Natia Adaar

Natia Adaar, wearing her Inquisition Battle Armor

Natia Adaar is a female Qunari warrior and former Valo-Kas mercenary who led the Inquisition from 9:41 to 9:44 Dragon. Determined and optimistic, yet also modest and naive, she inspires courage in her allies and fear in her enemies. She will always try to find a diplomatic solution to even the greatest problems. And when that fails, she will keep hammering the problems until they cease to exist (these may include: dragons, upstart Tevinter-magister-darkspawn-overlords-arseholes, pesky Orlesian nobles and heavy doors).

## Overview

### **Physical Appearance**

Like most Qunari, Natia has a dark grey skin and white hair, which she keeps tucked behind her head in a bun. Her eyes are of a bright purple/pinkish color and her ears are relatively small, unlike her long, curved black horns. She stands at around 7 feet tall (2 meters). One of her round cheeks carries a small scar, though details of how she got it remain a closely guarded secret. Outside of conversations, her expression is often blank. During conversations she tends to smile a lot (which reveals her 'slightly larger than average' front teeth).

### **Personality**

Natia often appears to be rather polite and even shy when talking to people. Her height and different appearance make her feel uncomfortable around non-qunari. But once she gets to know someone better, she will be much more open and warm in her interactions. She cares deeply for her friends, family and underlings and will often go to great lengths to ensure that everybody is happy or at least comfortable. This has resulted in several people nicknaming her 'Mama', for her tendency to fuss over her underlings and always trying to help the people around her.

Having been part of a mercenary company for most of her life, Natia is no stranger to having the role of a leader. Both as a mercenary and as the Inquisitor, Natia would let just about anyone join her, so long as they were useful in any way and had their hearts in the right place. She is a fair leader who listens to her underlings and will give both praise and criticism whenever it's due. She is funny when she can be and serious when she needs to be. She believes that respect is earned through one's actions, not through one's titles. She also deeply values freedom and is (at least initially) against any institution that might try to take someone's freedom away, such as the Qun or the former Circles. Finally, she believes that those that can fight should protect those that cannot.

### **Talents and Skills**

#### **Fighting**

Natia is good at resolving problems, either by forging useful alliances or hitting stuff with her large hammer. Her fighting style is unique, other Champions commonly use a shield to protect their allies. Natia prefers to wield a huge maul, almost as tall as she is and as heavy as a small cart. In her words: 'The best defense in a good offense'. She is able to swing this hammer around with as much effort as a mage twirls their staff around in their fingers, maintaining its momentum as she knocks down her enemies. Her preferred tactic is to charge headfirst through the enemy front line, bringing her right in the middle of their formation. From here she proceeds to smash any enemy within reach, felling foes back and front with every swing. Although to others this tactic may seem impulsive and uncoordinated, there is actually a deeper Champion-philosophy behind it. By charging to the center of the enemy formation, Natia makes herself the biggest, closest target on the battlefield. By redirecting all enemy aggression towards herself, Natia is able to protect her allies from befalling any harm, taking blows that were otherwise meant for them. She is able to survive this setup thanks to her sturdy, well-maintained armor and by parrying enemy blows with the shaft of her hammer.

#### **Leading**

When Natia isn't fighting, she is leading, be it the Inquisition or a band of mercenaries. Her leadership skills are remarkable for her age and she is able to command respect from even the most grizzled war-veterans. She will often try to make as many alliances as she can, although some have called her naive for putting too much trust in her allies. Nevertheless, her orders are always fair and well thought through. She is willing to listen to anybody under her command and always tries to make sure that everybody makes it back home alive. And above all she never lets the role of leader get to her head, always remaining grounded and willing to mingle with the 'common folk' under her command.

#### **Knowledge**

Apart from fighting and leading, Natia is also much smarter and educated than people might expect (or give her credit for). She is incredibly curious about the world around her and in her free time she reads a lot of books (and yes she totally wears cute glasses while reading). These books used to be mostly fiction, but more recently she has taken to reading books about history, magic and even the inner workings of the Orlesian court. Any bit of knowledge that might give the Inquisition an edge over its opponents. Her past as a mercenary has also given her tremendous knowledge about the not-quite-legal organisations and syndicates that roam Thedas' underbelly.

## Biography

### **History**

#### **Early life**

Natia's parents were born and raised under the harsh society of the Qun, her mother being a warrior and her father being a weapon smith. Seeking a better life for their (illegally conceived) daughter, her parents fled from Par Vollen and settled in a small village in the Free Marches. It is here that she was born in 9:17 Dragon, but she would not remain here long. Having to flee from either the Ben-Hassrath or mobs of misunderstanding humans, Natia and her parents moved from village to village, never staying in one place for long. This resulted in Natia having very few friends throughout her youth and made her very self-conscious about her appearance, which has different from all the other non-qunari she met.

