Application: KoL

[bythedreadwolf]

Player Name: Rynn
Player E-mail: chaneystarr@gmail.com
Instant message contact (AIM/MSN/etc): rynnling @ AIM
Plurk (if applicable): chaneystarr
Is the player at least 18 years of age? yes

Character's Full Name: Solas
Canon Dragon Age: Inquisition
PB/Actor: (himself)
Character's Starting Level: I'm thinking 8? 9? Somewhere where he still comes in pretty powerful, because he's Solas, so I'd like to keep him high enough that all the effort he's put into regaining his power over the past few years isn't entirely lost. This will probably be easier to decide once I start doing stats and points and classes for him, etc.
Character Age: appears to be in early to mid-40's but his true age is unknown. Does being in a magically-induced coma for a few thousand years count towards that number?
Physical Description:

Solas stands 6' tall (182 cm) which is unnaturally tall in comparison to most of the elves in Thedas, who typically average around 5'4". As this is a trait he seems to share with Abelas, the Sentinel at Mythal's temple, it might be an Elvhen thing. His eyes are a pale grey-blue and he is completely bald, although early concept art for him often depicts him with long black braids/dreads, so this might be a personal choice rather than anything to do with age. As a mark of his elven/Elvhen heritage, his ears are long and pointed. Unlike the Dalish, he wears no vallaslin on his face. He is slim and lithe, surprisingly muscular under his mage robes but his build is wirey rather than stocky. he typically stands tall and confident and doesn't waste a lot of his movement - everything is deliberate and thought-out. he has no problem being perfectly still and quiet until he has a reason to be noticed or to put forth an opinion or suggestion. His manner comes across as unassuming most times and he prefers to be viewed that way by most around him.

Character's Species/Race : Solas is an elf from Thedas and one of the few actual Elvhen left in the world, which is the ancient race that all modern elves are descended from.

Character History (Pre-Veil): The Wiki articles on both Solas and Fen'Harel, the Dread Wolf.
Post Veil History:

Solas will be newly arrived before recruitment. I don't have the details of this worked out yet, but I'll be looking for volunteers if he gets accepted. I'd really like him to walk out of a mirror somewhere. >.> For Reasons.

Chosen Canon Point: After the Tresspasser DLC, the epilogue to the Inquisition storyline.

Personality and Psychology:

When Solas first appears in canon, it's as an unassuming hedge-mage who happened to be nearby when the disaster at the Conclave occurs. He is quick to lend his assistance and experience, possessing a rare and somewhat unorthodox understanding of magic and the Fade that cannot be found seemingly anywhere else. Being a self-taught Somniari, as he claims, he has grown and learned alone in the wilderness, rejecting both the Dalish styles and Circle-taught schools of magic that most mages have for education in southern Thedas.

While most of this persona he presents to the world is genuine in its own way, it's also only a shadow of the truth, a cleverly-crafted shield to hide who and what he truly is and what his real involvement was in the events that led to and then motivate the Inquisition through the circumstances that follow the explosion at the Temple and the resulting Breach that splits the Veil in the sky overhead. While his persona as 'Solas' is real - and probably closer to who he really is at his core - it's also a face he wears to hide the man he became, what events now lost to lore shaped him into, that of Fen'Harel, the ancient Elvhen 'god' of betrayal - or rebellion, depending on which side of the story you listen to. As you discover evidence throughout Inquisition and Trespasser, you discover a very different tale about the trickster god that features so prominently as the villain of Dalish lore, a picture painted instead of a powerful mage who rebelled against false gods and freed their elven slaves to rally and rise up with them against their tyrannical masters. Whether selfish or altruistic in motivations, the actions he took to defeat the ancient Elvhen gods led to the downfall of the elven empire and the loss of much of their magic and power. His resolution to end the war being to create the Veil, a magical barrier that sundered the Fade from the real world, a magical accomplishment both staggering and terrifying in its immensity. He regrets the consequences and loss that choice led to but, as he claims at one point, all the other alternatives left to him at that point in time were worse, for Mythal was slain and the gods were going to destroy the world in their greed and ambition and warring.

