#neria headcanons

[savingthrcw]

A helpful summary of Neria as a character:

[uchidachi]

Thinking about all my Dragon Age OCs and how their stories are inextricably woven together and also into the world and they're just so much fun to think about, even if I never write down or share those thoughts.

But I'm gonna write this one down now for you as an angsty lil treat.

So my Warden is Amell, but all the other origins also exist in the worldstate and managed to escape their terrible fates. So Surana is also in the Circle and wasn't in the prologue because she was among the mages at Ostagar. Surana and Amell were known in the tower for being joined at the hip, and they were in a (pretty codependent) relationship for years until Amell was recruited to the Wardens.

Surana had opportunity to run after the battle, and to try to return to her clan, even though it had been years since she was taken by Templars. But instead she returned to the circle only because she couldn't bear to abandon Amell there alone, only to find that Amell had been conscripted to the Wardens. And so each of them thought the other had died at Ostagar.

Then Uldred's revolt happened and Surana is captured by the blood mages and locked behind Wynne's barrier. When Amell reunites with Wynne she learns this, and spends the next few hours in a panicked fugue state, pushing beyond all human endurance to find and rescue Surana. She makes it to the top of the tower just as Uldred is starting the sacrifice and she manages to stop him, but not before Surana sustains significant injury.

After, their relationship is strained. Surana is angry at herself for coming back to the Circle instead of running as she knew she should have, which turns to anger at Amell for being the reason she returned, but all of that is eclipsed by the deep and abiding anger she feels at all blood mages everywhere. So although they remain deeply in love, they are not together, and only are in contact by letter occasionally.

They would only finally reconcile after the Circle is re-formed, giving Surana the freedom to travel where she wishes, if she wishes.

That's all background for the thought I was having which is that after Inquisition, I think Amell and Hawke would finally meet, perhaps at a mini conclave held at Skyhold. And Hawke married Merrill, and they go everywhere together. which means it's possible that Surana would also meet Merrill

I don't know whether to laugh or sob at the thought of the cousins having to keep their Dalish wives from fighting to the death not fifteen minutes after the family reunion starts. (Bethany is there too, but she would have the self-preservation instinct to stay out of it)

[acealistair]

yesterday i "lost" at D&D for the first time ever -- played a 2-shot where our group utterly failed to complete their mission; the bad guy (a fae unseelie prince) literally won bc he beat us at a game of cards where we bet our souls (we did actually physically play the game). my character in particular, Nerias, is a shadar-kai sent from the future to try and stop the prince bc if he wasn't stopped, he would take over the material plane and effectively cause an apocalypse.

while it was happening i was a little upset but then afterwards i'm realizing this is exactly what i was subconsciously building Nerias towards the whole time, this ending makes complete sense for him. he wasn't told *how* the prince ended up taking over the world, and it turns out he's going to use Nerias and his companions to do so since their souls belong to him.

so now Nerias is my poor little meow meow forced to be a villain against his will and the DM was talking about potentially doing more episodic games where we're the bad guys and i can't wait :D

[hexxalite-hecate]

I don’t know why because there is absolutely no lore in any of the games to support this (in fact quite the opposite), but somewhere along the line I decided that mages in Dragon Age all have different coloured flames, they can’t choose or control or change it, it just is. And I’d already subconsciously assigned most of the characters their colour.

Amaranthe Amell - lapis blue with a heart of iridescent pearl (because she’s God’s favourite princess)

Neria Surana – bright sunny butter yellow

Morrigan – deep gold with a dark amethyst halo

Jowan – pale silver-green marshlight

Anders – umber with a heart of crimson

Wynne – powder-blue, translucent like glass

Connor – jade green

Lanaya – pale daffodil yellow with a grass-green halo

Velanna – sullen orange like glowing embers

Finn – pretty normal looking, but gets a glint of emerald at the centre if he’s super excited about something

Hawke – blood red. Just blood red

Bethany – soft violet

Merrill – scarlet fading into coral

Dorian – rich magenta with royal purple flashes

Vivienne – pastel lavender

Solas – smoke grey with a blinding white halo, hurts the eyes

I have no idea why I did this but it’s my inescapable headcanon now. Feel free to comment if you have a different vision, or a character I didn’t mention, or your own Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor/OC!

[sarasa-cat]

Wow. The fight I had with EA on my gaming machine was not a fun one. Suddenly it just crapped out and made it look like Steam didn't know where my bioware games were. Anyhow. Probably solved after uninstalling, reinstalling, and updating the EA hell.

So, let's see. Finished differentiating between my Surana and Amell, got both of them full mapped out in DA Keep (and partly mapped out in the mega spreadsheet), generated end-game saves for both of them using the gibbed.savegenerator on PC. Got DA2 running my PC, created the appropriate Hawkes (mage Mari in lawful-scheming Neria Surana's world; warrior Vespertine in dumpsterfire chaos agent Keres Amell's world). Saved. Turned on the Steam Deck. Was able to access both of them and play a few minutes in on each. Whoo-HOO!

