Dragon Age II – Hawke Estate / Characters

This page is for listing the tropes related to members of the Hawke family or estate.

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The Hawke Children

Hawke

Hawke / The Champion of Kirkwall

Appears in: Dragon Age II | Inquisition

Voiced by: Jo Wyatt (female), Nicholas Boulton (male)^{Foreign VAs}

"Everyone has a story they tell themselves to try and justify bad decisions... and it never matters. In the end, you are always alone in your actions."

The Player Character, a Fereldan refugee of the Blight who hails from a family of mages and eventually becomes the Champion of Kirkwall in Dragon Age II.

Action Survivor: Warrior or Rogue Hawke survived Ostagar and managed to outrun the darkspawn horde to Lothering. A Hawke of any class obviously survives the Blight, getting to Kirkwall, and thence the entire game.
Adaptational Badass: Played with. Hawke is already a certified badass, but Varric is often found telling stories in the Hanged Man that exaggerate it to truly ridiculous levels. By Act 3, there are people claiming that Hawke uses the Arishok's skull as a gravy boat and sleeps on a bed of dragon bones.
All-Loving Hero: Paragon Hawke is unfailingly kind and compassionate to those around them. However, one of the most tragic parts of the game is that, no matter how loving and heroic Hawke is, they cannot save their family or prevent Thedas from collapsing into war.
Almighty Janitor: According to Snarky Hawke, this is part of what being Champion entails. Before becoming Champion, Hawke is just a citizen/noble of Kirkwall. They have no special titles or ranks. In fact, Aveline gives them a bit of a hard time for not petitioning for a title.
Aloof Big Brother:
- When using the "Aggressive" dialogue with either sibling, though this seems to be the default relationship with Carver.
- Snarky Hawke often acts aloof and sarcastic when speaking to Carver. However, there is a subtle implication that the only reason Hawke does this is that they're trying to make Carver take himself less seriously and push him to prove them wrong.
Ambadassador: The Arishok is willing to speak to Hawke and only Hawke in Act II, mostly because the Arishok views Hawke as the only one in the entire city of Kirkwall worth respecting.
Ambition Is Evil: Though Hawke never gets darker than anti-hero, it's possible to play this trope relatively straight, avert it, or subvert it, depending on Hawke's personality. Snarky Hawke seems to have no ambitions beyond keeping their family safe and being free to go to the Hanged Man after a long day, and they are one of the most unambiguously good characters in the game. However, both Aggressive Hawke and Diplomatic Hawke can express an interest in gaining more power for themselves and changing how things in the city are done for the betterment of themselves (in the case of the former) or everyone (in the case of the latter).
Animal Motifs: Hawks, of course.
- All versions of the Mantle of the Champion have spurs and talons. Additionally, the rogue's armor has a beak-like hood and belt buckles shaped like hawk beaks/skulls, the warrior's helmet is shaped like a bird's beak and the mage's tailcoat is, well, like the tail of a bird.
- Carried over in Inquisition, where Hawke's tarot card is a hawk with the city of Kirkwall on its wings, weighing it down. ^note
Anti-Hero: Like the Warden, Hawke can be played as one, and even at their most heroic, Hawke never expresses any real concern with engaging in criminal dealings short of murder, or with the fact that every companion (aside from Aveline and Sebastian) tends to be involved with various illegal ventures. Justified in part by the fact that Hawke is either an apostate themselves, or has spent their whole lives harboring Bethany, so they're no stranger to bending the law which has so seldom been on their side. A year as refugees spent working with mercenaries or smugglers and living under Gamlen's roof and then partnering with Varric can only have sealed their reputation.
Appropriated Appellation: Snarky Hawke actually likes Varric's suggestion that their nickname should be "Chuckles".
The Archmage: A Mage Hawke can be said to have reached this status in the Legacy DLC, where they manage to best Corypheus, an ancient Tevinter Magister and one of the original Darkspawn, in a brief Wizard Duel.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Hawke defeats the Arishok and is rewarded with the title of Champion and becomes even more badass as a result.
Audience Surrogate: Oddly enough, Hawke fits this in Inquisition more than they did in their own game.
Badass Creed: When Tallis tells Hawke that the Qun could give them a purpose.
Hawke: I have a purpose. I protect Kirkwall.
Badass Family: Both the Amells and the Hawkes are ridiculously badass.
Badass Long Coat: The Mage version of the Mantle of the Champion is a variant, sporting a Badass Tailcoat.
Badass Normal: All three classes count, compared to the other two protagonists. Hawke is not a Grey Warden and has no magical mark but is simply a normal fighter or apostate. If a Warrior or Rogue, Hawke actually survived the fighting at Ostagar.
Badass on Paper: Downplayed. Hawke became the Champion of Kirkwall due to stopping an attempted coup, but Varric embellished Hawke's accomplishments to the point that, in Act 3 of DAII, people think the Champion sleeps on a bed made out of dragon bones and uses the Arishok's skull as a gravy boat. According to Hawke themself in Inquisition, Varric's accounts are mostly true, but Varric will eagerly make something else up if he thinks it makes a better story.
Badass Unintentional: In the beginning of the game, Hawke is just trying to protect their family. When they get to Kirkwall... it doesn't go well.
Bad Powers, Good People: You can take the Blood Mage or Reaver specializations and still be as heroic as Kirkwall will allow.
Batman Gambit: Rivalries can essentially become these, as Hawke baits the given party member into revelations. Highlights include Aveline beating them for being called a coward and getting Merrill to smash the Eluvian.
Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: In a trio with Bethany and Aveline, female Hawke is The Brains; regardless of her personality or class, she becomes the de facto leader of both the Hawke family and their Ragtag Bunch of Misfits in Kirkwall, making the major decisions and guiding the others.
Because Destiny Says So: Hawke becoming Champion of Kirkwall. Invoked by Flemeth during the Destiny trailer:
Flemeth: There are men who struggle against destiny, and yet only achieve an early grave. There are men who flee destiny, only to have it swallow them whole. And then, there are men who embrace destiny... and do not show their fear. These are the ones that will change the world forever.
Belated Happy Ending: If Hawke doesn't make the Heroic Sacrifice against the Nightmare Demon in Inquisition, they travel to Weisshaupt (having unrevealed issues at the time) to explain things. The Trespasser DLC reveals in the epilogue that Hawke does indeed come back from Weisshaupt and returns home to Kirkwall, helping out the newly appointed Viscount Varric and getting to enjoy their Champion of Kirkwall title without the political turmoil of the Dragon Age II years.
Benevolent Boss: Hawke can be played this way. They can double the wages of the Fereldan workers in the Bone Pit, as well as protecting the workers from dangerous creatures that threaten the mine. It's also mentioned that Hawke donates most of their earnings from the mine to help the Fereldan refugees and those orphaned by the Blight. Hawke lets Bodahn and Sandal stay at the Estate, despite insisting that Bodahn doesn't owe them for saving Sandal's life in the Deep Roads. They can also free Orana from slavery and offer her paid work as their maid, with it mentioned in Act 3 that they've encouraged her musical talents and paid for her music lessons out of their own pocket.
Better as Friends: When Hawke enters any of the potential romances^noteexcept with Sebastian, a discussion with Varric may lead to Hawke stating this, deciding that it would be better if they and their romantic interest just remained friends.
Beware the Nice Ones: Diplomatic and Snarky Hawke might attempt to be reasonable or make inappropriate jokes, but they're the Champion of Kirkwall for a reason.
Beware the Silly Ones: Snarky Hawke is both just as dangerous as the other two personalities, and shown to be a surprisingly intelligent and devious charmer, capable of talking their opponents into believing just about anything.
Big Brother Instinct: Optional with either sibling, but it's easier with Bethany.
- The first thing Hawke does when Ser Wesley identifies Bethany as an apostate is to get right in his face with fire in their eyes, and this is before the player even gets the chance to choose what they want to say to him. This happens even if Hawke is also an apostate.
- A Rogue or Warrior Hawke gains the trust of Vincento by openly admitting that they've spent their entire life protecting their sister from the Templars.
- It's heavily implied that a Rogue or Warrior Hawke joined the army at Ostagar simply because they wanted to keep an eye on Carver.
Bigger Is Better in Bed: If romancing Fenris as a male, snarky Hawke can joke, "It can be a lot to take in."
Big Good: Hawke is this to the people of Kirkwall, if pursuing the diplomatic path. Snarky Hawke acts as one as well, though they're perfectly willing to piss everyone off in the process.
Blood Knight: If you choose the bottom dialogue choices. Cold, detached, cruel, and always uses extreme violence at every opportunity.
Blood Lust:
- If you mostly pick aggressive dialogue options, Hawke will make remarks like this in combat:
  Hawke: There's nothing like the smell of fresh blood!
- One of the passive abilities on the Assassin skill tree for Rogue Hawke is called Bloodlust.
Bolivian Army Ending: Potentially in Dragon Age: Inquisition. If the Inquisitor requests it, Hawke will stay behind in the Fade to Hold the Line.
Boomerang Bigot: If mage Hawke continuously sides with the Templars, it can be this. "Mages are dangerous and belong in the Circle" - except mage Hawke, it seems.
Boyish Short Hair: The default female Hawke look, as appropriate for a very formidable Action Girl.
Boxed Crook: In Act 3, Meredith implies the clemency she grants to Mage Hawke was conditional upon their continuing to provide services for Kirkwall, or the Templars, on an as-needed basis. The only reason she hasn't tagged and bagged Mage Hawke for the Circle is that they have the adulation of all of Kirkwall and it'd put a huge crimp in her own attempts at public relations.
Break His Heart to Save Him: Did this to their love interest in between II and Inquisition, knowing that they would give their life to protect them (noting Fenris in particular), something they weren't going to let them do. Anders is given a different reason: Hawke is not happy about leaving him alone, but is not willing to take the risk that Corypheus will affect Anders' mind again. If Hawke survives, the separation turns out to be temporary. Somewhat averted with Isabela - dialogue seems to indicate that in their case, it's more of a case of Hawke being away on a business conference.
Broken Ace: Despite being powerful and well-respected, Hawke can't help but feel they are a Cosmic Plaything. Taken even further in Inquisition, where Hawke admits they no longer use the "Champion of Kirkwall" title, given their failure to stop any of the madness.
Broken Pedestal: Somewhat towards Anders. If playing as Mage, Anders will become exasperated that Hawke refuses to take any part in his Underground Mage Revolution. This is even more pronounced if a Mage Hawke becomes a Hunter of Their Own Kind.
Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl:
- A Diplomatic Hawke with Fenris. Increasingly with Anders too, as time goes on.
- Merrill, of all people, is a Brooding Girl if you romance her, especially in Act 3.
Brutal Honesty: Some of the aggressive dialogue options, and even some of the snarky ones, particularly in a Rivalry with some of the companions.
Buffy Speak: Hawke, and especially Snarky Hawke, can lapse into this at times. Special mention goes to framing Serah Conrad, when you can tell an addled and drunk Templar you saw Conrad sacrificing goats to the Great Demon, and doing many other... demon-y things. Hell, snarky Hawke even goes so far as to weaponize it.
Bullying a Dragon:
- Helpful Hawke and Snarky Hawke in a nutshell, particularly if playing as a Mage. Place this kindhearted, affable person in front of enemies, and let them see that they're entirely capable of throwing a fireball at them or ripping them to shreds with magic if they wanted to. Even if the adversaries know Hawke is a mage, next to no one seems able to get the hint that they should tread carefully to avoid pissing Hawke off.
- It's very telling that Meredith and the Arishok are the only people to treat Mage Hawke as though they are the biggest threat in the room.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday:
- Silly Hawke pulls one with Ser Jalen in the Viscount's Keep after completing the "Raiders on the Cliffs" quest.
- Aggressive Hawke literally invokes this trope in Mark of the Assassin.
  Tallis: What do you call it when you kill someone and take his property?
  Hawke: Tuesday.
Calling the Old Man Out: Downplayed, as Hawke never really yells or talks angrily at Leandra, but a sarcastic Hawke can subtly call her out on blaming them for Carver/Bethany's death by bitterly muttering "At least you're past the 'It's all your fault!' thing..." to which she apologizes for having said that. Before this, if the diplomatic choices are made, they can also point out to Leandra that the Hawkes are only in Kirkwall because they fled the Blight, and therefore they're not entitled to have her family's wealth.
Canon Name: Their name defaults to Garrett for the male, Marian for the female.
The Caretaker: 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, they fail to protect them through no fault of their own. If you extend this to Hawke's companions, their need to take on other people's problems is borderline unhealthy.
Hawke: Your problems are my problems.
Fenris: Unlucky you.
Casual Danger Dialogue: Snarky Hawke seems to specialise in being upbeat during tense situations.
Hawke: Perhaps we'll be lucky and they'll run out of Darkspawn?
Hawke: Not to interrupt, but the Blight isn't going to wait while we stand around and point fingers.
Celibate Hero: You can play the entire game with ever gaining a love interest or using the whore house.
The Champion: Can demonstrate this towards Bethany. For the entirety of Act 3, this is Hawke's official title - Champion of Kirkwall - and they command a high level of respect from almost everyone because of their devotion to protecting the populace.
Character Development: For a given of "development". Hawke's character is ultimately shaped by whether players choose the different emotional options, but they can also change his behavior in following Acts. For example, a Hawke escaping the Blight can be played as snarky or diplomatic, only to grow more aggressive once they arrive and deal with the going-ons in Kirkwall for a year after joining the smugglers or mercenaries. Alternatively, an Aggressive Hawke can be seen as being tempered by their experiences, becoming more diplomatic to situations they would have otherwise used force in or becoming a Stepford Smiler. It certainly isn't hard to imagine the latter case, given how they can potentially lose all their family.
Characterization Marches On: Hawke in Inquisition is very anti-blood magic. This is despite the fact that you can make Hawke a blood mage in II if you so choose, have them romance Merrill and/or support her every step of the way, and otherwise, you can choose how much they dislike the practice. One could assume that the Mage/Templar war was the catalyst to make them despise blood magic between the games.
The Charmer:
- Snarky Hawke always seems reluctant to give up a joke, sometimes even bordering on Cloudcuckoolander, but when the situation calls for it, they can spin a line to tell the listener what they want to hear with technique second only to Varric.
- In Inquisition, if Hawke is killed in the Fade, Varric will recount a story about how the Carta once sent a group of assassins after Hawke in their own estate. When they arrived, they found Hawke waiting for them with a deck of cards. They were so charming that they kept them busy playing until the city guard showed up. Afterwards, a number of them became regulars in card games with them and Varric.
Chick Magnet: Male Hawke, much to Carver's displeasure, has girls constantly falling for him. The incomplete list includes Peaches, Merrill, Isabela, Aveline (to a degree), and Tallis. Even Cassandra is implied to have something of a crush on him after listening to Varric's story.
Child of Forbidden Love: Hawke's maternal grandparents disowned their daughter for getting pregnant with the child of a mage, making Hawke one of these.
The Comically Serious: During Mark of the Assassin, upon seeing a picturesque lake surrounded by trees and mountains, Diplomatic and Humorous Hawkes will comment on how beautiful it is. But Aggressive Hawke will say, completely seriously, "Oh, something to drown in."
Cool Big Sis: A female Hawke is looked upon this way by Bethany. If she's a mage, which means Bethany's death in the prologue, Bethany's codex mentions that she absolutely adored her older sister.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: Aside from one having a Multiple-Choice Past of the player's choosing and the other being more defined and shaped by how they handle situations via diplomacy or aggression, the protagonist of Origins is a (potentially an elf or dwarf) Grey Warden tasked with stopping the Fifth Blight while also dealing with the threat of a civil war. Hawke is the human child of a powerful apostate mage and the eldest of three children who fled Fereldan when the Fifth Blight began. The Warden traveled all across Fereldan to gather support for the Blight and to depose Loghain, while Hawke finds themselves getting caught up in Kirkwall's politics and events when they would very much rather just support their family.
Country Cousin: Rural Ferelden-born Hawke is one to the noble Amell family.
Court Mage: While Hawke refuses to get an actual job, it's obvious that Mage Hawke unofficially serves in this role for the people of Kirkwall. Meredith visibly hates that she is forced to let them roam free because they are the people's Champion.
Cruel Mercy: In Mark of the Assassin.
- Duke Prosper learns this the hard way. Snarky Hawke freely gives him the opportunity to pull himself up, all while they cheerfully thank him for the belt they possibly won for killing the wyvern and congratulating him for having put on one hell of a party. Duke Prosper foolishly decides instead to continue to partake in his Evil Gloating, resulting in him losing his grip and falling to his death.
  Varric: That's what you get for spending your last minute monologuing.
- Played straight if Baron Arlange is spared by Hawke, who mopped the floor with him after he attempted to murder Hawke for having the audacity to kill the alpha wyvern first during the hunt. Despite Tallis pointing out that Hawke is the "Champion of Kirkwall" and eats people like him for breakfast, Arlange still doesn't learn his lesson. The next time, Hawke isn't so merciful.
Dark Is Not Evil: According to BioWare, the default Hawke featured in the Destiny trailer is a blood mage.
Deadpan Snarker:
- The second dialogue wheel option is the "sarcastic" option most of the time:
  Hawke: She fills her time making poisons... and cake. Tell me you didn't try the cake.
- Flemeth, of all people, seems to enjoy verbal sparring with Snarky Hawke.
  Flemeth: Kirkwall? My, so far simply to flee the darkspawn? / Your King will not miss you, hmmm?
  Hawke: Do you have any better suggestions? I hear the Deep Roads are now vacant. / I'm sure he'll miss his life more.
  Flemeth: [laughs] Oh, you I like!
Deal with the Devil: Hawke is forced to make one of these with Flemeth - help her with her Thanatos Gambit in exchange for getting the Hawke family and Aveline to safety. By the end of the game, there seem to be no negative consequences, at least for Hawke. Considering their Cosmic Plaything status, this could actually count as a minor Plot Twist.
Devious Daggers: Rogues can practically dance with their daggers. In cutscenes, even non-Rogue Hawkes will see the return of the Murder Knife.
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?:
- The reaction of pure shock on Meredith's face when she enters the room to find that Hawke has defeated the Arishok. Cassandra even has this reaction of utter disbelief that Hawke did so in single combat.
- Aggressive Hawke actually punches a Rock Wraith in the Deep Roads in the face.
- Cassandra reacts with similar disbelief in Legacy when Varric tells her the tale of Hawke defeating one of the first darkspawn in existence - one of the Magisters who brought the Blight to Thedas in the first place. Admittedly, it's hard to blame her.
