“There are men who struggle against destiny, and yet achieve only an early grave. There are men who flee destiny, only to have it swallow them whole. And there are men who embrace destiny and do not show their fear. These are the ones that change the world forever.”
independent, selective, mutuals and 20+ only. GARRETT HAWKE of the DRAGON AGE universe. As told by Chavi ( he/him, 21+). Mostly follows DA2/Inquisition and Veilguard canon, with some changes.
QUICK RULES BENEATH THE CUT. / VERSES (tba).
Rules.
i. The usual role-play etiquette applies: don’t godmod unless plotted beforehand, don’t metagame, etc. Y'know, standard RPC stuff.
ii. YOU MUST BE OLDER THAN 18 AT LEAST TO INTERACT. I may write about heavy or otherwise NSFW topics such as violence, sexual scenes, etc. I'd rather not write with minors, being 21+ myself.
iii. I will only roleplay with MUTUALS. I'm a tad selective with who I follow back. if I follow you I WANT to interact! That said, asks are ALWAYS welcome, even if we're not mutuals!
iv. MULTISHIP. This blog is multiship and thus every romantic relationship will be in separate verses. I enjoy shipping!.
v.⠀ Your character is allowed to be mean / rude if it’s in character for them to do and be like that, HOWEVER, I will not accept nor permit any form of ooc discrimination or derogatory behaviour. Stuff like being racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, etc. Being a dick just for the sake of it won't be tolerated here, bucko!
vi. If you write or support pedophilia, incest, or any other vein of sexual assault, you ain't welcome here. Just leave if you do, okay?
vii. Topics WILL be tagged as needed or as specified in your rules. That being said, I easily forget things due to my ADHD; your safety is important, but I am a forgetful person. I apologize if I miss something. Kindly remind me of it and I'll get right to tagging!⠀
Hawke appreciated being offered a cup. He's partial to summer ales, Ander Stout and Fereldan Ale, but he'd never turn down a nice drink. Especially when talking about subjects such as his own stories. "A good story, wine and cheese? You've been reading Varric's stories, haven't you? That sounds like it came from Hard in Hightown. Maker, it sounds exactly like something guardsman Donnen Brennokovic would say."
He couldn't resist bringing that up, what he wouldn't mention was the fact that he knew the real guardsmen, technically guardsman and guardswoman, whom Varric based Donnen off of... Or that he's responsible for Aveline and said guardsman getting married. He's still laughing over the fistfights that have occurred in the Kirkwall barracks over whom the inspiration is, he's got a sovereign on Donnic. "No wonder you get along with Varric. I'm surprised he didn't tell you more about what we got up to in those ten years plus what happened with the Inquisition."
He took a hearty swig of his cup and an appreciative sigh left his lips, Maker that was some decent ale, and took a few moments to think. "Did he ever tell you about the time I was on a hit list from the Merchant's Guild?" That was a fun story, he knows the Inquisitor knows the story, but he hopes Rook doesn't. It's a rare chance to tell a story Varric has not told.
she can still remember the expression on varric’s face when she’d told him she’d never read one of his books --- it wasn’t one of offense or outrage like countless other authors might upon finding out their work isn’t as prolific as they’d led themselves to believe. he’d been cheeky about it. maybe even a little delighted. even so, she’d made the point of keeping an eye out should an eventual copy turn up at a merchant’s stall or back of a cart.
“i’ve read a little, but the more i hear people talk about varric, the more i keep finding out i’m woefully more behind on his collective works than i previously thought.” her preoccupation with everything going on around her certainly had made for a slower going as it was. hard in hightown was meant to be a page turner, but it was rare for her to muster more than a couple at a time. “but if you’re going to compare me to donnen, i feel like i should be taking that as a compliment.”
when he mentions his surprise at varric not telling her more stories about his time in kirkwall compared to the stories she heard about the inquisition, she crinkles her nose and takes a sip of her drink before settling herself in a chair. ( and it does seem a little surprising, doesn’t it? a storyteller not telling a certain set of stories --- especially about a place she knew varric held close to his heart. kirkwall was his treviso. treviso was her kirkwall. they both felt like a living extension of the place they called home. ) “he had a lot on his mind, i think. this business with solas took up a lot of varric’s attention.” which made sense — it was personal for him. she was no better when it was treviso that needed her help.
