Character name: Cyril Lavellan
Character journal: samahl
Series name: Dragon Age Inquisition
Canon notes: Post-Trespasser DLC

I am assuming that you guys have a handle on Dragon Age terminology considering that we have players from this world and there have been more in the past but since a lot of my history uses Dragon Age specific terms without definitions, here is a very quick link reference to important points:

Thedas
Dalish Elves
The Blight
The Chantry
The Divine
The Fade
The Qun
The Hero of Ferelden

Cyril's World State:
Pre-Inquisition:
- HoF was a female Dalish elf who romanced Leliana
- Garret Hawke romanced Anders and supported the mage cause.
- More specific details can be found here

Post-Inquisition:
- Denied being the Herald, very vocally, all of the time.
- Was a merciful and "recruiting" judge
- Officially romanced no one (more about romance in personality section of app)
- Clan Lavellan alive and embedded at Wycome
- Sided with the mages, made them equal allies
- Stroud left in the Fade
- Allowed the Grey Wardens to stay and recruited them as allies
- Forced a truce between all three parties for Orleasian Civil War - also reminded Celene and Briala of their relationship but gave up trying to reconcile them after he discovered the guard in Celene's bedroom. For real these human nobles #BiggestofEyeRolls.
- Florianne alive
- Sided with Sentinels
- Morrigan drank from the Well
- Impressed the Avvar and earned their trust
- Leliana is Divine
- Kept the Inquisition as a Peacekeeping force and dedicated it to save Solas from himself


Species: Elf, specifically a Dalish elf - but not a very good one.

History: When Cyril was six he was brought to Clan Lavellan with a group of orphans whose Clan had been wiped out by a plague. His father, Borean, had been a Hunter and had died several years before the illness. His mother, Ina'ean, had always been a misfit to the Clan - she had even given her child a human noble name, something almost unheard of - and had only ever found acceptance with her husband. She was not in the best health when the illness hit and once it wrecked the Clan she was primed to be a victim of it. The only memory Cyril has of his mother is the smell of her sick and her pale hair soaked with sweat. The only Clan he's ever really known is Lavellan. The only parents he knew were the elders of the Clan - especially the Crafter who took an interest in him because of his inventive mind - and his siblings were the other orphans. The most notable of those siblings was a troubled younger elf named Merrick.

He also had his blood cousin, Pel - related to him through his mother's family. She had been gifted to Clan Lavellan years before once her magic manifested and served as the Clan's First. She was the reason that Cyril and the other orphans were brought to this clan as the presence of a blood relative to one of the orphans made them an acceptable choice to raise the children.

As Cyril grew up as a member of Lavellan, he found himself restless any time they stopped in their nomadic journeys. He only felt comfortable hunting in the woods or traveling. Any stop meant that he would we become filled with a sense of wanderlust and a desire to start moving again. He took to being a Hunter in part because it let him move around more than just staying at the camp - it also allowed him more time to spend with Merrick who had a violent streak that suited him for hunting. As a Hunter, Cyril found a fondness for the bow and trap making. His talent for trap making was driven by an inventive mind, which was always thinking of ways to improve current trapping methods. He was known to make other little trinkets or devices as well. He would make puzzle toys for children and built a water capture and filtration method that helped collect potable rain water while they traveled.

Once he was old enough to really consider what he was being taught, Cyril came to experience doubts about the Dalish gods. He enjoyed the rituals that his clan partook in for the sense of community and family, but he wasn't certain he believed in any sort of deities behind them. He saw a lot of wonderful things in the world, but nothing that made him believe in the Creators. He didn't have any idea of what that would mean and mostly kept his doubts to himself, focusing far more on learning what he could about the world and enjoying the hunting trips he took with his siblings. He grew very close to Merrick especially.

Merrick and Cyril were also some few of the clan who had interactions with humans. While the clan as a whole avoided much contact with 'shems', Cyril himself had some humorous interactions with humans who came close to where the clan was camped. He was interested in their existence and how they lived. While he and Merrick loved to pull pranks on humans, part of the reason for Cyril's curiosity was his developing sexual orientation. He was too restless to settle down with one lover, and saw the humans as source of vague entertainment when he encountered them as well as a drama-free place to experiment with his sexual desires. He never had to see them again so it was very hit them and quit them kind of set up for him.

