Thordis Brosca

> "*Someone like me could never actually be a Paragon.*"
>
>
>

Thordis

**Thordis Brosca** is a casteless dwarf and former Carta thug. While working for the crime lord, Beraht, Thordis was imprisoned and marked for death, but was saved by the then Warden-Commander of Ferelden, Duncan, who recruited her into the Grey Wardens. After the defeat at Ostagar, Thordis, one of the two last remaining members of the Wardens in Ferelden, united the nation and led the armies that killed the Archdemon Urthemiel and ended the Fifth Blight. For this, she was named Hero of Ferelden and declared a Paragon. Thordis was eventually appointed Warden-Commander of Ferelden.

## Overview

### **Physical Appearance**

Like most dwarves, Thordis is short and stocky; she stands at 4' 5" tall (135cm) and is muscular due her intense training. Thordis resembles her father the most; she has black hair, amber eyes and light skin. She has a square face with angular features and a crooked nose, having been broken a couple of times over the years. She has a few battle scars which she acquired throughout the years, most notably some burn scars around her left shoulder. Thordis keeps her hair very short, sometimes shaving it.

Thordis prefers dressing in a masculine manner; she dislikes dresses and skirts. When not in armor, she most often wears men's garb. She bears the casteless brand on her right cheek.

### **Personality**

As a result of her upbringing in the impoverished and brutal Dust Town, Thordis developed a rough exterior to protect herself. To most people, Thordis will appear as competent but stoic, humorless, rigid and unwielding; she is hard to get to know, never lets her guard down and her trust is nearly impossible to earn. This is, however, just a way of shielding herself from the misery, the prejudice, the abuse and the cruelty she has experienced from the moment she was born. Deep inside, Thordis is sensitive, gentle, compassionate and caring; she tends to put other people ahead of herself and her number one priority is protecting the people she loves.

Even though she is confident in some aspects, such as in her fighting abilities, she can also be incredibly insecure in others, especially in social affairs. She is often surprised when people treat her with any politeness or kindness, as her experiences tell her to expect the worst; this is something that gets better after she joins the Wardens and escapes the toxic environment she grew up in. While Thordis is not easily angered, once crossed she often holds a grudge — forgiveness does not come to her easily.

In order to survive Dust Town, and especially during the period she was working for Beraht, Thordis has done many things that goes against her nature, such as stealing, cheating and killing, which she regrets. Despite her immense talent, Thordis does not particularly enjoy fighting. After the joining the Wardens, Thordis wanted to be able to put things right and live a more honorable life, like she always wished.

### **Talents and Skills**

Thordis is an extremely talented fighter. As a rogue, she is an expert in dual-wielding, and often uses two longswords. She is also skilled in stealth and lock-picking. After joining the Wardens, Thordis also developed a warrior-like fighting style, mixing both rogue and warrior elements.

## Biography

### **History**

Thordis Brosca was born 9:08 Dragon in Orzammar's Dust Town to Agnar and Kalah Brosca. Kalah used to be a beautiful young woman and worked as a noble hunter, hoping to bear the son of a noble man and raise her caste; she got pregnant, but when she gave birth to a girl, Rica, who inherited her casteless status, the lord abandoned her. Kalah was desperate, now having a babe to take care of, but found comfort in her childhood friend, Agnar. Like Kalah, Agnar was casteless, but he was a kind and loving man, who treated Rica as if she were his own daughter. They fell in love and soon Kalah was pregnant again, giving birth to Thordis.

While the family was happy for a while, in Dust Town nothing was ever easy. Agnar worked all day in the mines, but was still barely able to put food on the table. When Thordis was nearly three years old and Rica was five, Agnar decided the family should leave for the surface and build a life there. He had heard being casteless did not matter there, they could have a proper marriage and find work. Kalah, however, was against the idea, after being told her whole life that surface dwarves were worst than the casteless. They argued about it for weeks until Agnar decided he'd leave on his own, hoping to find employment and returning once he had enough coin to convince Kalah to go with him. He never came back, and the family never learned what became of him.