The Solas that existed then isn't someone we see much of in the game, other than in brief glimpses. There are hints here and there - his derisive opinions on what the Dalish Clans have become, his thoughts on Tevinter and slaver, on the Qun, his enjoyment of the Game in Orlais and their deadly web of intrigue and politics. And in Trespasser, for a few brief moments, we see a Solas who is more restored than we have known him, perhaps more like the Fen'Harel of old. He wears his confidence and his purpose like a cloak, casting magic without so much as lifting a finger, self-possessed and certain in his path, although there is a weariness and a sadness about him too, a resignation of what he knows his duty will cost the world once more. And what it will cost him personally, in the new friends and companions he has made, most of which he fears will not survive the calamity he knows is to come.

Every now and then he will let people sneak peeks past his walls and see the true him, or let glimpses of himself slip in conversations. Cole, a spirit of Compassion who comes to lend his aid to the Inquisitor, sees him as he truly is all along and is drawn to him deeply for the pain and sorrow he feels in the elf and has no way of mending. Others he is drawn close to over the length of time he aids the Inquisition, respects them, holds many of them in high regard and affection, even though he is typically considered a little distances, observant, quietly calculating in thought and deed. Because of this layered depth to his personality - what is real, what is hidden, and what he allows to be seen - there are many facets to him that sometimes get overlooked or some that he only chooses to show to certain people, constantly aware of who and what he is being observed as and adjusting his actions and demeanor accordingly. It is because of this that he can often go unnoticed or forgotten until he wants to be noticed or heard, being very deliberate in when he speaks or reminds those around him that yes, he is still here and very much paying attention to everything happening in his vicinity.

Still, the unassuming demeanor he projects - while likely being carefully crafted to keep anyone from looking too closely past what he wants them to see - also has a very real feel to it and is likely very natural to the Solas that existed before he became Fen'Harel. He condemns the Elvhen gods for their pride and arrogance, stating that as the true cause for the fall of Elvhenan. He is shown time and again going out of his way to help those in need and when the Inquisitor makes similar choices it often gets much approval from him. Whether it's aiding a healer, helping a sick woman or bringing food and supplies to suffering refugees, it matters to him and draws his notice. The plight of the city elves evokes a genuine reaction and concern from him whereas he disdains the Dalish for their prejudice and arrogant isolation from their kin. While his actions might not always be altruistic, he really does seem to feel a calling to aid the downtrodden and right what injustices he can where he finds them.

Perhaps this has to do with the humble beginnings he claims to have had. Another apparent truth he crafted into his persona as Solas, as when later investigated by Leliana the location of the village he supposedly grew up in was nothing but a long-abandoned elvhen ruin. He tells the Inquisitor that he was Solas first, before titles and a godhood he never claimed for himself. Even his magic he claims is self-taught, learned from long visits in the Fade - another potential truth for by all accounts Somniari were rare even in ancient times when power and magic was much more easily accessed and channeled. His explanation of how the Elvhen 'gods' came to be is briefly summarized in a few words, of a great war that split the empire, of the people looking for order in chaos, for leadership, for heroes, for salvation. The Evanuris rose out of their number, first as generals, then as kings and eventually the 'false gods' Fen'Harel later led his rebellion against. He states that he never counted himself among their number, never claimed to be anyone's god, and as there is a noticeable lack of vallaslin dedicated to Fen'Harel among the Dalish, may also indicate that he never participated in the act of enslaving or marking his own people as the others in the pantheon did.

Because of the lore of Fen'Harel has grown and changed with time, he is obviously reluctant to reveal his true self to anyone. Cole knows the entire time, and Mythal recognizes him when they encounter one another. As does Abelas possibly, the sentinel in Mythal's temple who speaks to Solas as a fellow Elvhen while sharing the same disdain for what the Dalish have let themselves be reduced to. And in the end, he confesses it to the Inquisitor, revealing to her the truth about the identity and what he must do to fix the mistakes he made all those ages past. He meant to make a better world for his people and in the end he destroyed them. He will not rest until he rights his wrongs, which is why he leaves and takes up the mantle of Fen'Harel once more. He states that it was a title bestowed upon him in malice by the Evanuris as part of their propaganda against him and his rebellion, but he took it up as a point of pride rather than insult. Becoming the Dread Wolf "inspired hope in his friends and fear in his enemies" and he confides that losing Solas to the title and icon it became for the time was something he has in common with the Inquisitor, something he is uniquely capable of understanding where few others can.

