Characters / Skyhold Academy Yearbook

Skyhold Academy has a much bigger cast than its authors expected, so it was only a matter of time before it had a character sheet.

Beware the spoilers.

World Leaders

A few of the people running Thedas are important to the series.

Alistair Theirin

Alistair Theirin, President (formerly King) of Ferelden

• Commonality Connection: A reluctant example. When speaking to Morrigan during a visit to the University of Orlais, he observes that "being in [his wife's] fan club" is the only thing he and Morrigan have ever had in common. Much as she dislikes having anything in common with him, she concedes the point, since Elissa is her beloved friend.
• Cordon Bleugh Chef: Despite being this, his job prior to becoming King was as the host of a Cooking Show.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Part of how he got pushed onto the throne.
• Happily Married: To Elissa, whom he openly adores.
• In-Series Nickname: Varric calls him "President Kingy."
• Law of Inverse Fertility: He and his wife love children, but could never have any of their own for reasons unknown.
• Permanent Elected Official: The people of Ferelden love him too much to let him get away, so when he helped the country transition from a hereditary monarchy to an elective democracy, they compromised by making him this. He will hold the office of President until he decides to step down.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Very much so.
• Royal Blood: He's the last known member of the family which ruled Ferelden for several ages.
• Team Dad: To the kids at Skyhold; he even calls them "my kids."
• Trademark Favorite Food: Cheese, of course.

Elissa Theirin

Elissa Theirin, nee Cousland, First Lady of Ferelden and Commander of the Grey Wardens

• Blue Blood: As in canon; she's a Cousland by birth, and thus a member of one of the oldest and most respected noble families in Ferelden.
• Canine Companion: Toby, her mabari warhound. He's only mentioned a handful of times in the present day, but will appear in the prequel story The Red and Gold Dossier.
• Dark and Troubled Past: As will be shown in The Red and Gold Dossier.
• Happily Married: To Alistair.
• In-Series Nickname: Varric calls her "the Queen Mother."
• Law of Inverse Fertility: She and her husband love children, but could never have any of their own for reasons unknown.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: To the Grey Wardens, she's mostly only known as "Commander."
• Reasonable Authority Figure: In both of her roles, but especially the secret one.
• Secret Secret-Keeper: Not even Leliana knows, for a long time, about Elissa's 'second job.'
• Team Mom: To the kids at Skyhold.
• What Does She See in Him?: Morrigan feels this way about Elissa marrying Alistair, whom she will never consider good enough for her friend.

Sebastian Vael

Prince Sebastian Vael, despite the democratization of the Free Marches, is still the guy running Starkhaven, and still recognized as a prince.

• Innocently Insensitive: He unintentionally rubs Varric's nose in the fact that he visited Kirkwall and got to see Bethany. Varric, who is homesick as hell, struggles to maintain his poker face.
• Nice Guy: He's called this repeatedly by various characters.
• Royal Blood: He's the hereditary Prince of Starkhaven.
• Unknown Rival: He has no idea that Varric thinks they're in a Love Triangle. In fact, he's a Shipper on Deck for Varric and Bethany, although this isn't revealed until near the end of the first story.

Staff

The teachers and administrators at Skyhold Academy are deeply attached to their school, their students, and each other.

Tropes which apply to the staff as a whole

• Badass Teacher: Usually downplayed, but they have no second thoughts about risking their lives to protect their students.
• Berserk Button: None of them take kindly to anyone threatening the school, the kids, or their colleagues.
• Family of Choice: As Blackwall points out in one story, most of them don't have any family outside of the school - just like many of their students.
• Informed Ability: Somewhat improbably, they can all sing pretty well. The reader has to just accept the narrative's word for it, since the medium doesn't allow proof.
• Must Have Caffeine: Most of them are shown drinking coffee or tea a lot.
• Parental Substitute: For most of their students, who either have terrible parents or none at all.
• Secret-Keeper: They're pretty nearly the only ones who know the truth about what Skyhold really is.
• True Companions: How they see each other.

Cullen Rutherford

Cullen Rutherford, history teacher

• Alpha Couple: He and Evvy are this for the first story, although the sequels tend to reduce their prominence somewhat.
• Artists Are Attractive: His wife's artistic skill and passion is one of the things he finds most attractive about her.
• Berserk Button: He doesn't take kindly to anyone mistreating women.
• Cannot Talk to Women: In the first story. He gets better.
• Chick Magnet: One who is hilariously Oblivious to Love. He has no idea how many of his students have crushes on him, nor other adults for that matter.
• Cool Teacher: He's almost universally loved by his students.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Since the setting is non-magical, he still has one but it was changed to center around his days serving in the military.
• Doting Parent: To Cole and later Skye
• Green-Eyed Monster: In the first story he has shades of this, thinking that Michel is a rival for Evvy's affections. Michel is humorously oblivious to the whole thing.
• Happily Married: To Evvy, eventually. It's a Foregone Conclusion.
• Hot Teacher: A lot of the students think so.
• I Can't Dance: His initial reaction to the existence of the dance club.
• Impossibly Tacky Clothing: His tie collection is the bane of Dorian's existence.
• In-Series Nickname: Varric calls him "Curly," as in canon, but Dorian dubs him "the unicorn," and Cole calls him "the sun." His siblings call him "Cul."
• Like Brother and Sister: With Cassandra.
• Master of the Mixed Message: In his dealings with Evvy in the first story. It reaches the point where she can't put up with it anymore.
• Must Have Caffeine: Until he's forced to give it up because of his heart trouble.
• Sickeningly Sweethearts: With his wife. Everyone finds it more amusing than anything, though.
• Sweet Tooth: He loves pretty much anything sweet.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Coffee (until he's not allowed anymore) and blueberries.

