Garrett Hawke (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
iwannabeadragon) wrote2014-01-01 04:34 pm
iwannabeadragon) wrote2014-01-01 04:34 pm
Tu Shanshu App
Player Information:
Name: Shane
Age: 24
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
shanusofuranus
Game Cast: None
Character Information:
Name: Garrett Hawke; Champion of Kirkwall
Canon: Dragon Age 2
Canon Point: Endgame after fleeing Kirkwall; including Legacy and Mark of the Assassin DLC
Age: While never actually stated, information in the game suggests that he is around 30-31 by the end of the game.
Reference: The land of Thedas
Races of Thedas
Grey Wardens
Circle of Magi
The beardman himself
Setting: The games take place on the only known continent in the game, Thedas. There are presumably more continents out there as races have crossed the Northern Ocean from unknown lands to make their homes in Thedas. These lands are rarely, if ever, mentioned throughout the series. Within Thedas, there are four major races: humans, elves, dwarves, and the qunari.
Humans: The humans are the most numerous and the most divided of the four races. Only four times in history have they ever united under a single banner. Religion and the Chantry play a large part of their society. More than anything else, it is what distinguishes them from the other races living upon Thedas. The Chantry is dominant religion of Thedas, worshipping a being called the Maker. Following the Chant of Light, they seek to save the other races with its teachings. This replaced the worship of the Old Gods, mysterious dragon-like creatures of extraordinary power that now slumber beneath the earth.
Elves: Elves are typically shorter than humans, with a slender build and pointed ears. Once they were the dominant race of Thedas but those days have long since passed. Now, after generations of subjugation, they are treated as second class citizens. Much of their culture has been lost due to slavery and conquest by humans. In the cities they are forced to live in Alienages, which are closed communities of elves where they live apart from humans, often behind walls. These are the poorest and most crime ridden sections of cities. However some elves continue to live outside human rule. These are the Dalish, and they seek to reclaim the lost knowledge of their culture. The Dalish live in nomadic tribes and treat city elves barely any better than humans do, while city elves believe the Dalish to be savages.
Dwarves: The dwarves are shorter, stockier, and often stronger than humans. They are skilled builders and warriors which have served them well in their long fight against the darkspawn hordes. While they once held a mighty underground empire, only four of their kingdoms remain intact. The rest has all been lost to the darkspawn. Unlike the other races, dwarves are unable to enter the Fade which means they can not dream nor use magic of any kind. This reflects their resistance to magic. When a dwarf leaves their underground home to go to the surface, they are effectively cast out from their homes, removed from their families, and never allowed to return again.
Qunari: The last of the four major races of Thedas, the qunari are a large, horned race that inhabit the northern islands. In some rare cases they are born without horns. These qunari are considered special and given prestigious placement in their society. Of all the races they are the most technologically advance and treat their mages the worst. Whenever a mage is discovered they are immediately collared and have their tongues removed, living the rest of their life in servitude. They follow a strict religion known as the Qun that governs every aspect of their life. Everyone has a fixed place and purpose according to the Qun. Those who abandon the Qun are known as the Tal-Valshoth and hated by the qunari. Qunari can also be a term for anyone that follows the Qun, no matter the race.
Darkspawn: Then there are the darkspawn. The darkspawn are mostly humanoid tainted creatures that live beneath Thedas. No one knows their origin though the Chantry claims they were created when mages opened a portal to the Golden City, the realm of the Maker, and tainted it with their corruption returning as darkspawn. Wherever they came from, they are the single greatest threat to the people of Thedas. Normally they stay below ground where the dwarves fight an ever constant battle against them to keep them at bay. However the darkspawn constantly hear the call of the sleeping Old Gods and seek them out. When they discover on Old God they expose it to their taint and it awakens, becoming an archdemon. The archdemon then leads the darkspawn to the surface en masse, destroying and warping everything they come across in what is known as a Blight. The only known way to end a Blight is to slay the archdemon, a feat only Grey Wardens have accomplished. There have been five Blights in history so far, and since there are only seven Old Gods many people believe that there are only two Blights left.
Grey Wardens: Constantly waging war against the darkspawn are the Grey Wardens. Grey Wardens are expert warriors who have made it their duty to battle darkspawn throughout Thedas. They maintain a presence throughout the continent but they are headquartered at Weisshaupt Fortress in the Anderfels. When it comes to recruitment they ignore racial, social, national, and even criminal background. They want the best of the best and care little where that person comes from. Though small in number, they have been instrumental in the defeat of each Blight. This is largely because they infect themselves with the taint and use it against the darkspawn. They do this through a process known as the Joining. New recruits must drink a goblet of darkspawn blood and drop of blood from an archdemon. It is a closely guarded secret of the Grey Wardens and only a small number of recruits survive the process. Those recruits that survive then gain the ability to sense the presence of darkspawn and become immune to the taint that warps the land during the Blight. This comes at a cost however. Grey Wardens suffer from bad, often prophetic, nightmares, ravenous hunger, and their lifespans are shortened. Yes, generally thirty or so years after their Joining the taint in their bodies begin to take them. They hear the same call the darkspawn hear to search for the Old Gods. When this happens, they descend into the tunnels where the darkspawn reside to fight them until they are finally slain.
