Aya Hawke

Aya Hawke (born 9:5) was a Fereldan refuge that fled to Kirkwall during the 5th blight. She became the Champion of Kirkwall after the Arishok's attack on the city; and following the mage rebellion three years later becomes Viscount.

World state is that of Kenna Amell (HoF) and Bryoni Lavellan (Inquisitor).

## Overview

### **Physical Appearance**

Standing at 5'10" and built like a powerhouse, Aya cuts an intimidating figure. She is unusually pale with deep sunken eyes that have constant dark circles around them. When she was younger they were a brilliant blue, but have dulled and lightened over time. Her mouth turns naturally down and she rarely smiles.  She keeps her clothing and armor neat, though the age shows through in the various patches and dents. Her hair is black, shoulder length, and generally worn back in a low ponytail. She has no piercings and no tattoos.

### **Personality**

Aya's biggest failing is her inability to empathize. Unless she has personally been through a similar situation she is unable to sympathize and simply views expressed feelings as excuses. She shapes the world around her by what she has experienced and is not open-minded to other people's viewpoints.  Motherly and protective she maintains that she knows best and will personally bear the responsibility for the actions of those close to her, burdening herself with more guilt and blame than she needs to. In touch, but not controlled by her feelings, Aya follows only facts and rationality. She is disciplined, dutiful, and molded by her personal integrity. In social situations she is blunt and honest to a fault. She values family above all else and has a big heart for those she considers under her protection. (ESTJ - Executive)

### **Talents and Skills**

Aya was known for wielding a 2h greatsword and taught Carver most of what he knew. She was also evenly matched, if not slightly better, than her companion Fenris. Following her battle with the Arishok, Aya lost much of the mobility in her left arm and was no longer able to lift 2h weapons. Shield and sword had never been her favorite fight style, but left with little choice she became practicied and proficient under the tutelage of Aveline.

Intimidation is a natural skill to Aya. Not only in looks, but in personality. She is not creative with her threats, relying on the tone and her posture to convey their seriousness. Oftentimes, she found saying nothing worked even better. Once she was named Champion and tales of her fight against the Arishok were told and retold, even her name became enough to pressure certain people.

She is surprisingly good with numbers and calculations. During her time in Lothering, neighboring farmers would often seek her out for help with their finances and when her father died she became the natural head of the family as far as the budget and bills. When she settled in Kirkwall she immediately took over Gamlen's accounts and managed the family budget there as well, continuing to do so even when she left Kirkwall and founded a mercenary group years later.

## Biography

### **History**

Aya Hawke was born in the fall of 9:5 Dragon to Malcolm Hawke and Leandra (nee Amell). Since her father and younger sister were both apostates she spent most of her young life on the move, rarely staying in one town for too long. She rarely minded as despite her appearance, Aya had such a commanding personality she never found it difficult to attract new friends (conscripts really). After her family settled in Lothering she worked as a hired hand to many of the local farms until her father's passing. She joined the Imperial army as soon as she came of age and left for Ostagar when the call came to fight under Loghain. At the call for retreat she returned to Lothering meaning only to get her family out of danger before returning to the army, but ended up following them to Kirkwall after Carver was lost during the escape.

### **In-game**

Part of the influx of refugees to Kirkwall during the blight, Aya earned her family's passage into the City by a year of indentured service to the mercenary group Red iron. During her time with them she earned a name for herself and parted with them on good terms with an offer to return if she ever wanted. Seeking to move her family out of Lowtown, Aya approached Bartrand Tethras in hopes that joining his expedition would provide the needed coin. He refused her at first, until she returned months later with his younger brother Varric to vouch for her, 50 gold to invest as a partner, and much needed maps to the Deep Roads. Begrudgingly, she was granted partnership and permission to leave with them when the time came.

She spent the remaining months preforming small favors around Kirkwall and came to know a number of residents - key ones being Fenris, an escaped slave; Isabela, a pirate without a ship;  and Anders, an apostate and Warden deserter who ran a healing clinic in Lowtown. She also met and made a favorable impression with the stranded Qunari and their leader, the Arishok when a deal she was involved with went sour. In keeping her promise to Flemeth she also met the dalish elf Merrill and helped her settle into the Kirkwall alienage. Though she did her best to avoid them on Bethany's behalf, she did meet and befriend a Templar named Thrask who seemed to share her view on mages. She worked with him on several occasions and following his, Bethany's, and Varric's advice even helped a few mages escape to the coast instead of returning them to the circle. Blood magic was still a new concept to her, and one she had not seen firsthand ever before, so while she knew mages could be dangerous she viewed most of them in light of the ones she currently knew - Bethany, Anders, and her late father Malcolm.