Evangeline Trevelyan

Evangeline Trevelyan (later Rutherford), substitute art teacher

• Alpha Couple: She and Cullen are this for the first story, although the sequels tend to reduce their prominence somewhat.
• Audience Surrogate: In the first story, she more or less fills this role. The reader learns about the workings of the school as she does.
• Best Friends-in-Law: With Cassandra.
• Blue Blood: She's technically Lady Evangeline, but it's mostly just a formality anymore since the Free Marches are democratic now.
• Childhood Friend: She and Mahanon have been friends since they were very young.
• Doting Parent: To Cole and later Skye
• Everything's Better with Rainbows: She's sometimes known as "the rainbow of Skyhold."
• Family of Choice: With her honorary brothers, and her decision to adopt Cole.
• Happily Married: To Cullen, eventually. It's a Foregone Conclusion.
• In-Series Nickname: Varric dubs her "Siren," owing to her eyes, and Dorian calls her "Cinderella." She's also been Mahanon's "little lady" for years.
• Informed Ability: Given the medium, we just have to take the other characters at their word that she's a superb artist.
• Like Brother and Sister: With Dorian, her "Fairy Godfather," and also with her childhood best friend Mahanon. When Varric and Dorian decide they are also 'the brother I never wanted' to one another, she and Varric declare themselves this too, mostly as a joke.
• Massive Numbered Siblings: She's the youngest of Bann Trevelyan's five children (six if one counts Mahanon).
• Practically Different Generations: With her eldest brother, Fred, who is twelve years older. Fred only appears in the series by mention, however.
• Shipper on Deck: For both of her honorary brothers and their love interests.
• Sickeningly Sweethearts: With her husband. Everyone finds it more amusing than anything, though.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Hot chocolate.
• The Unfavorite: She's very much this to her Great-Aunt Lucille, but some of her comments also suggest that she might be this to her parents as well.
• Uptown Girl: She's this to Cullen.
• What Beautiful Eyes!: Her most distinctive feature is a pair of very green eyes.

Dorian Pavus

Dorian Pavus, music teacher and school librarian

• Big Brother Instinct: He gets very upset if anything happens to Evvy, whom he explicitly identifies as his sister.
• Big Brother Mentor: It's implied that he has this sort of bond with Felix.
• The Cast Showoff: And how. If there's even the barest hint of an excuse for singing, dancing, or other theatrics, Dorian is front and center.
• Cool Teacher: Depending on who you ask, the coolest.
• Cool Uncle: To Cole and later to the babies.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Details about it get dropped here and there throughout the series.
• Deadpan Snarker: It's almost an art form.
• Family of Choice: Of all the teachers, he's the one who seems to take this the most seriously with regards to his colleagues, and comments more than once about how he's grateful that they allowed him to be part of their family.
• In-Series Nickname: "Sparkler," as in canon, as well as "Fairy Godfather" and, later, "Dodo."
• Like Brother and Sister: With Evvy, his Best Friend and "Cinderella."
• Neat Freak: Mess up his library at your own risk.
• Nobody Touches the Hair: He hates to get his hair mussed.
• Proud Beauty: Mostly played for laughs, and it in no way interferes with his being a Nice Guy.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: And he will force those around him to be the same when the occasion calls for it.
• Ship Tease: With Bull. It becomes less tease-y and more confirmed as the series continues.
• Shipper on Deck: For Evvy and her "unicorn."
• Trademark Favorite Food: Antivan brandy.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With his "brother," Varric.

