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thekingofwinterblog · 8 months

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Dragon Age Imperium - Chapter 1.

Summary:

All the Origins PC's join the quest at once. 3 survive the blight. and it all spirals from there...

An alternate timeline set in a world where Hawke becomes Viscount directly after Act 2, amongst other different turns of fate.

A new Arlathan is founded in the bracilian forest after the blight, The Dwarven Empire is on the rebound, both the young Hawke siblings lived, Hawke Killed Talis for the list of Qunari Spies, and so on.

The Dragon Age is an era of blood and chaos, of Empires falling and rising. Waning Orlais, Rising Ferelden, Resurgent Orzammar, a new Arlathan, and at the southern end of the Free Marches, the City of Kirkwall, gets a new Monarch, who is forced to play the game of internation politics, to lead her nation to glory... Or fall into the dustbins of history.

The year was 37 Dragon.

It was a bloody year, as 3 different wars burst into life across southern and middle Thedas.

Kirkwall, and all its neighboring enemies in the Free Marches, Orlais, and the Triple Alliance between Ferelden, Orzammar, and new Arlathan, and the war between Mages and Templars.

All 3 would have enormous consequences, up there with Andraste's march on the Tevinter Imperium, the Qunari invasions, or the destruction of the Dales.

All 3 had also been bubbling under the surface for a good while by the time the monstrous apostle Anders lit the fuse in Kirkwall.

The Templars and the mages had been a boiling pot for centuries only waiting for something to rip the lid off it and expose everything to the world.

The more recent developments outside of the Circles and Templar conflict, could however be traced back to the end of the Fifth Blight, and the Developments created by the four Grey Wardens of Ferelden who survived the Blight.

A number of Grey Wardens survived the battle for Ostagar. 3 Humans, one which was the second in Line to Highever, one a King's bastard, and the third a Mage of the circle Tower.

2 Dwarves, one a casteless Thug, and the other a Princess.

3 Elves there were, one Dalish from the wilds, one elf from Denerim's Alienage, and the third a boy forced at a young age into the Circle Tower.

All of these had been recruited by the Grey Warfen Duncan, in the time period leading up to the Fifth Blight.

Of these lot, only 4 survived the decisive battle for Denerim.

King Alistair of Ferelden. His Queen, Daemona Cousland more commonly known as the Hero of Ferelden, Galenhad Surana, the first Elvhen monarch in centuries, and Princess and Paragon Moria Aeducan of Orzammar, also the new Teyrn of Gwaren.

Of the three nations who emerged from the Blight, bloodied and bruised, Ferelden was the lynchpin for what would come afterwards.

The kingdom had suffered a catastrophic loss of people in the war, with a tenth of it's entire population lost, either to death at the Darkspawn Horde, starvation from the ensuing Famine, and having fled abroad to escape the Blight.

Still, stubborn and fierce as a mabari, Ferelden bounced back, in large part due to it's new monarchs.

Alistair Theirin, first of his name was a charming man, who despite his ability with the sword, and strange form of humor had a remarkable ability to make men like him... But it is acknowledged by most that the true driving force of his government was his wife, the Lady Daemona of house Cousland, known far and wide as the Hero of Ferelden.

It was Daemona who was the leading driving force behind Ferelden's recovery and reformation period after the Blight, both militarily, politically, and economically.

She reformed the military, by remaking the common footsoldier into the famed Ferelden Longbowman, which would in time be remade into the Ferelden Bolter, but for it's era would become known one of the most feared soldiers in the known world. She also defeated the minor invasion of Darkapawn of Amaranthine, and founded the city of Vigil's Keep.

She also reformed the political structure of the Kingdom, by turning the Landsmeet into a permanently sitting body, rather than just something called when the King needed something, or the years taxes would be called. This made taxation of the lands, despite their devastated state at the time, much, much more efficient.

And finally, she drastically overhauled the economy at the time by introducing what for the era was modern technology in as many ways as she could, encouraging the widespread implementation of things such as water mills, repairing the Imperial Highway, and making plenty of newer mills and roads, as well as rebuilding the capital. The only thing she failed in in this regard was the woefull failure of Ferelden naval technology to catch up with the rest of the world.

Alistair was a well liked figurehead and symbol to rally around, while his wife was the true power behind the throne, an arrangement both seemed perfectly content with.

The second part of the triumvirate was also the youngest.

New Arlathan was the newest state in Thedas by quite the wide margin, it's lands having been granted as a boon to Galenhad Surana, former Elf Mage of Ferelden's Circle. It's population at it's inception was comprised of the Dalish Clans of Ferelden, along with the Kingdom's city elves, and the majority of the Elven tower Mages who fought in the Blight, and jumped at the chance to escape having to go back to the tower once the war was over.

Needless to say, this state was highly, highly controversial from it's very inception. A state for Elves, harboring Mages, led by a Mage king? In the long term, there was no way this was going to stand withoth some massive opposition, and fallout.

Orlais had been a staunch opposition to the formation of the new Elvhen state in the Brecilian forest following the Fifth Blight but had not been in a position for a military invasion until the Chantry officially opposed Ferelden's relationship with this new state, and called for its destruction, as well as giving them an excuse, as well as Chantry approved blessing to invade Ferelden once again.

The third part was, by contrast, far and away the oldest one.

Orzammar had no quarrels with Orlais, or the Chantry… But was dragged into the war as a result of the Triple Alliance between the resurging Dwarven Empire, Ferelden, and New Arlathan, which had been so instrumental in their quest to retake the Deep Roads and Thaigs under Ferelden.

The Alliance had been formed behind the scenes in the aftermath of the Fifth Blight, thanks to the Work between King Galenhad, King Alistair, his Queen Daemona, and Teyrna Aeducan(Former princess of Orzammar) of Gwaren, who served as go between between surface Kingdoms and her brother Bhelen.