After Agnar's departure, everything took a turn for the worse. Kalah, heartbroken and now the sole provider for two children, began cleaning the smoke vents for work. To cope with the stress, she took to drinking, and soon turned into a full-blown alcoholic. She became a bitter, abusive woman, taking out most of her frustrations on her two daughters. Rica, still a child, found herself responsible for taking care of the household and of Thordis, as their mother neglected them. As the sisters only had each other to lean on, they developed a strong bond, and Thordis considered Rica a mother figure, despite the mere two-and-a-half-year age difference between them. Thordis learned how to fight growing up, first as a means of self-defense, and, later, in order to survive.

Thordis was twelve years old when she befriended Leske. Like her, Leske also came from an abusive household; to avoid his family, he'd hang around the streets all day. His jokester disposition did not endear him to Thordis, but when he came to her rescue after she was nearly beaten to death for stealing a nug in the Commons, they became friends. Leske eventually became the only person other than Rica that Thordis trusted, and it was him who introduced the Brosca sisters to Beraht, finding them work when they needed it the most.

Beraht did not think much of Thordis but hired her, along with Leske, as a bruiser: the lowest of thugs. He was, however, especially interested in Rica — she was young, beautiful and had the perfect temperament for a noble hunter. He began training her to please the noble men, teaching her how to read, play the harp and, most importantly, how to seduce; he had high hopes of joining the Noble caste through Rica. The sisters' relationship with Beraht, however, started to decay pretty quickly; he was a foul man and treated them both terribly, often endangering Thordis' life and sexually harassing Rica. Rica still tried to appease him the best she could, knowing they had no other means of survival, but Thordis hated him, especially given the way he treated Rica. Beraht similarly held nothing but contempt for Thordis and knew that she felt no loyalty towards him; because of that, Beraht was always looking for a reason to dispose her, despite recognizing she was a better fighter than most of his men.

### **In-game**

#### **Dragon Age: Origins**

In 9:30 Dragon, Beraht tasked Thordis and Leske with making sure Everd, of the Warrior caste, would win the Provings; Beraht had wagered a large amount of coin on his victory and to ensure his success, he commands them to drug Everd's opponent, Mainar. When they get there, however, they find Everd so drunk he can't even stand, let alone fight. Knowing they were on thin ice with Beraht, they grew desperate and decided that Thordis, the better fighter, would dress-up in Everd's armor and fight in his place. Thordis decided not to drug Mainar, as she wanted to prove herself.

At first, the plan seemed to have worked: Thordis defeated all her opponents, including Mainar, without raising any eyebrows. However, Everd rose from his drunken stupor and walked into the Arena, revealing to all that the "winner" was an impostor. When Thordis removed her helm and revealed herself, mayhem took over and she was promply arrested, along with Leske. The Provings was witnessed by Warden-Commander of Ferelden Duncan, who was visiting Orzammar in search of recruits; impressed by her skills, he tried to vouch for her, but was silenced by the dwarves.

Beraht, through his contacts, managed to smuggle both Thordis and Leske to his own jail cells. Besides himself with anger, he planned to have them both tortured and killed; he was also planning on disposing Rica, who still hadn't managed to seduce a noble lord. Thordis decided she was finished with Beraht and plotted to escape with Leske by cutting through Beraht's men. Against all odds, they managed to get out of the Carta's cells alive, after killing not only the thugs but Beraht himself and leaving a trail of blood in their wake. Once they made it out, however, they were surrounded by the guards, who ordered Thordis' execution. She thought all was lost when Duncan showed up and conscripted her into the Grey Wardens; the guards were shocked but could do nothing to stop it. Thordis was dumbfounded and it was the thought of Rica that stopped her from yelling "yes!" at once; she did not want to leave Rica behind, in poverty and with their abusive mother. However, Rica gave her blessing, and Thordis accepted her place into the Wardens, leaving Orzammar with Duncan.

Thordis' first exposure to the surface was a moment she'd never forget – when she first stepped outside and witnessed the great sky and the endless horizon, as far as the eye could see, she felt light-headed and nauseous. Despite his hurry, Duncan allowed her a moment to recompose herself. At first, Thordis was terrified of forests, large bodies of water and any type of precipitations, but soon started to see the beauty in it all, never stopping being awed by the many beautiful, lush sceneries of the surface world.