- Flemeth invokes this during the Prologue, claiming Hawke successfully piqued her interest by killing the Ogre.
Downer Ending: One would expect that, after a life of being Thedas's Cosmic Plaything, Hawke would finally catch a break in Inquisition, right? Nope; if you so choose, they can end up dying in a Heroic Sacrifice without ever getting to say goodbye to their sibling and/or love interest (if they're alive).
Dude, Not Funny!: In-universe, a few of the snarky comments elicit this response, particularly from Aveline.
- If Hawke opts to snark while the Viscount is cradling his son's body, he tells them outright that he doesn't find any humor in the situation. If Aveline is in the party, she even calls Hawke an "ass" for that comment.
- Even Snarky Hawke demonstrates this when reacting to Carver insinuating that they were to blame for Bethany's death:
  Carver: Sure, make light. We all know what happens when someone leaves big brother/sister's protection.
  Hawke: (coldly) Fair is fair, but you are taking this little pissing match too far.
The Dutiful Son: Hawke's entire motivation in Act 1 is to simply provide for their mother and gain enough money to win back her childhood home.
Dying Moment of Awesome: Potentially has one in Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Earn Your Happy Ending: If Hawke survives Inquisition, it's revealed in the Trespasser DLC ending that Hawke eventually returns to Kirkwall as its Champion, and helps rebuild it with Varric as the new Viscount.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: No matter how badass or despicable your Hawke can get, there's nothing stopping you from being nice to dear ol' Ma.
Even the Guys Want Him: Or, if female, Even the Girls Want Her. Every romance option in the game is bisexual, except for Sebastian. Other characters may also come on to Hawke regardless of gender, depending on dialogue choices, such as the First Enchanter.
Facial Markings: The default appearance for Hawke gives them a red blood smear on the bridge of their nose.
Failure Hero: Just about the only goal that Hawke unequivocally succeeds at in the main plot is becoming filthy rich in the Deep Roads. And then that one comes back to bite them in the end anyway. In Inquisition, the Nightmare demon taunts them with this fact.
Fake Ultimate Hero: An odd variant. Hawke is named and widely known as the Champion of Kirkwall for stopping the Qunari invasion and saving the city. However, if Isabela returns with the tome, then this is much less true, because at that point, the duel Hawke could have with the Arishok would have been for her sake, and they would have left peacefully regardless of who won. Basically, Isabela saved Kirkwall, but this is never pointed out in-universe. Even odder, the people present cheer for Hawke as their savior despite witnessing the events play out. ^note
Fetish:
- In-Universe at the very least. A sarcastic response to a quest towards the end of the game is met by statements along the lines of "I'd pay to see that" in a very intrigued tone of voice by almost any ally you may have brought along, or the quest giver himself.
  Hawke: So I shouldn't slit my wrists and dance naked under the moonlight just to fit in?
- If you don't bring any romanceable companions along (or if you accept the quest while alone), even Reasonable Authority Figure Orsino seems intrigued.
  Orsino: Well, if that's what you intend... perhaps I'll join you after all.
Field Promotion: How they can end up in charge during the Qunari invasion - when it becomes clear that Meredith's going to keep bickering with Orsino over who's leading the assault, Diplomatic Hawke gets a dialogue option to step in. Orsino then suggests following Hawke as a compromise. Alternatively, you can be the tiebreaker or just tell them you're in charge.
Fighter, Mage, Thief: Hawke can be a Warrior, a Rogue or a Mage depending on what the player chooses at the start of the game.
Fight Magnet:
- Hawke can't even drop off a piece of mail without fighting more faceless, rooftop-hopping enemies with pointy weapons than most 80's action movie heroes did in their entire careers. To quote a rather plaintive snarky Hawke:
  Hawke: Someday, I'd like to go one week without meeting an insane mage. Just one week.
- When Varric and Sebastian talk about Starkhaven, Sebastian says that it is a lot like Kirkwall, but "with fewer dead people." Varric is quick to point that Starkhaven doesn't have Hawke there.
- After completing "Lost And Found" in Act 3, Snarky Hawke's response to Aveline's mutterings about the past coming back to haunt one is that they can't go twenty minutes without getting jumped by someone who they've pissed off at some point.
- Varric lampshades this in Legacy:
  Varric: The day you go to the beach is the day an armada of angry demon pirates show up.
- If importing a save with the Human Mage Warden, in Mark of the Assassin, Tallis comments that she's not surprised that Hawke is a relative.
Folk Hero: Varric's exaggerations are the retelling of the Champion's story through the public's eyes.
Friend to All Children: No matter which dominant personality you give to Hawke, they don't react well when it comes to children being hurt. Discovering that a deranged serial killer has been targeting the elven children of Kirkwall, simply because they are "too beautiful," is enough to make even a Diplomatic Hawke so utterly furious they vow to slit the man's throat.
The Gadfly: Snarky Hawke seems to find it very entertaining to screw with people For the Lulz.
Generation Xerox: Greatly resembles, and takes after, their father, Malcolm Hawke.
Genki Girl: Snarky Hawke. For their companions, it doesn't matter that Hawke might genuinely be a grinning lunatic; they do their best to help and perform awesome deeds along the way without ever losing their smile, and that's what counts. A few of them, particularly Aveline, note that it's used to cover up the Sad Clown underneath.
God Is Evil: If you weren't sure that Snarky Hawke is a Sad Clown, their last exchange with Bethany reveals a very cynical view of the Maker, especially if she's in the Circle.
Bethany: ...the Maker is wiser than we can be in a lifetime. Who am I to question His plan?
Hawke: He just enjoys watching us rip each other apart.
Good Counterpart: To Uncle Gamlen. Both are heads of the household and sole breadwinners, responsible for looking after their siblings and parents, as well as belonging to a family that has fallen on hard times. However, Gamlen blames others for his misfortune while attempting to bribe, cheat and swindle his way back into riches. By comparison, Hawke immediately demonstrates they are willing to roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty and actually do some work in order to change their situation.
Good Is Not Soft: In Mark of the Assassin, Snarky Hawke, who is nominally characterised as being the hero, will nonetheless let Duke Prosper stew while hanging from a ledge, quipping that they enjoyed the Duke's party and liked the belt they won. Instead of trying to get up or asking for help, the Duke just monologues until he loses his grip and falls to his death.
Hawke: I would have tried begging for mercy, but maybe that's just me. [...] Looks like the Duke...has fallen from grace.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Aggressive Hawke, naturally, will threaten anyone and everyone at the slightest provocation, and it's not idle words either.
Happily Married: If playing as a female Hawke who romances Sebastian, they can eventually tie the knot. If it's a friendship romance and he stays with the Chantry, they actually get married during the game - the only love interest with whom this is possible. It's a chaste marriage, but it still counts.
Heartbroken Badass: If they romance and then kill Anders. When asked about him in Inquisition, they just quietly say, "I had to do it. He was mad. Nothing could dissuade him... not even me." They then ask you to change the subject.
Heroic BSoD: After the quest "All That Remains," Hawke spends the next few cutscenes in a depression. They seem fine by the time gameplay resumes, but Hawke can confide in their friends that this is not the case.
Heroic Sacrifice: Depending on the player's choice, Hawke can end up sacrificing themselves to allow the Inquisitor to escape.
Heroic Self-Deprecation: Despite all their heroic accomplishments, Hawke has also been hit hard by their frequent failures, and when they show up in Dragon Age: Inquisition, it's clear that the events of II have done irreparable damage to Hawke's self-esteem - even Snarky Hawke - and left them lonelier than ever.
Snarky Hawke: I could barely get my friends to stop fighting. Still, if you think I can help...
Aggressive Hawke: You want my advice? Did you hear what happened to Kirkwall? My "advice" nearly tore that city apart.
Hero of Another Story: Despite being the protagonist, Hawke oddly enough qualifies for this, due to the Framing Device being set in the present day and depicting Cassandra's attempt to glean the truth about Hawke's tale from Varric's recollections.
Highly-Visible Ninja: The Rogue's Mantle of the Champion is a very practical armor, secured with a series of straps to Hawke's body without hampering their mobility. It's also significantly more red than the other two versions. And that's not the only bright-colored armor Rogue Hawke has.
Hunter of His Own Kind:
- Quite possible to do if you play a Mage and tell other Mages to join the Circle and align yourself with the Templars by the end. Extra points if you're playing as a Blood Mage.
- Even possible when aligned with the Mages. Several quests have Hawke purposefully have to track down rogue mages whose Well-Intentioned Extremist nature will ultimately cause more problems, often calling them out on this.
Hypercompetent Sidekick:
- To Viscount Dumar in Act 2, routinely stepping in to deal with the Qunari on his behalf.
- Likewise fulfills this role opposite Tallis in Mark of the Assassin, being mentioned as one of the reasons she chose to seek Hawke out.
- To either the Red Iron mercenaries or Athenril's smugglers, whichever group employed Hawke during their first year in Kirkwall. In the former, Meeran laments how useless the people hired after Hawke were; in the latter, Athenril's group of smugglers went from a minor thieves' guild to rivaling both the Carta and the Coterie during the year they had Hawke among them.
Hypocrite:
- If a Mage and played as a Hunter of Their Own Kind, Hawke turns other apostates in to the Circle to keep mages under control... yet do not go there themselves.
- In Inquisition, Hawke decries blood mages and the use of blood magic any time they encounter it (regardless of class or specialization), even if they were a blood mage in DAII. This happens since Inquisition doesn't acknowledge if Hawke was a blood mage or not.
- If in a world state where they agreed with Anders blowing up the Chantry, Hawke can come off as a massive one when they decry the Warden's actions despite them resulting in less death and not having nearly the same level of far-reaching consequences.
Hypocritical Humor: The entire last half of Hawke's inner monologue at the end of "Following the Qun," if they did the last part of the quest without party members, is a thing of hilarity:
Snarky Hawke: Is that guy looking at me? Lot of illness in this city. What's he looking at? Loony. Yeah, that's it, keep walking. Can't trust anyone. Could be lyrium addled, fade-crazed... Still, got to have some control. What kind of damage sends these daft freaks out in the streets? Talking to them... selves. Ahem.
I Am Your Opponent:
- Invokes this towards the Arishok, indicating that if he wants to take Kirkwall, he has to go through them first.
- For his part, the Arishok consistently treats Hawke as a Worthy Opponent and the greatest threat that exists in Kirkwall. During his attempted coup d'etat at the end of Act 2, he tries to eliminate Hawke before anyone else. When that doesn't work, he challenges Hawke outright, complimenting them with the title of basalit-an - an outsider worthy of respect.
I Was Never Here:
- Hawke's apparent work ethic, typically taking jobs that involve acting beneath anyone's notice. Throughout the game, Aveline, the Viscount, the Templars, and even the Arishok all use Hawke as a neutral third party agent so that if they get caught, they can claim plausible deniability in that Hawke isn't doing anything officially sanctioned.
- In Mark of the Assassin, Tallis implies that one of the reasons she sought out Hawke was because they operate under the radar.
Iconic Outfit: The Mantle of the Champion is an in-universe example.
Icon of Rebellion: In the endgame, siding with the mages makes Hawke's name for a rallying cry for the rebels.
Idiot Hero: Averted. Snarky Hawke simply wants people to think that they are one, often showing themselves to be much more devious than their demeanour suggests.
Immune to Mind Control: A blood mage attempts to mind-control Hawke, who can overcome it by belonging to the mage class themselves, by being a warrior with the Templar Prestige Class, or by being a rogue with sufficient willpower.
Hawke: I... will not... be toyed with!
In the Hood: Several hooded outfits are available for rogues, and mage headgear almost exclusively takes the shape of hoods.
Informed Attractiveness: As with Origins, the player can make their Hawke look worse than the darkspawn taint and other characters will still consider them beautiful and attractive (although it's mostly the love interests who comment). Even Varric, who's already spoken for, will comment on Hawke's beauty, particularly a female Hawke.
Interspecies Romance: If they romance Fenris or Merrill, since Hawke is human.
It's All My Fault: May take this attitude after their mother's murder. Also takes it in Inquisition when Corypheus returns. This is one of the reasons why they're willing to perform a Heroic Sacrifice.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold:
- Snarky Hawke. While they're perfectly content to tweak people's noses, it's clear they're the closest thing to a Big Good that exists in Kirkwall and they honestly do want to help people. Generally, the formula with Snarky Hawke is to screw around with people asking for help for their amusement, and then selflessly throw themselves into harm's way for that very person.
- It's possible to play Aggressive Hawke as this. Nothing's stopping you from punching people in the face, then turning around to give your party members a sympathetic ear.
- No matter how you play them, Hawke is very protective of their family.
Knight in Sour Armour: After their mother's death, Aveline calls Snarky Hawke out and says that she doesn't buy their irreverent act for a minute. This becomes more apparent than ever in Inquisition.
Knight Templar: Surprisingly, not while siding with the Templars in the final battle, where they still usually come off as one of the last remaining voices of reason. However, it is possible to join Patrice in her fanatical push to wipe out the Qunari from Kirkwall.
Lady of Black Magic: A female Hawke who is also a mage (especially if she has the Force Mage specialization), topped off with a choice of peaceful or otherwise respectful dialogue, is a cross between this and a Lady of War.
Lady of War: Whether warrior or rogue, you can play female Hawke as a soft-spoken, graceful, complete and utter badass. One could even extend this across the board to include a female mage Hawke too, since magic staves now double as functional melee weapons.
Lampshade Hanging: A Hawke that takes the neutral Deadpan Snarker option often will do this a lot.
Large Ham:
- Male Hawke is rather amusing in combat is certainly having a time, compared to his generally more reserved conversation tone.
  Hawke: NEED! TO REST! HAVE AT YOU! I CAN'T KEEP THIS UP! FOLLOW MY LEEEEAD!
- A sarcastic Hawke takes great delight in chewing the scenery during the Mark of the Assassin DLC;
  Snarky Hawke: I've been stung by a bee! I think it's swelling! MAKER, AM I DYING?
  Tallis: The swelling is almost as big as your head! (To guard) Don't just stand there, man! Do something!
  Snarky Hawke: If I die... [falls to knees] make sure the world knows... [cue dramatic music] I DIED AT CHATEAU HAINE!
Last-Name Basis: Much like Shepard before them, practically everyone refers to Hawke by their last name. More than once, Hawke will introduce themselves as such; apparently, they prefer being on a Last-Name Basis. (In terms of practicality, it's a gameplay technique designed to get around the fact that you can give Hawke any first name you want - much like having everyone address the hero of the first game as "Warden".) Even Hawke's chosen love interest will always call them Hawke. The only ones who don't are the members of their own family, who instead use nicknames like "sis" to get around the first name thing.
Last of His Kind: If the surviving twin dies in the Deep Roads, Hawke becomes the last surviving member of the Hawke family after Leandra's death.
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Deadpan Snarker Hawke does this a lot. Take a look at this gem from Carver's personal quest in Act 1:
Snarky Hawke: I'm sure someone though far too long about my name.
Legacy Character:
- In Legacy, the Carta frequently refer to both Hawke and their late father Malcolm as being "the Hawke".
- It becomes more confusing should you bring Bethany/Carver along, as they too are referred to by this title.
Let's Get Dangerous!: Particularly noticeable with Snarky Hawke, who will cheerfully snark at adversaries, before being forced to beat them seven ways from Sunday.
Like a Son to Me: Hawke can invoke this towards Sandal. Bodahn worries in Act 3 that he's starting to get on in years and he doesn't know what will happen to Sandal after he is gone. Hawke assures him that Sandal will always be welcome in their home.
Living Emotional Crutch: Serves as an emotional anchor for a significant number of companions, either at certain points or throughout the entire game. This is especially pronounced with Anders, Merrill, and Fenris, though less so if Hawke is in a Rivalry with them.
Merrill: I love Hawke.
Aveline: You said that.
Merrill: I say it a lot. It makes things clearer, takes away doubt when everything is crazy and people are dying.
Lonely at the Top: Played with. The party mostly sticks around, but Hawke's family doesn't. As Hawke gets closer to glory, Leandra is kidnapped and murdered by a blood mage serial killer. Bethany either dies in Lothering, gets sent to the Circle, dies in the Deep Roads, or becomes a Grey Warden. The same fates await Carver, except he joins the Templars instead of the Circle. Every step up the ladder Hawke takes, they become steadily more alone. By Act 3, only Gamlen, Charade, Bodahn, and Sandal (and Orana if she was added to the household) are left. It makes Hawke's offer for a romanced Anders or Merrill to move in with them much more poignant.
Love Martyr: A Hawke who romances Anders and commits to him before the final battle, even though this means being hunted as a fugitive along with the most wanted man in Thedas, comes across as this. Especially considering Anders flat-out lied to Hawke and co. and tricked them into helping start the final battle in the first place...
Magic Knight: Mage Hawke is this by default. Hawke's father, Malcolm, taught Hawke swordplay regardless of class. Many of Hawke's staves have blades on the end.
Magnetic Hero: Arguably moreso than the Warden. While in the first game, the party are all tied together by a common cause, this is not the case here. Although some companions develop friendships, it's their bond with Hawke that keeps them working together as a group. Legacy reveals that Hawke inherited this trait from their father.
Manly Facial Hair: The default male Hawke sports some pretty impressive beardage, and character creation allows the player to further expand it.
Meaningful Name: Both the Hawke and Amell family names derive from birds of prey. Amell literally means "Power of an Eagle", which becomes very apropos considering their (former) high status in Kirkwall. Likewise, it also is very apt given the family's return to prominence through their scion, Hawke.
Memetic Badass: Hawke is an in-universe example, at least through Varric's storytelling.
Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: In Legacy, it's possible to initially side with Larius only to switch over to Janeka upon learning of what Larius threatened to do to an unborn Hawke and their mother.
Modest Royalty:
- It's revealed in Mark of the Assassin that despite being acknowledged by the Viscount as the legitimate heir to the Amells, Hawke turned down the title of "Lord/Lady Amell" because they wished to make the Hawke family name as respected and earn the title of "Lord/Lady Hawke".
- Unlike their mother, who was born into wealth, Hawke hates socialising with the aristocracy. After becoming Champion of Kirkwall, it's mentioned that they only attend formal banquets held in their honour because they have to. Truthfully, they'd rather be down at the Hanged Man.
