153429 réponses à ce sujet

[Illyria]

RP question time.

 

So how does one roleplay a mage Lavellan Inquisitor ? I mean the game makes it clear that mage Lavellan is the First of Clan Lavellan, which means they are quite important and valuable. So why would the Keeper send off her potential successor who is a mage, to spy on a gathering of mages and Templars ? Mages are not known for being spies. Furthermore, Dalish are not exactly welcome in human lands. So how do you folks justify this ?

 

Clan Lavellan mix with humans, so the First would've been trained to deal with outsiders to the clan.  The Conclave was also about the mage/templar war - the Keeper might've wanted to send someone with a personal knowledge of magic as she could make a better judgement about how everything would affect Clan Lavellan.

[Uirebhiril]

Mages are not known for being spies. Furthermore, Dalish are not exactly welcome in human lands. So how do you folks justify this ?

 

Yeah... the best mages can manage is to maybe be a powerful old elf-god hiding in plain sight as a random apostate.

 

Which is to say that being a mage does not immediately mean someone is incapable of hiding, spying, or lying.  

[midnight tea]

RP question time.

 

So how does one roleplay a mage Lavellan Inquisitor ? I mean the game makes it clear that mage Lavellan is the First of Clan Lavellan, which means they are quite important and valuable. So why would the Keeper send off her potential successor who is a mage, to spy on a gathering of mages and Templars ? Mages are not known for being spies. Furthermore, Dalish are not exactly welcome in human lands. So how do you folks justify this ?

 

Well - the Keeper and the First are probably ones that usually deal with outsiders, merchants, negotiations, diplomatic situations, handling difficult situations that require swift thinking and generally taught, or experienced enough to look at a bigger picture. More than certainly they can also read and write, on more than just basic level. They can acquire documents and send reports. Most of them are also likely capable mages (Vivienne notes that mage Lavellans are exceptionally skilled) and therefore they can actually survive just getting to the Conclave, nevermind Conclave itself. Their status as a First likely protects them from others just identifying them as stray apostates, even if they're technically apostates as well (Templars seem to tolerate Keepers and Firtst as exceptions form the rule, from what I've read).

 

... Actually, so far I headcanon that my Lavellan basically did the whole "hiding in plain sight" thing and never really denied who she was The Conclave was full of spies running around anyway, so if she was stopped for questioning she was like "me? *innocent eyes* I'm an official Dalish envoy, sent to observe an important event that may impact us as well. Is there anything wrong with it? Why are you eyeing me, when there's this suspicious-looking Qunari there?" *slips away while the guards shifts attention on the Obvious Spy*

 

As for specific reasons why she'd be sent... well, aside from all the official handling of the outsiders, Asura did a great deal of slipping away to mingle with outsiders anytime the clan was near human settlement, be it out of her own curiosity or to do some trading, information hunting, procuring rare goods and so on. She's charming, adapts fast to new or unusual situations and knows how to communicate with humans and others races on a level not many, even among her rather open-minded clan can. That, and there was some other, more personal stuff going on as well

[Bayonet Hipshot]

Thanks for the answers !

[Sifr]

RP question time.

 

So how does one roleplay a mage Lavellan Inquisitor ? I mean the game makes it clear that mage Lavellan is the First of Clan Lavellan, which means they are quite important and valuable. So why would the Keeper send off her potential successor who is a mage, to spy on a gathering of mages and Templars ? Mages are not known for being spies. Furthermore, Dalish are not exactly welcome in human lands. So how do you folks justify this ?

 

As Illyria said, Clan Lavellan are far more willing to interact with humans than other Dalish clans, so they'd probably find it easier to mingle among them despite standing out as a Dalish Elf. A lot of mages were sending representatives to the Conclave, so Lavellan could have tagged along with one of the groups for safety and protection, or payed off some mercenaries already heading to the Conclave to provide security to keep them safe on the trip.

