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ofletters ) Snow White (onevice ) and Ellie (backpacking )Character Name: (Warden) Robyn Cousland
Series: Dragon Age
Timeline: The night before the Landsmeet in Denerim.
Canon Resource Link: Dragon Age Origins and Human Noble Origin
(For any questions regarding specific in-game choices, see this page.)
Robyn is the youngest of the two children of Teryn Bryce Cousland and his wife Eleanor of Highever in the kingdom of Ferelden. Her older brother Fergus is the heir, though Robyn is far from out of the picture; she has always been the apple of her father's eye. The Teryn had no issue allowing his daughter to pursue less common activities for a young noblewoman and she trained in various combat training with relation to the "rogue" subset (including archery and other skills). He referred to her as "pup" and with good reason as Robyn has always had the companionship of a hardy Ferelden mabari, Calenhad, or Calen. She was extremely close with her family and with the guards and servants within the castle, often causing mild mischief as a girl, but winning the others over with a cheeky smile and overwhelming spirit. Her brother married a woman named Oriana and the two had a son, Robyn's nephew Oren.
The story begins in 9:30 of the Dragon Age when Robyn is 24 years old. Her father and brother, among their other soldiers and men, are preparing to join the King of Ferelden, King Cailin, on the battlefield at the fortress of Ostagar. Their fight is against monsters called darkspawn, one not easily handled by fighters of any caliber. As such, the king needs all the men he can get, and the Couslands are happy to oblige and follow their ruler into the fray. The Teryn is joined by their ally Arl Rendon Howe, preparing to depart when the latter's forces arrive, though they are late in doing so. In the meantime, Robyn's father sends Fergus off with some of the troops to the battlefield and those at Highever are joined by a Grey Warden, a soldier devoted to fighting darkspawn, named Duncan. He suggests that Robyn would be a fine Warden, herself, but Bryce gruffly brushes it off, knowing how dangerous and thankless the life of a Grey Warden is.
Later that night, Robyn is woken by Calen, whose barking gives her warning enough to prepare for a slaughter within the keep. Howe's men massacre everyone in the castle including her sister-in-law and nephew, amongst almost all the others. Robyn joins her mother as they fight their way through the halls in search of the Teryn, though they find him too late and he is mortally wounded. Eleanor vows to stay with him to the end, but Duncan, who is still alive, is asked by Bryce to take Robyn to safety. In exchange, Duncan asks that she be made a Grey Warden (due to their small numbers and the necessity of more to fight the darkspawn) and he agrees. Robyn tearfully parts from her parents for the last time and leaves her home with her dog and with Duncan.
They travel safely to Ostagar where the fight with the darkspawn is to take place. There Robyn meets King Cailin, a brave and outgoing ruler, and the famed general Loghain. Fergus and his troops are not at the fortress, so her brother's fate remains unknown. Duncan, Cailin, and Loghain discuss plans to fight the incoming monsters; Duncan, as a Warden, can sense their presence and also feels the distant stirring of the Archdemon which gives command to the rest of the hordes. The existence of the Archdemon indicates that they are in a Blight, a much more dire situation than they had previously known. Loghain advises rational action and caution, but Cailin, who is enthused with ideas of potential glory, sees only the triumph to be had.
After meeting two other potential recruits and a full-fledged Warden named Alistair, Robyn wanders into the Korcari Wilds to obtain a series of old Warden documents that would call upon treaties with the other races in order to combat the Blight. She is then finally let in on the secret of the Joining, the ritual through which one becomes a Grey Warden. Its nature is shrouded in mystery and rightfully so; the Joining involves drinking the blood of darkspawn, a process which may kill the initiate. One other is in fact killed and the second tries to back out only to be (regretfully) killed by Duncan, as he had already taken the oath. Terrified, Robyn goes through with the process and survives, now a true Warden and imbued with the notorious Taint that can infect others. It also means that she can sense darkspawn herself and has regular, awful nightmares about the creatures and about the Archdemon that leads them. With new purpose, Robyn joins Duncan, Alistair, and the King's council, where it is decided that she and Alistair will light a beacon at the top of Ostagar in order to signal that Loghain's men will join Cailin's and the Wardens who, by that point, will have lured the darkspawn to a fight. They prepare for the massive battle and, though they are able to light the signal fire, Robyn and Alistair are nearly killed as they're overcome by darkspawn. Loghain calls for a retreat and leaves with his men despite the signal and as a result the King and Duncan, along with all the other Wardens present and countless others, are destroyed in the fight.
