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robyn cousland
"Don't look a gift Warden in the mouth."

stats

NAME: Robyn Cousland
NICKNAMES: Rob, Pup, the Warden, the Hero of Ferelden
AGE: 22
GENDER: Female
HAIR: Brunette
EYES: Brown
HEIGHT: 5'3"
WEIGHT: 123lbs/56kg
BUILD: Slight, agile.

MARITAL STATUS: Single
SEXUALITY: Demisexual
OCCUPATION: Grey Warden

info

LIKES: Forehead kisses, dogs, being outside, giving gifts, big parties.
DISLIKES: Fish, arrogance, humidity, sour ale, silence.

PARENTS: Bryce and Eleanor
SIBLINGS: Fergus

ooc

NAME: Kai
CONTACT: PM

about

"Some lands are ruled by men and women who believe that they have been elevated to their rank by the Maker Himself, but in Ferelden, rulers must earn their place. The nobility is not suffered gladly, as the Orlesian Empire discovered to its dismay when it attempted to occupy the land.

The Couslands have stewarded the lands of Highever for many generations, dating even to before Ferelden's first king was crowned. They have persevered so long because of their reputation for justice and temperance, as well as their willingness to lead men into battle. With the rise of the darkspawn horde in the south, it thus falls on the Teyrn of Highever to send out the call once again: duty demands that an army be sent to King Cailan's aid at once.

As the Couslands will quickly discover, however, the evil horde to the south is not the only darkness in Ferelden; treachery stalks the halls of Castle Cousland as well." {x}

personality

+ Reverent faithful, religious

The Couslands are devout Andrastians, and Robyn is no exception. Despite the series of tragedies and difficulties, beginning with the attack at Highever, she keeps her faith through the events of the game. This belief system is what drives her to bring Leliana into their party, and is a big part of the reason why the two grow so close. Though this is a point on contention between her and some other party members (like Morrigan, at times), she uses this religious basis as a way to live, practicing kindness among others and striving to be more like the famed Andraste. She isn't always successful, but believing in the Maker allows her to push through some of the harder times in her life and in her travels with the party. It also leads her to be highly forgiving and to have a similar faith in others.

+ Playful warm, lighthearted

She's still young, and it shows. Robyn loves games, teasing, and messing around. She roughhoused a lot with her brother and nephew, and this transitions well into the events of the game as she banters with Alistair, Zevran, and Oghren. Robyn exudes a warmth that is infectious, laughing and encouraging others, helping them to move past their anxieties. The Warden is overly-optimistic and this mindset is hard to shake as she is usually in an above-average mood even in tougher instances. It can bother her when others are particularly morose or negative, and she works hard to turn their attitudes around... as much as is possible.

+ Resilient determined, hard-working

The Warden may not have worked hard growing up, but her time as a Warden allows her to learn fast its value. With opportunities to really make a difference, and with an enormously-important mission at hand, Robyn developed an almost annoying persistence. When she's set her mind to something, there isn't an easy way to shake her from the task. She also puts all of herself into jobs like these, often expending more energy than she actually has while working on a 'project.' This can be to the benefit of those that she helps, but can also be overbearing to those who aren't looking for aid.

- Naïve

Having grown up in a noble family, Robyn, before the events of Origins, experienced very little of the worst of what the world has to offer. Though kind and gracious, she was absorbed in her life at Highever, pursuing leisure activities and hobbies, learning from the teryn but not absorbing the extent of Ferelden's tumultuous state. Even after the massacre, she still doesn't stray far from her flaw, overly-idealistic thinking, taking it upon herself to help people that they come across on the journey with miscellaneous tasks (to Morrigan's chagrin). The Warden believes that things will work out for the best in most situations, and it takes a lot to shake this conviction.

- Emotional

Robyn wears her heart on her sleeve, displaying her moods as they come and go. While this is generally good (adopting a genuinely positive nature which then encourages her party members, for example), it doesn't always work out in her favor. Sadness, anger, frustration, jealousy and more are more than obvious when she's feeling them, and it can detract from her credibility as a leader and as a Grey Warden if not handled appropriately. The desire for revenge against Arl Howe, for example, stirred up a lot of bitterness and grief that she wasn't able to mask.