Varric Tethras

Varric Tethras, writing arts teacher and secret school philanthropist

• Affectionate Nickname: In addition to all the others he bestows, he refers to the Hawke sisters as "my girls."
• Age-Gap Romance: He's a dozen years older than his love interest.
• Berserk Button: If you so much as imply that you're thinking of harming Bethany or Marian Hawke, he will end you. Literally.
  • More humorously, he also really, really hates the Fifty Shades books. Mostly for existing.
• Best Friends-in-Law: With Hawke, post-Disorienuptials.
• Conversational Troping: He's guilty of this at times.
• Cool Bike: He rides a black and silver Harley-Davidson.
• Cool Teacher: In a different way than most of the others. He and Dorian have a minor Friendly Rivalry about which of them is cooler, but neither is particularly serious about it.
• Cool Uncle: More specifically, he's known as the "whiskey uncle."
• Deadpan Snarker: As in canon.
• Family of Choice: In his own words, he's an honorary Hawke. He also becomes the honorary brother of Dorian and, by extension, Evvy.
• The First Cut Is the Deepest: By the time of the series, he's finally moved past Bianca. She doesn't actually get mentioned until about midway through the series, when she sends a letter.
• Game Master: He takes on this role in Love is a Mystery, running tabletop campaigns of Gatehouses and Ghouls for students and teachers alike.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Toward Sebastian, mildly.
• Grumpy Old Man: He describes himself like this.
• Happily Married: To Bethany, post-Disorienuptials.
• He Cleans Up Nicely: If a certain young lady is to be believed.
• Home Sweet Home: He misses Kirkwall terribly, even singing Owl City's "Metropolis" in the first installment as an indicator of it. Of course, what he really misses are the Hawkes.
• Hot Teacher: He gets explicitly called this during the concert in the first story. He doesn't seem to think it's accurate, though; a few times he refers to himself as having "a face made for radio."
• I Call It "Vera": Bianca, as ever; in this iteration, she's a vintage typewriter.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: In the first installment.
• Informed Ability: Averted. Being a writer, he's the only staff member who gets to show off his talent in the medium.
• In-Series Nickname: The Nicknamer actually gets one himself here - "Ick." Needless to say, Hawke loves it. In later installments, Dorian occasionally addresses him as "brother" as an Affectionate Nickname.
• Like Brother and Sister: Vaguely with Evvy, mostly because they (eventually) each consider Dorian to be their honorary brother. They're not quite as close as the trope would normally imply, however, though they are fond of one another.
• Meta Guy: With a gift for Painting the Fourth Wall.
• Must Have Caffeine: He drinks a lot of coffee in general, but he uses it to self-medicate for a time in the first story.
• The Nicknamer: As in canon.
• Odd Friendship: With Cassandra.
• Panicky Expectant Father: In the final installments - and a more justified example than many, given Bethany's health issues.
• Percussive Therapy: After the major crisis in the first story, he refuses to see the therapist Leliana brings into the school, preferring to utilize this instead.
• Platonic Life-Partners: With Hawke - they adore each other, but it's not even faintly romantic.
• Secret-Keeper: He's the only one (besides, possibly, Leliana) who knows the real reason for Hawke's sabbatical in the first story.
• The Short Guy with Glasses: He's explicitly stated to be the shortest of the male teachers, and wears reading glasses.
• The Storyteller: As in canon.
• Sweet Tooth: One to rival Cullen's.
• These Hands Have Killed: A source of angst for him during the first story.
• Troll: On occasion, though it's always meant in good fun.
• Uncle Pennybags: It's not commonly known, but he's the one who funds the school's weekly ice cream nights and monthly movie outings, among other things.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With his "brother," Dorian, and also Cassandra.

Cassandra Pentaghast

Cassandra Pentaghast, girls' physical education teacher

• Best Friends-in-Law: With Evvy. After Disorienuptials, they have this in a Double In-Law Marriage kind of way.
• Blue Blood: As in canon.
• Cool Teacher: A rare example of a gym teacher who isn't a Sadist Teacher.
• Doting Parent: To Anthony, though not to the syrupy extent of Cullen.
• Happily Married: To Mahanon, post-Disorienuptials.
• In-Series Nickname: Her canon nickname of "Seeker" doesn't fit the series parameters, so Varric instead dubs her "General" as a nod to her military background.
• Like Brother and Sister: With Cullen.
• Long-Distance Relationship: When she gets involved with Evvy's friend Mahanon, his work requires them to be in one of these. This continues even after they get married.
• Odd Friendship: With Varric; they're also Vitriolic Best Buds.
• Secret-Keeper: For Varric in the first story, once circumstances sort of force him to make her his confidante.

Marian Hawke

Marian Hawke, art teacher

• Affectionate Nickname: She frequently calls her sister "Bethy."
• Artists Are Attractive: A mutual version with her husband; she's a painter and he's a dancer, and it factored into both how they met and how they were drawn to each other.
• Big Sister Instinct: Don't even think about touching her little sister. She's already lost her little brother.
• Best Friends-in-Law: With Varric, post-Disorienuptials.
• Boyish Short Hair: As seen in her 'casting' image.
• Cool Big Sis: To Bethany; they're very different but nevertheless very close.
• Deadpan Snarker: More often than most.
• Happily Married: To Fenris.
• Informed Ability: As with Evvy, the reader just has to take the narrative's word for it that she's an exceptional artist, since there's no way to prove it in the medium.
• It's Personal: Part of her backstory; she's the one who finally put an end to the White Lily Murders in Kirkwall a few years before the series. Sadly, she wasn't able to stop the killer in time to save his final victim, her mother.
• Last-Name Basis: Very few people are allowed to call her Marian.
• Law of Inverse Fertility: Averted. According to Word of God, Hawke and Fenris don't really mind that they've never had children because of the demands of their careers. (That said, she can't wait to be the Cool Aunt to Bethany's baby.)
• Long-Distance Relationship: Owing to the traveling he does for his career, her relationship with Fenris is usually this, even since their marriage.
• Platonic Life-Partners: With Varric - they adore each other, but it's not even faintly romantic.
• Present Absence: Her sabbatical from Skyhold Academy is what kicks off the first story, and affects a significant chunk of its plot.
• Self-Made Woman: Arguably, more than anyone else in the series.
• Shipper on Deck: For Bethany and Varric, despite the latter's expectation that she would be against it.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: The tomboy to Bethany's girly-girl. She wears her hair short by choice and comments more than once on her dislike of wearing dresses. She's seen to wear only one in the whole series, when she serves as matron of honor in a wedding.
• Troll: Occasionally, but usually only to Varric. He gives as good as he gets.