“so now it sounds like i’ve been missing out,” she clicks her tongue before taking another sip. she can’t blame varric for not having the time to tell her about each and every time he ( or someone he was close to ) go into trouble. but on the other hand ---- this is the perfect chance to hear another point of view on one of those adventures, and she’s got plenty of curiosity for hawke to deal with. “so this merchant guild hit list ..... it wasn’t a crow contract, was it?”
"Believe me, being compared to Donnen is actually a compliment. Half the guardsmen wish that happened to them." He adds with a grin as he sips from his ale, leaving that statement to hang in the air. He would never get over his shock when Aveline kept calling him down to the Barracks because her guards needed the Champion's help. It felt... Good. To be needed like that, to be able to help others. He quickly comes back to the present, no need to dig those thoughts up. "I've heard Varric's books are surprisingly more popular in Orlais than we previously thought. Apparently people would rather read his crime serials over the Tale of the Champion." Hawke adds with a chuckle.
"Yeah. Varric's got a tendency to get lost in his head at times, and tracking down Solas? It was priority number one, Kirkwall second and I was relegated to third. Shame on him, I'm his number two priority." Humor comes naturally to him, it had to if he was to try and get Carver to relax. "Crow contract? No no, not at all. The Merchants Guild is... Different from the Crows, or so Varric told me. He said that the Merchants' Guild and the Carta function in much the same way, both dealing in smuggled goods and engaging in other dubious activities." Hawke shrugs, it has been years since he tangled with the Guild or the Carta.
"Now, here's the fun part of the story. My uncle, Gamlen, he borrowed a lot of coin from the Guild to import... Something or other, it's not really important - Anyways, my uncle was so deep in debt that, naturally, they decided to go after me. Five big dusters, armed to the teeth showed up at my Estate one night." He pauses for dramatic flair, Varric told him it was a good way to generate tension when telling a story, and continues after a second.
"So, these five bruisers are about to kick my door open but Bodahn, my manservant who worked for me at the time, opens the door and I yelled, 'You’re just in time!' and dragged them over to a game of Wicked Grace. My mother, Andraste preserve her her, served us tea. We played two hands of cards before the city guard showed up to take them away. A couple of them became regulars in our weekly game actually... No hard feelings, I'm actually glad I didn't have to kill them."
I've been thinking about giving my guy here a BG3 verse, should I do it? I mean, ngl, I've already sort of built him as a PC in a Ghosts of Saltmarsh and later on a Curse of strahd game. I remember I was trying real hard to fit all the stuff he can potentially do in-game, which isn't entirely possible given the constraints of 5e, maybe in a 3.5 game or a pathfinder one it'd be possible.
All I know for sure is that he's a Sorcerer, seeing how they're born already aable of doing magic, it made sense considering how magic works in Thedas. Thoughts anyone?
𝙎𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙮𝙖 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧. Too fringe to be Dalish, too Dalish to be a city-elf. Her traditions were old, and simultaneously not traditional enough. She was praised and thanked by the Dalish for granting them land, yet settle in it. She was Elven. Foreign to all but her people who made their home deep within the Hundred Pillars, a relic of an age long past and a people now fractured beyond repair. To all but a few, she is a name in a textbook. Irrelevant after her deeds during the Fifth Blight. Her honorific more than her name or her face; but this suites her just fine.
It has been over a decade since that time, and has felt every hour of her age. Dreams plague her sleep faces haunt her; the only demons able to assail her soul those which do not exist in the fade. A different kind of blight assaults the people she once was prepared to die for. Bound by solemn oath, she had made her way along worn she had not seen in near eleven years. And that is when she meets the stranger, on the road from Kirkwall.
He is a mage, like her and also not. Traveling the road in silence, merely going the same direction until nightfall and rain forced their shelter. She opens merely with a question of his origin, and his destination. He gets to the first part, and she pauses. Lothering. She recalls not what it was like when she arrived, but what she found when the horde was done. Her hands stop, unease causing a gentle placement of the kindling next to the embers of flame as the fire became stoked. She does not hear his answer in regards to his destination over the voices that cannot speak yet echo nonetheless in her mind. But his face is unfamiliar to her.
