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hawkethisnthat) wrote2012-03-31 07:44 pm
hawkethisnthat) wrote2012-03-31 07:44 pm
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exsilium
» PLAYER INFORMATION
Player NAME: Froda
Current AGE: Over 21
Personal JOURNAL:froda_baggins
AIM: frodabaggins03
Player PLURK: N/A
Current CHARACTERS: N/A
» CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character NAME: Marian Hawke, but pretty much everyone just calls her "Hawke". That's what she's used to answering to.
Canon & MEDIUM: Dragon Age II; video game.
Canon PULL-POINT: Post-game, after leaving Kirkwall.
Character AGE: There's some in-game dialogue that suggests Hawke is approximately 24 at the beginning of the game; given that the game spans about seven years, I'm going to say she's 31 at the time of her arrival in Exsilium.
Character ABILITIES: Hawke is a mage; this means she can wield magic to various ends, tapping into the power of the Fade (the world of dreams) to manifest her power. Her specialties are in the elemental and force trees, meaning she's really good at using fire and ice to hurt and freeze her enemies, as well as using the force of gravity to throw them around. She also has some minor healing skills, but she would be the first to point out that Anders is a much better healer overall. She can patch someone up in the field, but for more serious injuries, they would need to find a more dedicated healer or medic.
Magic in the Dragon Age universe is a very powerful force, and a lot can be done with it, but it's not really very good for most mundane tasks. Hawke can't go around repairing objects, or cooking food, or levitating things instead of picking them up and carrying them - that would require a level of finesse that no mage is ever shown having, and it would be needlessly exhausting to boot. Magic is almost exclusively used for offensive/defensive purposes in a fight, or for healing.
Aside from the magic, Hawke is sharp as a tack, demonstrates some decent investigative skills, and is often good at talking/bluffing her way out of tight spots.
Character HISTORY: A rough background for Hawke can be found here, but since it really doesn't go into much detail about the events of the game, I'll try to summarize the most important events as concisely as I can. The game is, in fact, a story told by Varric Tethras to Cassandra Pentaghast, some time after the fact, when Hawke has disappeared after rising to fame (or infamy) and sparking an all-out religious war. Hawke's story is both deeply personal and intimately tied up in religion, politics and propaganda. Very few people know the truth about her - she's a larger-than-life figure in her own universe.
Here are the most pertinent facts:
- Bethany's death: Hawke's younger sister was brutally killed by an ogre during their flight from Lothering to escape the Fifth Blight. This event rather sets the stage for a lot of what's to come.
- The Deep Roads expedition: This is the focus of the entire first act of the game, and it was a pivotal moment in Hawke's life. Bartrand, Hawke's business partner, betrayed her after they discovered a primeval Thaig and a lyrium idol. Hawke and her companions managed to escape, and along the way stumbled across a giant pile of treasure, but Hawke's brother, Carver, had been exposed to the darkspawn taint. The only way to save his life was initiation into the Grey Wardens. Fortunately, Anders was with them and was able to bring Carver to some Wardens, thus saving his life. Still, joining them meant that Carver had to cut all ties with his family and his life in Kirkwall.
- Leandra's death: Hawke's mother fell victim to an insane serial killer - the blood mage Quentin. Hawke managed to kill Quentin, but was unable to save her mother, who died in her arms.
- The Qunari attack on Kirkwall: One of Hawke's companions, Isabela, stole a relic sacred to the Qunari, and when she fled Kirkwall with it, the Qunari led a vicious attack on the city. Isabela, due to her friendship with Hawke, eventually had a change of heart and returned to the city. Hawke refused to give her friend over to the Arishok, and he demanded a duel to the death, which Hawke accepted. It was a long, hard fight, but Hawke succeeded in killing the Arishok, which ended the attack, got the Qunari to leave the city and earned Hawke the title "Champion of Kirkwall".
- Anders' act of terrorism: In one fell swoop, all bets were off. It quickly became clear that the conflict between the mages and Templars was irreconcilable after Anders' act, and it forced Hawke to pick a side. She couldn't agree with Meredith invoking the Right of Annulment, so she sided with the mages. Despite Anders' betrayal of her trust, Hawke allowed him to live (on condition that he come with her in an attempt to redeem himself), and after the final battle, Hawke and her companions fled the city. Hawke herself disappeared soon after. This is the point at which she will appear in Exsilium.
