History DarthWiki / OfHeroesAndLegends

!!'''Of Heroes and Legends provides examples of:'''

''Of Heroes and Legends'' is an as-of-yet unpublished collection of {{fanfiction}} based on the VideoGame/DragonAge franchise, taking place within the same continuity. It's divided into several series, each detailing the adventures of heroes across the world of Thedas.

* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Fergus loses his son Oren early in the series. By extension, Eleanor and Bryce briefly outlive their own grandson.

[[/folder]]

''Queen of the Grey'' details Merindah Cousland’s journey from ordinary noblewoman to the Hero and Queen of Ferelden.

''Fire Across the World'' tells the story of Gwendolyn Hawke, the daughter of a disgraced Kirkwall noble and a Ferelden apostate, a refugee of the Fifth Blight, and the unlikely Champion of Kirkwall.

''A Night Without Moon or Stars'' follows Naelyra Lavellan, a Dalish mage and the sole survivor of a mysterious attack at the Divine’s Conclave. Naelyra suffers scrutiny and awe alike as she is suddenly exalted as the figurehead of a religion that she doesn't even believe in.

[[foldercontrol]]
!!Main Characters:
[[folder:Merindah Cousland]]
!!Queen-Consort Merindah Cousland-Theirin
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grid_0_2023_02_14t180746651.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The Hero of Ferelden.]]
\\

->''"I'm trapped inside a GildedCage of my own making."''
\\

The younger child of the powerful Teyrn Bryce Cousland, Merindah Cousland is both an adept combatant and well-versed in Ferelden politics.

Merindah is the protagonist of the ''Queen of the Grey'' series.
----

* TheAce: She’s a talented fighter, politically savvy, well-educated, and beautiful.
* ActionGirl: Her combat prowess was why she was recruited into the Grey Wardens.
* ActionMom: [[spoiler:In ''The Warden's Crown'', where her first child is born. Merindah doesn't let motherhood slow her down one bit.]]
* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: She’s declared Warden-Commander of Ferelden at only nineteen. Granted, she's also the only Warden left in the country by that point, but slaying an Archdemon definitely had something to do with the promotion.
* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: She becomes ''Queen of Ferelden.''
* BadassNormal: She was this prior to undergoing the Joining. This is probably best seen when she successfully mows through an entire castle of hostile soldiers to get to her father.
* BenevolentBoss: She’s quite polite to her servants. [[spoiler:Though that's not enough to stop one of them from turning against her.]]
* BerserkButton: Arl Howe becomes this to her after the murder of her parents.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Merindah tries to be kind, but she can be downright vicious to those who cross her. Just ask Loghain.
* BigEater: It's a Grey Warden thing, apparently. It doesn't kick in until after she completes the ritual.
* BigGood: Even before Origins, Merindah’s family served as this in Ferelden. After becoming a Grey Warden and then Queen of Ferelden, she takes it Up To Eleven.
* BladeEnthusiast: Merindah fights with two daggers.
* BlueBlood: She comes from nobility.
* BlueIsHeroic: Merindah is a firm hero, and most of her outfits are blue. In-universe it's intended to evoke the imagery of both the Cousland family and the Grey Wardens, but also falls under this trope.
* ButNowIMustGo: After ten years, Merindah abandons her life at court to pursue a potential cure for the Grey Warden Taint.
* TheChessmaster: Merindah demonstrates her political clout at the Landsmeet, successfully turning most of the nobles against Loghain. While she fails to win Anora’s support, she turns out not to need it. This proves useful during her years in court.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: Merindah becomes increasingly worn out and depressed as the pressures of being Queen weigh down on her.
* CommandingCoolness: Holds the title of Warden-Commander [[spoiler:until she steps down at the end of ''A Long Shadow''.]]
* CoolAunt: She used to be this to Oren… until he got murdered.
* DaddysGirl: Admits to being this. She’s shown to be devastated when Bryce dies, and admits that she still blames herself nearly a year later.
* DamselOutOfDistress: Merindah and Alistair get captured by Loghain’s forces. She breaks them out just in time to run into Leliana and Morrigan.
* DeadpanSnarker: Despite - or maybe because of - her noble upbringing, Merindah has a quick wit and a sharp tongue.
* {{Determinator}}: She’s forced to become this in order to unite Ferelden against the Blight. It’s shown to stick: later in the series, she searches for a cure against the Calling. The tone of her message to Naelyra suggests that she sees the impossibility as a mere inconvenience.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: While Merindah ''thought'' she knew what she was getting into when she declared herself Queen-Consort, she later admits that she should not have blindly undertaken such a heavy responsibility in retrospect.
* DualWielding: She fights with twin daggers.
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: While Grey Wardens don't have ''powers'' per se, their abilties and senses do become somewhat enhanced post-Joining, making Merindah one of these.
* GirlyBruiser: Merindah is traditionally feminine in many respects, but that doesn't stop her from beating the snot out of her enemies.
* GuileHero: She demonstrates her intelligence and political savvy many times throughout the story.
* HeadTurningBeauty: Many other characters comment on Merindah's beauty. Merindah herself is more of an IndifferentBeauty, however.
* HeroesLoveDogs: She hails from a very dog-friendly culture, and adores her CanineCompanion Muffin.
* [[HeroicBSoD Heroic BSoD]]:
** Undergoes one after her parents die early in ''Queen of the Grey''. She copes with it by venting her grief on the darkspawn she encounters.
** Merindah also has a second [[HeroicBSoD Heroic BSoD]] when [[spoiler:Cressida]] dies.
* HeroicLineage: Hers goes back centuries.
* TheHighQueen: What Merindah aspires to be. She arguably succeeds by the time of ''Queen’s Blood''.
* HotBlooded: During the first installment of her series, where she's not even out of her teens. She grows out of it in subsequent installments.
* HotConsort: She's Queen-''Consort'' of Ferelden, and very beautiful.
* ImprobableAge: At least when it comes to her position of Warden-Commander, which she gets at only nineteen. {{Justified}} in that she got it by process of elimination; she was the only Grey Warden in Ferelden left that was still part of the order.
* IndifferentBeauty: Merindah is a beautiful woman, and she's well aware that many people see her as much - but she doesn't really care.
* ItsAllMyFault: Merindah blames herself for letting her parents die, even going so far as to admit that she wishes she’d died with them. [[spoiler:She later blames herself for Cressida’s death as well, even though all evidence points to it being a tragic accident.]]
* ItsPersonal: Merindah’s vendetta against Arl Howe, for killing her family.
* KingmakerScenario: Two of them, no less.
* LadyAndKnight: How her romance with Alistair plays out. While both technically qualify as White Knights, their interactions carry this dynamic.
* LadyOfWar: She’s composed and carries herself with a steely grace, but is more than capable of kicking your ass.
* LikeParentLikeChild: Merindah takes heavily after her mother, Eleanor. [[spoiler:Her eldest son, Leopold, is also said to take heavily after her.]]
* MaidenNameDebate: Though her surname post-marriage is officially Theirin, Merindah still goes by her maiden name, Cousland.
* MamaBear: [[spoiler:She's absolutely ''furious'' when she finds out that the Qunari sent assassins after her son Leopold, vowing to slit all of their throats herself.]]
* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling: As a Grey Warden, she has the ability to sense darkspawn.
* NobleFugitive: Early on, when she’s on the run after being falsely accused of regicide.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: [[spoiler:Outlives her eldest child, Cressida Theirin.]]
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: {{Justified}}; she set it up herself specifically to stay with Alistair.
* PracticallyDifferentGenerations: She’s ten years younger than her brother, Fergus. In fact, she was still a child herself when her nephew was born.
* QueenIncognito: After leaving to find a cure for the Taint, Merindah ventures through Ferelden and Orlais undercover, almost never revealing her actual identity.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: As a scion of House Cousland, second-highest in precedence among the noble houses of Ferelden, Merindah is just one step under being a princess, and actually becomes royalty by marrying Alistair. She doesn't let it stop her from doing good where good needs doing.
* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: She is the main character, after all.
* SilkHidingSteel: She’s outwardly feminine, and carries herself gracefully. That won’t stop her from kicking your ass.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: This is the primary reason behind her attraction to Alistair. He's a sweet prince of a guy who just wants to be with someone he respects and admires.
* SpiritedYoungLady: Though raised to be a ProperLady, Merindah always retained a certain feistiness within her.
* TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard: Her titles include: Her Royal Majesty Merindah Cousland-Theirin, Queen-Consort of Ferelden, Arlessa of Amaranthine, Warden-Commander of the Order of the Grey Wardens, Lady of Highever, [[spoiler:(former)]] Heiress-Apparent to the Teynrir of Highever, Hero of Ferelden.

