Asanna Lavellan

Then Dalish, then Circle mage, then blood mage, then Tranquil, then Inquisitor, now no one at all.

## Biographical Information

### Specialization

Artificer (Formerly Blood Mage); Post-Trespasser Headcanon: Archer Enchanter

## Overview

### **Physical Appearance**

The Inquisitor is of a tanned and freckled complexion with two scars: one a small nick across her nose and the other a long streak from the left side of her angular jaw. She has lush, dark hair, typically pulled high in a ponytail, and a band braided around her head. Her large, dark blue eyes would be cold and serpentine were they not warmed by tones of grey and framed in white, delicate lashes. Most notably, she bears the brand of Tranquility on her forehead; strangers who don't recognize Asanna by her title are thrown off to see a presumed Tranquil wildly expressing her opinions **--** of which she has many.

The brand is slightly different than the standard lyrium tattoo, and this is why Solas, with some extra study, manages to remove it. A senior enchanter was personally involved in one of Asanna's misdoings: her partially unintentional killing of his daughter. Some say it was justified of him to orchestrate a particularly intimate and painful Rite of Tranquility specifically for her: he had one scar brought to her face, and her tattoo was created using the methods of bloodwriting-- a mockery that she was given away before even receiving her Vallaslin -- and infused with Lyrium to make her Tranquil. Others were furious about the ordeal, calling it needlessly cruel and unprofessional; a poor reflection of the Circle and the Chantry even in a case of blood magic. Ultimately, their cries were unheard, and Senior Enchanter Murray remains a Circle restoration activist to date.

Her frame is similar to that of most elves: small and nimble with subtle curves and muscle mass. Training to use a bow instead of a staff has, though, made her build slightly more athletic.

In terms of fashion, she has dropped her extravagant, almost Orlesian robes and adornments in favor of more humble attire. She is often seen in what Dorian may endearingly call "apostate hobo" style: earth toned coats and wrappings in however many layers suit the climate.

### **Personality**

Asanna, despite now abstaining from using magic, still has an intense passion for anything arcane. She takes pleasure in obscure research: enchanting, spells lost to history, magic across cultures, the Fade, and anything else she can discover in books she once stole from the Circle. It was her hunger for magical knowledge and the temptations of returning to her own spellcasting that drew her to Solas. Vivid dreams in the fade and long debates, stories, and lectures finally managed to fulfill her wants without making her return to her old ways.

In a glimmer of her hedonistic youth, Asanna has a sharp tongue, and one that she does not hesitate to use against those who threaten her positions. She never falls into a wild loss of temper as she used to, however; she instead makes deeper cuts through icy remarks and wit.

Despite the cruel and unapproachable layer that shrouds her, Asanna carries a deep empathy for those around her; partially to repay the world, in a sense, for the pain she caused to many over years.

### **Talents and Skills**

When Asanna was "active" as a mage, she was exceptionally talented and well-practiced, but she still felt this inadequate in ensuring success in her run from the Circle. In her time there, she came upon a database of tomes: forbidden ones kept out of the library. She made copies of everything that might be useful to her and practiced them-- to whatever extent she could-- in secret for when their time might come.

She now fights as an Artificer and, at the time of Trespasser, is incorporating simple spells and enchantments with her bow and arrows to ease back into magic.

## Biography

### **History**

Asanna, given her name ("Arrow") with the expectation of becoming an archer, was born to the Lavellan clan in 9:15 Dragon. Due to the lack of need for keepers and local human influences, her mother decided that sending her to the Circle of Magi at age fourteen (before ever receiving her Vallaslin) was the best option to cultivate her magical abilities and ensure her survival.

Her sudden departure from everything she once knew into a human world, foreign and restraining, took a large toll on her trust and self worth. She reacted wildly, too, over her first year, until she was beaten (*mostly* metaphorically) into submission. By this time, she had fallen in with a morally questionable pack of mages-in-training with similar goals of leaving the Circle behind. She played her cards well, now acting as a model student, as she secretly conspired of escape plans for the next four years.

Once the time came, havoc ensued. Templars, escapees, and a generous amount of innocent mages were slain left and right as Asanna and her band scattered throughout the tower. Demons were summoned, and blood magic was used-- though Asanna tried to avoid it. Eventually, just before she made her escape, she found herself surrounded by templars and had no choice but to use the blood magic she learned against them, killing or wounding most of the people on the level as she made her getaway. She was one of six mages to successfully get out of the tower, and one of just two that were not captured immediately.

