Malcolm Hawke

"The moral of the story is blood magic solves everything."

Malcolm Hawke was born in 9:05 Dragon, in a small village near the Amaranthine ocean. He is the eldest of 3 siblings. He is often cited as a key instigator of the mage rebellion.

## Overview

### Physical appearance

Malcolm Hawke stands at over 6 foot, a tall, toned figure built from years of training with heavy weaponry and intense exercise. His dark red hair is just a few shades darker than his fathers. He takes pride in his "Marvellous" beard and the scar on his face, where many different stories persist as to its origin. Some say it was the Arishok who, in his last breath, struck a final blow, forever marking Malcolm so that he will never forget their battle. Malcolm himself claims the scar was caused by a fierce dragon, and the debate remains ongoing.

### Personality

Malcolm had a rebellious nature throughout his life, coupled with an increasingly sarcastic attitude to cope with the growing pressure of his life. He was consistently disrespectful to everyone he disliked, even those in positions of power, holding a grudge for the treatment of his apostate sister when she was growing up. It was Bethanys influence that first drove him to trust the mages and help them over the Templars. Over the years, it became more common to see Malcolm display more genuine emotions, largely caused by the loss of his mother Leandra.

### Skills

Malcolm primarily wields a large axe or a hammer. He is a talented brawler and very strong physically. A whiz at Wicked Grace and able to hold his liquor incredibly well.

## Biography

### History

#### Pre-Kirkwall

Malcolm was born in 9:05 Dragon, in a small village just a few miles west of the Amaranthine ocean, and was named after his father. Things went well for the first few years, but eventually the family had to move, with a pregnant Leandra in tow, for reasons unknown to the young Malcolm. The family gained 2 new members shortly afterwards, and things began to change. Their father, desperate for work, spent most of his time away from the house, leaving Leandra to look after the children. Malcolm began to sneak out to explore the world, and the constant reprimands that came from this only served to drive him away from most of the family. He had a knack for getting into fights with children his age and older, due to his wicked sense of humour and penchant for violence.

Malcolm found a kindred spirit in his sister Bethany, a kind person who didn't seem to judge him. Over the years, Malcolm persuaded Bethany to break the rules on a regular basis. His attitude never sat well with Carver, leading the two into conflict more often than not, Carvers close relationship with their father only solidified the rivalry. Along the way Malcolm discovered a passion for swordplay, and eventually found himself desiring a real weapon since that wasn't allowed. On one fateful day he found a real sword left behind by some unfortunate soul, and this became his prized possession.

One day, while out in the forest without permission, Bethany was spooked and shot an arc of electricity at a lone rabbit, sending it flying into a log and cracking its head open. This was the first time he'd seen magic, and he promised Bethany that he would protect her. However, it wouldn't be long before the rest of the family found out and they had to move once more.

A few years before the Blight, Malcolms father died and the young man took on the responsibility of providing for the family. He took work as a guard for supply deliveries, a surprisingly dangerous but profitable job which often took him away from his remaining family.

#### In-Game

##### Act 1

Luckily, by the time the Blight reached Lothering he had just about made it home, and later that day his brother Carver was killed by an Ogre. The family met up with Aveline, who lost her husband, and made a deal with a powerful witch before making their way to the city of Kirkwall, Leandras home.

Upon arriving in Kirkwall, Malcolm and Bethany joined a mercenary company to gain passage into Kirkwall. A year later, the two met Varric Tethras, a surface dwarf who bonded with Malcolm immediately, their shared focus on coin and jokes tying them together. Together, the three set off to raise money for an expedition into the Deep Roads run by Varrics brother Bartrand.

Along the way, they ran int various people. The first was Anders, a former Grey Warden healer who was healing the people of Darktown with his magic. While Anders did not usually adventure with the Hawkes, they became friends and hung out when Malcolm was not off running errands. Then, in the process of delivering on his end of the bargain with the mysterious witch he'd met before, Malcolm met Merrill, a Dalish elf he deemed insane upon their first meeting, but nevertheless became a trusted friend due to her kind, inquisitive nature. Soon after this, he met an escaped elven slave named Fenris, who despite their different views concerning mages became friends over time. Finally, he discovered a pirate in the Hanged Man called Isabella, another addition to the weird family he'd built.

Varric, Malcolm, Merrill and Fenris went on the Deep Roads expedition together, and were betrayed by Varrics brother Bartrand. Together, they managed to escape and strike it rich, but there would be a cost. Bethany, who had been left behind for her own safety, was taken to the Circle, and Bartrand was nowhere to be found.