After leaving Orzammar, Thordis and Duncan made their way south to the ruins of Ostagar, where the Wardens and the Fereldan armies where camped, holding the darkspawn tide. They were welcomed by King Cailan of Ferelden, who exchanged pleasantries with both of them. Thordis knew nothing of the monarch, having never seen him or even heard of him, but was surprised at being treated so nicely by such an important figure. Duncan then explained to Thordis she'd undergo a Joining Ritual, mandatory to all Warden recruits, and urged her to find Alistair, a junior member of the Order who had joined just a few months prior. Together with fellow recruits Ser Jory and Daveth, they are tasked with entering the Korcari Wilds and retrieving three vials of darkspawn blood - one for each recruit - and an old Wardens' cache.

Upon reaching the cache, they find it broken and emptied of its contents. Morrigan, an apostate, introduces herself and explains that the documents they seek is being held by her mother, Flemeth. Despite being wary, the party follows Morrigan and meets Flemeth, who explains she was protecting the documents after the cache broke long before. Flemeth, a legendary Witch of the Wilds, tells that that the Blight is a much bigger threat to the world than they all realize. Before heading back to Duncan, Thordis uses a Wilds Flower to heal a mabari hound in the kennels that had been infected with the taint.

Upon returnal, the Joining ritual begins. Duncan explain they have to drink a concoction made out of the darkspawn blood and that it may be fatal; Daveth goes first and doesn't make it. Terrified, Ser Jory tries to back down from the Joining, but Duncan tells him there's no turning back now — after Ser Jory raises his sword, Duncan kills him. Thordis is shocked at the turn of events, but faces what is coming to her, drinking the blood. The pain was unimaginable — it felt like she was being burned from the inside out, and strange visions began to appear as if they were happening right in front of her: she saw a huge, ugly dragon, hissing menacingly, staring right at her. She didn't feel the fall, but next thing she remembers is waking up on the ground with a headache.

Soon after becoming a full-fledged Grey Warden, Thordis prepared to participate in her first battle at Ostagar. After meeting with King Cailan and the Teyrn of Gwaren and Commander Loghain Mac Tir, it was decided that Thordis and Alistair would be in the Tower of Ishal to make sure the beacon signal would be lit, alerting the Teyrn's men to follow into battle. Despite Alistair's complaints for not participating in the battle, Duncan sent both of them off to the Tower after urging them to be careful; even with an apparently easy task, nothing in war could be taken for granted.

Indeed, when Thordis and Alistair arrived in the Tower, it soon became clear their work was not quite as cut out for them as they were led to believe: the tower had been invaded by the darkspawn, who came from beneath. They had to then fight their way through the Tower, which was infested with the creatures, and the unexpected struggle slowed them down considerably. Even when they reached the top, they still had to defeat a huge, powerful ogre, and they only had a moment to light the beacon – much later than they were supposed to – before being overwhelmed by the darkspawn.

Next thing Thordis remembers is waking up in a place she does not recognize, which was then revealed to be Flemeth's hut. The memories of the battle were foggy, and she could only recall being hit by arrows before succumbing to the ground. Morrigan explains Thordis and Alistair had been saved from atop the tower by Flemeth, and that the darkspawn had won the battle, defeating both the Wardens and the royal army. She had been gravely injured but her wounds had been tended by the powerful witch. Thordis was distrustful of Flemeth's intentions and her reasons for saving them, but thanked her all the same. Without much choice, Thordis and a distraught Alistair vowed to gather an army and march to end the Blight. As her last assistance, Flemeth offered Morrigan as a companion. While Alistair was not fond of the idea, Thordis accepts, knowing they need all the help they can get.

After leaving Flemeth's hut and the Korcari Wilds, they make their way to Lothering, a small settlement north of Ostagar, at Morrigan's suggestion. Before reaching the village, however, the party is surprised by a mabari hound escaping darkspawn. Thordis recognizes the hound as the one she helped in Ostagar, and Alistair tells her he liked imprinted on her and is loyal to her now. Thordis adopts the war dog and names him *Salroka*, after the dwarven word for "friend". Now, with Salroka on tow, they arrive on the formerly untroubled settlement which has fallen into disarray following the influx of refugees escaping the darkspawn. There, they learn that Teyrn Loghain has declared them traitors and holds the Grey Wardens accountable for King Cailan's death, while putting a hefty bounty on their head.

