Lyna Mahariel

No one ever 'cut me slack.' The Blight won't either.

*They spread rumours and tell lies about me, the savage Dalish Hero who both terrifies and attracts them. I say let them.*

## Overview

### **Physical Appearance**

Tall for an elf, Lyna is 5'7" and stands as though she's proud of every extra inch. She knows that many find her attractive; she thinks they're right. Her eyes are a vibrant green and are surrounded by dark green vallaslin on her eyelids and then further darkened by green eyeshadow that Lyna makes herself. Her face and body are heavily scarred from her life as a Warden - her insecurity about them leads her to cover them as best she can by makeup or clothing.

### **Personality**

Cold, calculating and efficient, but with a squishy marshmallow center. In battle she is merciless, unless by mercy one means a quick death. Lyna does not cry. She endures. She makes few friends and keeps fewer, but her affection once gained is unlikely to be lost. Protective and devoted to the welfare of the Wardens under her command, she quietly looks after them even after they are no longer in contact regardless of how friendly [or not] their relationship had been.

When someone is able to reach into her core, though, they will find someone who cares deeply and would do anything to keep them safe, even at her own expense. Perhaps especially then.

### **Talents and Skills**

Never very good at combat but determined to do well at it as a hunter, Lyna practices for hours every day. While in her clan she used a bow but never felt very comfortable with it. After meeting Duncan and traveling with him to Ostagar, he noticed that she had more aptitude for daggers and helped her to make them her primary weapons.

* Dual wield daggers
* Archery
* Leatherworking
* Mathematics
* General handiness and home repair

## Biography

### **In-game**

#### Origins

Before the Blight, Lyna was resigned to the fact that she would have to bond with another and bear children in order to do her duty to her clan. She had a crush on Merrill, the clan's First, but never acted on her feelings.

Weakened by Blight Sickness after encountering a tainted mirror, it took little convincing for her to come to the conclusion that she must join the Wardens - her time was limited if she were to stay, and the Wardens gave her her best hope of a longer life. She despises that the taint has stolen so much of her life, and completely dreads what she will inevitably become. Her only consolation is that becoming a Warden gave her a chance to think about what she wanted out of life - and that it was not something her clan could give her.

On the day she found the eluvian with Tamlen, the elf she thought of as her brother, she had spent most of her time trying to ignore his advances and keep him from professing his love for her. She regrets that their last moments together were so strained. Having to kill him months later severed her last link to her former clan.

She knew very little about the Grey Wardens before joining them, but what little she did know was that they were bound to do anything to stop the Blight. She espoused that philosophy to the letter and it became the ultimate goal of all of her decisions. She had little regard for those she might hurt along the way by her decisions - everything was calculated and determined by her to be necessary and just. Who knows what she would have become if Alistair were not by her side to act as her conscience and question her decisions?

The single light in her increasingly bleak existence was Alistair, the only person who seemed able to coax a smile from her. She encouraged him to become king, sure that he would be a good one, especially if the politically savvy Anora Mac Tir was beside him if she was unable to rule with him herself. She was content to remain in a relationship with him carried on in the shadows, but Alistair had other plans and left her after the Landsmeet.

Before the Battle of Denerim she readied herself to sacrifice her life slaying the archdemon until Morrigan, her dearest friend, convinced her that Alistair was not worth such a price. Some part of Lyna that resented Alistair for his actions was almost glad at what he'd had to do with someone he hated in order to keep them alive.

After the Blight, Lyna became the Chancellor of Ferelden in order to stay by the side of the man she loved in any capacity that she could, helping to restructure the city of Denerim and make the alienage more habitable. Though she had taken up the position for Alistair rather than the country, over time she came to regard Ferelden as something that belonged to her and that she cared about deeply. She has a special place in her heart for the people of Amaranthine and Denerim especially.

#### Awakening

Ordered into the post of Commander of the Grey at Vigil's Keep, Lyna left for Amaranthine and left most day-to-day duties of the Chancellorship to Teagan Guerrin. She gained the respect of her Wardens, if not their love.

Her time as Commander was short-lived. Already suspicious that Lyna had survived killing the archdemon, Lyna's actions in sparing the Architect to try to prevent future Blights and her perceived underutilization of Anders' ability caused her to become quietly replaced by the Grey Wardens, though she retained her title.

