#this perspective what role the Arishok holds

[bard-marian]

I love Meredith’s Andraste complex and I think it’s especially fun when paired with a Hawke who keeps usurping her position in moments of religious embolism. I think it would do really well narratively to sort of indicate how the chantry has strayed from the path of good and righteousness by having this literal representative of the might and reach of the chantry be in constant direct opposition to your actions (at least when you’re pro-mage)  but then at the crescendo of each minor conflict, it’s Hawke who is sort of takes the place of the Andraste voice piece or figure. Additionally though, just character wise specifically for Meredith - I just imagine a roaring end to Act II where Meredith is marching up to the keep ready to take up the role of Andraste-figure-savior-protector and opening the doors to a Hawke already engaged with the enemy and being run through by his blade. Believing that she is about to affirm her inhabitance of this sort of Andraste-esque idolatry only to open the doors and find out that not only has she been denied, she’s late to the party - Andraste was already thrown on the pyre and Hessarian is cutting her down. And there is not even the cold comfort of a revisionist history or her being able to bury the moment deeper than anyone can find, because Act III? It’s what would have happened if Andraste had stepped down from her pyre and away from the sword afterwards. It’s an abomination, it’s heretical, it’s her obsession. (It’s everything she wanted to be.)

#meredith stannard #da2 #hawke #Andraste #I just love character complexes and pressing on them like an old bruise #and for you who go there #it’s quite interesting from #this perspective what role the Arishok holds

[yetanotherlesbianonthiswebsite]

In my Revolution!AU, I try to place heavy emphasis on how the marginalized groups of Thedas have been traumatized by the status quo and how in the wake of the destruction of the status quo, spaces slowly emerge in which a healing process might start. While the mage rebellion in canon… well, it exists. That’s as far as I can go without getting into a rant about centrism in DA’s writing. But for my AU, I wanted to give a different perspective on mage freedom. Meet the polyamorous triad that is leading an underground apostate mutual aid group, the Society of Glitter, that later forms the strategical command of the Army of the Mage Rebellion.

Sapphia Offmills is a wanted apostate in Ferelden at the time of Solace 9:31, where my AU diverges significantly from canon. Because I find the rhyme so funny, she is a greyromantic thespian lesbian. She likes expressive rhetorical devices and expressive body language and flirting. Her commitment to mage freedom stems from her own experiences in the circle tower of Kinloch Hold. However, she is aware that the status of mages in Thedas is the product of chantry and human violence; thusly, she very much supports Dalish Freedom. Within the Society of Glitter, her determination and strong spirit are known to uplift those who are doubtful and in need of hope.

I planned for her to be a simple side character, but then created her as an Inquisitor and was like “oh goddesses she is hot” and now she is a LI for the MC and more of a main character. After the circles in Jainen and Kinloch Hold rise up under the banner of the Heroine of Ferelden in the summer of 9:31 following the crisis of the interregnum, Sapphia unites the rebelling mages as the Army of the Mage Rebellion, gaining the title of General. However, she is less of a strategical thinker, that role falls to Meravas; her title as General stems more from being a community leader who helps the freed mages to find their way after decades of incarceration.

 Meravas is a Qunari sapphic trans woman and the inventor of the Thedosian equivalent to trans femme hormone replacement therapy. She left the Qun after the Arishok forbade her to share the recipe with outsiders. She also discovered the mirror of transformation beneath Kirkwall as a very powerful tool for genderqueer people (the mirror of transformation being valuable to genderqueer people has been first explored in Dalishious’ Journey’s End and I love that idea just so much). Her voice is measured, she chooses her words to be precise and informative.

Meravas has an excellent memory, especially regarding names and biographical information (sometimes, you have to write what you don’t know lol). Within the Society, she is responsible for the network of informants and keeping contact with freed apostates who didn’t want to join the Society’s HQ. In the Mage Rebellion, her talents are invaluable for keeping track of logistics and coordinating the participation of the AMR within the actions of the Revolutionary Alliance.

 Hekka is a pan non-binary dwarf and former lyrium smuggler with the Carta. They are very loud-mouthed, prone to swearing and speak what’s on their mind. While their favorite weapon is a bow, they also like grenades and everything that can start fires. They have an impeccable sense of direction and can find a path to any point necessary. If you need a supportive friend who will roast your enemies in both senses of the word, they are who you are looking for.

They support mage freedom after having witnessed too much templar violence during their Carta days. The Society of Glitter could not do field operations this effectively without them. If there’s a will, they find a way, even if it might be unorthodox. In the AMR, they train scouts and create maps and make puns in meetings. After the mages collectively decide to adopt a young Sera, Hekka quickly becomes Sera’s favored accomplice when doing pranks.

  Sapphia decided to run away from the circle in 9:28, the night before she turned eighteen and had to undergo the Harrowing. Together with Anders, a very large tapestry and liberal uses of elemental fire magic, she created an impromptu hot-air balloon to escape via air. It worked well enough that they landed softly in Lake Calenhad way outside the reach of templar boats. A few days later, Anders flirted with a woman in a tavern they were staying in which turned out to be a seeker informant who recognized him. Sapphia had to flee by jumping out of a window in the first floor of the tavern, only to be caught by Meravas, who had been shadowing the seekers in order to get to the location of their commander. It was a case of attraction at first sight.

Sapphia knew that the templars would chase her as long as the phylactery pointed to the blood pulsing through her veins and decided to fake her own death to vanish from the templar’s radar. Presenting a templar hunting party with a plausible case of death one day, she timed the situation correctly and, together with Meravas’ help, decided to stop her heart from beating for a short time to make the phylactery report her death and become unusable. It would have gone poorly had Meravas not done almost impossible magic to get Sapphia’s heart beating again.

The two met Hekka while trying to infiltrate Kinloch Hold to spread pamphlets into the library. Hekka’s lyrium smuggling group had detected the two mages and their boss had decided to report them to the templars for extra cash. Hekka incited combat between the Carta dwarves and the templars and then fled together with Sapphia and Meravas. That night, they decided to found the Society of Glitter. They grew closer and became a couple in the span of a year and a half, until in summer of 9:31, the Society was approached by the Heroine of Ferelden with an unusual request.

#dragon age #original characters #sapphia offmills #meravas #hekka #cn death #cn fire #the ridge of thedas