[[folder:Gwendolyn Hawke]]
!!Gwendolyn "Gwen" Hawke
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0_1_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The Champion of Kirkwall.]]
\\

->''"Remember that time I started a war?"''
\\

Unlike many heroes of legend, Gwendolyn Hawke hailed from humble origins. Though her mother was heir to the noble Amell family, Hawke was raised as a Fereldan peasant in a family of apostates. After her father died, Hawke became the sole breadwinner and protector of the Hawke family, looking after her younger siblings Bethany and Carver, until they were forced to flee Lothering during the Fifth Blight.

Hawke is the protagonist of ''Leap Into Darkness''.
----

* ActionGirl: She's a stalwart warrior capable of ripping any enemy to shreds.
* [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys All Girls Want Bad Girls]]: It's most obvious in her relationship with Isabela, but Hawke admits that she's [[HasAType generally attracted]] to "dangerous women".
* AmazonianBeauty: Tall, muscular, and attractive.
* AnimalMotifs: Hawks, of course.
* AntiHero: She shows little concern for criminal dealings short of slavery or child murder, worked as a mercenary, and is willing to ShootTheDog if left with no better option.
* {{BFS}}: Favors a large, two-handed sword in combat.
* BadassNormal: Hawke lacks any powers whatsoever, but that doesn't make her any less of a threat on the battlefield.
* BattleCouple: Forms one with PirateGirl Isabela.
* BelatedHappyEnding: [[spoiler:It takes many years, but Hawke is eventually able to return to Kirkwall, helping Varric rebuilding and enjoying her status as Champion without the turmoil of her own series.]]
* BigSisterInstinct: Big time, especially with Bethany. Protecting her sister is one of Hawke's primary motivations.
* BoyishShortHair: Sports this from ''Fire Across the World'' on, as befits a very formidable female warrior.
* BrokenAce: Despite being powerful and well-respected, Hawke can't help but feel she is a CosmicPlaything. Taken even further in ''Totality Draws Near'', where Hawke admits she no longer uses the "Champion of Kirkwall" title, given her failure to stop any of the madness.
* BrokenPedestal: Hawke originally looked up to Anders, respecting him as a friend and assisting his efforts to help the mages. When he crosses the MoralEventHorizon - after tricking her into helping him, no less - Hawke loses all respect for the man and feels obligated to kill him.
* BrutalHonesty: Hawke has no qualms about telling people what she thinks, even if it means pissing them off.
* BuffySpeak: She has a pronounced tendency to lapse into this. She even goes so far as to ''weaponize'' it.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Hawke can never pass up the opportunity for a joke, even in some [[DudeNotFunny particularly inappropriate situations.]] Much of the time, half of the stuff that comes out of her mouth is completely insane and said to no one in particular. Yet, she frequently uses this as a disarming tactic to put her enemies into a false sense of security.
* CallingTheOldManOut: Upon arriving in Kirkwall, Hawke chews out Leandra for blaming her for Carver's death, feeling entitled to the family fortune she willingly abandoned, and not doing any work to reclaim it.
* TheCaretaker: As head of the household since Malcolm's death, Hawke's primary motivation has been and continues to be looking after Leandra, Bethany and Carver. Unfortunately, as the story goes on, she fails to protect them through no fault of her own.
* TheChampion: Officially earns this title at the end of ''The Champion's Mantle''.
* ChildOfForbiddenLove: She's the daughter of a disgraced Kirkwall noblewoman and a Ferelden apostate.
* CoolBigSis: Seen this way by Bethany.
* DeadpanSnarker: Arguably the biggest one in the entire series. Hawke can't seem to go three seconds without cracking a joke, often at some else's expense.
* FailureHero: Hawke rarely succeeds in realizing her goals. She fails to protect her family, fails to keep the peace in Kirkwall, fails to prevent the Qunari attack, and fails to kill Corypheus [[spoiler:and Meredith.]] Even her one success (the Deep Roads expedition that made her wealthy) had a disastrous impact in the long run; introducing Kirkwall to red lyrium. Essentially, Hawke tries to stand against massive wave after massive wave and most of what she achieves is getting soaked to the bone. It's little wonder she's so self-deprecating.
* TheGadfly: Prone to trolling people in this way.
* GenkiGirl: Fenris describes Hawke as a "grinning lunatic", and it's not far from the truth.
* HatesWearingDresses: Even after reclaiming her family estate and becoming nobility in her own right, Hawke absolutely refuses to wear any of the fancy dresses Leandra buys for her.
* ItsAllMyFault: She blames herself for everything that goes wrong. First with her family, then with the onset of the Mage Rebellion.
-->'''Hawke:''' ''Someone's'' got to blame me. Other than my mother, I mean.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: While she's perfectly content to tweak people's noses, it's clear that Hawke is the closest thing to a BigGood that exists in Kirkwall and she honestly does want to help people. Generally, her preferred formula is to screw around with people asking for help for her amusement, and then selflessly throw herself into harm's way for that very person.
* KnightInSourArmor: Hawke is noticeably bitter and jaded, having lost most of her family and many friends. While she'll drop sarcastic asides at every opportunity, she still forces herself up to do the right thing.
* TheLadette: Sarcastic, rough, tomboyish, tough-as-nails, and occasionally aggressive. She can also drink you under the table and kick your ass while doing so.
* LastNameBasis: It's a rare occasion where someone outside of her family refers to Hawke by her first name.
* [[ModestRoyalty Modest Nobility]]: Unlike her mother, who was born into wealth, Hawke hates socializing with the aristocracy. After becoming Champion of Kirkwall, it's mentioned that she only attends formal banquets held in her honor because she has to. Truthfully, she'd rather be down at the Hanged Man.
* MustMakeAmends: For failing to kill Corypheus. It's why she joins the Inquisition in ''Totality Draws Near''.
* MysticalWhiteHair: {{Inverted}}. Despite coming from a family of apostates, and being the only white-haired individual among them, Hawke is a BadassNormal.
* NayTheist: While Hawke believes in the Maker and Andraste, she notes that they're probably not worth worshipping if they enjoy watching the world tear itself apart. She's also highly skeptical of the Chantry and affiliated organizations like the Circle and Templars.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Several horrible events in the story are indirectly Hawke's fault. In fact, Hawke seems to know that she does this.
** Hawke causes Corypheus to inhabit a nearby Grey Warden after defeating him, who then goes on to become the main villain of ''Totality Draws Near''. That particular screw-up hits her hard.
** Anders also tricks her into helping him gather the ingredients needed for him to construct a bomb. This event also kicks off the Mage Rebellion.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Hawke seems to employ this and BuffySpeak as a tactic to lure enemies into a false sense of security, [[TemptingFate because clearly this flighty, giggling oddball who can't go ten seconds without cracking a stupid joke couldn't possibly be as dangerous as they were told, right?]]
* OneWomanArmy: Her reputation for this is certainly not unearned.
* [[RightManInTheWrongPlace Right Woman in the Wrong Place]]: Hawke became one of the most notable figures in Thedas history almost completely unintentionally.
* SadClown / StepfordSnarker: Hawke will snark about [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness (almost)]] anything, up to and including mourning her mother's death. Aveline eventually calls out Hawke for doing this as a defense mechanism.
* TheSnarkKnight: As time goes on, Hawke increasingly develops a world-weary distain for everything, herself included.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: While Hawke gets along fine with Stroud at first in ''Totality Draws Near'', the revelations of what the Grey Wardens have done and are doing infuriates her, leading to a back and forth WhatTheHellHero between the two of them.
* WarriorTherapist: If played on the friendship route, Hawke becomes this frequently. Particularly prominent with Fenris, where most of their interaction has Hawke politely listening while Fenris talks about his life and why he has such utter hatred of magic. It practically ''is'' a therapy session.
* WhatTheHellHero: In ''Totality Draws Near'', Hawke is enraged by the Wardens' actions, their use of blood magic, demon summoning, and the part they played in the death of Divine Justinia and lets Stroud know this very clearly.
* WorldsBestWarrior: Thanks to Varric's novel ''The Tale of the Champion'', Hawke has the reputation of being perhaps the greatest fighter of her time, and became the primary choice to lead the Inquisition. And she is a very formidable warrior, capable of defeating the Arishok in single combat. However, unlike other heroes of her day, Hawke was not some special person expected to solve a crisis; she accomplished her deeds strictly by skill, talent, and blind luck.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Naelyra Lavellan]]
!!Inquisitor Naelyra Lavellan
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0_3_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The Herald of Andraste.]]
\\