From a young age Natia's mother taught her how to fight or rather, she forced her to learn. Often using harsh teachings on her own daughter, she believed that this would strengthen her in preparation of the harsh world she would come to face. Although Natia remained determined not to disappoint her mother, she was beaten time and time again. One night, after a particularly brutal sparring match, her father gave her the largest hammer he had lying around in his forge. He believed that this would be a more suitable weapon for young Natia, as opposed to the swords and shields she had been using at first. The next day during Natia's fighting lesson her mother chastised her for using the wrong weapons, saying that a hammer is just a tool. After Natia knocked her mother of her feat, for the first time ever, she smiled and admitted that she was proud of what her daughter had become.

#### **Mercenary life**

Natia's parents often had contact with the tal-vashoth mercenary company known as the Valo-Kas, her mother helping with the odd-job and her father supplying them with weapons. When Natia was 17 she bid her parents farewell and joined the company as a new recruit. She quickly rose through the ranks of the company, making a name for herself throughout the Free Marches. She was privileged to take her own jobs and put together her own squads, suitable for whatever mission she had. Unlike her tal-vashoth brethren, Natia would often recruit non-qunari for her jobs, which brought unique strengths and skills to her team that made her even more successful. Although Natia had plenty of opportunities to create her own mercenary company, she always remained a member of the Valo-Kas, stating that she preferred to have at least one other leader above herself.

Some of Natia's greatest feats as a mercenary include holding Khelgor's pass against overwhelming odds, tricking an army into surrendering at Val Falaise and significantly thinning out the High Dragon population of Southern Thedas. Although Natia was very popular within the company, she had difficulty making real friends. Those close to her often saw her as nothing more than a leader and more importantly, the life of a mercenary is very uncertain. One never knows when one might be deployed and what choices one must make to complete a job, so close friendships were always discouraged.

When Natia was 20 years old, she received the terrible news that both of her parents had perished. A group of bandits of undetermined origin had raided the village where they were staying and both parents had given their lives to protect its inhabitants. Naturally, this news saddened Natia deeply, but she was comforted by the fact that the villagers had sworn that they would never forget that it had been two Qunari who had saved their lives and that they would forever honor their brave sacrifice. Natia was determined to not let vengeance consume her life and instead decided to take to heart the fact that her parents had heroically sacrificed themselves for a group of humans that had never shown them any kindness in return.

#### **The Conclave**

In 9:41 Dragon, when Natia was 24 years old, the Valo-Kas were hired for an utmost important job. Divine Justinia V had organised a peace talk between the templar order and the rogue mages, whose brewing conflict was consuming the South. The mercenaries were to provide order and protection for the representatives, as a neutral party. The other mercenaries were to guard the perimeter, but Natia was placed at the very center of the Temple of Sacred Ashes, where the peace talks were taking place. She hand picked a team of her most trusted underlings and oversaw the talks up close. At some point one of Natia's underlings, a dwarven rogue named Emerald, alerted her about some strange noises she had heard in the basement. Natia went down to investigate and what she found down there would change not only her life, but the fate of the entirety of Thedas.

### **In-game**

#### **The Wrath of Heaven**

Having miraculously survived an explosion that leveled a mountaintop, Natia found herself in the custody of the Chantry, who believed that she was responsible for creating the Breach. Fearing for her own life and left with no time to mourn her lost friends, Natia agreed to help to seal the Breach with the mysteriously acquired mark on her left hand. The attempt almost killed Natia, were it not for the knowledge of a mysterious elven apostate named Solas. The Breach was stabilized, but not entirely closed, this would require a lot more power. The fromer left- and right Hands of the Divine, Cassandra and Leliana, decided to call out an Inquisition that would close the Breach and find those responsible. Frustrated by the lack of leadership or organisation among the humans, Natia agreed to help them, realizing that she could finally fight for something more than just fame and money. In Haven, the base of operations for the newly founded Inquisition, Natia met Cullen, who commanded their forces, Josephine, who was their diplomat and Varric, a dwarf who was there for unclear reasons.

There were some who whispered that Natia was the Herald of Andraste, sent by Her to seal the Breach with the sacred Mark She had Herself placed upon Natia's hand. Natia did not believe in the Maker and doubted that Andraste had set her upon this path, since She would have at least told her about it one way or another. But Natia saw that these rumors gave hope to many desperate people, so she never actively denied the rumors, even though she didn't believe them herself. If asked about it personally, Natia would always deny being sent by Andraste, instead insisting that she's doing all this to help other people.

After spending an eternity in the Hinterlands, Natia travelled to Val Royeaux to request the Templars for help. She was turned down by both the Order and the Chantry. Instead she was mysteriously approached by Fiona, who asked that the Inquisition come to the rebel mages for help instead. It was in Val Royeaux that Natia also met Sera, a young elf who would become very important to her later. She also met Vivienne there, who would become much less important later, but was still useful to the Inquisition nevertheless.

#### **In Hushed Whispers**

In Haven Natia convinced her advisors that they should approach the rebel Mages first and that they could always try to recruit the Templars afterwards. On her way back to the Hinterlands she made two important stops to recruit a fellow Qunari Mercenary named Iron Bull and a lone Grey Warden named Blackwall. After a highly suspicious meeting with the leaders of the Mages, Natia was informed by the Tevinter mage Dorian about their true intentions. Springing a trap set by the Tevinter Magister Alexius, Natia and Dorian were sent to a dark, alternative future. Keeping their heads cool and their weapons ready, the two were able to travel back shortly, armed with new and exclusive knowledge about what the future held in store.

