choices + personality
Mar. 15th, 2015 08:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
arlaAs Lavellan is a malleable protagonist, I'm going to give a basic rundown of events in regards to her specific origin and choices, using the final link above as a back-up. These will be further explored in the personality section.
Nasrin grew up in a Dalish clan that frequented the Free Marches, and when it was discovered she had magical talent, she was groomed to be the next Keeper by becoming First to the clan. As First, it was expected of her to know the old history as it is recorded and kept by her clan. She was to help protect the clan from spirits and learn to take on the responsibility of guiding them, one day, in safety, in protection, and in leadership.
As the mage/Templar war waged on (a direct consequences of the events of Dragon Age II and the novel Asunder, where the mages declared themselves free and independent from the Chantry's clutches and the Templars disbanded from the Chantry to hunt the mages down), Keeper Istimaethoriel sent Nasrin to the Chantry's conclave to spy on the proceedings. Should the war end or begin again, it was important that they know.
Significant Choices:- Nasrin decided to take the mountain pass and save the scouts in The Wrath of Heaven
- She chose to meet with the mages first, thanks to meeting with Dorian Pavus, and allowed the mages to be equal allies in In Hushed Whispers
- As Nasrin did not meet with the Templars, they became corrupted by the Elder One in In Your Heart Shall Burn. She saved most of the individual townspeople.
- In Here Lies The Abyss, she chose to allow Stroud to stay in the Fade and to face the demon, sparing Hawke, who then went to Weisshaupt
- During the ball in Halamshiral, Nasrin reunited Empress Celene and Briala, though Gaspard was then executed. Florianne was killed in the resulting battle as Nasrin was not able to achieve full court approval during Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts
- She chose to go through the trials in the Temple of Mythal, fought Samson, and did not kill Abelas. She allowed Morrigan to drink from the Well of Sorrows in What Pride Had Wrought
- During the events of The Final Piece, Morrigan met with her mother Flemeth with Nasrin there, and Flemeth used Morrigan's connection to the Well of Sorrows to allow her to fight for the Inquisition against the Elder One's dragon.
Companion Specific Choices:- Cassandra: Encouraged to fix the Seeker Order. Had Varric write her the next chapter in Swords and Shields.
- Dorian: Told him the truth about the "meeting" with his father, encouraged him to speak to his father.
- Iron Bull: Spared the Chargers.
- Cole: Remained a spirit.
- Vivienne: Gave her the Snowy Wyvern heart.
- Blackwall: Saved him from prison, told him to work with the Inquisition.
- Sera: Completed quest, asked to be her friend, told her to make cookies for people.
- Varric: Helped him with Bianca's quest. Asked to be his friend. Kept Hawke alive.
- Solas: Saved his friend.
- Cullen: Encouraged him to continue not taking lyrium.
- Josephine: Helped her on her quest to regain her family's land, convinced noblewoman to help Josephine.
- Leliana: Unhardened, endorsed as Divine.
Romance: Nasrin remained unromanced.
In Dragon Age: Inquisition, you play as a malleable protagonist who is given dialogue options to represent their personality. These are usually highlighted as Diplomatic, Witty, and Aggressive options, though they don't always correspond to these ideals. There is then a second wheel that represents Stoic, Sad, Pleased, Mad, Confused, Fear. These let the Inquisitor generally choose how to respond in certain situations, though the former three are typically the most used. I am writing this personality section for the Inquisitor as a combination of many of these, though she is mostly skewed as Diplomatic when she speaks.
Nasrin comes to the Inquisition as a woman who is strong in her ideals and protective of her Dalish heritage. She willingly intrudes upon the Chantry conclave as a spy, determined to know anything that would benefit her clan. It isn't pride that keeps her strong but, instead, protectiveness; long have the Dalish been scattered and lost, small clans instead of the great nation they once were. Her hope stems from their history and their strength to survive, and she longs to use any and all information she can gather at the conclave to prove her place as First and eventual Keeper to clan Lavellan.
The resulting explosion and great loss of life change her, little by little, and as the ashes fall, Nasrin sees that the tides have turned and what she wants - what her clan may need - is inconsequential if the end of the world draws near. Suspicion is not something she is unfamiliar with; indeed, the Dalish are often hunted by Templars and do not draw close to cities for fear of retaliation by humans. It is not suspicion that makes her reluctant to aid the Inquisition, but a lingering concern for her clan and her frustration at being called the 'Herald of Andraste', as she is forced to aid and recognize beliefs she did not hold close. Humans have created the Chantry and have revered the Maker and Andraste, not the elves. Why should she be forced to change to fit the ideals of people who had been cruel to her kind, who still believed she might have murdered the Divine? She does whatever possible to renounce this title (and the game allows you to often deny being the Herald, even though everyone insists on calling you that) and work, instead, as an agent of the Inquisition and a part of a team. Nothing more, nothing less. In fact, in the beginning, it outright frustrates her that Cassandra goes from accusing her outright of destruction and murder but then turns around in a matter of hours and pretends otherwise, and even asks for Nasrin to trust her.