Momma's Boy: Or Girl, if Hawke is female. In either case, Hawke is very close to their mother and are always kind to her even at their snarkiest.
Must Make Amends: For releasing Corypheus and failing to kill him. They join the Inquisition because of it and it's one reason why they are willing to sacrifice themselves later in the story.
My Greatest Failure: Hawke's inability to save their sibling from an Ogre, as well as prevent their mother's murder. If the surviving sibling dies in the Deep Roads, this is in there too.
Nay-Theist: A variation. While Hawke appears to believe in the Maker and Andraste, they often appear to be highly skeptical of the Chantry and affiliated organisations like the Templars. Snarky Hawke in particular definitely indicates this mindset.
Neutral Good: Invoked by Aveline, who expresses her annoyance that Hawke has never sought any kind of position in Kirkwall society in all the years they've been in the city. Hawke can similarly invoke this, repeatedly stating that their only concern is the welfare of their friends and family and that they'd rather stay out of Kirkwall politics, only becoming involved when they absolutely must. Anders is similarly annoyed at Mage Hawke's refusal to get involved with the Mage Underground, believing they'd be the perfect leader.
Never Found the Body: The Inquisitor is unable to recover Hawke's body should they Hold the Line.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
- Several horrible events in the story are indirectly Hawke's fault. In fact, Hawke seems to know that they do this.
  Hawke: Summoned a demon. Of course. Why wouldn't I do that?
- In Legacy, Hawke causes Corypheus to inhabit a nearby Grey Warden after defeating him, who then goes on to become the main villain of Inquisition. That particular screw-up hit them hard.
- Hawke's look when they realize they helped gather the ingredients needed for Anders to construct a bomb.
Nice Mean And In Between: The three dialogue choices allow Hawke's personality to fall into one of these categories - Nice for the blue, Mean for the red, In Between for the purple. The twins' designations in the trio are determined by this as well.
Noble Fugitive: Played straight in Act 1; due to Gamlen recklessly squandering the Amell family fortune, Mage Hawke is dirt-poor and just as likely to be hunted as any other apostate. Subverted as of Act 2, as Hawke has become rich enough that the Templars can't touch them due to their status, while by Act 3, Hawke's new status as the Champion has caused Meredith to begrudgingly grant them clemency. Played straight at the end of the game, where Hawke is forced to leave Kirkwall after the outbreak of the Mage-Templar War.
No Canon for the Wicked: If Hawke uses blood magic, it's not one of the options in the Keep, so it's never mentioned in the third game and they are vocally against it during the Warden arc of the story. Oddly enough, the Keep does include indisputably abhorrent decisions like selling out Feynriel and Fenris, but these are also ignored and Hawke is always presented as a heroic, self-sacrificing figure.
Non-Idle Rich: Despite being independently wealthy by the end of Act 1, Hawke seems content to make up for their lack of actual job by doing pretty much every available odd job in the city.
No-Sell: Hawke can pull this on the "Apostitute" Idunna.
Hawke: I... will... not... be toyed with!
"Not So Different" Remark:
- The Saarebas "Ketojan" in Act 1 says that if Hawke submitted to the Qun, their role wouldn't change; later, the Arishok claims that Hawke is what the Qunari would be without the Qun.
- Tallis later hints at this; if Hawke becomes a "Basalit'an" to the Arishok, all Qunari now know and respect Hawke as an equal. She claims that the Qun could give Hawke a role and purpose. Hawke's response?
  Hawke: I have a purpose. I protect Kirkwall.
Number Two: In a way; starting in Act 2, the Viscount relies on Hawke more and more to keep the peace between Kirkwall and the Qunari. By Act 3, Hawke is Kirkwall's Champion and the single most influential noble in the city.
Obfuscating Stupidity: Snarky Hawke seems to employ this and Buffy Speak as a tactic to lure enemies into a false sense of security, 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?
Occult Detective: Only in Kirkwall could seemingly innocuous jobs frequently end with Hawke battling Blood Mages, Demons, Walking Corpses, and all manner of "weird shit".
One Degree of Separation: Hawke and the Warden have several connections to each other.
- Hawke is related to the Human Mage Warden; Merrill was the childhood friend of the Dalish Warden; Anders may have been recruited by the Warden in Awakening; and Isabela may have taught them to duel and/or slept with them in the Pearl.
- Bodahn and Sandal go from assisting the Warden's wandering party to serving in Hawke's noble household.
- Hawke has several chance encounters with many of the Warden's former associates, such as Leliana, Zevran, Alistair, and Nathaniel.
- A non-mage Hawke was even at Ostagar at the same time as the Warden, and both were survivors of the ill-fated battle. Coincidentally (...we think), both were also rescued from darkspawn by Flemeth.
One-Man Army:
- When Kirkwall has a problem, they send Hawke.
- Being reduced to an NPC in Inquisition has done nothing to reduce Hawke's status as one of these.
Only Friend: Due to Anders being The Friend Nobody Likes, it's clear that Hawke is the only person keeping them involved in the group. The others, to some extent, find ways to bond with each other while Anders becomes more unlikeable as time goes on with even Varric finding him difficult to deal with in Act 3.
Only Sane Employee: Comes with the job of being Champion, according to Snarky Hawke.
Only Sane Man: As with the last game, a possibility. Given that the Dysfunction Junction is out in full force here, though, it's actually quite likely; even Silly Hawke manages to come off as this at times.
The Paragon: The dialogue choices at the top of the wheel turn Hawke into a selfless, caring person who always puts the needs of others first.
Phrase Catcher: Buying over 30 drinks in the Hanged Man leads to the patrons cheering "HAWKE!" every time they subsequently enter the bar.
Platonic Life-Partners: With Aveline and Varric. Hawke's friendship with Varric in particular is arguably the closest one in the entire franchise.
Power Tattoo: In the Destiny Trailer, Hawke carves a sigil into their arm in order to perform Blood Magic. The same sigil can also be seen on Mage Hawke's arm when wearing the Armour of the Champion.
Previous Player-Character Cameo: They appear in Inquisition after the destruction of Haven and play a major role in the Grey Warden arc of the game.
Protectorate: Hawke can invoke this in Mark of the Assassin.
Hawke: I protect Kirkwall.
Prodigal Hero: Played with in that Hawke wasn't the one who left Kirkwall years ago; their mother Leandra was. Yet, after Leandra and her kids return to her origin city, it's Hawke who winds up becoming its Champion.
Properly Paranoid: Between II and Inquisition, Hawke suspects Corypheus's involvement in the strange behavior of the Wardens despite believing him to be dead. If romantically involved with Anders and/or the surviving twin joined the Wardens, Hawke takes this as a cue to get them as far away as possible.
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "I... will... not... be toyed with!"
Rage Breaking Point: Generally you're given a few ways Hawke can respond to a situation, but their ever-diminishing family always remains a sore point. In fact, despite Snarky Hawke being irreverent and unflappable at practically all times, when Leandra is kidnapped in Act 2 and Hawke's sibling in Act 3, Hawke's whole demeanor changes and the amount of anger in their voice that still seeps through their Tranquil Fury indicates how fast you should be running away right now.
- It's the sheer speed from which Snarky Hawke goes from sarcasm to outright fury that makes it more startling;
  Snarky Hawke: I'm sorry to interrupt this lovely student-teacher reunion but WHERE IS MY MOTHER?!
- Even Diplomatic Hawke's standard lines about not wanting to hurt anyone in those situations are uttered in a way that indicates that may not be their first instinct, particularly in one instance where Meredith drags Hawke's mother, who was brutally murdered by a blood mage, into her incessant anti-mage crusade: "Leave my mother out of this." Knight-Commander or no, if there was one moment in the game when Meredith's stoic demeanor was a mere facade, that was it.
Rags to Riches: Over the course of the game, Hawke goes from penniless refugee to noble to the Champion of Kirkwall.
Rags to Royalty: If you support the Templars in the end, Hawke becomes Viscount/Viscountess. Unfortunately, their reign doesn't last long; the paranoia of the Templars leads them to step down, and fear of an Exalted March causes them to flee Kirkwall entirely.
Really Gets Around: It's possible for Hawke to have sex with Fenris, Merrill, Isabela, and Anders in the same playthrough. If Zevran is encountered in Act 3, it's possible to sleep with him as well. Hawke can also use the services offered at the Blooming Rose in the Red Lantern District as much as they want, as long as they can pay.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Snarky Hawke jokes that this is what being the Champion entails.
Tallis: So, "Champion of Kirkwall". Fancy title.
Hawke: The "Only One in Kirkwall Not Completely Insane" was considered...
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Mage Hawke repeatedly gives them out to other Mages, noting that resorting to blood magic is exactly why they are so feared and hunted by the Templars. Hawke can even admit that while they understand their plight, this doesn't excuse the fact they are selfishly abusing magic to murder, rob and manipulate people.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: In the Destiny trailer. Like the Sacred Ashes trailer before it, it's limited to the trailer only.
Refusal of the Second Call: Qualifies as one In-Universe, because no matter how Dragon Age II ends, things are still pretty awful in Kirkwall, and eventually they disappear because they've had enough. The reason that Varric pretends not to know where Hawke is during the second and third games is because he feels that his friend has been through enough. He only resorts to calling Hawke in when it's absolutely unavoidable.
Reluctant Warrior: Snarky Hawke lampshades this in their rousing speech, clearly wondering why it's so wrong to simply want to go to the pub with their friends at the end of the day. Lampshaded by Flemeth when they first meet;
Flemeth: Hurtled into chaos, you fight... and the world will shake before you.
Right Man in the Wrong Place: Hawke became one of the most notable figures in Thedas history almost completely unintentionally.
Romantic Runner-Up: If the player attempts to romance Aveline, she only starts to catch on at the end of "The Long Road."
Royals Who Actually Do Something: After reclaiming their family estate and becoming a noble at the beginning of Act 2, it turns out that in the three-year interlude, Hawke was helping improve life in the lower towns and coming to the aid of those in need, regardless of social standing. The Viscount even comments that that kind of attitude hasn't been seen in Kirkwall in a long time.
Sarcasm Failure: You know things just got serious when even Snarky Hawke decides to drop the jokes. Happens a few times, most notably during "All That Remains."
Seen It All: Can run the entire gambit, although Snarky Hawke is a firm Type 3. Varric reckons that either being a mage or having grown up in a house of them is the reason why Hawke is unfazed by all the "weird shit" they witness on a regular basis.
Shrouded in Myth: The entire frame of the story is clearing up what happened and what didn't.
Shipper on Deck: Snarky Hawke jokingly ships Meredith/Orsino, calling them out.
Hawke: The way you two carry on... people will talk.
Shrine to the Fallen: After Leandra's murder, Hawke refuses to disturb anything in their mother's room.
Sibling Rivalry: Potentially with Bethany or Carver thanks to the friendship/rivalry system. Carver is inclined towards this by default.
Signature Move: In cutscenes, Mage Hawke repeatedly twirls their staff after defeating opponents.
- Mage Hawke also finishes opponents in cutscenes by summoning a torrent of fire to roast their opponents.
The Snark Knight: Hawkes who respond to dialogue primarily with the snarky choices will generally develop this kind of personality.
Spiders Are Scary: When the party in Inquisition finds themselves in the Fade, Hawke is the only person other than the Inquisitor to see the demons as spiders.
Spider-Sense: A mage Hawke demonstrates this on several occasions, having the innate mage ability to sense shifts in the Veil and locations where it is particularly weak, such as Sundermount.
Stepford Snarker: Hawke can potentially be snarky about anything, up to and including mourning their mother's death. Aveline will call out Hawke as doing this as a defense mechanism.
Stupidity Is the Only Option: A surprising number of quests require Hawke to hold the Idiot Ball in order for things to play out the way the writers want.
- When Hawke learns that a serial killer is targeting Hightown women, Hawke can't even try to warn Leandra... who then goes out for her weekly get-together with her brother and is promptly kidnapped by the killer, becoming his final victim.
- During "On the Loose," Huon's wife asks Hawke for protection because she fears for her life. Hawke notably says they'll come back for her after dark, and the player has to leave the alienage and come back in order for the quest to trigger. Lo and behold, leaving her alone for so long gives Huon ample opportunity to return and kill his wife, which Hawke witnesses just as they walk through the alienage gates.
- When Anders asks for Hawke's help finding ingredients to a magic potion that he claims will split him and Justice, and the ingredients sound oddly similar to real-world bomb ingredients, Hawke has no choice but to take Anders at his word and help him. While in some Guide Dang It! cases Hawke can realize Anders' deception after the fact and call him out on it, Anders will note that it's too late and the Chantry blows up no matter what.
- In the Legacy DLC, even if Hawke kills Corypheus, one of the Grey Wardens who brought you will act obviously possessed, strongly implying that Corypheus body-hopped after you slew him, but Hawke and co. have no choice but to stand there and watch him go on his merry way. It makes Hawke and Varric's insistence in Inquisition that they were sure Corypheus died sound more like they're trying to convince themselves.
Supporting Protagonist: In an interesting twist, although Varric is narrating Hawke's story, over the course of the game, it becomes apparent that Hawke really wasn't the central figure or instigator of events, but just the Right Person in the Wrong Place. This is especially telling in the third act, when it's really about Anders causing the Mage/Templar war.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: While Hawke gets along fine with their Grey Warden friend at first in Inquisition, the revelations of what the Grey Wardens have done and are doing infuriates Hawke, leading to a back and forth What the Hell, Hero? between the two of them. Alistair in particular takes their anger at the Wardens quite personally.
Troll: Snarky Hawke will snark and mock anyone and EVERYONE constantly just to get a reaction, particularly his/her enemies.
Tsundere: Aggressive Hawke will usually end up a Type A to their Love Interest, since the flirt lines have the same dialogue regardless of personality. This means they can be short and snappish with them one minute, and doting and sweet the next.
Trickster Mentor: Snarky Hawke is implied to do this to Carver, trying to stop him being so uptight and push him to prove them wrong.
Übermensch: Can be played heroically or anti-heroically, but their actions change Thedas forever. On the other hand, it's very clear that, in the end, Hawke had very little actual effect on major events. No matter what they try to do, everything pretty much ends up exactly the same by the end, except with one flawed group or the other having a little more influence.
Uncertain Doom: In Dragon Age: Inquisition. If the Inquisitor requests it, Hawke will stay behind in the Fade to Hold the Line; their last words ask the Inquisitor to tell Varric goodbye. If the Warden companion stays behind instead, s/he heads to Weisshaupt to inform the First Warden; the Epilogue mentions that the fortress has fallen silent. Happily, as of the Trespasser DLC, the second part has been removed, as it is stated that Hawke has returned to Kirkwall alive and well to help Varric run the place.
Uncle Pennybags: After Hawke regains the family fortune, they use it to help the poor and downtrodden in Kirkwall.
Unflinching Walk: Implied in Dragon Age Inquisition. If Hawke survives the events of DA:I, they'll head for the Grey Wardens' main fortress of Weisshaupt in the Anderfels to help sort some things out. Asking Varric about the whole affair during the Trespasser DLC reveals that he doesn't really know what's going on at Weisshaupt, but considering who they're talking about, he fully expects the place to blow up in a spectacular fashion rather sooner than later while Hawke strolls out of the inferno without looking back.
Uptown Girl: Hawke starts out as a refugee with nothing but the clothes and weapons on their back, but by Act 2 they've become this for any romance besides Sebastian. Hawke's Hightown neighbors are particularly scandalized if Merrill moves into the estate.
Villain Killer: Hawke kills dozens of rogue mages and criminals, defeats the Qunari Arishok in single combat, and then defeats a red lyrium-empowered Knight-Commander Meredith of the Templars. Unlike the Warden or, later, the Inquisitor, they have no special circumstances that make them The Only One that can defeat the foes in question. Hawke is simply one of the strongest fighters of their time and the entire world knows it, thanks to Varric embellishing some of their feats in his Tale of the Champion book.
Warrior Princess: A female Hawke becomes part of the nobility of Kirkwall, and is thus rightfully entitled to be called Lady Hawke (in addition to Champion). In addition, there are some further royal upgrades available depending on player choices. If female Hawke sides with the Templars, she will end the game as Viscountess of Kirkwall. And if she romances Sebastian, the game can end with a declaration of their intent to get married, which makes her Princess of Starkhaven. (If Legacy is done after the main game, and Sebastian and Carver are brought as companions, party banter reveals that they are married.)
Warrior vs. Sorcerer: Inverted if Hawke is a mage, who struggles to contain and maintain stability in the city of Kirkwall as tensions continue to rise between the resident Templars led by Knight-Commander Meredith and the Kirkwall Circle Mages.
Warrior Therapist: 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.
What the Hell, Hero?: In Inquisition, 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/Alistair/Loghain know this very clearly.
World's Best Warrior: Thanks to Varric's novel The Tale of the Champion, Hawke has the reputation of being perhaps the greatest fighter of their time, and became the second choice to lead the Inquisition. During the events of the second game, Hawke's companions will often remark that s/he is the strongest fighter amongst them with either reverence or fear depending on the player's actions. It should be noted, though, that said game is narrated by Varric and that, given his reputation, some of these tales (but not all) are believed to be embellishments even by other characters within the DA universe. Hawke admits as much when s/he is actually met in the flesh in Inquisition, but they also admit that most of these accomplishments are true but merely not as grandiose as people think. Unlike other heroes of their day (such as the Warden or the Inquisitor), Hawke was not some special person expected to solve a crisis—they accomplished their deeds strictly by skill, talent, and blind luck.
Worthy Opponent:
- Can become one to the Arishok, who deems Hawke "Basalit'an" - an outsider worthy of respect.
- If Mark of the Assassin is done in Act 3, Tallis tells Hawke that this is how Hawke is considered by all Qunari; she clarifies that they do not think of Hawke as an enemy, but as an honourable outsider who is worthy of being approached for parley or to ask for assistance.
You Can't Go Home Again: Hawke lived in Lothering with their family before the Blight came. They could go back with the Blight over, but there's nothing left for them there. Aveline and Hawke can discuss the trope in Act 3.
Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Whenever Hawke is complimented by a Qunari and is told that they're the same, Hawke doesn't respond well.

