Molly

“*Getting harassed by you at the Hanged Man was the best thing that ever happened to me.*”
— Molly to Varric

**Molly**, also known as **Malika**, is a companion of both Lyra Hawke and Ethera Lavellan.

## Overview

### **Physical Appearance**

Molly has light blonde hair, brown eyes and fair skin. She has a large port-wine stain that covers a large portion of the right side of her face. She is slightly shorter than average.

She wears a black cloth mask covering half of her face so that her birthmark and her right eye are not visible. When asked why she was wearing a mask, she would lie and say she was covering up a horrible scar she obtained from a knife fight.

### **Personality**

Molly likes to have fun and is a bit of a troublemaker. She is playful but very reliable person, and she is serious when the situation calls for it. She is very aware that she comes off as extremely suspicious, largely in part due to her mask. This doesn't bother her at all, and in fact, she sometimes finds people's wariness of her amusing.

After her time with the Sycamores, Molly becomes very closed off and cold, but after meeting the Hawkes, she began to come out of her shell and return to her normal self.

### **Talents and Skills**

Growing up with thieves, Molly learned a lot of useful skills. She is very good at sneaking around unnoticed, and an extremely efficient cutpurse. Molly can also wield daggers. Though she is a mage, her magic skills are lacking, and she can only use very basic spells, but she rarely does so.

## Biography

### **History**

Found abandoned as a child, she was taken in by a surface dwarf named Halinda, who named her Malika. Halinda raised Malika as her own until she was ten years old. At that time, bandits attacked their village, and Malika and her mother were separated during the attack.

Malika wandered alone until she was found and taken in by a kind man named Erik Graham. Erik was leader of a small group of thieves who resided in a forest filled with pine trees. They called themselves the Sycamores, as "the Pine Trees" would be a dead giveaway to their location. The group was small, consisting of Erik, his friend and younger brother figure Tommen Reeves, a mage named Effie, and a dwarf named Rilsi Tivis. Despite her young age, they took Malika in as one of their own (though she actually proved quite useful in things like pickpocketing and creating diversions; no one suspects a child). Rilsi taught Malika how to fight, daggers being her weapon of choice, and how to pick locks. When Malika was eleven, it was discovered that she was a mage. Effie taught her how to control her magic, and everyone decided in the end that since Malika could fight with daggers, it would be for the best if she hid her magic and continued to fight melee to avoid attracting the attention of templars.

Over the years, the Sycamores grew from a small band of thieves into a guild. Their name became well known among nobles and commoners alike. They were not like the Red Jennys, who committed crimes to help the little guys. The Sycamores were all about profit, and for that reason the nobles were the only ones who had to worry.

Once Malika was around fifteen, Tommen would occasionally flirt with her. Erik, like a father to Malika, would immediately tell Tommen to back off.

When Malika was seventeen, Erik was killed by a man who had infiltrated the guild, having been sent by a noble to kill the Sycamore's leader. With the death of Erik, Tommen, who had been second-in-command. The guild had always been like a family, but since Erik had been killed by a trusted guild member, Tommen gained trust issues and stopped viewing the guild as such. To detach himself, he turned the guild into a cutthroat business. Since the nobles had not been above using violence to stop the Sycamores, Tommen became the same; the guild would not hesitate to use violence to get what they wanted from this point on. Tommen also told guild members that if they weren't able to successfully complete their mission that they were not to bother coming back at all.

With Erik dead, Tommen was no longer hesitant to pursue Malika. At one point, Tommen got forceful with her - a decision he immediately regretted but was unable to apologize for, as Malika immediately ran from him. The three decided that Malika needed to leave for her own safety.

Effie had taken Tommen's position as second-in-command upon Erik's death. Being the only one with a key to a chest containing significant loot, Effie grabbed as many valuables as she could fit into a bag, and then gave the bag to Malika. Effie was caught in the act by Tommen; unaware of the circumstances and feeling betrayed by someone he thought of as family once again, he killed her. Malika ran until she managed to get to the docks, where Rilsi saw her off.

Malika wandered for a year until she was cornered by a group of mercenaries who had been sent by Tommen. Malika overheard one of the mercenaries asking around for a woman named Malika with a large birthmark, claiming she was a criminal. She realized that she had been found due to her unusual name and extremely noticeable birthmark. A kind old woman, having been an adventurer back in the day and quickly recognizing the situation, hid Malika and lied to the men who asked if she had seen her. After being rescued and asked about her situation, Malika explained her predicament. Sympathizing with the girl, she made her a few masks to hide her face, and urged her to go by a new name.

