Shianni

**Shianni** is a Fereldan city elf, the first Bann of the Denerim Alienage, wife of Nelaros and cousin to Soris and Kallian Tabris.

## Involvement

### After the Blight

She became the first Bann of the Alienage and married Nelaros.

## Tropes

* All There in the Manual: Shianni's backstory. She was born in Honnleaf, never knew her father, and her mother died of a fever when she was six. Her uncle Cyrion had her moved to the Denerim Alienage a few days later, and she started off overwhelmed and terrified of the crowded alienage full of strangers. Eventually she came to love her new home and all the people in it, and it's why she's so protective of her people and outspoken against injustice.
* Badass Normal: Shianni is a perfectly ordinary elf woman with a fiery spirit but no combat training of note. She will willingly help the Grey Warden fight an army of monsters that send most people running. Had circumstances been different, it seems entirely possible that she, rather than a City Elf protagonist, could have been recruited as a Grey Warden and done well in her own right.
* Break the Cutie: Poor Shianni! At least by the time you meet her again in the alienage she's recovered, at least to an extent, and back to being ornery.
* Conditioned to Accept Horror: Defied. While most Denerim elves just try to keep their heads down and hope more bad things don't happen to them after Howe's purge, Shianni refuses to take any abuse lying down and never stops trying to protect her people. It's what allows her to become the new Hahren after Valendrian retires.
* Desperate Plea for Home: In the City Elf origin story, you find Shianni cornered by Vaughan; she's already been raped, and it's heavily implied that the Bann's friends took turns. While Vaughan tries to bribe his way out, Shianni is in tears and begging to be taken home.
* Defrosting Ice Queen: She can come across pretty cold to a non-City Elf Warden when they're finally allowed into the Alienage, although she mellows if she recognizes the Warden as being the one who freed Soris from Howe's dungeon. After the Warden stops the Tevinter slavers, she apologizes.
* Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Says that as far as the others in the Alienage know, Vaughan just "roughed [her] up a bit". She's fine with that, as she doesn't want them to start treating her like some fragile doll.
* Fiery Redhead: Oh yes.
* Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: From the brief time the cousins in combat, Soris favors a sword while Shianni fights with a bow.
* Hard-Drinking Party Girl:
	+ Definitely comes across as one: Shianni: Do you know what today is? Warden: Judging by your breath, it's get drunk before noon day.
	+ And this later bit of dialogue. Warden: You'll look for any excuse to get drunk. Shianni: Who needs an excuse to get drunk?
* Hero-Worshipper: Towards the City Elf Warden. Shianni: They'll write legends about you someday. When the world was at its darkest, there you came, fire in your eyes, like something out a storybook.
* The Lad-ette: It frequently comes up how "un-ladylike" she acts.
* Nephewism: She was raised by her uncle Cyrion after her mother died when she was six.
* The Not-Love Interest: Pretty much fills this function to the Male City Elf in the Origin and even a little post-Origin. Her dialogue actually comes across as more intimate than the woman the Warden was supposed to marry, despite the fact that Shianni is supposedly one of your *cousins*. The fact that the Warden had only just met his prospective bride might at least explain some of that.
* Only Sane Woman: Shianni is the *only* alienage elf to see through the Tevinter "healers" in the *Unrest in the Alienage*. If playing aa City Elf, she is also one of the few elves to stand by Soris if he's blamed for Howe's purge.
* Parental Abandonment: *World of Thedas II* explains her mother died of a fever when she was six, and she never knew her father. As a child, Shianni liked to think he was a Dalish warrior who would come back for her one day, who was kept away by circumstances outside his control.
* Rank Up: One epilogue reveals she eventually came to lead the Alienage Elves as a popular, if outspoken, Elder.
	+ Alternatively, if the City Elf Warden puts her name forward as Bann, she serves the role admirably for many years... until she tragically gets murdered by a human bigot, leading to a *massive riot* breaking out in the city.
* Rape as Drama: She is the only "guest" of Bann Vaughan to be raped before you get to her. It's implied that his friends took turns as well...
* Sibling Yin-Yang: Of a sort with Soris, her cousin whom she was raised alongside with by their uncle Cyrion. Shianni is fiery and outspoken, while Soris is meek and conflict-averse.
* Spirited Young Lady: Oh, yes! Unfortunately, it's what draws Vaughan to her. Fortunately, it helps her stand up for her people and helps her become the new Hahren after Valendrian retires.
* Took a Level in Badass: She can be persuaded to help fight the darkspawn that invade the Alienage in the finale. If the player's a City Elf, she *volunteers*.