Solas is extremely intelligent and knowledgeable - clever and self-aware as well as well-learned with a thirst for knowledge and understanding in just about any topic. He has a flair for the dramatic, an artistic side (as evidenced by the beautiful murals he leaves behind in Skyhold to depict the actions and choices the Inquisitor makes), and secret indulgence for sweets (as a not-so-subtle love of tiny cakes comes up on several occasions).He never lets on how much he sees or hears in the goings-on around him but it’s hinted at multiple times. He’s a master when it comes to strategy, able to predict some of Corypheus’ movements and motivations with startling precision. Her participates in a verbal chess match with the Iron Bull – another master of observation and strategy within the Inquisition’s ranks as a Ben-Hassrath agent of the Qunari – and maintains a game with the man over the course of several days, maintaining an invisible game board entirely in his memory and still managing to out-maneuver the man with surprising diligence and cleverness. He’s depicted as the character type ‘The Mind’ in promotions for the game and it’s a very accurate descriptor, as he’s the one who cherishes the pursuit and preservation of information, memory and knowledge for its own sake. Having an open mind, asking intelligent questions, looking below the surface of an obvious explanation or questioning an answer are all ways to get approval from him. He states several times when passing ruins or places of historical import that he wonders what secrets the place might hold and often regales the companions and the Inquisitor with stories and memories he’s observed in his ventures into the Fade. It gives him a unique perspective on people and events of the past that don’t always match what the history books state as fact.

Almost every action, statement or emotion Solas reveals along the way is deliberate. He’s thoughtful and considerate and trends to react from a point of logic rather than emotion. He remains silent and unassuming until he has something to volunteer to the situation at hand, content to remain unnoticed in the background until he decides otherwise. He observes events and conversations around him with a solemn, thoughtful air and earns himself the nickname “Chuckles” from Varric because of his serious nature, although it deceptive in that he does indeed have a very real sense of humor, although very few are allowed close enough to see the more teasing and playful side of him. Most often his humor comes across in dry or droll remarks or observations of those around him. Even Solas loses his cool once in while however. His fear and worry for the Inquisitor has him reacting hotly when she chooses to drink of the Well of Sorrows despite his cautioning her against it, lashing out when he confronts her over her decision, even though there really was no better option. He is fiercely protective of Cole and how he believes the unique spirit should be handled. Another spirit companion of his – one of his oldest and dearest friends by his account – is a spirit of Wisdom who gets bound and then corrupted through the selfish and ignorant actions of a mage who didn’t understand the magic he was using. As a result, his gentle friend was twisted from her purpose and turned into a demon, later destroyed once Solas and the Inquisitor managed to free her from the binding magic. His grief and rage over this loss was violent and explosive, leading to the swift deaths of the mages responsible.

He sees no difference in the lives of people – elves, human and the like – and spirits. To him, each has just as much right to life and freedom as the other. It’s a unique perspective in a world where most live in constant fear of magic and demons and abominations. He has none of this fear in him, perhaps because the world he came from was never separate and spirits there lived alongside the elves in a united empire. To him they are much independent beings as those he walks around with in the modern day. He understands spirits and demons and how they are defined by their nature and purposes – a knowledge long-lost and misunderstood by nearly everyone on the physical side of the Veil in modern Thedas. He also counts more spirits among his friends and confidants than other elves and humans, finding more in common with the residents of the Fade than on this side of the Veil, especially in his pursuit of knowledge and understanding. If given the choice, it seems very obvious that he would much prefer to be left to a quieter life of solitude and reflection and study, had not fate set him down a different path.

Solas takes his duties and responsibilities very seriously, seeing himself committed to a course of action that is more important than all else, one he set into motion centuries ago with the creation of the Veil and the sundering of the Fade from the physical realm. Even his own desires and happiness take a backseat in light of what he perceives as his purpose now – returning the elves to their former glory. He meant to create for them a better world and when he woke to find this instead, he was shocked and acted hastily. That miscalculation when it came to Corypheus – and the Inquisitor’s fortuitous interference – resulted in the Breach and countless more lives lost and harmed and he carries that weight just as heavily as the one from ages past when his rebellion caused the downfall of the world he knew and loved. There are certain times the heavy regrets and the depth of sorrow he feels are almost palpable around him, but he still holds firm in his belief that not only was it the best (and only) option at the time, but that his people can be restored and saved from themselves. That the hope for a better world is not unattainable. He cannot turn a blind eye to the consequences of his actions, the plight his People have had to endure and has set himself firmly to the task of tearing down the Veil to restore them – even if it means the destruction of the world that has emerged in the meantime. Because of this cause which he sees as inevitable, he has forced himself to walk away from the Inquisition and companions there to walk the solitary path of the ‘Din’Anshiral’ (which translates roughly to Journey of Death – something that hints he does not expect to survive the changes he is planning to enact). This is especially heartrending because when they are in the Fade, the Nightmare demon taunts him with the revelation of his greatest fear being to die alone, and here he is, choosing to do exactly that in order to fulfil his duty to the People, yet he refuses to let anyone else pay the cost with him, or for him. It pains him to walk away from those he holds dear, to leave behind friends and confidants alike, and when he vanishes, it is thoroughly - not even the best of Leliana’s agents and trackers find so much of a hint of him for two years. Where he goes and what he does is left a mystery to the Inquisition until he chooses to make his whereabouts known once more. He cannot protect them from what is to come, but as he tells the Inquisitor, he can buy them a little more time. Even though he walks his path alone, he still looks out for those he considers friends, even though he must put his duty above his own personal feelings and wants.