Though Malika would stand out with the mask, Tommen was not looking for a girl in a mask, so it would keep her safe. She took the old woman's advice about changing her name, and she started calling herself Molly.

### **In-game**

When the Fifth Blight began, Molly was living in a small Ferelden village. Towards the end of the Blight, she was one of many who volunteered and fought in the Battle of Denerim. When the Blight ended and Denerim held nothing left of interest to her, she got on a boat to Kirkwall at the age of eighteen.

When she arrived, she got a room at the Hanged Man, where she would stay for the remainder of her time in Kirkwall.

With the exception of the Battle of Denerim, Molly had been staying under the radar, interacting with people as little as possible. Not long after having arrived in Kirkwall, she received a letter from Rilsi, who she had remained in contact with. Molly sat down at a table to read it, but before she was able to do so, Varric Tethras had taken a seat next to her and introduced himself. Molly glanced at him, but otherwise paid no attention. Varric continued to talk to Molly, who would occasionally respond, giving him one-worded, terse replies. Lyra and Garrett Hawke then entered the bar and joined them at the table. The three began talking, Varric quickly dismissing Molly as "a friend", and Molly decided to read her mail, refusing to give up her seat.

The letter from Rilsi stated that a small group of people from the guild, without telling Tommen, went out to look for her, having found a possible lead in Kirkwall. They had not told Tommen for fear of being banished from the guild if they ended up being wrong or failing to capture her. Molly knew by this point, thanks to one of Rilsi's previous letters, that Tommen did not want her killed. Instead he wanted her subdued and taken alive, back to him. This was a fate Molly feared worse than death.

Overhearing Varric and his friends talking about needing money and seeing that they were all well-armed, Molly made an offer. Making sure to be as vague as possible on the circumstances of her situation, she said that she had gotten some people angry, and that they were coming after her. She offered to pay the Hawkes if they helped her take them out, no questions asked.

Molly felt surprisingly at ease with the group, and after completing the job and finding out that they were planning an expedition into the Deep Roads, in addition to their payment, Molly offered her services.

In Act III, Molly received another letter from Rilsi. She read the letter, and much to her distress, learned that Tommen himself had found a lead on her in Kirkwall. A group of mercenaries were being sent to hunt Molly down. Molly told Lyra that her "contact" (which she had referred to Rilsi several times before when using her as a source of information) had informed her of a group of outlaws that had stowed away on a ship and were coming to Kirkwall.

Lyra, Molly, Isabela and Varric all wandered the streets at night until they eventually came upon the group, who immediately attacked when they saw Molly, having previously been given information on her companions to help narrow down the search. Carver, who was on patrol at the time, ended up walking in on, and joining, the fight.

While fighting, Molly's opponent managed to knock one of her daggers out of her hands. Molly was forced to fight without it, and when another enemy ran towards Molly upon seeing the opening, Lyra called out to warn Molly. Noticing the man lunging at her Molly instinctively sent out a bolt of sharp ice that impaled and killed the man, the last of the mercenaries.

Before her companions could say anything, a voice called out, "Malika?" Molly ran towards the voice, and she saw that the one who had called to her was a now dying man she knew as part of the Sycamores. Tommen had not hired mercenaries this time, instead he having sent his own men.

"Ancestors, no," Molly had said, looking over the man and trying but failing to find any way she could possibly help him.

The man assured her that they had not been told that she was the target in question. They were simply told to target a blonde woman accompanying the champion. The two exchanged words until he died, much to Molly's sorrow. There was only a brief moment of silence before all her companions were asking questions.

They immediately asked his relationship with the now dead man, why he had called her Malika, and why she had said mentioned the Ancestors, in addition to expressing surprise that she was a mage

Molly, realizing there was now no escape, confessed everything to her friends. Isabela was mildly impressed, Varric amused by her dwarven roots but otherwise worried, Lyra was heartbroken, and Carver was furious. Lyra told Molly that they would meet at the Hanged Man the next night with all of their friends, and that Molly was to explain everything to them then.