It was in Lothering that Thordis came to meet two of her companions: the former bard Leliana and the Qunari warrior Sten. When the party was attacked by Loghain's soldiers when entering the local tavern, Leliana, a lay sister of the Chantry, intervened and helped them fight off the attackers. She then offered to join the Wardens in their quest to end the Blight, claiming she was acting on the Maker's wishes. While reluctant at first, Thordis relents in light of Leliana's skills. Meanwhile, Sten was imprisoned in an outdoor cage, left to die, after being convicted of murdering a entire family in their homestead. Sten does not deny the accusations and easily accepted the punishment for his actions, not desiring his own release. Thordis, however, believes that fighting the darkspawn will be a better atonement than starving to death, and convinces the Revered Mother (greatly relying on Leliana's influence) to release him into her custody. Afterwards, Thordis and her companions save the traveling merchant Bodahn Feddic and his son Sandal of a darkspawn attack; while the dwarf man did not join the party as a companion, he did decide to travel with the group and supply them in exchange of protection.

Acting on Alistair's advice, the party decides their first step will be approaching the Arl of Redcliffe, Eamon Guerrin, for his support; Arl Eamon was meant to be at the Battle of Ostagar, but his army did not arrive in time, therefore they were spared the massacre. However, upon reaching the town, they find it perhaps at an even worse situation: the Castle has been closed shut, while every night at sundown undead creatures attack the villagers, slaughtering them; afterwards, the corpses of those killed join the battle, and thus the undead army grows larger and larger. Desperately, Eamon's brother, Teagan, pleaded for the Wardens' aid in saving the village. Thordis did not have the heart of denying the request, and thus the party decided to stay and help, much to Alistair's relief, especially since they needed Arl Eamon's help as well.

After a difficult battle at nightfall, they defeat the undead army and Teagan tells them of a secret passage to the Castle after Isolde, Arl Eamon's wife, begs for their help. She explains that a blood mage, Jowan, has poisoned Eamon and believes him to be responsible for the events in action. However, when they sneak into the dungeons and talk to Jowan, he explains that, while he did indeed poison Arl Eamon, acting on Loghain's orders, it was Connor, the Arl's son, who was responsible for the undead army slaughtering the village. Connor had been showing signs of magic and, unwilling to lose him to the Circle of Magi, Isolde instead decided to hire a mage who would teach him enough to control and hide his magic; thus she hired Jowan, who was sent by Loghain after he figured out Isolde's plan. After the Eamon fell sick and showed no signs of improvement, a terrified Connor made a deal with a demon who promised him to keep his father alive. The catch, however, was the Eamon was kept alive but in a comatose state, while Connor was possessed, and thus the horror began. Without many options, some suggested killing Connor, while others were against the idea of hurting a child. Jowan suggested a blood magic ritual which would require a human sacrifice, but Thordis rejected the idea right away. He then suggested that a mage could confront the demon in the Fade, but that would require an amount of lyrium that only the Circle of Magi would provide.

Since they would have to make their way to the Circle of Magi anyway due the demand of the treaties, they decided to attempt to appeal for their help about Connor. Some companions stayed behind, to monitor the sitation, while Thordis and a couple of others traveled to the Circle Tower in search of support. However, they found the Circle at a terribly similar position: Uldred, a mage who had been present at Ostagar, becomes an abomination after attempting a coup in the Tower, summoning demons, injuring and killing many of his fellow mages. As such, the Templars had closed off the Tower, leaving the few mage survivors to fight for their lives with no way out. Knight-Commander Greagoir was planning on neutralizing the Circle Tower, killing all its mages, but told Thordis that if she could rescue First Enchanter Irving, perhaps there would still be hope for the mages. With little option, Thordis accepted the task, perhaps because due her own unfamiliarity with mages — being a dwarf — she did not fully understood what she was getting herself into. With the help of the mage Wynne, Thordis managed to make her way through the Tower, but was caught in a trap set by a sloth demon. Thordis doesn't know exactly what was it that made her conscious in the Fade — as a dwarf, she had never before been to the Fade, as dwarves don't dream. After becoming a Warden, she often had nightmares of the Archdemon, but those weren't normal dreams — they were visions due her tainted blood. With so little experience in the matter, it seemed improbable that she would manage to manage to recognize her surroundings, yet she was succesful, similarly helping free her companions and defeating the demon in the Fade. Perhaps it was her own resistance to magic that allowed her to so quickly resist the demon's trap.

