A resource blog for authors writing fanfiction in the Dragon Age universe. Open to suggestions and requests--see the About page. We follow the tag #dawritingref.
You'll likely notice that much of the site is full of links that go nowhere or lead to dead-ends. I haven't had the chance to reformat much to fit the site yet, but wanted to get it live and running!
Please be patient as I continue to work out the kinks in my webdev and html skills. In the meanwhile, I've made a very small, basically read-only discord where I will continue to post updates on the site's progress and you can contact me via submission form. Please use these to send QA feedback! These early stages are the most critical for me to fix problems such as accessibility or ease-of-use.
What does this mean for the future of the blogs?
They'll still be here, and I'll still update them! I'll still respond to asks and keep an eye on comments/replies, but the formatting will no longer be optimized for tumblr's layout, as it would be a lot of work to make both (and formatting is what has always taken the longest). I'll keep tumblr in the loop on site updates as well, and if you don't like discord, you can follow the DA Transcript bluesky for more frequent news!
Here are the canon ways and my HCs. Steal, modify, or ignore as you wish.
Magical restraints
A room with wards
These are standard issue in Circle basements, but rare elsewhere as they're complicated and expensive. The huge advantage is that once a mage is in one, there is no way to use magic.
Tranquility
Only used by the Circle, but an effective way to cut a mage off from the Fade and thus, from magic.
Templars
Very effective, but restricted to Templars.
Shackles (warded)
Still pretty expensive toys and manufactured by the Chantry so not generally available. A chantry might have a pair or two hanging around for emergencies.
Physical Restraints
Shackles (regular)
Gaider writes in Asunder that shackles effectively restrain Rhys. I'm not buying that completely. They limit movement, but I think a dextrous mage could eventually work some spells since their hands are free.
Binding
Completely wrapping the fingers and hands in fabric or leather strips to render them immobile, usually paired with shackles. This is a good one and pretty damn effective. Big issue is if you've got a prisoner you don't want to feed and help to the bathroom, this gets awkward.
Removal of hands
Whelp, that does it.
Chemical Restraints
Fantasy Oxaliplatin
Inspired by my chemo, this would be a potion that hampers fine motor skills and makes hands numb to a degree. It messes with the ability to cast spells. It's not fool proof as a determined mage might be able to come up with a way to cast even hampered by the potion, so it's generally paired with the next potion. Together they make a good option if you want to confine a mage, but don't want to be stuck handfeeding them.
This one, if used over a longer length of time, can have longlasting or chronic effects. Fine motor controls are buggered, numbness and clumsiness last, and neuropathy can set in making it pretty painful. With a great spirit healer there's still hope of fixing it though.
Some mind dulling potion
Pair bad hands with something that hinders thought to a certain degree and you've got a fairly effective way to render a mage magicless for a time.
Big guns potion
This would be a hallucinogen of some sort that just scrambles thoughts to an extreme degree, making it hard to order and organize in any sensible way. This gets used on powerful and/or experienced mages. It will often still be used with binding and shackles though because if somehow a mage manages to put two thoughts together and construct a spell, it's gonna be wild. I HC that this one can have long lasting effects, like possible psychotic breaks in the future, so it's not extremely common unless the mage in question isn't expected to make it out of their jam or their captors just don't give a shit.
Ooooo thank you for putting this together!!! I have some additions if I may:
Magebane is also a thing!!! It inhibits mana in DA:O mechanically and I’ve used in fics as “magic be gone” to keep mage’s from accessing the Fade temporarily.
(I forgot it existed for a long time and made up an equivalent as well but functionally it was the same thing.)
You may also smite your mage if you have a Templar or Seeker handy think I’ve done that one before in fics. I’m sure a bad actor or Templar turned mercenary or something of that ilk can do this too. (Maybe your mage doesn’t know this person has those abilities even until it’s too late)
Lyrium shackles could be a more effective form of shackle to make your mage weak without outright killing them. Maybe a rune inscribed that makes them sick as well as restraining them.
Raw lyrium bars on doors and windows would give your mage more space but keep them from escaping that way.
