#oc: just brosca

[princehendir]

Brosca & Rica :)

[invinciblerodent]

These days I kind of can't stop thinking about how much I enjoyed the possibility of being from Orzammar in Origins, specifically because just being who you are put so much of the early game in a wholly different context.

Like, a dwarf from Orzammar has, by definition, lived literally under a rock their whole lives!! They've never left the underground, and yes, while that also makes their ignorance of surface squabbles (the mage issue, the Ferelden/Orlais conflict, everything with the city elves and the Dalish, etc.) make a lot of sense, it also comes with so many interesting new angles that I'm honestly so surprised still that I've never really seen it mentioned very often, if at all. (Even though we even get an explicit moment to reflect on it, when leaving with Oghren.)

In Origins, the moment a dwarf first steps out through the gates of Orzammar and begins the game, is a profoundly life-altering experience. Dare I say, even more so than it is for an elf or a human. Because stepping out, for the first time, they are entering an entirely new world, and for the first time, in front of them is a vast expanse of nothing but air.

The end of the prologue, it's not just a fundamental personal change that awaits you, it's also a displacement so complete, that it's absolutely dizzying to even think about.

That first time a dwarf feels the sun on their skin, they are made sun-touched, a surfacer: stripped not only from caste and kin, of identity, but also faith and memory, any favor their ancestors may have still held for them, and any possibility of ever returning, as far as they know. (Aeducan may even have a bitter little chuckle over the irony of how they could very well have just one day before shrugged off the concerns of their surface brethren completely, only to be made one of them now.)

Their whole lives, they had always been able to see the opposite wall of the cave, or at least to know for sure that it's there, along with the miles and miles of unchanging, crystal-littered rock stretching protectively over their heads-- now all of that is gone. There's nothing between them, and the infinite and ever-changing blue, grey, orange, black of the open sky they've never seen, and in the distance, there's no wall-- just glorious, humongous mounds and spires of rock jutting up into the belly of the sky, the likes of which they've only ever seen from the inside.

Orzammar, despite no sunlight ever penetrating that far, is always lit bright, and it's heated by the lava streams and pools below. A dwarf has never known anything colder or warmer, brighter or darker, never seen seasons change... the biting winds and the frequent rains in Ferelden are completely new to them, not to mention the terrifying cracks of thunder that sound like the very Stone over them cracking in two, the bright flashes of lightning illuminating the night for but a moment, or waking in the middle of the night to what sounds like countless fingers pat-pat-patting the tarp of their tent, or the fact that animals -which are varied and plentiful and wholly alien- sometimes just randomly fall into the sky, like the rumors say! They might know academically that with birds, that just sort of tends to happen, but they've never seen one take off!!

Hell, all of surface flora and fauna are completely new to them-- it's likely they've only ever seen a tree or a dog in a picture book. Flowers, they've likely only ever seen as an expensive and frivolous luxury few can afford to have for a while, and even then, they are by necessity brought in removed from their roots, dead, wilting, taken from their natural place... while here, blooms just spring up underfoot willy-nilly, not entirely unlike mushrooms at the home which is not theirs anymore.

And... there must be something organic, something comfortingly animal to the scent of hundreds of warm bodies crammed into a sealed hole in the ground-- which is just gone now. The air is fresh, clean... empty, cold, lonely. No smell of spilled ale, piss, and vomit, no thick scent of the combined breaths and bodies of all their people... no scent of belonging, the air that moves their lungs now is no longer that which has moved those of all they've ever known, and every breath washes more, and more, and more of who they once were from inside their very body.

Being on the surface, it's like being thrust into an alien world, with which all just expects you to be intimately familiar. What do you mean the grass, the bugs, the birds, the leaves are strange? What do you mean you've never eaten leaves from this plant, fruit from this tree, the flesh of this creature you've only ever heard about? They laugh when you avert your eyes from the sky and try not to think about falling into it, or when you startle at the feeling of falling water suddenly hitting your skin, as if that was somehow funny, charming.

