#[calpernia ; codex]

[broodwolf221]

dadwc prompts and info

listed ships are ones i enjoy, but feel free to request outside of them - so long as i've listed the characters as ones i can write

general info:

no character death

i prefer romantic or platonic

pls specify prompt list ur using

ot3/poly prompts welcome

general prompts:

rare/unusual words (mine, but feel rb/use it yourself!)

sentences

micro story (please send the word/phrase)

medieval/fantasy sentences

deep conversations

people who aren't used to kindness

vague prompts: eerie edition

quote prompts:

as said by cassandra pentaghast

as said by dorian pavus

as said by solas

as said by merrill

fluff/romance/smut prompts:

fluff

50 types of kisses

sleeping

cuddles and snuggles

smutfic (please send word/phrase)

angst/whump prompts:

what are you hiding from me?

eerie loneliness

heavy content (mine, but feel free to rb/use it yourself!)

patching up wounds

other prompts:

oc codex

fantasy setting

characters:

dai - solas | varric | cassandra | sera | dorian | the iron bull | cole | leliana | morrigan | cullen | josephine | calpernia | flemythal | renn | valta | ameridan | talena | harding

da2 - anders(justice) | fenris | merrill

dao - leliana | morrigan

arlathan - mythal | andruil | ghilan'nain

relationships (ot3+ are welcome!):

solas x (nessa | velari | atros | valyris | varric | cassandra | cullen | bull | dorian | calpernia | mythal* | andruil* | ghilan'nain*)

anders x fenris

cassandra x (varric | sera | leliana | solas)

dorian x (feydis | bull | solas)

morrigan x (halcor | leliana)

sera x (delwyn | dagna | cassandra)

cullen x (dimitra | solas | dorian)

ghilan'nain x (andruil* | solas*)

*messy/complicated ships, might end up in dead dove territory

major ocs:

nessa lavellan (f!rogue, solas)

velari lavellan (f!mage, solas)

atros shiral (m!rogue; city elf!inquisitor, solas)

delwyn lavellan (f!rogue, sera)

valyris lavellan (f!mage, solas)

developing ocs:

feydis lavellan (m!mage, ? maybe dorian)

yene adaar (f!mage, solas)

dimitra (non-inky, f!mage(/templar), cullen)

halcor brosca (m!rogue warden, morrigan then nathaniel)

less developed ocs:

yene adaar (female; mage; solas) yene is a driven vashoth who doesn't want anything to do with any of this, thank you very much. spends the early game looking for a way out but eventually realizes that because of the anchor, she's stuck here, at which point she starts making friends. planned solasmance bc i'm... immensely predictable. also he grows on her. this weird little elf guy who's obsessed with the fade and she's like. hm. i am charmed by the way u wax poetic about ur special interests.

halcor brosca (male; rogue; morrigan, then nathaniel) my canon warden, and someone i haven't written in many years but have been thinking about again recently. very rough around the edges, blunt, practical. has a terrible habit of diving headfirst into danger. he's enamored of magic and trust(ed?) morrigan 100% on everything magical - he also performed the ritual with her, so kieran is his son, although he never met him. afterwards during awakening canon he ended up with nathaniel - a surprise, especially since he didn't even know he was into men as well, but late nights talking around the fire slowly became more.

[dragon-age-codex-entries]

Codex entry: Official-looking Letter (2/2)

“Venatori:

The elves we fight are not Dalish. They are far more dangerous. The last of the red templars will form a bulwark against them. Head to the temple of Mythal; do not engage the Inquisition's soldiers. More important work lies ahead.

When our Master stood in the Golden City, He saw an absence requiring the hand of a true god. I will be the Vessel of His ascension, for the sake of our homeland. Remember that when the Elder One rises, so too will rise Tevinter, returned to the glory it squandered so long ago. This is why we are called together under His will; this is what we must seize or lose forever.

Hold yourselves high, Venatori. Today we are the hope of the Imperium; we will kindle a blazing fire in this dark and savage age.

Lady Calpernia”

#dragon age #codex entry #letters and notes

[crossdressingdeath]

In DA2, there is a mention in the codex somewhere about Samson being seen talking to the Grey Warden that gets possessed by Corypheus. It's so easy to miss and it makes me annoyed that Samson was used more as a tool for Cu||en than his own storyline like Calpernia. We learn Calpernia's motives and how she doesn't even fully trust Corypheus, but Samson gets relegated to typical cookie-cutter bad guy.

Ah yes. "He talked to a guy one time, clearly it makes more sense for him to side with Corypheus than Meredith's right-hand man with a full-series streak of wanting to kill mages and anyone who likes mages Just Because based on flimsy-at-best reasoning and who was all but swimming in red lyrium for close to a decade!" Thank you Bioware, A+ writing on that one. And yeah, Samson just does not get his own story. Hell, you learn that he—a Templar at the time—befriended a mage to the point where even after being made Tranquil Maddox would rather kill himself than even risk betraying him! That's a thing that DAI establishes and then refuses to acknowledge! The only person who can bring it up is Quiz during the trial and that drives me nuts. Hey! Less plotting how to destroy his armour, more learning what he cares about and what matters to him and using that to talk him onto Quiz's side! Make it more like Calpernia's story, Calpernia's story is good! Also... Corypheus is a weak villain to rest the whole story on. He's more like the Archdemon than Loghain; he's the malevolent force, not the face of your opposition. Leaving him to carry the game just does not work, and Samson's storyline got so wrapped up in "Poor uwu Cullen sometimes feels slightly bad for all the atrocities he committed, pity him and tell him he has nothing to feel bad for because uh... Samson! does red lyrium stuff! Ignore that his best friend is a Tranquil who he's doing his best to help because they're friends that's not important" that it just doesn't really work unless you're super invested in Cully-Wully and his story. Which I am not, so even though I really like Samson's character his story just doesn't work.