Bethany Hawke

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/da2_bethany.jpg

Voiced by: Rebekah Staton (English), Tanya Kahana (German)

"It was never anything I had to work for. Other people always took the risks to keep me free."

Younger sister of Hawke and twin sibling Carver. She is an apostate, trained by her apostate father.

All Women Love Shoes: Makes no less than three comments about shoes when prompted.
Angsty Surviving Twin: Downplayed, but Bethany is certainly affected by the loss of Carver. Her first party banter with Varric after they meet him is about how much she misses her twin; if the Black Emporium DLC is installed, she admits to Hawke how jealous Carver was that the dog chose them to be his master. It's particularly telling that, seven years after he died, she says that the one thing in her life she truly regrets is that she couldn't stop him from charging that Ogre.
The Baby of the Bunch: Bethany is the youngest of the three Hawke siblings, if only by a few minutes, and the entire family is extremely protective of her, even Carver. She later becomes a little sister to the entire party, though older than most examples.
Badass Adorable: Capable of kicking lots of ass, though there is much emphasis placed on her cute demeanor and vulnerability as an apostate.
Badass Bookworm: Circle Bethany is held in high regard by both the Templars (by Meredith herself, no less) and her own students as an exemplary mage, despite being a former apostate and the daughter of an apostate.
Badass Teacher/Cool Teacher: Circle Bethany, despite being only 22 by Act 2, still ends up becoming a senior member of the Circle and in charge of teaching apprentices. It's mentioned that they completely adore her.
Be Careful What You Wish For: If the Warden was an Amell, Bethany will mention that part of her wishes she could have just gone to the Circle when she was young. "I could have been the Hero of Ferelden." Turns out Warden life between Blights isn't the kind of adventure we got.
Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: In a trio with female Hawke and Aveline, Bethany is The Beauty - she has the sweetest disposition and the kindest heart, and several characters (Fenris, Varric, and Sebastian among them) remark on how pretty she is.
Belated Happy Ending: At the end of the Trespasser DLC for Inquisition. Varric has become Viscount of Kirkwall, and unless Hawke was sacrificed in the Fade during the main game, Varric's epilogue slide shows that Hawke is back in Kirkwall, helping him run the city; the two most powerful people in Kirkwall both love Bethany dearly, and the captain of the guard is her old friend Aveline. The implication is that she can finally go home to Kirkwall and live a peaceful life.
Beware the Nice Ones: Bethany is quite possibly the nicest, most approachable, least-morally-compromised companion in the game. This doesn't mean she's any less capable of destroying you.
Big Brother Instinct:
- Invokes this frequently. Do not threaten her when Hawke is around.
- Also on the receiving end of this. If she becomes a member of the Circle, when the Templars come to take her, Hawke calmly informs them that they will have to go through them first before Bethany begs Hawke to stand down and tells the Templars she will go quietly.
Big Brother Worship: She starts off the game heavily tilted towards "friendship" and is constantly supportive of Hawke during her time in the party. Her codex entry for a mage Hawke states that she idolizes her older sibling.
Birds of a Feather: Her attraction to Sebastian, beyond his looks. They're the most moral party members and also the most overtly religious.
- This is also a factor in her relationship with Varric, which is one of the healthiest in the franchise. They are the two companions who get along with everyone, they both like helping people, and they are the most content of the entire group to live and let live.
Blue Is Calm: Bethany is the blue oni of the Red Oni, Blue Oni pairing with her twin brother Carver. She has a bright blue background in her icon and, depending on her ultimate fate in the game, may be seen in later acts wearing a blue mage robe. She has easily the calmest and gentlest personality of any character in the game, and is one of the only members of Hawke's group who is universally liked by all the others.
Break the Cutie: Especially if she becomes a Warden, which all but crushes the idealism and optimism out of her — but see Character Development below.
Breast Expansion: For a short time, during Varric's exaggerated prologue sequence you might notice something besides Bethany's magic prowess being enhanced. Afterwards she has the normal female model.
Broken Bird: Downplayed, since she doesn't like to air her grievances like Carver, but it becomes more and more apparent that she sees herself as a burden to her family. She feels guilty that Hawke goes through so much effort to protect her secret. This is why she's accepting if the Templars make her join the Circle. She becomes this even more if she becomes a Grey Warden.
Cain and Abel: If she's in the Circle and you side with the Templars, she can end up on the wrong end of this as her own sibling watches Meredith kill her.
Character Development:
- As a Warden, she eventually makes peace with her new life, shedding her pessimism about being part of the order and acknowledging that the Wardens serve an important purpose and being with them gives her a chance to be something other than just another apostate.
- Alternately, if she goes to the Circle, she retains her 'Sunshine' persona and instead grows both more proficient as a mage and also deeper in her faith in the Maker, finding meaning in her own existence.
- Either way, if brought along to the final battle (especially if you side with the mages), she says that she wouldn't change anything about the events that brought her and Hawke to this point, other than stopping Carver's Heroic Sacrifice.
Child of Forbidden Love: Malcolm Hawke was an apostate mage, and Leandra was a noblewoman.
Color-Coded Eyes: Bethany's default appearance has brown eyes, indicating that she has a warm and down-to-earth personality.
Comes Great Responsibility: Like father, like daughter.
Corrupt the Cutie: Courtesy of Isabela; if they're in the party together, Isabela delights in trying to remove some of Bethany's innocence, much to Hawke's distress.
- On learning she is a virgin, Isabela offers to buy her a night at the Blooming Rose. It's unknown whether this ever actually happens.
- If she goes to the Circle, Isabela apparently sends her a lot of suggestive books to get her through the night. (However, this is only mentioned if they're both brought as companions in Mark of the Assassin.)
Country Mouse: When she's in the party, she will comment that she misses the fields of Lothering, compared to the cramped streets of Kirkwall.
Covert Pervert: As noted above, she's grateful to Isabela for sending her suggestive books if she's in the Circle.
The Cutie: She has a fair few of the trope's requisites, including being incredibly sweet, kind to everyone, and demonstrably affectionate. She's also subjected to both Break the Cutie and Corrupt the Cutie, as noted above.
Cynicism Catalyst: Bethany's characterization after Act 1 is dependent on what her ultimate fate is. If Bethany wasn't taken to the Deep Road expedition, she gets captured by the Templars and shipped off to the Circle. Despite this when you reunite with her she's actually quite happy and is excelling in the Circle. If she was taken to the Deep Road and gets infected, she will be forced to join the Grey Wardens in order to avoid dying. If she does, Bethany is downright miserable because all she wanted to do was live a peaceful life and now that has been stolen from her.
Daddy's Girl: Strongly implied after the end of Legacy. Malcolm justifiably spent a lot more time with Bethany than with either Hawke or Carver, especially if Hawke is a warrior/rogue and Bethany is the family's only mage child. This may also explain why Bethany looks up to Hawke so much.
Darker and Edgier: A character-based version of this trope. If she becomes a Grey Warden, she becomes grimmer and surprisingly pessimistic. This is because Bethany's Grey Warden storyline removes the glamour of being one, after the first game made the life of a Warden seem like that of a stereotypical fantasy hero. There is no Blight, and the rest of her life will be spent in misery, hunting down darkspawn war bands. However, as per Character Development above, by the end of Act 3 she comes to see that the Wardens serve a noble purpose, and she's grateful for the chance to be something other than just an apostate.
Dead Guy Junior: According to The World of Thedas, Bethany is named after her maternal grandmother, Bethann Amell, who died sometime during the year before the twins were born. Leandra only learned of her mother's death shortly before giving birth.
Deadpan Snarker: Occasionally, though less than most of the rest of the companions.
- Some of her banter with Anders in Legacy delves into snark, especially when he tries to scold her for voluntarily joining the Circle.
Death by Origin Story: First casualty of a mage Hawke's family.
Dysfunction Junction: Initially, she is the sole exception, with the rest of the party having dark pasts and personalities to match them. She isn't nicknamed "Sunshine" for nothing...
Earn Your Happy Ending:
- CircleBethany, in the mage ending, has spent the past six years locked in the Gallows; but by the end of the story, she's free, her friends are (possibly) alive, she has reunited with her beloved elder sibling, and the mages are uniting to fight for their freedom. Even though it doesn't go as smoothly as everyone would have hoped, and there's much hard fighting in store for the mages, her fate could have been much worse and she hopes that good will come out of the impending revolution.
- Downplayed with a Warden Bethany; but the final act shows she's finally made peace with it, and accepts that for all the darkness it brings, the Wardens ultimately have a noble goal and she's proud to be one.
Eating the Eye Candy: Bethany is very appreciative of Sebastian's looks.
The Eeyore: As a Grey Warden, she becomes this. Nothing stops her from angsting and lamenting the life of a Warden. Justified in that a Warden's life really does suck when one stops to think about it, and as noted above, hers is worse than most with regard to the nightmares.
Emergency Transformation: If she goes along for the Deep Roads expedition and Anders is present.
Everyone's Baby Sister: Older than most examples, but still fits. It comes with being both the youngest companion and the only one (besides Varric) that everyone likes. Being Hawke's actual little sister also contributes to the role.
Fantastic Racism: Bethany hates Qunari, though she has more justification than most; she had a friend in the family that Sten murdered. This leads to a horribly ironic moment in the prologue: either she or her twin brother are killed by an ogre while fleeing Lothering. Ogres are Kossith-based darkspawn. It also becomes Enemy Mine in Mark of the Assassin.
Five Stages of Grief: As the Angsty Surviving Twin of Carver, Bethany is implied to be somewhere between Anger and Depression. It's clear that, despite the sometimes combative nature of their relationship, she deeply misses her brother; it's hinted that part of the reason she becomes so immediately attached to Varric is because of their very first party banter, in which he's genuinely compassionate to her about the loss of Carver. By the end of the game, she has moved into Acceptance.
God Is Good: Her view of the Maker; of the game's three mage party members, she is the most devout Andrastian. ^note Her faith gets stronger as a Circle mage and is less pronounced as a Grey Warden.
Gravity Master: If she's alive in Act 3, she will be a Force Mage. (This can be seen sooner if either DLC campaign is done in Act 2 and she's brought along as a companion.) The description of Bethany's first use of magic in World of Thedas matches the Telekinetic Burst spell.
Green-Eyed Monster: If Hawke is romancing Sebastian, Bethany displays this, should both she and Sebastian be brought as companions for either DLC campaign.
Bethany: Sister, you lucky bitch.
Healer Signs On Early: If Hawke is a non-mage; Bethany isn't a dedicated healer, but she does have the Creation tree (unlike Merrill).
Hot-Blooded: She has no fear charging into any situation with her magic, even as she tries to hide it.
I Just Want to Be Normal: Her biggest wish is to be normal, as revealed in party banter with Merrill, and she resents all of the hardships brought upon her family in order to keep her safe. Her codex entry mentions that, should Hawke be a mage themselves, she deeply envied how her eldest sibling embraced their powers instead of fearing them. The World of Thedas, vol. 2 contains a report, written by someone who met the family in Lothering and was somehow privy to young Bethany's apostate status, which talks about how much the girl clearly would rather not have magic.
- Subverted in Legacy. She realizes being "normal" would require an entirely different family. She admits, despite the hardship of being an apostate, she wouldn't have it any other way.
- Also part of why she hates being a Warden so much - it robs her of any chance she would have had to live a normal life.
An Ice Person: The nature of the game's skill trees mean that Bethany's talent for fire spells is accompanied by a talent for ice magic. Notably, while Bethany tends to default to fire in cutscenes at the start of the game, she starts defaulting to ice in cutscenes if she becomes a Grey Warden.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: If she goes to the Circle and you side with the Templars, Meredith will run her through unless Hawke stops her.
Indifferent Beauty: Multiple characters, as noted above, may remark on how attractive Bethany is. She herself seems entirely unconcerned with it, though she clearly appreciates the compliments.
The Ingenue: She starts the game and spends the first act as this; if sent to the Circle, she grows into Silk Hiding Steel and a Lady of War, while becoming a Grey Warden turns her into more of an Iron Lady.
Ironic Nickname: It isn't one at first, but "Sunshine" does gain some irony if she becomes a Grey Warden.
- According to Mary Kirby on Twitter, even Bethany's Affectionate Nickname is a somewhat Ironic Nickname, and that like all of Varric's nicknames, it's intended as a bit of "friendly shit-giving." She explains that Bethany is Sunshine because she's "broody, and dour, and hiding all the time."
Last of His Kind: If Bethany is still alive in Inquisition and Hawke sacrifices themselves in the Fade, she becomes the last surviving member of the Hawke family.
Leeroy Jenkins: At the end of Act 2, if she joined the Circle, she gathers a cadre of mages to help Orsino fight the Qunari, despite his orders for them to pull back. Her entire group gets slaughtered, but much to Hawke's relief, Orsino is able to revive Bethany.
Loved by All: She and Varric are the only members of the group that everyone likes, including the magic-hater Fenris. Her apprentices in the Circle loved her. Hell, even Meredith praises her as an exemplary mage in Act 3, and considering that she had the Red Lyrium Idol for years by that point, that's saying a lot.
Mauve Shirt: Only if Hawke is a mage or if she dies during the Deep Roads expedition.
Meaningful Name: "Sunshine" is Varric's nickname for her; Isabela's is "Sweetness." They're both very accurate. They remain so if she goes to the Circle; if she goes to the Wardens, not so much.
- "Sunshine" may be a particularly Meaningful Name. Varric has a number of lines, in party banter and cutscenes, in which he mentions that part of the reason he prefers being a surface dwarf is because he enjoys being in the sunlight. Unlike the more superficial or sarcastic names he gives most of the other companions, he named Bethany after something he loves, and his interactions with her are some of the warmest he has in either game where he appears.
  - It's also worth noting that "Sunshine" is the only one of Varric's nicknames to appear in Heroes of Dragon Age. All of the Hawke family members have multiple pieces in the game, but in addition to the "Bethany Hawke" piece, there is a separate "Sunshine" piece. Sunshine is identical to Bethany Hawke, except for having a goldish-green tint to her outfit.
Nice Girl: It says something that, for all the varying views and tempers of the companions, Bethany gets along with all of them; even Fenris, who otherwise despises mages, likes Bethany. This remains the case if she becomes a Circle mage. However, she grows significantly more bitter if she ends up a Grey Warden.
Nice Mean And In Between: Among the three Hawke siblings, she's the In Between to a Diplomatic Hawke, or the Nice to a Silly or Aggressive Hawke. She's never truly Mean (although becoming a Grey Warden pushes her as close as she can get).
Not So Above It All: One that doesn't become apparent until Inquisition, and only if Bethany became a Grey Warden. Like most Wardens, Bethany collects random liquors in a bottle and gives it a unique name. She chose to call hers "Princess Piss."
Only Sane Mage: If Bethany goes to the Circle at the end of Act 1, she eventually emerges as basically being this in Kirkwall. By the end of the game, she is (as the main page observes) the only mage in the entire city-state who is confirmed to have never even once used Blood Magic or been possessed.
Platonic Declaration of Love: If she's present for the final battle, she can give one to Hawke if they speak to her before the last fight.
Bethany: If we don't survive this, brother/sister, I just want you to know that I love you.
Playing with Fire: Bethany definitely qualifies, as she's first seen using fire spells; she has a staff that shoots fire and uses fire spells in cutscenes when she attacks.
Plotline Death: If the player is a mage, Bethany dies instead of Carver. If she's brought along on the Deep Roads expedition and Anders isn't in the party, she dies down there. And as noted above, if she becomes a Circle mage and Hawke sides with the Templars, she'll be killed in the endgame unless Hawke intervenes.
Plucky Girl: Circle Bethany refuses to allow her time spent in the Gallows to harden her, and she hopes the mages' rebellion will change how they live among others for the better. This forms a stark contrast to Warden Bethany.
Purple Is Powerful: In cutscenes, her magic has a distinctly purple cast.
Put on a Bus: If she doesn't die in the Deep Roads expedition, Bethany is forced to join either the Circle or the Grey Wardens.
- The Bus Came Back: She rejoins your party for the final battle and is usable in the DLC missions.
- In Inquisition, Warden Bethany is sent away by Hawke as soon as she hears the fake Calling created by Corypheus. Meanwhile, Circle Bethany is also sent away, in order to keep her as far as possible from the mage-Templar conflict.
Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Bethany's default appearance has pale skin and black hair, and as noted elsewhere, she's acknowledged in-universe to be a considerable beauty. (While her hair is always black, her skin tone will change to match that which the player assigns to Hawke during character creation.)
The Red Mage: Bethany doesn't have the party heals or revives of Anders, nor the hell-raising blood magic of Merrill; but she has access to a great deal of offensive and defensive magic, plus healing, which Merrill lacks. Properly built, she is one of the most versatile mages in the game, subverting the Master of None stigma associated with them. As an Elemental/Force Mage, this becomes even more apparent.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue to Carver's Red.
The Resenter: If she joins the Grey Wardens, she becomes this to Hawke, but will grow out of it by endgame.
The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified: She believes that this should be true of the Mage rebellion, and she stands as an example of a good free mage.
Sacrificial Lamb: If Hawke is a mage.
Sacrificial Lion: If Hawke takes her along for the Deep Roads expedition and Anders isn't in the party.
Scarf of Asskicking: Like the other female mage, Merrill. It's probably there to hide the black seam between the head and body in character models, but that doesn't mean Bethany doesn't look stylish in her vibrant red scarf.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: If a Warden, she will come back for the final battle despite the fact that Wardens are supposed to stay neutral in political matters.
Ship Tease:
- If Sebastian isn't romanced and Bethany is still alive by that point, the two hit it off very well if they're put in the party together; however, since Sebastian doesn't become available as a companion until Act 2, this is only possible in the DLC campaigns. In Mark of the Assassin, while rescuing Hawke, Sebastian smiles at her and she suddenly loses track of what she was saying. In the Legacy DLC, he actually gets in a few very smooth flirtatious lines that leave her sort of dumbfounded (and may thoroughly impress the third companion); he'll even be suave and charming if he has been romanced, which can cause Hawke to tell her sister to "back off."
- A very sweet Ship Tease exists between her and Varric, of all people; their relationship is examined in detail on the Heartwarming page. He sometimes calls her "my lady," "Milady Sunshine," or "my Sunshine," which makes her giggle, and he has a number of party banter lines in which he compliments her beauty. She's also the only party member to whom he is absolutely never snarky. There's a lot of affection in their interactions, and their relationship continues to receive mention in Inquisition - if she's still alive, he has some lines which indicate that he writes to her frequently. Alternately, if she dies in the Deep Roads, he gets a line which heavily implies that he suffers from Survivor Guilt and never really got over her loss. (He has no corresponding line about Carver's death in a mage Hawke world state, making his comment about Bethany's death more pronounced.)
Shipper on Deck: Calls Hawke and Merrill a "cute couple" in Legacy if they've hooked up by then.
Sibling Rivalry: Potentially with Hawke. However, you have to work at it, because she starts off with the approval bar heavily tilted towards "friend". Party banter includes hints that this was her relationship with Carver.
Sibling Yin-Yang: With her twin, Carver.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: She seems to have a thing for Sebastian if his DLC is installed.
Strong Family Resemblance: Facially, at least, she seems to take after her mother a good deal.
Tempting Fate: In the Act 1 version of the Legacy DLC. "Maker be merciful and never let Gamlen have children" is funny. "I know you'd never let anything happen to me and Mother" ...not so much.
Token Good Teammate: One of the few party members that is not one of the many darker shades of grey found throughout the game.
Token Religious Teammate: The most religious party member, next to Sebastian. She struggles to reconcile her faith in the Maker with her life as an apostate. By the endgame, Circle Bethany has mostly managed to do so.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: If Hawke is female, Bethany is the girly-girl to Hawke's tomboy, if only because Hawke doesn't really have any options to be particularly girlish in her wardrobe. Taking Bethany along for Mark of the Assassin shows that she really enjoys the pretty Orlesian dresses and shoes, and would love to have some. By contrast, her sister wears a stylish but practical trousers and shirt combination.
Trauma Conga Line: The Templar endgame, if she went to the Circle. Her last remaining family and friends turn on her and hack their way through the rest of the Circle to get to her and Orsino... who reveals something that shocks her to the core, just before he too gets killed.
Underdressed for the Occasion: Circle Bethany will feel this way, if she and Varric are brought as the companions for Mark of the Assassin. She laments that she "can't believe" she wore what she's wearing to a grand Orlesian estate. He assures her that "you could make a burlap sack look good," and would kill the other guests with sheer envy if she were dressed fashionably.
The Unfavorite: Discussed if Bethany is brought along for Legacy. Learning that Malcolm didn't want to pass on his magic shocks Bethany, who if alive was the only one of the three to inherit his power. She wonders if Malcolm secretly resented her, which Hawke is very quick to shut down; the only thing Malcolm resented was that Bethany had to carry a burden the rest of their family couldn't comprehend.
Was It Really Worth It?: Her last words if you let Meredith kill her in the Gallows. "I hope this was all worth it, brother/sister."
We Help the Helpless: In Inquisition, when asked about his companions' whereabouts, Varric says that Circle Bethany is helping refugees in the Free Marches.
- This is implied to have been her general personality throughout her life. If she dies in the prologue, party banter between Anders and Carver reveals that Hawke tells Anders that Bethany never turned away anyone who needed her help.
What the Hell, Hero?: Really lets Hawke have it if she became a Grey Warden and comes back to Kirkwall to find her older sibling supporting Meredith and the Templars in the final battle. She can be talked into helping, but it's clear she's not happy about it.
Bethany: I thought you were going to be killed! I came to fight at your side, but instead I see you doing this.

