#warden asks

Here's one for your warden: How did they feel about being put in a leading position? Do they resent Alistair for putting that on them or are they ok with it?

-asexualtabris 💜

Fellow Tabris lovers Rise Up!

How did they feel about being put in a leading position? Do they resent Alistair for putting that on them or are they ok with it?

Mara kind of put herself in the leadership role, if I'm making sense. From a young age she's been forced to make difficult decisions, and among the Tabris cousins she's been the one to take initiative, to speak out, etc. So she was completely fine with being the de-facto leader for the Merry Band of Blight Fighters.

She never resented Alistair for this. If anything, she was confused as to why he wasn't the one taking charge as the senior Wardens compared to the two. Until one day Mara got a nasty fever and Alistair was forced to temporarily lead the group to find a herbalist that can cure her fever.

Let's just say by the time they got back and Mara got out of her tent briefly for air (with Wynne and Leliana helping her), a Spider Morrigan was attempting to eat Schmooples with Bonesly trying to eat Spider Morrigan, Sten yeeted Oghren onto a nearby tree, Zevran somehow pinned Alistair against the same tree and Shale was covered in blood and feathers.

"I should have put Wynne in charge..."

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4. How did your Warden speak to Sten? Did they fight with him often or were they more humorous in their responses?

It definitely took a while for Aelwyn to figure Sten out, but once she realised that he was trying to be funny but just being incredibly deadpan about it, they started to get along much better. I like to think she finds a mentor in him, and he comes to respect her as both a grey warden and a leader. 

5. Was your Warden amused by Sten’s love of cookies?

Aelwyn definitely didn’t expect such a stern man to have such a sweet tooth, so she couldn’t help but find the juxtaposition of the two a little amusing. She would try to leave him with cookies and biscuits secretly, when nobody else was looking.

5. How well did your Warden keep in contact with Zevran after the Blight? Did they ever see him again?

I like to think that they kept in contact by exchanging letters, and maybe even bumped into each other occassionally, though their respective professions took them to opposite parts of Thedas.

Dog 1. Who’s a good boy?!

beetroot is... the best Boy

*rubs hands together* time to talk about my problematic baby, woooonderful. Under the cut for length!

1. How did your Warden react to Zevran’s failed attempt on their life? Were they amused? Angry?

Initially Aelwyn was angry and absolutely was intending to leave Zevran where he was after she was done questioning him, but as she talks to him she feels like something is off. She realises that Zevran is disappointed that she didn’t kill him, and after he explains his history with the crows, she can’t help but feel sympathetic and that she can understand how he feels, to a certain degree. Zevran didn’t choose to be a crow like Aelwyn didn’t choose to be a grey warden. She wants to give him a chance, and a way out.

2. How did your Warden respond to Wynne’s comments if your Warden romanced someone? Did they tell her it was love or that the relationship was purely physical?

Aelwyn was honestly hurt by the way that Wynne (initially) assumed the worst of her and Alistair’s relationship. For a while before that Aelwyn’s watched how Wynne has gone out of her way to look after Alistair but has never really extended the same courtesy to her, even though she and Alistair are the same age and going through the same thing. So really the final straw for Aelwyn is when Wynne approaches her and tells her to be careful, that she shouldn’t hurt Alistair’s feelings, and that she should remember that he is the son of a king. At this point Aelwyn is getting tired of being reminded that Alistair is Maric’s son, and the implication that she is somehow getting in the way or holding him back. Aelwyn responds that it’s love, but it’s also them coming together after everything they have been through together so far. Aelwyn does accept Wynne’s apology but things never quite defrost between them after that.

