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Jul. 31st, 2022 11:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sidewaysA shiny buffet of brand new games available to me and of course I fall into Dragon Age: Inquisition for the nteenth time :'D Whatcha gonna do.
No idea whether this urge will actually carry me through an entire playthrough, but at minimum it's fun to splash about in the early days before the Inquisitor was a Big Damn BioWare Hero.
Returning to the start is always a delightful reminder that Lewen spends the entire prologue, and indeed some time past it, well sunk into a stunned-numb certainty he will die, and soon. He knows it as soon as he wakes in chains. An elven apostate - a Dalish spy - found at the site where the humans' most beloved religious leader was brutally murdered, and branded by a hostile arcane power that is actively eating its way into him? Cassandra's promise that he'll see trial only assures him his death might yet be a spectacle. The raging, grieving faithful will kill him if the mark does not, and then perhaps kill others like him, just because.
It provides the clarity of last gasp desperation, at least. Every choice he makes in this period is bent towards the goal of achieving the best death he can, one that will soften the fallout: to his clan, to his peoples, to his own sense of peace. For the sake of the last he would agree to help try and seal the breach regardless - alliances have been formed for worse reasons than big honking sky holes spitting demons at everyone, and even if he was a curious outsider to the Conclave and had no deep stake in its losses, he's shaken by the horrific carnage on principle.
But he doesn't act as a proud First among his clan, pushing back against insults and accusations, or casting out his own judgements and advice. He drops the staff when Cassandra orders him to drop it. He denies his part in the attack, tells them truthfully what he doesn't remember, and offers nothing else. He's compliant; he's politely curt; he is honestly kind of hoping the attempt up and kills him and makes a tidy end of it that everyone can be content with.
...Which of course it does not! And boy oh boy is waking up to a village saluting him and declaring him an Andrastian miracle not a huge improvement. Shemlen, please. He is going to get stabbed by nuns.
This discomfiting turn of events does at least put a question mark on what was previously a hard statement ('I am incredibly boned'). When the offer is made, Lewen joins the fledgling Inquisition willingly, if not altogether happily. If it was up to him he'd return to his clan, consult with his Keeper and the other Dalish elders, and tackle the question of the breach and the anchor among people he trusts - even if he's aware the Dalish might not have the resources to find a solution, and that surely some would argue in favour of letting chaos have its way in hopes of upsetting an established order that hasn't been in their favour for generations. He just can't conscience bringing this trouble to them, however. The stay of execution is largely local at the moment; outside the boundaries of Cassandra's fervent protection he's in as much danger as before, and if he fled to the Dalish he'd land them right in the centre of it. It is what he fears above all else.
(Leliana casually mentions they know he's of Clan Lavellan in their first conversation, which in the long run marks the first indication he receives of her impressive capabilities as spymaster given she'd had all of a week to suss out the identity of a nameless comatose elf wearing stolen clothes, but at the time he pretty much just internally blacks out for five seconds in blind panic.)
So here he is committed to be for the uncertain future - and pragmatic as he is, he can't just sit silently with his throat obligingly bared forever. Slowly, the real Lewen begins to force its way out from under the stiff and wary facade. Restless (lonely) wanderings around Haven, first as quietly and alone as he can manage, then increasingly in search of things to do, which leads to conversation, which leads to his natural assertiveness slipping its leash, which leads to more honest conversation. And maybe, here and there, the first hints of wry humour.
Other random bits and bobs:
• Lewen's natural eye colour is usually a murky blue-grey, but this time I gave into the deliciously silly urge to grant him bright green and gold eyes to match the anchor because I'm a sucker for scenes like disbelievingly peering into a mirror to examine a bizarre change, and also scaring the pants off someone the first time it's discovered those eyes now glow in the dark a little.
• It's honestly appropriate that Lewen starts at a meek level 1 - he's not a battlemage! He's a walking weather station who can shoot a few lightning bolts. The rest of the party is definitely carrying the combat weight in the fight up the mountain, though their escorted elf is at least unhesitant in shoving his spasming hand into pulsing rips in the fabric of reality.
