoner at Ostagar

Sacrificed Isolde to go into the Fade herself and free Connor

Brought along Genetivi, preserved the Urn of Sacred Ashes, let Genetivi go back to report to the Chantry

Agitated Ruck to the point that she had to kill him, then told his mother the truth

Helped Burkel form the Chantry in Orzammar

Recommended Dagna to the Circle

[Stone Prisoner] Refused to agree to Kitty’s terms and solve the puzzle, killing Kitty and getting Amalia killed

[Warden’s Keep] Killed Sophia and had Avernus continue his research ethically

Kept Alistair softened, hardened Leliana

Was not betrayed by Zevran when facing off against the Crows in Denerim

Had Alistair duel and execute Loghain

Had Alistair complete the Dark Ritual with Morrigan

Left to travel (with Leliana) after the Landsmeet

Trivia:

She has no memory of life before she was taken in by the Circle.

She belonged to the Libertarian Fraternity in the Circle and was irreverent of the Chantry.

Aside from Leliana, she had the highest approval with Sten of all her companions.

While she had persuasion skills, her emotions and naivete often got the better of her, and ended up escalating many conflicts.

She learned blood magic from Jowan (my headcanon for how she could access the Blood Mage specialisation despite never making a deal with a demon) mostly out of rebellious curiosity.

She hardly used blood magic, but when she was going about Denerim and a group of rogues closed the portcullis behind her and cut her off from her party, she used Blood Wound to kill them all in desperation.

Alistair was the one who got her first kiss, however Leliana was more forward in her advances and ultimately sealed the deal with her.

She was close to allying with Branka, until she mentioned enslaving her people.

She put off going back to the Circle for as long as possible.

She lost against Ser Cauthrien and was imprisoned with Alistair; she decided to break out, and met Morrigan and Leliana on the way.

While she gathered all the evidence and people to speak out against Loghain at the Landsmeet, she got too emotional, and the event devolved into an all-out brawl before the duel was called by Grand Cleric Elemena.

She disliked Anora, but prioritised Alistair’s happiness to remain as a warden and his reluctance to be crowned king.

Despite her distaste for the Circle and her disagreements with Wynne, she had confidence in the senior mage’s abilities and put her in charge of the defence team during the final battle.

She called on the dwarven army for most of the final battle, but had the mages fight by her side against the Archdemon.

Ilya Hawke

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -> True Neutral

Themes: Survival. Spite. Perseverance

Specialisation / Build: Warrior - REAVER > Warmonger

Other significant decisions:

Worked for the Red Iron mercenaries

Returned the cargo of poison to Martin

Killed Kelder

Matchmade for Aveline and Donnic

Killed Idunna

Sent Feynriel to the Dalish, freed him from the Fade demons, and he went to Tevinter

Gave Ketojan back to the Qunari

Spared Gascard

Of Yevhen’s sons, saved Merin instead of Iwan

Made it clear to Isabela that he intended to return the relic to the Qunari; she ran away and did not return

Killed Javaris

Duelled the Arishok

Told Emile to escape

Did not fight Merrill’s clan, thus they survived

Had Merrill destroy the Eluvian

Had Bartrand killed and did not give Varric the red lyrium shard

Betrayed by and killed Fenris in the final battle

Trivia:

He was aggressive towards most people, but almost always diplomatic and forgiving when it came to family, and often held back his temper with authoritative figures.

While he wasn’t intentionally hostile to his friends, he also didn’t mince words and tended to be brutally honest.

Before Isabela fled, she was his rogue-of-choice for the party.

His closest friend among his companions was Anders, closely followed by Fenris. He had high rivalry with Merrill and moderate rivalry with both Isabela and Aveline.

At the start he would do anything to ensure his and his family’s survival at Kirkwall; once he got comfortable and secure he tried to do better morals-wise.

He stood for mage rights for the sake of Bethany and the freedom he thought she and people like her deserved.

He befriended Alistair on the basis of his looking after Bethany after she became a Warden.

He executed Anders as a mercy-kill. He disapproved of his actions, but was sympathetic of his motives, and would rather his friend dies at his hands than anyone else’s.

He was heavily scarred (his face included) from the final battle at the Gallows, since he no longer had Anders with him, on whom he had heavily relied since the start.

