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This page is for listing the tropes related to the characters who have appeared since ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening'' and ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' and have also appeared in other games.

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!!Cassandra Pentaghast

->'''First Appearance''': ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''
->'''Voiced by''': Creator/MirandaRaison (Games), Creator/ColleenClinkenbeard (Anime)

[[folder:Tropes In ''Dragon Age II and Dawn Of The Seeker'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/da2_cassandra.png]]
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->''"I'm not interested in stories. [[SeekerArchetype I came to hear the truth]]."''

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A member of the the Seekers of the Chantry who interrogates Varric in order to understand the true nature of [[VideoGame/DragonAgeII the Champion's story]]. Though she starts off suspicious of the Champion's actions, she eventually grows more amiable as she listens to what really happened.

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* BigBrotherWorship: When recalling her deceased brother Anthony, Cass remarks that he was "everything kind and good," and she loved him very much.
* BoyishShortHair: Given that she's ostensibly a soldier, she presumably finds long hair to be somewhat impractical. She cuts it very short somewhere between ''Dawn of the Seeker'' and ''Dragon Age II.''
* CharacterDevelopment: Despite only being a part of the framing device, Cassandra seems to mellow out as Varric tells the story. In the beginning, she's rude and nasty, even threatening Varric with a near-GroinAttack by plunging a knife through a book on his lap. By the end, she's quite willing to hear out Varric's story, and even lets him go without incident.
** Initially, she assumes that Hawke was the BigBad and responsible for instigating the Mage-Templar War, but because of Varric's tale, she comes to understand that instead they were a [[BigGood heroic figure]] who simply tried to do the best they could with an already bad situation. By the end, she realises that Kirkwall was a ticking time bomb and there was little anyone could have done.
** In ''Dawn of the Seeker'', she initially hates mages because of her DarkAndTroubledPast, but slowly learns to grow out of it and realises they are people, too. That said, her prejudice isn't completely gone by ''II'', since her initial assumption was that Mage Hawke was an apostate [[BombThrowingAnarchist dissident]] who intentionally sowed discontent to bring down the Chantry. (Of course, she thinks Hawke was a dissident who did this no matter what class they are; but she seems a little more angry about it if Hawke is a mage.)
* ConspiracyTheorist: Maybe not so much as the Chantry in general, but some of the ideas the Seekers have about the events of the game are a bit... out there.
* ContraltoOfDanger: Cassandra has a sharp low-tone voice with a heavy Prussian (or, in-universe, Nevarran) accent.
* DarkIsNotEvil: She's basically part of the Thedas equivalent of the Spanish Inquisition, wears all black, and is extremely grouchy... [[spoiler:and she's also trying to stop a major war from breaking out for entirely selfless reasons.]]
* DecoyProtagonist: Cassandra can be arguably considered the protagonist of the FramingDevice set in the present, attempting to learn the truth of [[HeroOfAnotherStory Hawke's]] [[ShroudedInMyth tale]] as told via Varric's recollections.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Over the course of the Varric's tale, she becomes less irritable, softer-spoken and in the end, even decides to let Varric go.
* DualWielding: Favours this style of combat in ''Dawn of the Seeker''.
* FoeYay: Invoked, if Hawke is male. Varric insinuates that she's developing a crush on male Hawke after a point in his story. She denies it.
** She's particularly keen to deny this if male Hawke is a ''mage'', since Cassandra is technically on the ''other'' side of the Mage-Templar conflict.
* FreudianExcuse: As ''Dawn of the Seeker'' shows, she hates mages (and blood mages in particular) because maleficars killed her beloved brother... right in front of her, when she was twelve years old. They wanted him to get them dragon's blood for a ritual and he refused.
* GeneralRipper: She initially assumes that Hawke is the mastermind of the war that's about to tear the world apart and that ''everything'' that has led up to this point was all part of their EvilPlan. [[WrongGenreSavvy However]]...
* GoodIsNotNice: While she's initially portrayed as antagonistic to Varric and is implied to want to bring Hawke to justice, she's revealed to actually be trying to prevent the Mage-Templar war and wants to recruit Hawke to help ''stop'' the fighting.
* GreatBigBookOfEverything: The Seeker record which she carries around. It apparently contains character portraits of Hawke's companions, (presumably) Varric's exaggerated version of Hawke's tale, as well as images of Flemeth, Morrigan, and - for some reason - [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Shale chasing pigeons]]...
** However, ''Inquisition'' party banter indicates that the book she stabs in Varric's lap isn't a Seeker record at all - it's Cassandra's copy of Varric's book ''The Tale of the Champion,'' which accounts for a lot of what's in it. (Shale's appearance remains unexplained, though.)
* GroinAttack: Comes close to doing this to Varric during the introduction, when she shoves a dagger through a book to get him to start talking about the Champion of Kirkwall.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: She is the main character of ''Dawn of the Seeker''.
* HeroWorshipper: Varric implies that Cassandra is being swept up in Hawke's legend. She'll deny it (and Varric's belief she's [[FoeYay developing a crush]]) if it's male Hawke, but with female Hawke she has no problem admitting that she has respect for a woman who built herself up from nothing.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: [[spoiler:Even though she's kind of a bitch to Varric in the beginning, it turns out that she's trying to ''prevent'' the Mage-Templar war.]]
* HotBlooded: Her initial reaction to Varric throwing BlatantLies at her is to pull a knife on him and threaten him with a GroinAttack.
* InternalAffairs: The job of a Seeker is essentially to keep an eye on the Templars and ensure they do not abuse their powers and/or stray from the will of the Chantry. [[spoiler:The events of the game serve to indicate how bad things can get when the Seekers drop the ball.]]
* LamePunReaction: Her frequent "ugh."
* MagicSkirt: Wears this in ''Dawn of the Seeker''.
* PetTheDog: At the end of the interrogation, [[spoiler:she actually smiles at Varric, keeps her promise to let him go, and asks that the Maker watch over him]].
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite being essentially part of the Chantry's Inquisition, she does seem quite willing to hear Varric out, even if what he has to say doesn't put some parts of the Chantry in a very good light. She's also willing to believe Varric, instead of denying what he says or twisting them to fit her preconcieved notions.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:Finding out that she's working with Leliana in the last scene of the game]].
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: She is both a member of the Nevarran royal family and a Templar Seeker.
* ThrowTheBookAtThem: Does this to Varric to get him to start talking. Literally.
* {{Tsundere}}: Especially if Hawke is male, as Varric will imply that she has a crush on him, which she promptly denies. She also has this relationship with Galyan in ''Dawn of the Seeker''.
* WhoWritesThisCrap: Varric's opening tale portrays Hawke and whichever sibling will survive the prologue delivering a CurbStompBattle to darkspawn and Flemeth coming to their aid as a dragon. (If the sibling is Bethany, he also [[BuxomIsBetter enhances her figure]].) Cassandra calls bullshit and Varric repeats the story - which happens to be mostly true.
* WrongGenreSavvy: Between narrations, she adamantly tries to pin the blame of all the events of the game on a BigBad. [[spoiler:There is none. Varric says that even Meredith, corrupted as she was by the ArtifactOfDoom, was irrelevant.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tropes In ''Dragon Age: Inquisition'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pentaghast_cassandra_2446.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I see what must be done, and I do it! I see no point in running around in circles like a dog chasing its tail."'']]
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->''"We ''will'' close the Breach; we will find those responsible; and we will restore order."''

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Cassandra joins the Inquisitor's party alongside Varric in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', in hopes of ending the Thedas Civil War and uncovering the truth behind the demonic invasion from the Fade after moonlighting as a framing device in the previous game. She is a romance option for a male Inquisitor of any race.
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* ActuallyPrettyFunny: [[spoiler:The ''Trespasser'' DLC features her reading excerpts from Varric's latest book while the credits roll. When she finally finds her own cameo in the pages, it pretty much amounts to her begging for Varric's forgiveness. Instead of being offended by it, she's ''delighted'' to be part of his story, and declares that she's going to "read the shit out of this!"]]
* AmazonianBeauty: Much like [[Characters/DragonAgeII Aveline]], this isn't seen while she's in armor or, uh, [[RomanceSidequest naked]]; but in the epilogue for the ''Trespasser'' DLC she's seen with some ''very'' bulky forearms.
* ArtShift: Of all the recurring main characters she seems to have undergone the most noticeable shift in the appearance of her character model. In ''Dawn of the Seeker'' and ''Dragon Age II'' she has a very {{Bifauxnen}} appearance, whereas in ''Inquisition'' she has rougher, more masculine, and more Westernized features.
* AscendedExtra: Served as a skeptical listener for Varric tell his story to in ''Dragon Age II'''s FramingDevice and {{Foreshadow|ing}} the Mage-Templar War. Then she got her own movie, ''Dawn of the Seeker'', and now she's ''the'' starting party member.
* BadassFamily: Subverted, actually; despite the Pentaghasts' reputation as dragon slayers, Cassandra reveals that these days, most of them are fat nobles living off the old glories of dead ancestors. Only she and her late brother, Anthony, lived up to the ancestral badass-ness.
* BadassLongcoat: Some of Cassandra's armor designs have her wear one over the armor itself.
* BadassPreacher: She can potentially become [[spoiler: the ''Divine herself'']] in the epilogue to ''Inquisition''.
* BettyAndVeronica: She's the Veronica (blunt, intimidating, and a degree of leadership) to Josephine's Betty.
* BigBrotherWorship: As noted in the other folder, she idolized her elder brother, Anthony, who secretly taught her to fight and promised to take her away to hunt dragons with him. Then he was murdered in front of her; she was ''twelve'' at the time. The way she describes her history to the Inquisitor suggests that, even though it's been more than twenty years at this point, Cassandra reveres him as much now as she did when he was alive. Party banter between her and Cole reveals that she cherishes a locket with his portrait inside, which Cole rescues from a rat.
* BlingOfWar: In ''Trespasser'', [[spoiler:if she's made the Divine]] she starts off with a unique golden armor set.
* BraidsOfAction: The epilogue to ''Trespasser'' [[spoiler:where she doesn't become Divine and serves as an advisor to either Leliana or Vivienne]] reveals she has adopted this as her hairstyle. Ironically, this is after she's semi-retired from being a warrior. She has a braid wrapped around the crown of her head as well during the time frame of ''Inquisition'', so it's possible she's simply letting it down in the epilogue sketch.
* BrokenPedestal: Once [[spoiler:Blackwall's]] past is brought to light, she will ''never'' treat him the same way again. Their relationship never recovers.
* CantTakeCriticism: Regarding the Chantry, Templars, Seekers, and everything in between. Any instance the Inquisitor makes statements that allude to them either supporting mage rights or not believing in the Maker, the Chantry's laws, or being TheChosenOne earns a significant amount of disapproval from Cassandra. In fact, simply telling her that the Chantry has failed in its duties causes her to ''greatly disapprove''.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: [[spoiler:If made Divine]], she will ''beg'' the romanced Inquisitor to allow her to continue to be in his adventure party ''just to get away'' from all of the sycophants and paperwork.
* CharacterDevelopment: She becomes more relaxed over the course of the story. For instance, Iron Bull flirting with her at the start would probably cause her to respond with the below mentioned CharacterTic in annoyance. But come ''Trespasser'', she just laughs.
* CharacterTic: (Disgusted Noise).
* TheClan: She comes from one. Despite being the 14th cousin, nine times removed, of King Markus, she still has the name Pentaghast, which means that the male line of the family alone is ''huge.'' She says as much if the Inquisitor talks to her about it, noting that it requires large charts to keep track of just how her family members are related to each other. "And they have them. Oh, yes."
* CombinationAttack: Due to having the same abilities as a Templar Inquisitor, Cassandra can create her own eldritch detonations without assistance from other party members by using Wrath of Heaven and following it with Spell Purge.
* TheComicallySerious: Despite being the most straitlaced party member in a team of snarky, unstable misfits, Cassandra has some of the funniest moments in the game by virtue of her awkwardness and disgust at her friends' misbehavior.
* ConflictingLoyalty: At the start of the Mage-Templar War, she was forced to choose between her duty to the Seekers, who had led the Templars away from the Chantry, and her duty to the Divine. Cassandra ultimately chooses the Divine, since the Divine seeks to end the chaos while the Seekers are contributing to it.
* ConspiracyTheorist: Her suspicion seems to have carried over from the second game. She meets the Inquisitor-to-be striding relatively unharmed out of a catastrophe that consumed an army and assumes (not unreasonably) that they had a hand in making it happen. Unlike most conspiracy theorists, however, Cassandra proves entirely willing to reconsider when the evidence begins to suggest that her theory is wrong.
* ContraltoOfDanger: Like before, she's low-pitched, sharp, and with a heavy Nevarran accent.
* CoolBigSis: Cassandra slowly takes on this role for Sera, even proposing to teach her Seeker tricks against magic to fight her fear. But the sentiment is one-sided. While Sera likes and respects Cassandra, she is also attracted to her, which puts a damper on any potential sisterly feelings.
** She can also take on this role for a female (or [[LikeBrotherAndSister non-romanced but befriended male]]) Inquisitor. Since Cassandra is in her thirties or forties by this point, the [[VagueAge potentially younger]] Inquisitor can look up to her greatly. If her approval maxes out over time, they become very close friends.
* CovertPervert: [[spoiler: She enjoys Varric's smutty literature series, ''Swords and Shields''. How bad is it? Dorian may comment that he "feels dumber for having tried" to read it, and Varric himself sees the series as an OldShame.]]
* CreepyUncle: Creepy cousin, more accurately. In party banter with Dorian, he describes a Pentaghast with whom his mother is acquainted, and Cassandra is surprised to find that, despite the sprawling size of her family, she actually knows who he means: "Cousin Loren, with the wandering hands."
* TheCreon: Like Leliana, Cassandra was essentially considered a ''de facto'' leader of the Inquisition, before the attack on Haven and the realization that it was actually the PlayerCharacter - the person she had initially accused of everything - who had been leading them. With no desire for power, she graciously steps down, something Solas finds amazing.
* CrisisOfFaith: While she ''appears'' to handle it far better than Leliana does, cracks in Cassandra's faith start to show here and there. The best example comes after [[spoiler:learning that Varric knew where Hawke was the whole time (including during his narration of the second game)]]. If this is all the Maker's plan, then that would mean everything that happened since the Conclave was all part of His plan. In fact, [[spoiler:The Nightmare]] says that the lingering doubt that there is no Maker -- and thus no greater good in the world -- is her deepest fear. She has another one when she discovers that [[spoiler:Seekers gain their powers not from meditation but from unknowingly communing with a Spirit of Faith after being made Tranquil. She wonders if the only reason she has faith is because of the Spirit, though Cole later assures her that it is the other way around; the Spirit was drawn to her ''by'' her faith]].
-->'''Cassandra''': ... It's difficult to know who [the Maker's plan] truly benefits. Or how.
* DefectorFromDecadence: Cassandra quits the Seekers when she realizes that they are leading the world into chaos. This was also the reason she joined the Seekers to begin with; she had grown tired of the decadence of Nevarran nobility.
* DefrostingIceQueen: She puts up a very tough, cold, and pragmatic persona when her duty is at stake, but inside she's actually very warm, unshakably decent, and convinced she isn't living up to her own insanely high standards. This comes to the fore as she gets to know the Inquisitor better, and ''especially'' in a romance.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Probably the most important character in ''Inquisition'' next to the Inquisitor themselves. She actually was the one to call the Inquisition in the first place, and operated as its ''de facto'' leader until the Herald of Andraste was chosen to be Inquisitor.
* DoubleStandard: Tends to condemn the rebel mages for the exact same actions she excuses or ignores for the Templars and Seekers; something pretty much every companion and adviser calls her out on at least once.
-->'''Cassandra''': Do you see this? The apostates have gone mad with power!\\
'''Solas''': I see just as many Templars.\\
'''Varric''': The Templars aren't looking any better!
** Cassandra believes the Dalish should add the Maker to the list of gods they worship, but doesn't believe humans should worship [[spoiler:nor even respect]] elvhen gods.
* DrowningMySorrows: If her approval drops low enough, she deals with it by getting utterly hammered.
* EveryoneHasStandards: When [[spoiler: Lord Seeker Lucius]] tries to convince Cassandra to [[WeCanRuleTogether join him]] in creating a new world order, Cassandra doesn't deign to reply; she just draws her sword.
* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. After meeting Hawke, Cassandra mentions that she was expecting them to be shorter.
* FaceOfAThug: Not exactly a ''thug'' (though Chancellor Roderick calls her one), but she has a very square, angular face, a striking scar on her left jaw, piercing eyes, and eyebrows that naturally curve inwards. All of this means she can muster an impressive look of disapproval... which isn't much different from her resting face.
-->'''Scout Harding''': Seeker Cassandra came through here earlier looking like a storm cloud. ''({{Beat}})'' That's just her face, though, isn't it?
* {{Fangirl}}: [[spoiler:At some point between reading the ''Tale of the Champion'' to find clues about Hawke's whereabouts and capturing Varric, she started reading his other, fiction books (ostensibly [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial solely in hopes of finding more clues there]]) and became a hopeless fangirl of his writing.]] She is ''very'' [[ClosetGeek closeted about it]], though.
** She is also one to Hawke, asking Varric if Hawke would be willing to sign a copy of ''The Tale of the Champion'' for her.
--->'''Varric''': Doesn't your copy of ''The Tale of the Champion'' [[CallBack have a big hole in it]]?\\
'''Cassandra''': ...Yes. But it could also have Hawke's signature on it.
** She can potentially be something like this for the Inquisitor too, especially if she's female; Cass notes that, as with Andraste, the future of Thedas lies in the hands of a woman who brings hope to the masses.
--->'''Cassandra''': It makes me proud to know you.
* FantasticRacism: Downplayed. Cassandra tends to trust and support Templars but distrust and want to restrict mages. She also believes the Dalish should worship the Maker but humans shouldn't worship [[spoiler:nor respect]] elvhen gods, and [[spoiler:makes some pretty awful anti-elf comments if brought along to Mythal and/or [=JoH=].]]
* FireForgedFriends: Becomes this with Varric. Before the move to Skyhold, they're civil, although Varric never lets her forget she kidnapped him. This civility falls apart once Varric reveals he knew where Hawke was the whole time, and things become extremely tense between them. Over time, though, they become friends for real; they clearly have a lot of respect for each other, and at the same time playfully mock one another in party banter. The fact that she gets the first copy of his book about the Inquisition in ''Trespasser'' really says it all. If Hawke sacrifices himself, her first thoughts are how Varric will be unable to handle it.
** Also develops this relationship with the Inquisitor if they max out her RelationshipValues. When they first meet, the Inquisitor is her prisoner; bound, interrogated, and harshly accused of a crime they did not commit. Cassandra is also slow to trust them, even at first denying them a weapon to defend themselves against demons. However, working together to close the Breach at Haven causes her to change her mind and trust you. From there, if the Inquisitor is not needlessly cruel or mocking toward her feelings or beliefs (and/or does enough things she approves of), working together within the Inquisition to restore order and save Thedas (first from the Breach, then [[spoiler:Corypheus]]) eventually causes Cassandra to consider you two TrueCompanions, and she swears UndyingLoyalty to you. It's even more poignant if the Inquisitor is a mage or Qunari.
* FirstGirlWins: For male Inquisitors who choose to romance her; she's the first character they meet in the game.
* {{Foil}}: To Leliana. Both are faithful women who serve the Divine, but they have different standings on the Chantry and the Inquisitor's opinion of it. Cassandra is so loyal to the Chantry to the point that she disapproves if the Inquisitor has negative things to say about it (even if they raise valid points against the Chantry); while Leliana is loyal to the Divine but is completely aware of the Chantry's flaws, as she understands if the Inquisitor doesn't trust the Chantry. They also have opposing opinions on mages and Templars, since Leliana supports the mages and distrusts the Templars whereas it's the other way around with Cassandra.
* ForWantOfANail: In her case, the nail was her brother Anthony; she ruminates on this in conversation with the Inquisitor when she finally tells them about him. Since it was his murder which led to her becoming a Seeker, she wonders what would have become of her if he had lived, with being "married to some noble fool, a mother of three" one of the possibilities.
* TheGadfly: Not Cassandra herself, but her rigid demeanor tends to elicit this behaviour from her comrades.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Her specialization is Templar, even though Seeker abilities are completely different from Templar abilities.
* GildedCage: These are the exact words she used to describe being born into Nevarran nobility. She lived in luxury, but had little freedom and didn't see "the real Nevarra" until much later in her life. In any case, it all disgusts her.
* TheGlomp: Delivers one to a male Inquisitor at the consummation of their romance.
* GoingCommando: [[{{Troll}} Sera]] asks her in party banter about the color of her underpants; Cass replies that she doesn't wear any. It's unclear whether she's telling the truth or just trolling Sera right back.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:She bears no ill will against Leliana if she is named Divine instead of her. She initially is fine with Vivienne as well, but two years later in ''Trespasser'', Cassandra comes to view Vivienne as a tyrant and eventually quits the Exalted Council in disgust.]]
* GoodScarsEvilScars: She's picked up some, most noticeably the one on her jaw/left cheek.
* GuiltyPleasure: She's a fan of Varric's works, particularly the "smutty literature" series ''Swords and Shields''. The best part is that Varric himself considers it more "fluff" than smut, meaning Cassandra basically reads SugarWiki/{{WAFF}}-y romance novels in her spare time.
* HeartbrokenBadass: As it turns out, after ''Dawn of the Seeker'' she wound up having a relationship with the mage Galyan. He died [[spoiler:in the opening of the Breach. No wonder she was so vicious with the Inquisitor-to-be at the start; she lost her first love ''and'' Divine Justinia in one fell swoop, and possibly other friends/acquaintances as well.]]
* HeroWorshipper: Cassandra still has an extremely high opinion of and respect for Hawke. They were one of Cassandra's first choices to lead the Inquisition, and one of the reasons she is so enraged at [[spoiler:Varric for hiding Hawke the whole time]] is that she thought that Hawke could have possibly saved the Divine had they been at the Conclave.
* HiddenDepths: She'd never admit it outright ([[OpenSecret though everyone seems to know anyway]]), but she's a hopeless romantic that dreams of a beautiful "ideal" romance - [[GrandRomanticGesture candles, flowers, poetry, all that hokey stuff]]. Given her rough personality, she thinks that such a "flighty" side is too silly to indulge, since MenAreUncultured. Doing those sorts of things for her anyway (or admitting [[RealMenWearPink he enjoys them too]]) is a good way to gain some affection; an Inquisitor who isn't romancing her can gain approval points by telling her that they like her passionate side. Conversely, the Inquisitor can grumpily tell her, "[[KickTheDog This is why you're alone.]]"[[note]] This is even harsher than it sounds, since Cass is grieving for a dead partner at the time.[[/note]]
** She's also into literature. She specifically enjoys Varric's stories, her favorite being an OldShame romance novel. Cassandra says she sees the mastery of what he writes, but Varric himself has to be talked into writing more, which he does simply to see her reaction.
*** ''Trespasser'' ends with her doing hilariously bad impersonations of everyone while reading and critiquing his book on the Inquisition.
---->'''Cassandra''': ''[reading a line of the Iron Bull's dialogue]'' "Come on, the dancer with the great rack is on in five." That is... spot on, actually.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Cassandra is a Chantry loyalist and always disapproves if the Inquisitor badmouths it by saying that it's inherently corrupt, unnecessary, or beyond saving. She will also agonize over whether or not [[spoiler:the Seekers should be reformed]] after she learns their DarkSecret. Both organizations have had long-lasting conspiracies that have persisted ''from their inception''. And yet, she is unwilling to forgive [[spoiler:Blackwall, even though his lie was about who he was and not his reasons or actions.]]
** On that note, while Cassandra gets very upset whenever the Inquisitor criticizes the Chantry, Templars, or Seekers (even if they're a mage and/or elf and therefore has ''very [[AntiMagicalFaction good]] [[EnslavedElves reason]]'' to do so), if said Inquisitor [[spoiler:opts to respect the rituals of Mythal]], Cassandra scoffs, "Why are we wasting our time with this heathen nonsense?" Apparently respecting the Chantry is required, but respecting the elven religion isn't.
** Cassandra will encourage a Dalish Inquisitor to believe in the Maker, but yet doesn't volunteer to start worshiping Dalish gods in the interest of fairness.
** In her first conversation with Blackwall, she commends him for joining the Wardens, saying it is never too late to turn one's life around to do good. [[spoiler:When the truth comes out, however, that Blackwall is not actually a true Grey Warden but a criminal posing as one, she can barely stand to be around him and never really forgives him. This is despite the fact that his pretending to be a Warden was actually his attempt to turn his life around to do good, as he really was going to be inducted into the Wardens but the ''real'' Blackwall died before the Joining ceremony was complete.]]
** As stated above, she advocates for reforming the Seekers and the Templar Order, believing that they deserve a second chance despite the atrocities they've committed. However, she strongly objects if the Inquisitor does just that to the Grey Wardens, even though the Wardens committed atrocities out of good intentions whereas the Seekers and the Templars committed theirs out of malicious ambition and pride.
* ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe: Mixed with a dose of UnequalPairing. If the Inquisitor flirts repeatedly with Cassandra, she will eventually express her worries that such a powerful figure is taking an interest in someone as far beneath his station as her.
* IShouldHaveBeenBetter: She holds herself to punishing standards and tends to dwell on what-could-have-beens.
-->'''Inquisitor''': You're too hard on yourself, Cassandra.\\
'''Cassandra''': Not hard enough, I think.\\
'''Inquisitor''': You can't believe that.
* IncompatibleOrientation: A female Inquisitor who is nice and flirts with her at every opportunity actually makes Cassandra seem a little frightened, and after a while she will politely spell out that any relationship is not possible. If you flirt with her only a few times, though, it helps max out her approval.
* InformedAbility: She claims to have the power to bend mages and Templars to her will by causing the lyrium in their blood to burn. She never displays this ability in-game when facing the various mage and Templar enemies.
* InsecureLoveInterest: Noted by Blackwall when he offers the Inquisitor romantic advice about her: Cassandra is used to being a soldier, rather than being treated like a woman, and she has a bit of a complex about it. She's a hopeless romantic that dreams of nothing less than the "ideal" romance (candles, flowers, poetry and all that). Thus, she feels it's unlikely the Inquisitor (or many other men, for that matter) would be interested in her. the Inquisitor can disagree and try anyway, or he can tell her "This is why you're alone".
* {{Irony}}: In ''Trespasser'', [[spoiler:the Inquisitor comes across a dragon that's been chained and tortured by the Qunari so they can use its venom, and they must neutralise it as a threat. One of the party members will suggest killing it, but Cassandra says the poor creature deserves better than to be simply put down after such torment and wants the Inquisitor to free it.]] That's right: the dragon-slayer from a clan of dragon-slayers wants to avoid slaying the dragon.
* ItsQuietTooQuiet: She invokes the trope with some trepidation when investigating the Shrine of Dumat. Unsurprisingly, the creepy, ancient, seemingly abandoned temple to a (hopefully) long-dead corrupted Old God is infested with demons.
-->'''Cassandra''': It is far, ''far'' too quiet.
* JackOfAllStats: Of the three Warrior companions. She can't deal as much damage as Iron Bull or take it as well as Blackwall, but she has more damage potential than Blackwall and more durability than Iron Bull. Her "[[ThePaladin Templar]]" specialization has no particular dependency on the durability of either the Sword'n'Board or damage rate of Two-handed weapon configurations, unlike Blackwall and his Champion spec, or Iron Bull and his Reaver spec, respectively.
* JerkassHasAPoint: [[spoiler: Her anger towards Varric for hiding Hawke's location is understandable considering just what was going on at the time.]]
* KnightInShiningArmor: A rare female example, but Cassandra is highly idealistic and romantic in her view of justice. Her views on the Chantry and the Seekers is that they should be serving the people.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: Carried over from ''Dragon Age II'', Cassandra has a high admiration for Hawke. [[spoiler: Hawke was her first choice as leader of the new Inquisition.]] She even wants Hawke to autograph her knife-stabbed copy of ''The Tale of the Champion''. She can grow to have a similar admiration for the Inquisitor.
* LadyOfWar: She's a calm, regal warrior who is actually quite feminine.
* LamePunReaction: In this game, it's practically a meme. Everyone knows it as ''*disgusted noise*'' (courtesy of the subtitles).
* LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain: After the Inquisitor stumbles upon her [[spoiler:reading "smutty literature" written by Varric]].
-->'''Cassandra''': Pretend you don't know this about me.
* LightningBruiser: Cassandra is the middle ground of the Inquisitor's three warrior companions. When used as a sword and shield tank, she can create her own eldritch detonations to cause large amounts of damage while still acting as an effective damage sponge. When used as a two-handed damage dealer, Cassandra's ability to stun large groups of enemies combines well with her various guard generating abilities to keep her alive while dealing damage. She can't quite match the Iron Bull's damage output or Blackwall's survivability, but Cassandra can excel no matter which role the player gives her.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: Some of her interactions with Cullen suggests that they have this sort of dynamic. It's made more readily apparent through ambient dialogue with the Skyhold messengers, who are following her orders to check on him and report back to her (so she can monitor [[spoiler:his lyrium withdrawal]]). She even comments with some amusement that she knows that she's annoying him, just like a big sister might. There is little to no romantic tension between them whatsoever - she's not even remotely eager to watch his walk of shame after the Wicked Grace game, for example - but they clearly respect and like each other a great deal. ''Trespasser'' shows that she's very supportive of his romance with a female Inquisitor [[spoiler:(and if they get married, she's overjoyed for them)]].
** That said, Cullen ''does'' leave her flustered and coughing when he has his WalkingShirtlessScene in the trailer that was created to thank the players for ''DAI'' being nominated for 2014's Game of the Year. Varric is thoroughly amused.
* TheLostLenore: It only comes up in a specific series of party banters with Varric following the conclusion of his "Well, Shit" quest, but as noted under HeartbrokenBadass, Cass's first love died at the Conclave. It's a downplayed version of the trope, since their romance was already over at that point and she's eventually able to move on, but she still remembers him fondly.
* MadeOfIron: Interestingly averted; the game subtly suggests through dialogue, gameplay, and her armor that Cassandra is a scrappier brand of warrior than the usual brick wall sword and board users in the series has had. Before ''Inquisition,'' it was even up in the air whether she was a warrior or rogue. That said, her skill trees can be built well enough to basically turn her into this, making her able to withstand battles which bring down the rest of the party.
* MementoMacGuffin: It's only mentioned in party banter with Cole, but she prizes a locket she inherited from her grandmother, which contains a portrait of her brother Anthony. It becomes this trope because she loses it, and Cole returns it to her after fighting a rat who was hoarding it.
* MeaningfulName: Her surname, Pentaghast, sounds almost identical to "Pentecost" — a Christian holy day that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles. A fitting name for a devout [[CrystalDragonJesus Andrastian]].
* MyGreatestFailure: Specifically, the Seekers' greatest failure. Their inaction and poor handling of the upcoming Mage-Templar war, in addition to their change in focus, disillusioned her to the group and has caused her to blame herself in part for the conflict. Talking to Cole gives her a new perspective as to how horribly many mages were treated by Templars and how much of this the Seekers overlooked or possibly ignored, which horrifies and disgusts her. On a personal level, she believes that her absence at the Conclave [[spoiler:(meaning she couldn't help Justinia)]] was a failure on her part as well. Vivienne assures her that this isn't the case.
* {{Nephewism}}: She and her brother were raised by their uncle after [[ParentalAbandonment their parents were executed for being on the wrong side of an attempt to overthrow Nevarra's king.]] He was an aloof guardian, being a Mortalitasi (sort of an undertaker UpToEleven) with no understanding of how to care for children; however, party banter with Cole suggests that he really does love his niece.
* NiceMeanAndInBetween:
** Takes the role of the Nice one among your three female party members, compared to Vivienne's Mean and Sera's In-Between. She's headstrong, empathetic, open-minded towards many things that challenged her beliefs, and believes in the better virtues represented by the Chantry. She is available as a romance option, unlike Vivienne, and her romance with the Inquisitor - be they a Mage, non-human, an atheist, non-Andrastian, or any combination of the above - is much smoother than Sera's romance with a Dalish Inquisitor.
** Takes the role of the In-Between among the three [[spoiler:Divine candidates]] compared to Leliana's Nice and Vivienne's Mean. She chooses to reform [[spoiler:the Circle, the Templars and, if so persuaded by the Inquisitor, the Seekers]] to the virtues they were meant to represent. This is also shown through her support of the Inquisition [[spoiler:as Divine]]: She requires a positive approval (Leliana unconditionally supports the Inquisition) but still maintains a strained relationship even if you have negative approval (Vivienne seems to completely severe any ties with the Inquisition).
* NoblewomansLaugh: It doesn't happen often; but when she laughs in party banter, it sounds very much like one of these.
* NotSoAboveItAll:
** She admits that she enjoys Iron Bull's flirting with her, so long as he understands that nothing is ever going to happen between them. She even teases him back a few times, such as when she talks about taking a bath.
** Cassandra is one of the most idealistic and least corruptible characters in the entire franchise, to the point that she walks away from power without even once thinking of taking it for herself. And yet, when talking to the Inquisitor about her favorite book from Varric's series, she will excitedly, ''gleefully'' suggest that they could ''command'' Varric to finish it. She's only halfway through making this point when she [[{{Beat}} stops herself]] and then says to pretend that this side of her was never known.
* OddFriendship:
** She is a Seeker, essentially a member of the Templar secret police, and yet she trusts and befriends Solas, a hedge mage who would be considered an apostate if the word hadn't lost all meaning in the Mage/Templar War.
** In spite of her uptight behavior, she also gets along remarkably well with the Iron Bull. She seems to enjoy his flirting, and he very obviously respects her. Of particular note, he doesn't press for details about how she became the Right Hand of the Divine, which surprises her. He says that he can see she doesn't like to talk about it, so he's willing to let it drop. Then he adds, "Bet you looked good doing it, though," which makes her chuckle.
** She is, at first, very firm with [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent Cole]], making it clear that she will kill him if he betrays their trust. When he calmly agrees, she is taken aback; and she is even more surprised when she discovers that Cole killed Lord Seeker Lambert. However, she eventually comes to accept his reasons for doing so, and develops a gentle and affectionate tone towards him (except for the occasional flustered reprimand when he peers into her romantic memories). [[spoiler:This is all probably because she realizes that he is a benevolent spirit, like the spirit of Faith that communed with her when she was initiated as a Seeker.]]
** She also gets along rather swimmingly with Dorian, despite him being a mage from ''Tevinter''. They have no animosity between them at any time (except, of course, when he criticizes her fondness for Varric's books), and in one string of party banter he goes so far as to call her "darling Cassandra".
** It takes them a while, but after having initially been at each other's throats, she and Varric eventually develop what could be considered a friendship.
* OlderThanTheyLook: She looks like she's in her twenties despite ''DAI'' taking place 20 years after ''Dawn of the Seeker'', which means she's actually in her late thirties or mid-forties.
* OnceDoneNeverForgotten: The Inquisitor can tease her about her romance novel fascination in dialogue after they convince Varric to finish his series for her. And it's all but a foregone conclusion that Varric will eternally torment her over it as well.
** Varric will also never let Cassandra forget that she kidnapped and interrogated him, but his barbs slowly lose their spitefulness as they become friends.
* OnlySaneMan: There's a reason why she has her famous *disgusted noise*. She just wants to be serious about the task at hand, while everyone else is off cracking lame jokes and getting up to Maker knows what kooky shenanigans.
* OutOfCharacterMoment: Briefly but incredibly jarring. She's (mostly) very respectful to those with non-Andrastian views... [[spoiler: unless the player chooses to take her to the Temple of Mythal, in which she starts spouting ''very'' anti-elven views and show little to no respect for elven history or the ancient elves. She does something similar, though to a lesser extent, in certain parts of the ''Jaws of Hakkon'' DLC.]] Again, it's extremely jarring for such an otherwise open-minded character.
* OverlyLongName: Revealed if you take her with you to the Halamshiral Ball. It's implied that if she hadn't interrupted, the announcer would have ''kept going'', meaning she has many more names that weren't revealed.
-->'''Announcer''': Cassandra Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena--\\
'''Cassandra''': ''Get on with it!''\\
'''Announcer''': Pentaghast.
* ThePaladin: Cassandra is basically a Paladin in all but explicit title. She is a knight sworn to the service of a religious order, whose supernatural holy powers come after years of reflection, training and solidifying her devotion. Said powers allow her to cause immediate harm to a specific type of enemy. And on a personal level, she's devoted to the ''spirit'' of her religious order, and not its teachings, which means [[TheParagonAlwaysRebels she rebels]] [[ToBeLawfulOrGood in order to do good]].
* TheParagonAlwaysRebels: First, she rebelled against the Seekers to side with the Chantry when she felt the Seekers stressed order over justice. She later rebels against the Chantry, when they demand the same.
* ParentalAbandonment: Her parents were executed for treason when she and her brother were children. They were raised by their Mortalitasi uncle, who didn't really know how to raise children. This is one of the reasons why Cassandra chose to abandon her family to become a Seeker.
* PercussiveTherapy: It's her favorite way of dealing with her anger. Books, training dummies, walls (according to Vivienne); she's not too picky about her targets.
-->'''Varric''': Define "calmed down" in terms of who or what she's punching right now.
** She also ''punches trees''. According to a party banter with Blackwall, she has terrible allergies, and when she was younger, her brother had playfully suggested she punch the tree to get back at it. For some reason, she says, it actually seems to help.
* PerpetualFrowner: She's a... forceful personality, which makes her look and sound angry even when she isn't:
-->'''The Herald''': ''You'' would have done differently, I suppose?\\
'''Cassandra''': ''(looking genuinely surprised)'' ... Oh, I do sound like I'm blaming you, don't I? I don't disapprove. In fact, you did well.
** Harding can also comment on it, if you speak to her in Skyhold:
---> '''Harding''': Seeker Pentaghast came through here looking like a storm cloud... but that's just her face, isn't it?
* PetTheDog: After butting heads with Varric for [[spoiler:hiding Hawke from her all along]], she is the first one to try to console him [[spoiler:if Hawke sacrifices themselves in the Fade]]. It doesn't work, but she tries.
* PoorCommunicationKills: After [[spoiler:Hawke arrives at Skyhold and Cassandra chews Varric out]], Cassandra half-admits, half-realizes that Varric [[spoiler:lied about not knowing Hawke's location]] partly because she didn't explain ''why'' she needed Hawke. She had been so harsh and demanding that Varric naturally believed that Hawke would have been arrested or worse [[spoiler:had he revealed his friend's whereabouts]], and Cassandra feels like her poor communication is what led to the current mess. Subverted in that Varric and the Inquisitor can both point out that [[spoiler:there's no proof that Hawke ''could'' have saved the Divine, and Varric not telling Cassandra might be the only reason they're all still alive.]]
* PragmaticHero: She tends to favor pragmatic decisions over softer approaches.
-->'''Dorian''': The voice of pragmatism speaks! And here I was just starting to enjoy the circular arguments.
* PrecisionFStrike: An absolutely ''hilarious'' one during the credits of ''Trespasser''.
-->'''Cassandra''': That dwarf, he... he... he put me in the book! ''[giggles]'' I'm in the book! I'm reading the ''shit'' out of this.
* QuicklyDemotedLeader: At the start of the game, she is one of the four ''de facto'' leaders of the Inquisition. In fact, she is the one who declared it. But she quickly loses all of that authority and becomes a party member with no more power than, say, Varric or Vivienne: well-respected, to be sure, but that's about it. Solas actually commends her on being able to walk away from her ''de facto'' leadership once the ''de jure'' leader was picked.
* RealityWarper: {{Inverted|Trope}} according to a conversation with Solas, who says that Seekers and Templars make the world more stable, blocking the Fade from transforming it.
-->'''Cassandra''': Well, no one's ever accused me of "reinforcing reality" before.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite her often harsh demeanor, Cassandra is willing to give prisoners a chance to explain themselves and lets them go free with no strings attached if convinced of their innocence. She also handles her subordinates fairly and deals with the complaints of the mage/Templar forces who join the Inquisition. If she's Divine, she shows incredible tolerance and wants to give everyone a chance to prove themselves, including the College of Enchanters, which is directly in opposition of the Circle of Magi.
* ReligiousBruiser: Cassandra's faith is her sole motivating factor in everything she does. She implies that the only way she copes with everything that goes wrong in her life (and the world at large) is to believe [[InMysteriousWays that everything is part of the Maker's plan]]. To wit, she will constantly approve whenever the Inquisitor says or does something that reaffirms her faith or demonstrates that a good end comes from a bad beginning. Solas corroborates this in his "Friendship Conversation", stating that the difference between the Inquisitor and Cassandra is that if Cassandra had to choose between her faith and reality, she would ''always'' choose her faith.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: Cassandra does not believe the Dalish pantheon is worthy of worship. This is due to her absolute faith in the Maker, of course. However, given [[spoiler:what is eventually revealed about the Evanuris, particularly the fact that they ''were not gods'']], she's this trope.
* RomanceSidequest: She is a romance option for a male Inquisitor of any race.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: The Pentaghasts are the Nevarran royal family, who originally rose to prominence as [[TheDragonslayer dragonslayers]]. In fact, they were largely responsible for nearly bringing about the near-total extinction of the species during the Steel Age, three centuries ago. That being said, she points out that she's actually ''very'' far down the line of succession. She's 78th in line for the throne, and at the Winter Palace ball, it's stated that she's King Markus's 14th cousin, nine times removed. So her connection to the royal family is more a matter of technicality than anything. She finds the whole business deeply annoying and would rather act like it doesn't exist. Much of the rest of the family are fat aristocrats who rest on ancestral laurels. Cassandra, on the other hand, is made of cast iron and has ''killed a dragon'' like the Pentaghasts of old. If made Divine, she will still ditch the vestments on occasion to help rebuild the Seekers, wearing quite provincial clothes. If the Inquisition is disbanded, she'll meet with the Herald in her old armor to discuss plans to stop [[spoiler:Solas]] -- all this while still being Thedas' Pope.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Cassandra believes that doing what she knows to be right is more important than law or duty.
* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: [[spoiler:If Vivienne becomes Divine Victoria, then Cassandra eventually abandons her position in the Exalted Council and as the Right Hand of the Divine due to her belief that Vivienne is too much of a tyrant.]]
* SecondLove: If the Inquisitor romances her, he becomes this to Cassandra; her first love was Galyan.
* ShieldBash: Powerful enough to clear obstacles.
* ShroudedInMyth: If the stories are to be believed (and according to Cassandra, they are not), she has killed seventeen dragons.
* SiblingTeam: She remarks in conversation that, if her brother Anthony was still alive, they probably would be slaying dragons together.
* {{Squee}}: She comes just shy of doing this while gushing over ''Swords and Shields'' to an amused Inquisitor.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: TheStoic is her default mode, but she occasionally shows a softer side, especially during her romance.
* SuperiorSuccessor: [[spoiler:If the Inquisitor romances her and she becomes Divine, the Chantry experiences a golden age under her reign.]]
* TautologicalTemplar: Very, ''very'' slightly. Cassandra will always do what she feels to be right and doesn't slacken her morals when it's convenient. She will always defend good and fight evil. The problem, though, is that she's often too quick to assume which is which, and once her mind is set, it's hard to change it. But even then, when confronted with proof that she was mistaken, she is very hard on herself.
* ToBeLawfulOrGood: Twice she's been presented with this choice: follow the Templars and Seekers into rebellion or stay in service to Divine Justinia as Her right hand, and later to obey the orders of the remaining Chantry hierarchy after Justinia's death or form the Inquisition without their support. She makes the latter choice in both cases, disobeying the chain of command because they are not doing what she believes to be right. She can even have a discussion with the Inquisitor about following the letter of the law as opposed to the spirit; she believes in helping people more than following arbitrary rules.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: She mentions, in party banter, that she hates wearing dresses, and to all appearances she qualifies as a tomboy. However, she's got "a true romantic heart," as the Inquisitor can say teasingly, and enjoys things like love poetry, romantic novels, and candlelit interludes.
* TookALevelInKindness:
** [[spoiler:After the death of Divine Justinia V, Cassandra later becomes one of two possible candidates to replace her (the other is Leliana). If Cassandra is chosen over Leliana to become Divine Victoria, she enacts reforms for a new Templar order and a new Circle of Magi, and re-dedicates the Seekers to being protectors of the innocent.]]
** How she regards Cole develops as this. At first, she's much like Vivienne, regarding him as a potential demon and wanting him to be sent away. But as Cole helps her untie all her own emotional knots, she warms up to him and shows gratitude for his efforts, and eventually doesn't take umbrage much at all when Cole starts reading her.
* TragicKeepsake: The locket mentioned above; it belonged to her grandmother, and contains a portrait of her beloved and ill-fated brother.
* {{Tsundere}}: She still waves this flag on occasion; a shining example is if the Inquisitor romances her. If the Inquisitor straight-up tells her that he wants her love, she becomes flustered and states that romance is ''not'' what she wants, walking away and slamming a door... before coming straight back and saying yes, that's ''exactly'' [[ByNoIMeanYes what she wants]].
* UnexpectedSuccessor: Justinia's death makes Cassandra and Leliana candidates to replace her.
* UnfitForGreatness: One reason she relinquishes leadership of the Inquisition to the Herald. She believes that she isn't the kind of person who can fill the role of TheHero.
* VitriolicBestBuds: She eventually develops this kind of dynamic with Varric, if they're together often enough in the party. In ''Trespasser'' she even admits, in a roundabout way, that she's missed him.
-->'''Varric''': Be still my heart. I've grown on you!\\
'''Cassandra''': ''(almost playful)'' Like fungus.
* VowOfCelibacy: If [[spoiler: she gets elected Divine: while more progressive than Vivienne, she isn't nearly as willing to make changes as Leliana. And allowing the Divine to marry would be a ''great'' change. It doesn't stop her and the Inquisitor from remaining faithful and loving to one another.]]
** In ''Trespasser'', she [[spoiler: is still very much in love with the Inquisitor, and makes no secret of the fact that they are a couple.]]
* WantsAPrizeForBasicDecency: Downplayed. Varric will not let Cassandra forget that she kidnapped and interrogated him. In party banter, she gently reminds him that she could have used [[BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord harsher methods]] to make him talk. Varric calls her out on it, saying she doesn't get a prize for not adding ''torture'' to her list of other crimes against him. Cassandra wisely drops it.
* WarriorPrincess: Although her RoyalBlood is of no real interest to her, she's this; if asked for her opinion of Cassandra, Josephine explicitly calls her "a princess of Nevarra." Despite being very distant from the throne, she is perhaps the most like the Pentaghasts of old in terms of martial prowess in comparison to the rest of her rather large family. She even has a dragon-slaying notch on her belt (and can add more during the course of the game), further living up to her ancestors' legends.
* WhatTheHellHero: When Varric reveals that [[spoiler: he's been in contact with the "missing" Hawke all along,]] she is ''furious.''
** Her codex entry has her doing this in a letter to her superiors in the Seekers, accusing them of exacerbating the chaos of the Mage-Templar War by breaking away from the Chantry instead of trying to restore order.
** Out of all the characters, she is by far the most outraged at the Inquisitor if the player chooses to [[spoiler:pardon Blackwall after his secret is exposed. She eventually forgives the Inquisitor, if her approval is high enough otherwise, but ''Trespasser'' reveals that she really never does forgive Blackwall.]]
** If her approval drops low enough, the Inquisitor can find her getting drunk and taking them to task for the wrongs they have committed. She will never leave, though, just like Varric and Solas.
* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Countless forum threads have been dedicated to this questions, yet still nobody seems to be sure where to place Cassandra's accent. A mix of Germanic and Austrian inflections spoken by someone who spent a long time in an English-speaking country seems to be the most widely accepted answer so far. What a whole lot of people ''do'' seem to agree on is that Creator/{{Miranda Raison}}'s voice work is exceptional, and that [[ArousedByTheirVoice Cass's accent is incredibly sexy]].
* WhenSheSmiles: Cassandra is one of the [[TheStoic most stoic]] characters in the franchise ''and'' a PerpetualFrowner to boot, but there are a few opportunities to make her smile even for Inquisitors that aren't romancing her, and when it happens, it's a wonderful sight to behold.
* WhoWritesThisCrap: A BrickJoke from the previous game crops up in ''Trespasser'' when Varric gives her, essentially, ''Dragon Age: Inquisition: The Novel''. She first can't get over the title, ''All This Shit Is Weird'', then has a blast reading out and imitating the characters and pointing out the accuracy (or lack thereof) in each portrayal.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: The Inquisitor has the option to tell her this after her row with Varric.
* YouKnowImBlackRight: Can invoke this reaction from a non-human Inquisitor, especially early in the game when she asks if/why don't you believe in the Maker? A non-human Inquisitor can point out and they're not human and/or they have their own religion.
-->'''Cassandra''': I'm curious. Do you even believe in the Maker?\\
'''Lavellan''': I'm Dalish. I believe in our own gods.

