Heartwarming / Age of Dragons

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Age of Dragons

Origin of the Dragon

• Brehan taking the time to befriend Leliana. He's a shem-hating Dalish elf, she's a devout Orlesian Chantry sister. They bond over sharing stories.
• Brehan telling stories to the children in Redcliff
• Instead of being angry when Cullen punches him, Brehan quietly supports the traumatized man and helps him get to safety.
• Brehan telling Wynne what she means to their little group, bringing the old woman to happy tears.
• Brehan supporting Leliana when she has her crisis, assuring her that she really is a good person with a good heart.
• At some point Brehan apparently took the time to give Alistair lessons on how to sweet talk Cathiel
• Brehan being Oghren's wingman when he goes to see Felsi.
• With just a couple lines, Trian goes from jerkass to beloved older brother. Upon learning there is an assassin in the Royal Palace Trian's first concern is whether or not his little sister is safe.
• Saitada makes a point of introducing Brosca to King Cailan. She really does consider him an equal despite their different standings.
• The short time Saitada and Duncan have together.
• The friendship the grows between Saitada and Sten.
• The reunion between Gorim and Saitada.
• Saitada offering to save Harrowmont.
• Saitada telling Jerath that he is her friend, and she doesn't want him to die.
• The friendship between Jerath and Saitada, with him quietly acting as her The Lancer and giving her pep talks when she needs them.
• The devotion Brosca and Rica have for each other
• Brosca comforting Lenore as they walk through the wrecked Circle.
• Brosca knows that he's in a dream when he's stuck in the Fade, but doesn't leave it immediately because he just wants to sit there a while and watch his family be happy.
• Doubles with funny, but Lenore and Zevran assuring Brosca they are willing to assassinate as many people as necessary to make sure Rica is okay.
• Brosca confesses his past to Lenore. Lenore assures him it doesn't matter.
  I love you, Kevan Brosca. And there is nothing about you that shames me.
• The brief scene between Cullen and Lenore in the tower, before she became a Warden.
• Lenore could have escaped, but she chose to save the injured templars instead.
• Lenore Amell is a sheltered circle mage. Keven Brosca is a carta thug. It takes them approximately five seconds to become best friends and upon realizing they are both falling for Zevran they simply shrug and upgrade their own relationship before inviting Zevran to join it.
• Lenore immediately volunteers herself and her companions to help the Circle Mages. All she has to say is there are children in the tower, and her companions have her back.
• Lenore befriending Ruck.
• Despite Jerath being borderline asexual, he takes the time to charm Nesiara and reassure her about their arranged marriage. Then, when she's abducted, he damn well goes and gets her.
• Jerath quietly helping out his fellow elves and protecting them, which apparently includes regularly murdering people who hurt them while acting as a vigilante serial killer
• Jerath refuses to leave the other Wardens behind when Flemeth rescues him. He indentures himself to her to save them, despite only knowing them a short while and not even liking all of them.
• Jerath stopping to help random people and not asking for anything in return. Helping the robbed family in Lothering, giving gold to the brother and sister in Redcliff, supporting Zerlinda. Despite being a vicious and remorseless killer, he is one of the good guys.
• Jerath not only confronts the rage demon that has possessed him since he was four years old, he effectively redeems it.
• Jerath rescues his companions from the Fade, and doesn't hold anything that happened inside there against them.
• When Jerath is hurt, Morrigan immediately volunteers to protect him.
• Jerath absolutely hates to be touched, but he lets Lenore cry on him. He even reaches out to her first.
• Morrigan realizing she's more concerned that Jerath was injured than she is about whether or not he succeeded. She actually pushes the grimoire away so she can heal him.
• The moments Cathiel has with her nephew and sister-in-law
• Alistair and Cathiel practically ooze heartwarming, when they aren't being sickening sweethearts.
• Alistair and Cathiel supporting each other in their mutual grief
• Cathiel returning the locket to Alistair and reassuring him he's worth something.

Awakening of the Dragon

• Loghain putting Jerath to bed then standing guard over him
• Loghain making sure Jerath doesn't forget to eat
• Jerath is quite capable of killing everyone in the mob. Instead he feeds them.
• Jerath makes sure Felsi is taken care of and has everything she needs to raise her child well
• The Undying Loyalty that results from the friendship between Jerath and Nathaniel Howe.
• Though it eventually becomes tragic, Jerath making the effort to befriend Velanna.

