As a blank protagonist of his series, the Inquisitor's personality is built from each and every dialogue choice in the game, as well as the actions taken in main quests and side quests. Backstory plays a part in this as well, so I will largely be referencing decisions made in the storyline according to Dhaveiras' character in order to back up who he is.
Dhaveiras is a very hesitant person who is forced into a large role that he is constantly uncertain about. After stepping out of the fade, he's immediately thrown into a scenario that leads to him in a higher position than he's used to. With such an important role in the fate of the world, Dhaveiras is often left feeling like he shouldn't be the one in the position and is constantly searches for reasoning as to why. The entire first two sections of the game deal with this search, and we can see his hesitance in various ways.
The Inquisitor is very insecure about where he is in terms of importance. As a Dalish elf, he's already aware that his people are seen as lesser in the public eye and often questions if he should really be involved in and/or allowed to make decisions. This includes taking the role of Inquisitor. As a Dalish elf, many would expect him to step into this place of power with a certain determination to help his people and lash out at the ones who have done him wrong. The Inquisitor, however, does not have such a harsh outlook. We often see the Inquisitor questioning his place despite his roots as a Dalish elf. Rather than the pride that most Dalish seem to carry, Dhaveiras acts in a way that shows more hesitance and doubt. He is a man that wants to avoid conflict, and will often step back or down to avoid it. Though he does care for his people and often speaks up for Dalish beliefs or methods, he's not an elf that believes he knows everything, as we see in his large amount of questions about any topic he can. This includes the topic of elves. Ultimately, though he aims for a world of peace and equality, he still feels subservient due to his race.
That brings up another trait clear in the Inquisitor's actions: his obedience. As the hunter of a Dalish clan, he's used to following orders rather than giving them, and this shows in every choice he's forced into along the way. Not only is he urged into the role of both Herald and Inquisitor, but each sidequest along the way ends with him agreeing to help someone out because they expect it of him. He is so subservient that he will do missions he would not normally agree with out of obligation, and is often forced into leadership roles he doesn't know how to take on. We see clear signs of his exhaustion and turmoil throughout the game) and dialogue options where he reveals his feelings. One of the main decisions in Dragon Age: Inquisition is whether the Inquisitor sides with the templars or the mages, but the set up of this decision is a very forced one. His advisors will voice their opinions, arguing between one another with their points and leaving the Inquisitor to decide between one or the other. It's clear even at that point that reaching out to one group may shun the other. In Dhaveiras' case, he chose the templars even when his personal feelings would have him join the mages. It was the pressure of the templars' importance and the arguments of his advisors that led him in this direction, far more than his own thought process. It shows perfectly that as the Inquisitor is forced into these leadership roles, he is easily swayed past his own beliefs.
A final example of his obedience is evident in the religious role of the Inquisitor. Dhaverias is not Andrastian, and denies that Andraste has chosen him. This is more than just religious belief. In Here Lies the Abyss, when he is shown that this is merely an accident rather than any divine purpose, it spawns plenty of dialogue options that expresses his sadness and surprise at this. He feels that he's letting people down or hiding the truth by staying in the position of Inquisitor and Herald, but under the suggestions of his advisors, he continues to publicly say what the people want to hear.
It's clear to everyone in the inquisition that Dhaveiras is a kind man devoted to their well being. He goes out of his way to help his friends and better the world, dealing with red lyrium, fighting wyverns and dragons, even nearly sacrificing himself to save them all from Haven. He has an insatiable curiosity that stems from his upbringing being so excluded from the world as a whole, and this causes him to constantly be open to new cultures and religions alike, and if he's not questioning someone about their upbringing and opinions then he's researching a topic of knowledge. He's certainly capable, despite his lack of experience, showing a keen knowledge in areas of both combat and politics, partly due to training and partly due to all the reading he's done. He's a skilled rogue now trained as an assassin, he can pick locks, he makes use of the knowledge he's learned in his decisions, and his morals are incredibly firm. These morals, in fact, are a large part of all his decision making as Inquisitor. While he's very open-minded and will freely listen to discussion of the Tevinter Imperium or the Qun, trying to speak respectfully despite his own feelings on matters like slavery, he is much more firm when it comes to deciding who is a good person.