[[/folder]]

!!Varric Tethras

->'''Voiced by''': Creator/BrianBloom

[[folder:Tropes In ''Dragon Age II'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/da2_varric.jpg]]

->"''Opinions are like testicles -- you kick them hard enough, doesn't matter how many you got.''"

A friendly Surface Dwarf with an AutomaticCrossbow and a fondness for storytelling. Varric serves as the narrator of ''Dragon Age II'', with the backdrop set in 9:40 Dragon being his relating the history of the Champion to the Seeker, Cassandra Pentaghast and attempting to [[ShroudedInMyth set the story straight]] as he was a companion to the Champion during that time.

* AntiHero: A little greedy, but when it comes down to it, he's actually more moral than most of the residents of Kirkwall put together. [[WretchedHive Not that that's really too difficult]]...
* AutomaticCrossbow: With sufficient upgrades, Bianca eventually becomes this.
* BadassLongcoat: Well, it's long for a dwarf.
* BerserkButton: Seen in the Act 2 quest "Fool's Gold."[[note]]This quest only appears if the game has the "Hero of Ferelden" preset or imports a world state in which Nathaniel Howe is dead. Otherwise, the Act 3 quest "Finding Nathaniel" is seen instead.[[/note]] Because the quest focuses on [[spoiler:a dwarf betraying his younger brother in order to find wealth]], Varric will make repeated comments about how familiar it all feels, referencing the events of the Deep Roads expedition. If Hawke [[spoiler:saves Iwan instead of Merin, then corroborates Iwan's story to his father, Varric will confront Iwan about his clear lack of guilt over his brother's death]]. The quest ends with Varric watching him walk away, audibly and visibly angry.
-->'''Varric''': You little shit.
* BestFriend: Varric's friendship with Hawke is the strongest non-romantic relationship in the entire franchise, and even surpasses most of those as well. Notably, when Hawke becomes a fugitive, Varric is the only one (apart from their LoveInterest, if they accompanied Hawke on the run) who knows where Hawke is. He clearly likes the Inquisitor, but when Hawke shows up, it's clear which one he follows due to a common goal, and which he follows out of an extremely strong bond.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Demonstrates this toward Bethany, perhaps because of their early PartyBanter in which she talks about how much she misses Carver. He also behaves this way a lot toward Merrill.
** He also shows this toward Hawke, evincing concern they might get hurt in a romantic relationship with any of the companions.
* {{BFG}}: Bianca, Varric's tricked-out, custom-made, and rather ''large'' crossbow.
* BreakoutCharacter: Despite debuting in the most controversial game in the series, he's one of the franchise's most popular characters. He was the only one universally well-received from ''II'', and since then has been the star of three comic series and one of the only characters to be a constant party member in more than one game.
* BuxomIsBetter: Varric certainly thinks so in regards to Bethany, as demonstrated in her character model when he starts telling the story. When Cassandra tells him to knock it off, she's far more modestly endowed. Female Hawke, on the other hand, gets no such upgrades.
* CainAndAbel: The Abel to his brother Bartrand. They're initially antagonistic, but once Bartrand gets a hold of the red lyrium idol he goes crazy and leaves Hawke and Varric for dead.
* CargoShip: Invoked. His fondness for [[ICallItVera Bianca]] often rolls past mere praise into the realm of flirtation. He's not a romance option because he's already found the love of his life. The devs specifically made Bianca level up with Varric so as to make players never want to part the two without breaking the game. It gets lampshaded several times.
** He gets very protective when Isabela suggests Bianca "deserves to feel a woman's touch on her trigger", and again when Sebastian asks if he can examine Bianca's cocking ring, even though Sebastian's intentions were pure (he wanted to see if she was firing off to the side because of a mechanical fault). In a form of HypocriticalHumor, he may turn down advances from a female Hawke on the grounds of Bianca being "[[ClingyJealousGirl the jealous type]]".
** When Merrill asks Sebastian if his bow has a name like Varric's, Sebastian notes wryly that he can't compete with Varric's "relationship" to his weapon.
** Fenris grunts that the way Varric fondles his weapon is disgusting. Varric claims he's a perfect gentleman... [[CovertPervert in public]].
** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', the Iron Bull notes that Bianca would never work as a {{Safe Word}} for Varric since a safe word has to be something you ''wouldn't'' normally yell during sex. The same game also reveals that [[spoiler:Bianca is named after his old girlfriend]], which just adds even more to it. And at one point, when Varric asks the Iron Bull what the deal is with Qunari and their swords, Bull points out that Varric named his weapon [[HypocriticalHumor after a woman]]; Varric concedes the point.
** In keeping with some of the tarot themes in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', the LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition had a real tarot deck as one of the included items. The card for The Lovers in that deck is a picture of Varric holding Bianca.
* CarpetOfVirility: Notable, as he's the first Creator/BioWare character since [[VideoGame/JadeEmpire The Black Whirlwind]] with real chest hair. Fenris lampshades this when he asks why Varric doesn't have a beard, and guesses that it "fell down onto [his] chest." Enhanced by a rare example of male AbsoluteCleavage.
* TheCharmer: WordOfGod has said that no matter what danger he's in, the moment you let Varric begin to talk, ''he's won''.
* CityMouse: Varric isn't comfortable anywhere without streets and buildings. He likes the ground to be horizontal, thank you.
* CombatPragmatist: [[spoiler: Spare Gascard early in the game and he'll aid Hawke in the search for their mother. Then it turns out that he's the necromancer's apprentice and is only interested in learning the rest of his secrets. Varric will promptly shoot him in the throat.]]
-->'''Varric''': What? You were going to do that, right?
* ConsummateLiar: His ability to spin up a good line of bullshit can help Hawke avoid a fight once in a while. He lampshades this in a party banter with Aveline, where he says he lies a lot. Subverted if he tries this with Merrill in the party, as she will ''always'' absentmindedly correct him.
* CovertPervert: While he does flirt shamelessly with Isabela and bemoan a lack of dwarven barmaids, Varric's otherwise more interested in being a DeadpanSnarker... until Aveline convinces him to do some recruitment posters for the city guard. [[spoiler: He intentionally swaps the text with those for the local brothel's recruitment.]] This leads to a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}} when Aveline points out that [[spoiler: while he filled the city guardhouse with whores, he filled the brothel with guardsmen.]]
** Isabela shares her "friend-fiction" with him. He finds it hilarious.
** We also get his BuxomIsBetter treatment of Bethany above.
* CulturalCringe: While the rest of his family were born in Orzammar and mourn being exiled nobility, Varric was born and raised on the surface. Thus, he is ''very'' critical of Orzammar culture (finding it very rigid, stuffy, and elitist) and vastly prefers surface human culture (finding it more loose, casual, and fun), and is not afraid to say so.
* DeadpanSnarker: It's practically his stated purpose in life, apart from dodging Merchants' Guild meetings and 'dramatizing' Hawke's life story. In the entire game, Snarky Hawke is the only one who outdoes him.
* DefensiveWhat: Pulls this on Cassandra when she [[DeathGlare calls him out]] on his... less-than-accurate version of the Bartrand confrontation.
* TheDutifulSon: Varric played this role when he was a kid, taking care of his alcoholic mother, as Bartrand was too busy building their business empire.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: No matter whether the player approaches it narratively or chronologically, Varric gets one.
** Narrative: After being forcibly dragged into a dark room by heavily armored men, he immediately begins snarking. He does not stop. After being threatened and assaulted by a heavily armed woman of some importance, he proceeds to tell her outrageous BlatantLies and doesn't act at all ashamed when caught. He then proceeds to tell her (mostly) the truth, never once losing his cool.
** Chronologically: He (non-fatally) pins a moving target to a wall with a precision shot from Bianca, and proceeds to lecture and snark at his victim. He then returns Hawke's stolen purse and suavely introduces himself, followed by a business proposition.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim:
** During a conversation with Anders, this exchange;
--->'''Varric''': If you have something to say, just spit it out.\\
'''Anders''': Are you sure you want to encourage me? I might be about to confess my undying love.\\
'''Varric''': I get that a lot. So what's on your mind?
** If male Hawke tells Merrill she's prettier than [[spoiler:the Eluvian]]:
--->'''Merrill''': I'm sure you say that to Varric at least once a day.\\
'''Varric''': Twice, usually. But can you blame him? Nobody can resist this face!
* TheExile[=/=]GoingNative: Due to the entire Noble House of Tethras being exiled from Orzammar after his father was caught fixing Provings, Varric was born on the surface in Kirkwall. Having grown up in the surface world, Varric has genuinely no idea why the [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch dwarves of Orzammar]] willingly choose to live in a dark, smelly hole, filled with darkspawn.
* {{Expy}}:
** Of Iolo [=FitzOwen=] from ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'', the granddaddy of all {{Western RPG}}s: both men are professional storytellers (although Iolo is more [[WanderingMinstrel musical]], while Varric is more literary), both are the respective FeaturelessProtagonist's (the Avatar and Hawke) lifelong associates and confidantes, and both wield custom-built crossbows in combat.
** Fans of this series and ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire[=/=]Series/GameOfThrones'' have made comparisons between him and Tyrion Lannister. Each is TheUnfavorite: a scarred, intelligent, [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] but easygoing BreakOutCharacter, the younger son of a noble house. Each is also a dwarf (the fantasy race for Varric, a person with dwarfism for Tyrion), each befriends a displaced hero/heroine, and each was exiled at some point. They both even go through an ArrangedMarriage and a broken heart because of class differences.
** Of the garrulous crossbow-wielding gnome storyteller Jan Jansen from [=Bioware's=] own ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII''. Jan tends to tell inane, annoying, blatantly untrue (but funny) stories while he plays up his {{Cloudcuckoolander}} tendencies, and he's at most a turnip merchant as opposed to the Tethras' mercantile empire, but unlike Varric he invented his own AutomaticCrossbow and [[GadgeteerGenius assorted other gadgets]]. It balances out. %%Varric even mentions owning a parsnip farm in Rivain at one point.
* FantasticRacism: Downplayed, but Varric doesn't particularly understand or like the Qunari. He's the only one to disapprove of helping Ketojan, and is not even a little surprised when Arvaraad executes him. ("I knew it! Can't trust a zealot.") In Act 2, he offhandedly calls the Arishok an 'ox-man'. If ''Mark of the Assassin'' is done in Act 3, he asks Tallis if she really thinks [[spoiler: it was worth going to war over a book.]]
* FighterMageThief: If Hawke is either a warrior or a mage, Varric forms this trio with them and the surviving twin at the outset of Act 1, since they are initially the only three members of the party.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: He's the progressive surfacer to Bartrand's traditionalist Dwarven ideals. Which one is really "foolish" and which is "responsible" is debatable.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Inverted. He and Bethany are the only two of Hawke's companions who are liked by all the others.
* FriendlySniper: Varric gets along with ''everybody'', both inside the party and outside of it. His official bio from the ''Dragon Age'' tabletop RPG indicates that pretty much everyone is his friend unless they give him a reason to consider them otherwise.
* GenreSavvy: He is a storyteller, after all:
** "'I don't like this'? That's right up there with 'WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong'!"
** He kills [[spoiler:Gascard [=DuPuis=] before he gets a chance to join Quentin.]]
** There is one moment where Varric's GenreSavvy fails him. [[spoiler:He completely misses that Anders's plan to start the Mage-Templar War was to pull a BatmanGambit on the entire Templar Order.]]
* GlassCannon: Bianca (especially a fully-upgraded Bianca) has one of the highest damage outputs of any weapon in the game; but Varric himself is a rogue, not a tank. He tends to get taken down a lot, absent some means of drawing aggro away from him.
* GuileHero: Varric doesn't mind violence, but prefers to settle things through trickery or bribery if possible. Deferring to Varric and letting him lie to your adversary, when the option exists, is a great way to earn friendship points. He's the only one who gives friendship points for [[spoiler: bargaining with Castillon]] -- Isabela blusters, but her opinion of Hawke doesn't actually change either way.[[note]]However, this happens so late in the game that unless the player has been deliberately striving against it, Varric's friendship meter will likely have been long since maxed out, so the friendship gain won't show.[[/note]]
* HerCodeNameWasMarySue: During his companion quest, he briefly turns himself into a dwarven [[Film/{{Scarface 1983}} Tony Montana]], rips through an army of mercenaries like it was nothing, and his brother spends the whole time talking about the awesomeness of Varric. Cassandra calls him out on this, and Varric tells the real story.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Alongside Isabela and [[spoiler: King Alistair]] in the ''ComicBook/TheSilentGrove''/''ComicBook/ThoseWhoSpeak''/''ComicBook/UntilWeSleep'' trilogy.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: He's the only party member besides Aveline and Hawke's sibling who cannot be romanced, though he remains incredibly close to Hawke throughout their relationship.
** WordOfGod has said they [[WhatCouldHaveBeen seriously considered]] adding a post-credits scene to games in which Hawke didn't romance anyone, showing Varric and Hawke reuniting and the dwarf saying not to worry, he didn't tell the Seekers anything about ''them''.
* HiddenDepths: He may like to give the appearance of being a layabout storyteller who spends his time drinking and playing cards, but Varric is a lot smarter than that. He's very well-read; his rooms at the Hanged Man have a lot of books in them, and interacting with the bookcase in Hawke's mansion may prompt Hawke to remark that Varric has recommended the works of Genitivi, arguably the most famous historian in Thedas. ''Legacy'' shows that he also knows more about dwarven history than he likes to admit.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: It is indicated in cutscenes and his PartyBanter that he does a lot of things in the background to help the other party members who really need the assistance, like keeping thugs from causing trouble at Anders's clinic and making sure Merrill won't be have any trouble when she wanders into the wrong part of town (most nights). Apparently it costs him a fortune.
** He gives Merrill a ball of twine when she first arrives in Kirkwall, to help her find her way back home again. When she offers to return it in [[BrickJoke Act 3]], he tells her to keep it.
*** If she isn't romanced, it's revealed that during the years between Acts 2 and 3, Merrill stops leaving the house while [[spoiler: obsessively working on the Eluvian]]. Varric apparently visits her every week to try to coax her out and out of his own pocket pays for food to be delivered to her door because she's forgetting to eat.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: His penchant for exaggerating parts of Hawke's tale eventually gets him dragged in front of the Seekers, who are essentially Thedas's equivalent of the Spanish Inquisition, desperate for the truth about the Champion of Kirkwall. He's then brought to bear witness before the Divine, dragging him into the events of the third game...
* ICallItVera: He has a crossbow named [[Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew Bianca]].
* IJustWriteTheThing: In ''Legacy'', he admits to Aveline that he rarely writes with a concrete ending in mind, trusting his characters to drive the story rather than vice versa.
* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis: In addition to his narration, this is a hobby of his. He frequently tells stories about Hawke and their adventures, though the stories are [[UnreliableNarrator wildly exaggerated and very different from the truth.]]
* ItsAllMyFault: Downplayed, and certainly not as prominent a part of his character as in the next game; but if [[spoiler:Bethany or Carver dies in the Deep Roads]], Varric never stops blaming himself for it. It's more apparent with [[spoiler:Bethany,]] as he has party banter ''three years later'' in which he's still openly grieving - and then ''again'' in ''Inquisition''.
** His narration to Cassandra, at the beginning of Act 2, makes it explicitly clear that he blames himself for what happened. Again, this is more apparent if it's [[spoiler:Bethany]].
* JawDrop: He offers a ''verbal'' one when Aveline admits she wants a relationship with Guardsman Donnic.
-->'''Varric''': I think my jaw just landed in the Deep Roads somewhere.
* KnowledgeBroker: One of his side jobs. Part of the reason he's so good as a ConsummateLiar is that Varric knows everything that's going on in Kirkwall. He manages to keep himself just beneath suspicion of more prying eyes, but if characters need information and don't want the law finding out, they go to Varric. In Varric's words, "it means coins flow when I talk and when I shut up".
* LadyDrunk: His mother was an angry drunk with worse hangovers; try bringing him for "Repentance," if ''The Exiled Prince'' is installed, and listen to his commentary when the party encounters Flora.
* TheLancer: Due to [[UnreliableNarrator his role in the story]], Varric is the only party member who never leaves Hawke's side under any circumstances, and provides a counterpoint to both Diplomatic and Aggressive Hawke. With Silly Hawke, it seems like the two of them are snarking best buds.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: As justified as can be since he's telling the story. Lampshaded in some ''Legacy'' dialogue with Isabela, in which she asks him why he doesn't give himself a nickname. "Well, it's my story." She doesn't understand what he means, but the player does.
* ManlyTears: He has a moment where he's on the verge of them in the ''Legacy'' DLC, if Hawke completes the optional side quest "The Paragon's Heir." Watching Hawke perform the traditional dwarven rite for the dead for one of Varric's distant relatives leaves the dwarf speaking in a husky voice and asking if the party could please "get out of here before you see me cry."
* MementoMacGuffin: A minor example, but Hawke can buy back the signet ring of House Tethras from the trinkets merchant in Lowtown and return it to Varric. He's absolutely amazed to once again have possession of "my father's signet ring" and is very obviously grateful for the gesture.
** According to Mary Kirby's Twitter, the necklace he wears is also this; [[https://twitter.com/BioMaryKirby/status/1013467205609013248 when asked]], she said that his father left it to him.
* MerchantPrince: Varric's specialization tree calls him one, though the truth is more complicated. He's very wealthy and well-connected, but isn't interested in politics and tends to skip Merchants' Guild meetings.
* MercyKill: [[spoiler:Hawke can convince him to do this to Bartrand. Varric tries to convince himself he'll enjoy it, but he describes it afterward as "the hardest thing I've ever done." He clearly regrets what happened to his brother, even bringing it up to Fenris when the elf is about to kill his sister.]]
* MommasBoy: Despite having to single-handedly care for his alcoholic mother from a young age, he doesn't seem to resent her for it.
-->'''Varric''': [[spoiler:I swear, I will ''find'' that ''son of a bitch'' - sorry, Mother - ''and kill him!'']]
* MyGreatestFailure: Both optional moments, but they weigh heavily on Varric's conscience if they player sees them.
** The first one can occur in the Deep Roads at the end of Act 1. [[spoiler:Should Hawke's sister Bethany die during the expedition, Varric never stops blaming himself for Bethany's death. Even three years after it happens, dialogue around town still shows that Varric is guilt-ridden and grieving.]]
** The second one can occur with Varric's brother Bartrand. [[spoiler:Should the player choose to raid Bartrand's mansion without Anders, Varric is forced to give Bartrand a MercyKill after seeing how the lyrium has dissolved his mind. While Varric tries to convince himself that he enjoyed it, he very clearly hated it.]]
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch:
** Varric is a rare example of a surface dwarf who sincerely believes that the dwarves of Orzammar are morons for not realising just why living on the surface is actually completely fantastic.
** Despite being from a house of exiled nobles, he has utter contempt for their entire caste system, seeing the elite as petty for looking down on others just because their ancestor "built a water clock or something". He dismisses Harrowmont for his isolationism and approves of Bhelen dissolving the Assembly (but "it's still Orzammar").
* NiceGuy: Apart from Bethany (if she's alive) and possibly Hawke, he's the only person liked by pretty much everyone in the group.
* TheNicknamer:
** Merrill is "Daisy," Bethany is "Sunshine," Anders is "Blondie," Carver is "Junior" and "little Hawke," Isabela is "Rivaini," Sebastian is "Choir Boy," and Fenris is "Elf." He doesn't have one for Aveline, which bothers her - he says it's because he can't think of anything better than "Red," which they agree is too common.
--->'''Aveline''': You don't call anyone by their real name, except me. Where's my nickname?\\
'''Varric''': That's not true, there's Hawke and Bianca.\\
'''Aveline''': Hawke is a family name. And Bianca is a ''crossbow''.
** In ''Mark of the Assassin,'' Hawke can also complain that Varric doesn't have a proper nickname for them, prompting Varric to bestow Hawke with a nickname that suits their personality - diplomatic Hawke is Waffles, silly Hawke is Chuckles, and aggressive Hawke is Killer.
*** He also dubs Tallis "[[KnifeNut Shivs]]."
** If he's brought along for the Act 1 quest "Magistrate's Orders," he may give one to the elf girl Lia when the party finds her. When she pleads for leniency for her kidnapper, if Hawke selects the snarky response, Varric will add a (non-snarky) comment in which he gently addresses Lia as "princess."
* NoodleIncident: He refuses to tell anyone how Bianca got her name, [[ShoutOut just that]] [[VideoGame/JadeEmpire Mirabelle]] [[ShoutOut was taken.]] According to the descriptions of his personal abilities, he's written a song about it, but will only ever hum it quietly to help his concentration.
* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: Bianca, the only working AutomaticCrossbow in the setting, especially after its designer gets killed in ''Legacy''... Then, during the course of ''Mark of the Assassin'', this trope is {{averted}}, with Duke Prosper making use of a ''[[FiringOneHanded repeating crossbow pistol]]''. Basically, this trope only appears because Varric is an UnreliableNarrator.
** Of course, as ''Inquisition'' shows, [[spoiler:the "designer" killed in ''Legacy'' was not really Bianca's creator at all. ''The World of Thedas, vol. 2'' explains that Gerav did come up with the idea, but couldn't get it to work - but someone else could.]]
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: During "Haunted" in Act 3, he becomes [[spoiler:more and more agitated, finally yelling at Hawke and demanding to have the shard of the idol they found. It certainly freaks Anders out a bit, who tells Hawke that the idol is affecting Varric's mind. Varric apologizes afterwards, and he appears to have suffered no permanent ill effects by the time Cassandra finds him, even if Hawke allows him to have the shard. Granted, it did take several years for Bartrand to go completely AxCrazy...]]
* OutOfCharacterMoment: Look closely and it's clear that every scene Bartrand is in, Varric loses his jovial demeanor and ''suddenly'' [[OnlySaneMan becomes a perfect model of saintly patience and rationality]] in the face of his brother's raging {{jerkass}} tantrums. Given what an UnreliableNarrator Varric is, it's probably intentional.
* OddFriendship: With practically ''everybody'' in the party.
** It's revealed he's taught the game of Diamondback to the ''dog''. And he's a better card player than ''Anders'', although [[RunningGag that's not hard.]]
* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: While he's not the only beardless dwarf in Thedas, he's one of the few who actually prefers the surface. One could attribute this to his being born on the surface after House Tethras was exiled; he has no memories of Orzammar because he was never in it; and if asked by Bethany, he will vehemently state that he has no desire to go there. He's not fond of caves or the Deep Roads, either, but this isn't due to claustrophobia. His brother Bartrand, on the other hand, shows many traits common among the nobles of Orzammar, such as irritability, arrogance, intolerance of other cultures, and an over-inflated sense of ego.
** The stereotypical dwarf is a heavily armored, super-tough warrior wielding a giant battleaxe, an equally gigantic beard, and a surly attitude. Varric is a lightly armored, frail archer with a crossbow, has no beard, and is the friendliest, most universally liked party member in the franchise.
* PetTheDog: In-universe. He admits to Cassandra that he's making up Hawke's conversation with the deceased [[spoiler: Leandra]] in ''Legacy,'' but still does so because he thinks that [[CosmicPlaything Hawke]] deserves to have something good happen in their life and get some closure.
* RefugeInAudacity: Some of his storytelling and interaction with Cassandra could be seen as him doing this. Of particular note is when he mentions [[spoiler:Flemeth]] helping the Hawke family escape the Blight; when she all but accuses him of making it up, he asks if she needs him to recite the tale of [[VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins the Warden]] too. He doesn't have to take refuge in audacity because ''the truth is really that audacious.''
* TheResenter: [[spoiler:The Pride Demon in "Night Terrors" implies that part of him is very bitter about his role sitting just outside the spotlight, and mostly how it pertains to Bartrand.]]
-->'''Varric''': [[spoiler:I did everything for the family. My whole life... and he's still the favorite son.]]
* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob: He plays the part, particularly in Act 1, but in truth he's a KnowledgeBroker[=/=]TheSpymaster, and a ''very'' business-savvy one at that. He makes a point of missing Merchants' Guild meetings, never replies to his mail, and registers the family businesses to an imaginary cousin.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: He [[LargeHam indulges]] in a ClicheStorm of {{Pre Mortem One Liner}}s while single-handedly raiding his brother's hideout. [[UnreliableNarrator Except, no he doesn't]].
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Varric was born of the House Tethras, disgraced nobles exiled from Orzammar after his father was caught fixing Provings. Unlike Bartrand, Varric is more flexible and willing to compromise to achieve his ends, willing to get his hands dirty if needs be, and recognises Hawke as someone to be counted on get things done. He joins the Deep Roads Expedition to keep his brother from harm; he's willing to follow Hawke into dangerous territory to rescue Sandal; and, despite the implication that he's probably even wealthier than Hawke, he still chooses to live in the Hanged Man down in Lowtown.
* RunningGag: The ''chest hair''...
* SadClown: He's already snarky on a good day, but his standard reaction to things getting tense or emotional (especially when it comes to his own issues) is deflection.
-->'''Varric''': Don't worry, Sunshine. The laughter just... hides the pain.
* SarcasticDevotee: Always expect to hear at ''least'' one snarky comment from the dwarf when he's in Hawke's party.
-->'''Varric''': ''(if Anders falls)'' They got what's-his-name! The mage!
* SecretKeeper: He's very good at this, being TheSpymaster. It even forms part of his introductory dialogue with Hawke if Bethany is the surviving twin; when Hawke asks if Varric has heard of Bethany as well, she demurs, and he assures her that "Your secrets are safe with me." (In other words, he knows she's a mage but he's not going to out her to the Templars.)
* SelfProclaimedLiar: "I love the sound of my own voice, and I'm a compulsive liar."
* ShipTease:
** Some conversational options will allow him to flirt with a female Hawke, though it's treated like a running joke between them. (Unlike the actual potential love interests, there are never any "heart" dialogue options for Varric.)
** He and Isabela flirt occasionally in party banter. She seems interested in his chest hair.
** He also has a subtler but more genuine tease with Bethany, to whom he is shown to be particularly attached; it's examined carefully on the [[Heartwarming/DragonAgeII Heartwarming page]].
* TheSpymaster: He runs a spy network to help his friends and family.
* TheStoryteller: Of course he ends up the narrator.
-->'''Varric''': There's power in stories, though. That's all history is: the best tales. The ones that last. Might as well be mine.
* SweetTooth: If Merrill is to be believed.
-->'''Merrill''': His mind draws [demons] the same way pastries draw Varric.
* SwissArmyWeapon: Bianca is an AutomaticCrossbow, with a mounted grenade launcher that Varric uses when firing Miasmic Flask, and a hidden bayonet the size of an arming sword.
* TagalongChronicler: Not only is he TheNarrator, but even in-story, it is acknowledged that he will be the main influence on how history will remember Hawke.
* TeamMom[=/=]TheTeamBenefactor: Like Aveline, party banter reveals things Varric is doing behind the scenes to try and keep members of the group out of trouble, such as bribing the Lowtown gangs to leave Merrill alone.
** He's also the only one, besides Bethany and possibly Hawke, to really be on the good side of everyone in the party. And with a DysfunctionJunction this bad, ''that'' is an accomplishment.
* UndyingLoyalty: He's the only member of the party who will never leave Hawke, no matter what happens. (He's also, by far, the easiest party member to befriend. If the player brings him along on most quests, they will have to deliberately antagonize him to avoid getting 100% Friendship with him in Act 1, long before it becomes possible for any other party member besides Bethany.) He can, however, be tempted to betray Hawke in the Fade by a demon; he'll simply apologize later. At one point in ''Legacy'', without any hesitation, he turns Bianca on a former friend of his who is preparing to attack Hawke.
** His loyalty even extends beyond the physical. At the end of the ''Legacy'' DLC [[spoiler:if done after the murder of Leandra]], he recounts how Hawke had a conversation with their [[spoiler:deceased mother]]. He quickly admits that this didn't actually happen. He only said it because he wished his friend had gotten that closure, despite knowing that they never did.
* TheUnfavorite: "Night Terrors" implies that he sees himself as such, compared to Bartrand.
* UnreliableNarrator: For portions of the story, he'll exaggerate certain events just to make the story more interesting or if he's hiding something. Cassandra will ask questions occasionally to discern Varric's hyperbole from the truth.
** The game literally opens with Varric telling an exaggerated account of how, when the Hawke family fled Lothering, Hawke the OneManArmy effortlessly mowed down hordes of darkspawn beside their [[BuxomIsBetter well-endowed]] mage sister / heavily-armored Gray Warden brother, only for Cassandra to scream "Bullshit!" and demand he tell her what really happened.
** Played with through most of the game as Cassandra ecourages him to tell Hawke's story free of the exaggerations as part of the story of the [[FolkHero Champion]]. For the most part he seems to be telling the truth, FromACertainPointOfView. On the other hand, the better known exaggerations are ''also'' written by him...
** PlayedForLaughs later, when the game suddenly switches to Varric [[OneManArmy killing a ridiculously implausible number of enemies by himself]] and making a crossbow shot with ImprobableAimingSkills. Cut back to an extremely skeptical Cassandra, and then gameplay returns to normal.
** He also freely admits as much when, in ''Legacy,'' he invents a conversation between Hawke and [[spoiler: Leandra's ghost. As noted above, he concedes that it never happened; he just wanted to give his dear friend some closure regarding their mother's murder.]]
** The in-story explanation for ''Legacy'' and ''Mark of the Assassin'' within the FramingDevice is that Varric left them out at first, "assuming" Cassandra wouldn't be interested. Also, that she wouldn't believe either story - heck, even ''he'' has difficulty believing what happened during ''Legacy'', and he was there!
** In his prelude recounting of an overpowered rogue or warrior Hawke's battle against the Blight alongside their sister, Bethany is depicted with a [[BuxomIsBetter substantially bigger bosom]] than normal. (Female Hawke's bosom, interestingly, does not appear to change at all.)
** As revealed in ''Inquisition'', [[spoiler:he knew where Hawke was all along and could get in contact with them anytime he needed, but he lied about this in order to protect his friend.]]
** A number of the game's odder elements, like enemies who jump in from nowhere in waves, are called out by other characters in the next game. Apparently it's common to all his writing.
* VitriolicBestBuds:
** Some of his party banter with Carver suggests that this is their relationship.
** With Sebastian as well, especially if they're the companions for ''Mark of the Assassin.''
* VocalEvolution: In the very first cut scenes, Varric has a noticeably deeper lilt to his voice than in later scenes, sounding very different from the more lighthearted and easygoing dwarf the player becomes familiar with from his introduction to Hawke and onward. By the end of the game, it's clear just ''why'' this is the case.
* WardrobeWound: He occasionally complains about the gang's activities getting blood on his coat or ruining his boots.
* WarriorPoet: He actually writes poetry in his spare time, and his relationship with Hawke could easily be seen as a self-appointed poet laureate. According to his specialization tree, he's even written a song about Bianca, although he'll only hum it under his breath to improve his concentration.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler: He stays on mostly good terms with Anders right up to the Chantry attack. After that, he says he's sick of mages and Templars and seems bitter about having introduced him to Hawke in the first place. In ''Inquisition,'' when speaking of the mage rebellion, he notes that "the guy who started it used to be a friend of mine." If Anders survived ''DAII'', Varric bluntly states in the next game that he doesn't know or care about his current whereabouts.]]
* WhatExactlyIsHisJob: Aveline tries to work this out in party banter. He just confuses her. The reality is that he's a KnowledgeBroker and TheSpymaster, but he prefers to let people think he's a RichIdiotWithNoDayJob.
* WriteWhoYouKnow: Invoked during PartyBanter in Act 2 with Aveline, which reveals he's writing a series of novels starring a [[CowboyCop rogue guardsman]] called Donnen Brennokovic. Apparently, there have been fistfights in the barracks over which guard Varric based him on. It might be simple coincidence, but Donnic and Brennan, two actual guardsmen Hawke meets during Act 1, seem the most likely candidates at least for the name. Extracts from the book itself have the guard captain as a no-nonsense female redhead beset by paperwork (Aveline); other characters include a surly white-haired bartender called Ferris (Fenris), a sexy and reckless lady pirate named Captain Belladonna (Isabela), and a cute scatterbrained elf historian named Maisy (Merrill). There's also Lady Marielle, a significant character whose description and personality seem to be a mash-up of female Hawke and Bethany. The entire story can be read in a series of codex entries on the official wiki, and in late 2017, Bioware announced that actual printed, illustrated copies would be produced; it's [[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1506704042/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 now available]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tethras_varric_8201.jpg]]