Seeing the Mages were now without any leader, Natia invited them into an alliance with the Inquisition. Many frowned upon this decision, but Natia reasoned that a voluntary alliance would be more beneficial long term than a forced alliance. With the help of her new Mage allies, Natia was able to close the Breach, but they could not celebrate for long.

*TLDR; Recruited the mages as free allies.*

#### **In Your Heart Shall Burn**

The ancient Magister Corypheus, who was revealed to be behind the explosion at the conclave and subsequent creation of the breach, had come to Haven, angry that Natia had taken his Mages from him. Despite a valiant defense from Natia, a mysterious spirit named Cole and the Inquisition's forces, Haven was overrun by Corypheus' army of corrupted Templars and pet dragon. After ensuring that Haven's inhabitants got out safely, Natia went to confront Corypheus long enough for the others to escape. After hearing enough of his delusional ramblings about the Golden City, Godhood and the Anchor, she brought down half a mountain on top of his forces for good measure.

Barely escaping with her life, she reunited with the survivors from the attack. Deciding that now was a time for action, not for bickering or philosophizing, Natia led the survivors to a new location. Skyhold, an ancient castle whose location Solas had pointed out to her. Shortly after arriving, the founding members of the Inquisition elected Natia as their official leader, the Inquisitor. Natia was honored, yet also surprised that the humans had put so much faith in a Qunari. She declared that she would lead the Inquisition not out of faith or selfish reasons, but because it was the right thing to do. They would take down Corypheus and bring back order to Thedas.

#### **Here Lies the Abyss**

With the help of Hera Hawke, an old friend of Varric, Natia was able to find the Grey Warden Stroud. He informed them of a plot that would allow Corypheus to enslave the Wardens and create an army of demons. Wasting no time, Natia, Hawke, Stroud and the full force of the Inquisition set off to Adamant Fortress in the Western Approach, to save the Wardens from this deception. After a fierce battle with the Wardens, Natia and her companions were attacked by Corypheus' dragon. She managed to escape a deadly fall by opening a fade rift, which trapped herself, Hawke, Stroud and a few companions in the Fade. It was here that Natia learned what had truly happened during the Conclave, how she had disrupted Corypheus' ritual and placed the Anchor upon her own hand. Upon hearing that it was not Andraste who had saved her, but Divine Justinia herself, Natia was relieved yet unsurprised that she wasn't Andraste's Herald after all. After facing their deepest fears and fighting their way through hordes of demon, Natia and company confronted a powerful Nightmare demon. After a fierce battle with this demon, Natia escaped from the fade, although Stroud bravely stayed behind to give the rest time to escape. Having prevented the Wardens from being corrupted, they were now left leaderless and unsure what to do next. Seeing an opportunity to expand the Inquisition's forces and influence, Natia offered the Wardens to join the Inquisition. They gladly accepted this generous offer, committing their full resources to stopping Corypheus.

*TLDR; Recruited the Grey Wardens.*

#### **Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts**

Having stolen Corypheus' new army away from him, Natia turned her attention to Orlais. In the dark future she had witnessed, Empress Celene had been assassinated and Orlais thrown into chaos. Determined to prevent this from happening, Natia attended a ball at the Winter Palace, where it was believed the assassination would take place. After spending the whole night following clues, avoiding embarrassment, blackmails and assassinations alike, Natia learnt that Grand Duchess Florianne was the would-be assassin. Saving Empress Celene just in time, Natia battled and killed the Duchess, preventing Orlais from befalling a much darker future. When Empress Celene, her cousin Gaspard and the elven servant Briala started blaming each other for the assassination, Natia decided that she had had enough of their selfishness and outsmarted all of them. She revealed that throughout the night she had carefully been listening and collecting evidence against all three of them, which she could now use to tear down each and every one them. Accepting their defeat, Natia dryly told them that they worked for her now and should commit their full resources to stopping Corypheus. Celene held her word and also sent her magical advisor Morrigan along with Natia to assist the Inquisition. Having tasted enough of Orlesian politics and the Game to last a lifetime, Natia quickly left the palace, but not before sharing a dance with her beloved Sera.

*TLDR: Killed Florianne and forced Celene, Gaspard and Briala to work together.*

#### **What Pride Had Wrought**

Following so many setbacks, Corypheus was forced to retreat deep into the Arbour Wilds. Morrigan informed the Inquisition that Corypheus intended to use an ancient Eluvian to enter the Fade and claim his godhood. Sending the full force of the Inquisition and its Allies into the Arbour Wilds, Natia, Morrigan and a few companions infiltrated the old Temple of Mythal, where Corypheus sought the Eluvian. Within the temple Natia quickly found out that Corypheus actually sought the Well of Sorrows, which contained important knowledge about the ancient Elven race. When meeting the ancient guardians of the Temple, the Sentinels, Natia proposed to ally with them in order to defeat their common enemy. After defeating Corypheus' Luitenant Samson, Natia reached the Well. It became clear that the knowledge in the Well could help with defeating Corypheus, but either Natia or Morrigan had to drink from it. Not wanting to bind herself to the will of an old god, even one that had been dead for millennia, Natia allowed Morrigan to drink from the Well instead. Narrowly escaping a very angry Corypheus, Natia retreated back to Skyhold, where Morrigan began deciphering the vast knowledge of the Well.

