What does Alathan do for fun? If he were an ancient elf, which God would he be under? Would he be Nameless? Which Nameless would appeal to him most?
Alathan loves attending parties. He likes living it up, enjoying the finer things in life when he can (he has a bad habit before becoming a warden of stealing from the well-to-do humans...and sleeping with a few). He was nearly caught before in bed with a noble’s wife but managed to jump out a window and over several rooftops to freedom--all while naked. It’s quite a story in the alienage. He’s been known to enjoy elfroot as well.
Alathan as an ancient elf would be interesting. Likeliest scenario would be him as a Nameless serving Anaris. Anaris as a trickster god of fortune, luck, and revelry would appeal to him greatly. If he served an Evanuris he’d likely be a servant of Sylaise just because he’s a charmer and enjoys parties and looking nice. He’d probably be one of her guards like Vena.
1. What would your Warden generally think of your Hawke and your inquisitor?
Alathan isn’t partial to humans, so there’d already be a lost point for both Bernadetta and Olwyn, and an extra lost point for being nobility. Olwyn at least gets a point back for being a mage that also had to deal with crap. He’d find Bernadetta fun, they both like to joke around, but he’d find she doesn’t have the same desire to “eat the rich” so to speak that Alathan and Olwyn do (though they exhibit that in VERY different ways). He’d think Olwyn was too nice, and trusted too much, and gives people too many chances. She’d remind him a lot of Leliana when he first met her in that regard, so he’d find himself growing fond in an exasperated way.
2. What would your Hawke generally think of your warden and your Inquisitor?
Bernadetta would think Alathan was fun at first, but she’d find some of his viewpoints to be a little drastic. His constant derision of humans would get on her nerves, because she’d take it a little too personally. She’s also competitive by nature, so she’d see him as a bit of a rival as far as skill went. She’d respect him though. She’d think Olwyn was too young. She’d think she was too determined to fix things and see it all as her DUTY to fix things when Bernadetta knows Olwyn can’t save everyone. Bernie knows, she tried too, she couldn’t even save her friends and one lousy city.
3. What would your Inquisitor generally think of your warden and your Hawke?
Olwyn would find Alathan to be lazy at first. Never doing anything unless he’s incentivized, always trying to get someone else to make the first step (and possible the first mistake) before he acts. He’s a little selfish, but she can see that he’s growing, and that while he does have lots of faults, he genuinely does care about the downtrodden. Their distrust and disdain for the Chantry would bring them together too. She’s also used to people distrusting her for being a mage, and for her last name, so she wouldn’t really take his prickliness personally. Olwyn would find Bernadetta to be...tired. And broken. In need to fixing. She would see how Bernie hides her suffering behind her dark humor and know that there was a young girl under there who was forced to grow up too fast. She’d be sympathetic, and she’d understand the suffering family can cause.
4. What would they think about each other’s love interests (if they romanced someone of course)
Alathan would like Fenris. He’d hate Cullen, but that’s because he has a very hard time accepting that people can change. Bernie would hate Cullen too, and she wouldn’t trust Leliana. Olwyn would be wary of Fenris but understanding, and she likes Leliana though she doesn’t always agree with her methods.
5. Is your inquisitor jealous that both the warden and Hawke have a mabari hound?
Olwyn is so jealous it isn’t fair she’s the only true dog person among them this is a TRAVESTY.
10. Do your protagonists share the same opinions on the Chantry?
Alathan and Olwyn do. Bernadetta doesn’t have the same hatred and distrust, but she doesn’t necessarily like them either. She’s more apathetic to religion as a whole, so long as the people she cares about are alright she doesn’t get up in arms.
11. Do your protagonists share the same opinions on mages rights?
Yes. All three think mages deserve freedom.
12. Do your protagonists share the same opinions on blood magic?
No. Alathan is alright with it. His adopted cousin Heba is a full on blood mage and she’s terrifying but not the kind of evil he worries about. He respects their power and sees it as another tool in someone’s arsenal. He’ll be wary, but only of those he doesn’t know, in the same way he’s wary of someone he doesn’t know walking up to him with a sword. Olwyn is fine with it. She sees that it could be used differently, and that it is broadly misunderstood. In canon she doesn’t use it herself much because she’s afraid that the Chantry might call an Exalted March on the Inquisition with that as an excuse. Bernadetta is squeamish about the topic. She’s seen mostly the bad it can do, and she isn’t a mage herself so she doesn’t know how it can be used otherwise. She doesn’t like it that Merril uses it but she doesn’t hate Merril. She just thinks Merril and others are playing with fire when they dabble in it.