It started as better trade deals between Orzammar and it's neighbors. Then became military support to fight Darkspawn underground. And finally, as Bhelen became more and more controversial amongst his own nobility, it became a full-blown military alliance on which effectiveness he banked his entire offensives against the Darkspawns, and by extention his political career.

Hence why the continued wellbeing of Ferelden and New Arlathan was extremely important to Bhelen and his dreams of one day restoring the Dwarven Empire to it's old glory.

And so, the official signing of the Triple Alliance came about.

Both of these conflicts were in many ways, inevitable. The only question was when and how the spark for war for war would be lit.

The great battle that would lead to the unification of the Free Marches from a loosely connected confederacy of city-states, into a unified political entity was not.

It was a conflict that had only taken root a few years earlier, after the death of the previous Viscount during the Qunari invasion, and the rise of the next one.

The year was 34 Dragon…

---

34 Dragon.

Knight Commander Meredith was annoyed.

That part wasn't unusual. Meredith had never been famous for her ability to remain calm and level-headed under pressure.

Her mood as she stomped through the Gallows on the way back to her room however, was blacker than it had been in a long, long while.

The Qunari was finally gone... But it their place had come other worries that had replaced them.

Dumar was dead, and so the throne of the Country was now empty.

Not a problem, if she could Trust the nobility to elect a new Viscount who understood the duties of his office, and the devotion it required to the Maker and his Servants.

She could not. Kirkwall's nobility was a decadent flock of sheep that could barely know where they were supposed to go withouth falling off a cliff. And that was on a good day.

This was not a good day. In fact, she doubted it would be a good year.

There was no way she could trust Kirkwall's future to these lot.

All it would take was a wrong choice for the Throne, and they would be right back to the old days, when the Viscount got it into their head of acting above their station.

The first election was to be held in a few days. Those might take a day or months, depending on how unified the nobility was regarding their choices.

Not that there would be a question of how long.

Meredith would shut down the election before it could begin. There was sinply no way she could allow it, as the city was now. Mayhaps later, when the situation had calmed down...

But the Throne and the Question of who would sit in it was but one of her problems.

The other problem was the newly chosen Champion of Kirkwall.

Daemona Hawke, scion of the Amel family was anything but what a proper Champion should have been. Openly supportive of the Mages, having the audacity to have sheltered an apostate since she came to the city. Her very first action as Champion had been to add to that, as she put both a heathen Elvhen Blood Mage, AND a Grey Warden ABOMINATION under her official protection putting them above the law of God and Men!

The woman, thinking her new title made her above any sense of decency, had even had the audacity to request her sister be transferred out of the Circle and into her care!

There Meredith had put her foot down. Bethany Hawke would not leave the Gallows so long as she lived.

Unfortunately, that was where her ability to do anything about the damned Rogue ended.

The title DID put her above the Law unfortunately. So long as Kirkwall adored her, Daemona Hawke was untouchable.

There wasn't much she could do about it right now, but someday... Someday there would be a straw that broke the back.

As Meredith finally reached the door to her office, she entered, the klanking of angry steel clad feet loud and obvious as she opened, then shortly after, closed the door behind her.

She glanced over to the side of the wall, where on a rack, her new weapon was lying. A massive red sword, looking like someone had taken a giant red ruby and chiseled it down to a triangular sword.

In the brief moment after she closed the door behind her, Meredith's thoughts went to the beauty of the Blade, so wonderous it was almost like it sang to her...

Then a sharp, excruciating pang of pain bloomed in her neck.

Her eyes immediatly widened, and she tried to react, but her mody wouldn't move, whatsoever.

Nothing except her eyes, which went down to where a long, narrow blade puked out from her mouth, like a blood coated, grey tongue.

"Should have let Bethany out of the circle Beredith~"

The low voice in her ear made a tsk, tsk sound.

Then the blade was wrenched back, and existence ended.

The figure was clad in black and dark blue from toes to head, with the only exception beong the white symbol of the Qun on the chest and Back .

Just as precationtion in case she was seen after all.

No one in Kirkwall would doubt the Qun ordered her death.

As it happened, she wasn't.

She came in just as easily through the tunnel system form Kirkwall through the Gallows, as she had coming in, getting rid of the clothing in the darkness of the sewers, as she made her way through the tunnels, beneath the River, and then up into her own mansion in Hightown, where a warm bath awaited her.

---

Hawke laid back in her bath, taking deep breaths, smelling the incense of roses.

After a while, she began scrubbing the sweat and other odors and fluids off her skin.

Ah… How wonderful it was to be filthy, filthy rich.

You could do a lot of things as rich folk.

More as a Free Marches Champion.

Champion of Kirkwall… It had a nice ring to it. Power too.

Her companions got to walk freely around, and display their talents and abilities as they saw fit… Even Anders and his crazy spirit friend.

What it had not done, however, was free Bethany from the Gallows.

That had infuriated her… But Lord Commander Meredith had been hard on the subject.

Champions had a lot of freedom in the world… But she was not willing to bend far enough to have a mage released from her precious Gallows.

Meredith was a real, bloody hardliner. The worst kind of Templar. The ones who believed they were truly, completely in the right.

She would never let Bethany be released into her care…

Which was why earlier that night, Meredith had gotten a knife across the throat.

It had taken a while to set up and create an alibi for herself, but when Meredith was found in the morning, no one would be able to trace the murder back to her.

Hawke suspected the next Knight Commander would be less obstinate on the matter.

---

Though she did not know it then, by killing Meredith when she did, Hawke had unintentionally drastically changed the political trajectory of Kirkwall forever.

Had she lived just two days longer, Meredith in her quest to turn Kirkwall into a templar-ruled police state, would have shut down the Kirkwall nobility's election for the next Viscount.