Phylactery!!! There’s definitely room to play with the blood magic aspect of a phylactery as well, in that it can more than likely be used to control people as well as track them down should they escape.
Silence is an ability templars have in DA2 that fully shuts down casting, but it does have to be reapplied and has long cooldown, so you really need two to three templars per mage that needs to be contained in order to keep the silence up 100% of the time.
"A room with wards" in an ideal world is almost definitely a room + some kind of permanent variant of Glyph of Neutralization - one of those fantastic high level spells that never makes it past DAO but is notable for zapping the entire mana pool of everyone who steps on it, as well as preventing the target from being affected by any magic. This is a really useful side effect if you're not a mage and you need to handle large groups of mages - even if their buddies come to stage a rescue and start hurling fireballs at you, you'll be fine.
Of course, Glyph of Neutralization itself is a spell, so getting a mage to cast it for you for the purpose of imprisoning other mages might be a difficult proposition.
In DAO, where you could give anyone any weapon you wanted, there was a specific subset of spells that require sheathing all non-staff weapons before casting. The rest can be cast with swords, shields, bows, whatever else in your hands. This makes me think that only the spells you can't cast with your hands full are the ones that are properly blocked by physical restraints - these guys have somatic components, to use D&D parlance.
Now, these somatic spells include basically all the iconic primal spells - lightning, fireball, winter's grasp -, mind blast, and most of the really bad hexes. Basically, if you're messing with someone's mind, or blasting something (a missile, a cone, a line) at someone from your hands, you need... hands.
But that leaves a lot of spells that aren't as flashy that are perfectly available. Most notably, most of the big fuck-you storm effects (Blizzard is the one exception). And also blood magic.
I think it fits perfectly with the tone of Thedas for it to be a common belief that restraining a mage means they're 100% down and out, when really it just means they have no alternative less lethal than raining fire on you, themself, and everyone else in the vicinity.
The Threat Remains: A Blessed Hero
What Pride Had Wrought: Forgive My Melancholy
Prompted Conversations:
In Hushed Whispers: Point Taken
Champions of the Just: Betrayal is Worse
Here Lies the Abyss: Unnerving
Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts: Court Intrigue
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Source of the Breach
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Investigate: Tell Me About Elves
Investigate: Tell Me About the Fade
Investigate: Tell Me About Yourself
Investigate: Tell Me About Your Journeys
Investigate: Tell Me About Corypheus
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Specialization: Knight-Enchanter
Specialization: Necromancer
Specialization: Rift Mage
Personal Quest - All New, Faded for Her:
Pt. 1 - A Friend in Need
Pt. 2 - Twisted Against Its Purpose
Pt. 3 - Responsible
Pt. 4 - Return to Skyhold
Approval:
Measuring the Veil
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Low Approval: How Does It Feel?
Low Approval: You Have Abandoned the Elves
Low Approval: You're Addicted to the Fade
Warm Approval: Felt the Whole World Change
Warm Approval: Sleep Well?
High Approval: Before the Anchor
Romance:
The Truth
Post-Romance: Harden Your Heart
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Wicked Eyes and Wicked Eyes: After the Ball
Some facts about Bellara (and also the Veil Jumpers, and other random Elven things) gathered from the banters
I went through all companion banters on DanaDuchy's channel after playing the game to write down all facts about companions/the world that I haven't seen brought up anywhere in the game as a writing reference (and for funsies).
Note: This list may not be exhaustive. I might have missed some something or didn't write it down because I considered it common knowledge. If you have anything to add, please DM me or send an ask! (do specify what banter the information is coming from, though)
Note 2: Posts from this series (mostly) don't include information from banters specific to quests or between companions and faction members. I plan to do another playthrough to capture more of those and will add any relevant info to the character posts.