#dragon age inquisition #samson #cullen critical #asks #anon

[wyvernscales]

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how  non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell  them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have wips.

I was tagged by @leoisanaries

Tagging: @ava-du-mortain @notebooks-and-laptops @high-dragon-bait @zeesqueere @tanaleth

I don’t write a lot of fanfic, but I do have a lot of meta/lore posts (that I am actively looking away from) in the drafts

Meta and Lore:

Mythal and Snakes (and the Tevinter Imperium)

background specific war table missions

Dwarves and the Fade

Avaar/Alamarri/Clayne 

The Black City and the Evanuris

Magisters Sidereal and the Astrariums

Solas and the Executor in Dread Wolf Take You

where are the Executors from (Bioware’s attempted to be sneaky here, but I Know.) 

“Solas first, Fen’Harel later” and the rest of the Evanuris

Archdemons named after angels????

Gangue, The Stone, and Dwarven Burials

The Canticle of Exhaltations

Fanfics/oc posts:

Inquisition companion overviews for Aria Trevelyan and Lorelei Surana

Cerberus codex entries

Calpernia x Adaar smut (that will never ever be released to the public)

Braids

PIRATE FUCKN

Then there’s my two au ideas I’m excited to work on but have done nothing with

Lights in the Shadow au

Secrets of Darkest Magic au

#junk speaks #tag game

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

June with all relevant 4s?

[ask game]

Thank you for the ask!! ^^

Essentials/4. What is their moral alignment?

Chaotic Neutral. She does not care about laws or rules lol and she is. Not necessarily a 'good' person. She doesn't condone cruelty on a larger scale and but she will go out of her way to be a dick if she does not like someone, and she is very selfish in the matters that she does feel strongly about (selfish meaning anything that concerns her or people/things she cares about personally).

Life/4. Describe their family. Who were they close to? Were there any particular childhood friends?

I'll admit i have Not put a lot of thought into her family past the very vague basics x'D. Her family are the Trevelyans obviously, and she's uhh. Not on best terms with them. She has two older sisters that she got on with pretty ok, but again she hasn't had contact in over a decade. Mind you it's not even because of any super big drama (ig it kinda was at the time but it's a bigger deal in her head than it is irl), June's just being very awkward and stubborn

Party/4. Are there any companions (or advisors) they don’t get along with? Have any of them ever left the party?

Oh yeah, June actually didn't get along with a good chunk of the Inner Circle at first lmao. Cullen was the worst though, she straight up hated his guts on principle. Took a good while for her to warm up to Cass as well, and she and Sera were on rocky ground for a while too (not right at the beginning tho). Oh, and Vivienne. They did not get on at all for a very long while either.

Codex/4. How do they feel about the Fade, spirits, and demons?

Absolutely intrigued. They are all incredibly fascinating topics to her and are in fact her main focus of research and study! It's Her Thing

DAI/4. Do they approach the Mages or the Templars for help? Did they conscript or ally themselves with their respective faction? How do they feel about their rival (Calpernia or Samson)?

Mages. She did consider the Templars because the irony of them working at the command of a Mage was very tempting, but also the thought of having a bunch of them camp at Haven was less than appealing, she had planned to team up with, and Cullen advocated for them so she said fuck you we're helping the Mages. She's conflicted about Samson cos on one hand she has a personal grudge against him after all the bullshit he's caused, but by the time he's up for official judgement she does also feel pity for him. Also. Can't deny that he makes for a very interesting subject of study.

#ty again! :) #oc: june trevelyan #my ocs #oc ask game/ my answers

[nxtherold]

𝐂𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐗  :  𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂  𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

A compilation of what the Nightmare says to each muse in the Fade, what their tombstones say, and what their Fears appear as.

𝐀𝐕𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐊𝐄

What her fears appear as:           Her fears appear as the people she cares for, both alive and dead, corrupted by red lyrium. Templars and Mages from her time in Kirkwall are among these faces as well.

What her tombstone says:           Not Being Good Enough

What Nightmare says to her in the Fade:           “Nothing you did mattered, Hawke. All you ever did was make things worse. Carver and your mother both died because you were too weak to save them, you foolish girl. Bethany, (Fenris / other love interest), and whoever else you have left will all die. Knowing your history, it will certainly be your fault when the time comes, and you’ll have to watch the life leave their eyes. A familiar view, isn’t it, Hawke? So familiar that I imagine you’re seeing it in your head at this very moment. Ah, yes, what an accurate depiction of the fate awaiting anyone who dares care for a girl as cursed as you."

𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐈 𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐒

What her fears appear as:           Vaughan and his henchmen as well as slavers from Tevinter

What her tombstone says:           Oppression

What Nightmare says to her in the Fade:          "Why are you even here, elf? All your efforts to elevate your people have been for nought. When will you grow tired of being an accessory to heroes far greater than you could ever pretend to be? You were born from nothing, just like your mother, and you will die just as she did: as nothing. No title, no status could change that.”

𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐀

What her fears appear as:           Herself, given wholly to the qun. Also the Arishok, Rasaan, her mother, and Luis. Quite frankly, there’s a lot of faces from her past that Nightmare can use against her.

What her tombstone says:          Losing Herself

What Nightmare says to her in the Fade:         "You think I could ignore your presence, pirate? A most curious return to the Fade indeed. I’m just waiting to see when you’ll plunge your dagger into the Inquisitor’s back, just like you did to Hawke years ago. But she didn’t tell anyone about that, did she? What a good friend. Too good for you. And even after all the times you betrayed her you still had the nerve to cling to her coattails and leech off of whatever glory might fall your way. You see yourself as the captain of the ship, Isabela, but you belong on the bottom of the boat, not in the captain’s cabin. You are truly, and irredeemably, scum. The day will come when all of your so-called friends wipe you from their boots as they should have rightfully done years ago.”

𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃

What her fears appear as:          Various people she killed during the Blight.

What her tombstone says:         Despair

What Nightmare says to her in the Fade:        "The great Hero of Ferelden. Ah, look at you now, little Cousland. Bryce’s darling pup. You never had a choice, did you? They shoved that rot down your throat, clad you in silver, and told you to be a hero. And you’ve hated what you are every day since then. You can still feel it, the taint, as hot and fresh in your veins as the first day. How long till you become a shell? How long until the voices call to you, before dark hands drag you down into the abyss? Oh, my dear, what a pitiful existence. You saved the world, yet your life is unfulfilled, and it will never be. No amount of glory can make you content, because you’re too empty to ever feel whole again. But such is the tale of many heroes. I wonder, will you find your end at your Calling? Or will you become like Loghain first, too blind to see that you’ve torn down your own house. You are ruined either way. You will always, even after your last breath, be ruined.”

𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐀 𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐔𝐋𝐓

What her fears appear as:           a ghostly apparition of the Shame of Serault

What her tombstone says:         Inability

What Nightmare says to her in the Fade:         "Yet another noble lady playing the part of a caged bird. But you're not caged, and you haven't been for a while. You know you could have done something about your brother before he got himself in such a sorry state. Instead you chose to smile and pretend everything was okay and then retreat into the woods whenever his anger turned in your direction. You stopped the people from overthrowing him. You let him continue down his dark path because you were either too incapable or too unwilling to confront him. Caspien may be cruel, Octavia, but you're effete, and Serault will be in far worse hands when you are eventually forced to step up and do what you should have done long ago. I truly pity the mortals who have so long been at the mercy of your family and will continue to suffer at your cursed hands for one more generation: the worst generation, surpassing even the horrors of the Shame's reign."

𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐀 𝐌𝐀𝐄𝐑𝐄

What her fears appear as:          Herself.

What her tombstone says:         Weakness

What Nightmare says to her in the Fade:         "Ah, the Bane of the Wicked. That is what you were once called, yes? How ironic it is that you are the most wicked of all. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were one of us."

𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐀

What her fears appear as:          A vanguard of Tevinter slaves, turned against her by their masters.

What her tombstone says:         Silence

What Nightmare says to her in the Fade:        "You were never free, Calpernia, and you never will be. You simply keep hopping from one master to the next. It won’t be long before there is no one willing to take your side. No one to stand for you. We all know that you cannot make it on your own. You’re a girl playing a revolutionary, but make no mistake that it is make-believe. You’re merely a puppet, and your existence only matters when there is someone to pull your strings."

𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐄

What her fears appear as:         Tevinter slave-hunters.

What her tombstone says:         Loss of Identity

What Nightmare says to her in the Fade:        "How does it feel to be a pet, Arsine? Spending your days dancing away for the nobles in their plays? Sure, you get to come to court and play the Game, but you'll never be more than a useful tool at best. You're a novelty. A pretty face with strange ears to tickle the exotic tastes of the bored nobility. You'll never be one of them, but you're barely even an elf anymore, either. You're so tainted that the Dalish wouldn't even welcome you back at this point. The moment the nobles grow tired of you, you'll go back to being a nobody with an existance so inconsequential that neither the humans nor the elves will care that they've lost you."

𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐀 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍

What her fears appear as:        Smaller versions of Nightmare himself.

What her tombstone says:        Loss

What Nightmare says to her in the Fade:       "Ah, Honora, you look well for someone who dabbles in all manners of filthy magic. I bet your heart has remained the same since our last meeting as well; cold and stagnant, like the dead husband who rarely shared your bed. The man you're always compared to. You once thought yourself a stronger mage than him. A better chief, too. But your people question that assertion, and now you have started to question it as well. I am the one who took Angof's life, by the way, not those agents of the king. And if you insist on crossing me, dear Honora, I'll take yours too."

𝐊𝐀𝐄𝐑𝐈 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐄

What her fears appear as:          Herself, possessed by demons.

What her tombstone says:          Corruption

What Nightmare says to her in the Fade:          "You have such faith in your precious Maker, little snake. So much that you cannot seem to accept the fact that you are nothing but a heretic. The Maker doesn't speak to you. Auriel wasn't written out of Chantry history because she was a threat to their control; she was written out of Chantry history because she was a cowardly, self-important witch who became the same zealous monster that you yourself have become. The only justice you will ever bring forth is your own death in pursuit of your worthless cause. And just like Auriel, history will forget you, too."

#I spent way too long doing this but tbh I got distracted a bunch lmao #[hawke ; codex] #[nalindri ; codex] #[isabela ; codex] #[rosara ; codex] #[octavia ; codex] #[pandora ; codex] #[calpernia ; codex] #[arsine ; codex] #[honora ; codex] #[kaeri ; codex]

[thethirdamell]

Have you written anywhere how you'd change inquisition?

Cause I'm really curious

It is entirely possible I have written something like this before because I have the memory of a goldfish but here are some rambling thoughts for you. 

We open with an origin story that follows your character and how their particular origin would fare in the Mage/Templar war. The Mage/Templar spans across Thedas and impacts everyone, and remnants of it are felt throughout the rest of the game. (Not just in a handful of throwaway fetch quests to STEAL BLANKETS FROM HOMELESS MAGES). Each origin has ties to a larger part of the story encouraging replayability and pushing some origins to favor some roles over others. 

An underlying current throughout each origin (told in rumors, ambient dialogue, and throw-away codexes) is the belief that there is currently a Blight. While no one has seen darkspawn, they have seen an Archdemon and the mobilizations of Grey Wardens. Either this the Sixth Blight or the Fifth Blight never really ended. (It only lasted a year - the shortest in history. Tensions run high between Ferelden and other countries who believe reports of the Archdemon’s defeat were fabricated.)