The experiences he had with humans left Cyril with a clear idea of how to handle them and how to speak to them without insulting them. He also made contacts within the less than honorable aspects of human society, which he sometimes used to set up trade with his clan. He was thirsty for information about humans so he tracked down books and learned a bit about human society and nobility.

Back in the Clan, he felt pressured to start a family to continue the bloodline so he was desperate to experience as much as possible before that. He also came to realize he was only sexually attracted to men, which put a different sort of pressure on the whole "settle down and start a family" thing. This became even more complicated when he realized his affection for Merrick wasn't actually very "brotherly."

Some within the Clan were very wary of this interest in humans and that caused some tension between Cyril and a handful of his clan mates. Cyril's restlessness grew with these tensions. Add to that him dealing with guilt for falling for Merrick - something he thought was a terrible betrayal of Merrick's trust - he spent more and more time alone in the woods, hunting for the clan but also wishing for some time to himself. It also didn't help that the rest of the world was in the middle of two different wars - the Orlesian Civil War was spreading across their Empire and the conflict between mages and templars had reached a boiling point. Cyril couldn't help but feel that there was an entire world out there he was missing out on.

It was then that the Keeper sent him to the Conclave, the meeting that had been set by the Divine to end the mage and templar war. Perhaps the Keeper wanted to ease Cyril's restlessness or get him out of the way for bit, or perhaps she did this because she sensed the great destiny that awaited him there.

During the Conclave an ancient darkspawn named Corypheus planned to sacrifice the Divine in an attempt to break into the Fade and reclaim the Black City. Cyril interrupted the ritual. The resulting explosion killed everyone else attending the Conclave and embedded a piece of elven magic in Cyril's hand. It also created Rifts across Thedas that let demons into the physical world - Rifts that could only be closed by the mark in Cyril's hand.

In order to combat the chaos brought by war and Corypheus's plot, the Inquisition was formed. Because of his actions as the only one who could close Rifts, Cyril was eventually named Inquisitor. Once he had this title, Cyril had to travel across Thedas closing Rifts and solving problems. He eventually ended the Orlesian Civil War - by forcing the three interested parties to form a truce - and he sided with the mages to end the conflict between mages and templars. He became a major power in the politics of Thedas and was the head of the Inquisition's sizable army. He used that strength to eventually defeat Corypheus and focused on bringing peace and order back to Thedas.

Then two years after Corypheus's defeat the anchor - the mark in Cyril's hand - had begun to slowly kill him. It got to the point where the power of that magic would lash out at those near him. Cyril was also under pressure to dissolve the Inquisition and give up the power he had built up while trying to protect the world. On top of that, he had to stop a conflict from the Qun from boiling over and uncovered the truth of the elven gods - that they weren't gods at all but powerful mages. He also discovered a companion he had been very close too, an elven mage named Solas, was actually Fen'Harel and the whole mastermind behind what happened at the Conclave. (It was a very busy couple of days.)

In the end, Cyril kept the Inquisition alive as a Peacekeeping force under the guidance of Divine Victoria. However, he had to step down as Inquisitor after he lost his arm to the mark.

Since then, he has taken residence in Kirkwall after accepting the invitation of a friend named Varric. He lives in High Town during the day and causes shenanigans as a Red Jenny with his best friend Sera at night. Behind the scenes, he continues to secretly work with the Inquisition to uncover Fen'Harel's plot and save Solas from himself.


Personality:

At first people tend to notice that Cyril tries very hard to remain humorous and relaxed as much as possible. Cyril is the type of person to try to make a joke to defuse tense situations. This has served him well in the past because people tend to find him charming. His humor tends towards witty quips and is never used against people, other than the times he's mocked bad guys who he was trying to throw off center by not taking them seriously (ie, snarking at Corypheus while he was in the middle of a grand 'you will pay' speech). Cyril tends to also make witty comments about his own motivations and actions. For example, when the advisors start their plan to close to Breach Cyril makes a comment about taking a nap instead. He also teases Josephine about wanting to take a bath instead of dealing with diplomats and tends to try to make people laugh at him rather than feel stressed out over their situation.

