IceCat's Fandom Blog

No matter how long he plans to be gone, Julius ALWAYS carries at least one sketchbook (Item 1) with him, along with some sort of writing utensil. Whether or not he simply brings charcoal (Item 2 and his preferred drawing tool) or his entire art kit (Item 3) depends entirely on how long he plans to be away from Skyhold. For short forays into the wilds of the Hinterlands, the only things he needs to be content are a good view, his sketchbook and charcoal, and a lit pipe, which leads us into item #4.

Item 4

Julius is a habitual pipe smoker and has been since he was a young teen, terrorizing the halls of the Ostwick Circle with his best friend/boyfriend/not boyfriend, Calix (rip). Interestingly enough, however, although the pipe is partially habitual by this point, it is also medicinal. Julius had JIA (Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis - obviously undiagnosed in Thedas) as a young child, which led to him having debilitating inflammation and pain in his joints, with the primarily affected areas being his hands and fingers.

Having a chronic illness that affected his ability to properly use his hands was less than ideal for both a young mage-in-training and an artist, which is why the circle healers stopped at nothing to try and find SOMETHING that could make the pain bearable for teenage Julius. They tried pain relief potions, tinctures, tonics, balms, and even magical alternatives, but none of them had any real bearing on the intensity of Julius' pain flare-ups, which would leave him barely able to hold a piece of charcoal, let alone use a staff.

This cycle of trying and failing an assortment of different pain management methods went on for about three years, from the time Julius first arrived at the circle at age 10 until age 13, when a well-meaning senior enchanter offered Julius a hit of the pipe he was smoking after hearing about Julius' health problems and noticing how Julius struggled with carrying out drawing even basic runes in his lectures. The pipe contained a blend of elfroot and other medicinal herbs, and almost immediately after accepting the pipe, Julius' pain dulled for the first time in well... ever. Unfortunately for Julius, who had never smoked before, he didn't know the etiquette and took too long a drag and got violently ill, forcing Calix to care for him while he recovered, but that's a story for a different day. The takeaway was that for the first time in his life, Julius had found something that could dampen the debilitating pain that he'd been grappling with for as long as he could remember. The enchanter gave Julius his own pipe to use as he saw fit, which is pictured in Item 4, as well as a kit to pack the pipe and hold Julius's herb blends.

At 25, Julius's arthritis would no longer be classified as JIA, but RA (rheumatoid arthritis - still obviously undiagnosed in Thedas), which is why, during any ventures outside of Skyhold, no matter the destination, Julius always has his pipe and kit with him.

Item 5

As a carryover from item 4, it turns out that smoked herbs, no matter what they are (smelling looking at you, Mary Jane and tobacco), SMELL terrible. The acrid scent of a garden aflame permeates the air around a smoker, and even the Herald of Andraste Julius is no exception. Which is why Julius always carries cologne (item 5) with him to help neutralize the scent of the herb blends he smokes. He's been wearing colognes since he was a teenager, but they were cheap and not of great quality, which is why his romance and the person who has to smell him the most, Dorian, now buys Julius expensive and quality colognes.

Julius primarily wears strong, woodsy scents such as sandalwood and mahogany, although there's always a subtle, almost pleasant undercurrent of something...herby under the musk.

Item 6

Julius is a mage, and naturally, mages need a pool of mana to cast spells. Which is why, when stores run low in the thick of battle, Julius turns to lyrium potions like any other good circle mage. Julius only uses lyrium potions when situations are dire, but he always has them just in case he, Dorian, or any other magic-user (or templar) is ever in need. In addition to the lyrium potions, Julius also carries a small supply of healing potions in his bag. Although he's a fairly competent spirit healer, he turns to healing potions in a pinch when corners are tight and mana is low during battles. He would much rather be safe than sorry.

Item 7

Item 7 is simply some sort of book- he swaps the book out when he gets back to Skyhold for an unread one. Julius has a plethora of preferred reading material, from romance novels to books about complex magical theory. When he's not drawing during downtime on the road (most often due to pain in his joints), he's settling down by the fire with a lit pipe and a good book in hand.

Item 8 (Bonus item)

Surprise, it's a pipe! Yes, we're going back to pipes when we already spent multiple paragraphs talking about Julius' proclivity towards inhaling illicit herbs - but this isn't just any pipe. Remember the dead bestie/boyfriend/not boyfriend/but so totally his boyfriend, named Calix, that I mentioned earlier in the post? Well, this particular pipe is special and HIGHLY sentimental for Julius because Calix made it for him as a final project for an advanced crafting class he took one semester.

While Julius took art (naturally), Calix was taught how to work with different metals, glasses, furs, and pretty much any other material you can imagine. Julius casually drew a sketch of an ornate pipe in his sketchbook one evening and happened to leave it open on his desk. Calix, being the nosey caring bastard he was, ripped the sketch out and used it as inspiration for his final project for the crafting class, which had a creative freedom component. He surprised Julius with the pipe after Julius survived his Harrowing, not long after his 18th birthday.

While Calix was alive, this pipe became not only Julius' favorite, but his preferred one to use amongst the dozen or so he had begun to collect. Now, years after Calix's passing, Julius still uses the pipe to smoke when he's at Skyhold, but he refuses to use it when he's out and about traveling for fear of misplacing it. Instead, he brings a "burner" pipe that he isn't afraid of losing. Nowadays, he carries the pipe Calix made him as a sort of good luck talisman and a way to feel like Calix is always with him.

And that's it! That's what Inquisitor Julius Trevelyan keeps in that tattered satchel of his. Parts 2 and 3, along with the other two members of my little trio of serial Dorianmancers, will be posted... one year.

Bonus: A stupid, but beloved edit I did of my boy.

Thank you for the commission!