->''"I'm a Dalish apostate standing for all of Thedas. Whatever may come, I swear I'll do my part to keep the world safe."''
\\

The former First to Clan Lavellan. Naelyra is a Dalish apostate, making her a target of scorn from most traditional Andrastians twice over. Yet when she emerges as the SoleSurvivor of an explosion at Divine Justinia's Conclave, bearing a mark of immense power on her hand, Naelyra finds herself a prophet for a religion that goes directly against her own beliefs.
----

* ActionGirl: Naturally, as a ''Dragon Age'' protagonist.
* {{Adorkable}}: Particularly in romantic situations, she tends to fumble shyly over her words. She also expresses an almost childlike giddiness over spearheading a new school of magical study with the Rifts.
* AnimalMotifs: Hers is a stag.
* TheArchmage: Even among mages, Naelyra has a unique ability to channel raw Fade energy. It’s strongly implied that she has the potential to break reality with her abilities, but chooses not to learn such dangerous powers.
* AnArmAndALeg: At the end of ''Look Upon the Light'', Naelyra loses the hand that bears the Anchor.
* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: How she becomes Inquisitor.
* BadassBookworm: She’s spent her life being educated in Elven mythology and the mystic arts. Upon joining the Inquisition, she devotes her time to studying human history and politics.
* BarrierWarrior: One of her combat abilities is to cast powerful barriers over herself and her allies.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Naelyra might be a pleasant person most of the time, but that doesn’t mean she can’t make the hard call or kick your ass personally.
* BigGood: As leader of the Inquisition.
* {{Bookworm}}: She’s well-read and often relaxes by reading.
* BroughtDownToBadass: After losing her arm and the Mark in one go, Naelyra suffers a considerable blow to her fighting abilities. However, she is still an extremely powerful and dangerous mage with a formidable force at her disposal.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: Naelyra expresses grief and worries at several points over the burdens of judging people's fates and leading the force out to save the world.
* CulturedBadass: As demonstrated by her quick mastery of the Grand Game of Orlais. Despite her remote background, Naelyra spent long hours studying and educating herself on the history and politics of Thedas.
* CunningLinguist: She’s fluent in Elvhen.
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: [[spoiler:Naelyra’s father, Riental, is less than pleased to learn that she married a human man and had a child with him, though he has no issues with Cullen as an individual. Naelyra bitterly notes that if it weren’t for the racial issue, Riental and Cullen would get along swimmingly.]]
* ElementalPunch: One of her abilities involves summoning a stone-shaped fist to hammer enemies with.
* EmeraldPower: Her abilities tend to glow green. Her eyes also change to this color when she receives the Anchor.
* EndearinglyDorky: Has a tendency to fumble over her words in romantic situations, and reacts with glee to learning about new magical pursuits. Cullen thinks it’s adorable.
* EyeColorChange: Upon receiving the Anchor, Naelyra’s eyes change from brown to green. They remain green even after she loses it.
* FacialMarkings: Her Mythal vallaslin.
* FantasticRacism: Often on the receiving end of this, thanks to being a Dalish elf.
* HandicappedBadass: When she loses her hand. A minor plot point in ''On the Shores of Forever'' is Naelyra adjusting to living with only one hand.
* HappilyMarried: As of ''Look Upon the Light''.
* HiddenDepths: She loves to dance, enjoys reading classical literature, and above all else, loves to ''learn.'' The reason she became so good at magic was that she enjoyed learning about it so much, and actively pursued every bit of knowledge she could find.
* HumbleHero: Naelyra can be amazingly modest: frequently stating that she isn’t anyone special, she’s doing what anyone else would do, she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, she couldn't have done this without the support of the Inquisition, and so on.
* KickingAssInAllHerFinery: While Naelyra dislikes overly pretentious outfits and tries to avoid wearing them, she doesn’t let them stop her from kicking ass. She’s able to fight her way through the Winter Palace in a ballgown.
* MadeOfIron: Naelyra takes many severe hits throughout the story, but always gets back up. Of particular note is when she travels through a blizzard while suffering from hypothermia and injuries from Corypheus throwing her against a trebuchet.
* MageBornOfMuggles: Neither of Naelyra’s parents were mages.
* ManchurianAgent: After drinking from the Well of Sorrows, she became a thrall of Mythal. Whether or not this still applies following Mythal’s death remains unknown.
* MessianicArchetype: Naelyra has many shades of this. She begins the game having physically entered the Fade (which has only ever happened once before) during the Breach, before walking out unscathed at the Temple of Andraste's Sacred Ashes, one of the holiest places in Thedas, with the ability to close the rifts. She even obtains the nickname "Herald of Andraste."
* MeteorSummoningAttack: Her strongest ability involves summoning meteors from the Fade to crush her enemies.
* MuggleMageRomance: Makes up the Mage half of one with Cullen.
* NiceGirl: Despite everything, Naelyra is a genuinely nice person who just wants to help as many people as she can - a true rarity in Thedas. While she becomes more jaded later on, she never loses her compassion for others.
* NotAfraidToDie: Mostly played straight, but averted in ''Look Upon the Light.'' While Naelyra publicly puts on a brave face, she privately admits to feeling afraid and helpless when the Anchor starts to kill her.
* [[OOCisSeriousBusiness OOC Is Serious Business]]: Naelyra’s more pragmatic decisions and increasing short-temperedness, particularly during Judgment scenes, signal the sheer weight of the stress that she’s under as Inquisitor. This becomes especially pronounced after the time skip in ''Look Upon the Light''.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: She’s a powerful mage who specializes in large-scale crowd-clearing abilities. It’s implied that the Anchor gives her the potential to break reality, though she never does so.
* PowerIncontinence: Experiences this in ''Look Upon the Light''. Not only is the Anchor killing her, her control over it also begins to slip, causing increasingly massive bursts of raw Fade energy. [[spoiler:It gets bad enough that one such incident injuries Dorian and Varric.]]
* PregnantBadass: [[spoiler:In ''Look Upon the Light'', when she’s pregnant with Aubrey. She doesn’t realize this for a while, however.]]
* RealityWarper: How her manipulation of the Rifts works, according to Cole. Her unique abilities allow her to summon large pieces of the Fade and manipulate it in a variety of ways. It’s also strongly implied that the Anchor could be used for this purpose, though she refrains from doing so.
* ReligiousBruiser: Though ironically not an Andrastian: rather, Naelyra believes in the Dalish pantheon. [[spoiler:At least at first.]]
* SheCleansUpNicely: Ordinarily, Naelyra is described as something of an UnkemptBeauty - pretty enough, but not remarkable. While at the Winter Palace, Naelyra is forced to wear traditional formalwear for the ball at the Winter Palace, with properly done hair and makeup. Everyone notes that she’s very beautiful when properly groomed.
* SoleSurvivor: In the opening act of the game, Naelyra is the only one to mysteriously survive being at ground zero when the giant Veil tear opens in the sky, while thousands of people around her were reduced to char-grilled corpses.
* SpidersAreScary: When stuck in the Fade, nightmare demons attack the party; everyone sees them differently, but Naelyra sees all Nightmare-related demons as spiders or with spider themes.
* SurprisePregnancy: [[spoiler:Gets one in ''Look Upon the Light''. While Naelyra notes that she’d normally be delighted, it’s a source of drama since she’s also dying from the Anchor at this point.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: After receiving the Anchor. While Naelyra was always a capable fighter and a powerful mage, the Anchor amplified her abilities significantly. Her resources also allowed her to pursue previously-untapped schools of magic, adding to her arsenal of arcane knowledge.
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: [[spoiler:Despite successfully claiming a city for Clan Lavellan in Wycome, Naelyra is too shaken by the revelations about Dalish history to face her people, knowing that she couldn’t tell them the truth without destroying their entire culture. The fact that she was a figurehead for a human religion and had a human child was also a major strike against her.]]
* YoungerThanTheyLook: {{Downplayed}}. Naelyra looks her age (mid-to-late twenties) for the vast majority of the series. But she is noted to have aged very gracefully in ''Warmest of Heart'', possibly because of her proximity to ancient Elvhen magics.

[[/folder]]

* ActionGirl: Many. Merindah, Hawke, and Naelyra are the most prominent examples, but almost every female character can fight.