My two Hawkes are ready for yet another of many runs through that game.

Fwiw, not sure if I will ever fully replay Neria's game in DAO+DLCs because she's a competitionist character and that is a lot time. I do want to (re)play and finish Keres one of these days.

As for warrior Vespertine Hawke -- she's someone who has existed only on the sidelines while in fanfic that required a world state with Bethany alive. I have headcanon for her but have never gotten around to actually playing her game past the first couple of hours of game time. Haven't decided if I want to pre-map out her path through the quests or, alternative, just let things happen (knowing some of the rough guidelines already via existing headcanon).

SO. Given that I know the world that Neria+Mari live in (the History of Lies world), my Dragon Age Keep is all set for the Merrillquisition. May as well start there for DAI.

Meanwhile, DA2 is pretty quick to play so when I'm done with Vespertine's play through, I can make any final tweaks on my Keres+Vespertine canon in DA Keep and my epic spreadsheet before potentially replaying and completionist-finishing my Trevelyan mage (whom I initially played many years back, but left a lot of things unfinished). I really like my Trevelyan a lot and had meant to write fanfic for her but ... life. lol. Yeah.

So... all that is left is getting mods (re)installed on PC and installed (probably with a minor fight) on Steamdeck and all is good to go.

And other to do: Revive my DA sideblogs and make character pages, canon summaries, etc., because ... escapism. I need it. For reasons.

[inquisimer]

Dalish Week: Prayer

Day three! Took some liberties with this one - it’s a bit more about Dalish religion on the whole, rather than prayer specifically.

This is another scene set during Neria’s time with Clan Lavellan - she and the Keeper discuss some of Neria’s doubts about Dalish beliefs + gratuitous descriptions of magic headcanons

