Julian Hawke (Ashura)

## Julian Hawke

Champion of Kirkwall

Julian is the protagonist of *Few Against the Wind*. Mage, leader of Kirkwall, and a man who just wants to keep his friends and lover alive. His page is under construction for now.

## Overview

### **Physical Appearance**

Julian is fair-skinned and freckled, with messy dark hair and deep green eyes. Wiry and lean, he gives the impression of being taller than he actually is, and appears to mostly consist of arms and legs.

### **Personality**

A kind and diplomatic young man who cares deeply for his family and friends and will go to great lengths to protect them. Carver noted once that everyone thinks he’ll be easy to push around, because he’s unfailingly kind and polite, but they don’t know the ruthless steel hiding beneath the surface. This is uncharacteristically perceptive on Carver’s part, but true. If Julian is a study in contradictions, it is because his personality and beliefs are deeply-held and not easy to slide into the easy categories of ‘pro-mage’ or ‘pro-templar’. He is himself an apostate, and the son of an apostate. His sister Bethany was also a mage, and none of them were willing to go to the Circle. At the same time, he does not believe that mages – or anyone else – should be able to do whatever they like all the time. He believes in, and exercises, an ironclad control over mind and magic, and has no patience for blood magic or any other spells put toward evil ends. (He also has enough sense of self-preservation to not want to get the Templars’ attention.) Everyone seems to think he's on their side, whether it's true or not.

### **Talents and Skills**

Charming people. Getting his way. Lightning bolts and paralysis spells are a particular specialty, but if it destroys things, he's probably good at it.

## Biography

### **History**

Born in Ferelden, spent his early life in Amaranthine and then a village on the Faravel plains. His magic manifested around eight years old – it was actually a little before that, but it really started to be noticeable then. His father started teaching him to keep control of his surges of magic very early on, and it was Bethany, not Julian, whose slip meant they had to move away.

They found a new home in Lothering, and lived there more or less safely until the Blight chased them fro that home, too.

### **In-game**

Julian and Carver signed on with the Red Iron mercenary company to get into Kirkwall.

Carver became a Templar while Julian was in the Deep Roads. He wanted to do something more with his life, and thought he might be able to protect both his brother and the mages of the Circle if he joined the Order. (Also he’d wanted to sign on with the City Guard, but Aveline blackballed him.)

**Act 2**

Isabela, with whom Julian was in a relationship for a while, convinced him to help an elf named Tallis steal a gemstone from an Orlesian duke. It went poorly.

An encounter on Sundermount led to a rift in the party when Julian sided with Keeper Marethari to keep the ancient relic, the arulin’hom, from Merrill. Julian refused to abet blood magic, and Merrill felt betrayed. For a while he tried to make overtures of peace, but the otherwise mild Merrill’s anger ran deep, and for a while she refused to talk to him.

Anders, on the other hand, was only too happy to talk, endlessly, about the plight of mages. Julian was genuinely concerned, though, when Anders claimed to have found evidence of a plan to turn every mage in the Kirkwall Circle into a Tranquil. Julian made inquiries of Knight-Commander Cullen and the Grand Cleric Elthina, both of whom conceded there had been a proposal, but also denied any authority in the Chantry had heeded it. Carver also said there were some extreme elements amongst the Templars, but that he didn’t think such a plan would ever be approved. To placate Anders, Julian agreed to investigate. They came upon a sadistic rogue Templar, Ser Alrik, who was the instigator of the ‘Tranquil Solution’. While the group – Julian, Anders, Aveline and Sebastian Vael – killed Ser Alrik before he could torment the young mage he was threatening, Anders lost control of Justice and nearly killed the girl himself. Julian was able to recall him to himself before the worst happened, but the shock made Anders – and Julian – realise just how far gone he was. An angry Julian confronted a distraught Anders, begging him to give up the fight before he lost himself completely.

Anders became torn between following that advice, and convincing Julian of the necessity of his cause. Close to the breaking point, he finally confessed his reluctant love. He was surprised and gratified when Julian did not reject him. There had always been a crackling chemistry between them, and Julian (who did seem to attract, and be attracted to, broken people) hoped he could help pull Anders back from the brink.

