Danielle Trevelyan (venusiansailorscout)

## Danielle Trevelyan

Circa 9:41 Dragon

> *"Maker, though the darkness comes upon me, I shall embrace the Light. I shall weather the storm. I shall endure. What you have created, no one can tear asunder." -Canticle of Trials*
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Born in 9:13 Dragon in Ostwick, Danielle Trevelyan is the only child of Bann Maximillian Trevelyan and Lady Celeste Trevelyan. At age 10 she was discovered to have magical abilities and was taken to the Ostwick Circle of Magi in order to train her gifts.

## Overview

### **Physical Appearance**

Danielle would often hear how she looked like her mother growing up. Her heart shaped face, high cheekbones, and medium blonde hair are definitely something she'd account to her mother although her green eyes and tight natural curls are from the Trevelyan side of the tree. She has been known to straighten it, more back in the Circle, but rarely takes the time since joining the Inquisition as long as it's pulled back out of her face as she prefers to keep her hair at it's mid-back length. Her skin is a medium brown, freckles still scattered across her face from her time in the sun. While she enjoys make-up, she tends to keep it rather light, sticking to eyes and lip color. She has a growing collection of scars since Ostwick's circle dissolved and now dealing with the likes of Venatori and Red Templars, but there's just not the time to spend trying to cover them up with anything when there's a world to save.

She enjoys finding clothes that are stylish, but comfort and practicality are also a major issue, particularly as she's started becoming more of a fighter. Even when out of the field, she prefers something she can run around Skyhold in with ease as there's always the threat of needing to fight at a moment's notice.

### **Personality**

Danielle was raised to be every bit the young noblewoman, something she has continued to carry on with even after being stripped of her inheritance when she had to join the Circle of Magi. Showing kindness and caring for others was something that was pushed at her frequently in childhood and she will easily admit to having a soft-heart when it comes to dealing with others. However she has quite the temper when she feels she’s been wronged but knows how to hold her tongue until a more convenient time to let loose around those she trusts. Smiles come rather easily if not necessarily always genuine, but she knows how to handle herself around those who would have been her equals in different circumstances (Although being Inquisitor has put her on something of a higher level than she would have been as Bann, something she does rather enjoy.) She is also incredibly stubborn when she sets her mind to something.

Her relationship with her magical talents has always been strained. She knows her life would have been far different and arguably better, until the events at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, if not for her magic. Even since her preferences have always leaned toward defensive and curative magic, things that would generally not make people see her as a threat or more as one of the “good mages”. It has led to her feeling somewhat incompetent since joining the Inquisition as she has felt as though she wasn’t pulling her weight, particularly after they named her Inquisitor. She accepted the position because it was what duty demanded, but it takes some time for her to believe that she actually deserves it and can do the job. She has taken her talents with healing magic and knowledge of herbalism into volunteering in the infirmary whenever she gets a chance, a small way of trying to balance the scales between all the death she deals out in the field and occasionally as Inquisitor.

### **Talents and Skills**

Danielle has carried forward two things from her childhood of being "the heir": her love of animals and her skill with a lute. She loves horses and is rather good with them, still preferring them even as the Inquisition's stables have expanded. She still likes learning about the newer arrivals and how to care for them. Her skills with the lute aren't quite what she would like, but Lydia would often let Dani play hers to encourage the apprentice mage in her studies so she hasn't lost the skill while in the Circle. Her Aunt Francesca has also tried to teach her the harpsicord while she was staying with them, but it's not something she ever excelled at.

She's also studied herbalism through the circle and has gained an appreciation since working with the Inquisition's head surgeon, Ursula Carroll, in learning different more "scientific" ways of healing people other than using magic.

## Biography

### **Early Years and the Circle**

Danielle Artemesia Trevelyan was born in 9:13, the first child for Bann Maximillian and Lady Celeste Trevelyan. It had been a rather difficult pregnancy for her mother who had been largely confined to her bed for the last two months, but glad to hold her daughter in her arms at last. She was raised to be a proper young lady as she was expected to one day inherit her father’s title. Tragedy would strike the family though when Danielle was five, her parents having tried for a second child and Lady Celeste going into labor far too early. Despite the healers best attempts, they were able to save neither the babe nor the mother.