Veika Cadash

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -> Neutral Good

Themes: Hope. Renewal. Inspiration

Specialisation / Build: Rogue - TEMPEST > Double Daggers

Other significant decisions:

Declared the inquisition be led under her name, but eventually became devout

Upgraded Skyhold with a Chantry garden, a training ring, and a Mage tower

At Theinfal Redoubt, raised the flags in descending order of people, Chantry, Templar

Dissuaded Cullen from continuing to take lyrium

Went the long and diplomatic route to deal with Josephine’s assassins

Retrieved Blackwall the complicated way, using underground connections to avoid bloodshed

Freed Blackwall as Thom Rainier for him to atone

Helped Solas free his friend

Made Cole more human

Saved the Bull’s Chargers thus making Bull Tal-Vashoth

Saw Sutherland’s group succeed and stand on their own

Killed Imshael

Pursued Calpernia through the fissure, thus disrespecting the rituals at the Temple of Mythal and antagonised the guardians

Convinced Calpernia to betray Corypheus

Leliana inspired (softened) and made Divine

[Jaws of Hakkon] Shared the truth about Ameridan

[Trespasser] Freed Ataashi

[Trespasser] Wants to stop Solas

[Trespasser] Inquisition disbanded

Trivia:

She initially had reservations about divine intervention in her circumstances, but gradually became inspired by Andraste, and grew to believe in the Maker’s will.

She was close with Sera, but they grew apart as she became more devout and open-minded about history and beliefs. They broke up over an argument following the events at the Temple of Mythal.

She’s on decent terms with all her companions, but liked Cassandra and Dorian the most.

While she was grateful for her life in the Carta, she saw being the inquisitor as a precious chance for a new life and becoming a better person, and eventually embraced the role and all that it entailed.

She had experience in dabbling with alchemical concoctions even before she took the Tempest specialisation; her hair was bleached as a result of this.

She favoured Leliana’s suggestions at the war table.

She preferred exile and deferral (e.g. referring to precedence, giving Erimond to the Wardens) in judgement.

Initially she led the Inquisition under her own identity, but eventually led by faith.

She allowed Hawke to take the fall for Alistair as that was what Hawke would want, since Alistair watched over his sister and he had otherwise very little left to lose.

She didn’t want nor care to kill all the dragons, as she believed they were there first and people should learn to compromise.

[secretsfromwholecloth]

Dragon Age: Inquisition, day 23.

“It sings softly under the silence. The Stone took him back. He’s home again.” Weh, Cole.

A whole entire acknowledgement that languages change over time! Yes!

It’s the little things.

The combination of black hair with DAI’s known lighting issues is...yeah.

The Nug King! Oh, I’ve never been here before!

*squeaks judgmentally*

A full guard bar is a joy forever. Especially in this place.

Well, until it gets wiped out by camping or worn down by a particularly nasty enemy.

I’m sorry, what? A crash? Really, game. Really. Well, let’s see where the last autosave was, because I haven’t manually saved since I started today’s session.

Answer: A few seconds before the thing crashed, whew!

Dear sweet something or other, how many Sha-Brytol are there? Where are they coming from? Where did they go? What am I swinging at? Who am I?

So the Arcane Horror with the creepy shrines seems to have...teleported inside a wall? I suppose that’s one way to get rid of the bastard.

The Sha-Brytol ranged fighters have what appear to be Thedosian machine guns. Hmmmm.

Oh shit, Guardian time.

You know, in previous encounters, I generally had to use the “switch control to a mage (if not playing one already) and attack from relative safety, periodically reviving one of the tougher melee characters if needed” method. But this time? “Let Her Inquisitorialness whittle it down while periodically topping up her guard with War Cry” worked well enough, especially once I figured out I needed to start attacking the lyrium clusters rather than trying to take out all the rock flails first. Whew.

And I’ll have to start in on Jaws of Hakkon tomorrow, as it’s late.

[ourdawncomes]

THORA & THE LAST TWO YEARS

Thora diverges from canon in that she completes the events of Jaws of Hakkon and Descent before the defeat of Corypheus, giving her plenty of time to pursue other matters of importance to her which were less pressing than earthquakes in the Deep Roads and a dragon-god invasion.

Her Inquisition timeline lasts three years and change rather than one, putting Corypheus’ defeat in midwinter of 9:45 Dragon (having started by my timeline in August of 9:41 Dragon).

Thora’s main party throughout Inquisition varied, but she almost always had Solas with her. It was his responsibility to care for the Anchor in case it reacted strangely with anything they encountered, and they had good chemistry both in and out of battle. The vibe of her party changes with him gone, it’s often a little sadder as in his absence she does lose her best friend, but she’s still in good company. She finds herself missing him a lot through the next few years.