All his convictions about blood magic were to be tested when his mother disappeared, receiving a bouquet of white lilies – the sign of the killer he had previously hunted with Ser Emeric. In a panic, Julian sent Orana and Bodhan rushing to summon Aveline and Sebastian. In the palace and the Chantry, they were the closest by of his companions. Rushing through the cellars of his estate he dragged Anders from the clinic, wanting the healer close by in case his mother was injured when they found her. Then they rushed to find Gascard du Puis, who offered to use a blood magic ritual to lead them to the killer. Julian, for all his rejection of blood magic, didn’t even hestitate.

They found the killer, a mad necromancer named Quentin. Here Gascard’s real motives became clear: he was not another bereaved man, but a former student who wanted the secrets of necromancy. Julian asked him, ‘What about this is worth having?’ Gascard looked around at the madman living in the sewers, at the gruesome fruits of his labours, and agreed. This was not glorious, but monstrous. He helped them kill Quentin, but it was too late for Leandra. It broke Anders’ heart to tell Julian she was past even his power to save. She bid her eldest son a sad goodbye, and was gone.

Anders moved in a few days later, and Julian attempted to learn healing magic from him; he showed no particular aptitude but attracted the attention of a single devoted spirit. This was especially handy when the Qunari attacked, and Julian survived things he should not have, his body healing itself steadily during the duel.

**Act 3**

Now the Champion of Kirkwall, Julian tried to balance a careful stalemate with Knight-Commander Meredith. She couldn’t move against him while the city still supported him, and he had to be careful not to give her an excuse – and the tame apostate couldn’t be seen to rattle his cage. Knowing it wouldn’t last forever, he and Sebastian, with some of the nobles of Kirkwall, began to plan a coup against Meredith’s rule.

Unfortunately, she found out and had their chosen successor for Viscount Dumar assassinated. She also managed to uncover the remains of the mage underground and Ser Thrask’s rebellion, and put a grisly end to it. The conspirators chose a new Viscount and tried to get everything in place for an election as quickly as possible.

Anders, frustrated with his lack of progress, was finally able to get a meeting with Grand Cleric Elthina, but found her answers useless. Later that same day, Julian mentioned he’d been asked to meet with an agent of the Divine, and suggested Anders come along to plead his case directly. The agent was unfortunately not sympathetic. Between this and the struggle with Justice that was getting worse by the day, Anders became desperate and distant. The two fought more, mostly Julian desperately pleading for Anders to tell him what was going on, and Anders claiming it was all a secret to keep him from danger. Things were very fraught between them by the time Anders blew up the Chantry at the end of 9:37.

*Spoilers for the end of a very long fic here:*

Having only a few minutes to come up with a plan to keep as many people alive as possible, Julian reluctantly agreed to assist the Templars with their annulment while secretly sending word to the mages to flee through the smugglers' tunnels under the Gallows. The companions were able to cause enough chaos and destruction that it looked like battles were happening, and destroyed the entrance to the tunnels and a large part of the Gallows itself - including most of the phylacteries - before Meredith had her breakdown. They thought she'd figured out what they were doing, but it turned out she'd been driven mad by red lyrium. The Templars and Hawke's companions finally managed to defeat her. This was a good plan at the time, but has potential to become complicated the longer the deception has to last.

### **Post-game**

With Meredith gone and Kirkwall in chaos, Julian was convinced to take up the vacant Viscount’s throne, provided Cullen managed to convince the Chantry. He hates the idea, and meant to go on the run with Anders, but he really does think he can fix some of the problems in the city before giving the post away to the first promising candidate.

Angry as he was with Anders, Julian loves him desperately and refuses to give him up. Anders will leave Kirkwall with Isabela and in the company of the Hero of Ferelden, and as soon as Julian can get free of his responsibilities, he means to join them.

## **Relationships**

**Carver:** Julian and his brother have long had a fraught and contentious relationship, but they would also move mountains for each other. By the post-game, they are working together to keep the knowledge of what really happened at the Gallows, as well as Anders' whereabouts, from the Templars.

