Cullen's mage crush Ariulahna although she is once again open to some tweaks. Core features: friends with mutual crushes in Kinloch Hold Circle Tower, forcibly separated from one another by the Blight/Uprising/etc., she's related to Lavellan for some special indigenous angst in later volumes, has an interesting or unique magic warranting First Enchanter Irving's interference in her sentencing (currently thinking of building her around Origins' Crushing Prison spell because yikers) and this is the one that goes on to be around a lot in later volumes. She'll work with Leliana and maybe also Morrigan over the years, and specifically will be around for Cullen in Inquisition during his sobriety journey as well.
Mirae, city elf dagger-lesbian, borderline feral, this one and the next one are (to me) the ugly beating heart of this story, though since Ariulahna features so heavily in my larger timeline, all three elves are pretty essential. Mirae and Zevran mirror each other a lot, which can be dangerous at times. When Leliana talks about "my love" and "she's on her own quest" in Inquisition, this is who she's talking about. "Like dogs, Shianni."
Ghil'alani, the Dalish warrior. Originally really had my heart set on this character being non-binary but I put most of that character into my eventual Inquisitor so who this character is as a person is now a bit... blurry. As the Dalish warden is the only one for whom the Joining literally saved their life when nothing else could, this is always the origin I think meshes most with the super idealistic hero-complexy type, someone who is so ready to die for this cause because they were already on bonus time, who has FELT the infection and knows there is no happily ever after for them, thus nothing to be gained by self-preservation.
Lea Amell: Not from the same tower as Surana, a human mage who is related to the Hawke siblings yes, one of three characters who I had drafted to have been older wardens in the party. Okay in a fight but absolutely indispensable in the building and managing of a party camp, a travel caravan, or even a smallish army. Has a very close but slightly bickery relationship with Wynne, though they've only met a few times before this.
Duran Aeducan: Events of Aeducan Origin happened some three years ago, ending with him being marooned into the Deep Roads, collected by a unit of Legion of the Dead, and smuggled to Weisshaupt to their cousins with the Wardens. Lives a very monk-like life, he believes he is equally to blame for the death of his eldest brother, and thus would never consider seeking any kind of power or recognition again. He is a trained and very competent military commander, but will disappear immediately if confronted with a meeting, let alone a function.
Characters to be written:
Brosca! Difficult relationship with her mom, really loves her little sister, ?????? i haven't found her yet i don't think.
Cousland: Loving family slaughtered, illusions about the world shattered, is she broken and despondent? Terminally cheerful and in denial? Feral like Mirae? I don't know! Is she gonna marry Alistair? I DON'T KNOW?! Like given the above she would fit easily into that slot i guess but i just think Alistair avec Cousland is boring. I don't know...
I am gonna need to break out the stickers and string for this one. All told, there are a minimum of 14 people in this camp, 16 if you count the dogs (which you probably should), and up to like 20 if you count Bodahn and the various other folks who will come and go.
