#iris lavellan

Set in ancient Arlathan, Solas is the happily married king of his land, ruling with Iris by his side. He’s called by Mythal to go to war against the titans, who are angry that the Elvhen are stealing lyrium to craft bodies.

Solas cleverly crafts the means to end the war, bringing about ruin for the Dwarven empire. Despondent, he travels with his crew for years, encountering calamities and refusing to pray to the kings and queens who now call themselves gods.

In the meantime, suitors seek Iris’ hand and their now-adult daughter, Mira must watch as her mamae refuses to give up hope that her husband remains alive, despite her own attempts to search for his sleeping mind in the Fade. As one bodily born and not Fade born, Iris cannot be queen, but Mira, as the daughter of one of the Firsts of the Elvhen can, but is viewed as too young to seek her birthright.

Solas returns to find his kingdom in shambles, with few still loyal to his family and rescues Mira from an assassination plot, not revealing his identity as her papae. Recognizing his home is no longer within his kingdom, he comes up with a plan to dispose of the suitors, keep his daughter safe and reunite with his beloved vhenan.

For my first trick, I got to paint a scene from The Wolf’s Flower, by MissJLH. Her absolutely gorgeous Lavellan, Iris, meets with Solas in this field of flowers in the Fade, just a bit too ideal to be real. JLH loves the post-impressionists, so I wanted to emulate that style a bit and channel my inner Odilon Redon, and pull in some (very famous, recognizable) Irises by Van Gogh to play with.

I especially enjoyed painting the detail of Iris’ conjured magical spirit-arm, and I love that she doesn’t rely on this magic all the time and that it has a cost!

And she’s just such a babe. I think we can all agree.

Thank you for the ask! I should really write more with these two.

7. How do the Inquisitor and Hawke get along?Aida

Garrett Hawke reminded Aida so much of her late brother, she found a melancholy sort of comfort in his company. They forged a strong friendship on the shared bond of their similar grief, and the pressure of needing to rise up in the wake of that loss. Garrett having lost Bethany and Aida still mourning Marcus who was a casualty at the Conclave. Long after the events of Inquisition they remained in contact, maintaining that friendship through their lives.

Iris

It was impossible for her to not be wary of him. Iris knew that many people in Thedas would prefer the inquisition lead by someone like Hawke, especially with the alternative being a Dalish elf. It took her a while to trust he wasn’t there with the intention of taking the Inquisition out from under her. Even after coming to trust him, she always kept the champion at a distance. Eventually, with some help from Varric and his stories, she did warm up to him. Even if it was a cautious sort of friendliness.