It was their custom, that if the royal dynasty died out(As it just had) there would be an election amongst the rich lords of the White City of chains, to choose the next monarch, and by extension the next dynasty from amongst their own ranks.

Meredith would have rather rudely interrupted this custom, and denied the election of a new leader, and as she saw it, a political rival for power in the city-state.

But with her gone… Well, even if she had left written orders(which she had not) there were none amongst the temporary leadership that followed her, who had the guts to so blatantly challenge the nobility of the city.

And so, as the Templars were scrambling in the wake of the Knight Commander's assassination, the election for the next Viscount was held 2 days after Meredith's death.

As for the choice of the next monarch, a various number of lesser nobles stepped forth to cast their names as candidates.

None gained traction though. No one had the support, the abilities, charisma or the clout to get the rest to follow.

It was very much the same as the last time a Viscount had been elected.

Then one name was tossed forth... More to ask why she hadn't been named before that as a candidate, rather than to suggest she was the obvious choice.

That was all it took.

Several nobles enthusiastically vouched for her her, having had personal dealings with her, where she had left quite an impression.

Those who did not know her personally, also vouched for her. She had quite the reputation... But truthfully, killing the Arishock and saving them all had left far, far more of an impression than any rumors and tales.

And so it was decided.

Lady Hawke would be the next Viscount of Kirkwall.

---

Varric Tethras in his early years had never expected to live through interesting times. Oh sure, the usual backstabbing feuds and developments that came with being part of a merchant city-state and a Dwarven Merchant guild, was to be expected.

But actual, real, lasting changes in the world at large?

That was generally something he'd not thought he'd see in his lifetime.

The Dragon Age might be full of… Well, Dragons, but the world he'd be born into would still be the same as the one he'd been born into.

The words on the page beneath him told a different story.

The pages told of how the Triple Alliance had retaken Bownammar, as the latest Thaig under Ferelden to be reclaimed from the Darkspawn.

It was the latest in a series of spectacular victories beneath Ferelden's soil.

Cadash, Kal'Hirol, Aeducan, and more, all had been retaken from the Darkspawn in less than 10 years.

The victories would have been surprising enough on their own, but it was the source of those victories that was the bigger surprise.

Orzammar, the beacon for dwarven pride, and nobility with a collective stick up its collective backside about everything, was starting to change.

A lot. The new King Bhelen might be the same kind of bastard all power-hungry Dwarven nobles were, but the man had vision, ability, and a love for practicallity that genuinely surprised Varric.

Casteless being armed, surface dwarves being allowed to resettle underground in the retaken Thaigs to bolster their numbers, and actual coordination with their surface allies becoming the new norm.

Hey, it only took nearly a 1000 years... Give them another one, maybe they'd remove the distinction between surface Dwarf and "Regular" ones entirely.

The changes were simple really. So simple Orzammar could probably have used the tactics they were currently using, to do this ages ago.

The Deep Roads, once the Dwarves' biggest marvel, had become their greatest weakness after the appearance of the Darkspawn. They had swarmed through the tunnels, cutting each Thaig off from all the rest, killing and slaughtering as they went until only 2 kingdoms were left, both surviving by cutting themselves off from the network as a whole.

The Dwarves had been utterly dependent on the Deep Roads to thrive. Take that away, and they had no way to help one another, as each thaig fell one by one.

And of course, because of the countless labyrinthian network of tunnels, it had been a nightmare to try and retake lost Thaigs.

You would have to fight your way through every single road, all the way to your destination, and if at any point the way back got cut off, you were dead.

That was the way it had been for centuries and centuries… But things changed.

Now they were using the cramp, narrow corridors and tunnels in an offensive manner, to deny the Darkspawn the ability to use their greater numbers to full use.

The strategy was simple.

Cut off and fortify every single path you found, except for one, then kill everything single thing you found through that pathway until you found other paths through the roads.

Then cut off all the roads except one, and go through that one, and kill everything you found until you found another entrance. Rinse and repeat.

Only once you found no other paths on your way, did you go back to open one of the other pathways, and begin the process there.

It was a stupidly simple tactic, but it wasn't the only innovation they had now.

They'd also invented some new tactic called Halberds and Bolts.

He wasn't entirely sure how it worked, but there was a pike wall, and crossbows involved.

And of course, the most logical innovation was coordination with the surface.

This tactic worked a lot better when Ferelden and New Arlathan would simply supply them from above through reconquered Thaigs, rather than have to rely on some stupidly long supply train all the way back to Orzammar.

Even if the Darkspawn broke through the fortified doors at some point in the Deep Roads, this wouldn't be the automatic death sentence it had once been.

It would take a long, long while, but unless something changed, this strategy might actually see the Dwarven Empire triumph over the Darkspawn at long last.

And hey, if they were really lucky, maybe it would happen before the next Blights.

The new King Bhelen had taken a bad, bad situation, and turned it around.

As he was reading, he heard through the wall a familiar whistling, grinned, and sat up, quickly jumping out of bed and getting dressed, before opening his door for one of the more lovely women in Kirkwall… And by far the deadliest.

"Morning Varric."

"Hello, Hawke. Come on in."

They quickly seated themselves in their usual chairs, with a familiarity that spoke of total casualness.

"So Hawke what brings you here today?"

"Can't I just want to see my favorite dwarf?"

"Oh, you can… But the four last times you came by you wanted to hear about news from home, and not much else."

Hawke grinned sheepishly.

"Alright. Guilty as charged. Though I must say Varric, you're not in a position to judge… I know how much you read up on Bhelen's side of the Triple Alliance."

"Bhelen's side? I'm not Bartrand Hawke, why would I be interested in stuffy old Dwarven crap, like Orzammar's campaigns?"

Hawke narrowed her eyes, and without a word went over all the various Dwarven crap that Varric had chosen to decorate his home away from home with.