Morrigan learnt of an ancient altar deep within the Arbour Wilds, where Mythal herself would assist them in their mission to defeat Corypheus. After travelling there it was revealed that Mythal was actually Flemeth, an old witch who was coincidentally Morrigan's mother. True to her word, Flemeth gave Morrigan a piece of knowledge that would allow the Inquisition to defeat Corypheus when the time came.

*TLDR: Morrigan drank from the well.*

#### **Doom Upon All the World**

With nowhere else to go, Corypheus returned to Haven and reopened the Breach, threatening to destroy the entire world. Natia and her companions set off to defeat him once and for all. After Morrigan defeated Corypheus' dragon, Natia and the Ancient Magister clashed in an epic battle that would be sung about for many years to come. Gaining the upper hand, Natia used her Anchor to banish Corypheus into the fade, destroying him in the progress. Having prevented the imminent destruction of the world, Natia and her companions returned to Skyhold, celebrating their victory. All seemed well, except for the mysterious disappearance of the Elven apostate Solas.

Some time after the defeat of Corypheus, Leliana was elected as the new Devine. Natia had indirectly helped her to achieve this by reminding Leliana that no sacrifice was too great for freedom. Although Natia disapproved of how harsh Leliana had become, she supported her reforms of the Chantry that finally gave Mages the freedom they had wanted for so long.

*TLDR: Murderpope Leliana sits on the Sunburst Throne*

#### **Intermission (9:42-9:44 Dragon)**

In the two years following the defeat of Corypheus, Natia and the Inquisition did not sit still. They resumed to have many adventures which included the following. At the Storm Coast Natia investigated a series of strange earthquakes. Deep within the Deep Roads she found find ancient secrets about the origins of the Dwarven race and the mysterious Titans. It was in these deep caverns that Natia found an old, Silver hammer that she wielded for several years afterwards.

    She also traveled far to the West, clearing out the remaining Venatori from the Hissing Waste and opening an ancient temple within the Forbidden Oasis. She also brought stability to the Southern parts of Orlais, which had been plagued by civil war and corrupted Templars alike. In Ferelden she saved the village of Crestwood from an ongoing onslaught of undead coming from a nearby lake and she saved a lost group of Inquisition soldiers from the Fallow Mire. Finally, Natia travelled South to the Frostback Basin, where she befriended the local Avvar tribe and learnt of the fate of the original Inquisitor, while also stopping an ancient dragon from coming back to life and laying waste to the valley. But following two years of these many adventures, it was time for the Inquisition to come to an end.

#### **Trespasser**

In 9:44 Dragon the new Divine Victoria called the Exalted Council after both Orlais and Ferelden had expressed their concerns over the growing Inquisition. The former wanted the Inquisition to come under official control of the Orlesian court, whilst the latter wanted the Inquisition disbanded entirely. The talks would take at the Winter Palace and seeing this as an excellent location for a large celebration, Natia and Sera spontaneously decided to get married. However, both the talks and the honeymoon would have to wait. Natia caught wind of in impending Qunari invasion, who planned on using a network of Eluvians to lay waste to the governments of Southern Thedas. To make matters worse, Natia's Anchor had been getting worse over the years and was slowly beginning to kill her.

Preventing the Qunari invasion from going into effect, Natia confronted the Qunari leader, the Viddasala. She informed Natia that Solas was actually an agent of Fen'Harel and had been disrupting their plans by alerting the Inquisition to them. Natia met Solas shortly afterwards, who killed the Viddasala and temporarily disabled Natia's volatile Anchor. Having carefully paid attention to the notes the Qunari had left behind and information from an ancient Elven liabrary, Natia was able to deduce that Solas was in fact the Dread Wolf himself. Complimenting her on her findings, Solas explained to Natia that he was responsible for allowing Corypheus to create the breach, which was why he knew everything about Natia's Mark. He further explains that he created the Veil and now plans to restore the Elven Empire to its former glory, which will result in the destruction of the current world. Not wanting to believe that her old friend would truly be capable of doing something so evil, Natia swore that she would convince him that this world doesn't need to be destroyed. Solas admired her determination, before saving her life by removing the Anchor, along with her left arm.

*TLDR: Vowed to redeem Solas, disbanded the Inquisition*

### **Post-game**

Having personally overseen the disbanding of the Inquisition as it had been and ensuring that steps were being taken to set up a new, secret organisation, it was time for Natia to have some rest. She took her new wife on a honeymoon to the Free Marches, where they spent some time in Kirkwall. After traveling around for a bit through the rest of the Free Marches, Natia and Sera seemingly disappeared.