Ivan Ronbul

Coach Bull, the boys' physical education teacher and football coach

• The Big Guy: Almost by default.
• Boisterous Bruiser: Much like in canon, though more with football than fighting.
• Cool Teacher: A rare example of a gym teacher who isn't a Sadist Teacher.
• Deadpan Snarker: Not quite in the same vein as the others, but he gets in some good lines.
• Family of Choice: He considers Krem to basically be his son.
• A Father to His Men: The Chargers see him this way.
• Gentle Giant: To his students and colleagues.
• Incredibly Lame Pun: He likes to make these on occasion. Probably the best-known one is when he gives Krem a car for graduation... it's a Charger.
  • His name also counts as one for the authors. Ivan Ronbul is I. Ronbul... Iron Bull.
• Multiple-Choice Past: He used to be a spy, which led him to dabble in a bunch of different occupations while undercover. He even sings opera.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Everyone just calls him Coach Bull. His real name isn't revealed, except by Word of God, until the Ordinary Chaos prequel.
• Ship Tease: With Dorian. It becomes less tease-y and more confirmed as the series continues.

Solas Harel

Solas Harel, teacher of all forms of science

• Confirmed Bachelor: One of the only adults in the series with no love interest. As far as anyone can tell, his true loves are science, video games, and cake.
• Deadpan Snarker: On occasion. His sense of humor is very dry.
• Famed In-Story: His "Dread Wolf" persona is very well-known in the YouTube gaming community.
• Hidden Depths: In addition to singing (like the rest of the staff), he's a well-known gamer and also a gifted mime.
• Informed Ability: You just have to take the authors' word for it that he's a really good mime.
• Let's Play: He moonlights as popular Let's Player "The Dread Wolf."
• Mysterious Past: No one knows anything about his past. The authors admit that they just never found an opportunity to work it into the plot.
• Not So Above It All: He occasionally startles his colleagues by participating in things like talent shows and bachelor parties.
• Omnidisciplinary Scientist: The main reason he was hired, despite the mysterious past. By bringing in one guy who could effectively teach all the necessary sciences, Skyhold could stretch their budget farther than if they hired multiple teachers.
• Sweet Tooth: To the point where some reviewers have suggested that the real OTP of the series is Solas/Cake.

Gordon Blackwall

Gordon Blackwall, industrial arts teacher

• Adaptational Heroism: The darker aspects of his character and history are not present in this universe, although a Lighter and Softer variant of them appears in the In-Universe story The Adventures of Dodo and Ick.
• Deadpan Snarker: Subtle, but present.
• Last-Name Basis: He's rarely called anything but Blackwall.
• Mysterious Past: Like Solas, he has one that never managed to get worked into the story.
• Real Men Hate Sugar: As in canon.
• Ship Tease: With Josephine - very subtle at first, and progressively more pronounced, based on their in-game flirtation.
• Shipper on Deck: Not seriously, but occasionally he cracks up his colleagues by solemnly declaring that he ships a particular pairing.
• Shop Class: His hat in this universe, based on his in-game construction project of the rocking griffon.

Josephine Montilyet

Josephine Montilyet, guidance counselor and deputy headmistress - among other things

• Brainy Brunette: She's very smart, and balances the school budget like a master.
• Chessmaster Sidekick: She's Leliana's assistant, but Leliana is far too competent (and kind) to make Josephine a Beleaguered Assistant.
• The Face: Her position is so unique that it doesn't really have a name; she's a combination of deputy headmistress, guidance counselor, treasurer, and public relations expert. Much of the ongoing work to find both funds and students for the school falls on her desk.
• Only Sane Employee: Not that the others are exactly crazy, but Josie has her feet a little bit more firmly on the ground than some of them.
• The Reliable One: Skyhold would probably fall apart without her.
• Ship Tease: With Blackwall - very subtle at first, and progressively more pronounced, based on their in-game flirtation.