"I could not begin to tell you where I got that notion… But whatever, any news from the south?"

He shrugged.

"Not much… Or at least not much I think you'd be interested in… More mines opening, new trade routes… Oh, wait, there was one thing."

From his stack of papers, he fished out about 9, before handing them to Hawke.

"Newest Ferelden fashion developments… Or what you guys call fashion anyway."

"Oh!"

Hawke quickly snapped them up and began looking them over.

"Hmmm… So Redcliffe is moving back towards traditional clothing… Interesting. I guess Teagan wants to distance himself from Orleasian fashion as much as possible."

"Is… That a bad thing? Don't you guys hate Orlais?"

"Oh, we do! But going back to the past for fashion isn't exactly… Well, you've seen Ostwick fashion right?"

"The ones that have men running around in those checkered skirts?"

"Kilts, yeah. Those guys still think it's Calenhad's time…"

She shook her head and began flipping through the pages.

"Oh, but here! Here is real fashion! Highever and Denerim are switching over from casual plate armor to Brigandine coats!"

Varric looked down as she put them on the table. Neither of the two examples was a particularly stylish example of Brigandine armor… Well except for different helmets at least.

"You know, sometimes I forget that and Aveline are both from the same stock."

"Heh… Maybe I should show this to Aveline! I'm sure she'd appreciate-"

From downstairs, someone called out her name in a very loud, and frantic manner.

"Ah, Carver… Wonder what my little brother wants now."

"Maybe the little Hawke finally wants to make a move on Daisy, and wants your advice."

As they heard Carver make his way up the steps of the Hanged man, Hawke chuckled.

"The Maker will return before that happens."

Sure enough, Carver burst into the now unlocked room, panting, and looking absolutely frantic.

"Sister!"

"What is it little Hawke? Do you need some help wooing Daisy?"

"What? Wait-NO!"

"History would suggest otherwise brother, or have you already gotten some Advice from Isabella?"

"Can you two PLEASE not talk about this right now!? This is serious!"

"...Fine, Carver… What is it then… An-Damn, you are drenched… Did you run all the way here?"

"Yes! An hour after you left we got a message from the Viscount's palace!"

"What do they want now?"

"They elected you Viscount!"

"What." Two voices said in unison.

"They held a vote earlier today over who would be the next Viscount after Dumar… And you won. In a landslide they said. You're the next Viscount of Kirkwall!"

"Well… Shit."

Hawke, for once in her life, looked absolutely stunned… Then a missive grin appeared on her face.

"But that means… That means I can just appoint Bethany as my Court Mage. Rulers have the right that that right? I remember old Willhelm got to live free as one right!"

"Wh-THAT'S what you're focusing on?"

"Eh, it's the most obvious benefit. Oh, and I get a shiny crown too… Varric is that crown the Viscount had the official regalia, or can get something personalized made?"

Varric smiled.

Still the same old Hawke.

"Eh, I think you can. What did you have in mind? A band with a ferocious Hawk at the front?"

"Oh, that's good! But I was thinking more that old design in Gold, or Silver… I mean did you see that crown? Great design, but in dark Iron? Who makes a crown in Iron?"

"I don't know, it's better than a Throne of the stuff, I mean imagine how uncomfortable that would be."

"Can you two PLEASE take this seriously? This is big news."

"Oh we are, we're just having some fun along the way Carver. Well, let's get the band together and have a pint before I head back to Hightown. This is gonna be great. All the problems the city had with the Qunari are gone now! Which I get to swoop in, and not only take all the credit and glory for fixing it, but I get to come in and rule without any huge issues breathing down my neck."

She grinned. Then suddenly had an epiphany.

"Oh and Varric? Congrats."

"On what?"

"On becoming the new Viscount's right-hand man of course! Is there a title for that? Or just… Royal advisor?"

Carver rolled his eyes.

"If you want to give him a fancy title, you should just marry him… Then you could call him the Count Regnant."

It took a moment before both of them realized it was a joke.

"Well look at that, the Little Hawke finally started to grow a sense of humor."

The younger sibling, and new heir to the throne of Kirkwall, groaned.

Chapter 2

#dragon age #dragon age 2 #fanfiction #dragon age imperium #viscount hawke #both bethany and carver suvived #all Origins PC's were recruited by Duncan #worldbuilding

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julsera · 1 year

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Thus I freed the elven people and,

in so doing,

destroyed their world.

#dragon age #dragon age Inquisition #Dragon Age dreadwolf #solas #dai #fen'harel #dragon age 4 #da 4 #solas art #solas fanart #solas dread wolf #tevinter imperium #dragon age solas #solavellan #dragon age trespasser #my art

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dragonageconfessions · 3 months

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CONFESSION:

I know people will disagree with this but I actually felt sorry for Alexius. I read the codexes and discovered he and his wife actually loved each other. Alexius's own father wanted Felix dead for not being proficient in magic. Alexius's wife had him killed. And they encouraged Felix's studies at the University of Orlais because he turned out to be a gifted mathematician. Alexius apparently even agreed with Dorian's views on how the Imperium must change.

A darkspawn ambush killed Alexius's wife and infected Felix with the blight sickness. Those tragedies changed Alexius and it showed how grief can destroy a person. I felt bad for Felix because he knew he was dying and faced it with such dignity and peace. All he wanted was to spend his remaining time with his father. I ended up making my own headcanon that Maevaris Tilani ended up caring for Felix during his final days.

#Dragon Age Confessions #Dragon Age Inquisition #gereon alexius #Felix Dragon Age #Tevinter Imperium #headcanon #maevaris tilani

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dragonagecompanions · 8 months

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Why do you think Varric made the Inquisitor a Comte? Wouldn’t that make them outrank him? Dumar seemed pretty powerless and I always thought that Varric got shoved in the rule to make him in charge of the recovery of Kirkwall but not actually of Kirkwall?