Dwarf (Any Class): A member of the Carta, you have close ties to the templars as a result of generations of lyrium smuggling. Since the war, things have never been better. Business is booming and you don't have to work in the shadows anymore, but greed is an insatiable mistress. Your operations take you to Valammar, where you've heard tales of a different kind of lyrium.

*This origin encourages you to side with the templars from a narrative perspective. You’re introduced to Barris.

Elf (Any Class): A member of the Dalish, your clan is visited by Mihris, First of your sister clan, Virnehn. Her clan was massacred by a demon unleashed by Michael Chevin, a Chevalier in service to Empress Celene. She comes to ask your clan to help aid the elves of Halamshiral, seeking refuge in the aftermath of Celene’s massacre. In exchange, she promises ancient knowledge of the Eluvians. 

*This origin provides the background of the Masked Empire that was hidden in the books. It encourages you to side with Briala. 

Human (Non-Mage): You are a templar. Your family gave you to the Chantry at a young age, and it's all you've ever known. You've never had much of a choice about anything in your life. Even your break from the Chantry is forced, your Knight-Captain having killed your Knight-Commander in a bid for power. Your first real choice comes when they hand you the red vial: drink or die.

*This origin encourages you to side with the templars from a narrative perspective. You’re introduced to Samson.  

Human (Mage): You are a mage. When your Circle called for the right of Annulment, you ran, and you've been running ever since. The First Enchanter is dead. Most of the Senior Enchanters are too. The Venatori come down from Tevinter are the first friendly faces you’ve seen in months. Then they start killing the Tranquil. 

*This origin encourages you to side with the mages from a narrative perspective. You’re introduced to Calpernia. 

Tal-Vashoth (Non-Mage): You're Tal-Vashoth. You and your brothers were separated from the antaam during the siege of Kirkwall, and have been branded as deserters. You've made a living for yourselves working for Gaspard de Chalons as mercenaries, though some of you still hope to find your way back to the Qun. He gives you a new contract to protect a Revered Mother on her way to the Conclave. 

*This origin encourages you to side with Gaspard and possibly the Qun from a narrative perspective. 

Tal-Vashoth (Mage): You were saarebas. You’re not sure what you are now. You were separated or escaped from your avaard during the siege of Kirkwall, and you’ve been on your own ever since. A retinue of templars finds you, but you’re saved at the last minute by a group of Grey Wardens. They tell you they’re on their way to their Calling, but offer to take you to the Conclave before they go, where you might find a place for yourself among the mages. 

*This origin encourages you to side with the Grey Wardens and possibly the mages or the Qun from a narrative perspective. 

The Conclave is called and serves as the ‘Ostagar’ of Inquisition. You spend time in Haven and meet the larger than life characters. You also have the option of encouraging or discouraging some of your companions from your origin to accompany you up to the Template of Sacred Ashes. (Anyone who accompanies you will die.) Demons swarm the Conclave. You fight towards the heart of the conflict. Then you get the Anchor and everyone with you dies. 

Back in Haven, you wake as a prisoner. Varric is in the cell beside you, and provides you with a quick overview of what you missed while you were unconscious. You can attempt to convince Varric to help you escape, but he will decline. You are given the option of attempting to escape on your own or attempting to plead your case

1. Escape - You can theoretically make it out of Haven but it is almost impossible to do so without being caught. If you successfully escape, you can continue as normal to help close the breach, or leave. If you leave the game ends with a bad ending circa early 90’s games. 

2. Plead Your Case - You fail miserably. You are kept a prisoner and used to close the breach and then taken to trial before the Chantry. If you’re successful in pleading your case then you’re released into the Inquisition’s service. If you’re not successful Leliana will save you and recruit you into the Inquisition’s service. 

Unsuccessful Plea - You are given less choices on the order of your next few quests. (Impacts what you have available when Corpheus attacks Haven)

Successful Plea - You are given complete choice on the order of your next few quests.  (Impacts what you have available when Corpheus attacks Haven)

Escaped and Closed the Breach - You are still made to plead your case before the Chantry but it is extremely unlikely you will be unsuccessful. All companions except Casandra are extremely impressed and receive a boost to approval. 

From here the game focuses on the formation of the Inquisition. You can make a case for Varric to be granted freedom or be left a prisoner. If left a prisoner you can come visit him and he will not begrudge you any. He can be freed at a time by speaking with Casandra with at least a modicum of approval, or by speaking with Leliana with high approval. 

You are more or less an indentured agent of the Inquisition. Your incentive as a player for completing your quests is the promise of freedom if you help close the Breach. The type of Inquisition you form is up to you in terms of who you recruit, the message you put out, and the army you create. You are not necessarily labeled the Herald of Andraste, just the Herald. What you are the Herald of depends upon your backstory and choices and can change over the course of the game. 

I.E. : Herald of the Qun, Herald of Mythal, Herald of Andraste, Herald of the Stone, Herald of Death, Herald of Freedom, etc. 

When the Inquisition is relatively stable, you are given a choice of who is the Inquisitor among your companions / advisors. You do not have to be the Inquisitor. You can also reject the idea of an Inquisitor altogether. 

After completing your choice of a few main quests, Haven will be attacked by Corphyeus. ANYONE can die on the attack on Haven (companions, advisors, etc.), and your army will also take losses that can be mitigated by mounting a solid defense. The individuals you save exist as recurring minor characters and don’t just evaporate when you get to Skyhold. 

*If Varric is still a prisoner at this time he will die. 

When dealing with Skyhold, you actually have to repair it and build up defenses by recruiting troops and companions for a final ‘lead them or fall’ suicide fight with Corphyeus akin to ME2 which many other folk have written much better than I ever could so I’ll skip that. 