Ian ( @theshirallen ) takes over many of the duties Solas once bore, having been taught how to manage the Anchor through more practical means which supplemented Solas’ innate control over it. Ian often accompanied the Inquisition before then, but it isn’t until after Inquisition that the two started to become close friends.

She also grows closer to Iron Bull and Sera.* While she never disliked Sera, she often found herself at a loss when in her company, but through Inquisition she found herself starting to connect and understand her more. Bull was often kept at arms’ length (often unfairly) because of his place with the Qun, but after the events of his personal quest she relents. They don’t always quite connect (he doesn’t like it when she asks what’s wrong) but they do start to forge a friendship. More often than not, they accompany her, Ian, Cadri, and Cole.

As the months go by, she starts losing more friends. In what order varies, Dorian returns to Tevinter, Varric to Kirkwall, Blackwall comes and goes as he works on fixing past mistakes. From in-game dialogue it seems like Sera, Iron Bull, Cassandra, and Cole are the companions which remain the closest at hand. There are indications that they, especially Cole, wander, but I honestly headcanon that companions were sometimes deployed as agents during Inquisition itself so I think of it as akin to that.

Thora returns to the Free Marches for some time, sealing Rifts there and in northern Orlais, and securing weapons that can heal Rifts beyond her reach. I imagine she does so around about the time Varric or Dorian leaves, so she can see them off in the Free Marches rather than Ferelden.

In the Free Marches she visits her family, she stays with her sister Sylvi who has since moved back to Ostwick, and makes sure to stay hello to her father and Lantos, who is distant family but family all the same.

Her most important diplomatic trip is to Orzammar. She established ties with King Bhelen after the events of Descent, and the two eventually decide to meet. Sera, Ian, Cole, and Iron Bull accompany her, as well as Gorim Saelac, the official head of House Tamar after his Paragon wife’s death. She has conflicting feelings about what she sees, even if a lot of it is what she expects, but she can’t deny she was proud to finally lay eyes on the city. Her hands shake as she peruses through the Shaperate, barely able to believe her luck. The party stays in a suite provided by Queen Rica Brosca, who Thora strikes up a friendship with.

The artefacts they collected over the course of Inquisition are for the most part surrendered, excepting dwarven ones which Thora can reasonably lay claim to (although some of them are also parted with when she comes to Orzammar). The Staff of Tyrdda Bright-Axe was given to Stone-Bear Hold years ago, the recreation of Suledin’s Blade is given to either Keeper Hawen or was given to a companion Lavellan upon its forging, etc.

Thora continues her studies, learning more about language and history while her knowledge of nobility admittedly falls a bit to the wayside. She begins to be able to grasp more of what the Well of Sorrows is telling her. Over time, she begins to suspect Solas may have been an ancient elf along the lines of Abelas, mostly drawn from what she learned of him over the course of their friendship. In hindsight though she wonders if the Well had something to do with her hunch.

* This is obviously subject to interpretation and I don’t hold any writers of this character to any of these notes.

[worldevoured]

ANORA MAC TIR  B. 9:02 DRAGON || INQUISITOR

STATISTICS

FULL NAME Anora Mac Tir.

DATE OF BIRTH 9:02 Dragon.

PLACE OF BIRTH Gwaren.

RACE Human.

GENDER Cisgender woman.

PRONOUNS She/her/hers.

SEXUALITY Bisexual.

NATIONALITY Fereldan.

RELIGION Andrastean.

POSITIVE TRAITS Ambitious, intelligent, logical, serious.

NEGATIVE TRAITS Cold, deceitful, opportunistic, secretive.

PHOBIAS None.

MENTAL HEALTH Healthy.

AFFILIATION Fereldan Court ( formerly ), Inquisition.

TITLES Queen ( formerly ), Herald of Andraste, Inquisitor.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

CLASS Warrior.

SPECIALIZATION Templar.

WEAPON Greatsword.

DECISIONS

EXPLORING THEDAS Redcliffe — Inner Sanctum reached, Crossroads secured, gained cultists’ allegiance; Crestwood — Closed lake’s rift, captured Caer Bronach; Western Approach — Claimed Griffon Wing’s Keep; Hissing Wastes — Explored Dwarven ruins; Fallow Mire — troops rescued from the Avvar; Emerald Graves — Fairbanks revealed to be noble, Fairbanks defeated the Freeman; Emprise du Lion — Imshael killed, captured Suledin Keep.

THE WRATH OF HEAVEN Accepts being chosen by Andraste.

CHAMPIONS OF THE JUST Went to Theirinfal Redoubt, allied with templars; Ser Barris made Knight Commander.