Sweet gentle anon, I know it was not your intention but you have stumbled into one of my favorite conversational topics and I hope you are ready for the fall out.

Welcome, children, to Fereldone talks about Thedas' Geo/Theopolitical bullshit!

(tl:dr at the bottom)

So, very important things to know going in: Kirkwall's political history is weird. Founded by the Tevinter Imperium in -620 Ancient (which is DA equivalent of BC/BCE, or the time before the ages ascribed to history by the chantry), it was a mining city. After a slave tried to kill the Archon the Magisterium decided they needed to start importing- and presumably breaking the will of- slaves farther from the heart of the imperium and thus the City of Chains gained purpose.

I could throw a lot of facts and names at you, but here's the basics-- it housed millions of slaves over hundreds of years, at the end of the ancient age they rebelled and overthrew it. Kirk means black in Alamarri, the stone they mined there was jet black, and so Kirkwall (black walls) becomes a Free city. It suffered during the fourth blight in the Exalted Age (fifth age, for those keeping score at home), was conquered by the Qunari in the Storm Age (seventh age) and was then conquered by the Orlesians. Orlais was on a roll with the whole 'we own everything whoops killed your ancestral leaders', but in the Blessed age (eighth age) the people retaliate and overthrow the empire to regain independence.

For reasons I can only assume are laziness and a desire not to change all the paperwork, the leader of Kirkwall is still referred to by the Orlesian word Viscount/Viscomte. Bear with me, this is important later.

We are now in the early dragon age (9th age, and when Inquisition happens). The first two rulers of free Kirkwall sucked. Basically they blockaded their own port and made people pay a fortune to get in and trade. This didn't sit well with the Chantry, who would much rather do that themselves, and in 9:14 Divine Beatrix II (later saved by Cassandra!) tells the Templars to strong arm him into submission talk some sense into the viscount.

The knight commander is killed in the exchange, and so his second command Meredith Stannard steps up to try her hand at negotiations. It goes poorly, so she arrests and jails the Viscount and essentially takes control of the city with full Chantry approval. Now the Templars are essentially in control of the city, and so they appoint a puppet leader (Dumar) to play act in control. But Meredith is actually in charge, and everyone knows it.

Including Elthina, who named her Knight Commander. This is why the Chantry never actually does anything about templar abuses.

So! If you are still with me, this is where Viscount becomes important. There are some wibbly bits about how you treat Sebastian Vael in DA2, but essentially Kirkwall decides that it's time to be an actual city state and not a poorly run Theocracy. As the only man with a plan (and the money and influence to do it), Varric steps in to help his home town. Ecstatic at not being responsible for that, the nobles (comtes) band together and put him in charge.

So while yes, in Orlais Viscount be beneath comte, Kirkwall has been so broken up and conquered and messed with over the years that names and titles are meaningless. In my personal opinion, Varric ennobles the inquisitor so that they will always have a staunch ally amongst the backbiting Kirkwaller nobles. It's also a nice and generous a decent thing to do, of course, but Varric is very good at making something do a lot of things for him all at once.

(Also, Varric knows exactly what that key does. He just ensured that someone smart enough and invested enough in peace will always be able to either open or close the harbor--making sure that the people who depend on him will be safe no matter what.)

Personally, the Trespasser epilouge is useless. It's the result of not having a head writer to review things, and the sweet but misguided attempt to give us closure if DA4 never happened. Hawke doesn't come back to Kirkwall. They are in Weisshaupt (if not in the Fade), and that plotIine will likely be in the final game. The Inquisition in whatever form it still has will be heading north, possibly with Kirkwall as an operating base, and this way the Inquisitor (who is confirmed to not be playabe in DA4) will have a reason to be there and not in Tevinter.

That's my read, anyway.

tl;dr Kirkwall has weird history that led to odd ways of organizing their nobility, Varric wants friends in places almost as high as him, shit's going down in the north and I think the inquisitor will be in Kirkwall so the writers needed a reason to put them there.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Mod Fereldone

#not a reaction #kirkwall #mod fereldone talks Thedas #this shit is weird: geopolitical discussion #varric is clever like a fox #i really hate his writing in trespasser and so this is how I retcon it #dragon age inquisition #trespasser #dragon age dreadwolf #tevinter imperium #dragon age 2 #hawke #meredith stannard #fuck the chantry for real though

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illusivesoul · 3 months

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I was listening to the songs of the Phantom of the Opera movie and the lyrics of "I Remember / Stranger Than You Dreamt It" made me think of the Architect since he was the High Priest of Beauty in Tevinter, and got inspired to do this.

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eluviansandevanuris · 1 year

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Fashion of the Winter Palace: Dorian

When Josephine announces that they are to chose their own clothes for the ball at the Winter Palace Dorian retreats to his library corner to think.

For all his glib jokes, Dorian is intimately aware of how mages from the Imperium are perceived, it doesn’t matter that he’s not actually a magister. For the nobles of Halamshiral that is all they will ever see him as.

He could wear one of the uniforms that Josephine commissioned, but hiding who he is has never been one of Dorians’ strong suits. He will not hide, not here and not in Tevinter.

He will never ‘play the part’

And so Dorian gets to work, he will treat this as any other soirée in the imperium, he will dazzle and intimidate, enthral and horrify. Orlesian fashion is oddly simpler than Tevene fashion. Yes more styles come and go every year, but it’s not like the secret language of Tevene fashion where every stitch speaks.

When Dorian is announced at the Winter Palace, a momentary hush falls over the ballroom and one Orlesian noble faints, Dorian looks majestic, he looks regal, he looks like a magister of old.

The outfit he wears in many layered and complex, with whisper thin inky black silk as an under-robe , the ends peaking out making it appear as if he’s walking on smoke. The over robes are rich and heavy with golden embroidery, glimmering in the light of the Winter palace.

