2. How would they meet the Inquisitor?
(if the inquisitor is jiriel, because hathorn was convinced to stay with clan lavellan and therefore survived the conclacve)
charging in all the way from the free marches, pointing arrows at everyone who stands between him and his sib, yelling at everyone until he can find them and make sure theyre ok and jiriel what absolute shem bullshit is going on here whats this green shit on your hand lets get out of here right fucking now
(if the inquisitor is not jiriel)
theres literally absolutely no way hathorn would join the inquisition unless jiriel joined first and he followed them. if the inquisitor is an elf, jiriel will join near the beginning of the game. if the inquisitor is not an elf, jiriel will join when the temple of mythal mission becomes available as a temporary companion, and will be an option to drink from the well of sorrows(if jiriel joins the inquisition)
he would be lurking moodily behind them, not talking to anyone and speaking only in grunts
4. What would their romance route look like? Would they be romancable?
female inquisitors can flirt with hathorn all they want, but he will not notice or ever confront her about it. if she persists, however, there will be a cutscene wherein sera will tell her to knock it off
a male inquisitor of any race could get his attention by spending casual, low-stress time with him. hathorn is a simple man who enjoys archery, hanging around in the woods, and other outdoorsy activities. hathorn is the kind of guy who will get up at sunrise to run five miles through the snow as a easy warmup. a male elven inquisitor can score some approval points by taking the piss out of Weird Shemlen Things with him. simply being friends with him is the best way to get his interest.
flirting is possible, but pointless, as he wont notice any of it until a certain point in the romance route, at which point he will directly proposition a male inquisitor with high approval, regardless of whether he has been flirting with him or not. if the male inquisitor declines, no approval is lost, and the friendship continues without any awkwardness on hathorn’s part. if the male inquisitor accepts, he will begin a friends-with-benefits relationship with hathorn.
hathorn will play his cards pretty close to his chest, and wont admit any feelings on his own initiative. he is not at all romantic or expressive, but will present the inquisitor with little gifts and perform favors, everything from listening intently to backrubs to taking care of tedious inquisition business. if the inquisitor states that this is a sex thing only, hathorn won’t respond negatively or seem to be hurt at all, but he will leave or stay with the inquisition entirely depending on what jiriel does.
jiriel is not a combat mage and will only accompany the inquisitor during certain missions, but they still have an approval meter. they will only remain with the inquisition if approval is quite high, although if the inquisitor is in a romance with hathorn and/or an elf, only middling-high approval will do. their approval may be gained by allying with the mages, recruiting the grey wardens, reuniting celene and briala, completing the dalish favor quest, and allowing them to drink from the well of sorrows.
however, if the inquisitor confesses feelings during a cutscene, hathorn will become withdrawn and unresponsive, and will attempt to quickly escape the situation. if the inquisitor’s dexterity is high enough, he can catch him by the wrist and prevent him leaving, but all that results in is a shut-up-kiss. he won’t bring it up again, but will stay with the inquisition no matter what jiriel’s approval is. (it is possible to have jiriel’s approval low but hathorn’s high, and vice versa. hathorn disapproves of leaving celene alive no matter what, favors more hard-fisted decisions, and disapproves of messing with magic stuff despite his overall pro-mage views. if this is the case, the inquisitor can witness an argument between them near the end of the game.)
in trespasser, if the inquisitor claimed it was only a sex thing, he will be friendly but not particularly attached, although he will show deep concern over the mark. it is possible to rekindle a sexual relationship, leading to an amusing cutscene involving some orlesian nobles, but it wont go any deeper than that.
if the inquisitor confessed feelings, however, he will offer a dalish betrothal ring almost immediately upon meeting the inquisitor again. he will also grow more and more wildly upset over the mark. it is this extreme situation which will lead hathorn to state his true feelings directly in a cutscene towards the end of the dlc.
it takes 5 years and a near-death experience, but hathorns love, once won, is iron-strong, and he will follow a romanced inquisitor to the ends of the earth without question.