Mages in Thedas that are found are taken by the Chantry, sometimes forcibly, so that they can join the Circle of Magi. These Circles are massive, spiraling towers governed and monitored by the Chantry. They are where the mages live and hone their magical skills while being watched by the templars, the military arm of the Chantry. At adulthood mages are forced to undergo the Harrowing. During the Harrowing the mage enters the Fade where they are forced to overcome a demon. Should they fail they are slain on the spot by a templar. Should a mage choose not to take the Harrowing they can undergo the Rite of Tranquility. This process cuts a mage off from the Fade and their magical power, but as a side-effect they lose their ability to feel emotions. The Fade is a sort of spirit real. Every living creature, with the exception of dwarves, visit the Fade when they dream. It is also where demons and spirits reside. Some mages refuse to submit to the Chantry or even escape from the Circle. These mages are known as apostates, treated as criminals, and hunted by Chantry templars to capture or kill them. Most people fear mages due to their power and the fact that they turn into abominations should a demon possess them.
The central conflict of Hawke's story takes place largely in Kirkwall. Also known as The City of Chains, Kirkwall is a coastal city-state located within the Free Marches and a major population center. It earned it's name from being a former slave outpost of the Imperium, but now calls itself a free city. Despite this, slavers run rampant through the city's underworld. The nobles live the high life in the appropriately named Hightown while the common people live in squalor within the depths of Lowtown. The gap between the two are vast and well defined, with few ever changing their lot in life.
While officially governed by Viscount Marlowe Dumar, the templars hold great influence within Kirkwall and the templars are lead by Knight-Commander Meredith. Some see the woman as a hero while others think her a madwoman, but there is little doubt that she holds great power. Meredith's watch over the mages is almost tyrannical. Challenging her almost every step of the way is the elven mage First Enchanter Orsino. The head of the Circle Tower in Kirkwall, he is a father figure to the mages there. Often he engages Meredith in heated debates about her templar's treatment of his mages. While he constantly fights for fairer treatment, he is slowly losing control of the mages under his care as more and more flee to become apostates or turn to far more nefarious means for their freedom. Amongst all this is the powder keg that are the qunari. Lead by the Arishok, the qunari find themselves shipwrecked in Kirkwall unable to return home. They came searching for a stolen relic of their people and until it is found they can not and will not leave. However the Arishok sees Kirkwall as a festering wound that must be cleansed and feels that the Qun is just the treatment needed.
And struggling to survive in this crazy world is a man named Garrett Hawke. Native to Ferelden, Hawke was born to the apostate mage Malcolm Hawke and disgraced noblewoman Leandra Amell. Three years after his father's death, the Fifth Blight struck Ferelden. Hawke fled the Blight to Kirkwall with his mother and two siblings; Carver Hawke, a soldier in the army, and Bethany Hawke, an apostate mage like his father. With hundreds of other refugees, they arrived in the coastal city of Kirkwall. It's here Hawke met the people whom would become his new family: Varric the dwarven merchant prince, Aveline the soldier turned captain of the guard, Anders the renegade mage, Merrill a Dalish mage, Fenris a former elven slave of the Imperium, and Isabela the flirtatious pirate captain. Being a customizable character, Hawke can differ greatly from person to person as can the story. Here are the key decisions of Hawke’s path.
-Personality is sarcastic/charming
-Brother Carver died before reaching Kirkwall
-Hawke worked as a smuggler for the first year in Kirkwall
-Choose not to take sister Bethany into the Deep Roads leading to her capture by Templars and being taken in the Circle of Magi
-Befriended all his companions and did not engage in rivalry with any of them
-No romance
-In the end Hawke sided with Mages against the Templars
Personality: Some people would call Hawke charming while others would just call him a menace, and both would be right. When he wants, Hawke can be a very charming man. The problem is that he has more fun mocking others than charming them. Hero, villain, and everything in between, Hawke takes pleasure in poking fun at people. Very little discourages him from doing so, even the threat of violence. His friends aren't even safe from his jibes. Still, there are moments when even he takes things seriously. They are rare but they do happen. Often these moments happen when he's alone or with someone that he trusts completely.
Hawke isn't above making fun of himself either. In fact quite a bit of his humor can be self-deprecating. It's all because his humor, his smile, is a mask that he constantly wears. The man has made more mistakes than he cares to count. His greatest mistakes cost him his family, or at least that is what he believes. The death of his little brother and his mother weigh heavily on his mind. He blames himself for their death, constantly carrying that guilt on his shoulders. Hawke also blames himself for his sister being locked away in the Circle Tower, though she eventually escaped Kirkwall alongside him. The reason comes from all of his major decisions being to protect his family. He deserted the army to take them to safety, which lead to his little brother being killed. He took them to Kirkwall to start anew at his mother's estate, which ended up with them living in poverty with his uncle. Hawke left for the Deep Roads to search for treasure leaving his sister behind for her own safety, and she was captured by templars while he was gone as a result. To him no matter what success he finds, he always fails at what he wants to do most: protect his family.