* AerithAndBob: As per canon. Even among the [[OriginalCharacter Original Characters]], this applies - just compare a name like Gwen to Naelyra.
* AffectionateNickname:
** Varric is TheNicknamer, so he has these for just about everyone.
** Bryce calls Merindah “pup”, a nickname owed to their culture’s love of dogs. Fergus, Alistair, and Leliana also occasionally refer to Merindah as “Meri”.
** Isabela calls Bethany and Merrill “sweetness” and “kitten”, respectively.
** Leliana sometimes calls Josephine “Josie”, an indication of their sisterlike relationship.
** Solas eventually starts to call Naelyra “lethallan”, meaning “good friend” in elven. It’s certainly a step up from “da’len”.
** Also in elven, Naelyra sometimes uses “ma vhenan” as a term of endearment towards Cullen.
** Rosalie is often called “Rosie” by her siblings and both of her sisters-in-law.
* AmazonianBeauty: Hawke, Cassandra, and Aveline are all described as such.
* AmazonBrigade: Merindah, Hawke, and Isabela form one in ''A Long Shadow'' after teaming up.
* AnArmAndALeg: Poor Naelyra suffers this at the end of ''Look Upon the Light'', where she loses her arm from the elbow down.
* AnimalMotif:
** Hawke is, of course, very much associated with Hawks.
** Naelyra has one in the form of a stag, a majestic beast of the forest.
** Cullen is often associated with lion imagery. He wears a lion-head-shaped helmet in battle, and his mantle heavily resembles a lion’s mane.
** Dorian has a snake motif, which appears most prominently on his character tarot cards. Unlike the other examples, this runs counter to his actual personality.
** Solas makes frequent use of wolf imagery, even wearing a wolf jawbone as a necklace. This hints at his true identity as the Dread Wolf of Elvhen legend.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Fergus delivers one to Merindah in the second installment when trying to discern what she wants versus the expectations of those around them.
-->'''Fergus:''' Do you want a child, or do you want an heir?
* BadassBookworm:
** Naelyra is mentioned to be very bookish, and has a demonstrable love of learning and consuming knowledge.
** Dorian loves to read, and spends nearly all of his downtime perusing through Skyhold’s library.
** Solas also has a deep fascination with all things Fade-related, and spends much of his time researching.
* BadassNormal: Any non-mage, non-Templar, non-Grey Warden combatant qualifies as such.
* BattleCouple:
** Merindah and Alistair fight alongside one another on the battlefield as well as in court.
** Hawke and Isabela also qualify.
* BearerOfBadNews:
** Subverted in ''Lady of the Grey''. Merindah absolutely dreads that [[SoleSurvivor she]] has to be the one to tell Fergus that his parents, wife, and son are dead. By the time they're reunited, he's already found out.
** Hawke travels to the Gallows to personally inform Bethany that their mother is dead.
* BetaCouple:
** Aveline/Donnic and Bethany/Sebastian in ''Leap Into Darkness''.
** Zantar/Cassandra in ''A Night Without Moon or Stars'', with Dorian/Iron Bull being a runner-up.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Hawke might be TheGadfly who abuses BuffySpeak like there's no tomorrow. She's also a surprisingly intelligent and devious charmer, capable of talking her opponents into believing just about anything. Because clearly this flighty, giggling oddball who can't go ten seconds without cracking a stupid joke couldn't possibly be as dangerous as they were told, right?
* {{BFS}}: Hawke prefers to use one, which multiple characters remark on.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Genderflipped with Hawke toward Carver and Bethany, especially the latter, and ''especially'' after both Carver and their mother dies.
* BilingualBonus:
** Merindah demonstrates her ability to speak Orlesian with a local in Seraut during ''A Long Shadow'', much to Hawke's surprise. Their actual conversation is rather mundane, however.
** Naelyra and Solas code-switch several times during their final confrontation in ''Look Upon the Light'', culminating in Solas telling Naelyra:
-->'''Solas:''' ''(in Elvhen)'' [[spoiler:Go. Raise your child in the peace to come.]]
* BittersweetEnding:
** ''The Warden's Crown'': Merindah feels increasingly ostracized by the Fereldan court, [[spoiler:still grieves for her daughter,]] and fears the [[LivingOnBorrowedTime inevitable fate that awaits both her and Alistair as Grey Wardens.]] As if that weren't enough, Southern Thedas is embroiled in a war between Mages and Templars, and the fighting has reached Ferelden. But Merindah has found two major leads that could solve cure herself and Alistair of the Taint. [[spoiler:The novel ends with her leaving Denerim Palace in the dead of night after saying goodbye to Alistair, unsure whether she can ever return.]]
** ''The Champion's Mantle'': At the end of the story, Hawke is declared Champion of Kirkwall and lauded as a hero throughout the Free Marches. But she failed to protect her family and fell out with Isabela. Oh, and tensions between the Mages and Templars are worsening.
** ''Fire Across the World'': Good news - Hawke managed to keep most of her friends and last surviving sibling alive through the chaos in Kirkwall, except for Anders. She also manages to reunite with Isabela. Those are pretty much the only bright spots in an otherwise bleak ending, which sees deadly chaos spreading from Kirkwall to the rest of Southern Thedas, all thanks to Hawke's actions. As if that weren't enough, she also fails to kill both Corypheus [[spoiler:and Meredith!]]
** ''Look Upon the Light'': The Inquisition is gone, compromised and corrupted to an unacceptable degree. Naelyra loses her arm, discovers an AwfulTruth about her culture's history, and learns that her friend is planning to cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. For a [[YouCantGoHomeAgain number]] [[MalignedMixedMarriage of]] [[HalfBreedDiscrimination reasons]], she's also estranged from Clan Lavellan despite securing them a home in Wycome. But she's also free of the restrictions of her office, newly married, and has her entire life ahead of her.
** ''Warmest of Heart'': [[spoiler:Aubrey]] and [[spoiler:Leopold]] have broken up despite their love for each other and the latter's willingness to endure the Bannorn's scrutiny for the sake of the former. However, they still [[AmicableExes remain friends]], Aubrey has a promising future in the College of Enchanters, and things are looking up for Ferelden as a whole.
* BlueBlood: A good number of characters are blue-blooded; out of the three protagonists, Naelyra is the only one without noble heritage.
* BrainBleach:
** Isabela loves trolling other people like this.
** Dorian needs some after overhearing Cole's DirtyMindReading narration of [[CovertPervert Naelyra's thoughts.]]
--> '''Dorian:''' Is that really what you’re thinking about right now? Maker’s breath, I did ''not'' need to know that about you.
* BridalCarry: Cullen carries Naelyra this way when the latter collapses from hypothermia following her escape at Haven.
* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: The first attempt to stabilize the Breach leaves Naelyra unconscious for a few days. The second attempt goes better, but still takes everything she has.
* BroughtDownToBadass: After losing her arm and the Mark in one go, Naelyra suffers a considerable blow to her fighting abilities. However, she is still an extremely powerful and dangerous mage with a formidable force at her disposal.
* BuffySpeak: Alistair and Hawke are both prone to this.
* ButNowIMustGo:
** Hawke leaves Kirkwall after the onset of the Mage Rebellion, fearing that Divine Justinia would send an Exalted March to the city. She turns out to be wrong on that count.
** After ten years, Merindah temporarily abandons her life as Queen-Consort in pursuit of a cure to the Grey Warden Calling.
* CanineCompanion: Merindah has one in the form of Muffin.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: This might as well be the entire plot of ''The Warden's Crown'', which sees Merindah becoming increasingly worn out and depressed as the pressures of being Queen weigh down on her.
* CivilWar: ''Fire Across the World'' details the onset of the Mage Rebellion that ultimately tore Kirkwall apart.
* ContinuityNod:
** In ''Look Upon the Light'', Teagan mentions [[spoiler:the recent birth of Prince Leopold.]] In the same entry, Leliana also discusses corresponding with Denerim about the security of the royal family. Both are plot points in ''Queen’s Blood''.
* CorruptTheCutie:
** A minor, unintentional example occurs when Merindah makes an off-hand remark to Alistair that the world is a cruel and selfish place, following the less-than-ideal result of visiting his “sister” Goldanna. Alistair takes this to heart and realizes that he needs to start looking out for himself. Interestingly, this helps him to grow as a person, becoming more confident and self-assured.
** PlayedForLaughs with Isabela’s ongoing quest to “corrupt” Bethany. Hawke grows increasingly horrified at Isabela’s attempts to encourage Bethany to embrace her carnal urges.
* CrisisOfFaith:
** {{Downplayed}} but present with Hawke, who bitterly notes that if it was the Maker's will for the world to tear itself apart [[NayTheist he's probably not someone worth worshipping.]]
** Leliana suffers one after Divine Justinia's murder, questioning why the Maker would let his most faithful servant die.
** In ''Look Upon the Light'', Naelyra learns that the Evanuris were not gods, but simply powerful mages. And the apparent villain of Dalish mythology was a rebel against tyranny, and her friend. She notes that she can't doubt their existence because she's seen proof of their existence with her own two eyes, but they were not benevolent, or even deities. Yet she spent a lifetime worshipping them, and such devotion is difficult to get rid of overnight. Unlike many examples of this trope, Naelyra never quite makes up her mind about her faith one way or the other after this point. Even in ''On the Shores of Forever'', she's still uncertain about her own beliefs.
* DeadpanSnarker: All over the place. Hawke is the most prominent example, being a protagonist, but most of the cast is varying levels of snarky.
* DeathByChildbirth:
** Alistair believes that his mother died this way, though later learns that isn’t the case.
** Naelyra’s mother Sharra is mentioned to have died this way.
** [[spoiler:Naelyra herself]] fears suffering this fate upon learning the risks of an elf-blooded pregnancy. She ends up surviving, but suffers physical trauma.
* DramaticIrony:
** In ''Queen of the Grey'', Alistair and Merindah discuss the former's journey to find King Maric, including his journey into the Fade. Alistair expresses surprise at the fact that Maric had counted Alistair's mother among the people he loved, right along with his best friend and son. This catches Alistair off-guard as he assumed that their relationship had been, at best, a brief fling, and at worst [[ChildByRape nonconsensual]]. Of course, little do any of them know that Alistair's mother wasn't a random servant girl, but a formidable and very much alive Grey Warden.
** On a related note, Fiona and Alistair's meeting in ''Totality Draws Near'' where the latter banishes the former. The reader and Fiona are aware that Fiona is Alistair's mother, but Alistair and Naelyra (the narrator of the scene) remain oblivious to this fact. [[spoiler:Alistair learns the truth in ''A Long Shadow'', but not until more than a year later.]]
* FanCreatedOffspring:
** [[spoiler:Cressida, Leopold, Edlynne, Nadina, and Calix all fall under this trope for Merindah/Alistair.]]
** Aubrey also counts, being the daughter of [[spoiler:Naelyra/Cullen.]]
* FighterMageThief: Hawke is the Fighter, Naelyra is the Mage, and Merindah is the Thief.
* HappilyMarried:
** Fergus and Oriana are described as being this, with Fergus remarking that he'd never find her like again.
** Merindah and Alistair at the end of the first entry. Despite their challenges, they’re shown to be deeply in love and continue to work well together throughout the sequels.
** Naelyra and Cullen are also happily married as of ''Look Upon the Light''. They end up retiring to private life together.
* HisStoryRepeatsItself: At the start of ''Lady of the Grey'', Muffin alerts a sleeping Merindah to nearby assassins that are about to break into her bedchambers, and she fights them off before the guards can arrive. [[spoiler:14 years later, the same scenario plays out again in ''Queen’s Blood''.]]
