It’s like, I DO love the whole, “LI is completely devoted to MC” thing, I do. It gives me butterflies. “Who did this to you” is an excellent trope, love a grand gesture, love proof that someone has been devoted and pining for a lot longer than they’ve let on. All that stuff is great.
BUT,
That doesn’t mean I want that person to no longer care about ANYTHING ELSE except their romantic partner. I DNF’d the third book of the FBAA series, but from the things I’ve heard and the pieces of the newer books I’ve read, Casteel is a completely different person. He no longer seems to care about anything at all except for Poppy, and most of the time he only cares about fulfilling her sexual desires. This is good fantasy fodder, I understand why this trope is appealing, but it’s the transition from a complex, multi-motived character to a bona fide disciple that is really disappointing.
I recognize that I haven’t read all of those books, so I can’t speak on it with total certainty, but -
I HAVE read all of the ACOTAR books, and while I don’t think Rhys’s character has degraded to the same level or degree as Casteel’s seems to have, I have still been really disappointed with his behavior since the middle of ACOWAR. It seems like he doesn’t really care about anyone except for Feyre and now their child, and that makes me sad. He’s screwed over Azriel, Cassian, and Mor, a few of them more than once, and hasn’t seemed apologetic at all.
These are supposed to be the people he DOES value and DOES want to protect. I understand that he was ruthless under the mountain, but he was ruthless for their sake. He’s lied to all of them and on several occasions basically refused to consider their feelings beyond a cursory mind-to-mind convo with Feyre. In fact, Feyre seems to be the only one of the two of them who still tries to prioritize their friends’ happiness and well-being even if it’s less convenient/a bit of a headache for her and Rhys.
Yes, I’m referring to Rhys pretty dismissively and harshly warning Azriel off of Elain in the bonus POV (really, Rhys, your best friend of five hundred years and you think he’s just tryna whet his whistle with one of the most “off-limits” women in Prythian?) , but also the way he handled the alliance with Eris and the bargain with Keir in relation to Mor, his asking Azriel to lie to Cassian about the illyrian rebels and essentially withholding crucial information from Cassian, and his lack of consideration for Elain’s opinion in the court machinations he’s laid out in his head. Even if Elain does want to be with Lucien (though I definitely don’t think she does) Rhys doesn’t seem interested in finding out.
But I’m not even here to argue about the ships! I just wish that authors would allow their male LIs to still have loyalties and motivations beyond their significant other. That’s what keeps the ship interesting! They can be together 100%, be completely and undoubtedly in love with each other, but still care about other things and people. I know you can make the case that Rhys wasn’t just disregarding his family for Feyre but also for the greater good, but then he put literally his entire court and really all of Prythian at risk when he made the death pact with Feyre.
Idk, this is a bit of a ramble, I’m not even sure if I have a definitive thesis here. I’d love to hear other takes on this but to me, Rhys’s abandonment of every other loyalty in his life to prioritize not just Feyre’s life, but also anything that might complicate their situation non-lethally, is not great.
I just, I don’t want complex characters to lose their complexity! That’s no fun! And it leads to a really boring and unsatisfying phase or end for a lot of otherwise fantastic ships.
Cassandra keeps her hair as short as her temper, and her blade nearly as sharp
Dorian’s little satchel is a place to store reagents
Sera wears what she likes for as long as she likes it, and if she wants something else, she’ll steal it
Orlesian fashion favors pastel hues
While keeping to the style of the Orlesian court, the flexibility of Morrigan’s leather corset allows her to cast a spell or two, in case a bard steps out of line
What little armor Vivienne allows herself is cleverly hidden - except for the rolled edges of her breast plate, there’s little external evidence of the hard steel beneath. Her cuirass is wrapped in linen overlaid with strips of silk
Varric’s kit title isn’t his title (like “The Commander of the Inquisition”) or a motif (like “The Wild Card”), it’s “The Guy Who Knows a Guy”, lol
Varric wears a silk scarf, pinstripe pants and carries a flask
Varric’s entire description actually: “Look for the best dressed man in Lowton and you’ll find Varric Tethras. There among the gamblers and thieves, this merchant prince holds court, spinning his stories as he robs the room blind. The famed companion to the Champion of Kirkwall knows a good shirt can sell a story, and the right clothes are every bit as valuable as coin. Born a surface dwarf, Varric’s dress is a subtle snub to tradition, foregoing the typical beard while making light of ostentatious merchant families.”