@dalish-appreciation-week

~~~

A line ran through every forest, invisible, but clearly present, delineating the furthest points shems would dare from where the forest grew wild proper. One of the first lessons the Keeper taught Neria was how to recognize that line—and how travel along the safer side.

They followed a river east; while natural barriers did not necessarily indicate the line, they were always worth a pause. Shems were nothing if not reluctant to get their stockings wet.

In contrast, Neria reveled when the clay-like mud and spongy moss pressed between her toes. The Dalish footwraps were both softer and more serviceable than the threadbare slippers or clunky boots she’d worn before. Every step gripped the ground, readying Neria for fight or flight or anything in between.

It was silly, perhaps, but she felt more properly Elven, as if slightly exposed toes were her ticket to acceptance amongst the Dalish. She did wonder what they wore in the colder months, though—comfortable as they were, the footwraps would do nothing against a blizzard or a frozen pond.

They’d shared a handful of these lessons now, primarily focused on nature magic: spells and methods preserved in secret and passed through Dalish memories since the fall of Arlathan. The method and the intuition behind the Keeper’s magic differed starkly from anything Neria learned at the Circle or in her wanderings. Deshanna wove the four disparate schools into one seamless tapestry and flavored it with something Neria couldn’t quite label. The resulting magic tugged at strings in her heart she surely wasn’t ready to identify.

Some of the techniques were familiar; not identical to Merrill’s style, but adjacent, as if they shared a common ancestor. So though no one explicitly laid it out for her, it was hardly a stretch for Neria to surmise: these were the lessons a Keeper traditionally gave their First.

Which muddled her head considerably. She was meant to be using this walk to clear her mind and review the spells Deshanna introduced at their last session. Instead her thoughts chased laps around her doubt and uncertainty, the dust in their wake clouding any attempt at focus.

“Relax, da’len. If your mind churns any harder we will pull butter from your ears.��

“Ir abel—“

“Telabelas.” Deshanna cut her off mid-apology. She paused just under a low-hanging oak branch but didn’t turn around. “Where is the line?”

Neria closed her eyes and pressed her awareness outward. It had been among her first lessons as well, one of the hardest to understand, and one she still hadn’t mastered. The Circle rewarded apprentices who were particularly skilled at condensing their magic and holding it within themselves, invisible except when convenient.

This directly countered that.

Her latent mana seeped across the ferns and roots that carpeted the forest floor. It swept down the gurgling river and felt where it widened and crashed over a cliff, a spot that would be good for bathing and filling their skins. Several yards beyond their line of sight, a handful of deer scavenged with their fawns, and a fennec chased a squirrel up a trunk.

“Just there.” Neria gestured to the south. “A break in the growth pattern—the trees there are younger, bark exposed to flame. It has been some time, but humans came that far, at least once.”

The Keeper nodded once and continued along the riverbank. “Very good.”

They never ventured too far from the campsite, both for the clan’s safety and their own, but Deshanna guided them to a different clearing than they’d used before. A sliver of earth parted the river like an eye and the trees thinned just enough that Neria could lay tip-to-toe three times over before they touched. Deshanna settled herself in the grass, back to the running water, and gestured for Neria to mirror her.

“We cannot proceed until your mind is clear.” Her kind words held no judgment, but Neria cringed internally anyhow. “What troubles you, da’len?”

“I—“ Neria swallowed. Her fingers curled around a loose patch of moss and she fidgeted with it, pieces falling on her leggings like flakes of green snow.

“Several things,” she finally admitted. “But all rooted in…uncertainty, about my place here. With the Dalish, with your clan.”

“Rosha and I have spoken extensively about your beliefs, your pantheon. She told me the tales and lessons of the Creators and the method and meaning behind the vallaslin. It is all so much more than I ever heard in shadowy whispers and far-fetched rumors, and it speaks deeply to your culture.”

She hesitated.

“But it does not speak to you,” murmured Deshanna. Neria hung her head.

“No. I have tried—truly. If desire were the measure of belief, I would already be converted. But it—just…doesn’t resonate. I wish it did, but—“

“Why?”

“—I can’t—what?”

“Why do you wish it resonated?”

“I—well—“ Neria stuttered, tripped up by the answer she’d thought obviously implied. “I want to fit with the clan. I want to stay.”

“And you believe that outcome hinges on our beliefs?”

“Well—I suppose I just assumed.” Neria sheepishly tugged the end of her braid. “Ir abelas, Amelan.”

“Telabelas,” the Keeper reminded her with a gentle smile. “You are not the first newcomer to make such an assumption about the Dalish and I doubt you will be the last. In truth, some clans would turn you away for this. But we are more liberal in our practices. Tell me, has Rosha taught you of Vir Tanadhal?”

Neria nodded. “Andruil’s code. Vir Assan—to fly straight and never waver, Vir Bor’assan—to bend but never break, and Vir Adahlen—together we are stronger than one.”

“It is a mantra of sorts,” Deshanna said. “Andruil guides us to resilience and strength, teaching us kindness and respect through the hunt. Valuable lessons that connect with both our past and the world as it is around us. Most Dalish never need faith beyond Vir Tanadhal.”

“It is a good philosophy. I don’t question the choice to follow it.” Neria sighed. “My issues stem from my personal experience with religion. Kinloch Hold is firmly under the thumb of the Southern Chantry; all mages there are raised Andrastian, regardless of their thoughts on the matter. To voice any objection is to invite discipline.”

“It grates, spending years upon years hearing magic exists to serve man and steel my heart against the temptations of the wicked—and knowing that those who chant believe they are preaching to the very wicked and corrupt of which they speak.”