 

(I like to headcanon that like with the potential Wardens in Origins, all the Inquisitors exist prior to our choosing one, so Adaar and Lavellan were on the same boat across the Waking Sea and struck up an odd friendship during the trip, with the Valo-Kas being the mercs they tagged along with)

 

According to the initial codex on Solas, he willingly gave up his staff when he approached their camp, offering his assistance with the Breach. I suspect that any mage wanting to attend the Conclave wasn't required to do this (because many wouldn't), but some did as a gesture of trust on their part. Lavellan as a Dalish mage might have chosen to do this to show they had peaceful intent and were there simply there as an observer, rather than taking any side in the conflict.

[Addictress]

I pasted something on top of something else.

 

(http://raptr.com/Dan...1ffca5/kai-leng)

[Addictress]

This is the silliest thing I've ever done wtf

[CapricornSun]

Art post.

 

Solas and Pira Lavellan's happy ending by deedylovescake for the Inquisitor Drawing Meme. 

Spoiler

Source: http://deedylovescak...5429/15-3-3-3-3

 

 

'A Long Nap'. Cute comic by lilium-snow.

Spoiler

Source: http://lilium-snow.t...sleeps-on-their

 

 

Looking Glass fanart: Lavellan and Pride, with Pride being all blushy.

Spoiler

Source: http://izzayylmao.tu...rcaedea-conceal

 

 

'Manly Men' by umabbas. (Garrus and Solas.)

Spoiler

Source: http://umabbas.tumbl...brush-so-much-i

 

 

Solas in a Princess Mononoke AU by kallielefhttp://kallielef.tumblr.com.

Spoiler

Source: http://kallielef.tum...ageghibli-train

 

 

Gamemaster - Fen'Harel

Spoiler

Source: http://louminx.tumbl...i-cant-help-but

 

[lynroy]

 

'Manly Men' by umabbas. (Garrus and Solas.)

Spoiler

Source: http://umabbas.tumbl...brush-so-much-i

 

Winning! So damn good.

[NightSymphony]

More art

 

Dad Envy Comic

http://ioana-muresan...-envy-592186479

 

Trespasser

http://aimo.devianta...asser-592119517

 

Solavellan

http://deadcountry.d...trade-592108796

 

Ghilan'nain concept

http://vertry.devian...n-Age-592049573

[Bayonet Hipshot]

Is it possible to play as an educated and intelligent non-mage Elf ? I mean, I am wondering because its easy to RP as an educated and intelligent Surana or mage Lavellan but it seems difficult to roleplay as an educated and intelligent Tabris or Mahariel or rogue Lavellan or warrior Lavellan. Any advice on how to do it ?

[Uirebhiril]

Is it possible to play as an educated and intelligent non-mage Elf ? I mean, I am wondering because its easy to RP as an educated and intelligent Surana or mage Lavellan but it seems difficult to roleplay as an educated and intelligent Tabris or Mahariel or rogue Lavellan or warrior Lavellan. Any advice on how to do it ?

 

I'd find it hard to believe that the clans would keep any non-mages in some sort of primitive existence and not teach them what they could of reading or writing or world knowledge. I get that the Keepers keep some knowledge all special and safe to themselves, but telling your clanmates they can't learn to write their own names or read what a sign says is, uh. Questionable . Lavellan especially should have had some exposure and experience with the world, being that the clan interacted regularly with humans and not entirely in a negative way. It's not hard to play Representative Lavellan as regularly chatting with human locals or reading their broadsheets and such.

 

And going off on a tangent here, is it just me or is the idea that Keepers are the only ones Allowed To Know about ancient Elvhen writing and stuff absolutely stupid? All it takes is enough of the right people being killed or dying from fever and suddenly all that knowledge -- as flawed as some of it might be -- is gone. Seems to me it'd make more sense to spread that knowledge as far and wide as the clans can carry it just to keep it from dying away completely.