The following year and a half was a year of exploration, for better or for worse. Asanna was, before then, within constant binds, whether they be Dalish tradition or Circle barriers. One thing that stayed with her was the feeling she had when she used blood magic: deaths aside, nothing at all. There was no sort of change in character or "demonic energy" looming over her like the Chantry described-- it just magic, powerful magic at that, and it felt like no more. This destroyed any reluctance she once harbored for blood magic and, coupled with a sudden spike of freedom, encouraged her to let loose a long string of hedonism and disarray. She fled from city to city, forming bonds with questionable characters and destroying whatever she needed to ensure her own protection, all in hopes of sailing to the Free Marches and fleeing west to Nevarra.

Staying under the radar, however, meant she had to avoid any established water routes. Instead, she settled with a "contact" of sorts who decided more could be gained by betraying Asanna. She came to a meeting spot the night she was meant to board the ship and was immediately handed over and seized by templars.

Asanna spent one night under careful watch and heavy restraints. The next morning, she underwent the Rite of Tranquility (*See: Physical Appearance)* under which she stayed for the next eight years until the day she served at the Conclave.

### **In-game**

##### **The Wrath of Heaven**

When she awakened in the interrogation chamber, she had an immediate burst of emotion-- fleeting-- but able to recollect everything except, apparently, what she did at the Conclave and how she got this way. "Cassandra" screamed and questioned her, but to no avail, for she truly could not recall how this came to be. They seemed like Chantry women... just what she wanted.

*Thoughts as translated by Cole: "The Divine. Dead. My fault? Memories from my past. Before Tranquility.... It must be. Scars on my hands, where I rose blood before, faded. Eight years gone, but lyrium touches me again. Will I stop now?"*

She managed her way toward the Rift and met two peculiar characters: Varric, a dwarf-- though hardly-- and Solas, who explained to her that the mark on her hand had somehow reconnected her to the Fade.

Asanna tried to find joy in her chance of new life, but she couldn't, for she only felt empty, confused, and lost.

##### **The Threat Remains**

The Breach had been sealed.

They called her a "hero". It sounded bitter and unworthy. Chantry types were already beginning to press and reject her, as expected, but it was, perhaps, deserved this time.

Asanna had learned about this *Inquisition* from studies in the Circle. An establishment that went so against her values would be difficult but necessary; it would take some adjustment.

An elf, and ex blood mage: opposition would be immediate. Asanna would speak to her advisors soon on how to present her past; disguising it was not an option with a brand right on her face.

Unbelievably, some were calling her a "chosen one", the Herald of Andraste. If she was unsuccessful, there would be no recognizable world to speak of. Otherwise, might she be another elf whitewashed into history as a human?

#####  **In Hushed Whispers**

Asanna took an all-mage party on her quest to seek their aid which traumatizes her years later and rivals memories even of the day she received the Rite of Tranquility.

In the end, she chose to ally with rather than conscript the mages.

##### **In Your Heart Shall Burn (& From the Ashes)**

The Breach was sealed, but Asanna had yet to feel moved. The supposed victory was only a first, and she sensed far more bloodshed would come.

She was correct.

The Red Templars stormed Haven, making for a strenuous battle, most certainly the worst she had faced since before she was made Tranquil.

The Elder One-- Corypheus-- was an abomination in the truest sense of the word. Looking into his sickening face and tasting the day he could rise to godhood only reaffirmed her inspiration to continue fighting for both self and world.

“*Beg that I succeed,"* he said, *"for I have seen the throne of the gods, and it was empty.*”

Asanna tried to save as many as she could, but some-- namely, Adan and Minaeve-- perished. She had almost reached them when the pots exploded and killed them both, right before her eyes.

A new one, Cole, had appeared. Some felt apprehension about his appearance, and with reason, but a spirit ally could prove useful to the Inquisition, not to mention satisfy Asanna's own desire for research.

##### **Wicked Eyes & Wicked Hearts**

Asanna took Cassandra, Solas, and, with some (read: a lot) of apprehension, Sera, who insisted her "people" station there would be helpful, to the Winter Palace.