In the end Hawke really is a family man. He wants to be a part of a family and have a family of his own. It's what leads him to care about his friends as much as he does. In a very real sense, they are his family now. While he may tease and mock, Hawke cares about them above all else. He would fight alongside them to the death. Even though he is well aware that some of his friends actually hate each other, he does his best to keep them together. Hawke puts his complete trust in them. He is devoted to them, helping them when they are in need just as they help him. Yet, this devotion can be detrimental at times. Hawke is aware that some of his companions lack sound, even sane, judgement. Though he is quick to let them know this, especially if he thinks they are doing something particularly stupid, he still aids them and stands by them even when it would probably be smarter not to do so. Despite Anders setting off a war, Hawke choose to forgive him and let his friend stand with him when most would have simply killed the mage.
Though he complains often about being the Champion of Kirkwall and people constantly seeking out his aid, it is largely an act. Hawke carries a strong sense of justice, always ready to help those who are in need of it. He holds a soft spot for children and families in trouble, helping them how he can while holding back on the snark just a little bit. Many times he finds himself choosing the side of the repressed, whether that be the poor, the mages, or even the quanari. Hawke gives everyone their fair treatment. For this reason Hawke did his best to stay out of the Mage/Templar war. It was the people caught in the crossfire, himself and friends included, that he wanted to help. To him it's the measure of a person that matters, not how much power they hold. If he is to be the people's Champion, then he will do so and in a way that he sees fit.
So far Hawke only has one real love in his life: adventure. The simple desire for excitement and an eager sense of curiosity has sent him on a number of quests that he wouldn't have taken otherwise. More than once he's aided someone he probably should have avoided simply because what they told him sounded interesting. The real reward to him is not the treasure or the money, though those can be very useful, it's the experience. No matter how dangerous something sounds or how stupid it may be to due, if Hawke thinks there's an adventure to be had there then he'll risk it. In this way, his judgement can be even worse then his companions. Though this has been brought to his attention it has yet to actually stop him.
As far as actual romance, there has been little in his life since arriving in Kirkwall. He flirts with a woman now and again but that's as far as it goes. Hawke has yet to find a woman that catches his interest in any significant way either. The man isn't the type to have sex for the sake of sex either. In a way, he's something of a romantic. He wants someone he with whom he can spend his life. He wants that family life no matter how much his current lifestyle prevents that.
After being brought to the turtle, Hawke will react the same way he did when he entered the Fade: with skepticism and annoyance. Of course he'll respond to everything with his own brand of humor, it will take some time for him to trust things at face value. He may at first be annoyed with the method of his arrival and the fact that no one asked him if he wanted to be here, but that will pass. Since clearly the people here are this desperate for his help, he will help them. Unfortunately he may be as annoying as possible while he does it.
What will bother him the most is learning the fate of his friends. After already being separated from them for a time it won't prove to be a major hindrance to him, but knowing that they've been frozen in time, unable to get on with their lives, won't bring him much comfort.
Also he really likes dragons, a lot, like squealing fanboy a lot. Dogs too.
Appearance: On a good day and on a not so good day.
As far as height is concerned, Hawke is of average male height. The man has a muscular build but not overly so, being on the more lean side than stocky. Over the years he’s grown a thick, black beard that he takes no small amount of pride in. He shows enough care for his hair to keep it out of his eyes but that’s about it. Hawke has brown, almost amber eyes, that he likely inherited from his father.
Abilities: While he is a baseline human, Hawke's prowess in combat is extraordinary. In his lifetime he's slain ogres, dragons, and even bested the highest ranking general of the qunari people in a duel. Using lighter weapons such as short swords and axes, Hawke favors a brutal two weapon fighting style to eviscerate his foes one on one. He's not afraid to fight dirty either, using smoke bombs in battle to confuse enemies while he stabs them in the back. Still, he has all the vulnerabilities of an ordinary human.
Serving in the army and adventuring for years leaves Hawke in peak physical condition. He has superb hand-eye coordination demonstrating lethal accuracy with throwing knives. Though he is far from a tactical genius, Hawke is a quick-witted man who must often think on his feet in order to survive. His time as a smuggler only reinforced this.
Inventory:
-His armor
-Two axes
-Two healing potions
-A dozen smokebombs
-A money pouch holding 50 sovereigns, 46 silver, and 1 copper
-A single throwing knife
-His mabari war hound Notch. Mabari war hounds are incredibly intelligent animals that choose their master for life through a process called imprinting. Although fierce combatants, a mabari companion is shown to be a highly sociable animal, and though not capable of speech, they can clearly respond to speech with growls, whines, barks and several other actions that demonstrate intelligent comprehension. As a note, I’m aware that his hound will not arrive with him but it didn’t feel right not to list him.
