VL's Neria Surana - Warden Challenge, Day 1 - 4

[sarasa_cat]

Currently doing the 30 Day Dragon Age Warden Challenge (character development exercise) over on Tumblr. I'm posting archives over here with a few days batched up into one. Here are Days 1 through 4 (Describe Your Warden's Background, Describe Your Warden's Appearance, Detailed Description of Warden's Personality, Descriptions of Warden's Relationships with DA:O Companions).

Fearliath's 30 Day Warden Challenge Master Post

Day 1. Describe Your Warden  

Name:  Neria Surana  

Age: 21 at the time of her harrowing, at the start of DA:O.

Birthdate:  17 Wintermarch (Verimensis) of 9:09 Dragon

Gender: Female

Race: Elf

Class: Mage (Arcane Warrior, Spirit Healer)

Background:  

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9:09 − 9:13:  Denerim Alienage

Neria was born in the Denerim Alienage as the first child to her parents Amar Surana (father) and Moksa Surana (mother). Neria’s younger sister, Muna, was born in 9:11. Neria’s father died during a flu epidemic in 9:13 that hit the alienage particularly hard. Neria retains only a few hazy memories of her father plus stories that her mother has told her. Her memories of the Alienage are of the sickness, filth, and suffering during the winter of the flu epidemic.

9:13 − 9:21:  Amaranthine

After the Influenza Epidemic of 9:13 left 5% of Thedas’ population dead, with much higher death tolls in crowded, unhygienic alienages, Neria’s mother, Moksa, decided to leave the alienage when she learned about the possibility of taking a job as a servant in Bann Esmerelle’s castle in Amaranthine. Once Moksa secured employment in the castle’s laundry, washing and repairing clothing, she sent for her two young daughters. Nearly all of Neria and Muna’s childhood memories are of Amaranthine.

Within the Bann of Amaranthine’s castle, Neria grew up surrounded by wealth and luxury that was not hers to have. Neria was expected to watch over her younger sister and to help with simple chores in the laundry. Whenever Neria misbehaved or slacked off, her mother threatened to send her back to Denerim. These empty threats were successful at shaping young Neria’s behavior because Neria feared that she would catch the flu and die or be stuck living among dead bodies if sent back to Denerim’s alienage. 

In 9:16, the Head Housekeeper caught Neria paging through a book that, obviously, was not hers. Seven year old Neria was certain that the Head Housekeeper would scold her or worse, but, instead, the Head Housekeeper decided to take advantage of Neria’s curiosity and kill two birds with one stone. Bann Esmerelle’s niece, Melisanna (born 9:05), had just arrived in Amaranthine Castle and was in need of an additional handmaiden. Neria, known to be very well behaved and mature for her age, was offered the job. As a handmaiden, Neria was trained in the basics of reading and writing so she could help Lady Melisanna with her correspondences. 

Lady Melisanna was pious and religious, and Neria was expected to accompany the Lady to the castle’s private chantry and to Amaranthine’s Chantry of Our Lady Redeemer. While Neria’s family was also religious, up until she served Lady Melisanna, Neria was more familiar with the folk customs associated with Andrastian religion rather than the history and theology. Once Neria started attending daily services while accompanying her Lady, Neria received a religious education fit for someone who attends the nobility. During this time, Neria became enamored with stories of Andraste, and the historical significance of Denerim and Amaranthine in the story of Andraste’s life. Religious thought grew in importance in Neria’s mind as she looked for parallels between her own life and the life of Andraste.

While in Amaranthine, Neria became close friends with Eban (born 9:07), a restless boy and an only son of a pair of married merchants. Eban was close friends with Corff (born 9:06), an orphan who worked for Eban’s family. (Corff eventually moves to Kirkwall with Eban’s family. Eban’s father purchases the Hanged Man and, in DA2, the unnamed redheaded man with a black eye who chats with bartender Corff is the man I’ve dubbed Eban.) Neria and Eban had innocent crushes on each other. 

