C E R E A L I A ★

[hairysituations]

Applicant Info

◎ Name: Kero
◎ Journal: dazz
◎ Contact: dazzley
◎ Current Character(s): N/A.

Character Info

◎ Character's Name: Varric Tethras.
◎ Character's Canon: Dragon Age.
◎ Character's Age: Born 9:0-9:1 Dragon, and interrogated by Cassandra and Leliana in 9:40 Dragon, so roughly about 39.
◎ Canon Point: The end of DA2, having finished telling the story of the Champion to Cassandra during her interrogation.
◎ Background/History: Varric's Wikia.
◎ Is the character a hacker and/or do they have a sixth-sense? No to both! Varric is from a series which is more or less the equivalent of the Medieval times - no computers. Canonically, dwarves do not dream and have no magical abilities, so he has no sixth-sense, either.

◎ Personality:

"There's a recipe to a good hero, Hawke. It's like alchemy. One part down-to-earth, one part selfless nobility, two parts crazy, and you season liberally with wild falsehoods. You let that percolate through a good audience for a while, and when it's done, you've got your hero."

Think back to the first week of high school. You're a tiny freshman, sitting at your desk in class - you don't really know anyone, students are throwing things, and the teacher is too busy scribbling notes on the board to notice. The sun is high in the sky and cutting through the blinds, sending long white streaks across your desk. It's hot. It's almost like it's still summer. You don't want to be there. It's nothing like those movies with the singing teens promised.

Unbeknownst to you, a spitball flies in from the left. It's big. It's wet. It's headed for your ear.

And then out of nowhere the kid behind you quickly throws his notebook up and blocks the side of your face. The spitball plops into the cardboard. You're shocked. That could have been in your ear. The germs.

You two meet gazes. He smiles. "This class sucks, huh? Hey, wanna sit together at lunch?" In your soul, you know you've found your fated Best Friend Forever.

That best friend? That's Varric.

Okay, let's step out of Young Adult Novel territory now. Not really my demographic.

It's in the same type of situation that Hawke and Varric meet -- Varric initially sought Hawke out because of some rumors, and he needed someone good to help get a job done. Hawke needed a way to get into the expedition. A business deal waiting to happen, bing bang boom one pickpocket shot with an arrow later and the rest is history. Together they scrape up the amount of money Hawke needs to buy her way into the expedition, lead by Varric's older brother Bartrand, a stubborn dwarf presented as a stark foil to the laid back, easy to talk to sibling. Varric arranges for Hawke to take on quests in order to make money through his spy network, finds out pertinent information such as where they can get their hands on a bloody map of the Deep Roads, and generally helps Hawke get her affairs in order.

While meeting Hawke was important for Varric, their strongest moment and one of the most changing for him comes at the end of Act I - the betrayal of his older brother. Having found a very creepy and dangerous idol in the Deep Roads, Bartrand locks Hawke and Varric in the room where the idol was found and leaves them for dead. A move that shocks and infuriates Varric. Betrayal by the brother he'd grown up with, the one that he worked hand in hand with, who he depended on and trusted? Unbelievable. He swears to kill Bartrand for what he's done and, thanks to Hawke, manages to escape an untimely death. There's nothing quite like a family betrayal. It impacts Varric on a deep level. When he returns he's left to salvaging the remains of their now-abandoned family business and to deal with the Merchant's guild in his brother's stead, leaving little to no time to search for his wayward brother.

Not that Varric gives up, or forgets. Eventually his network discovers that Bartrand has returned to Kirkwall and is staying up in Hightown. With Hawke, Varric heads to Hightown to settle matters with his sibling... but things are not as he expects. The guards have all got nutters, and Hugin, the last surviving servant of their house, fills them in. After stealing the idol Bartrand began to hear voices and singing, and slowly descended into madness. He tortured the servants of the house, and that he is no longer the man he once was. When Varric and Hawke finally confront Bartrand, Varric tries to talk to him - but to no avail. Bartrand has lost his mind. Anders is able to salvage some of Bartrand so they can have a brief conversation, resulting in Bartrand asking Varric to kill him before he can do anything else to bring shame to their house. Which, despite the fact that his brother literally left him for dead, leaves Varric emotional and upset. In the end Hawke persuades Varric to let him live, and Varric is intent on finding some way to help his brother. Loyalty. It's one of Varric key traits - once you've earned his trust and rapport, it's not easily thrown away.

