Naelyra Lavellan

> *"I'm a Dalish apostate standing for all of Thedas. Whatever may come, I will do my part to keep the world safe."*
>
>

Naelyra Lavellan (also known as the Inquisitor and the Herald of Andraste) was a Dalish mage and the former First of Clan Lavellan. She served as the Inquisitor from 9:41 to 9:44 Dragon, and possessed a unique power over Fade Rifts.

## Overview

### **Physical Appearance**

Naelyra had dark skin and long, bushy black hair. Like most elves, she was lithe and pointy-eared, with large eyes. She had translucent white Mythal vallasin tattooed on her face. For most of her life, Naelyra's eyes were brown; however, they turned lurid green when she received the Anchor granting her ability over the raw Fade.

### **Personality**

Because of her magic, Naelyra was raised from a young age as First to Keeper Deshanna. As a result, she always felt a little isolated from the rest of her clan. She learned to love reading, and developed an insatiable curiosity about elven lore and the magical arts. This drive to learn combined with her natural talents led to Naelyra becoming quite powerful at a young age.

Naelyra was introverted and bookish, fairly quiet in a social setting. However, she was raised to one day lead as Keeper, so she knew how inspire respect from others, and how to project confidence regardless of how she actually felt. She was cautious in all situations, both strategic and personal, sometimes to a fault.

### **Talents and Skills**

Here's what Your OC is good at, jabroni. Doesn't have to just include killing things, though let's be real, it probably includes killing things.

## Biography

### **History**

Naelyra was born in the Free Marches to Clan Lavellan in 9:16 Dragon. She had two older brothers named Zantar and Delhin Lavellan, a hunter and a warrior respectively. Her mother died from childbirth complications, leaving the three children to be raised by their father Riental.

Naelyra was only five years old when her magic began to manifest. She was apprenticed to the Keeper of Clan Lavellan and grew up learning what little was preserved of her people's ancient ways.

### **In-game**

Naelyra was sent by Keeper Deshanna of Clan Lavellan to spy on the proceedings of the Conclave, as the events of the Mage-Templar War threatened to upend the Dalish way of life. Prior to her departure, Deshanna warned Naelyra that the outcome would change everything. She could not have known how right she was.

Initially, Naelyra wanted nothing to do with the Inquisition. She was no Andrastian, adhering instead to the Dalish pantheon, so she had no love for that particular ideology. Moreover, Naelyra was keenly aware of how the original Inquisition and the Chantry had hurt her people in the past. She certainly didn't believe that divine intervention had saved her life, and she resented her reputation as the Herald of Andraste.

However, Naelyra was not blind. She saw the tear in the sky, she saw that those in this Inquisition genuinely wanted to restore order, and she realized that she was the only person in all of Thedas capable of closing the Rifts. So she agreed to help, joining the Inquisition officially.

.

Following Corypheus's defeat, the Inquisition - and its Inquisitor - were initially lauded as heroes. Nobles from both Ferelden and Orlais clamored to meet the Herald of Andraste. Naelyra continued searching for answers, however. She uncovered the truth behind her predecessor Ameridan's life and death, and publicized the information. She continued to lend aid where required, though such incidents were substantially less frequent following their victory.

As time passed and the threat of Corypheus grew more distant, however, tensions began to rise between the Inquisition and its neighbors. Orlais wanted to claim its strength for their own, while Ferelden resented the fact that the Inquisition had occupied its territory and feared its military power.

Naelyra did what she could to remedy the situation, working with Josephine and Leliana - now the new Divine Victoria - in particular to accomplish this. However, they were forced to call the Exalted Council in 9:44 Dragon to formally decide the Inquisition's fate. By this point, the Anchor had grown more virulent, affecting Naelyra's day-to-day life, though she did her best to conceal this fact.

At the Winter Palace, Naelyra was forced to maintain a balancing act between appeasing Ferelden, warding off Orlais, asserting the Inquisition's sovereignty, and investigating internal threats all the while. She discovered that the qunari intended to detonate explosives to kill every head of state in Southern Thedas. Not only that, Solas was Fen'Harel, his spy network had infiltrated the Inquisition's ranks, and his plan to save the world involved destroying it.