Suite: While he would be used to the elegance of the fire sector, a two floor suite in the water sector would be good. After all the craziness he’s dealt with over the years, he’d find himself enjoying the peace and calm of the water sector. Having two floors would give him the space he’s grown used to in his old estate. Plus he likes having enough space to store treasures and trophies he gathers when adventuring.
In-Character Samples:
Third Person: Once again Hawke found himself at his desk sorting through his mail. Once upon a time he never sat down to do such a thing. In the past he just let the mail pile higher and higher until finally his mother grew tired of looking at the mess and tossed it into the fire. On one such day his fireplace exploded, nearly burning the estate to the ground alongside it. To this day Hawke never discovered if that was some kind of accident or assassination attempt. Since then, he always checked his mail before tossing it into the flames, if only to keep his mother from nearly killing herself. Normally he found the experience extraordinarily dull, but sometimes he would find a treasure in the pile of papers. So far this was not one of those days.
Hawke looked at the package in front of him with some worry. Still within its wrappings, the smell of it was enough to make his nose hair curl and something pooled at its bottom. Right then Hawke wondered if he should begin paying someone to check his mail for him. Slowly but surely, Hawke peeled the wrapping away from its contents. It revealed a box with a letter sitting atop it. Thankfully the smell hadn't worsened with the removal of its wrapping. Hawke choose to examine the letter first.
"Apparently that merchant from the other day wants to thank me with some kind of Orlesian delicacy," Hawke said as he read the letter. Behind him near the fire Notch, his mabari warhound, lifted his head from his rest and cocked it curiously.
Hawke looked at the box and frowned. "Next time someone wants to give me a gift I'm asking for sovereigns."
Curiosity once again getting the better of him, Hawke removed the box's lid. It was a decision he immediately regretted. In seconds the smell from the "food" forced Hawke to gag. Behind him he heard Notch whine. With his eyes watering, Hawke grabbed the lid of the box and slammed it shut. Immediately he shoved the box on the far end of the table as if it might bite him.
"I'm beginning to think that 'Orlesian delicacy' is some kind of code for spoiled." Hawke wiped the tears from his eyes before looking to his hound. "Don't suppose you'd want it?"
Notch sneezed and shook his head.
"No?" Hawke smirked. "Maybe we can give it to Sandal then. That boy might be able to do something with it. Turn it into a bomb or something. Who knows, he may even eat it."
Hawke eyed the box cautiously for another moment, just making sure that its contents wouldn't crawl out and begin slithering across his floor before looking to the rest of his mail.
The next letter bore the Viscount's symbol. Hawke decided immediately that this would either be incredibly important or a total waste of his time. It took only the briefest glance to decide the latter. At the bottom of the letter sat Seneschal Bran's ridiculously fancy signature. Hawke had a few choice words to describe that man. An arrogant, brown-nosing, pain in the neck with absolutely no personality was just a small number of them. He wasted no time in crumpling the letter and tossing it into the fire. If the issue was something of real importance then Aveline would crash through his door at any moment. So Hawke waited in silence. After going several moments without hearing the smashing of wood, he continued to sort through his mail.
His last piece of mail was just a simple letter. As he read it he could tell that the sender lived in High Town, probably a noble. He rarely received a letter from Low Town that wasn't full of spelling errors. After reading it in full he tossed the letter onto his desk and looked to Notch.
"Looks like someone got their daughter kidnapped again, and of course, only I can save them," Hawke said with a bored sigh. Notch opened his mouth into what Hawke could only call a doggy grin. He rose, plodding over to where Hawke sat and rested his head upon Hawke's knee. The gesture made him smile fondly.
"So what do you think? Slavers? Blood mages? Demons?" Hawke shook his head. "With my luck it's probably all three. Let's go."
Notch responded with a loud bark before bounding playfully in a circle. Hawke chuckled and rose from his chair to ready himself for the day's adventure. As he did, he was already thinking about whom he could drag into this mess with him.
Network:
I knew I’d get this thing on eventually. All it it needed was a few swift kicks to help it along.
[Hawke looks rather smug with himself right now. Despite the crash course given to him, of which he may have zoned out of once or twice, he understands this console about as much as he does magic. The fact he got it working on his own means a lot to him.]
Alright, from what I hear this place is in need of heroes and the like. So much so in fact that they’ve started kidnapping people right off the street. Now I don’t mean to criticize your emperor, but that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Generally it’s considered good manners to ask someone for help instead of just grabbing them by their short and curlies and just dragging them off somewhere.
[He wags his finger in a very ‘you should be ashamed of yourself’ manner.]
Maker, at least people in Kirkwall give me the illusion I have a choice before asking me to do something stupid and dangerous. They usually pay me too.
[When he sighs it’s utterly exaggerated.]
Oh well, no use in complaining I suppose.
[Of course that doesn’t mean he’s actually going to stop anytime soon.]