- Stubborn

The Warden is set in her decisions and is rarely swayed by others (though she is often deeply impacted by their reactions). Though Robyn takes all opinions and available facts into account, her above convictions push her forward and keep her locked into one way of thinking. The decision to turn down Morrigan's ritual and to then slay the Archdemon on her own was one such decision, and perhaps the largest of all. She often makes these choices firmly believing that they are the right ones, and being told otherwise is only liable to make her dig her heels in deeper.

origins

(For any questions regarding specific in-game choices, see this page.)

Robyn Cousland was 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 was the heir, though Robyn was far from out of the picture, as she had 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 had as her companion a 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 began in 9:30 of the Dragon Age when Robyn was 22 years old. Her father and brother, among their other soldiers and men, were preparing to join the King of Ferelden, King Cailin, on the battlefield at the fortress of Ostagar. Their fight was against monsters called darkspawn, a foe not easily handled by fighters of any level of experience. As such, the king needed all the men he could get, and the Couslands were happy to oblige and to follow their ruler into the fray. The Teryn was joined by their ally Arl Rendon Howe, preparing to depart when the latter's forces arrived, though they were late in doing so. In the meantime, Robyn's father sent Fergus off with some of the troops to the battlefield and those still at Highever were joined by a Grey Warden, a soldier devoted to fighting darkspawn, named Duncan. He suggested that Robyn would be a fine Warden herself, but Bryce gruffly brushed it off, knowing how dangerous and thankless the life of a Grey Warden was.

Later that night, Robyn was woken by Calen, whose barking gave her warning enough to prepare for a sudden fight within the keep. Howe's men massacred everyone in the castle including Orianna and Oren, alongside almost all the others. Robyn joined her mother as they fought their way through the halls in search of the Teryn, though they found him too late, having already been mortally wounded. Eleanor vowed to stay with him to the end, but Duncan, still alive, was asked by Bryce to take Robyn to safety. In exchange, Duncan asked that she be made a Grey Warden (due to their small numbers and the necessity of more to fight the darkspawn) and he agreed. Robyn tearfully parted from her parents for the last time and left her home with her dog and Duncan.

They traveled to Ostagar where the fight with the darkspawn was to take place. There, Robyn met King Cailin, a brave and outgoing ruler, and the famed general Loghain. Fergus and his troops had not made it to the fortress, so her brother's fate remained unknown. Duncan, Cailin, and Loghain discussed plans to fight the incoming monsters; Duncan, as a Warden, could sense their presence and also felt the distant stirring of the Archdemon, the best that gave command to the rest of the horde. The existence of the Archdemon indicated that they were in a period called a Blight, a much more dire situation than they had previously known. Loghain advised rational action and caution, but Cailin, who was enthused with ideas of potential glory, saw only the triumph to be had from a bold assault. After meeting two other potential recruits and a full-fledged Warden named Alistair, Robyn wandered 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 was then finally let in on the secret of the Joining, the ritual through which one becomes a Grey Warden. Its nature was shrouded in mystery and rightfully so; the Joining involved drinking the blood of darkspawn, a process that may well kill the initiate. One of the other recruits was killed and the second tried to back out only to be (regretfully) killed by Duncan, as the recruit had already taken the oath. Terrified, Robyn went through with the process and survived, now a true Warden and imbued with the notorious taint. It also meant that she could sense darkspawn herself and that she would have regular, awful nightmares about the creatures and the Archdemon that led them. With new purpose, Robyn joined Duncan, Alistair, and the king's council, where it was decided that she and Alistair would light a beacon at the top of Ostagar in order to signal Loghain's men to join Cailin's and the Wardens who, by that point, would have lured the darkspawn to a fight. They prepared for the massive battle and, though the pair was able to light the signal fire, Robyn and Alistair were nearly killed in the process. Even after seeing the signal, Loghain called for a retreat and left with his men, and as a result, King Cailin and Duncan, along with all the other Wardens present and countless others, were destroyed in the fight.