13. Do your protagonists share the same opinions on The Game?
Alathan likes it in the sense that he can find ways to extort the horrid human nobility and wear gorgeous outfits and seduce rich married women, but he hates the power base it represents. He’s good at it, he’s AMAZING at it, and he’ll play it with the best of them. Olwyn hates it. She can’t stand The Game and she isn’t good at it, not really. She isn’t a deceptive and cunning person by nature and she thinks it’s a waste of time. Bernadetta just sees it as something that’s always been there and something to be weathered. She knows what she’s doing, but she doesn’t have the innate grace that Alathan does, or the same ability to manipulate.
14. If they’d been in each other’s places would they have made the same or different choices? And who would they have romanced, if anyone?
If Alathan were Hawke, he would have romanced Anders (and slept with Isabella), would have found OUT about Anders’ plans, and aided him in destroying the Chantry. If he were Inquisitor he would have romanced Bull and Dorian both and would have made most of the same choices.
If Bernadetta had been the Warden she would have romanced Zevran and probably made the same choices as Alathan did, though with less ire for the Chantry and human nobility. If she were the Inquisitor she would have romanced Sera and they would have pranked everyone and she would have been a much happier person all things considered, much more like her younger self in Lothering.
If Olwyn were the Warden she likely would have romanced Alistair and probably become Queen. If she were Hawke she’d probably have romanced Merril (and had a giant crush on Aveline).
So I’ve been trying to get my character profiles all nice and neat and I realized that I’ve never shared timeline continuities between my wardens and inquisitors? I know maybe that isn’t important, but I really like painting the picture for it all.
I did realize though, after putting this together, that I only have one Hawke. But that’s just because she was so special to me, I was never able to make a second. XD
Okay but what about an AU where Alathan and Leliana meet as bards in the Game? Maybe Alathan is really a Red Jenny in disguise or something and he's just that good on getting dirt from nobles to bring them down?
That is an amazing AU that I am 100% here for. Alathan would TOTALLY be a Red Jenny in disguise. Just imagine all the intrigue, all the tension, all the one-upping each other in the Game aka barely veiled courting?
You’re an enabler and I’m doodling Orlesian Court Alathan now. I hope you’re happy with yourself.
I would like to know more about your Tabris. What's his problem-solving method, would he have considered becoming a Grey Warden if he hadn't been in imminent danger of dying? How did he handle Loghain?
I am always here to talk about my problematic son.
Alathan’s mantra is basically “work smarter, not harder”. He tackles most everything that way. If he can find a way to make someone else do the job without having to lift a finger, he will. Becoming a Grey Warden and having to take all that responsibility onto himself sucked, but he’s always been good at making the hard decisions when it comes down to the wire. It’s all the legwork and not being able to talk someone else into doing it all that he hates. XD
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Alathan would definitely not have become a Grey Warden under other circumstances. He really isn’t the “sacrifice for the good of the world” kind of person, especially since he believes most of that world kind of deserves it.
Becoming the Hero of Ferelden makes him into a bit of a better person, because he meets some people that he become friends with who he learns to care for, but even by the end of it he isn’t really into the idea of saving all of Thedas. But he also really doesn’t want to die, and he doesn’t want the few people he cares about to die, and so off he goes.
Basically he begins the game caring about a handful of people (the alienage elves) and ends it caring about that same handful of people plus a few extras. It’s a start, but he’s not winning any altruism awards. The rest of Thedas has treated the elves like shit, and he certainly hasn’t forgotten or or let anyone else forget it.
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He wanted Loghain to die and had no qualms executing him himself.