@felassan these kits were originally released on the BioWare blog back in 2015. I don’t know why they didn’t upload them all to the new site, but you can find Blackwall’s hereandCorypheus’ here.
Anytime there’s new Dragon Age news I’m just sitting here I’m ready
In honour of the new title reveal, here’s the man himself. My collection is still missing a few characters, so will the over a year wait for the next game give me enough time to finish them? At my current pace of new patterns probably not, but let’s stay optimistic! With each new tidbit of news the beast is fed haha.
The dragon age franchise is in no way perfect but one thing I adore about it is how three dimensional it’s female characters are. Cassandra, Leliana, Sera, Vivienne, Merrill, Isabela, Morrigan, Josephine - each of these characters has just as much thought, story and depth put into them as their male counterparts. And they’re not ‘perfect’ either, each of them is messy, flawed.
Like take Cassandra. In most mainstream media Cassandra would probably be reduced to 'strong woman’, maybe a joke made about how this strong woman likes girly things sometimes like romance. Cassandra though? She has depth. She has strong friendships. She has her faith and her doubt, she has her love of literature. She is definitely sexy, but she’s not depicted as constantly sexy or horny or whatever else. She is a fully formed character, vital in her game just as much as the others. She is distinct not only from her male counterparts but from the other women in the group. Yet she can also have bonds with those women, with Sera and Leliana particularly. Its truly glorious to watch.
And I just. I love that. I think that’s one reason why I adore the franchise as a whole. In Dragon Age I find most of my fav characters are women, whereas in other media the women aren’t always present enough to blorbo. And there’s just… Just this ability to actually give a damn about their female characters and write them with just as much nuance as the men.
[Commissioned by @hiswrathundoesthewicked. This is, to my knowledge, the first attempt at giving one of the Eldest, the fey equivalent of demigods in Pathfinder, a stat block. I borrowed formatting and abilities from the demon lords and empyreal lords in order to do so. Morrigan, or the Morrigan, is an Irish goddess of war and death, and casts a long shadow over modern interpretations of Celtic myth and culture, neopaganism, and the concept of fey in fantasy. So much so that there’s already two Eldest canonical to Pathfinder, Madgh and Shyka the Many, that poach some of her flavor. So I had to make sure that this Morrigan stood out and had a niche.
She also casts a long shadow over horny artists on the internet, although she does come by it more honestly than some other mythological figures. In surviving myths, she does try to seduce Cúchulainn, who refuses her, and has sex with the god Dagda before his battle with the fomorians. Both a Darkstalkers character and a Dragon Age character are named Morrigan in her honor, and both of them wear very revealing clothing. Most artistic depictions of the actual goddess Morrigan also involve deep cleavage, open robes and boobplate. Part of the reason I chose this art was because it looks regal and fierce and not at all sexualized.]
Morrigan The Phantom Queen, Queen of Crows N Eldest Fey of battle, death and scavengers DomainsAnimal, Death, Luck, War SubdomainsBlood, Fate, Feathers, Tactics Worshippersdruids, tengu, warriors Minionsnorns, valkyries, vilderavns Holy Symbol bird skull with blood painted over the eyes Favored Weapon bastard sword ObedienceWash your hands, face and weapons in blood. This can be your own blood or someone else’s. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on saves vs. death effects Feysworn Boons 1. Battle Gift (Sp) deathwatch3/day,spiritual weapon 2/day or vampiric touch 1/day 2. Fight On (Su) You gain ferocity as a supernatural ability. 3. Death to All Foes (Sp) You can cast wail of the banshee once per day.