Both Danielle and her father were devastated by the loss, the small girl lashing out at anyone and everyone who had any slight connection to what had happened for months afterward. The one thing that pulled her out of it was being gifted a horse shortly after her sixth birthday. She had always had an interest in animals and the Amaranthine Charger quickly took to his small mistress, Dani naming him Midnight. Her father did not quite expect the level of dedication she would have to the horse, often being found first thing in the morning before breakfast brushing him out as far as she could reach (and quickly teaching the horse to get down so she could get all of him without needing the help of a stool or the stable master) and bringing apple slices to share. Midnight quickly became her closest confidant, unable to tell anyone else her secrets.

Bann Trevelyan managed for a few years before there was growing pressure for him to remarry and make sure the line was all the more secure. He was less interested in that aspect and considered the idea more for the sake of giving his daughter a mother figure in her life. When Danielle was nine she gained a new step-mother and two sisters. Matyld was not unkind to the girl who was just barely younger than her own daughters, Marilizbeth and Adeline. Lizbeth was already thirteen and had little interest in her new sister or family, but Adeline was quick to accept the girl that was only a year her junior as Danielle took to showing her everything around the estate and welcomed them with open arms.

The new happy family was short-lived when little more than a year later Danielle started showing signs of magic. She was fortunate enough to be able to be placed in the Ostwick Circle of Magi where she would still be able to return home for holidays and other large events, but as a mage she would no longer be allowed to inherit anything. Unlike many of her lessons at home, she was not quick to take to the ones within the Circle until pressed into learning as the apprentices around her got to be younger and younger until she finally pushed herself to catch up with those closer to her age.

Junior Enchanter Lydia soon took the young girl under her wing, finding something of a kindred spirit in the girl that was stubborn but skilled. She would often reward the girl with time to play the lute in exchange for maintaining good study habits and mastering increasingly difficult spells. It wasn’t difficult to notice that Danielle tended toward more defensive magic and healing spells rather than some of the other apprentices that preferred to be a little more showy. Danielle saw her magic as a curse, one she would have gladly given away.

This was particularly true when her father and step mother welcomed her new brother to the family when she was fourteen. Danielle utterly loathed the tiny boy for taking away everything that was meant to be hers one day, finding herself often in the chantry in the last months of her step-mother’s pregnancy praying for forgiveness for the worst of her thoughts that something would happen like with her own mother. She realized it was wrong but still felt a deep bitterness for everything that was out of her control. It didn't help when Marilizbeth got engaged and waited until Danielle was excited about getting to go to a proper noble even to request was that her mage step-sister wouldn't be invited to the wedding as she would make the guests "uncomfortable".

If it had been anything else she might have at least tried to blame her step-mother in the aftermath, but when her father returned from a trip to Fereldan in early 9:30 and quickly fell ill her first request was to be able to return home to try and help him recover. There was, unfortunately, no recovery to be made from the Blight. Danielle soon found herself ousted from her family home as her step-mother claimed a fear of magic and what she might do to the new Bann out of jealousy, little Samuel only being two at the time and his mother named regent on his behalf to the Ostwick Council.

Within a week she was already in First Enchanter Madeline’s office after Lydia was at a loss at what to do with her as Danielle kept stubbornly insisting that her magic was completely gone, making it so she shouldn't have to be there but would return immediately if it came back. Both were sympathetic and still trying to decide how to deal with her particular case when the Knight-Captain pushed the matter far further. Madeline was summoned to the apprentice quarters to find a terrified Danielle cornered and frosting everything in her vicinity while one of the younger Templars stood between her and the Knight-Captain who was threatening to have her made tranquil if she couldn’t control her magic any longer. The First Enchanter quickly put an end to it, but it took an appeal to the Divine to get the man reassigned to another Circle.

After everything she was sorely tempted to take Kinloch Hold up on their requests for new mages after the end of the Blight, but decided to stay in Ostwick where she still had some family even though it was getting rather limited. She was nineteen when she undertook her Harrowing and passed, only celebrating by finding Ser Gregory who had protected her before to give him a kiss on the cheek. Otherwise she had finally given up on her hopes that her magic would just fade away one day and settled in to the flow of things at the Circle, still admittedly being a bit of a suck-up to the First Enchanter and she was often one grabbed to greet new members such as when the Starkhaven Circle burned down or those that wanted to transfer after the destruction of Kirkwall’s chantry and ensuing annulment of the Circle. It seemed hardly surprising to her that Ostwick’s circle could remain neutral as things grew more and more tense and there were talks of rebelling.