 

Anyway, the sort of education a Surana would get would be much better, certainly, and I did play my Mahariel as young and ignorant, but she wasn't dumb. Once she was in a situation where she could learn, she did. There were enough long nights in camp with enough learned people that someone with half a mind could get a crash course in history, politics, and other basics their upbringing may have missed. Not having had the same opportunities to learn is not the same as being unintelligent.

[ladyiolanthe]

Is it possible to play as an educated and intelligent non-mage Elf ? I mean, I am wondering because its easy to RP as an educated and intelligent Surana or mage Lavellan but it seems difficult to roleplay as an educated and intelligent Tabris or Mahariel or rogue Lavellan or warrior Lavellan. Any advice on how to do it ?

 

I just did because I wanted to? Not being able to do magic doesn't mean you have no interest in learning anything more than tracking, hunting, killing and dressing food animals. With the Lavellan clan, you know you had contact with humans so it would be easy to get books to read in the evenings after hunting. And if you think about it, really, all Dalish elves are somewhat science-minded since they actively seek out artifacts and material culture from the ancient elves and try to figure out how they might have been used, like archaeologists.

 

My Lavellan rogue is a very curious and intelligent person and there's books and books and books to read in Skyhold. There is even a bookshelf in the Inquisitor's room. Since she recruited Dagna to the Inquisition, she knew that you didn't need to have a magical ability to understand magic. So she learned as much as she could about it, since magic is what caused the Breach etc, and she figured it would be good to have a little understanding of it, in case she could figure out a way to 'fix' things in a way no mage might have thought of. She was friends with Solas, Dorian, and Vivienne so she could always ask actual mages to explain things to her, too. So, I had no concerns about buying the Arcane Knowledge perk.  I also bought the History Knowledge perk because she is interested in history and what better place to learn it than amidst so many other people from all corners of Thedas, who can share what they know with her and with whom she can discuss any histories she might have read?

[Bayonet Hipshot]

And going off on a tangent here, is it just me or is the idea that Keepers are the only ones Allowed To Know about ancient Elvhen writing and stuff absolutely stupid? All it takes is enough of the right people being killed or dying from fever and suddenly all that knowledge -- as flawed as some of it might be -- is gone. Seems to me it'd make more sense to spread that knowledge as far and wide as the clans can carry it just to keep it from dying away completely.

 

Anyway, the sort of education a Surana would get would be much better, certainly, and I did play my Mahariel as young and ignorant, but she wasn't dumb. Once she was in a situation where she could learn, she did. There were enough long nights in camp with enough learned people that someone with half a mind could get a crash course in history, politics, and other basics their upbringing may have missed. Not having had the same opportunities to learn is not the same as being unintelligent.

 

I think so too as well. Magical proficiency is the related to how well one understands magical concepts and how well one is capable of manipulating the Veil and the energies of the Fade (unless if it is blight magic or blood magic). This has no relevance on someone's capacity to learn, read, write, and speak.

 

Its one of the things that I think exists due to D&D influence where mages are supposed to be the "intelligent" class and therefore the other class usually gets shafted when it comes to being educated or knowledgeable unless they themselves learn some form of magic. For example, a Rogue in D&D only really needs to invest in Intelligence if they want to be an Arcane Trickster (learn some spells) and a Fighter only really needs to invest in Intelligence if they want to be an Eldritch Knight (again, learn some spells). I can understand this from game balance perspective but I find it lame that spellcasting = intelligence.

[midnight tea]

Is it possible to play as an educated and intelligent non-mage Elf ? I mean, I am wondering because its easy to RP as an educated and intelligent Surana or mage Lavellan but it seems difficult to roleplay as an educated and intelligent Tabris or Mahariel or rogue Lavellan or warrior Lavellan. Any advice on how to do it ?