Side Trips

• Nesiara and Rory Gilmore meet, fall in love, and get married.
• Rory is worried that his marrying an elf will cause a problem. Alistair is so unworried about him marrying an elf that it actually takes him a few moments to catch on to what Rory is talking about.
• When Nesiara and Rory get married, Jerath is the one that walks her down the aisle in full Warden Commander regalia. She names her son after him.
• Lenore spends years figuring out a way to help Alistair and Cathiel have a child. It works, and they name the boy Duncan. After Jerath cleanses them of the taint, they go on to have three more children. Wynne, Bryce, and Maric
• The wedding of Alistair and Cathiel
• Brehan following Leliana to work for the Divine.
• Lenore rescuing Lily and helping her and Jowan start over.
• Cyrion becoming a father figure to Alistair and Cathiel
• The friendship that develops between Cassandra and Brehan. He trusts her to wolf-sit for him
• Alistair's reaction to Jerath's Back from the Dead reveal. He doesn't know what is going on, but he immediately backs his friend and lies to cover for him.

Hunting the Sky

• The Messenger referring to Orliv as his friend and wanting to avenge him.
• The relationship between Keenan and Skyhunter
• Darius overcoming being Brainwashed and Crazy to stand at his Uncle's side. Combines with Dying Moment of Awesome
• The simple nature of Skyhunter's crew. They are an ex-werewolf, a disgraced templar, an Orlesian nobleman, and a Dalish elf. They are all clearly good friends who deeply care about each other. The Wardens are a glorious Ragtag Bunch of Misfits

Order of the Broken Dragon

• The father/son relationship that develops between Loghain and Jerath, and to a lesser extent, between Loghain and Carver.
• Happy tears, but Jerath introducing Loghain to Kieran as 'grandpa Loghain'. In one of the alternate worlds, Loghain states that just as Maric became his brother, Jerath has become his son.
• The reunion between Jerath and Dagna. Morrigan notes that Jerath just learned to live with the fact that Dagna is going to hug him whenever she feels like it.
• Vigilance coming to the aid of Temmerin and later performing a Heroic Sacrifice to save Loghain
• Vigilance and Dagna becoming friends, and him comforting her when her father refuses to acknowledge her letters
• The Messenger joins the Order, and they all treat him as one of their own.
• Jerath telling Carver to go spend some time with Merrill despite the fact the world is in danger.
  Go. Remember why it's worth saving
  • Fridge Brilliance - Razikale was the consort, a spirit of love
• After Kirkwall, Merrill decides to go with Carver instead of with Hawke.
• Carver and Merrill ask Loghain to perform the wedding ceremony for them, and it turns out Loghain did the same for Jerath and Morrigan.
• Jerath getting to be a father to Kieran.
• Jerath gives his Ragtag Bunch of Misfits the option to bow out now that they know the real dangers. None of them take it.
• The Inquisitor has to leave Loghain behind in the Fade. Jerath pretty much rewrites some fundamental rules of reality and goes back in and gets him.

Rise of the Champion

• Hawke helping out the guard, and the guard protecting him in turn. Brennan even helps him with his pranks.
• Until she went off the deep end, there were hints that Hawke and Meredith were actually becoming friends.
• Hawke taking in Orana In Bloodlines, it's hinted that either he or Fenris fathered a child with her
• The sheer amount of behind the scenes work Hawke puts in to help keep Kirkwall livable. No wonder the people there adore him.
• Despite being an apostate mage, Hawke makes friends among the templars. Several of them suspect he's a mage, but let him be because they know he's doing good work.
• Hawke and Cullen share a quiet toast to the memory of Sir Thrask.
• Hawke doesn't like Gamlen, but does arrange a stipend for him and makes sure he's okay.
• Hawke adopting the children, and Fenris realizing that he has a family.

Inquisition of the Dragon

• Despite all he has been through, Cullen falls in love with a mage.
• Cullen and Ruya name their son 'Gavren Dorian'.
• Cullen tries apologizing to Lenore Amell for the events of Broken Circle. Lenore assures him she forgave him long ago and still considers him a friend. Then she immediately becomes one of the Inquisitor's biggest supporters for no reason other than Cullen loves Ruya.
• Despite everything Hawke has lost, when Varric writes to him and says the Inquisitor needs help, Hawke doesn't even hesitate.
• Jerath is asked about his friends. He describes Saitada as everything a Paragon should be and Brosca as an inspiration. He really does care.
• Cassandra and Josephine both pushing Leliana and Brehan to get back together.
• Ruya and Josephine learning that their respective siblings have fallen in Love at First Sight and run off together. Rather than be angry, they decide that makes them sisters and go Shipper on Deck.