When Neria turned eleven (9:20), she learned that she could condense water into ice. She also discovered that she could heal small wounds through the power of prayer. As a devout Andrastian, Neria felt confused and guilty over her magical powers, but the ambitious Lady Melisanna saw Neria’s magical powers as a Maker-given advantage and she secretly arranged for Neria to be trained as her personal court mage. Neria was encouraged to hide her powers from others. Neria felt conflicted. Knowing that she was going against the Chantry’s teachings, Neria feared that someone would eventually punish her, sent by the Maker himself. During Neria’s twelfth year, a series of unfortunate events led her to believe that she was indeed being punished. While on a trip back to Denerim for her sister’s betrothal ceremony in the Alienage, Neria snuck away and turned herself in at Denerim’s Chantry. She willingly entered the Circle at age 12, in 9:21.

9:21 − 9:30:  Kinloch Hold

Once in the Circle, Neria’s ambition and prior education set her apart from other apprentices. First Enchanter Irving decided to make Neria his apprentice. 

Neria became close friends with Jowan and Keili. She believed that hard work and perseverance was all that was needed to get anyone through any difficult situation. In her mind, hard work and perseverance always led to some level of success. Because of this belief, Neria was blind to the underlying emotional and psychology reasons as to why Jowan and Keili were less successful in their studies. 

Late in 9:26 (age 17), Neria met Cullen, a young Chantry brother, while he completed a three month educational post at the Circle. At that time, Cullen was merely a brother and not yet committed to templar training. The two developed a friendship, although once Cullen’s three months in the tower were finished, they lost touch with each other. Three years later in 9:29, Cullen returned to Kinloch Hold, posted there as a templar recruit seeking knighthood. He rekindled his friendship with Neria. Even though Cullen knew it was ill-advised for him to have an emotionally bonded relationship with a mage, Cullen did not understand why. (At that point, Cullen had not developed reasons to fear mages; his mother had been apostate mage and was a good person in Cullen’s eyes.) Neria and Cullen engaged in a (mostly) chaste relationship. Before Neria’s harrowing, she was certain that she would someday become First Enchanter and she wanted (sweet, gormless, trusting) Cullen to rise up the ranks with her and become the Circle’s Knight Commander. 

Early in 9:30, immediately after Neria's successful Harrowing and Cullen's over-exuberant praise for her talents which set off a firestorm of gossip among the apprentices, Jowan’s blood magic and Duncan’s arrival at the Circle radically alter the course of Neria’s life…

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Day 2.  Write a detailed description of your warden’s appearance: 

~ Alistair describes Neria Surana ~  

The first time I spoke with Neria, I told a white lie. She happened to meet with me in the old temple at the same time that I acted as the revered mother’s errand boy, passing unwanted messages to the Circle’s mages. When Neria introduced herself, I pretended not to know who she was. That was my first lie in a series of many.

Based on a description of her in Duncan’s letter, I had a rough idea of who to look out for and, given how few women were in the army camp, a young elvhen woman dressed as a Circle mage easily stood out. 

But, by the time she sought me out, I knew exactly who Neria was. Just a little earlier in the day, Duncan pointed out Neria to me as she wandered through the crowded camp. I watched her haggle with the camp’s merchant while I sat on the ledge, looking down at her. Neria clearly wasn’t the servant of nobleman, not the way she carried herself. She strode around the merchant’s stall with the same confidence found in an educated man. Posture comfortably erect, arms relaxed, hands to her sides. An easy expression on her face. She looked the merchant straight in the eye as she calmly questioned his prices. Had she not been an elf or dressed in Circle robes, people would have mistook her for nobility, and not only because of her confidence, but for the manner in which she spoke.[[MORE]]

Although, there was no mistaking whether Neria was an elf. Duncan’s letter mentioned that she was twenty-one, but she looked like a girl of thirteen. Maybe fourteen. Tiny. Wispy thin. Except she had the full hips and round breasts of a grown woman, not that I was acting as some lecher, leering down at her from atop that ledge. If you took away her mage rooms and, instead, dressed her up in the latest fashionable finery, she would have looked just like a noblewoman in miniature rather than a child playing dress-up. 

