Previously on Fade Rift: - Starkhaven alienage baby - Family history of mages being yeeted across many Circles - Dad panicked when she started showing signs of magic and tried to smuggle her off to the Dalish - Went very badly because past Bails went really over the top with TRAGIQUE backstory so he was murdered, she was tortured, everything bad forever. - Back in Starkhaven she does some magic and gets taken to the Circle. Bummer. - But her bff Saorise was there so that was great! - But then the Circle burned down so they were sent to different Circles. Bummer. - Her new Circle was fine until it sucked ass and the White Spire collapsed. - Herian’s new form was a sulky, broody, pro-Circle knight enchanter trying to be goth-chic Robin Hood around alienages in Orlais. Her other bff has swooshy red hair that’s legit as hell. - Joined the Inquisition, left for a while on a long mission - Came back, was Ambassador, got engaged to a Rifter, acquired a corgi, had various dilemmas and crises. Left after Riftwatch separated from the Inquisition and bc she missed Cosima - Rejoined the Inquisition, got frustrated with them not being intensely progressively enough re: elves, mages and Rifters and came back to Riftwatch. She was kind of a reclusive asshole during this time, ostensibly due to injury-related health problems and emotional trauma, in reality because I was not able to be on top of being in a game. - Left again. This may indicate Herian Has Issues Addressing Problems That She Can’t Hit With A Sword/Magic.
Since then: Recovered health stuff, working on personal insight and growth and not being full of rage, reconnecting with the Honour spirit etc. Has been working alongside the Chantry but as part of a small, independent group of ex-Circle mages. This group pushed for the Chantry to have a more progressive stance on mages and elves (and Rifters, but the latter is probs mostly Herian lbr).
While undertaking a mission, Herian was attacked by a group of rogue Templars. As a former Ambassador to Riftwatch and for her outspokenness on various topics (but especially mages and Rifters), they decided to make an example of her. Herian was subjected to the Rite of Tranquility, and sent to Riftwatch. (They kept her horse as a useful resource and destroyed her staff and her knight enchanter lightsabre, but she has her dog and her amazing hair.)
Personality
Prior to the Rite of Tranquility, Herian tended to feel a lot of things very intensely and tried to cram them all under a calm demeanor, with mixed results. For a long time she defined herself and her value in terms of her responsibilities, the good she can do, and honour. That was her way to navigate the world and attempt to function around all that ptsd. There are times this has aggressively undermined her (gestures to my last stint in game, etc). She dreads indecision and inaction born of trying to know the right thing to do, and the harm that can come from that inaction.
All that HONOUR and DO GOOD energy are not immune to pride and ego. Severity + pride + big do-gooder energy don’t tend to make for easy friend making. IIRCly, she was referred to ICly as “Sister Killjoy,” and that’s legit.
Despite seeming like she is made either of rage or uptightness, depending which person she’s failing to communicate with and what kind of emotional disaster she is currently navigating, she’s capable of close attachments. She believes in the importance of love, kindness and compassion. When you get past the rigidity, there is warmth, charisma and even some playful humour. She is surprisingly gentle, and fiercely protective.
Herian carries a lot of anger and a hefty load of ptsd. Anger has been a significant part of her survival and how she's kept going. Her work on herself over the last few years involved being more emotionally healthy,which makes the next part of this personality section Another Bummer for Herian.
For all that Herian was accused of being cold, the intensity of her emotions defined her. The Rite of Tranquility has not made her “more Herian” in any sense. Granted, some elements of how she speaks may mirror elements of her earliest stints in FR, when she tried (and failed) to compartmentalise. While she spoke rigidly, Herian felt with dangerous intensity. Her tranquility will be disturbing to those around her, but not herself. I’d say she might view it with ‘detached curiosity,” but even that wouldn’t be accurate. Maybe she can just look at it objectively, or with as much objectivity as being directed by the will of those around her allows. Beyond the obvious lack of emotion, the absence of the tenacity and drive she once had would be the most glaring difference. Some things she will do solely due to instruction or understanding necessity, e.g. she knows her dog requires feeding and exercise, and knows she has an obligation to her companion, but she doesn’t feel about it as she did before.