->''"If this is all just the Maker winding us up, I hope there's a damn good punch line coming."''

Varric joins the Inquisitor's party, along with Cassandra, during the events of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition''.

* AbhorrentAdmirer: After the completion of "Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts," Varric has a lengthy bit of party banter with Dorian, in which Dorian says that Empress Celene's trio of identically-dressed handmaidens were asking him questions about Varric's romantic availability and chest hair. Varric's tone as he replies sounds quite disgruntled.
-->'''Varric''': Huh. Creepy.
* ActorAllusion: An extremely subtle and humorous one on the war table. If the chain of operations is completed for Varric's plagiarism issues, one of them has him contact Jerrik Dace and call in a debt regarding 'the Amgarrak expedition,' referencing the ''Origins'' DLC ''Golems of Amgarrak''. It's funny for two reasons. One, it means that House Tethras funded the expedition, and financing a DLC campaign is a ''very'' Varric thing to do; two, this trope. Brian Bloom is the voice of Jerrik Dace as well as Varric, so the letters they send to each other in the operation are a sort of literary version of TalkingToHimself.
* AesopAmnesia: The end of ''[=DA2=]'' and ''[=DAI=]'' especially explores how Varric saw firsthand how Hawke was just a regular person who rose to fame due to external circumstances, and had their life ruined by other people putting them on a pedestal and then turning on them when they failed to live up to their larger-than-life reputation. In ''[=DAI=]'', Varric himself fully believes the Inquisitor is the Herald of Andraste and encourages them to live up to reputation that countless people have given them.
* AffectionateNickname: Solas refers to him with a solemn "child of the Stone," which is especially notable since Varric is a surface dwarf without a lick of stone-sense. Solas seems to mean it genuinely, though.
* TheAntiNihilist: When Solas keeps badgering him about his willingness to abandon the old dwarf empire and be happy with his kind living on the surface, equating it to giving up, Varric [[ShutUpHannibal handily shuts him down]] by arguing that accepting the impossibility of defeating entropy and living a good life anyway is the only real way to beat it.
-->'''Solas''': You truly are content to sit in the sun, never wondering what you could've been, never fighting back?\\
'''Varric''': Ha, you've got it all wrong, Chuckles. This ''is'' fighting back.\\
'''Solas''': How does passively accepting your fate constitute a fight?\\
'''Varric''': In that story of yours -- the fisherman watching the stars, dying alone -- you thought he gave up right? [...] But he went on living. He lost everyone, but he still got up every morning. He made a life, even if it was alone. That's the world. Everything you build, it tears down. Everything you've got, it takes -- and it's gone forever. The only choices you get are to lie down and die or keep going. He kept going. That's as close to beating the world as anyone gets.\\
'''Solas''': Well said. Perhaps I was mistaken.
* BadassBookworm: Varric's career as an author receives more attention in ''Inquisition''. Apparently, he's quite the bestseller, so he's basically a demon-slaying Creator/StephenKing with a crossbow - except in Orlais, where his books don't sell. [[spoiler:(But that turns out to be Varric's publisher screwing him out of money, and he's absolutely bewildered to be mobbed by readers at the Winter Palace.)]]
* BadassLongcoat: Now available in a variety of colors, depending on what material the player uses.
* BagOfSpilling: When the Inquisitor meets him at the beginning of the game, he's back to first level and without all those trick bolts, just like the rest of the party.
* BearerOfBadNews: [[spoiler:If Hawke is left in the Fade,]] Varric has to do this for the rest of the old gang from Kirkwall, sending letters to inform them of the situation. Cassandra will ask him about it in party banter.
* BelligerentSexualTension:
** People accuse him and Cassandra of having this. [[DefiedTrope Neither of them are amused by the suggestion.]] When {{Discussed|Trope}} by the party, they conclude that the reason people accuse him and Cassandra of this is because it's a common trope in his own books... or rather, in the ShoddyKnockOff sequels written by someone else.
** He and [[spoiler:Bianca]] actually ''[[PlayedStraight do]]'' have this going on. They insult each other as often as they make small talk. Most telling is that if the Inquisitor defends her ''from his own rants'', Varric actually ''approves'' both times. The Inquisitor can even tell them to GetARoom.
--->'''Inquisitor''': After all this, do you think you'll see [[spoiler:Bianca]] again?\\
'''Varric''': I always do.
* BigBrotherInstinct:
** He takes Cole under his wing and does his best to foster the growth of his human side. Blackwall even [[{{LampshadeHanging}} lampshades]] it, saying that Varric seems to have adopted him.
** Also has a bit of this toward the newly-minted Herald of Andraste, periodically inquiring as to whether events are taking a toll on them. The most notable example comes after the events of the prologue, when the player character is walking around Haven and interacting with everyone; Varric is the ''only'' person to ask them if they're okay.
--->'''Varric''': So, now that Cassandra is out of earshot, are you holding up all right?"
** Still exhibits this towards Hawke.
--->'''Cassandra''': Hawke would have been at the temple! If anyone could have saved Most Holy-!\\
'''Varric''': You know what I think? If Hawke had been at the temple, he/she would be dead too. You people have done ''enough'' to him/her.
** He also still has a little of this, still overlapping with ShipTease, for [[spoiler:Circle]] Bethany. When the Herald inquires about the whereabouts of his friends, he fondly notes that "Hawke's little sister" is helping mage refugees in the Free Marches. [[spoiler:After Adamant, if Hawke survived,]] Cassandra brings her up and asks if she's still alive, which gets an immediate and slightly hostile response of "Better be!" More calmly, Varric then adds that "Sunshine will go" to join her elder sibling as soon as Varric informs her of their whereabouts. As noted below, she seems to be the one companion with whom he remains in regular contact.
* BlatantLies: He's still prone to extravagant lies, although now he freely admits it. His recounting of the activities of the Inquisition in his book ''All This Shit Is Weird'' includes Cassandra weeping at his feet begging for forgiveness, which - needless to say - did not happen. (The real Cassandra, however, is actually ''delighted'' by the fabrication.)
* CarpetOfVirility:
** Some of his outfits are now covering it, but [[http://leggywillow.tumblr.com/post/59916109466/check-out-that-beautifully-rendered-chest-hair not all of them.]] One of the servant girls in Skyhold expresses interest and asks some lewd questions about him because of his chest hair, and ''Cassandra'', of all people, actually jokes about it when describing things about him the Divine wanted to see and hear in person.
** His initial Tarot card displays a view of his smirking mouth, the [[SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou end of Bianca you don't want to have pointing at you]]... and his chest hair. [[MyEyesAreUpHere The card doesn't even show his eyes!]]
* CasualDangerDialogue: In the ''Inquisition'' trailer, in between shooting several demons with Bianca.
-->'''Varric''': You might want to watch yourself, it's raining demons out here.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: In ''Trespasser'', he's now [[spoiler:Viscount of Kirkwall]], and he'll complain about the Merchants Guild and Starkhaven (read: Sebastian) ''constantly'' pestering him with complaints and requests. In the DLC epilogue, he's still ignoring letters from both, rolling his eyes at whatever Seneschal Bran is saying while an amused Aveline walks away grinning. If the Inquisitor is a Dwarf, he even remarks that he tried to give his seat in the Merchant's Guild to you, but "they, uh... got mad."
* CityMouse: Some of his banter and random comments include complaints about foul weather, uneven terrain, and how much he'd really like to be indoors right about now. The ''Descent'' DLC even adds a string of party banter in which the other companions mock his many complaints, the majority of which are related to the outdoors. As he points out, he was raised in the city; that's where he's comfortable.
* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: To Cole on physical and tangible objects like clothes, as he hasn't got much experience with them.
* ConfirmationBias: Downplayed, but in party banter Varric and Solas often discuss dwarves and elves being a DyingRace (with the Deep Roads flooded by darkspawn and Elvhenan destroyed by humans [[spoiler:or so they thought]]). Varric is actually ''offended'' when Solas asks why he doesn't want to restore Orzammar since there are plenty of surface dwarves and ''they'' are thriving; implicitly implying that Solas and the elves shouldn't want to revive their dying culture and should focus on embracing life with humans. However, Varric overlooks how surface dwarves don't deal with the same level of FantasticRacism under humans that the EnslavedElves do. While most humans casually stereotype dwarves as merchants, blacksmiths, warriors, and lyrium-providers, they still respect them well enough and most surface dwarves ''can'' make a decent living on the surface, and most dwarves ''are'' still knowledgable of their homeland, history, and culture even if they no longer actively participate. Meanwhile, elves had their entire homeland, history, and most of their culture violently taken from them, and still deal with [[InherentInTheSystem slavery and second-class citizenry being baked into human society]]. Varric overlooks the elves' less favorable situation when using surface dwarves to favorably compare how the two cope with being fallen people.
* ContentWarnings: Hilariously, the ''World of Thedas'' books contain a segment in which it's shown that the Chantry (or at least "Sister Lilian Hatch," the author of the segment) frowns upon Varric's popular novels. This is partly due to his previous association with Anders, but it's also because they think he's a terrible writer. The faithful are warned that "...his body of work remains, by and large, little more than smut, pulp, or, at times, [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs smutty pulp]]." This warning is then followed by [[HypocriticalHumor an excerpt from]] ''Hard in Hightown.''
* CooldownManipulation: Varric's Artificer specialization focuses on improving critical hit chances for himself and the party, and using critical hits to reduce the cooldowns on all his talents so he can use them faster.
* CosmicPlaything: As he says, he's been in his own stories enough times to know a tragedy starting when he sees one.
-->'''Varric''': Most of my stories end in tragedy. Probably that says something unfortunate about me personally.
* CulturalCringe: Like the previous game, he's very critical of Orzammar, vastly prefers surface (human) culture, and isn't afraid to say so.
* DirtyCoward: He seems to think this of himself. In one conversation, he mentions that it took him three years just to work up the nerve to confront Bartrand [[spoiler:for trying to murder him]], and even then he needed someone else to convince him to do it. He then wonders if he'd be running from the current crisis if Cassandra hadn't literally dragged him into it in the first place. [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre The Inquisitor can point out that ]] [[CowardlyLion nothing is actually stopping him]].
* DualWielding: Unlike the previous game, it is possible for Varric to dual-wield daggers (his new specialisation works pretty well regardless). However, the only ranged weapon he will use is still [[invoked]][[CargoShip Bianca]], who gets a whole range of exclusive upgrades to keep her in the running throughout the game. The descriptions for the regular bows seem to lampshade this; "Not Varric" is listed as a secondary class restriction alongside Rogue. It should also be noted that dual wielding will prevent Varric from using his [[LimitBreak Focus Ability]], which requires Bianca.
* FanOfUnderdog: While he and Blackwall have their favourite jousters in the Grand Tourney, he admits that Blackwall's pick is the most skilled, but stands by his own choice. It's not hard to imagine who else he's thinking about.
-->'''Varric''': Scrappy is better than flawless. I like heroes who try their damnedest, [[FailureHero even if they fail a lot.]] It's easy to be valiant when you always win and everything goes your way. There's nothing great in that.
* FantasticRacism: He's somewhat suspicious of the Qunari after the events of ''DAII'', though he still gets along pretty well with the Iron Bull all things considered. [[spoiler: If Bull becomes Tal-Vashoth, he happily tells him it was the right choice. If the player picks the alliance with the Qunari, Varric is skeptical... which arguably doubles as foreshadowing for ''Trespasser''.]]
* FriendlySniper: Wields an AutomaticCrossbow with deadly precision in combat, and is still one of the nicest guys in the series.
* GenreSavvy: We can see now that it wasn't just him spicing up the story to make himself seem like this in ''Dragon Age II''. Varric really gets how stories work and displays this in multiple dialogues throughout the game.
** If Hawke allowed him to keep the idol shard, he's taking zero chances with it -- it's in a custom-made safe back in Kirkwall, and alchemists are studying it in hour-long shifts with weekly intervals. Unfortunately, they still don't know how to stop it from "singing".
** His party banter indicates that he figures out ''very'' early in their acquaintance that [[spoiler:Blackwall]] has some kind of DarkAndTroubledPast, although his exact guesses are completely off the mark. Notably, if he's in the party when the Inquisitor goes to Val Royeaux as part of that character's personal quest, Varric realizes what's happening faster than anyone else.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Picked up what would qualify on anyone else as a nasty Evil Scar (under his left eye, diagonally across the nose almost to his right side jaw) sometime between the games.
* HeartbrokenBadass: He's always shown signs of this, but he ''especially'' does if [[spoiler:Hawke dies.]]
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Again. He's central to the plot of ''ComicBook/KnightErrant'', which takes place after the ''Trespasser'' DLC and has him working with a sticky-fingered squire to help the Inquisition back in his native Kirkwall.
* HeroWorshipper: A relatively mild example, but Varric firmly believes that the player character is Andraste's chosen champion, and tells them that he's not sure how to be a disciple; if told that the Inquisitor needs a friend, not a disciple, he laughs and says they don't understand what they are to people. After the group game of Wicked Grace, he tells the Inquisitor that he sees them as being "like one of those statues of Andraste holding bowls of fire." He also, in party banter with Dorian, refers to them as "our beloved Inquisitor." It's a different kind of reverence than the sort he has for Hawke, but still there.
* HeroicBSOD[=/=]StunnedSilence: If [[spoiler:Hawke dies]], he's completely at a loss for what to say, trying to say something before completely giving up and just silently walking away.
* HeterosexualLifePartners[=/=]PlatonicLifePartners: Once again, Varric cannot be romanced by the player character. In this game, however, it's heavily implied that this is at least partly because of his past relationship with another dwarf named Bianca. He still remains this to Hawke as well, [[spoiler:being the only person with whom they were in constant contact while they were on the run.]]
* HiddenDepths: As mentioned by Cassandra and later confirmed by Varric himself, he's Andrastian (rather than a Stone-worshiper); furthermore, he fully believes that the Inquisitor ''is'' the Herald of Andraste, pointing to the extraordinary events surrounding the Inquisitor since literally stepping out of the Fade as proof.
** Bringing him along for the "Tomb of Fairel" quest in the Hissing Wastes once again shows that Varric understands dwarven history much more than he likes to admit, especially when looting the treasure of the final tomb. The Inquisitor will playfully call him out on it, to which he replies, "If you want an encyclopedia entry, it might as well be from someone charming."
** Having him along for ''Jaws of Hakkon'' helps to illustrate how good Varric is at recognizing the need for diplomacy and kindness. He approves of letting the Inquisitor's name be included in an Avvar prayer (at the conclusion of "Up and Away") because he says it's smart to show respect for local traditions, and urges the Inquisitor to let Finn take the credit for hunting the fade-touched beasts (at the end of "A Father's Name") because the young man has already lost his father, and shouldn't have to lose his name too. He also makes a number of wise comments regarding the history uncovered in the quest, and expresses particular admiration for Ameridan's dwarven companion Orinna.
* HomeSweetHome: He tries to downplay it, but Varric is desperately homesick during the events of ''Inquisition''. Sera actually complains about it in party banter, saying that she's tired of him talking about his "better" friends back in Kirkwall.
** After the events at the ritual tower in the Western Approach, the Inquisitor can find him in the hallway by the war room with [[spoiler:Hawke]], talking about the situation, and his old friend comments that "I know how much you hated leaving Kirkwall." He expresses distaste for being where he is ("Did you know they eat ''snails'' here?") but adds that he has to see it through to the end.
** Taking him to the Storm Coast can net this bit of wistful dialogue:
--->'''Varric''': The Waking Sea... somewhere across all that water is Kirkwall.
* HumbleHero: He has shades of this in party banter with Blackwall, who compliments him on his prowess with the crossbow. Varric demurs, saying that Bianca does most of the work.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Varric is pretty outspoken when talking to Cassandra how Hawke is a regular person (a hero, maybe, but still a person) who can't live up to the larger-than-life reputation others gave them, and expecting Hawke to do so is part of what ruined their life [[spoiler:especially if Hawke disappeared in the Fade]]. However, Varric himself refuses to apply that same logic to the Inquisitor. He's firmly convinced they ''are'' the Herald of Andraste (a title given to them by other people) and ''should'' live up to the faith people place in them, [[CassandraTruth even if the Inquisitor insists they're not the Herald]].
* ICallItVera: Bianca's back! And she fits in quite well with the weapon/armor component upgrade system in ''Inquisition'', having the most [[SocketedEquipment upgrade slots]] of any item, and most of them unique to her: a tension limb slot, a foregrip slot, a stock/sighting slot, and a more standard rune slot as well for good measure.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: His dialogue is peppered with this throughout the game. The events of ''II'' and now ''Inquisition'' have definitely taken a toll on Varric, and all he really wants to do is go home - but he feels so responsible for things that he just can't go until he's set things right. Take him to the Storm Coast and listen to his lament about Kirkwall being "somewhere across all that water". Post-game, he reveals that he simply wants to settle back down in Kirkwall. [[spoiler:The ''Trespasser'' DLC shows him doing exactly that... except now he's the Viscount, so 'settling down' isn't what it used to be.]]
* ItWillNeverCatchOn: He claims he won't write a book about the Inquisition because they aren't that interesting. He reconsiders it later on, although he's not sure anyone will believe it. [[spoiler:At the very end of the ''Trespasser'' DLC, he presents Cassandra with a copy of the book he did end up writing. It's called ''All This Shit Is Weird,'' and players are treated to her reading excerpts aloud over the closing credits. It's ''hilarious.'']]
* ItsAllMyFault:
** Varric co-led the expedition that unearthed the first red lyrium seen in the modern Age, and isn't happy now that it's popping up everywhere. [[spoiler: When Corypheus reappears, he starts kicking himself for leading Hawke to the Warden prison. If Hawke sacrifices themselves to save the Inquisitor and the Grey Warden ally, this attitude becomes even more apparent.]] It's even worse in his personal quest, when he finds out that [[spoiler:Corypheus is getting most of his red lyrium from the very same Primeval Thaig that Varric and Hawke discovered.]]
** The Nightmare demon specifically gives him a ReasonYouSuckSpeech over his guilt of constantly getting Hawke into life-threatening situations.
** He's still blaming himself if [[spoiler:Hawke's sibling contracted the taint]] in the previous game. Bring him to the Storm Coast to fight the darkspawn on the surface and listen to him talk about it. It's more pronounced if [[spoiler:Bethany died as a result]]; he's very obviously [[SurvivorGuilt still grieving]] the loss, and he even says the same phrase he uttered when they realized what was happening: [[spoiler:"Oh, ''Sunshine''."]]
* KnightErrant: He gets a bit of this in his character trailer, which features him defending Haven's barmaid from the unwanted advances of a ruffian - by using Bianca to pin the man to the wall. (Doubles as something of a CallBack to ''Dragon Age II'', where he did the exact same thing to a pickpocket the first time he met Hawke.)
-->'''Varric''': She's not interested. But Bianca here is a sucker for drunk, dumb, and ugly. Take a hint, human.
* KnightInSourArmour: He's considerably more bitter and confrontational by the time he joins the Inquisition, and he's not ''quite'' as quick to warm up to the newly acquired companions (although he gets better as the game progresses). Most tellingly, it takes him the better part of the game to move into a pleasant relationship with Cassandra, especially after [[spoiler:Hawke comes to Skyhold]]. They just can't seem to let go of their animosity for a long time, which is a dramatic shift from the easygoing storyteller Varric was in the previous game.
* MultipleChoicePast: When the Inquisitor asks how Varric got Bianca, the dwarf may tell a story of how he found her in a barrel in the [[BazaarOfTheBizarre Black Emporium]] for a few coins. The codex adds a few more possible origin stories for Bianca as well, and playing multiple playthroughs reveals that with each of them, Varric's story of finding Bianca randomly changes.
** One variant even has him claiming that he won Bianca from Paragon Branka in a game of Wicked Grace. [[ForegoneConclusion (However, considering he says she got upset and ran into the Deep Roads afterward]] while he admits to never having actually been to Orzammar, [[BlatantLies it's pretty obvious that he made that one up.)]]
** From his sidequest, it's heavily implied that the origin of the crossbow Bianca is somehow related to a girl named Bianca, with whom [[EveryoneCanSeeIt Varric obviously has history]]. If the Inquisitor asks him if it originates with her, he doesn't directly deny it, but does say that saying anything about it might endanger her life. This forms something of a CallBack to ''Dragon Age II,'' when he told Merrill that "There was a girl, and I made a promise. It's the one story I can never tell." It also corroborates her appearance in [[spoiler:the Fade]] during the comic ''Until We Sleep''.
*** ''The World of Thedas, vol. 2'' finally clears up the matter. [[spoiler:Gerav, the tinkerer whom Hawke and Varric encountered in the ''Legacy'' DLC, ''was'' Bianca's original designer, but he couldn't get the thing to work. He sold it to Varric, who took it to the dwarf Bianca; she turned the crossbow into the deadly work of art he loves so much, prompting him to name it after her.]] By Varric's own accounting, this was a good fifteen years before ''Inquisition''.
* NiceGuy: As in the previous game, Varric can make friends with just about anyone, and seems to be on friendly or at least amiable terms with just about every other character in the party. He makes an analogy of people with cats: they either arch their back up to seem threatening, or hide to avoid detection.
-->'''Varric''': Show that you're not a victim or a threat, and they're in your lap and purring before you know it.
** He is one of the only party members, almost as much as Cole, to consistently give approval for dialogue and action choices which indicate a selfless nature. For example, he's the only one who "greatly approves" if the Herald manages to save [[spoiler: all of the endangered villagers when Haven is attacked]], and the only one who "approves" if they make an effort and save at least one. (The only other companion who gives ''any'' approval for these actions is [[DefrostingIceQueen Vivienne]], of all people.) %%Vivienne only "approves" of saving all the villagers, or "slightly approves" of saving at least one. Varric is the only companion to "greatly approve".
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Varric gets accused of this by Cassandra [[spoiler: after she finds out he lied about Hawke's whereabouts. Cassandra sought him out because she wanted Hawke to become the leader of the Inquisition and feels that Hawke's presence may have prevented the destruction at the Conclave. Varric points out that if Hawke had been at the Conclave, they would almost certainly have died, and "You people have done enough to him/her."]]
* TheNicknamer: Varric still gives nicknames to his companions. He addresses Cassandra as "Seeker"; Josephine is "Ruffles"; Leliana is "Nightingale"; and Cullen is "Curly." The ever-serious Solas is "Chuckles", Iron Bull is "Tiny", Dorian is "Sparkler", Cole is "Kid", Blackwall is "Warden" or "Hero", and Sera is "Buttercup." Vivienne comes pre-nicknamed as "Iron Lady". And, like Hawke before them, the Inquisitor doesn't have a nickname beyond simply "Inquisitor," although he may sometimes play with it by calling them "Your Inquisitorialness." He also has a nickname for [[spoiler:Bianca's husband]]: "What's-his-name."
** In the ''Descent'' DLC, he nicknames Lieutenant Renn "Grisly" for his graphic tales of darkspawn-slaying, and Shaper Valta "Scribbles" because she's a scholar.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Dwarven FriendlySniper author merchant.
* NoodleIncident: [[spoiler:Apparently, once he becomes Viscount, he regularly bets public buildings during card games including Wicked Grace.]]
** His "promotion" to [[spoiler:Viscount]] is also sort of one as well. [[spoiler:Apparently Kirkwall's not having an official viscount got in the way of one of his schemes, and he lodged a complaint with the nobility. Whatever he said, they apparently combined it with the amount of money he had contributed to the restoration of the city, and interpreted it as him volunteering for the position.]] There's even a NoodleIncident within the NoodleIncident, since exactly what the "scheme" was that he was trying to pull is never explained.
* OddFriendship: Once again, Varric gets along with just about ''everyone'', including many the player might not expect. Even those that start off tense at first, such as Cassandra, [[VitriolicBestBuds become significantly warmer over the course of the game]].
* OhCrap: When he realizes [[spoiler: that Bianca met the Grey Warden Corypheus was possessing at the end of ''Legacy'' and that's how Corypheus discovered Red Lyrium.]]
* OhNoNotAgain: Almost his exact words at the conclusion of his character trailer, which shows him in the tavern in Haven at the time of the Conclave explosion. He gets to the door, stares up at the Breach, and groans, clearly comparing this new crisis to that in the final act of the previous game. He makes the disgruntled comment, then advances the magazine on Bianca, indicating that he's prepared to do his part to fight the new menace.
* OldShame: InUniverse, he considers his ''Swords and Shields'' romance series the worst thing he's ever written. However, it turns out that Cassandra is a fan of the series and the Inquisitor can convince him to write another book for it on her behalf.
* PrecisionFStrike: He may make one if his opinion of the Inquisitor drops low enough that he delivers a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, depending on the player's choices in the conversation.
-->'''Varric''': This 'all that matters is the goal, and fuck the consequences' thing of yours? I've seen where that road leads. Anders was the last guy I knew who thought like that, and ''he'' was an abomination. What's ''your'' excuse?
* RainOfArrows: Varric's [[LimitBreak Focus Ability]] is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Hail of Arrows]], which allows him to use any archery ability twice simultaneously while it is active. It lives up to its name when combined with Leaping Shot.
* ResignationsNotAccepted: PlayedForLaughs in ''Trespasser.'' If the Inquisitor is a Dwarf, Varric mentions that he tried giving them his seat in the Dwarven Merchant's Guild, but "they got so angry about it!" [[spoiler:He settles on giving them their own seat, instead.]]
* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob: Handled a bit differently than in the previous game. Because his brother (for one reason or another) is no longer capable of holding the position, Varric is now the head of House Tethras, and thus the one stuck dealing with the Merchants' Guild and other day-to-day things. The Inquisitor can provide a welcome interruption while he's paying bills, and ambient dialogue datamined from the game has him coming up with assorted creative uses for the letters he gets from the Guild. The Inquisitor can ask him what it is he does, to which he explains that he's basically in the business of buying and selling property. Even he doesn't seem to know the extent of his own holdings; if the Herald asks him about his family business, he remarks that "I think we own half a beet plantation in Rivain."
* RightToBareArms: Some of the armor sets are sleeveless on him, revealing a pair of ''extremely'' muscular arms.
* RocksFallEveryoneDies: An EasterEgg in the ''Jaws of Hakkon'' DLC (see YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe, below) reveals that ''Hard in Hightown'' has an alternate banned version in which this is apparently the ending. (Unlike the regular version of the story, this one is not available in the real world.)
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Just like before. He's one of the wealthiest people in the inner circle, possibly even ''the'' wealthiest, yet he's down in the muck with everyone else. As of ''Trespasser'', [[spoiler:Varric is the new Viscount of Kirkwall, meaning that he's now fully-fledged royalty - but still very hands-on.]]
* RunawayBride: Implied to have happened to him. Let's just say we finally find out some of the story behind Bianca.
-->'''Varric''': I heard the wedding was lovely. The one she actually showed up for, anyway.
** Her first appearance, in the comic ''Until We Sleep,'' also corroborates this.
* ScarfOfAsskicking: One of his outfits features a red one, not unlike Bethany's or Warrior Hawke's.
* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: In ''Trespasser'', [[spoiler:he's not above using his new position as Viscount of Kirkwall to give the Inquisitor a new title and the key to the chains of the city. He thought it was just ornamental, but when Bran explains the real significance, he finds the idea hilarious.]]
-->'''Varric''': [[spoiler:What kind of viscount would I be if I didn't abuse my position to give shit to my friends? I've got traditions to uphold!]]
* SelfProclaimedLiar: He's still this, and quite up front about it if the Inquisitor wants to ask him something personal. "You want to talk about me? I'm flattered. Also inclined toward extravagant lies." Somewhat subverted, since he doesn't really tell ''any'' lies this time (at least, not to you); and if he's brought along for ''The Descent'', the one thing he says that sounds like BlatantLies - telling you about [[spoiler:the existence of the Nug King]] - turns out to be the absolute truth.
* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: His (honest) reaction to Dorian asking if there's something between him and Cassandra.
-->'''Varric''': Just because two people dislike each other doesn't mean they're about to kiss, Sparkler.
** However, he makes no such denial concerning [[spoiler:Bianca]], no matter how much the rest of the party pesters him about it. Iron Bull even outright calls her that, and he goes with it.
* SherlockScan: He gives an impressive one to the player character shortly after they meet. No matter what race (except for elves, who get to talk with Solas instead), gender, or class the Herald is, he always accurately guesses their origins and reason for being at the Conclave.
* SoBadItsGood: Invoked if the Inquisitor asks him to complete his ''Swords and Shields'' series as a gift for Cassandra.
-->'''Varric''': You know, the fact that it's so terrible makes it worthwhile.
* StarCrossedLovers: [[spoiler: Bianca, as it turns out, is a surface dwarf whose parents [[ArrangedMarriage arranged]] for her to marry a smith. She and Varric obviously have a history, and some lingering feelings, but are not allowed to meet.]]
-->'''Varric''': If I came over, your parents would ''kill'' me.\\
'''[[spoiler: Bianca]]''': Oh, you're just overreacting.\\
'''Varric''': You always say that, but they always send assassins.
* StopWorshippingMe: Inverted. The Inquisitor can ask him to stop revering them as the Herald of Andraste, but Varric brushes them off each time, reminding you what you mean to people and the example you should set. It takes until ''Trespasser'' for Varric to start treating you like a person and friend.
* SurvivorGuilt: As noted above, he still blames himself if [[spoiler:the Deep Roads killed Hawke's sibling]].
* TakeCareOfTheKids: He's on the receiving end of an unusual variant. [[spoiler:If Hawke survives the Fade in "Here Lies the Abyss," s/he volunteers to make the trek to Weisshaupt to inform the First Warden of what's been happening. Their parting words to the Inquisitor include a somewhat emotional request: "Take care of Varric for me."]]
* TeamMom: Most obvious during the Wicked Grace game and in some of Cole's sidequests - just like last time, he's determined to take care of everyone, even if that just means making sure they're taking the time to relax. He'll even [[DiscussedTrope talk about]] it, saying that he's not a great spymaster despite his numerous contacts because he winds up getting too involved and "worrying about their families."
* ToAbsentFriends: He and the Inquisitor mourn the one who [[spoiler: [[HoldTheLine died]] in the Fade. If the Grey Warden died, Varric says that even though he didn't know him well, he is saddened by his death and notes that these times are not kind to heroes. But if Hawke died, he is devastated. He tries to tell an amusing story about his best friend, a farewell of sorts, but almost breaks down in tears in the middle of it. [[VideoGameCaringPotential The Inquisitor can hug him.]]]]
* TookALevelInKindness: Downplayed as Varric ''is'' friendly and gets along with everyone, but during the base game he pointedly refuses to treat the Inquisitor like a regular person or friend, putting them on a pedestal and treating them as The Herald of Andraste. Two years later in ''Trespasser,'' he eases up on this significantly, and treats them like a regular friend to [[UnclePennybags lavish expensive gifts and favors on]].
* TrapMaster: Varric's specialization in this game is called Artificer, and it involves using traps, grenades, and other trickery.
* UndyingLoyalty:
** [[spoiler:It's revealed that he's known where Hawke has been all along, but did everything he could to hide this in order to protect his closest friend, as he was not sure of what the Inquisition wanted from them, and was just plain trying to keep them as far away from any more danger as possible.]]
** He also demonstrates this towards the Inquisitor, as he will never leave the party, exactly like in ''Dragon Age II''.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Varric is indirectly responsible for majority of the major events that transpired over the course of ''II'' and ''Inquisition.'' Hawke's sibling getting the taint (if they did), Corypheus being released, Anders getting pushed over the edge and kickstarting the Mage Rebellion, the red lyrium spreading, the Inquisitor getting the rift mark? The origin for all these started with Varric spearheading his Expedition to the Deep Roads, [[ItsAllMyFault and he feels terrible about it.]] [[spoiler:This is especially true if Hawke is killed as a result of it all.]]
** On the bright side, he is also the reason Cassandra and Leliana did not die at the Conclave, since they were delayed interrogating him; since Cullen traveled with them on the same ship, the delay may have saved his life as well.
** Also on the plus side, ''Trespasser'' reveals that, by releasing Corypheus, Varric turns out to be an Unwitting Instigator of World-Saving, since Corypheus ended up [[NiceJobFixingItVillain inadvertently thwarting]] [[spoiler: Solas's]] plan to bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
* WarIsHell: The teaser trailer shows a shell-shocked Varric standing over a battleground, filled with bodies.
* WardrobeWound: Just like in the last game, depending on the location, Varric may register a complaint about what's happening to his outfit.
* WarriorPoet: In his spare time, Varric is an accomplished poet and author, having reached renown enough for his works to be ''en vogue'' in Empress Celene's court. His novel ''Hard in Hightown'' is apparently popular enough that it has even generated a pair of ShoddyKnockOff sequels, much to Varric's chagrin. The first is subtitled ''Siege Harder'', which could be seen on Hawke's bookshelf in ''II'', and the second is ''The Re-Punchening''. ("I'll give you a moment to contemplate the horror that is that title.") He wants them destroyed if for no other reason than their horrible titles.
* WhatExactlyIsHisJob: The answer manages to be both more and less clear this time. He's the head of his family now, and thus the deshyr of Kirkwall in the Dwarven Merchants' Guild; he's also an accomplished author, and he's still a KnowledgeBroker and TheSpymaster (although he notes that Leliana is much better at being a spymaster for the Inquisition than he would be, since he worries too much about his informants and their families). His actual purpose within the Inquisition itself, however, is pretty much a mystery to anyone who doesn't know him well. Vivienne even lampshades it, if the Inquisitor asks for her opinion of Varric - she wants to know what role he holds in the organization apart from "irritating Cassandra."
* WhatTheHellHero:
** In the trailer, he's not happy if the Inquisitor leaves Crestwood defenseless against the Red Templars.[[note]]This is not something that can actually happen in the game.[[/note]]
** In the game proper, he will eventually call the Inquisitor out if his approval drops too far. He's one of the few companions who will never leave, though.
** He also calls Cassandra out on her anger at him for [[spoiler:keeping Hawke's location a secret, pointing out that if she'd gotten her way and Hawke had been at the Conclave]], all it would have accomplished would have been to get them killed too.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: An early conversation with the Herald can have him providing this for the cast of the previous game, if he's asked where everybody is. He has at least an approximate idea of where they can be found, if they're alive, but they're all quite scattered. The only one with whom he seems to be in regular contact is, in a world state where she survived, Bethany; some of his dialogue suggests that he writes to her. [[note]]He definitely writes to her after "Here Lies the Abyss," to let her know [[spoiler:that Hawke has either died or gone to Weisshaupt]], so it's reasonable to think he writes to her at other times too, and some of his commentary suggests as much.[[/note]]
* WriteWhoYouKnow: Varric continues to use this InUniverse, and starts writing a political thriller series that features an evil duchess based on Vivienne as the overarching villain. Notably, Varric does ask Vivienne for permission to base a character on her (if only because he's so scared of her), and Vivienne loves the idea from the get-go and even starts bombarding him with demands for more details in the PartyBanter.
-->'''Vivienne''': You're not going to describe me in anything less than the latest fashions, are you?\\
'''Varric''': I'm... going to spend the next few weeks researching Orlesian gowns, aren't I?\\
'''Vivienne''': Yes, my dear. And my mask should be inlaid with opals.
* YouAreInCommandNow: With his connections, accolades, and accomplishments, [[spoiler: Varric is made Viscount of Kirkwall by the nobility in ''Trespasser''.]]
* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: He says exactly this in ''Jaws of Hakkon,'' when Trader Helsdim recognizes him (from his picture on book covers) and reveals himself to be a major fan.
[[/folder]]