Despite her mother's protests, Aya allowed Bethany to come along wtih her for the expedition to the Deep roads. Her sister was the apple of her eye and she could never refuse her anything she wanted. A large portion of the trip was uneventful, until they discovered the Thaig. After Bartrand's betrayal, Aya and her party fought their way to the surface, but on the way it became apparent that Bethany had been infected by the taint. Desperate to save her little sister, Aya forced Anders to locate some Grey Wardens nearby and they were able to save Bethany. However, Bethany was enraged with Aya's decision, and did not speak a word to her before being led off by the Wardens. Her life belonged to them now.

Aya was left with a hole in her heart - glad her sister was alive, but broken by the contempt. When Leandra was told of Bethany's fate she blamed Aya which sent her into a deep depression. Anders was the one to help bring her out of it and Aya began to depend on him to fill the void in her heart. Both lonely, the two entered a relationship despite their differing opinions on mage rights and within a few months of dating moved in together.
The money Aya brought back from the expedition helped reinstate the Amell estate and the Hawke family moved into Hightown. Never one to be inactive for long, Aya set a plan in motion to start her own Mercenary company. Her friend, Aveline had been made Captain of the Kirkwall gaurd and Aya worked closely with her to help maintain peace and order. Many of the jobs she did exposed her to blood magic and Aya began to get a strong distaste for mages altogether, exasperated by Anders as his control over Justice frayed and broke. When magic cost Leandra her life, Aya was done with it altogether and was fully convinced that magic was a curse and all mages were a thread away from becoming abominations. The last straws that were holding her and Anders together crumpled soon after.
Within the same week, Isabela also vanished after it was revealed she was the reason for the Qunari presence in Kirkwall. Incited by the loss of their relic as well as the murder of one of their own - Seamus - the Qunari attacked the city. Unable to present Isabela to the Arishok as part of their demands to release the city, Aya stood trial for her as a known associate. The battle was long and bloody and witnessed by all of Kirkwall. In the end, Aya was victorious though not without injury. She lay at death's door for several days after and did not wake for seven more. When she did wake, she had loss much of the mobility in her left arm. No longer able to wield 2h weapons she began to train more in sword and shield.

In the year following the Qunari attack, Knight-Commander Meredith filled the vacant Viscount’s seat and tensions between the mages and the templars were tighter than ever. In efforts to help curbtail the explosion of blood magic and abominations Aya believed would happen, she acquiesced to Meredith’s commands. Anders, who she had remained distant from ever since the breakup also approached her for help.  She believed him when he said he was trying to separate from Justice and agreed to help search for the ingredients he needed. When he asked her to cause a distraction in the Chantry she refused, and becoming suspicious threatened to end him if anything should happen.

Three months after her last conversation with Anders, the Chantry and center of Kirkwall exploded. This act of terroism broke any hope for peace and the mages and templars entered a full out war. When asked to choose a side, Aya sided with the Templars having long lost any faith or trust in mages. Retreating to the Circle, the mages prepared for war, while Meredith and the templars readied themselves outside. Left alone with Anders, the confessed culprit behind the explosion, Aya was given a choice: let him go or kill him.

Making good on her promise, Aya executed Anders and then rushed to the aid Meredith in defense of the city. She was unsurprised by the amount of blood magic and abominations she found during the annulment process and Orsino's final fate reaffirmed her conviction that she was doing the right thing. When Meredith turned, Aya blamed that on magic too.

Kirkwall was in crisis after the anullment of the Circle. Still in recovery from the Quanari attack and now with the Chantry blown to pieces as well as the death of their acting Viscount Meredith the people of Kirkwall turned to their Champion, Aya for leadership. Named Viscount, she began to do what she could to restore Kirkwall.

### **Post-game**

Aya served as Viscount for about a month before storming out and disappearing into the wilderness of the Free Marches. She reemerges sometime later as the leader of the mercenary group Ghoulboys. When Varric writes her about Corypheus she becomes involved with the Inquisition and was present at the battle of Adamant. Many think she is still alive and in hiding, but the heart of the Inquisition knows the truth. She died in the Fade so that they could live.