If one looks closely many of the looping swirls of brocade hide glyphs of protection and resistance to poison.

The black velvet surcoat is a thing of beauty, wide shouldered and high collared adding to Dorian’s daunting appearance.

The sleeves of the ensemble are eye catching and mesmerizing, the eyes of a dozen peacock feathers wink at the gathered masses.

Dorian leaves no part of himself unadorned, his eyes are lined with shimmering gold and curved around his ear is a golden serpent cuff.

As he walks through the halls of Halamshiral scandalized whispers bouncing off the marble walls, Dorian cannot help the small satisfied smile that curves along his lips.

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dai #da #dragon age fashion #Fashion of Thedas #fashion of the winter palace #tevinter fashion #tevinter imperium #tevinter #tevene fashion #dorian #dorian dragon age #dorian pavus #dai dorian #fashion #fashion baby

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pani-artz · 10 months

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Dorian and Maxwell Trevelyan just being two little bookworms

This is going to stay as unfinished since Dorian's outfit is driving me insane.

#dorian pavus #dragon age dorian #dorian dragon age #dorian x inquisitor #dorian x trevelyan #art #artists on tumblr #digital art #digital drawing #artwork #dragon age inquisition #dragon age #dragon age 2 #dragon age origins #dragon age fanart #tevinter nights #tevinter imperium #tevinter

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emmahdraws · 1 year

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he’s everything right with the world

living a lie, it festers inside you, like poison

you have to fight for what’s in your heart.

click the attached link below for info about buying prints (if you’re interested)!

#my art #dragon age #dragon age art #dragon age fanart #dragon age inquisition #dragon age dorian #dorian pavus #dorian dragon age #dai fanart #dai art #dai dorian #dorian dai #dorian pavus art #dorian fanart #dorian pavus fanart #dragon age dreadwolf #tevinter #tevinter imperium #artists on tumblr

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squirrelwithatophat · 2 years

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Fenris: Tevinter would crumble without slaves. The Imperium's elite know no other way.

Hawke: (“Don’t they rise up?”) Seems like a slave rebellion would end that.

Fenris: There are rebellions all the time, actually.

Fenris: Most of them end... poorly. The Senate always unites when faced with "sedition."

Fenris: One day things will change. Then the magisters will see just how fragile their hold is.

Forget the Dread Wolf (no offense) — this should be the plot of Dragon Age 4. Let’s guillotine the archon! Burn down the Senate! VIVE LA REVOLUTION!

Then again, given what we’ve seen of Bioware’s previous forays into politics, maybe it would be best to focus on the nerdy hobo god. I swear to god, if there’s a subplot that tries to guilt us about being mean to poor helpless slaveowners just trying to hold their totally happy slaves in peace

#dragon age #dragon age 2 #fenris #tevinter slavery #tevinter imperium #tevinter #magisters #magisterium #sword of mercy #hawke #custom hawke #dragon age 4 #da4 speculation #dragon age dreadwolf #100

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jacklyn-flynn · 2 years

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Varric likes to annoy Dorian by putting his own works in among he more serious tomes of the library.

#headcanon du jour #hdj #dragon age #dai #dragon age inquisition #varric tethras #dorian pavus #i promise you #on the soul of our dearest inquisitor #if you put swords and shields next to the influences of dalish magic on the structure of the imperium again #i will burn this entire place to the ground

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thekingofwinterblog · 8 months

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Dragon Age Imperium - Chapter 2.

The mood in Kirkwall was one of jubilation for the most part.

Their beloved Champion had been elected Viscount, Meredith, the Crazy Templar leader had been assassinated, and the Qunari were finally gone.

As such, the mood of the city as a whole was higher than it had been in decades.

Not all were happy though. Kirkwall's underworld had a decidedly less cheery outlook on the prospect of Hawke taking the throne. Both because the woman's infamous ability to turn her enemies in corpses by the hundreds, but also because she had time and again proven herself extremely hard to assassinate, as the Carta and Coterie had learned first hand.

Her donning the Viscount's crown, thus did not exactly fill any of them with glee.

And there was also the Elves of the City's Alienage.

Clan Sabrae had come years ago, less than a year after the blight, to try to convince the Viscount to allow the Elves of the city to leave Kirkwall in mass for New Arlathan.

That had not gone anywhere, but given the fact that one of Hawke's closest friends was a member of clan Sabrae, most understood immediately that things were about to change.

Wheter you regarded the coming mass emigration as a blessing, an unwelcome forced mass emigration, or something in between, large depended on the individual.

And of course, in the highest levels of power in the city, Hawke's rise was met with their own varied responses. Some knew her only by her performance in the Viscount's Keep, where she had saved them all as they saw it. Others knew her personally, or was more than familiar with her rather contrasting personally and capacity for killing anything she set her eyes on.

Wheter you regarded that as a good thing, or something be worried about also depended on the individual.

One in particular, who was anything but happy with the development was one Guard Captain Aveline.

---

Aveline groaned as she massaged the ridge of her brow.

"What, you don't like Brigandine?"

The flippant tone in Hawke's voice was far, far more annoyed than the pages on her table.

Each showcased a different kind of design, but all of them were marked by Kirkwall's coat of arms… Only in new colors.

"It's not the armor type that's the problem, Hawke… It's the prospect of having to refit every single one of my guards."

"Oh, it's not just about that… I also want to quadruple the size of the city guard."

This admission did surprise her.

Hawke did look like a proper Viscount. Aveline would give her that.

Fine silk, a cloak of white with the symbol of Kirkwall in blood red on it, and a nice crown topping her pretty face.

The way she sat on Aveline's desk, turned around sideways to look at her with her usual, carefree grin betrayed the royal image however.

Hawke was still the same Hawke. The same woman she had been when they had been part of Ferelden's military together.