IN YOUR HEART SHALL BURN Declared for faith.

HERE LIES THE ABYSS Grey Wardens banished, Warden Contact left in Fade.

WICKED EYES AND WICKED HEARTS Celene rules alone, Gaspard executed. Grand Duchess Florianne killed.

WHAT PRIDE HAD WROUGHT Skipped elven rituals and fought guards, Morrigan drank from the Well of Sorrows.

DOOM UPON ALL THE WORLD Cassandra made Divine.

JUDGMENTS AT SKYHOLD A hanging judge.

JAWS OF HAKKON Discovered and met Ameridan, did not share the truth about Ameridan, hunted down the Nox Morta, the dragon was slain.

COMPANIONS

Blackwall recruited and stayed, left prison as false Grey Warden;

Cassandra received and read Tome, rebuilt Seeker order;

Cole recruited and stayed, made more human;

Dorian recruited and stayed, met and did not reconcile with father;

Iron Bull recruited, Chargers not saved;

Sera recruited, killed Harmond on her own and left;

Solas freed his friend;

Varric tracked red lyrium source;

Vivienne recruited, given snowy wyvern heart;

Cullen encouraged to not use lyrium;

Josephine supported to do favors for the Du Paraquettes;

Leliana steeled.

CONNECTIONS

FAMILY Loghain ( father ), Celia ( mother, deceased ), Cailan ( husband, deceased ).

WANTED SHIPS Anora/Cailan, Anora/Fergus, Anora/Sebastian, Anora/Warden.

NOTES

ON MORALITY Anora is a phenomenal politician, but a questionable person in terms of her morality. I love her character and find her fascinating, but I won’t skim over that. Anora also is, objectively, not a particularly good queen during the Origins timeline – she does nothing to try and curb her father’s power, or Rendon Howe’s, and either doesn’t know that a foreign power is in Denerim and involved in an illegal slave trade, or doesn’t care. This will be addressed. 

I also think it’s important not to shy away from the fact that Anora is ambitious, and ruthless. Whether it’s because she believes that only she can rule Ferelden effectively or it’s because she just likes power, these are important parts of her character. I don’t think it’s fair to judge Anora harshly for the things we celebrate in male characters, but I don’t think it’s fair, either, to absolve her of her faults or even potential cruelty in an attempt to correct the misogyny in fandom.

It’s also important to acknowledge that Anora has canonically shown prejudice against elves, shown primarily through her indifference towards elves, even though she would likely deny any prejudice if asked. This is another thing I won’t ignore or skim over. Anora is not a feminist character.

SHIPPING Because of Anora’s role, direct or otherwise, in the capture and sale of elves as Tevinter slaves, I am very uncomfortable shipping Anora with elves.

CANON COMPLIANCE

WORLDSTATE After she is overthrown by Alistair and the Warden, Anora is imprisoned, until she is exiled. Anora leaves for the Free Marches, where she is taken in by friends of the family ( by default, the Trevelyans ); while there, she enjoys some of the social privileges of nobility, alongside the shame of being removed from her throne. She swears to retake her country, certain that only she can lead with the strength and power that Ferelden needs. When her hosts are invited to take part in the Conclave, Anora attends with them, hoping to impress upon the Divine the need to remove Alistair from Ferelden’s throne in the wake of the violence and turmoil wracking the nation. She is the sole survivor from the explosion. She believes herself to be chosen by Andraste, fashioning herself almost as a second coming. For this main verse, Alistair must be king.

QUEEN OF FERELDEN I will also happily write Anora having remained the Queen of Ferelden; however, this verse will only be available on request, and will require some plotting. My main verse for Anora involves her becoming Inquisitor.

ON CAILAN The idea that Cailan would secretly arrange for a marriage with the leader of a foreign nation, particularly of a nation that once colonized Fereldan, and cast aside a well-beloved queen who is also the daughter of a national hero, and could and would do this without anyone being the wiser, just doesn’t work for me, so I ignore it. It wasn’t in the game, and I don’t super trust Gaider anyway, so I’m happy to assume it isn’t there.

PLEASE READ!

It’s totally okay if this isn’t your scene! I won’t be offended if you’re not interested in my portrayal of Anora, and I encourage you to blacklist her tags if you don’t like what I’m doing with her. I also encourage anyone who wants to have a discussion on this topic to reach out to me; I love talking about my inspiration for Anora, how I develop her, and the historical analysis and theory I use for the character’s backbone. To me, the most interesting things about Anora are her many faults, and how she weaponizes the very things for which people dismiss her, especially her womanhood. That means examining, as honestly and critically as I can, the manner by which Anora takes part in oppressing the elves of Ferelden, all of which is supported by canon material. I have studied medieval and early modern queenship extensively, and am drawing from not only canon, but from the historical influences from which canon drew. Please be an adult about this; nonstop vagueing and accusing me of misogyny when I point out Anora’s canonical racism isn’t the gotcha anyone thinks it is. 