Ostwick was one that voted against dissolving the Circles, the vote an almost even split. Many of the Enchanters believed that they would be able to just return to their circles and hold their own for a time as long as the Templars remained loyal to their oaths as well. It was an otherwise peaceful night when a group within the Ostwick circle started demanding that they be given their freedom and shouldn’t be tied to the votes of those that had been chosen as their representatives. Eventually it turned into a demand that you were either with them or against them. And those against them were not going to just be allowed to leave peacefully. The Templars tried to put down the rebellion, but when there was little way to tell who was just trying to get away and who was actually inciting issues, there were a number of innocents caught in the crossfire.

Danielle helped those that she could to get away, bringing them with her to her Uncle’s home to hide away until she hoped that control would be reinstated. When news came that the Circle had as good as dissolved, most left to join the rebellion and hoped it would at least be better protection against whatever retaliation the Templars might have had in mind for them. Danielle stayed, unwilling to join the rebellion that was only going to get her fellows killed and feeling far safer with family. Cristofer and Francesca welcomed her gladly although she mostly kept to the small estate rather than risk causing problems by wandering about freely.

It was First Enchanter Madeline who came to visit and offer Danielle a trade: represent the Ostwick Circle at the Divine’s conclave and in exchange she would be made a Senior Enchanter when the Circle was able to be reestablished. Madeline hoped the Trevelyan name might provide a layer of protection for those going together from the other Circles within the Free Marches and trusted Danielle to do the job with the grace she’d come to expect from the young woman.

### The Herald of Andraste

The Conclave itself seemed to be going fine, hopeful even that they’d be able to get things settled between the mages and templars and come to an agreement. If she had ended up wandering down any other hallway just admiring the frescos on the wall however, her life would have turned out very differently. A cry for help drew her attention and rather than look for assistance she had gone herself to answer it, walking in on a darkspawn magister draining the life from Divine Justinia and in the confusion taking on the anchor he intended to use to rip open a hole between their world and the Fade.

The ensuing explosion and trip through the fade however would be wiped from her memory as she was found by a group of soldiers after walking out of a fade rift and collapsing into a coma for three days. When she awoke she was being threatened by a Seeker of Truth and Right Hand of the Divine, Cassandra Pentaghast. Without a lead to go on she and many others were convinced that the sole survivor of the explosion that had destroyed the Temple of Sacred Ashes must have been responsible for said explosion and death of Justinia. And if it weren’t for an echo from the Fade at the Temple and her ability to stabilize the Breach to keep it from growing, they might have continued for some time.

Instead Danielle Trevelyan was being hailed as the Herald of Andraste, the mark on her hand seen as a gift from the Maker’s Bride and the only way of sealing the rifts that had opened in the wake of the explosion. At first it was a little nerve-wracking to be given such a title for something she couldn’t even remember, but she had always been faithful and people were in need of some sign of hope after everything was going wrong and the Chantry was bickering more amongst themselves than reassuring the people. She gradually accepted the title, having little reason to believe that it hadn’t been Andraste that had saved her. Besides she was always raised to answer the call when duty demanded it of her.

She was ecstatic though when after meeting with Horsemaster Dennett he offered her a Fereldan Forder to replace her current mount. Cassandra was somewhat surprised at the Herald’s enthusiasm in asking if it’s actually allowed to be hers or a more for the Inquisition at large. Pepper, as she named him, doesn’t quite have the same willfulness as Midnight but it made her feel just a little more at home in Haven. It was only one of the many things the ended up doing within Fereldan as the chaos continued to ensue between mages and templars fighting with little concern over who ended up in the middle and doing what they could to help with the refugees that had been left homeless after the fighting and the Conclave.

Eventually it came down to her to break the tie between the heads of the Inquisition as to who it would be best to approach for assistance in sealing the breach, hopefully for good. While she felt deeply for her fellow mages and the position that the Grand Enchanter has put them in by indenturing them to Tevinter, the threats that come with the unknown magic and the cult of Venatori that are apparently obsessed with her were enough to push Danielle to request the aid of the Templars, offering them a full alliance. After that she hoped to be able to use their knowledge of dispelling magic to take back Redcliffe from Tevinter and save her fellow mages, but it was something she’d never get the opportunity to try.

With the aid of the Templars they were able to seal the breach and, they’d hoped, dealt with the worst of their problems. Celebrations were still going on when a massive force headed toward Haven headed by none other than the “Elder One” that had taken the mages for his own purposes. They attempted to mount a defense, having to retreat back to the safety of the chantry when a dragon joined the battle. If it weren’t for Chancellor Rodrick they had been close to making a final stand of it, but he was able to lead the majority of the survivors away while Danielle and a small group went to fight their way to the trebuchets to try and collapse the mountain down on as much of the Elder One’s forces as possible.