For the main quests, the Templar/Mage War is the main priority as you attempt to restore stability to Thedas. Unfortunately no one believes you about Corypheus. They also find their own matters to be more pressing, and will not help you until you help them. The consensus is it is just another Blight, and that you should consult the Grey Wardens about it. 

You’re presented with four options for the mage/templar war: Mages, Templars, Broker Peace, or Ignore the Conflict.

1. Recruiting the mages can result in having Fiona, Calpernia, or both as allies. 

2. Recruiting the templars can result in both Samson, Barris, or both as allies

3. It is not possible to broker peace if all four leaders live. Some leaders will refuse to work with others. Some leaders will refuse certain conditions. This is where you get a choice of conscription versus recruitment and what the new framework of the Circle looks like, if you’re not pursuing pure independence for one side or the other.

4. Ignoring the conflict will give you more time to focus on the rest of the world. The war will continue to ravage the countryside without you, and depending upon other choices one side will win and offer to assist you later. 

Beyond the war, the game focuses on convincing the countries surrounding the Breach to focus on it as the real threat. World leaders are more concerned with the Mage/Templar War and with the possibility of a new Blight than they are concerned with the Breach. The general consensus is that it is a side-effect of the Mage/Templar War brought about by the mages. There are (possible) civil wars taking place in the Free Marches, Ferelden, and Orlais. The game primarily spans these three locations. 

Orlais - The civil war is as seen in the game between Celene, Briala, and Gaspard. How quickly you stop the civil war determines how many forces are alive in the final fight against Corphyeus. How you choose to fight in the civil war swings the outcome in favor of one leader or another. Winter Palace will not trigger until one side is ready to capitulate. The choices you’ve made during the war will strongly influence your score in the Winter Palace and your ability to sway the nobility to your side. (Similar to Landsmeet)

Ferelden - The civil war in Ferelden is conditional to your world state. If Anora is made Queen without Alistair, a civil war is started in his name whether or not he is alive, though it is much weaker if Alistair is dead or if Cousland is King. How quickly you stop the civil war determines how many forces are alive in the final fight against Corphyeus. (Arl Eamon leads the civil war and can be persuaded to end it immediately if Alistair is recruited as a Grey Warden). If Anora is removed from the throne and NOT replaced with Alistair, Ferelden is significantly weakened and not able to provide aid in the final battle. 

If the Warden was a mage and requested freedom for the Circles, this has been granted in Ferelden. Any leader will automatically provide shelter to the mages, and in the event you ignore the mage/templar conflict, this strongly pushes victory in favor of the mages. This also makes it easier to recruit both Calpernia and Fiona if Fiona knows the mages have somewhere safe to turn that isn’t Tevinter. 

If the Ferelden Circle was destroyed and you ignore the mage/templar conflict, this strongly pushes victory in favor of the templars. This also makes it easier to recruit both Samson and Barris if they know the templars will have the support of the Ferelden Crown after the war is over. 

Free Marches - If Anders was spared, a civil war takes place between Starkhaven and Kirkwall. How quickly you stop the civil war determines how many forces are alive in the final fight against Corphyeus. 

If Hawke sided with the mages, and in the event you ignore the mage/templar conflict, this strongly pushes victory in favor of the mages. If Hawke sided with the templars, and you ignore the mage/templar conflict, this strongly pushes victory in favor of the templars.

If Hawke sided with the templars, and spared Anders, this greatly increases Kirkwall’s chance of victory in the civil war with Hawke as Viscount. 

If Sebastian was rivalled and encouraged to reclaim his throne, this greatly increases Starkhaven’s chance of victory in the civil war. If Sebastian is not rivalled, this decreases Starkhaven’s chance of victory in the civil war, but increases Templar/Chantry support of Sebastian. In the event you ignore the mage/templar conflict, this slightly pushes victory in favor of the templars.

*Some templars will not side with an Inquisitor who supports a Hawke who spared Anders. 

*If Anders was killed, he is seen as a martyr by southern mages. Some mages will not side with an Inquisitor who supports a Hawke who killed Anders. 

At any point in time you can seek out the Grey Wardens for help who actually know what they are doing and have an excellent plan to use demons to defeat the Archdemons before they all go to their Calling that has nothing to do with Venatori influence and is just a solid plan. They have done nothing wrong ever in their lives and everyone loves them. Upon being informed that the Calling is fake, they agree to help you against Corphyeus, because YOU ARE NOT A MONARCH AND HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO EXILE THEM.

That’s all I got for right now but I could add to it / clean it up if you thought it was a fun read.

[dross-the-fish]

Dragon Age Inquisition seems to be the only game that fills you with so much rage. How was it one of your favorites if you hate it so much?

Well, Anon, it’s BECAUSE I like the game that I’m upset with it.  There are things about it that are very good, the combat, some of the companions (not Solas) and even a few of the maps are really excellent. But so much of the game is wasted potential. Storylines and characters where they could have gone farther but chose not to.  Samson and Calpernia, alternatively two antagonists you can face, have loads of backstory and the final confrontations with both are just, wildly unsatisfying. The maps are beautiful but the creatures are just generic mobs, all of the interesting lore is fed to you in codex pages rather than experienced and after awhile the lack of depth becomes apparent.  For example, Val Royeaux is the capital city of Orlais. It’s the seat of the Chantry and you hear about a grand cathedral, a university, a nursing home for lyrium-addled templars and the largest elven alienage in Thedas, this city is supposed to be enormous and represent the extremes of grotesque wealth and crippling oppression. What do we actually get? Basically a tiny cluster of shops with static NPCs that don’t do much of anything and can’t be told apart from each other. .  Skyrim is a busted mess and I’m not even going to pretend the ambient NPCs are deep, but they aren’t fucking props. You could replace about 80% of DAI’s NPCs with cardboard cutouts and it wouldn’t make a difference.  You can explore vast, empty patches of wilderness on the maps but a bustling city is full of NPCs you can’t interact with outside of shopkeepers and buildings you can’t enter except for shops. Even Redcliff is prettier to look at, but feels smaller than it did in Origins. One of the most massive and important places in Thedas and it’s basically a glorified shopping mall. There was so much potential, this game could have been amazing and instead it was just decent. 