Leliana Nightingale

Leliana Nightingale, headmistress of Skyhold Academy

• The Chanteuse: She occasionally sings solos at the various events (an Informed Ability, as with everyone else's singing, although at least hers has been heard in the games) and is explicitly cast in this role in one of Jim and Rory's fanfics.
• The Chessmaster: A very benign version. It's indicated many times that nothing happens in Skyhold without her knowledge; she has her fingers in many pies and her eyes are everywhere. In I Must Be Going, Varric casts her in the Miracle Max role because he reasons that if he were ever going to ask anyone to perform a literal miracle, it would be Leliana.
  • Failed a Spot Check: However, in the first story, even she fails to realize that a number of the school's support staff are actually moles for Venatori Prep. Somewhat justified, since she has absolutely no reason to suspect such a thing until it's almost too late.
• In-Series Nickname: Varric calls her "Songbird," since Nightingale is her actual surname here.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Almost too reasonable; until she learns the truth about the school, Evvy is genuinely shocked at some of the things Leliana tolerates among the staff, not least the romantic shenanigans. The Reveal, when it comes, makes her acceptance of it all much more understandable.
• Secret-Keeper: She knows pretty nearly everything about everyone in the school, except for the spoilered example under Failed a Spot Check. After that happens, she doubles down on making sure she really does know everything.
  • Secret Secret-Keeper: Sometimes the things she knows about other characters are things they don't realize she knows. For instance, it's implied in the first story that she knows the real reason for Hawke's sabbatical and how that reason is affecting Varric, something Varric himself doesn't realize.
• Trademark Favorite Food: She's very partial to a specific blend of tea which includes peppermint and lavender. In a variant, however, she's rarely shown to be specifically drinking this blend; the reader is more aware of her fondness for it because Varric tells Bethany about it.

Vivienne de Fer

Vivienne de Fer, foreign language instructor

• The Fashionista: She wears nothing less than cutting edge fashion. In Emerald Princess, Rory describes her Instagram as featuring "wicked sweet fashion" that one might wear while killing people.
• Not So Above It All: She surprises everyone by agreeing to come back to be a judge for "Masked Skyhold," mostly so she can critique the costumes.
• Pet the Dog: When she returns for the school reunion, she engages in some of this with Varric, of whom she appears genuinely fond.
• Put on a Bus: She gets subjected to this early in the first story, owing to a personal crisis.^note The meta reason was to give the authors an excuse to bring in Michel de Chevin as substitute.
  • The Bus Came Back: She returns for the school reunion in The Memory Band and also for the "Masked Skyhold" competition.
• The Rival: She seems to view Morrigan this way, although Morrigan's own feelings on the subject are unknown.

Michel de Chevin

Michel de Chevin, substitute foreign language instructor

• Hot Teacher: To the point where some of Cullen's fan base defects.
• Pair the Spares: Later stories in the series have him dating Cullen's sister Mia.
• Unknown Rival: He has no idea that Cullen thinks, in the first story, that they're in a Love Triangle with Evvy. By the time it's finally explained to him, Cullen and Evvy are in a relationship, so they can both afford to be amused by it and Michel doesn't hold a grudge.

Lace Harding

Lace Harding, administrative assistant

• The Chooser of the One: This is part of her specific duties. She travels around Thedas to follow up on leads concerning children who could benefit from being sent to Skyhold.
• Hope Bringer: Considering the situations in which some of the children are living before she finds them, she could be seen this way.
• Ship Tease: With Bram Kenric, as of The Memory Band. Overlaps with Rescue Romance, as she saves his life.

Felix Alexius

Felix Alexius, assistant librarian, aspiring filmmaker, and yearbook photographer

• Camera Fiend: He's frequently seen playing photographer in the stories.
• The Mole: During the first story, he undertakes this role, venturing into Venatori Prep in search of information.
• Spared by the Adaptation: The authors just couldn't bring themselves to kill him off as in canon.

Students

Students at Skyhold Academy are very special, although not for the reasons the world thinks. As such, their teachers are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure they're happy and safe.

The student body in general

• Abusive Parents: It's not described in detail, but some of them have these.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Most of them have some form of this.
• Demoted to Extra: In Inquisition, Sera is a member of the inner circle. Here, she's a student named Sera Archer, who appears mostly by mention. Cole is also a member of the inner circle who gets turned into a student, although he has a larger role due to his relationships with Evvy and Cullen.
• Drama Club: When Dorian forms one, it might be easier to count the kids who don't join.
• Good Parents: A lucky few (like Rory) have these, but were chosen to come to Skyhold because their families are struggling in other ways.
• Only One Name: Some of the students have only been identified by their first names in the stories.
• Parental Abandonment: Some of them, like Jim and Cole, suffer from this, which means they have been through an Orphan's Ordeal.
• Shipper on Deck: For the various pairings among their teachers, which naturally results in...
• Squee: Often and loudly.

Cole Rutherford

Cole is a lonely and withdrawn boy who eventually becomes Cullen and Evvy's son.