It wasn’t a fight she expected to walk away from, but at the same time she’d done what she’d been there to do with the breach and at least the Inquisition could live on. The Elder One was thankfully a fan of monologuing, calling itself Corypheus and going on about how she had already ruined his plan once. Unfortunately she was about to do it again, firing the trebuchet and burying most of Haven as she barely escaped into a tunnel that led out into the mountains beyond.

It was a cold journey trying to catch up and hoping she was even going the right direction in the first place. She’d not dressed for a long outdoor excursion and had frostbite in several spots by the time she stumbled upon the camp, thankful to just be able to be warm again and praising even the hard cot just to be able to lie down. The next steps would have been far more difficult if Solas hadn’t already known a location, she imagined something he found from his explorations in the Fade, and giving the Inquisition a new home in Skyhold.

### Inquisitor Trevelyan

It wasn’t the only new thing either as tales of her heroism and more proof that she might indeed be the Herald had spread from Haven. This growing Inquisition still needed a leader… And they wanted it to be her.

Danielle was rather reluctant at first, sure there were far better candidates that could take the role. Then at the same time she was the one with the anchor, the reason so many had joined, and the one that had spent far too much of her life bitter over a title that had been stolen from her. And if there was one thing Maximillian Trevelyan had ingrained into his daughter, it was to do her duty and protect others. She would lead with faith, but one thing had become abundantly clear in the aftermath of Haven: Corypheus needed to be stopped.

She was also glad for the new influx of information, even if it wasn’t much, from Varric’s recruit to the Inquisition: Megara Hawke, The Champion of Kirkwall. Unfortunately her presence there only caused more waves and doubt within Danielle as she was reminded she was not the first or even second choice of Cassandra to lead the Inquisition, the woman’s reassurances that she has no regrets ringing a little hollow considering her still very clear anger at Varric for keeping Hawke away. Cullen was more of a reassurance, pointing out he’d met both and was pleased to be working with her instead and assuring her Cassandra’s anger was more over being lied to than some ideal image she’d had for the organization. Meg was also quick to reassure her that she was doing a better job already than the Champion felt she would have.

The Champion wouldn't be the last of Thedas' heroes to join the cause as she was brought to meet with the Grey Warden Alistair, a hero of the Fifth Blight. Any hopes Danielle had that he might know the location of the Hero of Fereldan himself were quickly dashed as Alistair admitted no one had seen Eric Cousland in years, but he was willing to put everything he had into helping their efforts with the darkspawn magister and the wayward Wardens. The battle at Adamant was both enlightening and devastating as Danielle regained her memories of the moments before the explosion and her original visit to the Fade. Unfortunately it ended with Alistair sacrificing himself against the Nightmare demon to cover their retreat before Danielle nor Meg could argue with him. Leaving him behind was one of the most difficult situations she'd found herself in but with no other way to close the other rifts and the Inquisition just finally getting a solid foothold, they needed her alive. She recruited the Wardens in, glad that Meg was still there as she refused to go anywhere until Corypheus was dealt with.

Time came for Empress Celene's ball in hopes of being able to bring an end to the civil war that had been plaguing Orlais and only making things more difficult with the other fighting going on. There was also the Elder One's plans to bring chaos to the empire with the death of Celene. She listened well to her advisors who seemed to edge toward the idea that the Empress was not the best leader for the battles to come, but found herself disagreeing that Gaspard's more battle-hungry ways were the right path forward for Orlais or even Thedas itself. She emphasized it all the more with confronting the mastermind behind the planned assassination before the whole court, outing the Grand Duchess without a drop of blood needing to be spilled, including convincing the Empress to only exile her cousin rather than have him killed. It was a small victory, but one that brought up her confidence that she could do this without having to be the masterful fighter. She might be a mage, but she was also still nobility in her own right and would prove there were ways to find a diplomatic solution to at least some of their problems.

The ball brought other things to light as well as few in Skyhold hadn't noticed the playful flirting between the Inquisitor and the recently promoted Knight-Commander Barris. Once the dust had settled the pair had found themselves out on a balcony, dancing along to the music inside. Barris took the moment after the music ended to give her a kiss. It did not initially go as well as the Templar might have hoped but after a talk back at Skyhold in which they decided to see where things went, the pair officially entered a relationship. Neither knew what tomorrow would bring so they intended to enjoy their time for however long it lasted.

