#deshanna

okay the crackheads who raised him now in color. I am never gonna wanna draw them old I know it cause I am lazy and this is all flat colors and yet it still took hours lolll

Thank you for the prompt for @dadrunkwriting!

Here’s a fic about Aylwen & Keeper Deshanna (aka, basically her adoptive mom)–in the past! I’ve never written much about my Deshanna headcanons on this blog, but I imagine her as a very young Keeper, only about 25 when she assumed the role, and maybe only a year or two older than that when she took Aylwen on as her First.

“Keeper!”

Deshanna, who’d been kneelingon the forest floor to gather elfroot, jumped at the voice. She turned.

“Da’len, how many timesmust I tell you not to shout so?”

Aylwen, her four-year-oldapprentice, ground to a halt, looking cowed. Internally, Deshanna winced. Shehadn’t meant to sound so harsh.

“Sorry,” Aylwen said. Herfoot scuffed in the dirt.

Deshanna sighed and gotto her feet. “Just remember next time.”

She brushed off herskirts and walked over. Aylwen’s eyes were on the ground, and that guilt Deshannaso frequently felt around her new apprentice burned inside her. By the DreadWolf, she didn’t know how you were supposed to act around a child. She hadn’t evenexpected to be training a First so soon, much less one so young.

Once closer, she tried tocatch her apprentice’s eye. “Well, Da’len.” She offered an uneasy smile. “Whathave you come bursting out of the forest to show me?”

Aylwen brightened, and Deshannanoticed for the first time that her hand was behind her back. She held herchubby fist out to the Keeper. Clutched in it was a white flower.

“Here!”

Deshanna narrowed hereyes. “And what is that, Da’len?”

“A present. For you!”

Deshanna faltered. She’dbeen hoping Aylwen would come back with Elfroot, like she’d told her to. Butnow she was too touched to correct her. She reached out and accepted the flowerfrom the child. Aylwen smiled and Deshanna felt a fluttering in her heart, asort of tearful feeling.

“Thank you,” Deshannasaid. She smiled, a more genuine one this time. “Did you know, Da’len, that thisis an herb too? Would you like me to tell you about it?”

Aylwen nodded, her blondecurls bobbing.

Deshanna stumbled acrossit while she was cleaning, a day after Aylwen left for the Divine Conclave. Shewas rearranging her meager collection of books and on a whim she opened one.Pressed between two pages was a dried white flower.

She took it and held itup to the light, mouth falling open with wonder. She didn’t even rememberkeeping it, and yet here it was. Immediately her mind went back to that moment,so long ago. The forest, little Aylwen holding the flower up to her, as clearas if it were yesterday.

She’s seen what isolating the Dalish from the humans has looked like and it isn’t doing the People any good. So she sends either her First (in this case, maybe the former Second?) or a Hunter to spy on the humans, figure out how the Dalish can learn to live besides the humans without such conflict.

Deshanna Istimaethoriel Lavellan trans - she/her. shapeshifter Joined Lavellan during an Arlathvhen in her late twenties and became Keeper at thirty-two. Dreadlocks down to her knees and wears furs. Buff and proud. Retired sometime in her sixties and passed the title of Keeper to Fanari. Honorary fourth parent of Fanari and Elnara. Favorite form: harris hawk. Hobby: crafting animal remains. Vallaslin: June’s dotted design, golden ink.

trans boards for trans characters

black trans woman with dreadlocks down to her knees

her vallaslin is june’s dotted design in gold ink

in her 40s/50s during Inquisition

schools of magic are shapeshifting, nature, and some dabbling in blood magic (no demon pact, and doesn’t practice often enough to identify as a blood mage)

speaking of, expert at interacting with demons/spirits. fen’harel who????

also speaking of solas, she terrified him when they met during fanari’s canon

her favorite form to take is that of a harris hawk

collects bones and pelts (most often of smaller animals she hunts as a raptor) and got fanari into vulture culture

joined clan lavellan in her late twenties

has a twin brother who became keeper of the istimaethoriel clan

wears furs but has a “sun’s out guns out” mentality

she could take over the entire free marches with her abs alone

i tried creating her in the cc once evidence of the deed under the cut

More members of Clan Lavellan! This time it’s Deshanna and Brahlen.

Deshanna is the clan’s Keeper, older sister to Deyhnon, and Nesiaris’ aunt. She was originally from clan Istamathoriel (because I’m guessing Istamathoriel is the name of a clan? Like how the Warden is Mahariel Sabrae) but her parents took her to clan Lavellan when she was very young due to their severe lack of mages (Deshanna had come into her magic at a very young age). When she was younger she used to be very rambunctious, though would quickly tone down for her little brother, but since becoming Keeper she’s mellowed down.