Robyn wakes in a strange hut in the Korcari Wilds. An apostate, or rogue mage, that they had briefly met when seeking out the treaties. The woman, Morrigan, claims that her mother had saved Robyn and Alistair for an unknown purpose. Her mother, Flemeth, also known as the Witch of the Wilds, encourages Morrigan to travel with the two Wardens who plan to gather an army to get revenge on Loghain for his betrayal and, more importantly, to end the Blight by defeating the Archdemon. They decide first to visit Redcliffe, ruled over by Arl Eamon; Alistair admits that he knows the Arl as he is the bastard brother to Cailin and has claim to the throne. On their way, they are joined by a bard and Chantry-faithful woman named Leliana, a surly and quiet Qunari named Sten.
Warden: "Alistair, she's one archdemon short of a blight."
Alistair: "Yes, but she seems more... "Ooh, pretty colors!" than "Muahaha! I am Princess Stabbity! Stab, kill, kill!"
Warden: "Don't make me stab kill you."
They find Redcliffe in disarray, however, as darkspawn plague the city, Eamon is deathly ill, and his son is possessed by a demon. After helping to save the villagers, they travel to the Circle of Magi in order to speak with the First Enchanter who might have an idea of how to save the boy. Naturally, the Tower is also in peril, and they learn from the Templars that there are demons swarming the upper halls with innocent mages trapped within. They join forces with a mage named Wynne and manage to defeat the threats to the Tower, saving the mages and the First Enchanter while assuaging (some of) the Templars' fears. The latter pledge their assistance to the Wardens for the fight with the darkspawn and the First Enchanter returns with them to Redcliffe. While there, they enlist the help of the mage who poisoned Arl Eamon in the first place (at Loghain's behest) to drive out the demon possessing the Arl's child. Despite this joy, the Arl himself is still dying, and his brother request that they find the famed Urn of Sacred Ashes, said to contain the ashes of Andraste herself, which may have healing powers. They make the trip, long and difficult though it is, and are found worthy to take a small pinch of the ashes. Once they return to Redcliffe, Eamon is cured with the ashes and order is restored; he vows to help them in their fight against both the darkspawn and Loghain.
In trying to carry out the treaties, they travel to a camp of Dalish elves. Their keeper, or leader, acknowledges the legitimacy of the documents, but states that he cannot afford to help due to their own troubles, namely, the fight against werewolves in their forest. Robyn and the others uncover the truth, which is that the keeper once cursed a group of hunters who killed his daughter and has been fighting them ever since. There is a way to break the curse and end the killings if the keeper gives his own life, letting his need for revenge go, which he does after some convincing. With his death comes peace and the elves agree to help the Wardens. In a similar way, the group travels to Orzammar, the underground city of dwarves. There, they have to first help to appoint a new ruler, as their king has died and their councilors are at a standstill. They support the man that the king himself named before his death, and though this doesn't sit well with his son, the motion is passed. They do so by receiving the approval of a Paragon, one revered in dwarven culture; in destroying the ancient, powerful, but very dangerous Anvil of the Void, the ancient golem and Paragon pledges his support for Harromont, the new leader.
Warden: "It's my favorite way of annoying you."
Morrigan: "Would it not be easier to simply poke me with a stick?"
Warden: "I could give it a whirl."
Robyn will be taken from just before the Landsmeet, when they arrive at Denerim, just after learning that Anora is being held prisoner at Arl Howe's estate.
Abilities/Special Powers: Robyn is a Grey Warden which automatically makes her immune to the taint of darkspawn and allows her to sense them if they are nearby. It also means that she is one of the few who is able to truly defeat the Archdemon (though it means her or another Warden's death). She is also within the rogue class and fights with bows (shortbows, longbows, and crossbows). She is proficient with all three with her weapon of choice being the crossbow. She also carries a dagger for emergency purposes and can use it when she must.