Furthermore, when facing front-wise, Neria’s features clearly marked her as an elf. Not that I think it a bad thing. I found her quite striking. That high elvhen bridge of her nose. Large, almond shaped eyes. Pointed ears like elongated triangles, sweeping back as an extension of her jawline.

Many months later after Neria and I became close, she told me that she thought her face looked too masculine. She didn’t like the long, narrow shape of her face, her prominent chin, or her sloping cheeks. Honestly? I thought her features were becoming whenever I traced my fingers along the ridgeline of her cheekbone, down to the soft fullness of her bottom lip. A small kiss on her warm, tanned olive skin. Her looking up at me with eyes the palest shade of greyish blue. It was easy for me to see why that other templar thought of her fondly. Everything she was made of spoke of strength despite that she was literally half his size.

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~ Alistair talks about Neria Surana’s hair ~

Neria wore her straight, copper-chestnut hair in a short, practical style. Parted in the middle, she sectioned her hair into two rows of small ponytails along both sides of her head. Once each week she asked me to razor cut the hair at the nape of her neck, super-short and boyish. She liked it that way. Minimal fuss and nothing hanging in her face during battle or work. 

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What is the one thing your warden hates about their appearance?  Neria has a very strong chin and she has very low, flat cheeks, which she sees as too masculine,  She thinks she looks like child and she isn’t keen on how short and slight she is either. Without makeup, she swears that she would be mistaken for a malnourished twelve year old boy.

What do they like about their appearance?  Neria believes that her grey eyes are her best feature although her eyes are distinctly elvish and thought of as exotic by many humans. She worries that humans fetishize her looks and she is always wary and skeptical when someone says that she is beautiful.

How is your Warden viewed by others physically – are they beautiful/handsome? Are they average? Hideous?  This would depend on a person’s tastes. Neria’s facial features are striking. Men tend to think she is attractive whereas many women tend to find her average. Neria is not a classical beauty by Fereldan standards, and many humans find her distinctly elvhen appearance exotic.

What does their armour/robes look like?  Neria (an arcane warrior) owns proper Ferelden Circle robes and a grey warden uniform, but her preferred battledress is a set of dragonskin armor crafted by Wade. She likes the protection it gives her, allowing her to fight close to the front of the line, while also providing substantial freedom of movement. 

What kind of clothes do they like to wear when they’re not fighting?  When living in the Circle, Neria always wore standard issue mage robes. As a Warden, she often wears mage robes when she is not fighting (in battle, she prefers light armor) and not making public or political appearances. For formal occasions, she dresses in whatever manner she believes will give her the greatest advantage.  

Are they fashionable or practical?  Neria is practical, but not to the point that practicality dominates the entirety of her choices. She knows how to dress the part that she needs to play. During important meetings or formal occasions, she knows how to dress to impress. 

Do they wear any jewelry?  Neria kept nothing of sentimental value from her pre-Circle childhood. Shortly before leaving the Circle with Duncan, Neria received a chantry amulet from Cullen that she wore until the day they officially ended their relationship. Eventually, she began wearing a locket from Alistair that holds a petal from the rose that he gave her. Neria always wears or carries her Warden’s Oath necklace. She wears other jewelry based on the magical effects that they offer, and, when serving as Ferelden’s Warden Commander and Arlessa of Amaranthine, she occasionally wore a grey pearl necklace with matching earrings that was purely for style when dressed for formal events. 

Have they any noticeable scars? Neria had no noticeable scars up until the disastrous battle at Ostagar. Her first scars heal into five white pucker-marks on her torso where arrows ripped through her flesh. During her first few years as a warden, she gains other small scars. One on her left knee, a few on her forearms and hands. She received a deep cut on the left side of her face, down to her jaw, that would have scarred if not for her judicious use of healing magic and herbalism.

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Day 3.  Personality. Write a detailed description on your Warden’s personality. List at least five personality traits your warden has. What strengths/redeeming qualities does your warden have? What are your Warden’s biggest flaws/weaknesses?