Everybody refused to believe that something bad had happened to them, with many people claiming that they had simply settled down somewhere peaceful and quiet and were now leading a happy life away from all the unwanted attention that they had been given. Others whispered that they had joined a secret underground movement that was making preparations against an impending invasion, although none knew from who. Whatever the case might be, nobody seemed to know, or be willing to share, the exact location of these two brave women. Eventually, rumors began circulating about groups of bandits being found dead close to the Tevinter border, seemingly having been killed by a large number of arrows and heavy impacts from a large hammer alike, although nobody could fully confirm or deny these rumors...

## **Relationships**

### **Blackwall**

From the moment Natia took Blackwall along into the Inquisition, he respected her as a leader. She cared for her underlings, thought every decision through and never let go of her morals. She was, in a way, everything that Blackwall wanted to be when he was a leader. Growing fond of Natia, Blackwall resolved that he would stay with the Inquisition to make up for his past mistakes. In return, Natia admired Blackwall for selflessly joining the Inquisition and assisting their cause. Being one of the few companions who liked Sera also gave him a few bonus points in Natia's book.

When it was revealed that Blackwall was actually Thom Rainier and had been lying to everyone the whole time, Natia was initially very upset. She was not angry with Blackwall, but rather immensely disappointed that he hadn't trusted her enough to tell the truth. She arranged a few favors with the Orlesian authorities to have Blackwall released into her custody. Surrendering himself to her judgement, Blackwall was surprised to hear that he had been pardoned of all past crimes and was free to remain with the Inquisition. Natia explained that Blackwall had done everything in his power to try and redeem himself and that she would not take the opportunity to do so away from him. People are defined by the actions they take now and not by their past, so was her reasoning.

Remaining with the Inquisition for a long time, Blackwall eventually bid his friend farewell. Traveling the world to give hope and redemption to people that deserved none, Blackwall told anyone who would listen the story of how the Inquisitor had once done the same for him.

### **Cassandra**

Cassandra's initial suspicions towards Natia quickly disappeared when she saw the born leader that Natia really was. Supporting the way she led the Inquisition, Cassandra became an important member of Natia's inner circle. The two women did, however, not always agree with one another. Natia's liberal opinions on mages and her opinion that the Chantry should either change or dissolve did not sit well with Cassandra. Nevertheless, Cassandra had faith that the maker had sent Natia to them in their time of need and that she was their best shot at stopping Corypheus. Sharing a love of hitting inanimate objects whenever they get angry, the two of them eventually became friends, whilst always remaining professional with one another.

When Cassandra learned of the fate of the Seekers, she turned to Natia for advice on what to do next. Natia showed faith in Cassandra by saying that she could rebuild the Seekers if she wanted to and turn them into the organisation they were meant to be. Natia did urge Cassandra to publish the cure for Tranquility, seeing it as one of the largest misdeeds the Chantry has ever committed. Cassandra promised she would look into it and her word was good enough for Natia. After learning of Cassandra's particular taste in books, Natia was pleased to see that she had found another bookworm that she could share her favorite stories with. Natia would continue to recommend Cassandra an entire list of smutty literature, much to the annoyance of the Seeker and much to the amusement of Varric.

Following the Exalted Council, Cassandra was one of the few people that Natia spoke with in order to prepare for the impending invasion. The two remained in contact with one another for many years after, sharing vital information and also discussing Varric's newest novels.

### **Cole**

From the moment she first met him, Natia was immensely curious about Cole. She sought to understand him better. Where other people often ignored Cole's unintelligible ramblings, Natia instead listened and thought about what he said. She quickly realized that Cole could give valuable information about the people of the Inquisition and events of the world, provided his words were carefully translated and interpreted. Often asking Cole for advice on a diverse amount of topics, she often wonder about the deeper meanings behind the answers he would give. Cole meanwhile greatly approved of the way Natia went out of her way to help people and protect the innocent. He did, however, suspect that Natia was doing this mostly to just find acceptance amongst the people around her. Nevertheless, helping people to make yourself feel more wanted is still something Cole could approve of.

When it was time to chose between making Cole more human or more spirit, Natia was very torn. On the one hand she believed that being more human would benefit Cole in learning how the world works and help him feel more at place. On the other hand Natia knew that humans could also be very shitty beings and wondered if Cole would not be happier as a spirit. Eventually she chose to let Varrics help Cole resolve the situation, but for a long time afterwards she wondered if she had made the right call. That was until Natia met Cole at the Winter Palace and he introduced her to his new girlfriend. At this point Natia knew for certain that she had made the right decision and was delighted to see how happy Cole and Maryden had become.

### **Cullen**

Having a similar position as Natia had had back when she was a mercenary, Cullen was regarded highly by the Inquisitor. She approved of the way he managed the troops with experience and would often lengthily discuss battle strategies with him. She suspected that the Templar had an extensive past, but respected his privacy enough to not pry into it. When Cullen announced that he was no longer taking Lyrium, she approved of this decision and admired the willpower that he had shown. When Cullen later started struggling with withdrawal symptoms, Natia encouraged him to continue abstaining from taking Lyrium. She believed that he could become the first Templar to break the leash of the Chantry and show the other Templars an alternative path.