• Armor-Piercing Question: He's capable of delivering these from time to time, most particularly to his father.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: The reason for his attachment to all of the Skyhold staff, and especially to the two who become his parents.
• Berserk Button: A very mild (and funny) example compared to most, but there are a few references from I Must Be Going onward to the fact that Cole really hates the word "smaragdine." He even writes an essay about it!
• Big Brother Instinct: After I Must Be Going, he has this toward his baby sister Skye.
• Canine Companion: As of Where the Sky is Held, he has a mabari named Snow.
• Friend to All Living Things: He's very kind to animals.
• Happily Adopted: After the first story.
• Innocent Blue Eyes: His are mentioned a few times.
• Like Father, Like Son: Despite not being biologically related, he and Cullen share a number of mannerisms and interests.
• Literal-Minded: On occasion. For example, when Rory receives a book of poetry for Wintersend and asks him if it was him, he replies, "No, I am not a book of poems." It's a Call-Back to his personality from the game.
• Loners Are Freaks: Until Evvy helps him come out of his shell, he's very solitary.
• Meaningful Name: His surname before adoption was Hughes, from the Germanic element hug meaning "heart, mind, and spirit." This has yet to be revealed in the stories.
• Momma's Boy: To an extent; he adores his mother and would do absolutely anything to make her happy.
• The Nicknamer: Not to the extent of Varric, but he does give nicknames to certain people in his life - most particularly his parents, who are "the rainbow" and "the sun."
• The Quiet One
• Rainbow Motif: He's the one who originally gives Evvy her 'rainbow' nickname; he also decides that Cullen is the sun and he himself is the rain, since a rainbow needs both sun and rain in order to appear.
• Trauma Button: A mild example, but after the events of the first story, he has a hard time with the idea of anything happening to his mother. There are a few offhanded mentions of him seeing a therapist, even after the events are long over.

The Partners in Crime

Aurora "Rory" Norbertson, James Scout, and Janessa Dasher are three of the students who have been attending Skyhold since it first opened, and have been best friends since the beginning.

• Affectionate Nickname: They frequently call each other "Jimmy," "Nessie," and "Rors."
• Ascended Extra: They're this in many ways. They were originally brought into the series in the second installment, which is a one-shot humor piece, but over time they all took on a life of their own.
• Breakout Character: They turned out to be much more popular than the authors ever expected. It's downplayed with Nessa, who doesn't appear quite as much as the other two, but Rory and Jim have a lot of fans among the readers.
• Casting Gag: Nessa sings a few songs from Moana. The authors use Auli'i Cravalho as her face claim.
• Commonality Connection: According to a comment Rory makes in I Must Be Going, she and Jim first became friends due to their mutual love of The Princess Bride.
• Cuteness Proximity: Rory loves baby animals.
• Drama Queen: Rory calls Jim this.
• Family of Choice/Like Brother and Sister: All three are only children, and they see each other as the siblings they've never had. Rory and Nessa even refer to Jim as "our silly brother" in New Message Received.
• Flower Motif: Rory becomes associated with daisies, at least briefly.
• Full-Name Ultimatum: Rory and Jim are known to do this to each other.
• Generation Xerox: A variant. Rory and Jim are amused (as seen in New Message Received) to realize that their relationship makes them a sort of younger version of Hawke and Varric.
• In-Series Nickname: Varric dubs them "Sonnet," "Bishop" and "Lyric." In addition, their self-selected group name of the "Partners in Crime" gets picked up by the teachers when speaking of the trio.
• Incredibly Lame Pun: Jim delights in making these; his Hurricane of Puns in Beauty and the Bloodsucker is a prime example. The girls are alternately amused and annoyed by it.
• Ironic Nickname: They dub themselves "Partners in Crime", but they're three of the best-behaved teenagers you'll ever meet.
• Meaningful Name: Varric nicknames Jim "Bishop" after the chess piece, but it has a double meaning that falls into Fridge territory. Jim, as noted in the narrative, is asexual, and chooses to be celibate... much like a priest.
• Moment Killer: Jim is the unlucky bloke who interrupts the first kiss between Cullen and Evvy. (He's based on the scout in Inquisition who does the same thing.)
• Most Fanfic Writers Are Girls: Played straight with Rory, averted with Jim.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Rory and Nessa's full first names are maybe mentioned twice in the whole series.
• Only Sane Man: Nessa is this for the group; she has her silly moments, but she's got nothing on the other two.
• Platonic Life-Partners: Nothing romantic here at all.
• Pungeon Master: Jim, Jim, Jim. The puns are either genius or torturous, sometimes both.
• Romantic False Lead: Jim is sometimes mistaken for either Rory or Nessa's boyfriend. When discussing the matter with Krem, Rory admits she can see where people get the idea, since they're so close.
• Squee: If a particular student is seen gushing or squeeing about the teachers' romances, cute babies or animals, or anything in particular, there's better than even odds that it's Rory.
• Troll: Jim is this to the girls occasionally, but only in benign, playful ways. They evidently consider it part of his charm.
• Twice Shy: Rory with her crush, Krem.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Life is a Roller Coaster reveals that Jim is deathly terrified of snakes, while Rory is afraid of heights.
• You Said You Couldn't Dance: Played with; it's a running gag that the girls want to see Jim tap dance. It's unclear whether or not he actually can, since he keeps refusing. Only at graduation is it finally revealed that no, he really can't, and he doesn't know why they keep asking.