“I was neutral about Andrastianism for…a long time. It was just part of my routine, another box to be checked so life could go on like normal. But eventually the rhetoric got to me. I grew tired of words, tired of being told how to repent and then told it would never be enough with the very next breath. Somewhere in the cracks of their teaching, I decided that actions meant more to me than any prayer. If the Maker wanted my devotion, if I truly had inherent worth as one of His creations, He could step up and show me.”

“I’m afraid it really soured me on any structured religion, as none are wont to be so tangible,” she finished wryly. Her fingers twisted in her lap and she couldn’t meet Deshanna’s eyes. She could practically see her packed bags and the closed aravels that surely waited beyond this conversation.

“A very reasonable course, and understandable, given the circumstances.” The Keeper covered Neria’s knotted fingers with one hand and stilled their fidgeting. “Peace, da’len. We do not force beliefs on those who do not want them, we simply offer them to those who search.”

A breath parted Neria’s lips and some of the tightness in her chest eased.

“I would expound on Rosha’s teaching, though, if you’ll indulge me?”

Neria nodded her assent.

“I said that most Dalish never need faith beyond Vir Tanadhal, but that is not the case for all. For some, the ways of the hunter hold no meaning from the start; for others, something happens to sever their connection to the code. Depending on the nature of the break, they may seek either Vir Banal’ras or Vir Atishan.”

Neria’s mind attempted to wrap around the unfamiliar elven. Vir—way of, of course. But the ways of what? Her practice with Lani hadn’t progressed far enough for her to parse the words, so she waited for the Keeper to continue.

“Vir Banal’ras—the way of shadow. Generally a temporary path, assumed by followers of Vir Tanadhal who experience a loss that demands a blood debt.” Deshanna’s mouth twisted as though she’d swallowed a lemon. “Personally, I discourage this path. In my experience, vengeance doesn’t bring the closure those who follow Vir Banal’ras seek. But it is a tradition and as I would not force it on the unwilling, I would not withhold it from the informed willing either.”

“And Vir Atishan—the way of peace. It is less common than Vir Tanadhal, because the number of threats the Dalish face today is far greater than it once was, but that does not lessen its intrinsic value. It is Sylaise’s code, but where those on Andruil’s paths must put their faith in the Creators, their gifts, and their guidance, those on Vir Atishan focus on healing—a tangible skill that they dedicate to those in need.”

“Healing can be interpreted broadly, as well. Physical healing, yes, but is it not also healing to ease a troubled mind, or prune the weeds that choke the sapling? These are the questions Vir Atishan asks, and more.”

“The Dalish I’ve known who follow Vir Atishan choose to believe that Sylaise calls them to the path. But” —she offered Neria a small, knowing smile, as if she could see the spark of hope flickering where Neria’s teeth dug into her lower lip— “it is also believable that others might be called by altruism or a desire for peace based on their past.”

“In fact, I think it is more than feasible to follow Vir Atishan without any religious connotation at all, should one choose.”

Neria’s breath caught, and that spark shot twenty feet high in a roaring inferno. Possibilities she’d thought barred away suddenly stretched before her and her heart was galloping through them like a stallion on the open plains.

“That—that sounds—“ she stumbled over her response, cleared her throat and blinked rapidly. “That sounds, at the very least, adjacent to what guides me now.”

“At the very least.” Deshanna’s eyes twinkled, and Neria was left with the sneaking suspicion that she’d been expecting this conversation in some form, if not today, then someday soon.

“Dalish beliefs may fall under one canopy, but they diverge in many places, even within clans.” The Keeper’s expression grew wistful. “It is a side effect of patchwork cultural preservation and varying interpretation amongst the elders. But it is not” —she gestured toward Neria— “necessarily a bad thing.”

Neria’s mind was spinning again, twice as hard as it had been on the walk out but spiraling upward, rather than down to the depths of the void. What did this mean—for her, for the clan? For…her clan?

A sharp snap cracked right in front of Neria’s face and she jerked to attention.

“It is food for thought, da’len.” Deshanna pulled her student to her feet. “Think on it—but later. I believe at this point we’ve burned enough daylight for one philosophical discussion.”

She tied her hair into a knot at the base of her neck and Neria blinked these revelations to the back burner, finding focus far easier with an unburdened mind.

“Now, let’s see if you can conjure vines as well as when we ended last time, yes?”

[quvezal]

replay da:i with headcanon- the inquisitor actually is hof.

so, met connor in redcliffe and i really felt sorry for him. a decade later, he still blames himself for what happened to eamon and the village. and all because of his mother's selfishness and stupidity.

as for me, it would be interesting to see isolde's reaction if neria just pointed at the boy and said 'he took the blame for your mistake. only your fears led to this and you should have explained that to your son. don't make me interfere again..'

'because if i do he probably won't want to see you anymore. you won't get off as easily as you did ten years ago'- surana added in a whisper.

[teyrnacousland]

I have a new headcanon. Whether you support mages or not, Vigil’s Keep becomes an apostate safe haven. If the Warden-Commander approves then it starts with them, but even if they don’t, they’re not there forever. 

The Hero of Ferelden leaves Vigil’s Keep in the end, leaving control of it most likely to the remaining “inner circle” of wardens you’ve recruited. (Especially if one of them ends up being promoted to Warden Constable.) In this inner circle we have Anders the runaway apostate and soon-to-be mage rights revolutionary, Velanna the Dalish mage who’s made it clear she’s ready to fight the Chantry anytime, Nathaniel who’s sympathetic to the oppressed and makes an effort to understand and help, and Justice the spirit of Justice who does not approve of slavery and injustice in any form. 

This is the most pro-mage little group of Wardens. There’s no way you can convince me that these four didn’t immediately start plotting how they could help and turning the Keep into some kind of shelter for all those who need it.