"Quadruple the guard? May I ask why?"

Hawke shrugged.

"Oh, I don't know… Could be the fact that even with your better training and rooting out corruption, the Guard hasn't been able to control the streets at night, and I want that to change. Could be because we currently have no standing army at the moment, and I want to strengthen the one military institution I do have now, in case Meredith's successor is as crazy as she was… Or maybe I just wanna make life harder for you by giving you more work."

Aveline glared at her.

"That's the spirit! I was worried this was gonna be awkward from now on, with me being your boss and all."

"Ughhh… Well, at least it's practical armor."

"I know. Honestly, I wanted real plate armor… But it's simply too costly if I want to use silverite for it."

"Silverite!? Why? Steel is far, far cheaper."

Hawke nodded.

"I know… But the fact is Ferelden recently innovated on the whole Brigandine Silverite stuff. And I have no intention to be left behind in that Arms race. See the problem with Silverite is that it's stupidly hard, and light… it holds an edge like nobody's business… But the moment it takes real damage?"

"It crumbles, yes I know. Any real damage creates a weak spot in the metal that spreads from it, and simply cannot be fixed. If you want to fix it, you need to melt it down and reforge it completely. Well… Unless it's enchanted right anyway."

"Right! But that would be even more expensive. In any case, Silverite plate armor? Stupidly expensive to make, and you can't upkeep it… Which is why the Brigandine innovation Ferelden is doing is so crucial! Brigandine is cheap enough as it is, and the big beauty of it is that if it's damaged, you can you can just replace the metal plates underneath the outer layer with a new one."

Aveline nodded, feeling very surprised.

"Huh… That makes way more sense than I thought your reasoning would."

"We'll still use regular silverite for stuff like helmets and things… But the main coat will be Brigandine all the way… Emblazoned with my glorious new coat of arms."

"Coat of arms? 1. This is not the Amell Crest. 2. It's not the colors of the Amell crest, and 3. It's literally just the colors of Kirkwall with the black replaced by white."

"Well, I didn't say it was the Amell Coat of Arms! It's the coat of Arms of the Hawke Dynasty… Or at least the main branch. Carver might use the old Amell one if he wants to. I doubt he wants to use my new design."

"It's still just a recolor of Kirkwall's symbol."

"And what's wrong with that? I like the Kirkwall coat of arms. A much better symbol for the Viscounty than old Dumar's coat symbol. Then again… Maybe I should use a recolored Mabari coat of Arms instead? Remind everyone that I am a Dog Lord after all!"

"Very funny…"

She looked down over the armor designs. Seriously this time.

"We'll go with… This one."

"Oh, not the one with the old Avaar helmet? Well, that's fine too."

Avenline was pretty sure Hawke had put it amongst them just to get a rise out of her. If so, she would not give her the satisfaction.

"One more thing Hawke… Silverite armor is all well and good… But Silverite is not cheap material. Even as Brigandine it will be very expensive to outfit hundreds of men with this."

"I agree! Lucky me then, that I happen to have kept a record of all the various places our little band has found Silverite deposits over the years. The one up on Sundermount in particular is vast."

"You… You kept track of all of those? As we trekked through caves, and wilderness and Darktown all these years?"

"I kept track of the Orichalcum, Lyrium, and Glitterdust deposits too, but I don't think those will be as directly useful at the moment. Well not unless it becomes the style for Tevinter ladies to cover their faces again with sparkly, poisonous, flammable makeup, but short of that, I think getting investors for my new Silverite mines is the safer bet don"t you agree?"

The flippant tone did not make Aveline miss the implication that Hawke had, during hundreds of trips through the most filthy corners of Darktown, the most inhospitable parts of Kirkwall's wilderness, or the most bandit-ridden parts of the Broken coast, always had taken the time to mark down every spot she might one day might want to come back too.

Yes, that was Hawke. The woman was a jokester at heart, always ready with a flippant comment, and throwing seriousness to the wind… And then she would remind her that she was also extremely competent.

It was quite the contrast.

"Do you have any investors in mind?"

"Oh, some here, some there… Kirkwall isn't exactly lacking for people willing to invest in business ventures. Heck, I even have one of those already in the Bone Pit."

"So you do."

Hawke grinned and finally got her ass off the table, seemingly ready to end the conversation, which Aveline was in her own way happy for.

She was going to have a mountain of work, both papers, planning and physical, to actually make Hawke's plans for guard expansion to 1 800 guards into reality.

"Oh, and by the way Aveline… Do you want me to set you up with a title? I could make you an Arlessa, or Bann if you'd like."

"That would be a Baroness and Marquise Hawke. We aren't in Ferelden… But I'll have to decline."

She had NO interest in getting herself involved in feudal politics.

"Really? Aww… What's the point of being royalty, if I can't give favors to my friends?"

"That road lies nepotism, Hawke."

"You think so do you, Aveline? In that case, you should see what title I'm planning for Carver."

"Is that so? Well, I-Wait… You're not planning to give a title to Isabella are you?"

"Not at all… I gave her a letter instead. I don't think she'd want to rule a bit of land."

"A letter?"

She was utterly confused.

"Yeah. A letter of marque and reprisal, against brigands and other pirates in the Waking Sea. Oh and a ship too."

Aveline opened her mouth to groan, then stopped.

"Huh… That's… Actually not a bad idea."

"Really? No complaints? I thought you'd have some scathing words on the matter.

"No, I do not. Send a pirate to kill pirates. That's much better than her continuing this… Whatever you'd call these years she's been stranded here."

"Enjoying Kirkwall's hospitality?"

"Yes, I suspect she's enjoyed herself quite a bit on the hospitality of Kirkwall's men. Better she enjoys herself on other pirates instead."