The night, which you've never before seen fall, is a comfort from all that endless, boundless seeing- but after the Joining, not even that is a relief.

Because if you're a dwarven Warden, all the dreams you've had in your life have been nightmares.

So you cope. You learn, and adapt, and endure.

Strong and immutable, like the Stone from which you were rent.

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

some more :]

[eliphasgraham]

Trap-making skill >>>

[m-m-m-myysurana]

Happy OC Kiss week @starla-nell ❤️

Kit and Neria's fiery personalities clashing would make for some wonderful sparks, I'm sure of it 😘

[chichiricatsan]

More about Eilin under the cut if anyone's interested! :)

Eilin's Origins Tapestry Here!

Pic sources are from Pexels ~ [ 1 ] | [ 2 ] | [ 3 ] | [ 4 ] | [ 5 ]~ The two quote pics are from Pinterest. The others were all taken/edited by me from the Dragon Age games themselves.

Name Pronunciation: Eilin is pronounced as AYLehn

AY       is pronounced as                     ie         in tie

L          is pronounced as                     l           in let

eh        is pronounced as                     e          in pet

n          is pronounced as                     n          in no

Gender: Genderfluid/Non-Binary ~ AFAB (assigned female at birth, female anatomy) ~ they/them pronouns (will also accept he/she pronouns since they’re fluid).

Orientation: Pansexual.

Age: 24/25 (Origins, 9:30 Dragon) ~ 35/36 (Inquisition, 9:41 Dragon)

Class: Rogue ~ Longsword/dagger combo (preferred) or dual daggers

Specializations: Ranger ~ Duelist ~ Legionnaire Scout

Name of Their Mabari: Samwise. The hound was cheekily named after one of their favorite characters in one of their favorite pieces of human literature. They remain steadfast companions to this day.

Romance: Zevran ~ He tried to kill them…TRIED being the operative word. Even so, Eilin was impressed by how close he came to accomplishing his mission, and quickly grew attached to the Antivan Crow right from their first mouthy meeting. They saw much of themselves in the man and found a kinship with him early on. Their romance is a slow burn as they both must try to heal past scars and allow themselves to fully open up to their growing feelings for one another. After the Fifth Blight is ended, they stay together and travel Thedas in search of a cure for The Calling whilst enjoying the pleasures of each other and the world with their earned freedoms, helping others when and where they can…maybe with a bit of profit as well ;)

Besties: - Alistair ~ Their first companion and Grey Warden ally who became like a little brother to them. Even though Eilin is more mature and straightforward than him, they share similar senses of humor, and Eilin sees the good (and deflections) in him after so much discontent with the hand the world has dealt him, a sentiment they deeply share amongst others. Despite Eilin’s doting on him, they do not coddle him, but instead try to talk him up and show him what a great warrior and person he is and could be, giving Alistair confidence to stand up for himself and push him to possibly become Ferelden’s king—though that path is decided against for several reasons. Alistair and Eilin share a true and lasting friendship to the present day.

- Shale ~ Witty, dry-humored, gemstone-loving bestie! They share a deeper disconnect to their home away from home and instead find connection in each other…through shiny things and crushing Darkspawn heads. Eilin finds Shale (and golems in general) interesting, though their curiosity is stemmed after The Anvil of the Void scenario. Eilin supports Shale’s free will and ability to find purpose in their new life outside the parameters of expectations, as they have done. The one thing they disagree on is the destruction of the pigeon population, Eilin believing that even the most vexing of feathered defecating devils need love, too.

- Oghren ~ A respected warrior of merit and a fun drinking buddy, within reason of course. Eilin tries to keep him on track with his alcoholism and with Felsi and being a good, if absent, father. They are glad to continue their friendship into the Awakening escapades.