So, when he isn't dragged along on upsetting family quests or crazy jobs that end in fighting dragons, Varric spends a lot of his time keeping tabs on the various members of the party and other happenings in Kirkwall. He's the one that fills Hawke in on the issues that arise after the death of the viscount (after having drinks with Anders and listening to his stories as a Grey Warden, of course). Speaking of keeping tabs... Merrill? There's a reason why she's never attacked while walking home through Lowtown - with his spy network Varric makes sure it doesn't happen. Costs him a fair bit of coin to keep it up. Anders? The thugs aren't stupid enough to not find his little clinic on their own. Even Varric's interrogation is a fine example; we learn later in Dragon Age: Inquisition that yes, despite what Varric told Cassandra, he did know where Hawke was all along. As he so famously quips when Cassandra tries to smack the crap out of him for lying about it, "You've done enough to her."

In another segment of Varric's personal quest, turns out that he's been trying to sell his brother's old estate, but buyers keep getting scared off. He asks Hawke for a solid and together they go to check out what exactly is going on with the place - and what they find is no short of disturbing. Doors that slam themselves shut, furniture flying, weird sounds... not something buyers would find to be prime real-estate. After they take care of the spirits they discover that a shard of the idol was still in the house. The spirit has an... odd influence of Varric, as it did his brother - he begins to act strangely, more aggressively, and claims that he needs the shard in order to understand what exactly happened to Bartrand. Hawke encourages Varric to get rid of the shard (uh, it's bad news) and Varric snaps out of his weird trance, giving the shard to Hawke. Yeah, his history with red lyrium isn't great. It's his and his brother's experiences with it that makes him hate it so much.

In the end, Varric will always side with Hawke, no matter what side Hawke decides to join. He tells Cassandra that their story ended with them vanishing off into the wilds, and that they were all separated from Hawke - aside from Hawke's romance option, whoever that ends up being. It's when he returns to Kirkwall that he's interrogated by Cassandra and tells her the tale of the Champion - rife with both truths and embellishments.

Dragon Age 2 is a game of character growth. Varric's growth through the game is far more subtle than say, Fenris', but it's still there. The betrayal of his brother is a huge lesson to him, especially in those years where he had no idea about the madness Bartrand had descended into. He gains friends that he values and watches over them to make sure that they're all right, even when they're not in touch. Hawke influences him for the better, in the end, and that earns trust between them for life.

Varric is a rogue and it's a style that suits his tastes well. Secretive? Check. Subtle? Check. Penchant for lying? Absolutely. He loves to tell tall tales about Hawke's heroism. However, unlike an assassin or even some bards, Varric doesn't like to settle his matters with unnecessary bloodshed. The best gauge of this is through how Hawke becomes a friend or rival - solving problems and gaining advantages through diplomacy, lying, and blackmail sit far better with him than acts that involve straightforward violence and thuggery. A businessman, Varric is always looking to make a deal, even if he has to flash some compromising love letters in order to get it. While he may not abide the law, he has a sense of what he believes is right, and isn't a cruel person. A Hawke that chooses what is right over what is necessarily legal will always sit well in Varric's book.

... Not to say that he's the paragon of virtue among thieves, of course. If it's necessary, Varric will put an arrow through a man's throat. Not all deals end well. But he has no love of it. He's not a cold man. In fact, for how shrewd he can be when it comes to lying and blackmail, he's actually quite soft when it comes to the people he's grown to really care about. He's extroverted, and spends a great deal of time keeping tabs on and seeing that his companions aren't in a rough spot. Goodhearted underneath that silver tongue.

And speaking of smooth-talking, he's quite adept at slinking his way out of dangerous situations with glib banter and clever words. He's excellent at bullshitting on the spot, and keeping important information under wraps unless he deems it necessary to share. He's all around good at being vague and staying that way when he wants to. He's terribly sharp, and good at avoiding things that he wants to avoid. He's a self-proclaimed compulsive liar. For example, his story on how he acquired his crossbow, Bianca, changes several times throughout both Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition. His stories about Hawke's heroism are often largely exaggerated, and give Hawke her dangerous and massive reputation. Like any good author, Varric loves manipulating words. He likes to talk. He responds well to flirting, joking, and sarcasm. Generally, a Hawke that will joke with him or make sarcastic comments will catch his approval points very easily. Chit-chat is incredibly easy for Varric, and he's the sort that can talk to just about anyone - he has to be, in order to keep a seemless spy network. Contacts are important. And the more a contact likes you, the more likely you'll get good information. It helps that he's generally more laid back and has a dry sense of humor.

Going back to the pointlessly long opening I penned about high school, Varric is the quintessential best friend. He genuinely cares about everyone in the party and goes out of his way to see that they're taken care of. He even gives them nicknames! Precious. He keeps Hawke up on what exactly is going on, keeps tabs on the things that need to be watched, and prefers to use cleverness or lying in order to handle a sticky situation. He's a good friend to have, one that's a huge part of Hawke's story, just as big as Hawke is a part of his. I mean, how else would he have gotten dragged into all these dangerous shenanigans?