~ Alistair tells us about Neria Surana’s personality traits ~

How would I describe Warden Surana’s personality? Organized. Meticulously organized. I really don’t know how she does it, to be honest. She keeps records and such, but so much of it seems to be up in her head. She has this massive, imaginary filing cabinet that is full of plans and ideas and facts. One minute I think we’re doomed and then, out of the blue, she has an entire strategy laid out for us, just like that. It’s really a bit scary how she does that. 

Another trait of hers is that she sort of has a thing for laws. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly how she views her relationship with laws. You know, the kingdom’s laws, the Chantry’s laws, the laws of nature, laws of magic. Calling her an obedient, law abiding rule follower doesn’t get at who she is. It’s almost as if she sees laws as instruments that she can manipulate. You know, Neria once said that if you can correctly identify and state a law, you have the power to identify the weaknesses in the things that the law governs. For instance, according to her, discussions with a demon of Pride are controlled by nothing more than clever set of rules that try to make you doubt your achievements such that your doubt is transformed into contempt for others. If you instead fill your mind and heart with respect for others, the Pride demon has no power over you. Until Neria told me that, I thought you just swung your sword until you cut a Pride demon down. I mean, you do have to swing you sword and all of that, but your sword does nothing to dispel the offers that the demon will tempt you with.[[MORE]]

So, what else? Without a doubt, Neria is generous and helpful. Sometimes I think she quietly calculates the benefits she might reap when helping others, but, don’t get me wrong, I’m not calling her shrewd and scheming. That would be Morrigan, and there’s a big difference between Neria and Morrigan. Night and day. No, unlike Morrigan, Neria is warm and she truly cares about others. She wants to see people succeed and she’ll go out of her way to help them. I really admire that in her. 

Neria often sees potential in other people, and she’ll see things I’ve missed. For instance, take Sten. Big, dangerous, heathen Qunari, caged up for murdering an entire family. What would I have done? Probably nothing. Too risky. In fact, it never occurred to me that Sten’s problem could be viewed as our solution. Neria, on the other hand, saw things differently. At the time, I thought she was crazy for what she suggested, but despite her differences with Sten, they managed to get along. She earned his respect, which says a lot given the way those Qunari think of women and mages.

Neria is also fearless. By fearless, I don’t mean stupid and reckless. She’s far too organized and strategic for that. I’m talking about sheer bravery. When something difficult needs to be done, she just does it. *Snap* Like that. This is what makes her into the leader than I, frankly, am not. Once Neria makes a decision, she doesn’t second guess it. She leads her troops forward with confidence. I’m really glad she’s on our side.

Now, while she probably wouldn’t want me to say this, she does have a few flaws. I sometimes find it hard to put my finger on exactly what she’s thinking when she and I talk. It’s not that she’s purposefully dishonest or that she has something to hide, but usually I can tell that she isn’t telling me everything that is on her mind. She picks her words very carefully, and what she says can be ambiguous. It’s like she purposefully constructs sentences that you can interpret in more than one way. This makes her appear more agreeable than she really is. It’s not that she’s evil and she’s purposefully manipulating you. She just knows how to get people from opposing sides to come together to a resolution. Frankly, she’d make a good politician, which is probably why she has been successful as a Grey Warden and as Ferelden’s Warden Commander.

Let’s see… What else?  Well, as I said, there have been times when I really just wanted Neria to come right out and tell me what she felt. She’s always turning things around, asking me and everyone else, ‘What do you think? What do you want? What do you feel?’ Meanwhile, she’s keeping all of her thoughts and desires and feelings to herself. It’s not as if she doesn’t have desires or feelings. She just doesn’t talk about them. This makes it hard for me to know what she wants from me. Usually it isn’t a big deal, but there have been a few times when I couldn’t figure out where my relationship with her stood. Okay, more than a few times. Although, as for that one time when she, uh, well, she slept with Teagan and, given the circumstances of that night, I can see how it happened. Before that, there was a lot of confusion between me and her over that whole kingship thing. You see, she never once came out and said, ‘Alistair, I really don’t want you to challenge Anora’s claim to the throne. I just want us to stay together in the Wardens.’ Had she said that, everything between us would have been much easier. And then there was that entire situation with, well, you know, our friend Cullen. I sort of wish I knew about him before Neria and I started to become intimate, but that’s not how things happened and, I guess, from her perspective, she probably thought her connections with the Circle were over once she became a warden. Anyhow, all of that is now in the past.