!!Cassandra Pentaghast

->'''First Appearance''': ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''
->'''Voiced by''': Creator/MirandaRaison (Games), Creator/ColleenClinkenbeard (Anime)

[[folder:Tropes In ''Dragon Age II and Dawn Of The Seeker'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/da2_cassandra.png]]
\\

->''"I'm not interested in stories. [[SeekerArchetype I came to hear the truth]]."''

\\
A member of the the Seekers of the Chantry who interrogates Varric in order to understand the true nature of [[VideoGame/DragonAgeII the Champion's story]]. Though she starts off suspicious of the Champion's actions, she eventually grows more amiable as she listens to what really happened.

----
* BigBrotherWorship: When recalling her deceased brother Anthony, Cass remarks that he was "everything kind and good," and she loved him very much.
* BoyishShortHair: Given that she's ostensibly a soldier, she presumably finds long hair to be somewhat impractical. She cuts it very short somewhere between ''Dawn of the Seeker'' and ''Dragon Age II.''
* CharacterDevelopment: Despite only being a part of the framing device, Cassandra seems to mellow out as Varric tells the story. In the beginning, she's rude and nasty, even threatening Varric with a near-GroinAttack by plunging a knife through a book on his lap. By the end, she's quite willing to hear out Varric's story, and even lets him go without incident.
** Initially, she assumes that Hawke was the BigBad and responsible for instigating the Mage-Templar War, but because of Varric's tale, she comes to understand that instead they were a [[BigGood heroic figure]] who simply tried to do the best they could with an already bad situation. By the end, she realises that Kirkwall was a ticking time bomb and there was little anyone could have done.
** In ''Dawn of the Seeker'', she initially hates mages because of her DarkAndTroubledPast, but slowly learns to grow out of it and realises they are people, too. That said, her prejudice isn't completely gone by ''II'', since her initial assumption was that Mage Hawke was an apostate [[BombThrowingAnarchist dissident]] who intentionally sowed discontent to bring down the Chantry. (Of course, she thinks Hawke was a dissident who did this no matter what class they are; but she seems a little more angry about it if Hawke is a mage.)
* ConspiracyTheorist: Maybe not so much as the Chantry in general, but some of the ideas the Seekers have about the events of the game are a bit... out there.
* ContraltoOfDanger: Cassandra has a sharp low-tone voice with a heavy Prussian (or, in-universe, Nevarran) accent.
* DarkIsNotEvil: She's basically part of the Thedas equivalent of the Spanish Inquisition, wears all black, and is extremely grouchy... [[spoiler:and she's also trying to stop a major war from breaking out for entirely selfless reasons.]]
* DecoyProtagonist: Cassandra can be arguably considered the protagonist of the FramingDevice set in the present, attempting to learn the truth of [[HeroOfAnotherStory Hawke's]] [[ShroudedInMyth tale]] as told via Varric's recollections.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Over the course of the Varric's tale, she becomes less irritable, softer-spoken and in the end, even decides to let Varric go.
* DualWielding: Favours this style of combat in ''Dawn of the Seeker''.
* FoeYay: Invoked, if Hawke is male. Varric insinuates that she's developing a crush on male Hawke after a point in his story. She denies it.
** She's particularly keen to deny this if male Hawke is a ''mage'', since Cassandra is technically on the ''other'' side of the Mage-Templar conflict.
* FreudianExcuse: As ''Dawn of the Seeker'' shows, she hates mages (and blood mages in particular) because maleficars killed her beloved brother... right in front of her, when she was twelve years old. They wanted him to get them dragon's blood for a ritual and he refused.
* GeneralRipper: She initially assumes that Hawke is the mastermind of the war that's about to tear the world apart and that ''everything'' that has led up to this point was all part of their EvilPlan. [[WrongGenreSavvy However]]...
* GoodIsNotNice: While she's initially portrayed as antagonistic to Varric and is implied to want to bring Hawke to justice, she's revealed to actually be trying to prevent the Mage-Templar war and wants to recruit Hawke to help ''stop'' the fighting.
* GreatBigBookOfEverything: The Seeker record which she carries around. It apparently contains character portraits of Hawke's companions, (presumably) Varric's exaggerated version of Hawke's tale, as well as images of Flemeth, Morrigan, and - for some reason - [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Shale chasing pigeons]]...
** However, ''Inquisition'' party banter indicates that the book she stabs in Varric's lap isn't a Seeker record at all - it's Cassandra's copy of Varric's book ''The Tale of the Champion,'' which accounts for a lot of what's in it. (Shale's appearance remains unexplained, though.)
* GroinAttack: Comes close to doing this to Varric during the introduction, when she shoves a dagger through a book to get him to start talking about the Champion of Kirkwall.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: She is the main character of ''Dawn of the Seeker''.
* HeroWorshipper: Varric implies that Cassandra is being swept up in Hawke's legend. She'll deny it (and Varric's belief she's [[FoeYay developing a crush]]) if it's male Hawke, but with female Hawke she has no problem admitting that she has respect for a woman who built herself up from nothing.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: [[spoiler:Even though she's kind of a bitch to Varric in the beginning, it turns out that she's trying to ''prevent'' the Mage-Templar war.]]
* HotBlooded: Her initial reaction to Varric throwing BlatantLies at her is to pull a knife on him and threaten him with a GroinAttack.
* InternalAffairs: The job of a Seeker is essentially to keep an eye on the Templars and ensure they do not abuse their powers and/or stray from the will of the Chantry. [[spoiler:The events of the game serve to indicate how bad things can get when the Seekers drop the ball.]]
* LamePunReaction: Her frequent "ugh."
* MagicSkirt: Wears this in ''Dawn of the Seeker''.
* PetTheDog: At the end of the interrogation, [[spoiler:she actually smiles at Varric, keeps her promise to let him go, and asks that the Maker watch over him]].
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite being essentially part of the Chantry's Inquisition, she does seem quite willing to hear Varric out, even if what he has to say doesn't put some parts of the Chantry in a very good light. She's also willing to believe Varric, instead of denying what he says or twisting them to fit her preconcieved notions.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:Finding out that she's working with Leliana in the last scene of the game]].
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: She is both a member of the Nevarran royal family and a Templar Seeker.
* ThrowTheBookAtThem: Does this to Varric to get him to start talking. Literally.
* {{Tsundere}}: Especially if Hawke is male, as Varric will imply that she has a crush on him, which she promptly denies. She also has this relationship with Galyan in ''Dawn of the Seeker''.
* WhoWritesThisCrap: Varric's opening tale portrays Hawke and whichever sibling will survive the prologue delivering a CurbStompBattle to darkspawn and Flemeth coming to their aid as a dragon. (If the sibling is Bethany, he also [[BuxomIsBetter enhances her figure]].) Cassandra calls bullshit and Varric repeats the story - which happens to be mostly true.
* WrongGenreSavvy: Between narrations, she adamantly tries to pin the blame of all the events of the game on a BigBad. [[spoiler:There is none. Varric says that even Meredith, corrupted as she was by the ArtifactOfDoom, was irrelevant.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tropes In ''Dragon Age: Inquisition'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pentaghast_cassandra_2446.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I see what must be done, and I do it! I see no point in running around in circles like a dog chasing its tail."'']]
\\

->''"We ''will'' close the Breach; we will find those responsible; and we will restore order."''

\\
Cassandra joins the Inquisitor's party alongside Varric in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', in hopes of ending the Thedas Civil War and uncovering the truth behind the demonic invasion from the Fade after moonlighting as a framing device in the previous game. She is a romance option for a male Inquisitor of any race.
----

!!Anders

->'''First Appearance''': ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening''
->'''Voiced by''': Greg Ellis (''Dragon Age Origins - Awakening''), Creator/AdamHowden (''Dragon Age II'')

[[folder:Tropes In ''Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dao_anders.jpg]]

->''"Most people enjoy being kicked in the head to be woken up each morning. Me, I'm just so picky."''

An apostate who despises blood magic almost as much as the Chantry does. Despite this, the Chantry still sees him as a threat, and keeps him locked up. Since Anders values freedom above all else, he has made many, many, ''many'' escape attempts. He finally succeeds when the new Warden-Commander invokes the Right of Conscription to save him from being dragged back to the tower once again.

* AmbiguousSituation: While he claims to be innocent when accused directly, it's never revealed whether or not if he actually murdered his Templar captors, or just sat back to watch and let the Darkspawn do it for him.
* AppropriatedAppellation: When he was initially brought to the Circle as a child, he refused to speak. Not knowing his true name, other apprentices started to call him "the Ander" because of his Anders heritage. This became the only name he later uses.
* BirdsOfAFeather: Tries to invoke this with Nathaniel, whom he notes is also hated for who he is. Nathaniel is slightly annoyed by the oversimplification.
* BoxedCrook: He can be saved from death sentence for the supposed murder of the templars who were guarding him, but only if the Warden invokes the Right of Conscription.
* {{Claustrophobia}}: If brought to the Deep Roads, he nervously notes the miles and miles of rock over the party's heads. "Is this a bad time to tell you I'm claustrophobic?" It's hard to say how serious he's being, but he claims to have spent a long time in solitary confinement - an entire ''year'' after his sixth unsuccessful escape attempt.
* CombatMedic: His default specialization is Spirit Healer.
* [[CrazyCatLady Crazy Cat Dude]]: He loves the kitty he can be given in ''Awakening,'' and reminisces fondly about his previous pet.
* CuteKitten: Ser Pounce-A-Lot, the kitten that the Warden-Commander can give him. In ''Dragon Age II'', he says that the Wardens made him give it up for "making him soft."
** Also had one in the Circle called Mr. Wiggums, which later got possessed by a Rage Demon and killed at least three Templars before being defeated. Anders considers that Mr. Wiggums' proudest moment.
* CutenessProximity: Towards Ser Pounce-A-Lot.
* DeadpanSnarker
-->'''Nathaniel''': Do you always wear robes?\\
'''Anders''': Not when I'm naked, I don't.
* {{Determinator}}: "After my seventh escape attempt, you'd think they'd have given me credit for trying."
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: He's introduced incinerating the Darkspawn who just killed his Templar handlers. Then he switches to dorkily wagging his fingers as though going "hot, hot, hot", before denying he killed the Templars and making a [[GallowsHumor pretty dark joke]] about the noises they made when they went down.
-->'''Warden''': That's inhuman!\\
'''Anders''': That's what ''he'' would call me whenever he kicked me in the head, so I guess it was pretty accurate.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: If questioned, he reveals that he's actually ''really'' pissed off with the Templars and wishes he could have a harem, a banquet, and the ability to rain fireballs upon every Templar in creation. Doubles up as HarsherInHindsight when the player learns that the latter basically sums up his personality and actions in ''Dragon Age II''.
** He also makes the observation "Bet they regret that rule," when explaining that the only reason he's avoided being made Tranquil is that it's illegal to do that to a mage who has passed their Harrowing. In ''Dragon Age II'', Anders rages that things are so far gone in the Kirkwall Circle that the Templars ''are'' disregarding that rule.
** There's a scene where the Warden-Commander destroys a religious statue, and Anders comments that he's "always up for a spot of light iconoclasm." [[spoiler: Again, rather dark, considering his actions in [[VideoGame/DragonAgeII the second game]]]].
** After helping the Warden-Commander retake Vigil's Keep, his reaction to the Templar who attempts to arrest him and bring him back to the Circle to face justice for the Templars he ([[AmbiguousSituation supposedly]]) "murdered" during his latest escape.
--->'''Anders''': Oh, ''please'', the things you know about justice would fit into a thimble...
* FormallyNamedPet: Ser Pounce-a-Lot and Mr. Wiggums, although the latter got the name from an elf mage who liked [[NiceHat hats with cat ears]].
* GoMadFromTheIsolation: Downplayed. His next-to-last escape from the Circle before the beginning of ''Awakening'' has earned him a year of solitary confinement, and the only living creature he was allowed to see during this time was a tower cat, which explains his affinity for them. He appears to be laid-back in his interactions with the Warden, but he occasionally lets slip that imprisonment had a profound negative effect on him:
-->'''Anders''': If I didn't have perspective, I'd still be sitting in a templar dungeon drooling on my smallclothes.
* HappyEndingOverride: The epilogues where he happily settles in with the Wardens, as they eventually countenance Templar harassment, attack him after he merges with Justice, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking confiscate his pet cat]].
* HealerSignsOnEarly: He is the second [[spoiler:(first, if the player counts Mhairi's unfortunate demise)]] party member the Warden-Commander encounters during the opening, and he can be recruited pretty much straight away. He comes back shortly after Oghren's arrival even if the player decides to let him run.
* {{Hypocrite}}: While not ''nearly'' to the extent as the next game, Anders does lament what mages suffer this game, and dismisses an Elven Warden who tries to bring up that their people suffer too. "No one ever locks ''you'' up for being what you are." They're called ''[[FantasticGhetto alienages]]'', Anders.
* {{Irony}}: If the player makes him a Blood Mage, he lampshades the irony of it all.
* KindHeartedCatLover: Anders is very fond of cats.
* LivingLegend: He's infamous among both Mages and Templars as the most prolific escape artist in the Ferelden Circle's history. According to Finn in ''Witch Hunt'', Anders is the reason that Mages no longer do physical fitness exercises outside... after he ducked past the Templars, jumped off the dock, and swam across Lake Calenhad to freedom.
* LovableSexManiac: Comes off as one. He claims that mages wear robes because it allows them to have illicit quickies without the fuss of buttons.
* MindRape: Suggested in his comments during the Joining that he may fear being made Tranquil, as further evidenced by what happens to mages in Kirkwall in ''Dragon Age II''.
* MiseryPoker: Again, not nearly to the extent of the next game, but he does engage in this a bit. If an Elven Warden tries to point out their people are oppressed too, Anders dismisses them by saying no one ever locks ''you'' up for what you are... seemingly forgetting what [[FantasticGhetto alienages]] are for.
* MrFanservice: A surprising number of fangirls and fanboys wish Anders was a romance option. After Alistair and Zevran, he probably generates the most sexy fanart. Then ''Dragon Age II'' makes him a full love interest for both genders.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: If you let him keep running after your first meeting, he comes back to help you anyway, as the darkspawn need to be stopped. This gives the templars a chance to catch up with him, paring his options down to "conscription" or "dragged back to the Circle."
* TheNotLoveInterest: Anders is arguably the closest thing to a romance in ''Awakening'', but even then it never actually goes anywhere with the female Warden-Commander.
* NotWhatItLooksLike: His EstablishingCharacterMoment, no less! The Warden walks in on him using fire magic to burn Darkspawn to a crisp, with the charred corpses of Templars lying nearby. His response? "Uh, I didn't do it."
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Anders is not his real name; he was given the nickname because he was originally from the Anderfels. His real name is [[TheUnreveal never revealed]], not even in ''DAII''.
* PermaStubble: Sports one of these.
* PrisonEscapeArtist: has escaped from the Circle Tower (which is on an island in the middle of a lake and heavily guarded by armed and armored Templars with AntiMagic) seven times. Of course, he kept getting recaptured, and once spent a year in solitary, but...
* PubertySuperpower: His magical abilities first manifested at the age of 12 when he accidentally set a barn on fire.
* SadClown: There are a few scenes in ''Awakening'' which hint that the situation that mages face hurts him more than he lets on. His talkativeness can be also partially attributed to his previous isolation -- he's been released from a year long solitary confinement shortly before the beginning of the game:
-->'''Anders''': ''(sadly)'' Never mind me, now and again I recall that I'm not sitting in a cell and I have to smile, that's all.
* ShipTease: His banter with the female PC is as close as ''Awakening'' gets to an actual romance.

[[folder:Tropes In ''Dragon Age II'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/da2_anders.png]]

->''"There will always be mages born in Thedas. But Templars are made by men... and they can be unmade."''

In ''Dragon Age II,'' Anders has left the Grey Wardens and come to Kirkwall to use his healing magic to help refugees. He is the current host of the Spirit of Justice. He is a romance option for a Hawke of either gender.

