Kirkwall. It finds its way into your soul, and once it gets there, you carry it always.

[alaterdate]

31 Days of Dragon Age is a prompt list floating around tumblr meant to celebrate what we love about Dragon Age in the lead up to the release of the next game. Prompts here.
I decided to post them by game rather than each day, so here are my answers for the Dragon Age II questions.

13 — Introduce your Hawke

I've played Dragon Age II tons of times, but I only ever really clicked with two Hawkes. Pretty much the male and female default versions of mage Hawke. The one in my main world state is Aviel Hawke.

He's a straight to the point, pull no punches, slut. He was more reserved in Ferelden in all aspects, but Kirkwall is a city and Lothering was a town. There's tons more people to interact with, have sex with, and who get on his nerves that he can't quite get away from. Working with the Red Iron also made him more brazen about using his magic, despite the Kirkwall Gallows being the worst Circle on the face of Thedas.

Since he didn't always fight using his magic he's good at actually using his staff as a pole axe. Doing work on the farms in Lothering also gave him plenty of muscle and stamina. (I never dress him in mage robes other than the champion armor thus he has a ridiculous strength stat for a mage.)

Force Magic comes naturally to him as it did his father and sister. He's also efficient with Elemental Magic, but it's not as subtle for use in Kirkwall proper. Unfortunately, he's useless with Creation Magic, so he won't be healing anyone any time soon. (You can select two specializations in DA2, but I only ever choose Force Mage for him.)

Even though he's a curmudgeon he has a ridiculous sense of responsibility stemming from having to take care of his family after his father's death. As his family dwindles he becomes ever more concerned with the state of Kirkwall. it's his city, it's his home.

14 — Favorite DA2 romance

Fenris. No question. Hands down.

The first time I played I was flirting with everyone I met, and then I saw him. I immediately knew he was the one. (But also I still totally slept with Isabela. Who wouldn't, she's hot. Fenris gets with her too if you don't romance either of them.) And I'm pretty sure my first romance with him was a friendmance.

Obviously over the course of playing the game a zillion more times I ended up liking the Fenris rivalmance more than his friendmance.

It's because I really love Fenris when he's at his bitchiest.

15 — Favorite DA2 companion

Also Fenris. But I really like Carver and Isabela, and Merril too.

Ignoring Fenris. Carver is also really good because of his bitchiness. I love working on getting his rivalry into friendship, it adds a lot to his character when he lives past the deep roads.

Isabela is so fun. I only recently found out that she interacts with NPCs walking around the docks! It's a neat little thing.

Merrill is a dear. I love the dichotomy of her naivety and her truccing with demons. She obviously knows what she's doing as a mage, but she has no clue outside of that. She is one of the characters that I absolutely see no point in rivalling. I have done it in a playthrough to see it, but in my opinion she's in the right and there's no reason to treat her like a child as Marethari does.

16 — Favorite DA2 location

The cave. No, not that cave, the other one. No, just kidding. It's Hightown. I love the squareness. The white, the red. The mansion area. The hallways, the floor. My other favorite places like Fenris' mansion, the Chantry, the Keep, and the Rose are there too. I love walking around there day or night. I also like the Storm Coast, I like being near the water and looking at it. It's so nice.

17 — Favorite DA2 quest

The end of Act II. Running through the city and Meredith finally making an appearance. And in such a badass way too. Then there's the Arishok fight at the end of it too which is challenging and fun.

Going into the Fade to help Feynriel is another quest I really like. Chasing that stupid ass book around the pillars and the fucking barrel puzzles, lmao so stupid. Of course I love when the companions turn on Hawke and you have to fight them. Fenris often 1HKOs me lmao. The best part though is actually the quests after the fade mission when the companions attempt to apologize for selling Hawke out for one corn chip.

18 — Favorite DA2 NPC

Meredith. The Arishok.

It's unbelievably sexy to get the Arishok to respect you. And while Meridith will never respect you, I'll play her little lap dog, woof woof.

There are more interesting facets to them, but eh you get the gist of it.

19 — Favorite DA2 scene/dialogue

Oh I have so many. They are mostly related to Fenris. The one I probably think about the most is A Bitter Pill; when Fenris kills Hadriana and the conversation in the immediate aftermath of that. I don't pick the flirt option here because mage Hawke has a much better dialogue option that is so fucking good. "Watch what you say about mages."

Fenris
May she rot and all the other mages with her.

Hawke
Don't forget who you're talking to.

Fenris
I haven't forgotten.

It's like the Hamlet nunnery scene to me idk lmao.

There's also the iconic "What has magic touched that it doesn't spoil?" line in this scene. Emery does such good voice acting in this scene too. I also really like it in French. Honestly, I can pick this scene apart more, but I'll move on.

20 — Favorite DA2 lore/codex entry

The Enigma of Kirkwall is a good one of course. All the crazy Kirkwall blood magic, thin veil shit is super interesting. But there's a couple more innocuous ones I like.

History of the Circle

It is a truth universally acknowledged that nothing is more successful at inspiring a person to mischief as being told not to do something. Unfortunately, the Chantry of the Divine Age had some trouble with obvious truths. Although it did not outlaw magic—quite the contrary, as the Chantry relied upon magic to kindle the eternal flame which burns in every brazier in every chantry—it relegated mages to lighting candles and lamps. Perhaps occasional dusting of rafters and eaves.

I will give my readers a moment to contemplate how well such a role satisfied the mages of the time.

It surprised absolutely no one when the mages of Val Royeaux, in protest, snuffed the sacred flames of the cathedral and barricaded themselves inside the choir loft. No one, that is, but Divine Ambrosia II, who was outraged and attempted to order an Exalted March upon her own cathedral. Even her most devout Templars discouraged that idea. For 21 days, the fires remained unlit while negotiations were conducted, legend tells us, by shouting back and forth from the loft.

The mages went cheerily into exile in a remote fortress outside of the capital, where they would be kept under the watchful eye of the Templars and a council of their own elder magi. Outside of normal society, and outside of the Chantry, the mages would form their own closed society, the Circle, separated for the first time in human history.

—From Of Fires, Circles, and Templars: A History of Magic in the Chantry, by Sister Petrine, Chantry scholar.

The Qunari - Asit tal-eb

When the Ashkaari looked upon the destruction wrought by locusts,
He saw at last the order in the world.
A plague must cause suffering for as long as it endures,
Earthquakes must shatter the land.
They are bound by their being.
Asit tal-eb. It is to be.
For the world and the self are one.
Existence is a choice.
A self of suffering, brings only suffering to the world.
It is a choice, and we can refuse it.

—An excerpt from The Qun, Canto 4