### **Post-game**

Lyna continued to go on missions for the Wardens, dividing her time between her Chancellor duties in Denerim, life on the road, and fostering her budding relationship with a smith from Amaranthine. Her responsibilities soon grew too time-consuming, though, straining the relationship that was quickly becoming the best of Lyna's life. In one of her first wholly selfish acts, she gave up the Chancellorship she had come to care about to prioritize herself and Gwen.

In 9:41, she heard the false Calling of Corypheus, as did Alistair. Terrified at what would happen to her and motivated by her continued love for Alistair (now grown into friendship rather than romance), she left Gwen's house in Amaranthine in a desperate attempt to find a cure.

A year later, after the defeat of Corypheus and having never found what she was looking for, she returns to Amaranthine to spend what remains of her shortened life with the woman she loves.

## **Relationships**

### Romantic Relationships

#### Alistair Theirin

Lyna was hooked from the first goofy grin and terrible joke from her fellow Warden. Alistair brought light and joy and silliness that she hadn't known she had needed so much.

She preserved Alistair's rose and put the dried petals into a locket that she wears around her neck. The locket is engraved with the word, "Family," in reference to a promise they had made to each other.

At the Landsmeet Lyna pushed Alistair to become Ferelden's king, even after she learned that she could not be his queen. After making an arrangement with Anora Mac Tir, the woman who gave the best promise of peace for the country if married to Alistair, Lyna intended to live as Alistair's mistress. Alistair, however, wanted to do right by his new wife and had hopes to create the family he had never had so despite his love for Lyna he ended his relationship with her.

Devastated by the tragedy of her own making, she strongly considered sacrificing herself to the archdemon. Though she is glad of the decision to convince him to do the Dark Ritual later on, she also does carry considerable guilt on Alistair's behalf.

Lyna and Alistair never stopped being close friends. Their relationship was strained leading up to Alistair's marriage, but after it Lyna outwardly put aside all romantic love for him. She never fully moved on until she had been with Gwen for quite some time.

#### Gwenyfar Hardcastle

The absolute love of Lyna's life, the dwarven blacksmith had a shop in Amaranthine that Lyna visited often, first for the craftsmanship and later for the company. Love came slowly between them, arriving first as momentary passion. Gwen tempers Lyna's overdramatic despair and manages to make her laugh at herself. Calm and down to earth, Gwen shares a common pragmatic sense with Lyna but takes herself far less seriously. Their relationship is comfortable and close.

When Lyna learns of Alistair hearing the false Calling, she panics and leaves to search for a cure. Gwen, constantly abandoned when Lyna has other responsibilities (the Chancellorship, the Wardens) and terrified because Lyna is also hearing the Song, asks her to stay. When Lyna refuses she tells her not to return.

After Corypheus' defeat, at Alistair's insistence Lyna goes back to Amaranthine to win Gwen back and succeeds.

Lyna can't remember ever laughing as much as she laughs with Gwen.

### Friendships

#### Anders

The charming mage ingratiated himself into her affections before she even knew to put up her defenses. Though they were never more than friends, they did keep up a flirty banter that usually involved her shutting him down with rare joviality. Anders was the only one at Vigil's Keep who was able to make Lyna smile. She kept track of him after leaving her post as Warden-Commander and ensured that he was protected and never wanted for anything.

## **Miscellaneous**

When not in the field, Lyna appreciates the finer things in life - a cozy blacksmith, a hot bath, and a glass of nice wine in that order.

The Blight Sickness that caused her to become a Grey Warden has left her permanently weakened. She gets sick more often and heals slowly, even with magical aid. Her resistance to healing has caused many of her wounds to fester and resulted in increased scarring.

Lyna and Alistair have a tradition of sitting on the garden steps outside of the palace's kitchen at night and drinking whiskey from commemorative glasses made to celebrate the defeating of the archdemon whenever she comes to Denerim.

## **Links**

### Reddit Headcanon Threads:

1. Friendship Preferences - What Lyna wants out of a friendship

### Reddit Writing prompt Threads:

1. Anders - Lyna deals with a wound and finds unexpected friendship at Vigil's Keep
2. The Calling - Lyna leaves on her quest to find a cure for the Calling
3. Reconciliation - Lyna returns to Amaranthine

### Non-Reddit links (AO3, DeviantArt, Tumblr):

1. Lyna Mahariel, Warden Commander - A collection of works featuring Lyna, mainly from weekly writing prompts and arranged chronologically.

## **Gallery**

* Lyna Mahariel
* Chancellor Mahariel
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