**Fenris:** Julian fell hard for Fenris early on in their friendship. Like most of their friends he was a bit lost, a bit lonely, but also sure of himself and could be bitingly funny. Julian’s courtship was slow and gentle, and it worked – but Fenris left after their encounter brought back old memories he was unready to face. Hawke tried to wait for him, but he was more hurt than he let anyone see. It seemed at first as if Fenris was making hesitant overtures, but if he was, he stopped quickly. Julian tried to distract himself at the Blooming Rose; the young man he saw was attentive, but it did little to salve Julian’s feelings.

Now they are good and loyal friends, and there may always be a little chemistry between them but they've both accepted it won't go anywhere. Fenris is usually willing to come along on Hawke's adventures and keep ogres from squishing him.

**Isabela:** One night, when Aveline had been commenting about Fenris again before Julian got very drunk trying to set her up on a date, he started flirting with Isabela. She came back to his. Things happened. Very enjoyable things, as it turned out, and while they never put a label on their relationship, they were very wrapped up in each other for a while. Such was Isabela’s attachment, or Julian’s influence, that he even managed to convince her to give up a magical dagger to break a curse on some disloyal pirates. (He told her he’d buy her a better one. And then put a curse on it for her, and that she could give it some ridiculous and dramatic name.)

But in time the ardour cooled, with no regret or animosity on either side. While they continued to have an occasional romp together, they became less frequent. They are still very close friends, though, and Julian trusts Isabela far more than their mutual friends believe he should.

**Anders:** Despite some fraught arguments in the early days of their affair, Julian is utterly devoted to Anders (and vice-versa). He always did his best to support the cause of mage freedom, but his position as apostate Champion made it dangerous to speak out too openly against the Templars that held the city. It was Anders who really convinced him to stay in Kirkwall and be Viscount - they will miss each other, but the opportunity to show a mage 'ruling over man' without turning to blood magic, to get people used to the idea, and to set a precedent in the Chantry, seemed too enticing to pass up.

**Justice:** The relationship between Justice and Julian is often uneasy. Neither of them really trust each other, but both accept the other's place in Anders' life. Until late in the game when Anders admitted he was losing large parts of his memory to things that often got him hurt, Julian trusted at least that Justice would protect him. They both have the same end goals, but different ways of going about achieving them, and neither is quite able to understand the other.

**Varric:** The best of dwarf friends. Their relationship is easy, comfortable, and occasionally requires hard truths and difficult advice.

**Aveline:** The kind of family you don't always get along with, but wouldn't do anything to hurt them for the world. She is fiercely loyal to Hawke, even when she disapproves.

**Merrill:** They came to an understanding after the incident with the arulin'holm. They argue sometimes, and Julian does not always tell her what she wants to hear, but they respect each other. She also may be family someday, because Carver has been stupid over her for years. (Carver is the world's worst Templar.)

**Sebastian:** They were very good friends for years. Along with plotting against the Knight-Commander together, the Champion of Kirkwall and Prince of Starkhaven used to be a popular set of accessories at noble parties: a little dangerous, unavailable, and pretty to look at. When Julian stood by Anders after the Chantry explosin, Sebastian could not forgive him. He could even understand Anders, who as a possessed mage someone should have dealt with years ago, but for a man he called friend to side with the lover who destroyed Sebastian's home and murdered his mentor was too much. He believes Julian could have saved Elthina, and if not, could have avenged her. Now he has sworn revenge on his former friend.

**Max:** The best of mabari and a Very Good Boy. Will eat your enemies' faces but not fetch your slippers.

## **Miscellaneous**

What else happened, or what else can you tell us about Your OC, bruh? Think of things like likes, dislikes, fears, strengths and weaknesses, etc. This is as close as you'll get to being able to word-vomit about your OC while keeping the article organized and will probably be the longest section. Feel free to add sub-headings as necessary with sub-heading 2:

## **Links**

### Non-Reddit links (AO3, DeviantArt, Tumblr):

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Few Against the Wind: He lives in this fanfic series on Ao3.

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## **Gallery**

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