Robyn woke in a strange hut in the Korcari Wilds. An apostate, or rogue mage, named Morrigan claimed that her mother had saved Robyn and Alistair for an unknown purpose. Her mother, Flemeth, also known as the Witch of the Wilds, encouraged Morrigan to travel with the two Wardens who planned to gather an army so that they could exact revenge on Loghain for his betrayal and, more importantly, end the Blight by defeating the Archdemon. They decided first to visit Redcliffe, ruled over by Arl Eamon; Alistair admitted that he knows the Arl as he was the bastard brother to Cailin and had some claim to the throne. On their way, they were joined by a bard and Chantry-faithful woman named Leliana and a surly and quiet Qunari named Sten. They found Redcliffe in disarray, however: darkspawn plagued the city, Eamon was deathly ill, and his son was possessed by a demon. After helping to save the villagers, they traveled 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 was also in peril, and they learned from the Templars that there were demons swarming the upper halls with innocent mages trapped within. They joined forces with a mage named Wynne and managed to defeat the threats to the Tower, saving the mages and the First Enchanter, who then returned with them to Redcliffe. While there, they enlisted 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, the Arl himself was still dying, and his brother requested that they find the famed Urn of Sacred Ashes, said to contain the ashes of Andraste herself, which may have healing powers. They made the trip, long and difficult though it was, and were found worthy to take a small pinch of the ashes. Once they returned to Redcliffe, Eamon was cured by the ashes and order was restored. He then vowed to help them in their fight against both the darkspawn and Loghain.

In trying to carry out the treaties, they traveled to a camp of Dalish elves. Their keeper, or leader, acknowledged the legitimacy of the documents, but stated that he cannot afford to help due to their own troubles: the fight against werewolves in their forest. Robyn and the others uncovered the truth, which is that the keeper once cursed a group of hunters who killed his daughter and had been fighting them ever since. There was a way to break the curse and end the killings if the keeper gave his own life, letting his need for revenge go, which he did after some convincing. With his death came peace and the elves agreed to help the Wardens. In a similar way, the group traveled to Orzammar, the underground city of dwarves. There, they had to first help to appoint a new ruler, as their king had died and their councilors are at a standstill. They supported the man that the king himself named before his death, and though this didn't sit well with his son the prince, the motion was passed. They managed this 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 pledged his support for Harromont, the new leader.

With the support of the Arl, the Circle, the elves, and the dwarves, the Wardens were able to call for together the Landsmeet. In the meantime, the party grew to include an assassin named Zevran, a dwarf named Oghren, and a golem named Shale. Also in the meantime, Loghain turned the Wardens into scapegoats, saying that they were responsible for killing the king. He effectively tore the country down the middle as a civil war threatened to overtake them all... if the Blight didn't do it first. In an effort to strengthen their case, they were asked to rescue King Cailin's widow, Anora, who was also Loghain's daughter. Loghain had imprisoned her 'for her safety,' but the Wardens go to set her free. In the process, they are confronted by Arl Howe, who taunted Robyn regarding her family's death and began attacking the group. With no other choice, the group fought and killed him before releasing Anora. The queen, fearing that Alistair might push his claim to the throne, asked Robyn to support her, to which she agreed.

With the Landsmeet called and the evidence presented against Loghain, the nobles of Ferelden determined that he was guilty as accused by the remaining Wardens and that he would duel someone of the Warden's choosing. Alistair, still vengeful after Duncan's death, stepped in and managed to win the duel, executing Loghain as a result. Anora, also present, was then suggested as ruler by the Warden, who kept her word, and was made the lone ruler of Ferelden.

The night before the seemingly-final battle against the darkspawn, a senior Warden, Riordan, told Alistair and Robyn the truth of the Grey Wardens: their taint is what allows them to kill archdemons, but at the cost of the life of the Warden who delivers the final blow. He assured them that he would make that move, but if he was killed in battle, someone else would have to do it to end the Blight. Soon after, Morrigan spoke privately with Robyn, telling her that she could spare all their lives if Robyn convinced Alistair to sleep with her. This, according to Morrigan, would create a child somehow able to absorb the archdemon's essence, saving them the need for anyone to die. Deeply uncomfortable with the idea, Robyn said she wouldn't convince Alistair, after which the frustrated Morrigan fled, not to be seen again.

The battle began the next day, and as they feared, Riordan was killed in the fight. Robyn fought with her party until they managed to bring the archdemon down, and then she made to strike the final move, having left Alistair behind to keep him from doing so himself. After striking this last blow, she was killed, and the Fifth Blight came to an end.