One or two folks in-game may remember a time where she plead with Coupe to be subject to the Rite. Though she was dissuaded, the anger and turmoil she’s so often experienced might open the door to interesting/ uncomfortable discussions around whether she’s more able to be at peace now than before.
Opinions & Affiliations
Normally she has many, many opinions. Currently, not so much. ✓ Aequitarians, elves (!!!!), rifters, mostly the Chantry, the Knight's Code, the Dissonant Verses It's Complicated: Circles, Loyalists, Templars, Seekers, Libertarians, nobility, Grey Wardens ✘ Dalish elves, Resolutionist Libertarians, Lucrosians, Chevaliers, blood magic, apostates
Strengths & Weaknesses
Magically speaking, she used to have access to the Knight-Enchanter and a custom Code of Honour specialisation, alongside the Champion specialisation. Now that her connection to the Fade has been severed, she has lost her magic and her ability to dream. Technically she would still have the Champion specialisation, but I imagine that without emotion and the Tranquil very rarely exercising free will, her ability to utilise it would be limited. (How do you defend yourself without a sense of fear/urgency/desire to survive, etc?)
The whole Tranquil thing is kind of a weakness generally, I’d say. She will still have her incredible hair, though.
Inventory Literally just her clothes and her dog. Anything that could have been useful to the Templars would have been taken (including her HORSE, someone please go John Wick on her behalf to get her back.)
Motivation Templars sent her there to be intimidating. As in, to intimidate Riftwatch (but especially mages) via their creepiness, not for Herian to be intimidating. She will stay because presumably her buds won’t want to yeet an extra vulnerable Herian into the nightmare that is Thedas.
no subject
Previously on Fade Rift:
- Starkhaven alienage baby
- Family history of mages being yeeted across many Circles
- Dad panicked when she started showing signs of magic and tried to smuggle her off to the Dalish
- Went very badly because past Bails went really over the top with TRAGIQUE backstory so he was murdered, she was tortured, everything bad forever.
- Back in Starkhaven she does some magic and gets taken to the Circle. Bummer.
- But her bff Saorise was there so that was great!
- But then the Circle burned down so they were sent to different Circles. Bummer.
- Her new Circle was fine until it sucked ass and the White Spire collapsed.
- Herian’s new form was a sulky, broody, pro-Circle knight enchanter trying to be goth-chic Robin Hood around alienages in Orlais. Her other bff has swooshy red hair that’s legit as hell.
- Joined the Inquisition, left for a while on a long mission
- Came back, was Ambassador, got engaged to a Rifter, acquired a corgi, had various dilemmas and crises.
Left after Riftwatch separated from the Inquisition and bc she missed Cosima
- Rejoined the Inquisition, got frustrated with them not being intensely progressively enough re: elves, mages and Rifters and came back to Riftwatch. She was kind of a reclusive asshole during this time, ostensibly due to injury-related health problems and emotional trauma, in reality because I was not able to be on top of being in a game.
- Left again. This may indicate Herian Has Issues Addressing Problems That She Can’t Hit With A Sword/Magic.
Since then:
Recovered health stuff, working on personal insight and growth and not being full of rage, reconnecting with the Honour spirit etc. Has been working alongside the Chantry but as part of a small, independent group of ex-Circle mages. This group pushed for the Chantry to have a more progressive stance on mages and elves (and Rifters, but the latter is probs mostly Herian lbr).
While undertaking a mission, Herian was attacked by a group of rogue Templars. As a former Ambassador to Riftwatch and for her outspokenness on various topics (but especially mages and Rifters), they decided to make an example of her. Herian was subjected to the Rite of Tranquility, and sent to Riftwatch. (They kept her horse as a useful resource and destroyed her staff and her knight enchanter lightsabre, but she has her dog and her amazing hair.)