- Anders ~ These two share excessive, fun personalities that color the Awakening experience for everyone…or cause a massive amount of scoffs and eyerolls. Anders became another (albeit, more powerful and self-aware) little brother figure for them to watch over and support. Frankly, Anders became the one who watched over Eilin and educated them on the harsher side of things regarding The Circle, a welcomed perspective for the Hero of Ferelden that strengthened their positivity towards mages and distrust & dislike of the Chantry and its oppressive systems. They both dote on Ser Pounce-a-Lot, and when Anders is forced to give him up, he contacts Eilin to keep him at Weisshaupt as the mouser for the fortress’s larders. Aside from that, Eilin takes care of the precious little furball because they love animals and cares about Anders, even after what befell Kirkwall’s chantry.

- Sigrun ~ A respected Legionnaire scout with a heart of gold that bonded with them over their time in Awakening. As someone who’s always held The Legion in high regard, Eilin appreciates Sigrun’s goals and learns some of Sigrun’s tricks of the trade in Awakening.

Frenemies: - Morrigan ~ While gaining a better understanding of her and mages through their journey, The Dark Ritual’s revelation had their trust for the woman plummeting. Still, Eilin could see and understand Morrigan’s proposition held more than what she was outright revealing, especially with the two’s overall friendship they’d formed and Morrigan’s feelings about Flemeth and her ways. Eilin decided to kill the old woman to gain Morrigan’s favor and rid the world of a powerful maleficar…for now. It was having the former topic’s discussion with Alistair that really threw things into a spiral, but they were all in agreement in the end. Alistair and Eilin’s bonds of friendship carried them through the decision to take Morrigan’s offer. Eilin pursued Morrigan later on to try and check on her and gain some kind of answers, but the woman continued to successfully elude them.

- Wynne ~ While Eilin respects the woman and appreciates her skill and experience, they find her air of superiority hard to tolerate and often feel that Wynne speaks down to them and lectures far too often on things that aren’t her business…specifically on their relationship status with Zevran.

- Velanna ~ The Dalish mage was too hotheaded and closeminded for them to fully get along, but Eilin tried to understand where she was coming from nonetheless, sharing a mutual feeling of wanting to protect/save their sibling(s) no matter the cost.

Enemies: - Loghain & Rendon Howe ~ For the man who helped free Ferelden from Orlesian rule and was held in such high regard, Eilin expected more from him, especially with what went down at Ostagar. And for Loghain to allow a cave tick like Howe to run around behind the scenes and make things all the worse threw their opinion of them both over the edge into revenge territory, almost feeling as strongly as Alistair on the whole matter. In the end, Eilin ended Howe’s life, and they allowed Alistair to challenge and deliver the final blow to the man who they believe deserved a punishment befitting of him. What could be more fitting than decapitation at the hands of his best friend’s bastard son? Poetic justice, they’d call it.

- Isolde & Eamon ~ Teagan rides a fine line being listed here as well, being Eamon’s brother and sharing his sibling’s sentiments, but Isolde is on a whole other level of insufferable to Eilin. Not only was she irresponsible with her own son and refused to acknowledge his budding mage powers that put the entire village of Redcliffe under siege to the undead, but her purposeful mistreatment of Alistair—all rooted around a rumor—and Eamon’s conscious negligence of him and the situation also solidified their hatred of these two. They never said so aloud to Alistair who seemed conditioned/content to be grateful to his abusers in one way or another, but Eilin was good at being subtle.

- Sten ~ Eilin tried to understand and be patient with the Qunari and the concepts of the Qun, but felt Sten’s creed to be too akin to that of the unforgiving casteless system in Orzammar. Later, they butt heads over the whole “you look like a woman” conversation, which left Eilin in a foul, murderous mood. Then, Sten’s constant scrutiny toward them and their ability to lead finally resulted in a confrontation in the village of Haven leaving the qunari at the business end of their blades. Sten surrendered, but Eilin “kindly” asked Sten to leave the team for good. They’d had enough.