[elesmuseshub]

long triple headcanon time

thinking about my three enchanted land ladies and studying though

because Lily from Dragon Age is an elf who lives in the city, meaning she lives as an oppressed minority with no hopes and no rights a few streets away from humans. And because of my headcanons and how she’s canonically written when we start, frankly I think she dropped studying very long away, she’s barely had any education, just what’s needed to survive in a place like that. Because why study, if it’s not going to make a difference and she enjoys physical activity so much more? Why try, to make herself ridiculous in her eyes and in strangers’? And she’s defensive about it, about ignoring some of the things everyone else knows, while at the same time she’ll slap on people’s faces that her life wasn’t exacting one that would encourage you to learn more than needed on daily bases. She uses of her rudeness as a shield, in a way, to be like ‘here, I’m showing you exactly how I am’ so no one can say she led them on.

Neria had nothing but studying so she could become a fantastic mage, and also so she could have something more to dream about, so she studied a LOT. Wanted to be awesome, both to please the superior who felt a bit like a father figure and to please herself, to prove herself she could do it, to be Ready for the future, whatever it may bring. 

Emma / Princess Emma has legitimate trouble focusing on things she’s not terribly interested in. She can ace subjects she likes and be terrible at the others even if she puts an effort. In both cases she will only hold a book if it’s the key to save someone or beat a bad person, and her Motivation will allow her to learn fast. Otherwise nope. And while as a princess she manages to finish her studies - and if it’s not needed like I said she will run from books - as a girl in our world she dropped out because traumatized and depressed, so she finished as an adult. BUT she feels she’s still behind and sometimes she does pick up books of high school level, other times even higher level, and SECRETLY attempt to understand more things. She’s very embarrassed by it because she’s not used to not be awesome at everything she puts a real effort in, and because she has a Reputation that doesn’t involve being booksmart. But sometimes she wonders what it would be like to study, officially, better ways to deal with sick children than just being their clown (she also considered things that could help her control better her organizations but her brain said no). Note that sometimes she gets embarassed over blurting out very booksmart-y things.

[savingthrcw]

Neria headcanon: In the ten years between DAO and DAI, Neria had several short relationships that she proceeded on scr.ewing up irreparably either because hung up on Alistair with whom she keeps having an on and off star-crossed lovers thing or simply because she wasn't enough into them to let them in, with all 'what do you mean you aren't a mage anymore' mess and the 'wow you are the Hero of Ferelden' thing that makes her uncomfortable coming from someone she's trying to sleep with, and all the weirdoes involved, including her because she's generally the weirdest person of the equation

At the end of every relationship she messes up by being super weird she goes to sulk for a few days, eats a lot of sugar-food, listens to sad music (she pays people to play it) and when she's ready she gives herself a 'you are a WOMAN, WOMAN UP' talk, tries some new hair color and goes back to her missions. Generally her hair is back to normal within days.

If there is a Fereldian version of 'I want to know what love is' she's having that one on repeat every time.

[eternityendures-archive]

Neria is fluent in the language of flowers, and if you want to have a chance at understanding what she’s trying to convey, you need to understand it, too. It’s one of the few types of schooling she was allowed to pursue whens he was being raised at the monastery, and it helps her cut through some of the fog and explain what she means. She is also very excited about nature in general, and she will be happy to spend her time outdoors as long as she can. 

If you really want to make her happy, bring her a bouquet, but make sure to mind which message you’re sending when you do so. 

[platoniccereal]

hello there! i'm eldritch!

i'm an artist mainly, but like to rumble a lot and shitpost. a nonbinary queer possum, go by he/him and they/them.

please note that english isn't my first language.

i use full stops but it means nothing. i'm ok with anyone liking a big amount of posts in a row (and sure as hell do that myself). i'm also ok with mature tags to my posts/artworks.

main brain rot:

dragon age (very pro-mage and pro-elven, someone who really likes cullen won't be happy here, anders was right, main romances are alistair+leliana+morrigan, anders+isabela+fenris, the iron bull; also enjoy isabela x merrill and adoribull and various other ships);

detroit: become human (i used to be a very active creator for it, not much now, but i'm always happy to see dbh content. i ship reed900, reed1800, gavnor, hanvin, i'm really into trash possums, i guess);

genshin impact (started playing at 3.5, scaraether brain rot is so strong it revived me, i'm ok with most of the popular pairings).

i also appear sometimes in the our flag means death fandom (everyone from the revenge crew are my little blorbos) and arcane (same here, tbh. really like studying jinx and silco's family relationships, also passively ship timebomb (and caitvi, but why are they not my girlfriends *sigh*)).

i'm over eighteen and can touch on mature topics, but not in detail. my twitter account is not family friendly, tho, and explicit content may occur there, so i ask you to beware of that.

twitter art account: @pcerealart

tags:

[#scaraether] for scaraether brainrot,

[#oc: neria surana] or [#warden surana] for my warden,

[#oc: garrett hawke] or [#hawke] for, surprise, my hawke,

[#oc: allaros lavellan] or [#inquisitor lavellan] for my inquisitor,

[#rn9] or [#reed1800] or [#rk1800] for polyamorous ship of gavin reed and two rk900.

[#my reed900] for my headcanons and art regarding reed900.

[#platoniccereal art] for my art,

[#my post] for everything i write or create that is not art,

[#%game name% playthrough] for my notes whenever i play something.

different character tags for every character and ship, here it's pretty basic.