[deusexlachina]

Calpernia, the most baffling Dragon Age villain

Calpernia is probably the strangest Dragon Age villain. There are a lot of really silly villains, but nobody is so utterly baffling as Calpernia. Her whole deal is that she wants Tevinter’s slaves to be free and unharmed. To this end...she leads the Venatori, a Tevinter nationalist cult that uses lots of Tevinter’s slaves, mainly as blood sacrifices.

You might interpret this as her being willing to sacrifice slaves for The Cause. But the Codex entries you can read (such as Letter to a Slaver) suggest the opposite. She outright attacks, then later kills a bunch of slavers working for the Venatori because they hurt slaves; supplemental materials confirm she wanted to free them, and then hire them as her personal spies. But it’s only Calpernia who acts like this. All the other Venatori you encounter have no qualms about hurting or killing slaves, and suffice to say it really shows (especially in the Hissing Wastes). The only conclusion I can reach is that the Venatori are keeping their own second-in-command in the dark about their cruelty to slaves. Somehow.

So Corypheus is manipulating her, and you can prove it to her, whereupon she storms off to Have A Word with him (to completely unknown results - it’s not clear if she reached him at all, survived, or how she dealt with the rest of the Venatori, which only makes her more baffling). But the proof you need is a scroll with a ritual to bind her as part of Corypheus’ evil plan. You can’t show evidence, or even bring up, that the Venatori’s actions prove they don’t give a shit about the slaves she’s trying to save, even though that has much less potential for plausible deniability than the scroll. (“I was gonna use that on the Inquisitor, honest!”)

The Codex heavily foreshadows that she’ll turn on her “allies” if they ever hurt slaves, and...you can never do anything with that. Your spymaster, one of the cleverest and most manipulative people in the world, puzzles over how to get Calpernia to turn on Corypheus when the answer is right there in your Codex!

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dai #dragon age calpernia #dragon age villains

[sapphim]

Hey! I was wondering how difficult it would be to make it so exclusive codex entries (such a calpernia’s when siding with the mages or trevelyan’s when playing as a Lavellan) always appear in game?

Hnnnnnnnn well seeing as codex entries are tied up in the same wretched JournalSystem as war table missions (which I’ve addressed before here) I’m not inclined to do any further digging into how one would go about doing so.

#faq #trans apostate anders

[broodwolf221]

akjfhjsfgjksdgd i showed my gf the trespasser armor and she was like "oh! calpernia's armor!" SHE'S RIGHT I NEVER REALIZED.............

tbh tho that makes all the codex entries surrounding it a lot more interesting :o

#she's so good at recognizing stuff like that. blows my mind a little #im like hasn't it been years since you've played? and yet

[dragon-age-codex-entries]

Codex entry: Calpernia

"I had never heard of Calpernia before I joined the Venatori. Tevinter's Circles have no record of a mage of that name, so I thought her perhaps a magister from one of the old houses who took a false title. Calpernia appears to have no background at all, however, and offers no hints to her past. She is too shrewd to flatter, even if she did not spend half her hours training as her Master's star pupil should.

I cannot openly challenge her. The woman is a fair mistress to her followers, and her passion to restore the Imperium's glory strengthens their hearts and loyalty. Besides, her spells blister with power. Only a fool would try to undermine Calpernia by force. We will require a lighter touch."

—Note from Marconius Pellnix, Ben-Hassrath agent to the Qunari, dated several days before his mysterious death by fire

#dragon age #codex entry #characters

[orsino-the-enchanter]

Post-canon Orsino in the “What Pride Has Wrought” quest: all outcomes

In this quest he is a locked choice of a companion, along with Morrigan

The party banter until they reach the Temple of Mythal is heavily charged, especially between him, Morrigan and Solas. Morrigan accuses him of knowing something vital about the temple and withholding information form the Inquisitor, to which Orsino merely replies “You wouldn’t know.” 

During the battles with the Venatori or the Red Templars until the party reaches the temple’s entrance, Solas notes that the elven sentinels would turn against them, but would not raise arms against him, and Morrigan responds that he did nothing to stop them from attacking the rest of them either. Orsino reasons that there were plenty other enemies that needed killing around.

He agrees with Morrigan that the Inquisitor should go through the Rites of Petition and not follow Calpernia/Samson in trespassing the Temple. 

Before entering the Temple

If the Inquisitor chooses to respect the temple:

Orsino Greatly Approves

He will explain the meaning behind the mosaics in the Temple’s interior to the Inquisitor, criticizing Morrigan’s knowledge of elvhen lore as he does so. 

When the Inquisitor seeks help from Morrigan in translating the ancient elven inscriptions he pointedly remarks that they should ask Solas instead, to which Solas gets offended. He retorts that he’s supposed to be the one exploring the Fade looking for signs of ancient civilizations, so it is not far of a stretch to assume that he knows how to read ancient Elvhen; to which Solas begrudgingly agrees.

If the Inquisitor chooses to pursuit the Venatori/Red Templars without completing the Rites of Petition:

Orsino Greatly Disapproves

He will give the Inquisitor a chance to reconsider before continuing

If the Inquisitor insists, he remarks that he made the wrong choice following him and disappears into one of the Temple’s secret passages. Morrigan scoffs “Let the old fool go, we do not need his help.” whereas Solas Disapproves.