Character PERSONALITY: Hawke is probably the last person one would expect to be a great hero, the Champion of Kirkwall and the instigator of a religious war. For one thing, she never seems to take anything seriously. Sarcasm and a rapier-sharp wit are her bread and butter, they're what she primarily faces the world with. This means that, while she can be quite charming, not everyone is going to like her much. There are some people who find her annoying and obnoxious at best, and outright offensive at worst. She's great at parties, but probably not a good choice to give a eulogy or comfort a young widow. As of the end of the game, her sarcasm is as much a defense mechanism (and occasionally a weapon) as it is a sign of genuine good humor. Hawke has seen a lot of terrible tragedy in her life, she's seen and done a lot of horrendous violence, and as such she doesn't take a terribly rosy view of the world at large. Her sarcasm helps her deal with things - or, rather, not deal with things that might otherwise be deeply emotionally scarring.
However, under the brittle, sarcastic exterior, Hawke is a genuinely good-hearted woman, with a lot of compassion. She's got a soft spot for underdogs, which likely explains how she managed to take up with such a motley collection of misfits and castoffs, and at least partly explains why she sided with the mages in the end, aside from the fact that she is one, herself. She may be cynical, but that won't stop her from trying to help people when she can, even if she's occasionally putting her foot in her mouth from making tasteless jokes. She gets particularly vicious with people who are slavers, who hurt children or generally prey on those who are weaker than themselves. And there's no doubt that she's a damn good fighter - the multitudes of corpses left in her wake over the years can attest to that.
Family is important to Hawke. She's never been particularly ambitious for herself, but she was highly motivated to take care of her family (she was often the primary breadwinner back in the bad old days when they were poor refugees) and protect them. She doesn't have much actual family anymore, so the ties of friendship have become just as important to her. She is loyal - sometimes to a fault - and will pretty much do anything asked of her by those she trusts. Case in point, when Anders asked for her help sneaking into the Chantry. He refused to say why he needed to sneak in, and despite her misgivings about the situation, Hawke agreed to help him, because she trusted him. That action quite literally blew up in her face. It may take a while to initially earn her trust, but once earned, that trust is complete.
Hawke is also good at inspiring loyalty. For purposes of my headcanon at this point, I am going to assume that Hawke followed the friendship path with all companions. Despite the fact that many of them have deeply opposed beliefs regarding politics, religion, mage rights, etc, somehow Hawke managed to bring them all together through loyalty to her, often getting them to fight together against common enemies. The most obvious case in point here would be Fenris and Anders who, while deeply opposed to each other ideologically, are able to eventually at least tolerate each other's presence for Hawke's sake. Aveline and Isabela have a similar dynamic, and eventually reach a point of something like friendship. Hawke's chosen companions are essentially her family, and she is the glue that tends to hold people together.
As far as religion, politics, and all of that, Hawke has never had very strong beliefs one way or the other. She's not exactly a churchgoer (that would be kind of disastrous given that she's an apostate) and she generally believes that mages should be free from the Circle, though she's never subscribed to Anders' extreme stance on the matter. She does fall very strongly into the anti-blood mage camp, however. Her father, Malcolm, had a very strong sense of morality and instilled that in his daughter, especially regarding making deals with demons. Hawke has never dabbled in blood magic, and never will. The only blood mage Hawke has ever had any patience for is Merrill, and that stems primarily from the fact that Merrill reminds Hawke rather strongly of her dead sister, Bethany at times.
Hawke is often blunt and straightforward, and is pretty much the farthest thing from "ladylike" that she can be while still self-identifying as female. She's never acted like the other noblewomen of Kirkwall - it's not a life she was born to, and even if it had been, she's always been perfectly willing to ignore social convention when it suits her. Even at a fancy party, you won't see her wearing a dress. She keeps her hair short and never wears makeup, though when she isn't sweaty, covered in mud, slime or blood, she's rather attractive. Not that she's ever paid any attention to it - she's not the kind of person who uses her looks or "feminine wiles" to get ahead in life. Frankly, the thought just doesn't cross her mind.