Carver Hawke

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/da2_carver.jpg

Voiced by: Nico Lennon (English), Tim Knauer (German)

"I'm here if you need me, but I must find my own way."

Hawke's younger brother and older twin of Bethany. He wields a two-handed sword, and has a massive chip on his shoulder due to being overshadowed by both siblings.

All Love Is Unrequited: Gets hit with this a lot if Hawke is male. He'll receive a letter from a girl in Lothering who clearly had/has a crush on male Hawke. There's also Merrill, on whom he clearly has a crush.
Always Someone Better:
- He feels inferior to his siblings, since Bethany is a mage and Hawke is either another mage or a superior fighter. If Bethany is the surviving twin and Black Emporium is installed, she specifically mentions that Carver felt this way when their Mabari hound chose to imprint on Hawke.
- Merrill completely misses his attempts to flirt with her, as she already has a crush on Hawke.
- This also seems to have been the case back in Lothering with one of Carver's friends, Peaches. If playing as female, a letter alludes to an encounter Carver and Peaches had in a barn, but if playing as a male, the letter has Peaches obviously infatuated with Hawke instead. Ouch.
- With an Amell import, there's also the fact that he has a famous cousin who just happens to be the saviour of all Ferelden/Thedas, saving everyone from the same Blight Carver and family were fleeing. Plus, the Amell Warden is a mage, so there's another magical family member to feel inferior about. Odd that this doesn't come up if he joins the Wardens.
Angsty Surviving Twin: Carver is extremely upset about Bethany's death in Act 1; he outright blames Hawke for it. He calms down after getting it off his chest. If brought along for Legacy, he may talk about how much he misses her; it's implied that grief for his sister is part of what makes him so prickly, though certainly not the only factor.
Anti-Magic: Gains the Templar specialization. May or may not become a Templar to get it.
Back-to-Back Badasses: Potentially with Hawke during the endgame.
Badass Normal: Carver both survived the Battle of Ostagar and managed to outrun the Horde all the way to Lothering to warn his family. Made more impressive in that if Hawke is a mage, Carver had no backup during this.
Carver: Why are you looking at me? I've been running since Ostagar!
Break the Haughty: It's implied that half of what Snarky Hawke says to him is an attempt to get Carver to take himself less seriously.
- He does eventually learn this if he becomes a Grey Warden, noting that he used to be an ass.
Big Brother Instinct: Inverted since he's younger, but while Carver may resent Hawke, nobody is allowed to threaten Hawke in his presence. Carver is also highly antagonistic towards Sebastian if female Hawke marries him.
Big Little Brother: To female Hawke, not just in height but bulk: Carver is at least a head taller than his sister, and his biceps are thicker than her thighs.
Character Development: Carver goes through a surprising amount of this if sent to the Grey Wardens. When he returns, he's far less awkward, less judgmental, more accepting of his sibling, and no longer seems to feel the need to prove himself. The other party members note this change in Legacy.
- Even if he becomes a Templar; he becomes slightly less abrasive and, ironically, less antagonistic on magic, becomes fiercely protective of his sibling from afar, using his status as a Templar to keep his sibling safe from other Templars, becomes increasingly disillusioned with the Templar Order, and readily defects after Meredith declares the Right of Annulment in order to protect the mages (and his sibling) from genocide, and will furiously call Hawke out for turning on their own people.
Child of Forbidden Love: Malcolm Hawke was an apostate mage, and Leandra was a noblewoman.
Chivalrous Pervert: Especially toward Merrill, on whom he has a crush.
Color-Coded Eyes: Carver's default appearance includes Icy Blue Eyes, indicating his more aloof personality as compared with his twin's.
The Complainer Is Always Wrong: Gets hit with this occasionally, since he's the only member of the Hawke family to criticize Hawke's decision-making and doesn't really want to move back to Hightown.
Dark Is Not Evil: If he joins the Templars, he reveals that this is his opinion of them and what prompted him to join them.
Carver: Father believed in a Templar. Why can't I?
Death by Origin Story: Happens to a rogue or warrior Hawke quicker than you can say "spoiler."
Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life:
- Carver's main goal is to find a role in life outside being Hawke's brother, which is likely why he rushed off to join King Cailan's Army at Ostagar (and got that tattoo of a Mabari).
- Anders comments that Carver is the kind of person who would find the life of a Grey Warden meaningful. Should he become one, this turns out to be completely correct.
- Likewise, if he joins the Templars, he reveals in Legacy that this was part of the reason for doing so.
- It's implied Aveline denies his application to the Kirkwall City Guard in Act 1 in part because of this. She recognises that he doesn't really want to be a guard; he just wants to be a part of something and would join anything.
Does Not Like Magic: Fairly minor case, especially compared to Fenris, but it's still there. He seems to blame it for making everyone's lives more difficult.
Downer Ending: In Legacy, if he's a Warden, he expresses minor discomfort upon learning that the fate of all Grey Wardens is to either go out in a blaze of glory or become half-crazed ghouls like Larius.
Dude, Not Funny!: In-universe. Carver often goads Hawke in Act 1, but the look that Hawke gives him when Carver insinuates that Hawke was responsible for Bethany's death indicates why that particular button should not be pushed.
Embarrassing Nickname: Early in their acquaintance, Carver expresses resentment towards Varric giving him the nickname "Junior." Varric then calls him "Little Hawke" instead.
Embarrassing Tattoo: Mentions in conversation that at Ostagar he got one of a Mabari. He claims he can make it bark.
Emergency Transformation: How he becomes a Warden in the Deep Roads - if you have Anders with you.
Fantastic Racism:
- He's not that big on mages in general, which is understandable considering how much of his life has been dictated by his family's magical talents.
- However, his dislike of them is relatively mild, all things considered. After telling Anders he doesn't like him, Anders calls him out on hating mages. Carver counters that his problem with Anders isn't that he's a mage, but that he won't shut up about it.
- Also, while often disparaging mages, the only person in the party that he actually gets on with is Merrill, who is a Blood Mage.
- In Legacy dialogue, he can imply that his problem is more with magic than the mages themselves. See Does Not Like Magic.
Five Stages of Grief: As the Angsty Surviving Twin of Bethany, Carver is more or less stuck in the Anger stage, at least until the Deep Roads expedition. It's worth noting that he isn't really given any sort of space to grieve, or at least none that we're shown in the game. He doesn't seem to have any friends of his own with whom he could discuss it; Leandra is wrapped up in her own grief; Gamlen is, well, Gamlen; and Hawke is busy trying to keep food on the table. Their friends also don't talk to him about it, possibly in an attempt at respectful silence on the subject of a girl none of them (except Aveline) ever met. The only person we ever see even try to talk to Carver about his loss is Anders - whom Carver doesn't like. By the end of the game, he has moved into Acceptance.
Generation Xerox: Discussed in Legacy, if Carver is a Templar. He and Hawke can discuss how Carver was named after a Templar who protected Malcolm from the Circles. Hawke can then point out Carver is doing his namesake proud by becoming a Templar who protects his mage sibling from the Circle.
Go Through Me: If he joins the Templars, he says this to Meredith in the endgame sequence when she tries to have Hawke executed, regardless of whether Hawke sides with the mages or the Templars.
- Even before that, Varric can confirm in DAI that if Carver was a Templar, the reason none of Meredith's Templars ever tried to arrest Hawke before Hawke became the Champion of Kirkwall was because they didn't want to invoke Carver's wrath.
Heel Realization: If he becomes a Warden, Carver comes to regret what an ass he was in Act 1. It gets brought up in party banter if he's one of the companions brought for the Mark of the Assassin DLC; depending on who the other companion is, their reaction to his regret varies widely.
He Is All Grown Up: Isabela notes this in Legacy if he becomes a Templar or Grey Warden. If Hawke is romancing her, they're understandably worried.
Hopeless Suitor: If Hawke is male, then Carver was this to Peaches back in Lothering. He's also this to Merrill, especially if she's romanced by Hawke (of either gender).
Hypocrite: Despite his dislike of magic, he has a crush on Merrill, who is a Blood Mage. In fact, he still does even if he becomes a Templar.
Hypocrisy Nod: Should he become a Templar, Hawke calls him out on the fact that his father was a mage, his twin sister was a mage, and so are they! Of course, Carver later reveals he wants to use his position to protect his mage sibling from within the order, as the Carver he was named after did for Malcolm.
Hypocritical Heartwarming: He often whines about Hawke's magic, but if he's in the party when Fenris finds out the Hawke is a mage, he will tell Fenris to leave his sibling alone.
- If he becomes a Templar, despite his issues with magic he uses his position to protect his sibling and mage companions from fellow Templars. Varric even mentions in Dragon Age: Inquisition that Meredith's Templars never dared mess with Hawke while Carver was around.
I Coulda Been a Contender!: If he joins the Templars and you bring him along in Legacy, it's subtly implied while questioning him about why he joined them that he wishes he could have been a Grey Warden.
I Just Want to Be Badass: Most of his dialogue and actions revolve around his intent to prove himself as more than "Hawke's little brother" to everyone else. The frequency of this renders him fairly unpopular with the rest of the party. If he becomes a Grey Warden, he feels that he's finally become who he was meant to be.
I Just Want to Be Special: His dislike of magic is implied to be a reaction to growing up in a house of magic users, causing him to feel left out.
If It's You, It's Okay: Despite his issues with mages, he seems to have a bit of a crush on Merrill and awkwardly (and with no success) tries to flirt with her a few times and ask her out, even if he ends up as a Templar.
If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: If a female Hawke romances Sebastian as a friend, has a diplomatic personality, and brings both him and Carver along for Legacy, Carver will state that he is happy for his sister... as long as this is what she wants.
Carver: The day that changes...
Inferiority Superiority Complex: His bluster is mostly due to feeling overshadowed by Hawke, and felt left out growing up surrounded by magic users. (Carver also believed his father preferred his mage siblings due to spending more time with them, on top of his Middle Child Syndrome.)
Internal Reformist: One of the reasons he gives for joining the Templars is to try to help mages (and deflect suspicion from his mage sibling) from inside their ranks. After Meredith goes crazy and declares the Right of Annulment at the end of the Third Act, Carver realizes this will never work and defects to protect his sibling.
It's All About Me: If Hawke does not bring Carver along on the trip to the Deep Roads, Carver takes it as a personal slight and joins up with the Templars out of spite.
- Subverted in that he can reveal he wasn't doing it to spite Hawke. He was doing it because a) they had no idea if Hawke survived the Deep Roads after Bartrand returned without them, and he needed some way to support Leandra in case Hawke didn't return; and b) he figured he could use his new position as a Templar to protect his sibling from Meredith's Templars if Hawke did survive. If anything, he accuses Hawke of having an It's All About Me attitude for assuming Carver did it just to spite them.
Jerkass Has a Point: Occasionally. Companions often put him down and/or negatively compare him to his older sibling, then give him a hard time for having a "bad attitude," on which he frequently calls them out. (With Friends Like These...)
- After Aveline sabotages his attempt to join the City Guard, in party banter he points out how he served in the same Fereldan army and arrived on the same refugee boat as her, yet she denied him the same opportunity she took for herself. She then constantly has him followed, and admonishes him for going down a "bad path" and hanging out with the "wrong crowd." Carver responds by pointing out that he mostly spends time with his older sibling and/or Hawke's friends, so Aveline should take it up with Hawke instead.
- He's the only Hawke family member to question Leandra's desire to return to Hightown, pointing out that she's "an old woman chasing ghosts," that the siblings are risking so much for a life they never knew (and one where he feels he doesn't belong), and he feels they'd be better off starting over somewhere else. Considering how much the family ends up losing due to chasing Hightown (Carver dead or joining the Templars/Wardens thanks to the treasure hunt in the Deep Roads, Leandra murdered by a serial killer along with other Hightown women, and Hawke becoming Lonely at the Top), he may have been onto something.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He is rather abrasive, due to his inferiority complex and (to a lesser extent) his grief over Bethany's death; but when it comes down to it, he cares for his friends and family. It's shown particularly when he tells Fenris off and says he'll have to go through him if he's got a problem with Mage Hawke, and most of all at the end if he's a Templar when he effectively tells Meredith to shove it.
Knight Templar: One of his possible paths. Ultimately, he doesn't have the personality for it.
Lantern Jaw of Justice: Isabela teases him in Act 1 that either he was at the Blooming Rose or "someone stole your chin."
Last of His Kind: If Carver is still alive in Inquisition and Hawke sacrifices themselves in the Fade, he becomes the last surviving member of the Hawke family.
Leeroy Jenkins: You can practically hear it when he runs towards the Ogre in the Prologue of a non-mage playthrough. Oh Carver, we know you mean well, but what did you think would happen?
Mage Killer: If he survives to Act 2, he will have access to the Templar warrior specialization even if he doesn't actually join the Templars.
Mauve Shirt: If Hawke is a warrior or rogue, or if he dies during the Deep Roads expedition.
Meaningful Name: In-universe example; Carver is named after a Templar who helped his father escape Kirkwall.
- Possibly invoked by Carver himself if he joins the Templars, or Hawke in Legacy, since he tries to live up to his name by joining the Templar Order partly to protect his mage sibling from within.
Middle Child Syndrome:
- You can almost hear him saying "It's always 'Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!'" every time he opens his mouth, but anyone who has lived in an older sibling's shadow can relate to him.
- In a poignant moment in Act 1, he admits he feels lost in Kirkwall. Hawke is busy being the breadwinner and their mother is still mourning Bethany, so barely anyone even notices him most of the time.
Muggle Born of Mages: His father, twin sister, and (in playthroughs that he'll actually survive) eldest sibling are all mages. His lack of magic caused him to feel completely alienated from most of the family. Carver is taken aback to learn that Malcom hoped all of his children would be muggles.
Never My Fault: All of his problems are somehow his older sibling's fault. If you take him into the Deep Roads and he survives the Blight sickness by becoming a Grey Warden, he somehow manages to convince himself that that was all big brother/sister's fault, too, even though he literally begged to come along. He gets over it eventually, though.
Nice Mean And In Between: He's the Mean sibling if Hawke is Diplomatic or Silly, and In Between if Hawke is Aggressive. That said, he's only "Mean" by comparison; he can be abrasive, but he's still a good person who loves his family.
Noble Bigot with a Badge: He can become a Templar.
"Not So Different" Remark: Varric jokes that he can see the strong resemblance between him and Gamlen, and when Sarcastic Hawke calls him out on his whining, Carver is horrified to realise he's starting to sound just like his uncle.
Overshadowed by Awesome: This is a big problem for him in regards to his siblings, particularly Hawke.
The Paladin: Gains the Templar Specialization after becoming a Templar or Grey Warden. He lacks the Church Militant aspect, though.
Platonic Declaration of Love: If he's present for the final battle, he can give one (in his own way) to Hawke if they speak to him before the last fight.
Carver: I'm proud to call you brother/sister. That's gone unsaid for too long.
Plotline Death: If the player is a warrior or rogue, Carver dies instead of Bethany. And if he's brought along on the Deep Roads expedition and Anders isn't in the party, he dies down there.
Pride: His arrogance early in the game is his biggest flaw. If he becomes a Grey Warden, he finally gets over it.
Put on a Bus: If he doesn't die in the Deep Roads expedition, he joins either the Templars or the Grey Wardens.
- The Bus Came Back: He rejoins the party for the final battle and can be brought along for the DLC quests.
- In Inquisition, Warden Carver is sent away by Hawke as soon as he hears the fake Calling created by Corypheus. Meanwhile, Templar Carver is also sent away, in order to keep him as far as possible from the mage-Templar conflict.
Really Gets Around:
- In Act 1, a female Hawke can find a letter from a girl named Peaches back in Lothering, who alludes to a liaison they had in a barn and begs him to write to her. Isabela also mentions that he's romancing a prostitute named Faith at the Blooming Rose.
- It goes further if he becomes a Warden. He tells Isabela in dialogue that since Grey Wardens have difficulties bearing children, he has to try extra hard. Hawke is not overly happy about this conversation.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Bethany's Blue.
The Resenter: Big time. He gets over it if he becomes a Grey Warden.
Sacrificial Lamb: If Hawke is a warrior or rogue.
Sacrificial Lion: If Hawke takes him along for the Deep Roads expedition and Anders isn't in the party.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: If a Warden, he will come back for the final battle despite the fact that Wardens are supposed to stay neutral in political matters. As a Templar, even if Hawke sides with the mages, he refuses to fight his own sibling.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: If not brought to the Deep Roads, he joins the Templars and leaves the family at the end of Act 1.
Sibling Rivalry: Carver begins the game slanted towards rivalry. This was also his relationship with Bethany; she tells Varric that when they were kids, he used to nail her braid to the bed while she slept.
Sibling Yin-Yang: With his twin, Bethany.
Sour Supporter: He's very loyal to and supportive of his older sibling. He'll just scowl and sulk the whole time.
Strong Family Resemblance: His facial structure is very similar to his uncle's; the twins clearly favor their mother's side of the family.
Took a Level in Badass:
- Carver considers himself to have finally done this if he becomes a Grey Warden.
- Fenris even comments on this in Mark of the Assassin, in his own way.
  Carver: Still don't like me? I've tried to change.
  Fenris: You have. Now you're dangerous.
The Un-Favourite: In Legacy, once you've completed "Malcolm's Will," he's surprised and confused to hear that his father didn't want mage children. He always simply assumed that since he was the only non-mage, the other two siblings must have been loved more and he never questioned that assumption, something he finally realizes doesn't really stand up to scrutiny.
Vitriolic Best Buds: He has this relationship with Varric. Also with Isabela, which crosses into Belligerent Sexual Tension at times.
Carver: Still think you're helping by burying us in debt to your brother?
Varric: Still riding sidesaddle while bitching at your betters?
Carver: Drinks later?
Varric: Never miss 'em.
What the Hell, Hero?: Like Bethany, he will yell at Hawke if he becomes a Grey Warden and comes back to Kirkwall to find his older sibling supporting Meredith and the Templars in the final battle. He can still be talked into helping, but only because you're family. It really hammers in his Character Development when you consider how much he reportedly hates magic in the first act, and resents Hawke both for their magic and his own inferiority complex - yet as soon as he hears that Meredith has invoked the Rite of Annulment, he comes running to help Hawke and expects to be helping to defend the mages.
Carver: Tell me this is a joke! You can't be siding with that bitch against your own people!
With Friends Like These...: The companions constantly put him down or unfavorably compare him to his older sibling in party banter, then give him a hard time for having a bad attitude. No wonder, with company like this!
You Did Everything You Could: During the climax of Act 2, Warden Carver says he's sure Hawke did their best to save Leandra. Templar Carver is a lot less classy.
You're Not My Father: Legacy implies that Hawke greatly takes after Malcolm, particularly in personality. One can imagine that part of the reason that Carver feels so much resentment towards Hawke is due to the death of their father, which would have been twice as hard to accept when his eldest sibling, who is essentially the same person, then stepped into the role as head of the household.