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How does your Warden change/develop during the Blight? Do they become more compassionate? Darker? Do they grow up? 

While in the Circle, Neria believed that leadership was in her future, but she didn’t understand how difficult it would be to make decisions with incomplete information or how stress it would be to make snap decisions when time was of the essence. Raising an army to stop the Blight forced Neria to mature her believes about leadership very quickly. She needed to learn how to accept responsibility for mistakes that she could not predict at the time her decisions were made. 

Neria’s relationship with Zevran, right up to his death (around the time of Landsmeet), was strained. His death weighed on her heavily because she felt partly responsible for it. Likewise, for years after Landsmeet, she silently doubted whether Alistair had been truly comfortable renouncing his claim to Ferelden’s throne. This is a topic she doesn’t like to speak about with anyone (and she never speaks about it with Alistair) because she sometime suspects that she took something away from Alistair that he actually wanted.

The Blight was the first time that Neria felt responsible for other people’s lives and well-being. This was true at the grand scale (stopping the Blight, etc.), and it was also true at an intimate, interpersonal level. Neria worried a lot about Alistair’s well-being. She knew he was depressed and, for a while, she steered him away from anything that might make him unhappy. There was also the matter with Cullen. For a few months in the middle of DA:O’s events, Cullen accompanied Neria, Alistair, and crew in their quest to raise an army. Unfortunately, Cullen experienced deteriorating mental health due to trauma from the events he lived through when Uldred attacked the Circle. When the Blight ended, Neria’s relationship with Cullen had officially transitioned into a post-romantic ‘we’re going our own separate ways’ phase. Neria’s relationship with Alistair also started to deteriorate and was eventually put on hold. She watched her friends move on without her. Thus, one of the biggest lessons Neria learned during the Blight was how to let go while moving on with her own life.

The blight did not make Neria a darker person. Just a more realistic person. More grounded. Less idealistic.

What habits/quirks does your Warden have? 

— Will rapidly tap the edge of her right index finger’s finger nail against hard surfaces while mentally running through scenarios and making difficult decisions. 

— Will absentmindedly reach for the amulet around her neck when thinking of someone who is very special to her (first Cullen, later Alistair).

— Dislikes the color red.

— Goes out of her way to listen to everyone’s opinion such that she is putting them in power to make decisions except she has often already decided what she will push others to support or what she will do.

Does your character fit any cliches?  More archetypes than cliches? The Dungeon-Diving Magic User, the Magician, the Negotiator, the Lover/Team-Builder.

What would your Warden’s Hogwarts House be? Why?  Probably Ravenclaw, but with added Hufflepuff and Gryffindore tendencies. Perhaps the sorting hat let Neria choose and she decided Ravenclaw but she could have been sorted into the other two. Neria thinks her intelligence sets her apart, but her ability to loyally toil away at something difficult makes her suitable for Hufflepuff. She also has Gryffindore bravery and nerve, but I think she first sets her mind to something and then works up the nerve. She thinks a matter through first, and then she takes action. But she doesn’t seem slow to act because she thinks a matter through very quickly.

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Day 4. Describe your warden’s relationship with every member of their party. Who are they friends with? Who do they argue with?

Neria closest friend and BFF was Leliana (and Dog). She had a romantic relationship with Alistair and, although she and Alistair were very close, they argued a good bit. Neria and Oghren had a good natured relationship. She had difficulties with Wynne and Sten, but all was resolved in the end. Her relationships with Zevran and Morrigan were strained. For a little while, Cullen joined the party and, despite the romantic undertones (and confusion) between them, Neria mostly cared for Cullen like a family member. Neither Loghain nor Shale were recruited. 