Following Cullen's advice, Natia managed to uncover the secrets behind Samson's armor. Confronting Coryphues' general within the Temple of Mythal, she shattered his magical armor with a smirk. After taking Samson back to Skyhold, she condemned him to service to the Inquisition. Cullen stated that Samson did not deserve such mercy, but he respected Natia's decision. Although the two of them never really became close friends during the years of the Inquisition, the two warriors did share a great mutual respect for one another.

### **Dorian**

The first adventure that Natia and Dorian had together involved a dark, alternative future that almost became a reality. Surviving this grand adventure together, the two gained a mutual trust and respect for one another. It might seem strange for a Qunari and a Tevinter Magister to become such good friends, but Natia didn't give a damn about what countries Par Vollen might or might not have declared war upon. Dorian felt the same way about Tevinter. When Natia went with Dorian to confront his father, she was disgusted by what he had attempted to change his son. But nevertheless she insisted that Dorian talked things over with his father, since she would never have had the chance to do this with her own father. Afterwards the two become good friends, sharing a witty sense of humor and a good taste in literature. Dorian would often sarcastically complain about anything and everything wrong with the Inquisition and Natia would always listen to these ramblings with a big smirk on her face. When Dorian's relationship to the Iron Bull was revealed, Natia was amused, but also fullheartedly supported their relationship, saying that the two of them had deserved something like this.

During the Exalted Council, Dorian gave Natia a sending crystal, so they could remain in close communication when they were far away from one another. Natia would regularly use this device to give the Magister updates on herself and Sera, divulge important strategical information and tell the latest tavern jokes she had heard.

### **Iron Bull**

When Natia heard that she was to recruit another Qunari mercenary, she was initially pleased that she might be able to befriend a fellow Qunari. Her joy quickly turned to shock when the Iron Bull revealed that he was a member of the Ben-Hassrath, the Qunari spies who, amongst other things, hunt down rogue Tal-Vashoth. Having spent most of her youth fleeing from these dangerous spies and hearing horror stories about them from her parents, Natia quickly drew her weapon. It took some time for Bull to reassure her that he wasn't there to arrest her and that his connections to the Ben-Hassrath would only be used for the benefit of the Inquisition. Natia begrudgingly allowed him to join the Inquisition, but told him that they would be keeping a very close eye one him.

Natia soon realized that she had misjudged the Bull. He was open, funny and unlike any other Qunari she had ever met. He also cared deeply for his own mercenary company, the Bull's Chargers. When the Qunari offered to join forces with the Inquisition, Natia was once again very skeptical. She didn't trust what the Qunari were actually up to and the whole mission went South when Bull was forced to chose between saving his company and saving a Qunari dreadnought. Natia ordered him to save his company, arguing that his men had done more for him than his own race had ever done. The Iron Bull did not enjoy being made Tal-Vashoth afterwards, but Natia reminded him that she too was one of those 'savage bandits' and that the Bull was now fully free to do whatever he wanted with his company.

Over the years Natia and Bull become good friends, finding joy in simple activities such as killing dragons, killing giants, killing (bad) Tevinters and basically killing all sorts of other monsters. It is rumored that the two once had a drinking contest, though nobody within the Inquisition is willing to share what happened that night. The two have also, on multiple occasions, challenged each other for an arm wrestling contest, although the table always broke before they could finish their match. Finally, the two were sometimes overheard flirting with one another, but both Qunari have assured that this is all fun and games and that the two of them are just good friends.

### **Josephine**

Natia and Josephine are both pacifists, preferring to resolve conflicts with words, rather than with swords. The Inquisition's ambassador made a positive impression on Natia, and she would often compliment Jospehine on her skills and morality, both of which were a valuable asset to the Inquisition. Natia only thought that Josephine was a little too soft for her own good, fussing about the fortunes of a family that had never seen a single day of poverty, unlike Natia. She often encouraged Josephine to make harsher decisions where necessary and reminded her that in the real world, not every conflict can be solved with a friendly letter and a handshake. Sometimes you need to get your hands a little dirty.

And this is exactly what Natia did when the infamous assassin's guild the House of Repose came after Josephine. In Orlais the two women met a representative of the guild, who explained why they had come after Josephine. Outraged by the fact that the guild would kill an innocent girl over a 100-year old contract signed by an extinct family, Natia slew the representatives of the guild on the spot. Back at Skyhold Josephine insisted that they could deal with the House of Repose by conforming to the rules of the Game and setting up an elaborate plan to nullify the contract. Both Natia and Leliana knew better and the two of them quickly sent agents to destroy the contract and remind the House of Repose of what happens when you cross the Inquisition. Annoyed with the path the Inquisitor had taken, Josephine was nevertheless thankful that she could now put the whole ordeal behind them. The two of them remained good friends for the duration of the Inquisition, although Josephine would often become annoyed with Sera's antics. When she asked Natia to get Sera to stop pulling these pranks, Natia simply gave Josephine a very confused look and asked what made her think that she had any control whatsoever over Sera's behavior. Josephine responded with a very annoyed grunt.

Josephine would often write Natia after the Inquisition finished. Natia appreciated this contact, but often wondered where Josephine found the time to write such extensive letters amongst all the other obligations she had.