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Merindah condemns Anora for being so eager to seize power, yet immediately declares herself the future Queen-Consort at Anora’s expense. While it could be argued that Merindah was also motivated by her genuine feelings for Alistair and that Queen-Consort is below Queen-Regent, the point still remains. Much later on, Merindah recognizes this and [[NotSoDifferentRemark realizes that they’re not that different]].
** Also {{Discussed}} and {{Defied}}. While debating the issue of succession, Merindah refuses to succeed Alistair in the event that he dies without an heir, pointing out that her decisions at the Landsmeet set a precedent that Consorts could not claim the throne.
** [[BoomerangBigot Sera]] hates “elfy elves” for their intolerance, yet refuses to tolerate any “elfiness” herself. She and Naelyra end up falling out over this.
** Cassandra gets upset whenever Naelyra badmouths the Chantry, despite the latter having very good historical reasons for doing so as an elven mage. This is despite Cassandra herself acknowledging a sore need for reform within how the Chantry operates. Cassandra also encourages Naelyra to worship the Maker despite revering the Dalish pantheon, to which Naelyra counters that she wouldn’t expect Cassandra to volunteer to start worshipping the Dalish gods in the interest of fairness.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: Fergus gives this speech to Alistair at the end of ''Lady of the Grey'' about Merindah. Bonus points for doing this to the ''King of Ferelden''. To his credit, Alistair takes it in stride.
* IncompatibleOrientation: Anders runs into this problem when he tries to tell Hawke that he has feelings for her.
--> '''Hawke:''' Look. Whatever you believe this is, isn't happening. [[SorryImGay I prefer the company of women.]]
* LadyAndKnight: There are elements of this to both Merindah/Alistair and Naelyra/Cullen.
* LawOfInverseFertility:
** A major plot point in ''The Warden's Crown'' revolves around Merindah's angst about her and Alistair's inability to conceive children, and the increasing notice the nobles around them take of this.
** [[spoiler:Naelyra]] gets pregnant [[SurprisePregnancy by accident]] during ''Look Upon the Light'' after her preventative fails. While her personal life is healthy and stable enough to support a child, it comes as a rather inconvenient time since [[spoiler:she's ''dying''. The birth ends up being so traumatic that it removes her ability to have more children in the future.]]
* LikeBrotherAndSister:
** Naelyra and Dorian are extremely close, to the point where many mistake them for lovers. [[IncompatibleOrientation In reality]], they fall under this trope.
** Cullen and Cassandra are also implied to have this relationship, with the latter watching over the former and playfully pestering him the way an older sibling might.
* MandatoryMotherhood:
** Thanks to her role as Queen-Consort, everyone expects Merindah to bear children for the king. While Merindah admits that she’d normally be perfectly happy without children, she internalizes this expectation over the years and becomes depressed at her inability to conceive.
** A male example can be found in Fergus, who is also subjected to this as Teyrn of Highever and the last surviving Cousland apart from Merindah herself. He states that he’d rather not have another child or take a second wife, as he’s still not over the deaths of Oriana and Oren. [[spoiler:However, he marries Alfstanna and has two children with her out of an obligation to continue the Cousland bloodline.]]
* MarriageOfConvenience: [[spoiler:Fergus and Alfstanna in ''The Warden’s Crown''. While Fergus doesn't particularly want to remarry following Oriana’s death in the previous entry, he feels obligated to continue the Cousland bloodline.]] The union is shown to be amicable despite the lack of romantic affection, however.
* MassiveNumberedSiblings: [[spoiler:Technically, the [[RoyalBlood Theirins]] would qualify - Kieran, Cressida, Leopold, Edlynne, Nadina, and Calix make up six siblings. However, the other five are completely unaware of Kieran’s existence (and he’s only a half-brother), and Cressida dies long before the rest of her full siblings are even born.]]
* MeaningfulName:
** Merindah is a variation of the Spanish name ''Merinda'', meaning "beautiful woman" - a description that suits her quite aptly. Her surname Cousland is derived from the Gaelic form of ''absolom'', meaning "peace".
** Gwendolyn means "white ring", a reference to her striking white hair. Her surname, of course, references a powerful bird of prey.
** Leopold means "brave people", [[spoiler:a deliberate nod to his impressive lineage and RoyalBlood.]]
** Edlynne is an Anglo-Saxon name meaning "Princess". It's a transparent reference to the fact that [[spoiler:she's a princess of Ferelden, a nation strongly inspired by Anglo-Saxon culture.]]
** Aubrey means "ruler of the elves". Aubrey is [[spoiler:an elf-blooded woman who is poised to become Queen of Ferelden.]]
* MissingMom:
** Alistair never knew his mother, believing her to be a servant girl who died in childbirth. Merindah later learns that his mother is actually the very-much-alive Grand Enchanter Fiona.
** Sharra is this to Naelyra, having died giving birth to her.
* MorningSickness: [[spoiler:Naelyra]] suffers this during the Exalted Council in ''Look Upon the Light''. It's subtle enough at first to fly under the radar - brief mentions of headaches, or oversleeping, or general weariness. But once the nausea kicks in, [[spoiler:Naelyra]] realizes that she's likely pregnant.
* MysticalWhiteHair: Inverted with Hawke. Despite coming from a family of apostates, and being the only white-haired individual among them, she’s also a BadassNormal.
* NamedByTheAdaptation: Jamie Rutherford, who goes unnamed in the games and is only identified as “Branson’s son”.
* NiceToTheWaiter: Despite her high social standing, Merindah is noted as treating even common servants with courtesy and respect.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: Anora makes one of these to Merindah when calling out her hypocrisy at the Landsmeet. Merindah initially dismisses this remark, but comes to realize on her own that Anora actually had a point. They're both strong, politically powerful women - both the daughters of Teyrns and war heroes, and both the wives of an idealistic king. Both genuinely want what's best for their country despite their own ambitions, and both believe that ''they'' are the only ones who can help Ferelden.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
** Hawke has an unflinching irreverent attitude. So when she drops the snark, it’s a sign that things have taken a turn for the worse.
** Morrigan’s composure completely shatters after Kieran goes through the eluvian into the Fade.
** The normally level-headed and polite Naelyra begins to lose her patience and temper throughout ''Look Upon the Light'' thanks to a brutal TraumaCongaLine, culminating in her breaking down and cursing out everything she’s gone through.
* OriginalCharacter: While most of the [[OriginalCharacter Original Characters]] would fall under either [[PlayerCharacter pseudo-canonical]] or FanCreatedOffspring, there are a few examples of these.
** Dione, Merindah's lady-in-waiting from ''The Warden's Crown''.
** Zantar and Delhin Lavellan, though only the former actually appears in the story.
** Allayah Gable, the wife of Branson Rutherford and a soldier in South Reach's army.
* OurPhlebotinumChild:
** Morrigan's son Kieran, thanks to the [[DeusSexMachina Dark Ritual]].
** [[spoiler:How Merindah and Alistair manage to conceive Cressida, with a little magical help from Morrigan. Sadly, it turns out to be AllForNothing as Cressida dies anyway.]]
* OutlivingOnesOffspring:
** Fergus loses his son Oren early in the series. By extension, Eleanor and Bryce briefly outlive their own grandson.
** [[spoiler:Merindah and Alistair’s]] first child dies in infancy.
* PregnantBadass:
** Thanks to the [[DeusSexMachina Dark Ritual]], Morrigan fights in the Battle of Denerim while pregnant with Kieran. She even fights the Archdemon!
** It’s not shown on-screen, but Allayah apparently fought off a Rage Demon while pregnant with Romily.
** [[spoiler:Naelyra]] during ''Look Upon the Light''; even suffering side effects from the pregnancy, she still manages to tear through bad guys like it’s nobody’s business. [[spoiler:The fact that she does so while [[YourDaysAreNumbered actively dying]] makes it even more impressive.]]
* PrematureBirthDrama: How [[spoiler:Merindah’s]] first pregnancy ends in ''The Warden's Crown''. It’s also the most likely reason that [[spoiler:Cressida]] doesn’t survive past a few months.
* ProfessionalsDoItOnDesks:
** Strongly implied to occur in ''Fire Across the World'', when Hawke [[RightThroughTheWall overhears]] some suspicious noises after Donnic enters Aveline's office...
** How Naelyra and Cullen consummate their relationship in ''Totality Draws Near''. Sera later finds out about it.
-->'''Sera:''' Cully and Naeley tied it! Desks watch out!
* RavenHairIvorySkin: Morrigan, Bethany, and Allayah sport this look.
* RefusedReunion:
** Fiona doesn’t reveal her identity to Alistair even after they meet for fear of invalidating his claim to the throne of Ferelden.
** {{Subverted}} with Naelyra. While she initially refuses to return to Clan Lavellan (sending only a brief note warning them of Fen’Harel), her father Riental insists on visiting ''her'' instead.
* ReligiousBruiser:
** Leliana, Merindah, Sebastian, Cassandra, and Cullen are all devout Andrastians, and no less badass because of it.
** Naelyra also qualifies. Unlike the other examples, she worships the Dalish pantheon. Upon learning the AwfulTruth behind her culture’s history, she undergoes a CrisisOfFaith.
* RulingCouple: Alistair and Merindah, the King and [[HotConsort Queen-Consort]] of Ferelden. The fact that they were able to MarryForLove actually boosts their popularity with the public, who are delighted to see how much they adore one another.
* SexEqualsLove: How Hawke and Isabela's romance unfolds. Their relationship starts out as an amusing diversion, but three years later Isabela is ready to admit that she's falling for Hawke.
* ShipperOnDeck:
** Leliana expresses her approval of Merindah/Alistair, even nagging Merindah for details about the relationship. Much later on, she seems to delight in poking fun at Cullen and Naelyra.
** Dorian and Cole also ship Cullen/Naelyra. Naelyra returns the favor by shipping Dorian/Iron Bull.
* ShipsThatPassInTheNight:
** [[spoiler:Fergus/Alfstanna.]] Even Merindah is surprised. {{Justified}} since their marriage is exclusively political in nature, not romantic.
** [[spoiler:Yvette/Rosalie]] don't say so much as a word to each other in canon, but eventually develop into an item in ''On the Shores of Forever''.
* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: Merindah.
* SpidersAreScary: When stuck in the Fade, nightmare demons attack the party; everyone sees them differently, but several characters perceive them as spiders.
* TraumaCongaLine:
** Across both ''The Champion's Mantle'' and ''Fire Across the World'', Hawke definitely suffers one. She's forced to flee her childhood village as a refugee of the Fifth Blight, losing her younger brother in the process (which her mother blames her for). Lothering is destroyed, forcing Hawke and her family to eke out an existence as impoverished refugees for a year in Kirkwall. Hawke manages to reclaim her mother's family fortune, but Bethany is forced into the Circle. Then Hawke's mother dies, Hawke has a temporary falling out with her lover, and she finds herself torn between mages and Templars. It culminates in her friend betraying her trust, forcing her to kill him in retribution. Hawke's actions result in the start of the Mage Rebellion, a conflict that tears Kirkwall apart and spreads across Thedas. And as if that weren't enough, Hawke's own mistakes result in the survival of Corypheus [[spoiler:and Meredith.]] It's little wonder that Hawke is so jaded and self-deprecating during her subsequent appearances.
** Naelyra gets put through the wringer in ''Look Upon the Light.''
* WhatTheHellHero:
** Anora calls out Merindah for her apparent hypocrisy in ''Lady of the Grey'' for declaring herself Queen-Consort.
-->'''Anora:''' You accuse me of being selfish and power-hungry, yet immediately seize power for yourself and your betrothed. And still you try to claim the moral high ground? Stop lying to yourself! You want to rule just as much as I did. The only difference is that you lack the experience to know what it takes.