Bloodlines of the Dragon

• Cullen willingly enters the Fade just so he can hug his son and reassure himself Gavren is safe.
• Cullen also gives a much needed hug to Kels, in which he tells Kels that he considers the younger man a brother and was just as worried for him as he was for Gavren.
• Years after the events of Ostagar, Duncan Therin and Loghain Mac Tir the second are not only good friends, but Duncan actually arranged for Loghain to marry his little sister Wynne.
• Kieran basically telling the Inquisitor that he isn't particularly worried about anything Solas is planning to do, because he has faith in the people of Thedas. It is effectively the Old God of Beauty, Urthemiel, uttering these words:
  There are always those the demons cannot match. Those that despair only makes stronger, that fear cannot dissuade, that base desire cannot touch, and that pride cannot bring down. When darkness threatens, heroes rise. That is the true magic of this world. The music swells, and you dance. It is beautiful beyond words.
• Urthemiel realized he was falling and his last act as himself was to ensure the evil version of him could never get at his most powerful artifact.
• The rebel sentinels working with Lord Hendry to preserve knowledge so it can be taught to future generations. They all clearly have a genuine fondness toward Lord Hendry himself, leaping to his defense when needed despite the fact that he's just a 'shem'.
• Fenris not caring at all that his daughter is a mage, because she's his daughter. When Salla is in distress, it's not Hawke she goes to. It's Fenris.
• Merrill names her son Varric.
• A few years after the events of Trespasser, Ruya asks Solas to help save her son. He immediately drops everything to do so and arguably screws himself out of a very powerful artifact when he prioritizes saving the kids over recovering it. Despite everything that happened, she's still his best friend.
• Alistair never fails to include Jerath Gilmore as part of the family. He wants to protect his boys, rather than just his son.
• Tisallan quietly appointing himself Salla's bodyguard upon realizing Kieran loves her.
• The sentinels are kind toward Agatha despite her being a modern elf and not particularly elfy, with Alai even taking Agatha under her wing. Tisallan tells her he'd be honored if it turned out she was one of this descendants.
• The adults spend most of the adventure torn between being worried sick about their kids and being really proud of their kids.

Apocalypse of the Dragon

• Jerath Tabris apologizing to Duncan for not being able to save Alistair and Cathiel
• Urthemiel has many options for getting the Empress of Orlais to fall in line. He builds her a wing to her university and expresses his gratitude for Orlais's love of art and music.

A Different Path

Into Darkness, Unafraid

• Any time Sulana hugs 'Uncle Solas'.
• Sulana doesn't just bring the Templars in, she actively works to give them the opportunity to redeem themselves.
• The group of Templars that took care of an injured elven child and got her back safely to her people. Sulana repays that act of kindness with interest.
• Anytime Sulana fangirls one of the heroes from the previous stories. It really shows how much they meant to Thedas.
• The first meeting between Brehan and Sulana is this as the fangirling is somewhat mutual. For the first time in centuries, the Dalish have heroes and champions.
• Sulana refuses to let the elven serving girl kneel.
• No matter how bad the situation or impossible the odds, if innocent people are in trouble Sulana is grabbing her sword and heading in.
• Sulana doesn't understand spirits or demons, but she knows good people when she sees them. Her grief over the deaths of the spirit of the Divine and the spirit of Wisdom is genuine.
• Solas may not have a romantic interest in Sulana, but it's clear on several occasions that he really does care about her and perhaps does think of her as a wayward niece.
• Sulana tells Solas that if he can't find what he's looking for, he still has a home with her. Watching him interact with her gains some tearjerking elements when you learn he actually was an uncle once and at least one of his nephews was murdered by the Evanuris

A Hard Line

• Despite their antagonistic relationship, when Kas thinks Dorian is being threatened she puts herself between him and danger.
• Kas apologizing to Dorian, and Dorian telling her that despite everything, it's good to see her again.
• Brehan and Cassandra undergoing a Relationship Upgrade
• Kas realizing what the lyrium is doing to her and Cullen and telling him they'll find a better way. Later they both throw their lyrium kits off the ramparts, and she assures Cullen that this time, he won't be doing it alone.
• Varric and Nathaniel acknowledging that they might not like Kas, but she did save the world and that deserves a happy ending.
• Brehan realizing the price Jerath paid to save him and the other Wardens, and Jerath calling Brehan his brother.
• Despite how pissed Kas is at Rainier, she saves him because he's Sera's friend.
• Brehan comforting Solas after the death of the spirit of wisdom, and the friendship that develops between them in this reality.