### **Leliana**

Natia and Leliana seem to disagree on as many subjects as they agree on. Both seem to like cakes, nugs and doing whatever it takes to successfully complete a job. Early on Natia reminded Leliana of what it was that had made her such an effective right hand of the Divine. She was relentless, remorseless and willing to do what needed to be done for the greater good. Natia encouraged this side of her, believing that the Inquisition needed an effective spymaster like her. After Natia saw an alternative, dark future for the Inquisition and what it had turned Leliana into, she started having doubts. She believed that there was a limit to how ruthless Leliana needed to be and tried to show her an alternative, lighter path. This only worked partially, although Leliana agreed to be more thoughtful of the well-being of her underlings, she also became more determined to achieve her goals. When the two women went looking for a clue left behind by the late Divine Justinia, Natia urged Leliana to let sister Natalie go. Leliana disregarded this suggestion, killing Natalie on the spot. This annoyed Natia greatly, but she felt that it was Leliana's decision and that she would have to live with the consequences of what she had become.

Having seen the Chantry become incompetently obsessed with choosing a successor, rather than helping the common folk after the explosion at the Conclave, Natia felt that it was time for change. The new Divine should be a woman who cares deeply for the common folk and would be unafraid to challenge and change the system. Mages should also be rewarded for their service to the Inquisition instead of being prosecuted for who they are. When it became clear that Leliana was willing to burn the old Chantry down to build a new one in its place, Natia knew that she had found a candidate she could truly support. With Natia's influence and Leliana's scheming, it didn't take long for the Chantry to announce Sister Nightingale as its new Divine: Victoria the First.

Divine Leliana would remain in contact with Natia after the Exalted Council, although many suspected that this contact has strictly professional and the two were actually making preparations against an impending danger that was approaching Thedas.

### **Sera**

Having spent most of her life around humans, Natia always felt self-conscious about her appearance. Even when leading the Inquisition Natia sometimes felt awkwardly out of place. She was pleasantly surprised when she met Sera, a young elf who took one good look at Natia and immediately announced that she greatly approved of her strong Qunari appearance (woof). Flattered by this comment, Natia got to know Sera better over the next few months. She learned that Sera too had been raised around humans and never felt herself to be a true elf. Instead she didn't allow her race to define her and chose her own path, not caring about what other people might say or think about her. Natia felt envious of the way Sera lived and found herself admitting that she wanted to be like her, uncaring and free. She quickly realized that she didn't actually want to be Sera, but rather wanted to be with her. Feeling the same way about Natia, Sera gladly accepted her friendship. This would later blossom into a romantic relationship, something Natia had never been able to experience back when she was still a mercenary.

The relationship did hit a few snags over the years, but every time Natia and Sera were able to overcome their differences. The first conflict was over a bunch of quarreling Orlesian Nobles. Taking an advice from Sera's group of rogue friends, the Red Jennies, Natia sent Inquisition forces to dissolve the situation. Both women believed that the Orlesian Noble's were mostly self important pricks who were in power because they claimed to be important, not because they had actually earned it. One of the nobles believed that this only made the situation worse and went to confront Natia and Sera. Realizing that this noble had been killing innocent civilians to get to the Red Jennies, Sera sought to take his life. Sensing the brewing conflict, Natia instead forced the noble to become a lapdog of the Inquisition, laying claim to all of his lands and goods. Sera was initially annoyed that Natia had spared the prick, but also admired the way Natia had resolved the situation, arguing that nobles hate a leash as much as dying.

Some time later Sera had a nightmare about the Inquisitor dying and blamed Natia for it. Confused at first, Natia quickly discovered that Sera was actually falling in love with her and was afraid of losing her, believing that love wouldn't matter anything if 'everything' was against them. Natia assured her that 'everything' would end up at the receiving end of her hammer if it stood between her and Sera, and that she truly loved the elf. From this moment on their relationship continued in earnest. One minor conflict occurred after the Temple of Mythal, when Sera dismissed the Sentinels as being demon worshipers, while Natia believed that the old legends might hold some degree of truth. Sera was not amused with this ideology and, sensing a brewing conflict, Natia quickly dropped the subject, not wanting them to fight about it.

In 9:44 Dragon, during the Exalted Council, Natia and Sera decided that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Following a rather amusing proposal from Sera, the two got married at the Winter Palace, much to the shock of the present nobility and the amusement of the present companions. The unlikely pair of Inquisitor and Red Jenny have been at each others' side every since, and are as effective in pulling pranks on the nobility as they are effective in combat (or in bed, so I've heard).

### **Solas**

Owing Solas an initial dept for saving her life directly after the Breach, Natia was always respectful towards the Elven apostate. Being curious about magic, Natia asked him many questions about the Fade, spirits and the many travels that he had made. Solas would always gladly answer these questions as much as he could. Both highly ideals such as freedom and knowledge, the two gained a great deal of mutual respect for one another, with Natia often coming to Solas for advice about Arcane matters. Showing mercy towards the rebel mages and offering them to join the Inquisition as free allies greatly pleased Solas and shortly after he would lead to the Inquisition to Skyhold. Grateful for the new base of operations that Solas had given them, Natia considered him to be a valuable friend to her.