* AesopAmnesia:
** If he's brought along for ''Legacy'', the revelation of Corypheus' origins shakes him up so badly that he declares he will reconsider whether the Chantry might have a valid point about the danger of mages. He doesn't, of course.
** He experiences a combination of this and IgnoredEpiphany after his personal quest in Act 2. [[spoiler:If Ella survives, he tries to put aside his cause to learn to rein in Justice. Unfortunately, because of how bad the situation in Kirkwall has gotten by Act 3, the obsession soon returns worse than ever. If Ella dies, his HeroicBSOD is much worse, but he doesn't put aside his cause, instead throwing himself in more than ever [[IveComeTooFar so it won't all be in vain. ]]It's very possible that Justice just flat out ''won't let'' these moments sink in.]]
* AllLoveIsUnrequited:
** It's implied that Anders falls in love with Hawke even if he is not romanced, as not starting his romance at the first opportunity nets rivalry points. Obviously, this is subverted if Hawke does romance him, where Anders states that he's been "aching for" Hawke for the past three years, pretty much proving that he falls in love with Hawke either way.
** This is implied to be true for both him and Justice, given Justice's comments on the nature of love in ''Awakening;'' he does not return the love of Kristoff's wife, but he still wants to experience such a love. However, Anders tells a romanced Hawke that "Justice disapproves of my obsession with you."
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: InUniverse. By the time of ''Inquisition'', just about every single character has VERY strong opinions on Anders and his actions, ranging from people seeing him as a [[AntiHero brave freedom fighter]] to a monster. Depending on their relationship, Hawke can agree with any of these portrayals or argue that none of them properly capture Anders' complexities.
-->'''Inquisitor''': What was he like?\\
'''Hawke''': ''[[ByronicHero Complicated.]]'' It's... not like the minstrels make it out to be.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Displays quite a few bipolar symptoms (the Codex even explicitly mentions manic and depressive phases), though this may be a side effect of the possession. WordOfGod is a inconsistent - one writer says he's bipolar, but another says he wasn't written as mentally ill.
* AndIMustScream: Says this almost verbatim in a piece of banter with Merrill.
-->'''Anders''': [[spoiler: [Being an Abomination] ]] is like being trapped in your own body. Seeing out your eyes, while someone else moves you like a puppet, and you're trying to scream, to move a single muscle, but there's no escape.
* AngstWhatAngst: While he's outraged by Karl's death, it doesn't take very long for him to move on as he makes a pass at Hawke during their next conversation and is implied to fall in love with them even if he's not the chosen love interest. Keep in mind that Karl was his FirstLove, was one of the reasons he came to Kirkwall in the first place, and it hasn't even been a year since Anders was forced to kill him. He won't even bring up that Karl was his lover if Hawke is female.
* AntiHero: To start with [[spoiler: but he later slides down the scale until he becomes an UnscrupulousHero, or goes through a straight up FaceHeelTurn, depending on the player's stance on the mage-Templar conflict.]]
* TheAtoner:
** Can potentially become this if the player has him at high rivalry and tries to convince him that his [[spoiler:merging with Justice was wrong and that there are other ways for mages to win their freedom, so that he will join Hawke when he sides with the Templars.]]
** [[spoiler:Even if the player sides with the mages, Hawke (and Merrill) can choose to invoke this as a reason to spare him. He implies that he agrees with this, saying that he'll try not to make so much of a mess out of his second chance at life.]]
* BagOfSpilling: By the end of ''Awakening'', Anders was [[TheArchmage an archmage]] who probably could have taken on Urthemiel single-handedly. In ''II'', he joins the party with single-digit levels and only a basic healing, repulsion, and ice spell.
* BatmanGambit: He knew exactly how Meredith would react when he [[spoiler:destroyed the Chantry and he was depending on it for his plan to work. It did.]]
* BeatTheCurseOutOfHim: During ''Legacy'', [[spoiler: Corypheus's influence briefly causes him to snap - Justice's voice takes over, but demons start appearing around him. After the fight, he stays lucid and on Hawke's side for the rest of the campaign.]]
* BerserkButton:
** The Templars, and the foundation upon which they stand, including the Circle and the Chantry. But especially Templars.
** BloodMagic as well, to a slightly lesser extent. Of course, part of why Blood Magic offends him so much is that it's the main thing the Templars use to justify confining mages.
** His reaction to Karl being made [[FateWorseThanDeath Tranquil]], causing Justice to manifest;
--->'''Justice''': ''You will '''never''' take another mage as you took him!''
* BigBrotherMentor: To Bethany, though she finds him more reminiscent of her father than anything else. Sadly, he becomes rather snarky towards her [[spoiler:if she goes to the Circle, which he sees as throwing away the kind of freedom he always wanted.]]
* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: Anders becomes [[spoiler: slowly more irrationally convinced that the cause of mage freedom, or at least his view of it, is the real distinguishing mark of morality and that anyone who disagrees (even other mages) is his enemy. This is a result of Justice exerting more and more influence.]]
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: More subtle than most, but the presence of Justice fundamentally alters Anders' viewpoints on a lot of things. Having a significant part of who and what you are made up of an entity formed around an unyielding concept, coupled with the lack of an understanding of time (time is irrelevant in the Fade, so Justice doesn't understand the concept of "waiting"), creates a distinct slant on his perceptions. It doesn't excuse his actions, but it does make them understandable.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy:
** If brought along for [[spoiler: ''Legacy'', Anders becomes a thrall of Corypheus. He snaps out of it after a brief boss fight. If Anders is alive and in a relationship with Hawke at the time of ''Inquisition'', Hawke says that Anders is being kept out of the action specifically to prevent this from happening again.]]
** One interpretation of [[spoiler: his actions in Act 3 was that Justice pushed him to destroy the Chantry. During his [[ShutUpHannibal speech to Meredith and Orsino]], the player can hear Justice's deep voice intermixed with his words, implying that he's just below the surface and barely contained.]]
* BreakTheCutie: Anders was flirty and cheerful with a soft spot for cats in ''Awakening''. Things change big time in this game... well, save for the love of cats.
* BrokenPedestal: Potentially with Hawke or Bethany. He places them on a high pedestal of living the ideal apostate life, having been trained by a loving father. Anders' image of them can come crashing down if Hawke is Pro-Circle or just disinterested. [[spoiler: If Bethany joins the Circle, he acts a lot harsher towards her.]]
* ByronicHero: He got into the cause for mage justice, freedom and equality with the best of intentions. As time goes on, those intentions drive him to increasingly ambiguous extremes (though the spirit[=/=]demon in his head helps some too) until he comes pretty damn close to the PointOfNoReturn.
* CombatMedic: Still retains his healing powers. He uses them on sick refugees in Kirkwall.
* CrazyJealousGuy: Whether romanced or not. If Hawke romances Merrill or Fenris, [[GreenEyedMonster he states his disapproval]] in the bluntest and most hypocritical ways imaginable during "Justice" in Act 3.
* CruelMercy: [[spoiler: Letting him live after he blows up the Chantry.]]
** Or even worse, [[spoiler:convincing him to side with the Templars.]]
* CynicismCatalyst: He comes to Kirkwall in the first place to rescue Karl, his friend and ex-lover... only to learn Karl has already been [[FateWorseThanDeath made Tranquil]], and is being used to draw Anders and Hawke into an ambush by the Templars. After the fight, Anders gives him a MercyKill at his request. Anders is a lot grimmer after this.
* DarkIsEvil: He becomes [[spoiler:noticeably more ruthless in Act 3, when his outfit turns black.]]
* DarkMessiah: Has hordes of the poor and needy willing to risk their lives to protect him? Check. Dedicated his life to creating a better system for his people? Check. Willing to sacrifice everything, including his own life and the lives of others, to achieve this? [[SelfSacrificeScheme Oh so very much check.]] He even compares his situation to Andraste's once or twice, to Sebastian's disgust.
** [[spoiler:Averted if Hawke is in a Rivalry with him, though; he breaks down and sees himself not as a savior, but as just another monstrosity to be put down.]]
* DeadManWalking: By the third act, he's convinced that he is this. [[spoiler:It turns out this is because he knows he will most likely be executed after igniting the mage/Templar war.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: [[BerserkButton Just don't ask him about the Chantry]].
* DeathSeeker: In the end, he wishes death regardless of Hawke's attitude towards him, but for different reasons:
** on Rivalry path, it is due to his difficulty in keeping Justice under control.
** on Friendship path, he wants the people [[spoiler:whom he killed]] to receive justice as well.
* DemonicPossession: Originally, Anders allowed his friend Justice, who was a benign spirit, to possess him; but Anders' inherent anger at the injustices against mages perverted Justice into Vengeance. If Hawke has achieved full Rivalry with Anders, [[spoiler:Justice will take over his body to stop him from going back on blowing up the chantry after Hawke convinces him not to. Before the final battle, Anders will straight up say Justice possessed him to do what he did while on the Friendship path Anders will claim full responsibility for blowing up the Chantry. Anders isn't using Justice's possession of him as an excuse to escape culpability. He considers himself a monster and asks Hawke to kill him and in one path hints he plans to kill himself afterwards.]]
* DistressedDude: Should he be the hostage in "Best Served Cold," he's embarrassed that Hawke had to rescue him and quips that he's never thought of himself as a damsel in distress. On the other hand, see NightmareFetishist.
* DreadfulMusician: If he moves into the estate, Hawke notes that playing the lute isn't one of his many talents.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:After he destroys the Chantry, he acknowledges that it's Hawke's duty to judge him for it, and is unsurprised - and possibly appreciative - if Hawke chooses to kill him. Also, if his Rivalry is at maximum, and he's convinced to side with the Templars, he implies as well that he will kill himself after the battle is done.]]
* DrJerk: Variation. He's quite kind to his patients, to the point that they're willing to risk their lives for him. Everyone else who doesn't share his views, however, is open for jerkery and much worse.
* EnemyMine: With Fenris, and Merrill to a lesser extent by Act 2. [[spoiler:As time goes on and his paranoia increases, he starts treating ''everybody'' (aside from, possibly, Hawke and Varric) with suspicion.]]
* EvilCostumeSwitch: "Evil" is a simplification, but he switches to a black, buttoned-up version of his outfit after his Act 3 personal quest.
* TheExtremistWasRight: Terrible as [[spoiler: Anders' actions were, a lot of supplementary material suggests that escalating the mage/Templar conflict to open war was the right thing to do, since the status quo only weakened the mages' position.]] The events of ''Inquisition'' can further cement this idea; if [[spoiler: Leliana is named Divine, one of her reforms to the Chantry is the dissolving of the Circle system, granting the mages their freedom and creating widespread mage acceptance]], giving Anders [[spoiler: (and the rebel mages who agreed with his points, if not his actions)]] everything he wanted. Even [[spoiler:the endings that see the Circles rebuilt come with some major reformations]].
** The flavor text of the Magehunter shield in ''Inquisition'' tells of a previous misuse of the Right of Annulment. In 3:09 Towers, twenty-five years after the Right was first granted, the Circle of Magi in Antiva City was annulled to cover up the fact that its Knight-Captain was a serial killer who murdered over a hundred mages out of pure bigotry. While the Seekers eventually hunted him down and punished him, they assisted the Templars in covering up the incident, leaving the rest of the Circles completely ignorant of the truth, and there is no mention of them punishing the Knight-Commander for Annulling a Circle under false pretenses. [[spoiler:Given that background chatter in the second game reveals that Meredith had gone over Elthina's head and petitioned the Divine for the Right, it paints a very clear picture of what might have happened to the Gallows if Anders had not [[BatmanGambit provoked Meredith into jumping the gun instead of waiting for the Divine's permission.]]]]
* FaceDeathWithDignity: Possibly subverted, as the player can [[spoiler:choose not to kill him.]]
* FateWorseThanDeath: He sees being made Tranquil as this, with plenty of corroboration from [[MercyKill Karl]].
** [[spoiler: And if the player makes him side with the Templars through the rivalry route.]]
* FallenHero: Anders mostly just wanted to look out for numero uno back in ''Awakening'', but he was also a fairly good-hearted guy happy to do the right thing. He hasn't ''quite'' become a villain, but it becomes readily apparent over time that he's slowly slipping into [[WellIntentionedExtremist good intentions, very bad methods]] territory.
* FightingFromTheInside: Anders must constantly push back the influence of Justice or become a true abomination and lose himself.
* {{Foil}}:
** To Fenris, who loathes mages. Both have similar backgrounds as members of oppressed populations and share an unreasonable hatred of anybody belonging to the same groups as their oppressors. They both enjoy taking the opportunity to somewhat pettily snipe at anybody who disagrees with their views, especially each other. They also both particularly despise blood magic. The only notable difference between them, aside from their opinions, is that Fenris [[spoiler: hasn't started a war yet.]]
** To Merrill. Even though he isn't a blood mage like she is, both of them dealt with potentially dangerous Fade spirits... [[spoiler: with terrible consequences for themselves and others]].
** To Aveline in that they are both devoted to their causes and have a lost love interest. The similarity increases if Aveline was the one to MercyKill Wesley.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Check out the banter between him and Justice (as well as Justice and Nathaniel) in ''Awakening''. Heads will explode.
* FreudianExcuse: Revealed to Hawke in brief rambling in his clinic. From a young age he was estranged from his home, terrorized and confined by Templars. If he had a sense of the injustice, it blurred with his lifelong grudge, begetting vengeance.
** A damaged journal found in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' that is implied to have been written by Anders suggests that his [[InitiationCeremony Harrowing]] was a particularly traumatic experience.
** ''The World of Thedas: Volume 2'' gives us more insight. Before his magic manifested, he was a carefree, cheerful young boy, beloved by his parents and very popular with the other children in his village; the discovery of his magic and his subsequent abduction by the Templars took all of that away from him, causing him to resent his new loss of freedom even more strongly. On top of this, while he ran away several times when he was young, there was a period of time where he made no effort to leave due to having found something in the Circle that made him happy and grounded: his relationship with Karl. He started running away again when Karl was moved to the Kirkwall Circle, trying and failing to make passage to Kirkwall to be with his lover again. It's easier to see how he came to feel that the Circle system took away not just his freedom, but his loved ones as well.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Most other party members don't like how he keeps talking about mages and Templars. Anders, for his part, agitates them by insulting or instigating fights with his fellow party members at every opportunity. The fact that he's possessed by a hostile Fade spirit doesn't help matters.
** [[UpToEleven By the time Act 3 rolls around]], no one in the party can stand him. Not even [[NiceGuy Varric]]. [[spoiler: When asked for opinions on whether to execute him, only Merrill says anything in his defense and she doesn't give any objections if you do decide to kill him. Isabela and Varric are neutral while Sebastian, Aveline and Fenris openly want to kill him.]]
* FridgeHorror: He gets an InUniverse one. For much of the game, he talks about how Justice used to be as though he were a paragon of virtue. After losing control of Justice [[spoiler:and almost/killing a young girl]], Merrill explains to him that there has ''never'' been a "good" spirit and that they are ''all'' dangerous. That he is totally silent after learning this says it all. Again, if Hawke is on a Rival path, he finally comes to terms with it after [[spoiler:blowing up the Chantry]].
** It gets worse at the beginning of Act 3. Anders confides that even he's scared that lately he's started experiencing blackouts, which previously had only happened when Justice took over, when Anders lost control. This implies that [[SplitPersonalityTakeover Justice is now manifesting at will, and now seeks to control Anders]].
* GayOption: For male Hawkes.
* GetOut: Hawke can do this as a CruelMercy after blowing up the Chantry. [[spoiler: If Hawke sides with the mages after doing this, Anders shows up at the Gallows, asking if he can help them fight. Hawke can refuse and tell him to leave again, at which point Anders ''finally'' gets the hint he is no longer welcome, bids Hawke good luck, and leaves permanently.]]
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Whenever he starts losing himself to Justice, his eyes glow blue.
* GoodVictimsBadVictims: He's obsessed with helping mages until they turn out to blood mages--then their plight is their own fault. It even gets to the point that he tends to excuse all mage violence against Templars as "self-defense," but if a maleficar uses blood magic for the same reason he condemns it as actions that makes "good mages" like himself look bad. He also draws a clear line in the sand between mages communing with "good spirits" like he did (Justice), and "bad" demons like Merrill did (Audacity).
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Nicknamed "Blondie" by Varric, but the trope is continually zigzagged; he's grim and understands that change for mages will come slowly, if at all, though he does get a few kind moments in from time to time. By Act 3, [[AvertedTrope very little of his kind-healer-fighting-against-his-darker-side persona remains.]]
* HeadbuttingHeroes: He and Sebastian clash quite a bit, and he goes back and forth between having this vibe and a VitriolicBestBuds one with Aveline, depending on the day and topic of discussion.
** Aveline might have gotten along better with him if some of their first conversations didn't involve her calling him [[DamnedByFaintPraise better than she would have expected]] [[YouAreACreditToYourRace from someone like him]] (though she then clarifies that [[DiscriminateAndSwitch she was talking about the refugees in Darktown]]) and later asking him for tips on how to take down apostates. [[DisproportionateRetribution He returns the favor tenfold]] with some nasty comments about [[DudeNotFunny Aveline's sex life and making fun of her dead husband.]]
* HearingVoices: The rest of the party occasionally refer to Justice as a voice in Anders' head, though it's a bit more complicated than that. [[spoiler:If he comes along for ''Legacy'', he eventually starts hearing Corypheus' voice in his head as well and briefly is forced under his control.]]
* HeroicBSOD: When Justice [[spoiler:(almost) kills a mage girl they had just saved from being made Tranquil]], he realizes his control is slipping. While Hawke may help him through this (or not), the codex says he abandons the cause of mages for a few years in regret.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Though we never see it, and he never tells Hawke outright so they won't have to lie to Aveline, over the course of the game it is heavily implied that Anders has been doing things such as breaking into the Gallows, fighting Templars to rescue mages, helping apostates flee the cities, and other such dramatic actions. Not that Hawke's other companions have dull lives, but most aren't quite as fraught as his seems.
* HeroWorshipper: Points out that Mage Hawke has done much to help the plight of mages in the city and could easily be the leader the Underground so desperately needs. Hawke's stubborn refusal to get into politics eventually forces Anders to implement his own "solution" to the problem.
* HesitationEqualsDishonesty: [[spoiler:First hint something's wrong during "Justice". He keeps glancing around nervously and sometimes just trails off or switches tracks in the middle of a sentence.]]
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Eventually [[spoiler: blows up the Chantry, with the Grand Cleric and more than a hundred people inside so that a compromise cannot be reached and the mages and Templars will ''have'' to fight a war. Not to mention turning Justice possessing him into Vengeance to use the phrase more literally.]]
-->'''Anders''': [[spoiler: I removed the chance of compromise, because there is no compromise!]]
* HotBlooded: Deconstructed. His passion for mage liberation is what [[spoiler:kicks off the Mage-Templar war.]]
* HumanoidAbomination: He has been possessed by the Spirit of Justice, who becomes a Demon of Vengeance. If he's a Rival, [[ItsAllMyFault he blames it on himself]] more than usual.
* HurtingHero: He's not a very happy person, to say the least.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Oh, where do we even start?
** He criticizes Merrill about her obsession with [[spoiler:the eluvian]] and her casual views on Fade spirits. She will in turn point out his own obsession with the Circle and how he willingly let a "good" spirit into his body. Anders is self-aware of this, and at one point wonders if this makes him unqualified to help mages.
** If Hawke romances Fenris, Anders claims that Fenris has "let one bad experience colour his entire world" and that he deserves Hawke's heart instead for being more "open-minded". This is despite how Anders disrespects Fenris for not sharing his pro-mage stance, which Fenris calls him out on if he is in the party.
** Anders also disapproves of Hawke romancing Merrill, alleging that she'll eventually turn on Hawke in favor of her demons. She calls him out on this if present for the conversation. [[spoiler:The hypocrisy of this hits critical mass when you realize that he says this during a quest where he's tricking Hawke into helping him blow up the Chantry. Though to Anders' credit he seems aware of this, and opines that he doesn't deserve Hawke's love anyway if in a romance.]]
** Despite Anders being vehement about how wrong it is to enslave mages, he is the only companion to approve if Hawke [[spoiler:sells Fenris back to Danarius]]. This is actually a fairly apt reflection of the "Night Terrors" quest, where Fenris will normally disapprove of Hawke making a deal with the sloth demon but approves if Anders is in the party ''just'' because it pisses off his rival.
** Anders believes that all mages' opinions should be heard... unless they actually enjoy being in the Circle [[spoiler: (like Bethany does if she joins).]]
** While more downplayed than the above, relating back to his hypocrisy in ''[[VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening Awakening]]'' he can suggest in party banter that elves should band together to help mages since they too are oppressed by the Chantry, yet Anders himself offers no help to elves.
* HypocriteHasAPoint: Despite his frequent hypocrisy on the matter, many of Anders's points about the Circle of Magi and its flaws are shown to be correct.
* HypocriticalHumour: There's a ''lot'' of this if the player looks closely. In ''Mark of the Assassin,'' there is a scene where Anders gets so exasperated with Fenris, he straight up begs him to shut up about how all mages are evil for ''one'' minute. The whole conversation is a brilliant jab at his own obsession with mage freedom.
-->'''Anders''': Qunari give me the creeps. ''No one'' is that dedicated to some abstract ideal.
* IAmAMonster: He starts invoking this trope in Act 2, ''especially'' if Hawke fails to [[spoiler:stop him from killing Ella]]. By the time Act 3 rolls around, [[spoiler:he's pretty much resigned himself to being a monster]]. Though how much guilt he explicitly shows depends on whether Hawke has followed his rivalry path. If rivalry is not completed, Anders only seems to feel that [[spoiler:blowing up the Chantry]] is an unfortunate necessity and only seems willing to let Hawke [[spoiler:kill him so he can become a martyr for the Mage cause, even telling Hawke to hurry up and kill him at one point. ]] However, if Anders' rivalry path is followed, [[spoiler:he is genuinely horrified at what he's done and wants Hawke to kill him out of legitimate guilt. He is so shaken by what he's done that he'll even side with the Templars, something non-rivalry Anders will flat out refuse to do.]]
* ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe: Despite quickly developing a crush on Hawke, Anders makes it clear if Hawke romances him that he feels unworthy of their affection.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: A non-rivalry Anders has this attitude about [[spoiler:blowing up the Chantry. He is fully convinced he did the right thing and will refuse to help Hawke side with the Templars no matter what.]] Averted with rivalry Anders who is [[spoiler:completely horrified by what he's done.]]
* AnIcePerson: One of his starting spells is Winter's Grasp. It also makes for an interesting take on his character given that in ''Awakening'', he was first seen using ''[[PlayingWithFire fire]]'' magic.
* InsecureLoveInterest: While almost all the party members in this game have serious self-worth issues, Anders is probably the most vocal about it if Hawke tries to romance him, repeatedly telling them that he has nothing to offer and that Hawke should be free to have a normal life with someone else. If Hawke is not a mage, ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies also comes up, since Meredith starts declaring that anyone who shelters an apostate will face a death penalty.
* ItsNotYouItsMe: He all but invokes this by name the first time Hawke tries to flirt with him, saying that there was a time when they could have had something, but he's no longer the same man he once was. (And yet, if Hawke ''doesn't'' flirt with him the first time it's possible, it causes a bit of rivalry.)
-->'''Anders''': I'll break your heart -- and that might kill me as surely as the Templars.
* IveComeTooFar: No matter how many times he screws up or fails to convince people of his cause, Anders just keeps pursuing his cause further and further, believing it's too late to stop now.
* JacobMarleyWarning: After "Dissent," he tries to invoke this with Merrill. She points out that she at least understands the dangers better than he did before merging with Justice.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Anders can be ''very'' petty and hypocritical. But in the end, all he wants is to help people, and he's willing to go to grand lengths to do so. Unfortunately, he's not stable enough to always know how best to help people.
** An apt demonstration? After Merrill's Act 3 personal quest, [[spoiler:which gets her {{mentor|s}}[=/=][[ParentalSubstitute surrogate mother figure]] killed to save her from the demon in the Eluvian,]] he starts out lambasting her for the consequences of it, which he thinks [[CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot could have been easily avoided]], before telling her to [[TheAtoner make up for her mistakes]], reminding her that most blood mages don't get a second chance.
** There's also the fact that when he isn't running around with Hawke or helping the Mage Underground, he spends his free time attending poor people for free in his clinic in Darktown.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Anders may harp on and on ([[RuleOfThree and on]]) about the cause of mages' freedom beyond a reasonable degree, but the game shows several times that his arguments are not baseless. Many Templars do abuse their authority; some of the apostates the party meets are just ordinary people who want to be left alone or take care of their families; he mentions how mages who get pregnant at the Circle have their babies taken away from them by the Chantry (which happened to Wynne); and the Rite of Tranquility is used by Templars to silence the dissenters or even for sexual abuse (as shown with Ser Alrik) and is revealed to be a horrific experience both by his friend and former lover, Karl and especially by Pharamond in ''Literature/{{Asunder}}.''
-->'''Anders''': The people fear what we can do, but to use that fear to bludgeon us into submission is ''wrong!'' And they do it with our blessing!
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: In the beginning of the game, as far as mages are concerned; while he firmly advocates their freedom and rejects turning them over to the Templars, Anders is actually quite reasonable. He outright condemns blood magic and demons, allows murder only as a last resort, and is perfectly willing to work with reasonable men like Thrask. By Act 3, that persona is all but gone, and he refuses to accept anything less than total freedom for all mages, no exceptions. [[spoiler: Thus, "no compromise" when he blows up the Chantry.]]
* KarmaHoudini: The decision to have [[spoiler:him killed for the destruction of the Chantry rests with the player, so this trope can be played straight or subverted. But even if the player does decide to kill him, he gets the war he wanted. If he lives, Sebastian vows to make sure Anders will face justice someday.]]
** [[spoiler:WordOfGod subverts this, though, saying he wants to die for what he's done, so that the people he's killed will get justice in kind. See CruelMercy and DeathSeeker above.]]
* KickTheDog: Several times.
** If he and Aveline are in the party, he may start making some very nasty comments on her and Wesley's sex life.
** If the player brings him along for Merrill's second companion quest, he'll flat-out say to her that [[spoiler:she should have died instead of Keeper Marethari. Ouch.]]
** [[spoiler:Approving of selling Fenris back to Danarius.]] The rest of the party unanimously disapprove.
** If Anders is brought along in the quest [[spoiler:"All That Remains," perhaps more out of thoughtlessness than anything else, he may say, "I wonder if we'll find more than just a sack of bones this time." ''He says this while standing right next to a very distraught Hawke, who's desperately running around trying to find their mother after she's been kidnapped by a deranged serial killer.'']] Definitely ''not'' the thing you should say, Anders.
** He claims that Fenris is really just jealous of mages when the party finds out [[spoiler: Fenris's sister is a mage.]] It was a low blow considering Fenris had hoped to [[spoiler: reunite with his sister only for her to betray him to Danarius.]] His timing could not have been any crueler.
* KindheartedCatLover: Sadly, Anders had his cat Ser Pounce-A-Lot confiscated by the Grey Wardens after it nearly got him killed by accident. He's still very fond of cats, and puts out milk for the local strays. He even has banter with Merrill in which he wistfully longs for a tabby cat of his own. [[spoiler:Ultimately subverted when Anders [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope jumps off the slippery slope]], though it's worth noting that he doesn't ''have'' his cat anymore by that time.]]
* KnightTemplar: [[spoiler: Becomes one, ironically, ''towards'' the Templars over the course of the game.]]
* LightIsNotGood: However, despite his [[spoiler: black outfit, he is a healer mage, which invokes more light than dark]].
* LoveAtFirstSight: If Anders is romanced, after his first night with Hawke in Act 2, he tells them that he's "lain awake every night for the past three years, aching for you." Since it's been three years since they met, this trope is fairly strongly implied. There are other hints that Anders may be in love with Hawke the whole time even if he's not romanced.
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Inverted; if his romance is pursued, his Act 3 codex entry explicitly states that he views Hawke as the one thing in his life keeping him sane. [[spoiler: Not that it makes a difference in the end.]]
* MageBornOfMuggles: Anders was born to two perfectly normal parents. Being rejected by his father and forcibly separated from his mother when his magic manifested informs a lot of Anders's neuroses.
* ManifestoMakingMalcontent: In Act 2, he starts writing a manifesto calling for the abolition of the Circles of Magi and spreading it around Kirkwall (but mainly around Hawke's mansion). In Act 3, he stops working on it, and instead [[spoiler:becomes a BombThrowingAnarchist]].
* ManipulativeBastard: Anders lies to [[spoiler: Hawke and co. to get them to help him gather reagents to blow up the Chantry, telling them it's for a potion to rid him of Justice. It especially stings if Hawke is in a relationship with him.]]
* TheMasqueradeWillKillYourDatingLife: Starts off entirely open about his pro-mage agenda. [[spoiler: Eventually, he becomes less than honest and uses Hawke for his own purposes. It very much seems, however, that he regrets doing this if nothing else.]]
* MiseryPoker: Frequently dismisses the suffering of other groups (particularly slaves and elves) by stating or implying that Circle mages have it worse. This is also the root of his mutual rivalry with Fenris: Fenris often dismisses the plight of Southern Thedas mages on the grounds that he believes Tevinter slaves suffer worse under Tevinter magisters, while Anders frequently dismisses the plight of slaves like Fenris on the grounds that he believes Southern Thedas mages have it worse under the Templars. Their fighting can get vicious and personal about it.
* MoodSwinger: Stated in the codex to suffer from manic and depressive phases as of Act 3. His dialogue throughout the game tends to reflect this, ranging from calm and caring, to cheerful and snarky, to obsessively focused on his goals, to self-righteously grandiose, to self-loathing and miserable, to vengeful and bloodthirsty, with alarming speed.
* MoralityPet: By Act 3, [[spoiler:Varric and (possibly) Hawke have become this for him, as he is much more distant, if not hostile, toward the rest of the party at that point. He even admits to a romanced Hawke that they are [[MoralityChain one of the few things he thinks are keeping him sane.]]]]
* MrFanservice: He falls under TroubledButCute for some, but even aesthetically he comes across as a rugged, handsome man. The Blooming Rose has apparently offered him a job enough times to get annoying.
* MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: After he [[spoiler:blows up the Chantry, if you spare him, Sebastian immediately abandons you]].
* MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning: If the player chooses to [[spoiler:kill him after he blows up the Chantry.]]
* MyGreatestFailure
** Allowing Justice to possess him, which turned one of his closest friends into a demon. [[spoiler: Though this may not be his fault...]]
** During one of his companion quests, he loses control of Justice and [[spoiler: threatens (possibly kills) an innocent girl.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
** He is overwhelmed at the end of "Dissent" in Act 2 after [[spoiler:he's lost control and Vengeance attacked Ella]], which is nine times worse if [[spoiler:Ella actually ends up dead.]]
** He regrets [[spoiler:blowing up the Chantry]]:
*** If Hawke is on a Rivalry path with him, after completing "Justice," Hawke can convince Anders to undo whatever it was he was doing in the Chantry at the end of the quest, with Anders becoming horrified at the prospect of actually succeeding and running off to stop it before it is too late. [[spoiler: Since the Chantry explosion still happens, it seems that Justice sabotaged this attempt. After the explosion, he expresses regret ''much'' more blatantly than on the Friendship path, and even states that Justice may have become a demon from the moment they merged. However, he's also much quicker to pin all the blame on "Vengeance", insisting that he had no control over the situation.]]
*** If Hawke is on a Friendship path with him, he's more understated about his regret and isn't as visibly upset, but he doesn't shift responsibility, fully admits to his own role in what happened and calmly states that [[spoiler:if Hawke were to execute him, Justice would be freed as a result.]]
* NecessarilyEvil: He recognizes that [[spoiler: blowing up the Chantry]] is a horrible thing to do, and does seem to feel guilty about it, but he honestly believes it's for the best. [[spoiler:Subverted if he's in a Rivalry with Hawke; he becomes convinced that he's evil by the end.]]
* NeverGetsDrunk: Justice doesn't let him get drunk anymore, making him a type 3. He still visits the Hanged Man occasionally, as it's the only place in town he can get a decent drink.
* NightmareFetishist: If romanced, he mentions in ''Mark of The Assassin'' that one of his sexual fantasies is being rescued by Hawke right before he's to undergo the Rite of Tranquility, and then expressing his gratitude in a myriad creative ways.
* NoCanonForTheWicked: Like all mages in ''Awakening'', he can be specialized as a Blood Mage. There's even a special branch of dialogue devoted to discussing that fact. In this game, however, he possesses no such powers, and takes an extremely dim view of Merrill's involvement in blood magic.
* NoPlaceForMeThere: [[spoiler:He fully expects to be killed for the things he has done to free the mages.]]
* NotAsYouKnowThem: Thanks to the fusion with Justice. If he's happy, some of the old Anders will resurface for a time.
* NotGoodWithRejection: After finishing his first personal quest, Anders starts to flirt with Hawke. Hawke either has to flirt back or refuse his advances; choosing the latter causes him to react in a quite huffy manner, and it nets a fairly high amount of rivalry points. This is not the case with the other love interests, who won't hold it against Hawke if the player rejects their advances as no loss of approval occurs.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: According to WordOfGod, Anders is a nickname because [[http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/304/index/6511895/3#6639653 his family is from the Anderfels]].
* OutlawCouple: If Hawke romances Anders, spares his life after [[spoiler: he blows up the Chantry, and commits to him before the FinalBattle, the two of them will go on the run together, since he is now the most wanted man in Thedas.]]
* PermaStubble: He gets some light beard trimming along his jaw and on his chin.
* PetTheDog:
** His treatment of the refugees, as well as the others forced to live in Darktown, to the point where they are willing to risk their lives for him.
** Alhough he always treats Aveline with suspicion due to the City Guards working with Templars on occasion, he is relatively lighthearted and supportive of her attempts to woo Donnic in Act 2.
** At the end of [[WhamEpisode "All That Remains,"]] if he goes to comfort Hawke and they yell at him [[spoiler: for what an insane blood mage did to their mother]], he only tells Hawke that if it helps, they should take their anger out on him. Also, despite his own distaste for blood magic, he doesn't gain rivalry points if Hawke allows Gascard to perform a blood ritual to find Hawke's mother, understanding how severe the situation is for Hawke.
** He's actually quite compassionate with Merrill when [[spoiler:he tells her that he [[PlotlineDeath can't heal]] [[TooDumbToLive Pol]]]]. Of course, this is immediately subverted by the [[KickTheDog vicious way he chews her out]] ''[[{{Jerkass}} the entire trek back to camp]]''.
** If Anders is romanced and moves in with Hawke, Bodahn comments on how nice it is having Anders around; both Bodahn and Sandal take quite a liking to him.
--->'''Bodahn''': It's been quite pleasant having Master Anders staying here, messere.\\
'''Sandal''': ''(happily)'' He's funny!\\
'''Bodahn''': And he finds my boy's enchanting quite intriguing. That's the word he used! It's too bad he seems so... [[WellIntentionedExtremist intent]] on whatever it is he works on.
* PowersViaPossession: By inviting the spirit of Justice in and corrupting him, Anders gains access to the "Vengeance" mode that provides increased damage output, reduced spell cooldowns and LifeDrain ability at the cost of increased damage intake and inability to be healed by conventional means.
* PrinciplesZealot: While not as bad about it as the Qunari (he compromises in [[WhamEpisode "All That Remains"]] due to the serious circumstances), [[spoiler:due to a glitch, he was the only party member who could not be convinced to side against his faction. This was fixed in a later patch.]]
* ProperlyParanoid:
** Whether the player agrees with his solution or not, he's not wrong about the kind of abuses going on in the Gallows (or other Circles). [[spoiler: There's also dialogue overheard from Templars that implies that Meredith was going to invoke the Rite of Annulment on the Kirkwall Circle anyway, which would have caused all the mages to be killed without any attention being drawn to it. The next game reveals that it wouldn't have been the first time that happened.]]
** Zigzagged with [[spoiler:"The Tranquil Solution,"]] which he panics over in Act 2, only to find out that the Divine rejected it. He is surprised and wonders if there is [[HopeSpot hope for negotiation after all]]... but he's not entirely convinced it isn't a threat, and there are other Templar characters (such as Cullen) who aren't entirely opposed to the idea.
--->'''Sebastian''': The Chantry would never follow through with such a thing.\\
'''Anders''': Yet.
* PowerPerversionPotential: A conversation with Isabela reveals that he uses magic for sexual applications. "Were you the runaway mage who could do that electricity thing? That was ''nice''."
* RedemptionFailure: After "Dissent", [[spoiler: he distances himself from the mage underground and tries to find a way to control Justice or undo their merger. By Act 3, everyone he knows outside the party has been killed or forced into hiding, and he's only protected by his proximity to Hawke.]]
* {{Retcon}}: If Anders died in ''Awakening'', it turns out the corpse Nathaniel found was badly burnt and they just assumed it was him.
* RootingForTheEmpire: An InUniverse example. Almost every character the player comes across since ''Origins'' have described Tevinter as, if not evil, at least a dangerous place to be in given that there, mages have ''absolute'' freedom -- which is why Anders sees Tevinter as an ideal place. Additionally, the only gift Hawke can give to him is a Tevinter Chantry amulet.
* RunningGag:
** Hawke manages to find bits of Anders' manifesto ''everywhere''.
** He's ''terrible'' at card games, and everyone in the party knows it. [[spoiler:In ''Mark of the Assassin,'' he proudly announces that he actually beat Isabela. With supernatural help, but hey, she was cheating too!]]
* SanitySlippage:
** Compare his behavior in Act 1 to his behavior in Act 3.
** If brought along for ''Legacy'', [[spoiler: Corypheus' voice starts sounding in his head, which pushes him almost to the point of a complete breakdown. At one point he is forced under Corypheus' control, and the party has to fight him to get him to snap out of it.]]
* SelfDeprecation: There are times where he makes it plain he knows ''exactly'' [[PrinciplesZealot how]] [[ByronicHero he]] [[JerkAss comes across]], especially if Hawke is romancing him and ''even more so'' if they are Rivals. Sometimes he takes lighthearted jabs at his own behavior, but other times it's a bit [[IAmAMonster more serious]].
-->'''Anders''': Orlesian.\\
'''Varric''': Fop. Um... Party.\\
'''Anders''': Crash!\\
'''Varric''': Seriously, Blondie? No one ever invites you anywhere?\\
'''Anders''': ''(softly)'' Would you?
* ShootTheDog:
** His friend [[spoiler: and lover]] Karl begs Anders to kill him rather than continue living as a Tranquil, when a Justice outburst momentarily reconnects Karl to Fade energies.
** He invokes this on himself [[spoiler: after blowing up the Chantry in Act 3.]]
* SingleIssueWonk: The plight of mages, especially those oppressed by the Chantry and Templars. Quickly became notorious for this in-universe and out. See TheFriendNobodyLikes for more details.
-->'''Carver''': I don't hate you because you're a mage. I hate you because you won't shut up about it. Oppression this, Templars that.
* SplitPersonality: Between his own mind and Justice.
* SquishyWizard: He's a mage, and not a blood mage, so he'll likely have very little constitution. His vengeance talent increases his damage in exchange for damage resistance, thus making him even more of this, as well as a GlassCannon.
* SuicideByCop: After Anders [[spoiler:commits his crime in Act 3]], he doesn't try to run and is sitting lumpily on a crate instead, avaiting [[spoiler:Hawke's]] judgement. [[spoiler:He believes he deserves death, either to prevent Vengeance from wreaking more havoc (on a Rivalry path) or so that those he's just killed may have ''their'' justice (on a Friendship path)]]. The trope is then played straight or averted [[spoiler:depending on the player's choices.]]
* ThatManIsDead: Whatever name Anders's parents gave him is long forgotten. When he was first taken to the Circle Anders refused to speak, even to give is name. One of the few things anyone knew about him is that his father was originally from the Anderfels, so he was referred to as "that Anders boy". Eventually that shortened to "Anders" and just became his name.
* TokenEvilTeammate: If the player chooses to [[spoiler:spare him and keep him in Hawke's party in Act 3]]. Depending on the player's views, he can be this the entire game.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Sort of. He starts out like a more cynical version of his ''Awakening'' persona in Act 1, but he ends up getting gradually nastier as the acts go on, though he never loses sight of his long-term goals.
* TragicHero: His intentions are good -- very good, in fact -- but his own methods for enacting them are not so noble and he occasionally shoots himself in the foot. Eventually he gets what he wants... but the cost of it is immense, and the general consensus is that it was not worth everything that happened, in the interim ''and'' afterwards.
* TragicKeepsake: When the templars forcibly took him to the Circle, the only personal possession he was allowed to keep was a pillow hand-embroidered by his mother. Before he goes on his quest [[spoiler:to blow up the Chantry]], he offers the pillow to Varric, saying that the latter has been his good friend.
* TragicMistake: Unusually, it takes place between games at the midpoint of his story (so far). He genuinely wanted to help Justice, but neither of them were remotely prepared for the actual consequences of the merger.
* TroubledButCute: He has a few moments of this.
* {{Ubermensch}}: His goals regarding the Mages are transformative, to say the least, and he breaks a lot of eggs to get there, knowing full well he will probably be either killed or hated for his actions. Nevertheless, in his mind, society ''has'' to change or he will make it change.
* TheUnfettered: His self-restraint gradually erodes over the course of the game until he [[spoiler:tears down the existing dynamic between the Chantry, the Templars, and the Circle to force them into conflict]], and it seems Justice helped him get there.
* WasItAllALie: A romanced Hawke will ask this of him after [[spoiler: he blows up the Chantry]]. The answer is that no, his love was not a lie.
* WelcomeBackTraitor: Can be either played straight or subverted. If Hawke [[spoiler:tells him to run after he blows up the Chantry]], he will still return to them in the Gallows. Naturally, what happens after that is up to the player.
** In ''Inquisition'', Varric also notes that many of the mages in Kirkwall and its surrounding territory had this reaction upon seeing him. [[spoiler: Turns out, some people aren't so happy when you put their lives at risk to purposely start a war.]] It got to the point Anders basically just left them alone because they wanted ''nothing'' to do with him.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He falls further and further into this as his efforts to help the mages fail to leave any impact, [[spoiler:culminating in destroying the Kirkwall Chantry to force an open conflict.]]
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: There is concept art for ''Inquisition'' showing a raggedy gaunt Anders, showing that he had a potential role in the game, clearly not doing well after the events of 2. Ultimately he doesn't appear in ''Inquisition'' in person, and he is dead in the default world state which is used to start the game with no saves from previous ones.
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives a big one to Hawke if they choose to [[spoiler:let a demon possess Feynriel, and strikes down Justice when he objects.]] If he's in a romance with Hawke at this point, some fast talking will have to be done, or he'll break it off at once.
** Hawke can demand an explanation for [[spoiler:blowing up the Chantry at the start of the endgame.]]
** If Hakwe supports the Templars, especially if they are a mage, he will call them out on it and say that they should use their influence and money to help mages in Kirkwall.
* WillingChanneler: After the events of the ''Awakening,'' Anders allowed his friend Justice, a spirit of the Fade possess himself so that Justice could remain in the physical world after the dead body the latter's been inhabiting started to crumble. This backfires by the time of ''Dragon Age II'', when Anders's hatred of Templars has twisted the spirit of Justice into a force of Vengeance.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Justice's influence hasn't particularly been good for his host's mental state.
* WithUsOrAgainstUs: As part of his decline, by Act 3 he's become paranoid of anyone who does not explicitly share his views on granting mages immediate freedom. [[spoiler: He goes so far as to blow up the Kirkwall Chantry alongside the only political figure capable of pacifying both Templars and mages, just to ensure that everybody would have to pick a side.]]
** Gets very hostile towards even pro-mage Hawke if they suggest that some of his methods are too extreme, and basically treats everyone not firmly supporting his ideas as an enemy.
** This is downplayed in the Rivalry path, however, where Anders begins to have serious self-doubts and will outright agree with Hawke that he's taking things too far. Though elements are most certainly present (RE: Fenris).
* AWizardDidIt: Invoked. "A wizard did it" is his sarcastic reply if he's in the party when Hawke gives the Deep Roads maps to Bartrand. The reality is that he stole them - which actually makes it ''[[FromACertainPointOfView technically]]'' true.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Becomes this by the end of the game. After a time growing up in the Mages Circle (a life stuck in a tower, bound to do whatever [[TheChurch the Chantry]] asked of him), he escaped from the [[MageKiller Templars]]... seven times. On the last time, he joined the [[VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins Grey Wardens to escape more permanently.]] It's all downhill for him after that, unfortunately. His time there under the Warden-Commander is implied to be good; but once they leave, the Orlesian Grey Wardens who run Amaranthine in their absence consider him a wuss, and mock him enough that he bails. Then he lets a wayward Spirit of Justice (once a friend of his) into his body. The sheer dark magic of [[spoiler: Kirkwall, in addition to Anders' own resentment and anger,]] corrupts Justice into a Demon of Vengeance. By the time ''Dragon Age II'' begins, he's constantly fighting for control over the influence of Justice. In the final act, though, [[DemonicPossession he can't fight Justice off anymore,]] and destroys the local branch of the Chantry. Talk about a TraumaCongaLine. Ultimately, his fate is left up to [[PlayerCharacter Hawke.]]
* YouAreWhatYouHate: Grows increasingly more militant and preachy about the mage cause throughout the game. His companions [[TheFriendNobodyLikes don't miss a beat in letting him know the irony.]]
* YouRemindMeOfX: He remarks to Hawke at one point that "I had a friend like you once. Got in all kinds of trouble, dragged me along." It's suggested, though never stated, that this friend was the Warden-Commander.