Hawke Family & Estate

Leandra Hawke

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/da2_leandra.jpg

Voiced by: Deborah Moore (English), Melanie Hinze (German)

"We've lost it all. Everything your father and I built."

She is the mother of Hawke, Carver, and Bethany by Malcolm Hawke, an apostate who died prior to the opening of the game. She has living relatives in Kirkwall.

All Girls Want Bad Boys: Subverted to hell and back. On paper, the backstory of her romance with Malcolm Hawke looks like the typical dashing rogue sweeping the innocent noblewoman off her feet with his charms, his wit, and his exhilarating lifestyle. Malcolm, for his part, fits this image pretty well, being an outlaw from the Circle of Magi and a one-time mercenary. Then, come Legacy, Hawke learns a lot more about Malcolm and he turns out to be a truly nice guy, and a shining example of an honorable apostate.
All Take and No Give: To her Kirkwall family, especially Gamlen. After abandoning the family to marry an apostate (knowing it would further damage their already dwindling status) and leaving her brother to take care of everything (including their dying parents and the estate after they were gone), she returns years later expecting to be restored to the lifestyle she left. She is not pleased when Gamlen tells her the fortune is gone, and refuses to get a job or pay rent.
- Arguably justified, at least to an extent. Upon arriving in Kirkwall, she learns that her brother squandered the family fortune on gambling and bad business ventures, sold the estate to settle one of his debts and then tricked her surviving children into indentured servitude to pay off another. This is all before she learns that Gamlen outright stole her inheritance after their parents died.
And I Must Scream: Her head was removed (and her eyes replaced) and planted on another body while she was fully aware but unable to do anything about it. She's freed when Hawke kills Quentin, but dies shortly afterward.
Arranged Marriage: When Leandra was eleven, she was betrothed to Guilliaume de Launcet, the eldest son of the then-Comte; she doesn't seem to have minded the arrangement until she met Malcolm Hawke several years later.
Better as Friends/Amicable Exes: Apparently, she's this with the Comte de Launcet. Despite having been betrothed to Leandra for several years before she eloped with Malcolm, there's no indication that the Comte resents her for breaking the betrothal. If Bethany is the surviving twin, she mentions in Act 1 that Leandra went to visit him and his wife, suggesting that they're on friendly terms still. If Hawke speaks to the Comtesse at the party in Mark of the Assassin, she will even very politely inquire after Leandra's health or offer condolences for her death.
Body Horror: Leandra is murdered and pieced together with other women by Quentin and kept alive by his magic.
Cool Big Sis: The World of Thedas section on the Hawke family indicates that Leandra was this to Gamlen throughout their youth. Their parents doted on her and gave her every possible luxury, and her response was to insist that Gamlen be given every bit as much as she herself received. Until she eloped with Malcolm, they considered themselves best friends.
Dead Person Conversation: If the Legacy DLC is completed after the quest "All That Remains," Leandra briefly appears at the Hawke estate at the end of the DLC and speaks with Hawke.
Debate and Switch: When the Hawkes first arrive in Kirkwall, Leandra is rightfully shocked to learn Gamlen gambled the family fortune away without telling her, and then used her new family's distress to indenture her children into paying off his debts. Gamlen retorts that Leandra chose to leave the family fortune behind decades ago, didn't return until she needed something, and then complained when the help he could offer wasn't up to her standards — even after living in his home rent-free for over a year. An interesting conflict where Both Sides Have a Point... until it's revealed their parents left Leandra everything and Gamlen stole her inheritance, rendering his side of the argument completely moot.
Died in Your Arms Tonight: She dies as Hawke cradles her.
Disinherited Child: Subversion: she thinks she is this because her parents disowned her when she eloped with Malcolm Hawke. Her brother Gamlen lets her go on believing it. However, Hawke recovers Grandfather Amell's will from the old family vault, and it's revealed that he actually left his daughter everything.
Entitled Bastard: While she is a generally nice person, the game makes it clear that she feels entitled to the comfortable lifestyle she chose to leave behind years ago, and does not stop complaining about not having it until Hawke strikes gold in the Deep Roads.
Leandra: I still can't believe Father didn't leave me anything.
Gamlen: Well, they were pretty steamed when you ran off with some Fereldan apostate.
Leandra: I'm still their daughter; their eldest!
Fantastic Racism: No more than most in Kirkwall, and not without some justification; after "that Sten creature" killed a whole family in Lothering, she's a bit concerned about Hawke visiting a compound full of them.
- She also finds the elf companions rather odd, but considering who she's talking about...
Go Out with a Smile: Her final seconds are spent smiling at her eldest child and telling them how proud she is of them.
Good Parents: On the one hand, she loves her children very much and has spent most of her adult life protecting at least one of them from the Circle...
- Parents as People: On the other hand, the game shows that she's rather proud, lazy, and entitled, and is more than willing to sit back and let her kids do all the heavy lifting to get their family back on their feet (from fighting bad guys to risking their lives trying to find treasure in the Deep Roads), rather than at least try to get a job or contribute in some way.
Heroic BSoD: After Bethany or Carver's death in the prologue. She's improved by Act 1, but the surviving sibling will mention that she rarely leaves Gamlen's house and isn't making much of an effort to reconnect with her old friends in Hightown because she's still grieving. By mid-Act 2, she seems to have gotten much better and is even contemplating the possibility of remarriage, should the right man come along. Then Quentin finds her.
Hypocrite: For all her talk that "love is more important than money," all Leandra does from the moment she arrives in Kirkwall is nag Gamlen about not having enough money. (Not to mention letting at least one of her kids risk their life looking for gold in the Deep Roads.) She calms down only after Hawke makes their fortune in the Deep Roads and moves her to Hightown, letting her have her way.
I Have No Son!: She was disowned by her parents for eloping with an apostate. The World of Thedas even states that her mother refused to speak to her for weeks leading up to the elopement, and her father was the one to tell her that "You are no longer an Amell, and she is not your mother anymore." For some reason, however, they still favored her over Gamlen even after this.
I Want Grandkids: A conversation in Act 2 implies that she wants Hawke to settle down for this reason.
I Was Quite a Looker: Well, she still is for the most part. She refers to herself as being "in my dotage," but she's a good-looking woman for her age.
Identical Stranger: The reason why Quentin kidnapped her. Her face was nearly identical to that of his dead wife, whom he was recreating through body parts taken from other women; Leandra's head was the final piece.
Impoverished Patrician: Though in her case, she gave up her title and fortune willingly. But when Lothering is destroyed, she expects to be able to get it back the moment she returns. She does in Act 2, though not without some considerable work on Hawke's part.
Informed Attribute: She's presented as a selfless, hard-working single mother, but she's only ever shown standing around watching her kids do all the work, and nagging and criticizing Gamlen (and occasionally Hawke) for not providing for the family the way she wants, despite refusing to step up herself. The only thing we ever see her actually do (or rather, are told in dialogue that she does) is ask the Viscount for an audience so that she can petition to reclaim her status as an Amell; the actual audience takes place while Hawke is in the Deep Roads, so it isn't shown. Though even then, said "audience" involves Leandra asking someone else to give her the lifestyle she feels she's owed for being born an Amell, rather than nag Gamlen or Hawke about it for a change.
- This is occasionally acknowledged in-universe, though. If Bethany is brought along for the Legacy DLC in Act 1, she mentions that she has tried to get her mother to look for work, but Leandra refused.
- This is also, if the World of Thedas books are to be believed, a relatively recent development. After they eloped, she and Malcolm didn't exactly have a lot with which to start building a life, but the books mention that she was able to help provide for them by utilizing the needlework skills she'd acquired as a wealthy man's daughter. It seems to be mostly after returning to Kirkwall that she developed the lazy and entitled attitude - possibly brought on at least in part by grief and depression over her child's death.
Irony: Prior to her elopement with Malcolm Hawke, Leandra was betrothed to the Comte de Launcet, and she says that a big part of the reason her parents disowned her for her marriage was because magic was really strong in the Amell family line, and by marrying an apostate, she was bringing in more magic, not less. But Hawke encounters the de Launcets in the course of the game, and they too have a mage son - meaning that Leandra very possibly would have been bringing more magic into the family line even if she'd done what her parents wanted.
It's All My Fault: How she really feels about losing one of the twins during the prologue. She lashes out at Hawke at the time, saying it's their fault, but a conversation later can have her apologize and say that she never truly thought such a thing, and that the one she really blames is herself. (That said, Hawke has to be the one to bring it up for her to say anything; otherwise she'll continue letting Hawke think she blames them.)
Loving a Shadow: The Legacy DLC drops some strong hints that Leandra resents Hawke because they were closer to and knew Malcolm better than she did. The implication is that even though she eloped and had three children with him, she never really knew Malcolm all that well.
The Maiden Name Debate: Not discussed, but of possible curiosity to the player, is the fact that once they reclaim the Amell family estate, Leandra reverts to using her maiden name. It may be that she had to do this as part of the process of regaining ownership of the ancestral estate, given that it might have been entailed on the Amell name, but this is never mentioned. It wouldn't even be noticeable, except that Bodahn insistently calls her "Mistress Amell."
- Notably, in the Heroes of Dragon Age spinoff game, Leandra's piece is identified as "Leandra Amell" rather than "Leandra Hawke."
Marry for Love: Her ultimate decision. According to the World of Thedas books, upon learning that she was pregnant with an apostate's child and intended to marry him, her parents offered to let her out of the betrothal; they promised that she wouldn't have to marry the Comte or anyone else, and they would even accept her unborn child into the family, if she would just give up on the idea of running away with Malcolm. She refused, however, and was cast out with only the clothes on her back.
Master of the Mixed Message: She seems to support Hawke's relationship with the chosen love interest in dialogue, regardless of who it is. However, this is also the same conversation she can end by declaring her intention to find them a proper wife/husband; considering the outcome of her own betrothal, it seems a little odd that she would take this point of view.
My Secret Pregnancy: The World of Thedas profiles confirm that Leandra was pregnant with Hawke before eloping with Malcolm, and that they even considered pulling a Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe on the Comte de Launcet. Leandra ultimately refused to do that, however, and when she declared that she would not give up the man she loved, Malcolm asked her to marry him. She then attempted to conceal her pregnancy from her family (except for Gamlen, in whom she confided) while he went to deal with a certain matter for the Grey Wardens. Eventually she was found out, however, thanks to the gossiping family servants.
Never My Fault: Blames Gamlen alone for the loss of the family fortune, despite Gamlen rightfully pointing out that Leandra chose to leave that life behind decades ago. What's more, if a Warden Amell world state is uploaded, Leandra admits the Amells were already in decline before she left because her cousin Revka kept giving birth to mage children; her parents were trying to arrange an advantageous marriage to help reverse this, but her running off with an apostate didn't help matters. Combine that with the fact that she left her brother, whom she knew had a gambling problem, to look after the entire estate for decades, and she is just as responsible for the Amells becoming Impoverished Patricians as him. However, any time Gamlen tries to point any of this out, she brushes him off.
Nice to the Waiter: One of her better qualities. She's not shown interacting with Bodahn, Sandal, and Orana (if she joins the household), but they all have dialogue which indicates that they like her a lot, suggesting that this trope is in play.
Old Money: She comes from this; the Amells have been part of the Kirkwall nobility since the Fourth Blight, and as such she had every possible luxury when growing up.
Outliving One's Offspring: One of her twin children will always die in the prologue. The other may die at the end of Act 1.
The Paragon Always Rebels: After the will is found, Hawke can have a conversation with Gamlen in which he talks about how their parents had always proudly shown Leandra off to everyone as "the beauty" and "the scholar" of the family. She then turned around and ran away to marry an apostate.
Parental Hypocrisy: After seemingly supporting Hawke's chosen love interest (regardless of who they are) in dialogue, Leandra immediately mentions her intention to find Hawke a "proper wife/husband." Considering she rebelled against her parents' arranged marriage for her and eloped to Marry for Love, it's a little hypocritical.
Parental Favoritism:
- She was on the receiving end of this throughout her whole life, according to Gamlen. The World of Thedas profiles on the Hawke family members corroborate his story.
- Downplayed with her own children. She's more protective of the surviving twin than of Hawke, to the point that she'll beg them not to let the surviving twin go into the Deep Roads since it's "too dangerous"; she's seemingly okay with Hawke risking his or her life going down there, saying that "I understand why you have to do this." (Of course, it could be residual trauma from losing the first twin - or a Gut Feeling, considering what happens...)
Parents in Distress:
- During the prologue, you must protect your mother, as she is the only non-combat member of your family.
- She needs you again in Act 2. Sadly, it does not end well for her.
Platonic Declaration of Love: She gives one to Hawke right before she dies in their arms.
Leandra: I love you. You've always made me so proud.
Please Wake Up: When Bethany or Carver dies in the prologue.
Pride: If Hawke is not a mage and plays the Legacy DLC during Act 1, Bethany can reveal that Leandra refuses to get a job or try to reach out to some of her old Hightown friends for financial help because of this.
Bethany: I've tried to get Mother to look for work, or reconnect with some of her childhood friends. But she went to visit the Comte de Launcet once, and now she refuses to try again. She says it's just "too pathetic."
Plotline Death: Act 2 cannot be completed without doing the quests "Prime Suspect" and "All That Remains," the latter of which ends with her death.
Princess in Rags: While her brother gambled away the family fortune without telling her and lives in a hovel in Lowtown, nevertheless he helps her get into the city where most Fereldan refugees were turned away, and gives her and her children free room and board for a year to help them get back on their feet. Also, most Fereldan refugees in Kirkwall live in abject poverty due to the high influx of low skill labor flooding into the city, and while Lowtown isn't as nice as Hightown, it's still better off than the Alienage or Darktown. Nevertheless, Leandra never stops complaining that her family is "disgraced" due to no longer living in Hightown, refuses to get a job or start over elsewhere, and never stops pushing to restore the family to a mansion in Hightown until Hawke finds gold in the Deep Roads. To Leandra, anything less than a mansion and huge pile of gold among the nobility is poverty and degradation, even if they have it better than most Fereldan refugees, elves, and mages - simply because it's not what she had growing up and she feels that it's what she deserves.
Prodigal Hero: Played with. Leandra is the Kirkwall native who used to live in the lap of luxury, eloped with an apostate, built a charmed life with her new husband and family in Lothering, then was forced to return home on her knees after her new home was destroyed by the Blight. However, Leandra herself doesn't become Kirkwall's Champion; her eldest child does.
Rebellious Princess: Not royalty, but her family, the Amells, were highly prestigious nobility in Kirkwall. She sacrificed her station and everything she had to marry Malcolm Hawke, an apostate mage.
Self-Serving Memory: She claims she was disowned for eloping with Malcolm, but The World of Thedas: Vol II reveals that she actually got pregnant by Malcolm while engaged to Compte de Launcet, and her parents were still willing to work with her by offering to cancel the engagement and raise the child as an Amell as long as she broke up with her Ferelden apostate mercenary paramour. She chose to sneak out and run away instead.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Seems to have a fair bit of this with Gamlen, though it's evident that they love each other even if they don't always like each other. Her World of Thedas profile states that they were close throughout their entire childhood, and Gamlen was the one who helped Leandra elope by finding a ship's captain to give her and Malcolm passage to Ferelden.
So Proud of You: In addition to her Platonic Declaration of Love noted above, she also leaves a note saying this among Hawke's papers in their bedroom. You can even find it after she's dead for more tear-jerking moments.
Strong Family Resemblance: Compare her face with her daughter Bethany's; the bone structure is very similar.
Survivor Guilt: If Carver dies, she'll outright tell Bethany that she wishes she (Leandra) had died with him. If it's Bethany who dies, she doesn't say such a thing to Carver, but he tells Hawke that the grief is eating her alive.
The Thing That Would Not Leave: Gamlen considers her this by Act 1, after she's spent a year living in his house and shows no intention of getting a job, paying rent, or moving out.
Ungrateful Bastard: Being an Uptown Girl, she expected the Old Money to be waiting for her whenever she returned, and will accept nothing less. As Gamlen learns the hard way, even if you get her and her family into the city and provide room and board with whatever meager means available to you, don't expect any gratitude unless it comes with a mansion and a pile of gold.
Leandra: My children have been in servitude for a year. Servitude! They should be nobility!
Uptown Girl: She was one to Malcolm when they first met. He was a mercenary and an apostate and she was a noblewoman.
Vague Age: It's hard to tell just how old Leandra is. Her World of Thedas profile states only that she was born near the end of the Blessed Age. Hawke is canonically 23-24 at the start of the game, so it's hard to imagine that she's much more than 45-50; yet her hair is fully turned gray and, in the second act, she describes herself as being "in my dotage." (The terminology is possibly justified, since we don't know what the average lifespan is in Thedas.)
What the Hell, Hero?: Accuses Hawke of letting the dead sibling run off to get killed. She admits, in a later conversation, that she blames herself more than anyone else for the loss of Bethany or Carver to the ogre.
You Did Everything You Could: As she is dying of Quentin's blood magic, she uses her last moments to console a devastated Hawke and assure her child that she does not blame them for anything, instead thanking them for freeing her.
You Remind Me of X: After her death, Bodahn will comment that part of the reason for his fondness for "Mistress Amell" is because she reminds him of his own mother in a number of ways.