Since I’m here I may as well play along. Chances are this is all some kind of Fade...dream...thing, so what’s the worst that can happen? Besides the chance of demonic possession.
Name: Shane
Age: 24
Contact:
Game Cast: None
Character Information:
Name: Garrett Hawke; Champion of Kirkwall
Canon: Dragon Age 2
Canon Point: Endgame after fleeing Kirkwall; including Legacy and Mark of the Assassin DLC
Age: While never actually stated, information in the game suggests that he is around 30-31 by the end of the game.
Reference: The land of Thedas
Races of Thedas
Grey Wardens
Circle of Magi
The beardman himself
Setting: The games take place on the only known continent in the game, Thedas. There are presumably more continents out there as races have crossed the Northern Ocean from unknown lands to make their homes in Thedas. These lands are rarely, if ever, mentioned throughout the series. Within Thedas, there are four major races: humans, elves, dwarves, and the qunari.
Humans: The humans are the most numerous and the most divided of the four races. Only four times in history have they ever united under a single banner. Religion and the Chantry play a large part of their society. More than anything else, it is what distinguishes them from the other races living upon Thedas. The Chantry is dominant religion of Thedas, worshipping a being called the Maker. Following the Chant of Light, they seek to save the other races with its teachings. This replaced the worship of the Old Gods, mysterious dragon-like creatures of extraordinary power that now slumber beneath the earth.
Elves: Elves are typically shorter than humans, with a slender build and pointed ears. Once they were the dominant race of Thedas but those days have long since passed. Now, after generations of subjugation, they are treated as second class citizens. Much of their culture has been lost due to slavery and conquest by humans. In the cities they are forced to live in Alienages, which are closed communities of elves where they live apart from humans, often behind walls. These are the poorest and most crime ridden sections of cities. However some elves continue to live outside human rule. These are the Dalish, and they seek to reclaim the lost knowledge of their culture. The Dalish live in nomadic tribes and treat city elves barely any better than humans do, while city elves believe the Dalish to be savages.
Dwarves: The dwarves are shorter, stockier, and often stronger than humans. They are skilled builders and warriors which have served them well in their long fight against the darkspawn hordes. While they once held a mighty underground empire, only four of their kingdoms remain intact. The rest has all been lost to the darkspawn. Unlike the other races, dwarves are unable to enter the Fade which means they can not dream nor use magic of any kind. This reflects their resistance to magic. When a dwarf leaves their underground home to go to the surface, they are effectively cast out from their homes, removed from their families, and never allowed to return again.
Qunari: The last of the four major races of Thedas, the qunari are a large, horned race that inhabit the northern islands. In some rare cases they are born without horns. These qunari are considered special and given prestigious placement in their society. Of all the races they are the most technologically advance and treat their mages the worst. Whenever a mage is discovered they are immediately collared and have their tongues removed, living the rest of their life in servitude. They follow a strict religion known as the Qun that governs every aspect of their life. Everyone has a fixed place and purpose according to the Qun. Those who abandon the Qun are known as the Tal-Valshoth and hated by the qunari. Qunari can also be a term for anyone that follows the Qun, no matter the race.
Darkspawn: Then there are the darkspawn. The darkspawn are mostly humanoid tainted creatures that live beneath Thedas. No one knows their origin though the Chantry claims they were created when mages opened a portal to the Golden City, the realm of the Maker, and tainted it with their corruption returning as darkspawn. Wherever they came from, they are the single greatest threat to the people of Thedas. Normally they stay below ground where the dwarves fight an ever constant battle against them to keep them at bay. However the darkspawn constantly hear the call of the sleeping Old Gods and seek them out. When they discover on Old God they expose it to their taint and it awakens, becoming an archdemon. The archdemon then leads the darkspawn to the surface en masse, destroying and warping everything they come across in what is known as a Blight. The only known way to end a Blight is to slay the archdemon, a feat only Grey Wardens have accomplished. There have been five Blights in history so far, and since there are only seven Old Gods many people believe that there are only two Blights left.
Grey Wardens: Constantly waging war against the darkspawn are the Grey Wardens. Grey Wardens are expert warriors who have made it their duty to battle darkspawn throughout Thedas. They maintain a presence throughout the continent but they are headquartered at Weisshaupt Fortress in the Anderfels. When it comes to recruitment they ignore racial, social, national, and even criminal background. They want the best of the best and care little where that person comes from. Though small in number, they have been instrumental in the defeat of each Blight. This is largely because they infect themselves with the taint and use it against the darkspawn. They do this through a process known as the Joining. New recruits must drink a goblet of darkspawn blood and drop of blood from an archdemon. It is a closely guarded secret of the Grey Wardens and only a small number of recruits survive the process. Those recruits that survive then gain the ability to sense the presence of darkspawn and become immune to the taint that warps the land during the Blight. This comes at a cost however. Grey Wardens suffer from bad, often prophetic, nightmares, ravenous hunger, and their lifespans are shortened. Yes, generally thirty or so years after their Joining the taint in their bodies begin to take them. They hear the same call the darkspawn hear to search for the Old Gods. When this happens, they descend into the tunnels where the darkspawn reside to fight them until they are finally slain.