5. Was Morrigan’s ritual completed? What persuaded your Warden to go through with it or what caused them to refuse it?

Lmao okay so I have changed how the ritual goes down slightly just so its like... less Yikes. Anyway; Aelwyn does approach Alistair about the ritual, but presents it as an option. She definitely has mixed feelings about it, but leaves the decision up to Alistair. If there is one thing Alistair and Morrigan can agree on it’s that they both love and care for Aelwyn, in their own ways. Morrigan doesn’t want her best friend, someone she considers a sister, to die, or have to watch someone she loves die.  While for Alistair it’s about the future. He has just started coming round to the idea that they could actually defeat and survive the blight, and now that he’s revoked his claim to the throne he’s really started to think about the future with Aelwyn. They could survive and rebuild the wardens together, and they’d both finally have the thing they’d been wanting throughout the blight: a home, and a community to be a part of and thrive with. At this point they don’t know that Riordan is going to die, so it is just insurance, but he doesn’t want to take that risk. 

5. How well did your Warden get along with Leliana? What was their relationship like?

Their friendship got off to a bumpy start, since Aelwyn was less than impressed by some of Leliana’s assumptions of the Dalish. Once she sees that Leliana is trying to do better they start to also get along better. She enjoys Leliana’s stories, she enjoys hearing about what Leliana has seen and done, Aelwyn responding in kind with her own stories about her life with her clan. The two of them also enjoy splitting off from the rest of the group to indulge in more...”girly” things from time to time, like Aelwyn sharing how she makes her own make-up or Leliana doing Aelwyn’s hair up in a complicated Orlesian style.

4. Did your Warden attempt to find Morrigan after the Blight? Did they ever succeed in meeting her again?

Aelwyn began a search for Morrigan around 9.32, at the request of the First Warden (basically, the events of Witch Hunt). Apart from this I don’t think they have seen each other, since Aelwyn respected Morrigan’s wishes and didn’t follow her any further. The closest she would have gotten to seeing or hearing anything about her was after Alistair met with her in Skyhold in 9.41.

4. What was your Warden’s opinion on Loghain’s decision to abandon King Cailan and the Grey Wardens at Ostagar? What did they think of Loghain afterwards?

Aelwyn thought it irresponsible and cruel, but she didn’t take it as personally as Alistair did. She didn’t know much about Cailan except for the fact he was the king, so she was more saddened by the loss of Duncan and the other wardens, even if just because she saw how hard it hit Alistair. But I think she also lamented the loss of the chance to get to spend more time with them. Her opinion of Loghain only really continues to go downhill after Ostagar. After seeing the actions he takes against them throughout the game, Aelwyn can tell he’s getting increasingly desperate. It turns into a more open hatred after the events of the Denerim alienage, then joining Alistair in the opinion that his life should not be spared. 

1. What was your Warden’s position on the Chantry? Were they wary of Leliana due to their religious beliefs or lack thereof?

Aelwyn doesn’t believe in the Maker or the Chant herself. She steadily becomes more anti-Chantry as she learns more about the Circles and the templars and the methods the Chantry employ to control both. She let Leliana come along because she seemed genuine in her want to help, and at that point the group really needed it. 

5. How well did your Warden get along with Leliana? What was their relationship like?

answered here!

1. What was your Warden’s first impression of Morrigan? Did they trust her or were they cautious around her?

Aelwyn’s first impression was that Morrigan looked... sharp. She was dressed in a mish mash sort of way, with a leather patched skirt and different types of fur and jewellery adorning her, with her sharp elbows pointing out from her clothes, her sharp face with the purple paint smudged over her eyes. Aelwyn was a little cautious, but knew that if they wanted to get the Warden treaties they had come for, then it would be best not to antagonise Morrigan. She trusted her enough to follow her willingly to Flemeth’s hut

3. How close was your Warden to Morrigan? Did your Warden respect her abilities as a witch of the wilds?

Aelwyn and Morrigan became close friends, to the point where Morrigan considered her a sister. Being Dalish and coming from a culture that respects and looks to their mages for guidance, Aelwyn respected Morrigan for her abilities from the start. Aelwyn felt a certain over-protectiveness towards Morrigan, considering the majority of the rest of the group’s distrust of her, and hearing how badly she was treated by Flemeth growing up. In turn Morrigan looks out for Aelwyn, though she’d have you believe that she’s just trying to convince Aelwyn to act more selfishly.