I did another full playthrough of Dragon Age (well I still have Trespasser left but I know how it’s gonna go down for my inquisitor). I call this the Footshooter worldstate because while for the Canon worldstate I’d picked characters who I thought would make a good protagonist, these three are mostly just stumbling into things, trying their best, and often shooting themselves in the feet.
Templates by Marian Churchland.
More of each character’s key decisions and notable notes under the cut.
Eryth Surana
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Themes: Freedom. Experience. Fulfilment
Specialisation / Build: Mage - SPIRIT HEALER > Blood Mage
Other significant decisions:
Gave the guard’s lunch to the prisoner at Ostagar
Sacrificed Isolde to go into the Fade herself and free Connor
Brought along Genetivi, preserved the Urn of Sacred Ashes, let Genetivi go back to report to the Chantry
Agitated Ruck to the point that she had to kill him, then told his mother the truth
Helped Burkel form the Chantry in Orzammar
Recommended Dagna to the Circle
[Stone Prisoner] Refused to agree to Kitty’s terms and solve the puzzle, killing Kitty and getting Amalia killed
[Warden’s Keep] Killed Sophia and had Avernus continue his research ethically
Kept Alistair softened, hardened Leliana
Was not betrayed by Zevran when facing off against the Crows in Denerim
Had Alistair duel and execute Loghain
Had Alistair complete the Dark Ritual with Morrigan
Left to travel (with Leliana) after the Landsmeet
Trivia:
She has no memory of life before she was taken in by the Circle.
She belonged to the Libertarian Fraternity in the Circle and was irreverent of the Chantry.
Aside from Leliana, she had the highest approval with Sten of all her companions.
While she had persuasion skills, her emotions and naivete often got the better of her, and ended up escalating many conflicts.
She learned blood magic from Jowan (my headcanon for how she could access the Blood Mage specialisation despite never making a deal with a demon) mostly out of rebellious curiosity.
She hardly used blood magic, but when she was going about Denerim and a group of rogues closed the portcullis behind her and cut her off from her party, she used Blood Wound to kill them all in desperation.
Alistair was the one who got her first kiss, however Leliana was more forward in her advances and ultimately sealed the deal with her.
She was close to allying with Branka, until she mentioned enslaving her people.
She put off going back to the Circle for as long as possible.
She lost against Ser Cauthrien and was imprisoned with Alistair; she decided to break out, and met Morrigan and Leliana on the way.
While she gathered all the evidence and people to speak out against Loghain at the Landsmeet, she got too emotional, and the event devolved into an all-out brawl before the duel was called by Grand Cleric Elemena.
She disliked Anora, but prioritised Alistair’s happiness to remain as a warden and his reluctance to be crowned king.
Despite her distaste for the Circle and her disagreements with Wynne, she had confidence in the senior mage’s abilities and put her in charge of the defence team during the final battle.
She called on the dwarven army for most of the final battle, but had the mages fight by her side against the Archdemon.
Ilya Hawke
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -> True Neutral
Themes: Survival. Spite. Perseverance
Specialisation / Build: Warrior - REAVER > Warmonger
Other significant decisions:
Worked for the Red Iron mercenaries
Returned the cargo of poison to Martin
Killed Kelder
Matchmade for Aveline and Donnic
Killed Idunna
Sent Feynriel to the Dalish, freed him from the Fade demons, and he went to Tevinter
Gave Ketojan back to the Qunari
Spared Gascard
Of Yevhen’s sons, saved Merin instead of Iwan
Made it clear to Isabela that he intended to return the relic to the Qunari; she ran away and did not return
Killed Javaris
Duelled the Arishok
Told Emile to escape
Did not fight Merrill’s clan, thus they survived
Had Merrill destroy the Eluvian
Had Bartrand killed and did not give Varric the red lyrium shard
Betrayed by and killed Fenris in the final battle
Trivia:
He was aggressive towards most people, but almost always diplomatic and forgiving when it came to family, and often held back his temper with authoritative figures.
While he wasn’t intentionally hostile to his friends, he also didn’t mince words and tended to be brutally honest.
Before Isabela fled, she was his rogue-of-choice for the party.
His closest friend among his companions was Anders, closely followed by Fenris. He had high rivalry with Merrill and moderate rivalry with both Isabela and Aveline.
At the start he would do anything to ensure his and his family’s survival at Kirkwall; once he got comfortable and secure he tried to do better morals-wise.
He stood for mage rights for the sake of Bethany and the freedom he thought she and people like her deserved.
He befriended Alistair on the basis of his looking after Bethany after she became a Warden.
He executed Anders as a mercy-kill. He disapproved of his actions, but was sympathetic of his motives, and would rather his friend dies at his hands than anyone else’s.
He was heavily scarred (his face included) from the final battle at the Gallows, since he no longer had Anders with him, on whom he had heavily relied since the start.
Veika Cadash
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -> Neutral Good
Themes: Hope. Renewal. Inspiration
Specialisation / Build: Rogue - TEMPEST > Double Daggers
Other significant decisions:
Declared the inquisition be led under her name, but eventually became devout
Upgraded Skyhold with a Chantry garden, a training ring, and a Mage tower
At Theinfal Redoubt, raised the flags in descending order of people, Chantry, Templar
Dissuaded Cullen from continuing to take lyrium
Went the long and diplomatic route to deal with Josephine’s assassins
Retrieved Blackwall the complicated way, using underground connections to avoid bloodshed
Freed Blackwall as Thom Rainier for him to atone
Helped Solas free his friend
Made Cole more human
Saved the Bull’s Chargers thus making Bull Tal-Vashoth
Saw Sutherland’s group succeed and stand on their own
Killed Imshael
Pursued Calpernia through the fissure, thus disrespecting the rituals at the Temple of Mythal and antagonised the guardians
Convinced Calpernia to betray Corypheus
Leliana inspired (softened) and made Divine
[Jaws of Hakkon] Shared the truth about Ameridan
[Trespasser] Freed Ataashi
[Trespasser] Wants to stop Solas
[Trespasser] Inquisition disbanded
Trivia:
She initially had reservations about divine intervention in her circumstances, but gradually became inspired by Andraste, and grew to believe in the Maker’s will.
She was close with Sera, but they grew apart as she became more devout and open-minded about history and beliefs. They broke up over an argument following the events at the Temple of Mythal.
She’s on decent terms with all her companions, but liked Cassandra and Dorian the most.
While she was grateful for her life in the Carta, she saw being the inquisitor as a precious chance for a new life and becoming a better person, and eventually embraced the role and all that it entailed.
She had experience in dabbling with alchemical concoctions even before she took the Tempest specialisation; her hair was bleached as a result of this.
She favoured Leliana’s suggestions at the war table.
She preferred exile and deferral (e.g. referring to precedence, giving Erimond to the Wardens) in judgement.
Initially she led the Inquisition under her own identity, but eventually led by faith.
She allowed Hawke to take the fall for Alistair as that was what Hawke would want, since Alistair watched over his sister and he had otherwise very little left to lose.
She didn’t want nor care to kill all the dragons, as she believed they were there first and people should learn to compromise.