- Leske ~ Sadly, this was one person Eilin was not expecting to be their enemy. Ever. Perhaps they were in love with him and always had been. Perhaps they were to remain only friends with (past) benefits who could tell each other anything. Perhaps they were only Carta thugs united under the stresses of everyday life in Dust Town, watching each other’s backs on principle alone. Perhaps Leske only really wanted to get close to Rica, as more than his jokes would imply. Perhaps Leske truly, finally gave in to the Carta’s whims, being sucked back into its seedy underbelly all because of monetary gain. Or, perhaps, it was all of the above…along with a helping of jealousy on Leske’s end. Whatever the case, this loss for Eilin changed them significantly, and is an ever-present bruise on their heart. They have moved on, but if pressed upon, it aches.

Do They Follow A Religion? The Stone ~ Though most dwarves do not believe casteless to be favored or even acknowledged by The Stone, Eilin still believes and keeps their faith in mind, not outwardly expressing it unless it’s brought up. It was something they held onto those long and lonely days in Orzammar under the Carta’s thumb, for themselves and their family.

Strengths: - Adaptable. - Confident, even if they “fake it ‘til they make it.” - Able to think on their feet and keep their cool when necessary. Subtlety can be the key to victory. - Great leadership and enforcer skills, uses a mix of persuasive and intimidating tactics. - Though logical and pragmatic at their core, they can and will tap into their emotional reserves to be a better leader/friend (this is a progressive trait gained through their DA:Origins journey).

Weaknesses: - Their sharp & droll tongue can get them into trouble/offend others. - Masking to fit in, leading to varying sorts of discontent. - Sometimes they're a bit too lethargic, but a personal side effect of The Joining for them is heavy fatigue. - Blunt without tact, their Carta life rearing its ugly head at times. This also can result in a lack of giving second chances with some people. - Flirty and wanton, but truly emotionally distant, craving a real chance at romance and love, but fearing it at the same time, not wanting to be hurt or left behind. This is especially true after dealing with Leske and the Carta in Orzammar.

Personal Issues: - Letting go of the past and betrayal(s). - Allowing themselves to make mistakes without fear of cruel/unusual punishment (mainly to their family who are now safe with a net of nobility with Bhelen). - Aligning themselves with true love and relationships, romantic or otherwise. - Changing and growing out of their Carta (and other) personas to find themselves and their true values.

Hobbies/Talents: - Stone/gem carving - Weapon care, and blade engraving for extra flair. - Reading human literature/fiction. - Collecting a variety of bits and baubles. - Drinking anyone up to the challenge under the table with their high alcohol tolerance.

Likes: - Colors: Purples, slivers/ice blues, golds, oranges, and greens – cooler/cold and nature-esque shades.

- Layers of clothing. It lets them feel safer and more guarded. Plus, they like cooler weather, so it stands to reason they’d need more layers.

- The changing seasons. Winter and spring and the petrichor smell that comes with the snow and rains, autumn and the colors, and the familiar dryness and heat of summer keep them from feeling too homesick.

- The surface world in general and the freedom and opportunities that come with it. The adventure of it all keeps them going, as does the elf they share their journeys with. ��

- Animals! They become a ranger class for a reason, not only seeing animals as opportunistic companions for battles, but also because Eilin gains an affinity for them. Still, they’ll always love giant spiders the most and summons one (christened “Nid”) to ride as their preferred steed.

- Gemstones, trinkets, and human literature. More often than not, the books, bits, and baubles they collected were spoils of Carta shakedowns gone south, some regrettably so. Some were trophies of success, others a kind of “memento mori.” They kept them all, nonetheless. (Think of them as a somewhat morbid Ariel from Disney’s The Little Mermaid lol).