Malcolm Hawke

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/da2_malcolm.png

Voiced by: Nicholas Boulton

"Magic will serve that which is best in me, not that which is most base."

The apostate mage father of our hero. He strongly believed that mages who could control their powers should be allowed to live outside the Circle. He died three years before the start of the game. In Legacy, Hawke investigates their father's past.

Ancestral Weapon: "Malcolm's Honor," from the first Mage Item Pack, is a staff he made and refined over several years in Lothering. The Hawke's Key is the weapon he used to reinforce Corypheus's seals.
Badass Creed:
- "Be bound here for eternity, hunger stilled, rage smothered, desire dampened, pride crushed. In the name of the Maker, so let it be."
- As well as his own personal mantra:
  Malcolm: Magic will serve that which is best in me, not that which is most base.
Badass Bookworm: Larius remembers him as a learned man, fascinated by the construction of the Warden prison. The Malcolm's Honor staff is said to reflect the breadth of his knowledge.
Badass Teacher: In Legacy, Circle Bethany says the other mages are very impressed by the extensive magical training she received from Malcolm. It's implied that he gave the same training to a Mage Hawke.
Blood Magic: He was a blood mage, though a reluctant one, and he is regretful of that.
Call to Agriculture: When the Hawke family settled in Lothering, Malcolm hung up his staff and became a farmer.
Comes Great Responsibility: A lesson he lived by and taught his mage child(ren). If he were a Circle mage, he'd be the poster boy for the Aequitarian Fraternity.
Cursed with Awesome: He appears to have considered his magic a curse and it's revealed he deeply hoped that his children would not be mages, so they would be able to live a normal life. Things didn't turn out that way for at least one of his children, but he was a good dad anyway.
Dark and Troubled Past: According to the codex, Malcolm's past had more than its share of bloodshed and gave him lifelong nightmares. The most he was prepared to say about it was: "Freedom's price is never cheap, but that was a hundred leagues and a lifetime ago."
Dark Is Not Evil: Of all the game's blood mages, he has the most understandable reason for ever using the stuff. He used it to seal away Corypheus, a tremendously powerful darkspawn. And he did this because the Grey Warden-Commander Larius threatened Leandra, whom the World of Thedas books confirm was pregnant with Hawke at the time.
Deceased Parents Are the Best: His family practically worships his memory (even Carver). Every recollection is a positive one, and even negative revelations about him in Legacy are given a positive spin. Yes, he used blood magic to help the Grey Wardens imprison Corypheus, but he only did so because he was strong-armed into it when they threatened to kill Leandra and unborn Hawke.
Disappeared Dad: He dies some time before the start of the game. In party banter, Bethany can tell Merrill that he died as a result of the Blight, although details are not given.
Forbidden Friendship: He was friends with a Templar named Maurevar Carver, for whom Carver is named. They had to send letters to each other through Tobrius to prevent the Templar Order from finding out.
Generation Xerox: Hawke is said to greatly take after, and physically resemble, Malcolm.
Good Parents: Obviously, we don't see it first hand, but Hawke and their siblings remember him very fondly. Even Carver, who was the least focused on due to likely both his siblings being mages and/or Middle Child Syndrome, clearly misses him.
Guile Hero: A capable fighter and smooth-talker without using magic.
He Who Must Not Be Seen: Likely due to the variability of appearances for Hawke; since Hawke is said to resemble him strongly, and Hawke is a fully customizable character, there are simply too many possibilities.
Heroic Neutral: See Call to Agriculture. Word of God is that he didn't actively work against the Circle like Anders; he just wanted to get out and have a quiet life. Larius had to threaten Leandra for him to help with the Corypheus issue. Malcolm made him both promise safe passage and pay through the nose for the work.
Heroic Vow: "Though I have left the Circle, I made a solemn vow: Magic will serve that which is best in me, not what is most base."
I Just Want to Be Free: Malcolm was an extremely powerful and knowledgeable mage, but wanted nothing more than a quiet life with his wife and children.
Magic Knight: Although he was always better at magic.
Magnetic Hero:
- Malcolm seems to have been this, having close friends who were Templars and leaving such an impression that even after 25 years, Tobrius is instantly able to recognise Malcolm's children.^note
- In Mark of the Assassin, Hawke subtly implies that Malcolm was one of the few with whom the Chasind would barter when coming to Lothering in order to trade, always treating Hawke's family with honour, despite the fact that many Fereldans consider the Chasind to be "barbarians".
Multiple-Choice Past:
- If Legacy is done during Act 1, Leandra will tell you he was a Junior Enchanter in the Kirkwall Circle. However, the codex for his DLC gear says he was a mercenary who was only in Kirkwall on an assignment.
- Another possibility is that he either claimed to be a mercenary during his early courtship to Leandra, or the tales of his mercenary past were entertaining stories he made up to tell his children, since he didn't want them going to the Circle.
- Or, finally, it's possible that both are true. It's possible that Malcolm was in the Circle, escaped, became a mercenary, came to Kirkwall for an assignment, met Leandra, fell in love, and then they ran away together and eventually built a new life in Lothering.
- According to The World of Thedas, vol. 2, the Circle story at least is true. The book states that Malcolm and Leandra met at a dinner thrown by the Viscount to honor the visiting Grand Duchess Florianne; Malcolm was among a delegation of Circle mages who were hired to provide entertainment.
Mysterious Past: We know nothing about his life before he met Leandra, besides that he was a Circle Mage once. He refused to even speak about it to his wife or children. Legacy reveals that early in his relationship with Leandra, he was coerced into briefly working with the Grey Wardens, which he kept secret for a very good reason.
Odd Friendship: With Ser Maurevar Carver. Friendship between a Templar and an apostate.
Parental Favoritism: Not maliciously, but Legacy reveals that he had the closest relationship with Bethany, due to training her with her magic. A mage Hawke can bring this up with Carver, who got the shortest end of the stick due to having no magic.
Posthumous Character: He's dead by the time Hawke's story begins, but his presence is felt throughout.
Precursor Heroes: Especially in Legacy, which involves his child(ren) carrying on the work he left behind.
Pro-Human Transhuman: Though born with incredible powers, Malcolm avoided trying to be like the Tevinter-esque mages, who viewed their magic as a privilege to be abused and used their power to oppress and lord over their fellow people. Instead, he spent his life trying to be a decent and moral human being, and he tried to teach his magically-talented child(ren) to be responsible in the mastery of their abilities.
Retired Badass: After settling in Lothering.
Significant Double Casting: Voiced by Nicholas Boulton, who also voices the male version of Hawke.
So Proud of You: If Bethany is alive and comes along for Legacy, he gives a posthumous one through her. He naturally had to spend a lot more time with his only mage child, but she tells Hawke that he was still deeply proud of his "little soldiers" / "his scoundrel and his soldier."
What If the Baby Is Like Me:
- Malcolm did not want his children to have magic, lest they take on the burden he has dealt with his entire life. It happens at least once with Bethany.
- To the man's credit, his children are quite surprised to find out he did not want a child with magic, and imply that he never let this interfere in raising them. He and Bethany especially were very close.
What Happened to the Mouse?: It's implied that he bound four demons in the past, yet you can only fight three of them.

Gamlen Amell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/da2_gamlen.png

Appears in: Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Timothy Watson (English), Tommy Morgenstern (German)

"So, you're moving up in the world. Got some coin to share with your favorite uncle?"

Hawke's uncle and Leandra's younger brother. Helps the family get into Kirkwall and provides their housing pre-expedition to the Deep Roads.