* HurtingHero: Just look at some of the entries on this page. This is upped considerably in her later appearances, where the events of her own series have done irreparable damage to Hawke's self-esteem and left her lonelier than ever.

-->'''Anora:''' You accuse me of being selfish and power-hungry, yet immediately seize power for yourself and your betrothed. And still you try to claim the moral high ground? Stop lying to yourself! You want to rule just as much as I did. The only difference is that you lack the experience to know what it takes.
* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: This might as well be the entire plot of ''The Warden's Crown'', which sees Merindah becoming increasingly worn out and depressed as the pressures of being Queen weigh down on her.

* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: Merindah becomes increasingly worn out and depressed as the pressures of being Queen weigh down on her.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grid_0_44.png]]

* ''Lady of the Grey'': As the Fifth Blight stirs in the far south of Ferelden, 18-year-old Merindah Cousland finds herself violently torn from the life she knew, and forced to shoulder a deadly burden she could never have imagined.
* ''The Warden’s Crown'': In the aftermath of the Fifth Blight, Ferelden recovers from both the Blight itself and Loghain’s civil war. Newly crowned as Queen-Consort and hailed as the Hero of Ferelden, Merindah must now navigate the political quagmire left in the war’s wake.
* ''A Long Shadow'': Fills in the gaps for Merindah’s activities during the fight against Corypheus as she searches for a cure to the Grey Warden Taint with the help of some unlikely allies.
* ''Queen’s Blood'': As the Grey Wardens war amongst themselves and the Exalted Council deliberates on the fate of the Inquisition, Merindah realizes that her apparent triumph in curing the Taint might be the catalyst for something far worse.