- Passionate artisans of their crafts/pursuits, whatever that may be as long as it isn’t hurting/impeding others. This stems from their observations of the better side of the pride of the caste system. Even casteless, Eilin can see and appreciate the efforts their fellow kin put into their lifelong works. This is a big reason why she helps Dagna out of Orzammar to pursue her dream of working with The Circle of Magi. Zevran being passionate about being an assassin is also a good example, as is Wade’s need of perfection with his armor making in Denerim.

Dislikes: - Animal abuse of any kind. - Petty political/noble affairs. - Willful ignorance. - Lack of flexibility in and around rigid systems. - People unwilling to have a little fun/laugh at themselves

Scars/Blemishes: - Their brand tattoo on the right cheek (the design extends upward over the right eye, but cannot be seen in original Origins screenshots and was not available in Inquisition’s tattoo selections, sadly. I’ll have to draw them sometime to show off my personal vision of them lol). - Scars on right side of face, ear, and neck (Inquisition screens) that they received from skirmishes with the werewolves from the “Nature of the Beast” quest and other various fights. - Various moles/beauty marks. - Dryer skin patches from exposure to Dust Town and Orzammar’s environment in general.

Their Origins/Awakening Journey: - The Broken Circle: Sided with the mages and Irving survived the final fight with Uldred.

- The Arl of Redcliffe: Redcliffe was fully saved and Connor & Isolde lived with the help of the mages.

- A Paragon of Her Kind: Sided with Caridin, destroyed the Anvil of the Void, and Bhelen rules Orzammar.

- Nature of the Beast: Brokered peace between the elves and the werewolves.

- The Urn of Sacred Ashes: The Urn was protected.

- The Landsmeet: Loghain was defeated and executed by Alistair, Anora rules Ferelden.

- Was The Dark Ritual Performed?: Yes, (sadly for Eilin) by Alistair. It took a long talk and trust for these two friends to allow Morrigan's ritual to take place. 😞

- Warden’s Keep DLC: Sophie was killed and Avernus is alive with permission to continue his research, but it must be kept ethical. Eilin drank the strange concoction and unlocked the power of blood.

- Dragon Age Awakening: Vigil’s Keep and Amaranthine were saved, Nathaniel is alive and well, Oghren and Felsi reconciled, but are separated, and The Architect is dead.

[salroka]

I'm kinda thinking of switching my canon dao romance from Alistair to Zevran. I love you Ali but I'm not 19 anymore and Zev has taken over as my favorite.

[hiddenbeks]

they don't know i'm planning major changes to my da worldstate,,

[spaceself]

The dwarven Grey Warden

[mourn-and-watch]

the unexplored potential of warden mahariel being genuinely baffled by human society and unprovokedly asking alistair questions like "why do y'all wear these atrocious shoes is this supposed to be comfortable" and "how can your mages properly study magic and collect new lore if they don't leave the tower what is the point"

[princehendir]

Anyways this happened to Brosca

[wantedplantlife]

i’ll catch up on repostober eventually. for now have some hawkes and a warden

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

no but for real i need that for Kala's worldstate. "[date]. three people. not returning." and then somewhere deeper down you find a cave full of dead darkspawn. and the corpses of two wardens and a mabari

[kirkwallgremlin]

In War, Victory. In Peace, Vigilance. In Death, Sacrifice.

The wardens from my main worldstate, Warden-Commander Frankie Brosca and Wardens Thaddeus Amell and Shayla Tabris 💙

This is a redraw of an older drawing I did 3 years ago, less than 6 months after I started drawing. Original below the cut <3

[curiouslavellan]

I was tagged by @dungeons-and-dragon-age for this picrew so here's all the Warden OCs I don't usually make when I get tagged lol

[ID in alt text]

Tagging @calicostorms, @merrybandofmurderers, @arainayeet, @fucking-pimberly-i-guess, and anybody else who wants to do it!

[m-m-m-myysurana]

A gentle kiss from Elior Surana to Angharad Brosca (my beloved dwarf Jesus) 🙏

Angharad belongs to @rlainarin and is a particular blorbo of mine 😌