Details for each character are below. (Very long response)

Alistair - Neria got along with Alistair right from the start. Given that they both grew up under the Chantry’s watchful eye and away from their families’ homes, they had many similar experiences during their pre-teen and teen years. They became even closer once they learned how similar their earlier phases of childhood had been: bastard Alistair’s uncomfortable situation growing up in Arl Eamon’s castle, Neria’s experiences as an elvhen child of a servant in a bann’s estate. Alistair and Neria had become friendly enough by the time they reached Lothering for Morrigan to make comment about the potentially inappropriate nature of their budding relationship. Since Alistair was one of Neria’s principle romantic interests, I’ll save the rest of this answer for days #5 and #6 (Romantic Interests and Sexual Orientation). 

Morrigan - Despite Neria’s strong adherence to Andrastian faith and her support for most of the Chantry’s methods, she did not think that apostates and hedgewitches were wrong or evil. That said, Neria felt mages outside of the Chantry’s laws had a greater chance of growing up misguided. Morrigan was someone whom Neria thought of as sadly misguided. For the majority of their time together, she did not trust Morrigan. Their relationship was often prickly but, as Neria slowly came to learn who Morrigan was and how her experiences shaped and motivated her, Neria was able to accept Morrigan for who she was. There were moments when the two of them opened up to each other. Neria and Morrigan’s difficult friendship opened both of their eyes to wider ways of viewing magic and human relationships. By the time Morrigan told Neria about her plans to conceive a reborn old god, Neria had seen enough of the larger world to make her believe that the Chantry’s version of the truth was highly edited. Neria became curious to see what could happen if an old god of beauty was brought into the world. After Morrigan left, Neria missed her, thought of her often, and wished that she and Morrigan had become closer during their time together.

Lelianna - Neria and Leliana got along very well right from the start. Neria found Leliana’s fanciful nature a bit too much at times, but she loved Leliana as a friend. Right from the start, Neria suspected that Leliana’s flights of fancy were a form of escapism. Neria wondered what Leliana was running from. This created an unspoken bond between the two of them because, at age twelve, Neria sought refuge in the Chantry when running from a series of unpleasant events that she wanted to leave behind her. Neria thought of Leliana as her best friend and never realized that Leliana was interested in a romantic relationship. Shortly before Landsmeet, just when Neria’s relationship with Alistair was at its rockiest moment (game-wise, Alistair was over +90 approval and in a relationship with Neria), Leliana attempted to move her friendship with Neria to a romantic level. This was a very tense moment for Neria, Leliana, and Alistair because Neria didn’t want to hurt Leliana’s feelings, but she was committed to her relationship with Alistair work, despite their problems.

I headcanon that Leliana and Neria stayed in touch during the first few years after the blight but their friendship eventually dwindled into nothingness due to the physical distance between them.

The Sten - Neria took a risk with Sten when she first met him. Sten represented everything that Neria should distrust as a lawfully minded Andrastian, but knew she needed to build an army, and she knew her tiny party could easily be picked off by a gang of thugs or a horde of darkspawn. In the Circle, Neria read about the Qunari and, based on her book knowledge, she believed that Qunari warriors were highly honor-bound followers of their laws. She believed that if she made Sten swear an oath or feel honor bound to follow her, he would not cause problems. (Alistair thought Neria was absolutely mad for allowing a heathen qunari murder to join them.) Neria and Sten rarely saw eye to eye, but Neria was fascinated with Sten’s world views purely because she had never met a Qunari before. Over time, Sten came to respect Neria and Neria thought of Sten as a trustworthy friend. Although she does not know where he has gone (presumably back to the Qun), she believes he will always view her as a friend and ally. She would like to know what has happened to him.