With Corypheus kept from both his assassination and losing his demon army he was soon getting more desperate to find another way into the Fade.

[Gameplay in Progress]

### **Post-game**

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

## **Relationships**

### Ostwick

* **Maximillian Trevelyan** was absolutely adored by his daughter when she was growing up. Losing her mother **Celeste** at a young age just made her cling to him all the more. At times she still feels like she failed him by ending up a mage and not being able to save him.
* **Cristofer Trevelyan** and his wife **Francesca** have been Danielle's main family since her father's passing. They both have somewhat adopted her, having no children of their own, and do their best to be supportive while balancing things with the more contentious part of the family.
* **Samuel Trevelyan** is Danielle's half brother, only thirteen when she becomes Inquisitor. The two have largely not been allowed to interact much and never alone, Samuel's mother (and Danielle's step-mother) **Matyld** keeping a distance between the two with claims of fears of what magic his mage sister might do to him. Danielle still holds some bitterness that the teenager has everything that was meant to be hers, but it has lessened over the years.
* **Marilizbeth** and **Adeline** are Danielle's step sisters and she gets along far better with Adeline than Lizbeth. Lizbeth and Dani have more of a mutual apathy toward each other but she will stand behind her mother in any decisions that have to do with keeping Dani at a distance and away from their brother. Adeline has always been the more gentle and sisterly toward Danielle and the two occasionally exchange letters, Dani being one of the few people who know Adeline's relationship with her "roommate" Marjoram.
* **First Enchanter Madeline** has always tried to look after the girl that was placed in her care and will admit she might have shown some favoritism in the past with Danielle due to both her diligence and her family name.
* **Senior Enchanter Lydia** was very much a mentor to the younger Danielle and someone she misses and holds up as more of an ideal of the sort of mage she would like to be one day.
* **Basil Amell** is a good friend even after becoming an ex-boyfriend as well. He still looks out for her in his own way while taking care of his family after the dissolving of the circles.

### The Inquisition

* **Delrin** was immediately someone she had respect for but assumed her infatuation was rather one-sided until Barris proved otherwise. He has been a solid support since they met and she can hardly believe she's gotten so lucky that he loves her back.
* **Cullen** is one she's always relied on for his down to earth approach to things. He's never treated her any differently because of her title as either the Herald or Inquisitor which she has appreciated. His encouragement has gotten her through a great many challenges and have built a solid friendship.
* **Josephine** was someone she bonded with rather quickly after their first meeting. Danielle would prefer to use diplomacy when possible and can appreciate someone looking out for her family's interests as the heir. Besides she definitely has to love someone who can get Cullen to bet his small-clothes just to go for one more round of Wicked Grace.
* **Leliana** has always felt a little bit like a mystery, knowing a great number of people from across Thedas. Still Danielle largely trusts her judgement, especially once she's managed to remind the woman that empathy isn't a weakness.
* **Cassandra** while the two got off to a rough start, Cassandra has become one of her closest friends. The two occasionally still discuss various books when no one else is around to listen to them enjoying questionable literature. Danielle has also tried to help with the new Seekers as much as she can and aid Cassandra in making a better Thedas.
* **Varric**
* **Solas**
* **Vivienne**
* **Blackwall**
* **The Iron Bull**
* **Sera**
* **Cole**
* **Dorian**
* **Megara Hawke** has surprisingly become a good friend over their time working together. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the rather closed off woman at first, but found a good friend who is also willing to give her stories about some of their mutual friends from a time before Dani knew them.
* **Eric Cousland** is admittedly not someone she would have probably gotten to know if it weren't for his own heroic title and all the stories she'd heard before they ever met. She thinks he's a little full of himself, but maybe that he's earned it after everything.

## **Miscellaneous**

What else happened, or what else can you tell us about Your OC, bruh? Think of things like likes, dislikes, fears, strengths and weaknesses, etc. This is as close as you'll get to being able to word-vomit about your OC while keeping the article organized and will probably be the longest section. Feel free to add sub-headings as necessary with sub-heading 2:

## **Gallery**

* Inquisitor Trevelyan and her Advisors
* Danielle confronts the Grand Duchess
* Inquisitor Trevelyan and Knight-Commander Barris
* Dealing with Corypheus in Haven
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