Mages in Thedas that are found are taken by the Chantry, sometimes forcibly, so that they can join the Circle of Magi. These Circles are massive, spiraling towers governed and monitored by the Chantry. They are where the mages live and hone their magical skills while being watched by the templars, the military arm of the Chantry. At adulthood mages are forced to undergo the Harrowing. During the Harrowing the mage enters the Fade where they are forced to overcome a demon. Should they fail they are slain on the spot by a templar. Should a mage choose not to take the Harrowing they can undergo the Rite of Tranquility. This process cuts a mage off from the Fade and their magical power, but as a side-effect they lose their ability to feel emotions. The Fade is a sort of spirit real. Every living creature, with the exception of dwarves, visit the Fade when they dream. It is also where demons and spirits reside. Some mages refuse to submit to the Chantry or even escape from the Circle. These mages are known as apostates, treated as criminals, and hunted by Chantry templars to capture or kill them. Most people fear mages due to their power and the fact that they turn into abominations should a demon possess them.
The central conflict of Hawke's story takes place largely in Kirkwall. Also known as The City of Chains, Kirkwall is a coastal city-state located within the Free Marches and a major population center. It earned it's name from being a former slave outpost of the Imperium, but now calls itself a free city. Despite this, slavers run rampant through the city's underworld. The nobles live the high life in the appropriately named Hightown while the common people live in squalor within the depths of Lowtown. The gap between the two are vast and well defined, with few ever changing their lot in life.
While officially governed by Viscount Marlowe Dumar, the templars hold great influence within Kirkwall and the templars are lead by Knight-Commander Meredith. Some see the woman as a hero while others think her a madwoman, but there is little doubt that she holds great power. Meredith's watch over the mages is almost tyrannical. Challenging her almost every step of the way is the elven mage First Enchanter Orsino. The head of the Circle Tower in Kirkwall, he is a father figure to the mages there. Often he engages Meredith in heated debates about her templar's treatment of his mages. While he constantly fights for fairer treatment, he is slowly losing control of the mages under his care as more and more flee to become apostates or turn to far more nefarious means for their freedom. Amongst all this is the powder keg that are the qunari. Lead by the Arishok, the qunari find themselves shipwrecked in Kirkwall unable to return home. They came searching for a stolen relic of their people and until it is found they can not and will not leave. However the Arishok sees Kirkwall as a festering wound that must be cleansed and feels that the Qun is just the treatment needed.
And struggling to survive in this crazy world is a man named Garrett Hawke. Native to Ferelden, Hawke was born to the apostate mage Malcolm Hawke and disgraced noblewoman Leandra Amell. Three years after his father's death, the Fifth Blight struck Ferelden. Hawke fled the Blight to Kirkwall with his mother and two siblings; Carver Hawke, a soldier in the army, and Bethany Hawke, an apostate mage like his father. With hundreds of other refugees, they arrived in the coastal city of Kirkwall. It's here Hawke met the people whom would become his new family: Varric the dwarven merchant prince, Aveline the soldier turned captain of the guard, Anders the renegade mage, Merrill a Dalish mage, Fenris a former elven slave of the Imperium, and Isabela the flirtatious pirate captain. Being a customizable character, Hawke can differ greatly from person to person as can the story. Here are the key decisions of Hawke’s path.
-Personality is sarcastic/charming
-Brother Carver died before reaching Kirkwall
-Hawke worked as a smuggler for the first year in Kirkwall
-Choose not to take sister Bethany into the Deep Roads leading to her capture by Templars and being taken in the Circle of Magi
-Befriended all his companions and did not engage in rivalry with any of them
-No romance
-In the end Hawke sided with Mages against the Templars
Personality: Some people would call Hawke charming while others would just call him a menace, and both would be right. When he wants, Hawke can be a very charming man. The problem is that he has more fun mocking others than charming them. Hero, villain, and everything in between, Hawke takes pleasure in poking fun at people. Very little discourages him from doing so, even the threat of violence. His friends aren't even safe from his jibes. Still, there are moments when even he takes things seriously. They are rare but they do happen. Often these moments happen when he's alone or with someone that he trusts completely.
Hawke isn't above making fun of himself either. In fact quite a bit of his humor can be self-deprecating. It's all because his humor, his smile, is a mask that he constantly wears. The man has made more mistakes than he cares to count. His greatest mistakes cost him his family, or at least that is what he believes. The death of his little brother and his mother weigh heavily on his mind. He blames himself for their death, constantly carrying that guilt on his shoulders. Hawke also blames himself for his sister being locked away in the Circle Tower, though she eventually escaped Kirkwall alongside him. The reason comes from all of his major decisions being to protect his family. He deserted the army to take them to safety, which lead to his little brother being killed. He took them to Kirkwall to start anew at his mother's estate, which ended up with them living in poverty with his uncle. Hawke left for the Deep Roads to search for treasure leaving his sister behind for her own safety, and she was captured by templars while he was gone as a result. To him no matter what success he finds, he always fails at what he wants to do most: protect his family.