 

It's not impossible. Like Uirebhiril mentioned, clan Lavellan didn't isolate itself and traded with humans, and - in general - Deshanna appears to be a well-educated woman who may have wanted her clansmen to know things (I actually headcanon that she did care about education and passed that passion on Lavellan, who spent many years not just learning magic and future leading of the clan, but also helped teaching children and those who were willing reading, writing and counting, recognizing it as an essential skill. One of the reasons for her excursions to the outside world was to acquire books whenever she can... which also means that most of her clan has read Varric's books ) aside to just sticking to their role in the clan.

 

Anyhow - there are many possibilities to RP this even if clan and Deshanna overall isn't as progressive.

Perhaps the first or the second needed someone to help him/her research things and therefore asked a friend or capable clansmen for help? Maybe they were friends/lovers and were taught in secret?

Perhaps they've spent years in a secluded area close to a hut inhabited by a hermit, who turns out  to be a scholar who hides from the world for some reason? They've struck friendship and the hermit took it on himself/herself to teach the young thing that visits them?

Perhaps one of the parents is actually a later addition to the clan, educated as well, and they care about the education of their child?

Or perhaps they're just determined and they take it on themselves to officially petition Deshanna to teach them and some others some basic things?

Crazier idea - perhaps they've learned from spirits in the Fade?

 

 

And going off on a tangent here, is it just me or is the idea that Keepers are the only ones Allowed To Know about ancient Elvhen writing and stuff absolutely stupid? All it takes is enough of the right people being killed or dying from fever and suddenly all that knowledge -- as flawed as some of it might be -- is gone. Seems to me it'd make more sense to spread that knowledge as far and wide as the clans can carry it just to keep it from dying away completely.

 

Not only that, but the fact that most Keepers are considered to be descendants of noble houses from Halamshiral and have "pure blood" is also BS. What pure blood? If an elf wasn't of elvhen blood, they wouldn't be an elf in the first place (also - does this mean tat elven nobility interbred with one another like Tevinter nobility? The First is always a mage.)

 

That subtly shows that in old elven societies there were equals and those that were more equal than others :/

[ladyiolanthe]

Its one of the things that I think exists due to D&D influence where mages are supposed to be the "intelligent" class and therefore the other class usually gets shafted when it comes to being educated or knowledgeable unless they themselves learn some form of magic. For example, a Rogue in D&D only really needs to invest in Intelligence if they want to be an Arcane Trickster (learn some spells) and a Fighter only really needs to invest in Intelligence if they want to be an Eldritch Knight (again, learn some spells). I can understand this from game balance perspective but I find it lame that spellcasting = intelligence.

 

Ah, I see where you're coming from now. I guess it depends on your gaming group. If they're all power gamers then I can see how you might believe that a rogue ought to give up INT scores in order to max out DEX scores. My group is big into role-playing, so while we do tend to have higher stats in our class attributes, we have no qualms about making an intelligent rogue if that's the character we want to play.  ^-^  Intelligence need not be restricted to magic-users, especially if you want to have a lot of interesting skills.  A high INT gives you more skill points to spend.  

[Bayonet Hipshot]

Not only that, but the fact that most Keepers are considered to be descendants of noble houses from Halamshiral and have "pure blood" is also BS. What pure blood? If an elf wasn't of elvhen blood, they wouldn't be an elf in the first place (also - does this mean tat elven nobility interbred with one another like Tevinter nobility? The First is always a mage.)

 

That subtly shows that in old elven societies there were equals and those that were more equal than others :/

 

I can't believe we didn't catch onto this sooner. It seems so obvious now with Solas' revelations but you are right. In Dalish clans, some Elves are more equal than others though the disparity is not that obvious unlike, say Tevinter where if you are a non-mage, you are pretty much screwed. Honestly though, if you think about it, rogues and warriors are a lot more vital to a society because mages do not hunt for food or domesticate animals for food or grow plants or maintain social order (even in Tevinter justice is relegated to the non-magical Templars).

