Gabriel Lavellan

"We are the keepers of the lost lore, the walkers of the lonely path..."

**Gabriel Lavellan** (born 9:06 Dragon), also known as the Herald of Andraste and the Inquisitor, was a Dalish First of Clan Lavellan. Born a city elf in Kirkwall's alienage, Gabriel fled with his parents to join the Dalish after his magic manifested, in order to keep him out of the Circle. The sole survivor of the explosion of the Temple of Sacred Ashes, Gabriel was left with the Anchor and pressed into service, largely against his will. After the destruction of Haven, Gabriel was named the Inquisitor of the reborn Inquisition, a title he willingly gave up in 9:44 when it emerged the organization had been infiltrated by several groups of spies. His younger sister is Eirene Lavellan, and he is father to two young daughters, Sildelona and Emer.

*Otherwise...* Gabriel Lavellan was a Dalish elf belonging to Clan Lavellan who attended the Conclave with his younger sister Eirene Lavellan. Both siblings were killed in the explosion that destroyed the Temple of Sacred Ashes.

## Overview

### **Physical Appearance**

Gabriel has a way of putting people at ease with just a smile. There's a steadying warmth about him,

Gabriel takes greatly after his late father, who also had albinism, sharing his incredibly pale skin, white hair, near-colourless eyes, and poor sight (though his has been mitigated by magic.) Gabriel is also unusually tall for an elf at slightly over six feet (1.84 m), and though he is generally lithe and slender like most of his kind, he is slightly rounder than most elves, having generally been well-fed through decent access to food. He possesses a few scars on his face - one on his cheek from a hunting accident, across his brow from an encounter with a bear, and one on his jaw from lightning spell practice gone wrong. He wears the vallaslin of Dirthamen in purple ink, though his markings have faded slightly in the seventeen years since he received them.

### **Personality**

Though hot-headed, careless, and endlessly stubborn in his youth, raising his daughters and hitting his thirties has mellowed Gabriel out considerably compared to his younger self. Gabriel is generally kind, patient, and willing to hear people out, a trait he attributes to having had to deal with Eirene's turbulent teenage years. He values reason over emotion in decision-making and is always trying to seek more elven history and knowledge to send back to his Clan. He is compassionate towards the suffering of others and constantly tries to improve the lives of others, especially former alienage elves like himself. He prefers peaceful solutions to most conflicts, and will only resort to violent or devious means if there are no other options available. He is exceedingly easy to get along with, possessing a natural charm that easily endears him to others... though at first, they may have to stomach his tendency to make incredibly awful jokes and puns, no matter the occasion.

A lot of Gabriel's easy-going personality masks his deep-rooted insecurities, however. At his core, Gabriel is constantly concerned about wanting to fit in and be liked. He has never felt truly part of the Dalish due to his past as a city elf, though this has been slightly alleviated since receiving his vallaslin. He constantly feels like he is not a proper Dalish elf and can never be, no matter how hard he tries; a sentiment only made worse by his persisting, partial belief in the Maker and his title as the "Herald of Andraste", which makes him feel as though he betrayed the people who took him in and cared for him like one of their own. Gabriel is also intensely protective of his friends and family, a trait later extended to many of the people in the Inquisition, whom he feels he has a duty to protect. This, however, has only added to his troubles and worries ...and has blinded him to the fact that some people - say, one Dread Wolf - might not be able to be saved.

For all his kindness, when he genuinely does become angry enough to boil over, his rage is something to behold. He hates when his insecurities are revealed, when his family is threatened, and more than anything he hates leaders who fail their people, and his fury at what transpired in Therinfal Redoubt was enough to shake the fortress's foundations. It was the first time anyone had ever seen him boil over, and no one in the party really believed that this could be the same kind man they knew until he calmed down. When he does, he tends to regret his anger and his words, but in the heat of the moment all is forgotten. However, he can count the people he's genuinely blown up at on one hand - Morrigan, Denam, and Erimond.

### **Talents and Skills**

* Magic
	+ Knight-Enchanter
* Hunting

## Biography

### **History**

Gabriel Emilien Yanick Daviau was born in 9:06 Dragon to two city elves living in the Kirkwall alienage. His mother Aline was a seamstress and washerwoman who scrubbed her hands raw daily for the nobles and mages of the city; his father Emery was a cobbler and leatherworker who had originally come from Halamshiral to wed Aline. Though their marriage had been arranged, theirs was a happy one, both being kind-hearted and deeply devoted to Andraste. They however, had not had much luck with children; Gabriel's birth had been preceded by a number of miscarriages and stillbirths, the only surviving child of which was his older sister Morwenna, three years his senior.

Gabriel and Morwenna lived a typical alienage life - their parents tried to provide for them the best they could, often going hungry for days at a time to feed their children. When Gabriel was seven, they were joined by their younger brother Ammiel, again after a long string of failed pregnancies.