The Dark Path

• Eben and Dorian in Tan's story manage to be this. Anytime they hold hands is a moment of heartwarming.
• The friendship between Dagna, Cole, and Vigilance
• Eben asks Dorian to save Minaeve. Dorian does, even though it quite definitely cost him.
• Eben and Kels both believe Minaeve and immediately start doing all they can to protect her
• Cullen doesn't know what Jerath really is, but states that he will do whatever Jerath asks in return for Jerath saving Kels and Eben.
• Jerath trusts Dagna with an orb and has complete faith in her ability to figure it out.
• Vivienne's Pet the Dog moment when she distracts Tan so Dorian can escape with the tranquil does a lot to rescue her from the scrappy heap.
• Vivienne's quiet Shipper on Deck behavior toward Dorian and Eben.
• Jerath helps Cole by letting Cole read him, openly admitting that revenge solves nothing. From a man who specializes in the good old Roaring Rampageof Revenge, it's a beautiful moment for both, and ends with a Call-Back to an excellent bit of advice.
  Cole: Don't be sorry. Be more.

Little Lies

• The interactions between Cole and Matril are this when they aren't tearjerkers. And sometimes even when they are.
• The greatest con artist in all Thedas comes clean because he can't bring himself to lie to the man he has fallen in love with.
  • And Dorian being wise enough to realize this.
• Matril tells Dorian his birth name, but then...
  My real name has been Matril since the first time you whispered it.
• Matril telling Mother Giselle at least part of the truth, and using her to quietly return all the Chantry artifacts he's stolen over the years. Mother Giselle never outs him or uses this knowledge against him.
• Matril's clear devotion to Margot. Then him eventually sharing his realization with Leliana that the two of them are more than their mentors made them and helping her find her way back to faith and light. The friendship between 'Divine Nightingale' and 'Inquisitor Mouse' is truly sweet.
• Despite just how much it could cost him, Matril comes clean to his friends and apologizes to all of them.
• Lukas Trevelyan and Matril have an unpleasant history. Lukas' Big Brother Instinct causes him to back Matril anyway because Matril's the only one capable of defeating the thing that killed Luka's little sister.
• Matril shaking Blackwall out of his attempt at Death by Despair by finally admitting to some of his own misdeeds

Howling at the Moon

• Doubles with tearjerking when you imagine what the friendship between Quiyala and Kathan could have become.
• Quiyala and Cullen acknowledging that their backgrounds lead them to feel the other needs protecting, and Quiyala giving Cullen a tea to help him sleep without being disturbed by dreams.
• Cassandra giving romance advice to Solas, who actually takes it.
• Quiyala being a quiet Shipper on Deck for Sera and Dagna
• Cassandra looking out for Cole in the Fade

Not the Herald

• The relationship between Kathan and Solas after Kathan confronts Solas. Kathan isn't a mage and he's a very young Qunari, but he's the only one of the Inquisitor's Solas comes close to treating as an equal. He later acknowledges Kathan as his champion and to stabilize the mark he effectively gives Kathan a piece of his soul, noting it means that Kathan now has the power to permanently kill Solas. Solas trusts his judgment on the matter
• Ties in with Bloodlines, but learning exactly why Tisallan is loyal to Urthemiel.
• Kathan fesses up to Cassandra that he's keeping a big secret from her, and her deciding she trusts him enough to let him keep it.
• Kathan leaving flowers and notes for Cassandra to find, and all the other little romantic gestures he gives her.
• Solas taking Kathan into the Fade to view memories, showing how the Dread Wolf came to be the man he is, then Kathan sharing his memory of a meteor shower with Solas when Solas is having a little trouble dealing with the bad memories.
• Kathan forcing Cullen to relax
• Anytime the big scary Inquisitor is interacting with children becomes one of these
• Solas tells Kathan the passwords for his sanctuaries, and Kathan later gambles that at least one of the sentinels at the Temple of Mythal would recognize the phrase. One does, and he turns out to be Solas's own little brother, making this the only reality in which Tisallan and Solas have a reconciliation.

What's the Worst that Could Happen?

• Upon realizing just how bad he screwed up, Solas returns to Skyhold to save Turana.
• The last act of Jerath Tabris as himself is to ensure Mythal is preserved.
• Also definitely a tearjerker and possibly some nightmare fuel, but Jerath's furious eulogy of Brehan shortly after being forced to Mercy Kill him. He threatens Cullen to ensure Brehan's memory is preserved, so the Dalish don't lose their hero. He doesn't show it often, but it's clear he cared deeply about his Fire-Forged Friends
  Jerath: Brehan Mahariel was a hero, Cullen. He died as one. He stood to hold the Venatori off while you got the prince to safety. One bird carries a different tale, and you'll be an only child. Have I made myself clear?

Colored Stones

• The friendship moments between Matril and Bridget.