[vhenadahls]

headcanon whenever: dalish naming customs

I have lots of elven OCs, both city elves and Dalish elves, with names of varying degrees of "elfiness." When I first named most of my OCs, I had not given a lot of thought to their names beyond the given names they use every day. But as I have expanded my additions to BioWare's worldbuilding and added my own OC Dalish clans, I've decided I want to have a more standardized method of naming my characters beyond throwing darts at the wall and declaring "sure!". This headcanon is cobbled together from canon names, my own OC names, what we know of Dalish culture, and what I've added on top of it myself. While most of the elven words used here are from the games/the wiki, the ways I've parsed them out of longer sentences or words may not be how they were intended, and that's okay!

This also does not follow all thoughts given by BioWare writers outside of the games and other actual canon works (ie, this ignores Mary Kirby's tweets about Talas and Mahariel being additional Emerald Knights who helped found Clan Sabrae). While that's certainly one great way to conceive of Dalish names, I like the idea of more of the Dalish having more than just a given name, so I've decided to take this headcanon in a different direction.

Also, there are many other fans who have created naming customs for their own Dalish OCs and their own worldbuilding. That's great, and I love reading about those possibilities. These are simply my thoughts, informed by my own experiences!

Now, to the actual thoughts on Dalish naming customs!

Names are important to most Dalish clans to varying degrees, denoting belonging within the clan and with the larger Dalish and Elvhen world. While many humans and city elves will not have the opportunity to learn the entirety of any Dalish elf's name, most Dalish are proud to carry their names and use them in everyday conversation with other Dalish.

Commonly, Dalish names come in three parts: a given name, a parental name, and a clan name. The word for name is amelin, extrapolated from a conversation between Solas and Abelas, and different parts of the name have more specific words.

Given Name - Las'amelin

While different clans choose given names in different ways, a personal given name is a constant between clans. Known as the las'amelin (literally gift-name) and usually chosen by the parents or grandparents of a child and sometimes by the Keeper or Hahren of a clan, the given name is the primary way to identify an individual. Revealed on the ninth day of a child's life, after one day has been lived to honor each of the Creators, the las'amelin is often used to evoke a value the parents hope a child embodies or the hopes the parents have for their child.

My OC Emmalien's name is derived from the word emma, meaning within (especially within the heart), and a variation of len, child. Having a child was difficult for Emmalien's parents, who very much wanted her, and her name reflects how important her birth was to her parents.

Many clans have rules about what names can be used as given names. For some clans, naming after people who are still living is forbidden, relating to worries that such a practice may shorten the original bearer's life. In other clans, naming after living relatives is common as a method of honoring certain family members or hoping for a closer connection between people. Other clans have lists of names that are commonly used for children of the clan, others tend to name their children after known historical names, and still others have other traditions. Even within clans there are many variations on the traditions, and some parents will choose a different method of naming their children.

My Dalish Warden, Eirwen, has the same las'amelin as their father. It is common in Clan Sabrae to name children after relatives who have recently passed away to honor their memory, and Eirwen carrying their father's name was their mother's choice when they were born.

One of Clan Lavellan's hunters, Ranae, is named after the Emerald Knight Lindiranae, both to honor an elven protector and to profess a hope for Ranae's future.

Parental Name - Vallas'amelin

A common method of denoting direct lineage is the use of a patronymic (father's name) or matronymic (mother's name), known as the vallas'amelin (lit. blood-name). The continuation of the Dalish people is extremely important to most clans, and establishing whose you are is an important step in establishing who you are. While the use of at least one of these parental names is common, different clans have different methods of determining which parent's name is used, whether additional names such as grandparents' names are included, and how the relationship is denoted.

Some clans use the suffix "-iel" on the respective parent's name, which is a corruption of the word len (child/child of). This leads to parental names such as Mahariel (child of Mahar) and Istimaethoriel (child of Istimaethor). This suffix may appear in given names as well, such as Variel, either because a vallas'amelin became used as a las'amelin or because of a quirk of spelling (such as the English name Jason). Other clans simply use the parent's given name, listing it after the child's given name. Such is the case for Marethari Talas, whose mother's las'amelin was Talas.

Different clans also have different methods of determining which parent's name is passed on to a child. In some clans, all parental names are matronymics; in others they are all patronymics. Others use the name of the same-gender or cross-gender parent, and still others use both. Some also will generally use patronymics but use matronymics in situations where the child's father dies before the child's birth. When couples of the same gender have or adopt children or polyamorous families have children, the possibilities become even more complicated. Oftentimes in these cases the name of the parent who gave birth is used, even if this does not follow the standard pattern of the clan. In the case of adoption, the parents may choose of their own volition whose name to use.

My OC Ishren's name is Ishren Ghilaniel, indicating that her father's name is Ghilan, as her clan (Lavellan) traditionally uses the father's name for a child's vallas'amelin.