Cremisius Aclassi

Krem is the quarterback for the Chargers (until he graduates) and pretty universally beloved by the cast.

• Big Man on Campus: During the time of the main series, he's this; it's later indicated that he inherited the role from Delrin Barris.
• The Cast Showoff: Arguably more than any of the other students. He really seems to relish the chances he gets to strut his stuff onstage.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Like many Skyhold students, though by his own admission his is somewhat different.
• Family of Choice: Bull is basically his adoptive father.
• Incredibly Lame Pun: He sometimes makes these, which he blames on all the time he spends with Bull.
• Lovable Jock
• Lovely Assistant: With great amusement, he plays this role for Rory during the school talent show.
• Mistaken for Romance: He eventually admits that he would have asked Rory out a lot sooner than he did, except that he was under the impression that she was dating Jim.
• Precocious Crush: He admits to Rory that he had a small crush on Evvy for a brief time during her first year at the school.
• The Quarterback: Until he graduates, this is his position on the team.
• Romantic Wingman: He's "the greatest wingman ever" when he helps introduce Michel de Chevin to Mia Rutherford.
• Twice Shy: With his crush, Rory.

Family members of the staff

Although they're not always on hand for all the shenanigans, a few of the staff members do have family members who have a role to play in the assorted stories.

The Rutherford Siblings

Mia is Cullen's older sister, and Branson and Rosalie are their younger siblings. They live in South Reach, but occasionally make the trek to Skyhold for important occasions.

• Annoying Younger Sibling: Branson and Rosalie have very faint shades of this, but as they're adults, it's implied they've grown out of the worst of it.
• Big Sister Instinct: Mia toward all of her younger siblings, and toward her sister-in-law to a lesser extent.
• Cool Big Sis: Cullen in particular sees Mia like this; they're very close.
• Cool Uncle: Branson participates in the "uncle-off" in The Memory Band to try to prove that he's the coolest.
• In-Series Nickname: Varric calls Mia "Curly-Girl," Branson "Curly-Two," and Rosalie "Curly-Cute."
• Pair the Spares: Later stories see Mia dating Michel de Chevin, while Rosalie develops some strong Ship Tease with Cullen's friend Rylen.
• Strong Family Resemblance: They've all got curly blond hair, and Skye is noted in later stories to look a lot like her Auntie Rosalie.

Fenris Hawke

Fenris Hawke is the art teacher's husband, and a professional ballet dancer. He appears in the stories infrequently.

• Artists Are Attractive: A mutual version with his wife; she's a painter and he's a dancer, and it factored into both how they met and how they were drawn to each other.
• Best Friends-in-Law: With his sister-in-law Bethany. They're clearly very fond of each other.
• Dark and Troubled Past: A somewhat altered version of his canon backstory; it's the reason he was initially reluctant to get involved with Hawke.
• Deadpan Snarker: Much like in canon.
• Happily Married: To Hawke.
• Informed Ability: Given the medium, we can't see him dance.
• Long-Distance Relationship: Owing to the traveling he does for his career, his relationship with Hawke is usually this, even since their marriage.
• Secret-Keeper: He's one of the only people outside of Skyhold Academy to know the truth about the school; it's explained in a later story that Hawke made telling him and Bethany the truth a condition of her employment.
• Took the Wife's Name: After marrying Hawke, he changed his last name to hers instead of the other way around. (Of course, in the games he doesn't have a last name, but in this universe it's implied that he Shed the Family Name to help himself shrug off the Dark and Troubled Past.)
• Trademark Favorite Food: Aggregio wine, similar to his appreciation of it in Dragon Age II.

Bethany Hawke

Bethany Hawke (later Tethras) is Hawke's younger sister and Varric's "fangirl in chief."

• Age-Gap Romance: She's about twelve years younger than her love interest.
• Angsty Surviving Twin: Downplayed, but she definitely misses her brother.
• Best Friends-in-Law: With her sister's husband Fenris; they're clearly very fond of each other.
• Big Sister Worship: As different as they are in many ways, Bethany idolizes Marian and they are very close.
• The Fashionista: Her hat in this universe, owing to her in-game love of pretty clothes. She has a degree in fashion design and manufacture, runs a blog about the subject, and helps with the costumes for the school play, among other things.
• Happily Married: To Varric, post-Disorienuptials.
• Imperiled in Pregnancy: Due to her pregnancy, Bethany is unable to receive the usual treatments for her illness, so she's under excessive watch for the duration and is hospitalized at one point.
• Long-Distance Relationship: With Varric, until they get married.
• Second Love: She's this for Varric, although details about her predecessor aren't mentioned at all until The Memory Band.
• Secret-Keeper: She's one of the only people outside of Skyhold Academy to know the truth about the school; it's explained in a later story that Hawke made telling her and Fenris the truth a condition of her employment.
• Spoiled Sweet: Between Hawke and Varric (especially Varric), she can have pretty much anything she wants. It doesn't make her one iota less kind or considerate.
• Sweet Tooth: Her love of sugar rivals that of Solas.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: The girly-girl to Hawke's tomboy; Bethany loves pretty dresses and girly things.
• What Does She See in Him??: According to Varric, Bethany's greatest flaw is her questionable taste in men. He only says this after she starts dating him, so it's actually self-deprecating humor.