At Least I Admit It: Accuses Leandra of being just as preoccupied with money as he is (he's not wrong), and says that he at least admits to his greed and vices whereas she claims that "love is more important than money" and yet only shows interest in money once in Kirkwall.
Awful Truth: Telling him exactly what happened to Leandra will only result in him being cruel to Hawke (having a nasty spat with a Mage Hawke in particular); being more general will get him to open up and show his more human side.
Bearer of Bad News: After Leandra's death, he volunteers for the job of telling the surviving twin, either in person or via letter.
Big Brother Instinct:
- Played tragically when Leandra dies. His anguish at her death is heartbreaking, and he reverses much of his old resentment out of regret.
- Played heartwarmingly in the next act, should Hawke reunite him with his daughter, Charade. If you speak kindly of him to her, they will reconcile, and Gamlen will admit that if he sired as admirable a man/woman as Hawke, Malcolm Hawke must have been a great man himself, and worthy of his sister. Despite being a grumpy, pitiful, and altogether resentful deadbeat, that one moment lifts his character up so much.
- World of Thedas: Vol 2 reveals that he was also this when he and Leandra were younger. He hid Leandra's affair and pregnancy with Malcolm from their parents, and when they found out and tried to forbid Leandra from being with Malcolm, Gamlen helped her escape so she could elope with the man she loved. (Not that this gets him any brownie points when Leandra returns.)
Character Development: Gamlen starts out a sleazy man who is resentful of his sister for inheriting the estate despite running off with an apostate mage, but both Leandra's death and reuniting with his daughter Charade can turn him into a better man, and cause him to forgive Leandra by believing Malcolm was worthy of her.
Creepy Uncle:
- He has a few shades of this, such as his uncomfortable interest if a female Hawke romances Isabela.
- If the Mark of the Assassin DLC is done during Act 1 and Bethany is in the party, she confides in her elder sibling that he's been sneaking into her room. She fortunately adds that he mostly just seems to be going through her things in search of loose change, but it's still creepy.
Debate and Switch: When the Hawkes first arrive in Kirkwall, Leandra is (rightfully) shocked to learn that Gamlen gambled the family fortune away without telling her, and then used her new family's distress to indenture her children into paying off his debts. Gamlen retorts that Leandra chose to leave the family fortune behind decades ago, didn't return until she needed something, and then complained when the help he could offer wasn't up to her standards - even after living in his home rent-free for over a year. An interesting conflict where Both Sides Have a Point... until it's revealed that their parents left Leandra everything and Gamlen stole her inheritance, rendering his side of the argument completely moot.
Dirty Old Man: He visits the Blooming Rose fairly regularly, and can be seen sitting at the bar. The madam of the establishment can be heard inquiring as to whether he bathed before making his current visit, because she's "had some complaints" - making him a literal dirty old man.
- Also asks a female Hawke for details if she hooks up with Isabela, which is more than a little creepy. During Mark of the Assassin, Isabela can ask Hawke to talk to him as he's apparently often... inappropriate.
  Hawke: You find something inappropriate?
  Isabela: Extremely so! It's... rather repulsive, actually. Please talk to him.
Disappeared Dad: To his daughter Charade. He doesn't even know she exists until Act 3; her mother, Mara, left Gamlen without ever telling him she was pregnant. After finally meeting her, he seems to be trying to make up for this.
Drowning My Sorrows: It's implied he indulges in so many vices (drinking, gambling, whoring, etc) to cope with how bitterly miserable and alone he feels, especially after remaining The Unfavorite even after caring for his parents on their death beds, and losing the love of his life to his vices.
Dude, Where's My Respect?: As sleazy and self-serving as he is, he's rightfully miffed that his parents didn't appreciate him for taking care of them even on their deathbeds, and that Leandra's new family doesn't mutter so much as a grudging "thank you" for getting them into the city and letting them stay in his hovel rent-free for over a year. (Though the fact that he indentured Leandra's children for a year to pay off his gambling debts doesn't exactly endear him to them.)
The Dutiful Son: Not that it earned him any points with his family.
A Fool and His New Money Are Soon Parted: He didn't gamble the entire fortune away; he genuinely tried to increase their profits by investing in various business ventures. Unfortunately, Gamlen has no business sense, so the money disappeared just as quickly as his wagers over the gambling table. (One of the ventures in which he invested was apparently very stinky Antivan cheeses, which goes to show just how poor a judge of such things he is.)
Freudian Excuse: Being The Unfavorite has made him a very bitter man.
The Gambling Addict: His gambling debts frequently leave him without two coins to scrape together. This was a problem long before Hawke was born, and implied to be at least part of the reason their parents gave Leandra control of the estate.
Grumpy Old Man: And not the endearing sort. He never has anything pleasant to say during the time that Hawke and their family live with him; he complains about the dog (if the Black Emporium is installed), and even about Hawke getting mail. Even if Diplomatic Hawke tries to be nice to him, he snaps back at them to not bother trying to butter him up. He seems to lighten up somewhat once Leandra and her children are out of his house, though, which suggests that living in close quarters with all of them for so long may have just pushed his temper too far.
I Am What I Am: Gamlen knows he's a gambling addict and Lower-Class Lout, and is mostly okay with it. He's also the only member of the Hawke/Amell family not to harbor a serious entitlement complex regarding his in-born nobility. He's mostly content to live in his hovel, and neither joins nor is seen asking to join the Hawke family in Act 2. The only thing he seems to resent is being The Unfavorite, and it's hard to blame him for that.
Impoverished Patrician: He lost the family estate and fortune to settle gambling debts. He never gets it back and is left living on a stipend. Even after Hawke regains their fortune and buys back the estate, Gamlen remains living in squalor down in Lowtown.
Captain Ewald: A nobleman? The only Gamlen I know is a weasel who doesn't have two coppers to scrape together!
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Seen in a few ways.
- Gamlen might not be a pleasant person initially, but he does love his sister; World of Thedas states that they were very close as children. Despite their antagonism in Act 1, they continue to have weekly get-togethers after she moves out of his house.
- While he doesn't get any credit for it from the family, he does arrange to get them into the city with the only means he has (though tricking them into working off his debts was a scummy move), and lets them live in his home rent-free for a year while they get back on their feet.
- He will, in a very roundabout away, give Hawke a So Proud of You after they become Champion of Kirkwall.
- After Leandra is killed, he volunteers to be the Bearer of Bad News to Bethany/Carver (if they are still alive) because Hawke has enough on their mind, and gently advises his elder niece/nephew to "take care of yourself."
- He may also admit (if he appears in the Legacy DLC) that he distracted his and Leandra's parents so that she could sneak away to spend time with Malcolm. The World of Thedas, Vol. 2 bears out this story; he was the only one in whom she confided about her romance and resultant pregnancy.
- If Hawke reunites him with his estranged daughter, he's very grateful (albeit a little annoyed that they poked into his business) and eager to develop a relationship.
Jerkass: He comes across this way often in Act 1, quarreling with his sister about their parents' will and being generally unpleasant to her children. As Bethany remarks to her elder sibling, "I think there's a reason Mother never talked about him much."
Jerkass Has a Point:
- For all his vices and unpleasantness (and his hand in taking and losing the family estate), Gamlen is not entirely wrong when he says that Leandra chose to leave the family fortune behind years ago, didn't return even when her family needed her, and just expected the family fortune to be waiting for her whenever she decided to come back (despite doing none of the work to help maintain it over the years).
  Gamlen: We all have our burdens to bear. Mine was taking care of the life you chose to leave behind.
- Also, for all Leandra's talk that "love is more important than money," all she does from the moment they reunite is nag and criticize Gamlen for not having as much money as she expected him to have, even before it's revealed that their parents left her everything. It's hard to blame him for being bitter.
Karma Houdini: Never seems to suffer any serious punishment or imprisonment for selling Leandra's children into indentured servitude to pay off his debts, squandering the Amell family fortune, selling the estate to slavers, and altogether committing massive amounts of fraud (even after you discover that their father's will left everything to Leandra). The only way Hawke can spite him is by preventing him from meeting his daughter and rubbing their success in his face. Even if Hawke doesn't actively snub him, it's implied that they refuse to let Gamlen live at the estate as punishment for everything he pulled.
Let Us Never Speak of This Again: Speaking to him in the Blooming Rose has him tell you that he won't say anything to your mother if you won't.
Luke, You Are My Father: As noted elsewhere, one quest in Act 3 can result in him learning that his wife was pregnant when she left him, and he has a daughter he never knew existed.
Mr. Vice Guy: His tendency to indulge himself led him to squander the entire family fortune very quickly.
Old Money: As noted in Leandra's folder, the Amells have been aristocracy for several generations and have a lot of this. Or at least, they did until he got his hands on it. Though if using a Warden Amell Worldstate, Leandra will admit the family was already losing money and status due to her cousin Revka giving birth to mage child after mage child, Leandra's Arranged Marriage into the respectable de Launcet family was meant to try to reverse this, but her running off with an apostate didn't help matters. Gamlen getting his hands on the fortune was just the final nail in the coffin.
The Only One I Trust: He was the only one in whom big sister Leandra confided about being pregnant and planning to elope with an apostate, and he kept her secret faithfully until the family servants ratted her out to their mother.
Overly Narrow Superlative: Snarky Hawke can invoke one when they first meet him, inquiring, "Would it help if I said you were my favorite uncle?" He is, of course, Hawke's only uncle; it does nothing to help the current situation, but Gamlen is at least amused by it.
Parental Abandonment: Emotional abandonment. They favoured Leandra and took Gamlen for granted while he remained in Kirkwall and cared for them while they were ill. Ultimately they didn't even leave him anything in their will, leaving everything to Leandra instead. No wonder the guy is so messed up.
The Pig-Pen: Gamlen is informed by the madam of the Blooming Rose that she's been getting complaints about his lack of hygiene.
The Resenter: Dislikes his sister for running off with an apostate, leaving him to tend to their dying parents. And all they talked about was her. Even so, he still mourns Leandra's death.
Self-Serving Memory: If he doesn't subconsciously play up his memories of being The Unfavorite to justify taking his sister's inheritance, then he seems to overlook that he had a gambling problem even when his parents were still alive, so it's very likely that they left control of the family fortune to Leandra because they knew he was bad with money, not because they didn't love him. Leandra also has to remind him that she didn't come to their parents' funeral because the twins had just been born that same week, not because she simply decided not to attend.
- He also exhibits a bit of this toward Hawke during the questline to reunite him with Charade. At the end of it, he lightly scolds his niece/nephew for prying into his personal affairs - completely ignoring the fact, which they had told him, that they ended up sucked into the whole thing because they were attacked by thugs carrying a note with his name on it.
Shadow Archetype: Much to his own disgust, Carver will admit he shares a lot of qualities in common with Gamlen.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Seems to have a fair bit of this with Leandra, though it's evident that they love each other even if they don't always like each other.
Strong Family Resemblance:
- Implied. Once Hawke reclaims the estate in Hightown, there's a painting on the wall above the writing desk which can be assumed to depict Leandra and Gamlen's father, Aristide Amell. He looks a lot like a younger Gamlen.
- There is also a very strong likeness between him and his nephew Carver; their faces have the same bone structure.
The Unfavorite: Even though Gamlen took care of his dying parents after Leandra was disowned for eloping with Malcolm, their father's last word was "Leandra," and on top of all that, they gave Leandra control over Gamlen's part of the inheritance without explaining why. The World of Thedas, vol. 2 also bears out his story that he was basically this for his entire childhood, and offers no clear reason for it.
Vague Age: Like his sister, it's really hard to tell just how old Gamlen is. In fact, even though he's Leandra's younger brother (by one year), he looks much older; his assorted vices have caused him to not age well.
What Happened to the Mouse?: He isn't seen again after the final battle, which leaves a large portion of Kirkwall burning or otherwise demolished. However, if Hawke reunited him with his daughter Charade, it's possible that he leaves Kirkwall and goes to Tantervale, which is confirmed to be her location in Inquisition.
Work Off the Debt: The means by which he gets Hawke's family into Kirkwall - a year of indentured servitude to people he owes big time.
- After Hawke returns from the Deep Roads expedition and reclaims the family home, it's implied that Gamlen regularly tries to foist his unpaid debts upon his wealthy niece/nephew. In Inquisition, if Hawke is left in the Fade, Varric may tell a story about helping Hawke deal with some debtors who came to the estate to try and get Hawke to pay what Gamlen owed them.

Charade Amell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/da2_charade.png

Appears in: Dragon Age II | Inquisition^noteWar table

Voiced by: Olivia Poulet

"It is exciting to hear the stories and say, "That's my cousin!" Write to me, and tell me how you've been. I want news! I'll trade you incriminating gossip about your favorite uncle."

Hawke's younger cousin and Gamlen's daughter with his estranged wife, Mara.

Action Girl: When Charade's plan goes pear-shaped, she pulls out a bow and fights alongside Hawke's party.
Deadpan Snarker: Her letter to Hawke suggests it.
Hero-Worshipper: She grew up hearing stories about Hawke, not knowing they were actually her cousin.
Horrible Judge of Character: The two men she hired to get her father's attention read her letter and decided to turn on her and steal the gem. She never saw it coming. Doesn't help them at all.
The Knights Who Say "Squee!": Her reaction to finding out her long-lost cousin is the Champion of Kirkwall.
Long-Lost Relative: To the Amell and Hawke family. Considering the bereavement of Hawke's immediate family by the end of the game, the addition of Charade to their lives comes as a very welcome boon.
Meaningful Name: Her plan of theft and intrigue is all a charade to get close to her father.
Missing Mom: Her mother, Mara, is never seen and only mentioned briefly; it is stated that she died a year before the beginning of Act 3.
Neighbourhood-Friendly Gangsters: Inquisition reveals that she's a Friend of Red Jenny, an "organization" of thieves who work to help the common folk and stick it to particularly egregious nobles.
Permanently Missable Content: If Hawke takes Gamlen at his word not to involve themselves in his business, they end up never meeting her at all.
Poor Communication Kills: Very nearly literally. If she'd just contacted her father directly instead of trying to draw him out in a complicated manner, she would have placed herself (and her cousin) in a lot less danger.
Walking Spoiler: Unless you've already played through her questline once, reading this folder's contents is pretty spoileriffic.

Bodahn and Sandal Feddic

A pair of dwarven merchants that later go on to become Hawke's manservants.

See more information about them in this page.

Orana

Appears in: Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Kellie Bright

A former slave to the Tevinter Magister Hadriana, first encountered during Fenris's personal quest during Act 2. After setting her free, Hawke can later offer her a paid position as a maid in the Hawke estate.

Adopt-a-Servant: How she ends up at the estate, if the option is taken. She's just been orphaned and has nowhere to go, so Hawke brings her into the household.
Benevolent Boss: Hawke can become this to her. After rescuing her from slavery, Hawke can make it very clear that she is now free, that she will be paid for her service as a maid, and that if she wishes to leave their employ, she can do so at any time. In Act 3, it's revealed that Hawke has been generously paying for her singing and instrument lessons to nurture her talent as a musician.
Girl Friday: Plays this role to the Hawke family, alongside Bodahn's Team Dad.
Happiness in Slavery: She protests that everything was fine for her and her fellow slaves until Hadriana realized that Fenris was coming after her, freaked out, and started sacrificing slaves to fuel her blood magic. Fenris sorrowfully replies that it wasn't fine: "You just didn't know any better." Either way, she's clearly confused and afraid when she's told that she's free, and latches hopefully onto Hawke as her new master because she has no idea how to live on her own.
Hidden Depths: Is mentioned as being an incredibly talented musician. She plays the lute; clicking on the one in Hawke's bedroom will prompt Hawke to comment on her skill.
- Take Our Word for It: We never get to hear her perform.
Hikikomori: Bodahn mentions that she doesn't go outside if she can avoid it, even by Act 3.
Insistent Terminology: Refers to Hawke as "Master/Mistress" despite Hawke repeatedly insisting that they want to be called Hawke.
Iron Woobie: In-Universe she's considered one, as a former slave to a Tevinter Magister. Bodahn even mentions that when she showed up on the doorstep asking for Hawke, he simply didn't have the heart to turn her away.
Maid: This is the position she holds in the Hawke estate; in her own words, she keeps everything clean.
Morality Pet: Serves as one to Hawke if they're a Benevolent Boss, and also to Fenris, who likewise is a former slave.
Stockholm Syndrome: Somewhat understandable as a lifelong slave to a Tevinter Magister; she's simply never known any other way of life. When first encountered, she's mourning her father, callously sacrificed in order to fuel Hadriana's Blood Magic against Hawke and company.
Orana: We tried to be good, we did everything we were told. She loved Papa's soup... I don't understand! [...] Everything was fine until today!
Uncanny Valley Makeup: Not as bad as many of the other female NPCs in the game, but that purple lip color is rather garish. Given she was a slave, it raises the question of how she even got her hands on make-up to begin with.
Undying Loyalty: To Hawke and their family. After Leandra dies, speaking with Orana can prompt her to sorrowfully remark, "I'm sorry about your mama. I will miss her."
What Happened to the Mouse?: If she joins the household, there is no canon explanation given for what becomes of her after the events of the game. Does she go to Orlais with Bodahn and Sandal? Does she stay with Hawke? No one seems to know for sure.

Characters / Dragon Age II – Hawke Estate

The Hawke Children

Hawke / The Champion of Kirkwall

Appears in: Dragon Age II | Inquisition

Voiced by: Jo Wyatt (female), Nicholas Boulton (male)^{Foreign VAs}

Bethany Hawke

Appears in: Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Rebekah Staton (English), Tanya Kahana (German)

Carver Hawke

Appears in: Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Nico Lennon (English), Tim Knauer (German)

Hawke Family & Estate

Leandra Hawke

Appears in: Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Deborah Moore (English), Melanie Hinze (German)

Malcolm Hawke

Appears in: Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Nicholas Boulton

Gamlen Amell

Appears in: Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Timothy Watson (English), Tommy Morgenstern (German)

Charade Amell

Appears in: Dragon Age II | Inquisition^noteWar table

Voiced by: Olivia Poulet

Appears in: Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Kellie Bright

Alternative Title(s): Dragon Age II Hawke

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Characters / Dragon Age II – Hawke Estate

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The Hawke Children

Hawke / The Champion of Kirkwall

Appears in: Dragon Age II | Inquisition

Voiced by: Jo Wyatt (female), Nicholas Boulton (male)Foreign VAsSilvia Mißbach (female, German), Sascha Rotermund (male, German)

Bethany Hawke

Appears in: Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Rebekah Staton (English), Tanya Kahana (German)

Carver Hawke

Appears in: Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Nico Lennon (English), Tim Knauer (German)

Hawke Family & Estate

Leandra Hawke

Appears in: Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Deborah Moore (English), Melanie Hinze (German)

Malcolm Hawke

Appears in: Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Nicholas Boulton

Gamlen Amell

Appears in: Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Timothy Watson (English), Tommy Morgenstern (German)

Charade Amell

Appears in: Dragon Age II | Inquisitionnote War table

Voiced by: Olivia Poulet

Appears in: Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Kellie Bright

Alternative Title(s): Dragon Age II Hawke

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Voiced by: Jo Wyatt (female), Nicholas Boulton (male)^{Foreign VAs}

Appears in: Dragon Age II | Inquisition^noteWar table