"Glad you approve… As for your own titles… I won't force you, but the chance to become nobility will remain so long as I'm Viscount Aveline. I take care of my friends."

She gave her a grin and a wave and left.

---

"So, you're onboard investing into the Silverite mine after all?"

"I am Your Highness."

Lady Flora Harimann had seen better days… But then again, she was a lot easier to take seriously when she wasn't ranting to an ale tank, oblivious about what was going on around her.

The pretty robe did help too.

"Good. I'm Glad I'm Actually friends with at least one investor. 50/50 profits. Half to me to spend on soldiers, the business of state, and all that, and half to you to… Do what you want."

She looked a bit nervous.

"I'm… Still committed to aiding Prince Sebastian regaining his throne in Starkhaven your Highness."

"Good… But do please tell me about what you plan regarding it. I have my own plans too… And it would be better if whatever troops you can muster marches with my army when the time comes."

Relief washed over the woman's face.

"So you are planning on helping him as well on the matter?"

"Of course! Sebastian is one of my closest… Well, he is a personal friend at least. And I take care of my friends Lady Harimann. Preferably with coins or knives. Or both, I'm not picky."

"That is… Good to hear. Should I expect any news on the matter soon then?"

"No. It will take a while to recruit a standing army for Kirkwall, much less equip it, and then train it."

"I see… Well, I shall keep that in mind. On a personal note your Highness… Is your brother… Available?"

Ah, the world of marriages and politics interwoven together.

Her mother had once been part of this world… And she supposed so was she now… Mother would be proud of her… Surely she would have been.

"I would like to say yes… But no, I don't think so. My brother has his eyes set on someone you see… He just lacks the guts to actually man up and take her to the mountaintop for a lovely day out."

"Ah… Very well, then-" "And before you ask, no, I am not available either. I already have my eyes set on a man."

"Truly?"

"Oh yes… He's quite the catch… Rich, handsome, and of good, noble breeding, and stature… If a bit below me."

"Unless your highness means to marry outside the country, there are none of those around here I'm afraid… Unless you're talking of Sebastian."

"I'm not. Trust me. But you'll find out who it is in time."

---

After Lady Herimann left, Seneschal Bran Cavin, coughed nervously.

He had been strangely accepting of her ever since the election. Honestly, she was surprised. She had fully expected him to bitterly resent her, but so far, he did not.

He was, however, exasperated by her usual nonsense. Which she enjoyed immensely. It wasn't any fun unless people actually reacted to her.

"Viscount… This… Man, you intend to court… You've spoken of him several times so far in meetings… I think I know who it is… But…"

"Then keep it to yourself then Bran. That's an order."

She had no interest in this getting spoiled for her. It had been a long, long time since she had tried her hand at a serious relationship. She wanted to do it right… Not to mention if he learned about it, it wouldn't be nearly as fun.

"Very well… In that case… We have one more meeting regarding investors in the new mines… Then we move on to the meeting with the Dwarves you requested, followed by the meeting with Grand Cleric Elthina. She wishes to discuss the coronation and other things of religious matters."

"In other words, Templar stuff."

"That… As well I'm sure. And finally, I have arranged the transfer from the gallows you've requested."

"Great! I haven't seen Bethany in ages now."

"The… Acting Lord Commander has suggested better, more skilled, and experienced alternatives."

"I don't care what the "Acting Lord Commander" wants on the matter, Bran. Bethany is my choice, as is my right by chantry law."

"Shall I write that in the reply to him then?"

"No, you can tell him that he should focus on trying to figure out who murdered old Meredith, instead of bothering me."

"I'm certain that will go over well, no doubt."

"And when I care, I'll let you know.

The door to her new office opened, as the final lord of the day made his appearance.

"Magistrate Vanard."

Bran announced.

Hawke gave him a smile, which the magistrate did not return.

"Your Highness. I thank you for the offer of this deal."

"Glad to hear it."

She moved over her map over Kirkwall's territories so it was between them.

"The spot is at the end of the wounded coast, in caves some Tal-vashoth used to hang out in before I slaughtered them all."

"I see you're as capable as ever… Though your display in the throne room made that obvious enough."

She frowned at that comment.

"Have we… met before?"

"Yes. You once… Brought back an escaped fugitive for me."

It took a moment before she recalled what the Void he was talking about.

"Oh, right you're that… Guy, whose son was insane, and killing… Well… Anyway, that shouldn't be a problem anymore regardless. There won't be any Elves left in the city in a few months."

This comment finally brought some real emotion to the Magister's face.

"Truly? No Elves? Why? Do not tell me you plan to purge the Alienage? That would seem rather out of character for you."

"It is. No, I intend to ship them to Ferelden, so they can immigrate to New Arlathan."

"Ah, yes… That does seem far, far in character for you, all things considered… What do you intend to do with the Alienage then? Rip it down and start anew?"

"Yes, pretty much. I'm Actually going to remake all of Lowtown… The stench is hideous you know… But It's a progress work, not something you do all at once. I'll start with the Alienage, and work my way from there."

"I see… Well, I shall leave that to you… We have a mine to discuss."

"Right. So it's here on the map… No roads there though, nor safe harborage, so on top of actually making the mine, we'll have to make a road from the city and deal with bandits and all that so the spoils of the earth can be shipped back to Kirkwall. I'll handle most of it, I just need you to invest coin for the mine and the construction of this road, and I'll take care of the rest."

"And we share the cut?"

"Half to both."

"Very well… You were asking for 40 sovereigns yes?"

"Indeed."

"I'm in then. I assume you have a contract drawn up?"

"Sure."

And just like that, with a bit of handwriting, it was done.

On the plus side, the first step of her plans was coming together.

On the other hand, the magister was also a sharp reminder to her that Kirkwall's nobility was anything but a nice bunch of people.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 3

#dragon age #dragon age 2 #fanfiction #dragon age imperium

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