As she got close to the highest floor, where Uldred was hiding, Thordis found young Templar Cullen, who had been kept in a magic cage and tortured by demons. Distraught, Cullen tried to convice Thordis that all the mages were beyond help and were all under the demons' influence by then, but following the advice of Wynne and her companions, Thordis decided to save as many as she could and refer to First Enchanter Irving's judgement. Thus, Ufldred was defeated and the First Enchanter was saved; not only did the remaining mages pledge themselves to fight the Blight, Irving also agreed to travel to Redcliffe to help Connor.

With the Circle of Magi's resources, they were able to send a mage into the Fade that could defeat the demon in its domain, without hurting Connor. As an act of redemption, Jowan was tasked with the responsability, and performed honorably, freeing Connor from the demon's grasps. Thus, the demon's reign of terror over Redcliffe was finally over, but the situation was still complicated: Arl Eamon was still gravely ill, and the Guerrins believed that the only way to help him was by finding the Urn of Andraste, where her sacred ashes were said to heal any illness. While most believed the Urn to be nothing but a legend, their research showed promising findings, and that the ashes could be closer than anyone thought. Teagan adviced Thordis and her companions to find the great scholar Brother Ferdinand Genitivi, who had been leading extensive research about the ashes, in Denerim, Ferelden's capital and largest city. Despite Thordis' reluctance that they might be losing time chasing legends, Teagan assured her that they had reason to believe that the Urn of Andraste was indeed real and closer in reach than they might believe.

On their way to Denerim, the party found themselves in an ambush concocted by Antivan Crow assassin Zevran Arainai, who had been hired by Arl Rendon Howe and Loghain to finish them off. Thordis and the others are able to defend themselves and kill the assassins, except Zevran himself, who was knocked out during the fight. When he awakes, in an attempt to save his life, he offers to switch sides and fight for the Wardens instead. Skeptical about his sudden "change of heart", Thordis is told that the assassin had nothing against the Wardens personally, and was only acting on the orders he was given. Much to everyone's surprise, Thordis decided to spare Zevran and welcome him into their party; Alistair was especially dubious of her choice. However, what lead Thordis to make that decision was that she saw in Zevran something she also recognized in herself: someone who had been forced to kill in order to survive. Just like she had been given the opportunity of leaving behind that life when she joined the Wardens, she decided Zevran deserved the same chance.

Once they reached Denerim, they found the Wardens had become infamous due the allegations of treason, but allies and good opportunities were still to be found. They made their way to Brother Genitivi's home, who lived in the Market District, and were greeted by Weylon, a man who claimed to be Brother Genitivi's assistant. Weylon explained that he had no word of Genitivi, who was still deep in his research, and his last known location was the Lake Calenhad Docks. However, Thordis quickly became suspicious and, upon further questioning, found that the man's explanations didn't match up. Finally, Weylon grew tired of her inquisition and revealed his deception, being killed after attacking the party. Upon inspection of Genitivi's home, they found the dead body of the real Weylon and Genitivi's journals, where it indicated that he made his way to the small, unmarked village of Haven in the Frostback Mountains.

Haven was revealed to be a cold, uninviting settlement where its inhabitants seemed strange and hostile. Their arrival was noticed on spot and they were encouraged to keep to themselves and leave. Nevertheless, it soon became clear that the whole village was hiding something a lot more sinister as they found bloody altars and dead Redcliffe knights. After noticing their intrusion, the villagers attacked Thordis and the others, but the party managed to make their way to the chantry, where Revered Father Eirik, had been giving a sermon; Eirik reiterates that the visitors are most unwelcome and orders the others to attack, being eventually defeated by the party. In the chantry, they find an injured Brother Genitivi, who had been captured and tortured by the villagers; he explains that the village grew around the Temple of Sacred Ashes nearly a millennia before in order to protect it, but their faith and devotion eventually led to the foundation of a secretive and belligerent cult, the Disciples of Andraste, who believe that Andraste has been reborn as a high dragon. Thordis and the others cut their way through cultists in order to reach the Temple, they were eventually confronted by Kolgrim, the cult leader, who proposed an alliance to Thordis: they would let her pass safely if she agreed to defile the ashes so that Andraste could be freed and truly reborn, according to his beliefs. However, under Leliana's guidance, Thordis rejected the deal, thus beginning a challenging assault.