This is never more true than when it comes to his feelings for his Inquisitor. He states that he never anticipated finding a spirit such as hers, especially in one raised by the Dalish he’s come to disdain and dismiss. Though he initially tries to keep a careful distance, he’s enthralled and fascinated by the elven woman chosen by circumstances to correct his latest miscalculation and it’s true that at first, he does feel some responsibility for what happened and it’s what has him watching her more closely than any other. Inevitably he is drawn more and more into her orbit, respect and admiration growing into something more, something warmer, something personal. He finds in her a passion for life, for learning, for magic, for people, that he’d thought all but lost in this world. He compares to the way he sees the now-sundered world as similar to a world filled with Tranquil, cut off from what they could – and should – be able to feel and experience. The Inquisitor seems to be his exception to this perception, defying and surpassing his every expectation time and time again, accomplishing the impossible when things seem at their worst. It has him bending his own rules and adjusting his plans for a time to linger near, pushing off the inevitable to aid her in her mission to restore balance and end Corypheus’s destructive plans. It’s he who gives her Skyhold, a hidden place that holds great meaning for him (a spirit in Trespasser makes reference to the creation of the Veil as the time when Fen’Harel held back the sky, another name for the Veil itself, and the translation to Skyhold’s elven name is literally “the place where the sky was held back” indicating that perhaps it was here that he enacted the magic that sundered the world.) And for a time he even lets himself indulge in the hope that perhaps there might be another way of accomplishing his end goal, that maybe his own desires and happiness could coincide for what he must do, that he can do it at her side and they will not have to cross purposes.

But as Corypheus grows in power and events wind their way towards their inevitable conclusion he knows that he cannot stay, that he cannot ask the sacrifice of her that he believes he must. No matter how much he wishes to stay with her, the People need him and his duty must come before all else so he breaks it off with her, no matter how much it hurts both of them – because it does and it breaks his heart just as much to walk away from her when he loves her as deeply as he does as he knows it hurts her. He struggles to maintain the cool distance he’d set out to keep at the beginning, and when his orb is destroyed at the final fight with Corypheus and the Breach sealed at last, he takes himself away entirely, not trusting himself to remain firm in his resolve if he remains by her side. He gives her one final gift before he goes – the only thing that is his right to give, even though he knows she might not understand, might even come to resent or hate him for it. He reveals to her the truth behind the vallaslin, the intricate tattoos the Dalish decorate their faces with to honor their patron gods. They are in fact the ways the Evanuris marked their slaves, their property, the meaning long-forgotten now by the elves and a constant reminder of how he failed in truly freeing his People. It is his gift to her – both as Fen’Harel the god of rebellion and as Solas, the simple elven hedge-mage who fell in love with her – that he gives her this truth and removes the tattoos, granting her freedom from that terrible legacy completely.