In the end Hawke really is a family man. He wants to be a part of a family and have a family of his own. It's what leads him to care about his friends as much as he does. In a very real sense, they are his family now. While he may tease and mock, Hawke cares about them above all else. He would fight alongside them to the death. Even though he is well aware that some of his friends actually hate each other, he does his best to keep them together. Hawke puts his complete trust in them. He is devoted to them, helping them when they are in need just as they help him. Yet, this devotion can be detrimental at times. Hawke is aware that some of his companions lack sound, even sane, judgement. Though he is quick to let them know this, especially if he thinks they are doing something particularly stupid, he still aids them and stands by them even when it would probably be smarter not to do so. Despite Anders setting off a war, Hawke choose to forgive him and let his friend stand with him when most would have simply killed the mage.
Though he complains often about being the Champion of Kirkwall and people constantly seeking out his aid, it is largely an act. Hawke carries a strong sense of justice, always ready to help those who are in need of it. He holds a soft spot for children and families in trouble, helping them how he can while holding back on the snark just a little bit. Many times he finds himself choosing the side of the repressed, whether that be the poor, the mages, or even the quanari. Hawke gives everyone their fair treatment. For this reason Hawke did his best to stay out of the Mage/Templar war. It was the people caught in the crossfire, himself and friends included, that he wanted to help. To him it's the measure of a person that matters, not how much power they hold. If he is to be the people's Champion, then he will do so and in a way that he sees fit.
So far Hawke only has one real love in his life: adventure. The simple desire for excitement and an eager sense of curiosity has sent him on a number of quests that he wouldn't have taken otherwise. More than once he's aided someone he probably should have avoided simply because what they told him sounded interesting. The real reward to him is not the treasure or the money, though those can be very useful, it's the experience. No matter how dangerous something sounds or how stupid it may be to due, if Hawke thinks there's an adventure to be had there then he'll risk it. In this way, his judgement can be even worse then his companions. Though this has been brought to his attention it has yet to actually stop him.
As far as actual romance, there has been little in his life since arriving in Kirkwall. He flirts with a woman now and again but that's as far as it goes. Hawke has yet to find a woman that catches his interest in any significant way either. The man isn't the type to have sex for the sake of sex either. In a way, he's something of a romantic. He wants someone he with whom he can spend his life. He wants that family life no matter how much his current lifestyle prevents that.
After being brought to the turtle, Hawke will react the same way he did when he entered the Fade: with skepticism and annoyance. Of course he'll respond to everything with his own brand of humor, it will take some time for him to trust things at face value. He may at first be annoyed with the method of his arrival and the fact that no one asked him if he wanted to be here, but that will pass. Since clearly the people here are this desperate for his help, he will help them. Unfortunately he may be as annoying as possible while he does it.
What will bother him the most is learning the fate of his friends. After already being separated from them for a time it won't prove to be a major hindrance to him, but knowing that they've been frozen in time, unable to get on with their lives, won't bring him much comfort.
Appearance: On a good day and on a not so good day.
As far as height is concerned, Hawke is of average male height. The man has a muscular build but not overly so, being on the more lean side than stocky. Over the years he’s grown a thick, black beard that he takes no small amount of pride in. He shows enough care for his hair to keep it out of his eyes but that’s about it. Hawke has brown, almost amber eyes, that he likely inherited from his father.
Abilities: While he is a baseline human, Hawke's prowess in combat is extraordinary. In his lifetime he's slain ogres, dragons, and even bested the highest ranking general of the qunari people in a duel. Using lighter weapons such as short swords and axes, Hawke favors a brutal two weapon fighting style to eviscerate his foes one on one. He's not afraid to fight dirty either, using smoke bombs in battle to confuse enemies while he stabs them in the back. Still, he has all the vulnerabilities of an ordinary human.
Serving in the army and adventuring for years leaves Hawke in peak physical condition. He has superb hand-eye coordination demonstrating lethal accuracy with throwing knives. Though he is far from a tactical genius, Hawke is a quick-witted man who must often think on his feet in order to survive. His time as a smuggler only reinforced this.
Inventory:
-His armor
-Two axes
-Two healing potions
-A dozen smokebombs
-A money pouch holding 50 sovereigns, 46 silver, and 1 copper
-A single throwing knife
-His mabari war hound Notch. Mabari war hounds are incredibly intelligent animals that choose their master for life through a process called imprinting. Although fierce combatants, a mabari companion is shown to be a highly sociable animal, and though not capable of speech, they can clearly respond to speech with growls, whines, barks and several other actions that demonstrate intelligent comprehension. As a note, I’m aware that his hound will not arrive with him but it didn’t feel right not to list him.