 

I would not be surprised to learn in future games that Elven nobility bred the way like Tevinter nobility did. After all, according to Solas, Tevinter is built on the remnants of his people and we now known that by his people he means the Ancient Elves. Isn't it really ironic that the spiritual successor to Ancient Elvhenan, the ones who are carrying their actual traditions, are not the Dalish Elves or the City Elves, but Tevinter Imperium ?

[Uirebhiril]

 I can understand this from game balance perspective but I find it lame that spellcasting = intelligence.

 

Thankfully less an issue in a game like DAI where you can play the character as you see fit, and while one has to account for stats in tabletop, the groups I ran with usually made allowances for a character's concept. We were big on the RP side of things and did our best to find the balance there. If you wanted to play a wizard that would have been better enrolled at Unseen University and requires the help of his super-educated rogue friend to survive and figure out where he put his goddamn spell scrolls, you damn well could.

[ladyiolanthe]

I can't believe we didn't catch onto this sooner. It seems so obvious now with Solas' revelations but you are right. In Dalish clans, some Elves are more equal than others though the disparity is not that obvious unlike, say Tevinter where if you are a non-mage, you are pretty much screwed.

 

I would not be surprised to learn in future games that Elven nobility bred the way like Tevinter nobility did. After all, according to Solas, Tevinter is built on the remnants of his people and we now known that by his people he means the Ancient Elves. Isn't it really ironic that the spiritual successor to Ancient Elvhenan, the ones who are carrying their actual traditions, are not the Dalish Elves or the City Elves, but Tevinter Imperium ?

 

Some even speculate that the Tevinter Altus class has purposefully interbred with elves in order to increase magical potential in their offspring. Hard to say... But since elf-blooded look just like humans, it's possible.

[Ellawynn]

Is it possible to play as an educated and intelligent non-mage Elf ? I mean, I am wondering because its easy to RP as an educated and intelligent Surana or mage Lavellan but it seems difficult to roleplay as an educated and intelligent Tabris or Mahariel or rogue Lavellan or warrior Lavellan. Any advice on how to do it ?

 

I think it depends, and it's because of questions like this that I get so annoyed with Dragon Age's inconsistency with adhering to medieval values and standards. 

 

Let's start with literacy, for instance - most know that literacy wasn't exactly common back in medieval Europe, so there's a part of me that wants to go "Most Dalish are illiterate, because even if they had an interest in learning and regular contact with humanity, the humans they had contact with probably are illiterate and uneducated themselves. Most people would be in that time." 

 

Of course, we also have serialized novels and famous, widely-read authors in a time where the printing press shouldn't exist, so I'mma take a shot in the dark and say Thedas doesn't strictly keep to medieval standards of education and literacy. (To say nothing of the massive libraries and piles of book we find lying around. A single book would've cost a fortune pre-printing press, a whole library would've been impressive for even a king, so given that you can't walk five feet without tripping over one...)

 

So, given that, it's conceivable that literacy's common in Thedas, even among the lower class. Now, would it be common for the Dalish? I think that would depend - how hostile is their environment? Dalish who frequent extreme climates would have to put more effort into survival, and thus less effort into luxuries and leisures. How much contact do they have with humans or other clans? If they have a lot, then literacy would probably be a considerable perk. And given how Dalish clans seem to be smaller communities of a few dozen people, it could also come down to the Keeper who leads them. And there are a lot of indications showing that the Dalish practice oral culture and tradition, which would suggest that they don't rely a lot on literacy...

 

Personally? I headcanon most Dalish as being serviceably literate, but rarely very good at it. My Lavellan could probably read, but at a very basic level, and she had even less skill with writing (God, her handwriting was probably atrocious) But between Josephine and Varric and probably even Solas, she became pretty well-read and educated. 

[Illyria]

Ah, I see where you're coming from now. I guess it depends on your gaming group. If they're all power gamers then I can see how you might believe that a rogue ought to give up INT scores in order to max out DEX scores. My group is big into role-playing, so while we do tend to have higher stats in our class attributes, we have no qualms about making an intelligent rogue if that's the character we want to play.  ^-^  Intelligence need not be restricted to magic-users, especially if you want to have a lot of interesting skills.  A high INT gives you more skill points to spend.  