She went in already with the intent of supporting Briala, though not with the knowledge it would have to come with Empress Celene's unfortunate sacrifice.

Gaspard was a strong second contender due to his backings of the Chevaliers, and he would undoubtedly have been her top pick without bias. She put Briala in charge as a final decision anyway, though, not out of a personal and burnig desire for a social movement of elven rights, but in hopes that she could build confidence in the idea of herself as an elf leading the Inquisition.

Asanna's background made for a tough crowd, especially with little knowledge of politics, though her power, wit, and mysterious appeal won the approval of the court in the end.

This *Morrigan* was a suspicious character, but Asanna found she could prove useful to the Inquisition, and being well-regarded as an apostate was a positive.

### **Post-game**

Here's what happened after the events of said game, brosef.

## **Miscellaneous**

#### **Tarot Cards**

   *There is great contrast between Asanna's tarot cards which show her extreme and defined leaps between stages of her life.*

##### **Devil**

Asanna, from the time she is sent to the Circle to the time she is made Tranquil, embodies, literally, the Devil, which represents bondage, addiction, sexuality, and materialism.

Completely lost and stripped from everything she's known, she finds herself imprisoned in the Circle. She has a sense of hopelessness and despair which she breaks from so strongly that she is brought to an exact opposite problem.

Her bondage is different now, forced by no physical boundaries but by hedonism and her own mind. The Devil has found a freedom so complete that it has nothing else to latch onto, so it cages itself in addiction, confusion, and flesh. She sucks, physically, the blood and life from her prey. Such carelessness leads, then, to the ultimate stripping of power.

##### **Blank**

There is no card to represent Asanna in her Tranquil state as she has no desires or events to define her inner workings.

##### **Hermit**

After Asanna is reconnected to the Fade, she still keeps all her thoughts and memories as a Tranquil. As the Hermit, she represents soul-searching, introspection, isolation, and inner guidance. She knows changes must be made, but what to keep? What to discard? She must learn to be a leader when she stumbles to even take control over herself. However unattainable this goal seems, however, she commits to and climbs up her path and succeeds greatly in doing so.

##### **High Priestess**

When the Breach is sealed, Asanna takes on the role of High Priestess: intuition, higher powers, mystery, and the subconscious mind. She carries herself between darkness and light, steadying her grip on reality. She has a mysteriously forceful intuition which guides her and her people through everyday life. Using the knowledge she has gained, she delves into the mental realms-- both conscious and unconscious-- of others. Not all is revealed, but a clearer picture is made, and that serves her well.

#### **Age Timeline (Writer's Reference)**

* 9:13 Dragon: Birth.
* 9:14 Dragon: 1.
* 9:15 Dragon: 2.
* 9:16 Dragon: 3.
* 9:17 Dragon: 4.
* 9:18 Dragon: 5.
* 9:19 Dragon: 6.
* 9:20 Dragon: 7.
* 9:21 Dragon: 8.
* 9:22 Dragon: 9.
* 9:23 Dragon: 10.
* 9:24 Dragon: 11.
* 9:25 Dragon: 12.
* 9:26 Dragon: 13.
* 9:27 Dragon: 14.
* 9:28 Dragon: 15.
* 9:29 Dragon: 16.
* 9:30 Dragon: 17. *2!*
* 9:31 Dragon: 18.
* 9:32 Dragon: 19.
* 9:33 Dragon: 20.
* 9:34 Dragon: 21.
* 9:35 Dragon: 22.
* 9:36 Dragon: 23.
* 9:37 Dragon: 24.
* 9:38 Dragon: 25.
* 9:39 Dragon: 26.
* 9:40 Dragon: 27. *Inquisition!*
* 9:41 Dragon: 28.
* 9:42 Dragon: 29.
* 9:43 Dragon: 30.
* 9:44 Dragon: 31. *Trespasser!*

## **Links**

### Reddit Headcanon Threads:

1. Dorian and Iron Bull, her ride-or-die friends to the end

### Reddit Writing prompt Threads:

1. The life she could have lived
2. Her nemesis, Senior Enchanter Murray, and his involvement with the Inquisition, plus self-blame and regrets
3. Placeholder: "I can fix it, I swear!"

## **Gallery**

* the egg is not worthy
* beginnings (hinterlands)
* experimental lighting
* the apostate and the seeker
* regretfully
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