The things that Hawke values most are her own freedom and independence, and the freedom and safety of her loved ones. Threaten those things, and Hawke will make sure you regret it.
» EXSILIUM INFORMATION
Chosen WEAPON: Her weapon will resemble The Hawke's Key, a staff that belonged to her father. Much like in the Legacy DLC where it is acquired, the staff will gain some bonuses over time as Hawke makes use of it and molds it to her will - it may make some of her skills more efficient, grant an increase to defense, etc.
Chosen SKILLSET: Hawke can talk her way out of some situations, but generally she's a fighter, and that's how she likes it. She's a battlemage down to her toes, and she's happiest when fighting alongside her friends for some greater good - or personal profit. She's not too picky.
» SAMPLES
First PERSON: [It's obvious for several seconds that the woman on the video feed hasn't figured out yet that the video is on - she's still examining it, so those who see this will only get glimpses of her at first - a bright blue eye, a shock of black hair - and her voice, sounding rather frustrated.]
Andraste's tits, I've never seen such a complicated little box! How do they expect us to - [There's a bit more fumbling as she finally realizes the video is on. Then her whole face comes into view as she flashes her best charming grin.]
Hello, there, citizens of this fine land! I do hope I'm working this little magic box correctly. My name is Hawke and I've been told I'm to join you for some adventuring. I suppose it was too much to ask for a little peace and quiet. Ah, well, what's life without insane blood mages, Templars, slavers and bandits trying to kill me? I wouldn't know what to do with myself.
Third PERSON: "Let's stop here for the night," Hawke heard herself say. The sun was well and truly set, and they were far enough outside the walls of the city that she felt safe to pause and rest. For a few hours, anyway.
She doubted the blighted Templars would give her much of a head start.
Her companions were unusually quiet. Normally, they'd be chatting and joking, ribbing one another or arguing about something. Now, they were all subdued. Aveline and Donnic were speaking quietly to one another, out of earshot of the rest. Varric was inspecting the crossbow Bianca carefully. Merrill murmured something about finding kindling for a fire, and Isabela followed her, to keep an eye on her. Fenris had pulled a whetstone out from his pack and was polishing his greatsword. She hadn't asked any of them to follow her into exile, and yet here they were, all the same. Part of her felt relief, that she didn't have to face this alone. Another part of her was worried - she wasn't nearly as confident in her ability to protect her friends as she once was. Maybe they'd even be better off without her.
And Anders, Hawke could see his outline, even in the dim twilight. Away from the others, his back bent and his head bowed, the picture of despair. Any other day, Hawke would've approached him, tapped his shoulder, made him scoot over to make room for her. She would've flashed him a grin, cracked a joke, promised to find him a kitten, anything to cheer her friend up.
Today, though, today she couldn't bring herself to do it. Not with all of Kirkwall burning behind them. Not with his betrayal still gnawing away at her inside. She wasn't sure, yet, if she could forgive him. Or trust him again.
Hawke had never believed in fate, or destiny. She wasn't sure if she even believed in the Maker, most days. Most days, it didn't matter to her one way or the other. She'd always been determined to find her own path. But now, she found herself recalling something Flemeth had said to her, all those years ago. Hurtled into chaos, you fight... And the world will shake before you. She couldn't help but wonder if the witch had known something, known what was to come. The world felt a bit shaky just then.
"Hawke." There was Fenris, solid and dependable as always. She thought perhaps she could make out the faint glow of his lyrium markings in the twilight. She shook her head, and put on a smirk.
"Planning on killing a bunny rabbit with that big sword?" she joked, letting him lead her back toward camp.
» ADDITIONAL NOTES
No memories from another game or anything like that. However, given the nature of the Dragon Age games, it's probably a good idea to note that the relationships as I've outlined above, with the companion characters in particular, are just my headcanon - again, I'm assuming a Hawke who has taken the friendship path with all companions, which gives the relationships a certain tone which may be slightly different from a Hawke who takes the rivalry path with one or more of them. The specifics of the individual relationships and backstories may therefore be subject to change based on discussions with other muns.