When push comes to shove, however, Cyril can be very diplomatic. While Cyril tends not to try to seem like he's taking things seriously, when needed he is pretty good at his role as Inquisitor. He strives to set up situations that work for all parties, believes strongly in compromise, and quickly became known in Thedas as a skilled diplomat and a formidable political power. His political maneuvering saved Empress Celene and forced a truce between the three parties at the cause of the civil war. He played the Game beautifully during that night, even despite the disadvantage of being an elf, and was able to confront Florianne openly without losing any political capital.

Cyril is also very open with his sexuality and tends to be very flirtatious. He is very open to expressing attraction to men he meets. He's also known to flirt with women as well, as long as boundaries are set - since he wouldn't want to lead anyone on. He respects consent first and foremost and won't continue with his flirting if the person tells him they're uncomfortable. He keeps his comments light at first and sees how they respond. He's the type to say something like "Oh, I could never forget those eyes of yours" when he meets someone a second time and they ask if he remembers them.

On top of all of this, Cyril tends to try to take care of everyone around him. Growing up, Cyril tended to protect and care for the younger elves in his clan but as tensions grew between him and the other members, he had to start to isolate himself. This transferred over to his role as Inquisitor as he strove to protect and care for all people of Thedas. This tendency also lead him to befriending all of his companions, each of which know they can rely on him in times of need. He was driven to inspire Leliana, saved the Chargers from death, and ultimately made choices that lead his companions to happier lives. His desire to care for people also drove him to limiting bloodshed whenever possible - though death was inevitable given he was fighting a war. When it came time for judgement he almost never executed people, instead preferring mercy and allowing them to join the Inquisition.

While Cyril is indeed caring, flirty, and funny, he uses all of that as a wall to protect his own emotions and vulnerabilities. It's very rare that people see him express weakness or sadness, though he experiences both very deeply. He's far more focused on tending to others rather than himself and can sometimes seem emotionally distant because of the walls he has created to protect himself. This can lead some to be frustrated by him, as he can seem like he's keeping them at an arm's distance. He also has a bad habit of pretending everything is okay even when he's hurting inside. When the mark was slowly killing him he would always insist that nothing was wrong, even as everyone around him could see that something was indeed very, very wrong. He still currently experiences an almost constant dull ache from the lingering magic of the mark, something that does flare up and will eventually kill him. He also carries the weight Solas's betrayal with him - and yet it's very unlikely that he'll ever talk about these things unless the person takes the time to peel back his walls - or some kind of truth-telling shenanigans happen in game.

Cyril uses vanity in this way as well. He does care very much about his appearance, even more so now that he's missing a limb and growing older, and dedicates time out of his day to a beauty routine. While he knows he's pretty and likes playing that up, in truth he uses vanity as a shield to stop people who might be getting too close from taking him too seriously. He will play up his own looks and pretend to be arrogant about them all while making sure that people continue to think of him as a pretty bauble - rather than a person who experiences the deep emotions that are turbulent inside of him.

Cyril's illusion of vapidness falls apart the second anyone pays attention to what he does on his free time though. He has a love of learning and reading. As an Artificer he also tinkers and builds intricate devices. As a young man he used to build toys and puzzle boxes for the younger elves - especially for Merrick who liked the puzzles to keep his mind occupied during his dark moods - and he came up with new ways to filter and store water. If he sees an issue he wants to fix it - be it interpersonal connections, political strife, or lack of needed tools. This means that with enough self study he can also grasp new technology and theories. He really enjoys talking about high level concepts - which is probably why he was so attached to scholarly mages like Dorian and Solas. He also spent a lot of time learning about human society and politics.