Everyone but Carver (who was more angry than he was curious with the entire situation) showed up at the Hanged Man. She told half the truth, saying that she was actually a mage who had been hiding her powers in order avoid the templars. She also said that she was on the run from the Sycamores, her former employers, after fleeing due to an internal dispute. There were various reactions, some people focused on her being a mage, and others more focused on her history. Garrett and Isabela seemed to be the only two that got over the shock easily, and they didn't seem to really mind Molly's actions or these new revelations.

After the Chantry exploded and Knight-Commander Meredith was killed, rumors of an Exalted March eventually came to Kirkwall. Lyra, believing that if she left Kirkwall they might not come, decided that she would leave the city. Fenris said that he would go with her, and Anders said that it was time for him to go as well, saying that they would part ways when they reached their destination. It was around that time that Molly received word from Rilsi once more. Since no word had been sent, Tommen, not underestimating the powers of Molly or the Champion, assumed that his mercenaries were killed, and that Molly was, in fact, in Kirkwall, and that he would be coming himself. Molly knew she had to leave, so she said her goodbyes, and left on the boat with Lyra, Fenris and Anders. When they arrived at their destination, Lyra and Fenris, Anders, and Molly all parted ways.

Three years later, Molly had been in Orlais for about a month, getting by by picking pockets. One day, seeing a group of particularly well dressed and heavily armed people, she cut one of their purses. She was caught, and a chase ensued. Once she was cornered, she realized that one of the people chasing her was none other than Varric Tethras. He introduced Molly to the Herald of Andraste, and he convinced her to let Molly join the Inquisition. Her secrets were known only to the members of the Inquisitor's inner circle.

After the events at Adamant, Molly received word from Rilsi that a small group of people from the Sycamores, including Tommen, were set up nearby, and were potentially there to look for her. Molly requested Cullen send word to Garrett and Isabela, who were agents of the Inquisition, asking them to come to Skyhold. Cullen did so, telling them to come to Skyhold, where they would be debriefed on a new mission. Rilsi arrived as well, and Molly gathered Lyra (who had remained at Skyhold due to an injury), Fenris (who had come to be with her), Isabela, Garrett, Varric and the Inquisitor. After a brief reunion, Rilsi entered. Molly took off her mask as a sign of sincerity, and she and Rilsi explained the situation that Molly was in.

Rilsi explained that Tommen was nearby, and that they were going to confront and kill him, ending this once and for all. Molly was against killing Tommen, but when her companions gave their input, she decided that this would be the best course of action.

The Inquisitor, Varric, Molly and Garrett all hunted down the group, killing everyone. Molly took it upon herself to kill Tommen, insisting that she had to be the one to do it. After Tommen's death, the group was, by default, then handed over to the second-in-command, Rilsi Tivis. Molly was now safe, no longer having to wear a mask, and no longer on the run. Despite this, due to being used so used to the mask that she felt naked without, as well as being insecure about her birthmark, she continued to wear the mask.

Two years later, Molly—who was finally comfortable going by Malika again and to not wear her mask—met the Inquisitor at the Winter Palace, and she assisted her in her tasks. After the Inquisition was disbanded, she told the Inquisitor that if there was ever any way in which she could help, she would do so without hesitation.

## Relationships

**Cassandra Pentaghast:** It was rather obvious to see that Cassandra had some preconceived notions about Molly both from having read Varric's book and being told the truth about her when she interrogated him. Cassandra would often observe Molly out of curiosity, which was rather annoying for Molly. After a while, Cassandra began to see Molly as a fellow companion instead of a character in a story.

**Carver Hawke:** Molly was originally put off by Carver's negative attitude, but soon realized that he was not such a bad person. She came to think of Carver as a friend, so she was very disappointed when returning from the Deep Roads to find that he had become a templar. They remained friends, but after finding out that she had been lying to him for years, Carver immediately cut off all contact with her. She met him again after returning to Kirkwall years later, and due to some light scolding and persuasion from his friends, made up with her.

**Cullen Rutherford:** Cullen saw Molly hanging around the Hawkes on multiple occasions throughout the years. He did not find anything particularly noticeable about her aside from the mask. When they met again when Molly joined the Inquisition, it was extremely awkward for the former templar to learn that she was actually an apostate.