!!The Spirit of Justice

->'''First Appearance''': ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening''
->'''Voiced by''': Adam Leadbeater (''Dragon Age Origins - Awakening''), Adam Leadbeater and Creator/AdamHowden (''Dragon Age II'')

[[folder:Tropes In ''Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dao_justice.jpg]]

->''"I have no name, only a virtue to which I aspire."''

A benevolent Fade Spirit trapped in the corpse of a Grey Warden named Kristoff who joins the Warden’s party during the events of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening''.

* BaldOfAwesome: Kristoff was bald before Justice was trapped in his body.
* BerserkButton: Suggesting that he's NotSoDifferent from demons. [[spoiler: This carries over to ''Dragon Age II'', and can lead to him murdering an innocent young mage unless Hawke stops him.]]
* CharacterDevelopment: Starting off as disdainful of the material world and more dutiful than anything else, Justice can eventually come to learn that the world is beautiful in its own way and be a true KnightInShiningArmor protecting that for which he has come to care.
* ChasteHero: He has no clue as to why Oghren keeps asking him about his memories of Kristoff's marriage. It's a human desire, and benevolent spirits really don't go in for that.
* DarkIsNotEvil: His flesh is decaying and he wears the dark colored Armor of the Sentinel in his trailer.
* DoesNotUnderstandSarcasm: Comes with being LiteralMinded.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: His eventual transformation into Vengeance and connection to Anders in ''Dragon Age II'' is heavily foreshadowed in his dialogue, with Anders, Nathaniel, and the Warden-Commander. At several points, the Warden-Commander can even outright ask him if he desires vengeance for Kristoff.
* GoodCannotComprehendEvil: He states upfront that he doesn't understand what makes spirits become demons, and hopes he never finds out.
* HappyEndingOverride: Nearly all of his endings have him [[spoiler:leaving Kristoff's body and presumably returning to the Fade]], but he always reappears merged with Anders in the next game.
* HonorBeforeReason: As a sort of embodiment of justice, he believes that wrongdoers should be dealt with accordingly, even if it may not be the most pragmatic decision. [[spoiler:Unless he's talked down, he'll turn against the Warden-Commander should the latter decide to ally with the Architect.]]
** [[spoiler: After seeing the injustices mages face, he ends up causing his new host, Anders, to blow up the Kirkwall Chantry in ''Dragon Age II'', and in doing so, ignite a '''world war''' between the mages and Templars throughout Thedas.]]
* HumanoidAbomination: A benevolent one, but still an alien entity that doesn't understand human attitudes occupying the shape of a human.
* KnightInShiningArmor: His true form and personality, though he starts off seeing it more as an obligation.
* LargeHam: In his spirit form. Considering the Spirit of Valor encountered in the Mage Origin, this may be common to all benevolent Fade spirits.
* LiteralMinded: It takes him a while to understand that Sigrun's death is symbolic.
* MagicKnight: His default specialization, Spirit Warrior.
* MotiveDecay: InUniverse. His quest for Justice becomes one of Vengeance between games.
* PossessingADeadBody: Justice is a spirit who was involuntarily expelled from the Fade and trapped in the body of the Grey Warden Kristoff. The body slowly decays, which drives Justice to seek a new host after the events of ''Awakening''.
* ShoutOut: [[VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment He's not the first embodiment of justice trapped in physical form after the physical form has died and begun to wither.]] He's just a lot nicer about it.
* WarriorPoet: "A world so full of beauty that beauty goes overlooked."
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Justice finds himself envious of the love between Kristoff and his widow Aura, but also associates such feelings with Desire Demons.

[[folder:Tropes In ''Dragon Age II'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/da2_justice.png]]

->''"YOU WILL NEVER TAKE ANOTHER MAGE AS YOU TOOK HIM!"''

After the end of the Darkspawn threat Anders became Justice's new human host in a joint effort to free mages from the Circle. But Anders' anger at this injustice corrupted the spirit; by the time Hawke meets them, he has become Vengeance.

* AmbiguouslyEvil: Did he become a KnightTemplar but remain a spirit, or does he fall from grace and become a true demon? Anders' opinion changes depending on whether he's a Friend or a Rival, and it's up to the player to figure this out on their own as well.
* AndIMustScream: Anders talks about the terrifying sensation of being trapped inside his own body and unable to do or say anything after Justice briefly became the dominant personality during "Night Terrors," then remarks sadly that Justice must feel like that ''all the time.'' No wonder he's become a grouch.
* BerserkButton: Shares them with Anders, plus a bonus berserk - ''[[CallBack don't call him]] [[HarsherInHindsight a demon.]]''
* BeyondRedemption: Anders will consider Justice (and by extension himself) as such in Act 2 if he [[spoiler:isn't restrained and ends up murdering a young girl]]. Even if Hawke ''does'' stop him, it still [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone shocks him to the core]]. Justice, on the other hand, is ''much'' quicker to throw this label around.
* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: Much of his morality can be seen as this. Add in some of the BlueAndOrangeMorality inherent with Fade spirits and you have an entity with an unbending idea of what it thinks is right but with zero concept of compassion or compromise.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Justice does not understand time (time doesn't matter in the Fade) and doesn't truly understand things like "mercy" or "forgiveness." Thus he is driven by the unyielding desire to constantly lash out at the injustices Anders perceives, regardless of who it ultimately hurts, and always ''immediately'', never after some time to cool off.
* BreakTheHaughty: Justice's transformation into Vengeance. Could also count as BreakTheCutie, personality-wise, seeing as he was an [[WideEyedIdealist idealistic]], [[TokenGoodTeammate good]], [[WarriorPoet poetic]] spirit before becoming twisted by hate.
* EnemyWithin: For Anders.
* FallenHero: The difference between Vengeance and a true demon is practically non-existent.
* {{Foil}}: To Cole in ''Inquisition''. One is a spirit of Justice turned Vengeance, while the other is a spirit of Compassion. However, Justice is corrupted by Anders' own need to avenge wronged mages, while Cole either becomes more pure of purpose in being compassionate, or transitions into being truly human.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: In ''Awakening'', Anders and Justice had a conversation about the differences between spirits and demons and whether Justice could become a demon. May also count as HarsherInHindsight.
** Another conversation between Justice and Nathaniel about what would happen to Justice after the decay of Kristoff's body ends with him considering the idea of possessing a ''willing'' living human host...
** The Warden can even ask Justice if he desires revenge for what happened to Kristoff and tell him that there is a thin line between avenging a wrong and outright vengeance.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: While various party members have their own opinions on Anders, [[spoiler: at least until [[TookALevelInJerkass Act 3]]]], everyone seems very vocal in their clear dislike of Justice. Justice apparently returns the sentiment, even toward Hawke, the ''only'' person who might be willing to listen to Anders' lectures. Anders mentions that Justice feels (especially if romanced) that his obsession with and hero-worship towards them is distracting him from the cause.
* GuestStarPartyMember: During the sidequest "Night Terrors," Justice takes control of Anders and fights alongside Hawke.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Inverted. While Justice originally encouraged Anders to seek freedom for all mages, Anders wanted revenge more than justice, and Justice was corrupted.
* {{Hypocrite}}: When accused by a terrified mage of being a demon, due to his possession of Anders, he goes into a blind rage and attacks her for the insult. If Hawke fails to calm him, Justice will murder a mage he was supposed to be ''saving'' from corrupt Templars.
* KnightTemplar: He still seeks to protect the weak and punish the wicked, but Anders' anger has made him completely merciless.
* LargeHam: As hammy as before.
* NotAsYouKnowThem: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Anders' repressed bitterness has turned Justice from "inflexible but good-hearted" to a trigger-happy KnightTemplar with a heavy amount of BlackAndWhiteInsanity who only manifests outside the Fade when he's completely enraged and Anders loses control. However, during the "Night Terrors", when he is in the Fade and not ticked off, Justice acts much more like his old self - just with a harsher view of right and wrong.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Pretty much embodies this.
* SuperpoweredEvilSide: For Anders.
* SplitPersonalityTakeover:
** Before the endgame, Anders constantly fights to keep Justice under control - but occasionally Justice comes out. When he does, Anders' eyes glow blue and he shifts into VoiceOfTheLegion. The outcome of this fight (takeover or merge) in endgame depends on Anders' relationship with Hawke.
** If Anders is a Rival to Hawke, during their last conversation before [[spoiler:the Chantry explosion]] Justice takes over and demands that Hawke leave, saying "Anders has no need of you". A moment later, Anders does not remember what he was saying and reveals he's been suffering blackouts. He tells Hawke that he tried his best to control Vengeance and asks not to blame him for failing. After [[spoiler:the explosion]] Anders outright states that Vengeance took him over. He does not trust himself to control Vengeance any longer and begs Hawke [[spoiler:to kill him before there is nothing left of him]].
* SplitPersonalityMerge: If Anders is a Friend to Hawke, during their last conversation before [[spoiler:the Chantry explosion]] Justice doesn't manifest and Anders says that ''he'' hoped to find a better way, but Justice and Vengeance are too intertwined and he can't tell one from the other. After [[spoiler:the explosion]] he insists that the decision was his own as he and Justice are one now. By then, he speaks about Justice in the past tense.
* VoiceOfTheLegion: Speaks with both the [[EvilSoundsDeep booming]], [[PowerEchoes echoing]] voice of Justice, and Anders' voice underneath it. If the player listens closely, there are times where their tone of voice differs, hinting at the personality conflict.
* VolcanicVeins: It makes Anders' veins (and [[GlowingEyesOfDoom eyes]]) glow blue.
* WhatHaveIDone: Anders blames himself for Justice's corruption. [[spoiler: The Enigma of Kirkwall texts imply, however, that the Tevinter blood magic under Kirkwall may have been at the very least partly responsible, in addition to his own anger and resentment. And let's not forget about what's ''under'' Kirkwall...]]
* WhatTheHellHero: Justice won't turn on Hawke in the Fade unless the player agrees to let a demon possess Feynriel.
* WithUsOrAgainstUs: Justice is significantly less discerning about who qualifies as ally or enemy than he used to be.
[[/folder]]

!!Varric Tethras

->'''First Appearance''': ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''
->'''Voiced by''': Creator/BrianBloom

[[folder:Tropes In ''Dragon Age II'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/da2_varric.jpg]]
\\

->"''Opinions are like testicles -- you kick them hard enough, doesn't matter how many you got.''"

\\
A friendly Surface Dwarf with an AutomaticCrossbow and a fondness for storytelling. Varric serves as the narrator of ''Dragon Age II'', with the backdrop set in 9:40 Dragon being his relating the history of the Champion to the Seeker, Cassandra Pentaghast and attempting to [[ShroudedInMyth set the story straight]] as he was a companion to the Champion during that time.

