Finn

## Background

Finn is a young mage from the Circle of Magi in Ferelden. His parents are Magistrate Kingston Aldebrant of West Hill and his wife Florence. He considers himself the Circle's best linguist and foremost expert on ancient Tevinter history–even if others might consider him more of a bookworm, a recluse that spends all of his time in the tower's dark library. Finn is the unlikeliest of adventurers but it may come to pass that his academic expertise will force him out of the library and into an adventure where his arcane might is the only thing that stands between him and certain death. Unlike most other mages of the circle who have no contact with their families, Finn actually has a very close relationship with his parents.

## Involvement

The Warden-Commander first meets Finn at the Circle Tower while searching for clues regarding the book that Morrigan stole from Ariane's Dalish clan. After the Warden discovers the term *Eluvian* which has to do something with Morrigan, Finn approaches them revealing that "Eluvian" is a magical elven mirror. He says that the Tevinter mages tried to activate the full power of the Eluvian after they captured them from Arlathan, but only managed to use them as communications portals. He believes that it is possible to locate an Eluvian using the shards of the broken Eluvian at the Elven Ruin which the Sabrae clan encountered though he does not know how. He suggests asking the only known "survivor" of that age of history, and joins the party.

The "survivor" is an ancient Tevinter statue containing the spirit of a prophetess, Eleni Zinovia, which is stored in the basement of the Circle Tower. The statue tells Finn that he requires the shards of a broken Eluvian, as well as the Lights of Arlathan, in order to locate a working Eluvian. Zinovia also remarks that she and Finn will not speak again.

While retrieving the lights from Cadash Thaig, he will ask for Ariane's blood to locate them. If the Warden is elvish, he states that Warden blood is different from pure Dalish blood, likely due to the presence of Darkspawn taint. When asked if what he is doing constitutes blood magic, Finn states that it is a gray area as the spell's power does not come from the blood, but nevertheless they should keep this incident to themselves. When the shards and lights are in possession of the party, Finn performs a scrying ritual and locates a working Eluvian in the Dragonbone Wastes.

In the Dragonbone Wastes Finn is excited by the discovery of the working Eluvian but has to stay back with Ariane and observe the final encounter between the Warden and Morrigan.

After accomplishing their mission, Finn did not return to the Circle and instead continued to travel with Ariane. Eventually some mercenaries hired by his father tracked down the duo but were driven off, later reporting to Finn's parents that "I say with some certainity that Finn is no longer the soft, nervous boy you remember."

Finn later returned to his parents' house with Ariane in tow to explain himself and say goodbye, returning his Ghastly Hat and immaculately clean robes.

## Tropes

* Adventurer Archaeologist: His sole motivation for joining you is to hopefully learn more about the Eluvian.
* Badass Bookworm: A well-read expert on Dalish history and capable of putting up a fight.
* Berserk Button: Improper handling of ancient books! The Warden first meets him when he chews them out for doing so.
* Camp Straight: He has very campy mannerisms.
* Combat Medic: His default specialization is Spirit Healer, and he's heavily invested in the generally defensive Creation school of magic.
* Continuity Nod:
	+ He tells the Warden about one of Anders' attempts to escape from the tower.
	+ He mentions that escape attempts which consist of "a dangerous plan with little or no chance of success", have been dubbed by the other Mages as "pulling a Jowan", although he acknowledges that this is technically a misnomer since Jowan *did* successfully escape.
	+ In the same conversation, he mentions that mage phylacteries are no longer stored in the basement after the incident with Jowan, which a Mage Warden can admit to having also been partially responsible for.
* The Dandy: He enchanted his robe to remain perfectly clean, and he hates dirt and physical exertion because they mess up his appearance.
* Embarrassing Nickname: Due to his Overly-Long Name, most just shortened it to "Flora." Not liking this at all, he decided to go with "Finn" instead.
* Foil: To the Mage Warden. Both are mentioned as being highly academic, both are considered highly talented mages within the Circle by their peers and if the Mage Warden is Human, both are originally from wealthy families. The only difference between the two is that when the Warden left the tower, they ended up *fighting a war.*
* Foreshadowing: The oracular statue in the Mage Tower tells him they will not speak again, and Finn wonders if this means something will happen to him. Nothing does over the course of *Witch Hunt*. However, according to *The World of Thedas, vol. 2*, he and Ariane continued adventuring together after parting from the Warden. He never went back to the Circle, technically fulfilling Eleni's prophecy.
* Freedom from Choice: An example of a Circle Mage who has no problems whatsoever being locked in a tower all the time. It helps that, unlike most of them, he's lucky enough to still know his family.
* Gameplay and Story Segregation: Similarly to Wynne in *Origins*, he can be specialized as a Battlemage despite his vocal hatred of not only combat, but all physical exertion in general. He can also be specialized as a Blood Mage, despite his obvious discomfort with the implications of blood magic in his ritual to locate the Lights of Arlathan, although his appallingly low Constitution score makes it a poor choice.
* I Call It "Vera": His staff really is called Vera.
* Neat Freak: To the point that he is one of the few mages who doesn't enjoy any outings from the Tower.
	+ World of Thedas Volume II shows that his Neat Freak tendencies have softened somewhat.
* Non-Action Guy: Before meeting the Warden, at least.
* Omniglot: He considers himself one of the best linguists in the tower.
* Overly-Long Name: His full name is Florian Phineas Horatio Aldebrant, Esquire. Finn: Can't forget the Esquire. Father insisted.
* Parental Abandonment: A very rare subversion in the Circle of Magi. When discussing his Overly-Long Name with Ariane, she asks if his parents hated him and he replies that they actually adore him and his name was a result of overwhelming love outweighing common sense. Unlike most mages who are taken from their parents never to see them again, it's implied that Finn has somehow been able to maintain a relationship with his. His "Ghastly Hat" was knitted by his mother. It protects against the cold, but Willpower takes a hit.
* Ship Tease: With Ariane throughout the DLC. *The World of Thedas vol.2* mentions that after the Warden left their company, he and Ariane continued to travel together.
* Shout-Out:
	+ He possesses a weapon called Vera and a Ghastly Hat that he doesn't wear. Hmmmm...
	+ He's also a magic user who works with an organization of "Wardens", and wears clothing that he himself enchanted to protect against magic, arrows, and unsightly stains. When selected during combat, he may respond with a battle cry of "I am mage, hear me roar!"
* Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: See Overly-Long Name.