 

Intelliegent rogues ftw.

[Bayonet Hipshot]

Some even speculate that the Tevinter Altus class has purposefully interbred with elves in order to increase magical potential in their offspring. Hard to say... But since elf-blooded look just like humans, it's possible.

 

It could have been actual interbreeding or even forced breeding (Mongolian Genghis Khan style). It also would not have been a stretch to imagine the Elves they bred with removed from the records or had their names humanized. Recall Dorian talking about Tevinter taking their lineages seriously. If they had an Elf in there somewhere in their family line, they most probably did not know about it. Kinda like how the Qunari did not know that their people have some tie to Dragons and modern Elves not knowing that they have some ties to Fade Spirits.

 

 

Intelliegent rogues ftw.

 

Imo, Intelligent Rogues are the coolest class setup to play. Simply because you get to indulge in your Batman, Indiana Jones and Sherlock Holmes fantasies all at the same time.

[ladyiolanthe]

Heh, the Dalish camp in the Exalted Plains used written language to keep track of their supplies. So... they definitely had to have a reasonable level of literacy.  

 

Edited to add: Among humans, at least, I do think the setting does not closely follow Earth history in terms of literacy rates. Templars, Mages, and religious folk all are taught to read and write as a matter of course. And for the more secular or less martial types, there are universities. 

 

Even in the hovels in the Hinterlands, it wasn't uncommon to find a book. I imagine the desire to spread the Chant of Light to all four corners of the world is, in part, why literacy seems pretty high in Thedas.

[Uirebhiril]

Let's start with literacy, for instance - most know that literacy wasn't exactly common back in medieval Europe, so there's a part of me that wants to go "Most Dalish are illiterate, because even if they had an interest in learning and regular contact with humanity, the humans they had contact with probably are illiterate and uneducated themselves. Most people would be in that time." 

 

I deal with this by using the idea that the Chantry set out to educate the masses enough for them to read/understand the Chant of Light or other such religious texts. So the population would have basic literacy even if they had no further education. Dalish clans, possibly less so, but it's not hard to imagine that some clans took in a literate city elf or some other such thing if it helps a character to make sense.

 

And even if your Lavellan or Brosca is pig-ignorant and only knows prayers by being verbally taught, nothing is stopping them from learning to read or write or otherwise become educated once they are in a position of some authority and surrounded by others who are learned.

[midnight tea]

I can't believe we didn't catch onto this sooner. It seems so obvious now with Solas' revelations but you are right. In Dalish clans, some Elves are more equal than others though the disparity is not that obvious unlike, say Tevinter where if you are a non-mage, you are pretty much screwed. Honestly though, if you think about it, rogues and warriors are a lot more vital to a society because mages do not hunt for food or domesticate animals for food or grow plants or maintain social order (even in Tevinter justice is relegated to the non-magical Templars).

 

I would not be surprised to learn in future games that Elven nobility bred the way like Tevinter nobility did. After all, according to Solas, Tevinter is built on the remnants of his people and we now known that by his people he means the Ancient Elves. Isn't it really ironic that the spiritual successor to Ancient Elvhenan, the ones who are carrying their actual traditions, are not the Dalish Elves or the City Elves, but Tevinter Imperium ?

 

I'd find that hilariously ironic indeed I mean, it's not really THAT much of a secret that Tevinter Imperium is basically Elvenhan 2.0 - but that it proudly carries its traditions (castes, mage supremacy, slavery) aside from just stolen elements.... ahaha, that's just too delicious xD

 

And probably makes all modern elves who figure out that truth cringe all the more. Turns out that the ancient culture they yearned for is the one they so desperately wanted to escape all those years back (and some of them try escape even now).