〞I know of the place. Ir abelas, Shemlen ( I'm sorry, quick child ). 〞Her voice indicates no desire to return, however. Moreover, her speech sets her apart from most southern Dalish instantly, the pronunciation of Elven different entirely. And spoken with different understanding. It is literal; even 'Shemlen' spoken with true intent. The tongue is fluid, and leaves her with grace and ease Common does not. 〞May the Gods rest the souls of her people. You have my deepest prayers. But I must beg your forgiveness, and ask you repeat yourself. Where was it you said you were destined? The past clouded my mind, for but a moment. 〞
Their escape from Kirkwall had been surprisingly smooth. They all had to scatter to divide attention and minimize the chances of getting ambushed or too caught up by the Chantry. As much as Hawke would've loved to have Carver with him again, he had to once again let his brother go. The Wardens could protect him better than Hawke, and Carver had to be safe. The road was lonely, silent even with his greaves making noise as he walked, he was not expecting to see someone, let alone a fellow mage like him.
He wasn't the religious sort, that had been Sebastian and, to a lesser extent, Bethany at times. But he prayed that this mage was not aggressive... And thankfully his prayer was answered, she was nice if a bit reserved. He can deal with the silence, he's used to Fenris and Anders on their more broody days. Rain forces them to stop and when she asks questions, he answers them with relative ease. Lothering was his home, just like Kirkwall is. There's no denying that.
Maker, he should've asked Merrill to teach him more Elvhen. As he is, he can barely keep up with her words. He knows some words, enough to get a general feel of what she means but not quite enough to fully comprehend what she says. He waits for her to stop, clears his throat and hopes he's pronouncing it right, "Ma serannas. I appreciate your words, I'm sorry to say that I didn't quite understand you. My friend Merrill taught me some Elvhen, but I'm not as fluent as she is." He understood the suffix for a place, he's making a lot of assumptions. "I'm heading westward. Away from Kirkwall, it is... Chaos, right now, I need to get away for a spell."
He's certainly not going to mention that he's The Champion of Kirkwall, it'd only add to his ever-growing list of regrets...
Varric had not lied when he mentioned Cullen was with the Inquisition. The former Knight-Captain looked well, all things considered. Hawke wasn't expecting to talk with him again after Kirkwall... Then again, Cullen had allowed him and his merry band of misfits to get out of the city unimpeded after Meredith turned into a Lyrium statue, so he deserved some camaraderie.
"Knight-Captain! Or is it, Commander, now? I don't really know what to call you." Hawke allowed himself a small chuckle before straightening out. "That's a noble sentiment. If you really believe that, I'm glad the Inquisition has you leading their troops." He remembered Cullen was one of the few Templars, alongside Mareuvar Carver and Ser Thrask, who didn't want to immediately lock him up or kill him, so he was glad to see that hadn't changed. "I will admit, if that's the goal the Inquisition is working towards, I shall gladly lend my aid... I was going to do so anyway, but it's more as a favour for Varric and my own sense of responsibility... Saving people is good, a worthy goal."
Well... Shit. That statement was just asking for trouble. He wanted to make a snarky comment, to deflect and just brush it off but, knowing Isabela, she'd turn it on his head and he'd be looking like a fool... Yeah, as if that hadn't happened before. "What's the worst that can happen if I did? It's not like the Maker or Andraste herself will strike me down where I stand if I do... Right?" He certainly hoped not, but the Maker had an odd sense of humor, and he wouldn't put it past Him to actually smite Garrett if he fell for the pirate.
"I mean, the worst that can happen is that you break my heart and I drown my sorrows in alcohol. Which, to be fair, I already do a fair amount of drinking so not much would change." Her request seemed oddly specific to him, sounded like she'd had a bad experience before. And now that was one subject he was not keen on touching on, lest he wanted a dagger aimed at him.
Kinda? I mean, Hawke doesn't bend over backwards in an attempt to please everyone and anyone. He's confident in who he is and, well, if you don't like him, he won't go out of his way to make you like him. He didn't bend over backwards to please the people of Kirkwall before he became its Champion, he stuck to his guns and accepted that they'd treat him and Carver like that.
The only people he would do that for are his friends and maybe his brother. Hawke says to the Inquisitor when they meet at Skyhold, "I could barely get my friends to stop fighting." He used to do his best to try and get his friends to get along with each other, same thing with Carver, even though in his brother's case there was an undertone of "prove me wrong, prove yourself that you're better." the trope 'Dare to Be Badass' is in full effect with Carver.