##### Act 2

Years passed, and Malcolm made a name for himself. Buying the old Amell estate was his first act, and, sympathising with Merrills plight, he donated vast sums of money to the city. He also developed a reputation as a sex addict and drunk, spending most of his free time at the Hanged Man and the Blooming Rose. During this time, his relationships with his new allies grew, but Varric always remained his best friend throughout.

As tensions between Kirkwall and the Qunari grew, Malcolm was asked to step in. Despite his reputation, his honesty regarding the scheming politicians of Kirkwall gained the Arishoks respect.

When Fenris needed help, he supported his friend wholeheartedly, and although they didn't find Fenris' former master, Malcolm employed a former slave named Orana as his servant, but never ended up asking her to do anything except get paid every week. Getting Aveline into a relationship with guardsman Donnic wasn't easy, but this was achieved somehow. He supported Varric when he needed it, allowing him to kill Bartrand and regretting it straight after. Merrill was encouraged to follow through on her plans, even though Malcolm did not know what they were, and he eventually realized that he was developing feelings for her. His feelings stopped him from pursuing intimate relations with an elven assassin named Zevran, much to his regret. While suspicious of their motivations, he helped Isabella and Anders achieve their goals as they were trusted friends by this point.

On one fateful night, Merrill confessed her feelings to Malcolm, and things seemed to be going well. However, the very next night, Leandra went missing. Malcolm stopped at nothing to find her, but was not prepared for what he found. Leandra was a patchwork created by a bloodmage, and she died in his arms. He slaughtered the blood mage and pushed away Merrills attempts at help. A few days later, a failed assassination attempt by the Carta on the lives of Bethany and Malcolm led them to a Grey Warden prison filled with members of the Carta and Darkspawn, accompanied by Varric and Merrill. There they discovered their fathers work and, trusting a Grey Warden named Larius, slayed a powerful figure named Corypheus, although Malcolm and Merrill were unconscious for most of the fight. This turned out to be a healing experience for Malcolm, and it prepared him for the fight to come. He was at a crossroads, give into despair or push past it.

Isabella abandoned Kirkwall when it needed her, leaving Malcolm and the others to deal with the Qunari invasion. After fighting his way through to the throne room, Isabella returned with the artifact the Qunari wanted, but it wasn't enough, they wanted to take her as a prisoner. Malcolm wasn't losing anyone else, and accepted a duel with the Arishok, in which he emerged the victor. Malcolm became champion for his heroism and support of Kirkwall during the invasion and throughout the years.

##### Act 3

Malcolm adored being champion, the wealth and fame were brilliant. He began to recover from Leandras death with the help of his friends, but he couldn't bring himself to ask about their personal issues too much and risking their friendship. His relationship with Merrill was strong, but she seemed a little distant, and he began to wonder what exactly she was doing at her house. He sent frequent letters to Bethany, and tried to ignore Gamlen.

When tensions between mages and Templars reached a boiling point, Malcolm went against Meredith and supported Orsino in his fight for mage freedom.

Malcolms companions had their own issues to deal with. After helping Varric and Isabella recover from their trauma, his next big challenge was helping Fenris deal with his former master. Malcolm declared that Fenris was his own man and together they killed Danarius, this act solidifying their friendship. Anders grew increasingly strange, but he was supported anyway. Finally, Malcolm helped Merrill commune with a demon, leading to a mess of trouble that resulted in the deaths of the Merrills Keeper. In retaliation, her clan attacked the group and Merrills clan was slaughtered, with Merrill vowing to continue working on the mirror. The event is one of his biggest regrets.

During his time in Kirkwall, Malcolm participated in many weird and wacky events. The most notable of these included helping an elven mage named Feynriel get to the Dalish, then freeing him from demonic possession and sending him to Tevinter. Additionally, he was a known supporter of mage rights, a staunch opponent of the Qun and the Chantry, and was responsible for the slaughter of hundreds of criminals throughout the city.

Once the conflict in Kirkwall had again erupted, Anders blew up the Chantry. Malcolm could no longer stand the sight of the mage and killed him, yet still retained his support for mages as he had known many good ones. Orsinos turn into an abomination destroyed Malcolms hope for peace, but made him more determined to go down fighting. It was a nice surprise when him and his allies weren't all killed by Meredith, and were actually let go after defeating her.