Other characters' posts: Davrin, Harding, Lucanis, Emmrich, Neve, Taash. I'm also planning a post about just the Lighthouse some time later
About Bellara
Family and past:
Bellara’s mother is a woodworker who sells furniture in Orlais, and her father is an herbalist. He taught her about deadly plants (for her own safety)
Bellara didn’t tell her parents about Cyrian’s (second) death
Bellara once broke both of her arms while racing an Aravel
Bellara learnt magic from her Keeper and later the Veil Jumpers, but she also studied a lot on her own by reading books and just trying things out
When she was little, Bellara wondered what it’s like to settle down instead of moving all the time (just like Davrin did)
General:
Bellara can better focus on writing when she has background noise (like Rook talking)
Bellara likes tea (but can also drink coffee after she pulls an all-nighter, which seems to happen pretty often)
Bellara liked Lucanis’s grilled fish
Bellara didn’t know any Qunari recipes before joining the Veilguard
Bellara wouldn’t want to be an assassin, but she would be interested in taking lessons from Crows about assassination techniques
Bellara thinks that most people in Tevinter are condescending, even the nice ones
Magic and life with the Veil Jumpers:
Bellara once found an artifact that was basically an ancient elven mechanical toothbrush
Bellara is a Veil Jumper because Arlathan is her home, and she can’t stand by and do nothing. Also, because of the artefacts
Part of the reason why Irelin and Bellara broke up is that Bellara became too consumed by studying/fixing artefacts
Bellara and Davrin agree that the Veil Jumpers’ odds are even worse than the Wardens’
Bellara thinks that the ancient Elven magic feels cold
Bellara didn’t find anything on the Devouring Storm in the libraries or Circles. Vorgoth and Myrna never heard of it either
Life at the Lighthouse:
Bellara owns a bronze candleholder shaped like a fennec
Bellara thinks that the Fade in the Lighthouse is almost too calm compared to Arlathan
Bellara likes her space in the Lighthouse and feels like “it's been waiting for her”
The Archive sometimes stares at people who come by
Bellara eventually suggests that she and Lucanis completely take over the cooking. Everybody except for Harding dreaded any meal not cooked by them anyway and gleefully agreed
Antoine let Bellara borrow his compound for flaming arrows to see how it reacts in the Fade (she doesn’t speak about the results, but she used at least one compound for testing without incidents and later wants to borrow more)
Relationships with companions:
Bellara offers Davrin to listen about his findings regarding the Gloom Howler as he searches for the missing griffons, saying she's a good listener
Bellara asks Neve if she can become a Shadow Dragon and is very excited when she hears “Yes”
However, when Emmrich offers her to join the Mourn Watch, she turns him down saying that the Veil Jumpers need her.
A writing inconsistency. Probably.
Neve once saw Bellara poking around Assan, trying to figure out if he was real or some clever mechanical contraption
Bellara wants to make pillows out of Assan’s molted feathers (but Davrin refuses because he finds it weird)
Bellara made dog biscuits for Assan (that Davrin accidentally ate the first time). The next time she brought a batch, she left them in a box labelled “Assan biscuits inside, do not eat.” Assan liked them!
Bellara once covered Assan in olive oil thinking it could improve his wind resistance and let him fly faster. Didn’t work.
