i'm a long time traveling away from home.

Isene Lavellan

BASICS

NAME isene lavellan
AGE 24
HEIGHT 5'2"
RACE elvhen
CLASS mage
SPECIALIZATION knight enchanter

WORLD STATE

— The Hero of Fereldan was a city elf rogue named Mara Tabris. Though initially reluctant, Mara rose ably to her destiny and saved Fereldan from the Blight, putting Alistair on the throne with Anora at his side. She encouraged him to perform the ritual with Morrigan, and thus they both lived. She currently is searching for a cure for the calling with Zevran, whom she married after the Blight was routed.

• Befriended all companions
• Romanced Zevran
• Brokered peace between the werewolves and the Dalish
• Supported the mages at the Circle Tower
• Saved both Connor and Isolde
• Bhelen crowned

— Alayne Hawke was a mage. Upon arriving in Kirkwall, she had no aspirations beyond surviving, and is now more than a little confused by her status as champion; regardless, champion she became, and she wants to use her status to the benefit of mages everywhere (much to her lover Fenris' consternation.) Snarky but kind, Alayne used humor to defuse tense situations as much as possible.

• Befriended most companions, rivaled Anders
• Rivalmanced Fenris
• Sided with the mages
• Killed the Arishok in single combat

— Isene Lavellan is a mage, First to the Keeper of Clan Lavellan. Despite the moniker of Herald, she continues to worship the Creators and discourages people from calling her divine. She is diplomatic and benevolent whenever she can be, kind and thoughtful and more than a little naive. Her naivety ends up being her downfall when she falls for Solas and everything she thought she knew about her people is overturned.

• Befriended all but Vivienne and Sera
• Romanced Solas
• Sided with the mages
• Stroud stayed in the Fade, Wardens were rebuilt
• Saved Bull's Chargers
• Celene and Briala rule together
• Cassandra named Divine
• Preserved the Inquisition, hoping to redeem Solas

PERSONALITY

More than anything else, Isene is very aware of her position as the Inquisitor. She is a Dalish elf in a position of power, and more than that, she is a mage. She must be the best leader she can possibly be in order to keep both of those groups from even further scrutiny, and must always present both her elvhen and her magical heritage in the best light. To this end, knowing that she cannot afford to be any less than perfect, Isene can dither over decisions and courses of action, never really sure which is the "right" thing to do. Her drive for perfection stalls her out, leaving her indecisive and overly reliant on her advisors and companions in crucial moments. The decision of who should drink from the Well of Sorrows took precious minutes because Isene wasn't sure what the "right" choice would be, even if she knew what she wanted — to keep her people's heritage with her people.

Being so aware of her duty to her people means that Isene does her best not to say anything cruel or rude — out loud. She takes care of peoples' feelings and tries to keep to the old "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" adage — if she can't be useful or kind, she will defer to others and keep her thoughts to herself. If she is polite, well-spoken, and knows when she shouldn't speak, people must think well of her, and thus, her people. Her propensity to keep mum when she doesn't have anything nice to say is good, because Isene can be extremely judgmental. She has no patience for immaturity or self-serving artifice, and finds anyone who engages in either to be more or less a waste of space in her inquisition. Those who try to drag her down with them are even more annoying — she's running a paramilitary force trying to save the world, she has no time for fun or games. In this way, people like Sera and Vivienne drive Isene up a wall, and while she's unwilling to make too many waves, aware as she is of how much she needs allies, it does mean that she doesn't make as much of an effort to befriend them as she otherwise might. Despite this, the depths of her dislike for them could easily be overlooked — Isene is an adept diplomat, and can talk her way around most everyone. In this way, Isene is incredibly two-faced, and doesn't let her true feelings be seen by anyone she doesn't trust.

A social life, recreation, and opinions are luxuries Isene is rather sure she can't afford, at the moment. Her own well-being comes after the needs of the Inquisition, which come after the needs of the whole of Thedas — wasting her time on such things as pranking her advisors is thoughtless at best, deliberately foolish at worst, and Isene allows herself no time for foolishness. Her own opinions are carefully weighted — will throwing her lot here help the Inquisition or hinder it? Can she afford to be benevolent in this instance, or must she be ruthless for the sake of Thedas? While she will always act according to her own morals as much as possible, practicality is given immense weight in her decision-making process. The only indulgence Isene allows herself is her relationship with Solas, which is the one time she allows herself to relax and do what she wants. Which is not to say that she is utterly joyless, of course — her friendships with her advisors and companions are real and they bring her joy, and she helps them with their personal quests out of affection as much as the idea that in order to be effective in the fight against Corypheus they must be personally satisfied. Isene places herself under an immense amount of pressure and stress, but she finds moments of fun and enjoyment where she can.

Though the responsibility of her position weighs heavily on her shoulders and Isene is first and foremost concerned with doing right by it, there are some moments when she shies away from the more grisly aspects of her life

HOPEFUL / NAÏVE | MORE WORDS