Personality
Prior to the Rite of Tranquility, Herian tended to feel a lot of things very intensely and tried to cram them all under a calm demeanor, with mixed results.
For a long time she defined herself and her value in terms of her responsibilities, the good she can do, and honour. That was her way to navigate the world and attempt to function around all that ptsd. There are times this has aggressively undermined her (gestures to my last stint in game, etc). She dreads indecision and inaction born of trying to know the right thing to do, and the harm that can come from that inaction.
All that HONOUR and DO GOOD energy are not immune to pride and ego. Severity + pride + big do-gooder energy don’t tend to make for easy friend making. IIRCly, she was referred to ICly as “Sister Killjoy,” and that’s legit.
Despite seeming like she is made either of rage or uptightness, depending which person she’s failing to communicate with and what kind of emotional disaster she is currently navigating, she’s capable of close attachments. She believes in the importance of love, kindness and compassion. When you get past the rigidity, there is warmth, charisma and even some playful humour. She is surprisingly gentle, and fiercely protective.
Herian carries a lot of anger and a hefty load of ptsd. Anger has been a significant part of her survival and how she's kept going. Her work on herself over the last few years involved being more emotionally healthy,which makes the next part of this personality section Another Bummer for Herian.
For all that Herian was accused of being cold, the intensity of her emotions defined her. The Rite of Tranquility has not made her “more Herian” in any sense. Granted, some elements of how she speaks may mirror elements of her earliest stints in FR, when she tried (and failed) to compartmentalise. While she spoke rigidly, Herian felt with dangerous intensity.
Her tranquility will be disturbing to those around her, but not herself. I’d say she might view it with ‘detached curiosity,” but even that wouldn’t be accurate. Maybe she can just look at it objectively, or with as much objectivity as being directed by the will of those around her allows.
Beyond the obvious lack of emotion, the absence of the tenacity and drive she once had would be the most glaring difference. Some things she will do solely due to instruction or understanding necessity, e.g. she knows her dog requires feeding and exercise, and knows she has an obligation to her companion, but she doesn’t feel about it as she did before.
One or two folks in-game may remember a time where she plead with Coupe to be subject to the Rite. Though she was dissuaded, the anger and turmoil she’s so often experienced might open the door to interesting/ uncomfortable discussions around whether she’s more able to be at peace now than before.
Opinions & Affiliations
Normally she has many, many opinions. Currently, not so much.
✓ Aequitarians, elves (!!!!), rifters, mostly the Chantry, the Knight's Code, the Dissonant Verses
It's Complicated: Circles, Loyalists, Templars, Seekers, Libertarians, nobility, Grey Wardens
✘ Dalish elves, Resolutionist Libertarians, Lucrosians, Chevaliers, blood magic, apostates
Strengths & Weaknesses
Magically speaking, she used to have access to the Knight-Enchanter and a custom Code of Honour specialisation, alongside the Champion specialisation.
Now that her connection to the Fade has been severed, she has lost her magic and her ability to dream.
Technically she would still have the Champion specialisation, but I imagine that without emotion and the Tranquil very rarely exercising free will, her ability to utilise it would be limited. (How do you defend yourself without a sense of fear/urgency/desire to survive, etc?)
The whole Tranquil thing is kind of a weakness generally, I’d say. She will still have her incredible hair, though.
Inventory
Literally just her clothes and her dog. Anything that could have been useful to the Templars would have been taken (including her HORSE, someone please go John Wick on her behalf to get her back.)
Motivation
Templars sent her there to be intimidating. As in, to intimidate Riftwatch (but especially mages) via their creepiness, not for Herian to be intimidating. She will stay because presumably her buds won’t want to yeet an extra vulnerable Herian into the nightmare that is Thedas.
ONE vintage, so adorable.
TWO
THREE