That desire for knowledge served him well as he was an elf having to navigate the complex political world of Thedas. He had a fine line to walk between "being underestimated because he's just a stupid, pretty elf-shaped decoration" and "being respected as a leader of a powerful organization." As he played the Game he toyed with the vanity of humans who enjoyed having something so fine paying attention to them, all while also collecting information to "encourage" them into peaceful action. He proved himself a formidable force both on the battlefield and in the ballroom.

Cyril isn't as put together as he likes to pretend, though. His biggest fear of all is losing his sense of self, or losing control of himself. This is the main reason he did not drink from the Well and instead let Morrigan take that honor. Even though it was the history of his people, he couldn't bring himself to risk having his mind controlled or shaped in any way without his consent. Once Mythal showed herself and showed the power she had over Morrigan, he was thankful for that choice. This fear is also one of the reasons he never really brought himself to romance anyone.

To be clear, Cyril falls in love very deeply. He adored Merrick for one - feelings that he never really forgave himself for because, as described above, a lot of people considered them "brothers" (even if there was no blood relation between them). He also fell for some of his companions. He had a bit of a crush on Cullen, he had a deep affection for Solas, and he fell head over heels for Dorian. He even had a fun romp with Bull and probably would have loved him deeply too had he allowed himself that. These emotions and connections are real, a very deep, and they have fostered a loyalty that is uncontested. However, whenever the chance came to take things further - to step closer to Dorian and kiss him, to make the dragon tooth pendant for Bull - he couldn't take that step. Doing so makes him too vulnerable and too exposed - and love is something everyone around him claims changes you. Friendship is easier. Or at least it should be. It still leaves you open to be crushed when one of them turns out to be an ancient, powerful mage who put everything that changed your life into motion - and finished all of that off by removing your arm. That said, the sense of loyalty and affection he has for Solas is still there, even despite that crushing revelation, so much so that he kept the Inquisition alive because he doesn't trust any other organization to properly to try save Solas - any one else will want to kill him before he can destroy the world.

Even though Cyril never really belonged with the Dalish, he still keeps them close to his heart. He still believes in the cause of the elves and other disenfranchised groups and works to create a world that brings equality to all. He just never really believed there was only one "good" way to be an elf. He can admire the teachings and traditions of his people without fully buying into all of the details surrounding them. For example, he may not have believed that Mythal was a literal goddess, but he still preformed the rites of her temple rather than blasting through it. he respected the tradition around it and didn't want to harm the history preserved in the temple. He believes there is value in the past that the Dalish uncover, he just never thought it the end-all-be-all of "elfy-ness". This view has greatly expanded after his relationship with Sera grew to a close friendship. Then he discovered the truth of it all and a lot of his previous doubts started to make a lot more sense.

That said, before he was Inquisitor he still suffered from a strong case of not knowing where he belonged. He was taught to believe in gods he wasn't sure were real. He was told he had to continue the blood of the elves while also experiencing no desire to bed women. He believed that he'd always be with his Clan even as his heart called to him to explore the world. He loved Merrick, but was disturbed about how deep those emotions went. The first time that he truly felt that he belonged anywhere was in Skyhold, surrounded by people who were not Dalish and yet who still came to trust and believe in him. He built a new family with Sera as a sister, Cassandra as a disapproving cousin, Vivienne as that friend who improves your fashion tastes, the boys and those neighbors who give you squishy feelings, and Skyhold as their home. It was his place and that feeling is one that he cherishes, even thanking Solas for basically gifting the castle to him in the end.

In general, Cyril is a good person who uses humor to keep things light, especially during tense situations. He has problems expressing his own feelings honestly, as confronting his emotions makes him very uncomfortable. He tries his best to put those around him at ease and works as a mediator when needed. He believes strongly in compromise and tries to find solutions that please all parties involved. He is a strong atheist and that view has been supported by current events. He has loyalty to his people, but enjoyed his position as the Inquisitor because it helped alleviate his natural restlessness. He grows very attached to people close to him, but still tends to try to put up a front of good humor rather than being completely open with his own fears or insecurities. This does make him a likable leader but leads to some tension with his personal relationships. That said, he does care deeply for those he thinks of as his Inner Circle. Even with the terrifying battles with ancient Magisters and dragons, the reveal surrounding Fen'Harel, and his missing limb, he wouldn't change his new found place for the world.

