Ok, new question:
Again hypothetically, let's pretend that Cullen is a companion/LI in DA3 and he's having another conversation with the protagonist about the his time in Kirkwall from the moment after Meredith's death/Hawke 'n' co left/escaped, until he finally leaves Kirkwall himself to go to Orlais/wherever.
What would be your ideal sequence of events that led to Cullen to leave Kirkwall?
At the moment
(until we're told otherwise) my head canon for a pro-mage play-through with my mage Hawke is as follows
(this is gonna be a long one, so I apologise in advance):
The setup: After the Meredith incident Hawke fled Kirkwall, leaving Cullen to deal with the aftermouth and pick up the pieces. He done his best to restore order to the Gallows/Kirkwall, by standing in as first in command until such time as he is instructed otherwise, or promoted to Knight Commander status. However, the Templars who weren't in the courtyard when Meredith went mad chose instead to believe the rumors that Cullen and Hawke had purposely overthrown his superior, in order for him to take over Meredith's role and subsequently go easier on the mages. As a result, they refused to take orders from him, taking matters into their own hands instead. To make matters worse, Cullen recieves word that he has been called to stand trial for aiding Hawke in the murder of Knight Commander Meredith. Cullen is put under "house arrest" in his personal quarters, whilst he awaits his trial. Peering out of his window overlooking the Gallows, Cullen makes the horrifying discovery that the Templars who had remained loyal and followed orders in helping him defeat Meredith, had been put to death and were subsequently strung from the Gibbets in the courtyard to serve as a spectacle and warning to anyone who planned to betray the Order. Realising that his life is in immediate danger, he formulates a plan to escape... it was a long shot, but if he stayed then he would likely be sentenced to death. That night, he stashed coin and several vials of lyrium into a leather pouch and readied himself. Stripped of his uniform, sword and shield, with only a small dagger that he usually kept under his bed for protection, he had no choice but to attempt a more stealthy approach. He stood no chance of surviving a Templar encounter without armor. However, he would certainly draw less attention in civilian clothing once out of the Gallows.
Suddenly he heard the clank of keys as one of the Templars came to check in on him, as they had done every evening since his house arrest. Bolting behind the door Cullen stood poised in position, his heartbeat ringing in his ears, as the unsuspecting Templar entered the room. It was now or never. Cullen struck him hard on the back of the head with the hilt of his dagger, knocking him unconcious. He wasn't going to kill him, he didn't need anymore blood on his hands. Stepping gingerly out the door, he glanced one last time around the room and realised that during his 10 long years in Kirkwall, he had no personal belongings to speak of besides the dagger in his hand, the clothes on his back and a small silver chain he wore around his neck that he'd had since he was a child. Cullen quietly closed the door behind him to avoid suspicion and ducked into a darken alcove, pausing for a moment to listen for footsteps. He knew he only had a short window of opportunity before sunrise, when the bulk of the Order would awaken. At a steady, cautious pace he made his way down through corridors and flights of stairs, silently rendering Templars unconcious when it couldn't be avoided. Finally he reached the main hall and was only mere feet away from freedom, but with no cover or shadows to hide in he'd have no choice but to make a run for it. Only two Templars were guarding the exit, perhaps he stood a chance after all. From this moment on he would be a fugitive... or dead. His fate was in the Makers hands now. Taking a deep breath he made a mad dash for the door, slamming himself hard into the wood, forcing it open. Cullen let out a blood curdling scream as the pain of impact jolted through his body, startling the Templars who barely had time to react. Stumbling out into the courtyard, he forced himself to keep running as the guards sounded the alarm. "LOWER THE BLOODY GATE, YOU FOOL! DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!" The gate was closing and he only had seconds to react; sprinting as fast as he could Cullen flung himself underneath the closing gate, tearing his flimsy linen tunic in the process.
Dragging himself up off the ground he staggered towards the Gallows pier. There were no boats to be seen and it would have be too dangerous for him to board anyway. He'd have no choice but to swim to safety. Hurling himself into the water, the cold seeped into his bones as he desperately swam in the direction of Kirkwall's docks, staying submerged for as long as possible. "THE SODDING BASTARDS ESCAPED!" "SEND WORD TO THE CITY GUARD, IF HE HASN'T DROWNED ALREADY THEN THEY'LL CATCH THE SWINE WHEN HE EMERGES!"
After what felt like an eternity following only the tiniest flicker of light from the docks in the icy blackness, he finally made it to shore. Crouching behind a large shipment of rotting abandoned cargo, the first light of morning cracked through the clouds, enabling him to just make out an Orlesian crest on one of the nearby ships.
"Orlais! I'll travel to Orlais and seek out an audience with the Divine! I sent her news of Meredith's madness weeks ago, surely she'll know the truth? Surely she'd help me?" Realising that he'd be unable to board the ship in a conventional manner due to the Templars, who would have a bounty on his head before the days end, and the City Guard stalking the streets in search of him, he'd have no choice but to stow away in the cargo hold during loading. Fortunately It wasn't too long before the chance arose for Cullen to sneak on board as the sailors began to load up the ships with cargo, whilst many other boats began to arrive and depart creating a good deal of confusion. It was in that confusion that Cullen was able to stow himself away, hiding behind a stack of crates at the very back of the hold.
As the ship set sail for Orlais, relief and fatique finally set in. Cullen ached all over, he hadn't felt all the cuts and bruises covering his body until he surveyed the damage in the dull light provided by a discarded lantern. In truth, he wasn't worried about his injuries, they weren't serious enough to cause him any lasting damage... hell, he wasn't even worried about rationing the small amount of food or water he'd swiped from a table on his way to the hold in order to survive the trip. What did worry him however, was whether or not he'd have enough lyrium to last the journey. Regardless, for now he was safe. Cullen leant back against one of the crates, resting his head in his hands. He'd made it. He'd successfully escaped the Gallows... escaped Kirkwall. Closing his eyes, he allowed sleep to take him. He had a long journey ahead of him, one that will span far beyond the confines of the ships hold.
Aaaaaand that's pretty much what I'd like Cullen's story to be surrounding his time in Kirkwall after DA2. Ideally this would all play out as a flashback as Cullen narrates it to my protagonist. Ok, your turn!
Modifié par LolaLei, 31 octobre 2012 - 10:04 .
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I have others in my My Art album which you can sift through but I like this one best!. Just got home and I'm starving so I'm gonna go eat some meat! P= Probably trick-or-treating later with the kiddos! I'll be back later. 