Naelyra took the situation hard, particularly when she learned about the truth behind the Evanuris - that the gods she had revered her entire life were merely slavers, and her prized vallaslin were slave markings. Still, she managed to stave off the conflict, and her encounter with Solas saved her life. Although saddened at the prospect of facing her former friend, Naelyra told Solas that she had no choice but to stop him, and committed herself to doing so at any cost - even if it meant his death.

Shaken in confidence and believing that the Inquisition was too compromised to fulfill its original purpose, Naelyra declared the Inquisition dissolved. She told her allies that they could put down their swords and go home.

### **Post-game**

After the events of Trespasser, Naelyra was quite eager to retire. She was newly married and down an arm, and the Inquisition was now compromised to an unacceptable degree. However, she knew that she would have to remain vigilant for the day Solas returned, even if that meant waiting years.

Shortly after her announcement, Naelyra received an invitation from Keeper Deshanna and her father to visit Clan Lavellan in Wycome. However, the thought of returning deeply unnerved her. While Naelyra longed to see her family, her discoveries about Elven history had shaken her deeply. It was difficult enough for her to look in the mirror and see slave brandings on her face. She knew that she could not reveal the truth. No one would believe her, but more importantly, such knowledge would destroy the Dalish. At the same time, she didn't want to lie and pretend, because it had always been her duty to share knowledge. Because of this dilemma, Naelyra couldn't bring herself to face them.

Naelyra and Cullen (and, of course, his mabari) moved to a small, isolated house on the outskirts of the Brecillian Forest, near the Drakon River - and within a reasonable distance of Cullen's siblings in South Reach. There she gave birth to a daughter, who she named Aubrey Rutherford. They continued to do good on their own terms, setting up a rehabilitation center for Templars who wished to be cured of lyrium addiction, and to act as a hospice for those who were too far gone.

About a year and a half later, Naelyra decided to swallow her shame and visit Clan Lavellan in Wycome. She traveled to Wycome by herself, and reunited with her father and mentor. There, she privately informed them that she couldn't come back. She told Deshanna that she had discovered "a terrible truth" about their history, but refused to elaborate. She also informed them both about Aubrey. Though initially shocked at this revelation, Riental did not remain angry at Naelyra for long, and later even visited his granddaughter in South Reach.

## **Relationships**

### Cullen:

Prior to the Conclave, Naelyra would have laughed at the idea that she'd end up happily married to a human - let alone an ex-Templar and a devout Andrastian. Yet, that's precisely what happened.

Naelyra and Cullen got along well despite their differences, mostly due to their similarly pensive and serious temperaments. In particular, Naelyra appreciated how Cullen was one of the few people who actually checked in and asked her how she felt about being the "Herald of Andraste".

The fact that they were mutually terrible in the romance department actually worked in their favor, as they found each other's fumbles and dorkiness more endearing than awkward. Naelyra admired Cullen's strength and bravery, while he respected her intelligence and selflessness.

While there were complications regarding Naelyra's status as a mage - Cullen still carried severe trauma from his torture in Ferelden's Circle of Magi, and Naelyra disagreed with his views on magic and mages - their mutual respect and goal ensured that they could find a common ground. They bonded over games of chess.

Naelyra helped Cullen through the pain of his lyrium withdrawl, encouraging his progress and advising him to stay off the addictive substance. During this time, Cullen felt deeply ashamed and insecure about Naelyra seeing him in a moment of such bitter weakness, but she saw only his determination and courage. She offered words of consolation and encouragement, and did what she could to alleviate his suffering.

Because of these complications, they took their relationship slow - one step at a time.

### Cassandra:

Though Naelyra and Cassandra grew to become close friends, their initial dynamic was actually quite contentious.

### Solas:

Originally, Naelyra regarded Solas as a friend. They had a great deal in common. Both were elves (even if Solas took great pains to distance himself from the modern Dalish), they were mages, and both loved learning about the Fade. Their talks about the Fade were a large source of inspiration for Naelyra to pursue the study of Rift magic. Their conversations stoked her curiosity, and she wanted to push the boundaries of known magic.

Solas respected Naelyra's thoughtful nature and delighted in her interest of all things magical.

Varric:

### Dorian:

Naelyra and Dorian were extremely close. Despite their very different backgrounds, they could bond over a shared love of magic.

Following Dorian's return to the Magisterium, he and Naelyra remained in close contact. They communicated daily through their enchanted crystals. Sometimes, they provided information and advice, but most of the time, these were simply words of encouragement.

Sera:

## **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**

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