- SKILLS:
IMPROVED COERCION - Has some experience with diplomacy and works tirelessly toward compromise.
STEALING - Is an occasional kleptomaniac (sparingly).
EXPERT TRAP-MAKING - Robyn is well-practiced in creating and implementing traps.
EXPERT SURVIVAL - The Warden is basically an outdoors nut.
HERBALISM - Robyn can make basic potions and salves.
POISON-MAKING - She has some experience with poisons and grenades (though she really only makes the former).
- ABILITIES:
SUMMON WOLF - She can call upon the aid of a wolf for an ally.
SUMMON BEAR - She can call upon the aid of a bear for an ally.
SUMMON SPIDER - She can call upon the aid of a giant, poisonous spider for an ally.
EXPLOIT WEAKNESS - Robyn can identify weaknesses of enemies with ease.
DIRTY FIGHTING - She is able to incapacitate others for a brief time by blowing sand or dust into their eyes.
COMBAT MOVEMENT - Robyn, as a rogue, is agile, limber, and dexterous.
BELOW THE BELT - She kicks the target where it hurts.
DEVICE MASTERY - The Warden is a lock picking expert.
STEALTH - Self-explanatory.
Third-Person Sample:
The forest is not full of demons or darkspawn; it doesn’t even seem to have bandits or thieves amongst the trees. Ferelden isn’t exactly a safe place with the roads being perilous for the unwary traveler more often than not. It is known for being dirty and crass and smelling vaguely like dog.
This place is none of those things. In her time scouring the land, Robyn found it to be beautiful, the air fresh and almost crisp to taste, the sunlight bright and perhaps deceptively welcoming. She kept her crossbow in her hands anyway, at least for a time; it wasn’t long before she stowed it away in favor of exploration. The gardens shone with brilliant colors near the enormous manor, the sea sparkled as she’d never seen it. Wonderland. And it truly seemed that way, a virtual paradise in every way that her homeland was not.
And yet. The young Warden smiled wistfully into the sky, raising a hand to block the light from her eyes. Her other companions were not here and the one that was didn’t remember her. Rather, Morrigan remembered… another Warden, someone completely strange to Robyn herself. She was becoming homesick for every foul inch of Ferelden, for the purpose that she’d committed herself to since her family had been slaughtered. The Wardens were her home now and it was her duty to return to them to see the Blight through and to end it, if she could make it that far.
At present, she hadn’t been successful in returning. But, she had learned a lot. Had heard from another – the Inquisitor? – about the future of their world, of herself, or another person that was meant to be in her position but without all the same details. Like the premise of a story written by a dozen different authors. She hadn’t thought to ask if the woman he knew was the same as Morrigan’s Warden, but there would be time enough, she could see that plainly.
Might as well keep sharp in the meantime. Robyn stuck her fingers between her lips and whistled, a high, sharp sound that bounced into the trees. An instant later, a wild, panting wolf bounded out, bolting past her and then circling around again. It peered at her curiously, more figment than true animal, but she was happy for any moment of familiar company. Her mabari had not made it through whatever power had brought her here and she could only hope he was with the others, safe at camp.
“Come,” she called shortly, and the two took off running across the sands.
First-Person Sample:
[ For a while, the picture is upside-down. There is a lot of footage of thumbs, of palms, and finally a face, one inquisitive and confused. Eventually, she mutters a brief "ah-ha" and switches it around, sighing in relief. ]
That's much better. Well! Andraste, with everything that's happened lately, I still could never have imagined seeing a place like this. I still don't quite understand this, ah - Does it have a name? I'm sure it does, I mean, but... hm.
[ It's baffling. She wrinkles her nose briefly, then admits another smile. The voice is vaguely British (or Ferelden, really) with her clothing being those of a rogue. ]
My name is Robyn Cousland of the Grey Wardens. I understand there are no darkspawn here, but... the Wardens are meant to protect and I want to do that, if I can do. That is, if there's anything I can do to help, I am at your service.
[ She also knows that not everyone will recognize the term "Grey Wardens," but it's for the best, really. The less questions, the better. ]
I would love to learn more about this... ah, "Wonderland," if you'd like to stop through the gardens at some point or another.