◎ Powers/Abilities:

★ DWARF
→ Dwarves do not naturally enter the Fade (magic-y magical not-fun land), as they do not dream and lack magical ability. There is no recorded exception to their inability to learn spellcasting. They have a resistance to magic and high tolerance to lyrium exposure. Dwarves like Varric that live on the surface gradually lose these resistances over time, but the fact that he's sans any magical sense or ability won't change.

★ TALENT TREES

→ BIANCA [★]
Filled out archery tree, including upgrades. Includes basic and advanced archery attacks.

→ SABOTAGE [★]
Miasmic Flask, Confusion, Rush, and Fatiguing Fog.

→ SPECIALIST [ ★]
Speed, Lightning Speed, Energizing speed.

→ SUBTERFUGE [ ★]
Evade, Stealth, Silent Running, Ambush, Lingering Shroud, Subtlety.

→ MARKSMAN (Varric's Specialization) [★]
Authorized Biographer, Rhyming Triplet, Bianca's Song, Embellishment, Kickback, Backlash, Well-oiled, Overtime.

★ SKILLS
→ Lock-picking
→ Traps (construction/deconstruction)
→ Smooth-talking
→ Writing amazing novels
→ Wicked Grace (cards)
→ Bullshitting


Varric is a marksman and works as a ranged fighter, seeing as his crossbow, Bianca, is his only weapon. Most of his skills are based on speed and subtlety, confusing his opponents, and getting an advantage before attacking. He has basic knowledge of artificer skills such as poisons and other flasks. A fan of using cleverness over brute strength and keeping his hands mostly blood-free, Varric works best supporting from the back and crippling enemies.

He's also quite talented at lying, making up stories, and wiggling his way out of dangerous situations with exaggeration and falsities. As a rogue he's able to pick locks and make traps, as well as deconstruct them. While he's not the best rogue, he's familiar enough with most things to offer at least a little help. A jack of all trades and a master of none.

◎ Weapons & Other Special Inventory:

★ Bianca, Varric's signature crossbow. Carved wood stock and brass embellishments, retractable bayonet that slides out of a slot in the front.
★ Tailored Leather Duster
★ Inscribed Leather Harness
★ Coat Lining with Concealed Pockets
★ Silverite-Reinforced Buckles

CEREALIA-Specific

◎ Element: Earth. Dwarves have a natural affinity for the earth given that they generally live beneath it and worship the stone (even if Varric was born and has always lived topside, hey, can't fight lineage). Aside from that natural inclination, Varric tends to be a voice of reason in the party, stays grounded, and throughout the game is the only party member that will never leave Hawke - consistent. He's solid.
◎ Sense: Sight. As a marksman and a rogue, Varric's sight is incredibly sharp - to both get a good shot on an enemy, and keep an eye out for any funny business. A good rogue always knows what's going on around them.
◎ Seven Character Traits: ( loyal, persuasive, clever ) ( lying, deceitful, vague ) + mildly greedy.

Samples

◎ First-Person Sample:

Examples from the Test Drive!

◎ Third-Person Sample:

He loves The Hanged Man.

There's nothing like a bar where you can hear the fights take place while you're lying in bed upstairs. Nothing like the grease that's slick across the bar and the barkeep that's always got the latest rumors. Oh, did something happen in Hightown yesterday? He's already heard about it - but it doesn't hurt to grin over a glass of something strong and listen to another side of the story. Always interesting. He's a good guy, the barkeep, even if he's got a bit of a ... funny sense of humor. Thinks the pigeon decline in Ferelden is waytoo interesting.

Honestly, the only problem about the place is the lack of some cute dwarven serving girls, but perfect places don't exist. Not that he'd be frequenting them if they did. Perfect? Doesn't really sound like that would suit him all that much.

He reclines in his room and thumbs through a few papers as he listens vaguely to the sound of chatter taking place below. He could love anywhere - but he chose the room above a bar on purpose. What better place to meet contacts? Hear interesting information? And where better for a late night drink? There may be another good place or two, but this one feels more like a home for him than any of those might.

... Hm. He stops on a note that had been dropped off earlier by a woman in a dress -- one much too nice for the likes of Lowtown. Pearls and silk. Must have been distressed with the stains on her shoes after she left, he imagines. Either she was very, very desperate... or very, very put up to it.

Something scheduled to happen in the gallows, huh? He grabs another piece of torn paper, scribbling across it in his own practiced handwriting,

Hawke,

Meet me in the gallows tomorrow. Might end up being something you'd be interested in.

After all, Hawke always tended to have a hand in most of Kirkwall's business. What kind of friend would he be if he didn't make that life goal a little bit easier?

He rolls the note for sending out and then leans back again, taking another healthy sip from his mug. Another day, another battle. Nothing less in Kirkwall.

◎ Is your character retaining any previous game memories? N/A.