### Post-game

With Isabellas help, they all fled Kirkwall just in time, got on a ship and within weeks went their separate ways to make it easier to hide out. Only Merrill remained by his side when he got to Ferelden, or more specifically a small stretch of shore not far from Redcliffe. Ferelden was familiar territory for both of them. Moving north, Malcolm and Merrilll fought deadly apostates and vicious Templars, trying desperately to stay unknown. After a few weeks, the two heard about the injustices done to elves elsewhere as a result of the war, and Merrill went off to help them while Malcolm reluctantly stayed to help stop the war in Ferelden from getting worse.

Eventually, Malcolm received a letter from Varric requesting his help, and set off at once. He provided the Inquisition with valuable information once arriving at Skyhold, though exaggerating his role in the initial defeat of Corypheus, and spent a few hours with Varric before setting off to meet Stroud. Later, Stroud was left in the Fade, and Malcolm still wonders if he should have gone in there himself. Soon after this, he travelled to Weisshaupt to help the Orlesian wardens recover, and was soon joined by Merrill, who helped him resolve the situation.

Not long before the Exalted Council, they returned to Kirkwall, and live in the Hawke estate where Orana has again been employed.

## Relationships

### Bethany

Malcolms younger sister and Carvers twin. Malcolm has always wanted to protect her, and sees her as a friend aswell as his sister. She is the reason he is so accepting of magic, showing him that not every mage is evil. Malcolm loved getting his sister to break the rules, sneaking out to play was a favourite, he never understood her fascination with books compared to the real world. When she went to the Circle he was devastated, and she is the most important person in the world to him.

### Carver

Carver is Bethanys twin and Malcolms younger brother. They were never close and had a bitter rivalry growing up. Carver was initially very close to their father and a stickler for the rules, which aggravated Malcolm. Carvers fear of magic, which Bethany understood, irritated Malcolm after Bethany gained her abilities, leading to tense confrontations and more than a few fights. But when Carver died at the hands of the Ogre, Malcolm was crushed and never quite got over it. He regretted that he wasn't nicer to Carver.

### Aveline

Malcolm first thought Aveline was inconsequential, no-one important. Aveline turned out to be helpful, and her kindness towards Bethany endeared her to him. Even though they disagreed on whether or not he should act professionally, and their views on mages could differ at times, they ultimately learned to trust each other. Aveline is thankful Malcolm helped set her up with Donnic and helped to promote her, while Hawke trusts her to lead the Guards of Kirkwall.

### Varric

Varric is Malcolms best friend. They bonded quickly and had regular games of Wicked Grace. Their senses of humour fit like a glove and they had each others backs when needed. Varric always went with Hawke for everything, and this, along with the regular drinking and card games, made them closer than ever. Now that Varric is viscount, they work together to make Kirkwall a better place.

### Merrill

Malcolm initially believed Merrill was nuts, but grew to like her kindness and inquisitive nature. Despite knowing almost nothing about elves, she provided a fun friend to hang out with, and was there almost as much as Varric was. Over time, he developed feelings for the elf, but took a long time to realize and admit those feelings in a meaningful way. Despite some difficulties along the way, they are happy living in Kirkwall, maintaining the closest thing they can to a normal life.

### Isabela

Isabella is more Merrills friend than Hawkes, she threatened to cut off his balls if he upset Merrill, but they are close friends. At one point, they had a short-lived sexual relationship, but that didn't last long. After she came back, Malcolm saw another side to her, and Isabella is grateful that he went to the trouble of fighting the Arishok to save her. Whenever Isabella comes to Kirkwall they celebrate, and while neither will say it, they are grateful for the others friendship.

### Fenris

Malcolms first impression of Fenris was that he was pretty cool. Over the years, Malcolm supported Fenris and helped the downtrodden, forming a friendship between the two. The main point of contention was Fenris' attitude towards Merrill, but despite this they trust each other completely. Fenris spends his time away from Kirkwall, helping runaway slaves, but Malcolm is willing to help him with whatever he needs, or just have a drink with him if he comes by.

### Anders

Malcolm was always a little creeped out by Anders after learning about the spirit possessing him, but they became drinking buddies and later friends. It took a few years for Anders to endear himself to Malcolm, but after doing so it was easy to manipulate him. Malcolm used to look at Anders with sympathy, but after he blew up the Chantry he can only view him with disgust and regret, and think about how he could let himself be used to kill all those people. He hates Anders, but supports mages having more freedom, he knows some great people who are mages, and in his mind Anders is one of the worst.