''Leap Into Darkness'' tells the story of Gwendolyn Hawke, the daughter of a disgraced Kirkwall noble and a Ferelden apostate, a refugee of the Fifth Blight, and the unlikely Champion of Kirkwall.
* ''The Champion’s Mantle'': Hawke and her family are forced to flee their home village of Lothering following the outbreak of the Fifth Blight. Upon entering the WretchedHive of Kirkwall, Hawke realizes that this might not be so simple.
* ''Fire Across the World'': As tensions between the Circle and the Templars reach a breaking point in Kirkwall, Hawke makes a choice that could tear all of Thedas apart.

* ''Totality Draws Near'': Naelyra finds herself the center of Thedas’s scrutiny and admiration alike as she becomes The Messiah for a religion she doesn’t even believe in.
* ''Look Upon the Light'': As the high of the victory against Corypheus fades, the Inquisition faces increasing opposition and even calls for its removal. Upon discovering [[AwfulTruth a terrible truth]], Naelyra realizes that they may be right.
* ''On the Shores of Forever'': A novella detailing Naelyra’s activities following the events of the previous entry.

* DamselOutOfDistress: Late in ''Lady of the Grey'', Merindah and Alistair get captured by Loghain’s forces. She breaks them out just in time to run into Leliana and Morrigan.

** Undergoes one after her parents die early in ''Lady of the Grey''. She copes with it by venting her grief on the darkspawn she encounters.
** Merindah also has a second [[HeroicBSoD Heroic BSoD]] in ''The Warden's Crown'' when [[spoiler:Cressida]] dies.

* HotBlooded: Mostly in ''Lady of the Grey'', where she's not even out of her teens. She grows out of it in subsequent installments.

* KingmakerScenario: Two of them, no less, in ''Lady of the Grey''.

* MamaBear: [[spoiler:She's absolutely ''furious'' when she finds out that the Qunari sent assassins after her son Leopold in ''Queen's Blood'', vowing to slit all of their throats herself.]]

* NobleFugitive: In ''Lady of the Grey'', when she’s on the run after being falsely accused of regicide.

* QueenIncognito: In ''A Long Shadow'', Merindah ventures through Ferelden and Orlais undercover, almost never revealing her actual identity.

* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: This might as well be the entire plot of ''The Warden's Crown'', which sees Merindah becoming increasingly worn out and depressed as the pressures of being Queen weigh down on her.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grid_0_41.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The Herald of Andraste... depending on who you ask.]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grid_0_42_8.png]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Queen of the Grey]]

* CanineCompanion: Merindah has one in the form of Muffin.
* HisStoryRepeatsItself: At the start of ''Lady of the Grey'', Muffin alerts a sleeping Merindah to nearby assassins that are about to break into her bedchambers, and she fights them off before the guards can arrive. [[spoiler:14 years later, the same scenario plays out again in ''Queen’s Blood''.]]
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: Fergus gives this speech to Alistair at the end of ''Lady of the Grey'' about Merindah. Bonus points for doing this to the ''King of Ferelden''. To his credit, Alistair takes it in stride.
* MarriageOfConvenience: [[spoiler:Fergus and Alfstanna in ''The Warden’s Crown''. While Fergus doesn't particularly want to remarry following Oriana’s death in the previous entry, he feels obligated to continue the Cousland bloodline.]] The union is shown to be amicable despite the lack of romantic affection, however.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring:
** Fergus loses his son Oren early in the series. By extension, Eleanor and Bryce briefly outlive their own grandson.
** [[spoiler:Merindah and Alistair’s]] first child dies in infancy.
* PrematureBirthDrama: How [[spoiler:Merindah’s]] first pregnancy ends in ''The Warden's Crown''. It’s also the most likely reason that [[spoiler:Cressida]] doesn’t survive past a few months.
* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: This might as well be the entire plot of ''The Warden's Crown'', which sees Merindah becoming increasingly worn out and depressed as the pressures of being Queen weigh down on her.

[[/folder]]

* MandatoryMotherhood:
** Thanks to her role as Queen-Consort, everyone expects Merindah to bear children for the king. While Merindah admits that she’d normally be perfectly happy without children, she internalizes this expectation over the years and becomes depressed at her inability to conceive.
** A male example can be found in Fergus, who is also subjected to this as Teyrn of Highever and the last surviving Cousland apart from Merindah herself. He states that he’d rather not have another child or take a second wife, as he’s still not over the deaths of Oriana and Oren. [[spoiler:However, he marries Alfstanna and has two children with her out of an obligation to continue the Cousland bloodline.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Leap Into Darkness]]

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: It's strongly implied that Anders continues to carry a torch for Hawke even after she turns him down, though he never presses the issue upon learning about their IncompatibleOrientation.
* CivilWar: ''Fire Across the World'' details the onset of the Mage Rebellion that ultimately tore Kirkwall apart.
* IncompatibleOrientation: Anders runs into this problem when he tries to tell Hawke that he has feelings for her.
--> '''Hawke:''' Look. Whatever you believe this is, isn't happening. [[SorryImGay I prefer the company of women.]]
* SexEqualsLove: How Hawke and Isabela's romance unfolds. Their relationship starts out as an amusing diversion, but three years later Isabela is ready to admit that she's falling for Hawke.

[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:The series as a whole]]
!! Tropes present in the entire series

* ShoutOut:
** In ''Fire Across the World'', Hawke and Anders have the following conversation:
-->'''Hawke:''' This is madness. What happened to freedom? To justice?
--> '''Anders:''' Justice? ''(laughs)'' [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars "Justice" is merely the construct of the Chantry's power base.]]
** Upon contemplating being stuck in the Fade, Hawke sarcastically muses, [[VideoGame/TheLastOfUs "We could just wait it out. Maybe lose our minds together. It would be very poetic."]]

* AmazonBrigade: Merindah, Hawke, and Isabela form one in ''A Long Shadow'' after teaming up.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Fergus delivers one to Merindah in the second installment when trying to discern what she wants versus the expectations of those around them.
-->'''Fergus:''' Do you want a child, or do you want an heir?

* NiceToTheWaiter: Despite her high social standing, Merindah is noted as treating even common servants with courtesy and respect.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: Anora makes one of these to Merindah when calling out her hypocrisy at the Landsmeet. Merindah initially dismisses this remark, but comes to realize on her own that Anora actually had a point. They're both strong, politically powerful women - both the daughters of Teyrns and war heroes, and both the wives of an idealistic king. Both genuinely want what's best for their country despite their own ambitions, and both believe that ''they'' are the only ones who can help Ferelden.

* BewareTheSillyOnes: Hawke might be TheGadfly who abuses BuffySpeak like there's no tomorrow. She's also a surprisingly intelligent and devious charmer, capable of talking her opponents into believing just about anything. Because clearly this flighty, giggling oddball who can't go ten seconds without cracking a stupid joke couldn't possibly be as dangerous as they were told, right?
* BigBrotherInstinct: Genderflipped with Hawke toward Carver and Bethany, especially the latter, and ''especially'' after both Carver and their mother dies.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:A Night Without Moon or Stars]]

* AnArmAndALeg: Poor Naelyra suffers this at the end of ''Look Upon the Light'', where she loses her arm from the elbow down.
* BadassBookworm:
** Naelyra is mentioned to be very bookish, and has a demonstrable love of learning and consuming knowledge.
** Dorian loves to read, and spends nearly all of his downtime perusing through Skyhold’s library.
** Solas also has a deep fascination with all things Fade-related, and spends much of his time researching.
* BridalCarry: Cullen carries Naelyra this way when the latter collapses from hypothermia following her escape at Haven.
* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: The first attempt to stabilize the Breach leaves Naelyra unconscious for a few days. The second attempt goes better, but still takes everything she has.
* BroughtDownToBadass: After losing her arm and the Mark in one go, Naelyra suffers a considerable blow to her fighting abilities. However, she is still an extremely powerful and dangerous mage with a formidable force at her disposal.
* GladToBeAliveSex: Naelyra and Cullen's sex scene in ''Totality Draws Near'' has heavy shades of this, since it comes after the former barely survives the attack on Adamant Fortress.
* MorningSickness: [[spoiler:Naelyra]] suffers this during the Exalted Council in ''Look Upon the Light''. It's subtle enough at first to fly under the radar - brief mentions of headaches, or oversleeping, or general weariness. But once the nausea kicks in, [[spoiler:Naelyra]] realizes that she's likely pregnant.
* NamedByTheAdaptation: Jamie Rutherford, who goes unnamed in the games and is only identified as “Branson’s son”.
* SpidersAreScary: When stuck in the Fade, nightmare demons attack the party; everyone sees them differently, but several characters perceive them as spiders.