• He chooses the path up the mountain over the frontal charge because hashtag Dalish tactics. They haven't operated as an army since the Dales fell, and even when it would be the better choice it's always something he instinctively leans away from. Helps explain why he continues to mostly operate in small guerilla squads throughout the game!
• Cassandra, Solas, and Varric become closer advisors than the actual advisors in many ways, and it helps that the first impression he has of them all is… you know, solid. Solas and Varric are outsiders as well, risking themselves to do the right thing, which creates its own sort of camaraderie. Cassandra is roughest, but it becomes apparent pretty quickly that she is profoundly unsuited for dishonesty, so her support is offered as sincerely as her fury, and her value of fairness plain. Respect comes quickly.
• Lewen doesn't exactly endear himself to the trio at speed - his reticence seems stereotypical Dalish distrust / aloofness - but he earns some early respect of his own by taking the matter seriously and readily knocking himself into a second bloody coma for the greater good. He's young and he's cooperating enough for their purposes and he's weirdly chill about the thing where he's been falsely accused of a horrific terrorist attack.
None of them know him well enough to know what is and isn't an act, but Varric at least is fairly sure the kid isn't as unaffected as he looks. Call it gut instinct for hidden drama. Or common sense based on the mortal condition. Or maybe just hard experience in knowing when someone's made a choice they're not sharing. Whatever it is, he's kind of relieved their mystery elf doesn't magically fry his brains for good. Wouldn't be a good ending to the story, you know?
No idea whether this urge will actually carry me through an entire playthrough, but at minimum it's fun to splash about in the early days before the Inquisitor was a Big Damn BioWare Hero.
Returning to the start is always a delightful reminder that Lewen spends the entire prologue, and indeed some time past it, well sunk into a stunned-numb certainty he will die, and soon. He knows it as soon as he wakes in chains. An elven apostate - a Dalish spy - found at the site where the humans' most beloved religious leader was brutally murdered, and branded by a hostile arcane power that is actively eating its way into him? Cassandra's promise that he'll see trial only assures him his death might yet be a spectacle. The raging, grieving faithful will kill him if the mark does not, and then perhaps kill others like him, just because.
It provides the clarity of last gasp desperation, at least. Every choice he makes in this period is bent towards the goal of achieving the best death he can, one that will soften the fallout: to his clan, to his peoples, to his own sense of peace. For the sake of the last he would agree to help try and seal the breach regardless - alliances have been formed for worse reasons than big honking sky holes spitting demons at everyone, and even if he was a curious outsider to the Conclave and had no deep stake in its losses, he's shaken by the horrific carnage on principle.
But he doesn't act as a proud First among his clan, pushing back against insults and accusations, or casting out his own judgements and advice. He drops the staff when Cassandra orders him to drop it. He denies his part in the attack, tells them truthfully what he doesn't remember, and offers nothing else. He's compliant; he's politely curt; he is honestly kind of hoping the attempt up and kills him and makes a tidy end of it that everyone can be content with.
...Which of course it does not! And boy oh boy is waking up to a village saluting him and declaring him an Andrastian miracle not a huge improvement. Shemlen, please. He is going to get stabbed by nuns.
This discomfiting turn of events does at least put a question mark on what was previously a hard statement ('I am incredibly boned'). When the offer is made, Lewen joins the fledgling Inquisition willingly, if not altogether happily. If it was up to him he'd return to his clan, consult with his Keeper and the other Dalish elders, and tackle the question of the breach and the anchor among people he trusts - even if he's aware the Dalish might not have the resources to find a solution, and that surely some would argue in favour of letting chaos have its way in hopes of upsetting an established order that hasn't been in their favour for generations. He just can't conscience bringing this trouble to them, however. The stay of execution is largely local at the moment; outside the boundaries of Cassandra's fervent protection he's in as much danger as before, and if he fled to the Dalish he'd land them right in the centre of it. It is what he fears above all else.