Mahanon Lavellan

Mahanon Lavellan is Evvy's oldest friend, who becomes immediately smitten with a certain gym teacher.

• Affectionate Nickname: Evvy is his "little lady" and has been since childhood; she fondly refers to him as "my darling pain in the ass." Later, he sometimes addresses Cassandra as "my lady."
• The Cast Showoff: Second only to Dorian, he takes the most obvious delight in singing, dancing, and otherwise pushing his way into the limelight. The others find it more amusing than anything, on account of him being such a Nice Guy.
• The Charmer: Evvy explicitly describes him this way.
• Childhood Friend: He and Evvy have been friends since they were very young.
• Cool Uncle: Participates in the "uncle-off" in The Memory Band to try to prove that he's the coolest.
• Family of Choice: Even beyond his friendship with Evvy, he's basically an honorary member of the Trevelyan family. In one letter, Evvy's mother refers to him as "my extra son."
• Gentleman Adventurer: Arguably the best way to describe his occupation; he does a lot of consulting with police departments, doing things like codebreaking.
• Happily Married: To Cassandra, post-Disorienuptials.
• In-Series Nickname: Varric dubs him "Lockpick."
• Like Brother and Sister: With Evvy, who tells him that he's "my other self or something." They've been friends since they were very small children, and he absolutely dotes on her in his own weird way.
• Like Father, Like Son: It may be too early to really say this, but he and his adopted son Anthony seem to have the same sense of humor. Evvy invokes the trope more than once.
• Long-Distance Relationship: When he starts dating Cassandra, his work requires that they have one of these. This remains true even after they get married, until he reaches a breaking point and just can't take it anymore.
• Missing Mom/Disappeared Dad: It rarely comes up, but a big part of the reason that he's effectively a member of the Trevelyan family is because his own parents died when he was young, and Evvy's parents assumed guardianship of him because he was so close to Evvy and her brother Nathaniel.
• Romantic False Lead: Cullen initially questions the relationship between Evvy and "Non," although she later acknowledges that his confusion was understandable.
• Tranquil Fury: His reaction to Evvy being kidnapped in the first story amounts to this. He's not nearly as outspoken about his feelings on the subject as Cullen or Dorian, but it's clear that he is absolutely furious.
• Troll: He's prone to this sort of thing, especially with Evvy, who as noted above sometimes refers to him as "my darling pain in the ass."

The Baby Brigade - unmarked spoilers!

These are the Fan-Created Offspring of the main cast, the children (other than Cole) of the assorted Skyhold staff.

• Babies Ever After: As the folder title would imply.
• Baby Language: Skye and Anthony's appearances in the later installments show them communicating with each other in this.
• Baby's First Words: Skye's is "da;" Anthony's is "mama." Both are treated with all the importance one would expect.
• Babysitter Friendship: They like being watched by the Partners in Crime, Krem, and Cole; the teenagers are generally eager for the job as well.
• Cuteness Proximity: They have this effect on pretty much everyone, even Vivienne.
• Dead Guy Junior:
  • Skye, whose real first name is Eleanor, is named after her paternal grandmother.
  • Anthony is named after his maternal uncle.
  • Kirk's middle names are after his maternal grandfather and uncle.
• Doorstop Baby: Anthony's introduction to the series was to be left on the steps of an abandoned Chantry.
• Fan-Created Offspring: Unlike most of the adults in the main cast, none of them exist in canon.
• Happily Adopted: Anthony is the adopted son of Cass and Mahanon.
• Hometown Nickname:
  • Eleanor Skye Rutherford is usually called Skye, which is in honor of Skyhold.
  • Kirk Tethras is named after Kirkwall. Yes, really.
• Like Brother and Sister: Since they're effectively being raised together, it's generally presumed by the adults that this will be their relationship as they get older.
• Like Father, Like Son: Evvy frequently comments that Anthony has Mahanon's sense of humor. Gender flipped with Skye, who has inherited her father's love of blueberries.
• Middle Name Basis: Skye's real first name is rarely mentioned; everyone calls her by her middle name.
• The Nicknamer: Skye is a baby version of this, since while she's learning to speak she has difficulty pronouncing a lot of the teachers' names. Some of her names for people stick, most particularly "Dodo" for Dorian and "Ick" for Varric, although that's largely Hawke's doing.
• Parental Marriage Veto: A variant. Both Cullen and Dorian have indicated that Skye is never going to be allowed to date, much less get married. Evvy begs to differ.
• Practically Different Generations: Skye is fifteen years younger than her big brother Cole. Of course, Cole was adopted, but it still counts.
• Two Guys and a Girl: Once Kirk is born, it's suggested that they will be this as they grow up.
• What Beautiful Eyes!: It's indicated that Skye has inherited her mother's big green eyes.