The only fault that Solas found with Natia was her naivety. After Natia recruited the Grey Wardens, Solas openly voiced his displeasure that they should have been exiled instead. And when a group of mages had forced one of Solas' spirit friends to turn into a demon, he sought to kill those responsible. Natia stopped him, believing that the mages had been punished enough for their actions. Despite these incidents, Solas admitted that although he didn't trust her at first, he now so a certain thoughtfulness and respect within her that he had come to admire deeply. This thoughtfulnesswas further demonstrated at the Temple of Mythal. At Solas' urging, Natia decided to complete the rituals required to open the temple, rather than desecrating the ancient place. When Solas disappeared after the defeat of Corypheus, Natia was both sad and puzzled. She spent a long time wondering where her mysterious friend had gone of to and how well she had actually known the elf.

Following the events of the Exalted Council, Natia met Solas once again at the Crossroads. She had paid close attention to the Qunari notes she found along the way and upon seeing Solas effortlessly defeat a whole squadron of seasoned warriors, she correctly deduced that he was in fact the Dread Wolf himself. Complimenting her on her intelligence, Solas revealed his evil plans for the world. Refusing to believe that her old friend would be capable of walking such a dark path, Natia reminded Solas of all the times he had helped the Inquisition. Sensing doubt is Solas' reasoning for destroying the world, Natia swore that she would make him see otherwise. For if Solas could gain respect for a woman who was supposed to be nothing more than a 'wicked Qunari', then how bad could the world truly be? Now Natia prepares for Solas' inevitable return. Her fear is not that she cannot defeat him, for she already knows that Solas could easily kill her if he wanted to. Instead, having witnessed so many evil people and plots for herself, her greatest fear is that she cannot come up with good enough reasons for not destroying this deeply flawed world.

### **Varric**

Having read a lot of books in her youth, Natia actually already knew Varric's name before the two of them met in Haven. After getting a couple of autographs, Natia would often listen for hours to the tales Varric had to tell about his past adventures and friends. The two also enjoyed the occasional game of Wicked Grace, often inviting as many people to these games as they possibly could. Having helped Varric with getting rid of some red lyrium, solving some issues with his (not) girlfriend and, most importantly of all, revealing to him that Cassandra reads 'Swords and Shields', the Dwarf and the Qunari have become good friends. When it was revealed that Varric had been lying about Hawke's location the whole time, Natia admitted that she understood his decision and would have done the same in his place. Natia considers the book 'This Shit is Weird' to be one of her greatest legacies and has insisted that Varric writes a sequel to it some day. But when Varric asked her about some 'details' about her relationship with Sera, Natia smiled and said that that was private information.

After being made Viscount of Kirkwall, Varric made Natia an official Comtesse of the city. Natia would visit Kirkwall with Sera after the Exalted Council for their honeymoon. It was here that they reunited with Varric and Hawke and met some of Varric's old companions. There was also coincidentally an incident with one of the large chain nets in the harbor of Kirkwall, although Natia swears that she didn't use the key that Varric had given her. Sera was unavailable for any statements.

### **Vivienne**

Natia recruited Vivienne early on into the Inquisition, believing that such an influential figure would benefit the Inquisition, but also suspecting that Vivienne was joining for her own ambitions. Natia figured that so long as Vivienne's ambition did not directly intervene with the Inquisition's goals, the enchanter was free to stay. The two spoke very little with each other, with Vivienne often becoming frustrated by Natia's naivety and their conflicting opinions on mage freedom. Natia was aware of this and told Vivienne that although she was welcome to stay to try and achieve her own goals, Natia would undoubtedly disappoint Vivienne at some point in the future. 'We shall see'', was all Vivienne had to say about that. One of the few things that the two of them did agree on was this, the Chantry needed to change drastically.

Recruiting the mages as free allies and ensuring Leliana got the Sunburst Throne were but two of the many things that made Vivienne wonder if she should have been less subtle when trying to influence the Inquisitor. However, Vivienne warmed up ever so slightly to the Inquisitor after Natia had helped her with a very important and very personal issue. Not asking for any details, Natia gave Vivienne the heart she had asked for and afterwards condoled her for the loss of her beloved Duke. It was from this moment on that the two women seemed to gain a sort of mutual respect for one another, although they still spoke very little, both during and after the time of the Inquisition.

## **Miscellaneous**

* Favorite color: Red, Favorite animal: Halla, Favorite food: Apples, Favorite season: Autumn.
* Natia's deepest fear is disappointing her friends, so the spiders she saw in the fade actually had a much deeper meaning. Natia does not fear spiders per se, but she fears that her friends will stop respecting her once they discover that she is afraid of something as mundane as a spider (so rather paradoxical, she fears that her friends discover her fears).
* Post-Trespasser, Natia's deepest fear is losing faith in humanity.
* 'Natia' is the default name of a female dwarf commoner in Dragon Age: Origins.

## **Links**

###

## **Gallery**

* Natia's Inquisition Battle Armor
* Natia's Hammer 'Stone-Breaker'
* Natia's Formal Inquisition Armor
* Close Up of Natia's face
1/4