* IndifferentBeauty: Merindah is a beautiful woman, and she knows that many people see her as much - but she doesn't really care.

''Warmest of Heart'' is a standalone spin-off. Fifteen years after the events of ''On the Shores of Forever'', [[spoiler:Aubrey Rutherford]] and [[spoiler:Leopold Theirin]] begin an unexpected courtship as the shadow of war continues to loom.

[[folder:Leopold Theirin]]
!!Crown Prince Leopold Theirin
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grid_0_47.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Prince of Ferelden.]]
\\

->''"Change takes time, but a guiding hand can make it happen sooner rather than later."''
\\

The oldest surviving child of Merindah Cousland and Alistair Theirin, and heir to the throne of Ferelden.

Leopold is a point-of-view character in ''Warmest of Heart''.
----

* TheWisePrince: Leopold has a pensive demeanor, and takes his duties to the Crown very seriously.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Aubrey Rutherford]]
!!Aubrey Rutherford
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grid_0_48.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The Holy Child.]]
\\

->''"I know what it is to be judged for who you are instead of what you've done. It's a terrible thing."''
\\

The only child of Naelyra Lavellan and Cullen Rutherford. Aubrey grew up surrounded by her extended family in South Reach. Though she was independently trained in magic by her mother from the age of nine, she willingly joined the College of Enchanters at the age of sixteen. She is elf-blooded, but like all half-elves, appears fully human.

Aubrey is a point-of-view character in ''Warmest of Heart''.
----

* ActionSurvivor: Though Aubrey doesn't fight often enough to qualify as a full-fledged ActionGirl, she's still an incredibly powerful mage, and [[spoiler: even manages to kill an assassin with Templar training through trickery.]]
* BenevolentMageRuler: What Aubrey aspires to be, as the betrothed to the Crown Prince of Ferelden. [[spoiler:She ends up calling off the marriage before she can become this.]]
* {{Foil}}: To Merindah. Both are mild-mannered young women [[MarryForLove happily betrothed]] to a Theirin set to inherit the throne of Ferelden [[spoiler:who became disenchanted with becoming Queen.]] However, Merindah grew up surrounded by court intrigue, and though she later grew to regret declaring herself Queen, she ''did'' have an idea of how to manage the political landscape. By contrast, Aubrey was raised a commoner, deliberately sheltered from the life of politics and intrigue that her parents endured. So when she's thrown into such an environment, she's forced to rely on only her own courtesy and politeness. Merindah is also SilkHidingSteel, hiding her badassery behind a ladylike mask, while Aubrey genuinely is [[TheIngenue that passive.]] [[spoiler:While Merindah resolved to keep serving her country in spite of her misgivings, Aubrey decides to call it quits before the marriage can ever take place, leaving to reclaim her position in the College of Enchanters.]]
* HalfHumanHybrid: As the child of an elf and a human. Though Aubrey is, for all intents and purposes, fully human.
* HeadTurningBeauty: Aubrey is described as extremely beautiful, with multiple characters commenting on her looks.
* TheIngenue: Thanks to both her youth and her sheltered background, Aubrey is rather naive and unworldly at the start of the story.
* LikeParentUnlikeChild: Aubrey doesn't particularly resemble either of her parents in looks or personality. While the former is partially {{Justified}} in that elf-blooded children don't inherit any elven traits, she still managed to inherit just enough of her mother's coloring to have a slightly darker appearance than her father. She's also noted to be much more passive than either of her parents and lacks their stubbornness, [[spoiler:[[CharacterDevelopment though she grows out of this]] as the story progresses.]]
* NaiveNewcomer: Having been raised as a commoner, Aubrey has next to no firsthand knowledge of how a royal court operates. She quickly realizes just how immense the pressures are.
* NiceGirl: Aubrey is a sweet and kind young woman with a compassionate heart.
* PluckyGirl: She starts to develop into this as the story progresses and she faces more and more opposition, but refuses to cave. [[spoiler:{{Subverted}} in that the pressures eventually turn out to be too much for her, and she leaves Denerim.]]
* WhiteMagicianGirl: She's gentle, traditionally feminine, and skilled at healing spells.

[[/folder]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Warmest of Heart]]

* CourtlyLove: How the romance between Aubrey and Leopold plays out.
* HalfBreedDiscrimination: A major plot point in ''Warmest of Heart''. As a HalfHumanHybrid - even one that is, for all intents and purposes, fully human - Aubrey faces discrimination and scrutiny from more conservative humans. While it's repeatedly mentioned that tolerance has increased in the years since Divine Victoria took office, it's still shown to be a pervasive issue.
* LovedINotHonorMore: [[spoiler:Aubrey realizes that she's not fit to be Queen of Ferelden, and breaks up with Leopold for the good of the nation. She doesn't love him any less, but isn't willing to suffer that kind of scrutiny to be with him.]]

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: She’s declared Warden-Commander of Ferelden at only nineteen. Granted, she's also the only Warden left in the country by that point, but slaying an Archdemon definitely had something to do with the promotion.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: How she becomes Inquisitor.

** Varric's description of Naelyra in ''Look Upon the Light'' contains one:
-->'''Varric:''' Her determination was unmatched. Even in the face of oblivion, even when she thought her death was imminent, Naelyra continued to fight on. When her sun was about to set, she [[Literature/DoNotGoGentleIntoThatGoodNight raged against the dying light.]] Now I know why.

* DramaticIrony: Fiona and Alistair's meeting in ''Totality Draws Near'' where the latter banishes the former is rife with this trope. The reader and Fiona are aware that Fiona is Alistair's mother, but Alistair and Naelyra (the narrator of the scene) remain oblivious to this fact. [[spoiler:Alistair learns the truth in ''A Long Shadow'', but not until more than a year later.]]

** Merindah condemns Anora for being so eager to seize power, yet immediately declares herself the future Queen-Consort at Anora’s expense. While it could be argued that Merindah was also motivated by her genuine feelings for Alistair and that Queen-Consort is below Queen-Regent, the point still remains. Much later on, Merindah recognizes this and realizes that they’re NotSoDifferent.

* {{Foil}}: To Merindah. Both are mild-mannered young women [[MarryForLove happily betrothed]] to a Theirin set to inherit the throne of Ferelden [[spoiler:who became disenchanted with becoming Queen.]] However, Merindah grew up surrounded by court intrigue, and though she later grew to regret declaring herself Queen, she ''did'' have an idea of how to manage the political landscape. By contrast, Aubrey was raised a commoner, deliberately sheltered from the life of politics and intrigue that her parents endured. So when she's thrown into such an environment, she's forced to rely on only her own courtesy and politeness. Merindah is also SilkHidingSteel, while Aubrey genuinely is [[TheIngene that passive.]] [[spoiler:While Merindah resolves to keep serving her country in spite of her misgivings, Aubrey decides to call it quits before the marriage can ever take place, leaving to reclaim her position in the College of Enchanters.

* {{Foil}}: To Merindah. Both are mild-mannered young women [[MarryForLove happily betrothed]] to a Theirin set to inherit the throne of Ferelden. However, Merindah grew up surrounded by court intrigue, and though she later grew to regret declaring herself Queen, she ''did'' have an idea of how to manage the political landscape. By contrast, Aubrey was raised a commoner, deliberately sheltered from the life of politics and intrigue that her parents endured. So when she's thrown into such an environment, she's forced to rely on only her own courtesy and politeness.

* LikeParentUnlikeChild: Aubrey doesn't particularly resemble either of her parents in looks or personality. While the former is partially {{Justified}} in that elf-blooded children don't inherit any elven traits, she still managed to inherit just enough of her mother's coloring to have a slightly darker appearance than her father. She's also noted to be much more passive than either of her parents and lacks their stubbornness, [[spoiler:[[CharacterDevelopment though she grows out of this as the story progresses.]]]]

* TheWisePrince:

*

* LikeParentUnlikeChild: Aubrey doesn't particularly resemble either of her parents either in looks or personality. While the former is partially {{Justified}} in that elf-blooded children don't inherit any elven traits, she still managed to inherit just enough of her mother's coloring to have a slightly darker appearance than her father. She's also noted to be much more passive than either of her parents, [[spoiler:[[CharacterDevelopment though she grows out of this as the story progresses.]]]]

* LoveINotHonorMore: [[spoiler:Aubrey realizes that she's not fit to be Queen of Ferelden, and breaks up with Leopold for the good of the nation. She doesn't love him any less, but isn't willing to suffer that kind of scrutiny to be with him.]]