Throughout the course of the game, the Inquisitor runs into a large handful of despicable people, and it is up to him to judge them and their actions. This helps reveal his moral compass, which is largely affected by the intention involved. If someone acted outside of their own will, or under the influence of another, he is far more forgiving. If a force or group, such as the Grey Wardens, is still needed by the world at large, he will grant them a second chance despite the backlash from both comrades and followers. However, hand him a man like Livius Erimond, who tricked the Gray Wardens into enslaving themselves to Corypheus via blood magic, and Dhaveiras is not forgiving. He chooses to execute him personally. The Inquisitor's morals are a breaking point for his earlier mentioned obedience. While he prefers to avoid violence and conflict as much as possible, this is where he is far more stubborn and unforgiving. His firmness in his decisions on these matters has made him clash occasionally with both Sera and Solas, but it's Vivienne who ends up having the largest problem with him. Though he still ends up as friends with all three, it's issues of freedom surrounding elves, spirits and mages that keep him stubbornly in place. He believes people shouldn't have their choice taken away from them.
These things combined make him very much a bleeding heart. His decisions are made in kindness to others, hoping to achieve peace and what is right for Thedas, but he's consistently overwhelmed by his responsibilities. He's often confused, looking to others for advice and receiving information that ultimately leaves it all on him, and any consequences that come from his actions are felt heavily by him. For example, he achieves the grand feat of helping Celene stay Empress and reconcile with Briala. This does a great good for Orlais as well as the elves, but Gaspard still must be executed. The Inquisitor feels responsible for this and expresses it, showing clear sadness that he couldn't save every life, even knowing that Gaspard was no good man. Should he have lived, there would have been conflict and violence, and blood would have been shed. Still, he wishes he could have saved him.
It's thoughts along this line that are the most dangerous with the Inquisitor. As such a bleeding heart, he ends up with more sympathy and understanding for those closer to him. This causes a heavy amount of hypocrisy that a leader should not have. We can see this multiple times, such as when he takes Blackwall out of prison with his connections so he can judge him himself, or when he allows an angry Solas to kill a group of mages who had made a mistake in their summoning. He allows Sera to kill a noble and joins with her and the friends of Red Jenny, offering his aid to any situation that Sera deems necessary. All of these choices honestly go against his usual morals, but he makes exceptions for his friends because they're "good people." Even decisions like who to leave behind in the fade to possibly die are made based on knowledge of his friends and their judgement. He knows Varric and Cassandra both value Hawke, and because of this, he refuses to leave him behind even when he knows the wardens may be worse off for it.
Despite all of this, Dhaveiras is very determined. He perseveres through the worst of times, moving forward with his idea of a peaceful Thedas. The amount of troubles he's dealt with has finally given him some footing as a leader, and he's becoming less hesitant in his decisions even with the insecurity he still feels. Determination is enough to push him forward and his friends encourage him along the way. There is much to learn about things, and though he never imagined himself being able to learn in this way, he intends to take advantage of every minute of it as the inquisition grows.
All of these things show the Inquisitor in his role, but we need to dig a little deeper to see Dhaveiras as a person. The dialogue options chosen for him were largely the middle option, secondly the top option, with only a few third options sprinkled in. This means that Dhaveiras is very much a charming personality. The second options give him dialogue that can often be very humorous, sometimes snarky, and generally allows him to be more of a people person. The first options are more outright diplomatic, granting him a kindness and fairness in his speech. The third options are far more aggressive, and in his case come up largely when his morals come into question. In order to better grasp the blank slate protagonist as a character, I'm going to go into why dialogue choices like these show his personality.
Dhaveiras wants peace, first and foremost. As a Dalish elf, he essentially lives on the run. His clan specifically travels in the Free Marches in order to avoid the conflict of nearby cities, as they're too worried of creating a conflict with other cities nearby to risk it. From this, we can gather that his clan has been much better off in avoiding attacks than most. Though not all attacks are prevented, it gives Dhaveiras more of a chance to grow as a person without the constant threat of attacks. That's not to say that he hasn't experienced the hatred of other races, of course. He's very familiar with the term "knife-ear", and can grow very upset if his race or upbringing is questioned. Still, he believes that if people can just try to understand one another with more open-mindedness, that more can be learned. This is how he, personally, searches for the culture of his people and attempts to discover the truths of the world.
We see this in how he carries himself. He speaks with an air of confidence he doesn't always have, joking off serious topics and downplaying his own feelings in most cases. He's charming and understands people, showing that he's done much to try and connect with both elves and other races alike. He can be a complete pushover when it comes to the whims of others, but he carries it like it's nothing. There's no issue of others owing him, or him needing repayment for his services. Dhaveiras is tired of the violence that comes from certain Dalish clans, believing that aggression should be used as a last resort. Despite everything that has happened to them, he doesn't believe they're there yet.
