#this does make the image of anders and merrill attempting to break this news to the rest of the party like. immensely funny though. imo.

[pikapeppa]

Fenris/f!Hawke and the Inquisition: The Days Before

Chapter 43 of Lovers In A Dangerous Time (i.e. Fenris the Inquisitor) is up on AO3! In which there are... a lot of convos, frankly. Fenris chats with Morrigan, Varric and Hawke, Cullen, Cassandra, and Cole. NEXT WEEK WILL BE ACTION THOUGH, SO THERE’S THAT.

It’s a long one (~9500 words); only the first half here. Read the whole thing on AO3.

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Over the next few days, the Inquisition’s forces began to trickle back through Skyhold’s gates. Bull and the Chargers were the first to return, and Dorian promptly became unavailable for consultation, to Hawke’s delight and Fenris’s utter lack of surprise. Cullen and a squadron of soldiers returned with Samson in chains, and Fenris immediately gave Samson over to Dagna for study. He spent considerable time conferring with the advisors about Corypheus’s potential location and discussing the ongoing political unrest that was blooming across Orlais and Ferelden both in the wake of the Chantry’s disarray. 

When he wasn’t in the war room, Fenris spent much of his time, oddly enough, with Morrigan. Despite her dismay at being bound to her ineffable mother’s will, the witch was clearly enjoying the insights that the Vir’Abelasan afforded her, and Fenris forced himself to tolerate her smugness in exchange for the information she was able to provide. 

One such piece of information was the fact that each eluvian could theoretically lead to any other existing eluvian. “Imagine the implications,” Morrigan said to Fenris one day as they sat together in the garden pagoda. “Imagine if you could move your entire army across a continent in the space of seconds.” She shook her head in wonder and ran her fingers delicately over the ancient elven tome on her lap. “‘Tis no wonder the ancient elves closed all paths to the crossroads during their internal war. Seal the eluvians, and you prevent an enemy from using them to attack.”

“And yet not all of the eluvians are sealed,” Fenris said shrewdly. 

Morrigan raised one sardonic eyebrow. “Clearly, as you have seen yourself.”

He ignored her condescending tone. “Perhaps there was a reason they were not all sealed,” he said flatly. “We know now that elves from those ancient wars have survived. We also know that they have an extremely long memory when it comes to their loyalties. Do you see where I am going with this?”

Morrigan lifted her chin and eyed him appraisingly, so Fenris went on. “Is there a way to reseal the open eluvians? Beyond physically breaking them, that is?” If it was possible to permanently seal all the eluvians, an enormous source of unknown threat would be instantly eliminated.  

Unsurprisingly, Morrigan scowled at this suggestion. “The question we should ask is if there is a way to reopen the eluvians that have been sealed!” she exclaimed. “Imagine the mysteries we might recover of the ancient world, if only it were possible to unravel the eluvian network.”

Fenris folded his arms. “Imagine the destruction that could be wrought if the eluvian network fell into the wrong hands,” he retorted.

Morrigan shook her head in disgust. “Always so cautious, Inquisitor. I wonder at times how you have achieved such daring feats when you guard yourself so preciously.”

Fenris narrowed his eyes. Despite his best efforts, his ire was starting to grow. “You will not let this lie, will you?” he demanded. “This is what you’re going to use those cursed voices to learn. You’re going to try to–”

“Mother!” Kieran’s cheerful voice called out from across the garden, and Fenris and Morrigan both looked up as he approached. 

Kieran was carrying a laden tray in his hands, and he bowed politely as he entered the pagoda.   “Mother. Inquisitor,” he said politely. “Would you like some apple pie?” 

A bolt of amusement softened Fenris’s anger. As polite as ever, he thought. Kieran really did behave like a small adult at times. 

“Thank you,” he said, and he took one plate of pie from the tray. 

Morrigan smiled at her son and took the second plate. She took a delicate bite of pie, then looked at Kieran with wide eyes. “This is very good,” she said.

“I helped the cook to make it,” Kieran said excitedly. “I didn’t make a single mistake. She didn’t even smack my hand with the ladle like she does to Hawke!”

Fenris snorted softly – Hawke never had been the best cook, it was true – and Morrigan nodded approvingly. “Very well done, Kieran. Be sure to thank the cook for her instruction.”

“I will,” Kieran said happily. He bowed to Fenris once more, then turned and scurried back to the castle. 

Morrigan and Fenris ate in silence for a moment before Morrigan spoke again. “You believe that seeking knowledge is akin to seeking power, but allow me to dispel you of that absolutist notion. There is something to be said for curiosity, Inquisitor. True curiosity – learning for the sheer joy of mastery.” 

Fenris scowled as he munched his pie. Morrigan thought he was rigid and closed-minded, but she was wrong; Fenris did like to learn new things, and he read as much as he could when he had the time. It wasn’t the learning or the knowledge per se that bothered him. It was the intentions of the learner that he took issue with.

But… Morrigan had been with the Inquisition for months, and she hadn’t done any harm in her time here. She hadn’t made any attempts to escape Skyhold since Flemeth’s unprecedented visit a couple of days ago. And if Fenris was really being honest, Morrigan’s intentions weren’t really what worried him the most – not anymore. 

What disturbed him most were the implications of the new knowledge they were gaining. Everything that Fenris learned these days seemed to disrupt his understanding of the world and himself. The fact that Tranquility could be reversed, that lyrium was alive in some capacity, that vallaslin were slave markings, that an ancient elven goddess existed at all… Everything they learned just seemed to lead to more questions, and it seemed impossible nowadays to learn anything that didn’t give Fenris an instantaneous sense of vertigo about just how much he still didn’t know. 

On that note, there was another headache-inducing issue that required his attention. He sighed quietly as he chewed his final bite of pie, then placed his empty plate on the bench and rose to his feet. “I need to deal with something else,” he told Morrigan. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he gestured at the tome on her lap. “Thank you,” he said grudgingly. “For the information.”

“‘Tis my duty to share what I know, Inquisitor,” she said coolly. She didn’t look at him, but her shoulders relaxed slightly. 

Fenris turned away from her and headed for the Great Hall to find Varric. As he made his way through the garden and up the stairs, he tried to ignore the jittering nerves in his belly.

When he stepped into the Great Hall, it was to find Varric and Hawke in Varric’s usual spot by one of the fireplaces. Hawke was sitting on the carpet while Varric sorted through the mountain of mail on the table, and every time Varric handed an envelope to Hawke, she immediately chucked it into the fire. 

Fenris relaxed. He was glad Hawke was here, actually. It would make this conversation more bearable. 

Varric looked up with a smile as Fenris drew close. “Hey. Care to join us?” He tossed Fenris an envelope.

Fenris caught the envelope smoothly. “Of course. I wouldn’t spurn a time-honoured tradition.” He seated himself beside Hawke on the carpet, then tossed the piece of mail into the hearth. 

She smiled and leaned against his shoulder, and he glanced at the rotunda and lowered his voice before speaking. “Have you discovered anything new?” he asked.

“It’s okay, we can talk,” she said at a normal volume. “He’s taking a Fade nap in one of the quieter corners of the castle.”

“Ah. Good.” Fenris raised his eyebrows. “So…?”

She shrugged. “I was just telling Varric, I’ve learned a whole lot of stuff about the elven gods. Merrill would be proud of me if she were here.” She chuckled. “He lent me all the books he had about the elven gods by both the Dalish and the Chantry, and Maker, the shit the Chantry has twisted–”

Varric interrupted. “She asked Chuckles if he was a spirit.” He handed Hawke another piece of junk mail.

Fenris looked at her avidly. “And? What did he say?”

Hawke sighed and started idly tearing the envelope into pieces. “He asked me why I would think that. And I told him what Dorian said – he understands Cole so well, and he loves spirits and the Fade and all that. And he was all, ‘do you not think it is possible to love and understand a being who is unlike yourself?’” She threw the pieces of envelope into the fireplace. “And I mean, he’s not wrong, so… shit, I don’t know.” She grimaced at Fenris. “I think the answer was no, but I’m not sure.”

“Venhedis,” he muttered. He ran a hand through his hair and looked ruefully at Varric. “At what point shall we start accepting his incessant sidestepping as confirmation instead?”

Varric made a little face, and Hawke shrugged before tossing the remainder of the envelope into the fireplace. “His new mural looks great, though. I asked him how he learned to paint like that, and he started showing me the process. It’s actually really interesting!”

Her tone was cheerful and bright, and she wasn’t looking at either him or Varric. Fenris peered at her quizzically, and she glanced at him before letting out a little laugh. “What? You know I’ve always wanted to be an artist. Too bad there’s not a creative bone in this fine body of mine.”

A bubble of worry swelled in his belly. Hawke was doing her avoiding-and-humour routine – the same routine she used to pull when Fenris hassled her about Merrill and Anders. 

He tilted his head closer to hers. “Is there something you are not telling me?” he said quietly. 

She gave him a stricken look. “No. Of course not. I wouldn’t… you don’t actually think I would hide something from you?”

An image of her standing in the Well of Sorrows rose to his mind. He hastily shunted it aside. “No,” he said calmly. “But if you have concerns, you should share them.”  

She gazed at him in silence for a second, then reached up and ran her thumb over his eyebrow. “What about you? You looked like thunder when you first came through the door. What’s on your mind?”

He gazed at her in exasperation for a moment, but her tone and expression were determinedly cheerful. And unfortunately, she wasn’t wrong; he had come to speak with Varric, not with her. 

He sighed and put aside his Solas-related concerns for now, then rose to his feet and looked at Varric. “Are you busy at the moment?”

Varric raised his eyebrows. “Extremely busy, obviously,” he said with a wave at his table full of mail. “But I can spare some time for you. What do you need?”

“A favour, unfortunately,” Fenris said. “Can I speak with you in private?”

Varric raised his eyebrows, but rose from his chair. “A favour, huh? So you’re not kicking me out of the Inquisition?”

Fenris smirked faintly. “Only if you have been embezzling. We are suspiciously low on funds for Orlesian confectionery.” He turned to Hawke and gave her a meaningful look. “Will you join us?”

Her eyes widened. “Of course,” she said, and she rose to her feet as well and took his hand. Together, the three of them made their way to Fenris and Hawke’s quarters. 

Once they were in the bedroom, Varric folded his arms and gave them an expectant look. “All right, you two are making me nervous. What’s going on?”

Fenris glanced at Hawke, who had seated herself cross-legged on the bed. She nodded in encouragement, and Fenris turned back to Varric. 

“Hawke and I have been studying lyrium,” he said. “What it is, why it does the seemingly contradictory things it does. Or… we have been trying, but we have not gotten far. Dagna has told us what she could, but it… wasn’t much.” In truth, Dagna’s talk about lyrium had been more incomprehensible than Cole’s. 

Hawke spoke up from her spot on the bed. “It seems like lyrium has something to do with dwarves.”

Varric raised his eyebrows. “You needed Strawberry to figure that out?”

Hawke blinked at him, then grinned. “Your nickname for Dagna is Strawberry?”

Varric waved a dismissive hand. “Red hair, pale skin, sweet kid. You get the picture.”

Hawke laughed, but Fenris doggedly pressed on. “What Hawke means is that the link between dwarves and lyrium is more than simply mining. There is something more… inherent about the connection. But we’re not clear on what the connection is.”

Varric gave Fenris a flat look. “Is this where you ask me if I have a special dwarven sixth sense for lyrium that I never told you about?”

Hawke snorted, and Fenris tsked in annoyance. “No. This is where I ask if you’ll write to Bianca on my behalf.” 

Varric raised his eyebrows, and Fenris pushed on despite his growing nerves. “I was wondering if you might ask her if she and Dagna would consider working together. They are the two most qualified people I can think of.”

Varric shrugged. “Uh, yeah, sure. She’s not at her workshop, though. She’s in Emprise du Lion.” He tugged one of his earrings. 

On the bed, Hawke straightened up. “What? Why?”

“She’s studying the red lyrium there,” he said. “Trying to see if they can eliminate it. It’s really bad there, remember?”

“She’s trying to help get rid of it?” Hawke said in obvious surprise.

Varric shot her a chiding look. “She’s not all brass and salt, Hawke. Give her a little credit.”

Hawke slapped a hand over her mouth. “Balls,” she said, and she pulled an apologetic grimace. “I’m sorry, Varric, I don’t mean to be such a bitch about her, I just–”

“I know,” Varric said in a softer tone. “Don’t worry about it.” He looked up at Fenris once more. “But why are you so interested in lyrium all of a sudden?”

Fenris’s gut twisted. This was the part of this conversation he’d been dreading. He took a deep breath. “I want to know more about the substance that’s been forced under my skin,” he said. “The more I don’t know about it, the more it revolts me. And to think it’s alive?” He swallowed and looked at lines on the backs of his hands. “The questions this has raised… their itch is worse than the scars that these cursed marks left behind.” He looked Varric in the eye. “I need to know what I am dealing with.”

Varric’s expression was very serious. “All right,” he said. “Any specific question you want to ask her, though? Lyrium is a big topic.”

Fenris glanced at Hawke’s warm and loving face, then turned to Varric again. “I want to know why lyrium infusions have different effects for mages and Templars. It does not make sense that the same infusion has such different effects.”

“All right,” Varric said. “And is there a specific reason you want to know that? Maybe relating to why you two keep looking at each other?” He jerked his chin at Hawke.

Kaffas, Fenris thought. His pulse was racing now. He looked at Hawke again. 

“Yeah, like that,” Varric said dryly. 

Hawke slid off of the bed and padded toward Fenris, and he turned back to Varric and took another bracing breath. “Solas told me something some time ago. About my… these marks. He said using the marks entails using magic.”

Varric tilted his head curiously. “So those tattoos are magic after all?”

Hawke took Fenris’s hand and squeezed it. Fenris swallowed hard. “Yes,” he said. “They contain magic. Magic that was… that is… mine.” 

Varric gazed at him in bemusement for a second. Then his eyes grew huge. “Shit. Andraste’s ass,” he breathed. “You’re a mage?”

“I was,” Fenris said quickly. “Now the magic is… it is contained in these marks.” 

Varric continued to stare at him, and Fenris could feel his scarred skin crawling with discomfort. Varric was the least judgmental person he knew, but this confession was so damned difficult to make, and his origins as a mage made him such a terrible hypocrite…  

Varric interrupted his frantic thoughts. “That’s why you were tired after fighting those Sentinels, isn’t it? You were getting overextended.”

Hawke replied for him. “I think he was, yes,” she said. “And I want to know what would happen if he took a lyrium potion. Theoretically it seems like it might help, but we’re not willing to risk it going wrong.”

Varric huffed. “That makes sense. Let’s not accidentally poison the elf here.”

Fenris’s shoulders loosened slightly at the joke, and Hawke smiled. “Exactly. I’m a little bit fond of this handsome elf, in case you didn’t notice.”

Varric snorted in amusement. Then he patted Fenris’s elbow. “Sorry, buddy,” he said softly. “That must’ve been, uh, something to hear.”

“You could say that,” Fenris said wryly. Truthfully, the knowledge that he was once a mage was the most jarring thing Fenris had learned since all of this chaos had begun.

Varric studied him for a second, then tucked his thumbs in his pockets. “Well, lucky for me that this doesn’t have to change anything in my novel. Lyrium tattoos is all my readers need to know. I like to keep things a mystery – keeps them coming back for the sequel, you know?”

At this, Fenris relaxed completely. The subtext of Varric’s words was clear: this new revelation had not changed Varric’s opinion of him, and it would remain private between himself, Hawke, and Varric.

Fenris sighed. “Thank you, my friend,” he said softly. 

Varric chuckled. “Ah, don’t thank me yet. When you start getting fifty-page-long reports from Bianca, you’ll be less than thankful.”

That is not what I meant, Fenris thought, but he simply smiled. After all, Varric knew that wasn’t what he’d meant, either.

Hawke squeezed Fenris’s hand once more, then released him and elbowed Varric. “Is she as good a writer as you are? If that’s the case, then those reports will be a pleasure to read.”

Varric smirked. “Actually, she’s not. That’s the one thing I’m better at than her. That and penmanship. Her handwriting looks like a one-toed wyvern writing with its left hand.”

“Hey,” Hawke protested. “I resent that on behalf of all left-handed people.”

Varric chuckled, and they made their way back downstairs. Once they were back in the Great Hall, Varric glanced at his table and sighed. “Well, I’d better get back to my mail. Aveline and Bran keep sending me letters. You can practically hear the yelling matches in their handwriting.” He smirked at Fenris and Hawke. “It’s some great drama, I have to admit. Inspirational, even.”

Hawke gave him a shrewd look. “They’ve been writing you a lot. Is there something you wanted to tell us?”

He shrugged. “Nah, not really. I’ve just been donating some coin to the repair efforts back home, that’s all.”

Fenris raised his eyebrows. “You have?”

Varric shot him a sardonic look. “Hey, I had a lot of funds from the Deep Roads. And from other things.” 

Fenris smirked at his innocent tone, and Hawke laughed out loud. “You’re still running smuggling routes in Kirkwall? Really?”

Varric tutted. “Hey, just because there’s an undead magister trying to kill us doesn’t mean the whole world comes to a stop.”

“It sort of does, in fact,” Fenris drawled.

Varric chuckled. “Tell that to the wedding you guys had a couple months ago.”

Fenris shrugged affably. “Fair enough.”

Varric smiled at him, then folded his arms. “Whatever you do, don’t tell Aveline about the dirty money. She’s delighted to get some funding for clearing out the docks.” Then he looked up at Hawke. “What’s up?”

Fenris looked at Hawke as well. She was studying Varric with a distinctly hangdog expression. “You’re leaving us after Corypheus is dead, aren’t you?” she asked plaintively.

Varric raised his eyebrows. “What? No.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Not right away, at least.”

Hawke’s face fell even further, and Varric patted her elbow. “Hey now, don’t make that face. You two could come too.” He cocked his head at her. “You know your mansion is still standing? It’s… well, it’s a total mess, but it’s still there. And technically still yours. A few months of renovations and it would be livable again.” 

Hawke wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh, Varric. You want us to come back, don’t you?”

Varric rubbed his nose. “Look, I’m just pointing out that you have options. And I mean… honestly, Kirkwall is pretty boring without you guys.” He glanced at Fenris.

Fenris managed a smile, but he couldn’t reply. His chest suddenly felt very heavy. He hadn’t forgotten what Solas had said before: that Corypheus’s death wouldn’t mean the end of the decisions Fenris was being asked to make. The Chantry was still in disarray, and Josephine wouldn’t always be able to hold off the countless Chantry sisters and clerics and political parties who were demanding the Inquisition’s input or support. 

Oblivious to his thoughts, Hawke was still hugging Varric. Varric chuckled and patted her arm. “Ah come on, no need to strangle me.” 

“I’m not,” she said, and she hugged him harder still. “I’m just hugging my most-loved and favourite friend.”

“I know, I know,” Varric said airily. “I’m the smartest man in Thedas and the most handsome dwarf you’ve ever seen.”

She gasped dramatically and released him. “And you can read my mind! Maker’s balls, talk about hidden talents.”

Varric chuckled, and Hawke slung her arms around Fenris’s waist and Varric’s neck. “Forget your mail for now. Let’s go to the tavern for some lunch, just the three of us. What do you say?”

“All right, all right, twist my arm,” Varric said. “I’ll meet you there in twenty minutes. Let me actually read some of this mail before I start slacking off.” 

Hawke and Fenris left Varric to his mail, and as they left the Great Hall, Hawke took his hand. “So Dorian’s going back to Tevinter, and Varric’s going back to Kirkwall eventually. What do you think everyone else will do when Corypheus is dead?”

Fenris shrugged somewhat listlessly. “Cassandra and Leliana will certainly stay with the Inquisition. Unless one of them gets called to become the next Divine, that is. Cullen will remain. Sera and Blackwall will also likely–”

“Fenris,” Hawke said, “should we go back to Kirkwall?”

He looked at her. Her expression was so open and curious, and his heavy heart gave a dull thump. 

I might not have that choice, he thought. The countless advisor meetings in the war room weighed heavy on his mind. As time had gone on, the decisions he’d been forced to make had become less about Corypheus and more about politics, and Fenris had long stopped arguing with Leliana and Josephine that he wasn’t qualified to make those decisions. 

Somehow, the Inquisition had become the force that many parties across Thedas came to for political backing or peacekeeping, and as much as Fenris disliked it, he wasn’t sure that he had the choice to simply leave it all behind.

The sad truth was this: the more Fenris thought about leaving the Inquisition after Corypheus was defeated, the more he doubted that he would actually be able to leave. 

He swallowed. There was no harm in indulging Hawke’s question, even if it was… unrealistic. “I’m not sure,” he said slowly. “Would you want to go back?” He remembered this topic coming up a few months ago in another conversation with Varric, but he and Hawke had never actually talked about it further. He was fairly sure that she would want to go back to Kirkwall if they had the choice, but when she didn’t reply right away, he looked at her in surprise.

She winced. “Honestly… I don’t know. I wonder if everyone still hates me there for supposedly helping to blow up the Chantry?” She laughed lightly. “I still think it’s funny that they think I played a part in that. I mean, I’m a heathen and I like a bonfire as much as the next girl, but I’m not that extreme.”

Fenris tried for a smile, but his heart felt too leaden. He squeezed her hand instead, and she squeezed his fingers in turn before speaking again. “It might feel strange if we went back. Things are so different now. And it wouldn’t be the same without…” She trailed off, but Fenris knew who she was thinking of. 

Carver. Hawke had only seen her brother once a month or so during their years in Kirkwall, but he had always just been a short boat ride away at the Gallows. 

And now Carver was forever beyond her reach.  

They walked in silence toward the tavern for a moment. Then Hawke smiled at him. “It would be nice to be near Varric again, though.”

Her voice was stubbornly cheerful. Fenris’s chest swelled with a nearly-painful throb of affection. “This is true,” he said gently. “And we would be near Aveline and Donnic again. It’s certainly an easier visit for Isabela, as well.” 

Hawke’s smile broadened, and she released his hand to loop her arm around his waist instead. But as they approached the tavern, Fenris couldn’t help but recall the occasional wistful conversations they’d had about a life where they hadn’t been sucked into the Inquisition. And as it often did, the fantasy of a little house on the beach in Rivain crossed his mind. 

He recognized the irony of this idle imagining. He never thought he would be wistful for the days when it was just himself and Hawke hiding from the Templars and the Chantry. But sometimes, in the moments when he grew tired of the politicking and the decisions and the constant talking, Fenris would fantasize about settling somewhere new with Hawke alone – somewhere where they could have a completely fresh start without the mantles of their reputations weighing them down. 

But Hawke wasn’t like him. She loved company and friends, and despite her doubts about returning to Kirkwall, she would most certainly be happier if she were closer to the people she considered family.

She looked up at him. “Fenris, do you remember the conversation we had right after they made you the Inquisitor? We were on the battlements, and we talked about, um… I know we were just kidding around, but–”

He looked at her sharply. “The Rivaini beach house,” he said.

Her eyes widened. “Yes!” she said. “Exactly.” 

He stared at her in wonder with his heart in his throat. Her eyes were bright with incredulity, but as he watched, a beautiful smile bloomed across her face. And in this perfect moment in time, Fenris knew without a doubt that he and Hawke were thinking the exact same fanciful thought. 

In this moment, Fenris felt so in sync with her – so much in tune with the thoughts going through her mind and the thrumming of her pulse that he thought his heart might burst. He stared into her eyes, and in their honey-coloured depths, he could see a perfect picture of the ideal: a small but cozy cabin steps away from the sandy shore. A cozy little home in a place that was warm throughout the year, so Toby could run around without his knees getting stiff. Somewhere safe and peaceful where he and Hawke were unknowns. Where maybe, if Hawke was willing, they might consider adding another element of chaos to their lives: another tiny person, perhaps…? 

Fenris gazed breathlessly into Hawke’s coppery eyes and admired the beautiful fantasies that were dancing there. When she lifted herself onto her toes and kissed him, he kissed her back with an aching heart. And for a blissful, carefree moment, they stood wrapped in each other’s arms and fantasized about the sort of shining, peaceful, idyllic life that they had never had. 

Read the second half on AO3!

[wyrdsistersofthedas]

HI, I just wanted to say you have a great site. I noticed you put up a number of art drawings and I am not sure if you have looked here but have you seen Matt Rhodes Concept Art for for Dragon Age? It has some great official concept art from Dragon Age 2 including Fenris and Merril. I would love to hear some of your comments on this. The first part is about Mass Effect but halfway down is about Dragon Age. Thanks again.

Hey Nony!

Sorry for the delay getting back to you. We went through quite a few Matt Rhodes posts (the man is everywhere!!) to find the one we thought you were talking about.  Anyone who hasn’t seen Matt’s review of DA2’s concept art is missing out.

All four of the Sisters Wyrd sat down together for tea and to talk about these designs.

Fenris’ Evolution

On his blog, Matt Rhodes talks about how difficult it was to find Fenris’ look.  They had not done much with Tevinter so they hadn’t finalized its cultural style and that is apparent in these early designs.

Perhaps the most surprising of the early Fenris concept art was this version, which looks an awful lot like D&Ds Drow Elves.  That would have been quite a departure from the lore that Dragon Age had established concerning elves, who had always been shown having the same skin tones as humans races across the real world.  Fenris’ skin also shows no signs of lyrium tattoos, which suggests that concept was developed later in the creative process.  

Dorothea pointed out that this early design shares many facial features as Solas’ design.  Long face, prominent cheekbones and jaw, and a similar nose.

Every inch…

The next design incorporates an intricate tattoo pattern with, what looks like, lyrium highlights.  Unlike Fenris’ final design, the tattoos look more like a ritual pattern rather than the skeletal structure the developers used in the end.  This pattern would have been really hard to create in game and cleanly animate  In this art, Fenris looks like he is wearing mage robes rather than being dressed like a warrior, and the Tevinter look still isn’t there yet.  The belt seems to have been a favorite.  It will show up in several subsequent art designs.  (He looks a bit like Prince Zuko!  Wonder if Avatar was an inspiration?)  Can you imagine cosplaying this?  Those tattoos would be a nightmare!

The next image has several interesting updates.  The tattoo’s have been simplified and the lyrium is clearly etched into Fenris’ skin with what looks like words, perhaps in Tevene or Elvhen.  (As if these suckers weren’t hard enough to draw as they are in game!)

In this image, Fenris looks very much like a warrior.  Almost Conan the Barbarian-esque.  One thing Artemis found particularly interesting is that this look has been carried forward into the most recent concept art Mark Darrah has teased all of us with, which appears to include Fog Warrior designs that echo this early art design.  This concept for Fenris is definitely more wild, almost feral.  This Fenris conveys so much of his personal history: breaking free of Danarius and living among the Fog Warriors before having to run for his life and freedom.

The next design makes some very dramatic changes, and Fenris now has the look we see in game.  Mostly.  He has the “new look” for elves in DA2, which was a little too close to the Na’vi from Avatar.  Larger eyes and ears, long necks, and the distinctive broad noses with high bridges.  They managed to make Fenris, Merrill and a few other key elves look beautiful with this new design, but many other elves were…well, not the ethereal beauties they are often described to be in the lore.  

The designers have also developed an obsession we feathers.  Fenris has feathers, Anders has feathers, Flemeth has feathers, etc.  Must have been a texture they were rather proud of and wanted to incorporate in lots of places.  Some of the bird fluff disappears off of his legs by the time we get to the final game, but the ones on his wrist cuffs and shoulders stayed.  (And the belt is back!)  

Fenris’ tattoos change a great deal from his last iteration.  They now look like they follow his skeleton, which might make them easier to animate (even if they are still a pain in the ass to draw. But these are far easier than any of the previous designs or the ones Matt would use now.  More on that later.)  Did they forget the three dots on his forehead in the game?  Artemis has tried every angle in game to see them but can’t see them.  Yet all the later concept art has them.  There probably is a mod for that.  

It is interesting that Fenris’ hair is black in this art.  We assume that the pain and trauma from lyrium being fused to his skin was what turned his hair white, but as far as we know this has never been confirmed in the canon.

In almost all of these pictures, Fenris is drawn more sinuous than muscular.  This implies, to our thinking, that his strength comes more from determination than muscles.    Add lyrium as another source of strength and you don’t need big muscles.  This idea was confirmed in World of Thedas 2, which stated that Fenris’ “determination, more than his physical abilities impressed Danarius.”   

This was one of the last designs for Fenris, but not all of the elements made it into the game.  Matt would very much have liked to hack off his hair.  Bleh!  Yeah, we know everyone thinks he has emo hair, but we think it says a lot about his personality at the beginning of the game.  Fenris’ hair veils his eyes and the emotions on his face, creating a kind of barrier between him and those looking at him.  This look and his posture convey that he was supposed to be a beaten dog, who has only just begun to remember that he is a wolf. 

Matt’s Dream Fenris

On his tumblr page, Matt posted a design for he wishes Fenris looked like…  Our response: meh.  Fenris is stockier here, with a smaller sword and very clear Tevinter design elements.  They were deep into Inquisition at this point and knew what Tevinter’s art style would be and we can certainly see those elements here.  Persian slipper style shoes, “harem” style pants, pointed tunic, and curved daggers.  (Hey!  Matt put him in shoes!  What in the Void?)  Fenris is also notably heavier set, similar to the stocky elf design we see for ancient elves.  Considering how slim male elf Inquisitors are, this is an interesting choice.  Sera also has a heavier build also.

Bleh.  We don’t care for the bald design, although it does allow us to see the tattoos Matt gave him more clearly.  We now see a dragon motif that does seem very Tevinter, but not very practical.  And a nightmare to draw again.  (We’ll take the ones that made it into the game, thanks!)

Whatever Matt Rhodes would do with Fenris now, his design was set by Dragon Age 2.  We did get an updated look, however, in The World of Thedas 2.  Notice the changes to his hair and his posture.  This Fenris is far more self assured, but armed to the teeth.  He knows who he is, and is not hiding from anyone anymore.  Slavers better hide from him.  

Merrill’s Many Faces

Origins of Merrill

You would think when you already have a character designed, there wouldn’t be much to do for Merrill in DA2.  Developing her character, however, also meant updating her look to match the new elements for the second game. Their first attempt produced…interesting results.