Kolgrim may have put up a good fight, but it was nothing compared to the high dragon they fought on the mountain tops, just outside the ruined Temple of Sacred Ashes. None of them had ever fought a high dragon before and they were certainly not prepared for it; yet, they emerged victorious, although injured and spent. It was during that fight that Thordis acquired the burn scars around her left shoulder, a painful wound that took several weeks to heal. However, it was also during that fight that Thordis saw a sliver of hope that, maybe, just maybe, they could do it; maybe they really could defeat the archdemon, stop the Blight and save Ferelden after all. Hope was not a feeling that came easily to Thordis and she savored its rare appearances.

At the ruins of the Temple of Sacred Ashes, the party is greeted by the Guardian, a mysterious being who had been protecting the temple ever since it was first built. He explains to them that they can get to the ashes as long as they prove themselves in a test of faith, first asking each of the party members a personal question. When he asks whether Thordis regrets leaving her mother and sister behind in poverty, Thordis admits that, while she thinks about Rica everyday, she is glad she left. After undergoing several trials in which much of Andraste's story was revealed — the first time Thordis had so much contact with the Andrastian faith — they finally reached the ashes, which was definitively an espiritual experience, even for Thordis, who was not religious.

With a pinch of the ashes in hand, they made their way back to Redcliffe.

### **Post-game**

Here's what happened after the events of said game, brosef.

## **Relationships**

### **Love Interests**

#### **Leliana**

> "*I feel safe in your arms. Safe, loved and accepted. This is where I belong.*"
> ― Leliana
>
>

Thordis and Leliana met in Lothering, when Leliana asked to join Thordis in her quest against the Blight. While Thordis was impressed by her fighting skills, she did not wish to accept the young woman on a journey that would likely led to their deaths, but ended up relenting and allowing Leliana to travel with them. Thordis developed a crush on Leliana right away; she found the redheaded woman incredibly beautiful and kind. She had no hopes of it becoming anything else and no plans of acting on it, however, as Thordis always expected rejection. Nevertheless, the two women soon developed a friendship and spent much of their time together. While Thordis at first thought Leliana's visions were strange, she admired her faith and her idealism. Leliana was worldly, and indeed it was Leliana who served as a guide as Thordis was just getting to know the surface. Leliana shared her experiences, her dreams; she told real and fictional tales; she began teaching Thordis how to read and write. They would lay on their back and watch the stars; Leliana knew all of them, and all of them had a story. It did not take long and Thordis was head-over-heels for Leliana, something she was painfully aware of. Still, despite their closeness, Thordis felt like Leliana was withholding something. Whenever talking about some aspects of her past, Leliana gave only vague answers and changed the subject quickly. Thordis did not want to pressure her into revealing anything she didn't want to, but she couldn't help and feel a little sad that Leliana didn't trust her fully.

After some time, however, Leliana felt comfortable enough to share her real past: she had been a bard in Orlais, happily obliging the Game, until she was betrayed and charged with treason. She was imprisoned and tortured, but managed to escaped due the help of Mother Dorothea; the events changed her forever, and Leliana decided to leave her old life and take shelter in the small cloister of Lothering, where she became a lay sister.

## **Miscellaneous**

* Thordis doesn't drink alcohol at all.
* Leliana was Thordis' first (and only) relationship.
* Thordis only learned how to properly read and write after joining the Wardens.
* Thordis is not devout, but holds some belief in both the Stone and the Maker.
* In a real-life setting, Thordis would be a Taurus (born May 10th).
* Thordis' Myers-Briggs personality type is ISTJ.

## **Gallery**

* Thordis Brosca
* Thordis in Camp
* Thordis in Lothering
* Thordis in the Provings
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