Orsino

Orsino is an elven mage and is the First Enchanter of the Circle of Magi in Kirkwall.
== Background ==
First Enchanter Orsino is an elf from the alienage of Ansburg, in the Free Marches, who was brought to the Gallows when he was very young. In his earlier years in the Gallows, Orsino was neither the most exceptional scholar of magic nor the most incompetent; which suited him just fine as he learned not standing out drew less scrutiny from templars. He passed his Harrowing with little trouble, obeyed the templars every order, and pretended to be content. He befriended a human mage girl named Maud in his youth. Maud was homesick and missed her family and home dearly. Though she received letters, she could not shake off the depression she got from the realization that she would never see her loved ones again as a prisoner of the Circle. As a result, her studies suffered which drew the attention of the templars. Though Orsino tried to urge her to focus on her magic by trying to remind her that she still had her life, Maud no longer cared and responded, "This is no life, Orsino". Maud fell to despair and one day she locked herself in her closet and committed suicide by self-immolation. Orsino noticed that mage suicides became routine in the Gallows and that it would occur more frequently every year, especially with the templars tightening their grip on the Gallows. Every time a mage died by his own hand, Orsino would recall Maud's final words to him. Orsino became incensed that the templars didn't seem to care about the suicides and that some took glee in it. Orsino's anger made him bold and he no longer was obedient but outspoken against the mistreatment of mages.
In 9:28 Dragon, First Enchanter Maceron died without a successor. Knight-Commander Meredith was of the opinion that there was no need for a new First Enchanter as the templars ran the Gallows with little interference from Maceron. Orsino realized that the mages would need someone to advocate on their behalf lest the templars rob what few liberties they had left. Thus Orsino volunteered to be first enchanter, and the other senior enchanters rallied behind him. Some claim he became the youngest first enchanter to hold the position in Kirkwall not by his own merit, but because nobody else wanted it.
Orsino worked tirelessly to improve the lot of the mages, with his motivation to give them hope and something of a life so that death would not be more preferable. Orsino's actions caused the mages to trust him while the templars marked him as a menace. The mages under him grew defiant, pushing the boundaries where they could. Seeing this, the knight-commander tightened her grip and the more she tightened, the more Orsino fought − making use of every advantage and ally he could find. For the past five years, Orsino has had constant—sometimes very public—disputes with Knight-Commander Meredith. The common belief amongst the populace is that he is a troublemaker... possibly a dangerous one.Codex entry: First Enchanter Orsino
== Involvement ==
== Quests ==
Act 2
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Act 3
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== Quotes ==
* (To Meredith) "You push us into desperate acts, and then use that as justification to press ever further!"
* (To Meredith) "Blood magic! Where do you not see blood magic? My people cannot sneeze without you accusing them of corruption!"
* "Is that all it's ever going to be? Are we mages to be forever persecuted for being what we are, the mere act of defending ourselves confirmation of our guilt?"
== Codex entries ==
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== Note texts ==
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== Trivia ==
* Orsino carries a 3-headed staff called the Staff of Violation, and in Dragon Age: Origins you can find statues of similar design. You can find them in a blood mage hideout in Denerim, and there is one in the Vigil's Keep basement in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, among other places.
* His robes and the Staff of Violation are available for Xbox Live avatars."Addons". BioWare. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
* Meeting Orsino is required for earning the "Friends in High Places" achievement, along with Knight-Commander Meredith, Viscount Marlowe Dumar, and Grand Cleric Elthina.
* Orsino is also one of the two figures on the starting screen of the game along with Knight-Commander Meredith.
== Gallery ==
Orsino_study.jpg|Orsino in his study|link=http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/File:Orsino_study.jpg
Meredith & Orsino Loading Screen Fresco.png|Loading Screen Fresco of Orsino and Meredith the Knight-Commander of the Kirkwall Templars
Orsino act 3 protest.png|Orsino in front of the Viscount's Keep
Orsino 01.jpg|Orsino concept art
OrsinoHoDA Tier4.jpg|Tier progression of First Enchanter Orsino in Heroes of Dragon Age
OrsinoStaff.png|Xbox Live Staff
OrsinoRobes1.png|Xbox Live Robes
== References ==
Category:Characters
Category:Dragon Age II characters
Category:Heroes of Dragon Age characters
Category:Elves
Category:Free Marchers
Category:City elves
Category:Magi
Category:Circle of Magi members
Category:First Enchanters
Category:Blood mages
Category:Abominations
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