Abilities:
Cyril is a rogue in the Dragon Age world. His weapon of choice is the bow but he has some knowledge of how to fight with daggers. He can also use a cross bow. He's pretty good at distance and stealth kills. He is the type to access a battle, sneak up to the high ground, and then use that leverage to shoot at his enemies. Either that or he'll use his stealth skills to set traps around the battle that enemies can stumble into. He is an Artificer by specialization. As a skilled craftsmen, Cyril can create and use traps and intricate devices to be used during battle. He also as a mind for traps and devices in general and invents little things to make the world easier and better. While with his clan he did things like build new water filtration devices and now that he doesn't have an arm he uses those same skills to make new prosthetic arms that he can use to fight - including one with a cross bow attachment.

Cyril has a pretty charming personality and has experience as a skilled politician. He has the desire to seek compromise but can also focus and make important choices when needed. He has good interpersonal skills but can still lie through his teeth to ensure that he hides information. He can smooze with the best of them.

While this is no longer an ability he actively has control over, it is also important to note that he still has a bit of Fen'Harel's magic in him. The center of it has been removed with his arm, but the magic still touched him and still hurts him. It will eventually kill him - it's just doing it very slowly. While he personally does not have access to this magic anymore and cannot weld it, someone with magical ability might be able to draw on it. This is something that would have to be worked out if it came up in game.

Augment Skillset: Pilot

Sample: Note: I know when people wake up they have on their own clothes, I just had this sample idea and needed to tease Cy a bit.

[When the video comes on there's a Dalish elf whose face is clearly seen on screen. He has big, noticeable ears and teal colored vallaslin that frames his eyes and forehead in the shape of a stylized tree. His eyes are a bright gray and his hair is as pale as his skin. He seems to consider the view for a moment before speaking. His voice has a British-sounding accent and a tone of someone who finds everything around him amusing.]

I can accept a lot of things.

I can accept that the stars are places we can go and the blackness between them is called 'space.' I can accept that I am currently standing inside what amounts to a tin box that is somehow flying through that space. I can accept that I know how to drive something similar to this tin box now, and that it's actually called a ship despite not being anywhere near water. I can accept that these "space ships" move without steam and that technology here is even more advanced than even the dwarves of Orzammar know.

I can accept that by speaking to this flat surface I am actually speaking to other people and they will talk back and I'll see little miniature versions of them as they sit comfortably - or not so comfortably I know nothing about their chair arrangements - in another ship. I can accept that they will see a miniature version of my own face - and for that, you are welcome. Honestly, the speaking to people who aren't in the same room part is not even that difficult to accept given that sending crystals exist and I have one. [A hand toys with the chain of that around his neck, the actual crystal hidden from view below the edge of the screen.] It's just this screen I'm speaking to comes with, what is it called again? [He tilts his head as if making a show of accessing the new information crammed in there] Ah, yes. Video.

I can accept that the only reason I know all of this is that there's a little device crammed in my skull that whispers these details to me. I can even accept that that isn't a demon possession but actual technology I could never have even imagined before waking up here.

I can accept that reality shows are apparently a thing that people watch and that there are populated worlds that have never heard of Thedas and don't have their own ideas about the Fade.

I can accept all of that.

But you know what I cannot accept? [He shifts now, standing up. He shows that he's wearing a standard issue gray jumpsuit. The view also shows that one of his arms ends at the elbow, but he's already aware of the missing limb and doesn't plan on focusing on it.]

This. This isn't clothing. This is a gray sack. And I didn't stand through all of those Orlesian tailors complimenting my, admittedly impressive, backside or accept countless parcels imported from Tevinter because, and I quote, 'Southerners know nothing of good fashion' so that the first impression this brand new world had of me was that I was the type who dressed in a gray sacks.

I mean, honestly. Ugh.