In fact, he receives a confirmation in this with the friends he makes in the Inquisition. A wide variety of races, cultures and beliefs come into the mix, and Dhaveiras grows very fond of each of the party members and advisors, including the ones he gets along with the least. He befriends each of them in his quest to learn more. These friendships help him grow as a person, and his hesitance about being an elf in his position slowly decreases over time due to them. They help grant him confidence as well as encourage him that the world is a good place like he believes. His goal for the inquisition is to spread this. Though he knows his main purpose is to fix the hole in the sky, stop the demons, save the world, he often speaks uncertainly about the future of the inquisition. What he really holds is a hope that this position can help grant him the power to bring people together, and we see him start to do that in various side quests already. If someone can be helped, he will do his best to help them.
Overall, Dhaveiras is very determined. He perseveres through the worst of times, moving forward with his idea of a peaceful Thedas. The amount of troubles he's dealt with has finally given him some footing as a leader, and he's becoming less hesitant in his decisions even with the insecurity he still feels. Determination is enough to push him forward and his friends encourage him along the way. There is much to learn about things, and though he never imagined himself being able to learn in this way, he intends to take advantage of every minute of it as the inquisition grows.
Abilities:
His current abilities are as follows, but due to how the combat works he is capable of learning anything from the following trees in time. (I'd be glad to verify when he learns new ones with a mod first if necessary! They won't do him much help here anyway.)
He also has the anchor, a mark on his left palm that can disrupt or seal fade rifts, as well as the breach. With it he has an ability called Mark of the Rift. If possible, I'd like for him to keep the anchor during his stay in the game, even though it will be largely useless. The fade will not be able to be accessed by him, and so basically it will just act as a large attack that he can only use once a month and will drain him more than usual. The anchor would probably act up now and again due to its distance from the fade, but that would mean nothing more than some hand cramps for the poor Inquisitor.
Alignment: Thras. After first coming out of the fade, the Inquisitor is pretty much forced into having to be brave through what he has to deal with.
Other: Nope!
⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉
Sample:Test drive! I came in pretty late, so let me know if I need to submit more!
Questions: I would like to keep all the limits on the anchor that I mentioned earlier, but I was wondering if it would ever be possible down the line for a fade event of sorts! Is that something I could bring to a suggestions page as a gamewide event down the line? Just so I know. c:
no subject
As a blank protagonist of his series, the Inquisitor's personality is built from each and every dialogue choice in the game, as well as the actions taken in main quests and side quests. Backstory plays a part in this as well, so I will largely be referencing decisions made in the storyline according to Dhaveiras' character in order to back up who he is.
Dhaveiras is a very hesitant person who is forced into a large role that he is constantly uncertain about. After stepping out of the fade, he's immediately thrown into a scenario that leads to him in a higher position than he's used to. With such an important role in the fate of the world, Dhaveiras is often left feeling like he shouldn't be the one in the position and is constantly searches for reasoning as to why. The entire first two sections of the game deal with this search, and we can see his hesitance in various ways.
The Inquisitor is very insecure about where he is in terms of importance. As a Dalish elf, he's already aware that his people are seen as lesser in the public eye and often questions if he should really be involved in and/or allowed to make decisions. This includes taking the role of Inquisitor. As a Dalish elf, many would expect him to step into this place of power with a certain determination to help his people and lash out at the ones who have done him wrong. The Inquisitor, however, does not have such a harsh outlook. We often see the Inquisitor questioning his place despite his roots as a Dalish elf. Rather than the pride that most Dalish seem to carry, Dhaveiras acts in a way that shows more hesitance and doubt. He is a man that wants to avoid conflict, and will often step back or down to avoid it. Though he does care for his people and often speaks up for Dalish beliefs or methods, he's not an elf that believes he knows everything, as we see in his large amount of questions about any topic he can. This includes the topic of elves. Ultimately, though he aims for a world of peace and equality, he still feels subservient due to his race.
That brings up another trait clear in the Inquisitor's actions: his obedience. As the hunter of a Dalish clan, he's used to following orders rather than giving them, and this shows in every choice he's forced into along the way. Not only is he urged into the role of both Herald and Inquisitor, but each sidequest along the way ends with him agreeing to help someone out because they expect it of him. He is so subservient that he will do missions he would not normally agree with out of obligation, and is often forced into leadership roles he doesn't know how to take on. We see clear signs of his exhaustion and turmoil throughout the game) and dialogue options where he reveals his feelings. One of the main decisions in Dragon Age: Inquisition is whether the Inquisitor sides with the templars or the mages, but the set up of this decision is a very forced one. His advisors will voice their opinions, arguing between one another with their points and leaving the Inquisitor to decide between one or the other. It's clear even at that point that reaching out to one group may shun the other. In Dhaveiras' case, he chose the templars even when his personal feelings would have him join the mages. It was the pressure of the templars' importance and the arguments of his advisors that led him in this direction, far more than his own thought process. It shows perfectly that as the Inquisitor is forced into these leadership roles, he is easily swayed past his own beliefs.