Scary lady!  

Merrill certainly looked different than she did in Origins in her first draft for DA2.  She has a variation on the same outfit she wore in the first game, but without her underpinnings or outer gear.  But the most startling change was her face and countenance.  Her new look screams “I’m a blood mage!!!  Rawr!”  It would have been an interesting concept to explore, this malevolent Merrill.  She was certainly more stern and imperious in Origins than we see her in DA2.  Perhaps losing Tamlen and Mahariel, her closest friends in the Sabrae Clan, could have driven her to more and more dangerous blood magic.  She seems to even have augmented her vallaslin to reflect her grim purpose.  An interesting AU for peeps to play with, but it wasn’t what the writers had in mind.

After the writers gave Matt more info, he redesigned and created a less scary version, but still rather stern Merrill.  The innocence and seeming naivete she shows in DA2 isn’t there yet, but otherwise she looks pretty much like the Dalish elf we know.  The new mail hauberk may reflect a new desire to protect herself in an increasingly uncertain world.  This armor appears in DAI as a medium armor, suggesting that Daisy is tougher than one might assume (or they just decided it looked more like rogue armor in Inquisition).

There was an attempt at playing with Merrill’s armor, but makes her look more like a rogue instead of a mage.  The designer’s definitely liked the art, however, as it too appears in Inquisition.  This phase of Merrill’s development also show the influence of the new elf facial structure.  Long neck, large eyes, etc.  We wonder how the developers would handle her appearance and Fenris’ if they were to appear in a future game.  Would they try to make them look as much like their DA2 appearance?  Or would they get another makeover to match the newest version of the elves?  Tricky either way…

In this concept art, she finally has an expression that is befitting her moniker: Daisy.  Her outfit certainly changed.  More mage-y, perhaps a little more formal, yet very elvhen.  

Several of these clothing concepts eventually did make it into Inquisition. (It is just me, or did they mess up the codes for these three?  It seems to me that the heavy and light armor should be reversed.)  The middle armor is clearly Merrill’s outfit from DA2 ported into Inquisition.  Its presence, along with several other character armors from the second game make me think that cameos were planned for some characters.  In fact, several character armors actually made it DAI.  Isabela was obviously wearing hers in the multiplayer, and I probably said something naughty when I saw this on the sellswords in the Hinterlands.

It seems likely that they either really liked the designs for these armors or they were planning cameos for several DA2 characters, including Merrill and Anders.  (Thank the Maker they dropped the Anders cameo, especially if the picture below was what they had in mind!  

Yes, we know that this probably would be his appearance if you let him live, but ordered him to leave Kirkwall without helping the mages, but still!!!  We loves him.  *Morta sobs in the corner for a few*)

Simply Merrill

Unlike Fenris, Matt said there is little he would change about Merrill.  There are, however, a few interesting details in the “how I would draw her now” picture.  Her eyes are wide and bright, filled with both curiosity and some trepidation.  Her clothes are far more simple than the look he created for his ideal Fenris.  Other than her near trade scarf, her clothes are plain and nondescript with no embellishments we can identify with city elves or the Dalish.  She is not wearing her mail hauberk either, and we assume the many bindings on her arms are from bloodletting for her magic.  Merrill seems very unprotected from the forces she is wielding.  It is a night and day difference from the first piece of concept art of her.

In Merrill’s World of Thedas 2 design, she looks virtually unchanged save for two features.  Her hair is done with cornrows on the right and her cheek vallaslin is missing.  We are going to assume that her vallaslin was an oversight or oversimplification of her Dirthamen tattoo from DA2.  (If her vallaslin has changed again we may have to say “Oh, dear!”, shake our heads, and write theories about why.)

Thanks again for the ask, Nony.  We had fun going back over these designs and hope it was what you were looking for.  There is a lot of other interesting material on Matt’s Blogspot/Tumblr/DeviantArt that we can look into in the future if folks are interested.  And we will keep our eyes open for DA4 teases.

-The Wyrd Sisters of Thedas

Bonus!  Bela-licious!  

Did y’all see this concept art for Isabela?!  We love it!  I mean, yeah, we love her any way we can get her (and she is a rather inventive pirate queen), but this art is gorgeous.  The style deliberately echoes Duncan’s outfit in Origins, and therefore show some insights into Rivaini fashion.  To our eyes, it looks very Romani with a pirate flair.  It would be awesome to have a mod of this outfit in game, either for Bela, Hawke, or the Inquisitor.