Loghain sold elves into slavery, and that’s something Alathan won’t ever forgive. Honestly he really didn’t have strong feelings about the death of Cailan ( “A human going back on his word? Please forgive me for not seeming surprised. I’ll muster a proper look of shock and horror after I’ve slept.”) but the elves have suffered enough. No one was horrified at Loghain’s decisions there, because no one cares about the elves. So bringing a former hero of the humans to his knees is checking all the right boxes for Alathan. Humiliate a formerly well-respected Ferelden hero and also avenge elves along the way? Sign him the fuck up.
For Alathan: Zevran 1&2, Alistair 2, Wynne 3, Leliana 1-5, Sten 2 &4, Dog <3
*rubs hands together* time to talk about my problematic baby, woooonderful. Under the cut for length!
Zevran
1. How did your Warden react to Zevran’s failed attempt on their life? Were they amused? Angry? Amused. Very amused. He never lets Zevran live it down. He brings it up constantly. They joke about it at the most inopportune times. 2. Did your Warden match Zevran’s lighthearted attitude or were they more serious? What sort of relationship did they have? Alathan is the biggest sassmaster in the world, and tends to cope with crippling, sardonic humor. The two got along swimmingly.
Alistair
2. Did Alistair’s parentage surprise your Warden? How did your Warden’s feelings on the nobility affect their relationship with Alistair? Alathan hates the nobility, obviously. The worst types of humans, in his humble opinion, and all humans are pretty horrid to him at the beginning of his journey. It was a surprise, and not a pleasant one. He definitely wondered if Alistair was going to change now that he had the potential for a powerful position. When he sees that Alistair remains, well, Alistair, that’s when he decides to push him to take the throne. Better to have someone he knows and likes ruling Fereldan than that fucker Loghain.
Wynne
3. How did your Warden feel about the Spirit of Faith within Wynne? Did they see it as possession? “Well, that explains a lot.”
Leliana
1. What was your Warden’s position on the Chantry? Were they wary of Leliana due to their religious beliefs or lack thereof? Alathan’s believe in the Maker is a hard 0%. The Chantry is shit, and is propoganda used by humans to keep elves and mages under their heel as second-class citizens. No thank you. That being said, he was...really intrigued by Leliana’s belief that she could do good for the world. Alathan never believed in the Chantry. But by the end of it, he believed in Leliana. The line you pick, I prefer your ideas to the ideas of the Chantry, really sums up Alathan’s feelings on the Chantry and Leliana’s position in it.2. Was your Warden curious about bards? If they had the opportunity, would they choose to become one? He was curious, indeed! His initial specialization was Duelist, and he’s clever with his blades and showy. But his second specialization was a Bard. It fed into his natural showmanship and charm. 3. If your Warden received Leliana’s personal quest, what did they choose to do with Marjolaine and why? Marjolaine had to die. There was no way that Alathan could trust Marjolaine not to come after Leliana, and that meant tying up loose ends to protect the people he cares about. 4. Did your Warden believe that Leliana was telling the truth about her vision from the Maker or were they skeptical? Oh he was super skeptical. He had no doubt that the Maker didn’t send her shit, since the Maker doesn’t exist. But he’s glad that Leliana had some kind of dream or hallucination that brought her into his life. 5. How well did your Warden get along with Leliana? What was their relationship like? Alathan and Leliana had a nice, slow burn of a romance, filled with flirtation on both sides all over the place. Alathan was wary of his feelings for a human woman, and a devout Andrastian human at that. How foolish could he be? But Leliana was so sweet, and kind, and everything she thought the Chantry should be, and also funny and charming, and by the time he realized that it was love, he was already lost. Alathan and Leliana never agreed on the Maker, but Alathan never doubted Leliana’s love and affection for him, and that surprised him more than anything.
Sten
2. What did your Warden think of Sten’s beliefs that people’s roles are determined at birth? Did they agree? Hell no. Alathan mocked the Qun at any chance he could. “I’m sorry, but I’m not going to roll over and let someone else tell me what I can be. If I believed that kind of bullshit, I would still be living in the alienage.”
4. How did your Warden speak to Sten? Did they fight with him often or were they more humorous in their responses? Alathan and Sten basically talked shit at one another, and somehow it allowed them to bond. By the end of it Alathan trusted Sten with his life...but there’s no way in hell he’d ever accept the Qun.
Dog
1. Who’s a good boy?! Magpie can do no wrong and Alathan loves him.