But the Inquisition has other ideas for her. She is given control of plans in the War Room with Cassandra's help, something she does not expect. Now, she is no longer changing the fate of her clan or the people she works with, but she is affecting all of Thedas itself. The pressure is immense, and she does whatever she can to thwart it, ease her own burden, and she relies heavily on her advisors to guide her in the best possible decision. Even there, however, there are dissenting and opposing opinions, and mistakes are, unfortunately, made. In the process of trying to bring some nobles to power in Orlais (the war table mission Choose Successor in Lydes), Nasrin chooses to bring a man to the Inquisition's side and out of the race for her own means. This then results in a scuffle between a Chantry sister and her charge's relative, which incites a short outbreak of violence that ends in a woman's reputation being destroyed. There are no easy answers and it becomes more and more difficult to parse what is best for the Inquisition versus what is best for Thedas.
This does not mean that she is not polite in her dealings. Nasrin, at least, has the decency to smile and be kind to a person's face, for kindness opens doors. Open doors allow for influence and secrets, as well as gentle talks, and these are twisted later to ensure cooperation of those involved. Nasrin doesn't have the head or the nuance for spying, nor does she have the social forte to glide around nobility, but she can put on her best face to improve relations before it is decided whether someone should be put down or not. As First, she is used to balancing a few grievances and difficulties between parties. It is really only with the help of her advisors that she is able to make an admirable stance in peace talks. Peace keeps people alive, after all, where war does not. Almost all of her dialogue choices involve diplomacy or sympathy, allowing her the chance to at least attempt at kindness and comaraderie in the face of chaos and war. If talks fall through, violence can be used later. But if there is a chance at smoothing things over and lessening any loss of life, she'll take it every time. She can pretend to be kind, can put on a brave face, and can pretend to be strong. She can't, however, hide her temper or her shock at the things she learns. She is not so world-wise, after all, in the beginning of Inquisition. It takes most of the campaign, hours and hours of tutelage and war room dealings, hobnobbing with nobility and learning the tricks of the trade, for her to begin to seem like a true Inquisitor and not some Dalish nomad from a cloistered clan in the wild.
Nasrin grows to despise full-scale war, knowing it will lead to grief and guilt, things she does not bear as well as she wishes she could. Many lives are lost in Haven's destruction, mostly in part because of her choices and the mark on her hand. The guilt weighs on her and despite Mother Giselle's attempts to soothe her by offering guidance and support, Nasrin can only respond with doubt, not only for herself but for faith as a whole ("I'm sorry, but I don't think faith is going to help us right now."). The humans' faith in the Maker seems unfounded; worse, her own faith is shaken by what she has seen in the attack on Haven (a talking darkspawn magister, an Archdemon, hundreds and hundreds of soldiers bearing down on them). This guilt is only compounded when Solas tells her that the object used in the conclave's destruction is an ancient elven orb; now she sees that the elves will again be blamed if this is discovered, and so will she, despite all she has done to protect the Inquisition and her fellow soldiers. This compromises her position as Inquisitor, even if no one is truly aware of it besides possibly Solas himself: where does she stand on protecting her people versus protecting the Inquisition, and which is more important to her in the long run? This is a question she has to wrestle with for most of the rest of the game.
As the Inquisition grows and they move to their new fortress at Skyhold, they begin to look less like a band of fools and more like an army. Influence spreads, people begin to look to the Inquisition and to Nasrin for support and guidance. She is thrust to the head of a true organization and named Inquisitor (which is a bit of an underhanded scene that features Cassandra and the advisors telling the people that she will be Inquisitor before she even agrees), a title she does not feel she is capable of receiving with her inexperience in war. Her response is to take up the mantle with little choice, "Because it's the right thing to do", leading people and, more importantly, protecting them to the best of her ability. As First, she would one day look after a group of Dalish not unlike a shepherd; now, she is looking after an army, the pilgrims, the scouts, and the nobles that have pledged their loyalty to her and to the cause. In truth, she'd rather they lead as a group, for everyone to see it as a joint effort; if there is a mistake, it will rebound and be placed on her shoulders alone, even if the decision made was a team contribution. It's difficult for her to stomach that burden, at first. As time progresses, she learns to handle it more and more, seeking out small pockets of comfort and solace to stem the tide of responsibility.