Player NAME: Froda
Current AGE: Over 21
Personal JOURNAL:
froda_bagginsAIM: frodabaggins03
Player PLURK: N/A
Current CHARACTERS: N/A
» CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character NAME: Marian Hawke, but pretty much everyone just calls her "Hawke". That's what she's used to answering to.
Canon & MEDIUM: Dragon Age II; video game.
Canon PULL-POINT: Post-game, after leaving Kirkwall.
Character AGE: There's some in-game dialogue that suggests Hawke is approximately 24 at the beginning of the game; given that the game spans about seven years, I'm going to say she's 31 at the time of her arrival in Exsilium.
Character ABILITIES: Hawke is a mage; this means she can wield magic to various ends, tapping into the power of the Fade (the world of dreams) to manifest her power. Her specialties are in the elemental and force trees, meaning she's really good at using fire and ice to hurt and freeze her enemies, as well as using the force of gravity to throw them around. She also has some minor healing skills, but she would be the first to point out that Anders is a much better healer overall. She can patch someone up in the field, but for more serious injuries, they would need to find a more dedicated healer or medic.
Magic in the Dragon Age universe is a very powerful force, and a lot can be done with it, but it's not really very good for most mundane tasks. Hawke can't go around repairing objects, or cooking food, or levitating things instead of picking them up and carrying them - that would require a level of finesse that no mage is ever shown having, and it would be needlessly exhausting to boot. Magic is almost exclusively used for offensive/defensive purposes in a fight, or for healing.
Aside from the magic, Hawke is sharp as a tack, demonstrates some decent investigative skills, and is often good at talking/bluffing her way out of tight spots.
Character HISTORY: A rough background for Hawke can be found here, but since it really doesn't go into much detail about the events of the game, I'll try to summarize the most important events as concisely as I can. The game is, in fact, a story told by Varric Tethras to Cassandra Pentaghast, some time after the fact, when Hawke has disappeared after rising to fame (or infamy) and sparking an all-out religious war. Hawke's story is both deeply personal and intimately tied up in religion, politics and propaganda. Very few people know the truth about her - she's a larger-than-life figure in her own universe.
Here are the most pertinent facts:
- Bethany's death: Hawke's younger sister was brutally killed by an ogre during their flight from Lothering to escape the Fifth Blight. This event rather sets the stage for a lot of what's to come.
- The Deep Roads expedition: This is the focus of the entire first act of the game, and it was a pivotal moment in Hawke's life. Bartrand, Hawke's business partner, betrayed her after they discovered a primeval Thaig and a lyrium idol. Hawke and her companions managed to escape, and along the way stumbled across a giant pile of treasure, but Hawke's brother, Carver, had been exposed to the darkspawn taint. The only way to save his life was initiation into the Grey Wardens. Fortunately, Anders was with them and was able to bring Carver to some Wardens, thus saving his life. Still, joining them meant that Carver had to cut all ties with his family and his life in Kirkwall.
- Leandra's death: Hawke's mother fell victim to an insane serial killer - the blood mage Quentin. Hawke managed to kill Quentin, but was unable to save her mother, who died in her arms.
- The Qunari attack on Kirkwall: One of Hawke's companions, Isabela, stole a relic sacred to the Qunari, and when she fled Kirkwall with it, the Qunari led a vicious attack on the city. Isabela, due to her friendship with Hawke, eventually had a change of heart and returned to the city. Hawke refused to give her friend over to the Arishok, and he demanded a duel to the death, which Hawke accepted. It was a long, hard fight, but Hawke succeeded in killing the Arishok, which ended the attack, got the Qunari to leave the city and earned Hawke the title "Champion of Kirkwall".
- Anders' act of terrorism: In one fell swoop, all bets were off. It quickly became clear that the conflict between the mages and Templars was irreconcilable after Anders' act, and it forced Hawke to pick a side. She couldn't agree with Meredith invoking the Right of Annulment, so she sided with the mages. Despite Anders' betrayal of her trust, Hawke allowed him to live (on condition that he come with her in an attempt to redeem himself), and after the final battle, Hawke and her companions fled the city. Hawke herself disappeared soon after. This is the point at which she will appear in Exsilium.