The Petitioner’s Chamber

If the Inquisitor has followed the Rites of Petition:

When they encounter Abelas in the Inner Sanctum, he pointedly ignores the Inquisitor’s presence and asks Orsino in ancient elvhen why he led these foreigners there, complaining that they despoil the temple’s sacred ground. Orsino replies also in ancient elvhen that they are not the ones who despoil the Temple. After a moment of thought, Abelas admits that Orsino has a point and offers an alliance: the ancient sentinels will help the Inquisitor in fighting their foe, and in return, the Inquisitor will leave the Temple, never to return. 

Extra dialogue options:

Inquisitor: Morrigan was right all along. You do know more aboout this place than you let on. Orsino: I do, yes.  Abelas: Avallac’h is pledged to Mythal’s service too, like we are. Inquisitor: Then how do I know that I can trust him? Orsino: You do not. That depends on your choices.

(for elven inquisitor) Inquisitor: Our people have lost everything. They need you. They could learn from you. Abelas: Our people? The ones we see running in the forests; shadows wearing vallaslin? You are not my people. Orsino: You are too quick to judge, Shivana’vir (=brother in duty). Our people suffered a great deal after Arlathan’s fall. They are shadows of themselves, yes, but they can still be made to remember. Abelas: Perhaps.

If the inquisitor accepts Abelas’ terms:

Orsino Greatly Approves

Abelas: What about you, Shivana’vir? Will you betray your sacred duty if your allies decide to defile the Vir’Abelassan? Orsino: I am here to ensure noone touches the Vir’Abelassan; neither Corypheus nor my allies; even if it means I have to destroy it myself. Inquisitor: What..?  Abelas: Good. You will be guided to the ones you seek. Avallac’h, you know what to do. Orsino: I do. Follow me. 

The party follows Orsino through the Temple towards the Well of Sorrows. Morrigan keeps quiet throughout, while the Inquisitor and the rest of the party starts questioning Orsino’s devotion to their cause. Orsino only replies that bigger things than even the Inquisition lie with his duty to Mythal and within the Well of Sorrows.

Codex Entry: Avallac’h unlocked

If the Inquisitor rejects Abelas’ terms:

Orsino Greatly Disapproves

Orsino pointedly refuses to stand against the elven sentinels and pursues Morrigan, who chases after Abelas to the Well of Sorrows. The rest of the party fights the elven sentinels before encountering the final boss (Calpernia or Samson)

If the Inquisitor has not followed the Rites of Petition:

The party is stopped by the elven sentinels, and Orsino stands next to Abelas, dressed in the battle vestiments of the ancient elves. Morrigan claims she suspected that Orsino was not on their side all along, and Orsino retorts that he could say the same about her, warning the Inquisitor that she will turn against him if she doesn’t get what she wants. 

We find out that Orsino was in fact one of the elven sentinels bound to Mythal’s service and that he informed Abelas and the rest about the Inquisitor’s and Corypheus trespassing. 

The inquisitor asks Orsino if he would betray him for the sentinels’ sake, and he replies that he prefers betraying them to betraying his duty, remarking that if they could not respect the Temple of Mythal, they could do much less justice to the knowledge stored within the Well of Sorrows.

Orsino admits he accompanied the Inquisitor to the Temple to ensure that neither he or Corypheus would get their hands on the Well of Sorrows and departs to fight the rest of the trespassers, with Morrigan chasing after him and the elven sentinels attack the Inquisitor on Abelas’ order.

In order to proceed further, the Inquisitor has to defeat the sentinels and kill Abelas.

The Well of Sorrows, after battling Calpernia/Samson

If the Inquisitor did not follow the Rites of Petition and fought the elven sentinels: 

Orsino reveals his intention to destroy the Well, in order to protect it from Corypheus, who is coming and says it is not too late for the Inquisitor to leave the Temple and save themselves. If the Well is destroyed, they still have something to gain, since Corypheus will no longer be able to enter the Fade without the Anchor.

Morrigan argues that they will not leave without harnessing the knowledge within the Well, to which the rest of the party reacts either positively or negatively. 

Orsino explains that drinking from the Well means being bound to Mythal’s service for life, and warns the Inquisitor that it would be better for everyone involved that the Well is destroyed. Morrigan has none of it, and accuses Orsino of being a traitor who would rather have his people’s legacy forgotten than offer it in the fight against Corypheus; to which Orsino answers that as long as even one of the sentinels survives, their people’s legacy survives with them; which is better than seeing the knowledge usurped and misused to bring even more misery upon the world. 

The Inquisitor tells him that perhaps it is not too late and that he could still side with them to teach them how to correctly use that knowledge, to which Orsino replies “I tried before. You wouldn’t understand.”

Afterwards, Orsino attempts to destroy the Well and gets mortally wounded by Morrigan’s back stab, dying almost instantly.

If the Inquisitor has followed the Rites of Petition and agreed to Abelas’ terms:

Abelas advises the Inquisitor to leave, since they defeated their foe, but Morrigan argues that they need the knowledge stored in the Well of Sorrows to know how to defeat Corypheus for good.

Orsino tells Abelas that even if the Inquisitor chooses to do nothing with the Well, the danger has not passed, because Corypheus is coming and will try to claim the Well for himself. He concludes that in that case, destroying the Well might be the wisest choice. 

Morrigan replies that still, they need the Well in order to use the Eluvian; to which Orsino replies that this would not be necessary. Abelas explains that all servants of Mythal can utilize the intact Eluvian without needing the Well to do so.

The Inquisitor is given two choices: (1) let Orsino destroy the Well, or (2) insist they need the Well to fight Corypheus. 

If the Inquisitor chooses to let Orsino destroy the Well:

Morrigan protests that they might be destroying their only chance to know how to defeat Corypheus, to which Orsino replies that while even one of the sentinels survives, the Well’s knowledge survives with them.

Abelas remarks that their duty ends along with the Well they were meant to protect.