Things would take a dark turn in 9:14, however. When Gabriel was eight, a serious epidemic swept through Kirkwall's Lowtown, especially affecting the crowded and unsanitary alienage. Gabriel got over his bout of disease surprisingly quickly and was out of bed in no time, but Morwenna and Ammiel grew increasingly sickly. Morwenna died holding her younger brother's hand asking him to be good for their parents, a memory that would always linger in Gabriel's mind. Desperate to prevent the same fate happening to his baby brother, Gabriel unleashed a sudden burst of light - the first manifestation of his magical ability. This would be for naught, however, and Gabriel could do nothing but listen to Ammiel's final wails as the disease took him too.

With two of their three children dead and the last remaining revealed to be a mage, Aline and Emery panicked. Aline washed the robes and clothes of the mages and templars at the Gallows, and saw first hand babies being taken from their parents and couldn't bear the thought of losing her last remaining baby boy. Fearing what would happen to their beloved son and desperate to keep their last remaining child, they stumbled across a solution when they got word of a Dalish clan camping nearby in the Planasene Forest. Aline was five months pregnant with her fourth child at the time, and the path was dark and filled with danger, but they would risk anything for the safety of their son.

Their journey to the Dalish started out smoothly enough, but things quickly turned for the worse when the family was beset by a pack of wolves. Utterly surrounded, Emery threw himself at them in order to buy time for his pregnant wife and son to flee. Gabriel never forgot his father's sacrifice, and later named his younger daughter after him; he also developed a subsequent fear of wolves which was only exacerbated by his later conversion to the elven pantheon. Despite their grief, Gabriel and Aline managed to find their way to Clan Lavellan, who (somewhat reluctantly) took the two starving city elves in.

Gabriel was placed under the tutelage of the Clan's new First, Deshanna Istimaethoriel, but at first hated life with the Dalish so much he refused to participate in any lessons at all. To make matters worse, Aline died four months later during childbirth, naming her baby "Eirene" with her dying breaths. Gabriel was left alone in the world with no-one except a newborn baby sister, in the midst of a strange clan with a strange culture he couldn't seem to understand.

### **Post-game**

* Went back to his family with Cass
* Helped her rebuild the Seekers

### Family and Clan

#### Eirene

Younger sister; practically raised her (with help from the clan) after their father died on the treacherous journey through the Planasene forest and their mother soon after in childbirth. Can be slightly overprotective of her, which she finds annoying, but the two siblings have a strong bond nonetheless.

#### Ghilana

His ex-wife and mother to his two daughters, Gabriel has largely fallen out of contact with Ghilana since she left their family and the Clan. The two met at a gathering of clans when they were 21, and within a year they had bonded and had their first daughter, Sildelona. Neither of them really knew what they were doing at the time, and on Gabriel's part especially, having children was more or less out of a sense of duty he felt he had towards the Dalish. It was pretty much inevitable that their marriage would start falling apart, and soon after Emer's birth, their relationship began deteriorating quickly. Ghilana, who had also never wanted children herself and resented losing her freedom so young, felt neglected as Gabriel invested more time into his duties as First of the Clan. If he had any free time at all, he was spending it with their daughters, not her, and slowly they drifted apart further and further. They attempted to put up a good front for their girls, and Emer still legitimately believes her parents were in love when Ghilana left, but Lona recognized her parents no longer cared for each other. Gabriel admits the end of their relationship was his fault, and even after the last sparks of their marriage had waned, he still regretted what he'd done when Ghilana left with a hunter from Clan Alerion.

#### Children

Gabriel's daughters, Sildelona and Emer, are his pride and joy, respectively.

Two daughters - Sildelona (13) and Emer (9). Dotes on both of them, verges on overbearing at times. Lona is his pride, Emer his joy. Tends to spend more time with Emer because she is also a mage, but loves Lona no less.

#### Keeper Deshanna

Deeply respected mother figure. Taught him everything he knows.

### Companions

#### Cassandra

> *"She scares you, but you like it."* - *Sildelona Lavellan*
>
>

Was attracted to her from the start, but the two were slightly hostile towards each other at first. Developed a strong respect for each other which turned into love. Practically worships the ground she walks on, but adores teasing her nonetheless.

#### Solas

Strongly respects him, but is deeply annoyed by his disdain for his fellow elves. Despite this, however, he wants to redeem, not kill him.

#### Varric

Massive fan of his books. Wants a nickname from him.

#### Sera

Admittedly, sees her as an older version of Siobhan. Sera was hostile to him at first because he was both an "elfy" elf and a mage, but warmed up to him after he proved willing to stick up for the little guys (and play along with her pranks).

#### Vivienne

He respects her and wishes she would also respect his decision to disagree with everything she says, ever.