Suite: While he would be used to the elegance of the fire sector, a two floor suite in the water sector would be good. After all the craziness he’s dealt with over the years, he’d find himself enjoying the peace and calm of the water sector. Having two floors would give him the space he’s grown used to in his old estate. Plus he likes having enough space to store treasures and trophies he gathers when adventuring.
In-Character Samples:
Third Person: Once again Hawke found himself at his desk sorting through his mail. Once upon a time he never sat down to do such a thing. In the past he just let the mail pile higher and higher until finally his mother grew tired of looking at the mess and tossed it into the fire. On one such day his fireplace exploded, nearly burning the estate to the ground alongside it. To this day Hawke never discovered if that was some kind of accident or assassination attempt. Since then, he always checked his mail before tossing it into the flames, if only to keep his mother from nearly killing herself. Normally he found the experience extraordinarily dull, but sometimes he would find a treasure in the pile of papers. So far this was not one of those days.
Hawke looked at the package in front of him with some worry. Still within its wrappings, the smell of it was enough to make his nose hair curl and something pooled at its bottom. Right then Hawke wondered if he should begin paying someone to check his mail for him. Slowly but surely, Hawke peeled the wrapping away from its contents. It revealed a box with a letter sitting atop it. Thankfully the smell hadn't worsened with the removal of its wrapping. Hawke choose to examine the letter first.
"Apparently that merchant from the other day wants to thank me with some kind of Orlesian delicacy," Hawke said as he read the letter. Behind him near the fire Notch, his mabari warhound, lifted his head from his rest and cocked it curiously.
Hawke looked at the box and frowned. "Next time someone wants to give me a gift I'm asking for sovereigns."
Curiosity once again getting the better of him, Hawke removed the box's lid. It was a decision he immediately regretted. In seconds the smell from the "food" forced Hawke to gag. Behind him he heard Notch whine. With his eyes watering, Hawke grabbed the lid of the box and slammed it shut. Immediately he shoved the box on the far end of the table as if it might bite him.
"I'm beginning to think that 'Orlesian delicacy' is some kind of code for spoiled." Hawke wiped the tears from his eyes before looking to his hound. "Don't suppose you'd want it?"
Notch sneezed and shook his head.
"No?" Hawke smirked. "Maybe we can give it to Sandal then. That boy might be able to do something with it. Turn it into a bomb or something. Who knows, he may even eat it."
Hawke eyed the box cautiously for another moment, just making sure that its contents wouldn't crawl out and begin slithering across his floor before looking to the rest of his mail.
The next letter bore the Viscount's symbol. Hawke decided immediately that this would either be incredibly important or a total waste of his time. It took only the briefest glance to decide the latter. At the bottom of the letter sat Seneschal Bran's ridiculously fancy signature. Hawke had a few choice words to describe that man. An arrogant, brown-nosing, pain in the neck with absolutely no personality was just a small number of them. He wasted no time in crumpling the letter and tossing it into the fire. If the issue was something of real importance then Aveline would crash through his door at any moment. So Hawke waited in silence. After going several moments without hearing the smashing of wood, he continued to sort through his mail.
His last piece of mail was just a simple letter. As he read it he could tell that the sender lived in High Town, probably a noble. He rarely received a letter from Low Town that wasn't full of spelling errors. After reading it in full he tossed the letter onto his desk and looked to Notch.
"Looks like someone got their daughter kidnapped again, and of course, only I can save them," Hawke said with a bored sigh. Notch opened his mouth into what Hawke could only call a doggy grin. He rose, plodding over to where Hawke sat and rested his head upon Hawke's knee. The gesture made him smile fondly.
"So what do you think? Slavers? Blood mages? Demons?" Hawke shook his head. "With my luck it's probably all three. Let's go."
Notch responded with a loud bark before bounding playfully in a circle. Hawke chuckled and rose from his chair to ready himself for the day's adventure. As he did, he was already thinking about whom he could drag into this mess with him.
Network:
I knew I’d get this thing on eventually. All it it needed was a few swift kicks to help it along.
[Hawke looks rather smug with himself right now. Despite the crash course given to him, of which he may have zoned out of once or twice, he understands this console about as much as he does magic. The fact he got it working on his own means a lot to him.]
Alright, from what I hear this place is in need of heroes and the like. So much so in fact that they’ve started kidnapping people right off the street. Now I don’t mean to criticize your emperor, but that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Generally it’s considered good manners to ask someone for help instead of just grabbing them by their short and curlies and just dragging them off somewhere.
[He wags his finger in a very ‘you should be ashamed of yourself’ manner.]
Maker, at least people in Kirkwall give me the illusion I have a choice before asking me to do something stupid and dangerous. They usually pay me too.
[When he sighs it’s utterly exaggerated.]
Oh well, no use in complaining I suppose.
[Of course that doesn’t mean he’s actually going to stop anytime soon.]
Since I’m here I may as well play along. Chances are this is all some kind of Fade...dream...thing, so what’s the worst that can happen? Besides the chance of demonic possession.