Character PERSONALITY: Hawke is probably the last person one would expect to be a great hero, the Champion of Kirkwall and the instigator of a religious war. For one thing, she never seems to take anything seriously. Sarcasm and a rapier-sharp wit are her bread and butter, they're what she primarily faces the world with. This means that, while she can be quite charming, not everyone is going to like her much. There are some people who find her annoying and obnoxious at best, and outright offensive at worst. She's great at parties, but probably not a good choice to give a eulogy or comfort a young widow. As of the end of the game, her sarcasm is as much a defense mechanism (and occasionally a weapon) as it is a sign of genuine good humor. Hawke has seen a lot of terrible tragedy in her life, she's seen and done a lot of horrendous violence, and as such she doesn't take a terribly rosy view of the world at large. Her sarcasm helps her deal with things - or, rather, not deal with things that might otherwise be deeply emotionally scarring.
However, under the brittle, sarcastic exterior, Hawke is a genuinely good-hearted woman, with a lot of compassion. She's got a soft spot for underdogs, which likely explains how she managed to take up with such a motley collection of misfits and castoffs, and at least partly explains why she sided with the mages in the end, aside from the fact that she is one, herself. She may be cynical, but that won't stop her from trying to help people when she can, even if she's occasionally putting her foot in her mouth from making tasteless jokes. She gets particularly vicious with people who are slavers, who hurt children or generally prey on those who are weaker than themselves. And there's no doubt that she's a damn good fighter - the multitudes of corpses left in her wake over the years can attest to that.
Family is important to Hawke. She's never been particularly ambitious for herself, but she was highly motivated to take care of her family (she was often the primary breadwinner back in the bad old days when they were poor refugees) and protect them. She doesn't have much actual family anymore, so the ties of friendship have become just as important to her. She is loyal - sometimes to a fault - and will pretty much do anything asked of her by those she trusts. Case in point, when Anders asked for her help sneaking into the Chantry. He refused to say why he needed to sneak in, and despite her misgivings about the situation, Hawke agreed to help him, because she trusted him. That action quite literally blew up in her face. It may take a while to initially earn her trust, but once earned, that trust is complete.
Hawke is also good at inspiring loyalty. For purposes of my headcanon at this point, I am going to assume that Hawke followed the friendship path with all companions. Despite the fact that many of them have deeply opposed beliefs regarding politics, religion, mage rights, etc, somehow Hawke managed to bring them all together through loyalty to her, often getting them to fight together against common enemies. The most obvious case in point here would be Fenris and Anders who, while deeply opposed to each other ideologically, are able to eventually at least tolerate each other's presence for Hawke's sake. Aveline and Isabela have a similar dynamic, and eventually reach a point of something like friendship. Hawke's chosen companions are essentially her family, and she is the glue that tends to hold people together.
As far as religion, politics, and all of that, Hawke has never had very strong beliefs one way or the other. She's not exactly a churchgoer (that would be kind of disastrous given that she's an apostate) and she generally believes that mages should be free from the Circle, though she's never subscribed to Anders' extreme stance on the matter. She does fall very strongly into the anti-blood mage camp, however. Her father, Malcolm, had a very strong sense of morality and instilled that in his daughter, especially regarding making deals with demons. Hawke has never dabbled in blood magic, and never will. The only blood mage Hawke has ever had any patience for is Merrill, and that stems primarily from the fact that Merrill reminds Hawke rather strongly of her dead sister, Bethany at times.
Hawke is often blunt and straightforward, and is pretty much the farthest thing from "ladylike" that she can be while still self-identifying as female. She's never acted like the other noblewomen of Kirkwall - it's not a life she was born to, and even if it had been, she's always been perfectly willing to ignore social convention when it suits her. Even at a fancy party, you won't see her wearing a dress. She keeps her hair short and never wears makeup, though when she isn't sweaty, covered in mud, slime or blood, she's rather attractive. Not that she's ever paid any attention to it - she's not the kind of person who uses her looks or "feminine wiles" to get ahead in life. Frankly, the thought just doesn't cross her mind.