A final example of his obedience is evident in the religious role of the Inquisitor. Dhaverias is not Andrastian, and denies that Andraste has chosen him. This is more than just religious belief. In Here Lies the Abyss, when he is shown that this is merely an accident rather than any divine purpose, it spawns plenty of dialogue options that expresses his sadness and surprise at this. He feels that he's letting people down or hiding the truth by staying in the position of Inquisitor and Herald, but under the suggestions of his advisors, he continues to publicly say what the people want to hear.
It's clear to everyone in the inquisition that Dhaveiras is a kind man devoted to their well being. He goes out of his way to help his friends and better the world, dealing with red lyrium, fighting wyverns and dragons, even nearly sacrificing himself to save them all from Haven. He has an insatiable curiosity that stems from his upbringing being so excluded from the world as a whole, and this causes him to constantly be open to new cultures and religions alike, and if he's not questioning someone about their upbringing and opinions then he's researching a topic of knowledge. He's certainly capable, despite his lack of experience, showing a keen knowledge in areas of both combat and politics, partly due to training and partly due to all the reading he's done. He's a skilled rogue now trained as an assassin, he can pick locks, he makes use of the knowledge he's learned in his decisions, and his morals are incredibly firm. These morals, in fact, are a large part of all his decision making as Inquisitor. While he's very open-minded and will freely listen to discussion of the Tevinter Imperium or the Qun, trying to speak respectfully despite his own feelings on matters like slavery, he is much more firm when it comes to deciding who is a good person.
Throughout the course of the game, the Inquisitor runs into a large handful of despicable people, and it is up to him to judge them and their actions. This helps reveal his moral compass, which is largely affected by the intention involved. If someone acted outside of their own will, or under the influence of another, he is far more forgiving. If a force or group, such as the Grey Wardens, is still needed by the world at large, he will grant them a second chance despite the backlash from both comrades and followers. However, hand him a man like Livius Erimond, who tricked the Gray Wardens into enslaving themselves to Corypheus via blood magic, and Dhaveiras is not forgiving. He chooses to execute him personally. The Inquisitor's morals are a breaking point for his earlier mentioned obedience. While he prefers to avoid violence and conflict as much as possible, this is where he is far more stubborn and unforgiving. His firmness in his decisions on these matters has made him clash occasionally with both Sera and Solas, but it's Vivienne who ends up having the largest problem with him. Though he still ends up as friends with all three, it's issues of freedom surrounding elves, spirits and mages that keep him stubbornly in place. He believes people shouldn't have their choice taken away from them.
These things combined make him very much a bleeding heart. His decisions are made in kindness to others, hoping to achieve peace and what is right for Thedas, but he's consistently overwhelmed by his responsibilities. He's often confused, looking to others for advice and receiving information that ultimately leaves it all on him, and any consequences that come from his actions are felt heavily by him. For example, he achieves the grand feat of helping Celene stay Empress and reconcile with Briala. This does a great good for Orlais as well as the elves, but Gaspard still must be executed. The Inquisitor feels responsible for this and expresses it, showing clear sadness that he couldn't save every life, even knowing that Gaspard was no good man. Should he have lived, there would have been conflict and violence, and blood would have been shed. Still, he wishes he could have saved him.
It's thoughts along this line that are the most dangerous with the Inquisitor. As such a bleeding heart, he ends up with more sympathy and understanding for those closer to him. This causes a heavy amount of hypocrisy that a leader should not have. We can see this multiple times, such as when he takes Blackwall out of prison with his connections so he can judge him himself, or when he allows an angry Solas to kill a group of mages who had made a mistake in their summoning. He allows Sera to kill a noble and joins with her and the friends of Red Jenny, offering his aid to any situation that Sera deems necessary. All of these choices honestly go against his usual morals, but he makes exceptions for his friends because they're "good people." Even decisions like who to leave behind in the fade to possibly die are made based on knowledge of his friends and their judgement. He knows Varric and Cassandra both value Hawke, and because of this, he refuses to leave him behind even when he knows the wardens may be worse off for it.