(Leliana casually mentions they know he's of Clan Lavellan in their first conversation, which in the long run marks the first indication he receives of her impressive capabilities as spymaster given she'd had all of a week to suss out the identity of a nameless comatose elf wearing stolen clothes, but at the time he pretty much just internally blacks out for five seconds in blind panic.)
So here he is committed to be for the uncertain future - and pragmatic as he is, he can't just sit silently with his throat obligingly bared forever. Slowly, the real Lewen begins to force its way out from under the stiff and wary facade. Restless (lonely) wanderings around Haven, first as quietly and alone as he can manage, then increasingly in search of things to do, which leads to conversation, which leads to his natural assertiveness slipping its leash, which leads to more honest conversation. And maybe, here and there, the first hints of wry humour.
Other random bits and bobs:
• Lewen's natural eye colour is usually a murky blue-grey, but this time I gave into the deliciously silly urge to grant him bright green and gold eyes to match the anchor because I'm a sucker for scenes like disbelievingly peering into a mirror to examine a bizarre change, and also scaring the pants off someone the first time it's discovered those eyes now glow in the dark a little.
• It's honestly appropriate that Lewen starts at a meek level 1 - he's not a battlemage! He's a walking weather station who can shoot a few lightning bolts. The rest of the party is definitely carrying the combat weight in the fight up the mountain, though their escorted elf is at least unhesitant in shoving his spasming hand into pulsing rips in the fabric of reality.
• He chooses the path up the mountain over the frontal charge because hashtag Dalish tactics. They haven't operated as an army since the Dales fell, and even when it would be the better choice it's always something he instinctively leans away from. Helps explain why he continues to mostly operate in small guerilla squads throughout the game!
• Cassandra, Solas, and Varric become closer advisors than the actual advisors in many ways, and it helps that the first impression he has of them all is… you know, solid. Solas and Varric are outsiders as well, risking themselves to do the right thing, which creates its own sort of camaraderie. Cassandra is roughest, but it becomes apparent pretty quickly that she is profoundly unsuited for dishonesty, so her support is offered as sincerely as her fury, and her value of fairness plain. Respect comes quickly.
• Lewen doesn't exactly endear himself to the trio at speed - his reticence seems stereotypical Dalish distrust / aloofness - but he earns some early respect of his own by taking the matter seriously and readily knocking himself into a second bloody coma for the greater good. He's young and he's cooperating enough for their purposes and he's weirdly chill about the thing where he's been falsely accused of a horrific terrorist attack.
None of them know him well enough to know what is and isn't an act, but Varric at least is fairly sure the kid isn't as unaffected as he looks. Call it gut instinct for hidden drama. Or common sense based on the mortal condition. Or maybe just hard experience in knowing when someone's made a choice they're not sharing. Whatever it is, he's kind of relieved their mystery elf doesn't magically fry his brains for good. Wouldn't be a good ending to the story, you know?
no subject
Date: 2022-08-01 03:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-08-03 03:03 am (UTC)I am totally with you that I frequently end up right back at the Bioware Buffet when there are plenty of new and potentially awesome games out there. Lewen sounds fascinating, and I really love how you've thought about why a Dalish elf would stay, and how that impacts him and his relationships with everyone else. Love it!
no subject
Date: 2022-08-06 10:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-08-06 10:51 pm (UTC)And yes, designing motivations and playing them out is so much fun! Do your Inquisitors tend to be reluctant conscripts or whole-hearted believers in the cause?
no subject
Date: 2022-08-13 04:32 pm (UTC)Oof, yeah, it makes perfect sense he'd see death as a foregone conclusion (I definitely rolled my eyes a little when Cassandra promised my mage Adaar a trial - ilu and your sense of fairness, Cassandra, but the chances of that working out well for anyone who isn't a warrior/rogue Trevelyan are Not High). I also love the way Dalish tactics play into his approach!
no subject
Date: 2022-08-14 04:47 am (UTC)I love Cassandra very, very much, but the woman has blind spots that could block out the sun. And yeah, lmfao, a qunari mage would NOT be in a better position good lord.