Bellara offers Emmrich to co-author a paper about ancient elves after they find out elves came from spirits
Bellara asks Emmrich about vampires multiple times. According to him, when a Hunger Demon possesses a corpse, the resulting abomination can seek out blood, sort of resembling a vampire. They can't turn into bats though
According to Neve, some magisters in Minrathous have tried bonding with Hunger Demons which resulted in them having immense power but also a craving for blood
Bellara and Harding swap books for reading
Bellara gets into lifting using Harding's rocks
Bellara doesn’t think she needs to threaten Lucanis when she finds out he and Neve are dating because Neve could wipe the floor with him herself if she wanted (Lucanis agrees)
Bellara is fine with Lucanis taking on Ghilan’nain’s contract (“Whatever we were worshipping, it wasn’t her") and cheered him on at Weisshaupt
Bellara asks Neve to beta-read her story
(If Neve and Rook are in romance) Bellara thinks that solving cases together is romantic
(If Neve leaves after Rook chooses to save Treviso) Bellara kept notes of everything that happened while Neve was away to help her adjust after she’s back
About the Veil Jumpers:
Bellara mentioned that a certain elf camped in some ruins, and one day woke up stuck in the clouds. The Veil Jumpers haven’t figured out a way to get them down, so they just send them food and water
Veil Jumpers use some of the artefacts they have recovered as weapons. However, they don’t use them often, since most of them need to be charged after one use, and nobody really knows how to do that
Though Bellara also mentions she doesn’t forage in the forest anymore. Strife does, however, he always finds something edible
It’s hard to say how many Veil Jumpers are out there because people die/go missing/leave too often to keep a proper count
The Veil Jumpers once found an artefact that caused whoever activated it to get sucked into the Fade. One guy got trapped inside because he used it even if the others told him not to. Bellara is weirdly nonchalant about that whole thing
The Veil Jumpers once found something like an entrance to the Deep Roads on the Southern Edge of Arlathan Forest. The group that found it sealed themselves inside and destroyed the entrance, leaving a note telling the others not to enter. Davrin hypothesises it could be one of the pools similar to the one we saw in the Horrors of Hormak
Ritsivas from the Veil Jupmers is non-binary (mentioned by Harding in a conversation with Taash)
Misc:
The power crystals are called “June'suledin'bellanaris'ena'ghilan'lasa'shiral”. You may infer the reasons everybody just calls them 'power crystals'
Not all traps in Elven ruins were originally meant to be traps, but their magic is old, so it doesn’t recognise modern people and can backfire. And sometimes magic just degrades over time and accidentally rips the Veil, summoning demons
Andruil’s Gauntlet is an ancient site meant to test hunters who want to wield the mightiest weapons. It’s filled with traps, and no one has made through it in ages. It was made by Andruil’s priests to test the warriors of Elvhenan
Clans Nuvenis and Sabrae live in Ferelden. Harding’s village traded with the Sabrae in the past
Does anyone know what this language's name is or if we know which letters are which? It's used on all the grave stones but searching Nevarran language yields almost no info.
The official name for this language is tomb-script and it isn’t Nevarran’s just Mourn Watcher according to Sylvia on Bluesky who introduced it. As of right now we have not seen Nevarran script!
Does anyone know what this language's name is or if we know which letters are which? It's used on all the grave stones but searching Nevarran language yields almost no info.
Rowan: Greetings. I am Seer Rowan. I help the spirits in this area
Here are Seer Rowan and Compassion, and their lines for (most) of the companions. (I seem to have missed transferring the shots for Emmrich and Davrin, and will have to add them).
Bellara
Spirit of Compassion: Pain, but finally unmasked. Let it be enough. Don't let my mistake hurt her. My vora'shivan will fly free.
Bellara: Oh...
Rowan: I'm sorry. She feels your pain and wishes to help.
Bellara: Oh, it's fine. She's still better than the Nadas Dirthalen.
Harding (embraced anger)
Spirit of Compassion: You found your anger. Red, but real, and now with you again.
Rowan: Forgive Compassion if she caused offense.
Harding: Oh! I knew a spirit like her in the Inquisition. Cole. Are all Spirits of Compassion like...I don't know, friendly mabari?
Rowan: Spirits of Compassion are kind and...free with their experiences.
Lucanis (Treviso saved, mind Ossuary completed)
Spirit of Compassion: Spite! Pressed, but now partners, the crow ready to spread its wings.
Spite: Ugh. Compassion.
Lucanis: Friend of yours?
Spite: Keep. Walking.
Neve (hardened)
Spirit of Compassion: Her mind keeps pulling on threads! This or that. Puzzle pieces put together! A wave of wisps fluttering, flocking to see what she thinks of next.
Neve: Right. But is that the only reason they come around?
Spirit of Compassion: Ooh! Suspicions!
Taash
Spirit of Compassion: She doesn't know the words, but she knows what to do. "When I see my child in danger, I act."
Taash: Tama
Spirit of Compassion: They have found who they are. Pride, fierce as fire. So many places I was not enough as a mother, but in this, I did well.
I thought I would just finish creating these for every language as long as I had everything open.