----
* AntiHero: A little greedy, but when it comes down to it, he's actually more moral than most of the residents of Kirkwall put together. [[WretchedHive Not that that's really too difficult]]...
* AutomaticCrossbow: With sufficient upgrades, Bianca eventually becomes this.
* BadassLongcoat: Well, it's long for a dwarf.
* BerserkButton: Seen in the Act 2 quest "Fool's Gold."[[note]]This quest only appears if the game has the "Hero of Ferelden" preset or imports a world state in which Nathaniel Howe is dead. Otherwise, the Act 3 quest "Finding Nathaniel" is seen instead.[[/note]] Because the quest focuses on [[spoiler:a dwarf betraying his younger brother in order to find wealth]], Varric will make repeated comments about how familiar it all feels, referencing the events of the Deep Roads expedition. If Hawke [[spoiler:saves Iwan instead of Merin, then corroborates Iwan's story to his father, Varric will confront Iwan about his clear lack of guilt over his brother's death]]. The quest ends with Varric watching him walk away, audibly and visibly angry.
-->'''Varric''': You little shit.
* BestFriend: Varric's friendship with Hawke is the strongest non-romantic relationship in the entire franchise, and even surpasses most of those as well. Notably, when Hawke becomes a fugitive, Varric is the only one (apart from their LoveInterest, if they accompanied Hawke on the run) who knows where Hawke is. He clearly likes the Inquisitor, but when Hawke shows up, it's clear which one he follows due to a common goal, and which he follows out of an extremely strong bond.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Demonstrates this toward Bethany, perhaps because of their early PartyBanter in which she talks about how much she misses Carver. He also behaves this way a lot toward Merrill.
** He also shows this toward Hawke, evincing concern they might get hurt in a romantic relationship with any of the companions.
* {{BFG}}: Bianca, Varric's tricked-out, custom-made, and rather ''large'' crossbow.
* BreakoutCharacter: Despite debuting in the most controversial game in the series, he's one of the franchise's most popular characters. He was the only one universally well-received from ''II'', and since then has been the star of three comic series and one of the only characters to be a constant party member in more than one game.
* BuxomIsBetter: Varric certainly thinks so in regards to Bethany, as demonstrated in her character model when he starts telling the story. When Cassandra tells him to knock it off, she's far more modestly endowed. Female Hawke, on the other hand, gets no such upgrades.
* CainAndAbel: The Abel to his brother Bartrand. They're initially antagonistic, but once Bartrand gets a hold of the red lyrium idol he goes crazy and leaves Hawke and Varric for dead.
* CargoShip: Invoked. His fondness for [[ICallItVera Bianca]] often rolls past mere praise into the realm of flirtation. He's not a romance option because he's already found the love of his life. The devs specifically made Bianca level up with Varric so as to make players never want to part the two without breaking the game. It gets lampshaded several times.
** He gets very protective when Isabela suggests Bianca "deserves to feel a woman's touch on her trigger", and again when Sebastian asks if he can examine Bianca's cocking ring, even though Sebastian's intentions were pure (he wanted to see if she was firing off to the side because of a mechanical fault). In a form of HypocriticalHumor, he may turn down advances from a female Hawke on the grounds of Bianca being "[[ClingyJealousGirl the jealous type]]".
** When Merrill asks Sebastian if his bow has a name like Varric's, Sebastian notes wryly that he can't compete with Varric's "relationship" to his weapon.
** Fenris grunts that the way Varric fondles his weapon is disgusting. Varric claims he's a perfect gentleman... [[CovertPervert in public]].
** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', the Iron Bull notes that Bianca would never work as a {{Safe Word}} for Varric since a safe word has to be something you ''wouldn't'' normally yell during sex. The same game also reveals that [[spoiler:Bianca is named after his old girlfriend]], which just adds even more to it. And at one point, when Varric asks the Iron Bull what the deal is with Qunari and their swords, Bull points out that Varric named his weapon [[HypocriticalHumor after a woman]]; Varric concedes the point.
** In keeping with some of the tarot themes in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', the LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition had a real tarot deck as one of the included items. The card for The Lovers in that deck is a picture of Varric holding Bianca.
* CarpetOfVirility: Notable, as he's the first Creator/BioWare character since [[VideoGame/JadeEmpire The Black Whirlwind]] with real chest hair. Fenris lampshades this when he asks why Varric doesn't have a beard, and guesses that it "fell down onto [his] chest." Enhanced by a rare example of male AbsoluteCleavage.
* TheCharmer: WordOfGod has said that no matter what danger he's in, the moment you let Varric begin to talk, ''he's won''.
* CityMouse: Varric isn't comfortable anywhere without streets and buildings. He likes the ground to be horizontal, thank you.
* CombatPragmatist: [[spoiler: Spare Gascard early in the game and he'll aid Hawke in the search for their mother. Then it turns out that he's the necromancer's apprentice and is only interested in learning the rest of his secrets. Varric will promptly shoot him in the throat.]]
-->'''Varric''': What? You were going to do that, right?
* ConsummateLiar: His ability to spin up a good line of bullshit can help Hawke avoid a fight once in a while. He lampshades this in a party banter with Aveline, where he says he lies a lot. Subverted if he tries this with Merrill in the party, as she will ''always'' absentmindedly correct him.
* CovertPervert: While he does flirt shamelessly with Isabela and bemoan a lack of dwarven barmaids, Varric's otherwise more interested in being a DeadpanSnarker... until Aveline convinces him to do some recruitment posters for the city guard. [[spoiler: He intentionally swaps the text with those for the local brothel's recruitment.]] This leads to a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}} when Aveline points out that [[spoiler: while he filled the city guardhouse with whores, he filled the brothel with guardsmen.]]
** Isabela shares her "friend-fiction" with him. He finds it hilarious.
** We also get his BuxomIsBetter treatment of Bethany above.
* CulturalCringe: While the rest of his family were born in Orzammar and mourn being exiled nobility, Varric was born and raised on the surface. Thus, he is ''very'' critical of Orzammar culture (finding it very rigid, stuffy, and elitist) and vastly prefers surface human culture (finding it more loose, casual, and fun), and is not afraid to say so.
* DeadpanSnarker: It's practically his stated purpose in life, apart from dodging Merchants' Guild meetings and 'dramatizing' Hawke's life story. In the entire game, Snarky Hawke is the only one who outdoes him.
* DefensiveWhat: Pulls this on Cassandra when she [[DeathGlare calls him out]] on his... less-than-accurate version of the Bartrand confrontation.
* TheDutifulSon: Varric played this role when he was a kid, taking care of his alcoholic mother, as Bartrand was too busy building their business empire.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: No matter whether the player approaches it narratively or chronologically, Varric gets one.
** Narrative: After being forcibly dragged into a dark room by heavily armored men, he immediately begins snarking. He does not stop. After being threatened and assaulted by a heavily armed woman of some importance, he proceeds to tell her outrageous BlatantLies and doesn't act at all ashamed when caught. He then proceeds to tell her (mostly) the truth, never once losing his cool.
** Chronologically: He (non-fatally) pins a moving target to a wall with a precision shot from Bianca, and proceeds to lecture and snark at his victim. He then returns Hawke's stolen purse and suavely introduces himself, followed by a business proposition.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim:
** During a conversation with Anders, this exchange;
--->'''Varric''': If you have something to say, just spit it out.\\
'''Anders''': Are you sure you want to encourage me? I might be about to confess my undying love.\\
'''Varric''': I get that a lot. So what's on your mind?
** If male Hawke tells Merrill she's prettier than [[spoiler:the Eluvian]]:
--->'''Merrill''': I'm sure you say that to Varric at least once a day.\\
'''Varric''': Twice, usually. But can you blame him? Nobody can resist this face!
* TheExile[=/=]GoingNative: Due to the entire Noble House of Tethras being exiled from Orzammar after his father was caught fixing Provings, Varric was born on the surface in Kirkwall. Having grown up in the surface world, Varric has genuinely no idea why the [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch dwarves of Orzammar]] willingly choose to live in a dark, smelly hole, filled with darkspawn.
* {{Expy}}:
** Of Iolo [=FitzOwen=] from ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'', the granddaddy of all {{Western RPG}}s: both men are professional storytellers (although Iolo is more [[WanderingMinstrel musical]], while Varric is more literary), both are the respective FeaturelessProtagonist's (the Avatar and Hawke) lifelong associates and confidantes, and both wield custom-built crossbows in combat.
** Fans of this series and ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire[=/=]Series/GameOfThrones'' have made comparisons between him and Tyrion Lannister. Each is TheUnfavorite: a scarred, intelligent, [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] but easygoing BreakOutCharacter, the younger son of a noble house. Each is also a dwarf (the fantasy race for Varric, a person with dwarfism for Tyrion), each befriends a displaced hero/heroine, and each was exiled at some point. They both even go through an ArrangedMarriage and a broken heart because of class differences.
** Of the garrulous crossbow-wielding gnome storyteller Jan Jansen from [=Bioware's=] own ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII''. Jan tends to tell inane, annoying, blatantly untrue (but funny) stories while he plays up his {{Cloudcuckoolander}} tendencies, and he's at most a turnip merchant as opposed to the Tethras' mercantile empire, but unlike Varric he invented his own AutomaticCrossbow and [[GadgeteerGenius assorted other gadgets]]. It balances out. %%Varric even mentions owning a parsnip farm in Rivain at one point.
* FantasticRacism: Downplayed, but Varric doesn't particularly understand or like the Qunari. He's the only one to disapprove of helping Ketojan, and is not even a little surprised when Arvaraad executes him. ("I knew it! Can't trust a zealot.") In Act 2, he offhandedly calls the Arishok an 'ox-man'. If ''Mark of the Assassin'' is done in Act 3, he asks Tallis if she really thinks [[spoiler: it was worth going to war over a book.]]
* FighterMageThief: If Hawke is either a warrior or a mage, Varric forms this trio with them and the surviving twin at the outset of Act 1, since they are initially the only three members of the party.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: He's the progressive surfacer to Bartrand's traditionalist Dwarven ideals. Which one is really "foolish" and which is "responsible" is debatable.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Inverted. He and Bethany are the only two of Hawke's companions who are liked by all the others.
* FriendlySniper: Varric gets along with ''everybody'', both inside the party and outside of it. His official bio from the ''Dragon Age'' tabletop RPG indicates that pretty much everyone is his friend unless they give him a reason to consider them otherwise.
* GenreSavvy: He is a storyteller, after all:
** "'I don't like this'? That's right up there with 'WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong'!"
** He kills [[spoiler:Gascard [=DuPuis=] before he gets a chance to join Quentin.]]
** There is one moment where Varric's GenreSavvy fails him. [[spoiler:He completely misses that Anders's plan to start the Mage-Templar War was to pull a BatmanGambit on the entire Templar Order.]]
* GlassCannon: Bianca (especially a fully-upgraded Bianca) has one of the highest damage outputs of any weapon in the game; but Varric himself is a rogue, not a tank. He tends to get taken down a lot, absent some means of drawing aggro away from him.
* GuileHero: Varric doesn't mind violence, but prefers to settle things through trickery or bribery if possible. Deferring to Varric and letting him lie to your adversary, when the option exists, is a great way to earn friendship points. He's the only one who gives friendship points for [[spoiler: bargaining with Castillon]] -- Isabela blusters, but her opinion of Hawke doesn't actually change either way.[[note]]However, this happens so late in the game that unless the player has been deliberately striving against it, Varric's friendship meter will likely have been long since maxed out, so the friendship gain won't show.[[/note]]
* HerCodeNameWasMarySue: During his companion quest, he briefly turns himself into a dwarven [[Film/{{Scarface 1983}} Tony Montana]], rips through an army of mercenaries like it was nothing, and his brother spends the whole time talking about the awesomeness of Varric. Cassandra calls him out on this, and Varric tells the real story.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Alongside Isabela and [[spoiler: King Alistair]] in the ''ComicBook/TheSilentGrove''/''ComicBook/ThoseWhoSpeak''/''ComicBook/UntilWeSleep'' trilogy.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: He's the only party member besides Aveline and Hawke's sibling who cannot be romanced, though he remains incredibly close to Hawke throughout their relationship.
** WordOfGod has said they [[WhatCouldHaveBeen seriously considered]] adding a post-credits scene to games in which Hawke didn't romance anyone, showing Varric and Hawke reuniting and the dwarf saying not to worry, he didn't tell the Seekers anything about ''them''.
* HiddenDepths: He may like to give the appearance of being a layabout storyteller who spends his time drinking and playing cards, but Varric is a lot smarter than that. He's very well-read; his rooms at the Hanged Man have a lot of books in them, and interacting with the bookcase in Hawke's mansion may prompt Hawke to remark that Varric has recommended the works of Genitivi, arguably the most famous historian in Thedas. ''Legacy'' shows that he also knows more about dwarven history than he likes to admit.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: It is indicated in cutscenes and his PartyBanter that he does a lot of things in the background to help the other party members who really need the assistance, like keeping thugs from causing trouble at Anders's clinic and making sure Merrill won't be have any trouble when she wanders into the wrong part of town (most nights). Apparently it costs him a fortune.
** He gives Merrill a ball of twine when she first arrives in Kirkwall, to help her find her way back home again. When she offers to return it in [[BrickJoke Act 3]], he tells her to keep it.
*** If she isn't romanced, it's revealed that during the years between Acts 2 and 3, Merrill stops leaving the house while [[spoiler: obsessively working on the Eluvian]]. Varric apparently visits her every week to try to coax her out and out of his own pocket pays for food to be delivered to her door because she's forgetting to eat.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: His penchant for exaggerating parts of Hawke's tale eventually gets him dragged in front of the Seekers, who are essentially Thedas's equivalent of the Spanish Inquisition, desperate for the truth about the Champion of Kirkwall. He's then brought to bear witness before the Divine, dragging him into the events of the third game...
* ICallItVera: He has a crossbow named [[Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew Bianca]].
* IJustWriteTheThing: In ''Legacy'', he admits to Aveline that he rarely writes with a concrete ending in mind, trusting his characters to drive the story rather than vice versa.
* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis: In addition to his narration, this is a hobby of his. He frequently tells stories about Hawke and their adventures, though the stories are [[UnreliableNarrator wildly exaggerated and very different from the truth.]]
* ItsAllMyFault: Downplayed, and certainly not as prominent a part of his character as in the next game; but if [[spoiler:Bethany or Carver dies in the Deep Roads]], Varric never stops blaming himself for it. It's more apparent with [[spoiler:Bethany,]] as he has party banter ''three years later'' in which he's still openly grieving - and then ''again'' in ''Inquisition''.
** His narration to Cassandra, at the beginning of Act 2, makes it explicitly clear that he blames himself for what happened. Again, this is more apparent if it's [[spoiler:Bethany]].
* JawDrop: He offers a ''verbal'' one when Aveline admits she wants a relationship with Guardsman Donnic.
-->'''Varric''': I think my jaw just landed in the Deep Roads somewhere.
* KnowledgeBroker: One of his side jobs. Part of the reason he's so good as a ConsummateLiar is that Varric knows everything that's going on in Kirkwall. He manages to keep himself just beneath suspicion of more prying eyes, but if characters need information and don't want the law finding out, they go to Varric. In Varric's words, "it means coins flow when I talk and when I shut up".
* LadyDrunk: His mother was an angry drunk with worse hangovers; try bringing him for "Repentance," if ''The Exiled Prince'' is installed, and listen to his commentary when the party encounters Flora.
* TheLancer: Due to [[UnreliableNarrator his role in the story]], Varric is the only party member who never leaves Hawke's side under any circumstances, and provides a counterpoint to both Diplomatic and Aggressive Hawke. With Silly Hawke, it seems like the two of them are snarking best buds.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: As justified as can be since he's telling the story. Lampshaded in some ''Legacy'' dialogue with Isabela, in which she asks him why he doesn't give himself a nickname. "Well, it's my story." She doesn't understand what he means, but the player does.
* ManlyTears: He has a moment where he's on the verge of them in the ''Legacy'' DLC, if Hawke completes the optional side quest "The Paragon's Heir." Watching Hawke perform the traditional dwarven rite for the dead for one of Varric's distant relatives leaves the dwarf speaking in a husky voice and asking if the party could please "get out of here before you see me cry."
* MementoMacGuffin: A minor example, but Hawke can buy back the signet ring of House Tethras from the trinkets merchant in Lowtown and return it to Varric. He's absolutely amazed to once again have possession of "my father's signet ring" and is very obviously grateful for the gesture.
** According to Mary Kirby's Twitter, the necklace he wears is also this; [[https://twitter.com/BioMaryKirby/status/1013467205609013248 when asked]], she said that his father left it to him.
* MerchantPrince: Varric's specialization tree calls him one, though the truth is more complicated. He's very wealthy and well-connected, but isn't interested in politics and tends to skip Merchants' Guild meetings.
* MercyKill: [[spoiler:Hawke can convince him to do this to Bartrand. Varric tries to convince himself he'll enjoy it, but he describes it afterward as "the hardest thing I've ever done." He clearly regrets what happened to his brother, even bringing it up to Fenris when the elf is about to kill his sister.]]
* MommasBoy: Despite having to single-handedly care for his alcoholic mother from a young age, he doesn't seem to resent her for it.
-->'''Varric''': [[spoiler:I swear, I will ''find'' that ''son of a bitch'' - sorry, Mother - ''and kill him!'']]
* MyGreatestFailure: Both optional moments, but they weigh heavily on Varric's conscience if they player sees them.
** The first one can occur in the Deep Roads at the end of Act 1. [[spoiler:Should Hawke's sister Bethany die during the expedition, Varric never stops blaming himself for Bethany's death. Even three years after it happens, dialogue around town still shows that Varric is guilt-ridden and grieving.]]
** The second one can occur with Varric's brother Bartrand. [[spoiler:Should the player choose to raid Bartrand's mansion without Anders, Varric is forced to give Bartrand a MercyKill after seeing how the lyrium has dissolved his mind. While Varric tries to convince himself that he enjoyed it, he very clearly hated it.]]
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch:
** Varric is a rare example of a surface dwarf who sincerely believes that the dwarves of Orzammar are morons for not realising just why living on the surface is actually completely fantastic.
** Despite being from a house of exiled nobles, he has utter contempt for their entire caste system, seeing the elite as petty for looking down on others just because their ancestor "built a water clock or something". He dismisses Harrowmont for his isolationism and approves of Bhelen dissolving the Assembly (but "it's still Orzammar").
* NiceGuy: Apart from Bethany (if she's alive) and possibly Hawke, he's the only person liked by pretty much everyone in the group.
* TheNicknamer:
** Merrill is "Daisy," Bethany is "Sunshine," Anders is "Blondie," Carver is "Junior" and "little Hawke," Isabela is "Rivaini," Sebastian is "Choir Boy," and Fenris is "Elf." He doesn't have one for Aveline, which bothers her - he says it's because he can't think of anything better than "Red," which they agree is too common.
--->'''Aveline''': You don't call anyone by their real name, except me. Where's my nickname?\\
'''Varric''': That's not true, there's Hawke and Bianca.\\
'''Aveline''': Hawke is a family name. And Bianca is a ''crossbow''.
** In ''Mark of the Assassin,'' Hawke can also complain that Varric doesn't have a proper nickname for them, prompting Varric to bestow Hawke with a nickname that suits their personality - diplomatic Hawke is Waffles, silly Hawke is Chuckles, and aggressive Hawke is Killer.
*** He also dubs Tallis "[[KnifeNut Shivs]]."
** If he's brought along for the Act 1 quest "Magistrate's Orders," he may give one to the elf girl Lia when the party finds her. When she pleads for leniency for her kidnapper, if Hawke selects the snarky response, Varric will add a (non-snarky) comment in which he gently addresses Lia as "princess."
* NoodleIncident: He refuses to tell anyone how Bianca got her name, [[ShoutOut just that]] [[VideoGame/JadeEmpire Mirabelle]] [[ShoutOut was taken.]] According to the descriptions of his personal abilities, he's written a song about it, but will only ever hum it quietly to help his concentration.
* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: Bianca, the only working AutomaticCrossbow in the setting, especially after its designer gets killed in ''Legacy''... Then, during the course of ''Mark of the Assassin'', this trope is {{averted}}, with Duke Prosper making use of a ''[[FiringOneHanded repeating crossbow pistol]]''. Basically, this trope only appears because Varric is an UnreliableNarrator.
** Of course, as ''Inquisition'' shows, [[spoiler:the "designer" killed in ''Legacy'' was not really Bianca's creator at all. ''The World of Thedas, vol. 2'' explains that Gerav did come up with the idea, but couldn't get it to work - but someone else could.]]
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: During "Haunted" in Act 3, he becomes [[spoiler:more and more agitated, finally yelling at Hawke and demanding to have the shard of the idol they found. It certainly freaks Anders out a bit, who tells Hawke that the idol is affecting Varric's mind. Varric apologizes afterwards, and he appears to have suffered no permanent ill effects by the time Cassandra finds him, even if Hawke allows him to have the shard. Granted, it did take several years for Bartrand to go completely AxCrazy...]]
* OutOfCharacterMoment: Look closely and it's clear that every scene Bartrand is in, Varric loses his jovial demeanor and ''suddenly'' [[OnlySaneMan becomes a perfect model of saintly patience and rationality]] in the face of his brother's raging {{jerkass}} tantrums. Given what an UnreliableNarrator Varric is, it's probably intentional.
* OddFriendship: With practically ''everybody'' in the party.
** It's revealed he's taught the game of Diamondback to the ''dog''. And he's a better card player than ''Anders'', although [[RunningGag that's not hard.]]
* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: While he's not the only beardless dwarf in Thedas, he's one of the few who actually prefers the surface. One could attribute this to his being born on the surface after House Tethras was exiled; he has no memories of Orzammar because he was never in it; and if asked by Bethany, he will vehemently state that he has no desire to go there. He's not fond of caves or the Deep Roads, either, but this isn't due to claustrophobia. His brother Bartrand, on the other hand, shows many traits common among the nobles of Orzammar, such as irritability, arrogance, intolerance of other cultures, and an over-inflated sense of ego.
** The stereotypical dwarf is a heavily armored, super-tough warrior wielding a giant battleaxe, an equally gigantic beard, and a surly attitude. Varric is a lightly armored, frail archer with a crossbow, has no beard, and is the friendliest, most universally liked party member in the franchise.
* PetTheDog: In-universe. He admits to Cassandra that he's making up Hawke's conversation with the deceased [[spoiler: Leandra]] in ''Legacy,'' but still does so because he thinks that [[CosmicPlaything Hawke]] deserves to have something good happen in their life and get some closure.
* RefugeInAudacity: Some of his storytelling and interaction with Cassandra could be seen as him doing this. Of particular note is when he mentions [[spoiler:Flemeth]] helping the Hawke family escape the Blight; when she all but accuses him of making it up, he asks if she needs him to recite the tale of [[VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins the Warden]] too. He doesn't have to take refuge in audacity because ''the truth is really that audacious.''
* TheResenter: [[spoiler:The Pride Demon in "Night Terrors" implies that part of him is very bitter about his role sitting just outside the spotlight, and mostly how it pertains to Bartrand.]]
-->'''Varric''': [[spoiler:I did everything for the family. My whole life... and he's still the favorite son.]]
* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob: He plays the part, particularly in Act 1, but in truth he's a KnowledgeBroker[=/=]TheSpymaster, and a ''very'' business-savvy one at that. He makes a point of missing Merchants' Guild meetings, never replies to his mail, and registers the family businesses to an imaginary cousin.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: He [[LargeHam indulges]] in a ClicheStorm of {{Pre Mortem One Liner}}s while single-handedly raiding his brother's hideout. [[UnreliableNarrator Except, no he doesn't]].
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Varric was born of the House Tethras, disgraced nobles exiled from Orzammar after his father was caught fixing Provings. Unlike Bartrand, Varric is more flexible and willing to compromise to achieve his ends, willing to get his hands dirty if needs be, and recognises Hawke as someone to be counted on get things done. He joins the Deep Roads Expedition to keep his brother from harm; he's willing to follow Hawke into dangerous territory to rescue Sandal; and, despite the implication that he's probably even wealthier than Hawke, he still chooses to live in the Hanged Man down in Lowtown.
* RunningGag: The ''chest hair''...
* SadClown: He's already snarky on a good day, but his standard reaction to things getting tense or emotional (especially when it comes to his own issues) is deflection.
-->'''Varric''': Don't worry, Sunshine. The laughter just... hides the pain.
* SarcasticDevotee: Always expect to hear at ''least'' one snarky comment from the dwarf when he's in Hawke's party.
-->'''Varric''': ''(if Anders falls)'' They got what's-his-name! The mage!
* SecretKeeper: He's very good at this, being TheSpymaster. It even forms part of his introductory dialogue with Hawke if Bethany is the surviving twin; when Hawke asks if Varric has heard of Bethany as well, she demurs, and he assures her that "Your secrets are safe with me." (In other words, he knows she's a mage but he's not going to out her to the Templars.)
* SelfProclaimedLiar: "I love the sound of my own voice, and I'm a compulsive liar."
* ShipTease:
** Some conversational options will allow him to flirt with a female Hawke, though it's treated like a running joke between them. (Unlike the actual potential love interests, there are never any "heart" dialogue options for Varric.)
** He and Isabela flirt occasionally in party banter. She seems interested in his chest hair.
** He also has a subtler but more genuine tease with Bethany, to whom he is shown to be particularly attached; it's examined carefully on the [[Heartwarming/DragonAgeII Heartwarming page]].
* TheSpymaster: He runs a spy network to help his friends and family.
* TheStoryteller: Of course he ends up the narrator.
-->'''Varric''': There's power in stories, though. That's all history is: the best tales. The ones that last. Might as well be mine.
* SweetTooth: If Merrill is to be believed.
-->'''Merrill''': His mind draws [demons] the same way pastries draw Varric.
* SwissArmyWeapon: Bianca is an AutomaticCrossbow, with a mounted grenade launcher that Varric uses when firing Miasmic Flask, and a hidden bayonet the size of an arming sword.
* TagalongChronicler: Not only is he TheNarrator, but even in-story, it is acknowledged that he will be the main influence on how history will remember Hawke.
* TeamMom[=/=]TheTeamBenefactor: Like Aveline, party banter reveals things Varric is doing behind the scenes to try and keep members of the group out of trouble, such as bribing the Lowtown gangs to leave Merrill alone.
** He's also the only one, besides Bethany and possibly Hawke, to really be on the good side of everyone in the party. And with a DysfunctionJunction this bad, ''that'' is an accomplishment.
* UndyingLoyalty: He's the only member of the party who will never leave Hawke, no matter what happens. (He's also, by far, the easiest party member to befriend. If the player brings him along on most quests, they will have to deliberately antagonize him to avoid getting 100% Friendship with him in Act 1, long before it becomes possible for any other party member besides Bethany.) He can, however, be tempted to betray Hawke in the Fade by a demon; he'll simply apologize later. At one point in ''Legacy'', without any hesitation, he turns Bianca on a former friend of his who is preparing to attack Hawke.
** His loyalty even extends beyond the physical. At the end of the ''Legacy'' DLC [[spoiler:if done after the murder of Leandra]], he recounts how Hawke had a conversation with their [[spoiler:deceased mother]]. He quickly admits that this didn't actually happen. He only said it because he wished his friend had gotten that closure, despite knowing that they never did.
* TheUnfavorite: "Night Terrors" implies that he sees himself as such, compared to Bartrand.
* UnreliableNarrator: For portions of the story, he'll exaggerate certain events just to make the story more interesting or if he's hiding something. Cassandra will ask questions occasionally to discern Varric's hyperbole from the truth.
** The game literally opens with Varric telling an exaggerated account of how, when the Hawke family fled Lothering, Hawke the OneManArmy effortlessly mowed down hordes of darkspawn beside their [[BuxomIsBetter well-endowed]] mage sister / heavily-armored Gray Warden brother, only for Cassandra to scream "Bullshit!" and demand he tell her what really happened.
** Played with through most of the game as Cassandra ecourages him to tell Hawke's story free of the exaggerations as part of the story of the [[FolkHero Champion]]. For the most part he seems to be telling the truth, FromACertainPointOfView. On the other hand, the better known exaggerations are ''also'' written by him...
** PlayedForLaughs later, when the game suddenly switches to Varric [[OneManArmy killing a ridiculously implausible number of enemies by himself]] and making a crossbow shot with ImprobableAimingSkills. Cut back to an extremely skeptical Cassandra, and then gameplay returns to normal.
** He also freely admits as much when, in ''Legacy,'' he invents a conversation between Hawke and [[spoiler: Leandra's ghost. As noted above, he concedes that it never happened; he just wanted to give his dear friend some closure regarding their mother's murder.]]
** The in-story explanation for ''Legacy'' and ''Mark of the Assassin'' within the FramingDevice is that Varric left them out at first, "assuming" Cassandra wouldn't be interested. Also, that she wouldn't believe either story - heck, even ''he'' has difficulty believing what happened during ''Legacy'', and he was there!
** In his prelude recounting of an overpowered rogue or warrior Hawke's battle against the Blight alongside their sister, Bethany is depicted with a [[BuxomIsBetter substantially bigger bosom]] than normal. (Female Hawke's bosom, interestingly, does not appear to change at all.)
** As revealed in ''Inquisition'', [[spoiler:he knew where Hawke was all along and could get in contact with them anytime he needed, but he lied about this in order to protect his friend.]]
** A number of the game's odder elements, like enemies who jump in from nowhere in waves, are called out by other characters in the next game. Apparently it's common to all his writing.
* VitriolicBestBuds:
** Some of his party banter with Carver suggests that this is their relationship.
** With Sebastian as well, especially if they're the companions for ''Mark of the Assassin.''
* VocalEvolution: In the very first cut scenes, Varric has a noticeably deeper lilt to his voice than in later scenes, sounding very different from the more lighthearted and easygoing dwarf the player becomes familiar with from his introduction to Hawke and onward. By the end of the game, it's clear just ''why'' this is the case.
* WardrobeWound: He occasionally complains about the gang's activities getting blood on his coat or ruining his boots.
* WarriorPoet: He actually writes poetry in his spare time, and his relationship with Hawke could easily be seen as a self-appointed poet laureate. According to his specialization tree, he's even written a song about Bianca, although he'll only hum it under his breath to improve his concentration.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler: He stays on mostly good terms with Anders right up to the Chantry attack. After that, he says he's sick of mages and Templars and seems bitter about having introduced him to Hawke in the first place. In ''Inquisition,'' when speaking of the mage rebellion, he notes that "the guy who started it used to be a friend of mine." If Anders survived ''DAII'', Varric bluntly states in the next game that he doesn't know or care about his current whereabouts.]]
* WhatExactlyIsHisJob: Aveline tries to work this out in party banter. He just confuses her. The reality is that he's a KnowledgeBroker and TheSpymaster, but he prefers to let people think he's a RichIdiotWithNoDayJob.
* WriteWhoYouKnow: Invoked during PartyBanter in Act 2 with Aveline, which reveals he's writing a series of novels starring a [[CowboyCop rogue guardsman]] called Donnen Brennokovic. Apparently, there have been fistfights in the barracks over which guard Varric based him on. It might be simple coincidence, but Donnic and Brennan, two actual guardsmen Hawke meets during Act 1, seem the most likely candidates at least for the name. Extracts from the book itself have the guard captain as a no-nonsense female redhead beset by paperwork (Aveline); other characters include a surly white-haired bartender called Ferris (Fenris), a sexy and reckless lady pirate named Captain Belladonna (Isabela), and a cute scatterbrained elf historian named Maisy (Merrill). There's also Lady Marielle, a significant character whose description and personality seem to be a mash-up of female Hawke and Bethany. The entire story can be read in a series of codex entries on the official wiki, and in late 2017, Bioware announced that actual printed, illustrated copies would be produced; it's [[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1506704042/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 now available]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tropes In ''Dragon Age: Inquisition'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tethras_varric_8201.jpg]]
\\

->''"If this is all just the Maker winding us up, I hope there's a damn good punch line coming."''

\\
Varric joins the Inquisitor's party, along with Cassandra, during the events of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition''.