In the two years that span between the defeat of Corypheus and the Exalted Council in Orlais, Solas wastes no time in throwing himself once more into the duties of Fen’Harel, becoming the icon of rebellion for the elves once more. He takes up the mantle of leadership – even if it is mostly in secrecy – and elves all across Thedas flock to his cause. He takes them under his wing, offers them his protection and begins to set in motion his plans, as he had in days of old. With the assistance of his agents dispatched into almost every country and government, he restores first the Eluvians, the enchanted mirrors created by ancient elves as a system of transportation and communication. Despite the loss of his orb and the setback it presented, he is still determined and steadfast in his goal. This doesn’t mean that the weight of responsibility doesn’t still rest heavily on his shoulder or that he doesn’t feel regret at the cost, at the loss of all he could have had and still walked away from. Despite the path he is set on walking, he still watches out for his former companions and the Inquisitor where he can, even going so far as endangering his own personal safety to foil a Qunari attack on her and the south – something the Inquisition was entirely unaware of until he purposefully dropped a Qunari agent in their way to arouse suspicion. It has the Qunari then hotly pursuing him in vengeance but at that point the threat they pose to him is minimal. And it does give him the chance to indulge in one last meeting with the Inquisitor when he finally tracks him down. It is here that he reveals himself to have shed the humble and unassuming persona for the most part, meeting her with more smooth confidence and control that he rarely allowed to be seen when he was just Solas serving the Inquisition. His very manner is much changed, although he still regards her with the same sad and wistful affection as he answers the questions she has for them. Some of his answers remain vague and elusive, but he gives her more knowledge in the span of a few short sentences than most scholars have uncovered in centuries. In the end though he is still resolute in the solitary path he believes he must walk, although he wistfully confesses that he hopes, in light of her fervent vow to find another way, that she will succeed in proving him wrong once more. He gives her one final gift and takes back his power, the Anchor imbedded in her palm that shared his Rift magic with her and has been growing wildly out of control the more he regains his power. It saves her life, because the magic was consuming her and he leaves her behind once more, departing to continue his mission without looking back.

Memories Retained or Lost:
Solas will be losing his memories on how to create/manipulate/reopen the Eluvians. He will remember they existed and what they did, but the magic they were composed of and created from is gone his memories.
He will have forgotten Felassan.

Powers and Abilities:
Mage Wiki for Inquisition.
Rift Mage Wiki
Somniari

Inquisition Spell Trees and Specializations:

Rift Mage
These mages draw upon the force of the Fade, either pulling matter from the Fade to attack or twisting the Veil itself into a weapon to stagger or crush their enemies.

Veilstrike (+Punching Down/Wounded Veil upgrades)
Stonefist (+Shatterstone/Unblockable Force upgrades)
Pull of the Abyss (+Shaken Veil/Devouring Veil upgrades)
Firestorm
Passives: Restorative Veil, Encircling Veil, Smothering Veil, Twisting Veil

Spirit Mage
Masters of this school of magic call upon spirits for protection, as well as the essence of the Fade itself. Their spells disrupt hostile magic, create defensive barriers, and even heal injuries.

Barrier (+Elegant Defense/Energetic Defense upgrades)
Dispel (+Transmute Magic/Strengthened Veil upgrades)
Mind Blast (+Fortifying Blast/Cleansing Blast upgrades)
Revival (+Life Ward/Desperation upgrades)
Passives: Guardian Spirit, Peaceful Aura, Rejuvenating Barrier, Strength of Spirits

Winter Mage
Masters of this school of magic summon cold that bites deeper than the cruellest winter. Their icy spells slow and weaken enemies.

Winter's Grasp (+Winter's Chill/Winter's Ruin upgrades)
Fade Step (+Frost Step/Energizing Step upgrades)
Wall of Ice (+Glacial Strength/Ring of Ice upgrades)
Ice Mine (+Brittle Glyph/Chilling Array upgrades)
Blizzard (+Ice Storm/Winter Winds upgrades)
Passives: Mana Surge, Winter Stillness, Frost Mastery, Ice Armor

Roleplay Samples
Link to a sample of your character in action: Solas on the TDM.

Link to a sample of your prose writing style: A musebox thread between Solas and Ashe playing out the events of the waterfall scene.

Any other important information (including special inventory items in their possession):

~ His armor from Trespasser. Shown here.
~ Heart of Despair Cold Staff.
~ The Wolf Jaw necklace he always wears about his neck.

Why do you think this character would join/work with the Knights?

He's going to have several reasons - one being that Ashelia is there and she is one of the few familiar faces he will be drawn to despite their complicated history. His finding himself in such a strange unknown world will have him wanting to stick close to both what is familiar and an easily-accessible well of information for him to learn about his new surroundings, and as so many from this 'Shadow Realm' as people here refer to it have come to gather with the Knights, he will be drawn there as well for that very reason. He'll also not be willing to accept that there is no way back home, which makes this one of the likeliest places to do research and find out all the information he can.

Do you have a preference for which member of the Knights your character is squired to? Whoever might have the patience to actually put up with him >.>