Zevran - Neria had a difficult relationship with Zevran that never progressed to mutual trust, much less friendship. She couldn’t get past him being a Crow assassin (in game, she refused to do any quests related to the Crows), and she didn’t like the way he blatantly hit on her (and everyone else). She didn’t believe that Zevran took anything seriously and never trusted a word he said. Neria was deeply puzzled by the friendship that developed between Wynne and Zevran. After all, why would educated, well-mannered Wynne give someone like Zevran the time of day?! Even more strange was Alistair’s odd-ball friendship with Zevran, although Neria never thought that Alistair and Zevran ever considered each other friends despite the fact that the two would go drinking together in pubs in Denerim and Orzammar. When Zevran died (the Taliesin encounter), Neria was unexpectedly overwhelmed with a deep sense of responsibility and regret. She felt a great sense of emptiness whenever she looked at Zevran’s empty spot in their campsite. 

(Note: Unlike Neria, I loved having Zevran around. Some of my favorite DA:O banter involves him.)

Wynne - Neria knew Wynne from the Circle. They did not know each other well. Instead, the knew of each other more than they knew each other. Wynne knew that Irving thought very highly of his apprentice Neria. Wynne also knew about Cullen and she had a long talk with him in the Circle about how the feelings he had for Neria were very inappropriate. Neria knew that Wynne was a highly respected senior enchanter, but she rarely had reason or opportunity to interact with Wynne until the Blight. 

In Neria’s canon, Wynne joined the party during the Broken Circle quest, made serious words with Cullen when he begged Neria to kill everyone in the Harrowing chamber, Irving included (Neria did not do this), and then, two days after Neria+party left the tower after securing the mage’s help, Neria returned to the tower to also secure the templar’s help and to have Greagoir immediately assign at least one templar (Cullen) to help the wardens raise their army (this is how  the first chapter of “This Bird Has Flown” opens). So, when Wynne first starts spending time with the party, she knows that Neria and Alistair had something go on beforehand—something that had progressed to a very intimate level—and Wynne was watching the entire Neria/Cullen mess unfold (all while Cullen is struggling with the initial symptoms of PTSD). Needless to say, Wynne spoke many stern words with Neria about the inappropriateness of both of her personal relationships, and every time Wynne pulled her aside to have a Stern Talk, Neria was certain that Wynne was hiding her true motivations for wagging her finger at Neria. Indeed, Neria was right.

Neria didn’t have a bad relationship with Wynne, nor did she see Wynne’s unwanted advise as meddlesome. The Circle had accustomed Neria to people like Wynne. Neria expected Wynne’s behavior and rolled her eyes the moment Wynne was out of sight. Neria respected Wynne’s knowledge (like Wynne, Neria was also a spirit healer) and she saw their differences as “generation gap issues.” Neria actually respected mages like Wynne. Wynne  was an enchanter who had proven herself trustworthy and loyal to the Circle, which gave Wynne the freedom to travel throughout Thedas for official reasons. When Neria was in the Circle, she hoped to someday become similar to Wynne. Thus, the differences they had during the Blight we mostly that of the older generation worrying far too much about the younger generation making mistakes. Neria understood this and didn’t let Wynne’s stern talks and disapproval end their ability to have a working relationship. 

Oghren - Neria and Oghren got along surprisingly very well. The few times that Neria’s friends from the Circle saw Neria and Oghren together, they were completely baffled as to how and why these two got along. Neria knew Oghren would be loyal to her and that helping the Wardens gave him a sense of purpose. Sure, he got drunk and caused minor trouble, but it was nothing that Neria couldn’t handle. She laughed at Oghren’s jokes (and laughed a few times behind his back at his expense), Oghren said, “Yes, Boss,” whenever she ordered him to do something. While they never had a deep friendship, they got on well. 

(Although, in Awakening, Neria started to look at Oghren as a depressed drunk with a problem rather than the happy often-drunk Dwarf she had known during the Blight.)

Loghain - Neria let Alistair duel Loghain and we all know how that ends. Loghain’s corpse was not recruited. Loghain was someone Neria had believed to be a hero, but when she met him at Ostagar, she immediately questioned whether she could trust him and started to question the legends about him she had heard. 