So, in a very roundabout way, I'd say he is somewhat of a people pleaser, but not with everyone. Just with those he REALLY cares about you know?
HOO BOY, we're starting off strong! Here's the thing, if I were to describe Garrett with one sentence it'd be, 'The Man who Regrets'. That's how many regrets he's got but the biggest ones all relate to his family, both his blood family and his family of choice.
He regrets not being able to save Bethany, he regrets that Carver got the Taint and having to become a Grey Warden, and he especially regrets not being able to save his mother and having to watch her die in his arms after Quentin did what he did to her. He regrets the fact that Kirkwall all but exploded into a civil war, and he couldn't prevent it from reaching that point, he's kind of split on Meredith, but he does regret that she ended up turned into a lyrium statue, and she's sitting in the Gallows courtyard. He never meant to do that to her, at most he just hoped to get her to stand down without further bloodshed. Hell, he regrets that his friends, his second family, had to get caught up in the crossfire, and they all had to abandon Kirkwall and each other.
Sure, he keeps in touch with all of them, but it's not the same, you know? All in all, yeah, he regrets a lot of things but those are the biggest ones.
✱˚｡⋆ ↪ 𝐙𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐂 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒 . ( a collection of headcanon prompts based on each zodiac sign . adjust questions as desired . )
⊹ — ARIES .
≻ how does your muse handle competition ?
≻ what is your muse's biggest regret ?
≻ how does your muse handle losing control ?
≻ how does your muse express their passion ?
⊹ — TAURUS .
≻ what is your muse's most prized possession ?
≻ how does your character show their reliability ?
≻ what is your muse's favorite way to relax ?
≻ what simple things does your muse find joy in ?
⊹ — GEMINI .
≻ how does your muse communicate with others ?
≻ how does your muse handle the duality within themselves ?
≻ is your character predictable ? unpredictable ?
≻ how does your muse react to change ?
⊹ — CANCER .
≻ how does your muse react to emotional manipulation ?
≻ what is your muse's most treasured family tradition ?
≻ what is a cherished memory your muse holds close ?
≻ how does your muse express love & care ?
⊹ — LEO .
≻ does your muse lead others effectively ?
≻ what is your muse's most arrogant behavior ?
≻ is your character confident ? charismatic ?
≻ how does your muse handle being ignored ?
⊹ — VIRGO .
≻ what is your muse's most dedicated project ?
≻ how does your muse assist others in times of need ?
≻ what are your muse's standards for themselves ?
≻ what does your muse find beauty in ?
⊹ — LIBRA .
≻ how does your muse bring balance to their surroundings ?
≻ is your muse a people pleaser ?
≻ how does your muse navigate justice & mercy ?
≻ how does your muse handle having to confront someone ?
⊹ — SCORPIO .
≻ what is your muse's most transformative experience ?
≻ is your muse the jealous type ? are they possessive ?
≻ does your muse engage in introspection often ?
≻ how does your muse deal with obsession ?
⊹ — SAGITTARIUS .
≻ is your muse a workaholic ? what's their view of workaholics ?
≻ what is your muse's most reckless decision ?
≻ how does your muse handle commitment ?
≻ does your muse experience wanderlust ? where would they go ?
⊹ — CAPRICORN .
≻ how does your muse demonstrate their ambition ?
≻ is your muse an optimist , realist, or pessimist ?
≻ does your muse value their legacy ? what have they done to ensure it ?
≻ what is your muse's average daily routine ?
⊹ — AQUARIUS .
≻ what is a cause or a movement your muse is deeply involved in ?
≻ how does your muse handle unpredictability ?
≻ does your muse challenge the status quo ? how ?
≻ what subject or field is your muse passionate about learning ?
⊹ — PISCES .
≻ is your muse sensitive, or do they have a thick skin ?
≻ does your muse have any escapist behaviors ?
≻ what does your muse dream about ? are they lucid , do they sleepwalk ?
≻ how does your muse handle harsh criticism ?