----

* AbhorrentAdmirer: After the completion of "Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts," Varric has a lengthy bit of party banter with Dorian, in which Dorian says that Empress Celene's trio of identically-dressed handmaidens were asking him questions about Varric's romantic availability and chest hair. Varric's tone as he replies sounds quite disgruntled.
-->'''Varric''': Huh. Creepy.
* ActorAllusion: An extremely subtle and humorous one on the war table. If the chain of operations is completed for Varric's plagiarism issues, one of them has him contact Jerrik Dace and call in a debt regarding 'the Amgarrak expedition,' referencing the ''Origins'' DLC ''Golems of Amgarrak''. It's funny for two reasons. One, it means that House Tethras funded the expedition, and financing a DLC campaign is a ''very'' Varric thing to do; two, this trope. Brian Bloom is the voice of Jerrik Dace as well as Varric, so the letters they send to each other in the operation are a sort of literary version of TalkingToHimself.
* AesopAmnesia: The end of ''[=DA2=]'' and ''[=DAI=]'' especially explores how Varric saw firsthand how Hawke was just a regular person who rose to fame due to external circumstances, and had their life ruined by other people putting them on a pedestal and then turning on them when they failed to live up to their larger-than-life reputation. In ''[=DAI=]'', Varric himself fully believes the Inquisitor is the Herald of Andraste and encourages them to live up to reputation that countless people have given them.
* AffectionateNickname: Solas refers to him with a solemn "child of the Stone," which is especially notable since Varric is a surface dwarf without a lick of stone-sense. Solas seems to mean it genuinely, though.
* TheAntiNihilist: When Solas keeps badgering him about his willingness to abandon the old dwarf empire and be happy with his kind living on the surface, equating it to giving up, Varric [[ShutUpHannibal handily shuts him down]] by arguing that accepting the impossibility of defeating entropy and living a good life anyway is the only real way to beat it.
-->'''Solas''': You truly are content to sit in the sun, never wondering what you could've been, never fighting back?\\
'''Varric''': Ha, you've got it all wrong, Chuckles. This ''is'' fighting back.\\
'''Solas''': How does passively accepting your fate constitute a fight?\\
'''Varric''': In that story of yours -- the fisherman watching the stars, dying alone -- you thought he gave up right? [...] But he went on living. He lost everyone, but he still got up every morning. He made a life, even if it was alone. That's the world. Everything you build, it tears down. Everything you've got, it takes -- and it's gone forever. The only choices you get are to lie down and die or keep going. He kept going. That's as close to beating the world as anyone gets.\\
'''Solas''': Well said. Perhaps I was mistaken.
* BadassBookworm: Varric's career as an author receives more attention in ''Inquisition''. Apparently, he's quite the bestseller, so he's basically a demon-slaying Creator/StephenKing with a crossbow - except in Orlais, where his books don't sell. [[spoiler:(But that turns out to be Varric's publisher screwing him out of money, and he's absolutely bewildered to be mobbed by readers at the Winter Palace.)]]
* BadassLongcoat: Now available in a variety of colors, depending on what material the player uses.
* BagOfSpilling: When the Inquisitor meets him at the beginning of the game, he's back to first level and without all those trick bolts, just like the rest of the party.
* BearerOfBadNews: [[spoiler:If Hawke is left in the Fade,]] Varric has to do this for the rest of the old gang from Kirkwall, sending letters to inform them of the situation. Cassandra will ask him about it in party banter.
* BelligerentSexualTension:
** People accuse him and Cassandra of having this. [[DefiedTrope Neither of them are amused by the suggestion.]] When {{Discussed|Trope}} by the party, they conclude that the reason people accuse him and Cassandra of this is because it's a common trope in his own books... or rather, in the ShoddyKnockOff sequels written by someone else.
** He and [[spoiler:Bianca]] actually ''[[PlayedStraight do]]'' have this going on. They insult each other as often as they make small talk. Most telling is that if the Inquisitor defends her ''from his own rants'', Varric actually ''approves'' both times. The Inquisitor can even tell them to GetARoom.
--->'''Inquisitor''': After all this, do you think you'll see [[spoiler:Bianca]] again?\\
'''Varric''': I always do.
* BigBrotherInstinct:
** He takes Cole under his wing and does his best to foster the growth of his human side. Blackwall even [[{{LampshadeHanging}} lampshades]] it, saying that Varric seems to have adopted him.
** Also has a bit of this toward the newly-minted Herald of Andraste, periodically inquiring as to whether events are taking a toll on them. The most notable example comes after the events of the prologue, when the player character is walking around Haven and interacting with everyone; Varric is the ''only'' person to ask them if they're okay.
--->'''Varric''': So, now that Cassandra is out of earshot, are you holding up all right?"
** Still exhibits this towards Hawke.
--->'''Cassandra''': Hawke would have been at the temple! If anyone could have saved Most Holy-!\\
'''Varric''': You know what I think? If Hawke had been at the temple, he/she would be dead too. You people have done ''enough'' to him/her.
** He also still has a little of this, still overlapping with ShipTease, for [[spoiler:Circle]] Bethany. When the Herald inquires about the whereabouts of his friends, he fondly notes that "Hawke's little sister" is helping mage refugees in the Free Marches. [[spoiler:After Adamant, if Hawke survived,]] Cassandra brings her up and asks if she's still alive, which gets an immediate and slightly hostile response of "Better be!" More calmly, Varric then adds that "Sunshine will go" to join her elder sibling as soon as Varric informs her of their whereabouts. As noted below, she seems to be the one companion with whom he remains in regular contact.
* BlatantLies: He's still prone to extravagant lies, although now he freely admits it. His recounting of the activities of the Inquisition in his book ''All This Shit Is Weird'' includes Cassandra weeping at his feet begging for forgiveness, which - needless to say - did not happen. (The real Cassandra, however, is actually ''delighted'' by the fabrication.)
* CarpetOfVirility:
** Some of his outfits are now covering it, but [[http://leggywillow.tumblr.com/post/59916109466/check-out-that-beautifully-rendered-chest-hair not all of them.]] One of the servant girls in Skyhold expresses interest and asks some lewd questions about him because of his chest hair, and ''Cassandra'', of all people, actually jokes about it when describing things about him the Divine wanted to see and hear in person.
** His initial Tarot card displays a view of his smirking mouth, the [[SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou end of Bianca you don't want to have pointing at you]]... and his chest hair. [[MyEyesAreUpHere The card doesn't even show his eyes!]]
* CasualDangerDialogue: In the ''Inquisition'' trailer, in between shooting several demons with Bianca.
-->'''Varric''': You might want to watch yourself, it's raining demons out here.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: In ''Trespasser'', he's now [[spoiler:Viscount of Kirkwall]], and he'll complain about the Merchants Guild and Starkhaven (read: Sebastian) ''constantly'' pestering him with complaints and requests. In the DLC epilogue, he's still ignoring letters from both, rolling his eyes at whatever Seneschal Bran is saying while an amused Aveline walks away grinning. If the Inquisitor is a Dwarf, he even remarks that he tried to give his seat in the Merchant's Guild to you, but "they, uh... got mad."
* CityMouse: Some of his banter and random comments include complaints about foul weather, uneven terrain, and how much he'd really like to be indoors right about now. The ''Descent'' DLC even adds a string of party banter in which the other companions mock his many complaints, the majority of which are related to the outdoors. As he points out, he was raised in the city; that's where he's comfortable.
* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: To Cole on physical and tangible objects like clothes, as he hasn't got much experience with them.
* ConfirmationBias: Downplayed, but in party banter Varric and Solas often discuss dwarves and elves being a DyingRace (with the Deep Roads flooded by darkspawn and Elvhenan destroyed by humans [[spoiler:or so they thought]]). Varric is actually ''offended'' when Solas asks why he doesn't want to restore Orzammar since there are plenty of surface dwarves and ''they'' are thriving; implicitly implying that Solas and the elves shouldn't want to revive their dying culture and should focus on embracing life with humans. However, Varric overlooks how surface dwarves don't deal with the same level of FantasticRacism under humans that the EnslavedElves do. While most humans casually stereotype dwarves as merchants, blacksmiths, warriors, and lyrium-providers, they still respect them well enough and most surface dwarves ''can'' make a decent living on the surface, and most dwarves ''are'' still knowledgable of their homeland, history, and culture even if they no longer actively participate. Meanwhile, elves had their entire homeland, history, and most of their culture violently taken from them, and still deal with [[InherentInTheSystem slavery and second-class citizenry being baked into human society]]. Varric overlooks the elves' less favorable situation when using surface dwarves to favorably compare how the two cope with being fallen people.
* ContentWarnings: Hilariously, the ''World of Thedas'' books contain a segment in which it's shown that the Chantry (or at least "Sister Lilian Hatch," the author of the segment) frowns upon Varric's popular novels. This is partly due to his previous association with Anders, but it's also because they think he's a terrible writer. The faithful are warned that "...his body of work remains, by and large, little more than smut, pulp, or, at times, [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs smutty pulp]]." This warning is then followed by [[HypocriticalHumor an excerpt from]] ''Hard in Hightown.''
* CooldownManipulation: Varric's Artificer specialization focuses on improving critical hit chances for himself and the party, and using critical hits to reduce the cooldowns on all his talents so he can use them faster.
* CosmicPlaything: As he says, he's been in his own stories enough times to know a tragedy starting when he sees one.
-->'''Varric''': Most of my stories end in tragedy. Probably that says something unfortunate about me personally.
* CulturalCringe: Like the previous game, he's very critical of Orzammar, vastly prefers surface (human) culture, and isn't afraid to say so.
* DirtyCoward: He seems to think this of himself. In one conversation, he mentions that it took him three years just to work up the nerve to confront Bartrand [[spoiler:for trying to murder him]], and even then he needed someone else to convince him to do it. He then wonders if he'd be running from the current crisis if Cassandra hadn't literally dragged him into it in the first place. [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre The Inquisitor can point out that ]] [[CowardlyLion nothing is actually stopping him]].
* DualWielding: Unlike the previous game, it is possible for Varric to dual-wield daggers (his new specialisation works pretty well regardless). However, the only ranged weapon he will use is still [[invoked]][[CargoShip Bianca]], who gets a whole range of exclusive upgrades to keep her in the running throughout the game. The descriptions for the regular bows seem to lampshade this; "Not Varric" is listed as a secondary class restriction alongside Rogue. It should also be noted that dual wielding will prevent Varric from using his [[LimitBreak Focus Ability]], which requires Bianca.
* FanOfUnderdog: While he and Blackwall have their favourite jousters in the Grand Tourney, he admits that Blackwall's pick is the most skilled, but stands by his own choice. It's not hard to imagine who else he's thinking about.
-->'''Varric''': Scrappy is better than flawless. I like heroes who try their damnedest, [[FailureHero even if they fail a lot.]] It's easy to be valiant when you always win and everything goes your way. There's nothing great in that.
* FantasticRacism: He's somewhat suspicious of the Qunari after the events of ''DAII'', though he still gets along pretty well with the Iron Bull all things considered. [[spoiler: If Bull becomes Tal-Vashoth, he happily tells him it was the right choice. If the player picks the alliance with the Qunari, Varric is skeptical... which arguably doubles as foreshadowing for ''Trespasser''.]]
* FriendlySniper: Wields an AutomaticCrossbow with deadly precision in combat, and is still one of the nicest guys in the series.
* GenreSavvy: We can see now that it wasn't just him spicing up the story to make himself seem like this in ''Dragon Age II''. Varric really gets how stories work and displays this in multiple dialogues throughout the game.
** If Hawke allowed him to keep the idol shard, he's taking zero chances with it -- it's in a custom-made safe back in Kirkwall, and alchemists are studying it in hour-long shifts with weekly intervals. Unfortunately, they still don't know how to stop it from "singing".
** His party banter indicates that he figures out ''very'' early in their acquaintance that [[spoiler:Blackwall]] has some kind of DarkAndTroubledPast, although his exact guesses are completely off the mark. Notably, if he's in the party when the Inquisitor goes to Val Royeaux as part of that character's personal quest, Varric realizes what's happening faster than anyone else.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Picked up what would qualify on anyone else as a nasty Evil Scar (under his left eye, diagonally across the nose almost to his right side jaw) sometime between the games.
* HeartbrokenBadass: He's always shown signs of this, but he ''especially'' does if [[spoiler:Hawke dies.]]
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Again. He's central to the plot of ''ComicBook/KnightErrant'', which takes place after the ''Trespasser'' DLC and has him working with a sticky-fingered squire to help the Inquisition back in his native Kirkwall.
* HeroWorshipper: A relatively mild example, but Varric firmly believes that the player character is Andraste's chosen champion, and tells them that he's not sure how to be a disciple; if told that the Inquisitor needs a friend, not a disciple, he laughs and says they don't understand what they are to people. After the group game of Wicked Grace, he tells the Inquisitor that he sees them as being "like one of those statues of Andraste holding bowls of fire." He also, in party banter with Dorian, refers to them as "our beloved Inquisitor." It's a different kind of reverence than the sort he has for Hawke, but still there.
* HeroicBSOD[=/=]StunnedSilence: If [[spoiler:Hawke dies]], he's completely at a loss for what to say, trying to say something before completely giving up and just silently walking away.
* HeterosexualLifePartners[=/=]PlatonicLifePartners: Once again, Varric cannot be romanced by the player character. In this game, however, it's heavily implied that this is at least partly because of his past relationship with another dwarf named Bianca. He still remains this to Hawke as well, [[spoiler:being the only person with whom they were in constant contact while they were on the run.]]
* HiddenDepths: As mentioned by Cassandra and later confirmed by Varric himself, he's Andrastian (rather than a Stone-worshiper); furthermore, he fully believes that the Inquisitor ''is'' the Herald of Andraste, pointing to the extraordinary events surrounding the Inquisitor since literally stepping out of the Fade as proof.
** Bringing him along for the "Tomb of Fairel" quest in the Hissing Wastes once again shows that Varric understands dwarven history much more than he likes to admit, especially when looting the treasure of the final tomb. The Inquisitor will playfully call him out on it, to which he replies, "If you want an encyclopedia entry, it might as well be from someone charming."
** Having him along for ''Jaws of Hakkon'' helps to illustrate how good Varric is at recognizing the need for diplomacy and kindness. He approves of letting the Inquisitor's name be included in an Avvar prayer (at the conclusion of "Up and Away") because he says it's smart to show respect for local traditions, and urges the Inquisitor to let Finn take the credit for hunting the fade-touched beasts (at the end of "A Father's Name") because the young man has already lost his father, and shouldn't have to lose his name too. He also makes a number of wise comments regarding the history uncovered in the quest, and expresses particular admiration for Ameridan's dwarven companion Orinna.
* HomeSweetHome: He tries to downplay it, but Varric is desperately homesick during the events of ''Inquisition''. Sera actually complains about it in party banter, saying that she's tired of him talking about his "better" friends back in Kirkwall.
** After the events at the ritual tower in the Western Approach, the Inquisitor can find him in the hallway by the war room with [[spoiler:Hawke]], talking about the situation, and his old friend comments that "I know how much you hated leaving Kirkwall." He expresses distaste for being where he is ("Did you know they eat ''snails'' here?") but adds that he has to see it through to the end.
** Taking him to the Storm Coast can net this bit of wistful dialogue:
--->'''Varric''': The Waking Sea... somewhere across all that water is Kirkwall.
* HumbleHero: He has shades of this in party banter with Blackwall, who compliments him on his prowess with the crossbow. Varric demurs, saying that Bianca does most of the work.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Varric is pretty outspoken when talking to Cassandra how Hawke is a regular person (a hero, maybe, but still a person) who can't live up to the larger-than-life reputation others gave them, and expecting Hawke to do so is part of what ruined their life [[spoiler:especially if Hawke disappeared in the Fade]]. However, Varric himself refuses to apply that same logic to the Inquisitor. He's firmly convinced they ''are'' the Herald of Andraste (a title given to them by other people) and ''should'' live up to the faith people place in them, [[CassandraTruth even if the Inquisitor insists they're not the Herald]].
* ICallItVera: Bianca's back! And she fits in quite well with the weapon/armor component upgrade system in ''Inquisition'', having the most [[SocketedEquipment upgrade slots]] of any item, and most of them unique to her: a tension limb slot, a foregrip slot, a stock/sighting slot, and a more standard rune slot as well for good measure.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: His dialogue is peppered with this throughout the game. The events of ''II'' and now ''Inquisition'' have definitely taken a toll on Varric, and all he really wants to do is go home - but he feels so responsible for things that he just can't go until he's set things right. Take him to the Storm Coast and listen to his lament about Kirkwall being "somewhere across all that water". Post-game, he reveals that he simply wants to settle back down in Kirkwall. [[spoiler:The ''Trespasser'' DLC shows him doing exactly that... except now he's the Viscount, so 'settling down' isn't what it used to be.]]
* ItWillNeverCatchOn: He claims he won't write a book about the Inquisition because they aren't that interesting. He reconsiders it later on, although he's not sure anyone will believe it. [[spoiler:At the very end of the ''Trespasser'' DLC, he presents Cassandra with a copy of the book he did end up writing. It's called ''All This Shit Is Weird,'' and players are treated to her reading excerpts aloud over the closing credits. It's ''hilarious.'']]
* ItsAllMyFault:
** Varric co-led the expedition that unearthed the first red lyrium seen in the modern Age, and isn't happy now that it's popping up everywhere. [[spoiler: When Corypheus reappears, he starts kicking himself for leading Hawke to the Warden prison. If Hawke sacrifices themselves to save the Inquisitor and the Grey Warden ally, this attitude becomes even more apparent.]] It's even worse in his personal quest, when he finds out that [[spoiler:Corypheus is getting most of his red lyrium from the very same Primeval Thaig that Varric and Hawke discovered.]]
** The Nightmare demon specifically gives him a ReasonYouSuckSpeech over his guilt of constantly getting Hawke into life-threatening situations.
** He's still blaming himself if [[spoiler:Hawke's sibling contracted the taint]] in the previous game. Bring him to the Storm Coast to fight the darkspawn on the surface and listen to him talk about it. It's more pronounced if [[spoiler:Bethany died as a result]]; he's very obviously [[SurvivorGuilt still grieving]] the loss, and he even says the same phrase he uttered when they realized what was happening: [[spoiler:"Oh, ''Sunshine''."]]
* KnightErrant: He gets a bit of this in his character trailer, which features him defending Haven's barmaid from the unwanted advances of a ruffian - by using Bianca to pin the man to the wall. (Doubles as something of a CallBack to ''Dragon Age II'', where he did the exact same thing to a pickpocket the first time he met Hawke.)
-->'''Varric''': She's not interested. But Bianca here is a sucker for drunk, dumb, and ugly. Take a hint, human.
* KnightInSourArmour: He's considerably more bitter and confrontational by the time he joins the Inquisition, and he's not ''quite'' as quick to warm up to the newly acquired companions (although he gets better as the game progresses). Most tellingly, it takes him the better part of the game to move into a pleasant relationship with Cassandra, especially after [[spoiler:Hawke comes to Skyhold]]. They just can't seem to let go of their animosity for a long time, which is a dramatic shift from the easygoing storyteller Varric was in the previous game.
* MultipleChoicePast: When the Inquisitor asks how Varric got Bianca, the dwarf may tell a story of how he found her in a barrel in the [[BazaarOfTheBizarre Black Emporium]] for a few coins. The codex adds a few more possible origin stories for Bianca as well, and playing multiple playthroughs reveals that with each of them, Varric's story of finding Bianca randomly changes.
** One variant even has him claiming that he won Bianca from Paragon Branka in a game of Wicked Grace. [[ForegoneConclusion (However, considering he says she got upset and ran into the Deep Roads afterward]] while he admits to never having actually been to Orzammar, [[BlatantLies it's pretty obvious that he made that one up.)]]
** From his sidequest, it's heavily implied that the origin of the crossbow Bianca is somehow related to a girl named Bianca, with whom [[EveryoneCanSeeIt Varric obviously has history]]. If the Inquisitor asks him if it originates with her, he doesn't directly deny it, but does say that saying anything about it might endanger her life. This forms something of a CallBack to ''Dragon Age II,'' when he told Merrill that "There was a girl, and I made a promise. It's the one story I can never tell." It also corroborates her appearance in [[spoiler:the Fade]] during the comic ''Until We Sleep''.
*** ''The World of Thedas, vol. 2'' finally clears up the matter. [[spoiler:Gerav, the tinkerer whom Hawke and Varric encountered in the ''Legacy'' DLC, ''was'' Bianca's original designer, but he couldn't get the thing to work. He sold it to Varric, who took it to the dwarf Bianca; she turned the crossbow into the deadly work of art he loves so much, prompting him to name it after her.]] By Varric's own accounting, this was a good fifteen years before ''Inquisition''.
* NiceGuy: As in the previous game, Varric can make friends with just about anyone, and seems to be on friendly or at least amiable terms with just about every other character in the party. He makes an analogy of people with cats: they either arch their back up to seem threatening, or hide to avoid detection.
-->'''Varric''': Show that you're not a victim or a threat, and they're in your lap and purring before you know it.
** He is one of the only party members, almost as much as Cole, to consistently give approval for dialogue and action choices which indicate a selfless nature. For example, he's the only one who "greatly approves" if the Herald manages to save [[spoiler: all of the endangered villagers when Haven is attacked]], and the only one who "approves" if they make an effort and save at least one. (The only other companion who gives ''any'' approval for these actions is [[DefrostingIceQueen Vivienne]], of all people.) %%Vivienne only "approves" of saving all the villagers, or "slightly approves" of saving at least one. Varric is the only companion to "greatly approve".
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Varric gets accused of this by Cassandra [[spoiler: after she finds out he lied about Hawke's whereabouts. Cassandra sought him out because she wanted Hawke to become the leader of the Inquisition and feels that Hawke's presence may have prevented the destruction at the Conclave. Varric points out that if Hawke had been at the Conclave, they would almost certainly have died, and "You people have done enough to him/her."]]
* TheNicknamer: Varric still gives nicknames to his companions. He addresses Cassandra as "Seeker"; Josephine is "Ruffles"; Leliana is "Nightingale"; and Cullen is "Curly." The ever-serious Solas is "Chuckles", Iron Bull is "Tiny", Dorian is "Sparkler", Cole is "Kid", Blackwall is "Warden" or "Hero", and Sera is "Buttercup." Vivienne comes pre-nicknamed as "Iron Lady". And, like Hawke before them, the Inquisitor doesn't have a nickname beyond simply "Inquisitor," although he may sometimes play with it by calling them "Your Inquisitorialness." He also has a nickname for [[spoiler:Bianca's husband]]: "What's-his-name."
** In the ''Descent'' DLC, he nicknames Lieutenant Renn "Grisly" for his graphic tales of darkspawn-slaying, and Shaper Valta "Scribbles" because she's a scholar.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Dwarven FriendlySniper author merchant.
* NoodleIncident: [[spoiler:Apparently, once he becomes Viscount, he regularly bets public buildings during card games including Wicked Grace.]]
** His "promotion" to [[spoiler:Viscount]] is also sort of one as well. [[spoiler:Apparently Kirkwall's not having an official viscount got in the way of one of his schemes, and he lodged a complaint with the nobility. Whatever he said, they apparently combined it with the amount of money he had contributed to the restoration of the city, and interpreted it as him volunteering for the position.]] There's even a NoodleIncident within the NoodleIncident, since exactly what the "scheme" was that he was trying to pull is never explained.
* OddFriendship: Once again, Varric gets along with just about ''everyone'', including many the player might not expect. Even those that start off tense at first, such as Cassandra, [[VitriolicBestBuds become significantly warmer over the course of the game]].
* OhCrap: When he realizes [[spoiler: that Bianca met the Grey Warden Corypheus was possessing at the end of ''Legacy'' and that's how Corypheus discovered Red Lyrium.]]
* OhNoNotAgain: Almost his exact words at the conclusion of his character trailer, which shows him in the tavern in Haven at the time of the Conclave explosion. He gets to the door, stares up at the Breach, and groans, clearly comparing this new crisis to that in the final act of the previous game. He makes the disgruntled comment, then advances the magazine on Bianca, indicating that he's prepared to do his part to fight the new menace.
* OldShame: InUniverse, he considers his ''Swords and Shields'' romance series the worst thing he's ever written. However, it turns out that Cassandra is a fan of the series and the Inquisitor can convince him to write another book for it on her behalf.
* PrecisionFStrike: He may make one if his opinion of the Inquisitor drops low enough that he delivers a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, depending on the player's choices in the conversation.
-->'''Varric''': This 'all that matters is the goal, and fuck the consequences' thing of yours? I've seen where that road leads. Anders was the last guy I knew who thought like that, and ''he'' was an abomination. What's ''your'' excuse?
* RainOfArrows: Varric's [[LimitBreak Focus Ability]] is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Hail of Arrows]], which allows him to use any archery ability twice simultaneously while it is active. It lives up to its name when combined with Leaping Shot.
* ResignationsNotAccepted: PlayedForLaughs in ''Trespasser.'' If the Inquisitor is a Dwarf, Varric mentions that he tried giving them his seat in the Dwarven Merchant's Guild, but "they got so angry about it!" [[spoiler:He settles on giving them their own seat, instead.]]
* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob: Handled a bit differently than in the previous game. Because his brother (for one reason or another) is no longer capable of holding the position, Varric is now the head of House Tethras, and thus the one stuck dealing with the Merchants' Guild and other day-to-day things. The Inquisitor can provide a welcome interruption while he's paying bills, and ambient dialogue datamined from the game has him coming up with assorted creative uses for the letters he gets from the Guild. The Inquisitor can ask him what it is he does, to which he explains that he's basically in the business of buying and selling property. Even he doesn't seem to know the extent of his own holdings; if the Herald asks him about his family business, he remarks that "I think we own half a beet plantation in Rivain."
* RightToBareArms: Some of the armor sets are sleeveless on him, revealing a pair of ''extremely'' muscular arms.
* RocksFallEveryoneDies: An EasterEgg in the ''Jaws of Hakkon'' DLC (see YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe, below) reveals that ''Hard in Hightown'' has an alternate banned version in which this is apparently the ending. (Unlike the regular version of the story, this one is not available in the real world.)
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Just like before. He's one of the wealthiest people in the inner circle, possibly even ''the'' wealthiest, yet he's down in the muck with everyone else. As of ''Trespasser'', [[spoiler:Varric is the new Viscount of Kirkwall, meaning that he's now fully-fledged royalty - but still very hands-on.]]
* RunawayBride: Implied to have happened to him. Let's just say we finally find out some of the story behind Bianca.
-->'''Varric''': I heard the wedding was lovely. The one she actually showed up for, anyway.
** Her first appearance, in the comic ''Until We Sleep,'' also corroborates this.
* ScarfOfAsskicking: One of his outfits features a red one, not unlike Bethany's or Warrior Hawke's.
* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: In ''Trespasser'', [[spoiler:he's not above using his new position as Viscount of Kirkwall to give the Inquisitor a new title and the key to the chains of the city. He thought it was just ornamental, but when Bran explains the real significance, he finds the idea hilarious.]]
-->'''Varric''': [[spoiler:What kind of viscount would I be if I didn't abuse my position to give shit to my friends? I've got traditions to uphold!]]
* SelfProclaimedLiar: He's still this, and quite up front about it if the Inquisitor wants to ask him something personal. "You want to talk about me? I'm flattered. Also inclined toward extravagant lies." Somewhat subverted, since he doesn't really tell ''any'' lies this time (at least, not to you); and if he's brought along for ''The Descent'', the one thing he says that sounds like BlatantLies - telling you about [[spoiler:the existence of the Nug King]] - turns out to be the absolute truth.
* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: His (honest) reaction to Dorian asking if there's something between him and Cassandra.
-->'''Varric''': Just because two people dislike each other doesn't mean they're about to kiss, Sparkler.
** However, he makes no such denial concerning [[spoiler:Bianca]], no matter how much the rest of the party pesters him about it. Iron Bull even outright calls her that, and he goes with it.
* SherlockScan: He gives an impressive one to the player character shortly after they meet. No matter what race (except for elves, who get to talk with Solas instead), gender, or class the Herald is, he always accurately guesses their origins and reason for being at the Conclave.
* SoBadItsGood: Invoked if the Inquisitor asks him to complete his ''Swords and Shields'' series as a gift for Cassandra.
-->'''Varric''': You know, the fact that it's so terrible makes it worthwhile.
* StarCrossedLovers: [[spoiler: Bianca, as it turns out, is a surface dwarf whose parents [[ArrangedMarriage arranged]] for her to marry a smith. She and Varric obviously have a history, and some lingering feelings, but are not allowed to meet.]]
-->'''Varric''': If I came over, your parents would ''kill'' me.\\
'''[[spoiler: Bianca]]''': Oh, you're just overreacting.\\
'''Varric''': You always say that, but they always send assassins.
* StopWorshippingMe: Inverted. The Inquisitor can ask him to stop revering them as the Herald of Andraste, but Varric brushes them off each time, reminding you what you mean to people and the example you should set. It takes until ''Trespasser'' for Varric to start treating you like a person and friend.
* SurvivorGuilt: As noted above, he still blames himself if [[spoiler:the Deep Roads killed Hawke's sibling]].
* TakeCareOfTheKids: He's on the receiving end of an unusual variant. [[spoiler:If Hawke survives the Fade in "Here Lies the Abyss," s/he volunteers to make the trek to Weisshaupt to inform the First Warden of what's been happening. Their parting words to the Inquisitor include a somewhat emotional request: "Take care of Varric for me."]]
* TeamMom: Most obvious during the Wicked Grace game and in some of Cole's sidequests - just like last time, he's determined to take care of everyone, even if that just means making sure they're taking the time to relax. He'll even [[DiscussedTrope talk about]] it, saying that he's not a great spymaster despite his numerous contacts because he winds up getting too involved and "worrying about their families."
* ToAbsentFriends: He and the Inquisitor mourn the one who [[spoiler: [[HoldTheLine died]] in the Fade. If the Grey Warden died, Varric says that even though he didn't know him well, he is saddened by his death and notes that these times are not kind to heroes. But if Hawke died, he is devastated. He tries to tell an amusing story about his best friend, a farewell of sorts, but almost breaks down in tears in the middle of it. [[VideoGameCaringPotential The Inquisitor can hug him.]]]]
* TookALevelInKindness: Downplayed as Varric ''is'' friendly and gets along with everyone, but during the base game he pointedly refuses to treat the Inquisitor like a regular person or friend, putting them on a pedestal and treating them as The Herald of Andraste. Two years later in ''Trespasser,'' he eases up on this significantly, and treats them like a regular friend to [[UnclePennybags lavish expensive gifts and favors on]].
* TrapMaster: Varric's specialization in this game is called Artificer, and it involves using traps, grenades, and other trickery.
* UndyingLoyalty:
** [[spoiler:It's revealed that he's known where Hawke has been all along, but did everything he could to hide this in order to protect his closest friend, as he was not sure of what the Inquisition wanted from them, and was just plain trying to keep them as far away from any more danger as possible.]]
** He also demonstrates this towards the Inquisitor, as he will never leave the party, exactly like in ''Dragon Age II''.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Varric is indirectly responsible for majority of the major events that transpired over the course of ''II'' and ''Inquisition.'' Hawke's sibling getting the taint (if they did), Corypheus being released, Anders getting pushed over the edge and kickstarting the Mage Rebellion, the red lyrium spreading, the Inquisitor getting the rift mark? The origin for all these started with Varric spearheading his Expedition to the Deep Roads, [[ItsAllMyFault and he feels terrible about it.]] [[spoiler:This is especially true if Hawke is killed as a result of it all.]]
** On the bright side, he is also the reason Cassandra and Leliana did not die at the Conclave, since they were delayed interrogating him; since Cullen traveled with them on the same ship, the delay may have saved his life as well.
** Also on the plus side, ''Trespasser'' reveals that, by releasing Corypheus, Varric turns out to be an Unwitting Instigator of World-Saving, since Corypheus ended up [[NiceJobFixingItVillain inadvertently thwarting]] [[spoiler: Solas's]] plan to bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
* WarIsHell: The teaser trailer shows a shell-shocked Varric standing over a battleground, filled with bodies.
* WardrobeWound: Just like in the last game, depending on the location, Varric may register a complaint about what's happening to his outfit.
* WarriorPoet: In his spare time, Varric is an accomplished poet and author, having reached renown enough for his works to be ''en vogue'' in Empress Celene's court. His novel ''Hard in Hightown'' is apparently popular enough that it has even generated a pair of ShoddyKnockOff sequels, much to Varric's chagrin. The first is subtitled ''Siege Harder'', which could be seen on Hawke's bookshelf in ''II'', and the second is ''The Re-Punchening''. ("I'll give you a moment to contemplate the horror that is that title.") He wants them destroyed if for no other reason than their horrible titles.
* WhatExactlyIsHisJob: The answer manages to be both more and less clear this time. He's the head of his family now, and thus the deshyr of Kirkwall in the Dwarven Merchants' Guild; he's also an accomplished author, and he's still a KnowledgeBroker and TheSpymaster (although he notes that Leliana is much better at being a spymaster for the Inquisition than he would be, since he worries too much about his informants and their families). His actual purpose within the Inquisition itself, however, is pretty much a mystery to anyone who doesn't know him well. Vivienne even lampshades it, if the Inquisitor asks for her opinion of Varric - she wants to know what role he holds in the organization apart from "irritating Cassandra."
* WhatTheHellHero:
** In the trailer, he's not happy if the Inquisitor leaves Crestwood defenseless against the Red Templars.[[note]]This is not something that can actually happen in the game.[[/note]]
** In the game proper, he will eventually call the Inquisitor out if his approval drops too far. He's one of the few companions who will never leave, though.
** He also calls Cassandra out on her anger at him for [[spoiler:keeping Hawke's location a secret, pointing out that if she'd gotten her way and Hawke had been at the Conclave]], all it would have accomplished would have been to get them killed too.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: An early conversation with the Herald can have him providing this for the cast of the previous game, if he's asked where everybody is. He has at least an approximate idea of where they can be found, if they're alive, but they're all quite scattered. The only one with whom he seems to be in regular contact is, in a world state where she survived, Bethany; some of his dialogue suggests that he writes to her. [[note]]He definitely writes to her after "Here Lies the Abyss," to let her know [[spoiler:that Hawke has either died or gone to Weisshaupt]], so it's reasonable to think he writes to her at other times too, and some of his commentary suggests as much.[[/note]]
* WriteWhoYouKnow: Varric continues to use this InUniverse, and starts writing a political thriller series that features an evil duchess based on Vivienne as the overarching villain. Notably, Varric does ask Vivienne for permission to base a character on her (if only because he's so scared of her), and Vivienne loves the idea from the get-go and even starts bombarding him with demands for more details in the PartyBanter.
-->'''Vivienne''': You're not going to describe me in anything less than the latest fashions, are you?\\
'''Varric''': I'm... going to spend the next few weeks researching Orlesian gowns, aren't I?\\
'''Vivienne''': Yes, my dear. And my mask should be inlaid with opals.
* YouAreInCommandNow: With his connections, accolades, and accomplishments, [[spoiler: Varric is made Viscount of Kirkwall by the nobility in ''Trespasser''.]]
* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: He says exactly this in ''Jaws of Hakkon,'' when Trader Helsdim recognizes him (from his picture on book covers) and reveals himself to be a major fan.
[[/folder]]


!!Cassandra Pentaghast

->'''First Appearance''': ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''
->'''Voiced by''': Creator/MirandaRaison (Games), Creator/ColleenClinkenbeard (Anime)

[[folder:Tropes In ''Dragon Age II and Dawn Of The Seeker'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/da2_cassandra.png]]
\\

->''"I'm not interested in stories. [[SeekerArchetype I came to hear the truth]]."''

\\
A member of the the Seekers of the Chantry who interrogates Varric in order to understand the true nature of [[VideoGame/DragonAgeII the Champion's story]]. Though she starts off suspicious of the Champion's actions, she eventually grows more amiable as she listens to what really happened.

----
* BigBrotherWorship: When recalling her deceased brother Anthony, Cass remarks that he was "everything kind and good," and she loved him very much.
* BoyishShortHair: Given that she's ostensibly a soldier, she presumably finds long hair to be somewhat impractical. She cuts it very short somewhere between ''Dawn of the Seeker'' and ''Dragon Age II.''
* CharacterDevelopment: Despite only being a part of the framing device, Cassandra seems to mellow out as Varric tells the story. In the beginning, she's rude and nasty, even threatening Varric with a near-GroinAttack by plunging a knife through a book on his lap. By the end, she's quite willing to hear out Varric's story, and even lets him go without incident.
** Initially, she assumes that Hawke was the BigBad and responsible for instigating the Mage-Templar War, but because of Varric's tale, she comes to understand that instead they were a [[BigGood heroic figure]] who simply tried to do the best they could with an already bad situation. By the end, she realises that Kirkwall was a ticking time bomb and there was little anyone could have done.
** In ''Dawn of the Seeker'', she initially hates mages because of her DarkAndTroubledPast, but slowly learns to grow out of it and realises they are people, too. That said, her prejudice isn't completely gone by ''II'', since her initial assumption was that Mage Hawke was an apostate [[BombThrowingAnarchist dissident]] who intentionally sowed discontent to bring down the Chantry. (Of course, she thinks Hawke was a dissident who did this no matter what class they are; but she seems a little more angry about it if Hawke is a mage.)
* ConspiracyTheorist: Maybe not so much as the Chantry in general, but some of the ideas the Seekers have about the events of the game are a bit... out there.
* ContraltoOfDanger: Cassandra has a sharp low-tone voice with a heavy Prussian (or, in-universe, Nevarran) accent.
* DarkIsNotEvil: She's basically part of the Thedas equivalent of the Spanish Inquisition, wears all black, and is extremely grouchy... [[spoiler:and she's also trying to stop a major war from breaking out for entirely selfless reasons.]]
* DecoyProtagonist: Cassandra can be arguably considered the protagonist of the FramingDevice set in the present, attempting to learn the truth of [[HeroOfAnotherStory Hawke's]] [[ShroudedInMyth tale]] as told via Varric's recollections.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Over the course of the Varric's tale, she becomes less irritable, softer-spoken and in the end, even decides to let Varric go.
* DualWielding: Favours this style of combat in ''Dawn of the Seeker''.
* FoeYay: Invoked, if Hawke is male. Varric insinuates that she's developing a crush on male Hawke after a point in his story. She denies it.
** She's particularly keen to deny this if male Hawke is a ''mage'', since Cassandra is technically on the ''other'' side of the Mage-Templar conflict.
* FreudianExcuse: As ''Dawn of the Seeker'' shows, she hates mages (and blood mages in particular) because maleficars killed her beloved brother... right in front of her, when she was twelve years old. They wanted him to get them dragon's blood for a ritual and he refused.
* GeneralRipper: She initially assumes that Hawke is the mastermind of the war that's about to tear the world apart and that ''everything'' that has led up to this point was all part of their EvilPlan. [[WrongGenreSavvy However]]...
* GoodIsNotNice: While she's initially portrayed as antagonistic to Varric and is implied to want to bring Hawke to justice, she's revealed to actually be trying to prevent the Mage-Templar war and wants to recruit Hawke to help ''stop'' the fighting.
* GreatBigBookOfEverything: The Seeker record which she carries around. It apparently contains character portraits of Hawke's companions, (presumably) Varric's exaggerated version of Hawke's tale, as well as images of Flemeth, Morrigan, and - for some reason - [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Shale chasing pigeons]]...
** However, ''Inquisition'' party banter indicates that the book she stabs in Varric's lap isn't a Seeker record at all - it's Cassandra's copy of Varric's book ''The Tale of the Champion,'' which accounts for a lot of what's in it. (Shale's appearance remains unexplained, though.)
* GroinAttack: Comes close to doing this to Varric during the introduction, when she shoves a dagger through a book to get him to start talking about the Champion of Kirkwall.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: She is the main character of ''Dawn of the Seeker''.
* HeroWorshipper: Varric implies that Cassandra is being swept up in Hawke's legend. She'll deny it (and Varric's belief she's [[FoeYay developing a crush]]) if it's male Hawke, but with female Hawke she has no problem admitting that she has respect for a woman who built herself up from nothing.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: [[spoiler:Even though she's kind of a bitch to Varric in the beginning, it turns out that she's trying to ''prevent'' the Mage-Templar war.]]
* HotBlooded: Her initial reaction to Varric throwing BlatantLies at her is to pull a knife on him and threaten him with a GroinAttack.
* InternalAffairs: The job of a Seeker is essentially to keep an eye on the Templars and ensure they do not abuse their powers and/or stray from the will of the Chantry. [[spoiler:The events of the game serve to indicate how bad things can get when the Seekers drop the ball.]]
* LamePunReaction: Her frequent "ugh."
* MagicSkirt: Wears this in ''Dawn of the Seeker''.
* PetTheDog: At the end of the interrogation, [[spoiler:she actually smiles at Varric, keeps her promise to let him go, and asks that the Maker watch over him]].
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite being essentially part of the Chantry's Inquisition, she does seem quite willing to hear Varric out, even if what he has to say doesn't put some parts of the Chantry in a very good light. She's also willing to believe Varric, instead of denying what he says or twisting them to fit her preconcieved notions.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:Finding out that she's working with Leliana in the last scene of the game]].
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: She is both a member of the Nevarran royal family and a Templar Seeker.
* ThrowTheBookAtThem: Does this to Varric to get him to start talking. Literally.
* {{Tsundere}}: Especially if Hawke is male, as Varric will imply that she has a crush on him, which she promptly denies. She also has this relationship with Galyan in ''Dawn of the Seeker''.
* WhoWritesThisCrap: Varric's opening tale portrays Hawke and whichever sibling will survive the prologue delivering a CurbStompBattle to darkspawn and Flemeth coming to their aid as a dragon. (If the sibling is Bethany, he also [[BuxomIsBetter enhances her figure]].) Cassandra calls bullshit and Varric repeats the story - which happens to be mostly true.
* WrongGenreSavvy: Between narrations, she adamantly tries to pin the blame of all the events of the game on a BigBad. [[spoiler:There is none. Varric says that even Meredith, corrupted as she was by the ArtifactOfDoom, was irrelevant.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tropes In ''Dragon Age: Inquisition'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pentaghast_cassandra_2446.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I see what must be done, and I do it! I see no point in running around in circles like a dog chasing its tail."'']]
\\

->''"We ''will'' close the Breach; we will find those responsible; and we will restore order."''

\\
Cassandra joins the Inquisitor's party alongside Varric in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', in hopes of ending the Thedas Civil War and uncovering the truth behind the demonic invasion from the Fade after moonlighting as a framing device in the previous game. She is a romance option for a male Inquisitor of any race.
----

** Not so when you think about the theory of Racial Tolerance. If we are to understand then Majority population groups (humans in dragon age) always have minorities (anyone else) accomadotate them. As a result they never experience racial stress. However once they are forced to experience it many people become very intolerant as a reaction.

* NiceGirl: Although it's not apparent at the beginning of the game, Cassandra is loyal, fair, and kind to all the companions and even a mage-friendly atheist Inquisitor; if the Inquisitor isn't offensively dismissive of her beliefs, she'll still declare them friends and swear loyalty. Almost all her banter with other companions includes at least one moment when she tries to understand their point of view, and she even apologises for the crimes of the Chantry and Templars. She is also quick to retract a perceived insult or offence; for example, when she asks Varric about Bianca, she reveals her own situation with Galyan. Even though the Inquisition is her work, she has no interest in gaining any power for herself. She wants only to help people, something that Solas finds admirable... and unbelievable.

* TheAntiNihilist: When Solas keeps badgering him about his willingness to abandon the old dwarf empire and be happy with his kind living on the surface, equating it to giving up, Varric [[WorldOfCardboardSpeech handily shuts him down]] by arguing that accepting the impossibility of defeating entropy and living a good life anyway is the only real way to beat it.

** It's implied that Anders falls in love with Hawke even if he is not romanced, as not starting his romance at the first opportunity nets rivalry points. Obviously, this is subverted if Hawke does romance him.
** If Hawke does romance him, Anders states that he's been "aching for" Hawke for the past three years, pretty much proving that he falls in love with Hawke either way.

** He claims that Fenris is really just jealous of mages when the party finds out [[spoiler: Fenris's sister is a mage.]] It was a low blow considering Fenris had hoped to [[spoiler: reunite with her sister only for her to betray him to Danarius.]] His timing could not have been any crueler.

** The game literally opens with Varric telling an exaggerated account of how, when the Hawke family fled Lothering, Hawke the OneManArmy effortlessly mowed down hordes of darkspawn beside their [[BuxomIsBetter well-endowed mage sister]], only for Cassandra to scream "Bullshit!" and demand he tell her what really happened.