This was a bit of a blow to Neria. As a child, stories of commoners who rise up to do great things made a big impression on an elvhen girl who was the daughter of a washerwoman, living in a noble estate. Stories of Queen Anora deeply impressed Neria and to learn that her heroes might not be good people bothered her. 

After the Battle of Ostagar became a disaster and Loghain sounded the retreat, Neria lost all respect for Loghain. It was a very sudden, emotional decision because, at that moment, her childhood fantasy of rising up and becoming something better was challenged. Neria wanted nothing to do with Loghain and disavowed ever thinking of him heroically. She rewrote her own personal history, editing out every story she had read about Loghain and every good thing she had ever said about him. 

Shale - Neria never recruited Shale, although I suspect the two would have gotten on well.

** Cullen - Cullen joined the crew as a companion for a portion of the Blight. (Cullen eventually ended up in Greenfell Chantry/Sanitarium after Neria declared him unfit to fight, and, after almost a half year of therapy, Cullen was transferred to Kirkwall.) Much like Neria/Alistair, Neria and Cullen have a complex relationship that I’ll talk about more in an upcoming entry. Their time together during the Blight allowed Neria and Cullen to reach understandings about themselves and each other which allowed both of them to move on. I’ll leave most of it for the day #5 and #6 questions (Romantic Interests and Sexual Orientation).

The important thing is that Neria is one of the only mages Cullen (sort of) let himself trust during his worst moments of recovering from what had happened to him during Uldred’s attack. Neria felt partly responsible for Cullen’s trauma. Given that mages are supposed to be accompanied by templars when outside of the Circle, Neria wanted Duncan to recruit both her and Cullen to take part in the King’s army, but the entire clusterfuck of events surrounding Jowan’s escape scuttled her plans. Once Neria learned that Cullen was struggling with a severe anxiety disorder, for the most part, she wanted what was best for him. Her relationship with him was more akin to someone caring for a sick family member, although romantic aspects were also involved. (Before going to Greenfell, Cullen spent a lot of time with Neria’s mabari.

Dog - My in-game dogs often have joke names but Neria, as she appears in fanfic, named her mabari Hafter after the legendary Alamarri hero of the same name who united the Alamarri tribes during the second Blight to fight off the darkspawn. (Hafter was later named the first teryn in Ferelden).

How could Neria not love her faithful mabari hound?! She was always amused by his good-natured, affectionately trouble-making pranks. In Neria’s eyes, he was as much of Grey Warden as she and Alistair. She trusts her mabari more than anyone else because the dog’s emotions are always honest and his motivations are always plain. She trusts him to be the first to alert her to dangers. Neria is rarely seen without without her mabari and, despite Alistair’s complains, the mabari always sleeps with Neria.

During the period of time that Cullen travelled with Neria and Alistair’s party, Hafter spent a good bit of time with Cullen at Neria’s request. Cullen had always been fascinated with mabari hounds and, as a child, fantasized about owning one. Neria trusted Hafter to keep an eye on Cullen when he was not doing well.

~~~ Alistair had issues with Dog ~~~

Alistair fumbled with the buttons fastening Neria’s shirt, his mouth busy against her lips, her hands working their way between his belly and the band of his trousers. The moment his hand slipped inside her shirt and cupped her breast, puffs of hot breath huffed against Allistair’s ear. A large wet tongue licked his face.

“Now, wait a minute,” Alistair said. He pulled back and looked Hafter straight in the eye. 

“Neria and I are having a private moment here. Private. Just her and me.”

The mabari cocked his head to one side.

“Which means you need to go.”

In response, the mabari gave a plaintive whine.

“Go bother Wynne, or bring Morrigan a rabbit she can stew. Just go.” Alistair pointed toward the tent’s door flap. Not that his words made one difference. Hafter sat firmly planted atop Neria’s blankets.

Neria ruffled his ears. “Hafter,” she said. “Go help Leliana with her camp patrol.” And with that, the mabari barked and snapped to his feet, stepping heavily over Alistair’s legs, shaking the tent like a windstorm on his way out.