Every so often, multiple naming styles will appear within the same clan for other reasons as well. This can occur when someone from a different clan marries into the clan, and their children may carry the naming tradition of their parent's origin clan rather than their own origin clan. This is done to indicate that while customs may differ, all Dalish are Dalish and are welcome within each clan. This is why Mahariel and Marethari have different styles of vallas'amelin despite being from the same clan - while both clans use matronymics, Clan Sabrae simply uses the mother's given name (ie, Talas), while the clan Mahariel's mother was originally from used the -iel suffix.

Using a person's vallas'amelin to refer to them, rather than their own personal name, is a mark of respect and high esteem. This is most notable with how even other members of Clan Sabrae begin to refer to the Dalish Hero of Ferelden as Mahariel, rather than using their las'amelin. Keepers and Hahrens of clans are sometimes also given this respect, especially when referred to by those from outside their own clan. It is a mark of saying "while you are not my Keeper, you are a Keeper, and that is worthy of respect." Similarly, Keeper Deshanna of Clan Lavellan signs letters to the human Inquisition with her vallas'amelin, Istimaethoriel, rather than her las'amelin, as a mark both of requiring respect and of distancing herself from human politics.

The vallas'amelin is also used to distinguish between members of a clan who have the same given name. There may be many named Neria or Tamlen in a clan, and the lineage of the vallas'amelin helps differentiate.

While my OC Viranni Lavellan is Second to the Keeper, and as such would likely be the assumed Viranni if no other identifiers were given, she can also distinguish herself from others with the same las'amelin by identifying herself as Viranni Ghilaniel. She and Ishren, mentioned above, are sisters, so they share the same vallas'amelin.

When city elves, who do not have a vallas'amelin in the same sense as those born Dalish, join a clan, they are given a spiritual vallas'amelin when they formally become part of the clan. Oftentimes this references the Keeper of the clan when they join, as the Keeper is the one who teaches the newcomer about Dalish life and determines when they are ready to be considered an adult in Dalish eyes and receive vallaslin.

My elven Hawke, Mihrisel, joins Clan Briathos after the Inquisition. Once she is accepted into the clan, she is given the vallas'amelin Roshaniel, after Clan Briathos's Keeper.

Clan Name - Vhen'amelin

Clan names are not the same as shemlen surnames, but many Dalish elves who travel among humans will use them that way to reduce confusion and avoid humans prying into their business. Called the vhen'amelin (lit. belonging-name or people-name), this name is carried by all members of a clan regardless of bloodline. Many clan names have been passed down since the fall of the Dales from clan founders, who were often nobility or otherwise held in high esteem.

While many people will have the same vhen'amelin their whole life, many others will have more than one. People who marry into other clans, are adopted or traded between clans, or change clans for another reason will usually adopt the vhen'amelin of their new clan.

My OC Elaniel Lavellan was not born of Clan Lavellan, but of Clan Arathorn. Once they were traded as a child when Lavellan needed new mages, they began to use the vhen'amelin Lavellan rather than Arathorn.

Those who leave their clan under fraught circumstances, such as Merrill or Arianni, may not continue to use their clan name because of the heavy association of its use with the idea of belonging. Others may, to mark themselves as Dalish among humans and city elves or simply out of habit. Still others who left a clan for less fraught reasons may also differ greatly in whether they use their clan name among non-Dalish people.

Nataliya Lavellan, my city elf Inquisitor, was never fully part of Clan Lavellan and returned to the city of Rialto before receiving vallaslin. However, she uses the clan name Lavellan as a replacement for a shem surname in human and city elf spaces because she did not previously have one.

Clan names are a source of great pride for most Dalish elves, as they are a direct link to revered elves of the past and to kin of today.

Clan Records - Vhen'lin

While names are of course important for daily life, names also hold a secondary purpose in Dalish culture - that of preserving the clan and wider Dalish culture. Most clans keep extensive written records, meticulously curated by the Keeper and their Second, who serves mainly as an archivist for the clan rather than as a potential successor to the Keeper. Called vhen'lin (lit. people-writing), the clan records are an integral part of a clan’s story and history.

Even in clans that do not include grandparents' names in the everyday vallas'amelin used for identifying oneself, each member of the clan is recorded with their las'amelin and vallas'amelin for three generations (parent, grandparent, and great-grandparent). This ensures easy tracking of family lines, which reduces the possibility of accidentally marrying family members and ensures continuity of Dalish culture.

My OC Emmalien has two children, Aihris and Astith. They are of Clan Briathos, which uses the same-gender parent's name and the -iel suffix for vallas'amelin. The children are therefore listed in the clan records as Aihris Emmalieniel Lioriel Rasheliel Briathos and Astith Arathasiel Ithrieniel Calamariel Briathos.

When members who were not born into the clan join for whatever reason, they are also added to the clan's records. Their las'amelin and all vallas'amelin are recorded, and their previous vhen'amelin is prefixed with inan (was) and their new clan name prefixed with sahlin (now). City elves are recorded as inan'banal (lit. was nothing) and their new clan name is recorded with sahlin as well.

Elaniel Lavellan, the OC traded to Clan Lavellan as a child, is written in Clan Lavellan's records as Elaniel Amaris Sorin Illana inan'Arathorn sahlin'Lavellan, because their birth clan Arathorn does not use the -iel suffix for the vallas'amelin, and they have left Arathorn and become part of Lavellan.

Mihrisel Hawke, the city elf Champion who joined Clan Briathos, is recorded as Mihrisel Roshaniel inan'banal sahlin'Briathos, because she takes her vallas'amelin from Keeper Roshan, was not originally Dalish, and has joined Clan Briathos.

Reciting lineage, especially of notable people such as Keepers, is also an important part of Dalish oral tradition. Keeper lineages may be recited back farther than three generations, and individual families may be able to recite their own genealogies as well.

