Yay, action on the Cullen board! No worries, slyborg, we've just been ... slow recently!
I've heard so much interest around the boards for Cullen in DA3, and not just from those of us - ahem - who want to romance him. So, I'm hopeful! He just seems to fit so well thematically into the new game if it deals with mage-Templar war drama.
You know, I keep thinking that the next game will just be in Orlais, but after watching
the BW presentation at NYCC, I'm finally reminded that one of the few things they've said definitively about DA3 is that it will show us lots of new places. They keep showing that big ole map that includes both Orlais, the Free Marches, Ferelden and such. Maybe even Tevinter...? I need to compare to a detailed map with names... So, hopefully we'll be moving around alot!
As to an Orlesian PC... I suppose we could get a flavor of it with Awakenings, although I think I only played for like 20 minutes with my Orlesian warden character and of course she was not voiced. But, BW has always done such a great job of voice casting (I personally think the Hawkes are both brilliant . . .) that I'm sure they could find a non-irritating Orlesian. So far the Orlesians seem to be polarized between the Isoldes/Arlanges and more palatable Lelianas, suggesting BW also recognizes that they're extremes.
But, bringing Cullen to the heart of Templar-dom in Orlais would be juicy...