The air around you smells of carrion. Adrenaline floods through your body - what horror will be brought before you? Beneath, the ground bubbles with a dank, marshy substance, the mud of a battlefield spattered with gore. And rising from it is a creature all of bone and flayed skin, exposed eyes wild with vengeance. They bear claws like daggers on each jointed finger, jagged teeth protruding from their cavernous mouth. "Come," they say, and their voice is a death rattle. "There is war to be waged. There is a battle to be won. Come and smell the defeat of your foes." They reach for you, take your hand in their vice grip, their blood smearing your hand crimson to the wrist. You try to protest that you have no foes - but no, it isn't true. You have foes aplenty. Vile people without whom the world shall be a better place. Your blood sings for their slaughter. The flayed one tips back their head in a joyful, bellowing laugh; it rings out with the sound of trumpets. "Now!" they cry, as your skin peels from your bone. "Now!" they call, as your fingers harden to steel. "Now!" they shout, as red veins shoot through your eyes. "To battle! To war!"
tagged by : @suledine (Thanks!)
tagging : @grtivas , @dcvium , @fvrtvne , @3objectives , @coldjustness , @juneforged & whoever wants to do it!
Hawke couldn't resist laughing at the comment. He was living proof that one could rely on luck and skill to carry them through most situations, he'd survived Adamant thanks to his luck and his skill in combat, he wouldn't have made it to Kirkwall had it not been for his luck in crossing paths with Flemeth nor would he have survived the city had he not been lucky to meet all his friends. But at the same time, it had been his skill with magic and his staff that facilitated what small victories he had under his belt, Varric knew that, and he hoped he'd told others of that fact... But, knowing the dwarf, that hadn't happened. Still, Hawke wasn't too mad about that, it was a fact of his friendship with Varric.
@inevestigator "Survival can be a matter of luck or skill. and you can't rely on luck."
"I have to disagree with you in that regard. I've seen firsthand that one can rely on luck, Maker, I'm a perfect example of that. Ask Varric, he was there for all of it. Honestly, it was dumb luck that I didn't die in Kirkwall when I fought the Arishok. Anders had to stitch me back together when one of his blasted battleaxes cut a bit too deep into my sternum. Luck and skill carried me through for a decade." Varric would have said something else, embellished it as some sort of grand ability Hawke had but, in truth, it had been luck and skill that had kept him alive. "Although, I could use some less bad luck. I had enough bad luck for two lifetimes."
varric’s flair for storytelling was unparalleled, that much she’d known for certain ( as was probably his ability to embellish some of those stories as a way to see how much she’d believe, even if he insisted that every single word was the honest truth ). over the past six months, she’d heard quite a few of them --- there’s little else to do while traveling between cities, after all --- stories about the inquisition, the inner circle — their target now and who varric had thought he’d been all those years ago. finding herself a second hand copy of hard in hightown had meant asking varric to go back a little further; all the way back to kirkwall and the free marches. which meant stories about one champion of kirkwall.
qunari … mercenaries … blood mages … though she could probably do without hearing about the assassins he’d sorted out. ( but they couldn’t have been fellow crows, right? she’d heard plenty about contracts taken out on the inquisitor, but never any coming from kirkwall. but if she’s wrong ... that might make things just a little bit awkward. )
“see that’s where you’re wrong,” she offers him a cup before she starts pouring another for herself. it may not be a bottle of kirkwall select 9:36, but it’ll do in a pinch. “if there’s one thing i’ve learned over the last few months, it’s the value of a good story. and maybe some decent wine and cheese to go with them.”
Hawke appreciated being offered a cup. He's partial to summer ales, Ander Stout and Fereldan Ale, but he'd never turn down a nice drink. Especially when talking about subjects such as his own stories. "A good story, wine and cheese? You've been reading Varric's stories, haven't you? That sounds like it came from Hard in Hightown. Maker, it sounds exactly like something guardsman Donnen Brennokovic would say."
He couldn't resist bringing that up, what he wouldn't mention was the fact that he knew the real guardsmen, technically guardsman and guardswoman, whom Varric based Donnen off of... Or that he's responsible for Aveline and said guardsman getting married. He's still laughing over the fistfights that have occurred in the Kirkwall barracks over whom the inspiration is, he's got a sovereign on Donnic. "No wonder you get along with Varric. I'm surprised he didn't tell you more about what we got up to in those ten years plus what happened with the Inquisition."
He took a hearty swig of his cup and an appreciative sigh left his lips, Maker that was some decent ale, and took a few moments to think. "Did he ever tell you about the time I was on a hit list from the Merchant's Guild?" That was a fun story, he knows the Inquisitor knows the story, but he hopes Rook doesn't. It's a rare chance to tell a story Varric has not told.