If Solas is in the party, he will tell Abelas that there are other places that have been untouched by the humans where other ancient elves still linger, and that there are other ways he can serve Mythal. Abelas seems to think about it, and finally agrees that it’s best for the elven sentinels to leave the temple and pursue their duty elsewhere. It is implied that they survive the ordeal.

If Solas is not in the party, Abelas says he will gather the rest of the sentinels to defend the Temple from Corypheus who has already breached the front gate. We do not see Abelas again, and it is implied he was killed by Corypheus, like the rest of the sentinels.

Orsino destroys the well and unlocks the Eluvian just when Corypheus and the Archdemon get pass the Well’s defenses. They all go through the Eluvian to Skyhold and Orsino manages to lock it again, securing their position for good.

If the Inquisitor insists they need the Well to fight Corypheus:

Abelas comments that all shemlen are the same and he attacks the Inquisitor before Orsino can stop him.

Abelas is the boss in this battle, and must be defeated for the plot to continue. Orsino does not fight alongside him, and can be seen in the background, preparing the ritual to destroy the Well.

Once Abelas is defeated, Orsino has already started the ritual to destroy the well, but is stabbed in the back by Morrigan and falls dead next to Abelas. Then the Inquisitor can choose whether they or Morrigan will drink from the Well.

If the Inquisitor has followed the Rites of Petition but fought the elven sentinels:

(See “if the inquisitor insists they need the Well to fight Corypheus”)

#headcanons #post-canon verse #inquisition verse #what pride had wrought #fanmade gameplay #this is considered canon in this blog for the inquisition verses

[fiendpact]

The reason why Samson joined Corypheus is well explained in the short story about Samson - "Paper & Steel" by Joanna Berry the creator of both Samson and Calpernia. In addition, the use of Samson as a villain in the Inquisition was not a "last moment decision" because already in DA2 in Legacy we have a codex entry: A Strange Sighting in which it is written how Corypheus contacts Samson via Larius/Janeka. The DLC came out in 2011.

i never said it was definitely a last minute decision. i said it felt like a last minute decision. i’d never heard of paper & steel, and even if i had picked up the strange sighting codex entry, there’s no guarantee i’d remember it. but thanks for the info.

#samson #corypheus #calpernia

[chupacabrasmustdie]

Did you play all parts of DA? Which one do you like best? Do you have favorite characters?

Hey anon! Sorry for the super late reply -- hopefully you pop in and see this at some point. *waves*

I played all three games, but few DLC - mostly because I only played the first two DA games in preparation of inquisition, so I didn’t bother too much with either game. Inquisition is the one I enjoyed most -- I liked Origins and DA2 alright, but they were both already quite dated graphics-wise and I didn’t bother with multiple runs. I did three runs on Inquisition, which isn’t much by fandom standards but quite impressive for my short attention span 😂

And I definitely have faves! Not in Origins - a lot of characters seemed really cool but again, I didn’t invest much in it. DA2 probably marks the beginning of my proper DA phase -- I LOVED Anders until I binged so much fan work that I sort of made myself sick with him and the way fandom treats him. I just could never buy into the “pure cinnamon roll vs. crazy terrorist” mania that’s still going strong on Tumblr dot com. Isabela and Varric are also A+.

Inquisition did a lot of things wrong but it had such great characters -- not necessarily companions and advisors… or even good guys lmao Samson is a fave of course, but also minor characters such as Livius Erimond, Florianne de Châlons or Calpernia. What can I say, these guys had more substance in three cutscenes and two codex entries than Corypheus did in one game and half… or maybe the good corners of fandom just built upon them in a way that I enjoyed. WHO KNOWS 

As for good guys, I love Varric, Blackwall, Vivienne and Josephine. Great voices, great scenes, great stories, yes please give me more

#da #da:i #da2 #dao #thank you for asking!

[magicbound-a]

Anyways here’s all the answers to Orsino’s quiz and maybe explanations.  If you want to take the quiz before seeing the answers still, click HERE.

What age was Orsino taken to the circle? Seven

This is a personal headcanon! I chose seven as it was the earliest age listed on the wiki for the age range of Circle mages. Orsino’s WoT2 and codex entry listed he was brought to the Circle at a young age and that he had not much to recall of his life in the alienage, so I chose the youngest. 

What was the name of Orsino's childhood friend? Maud

This appears in WoT2.

What was the name of the First Enchanter before Orsino? Maceron

This is also in WoT2. Marius is the name of Calpernia’s lover. Lothaire and Wenselus are the names of other obscure mentioned First Enchanters. 

Did Orsino pass his Harrowing before or after Maud's death? Before

This is canon, revealed in WoT2. 

What is Orsino's primary specialization in Dragon Age 2? Force Magic

Headcanon. Spirit healer is a “secondary” specialization. He didn’t become a blood mage until the very end of Dragon Age 2 and it replaced Spirit Healing. Force magic has always been his longest and most prominent specialization. 

Which branch of magic does Orsino dislike? Entropy

Headcanon. It’s just the most violent and darkest tree, and he has something canonically tied to every other branch except entropy. Fireballs are in primal, healing is in creation, and walking bomb (his staff aids the spell) is in spirit. 

What character in Dragon Age Inquisition drops a copy of Orsino's staff? Calpernia

Canon. Calpernia drops a staff named “Staff of Corruption” that is the same model as Orsino’s. 

What is the name of Orsino's staff? Staff of Violation

Canon. 

Can Orsino draw people very well? No.

Headcanon. He’s not a good artist. He can only draw basic diagrams of plants and any decent artwork of a person would take references and a long time. 

Did Orsino die at the end of Dragon Age 2? This is a trick question (pick this answer)

I mean... do I gotta explain. I was going to have it just me “yes” “no” and “dont remind me mal” but then I realized my canon divergence might confuse people, so I made it a freebie. 

#( ooc; ) #( out of mana; )