**Ethera Lavellan:** Molly made a rather poor first impression after stealing from Ethera. Molly had also been hesitant of Ethera, skeptical of someone who had been given the title like "Herald of Andraste", even if she denied being it. However, since Varric was hanging around Ethera, Molly figured that she must be a reliable woman, and respected her right off the bat. Though two very different people, Molly and the Inquisitor get along and share a mutual respect.

**Garrett Hawke:** Molly and Garrett are extremely close. Garrett and Varric managed to get her to come out of her shell, and to learn to trust and make friends again. Garrett seemed to be the least bothered when learning that Molly had been lying to them.

**Isabela:** For obvious reasons, Molly always felt that she had a close bond with the thief, and the two get along extremely well. Despite her maturity, Isabela treats Molly somewhat delicately, as she does with Merrill, due to her young age.

**Lyra Hawke:** Molly and Lyra were very close until their relationship became estranged after it was revealed that Molly had been keeping secrets and lying. The two were unable to fully go back to their previous relationship and regain trust until three years later, when Molly told Lyra the exact circumstances of her past.

**Marsaili:** Marsaili immediately took an interest in Molly, which didn't come as much of a shock. Molly was used to getting stares and having people try to figure her out. Marsaili would often try and subtly get information out of her. Molly, having much experience with these kinds of actions, would give Marsaili enough answers to keep her guessing, partly for her own fun. She was somewhat amused with Marsaili's curiosity, as she sensed no hostility or judgment from her like so many others did when trying to guess about the mask and her past. Marsaili eventually stopped the questions, content with her knowledge of Molly. The two got along, Marsaili even asking Molly if she was okay and wanted to talk – not for Marsaili's benefit, but for her own – after Molly's final confrontation with Tommen.

**Rilsi Tivis:** Rilsi is nine years older than Molly, and is both a mentor and family to Molly. When Molly needed to be trained, Rilsi immediately volunteered, excited with the idea of "having a mini-me", claiming that Molly was "part dwarf" due to her mother. Rilsi had been happy to learn that Molly was raised by a dwarf, and for that reason often treated her as one, referring to the others in their group as humans when talking to Molly, and teaching her dwarven slang. "Especially the swear words".

**Sera:** Molly being a mage did not seem to bother Sera that much, likely because she did not use her powers and never mentioned it. Calling the two "partners in crime" may be a bit of an exaggeration, but when Sera wanted to have fun or get into trouble, Molly was always the first person she would go to.

**Tommen Reeves:** Tommen, the youngest of the four original Sycamores, was also the most hesitant to take Molly in. In the end, they grew to have a close relationship, Molly viewing him as an older brother. Over time, Tommen changed, both in their relationship and personality-wise. Molly did not know what had happened that made Tommen change so much, and she never would. Despite running from Tommen for nearly a decade, the idea of killing him never once came to mind until Rilsi came to Skyhold and suggested it. Though Tommen's attitude had changed, and he wasn't the person she remembered, Molly would always love him as a brother.

**Varric Tethras:** Molly is very close with Varric, feeling extremely grateful towards the dwarf and attributing her happiness to him. Varric's insistence on getting to know Molly eventually made her put down her guard and branch out, allowing her to make friends that would last a lifetime, Varric being one of them.

## Miscellaneous

* Varric's nickname for Molly is "Princess" due to her initial curt nature, which he mistook for elitism.
* Isabela affectionately refers to her as "Precious".
* When writing *The Champion of Kirkwall*, Varric included Molly, but he did not mention her mask and left out any information about her past and her being a mage.
* Rilsi is the only one who refers to Molly as Malika before she switched back.
* Molly has the voice of Charlotte Ritchie

## Links

**Reddit Headcanon and Writing Prompt Threads:**

* Malika meets the Sycamores
* Malika learns to fight
* Malika is a mage
* Molly meets Carver
* Isabela sees her face
* Pulling a prank on Lyra
* Anders reflects on Lyra (mentioned)
* Discussing the new year with Lyra
* Finding out Lyra and Fenris are back together (minor role)
* Confiding in Garrett
* Companions' reactions to finding out her secrets
* Lyra's goodbyes (minor role)
* Final farewells
* Joining the Inquisition
* Molly encounters Anders
* Visiting Redcliffe
* Party banter
* During "Deep Trouble"
* Ethera starts "Burdens of Command"
* Solona runs into Cullen (mentioned)
* Malika and Tommen's beginning and end
* Trying to reason with the Inquisitor