DA: Veilguard 繁体中文 Traditional Chinese Script (Organized)
DA: Veilguard 繁体中文 Traditional Chinese Script (Raw)
DA: Veilguard 简体中文 Simplified Chinese Script (Organized)
DA: Veilguard 简体中文 Simplified Chinese Script (Raw)
DA: Veilguard 日本語 Japanese Script (Organized)
DA: Veilguard 日本語 Japanese Script (Raw)
DA: Veilguard 한국어 Korean Script (Organized)
DA: Veilguard 한국어 Korean Script (Raw)
DA: Veilguard Русский Russian Script (Organized)
DA: Veilguard Русский Russian Script (Raw)
DA: Veilguard Português Portuguese Script (Organized)
DA: Veilguard Português Portuguese Script (Raw)
DA: Veilguard Polski Polish Script (Organized)
DA: Veilguard Polski Polish Script (Raw)
DA: Veilguard Italiano Italian Script (Organized)
DA: Veilguard Italiano Italian Script (Raw)
DA: Veilguard Français French Script (Organized)
DA: Veilguard Français French Script (Raw)
DA: Veilguard Español Spanish Script (Organized)
DA: Veilguard Español Spanish Script (Raw)
DA: Veilguard Deutsch German Script (Organized)
DA: Veilguard Deutsch German Script (Raw)
DA: Veilguard English Script (Organized)
DA: Veilguard English Script (Raw)
BONUS:
Dragon Age: Inquisition Organized Script in French
French Dialogue Separated By Character
Everything Solas says in French
Comparison between Solas' dialogue in French and English
Thank you to @amburuthings for helping me get the Inquisition talktable in French!
(I would like to make organized scripts for Dragon Age: Inquisition in the other languages, but I need the raw talktable for them in order to process them, so if you would like to export the raw talktable in your language for me using Frosty and link me to it, I would be glad to quickly put it through my program.)
Lucanis: But what about all the frightening stories your mother told you?
Taash: She stopped telling me those stories after she found me up on our roof. I had a butter knife in each hand and the tablecloth tied around my neck.
Lucanis: (laughs) You wanted to be a Crow, after all your mother did to make them sound terrifying?
Taash: The Crows sounded amazing. Also you had capes.
Lucanis: This explains so much about you.
Things Shathann Said about the Crows:
Antivan Crows aren't allowed to kill people who are asleep. That's why Qunari children have to stay in bed once it's bedtime.
Antivan Crows use hollow blades that hold poison. They also hide underwater and breathe through a tube.
Antivan Crows do blood magic rituals with broken Qunari horns. That's why Qunari children have to properly dispose of their broken horns.
Antivan Crows are trained to glide on wind currents using their capes.
Antivan Crows sometimes leave poisoned needles in new clothes and boots. That's why Qunari families wear hand-me-down clothes.
Antivan Crows can dislocate all their joints and hide in pots.
Antivan Crows hide in fancy restaurants to sneak poison into the food. That's why Qunari families always eat their meals at home.
Truly, pour one out for Shathann, trying to raise a fire breathing baby, miles of ocean away from anyone she might have asked for help, with no idea how you're supposed to parent, and when in desperation she makes up elaborate lies about the boogeyman to keep the kid in line, the kid decides they wanna be the boogeyman.
I automatically sorted the lines of every Dragon Age character from DA: Inquisition and DA: Veilguard into their own text files, and uploaded them to google drive.
Dialogue Separated By Speaker for 1500 Different Dragon Age Characters ↗
This comes with my:
ORGANIZED INQUISITION SCRIPT
ORGANIZED VEILGUARD SCRIPT
If you are confused about a line you've never seen before in your favorite character's file, you can search for it in the full scripts (organized by scene and with speakers labeled) I made, and it will give you the context! It could be a deleted line, it could be something that was cut but they recorded dialogue, it could just be a really rare line! There seem to be many secrets left to find, even about Inquisition after 10 years.
Anyway, feel free to use this for whatever you like. I personally love these kinds of files and think they're great help when writing fanfic to get a character's voice right! I hope you find something interesting.