## **Miscellaneous**

* ~~Is one half of the greatest ghost-hunting duo Thedas has ever known~~

## **Links**

### Reddit Headcanon Threads:

* August 13 - Where did your OC grow up and how would they describe it? / Is your OC living away from home? Do they miss it and would they go back? If they are not, do they like it there? / What is your OC’s relationship like with their family growing up vs now?
* July 23 - Imagine your OC celebrating an anniversary - is it say, a wedding anniversary? Anniversary of a death, or great battle/victory? What would they be "celebrating" or honoring?
* July 2 - With the many different cultures and belief systems in Thedas, what does your character believe in? How has their relationship with faith affected their life? Are they more orthodox or liberal in their beliefs? How do they feel about the role religion plays in the world as a whole? As of Trespasser, how do they feel about the new Divine and her policies? / Why was your character given the name they were by their parent / guardian / whoever named them? Were they named after a relative, or does their name have a special meaning? If they chose their own name, is there a reason they chose that name? (And going meta: why did you give your OC that name?)
* June 11 - How does your OC show affection? Will they do this in public or only in private? / How does your OC act in a social setting? How are they when they meet someone for the first time? / What genre of music would your OC most likely listen to? Who would their favorite artist be?
* June 4 - What is your OCs Favorite thing about themselves? It can be a some sort of personality traits or even something physical about themselves that they like. / What does your OCs bedroom look like? How do the decorate it? If they had a childhood room, what did that look like then and how have things changed since childhood?
* May 28 - For your OCs who were reluctant or perhaps even contemptuous about their new role, when was the first time they thought to themselves that it might actually not be all that bad, or perhaps even a good thing? Conversely, for OCs who were glad about their new role when it was first bestowed upon them, when was the first time they thought that it may not be so great after all? / Leisure Time. Your OC is given one day off their duties to spend as they want. How would they spend this day?
* May 21 - Does your OC ever try to play matchmaker for any of their companions? Is there anything that they "ship"?
* May 14 - What would your OC say is the worst day of their life? What happened? How did it shape them?
* May 7 - How honourably does your OC fight? (does this change when they're training/sparring? / How does your OC feel about being a leader? did it come naturally, or did they struggle and have to make it up as they went? / In what ways did your OC change as a person by the end of their journey?
* April 30 - At the end of a long day, where does your OC go to lay their weary head to rest? Perhaps a lavishly furnished bedroom, a small and cozy nook, or a sparse tent and cold bedroll? Have they decorated or personalized it in any way? Is it neat or messy? Has their LI put any of their own touches into it? / Describe your character's current living situation post-Trespasser. Do they have a house and if so, what kind is it and where is it situated? If not, then do they constantly travel and where do they prefer to make camp (e.g. out in the wilds, in an inn, etc)? Do they have any complaints about their home or is it perfect as is? Do they have more than one place they'd call home and do they share it with anyone else? How does your character's past residences compare to their present one? / Varric (and to a lesser extent, Shale and Bull) might be Thedas’s premier nicknamer, but your OC might have special sobriquets and monikers of their own for their allies... and maybe even their enemies. What nicknames and/or terms of endearment has your OC given to the other characters?
* April 23 - From your OC's PoV, describe when they first met their LI and their initial impressions. This can also be done from the LI's PoV. Or both. / For OC's with tattoos: Is there a significance or a story behind it? Is this something they share? What do their companions think of it? This includes Brands for Casteless Dwarves, Vallaslin for Dalish, and Blood Smears for Hawke.
* April 9 - Was there ever a moment your OCs came very close to breaking things off with their Love Interests or vice versa? If so, what led to that point?
* April 2 - What was your Warden's reaction to seeing a Broodmother for the first time? (For Hawkes/Inquisitors: what *would* their reaction be?) / What were your OCs first impressions of their companions? Did these views change after your OC became more familiar with them?
* March 26 - Has there ever been a situation that your OC reacted especially emotional or out of character to? Why did they react so strongly to that particular situation? / Does your OC have a certain possession they have a lot of emotional attachment to? If so, why does the object in question mean so much to them?
* March 12 - How is your OC's relationship with their family? (for Dalish Wardens/Inquisitors, the clan count as extended family)

### Reddit Writing prompt Threads:

* May 25 - “Don’t feel bad, I’m usually about to die.” and "Restlessness in the air, blood staining hands, a howling in the veins."
* May 11 - 100 Word Drabble: Fingertips smudged in ink.

## **Gallery**

*extreme fingerguns*Honestly the true miracle is that he doesn't look like a baby twinkHis aesthetic is making bad jokes at the worst possible time"Try calling me knife-ear now, dipshits!"Also buffer than 99% of elves, because why not.It's saucy poetry time2/3rds of the Disaster Mage Squad.*Dorks.*That's it. That's the entire game.