Eldest, Morrigan CR 28 N Fey This woman is statuesque and muscled, with a cruel beauty. She appears almost entirely human, except that her hands are stained red and end in bird like talons instead of nails. She wears an iron crown and a cloak of black feathers.
Morrigan the Phantom Queen is the fey patron of warfare. Unlike many other powers of war, she is stridently neutral, giving succor or inflicting banes on warriors of any creed, cause or alignment as she sees fit. Her primary interest in war is in generating the dead and feeding her beloved beasts, scavengers all. Although in different places she may be associated with boars and eels, vultures and hyenas, her favorites are the crows, who act as her eyes and ears in the sky, and in whose feathers she is perpetually adorned.
Morrigan is more interested in turning the tides of battles than in fighting herself. She frequently visits battlefields in the form of a crow, using her spell-like abilities and curse of unluck to make a peasant into a hero, a king into a fool, and generally make wars more deadly and more interesting. She may offer her services intentionally to a warrior in exchange for some favor, but just as often bestows her gifts capriciously. In combat, she is deadly with sword and bow, and the grievous wounds she inflicts delay healing from all sources. Morrigan never fights to the death if she can help it, as there are so many other battles to influence and decomposers to feed.
The creatures that serve Morrigan come from all manner of alignments, interpreting her silences and cryptic pronouncements as they see fit. Norns attempt to weave her battles into their tapestries of fate, and she is on good terms with Madgh, their patron. Valkyries and einherji fight for her glorious honor, and take the finest warriors to join their ranks when they die. Vilderavns use her doctrines to destabilize nations and sew dissent among armies. Morrigan has cordial relations with the psychopomps, as she has little interest in the flow of souls. The Horseman of War despises her and views her as competition, but Morrigan pays that position little mind.
Morrigan CR 28 XP 4,915,200 N Medium fey (Eldest, extraplanar, shapechanger) Init+10;Senseslifesense 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +51 Defense AC47, touch 31, flat-footed 47(+10 Dex, +6 deflection, +13 natural, +8 armor) hp682 (35d6+560); regeneration 20 (deific or mythic) Fort+29,Ref+30,Ref+29 DR20/epic and cold iron; Immuneability damage, ability drain, charms, compulsions, curses, death effects, energy drain, fear, poison; Resistacid 30, cold 30, electricity 30, fire 30; SR39 Defensive Abilities cloak of feathers, ferocity,freedom of movement, improved uncanny dodge, recovery Offense Speed30 ft., fly 60 ft. (good) Melee+5 adamantine bastard sword +36/+31/+26/+21 (1d10+20/17-20), claw +25 (1d6+7 plus curse of unluck) or 2 claws +30 (1d6+13 plus curse of unluck) Ranged+5 adaptive composite longbow +33/+28/+23/+18 or +31/+31/+26/+21/+16 (1d8+20/x3) Special Attacks festering critical Spell-like Abilities CL 28th, concentration +39 Constant—freedom of movement, shield of faith At will—astral projection, bestow curse (DC 25), greater teleport, haste (M), heroism (M), rage (DC 24), threefold aspect, vampiric touch (M) 3/day—blade barrier (DC 27) (M), finger of death (DC 28) (M), geas/quest,greater dispel magic, heal (DC 27) (M), harm(DC 27) (M), quickened mass bull strength, summon fey, transformation(B),vision 1/day—animal shapes, mage’s disjunction (M),power word kill (M), wail of the banshee (DC 30) (M) = can use the mythic version of this spell-like ability in her fey realm Statistics Str36,Dex31,Con42,Int30,Wis29,Cha33 Base Atk +17;CMB+28 (+32 disarm, sunder); CMD58 FeatsAlertness,Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Deadly Aim, Disruptive, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword), Great Fortitude, Greater Disarm, Greater Penetrating Strike, Greater Sunder, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Critical (bastard sword, longbow), Improved Disarm, Improved Sunder, Improved Vital Strike, Penetrating Strike, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Quicken SLA (mass bull strength), Rapid Shot, Spellbreaker, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (bastard sword, longbow), Weapon Specialization (bastard sword, longbow) SkillsAcrobatics +48, Bluff +49, Diplomacy +49, Disguise +49, Fly +52, Heal +44, Intimidate +46, Knowledge (local, nature) +48, Knowledge (history, nobility, religion) +45, Perception +51, Sense Motive +51, Stealth +48, Survival +44 LanguagesAklo, Auran, Celestial, Common, Infernal, Elven, Necril, Sylvan, telepathy 300 ft. SQbattle gift,change shape (animal, giant or humanoid, greater polymorph), Eldest traits, visions of murder,warrior fey Ecology Environmentany land Organizationunique Treasuredouble standard (+5 adamantine bastard sword, +5 adaptive composite longbow, 60 arrows, other treasure) Special Abilities Battle Gift (Sp) Morrigan can use her transformationspell-like ability as if it had a range of touch. Cloak of Feathers (Su) When wearing a garment made out of feathers, Morrigan gains a +8 armor bonus to AC without a maximum Dex bonus or armor check penalty, and a fly speed of 60 feet with good maneuverability. This is an effect of Morrigan, not her cloak. Curse of Unluck (Su) Claw—injury;saveWill DC 38; frequency1/hour;effecttarget must reroll any roll decided by the GM and take the worse result; durationuntil removed. The save DC is Charisma based. Morrigan also inflicts this curse with her natural weapons when assuming a form with natural weapons using change shape. Eldest Traits (Ex, or Sp) Morrigan is one of the Eldest, powerful fey lords that rule over domains of the First World. The Eldest have the following traits
The Eldest can grant spells to their worshipers, granting access to four domains and four subdomains
An Eldest’s natural weapons, as well as any weapon they wield, are treated as being epic and any alignment possessed by the Eldest
Immunity to ability damage, ability drain, charm effects, compulsion effects, energy drain and fear effects
Regeneration (Ex) Only damage from a deific or mythic source can deal permanent damage to the Eldest
Rejuvenation (Ex) When an Eldest is slain, they return to life in its realm in 1d10 days. An Eldest may only use this ability once per year—if they are slain again in the meantime, they are slain for good.
Summon Fey (Sp) Three times per day as a standard action, an Eldest can summon up to a CR 20 encounter of fey creatures or Tane (such as bandersnatches, jubjub birds, thrasfyr, sards, etc). This is the equivalent of a 9th level spell.
Festering Critical (Su) Whenever Morrigan confirms a critical hit made against an opponent, that foe must succeed a DC 38 Will save or be unable to heal physical or ability damage from any source for 1 minute. Multiple failed saves increase the duration. This is a curse effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Recovery (Ex) At the end of her turn, Morrigan can automatically shake off any one condition affecting her except for dead. If she is suffering from multiple conditions, she chooses which to remove each round. Visions of Murder (Su) By concentrating, Morrigan can see through the eyes of any crow within 100 miles that she chooses. Warrior Fey (Ex) Morrigan gains 11 bonus combat feats, and is treated as being a 20th level fighter for the purposes of qualifying for feats. She is proficient in all simple and martial weapons, in shields and in all armor.
Fey Realms An Eldest gains the following additional powers while in its realm (the statistics above do not include these abilities):
Mythic: An Eldest functions as a 10th mythic rank creature, including the mythic power ability (10/day, surge +1d12). It may expend uses of mythic power to use the mythic versions of any spell-like ability denoted with an asterisk (*) just as if the ability were a mythic spell.
Use of the following spell-like abilities at will—demand,discern location,fabricate,major creation, and polymorph any object (when used on objects or creatures that are native to the realm, the polymorph duration factor increases by 6).
Use of the following spell-like abilities once per day—dimensional lock*,miracle(limited to physical effects that manipulate the realm or to effects that are relevant to the Eldest’s areas of concern)
Heightened Awareness (Ex): An Eldest gains a +10 insight bonus on Perception checks and Initiative checks.
for fun, i started doing character designs from sarah maas’s a court of thorns and roses series. i love doing book character designs and the descriptions in this series inspired me! i’m working on the other different high lords and their entourages now as well