[ellenembee]

Author Interview

Tagged by the talented @laraslandlockedblues - thank you, fellow Rylen lover! :)

As always, please don’t feel obligated to participate (or if you’ve already done one, feel free to tag me in your previous response if you’d like!). Tagging @mysdrym, @tanaleth, @kagetsukai, @sadmagecentral, @chaotic-good-hawke, @allisondraste, @tortuosity-writes, @ravenqueen89, @melaena, @a-shakespearean-in-paris, @laelior, @lainathiel, and anyone else who wants to participate!

Name: EllenEmbee

Fandoms: Dragon Age, My own creations

Where You Post: Mostly AO3, but I’ll post links here and occasional drabbles or snippets of works in progress.

Most Popular One-Shot: My Alistair/Surana drabble called Distractionary Tactics (which is compiled into the Give a Heart, Get a Throne series on AO3).

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: Definitely The Revelation of All Things mostly because it is an absolute beast, clocking in at just over 600k words. I’ve been writing it since 2015, though, so that’s not surprising. It’s also a Cullavellan pairing, which is popular.

Favorite Story You Wrote: Right now, it’s my Rylen fic, Truths Half Told Beget Lives Half Lived. It’s a rare pair (Rylen and an OC), so a lot of it is just... mine? My OC, Trice, is based off a character that gets a single mention in a letter (not even a name), so I got to make a brand new character from scratch. It’s the fic that really kicked into gear my desire to write original fiction. It will always have a special place in my heart for that.

Story You Were Nervous to Post: I started posting Truths Half Told in 2016 when maybe two other people besides me cared about a random NPC named Knight-Captain Rylen. Not only that, but I didn’t even ship him with a popular character. On top of that, the pairing doesn’t even meet for real until chapter 9! I was nervous to post something so entirely based on my own interests without trying to play to any established crowd. It’s gotten pretty good readership based on the tie-in with TROAT, though, so I think it worked out in the end. :)

How You Choose Your Titles: Typically, the title comes out of the overarching theme of the work. The title for The Revelation of All Things came out of the idea that my main OC Evana, a Dalish Inquisitor, kept getting revelations dropped on her at every turn, not only about the mark and the Evanuris, but about herself. Truths Half Told Beget Lives Half Lived came from both Rylen and Trice’s habit of lying to either themselves or to others. Neither of them lives a full, healthy existence due to their tendency to hold things in or fudge the truth. I could go on, but you get the point. The same goes for my chapter titles, though I tend to be more tongue-in-cheek with those.

Complete: The Revelation of All Things is complete as of a few months ago! After a four-year journey, I have to say I’m glad to have a break. I do plan to add on an arc about the Jaws of Hakkon and also a post-Trespasser epilogue, but the main story is DONE. *waves hands in the air*

Incomplete: 

As far as Dragon Age, I’m still working on the final arc for Truths Half Told, and I have a few more drabbles I’d like to do for the Give a Heart, Get a Throne collection. 

As far my personal works, I have a fantasy WIP called The Chosen that is about 1/3 finished. It will be the first in a series about a powerful magic wielder named Nel who just wants to be left alone (but doesn’t get her wish). I’ve also started a paranormal romance about snarky immortals.

Do You Outline? Sort of? I outline the general plot in my head and sometimes write things out, but most of the story just flows as I write. I’m mostly a pantser in that sense. However, I do appreciate a good brainstorming session.

Coming Soon/Not Yet Started: 

For Dragon Age, I’ve been playing around with a final installment in my Revelations world state that would focus on King Alistair toward the end of and then after the events of Inquisition. He’s married to Anora, but they aren’t romantic - more partners/political allies. It’s still in vague planning stages, so we’ll see how/if things develop.

For my original works, I have outlines for a sci-fi story about a woman sucked into another, more advanced dimension and a historical fiction about a sex trafficking ring in Victorian England (including women with swords, dudes who support said women, and a bunch of angst).

Do You Accept Prompts? Absolutely! Hit me up any time.

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write: I am excited about all my WIPs, but I love thinking about my Victorian historical fiction novel the most. I can’t wait to get started writing that one.