Protection for her is, in its own way, a form of love, and she extends this love to her companions and her soldiers, watching their backs and listening to them, if not outright acting on their advice (Blackwall encouraging her to give the Wardens a chance, Varric telling her that the mages can be helpful and loyal allies, Solas telling her not to drink from the Well of Sorrows). They teach and change her in this way, opening her up to the idea of friends instead of simply 'her clan'. With them, she can have real relationships, instead of simply being fostered into the role of a leader and guide to the people of her clan. She begins Inquisition as someone who is nervous to open up and to be honest about her feelings, and eventually grows into realizing that she can put her trust in these people because they like her for who she is and what she stands for. In truth, she comes to be a stronger person with her companions around. Her convictions and her determination are fostered by the strength in the people beside her: her friendship with Dorian puts her at odds with the nobility but she learns not to listen to their rumors; Sera gives her humility for the people who aren't so fortunate as she; Vivienne reminds her to be strong and to be feared; Cole fosters more of her kindness and gentleness; Solas nurtures a deeper love of the truth and her people's pasts within her, something that will carry her for years and years to come. It is this tenderness and trust with her friends that comes to backfire on her again and again, as some of her companions either outright lie to her or walk away from the fight without a single word. She doesn't expect one of them, her closest and dearest of allies and friends, to be capable of something like lying or murder...despite the fact that they all are, at their core, murderers, thieves, fighters, and liars.
Her love also extends to the Dalish, and it does not come without its own consequences. The lies she learns of the Dalish begin to warp her sense of loyalty to them, even if her heart will forever remain with her clan and her duty. She can't deny that there are problems among the Dalish clans, practices that are cruel and unworthy of them. In the beginning, she hopes to show the power and the greatness the Dalish wield...but as the story progresses and she learns more and more from Solas and from the clans she meets about their hostility towards anything beyond themselves, their backwards traditions, and the loss of what is their most precious lore, she begins to see that they are inherently lost and flawed, and one day will need to be changed. How can she love the People when some of the clans dump mage children and abandon them? How can she defend their willingness to close their eyes and ears to the world and focus solely on themselves? And how can she live with the lie that Arlathan was a great civilization...when it caused its own destruction. Nasrin had always wanted more for her clan and had often been at odds with the Keeper when she believed that the Dalish needed to reunite with the world and work towards establishing a true home for themselves. They will not survive by being "pure" and not recognize the city elves in the Alienages, nor in ignoring the humans or dwarves they could work with. They prove themselves to be nomads who have abandoned the world as they were supposedly "abandoned". She can't agree with leaving things like that. Something must change.
And the Inquisition itself is that change, even if it is in the form of order. The first Inquisition, ages ago, was formed to hunt down the mages who had become maleficar, blood mages, and to bring them to heel under the umbrella of what would be the Chantry, the Templars, Seekers, and the Circle. Now, Nasrin has a chance to cultivate a new world order and lead by example, something that, frankly, terrifies her. Still, she is willing to at least advocate for change: she encourages Leliana to take the Divine's seat knowing that mages will be free, she encourages Dorian's fostered plans to return to Tevinter and convince them to change, she tells Cassandra it's all right to want to fix the Seekers and right the wrongs they've done. As much as she is the Inquisitor, their leader, she hopes first to be their friend. She won't order friends to do things they aren't interested in pursuing in the first place. She is surrounded by powerful individuals in their own right and is glad (immensely so) that they are just as willing to push for change as she is in their own way. They may not always agree (Cassandra doesn't like the mages as allies, Solas doesn't want the Wardens to be forgiven) but they have worked hard enough as a group to understand that their personal desires might not always be fulfilled if it's for the greater good of bringing back peace and stability into Thedas.
In the end, however, Nasrin has the final say in most real debates. As Inquisitor, she is expected to pass judgment on criminals, and this is where her biases show. Not a single one of them is executed, surprisingly. Instead, Alexius is recruited to research magic; Servis is given to Leliana for spying; Mistress Pouline is given as a scribe to work her way to helping her people; the Mayor of Crestwood is given to Ferelden for judgment; Samson is given to Cullen to be of use to the Inquisition before he dies. Perhaps it shows a bit of cunning on her part to use people for their worth instead of simply giving them the more merciful option of death. But it seems too wasteful to her, especially when they are in the middle of a war that is taking too many lives. That, of course, makes her out to be a rather large hypocrite. How many lives has she taken on her own, or condoned via Leliana and her advisors and soldiers? These are consequences of war and matters of self-defense. But a single person, shackled and brought before her, isn't a faceless entity nor are they a threat any longer. When the war is over, true judgment can be passed on them. For now, let them earn their keep, let them contribute to the cause and fix what they have done in some way. Execution can come later, when their usefulness has been expended.
Last, but not least, Nasrin has a love and a fondness for information, lore, and magic. She finds herself much more at home with learning than she is with speeches or grand theatrics. Magic is useful, it is beautiful, and it has the potential to help. Magic is a sign of what is old, what once was, and what can be regained. She is enthusiastic about learning but also about teaching, encouraging, and is often disappointed when she finds that others are closed-minded about magic, fearing it for the people who misuse it and not seeing it for the opportunities. Precautions can be made, certainly, but outright banning the practice or understanding of things beyond them - magic, creatures, materials and the dark oddities of the world - will lead to nothing but ignorance, one of the few things Nasrin is disgusted by. In this way, she encourages and fosters truth, and is more inclined to learn what is real and what is honest than to live in darkness...and she would prefer honesty, no matter how terrible or painful, than to be coddled with lies.