The things that Hawke values most are her own freedom and independence, and the freedom and safety of her loved ones. Threaten those things, and Hawke will make sure you regret it.
» EXSILIUM INFORMATION
Chosen WEAPON: Her weapon will resemble The Hawke's Key, a staff that belonged to her father. Much like in the Legacy DLC where it is acquired, the staff will gain some bonuses over time as Hawke makes use of it and molds it to her will - it may make some of her skills more efficient, grant an increase to defense, etc.
Chosen SKILLSET: Hawke can talk her way out of some situations, but generally she's a fighter, and that's how she likes it. She's a battlemage down to her toes, and she's happiest when fighting alongside her friends for some greater good - or personal profit. She's not too picky.
» SAMPLES
First PERSON: [It's obvious for several seconds that the woman on the video feed hasn't figured out yet that the video is on - she's still examining it, so those who see this will only get glimpses of her at first - a bright blue eye, a shock of black hair - and her voice, sounding rather frustrated.]
Andraste's tits, I've never seen such a complicated little box! How do they expect us to - [There's a bit more fumbling as she finally realizes the video is on. Then her whole face comes into view as she flashes her best charming grin.]
Hello, there, citizens of this fine land! I do hope I'm working this little magic box correctly. My name is Hawke and I've been told I'm to join you for some adventuring. I suppose it was too much to ask for a little peace and quiet. Ah, well, what's life without insane blood mages, Templars, slavers and bandits trying to kill me? I wouldn't know what to do with myself.
Third PERSON: "Let's stop here for the night," Hawke heard herself say. The sun was well and truly set, and they were far enough outside the walls of the city that she felt safe to pause and rest. For a few hours, anyway.
She doubted the blighted Templars would give her much of a head start.
Her companions were unusually quiet. Normally, they'd be chatting and joking, ribbing one another or arguing about something. Now, they were all subdued. Aveline and Donnic were speaking quietly to one another, out of earshot of the rest. Varric was inspecting the crossbow Bianca carefully. Merrill murmured something about finding kindling for a fire, and Isabela followed her, to keep an eye on her. Fenris had pulled a whetstone out from his pack and was polishing his greatsword. She hadn't asked any of them to follow her into exile, and yet here they were, all the same. Part of her felt relief, that she didn't have to face this alone. Another part of her was worried - she wasn't nearly as confident in her ability to protect her friends as she once was. Maybe they'd even be better off without her.
And Anders, Hawke could see his outline, even in the dim twilight. Away from the others, his back bent and his head bowed, the picture of despair. Any other day, Hawke would've approached him, tapped his shoulder, made him scoot over to make room for her. She would've flashed him a grin, cracked a joke, promised to find him a kitten, anything to cheer her friend up.
Today, though, today she couldn't bring herself to do it. Not with all of Kirkwall burning behind them. Not with his betrayal still gnawing away at her inside. She wasn't sure, yet, if she could forgive him. Or trust him again.
Hawke had never believed in fate, or destiny. She wasn't sure if she even believed in the Maker, most days. Most days, it didn't matter to her one way or the other. She'd always been determined to find her own path. But now, she found herself recalling something Flemeth had said to her, all those years ago. Hurtled into chaos, you fight... And the world will shake before you. She couldn't help but wonder if the witch had known something, known what was to come. The world felt a bit shaky just then.
"Hawke." There was Fenris, solid and dependable as always. She thought perhaps she could make out the faint glow of his lyrium markings in the twilight. She shook her head, and put on a smirk.
"Planning on killing a bunny rabbit with that big sword?" she joked, letting him lead her back toward camp.
» ADDITIONAL NOTES
No memories from another game or anything like that. However, given the nature of the Dragon Age games, it's probably a good idea to note that the relationships as I've outlined above, with the companion characters in particular, are just my headcanon - again, I'm assuming a Hawke who has taken the friendship path with all companions, which gives the relationships a certain tone which may be slightly different from a Hawke who takes the rivalry path with one or more of them. The specifics of the individual relationships and backstories may therefore be subject to change based on discussions with other muns.