Many physical clan records are fragmented, especially older ones, and some have been lost due to clashes with humans over the years. Most clans are extremely protective of their records, sometimes allowing only the Keeper and Second access to them most of the time. The oral tradition is a way to ensure that the records are kept in some form even if the physical copy is lost, and even if not everyone is able to access those physical copies at all times.

Dalish names are like a map - used to orient a person in how they relate to their family, their clan, and themself, and how that interrelates with everyone else.

[sarasa-cat]

Ah yes-- the three drunk witchers scene. ;)

Partner playing Witcher 3 for the first time and ahahahahahah.

But now we're about to take a break for dinner. (take-away being picked up, we're both tired.)

Me? Slowly getting my two reconstructed-from-headcanon-bits-and-pieces world states into DA Keep while also filling out that massive dragon age spreadsheet (in prep for the next game) that a bunch of us reblogged the other day.

Ah. Forgot how much I love my Neria Surana and how my Amell mages is the complete opposite of her in so many ways. They are both *awesome* for two different kinds of trainwreck awesome. Surana causes trainwrecks while remaining aloof and above it all. Amell *IS* a trainwreck who is one step away from imploding.

Meanwhile: Mari Hawke, my obsession for many many years. But, also my Warrior Hawke whom I created for a Bethany play through? I'm finally taking time to really think her through and make her a full fledged character who is her own special kind of disaster Hawke.

Re Inquisition: I generated a lot of headcanon for my mage!Trevelyan when I played her long long ago. Getting back in though with that. And, as for the Merrillquisition, well, have been thinking about that one for years. Once my world state for her is set up in DA Keep, I can finally play it. (although a couple minor cosmetic mods need to be hunted down and wrestled with for that to have the right aesthetic for a Merrilquisitor.

Anyhow-- slow tinkering continues this evening while The Witcher plays out on the big screen.

Also: yeah, mild cold is mild but it is really annoying. Leaves my head feeling very bleh. Concentrating on work of any kind today was just one big lolnope.

[felassan]

Random assorted headcanons

I keep meaning to collect these together somewhere so that they’re no longer haphazardly scattered in ones and twos and bits and pieces between my brain and around my blog, so here we go.

these are less big sweeping worldbuilding hcs or in-depth character hcs and more just, like, little things and random connections my brain made. they’re also not to do with my OCs.

the blue parakeet that Argent once had is the same species of blue parrot-like bird we can see hanging out in the Arbor Wilds during What Pride Had Wrought

Cedric Marquette is from Serault (he has Seraultine vibes!)

Neriah, Hero of the Second Blight, was an elf (the name is only one letter off the elven name Neria)

the Emerald Knights wore green armor

the elves which live in the Tirashan's vallaslin-like markings seem to 'move' like Felassan's did, and they have dark sclera like some of the DA elf concept art pieces

Adaia was a Night Elf during the Fereldan Rebellion, which is why she was "a bit wild", something of a trouble-maker and combat-skilled enough to teach Tabris the ways of a rogue or warrior & to attract Duncan's interest as a potential Warden recruit in the past

[inquisimer]

hello fellow cullen trash I am dying for more cullen x inquisitor... how about: L’appel du vide (French): Literally translated to “the call of the void”; contextually used to describe the instinctive urge to jump from high places.? Happy writing :)

i've found my people HELLO ask and ye shall receive

@dadrunkwriting

If Neria had stopped to think about how jumping off a turret would look, she probably wouldn’t have done it. She would have thought about how it might falter the hopes of the Inquisition forces, spark rumors among the dubious nobility, foster concern among her companions. She would have realized that it would inevitably lead to an extensive lecture from Josephine about implications and appearances.

But, as in so many things, she didn’t think. And now she was sitting in the to-be clinic, conjured ice pressed against her knee, and facing a stoic Commander.

Stoic Cullen was the worst—the man wore his heart on his sleeve and, as many hands of Wicked Grace had proved—had no poker face. So to see him, arms crossed and face carefully blank…well, she was in as much trouble as she’d ever been. She’d had an apology on the tip of her tongue since he’d first stormed the courtyard, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to utter it.

She hadn’t done anything wrong. Technically.

She fed a whisper of mana to keep the ice solid and his façade finally broke. He crossed the room in two strides, stopping just short of her cot.

“What were you thinking—”

“Solas said it was safe!” She cut him off before he could get started, because no one could lecture and guilt like an Andrastian who thought they were in the right. “That’s why I did it! He told me—Skyhold would catch me.”

“Skyhold would—Maker’s breath, it’s a building!”

“It is,” she agreed. “But it’s more than that. Don’t you feel the magic in the stones? Don’t you feel it when you walk the battlements? Doesn’t it just make you want to…jump?”

“Not in the slightest.”

Neria sighed. How did she explain the tugging on her heart, the way that Skyhold was already the closest she’d felt to home in her life, even though they’d only been there a few weeks? She could feel the heart of the building as surely as the pulse of the anchor in her hand; and it felt her, and cradled her like the mother she’d never known. Even if Solas hadn’t told her what he’d seen in the Fade, she would have felt safe making such a jump. Skyhold wouldn’t let her fall, and it knew how she wanted to fly.

“I should have told you,” she allowed. Cullen huffed, but his posture loosened and she knew she was forgiven. He knelt and took the ice from her, pressing it against her bruised knee, perhaps a bit harder than was strictly necessary. She winced, then tucked her chilled hand under his mantle in retribution.

“Just think,” she said, wicked smirk curving the corner of her mouth. “I’ll never have to use the stairs from the rookery again.”

“Maker preserve me,” Cullen muttered.