## **Relationships**

**Anders:** Hate and love walk a fine line. Aya was originally attracted to Anders when he saved her sister in the Deep roads. She liked him because he was Fereldan, a former Grey Warden, and was committed to helping people. She also saw him as a replacement for Bethany as someone who needed her as a protector. . Unfortunately, their opinions about mage rights created an irreparable rift between them. When Anders lost control of Justice in the Fade and then later when confronting the templars she found she could not see him as anything but an abomination in the works. The first night he didn't return to her estate she knew it was the beginning of the end for them and things only got worse as time went on until they avoided each other all together. When he approached her with a proposition that he had found a formula that would separate him from Justice she was happy to help, hopeful that Anders would return to her in the way she imagined. In the end, it had been a ruse and she felt she had no other choice but to execute him for his crime of terrorism. She thinks of him often still and has had no other relationship since.

**Varric:** He is the papa bear to the friend's group and she is the mama bear. Working together they try their best to manage and herd their misfit friend group towards happiness and out of trouble. They agree on most things, but in the cases when there seems to be conflict, Varric will defer to her judgement.  He sees she has a good heart and is motivated by the will to protect those she loves. He also likes the amusing situations her severe lack of humor creates and finds her interesting to write about.

**Bethany:** was the apple of Aya's eye growing up and her little sister could do no wrong. Aya and Bethany both considered magic a burden more than a gift and Aya felt needed by Bethany to act as her protector. The stress and tension of living under the Templar's eye began to make them drift apart however as Aya began to act too overprotective and motherly. Feeling stifled by everything in Kirkwall, Bethany desperately wanted to go on the expedition and though it was against Leandra's wishes, Aya permitted her to come thinking she would protect her little sister from any harm and that it would be good to get Bethany away from the templars for a time. However, Bethany was infected by the Darkspawn taint during the trip and in order to save her life Aya forced her to join as a Grey Warden. Bethany was furious with her new lot in life and directed that anger at Aya. Though her sister wrote multiple times, Bethany never replied. A chance for a reconnection happened in Kirkwall years later and Bethany promised to write back finally.  However, when word reached her that Aya had chosen to annull the circle she no longer even read the letters her sister wrote and burned them immediately instead. At the time of Aya's death in the fade, the two were still estranged.

**Aveline**: Hawke and Aveline befriended each other quickly through a love of fighting, duty, and honor. Hawke always supported her in upholding the law or recognizing times where it shouldn't be followed in order to do the right thing. Aya also helped push Aveline and Donnic together and was the Maid of honor in their wedding. When Aya lost most of the use in her left arm, it was Aveline she went to for help on training for shield and sword. She considered Aveline her closest friend and sought advice and comfort from her throughout her life.

**Fenris:** and Aya got along very well. They both liked big swords and distrusted mages. The only contention in their friendship was during the time Anders and her were together as Fenris greatly disproved of the apostate. After Aya left Kirkwall, Fenris traveled with her for a time as 2nd in command in the mercenary group before he left do do his own thing. Their relationship was strictly platonic.

**Isabela:** was a great disappointment to Aya. Originally finding the pirate capable and clever, her opinion turned sour after a time. Aya was constantly trying to herd Isabela towards her idea of the "correct" path and never truly saw or accepted Isabela for who she was. As such, their friendship remained a very tug-and-pull and when the relic was discovered Isabela disappeared feeling no loyalties were owed to Hawke. Aya felt much the same, but being unable to present Isabela for judgement stood trial for her creating a lasting grudge against the pirate.

**Merrill:** seen as a replacement kid sister for Bethany, Aya was very protective and motherly towards the elf which Merrill chafed at. Though there was admiration and affection between the two, they often butted heads. Sometimes over magic and mages, but most times because Aya treated Merrill like a child. When Aya was faced with the choice of Ander's fate and annuling the Circle, Merrill voiced her opinion on both matters and supported Hawke even when she choose not to follow the advice. Merill did not follow Aya when she left Kirkwall, but the two write occasionally.

## **Headcanons**

* Because of her deep-sunken and dark circled eyes Aya earned the nickname Ghoul. When she started her mercenary band she became known as the Marshghoul.
* When Aya wrote Bethany about Leandra's passing, her sister wrote a reply addressed to Aveline. She did not mention Aya at all.
* For the time they were together, Aya would always be waiting to walk Anders home from his clinic whenever he worked late.