Despite all of this, Dhaveiras is very determined. He perseveres through the worst of times, moving forward with his idea of a peaceful Thedas. The amount of troubles he's dealt with has finally given him some footing as a leader, and he's becoming less hesitant in his decisions even with the insecurity he still feels. Determination is enough to push him forward and his friends encourage him along the way. There is much to learn about things, and though he never imagined himself being able to learn in this way, he intends to take advantage of every minute of it as the inquisition grows.
All of these things show the Inquisitor in his role, but we need to dig a little deeper to see Dhaveiras as a person. The dialogue options chosen for him were largely the middle option, secondly the top option, with only a few third options sprinkled in. This means that Dhaveiras is very much a charming personality. The second options give him dialogue that can often be very humorous, sometimes snarky, and generally allows him to be more of a people person. The first options are more outright diplomatic, granting him a kindness and fairness in his speech. The third options are far more aggressive, and in his case come up largely when his morals come into question. In order to better grasp the blank slate protagonist as a character, I'm going to go into why dialogue choices like these show his personality.
Dhaveiras wants peace, first and foremost. As a Dalish elf, he essentially lives on the run. His clan specifically travels in the Free Marches in order to avoid the conflict of nearby cities, as they're too worried of creating a conflict with other cities nearby to risk it. From this, we can gather that his clan has been much better off in avoiding attacks than most. Though not all attacks are prevented, it gives Dhaveiras more of a chance to grow as a person without the constant threat of attacks. That's not to say that he hasn't experienced the hatred of other races, of course. He's very familiar with the term "knife-ear", and can grow very upset if his race or upbringing is questioned. Still, he believes that if people can just try to understand one another with more open-mindedness, that more can be learned. This is how he, personally, searches for the culture of his people and attempts to discover the truths of the world.
We see this in how he carries himself. He speaks with an air of confidence he doesn't always have, joking off serious topics and downplaying his own feelings in most cases. He's charming and understands people, showing that he's done much to try and connect with both elves and other races alike. He can be a complete pushover when it comes to the whims of others, but he carries it like it's nothing. There's no issue of others owing him, or him needing repayment for his services. Dhaveiras is tired of the violence that comes from certain Dalish clans, believing that aggression should be used as a last resort. Despite everything that has happened to them, he doesn't believe they're there yet.
In fact, he receives a confirmation in this with the friends he makes in the Inquisition. A wide variety of races, cultures and beliefs come into the mix, and Dhaveiras grows very fond of each of the party members and advisors, including the ones he gets along with the least. He befriends each of them in his quest to learn more. These friendships help him grow as a person, and his hesitance about being an elf in his position slowly decreases over time due to them. They help grant him confidence as well as encourage him that the world is a good place like he believes. His goal for the inquisition is to spread this. Though he knows his main purpose is to fix the hole in the sky, stop the demons, save the world, he often speaks uncertainly about the future of the inquisition. What he really holds is a hope that this position can help grant him the power to bring people together, and we see him start to do that in various side quests already. If someone can be helped, he will do his best to help them.
Overall, Dhaveiras is very determined. He perseveres through the worst of times, moving forward with his idea of a peaceful Thedas. The amount of troubles he's dealt with has finally given him some footing as a leader, and he's becoming less hesitant in his decisions even with the insecurity he still feels. Determination is enough to push him forward and his friends encourage him along the way. There is much to learn about things, and though he never imagined himself being able to learn in this way, he intends to take advantage of every minute of it as the inquisition grows.
Abilities:
His current abilities are as follows, but due to how the combat works he is capable of learning anything from the following trees in time. (I'd be glad to verify when he learns new ones with a mod first if necessary! They won't do him much help here anyway.)
Double daggers: Full tree.
Subterfuge: Stealth, Evasion, Easy to Miss, Evade
Assassin: Hidden Blades, Throatcutter, I Was Never Here
He also has the anchor, a mark on his left palm that can disrupt or seal fade rifts, as well as the breach. With it he has an ability called Mark of the Rift. If possible, I'd like for him to keep the anchor during his stay in the game, even though it will be largely useless. The fade will not be able to be accessed by him, and so basically it will just act as a large attack that he can only use once a month and will drain him more than usual. The anchor would probably act up now and again due to its distance from the fade, but that would mean nothing more than some hand cramps for the poor Inquisitor.
Alignment: Thras. After first coming out of the fade, the Inquisitor is pretty much forced into having to be brave through what he has to deal with.
Other: Nope!
Sample: Test drive! I came in pretty late, so let me know if I need to submit more!
Questions: I would like to keep all the limits on the anchor that I mentioned earlier, but I was wondering if it would ever be possible down the line for a fade event of sorts! Is that something I could bring to a suggestions page as a gamewide event down the line? Just so I know. c: