as of this moment, i declare the inquisition reborn. we will close the breach, we will find those responsible, and we will restore order. with or without your approval.
As much as I enjoy Dragon Age: Inquisition, I believe it would benefit from a few alterations. These are meant either to improve lore consistency or up the stakes of the story. I have tried to avoid altering the storylines of characters I don’t write and am open to compromise on most of this with discussion. Current alterations include: Cassandra’s romance, some of her banters, the quest In Hushed Whispers, and the quest In Your Heart Shall Burn.As a general note, I extend the timeline of the base game to three years from the canonical one. Then we come just shy of two years between that and Trespasser. The basic look of that is: about half a year in Haven (Justinian 9:41 - Firstfall 9:41), two and a half years in Skyhold (Firstfall 9:41 - Bloomingtide 9:44), almost two years between the defeat of Corypheus and the Exalted Council (9:44 - 9:45), and then the Exalted Council / Trespasser (9:45).The full timeline of Cassandra's life can be found right here. My timeline of Nevarran history can be read here, even on mobile.
This is not a rewrite of Cassandra's canon romance. Rather it's a note that I write her as a lesbian and am ship-exclusive with chantdeath, who writes Sidony. I've also replaced Cassandra's history with Regalyan D'Marcall with an NPC named Joanna. More information can be found here.
Below will follow an overview of Cassandra's relationship with Sidony. Being an overview, it will lack details, but will nevertheless serve as a basic reference.
Cassandra and Sidony were both taken to live at the Grand Necropolis around the same time. Being the only children of their age in the whole city (as well as being of like temperaments), they became fast friends. As they grew, this friendship blossomed into young love — but all was not to remain blissful.Blood mages brutally massacred Cassandra's brother, Anthony, along with his fellow dragonhunters. She was only twelve, and the trauma of this turned her heart toward vengeance. In her grief, she lashed out at anyone around her, particularly mages. This included Sidony. They who once had only each other now had no one. Cassandra would come to regret her cruel words, but that counted for little when she had left Nevarra to join the Seekers. She abandoned the one person she swore she'd stand beside for eternity.They each had lives after this. Sidony completed her training as a Mortalitasi and began traveling the world in search of forgotten artifacts and knowledge, performing funerals for remote communities as she went. Cassandra became a Seeker of Truth, then the Hero of Orlais and Right Hand of the Divine. In all this time, their paths crossed only once, eighteen years after they'd parted.Cassandra was quested with investigating rumors of a dangerous cult and strange arcane occurrences surrounding them. Sidony sought a similar goal except she knew what magic was at the heart of it. The wounds of the past had not healed, but to join forces was the wise option. The danger of their circumstances left no time for deep conversation, but it did bring them closer together, cracking the barriers between them. The trouble came at the end. Sidony still harbored feelings for her, but Cassandra was committed to another, Joanna. The parting was bitter.Seven years later, the Divine Conclave ended in tragedy, and fate threw them together once more. Cassandra declared the Inquisition. Sidony joined to study the strange magic at work. The pain of their past still had not been laid rest, and there was great tension between them. Then Sidony was called back to Nevarra by the death of her mentor. The only person who would understand was Cassandra. One vulnerable moment did not make all well, but with the dam broken, the river could flow. With Cassandra six years out of her previous relationship, rekindling their friendship likewise rekindled their romance — no longer youthful but in full and ardent bloom.Many happy tidings followed the defeat of Corypheus including a wedding to which the two were invited. The affair was rather dull, but it did leave the two thinking about their own future. An evening conversation led to an engagement and a feeling of absolute joy. However, their work was not done, the world was not healed, and this hindered their wedding plans. The Exalted Council was the icing on the cake. Unwilling to wait any longer, Sidony proposed they simply elope during the Council while so many of their friends were gathered in one place. Cassandra agreed.Most would honeymoon in a beautiful city, but being adventurous, they preferred a trek into the Silent Plains to uncover long forgotten secrets. I'll think of a better way to summarize these events later. The long and short of it is that it's an Orpheus and Eurydice plotline. Cassandra was fatally wounded, but Sidony could not accept her death and so bound her to herself using her spirit name. The search for a way to return Cassandra to life led them to Alanari who lent them their aid. One journey of self-discovery through the Fade later, and the newlyweds were reunited.
Note that these events, by default, involve chantdeath and weptfreedom. The default worldstate on this blog is:
— Inspired Leliana as Divine
— Briala allied with the Inquisition
— Celene and Gaspard blackmailed
— Celene later triumphs over Gaspard
I've yet to find a satisfactory way to summarize these events. The long and short of it is that, when Sidony entered the Fade to restore Cassandra to life, she did so in a special place. They were in the Silent Plains searching for the fabled birthplace of their orders, the Seekers of Truth and the Mortalitasi. (Yes, this is their idea of a honeymoon.) When they found it, they discovered it had an entrance to the Fade which had, in the past, facilitated many of their orders' rites. This knowledge was lost over time.However, it was not uninhabited. It was home to an ancient community dating at least back to the time of Andraste, and part of this community were descendants of Andraste's champion, Shartan. A particular descendant, Aminah, claimed to be a prophet of the Maker and that Cassandra was meant to be her champion. Cassandra initially rebuffed her, but after being essentially vibe checked by the Maker a few times, she believed.She stood by Aminah when she revealed herself to Nevarra as a prophet. This caused controversy, especially with the Chantry of Andraste, that only grew with Aminah's popularity. Recovering from the war with Corypheus and the looming threat of both Antaam and the Dread Wolf, however, meant efforts were made to avoid armed conflict.In 9:49, Markus was revealed to the world as undead, sparking controversy over whether he could continue to rule or a new dynasty should dawn. Many potential candidates arose, including a dark horse called Anatolius Reinhardt. He came to accept Aminah as a prophet as well, and the combination of his, Aminah's, Cassandra's, and Sidony's work during the Sixth Blight skyrocketed their popularity. He won his bid for the throne afterward and almost immediately broke from the Orlesian Chantry. He, along with Aminah and Cassandra, established a new Chantry in Nevarra that heralded a resurrection of their pre-Orlesian practices.While Cassandra and Aminah focused their efforts on religious reform, and Anatolius centered on political reform, it was Sidony spearheaded reform of the Mortalitasi. The Mortalitasi's political power was significantly curbed, but they were formally reestablished as part of the priesthood and their sacred work was once more recognized as such.
This details a few minor alterations to DA:I as well as cut content I choose to incorporate.
THOM RAINIER. For Cassandra to be as angry as she is after Revelations makes perfect sense. However, we learn she’s only begun talking to him again circa Trespasser. I disagree. I believe she’d begin speaking to him again perhaps a few months after Revelations. In terms of game mechanics, this would be probably be after the next major quest.MORTALITASI. There are a couple of banters and conversations with the Inquisitor where the Mortalitasi come up, and Cassandra calls them morbid or odd or similar sentiments. While Cassandra does have a complex relationship with Nevarran funeral practices as a result of her history, casting aspersions on them and seeming to not “get it” is another matter. I’m rejecting it. There's nuance.NECROMANCY. Related to the above, I want to rework her conversation with the Inquisitor about learning necromancy from Viuus Anaxas. My reasons for wanting to rework this are the same as the above. I’m separating it specifically to say she’d be approaching the matter more from a spiritual perspective. The work of the Mortalitasi is as much sacred as anything else, and I hc Mortalitasi who use necromancy in battle can be controversial. She more expresses concern that the Inquisitor should use this magic respectfully and in the right spirit.
MEETING HAWKE (DAII). There is a cut line from Elthina in DAII where she mentions a meeting between Hawke and Cassandra. This implies that either A) Cassandra was originally involved in the Seekers’ investigation in Kirkwall and so was Hawke OR B) Cassandra was meant to take the place of Leliana during “Faith”. Frankly, it doesn’t make sense for Hawke to have been involved in all that more than they already were, and DA:I is pretty clear that Cassandra wasn’t directly involved either. I could diverge from canon on this point, but I don’t intend to. Additionally, it makes more sense for Leliana to have been involved in “Faith” than Cassandra unless I rewrote parts of the quest. Again, I don’t intend to.However, it doesn’t make sense for the Right Hand of the Divine to be completely removed from events. We know Justinia was very concerned about the situation in Kirkwall (which makes even more sense when you consider she came to the Sunburst Throne only three years prior). What I will say, then, is that she was not personally involved in the Seekers’ investigation, but she did read and interpret their reports. Based on the information she had, she agreed with their assessment that Meredith was justified, and she advised Justinia in this vein. This informs her guilt over what happened in Kirkwall. If the Seekers had looked deeper — if she had looked deeper — none of this might have happened. (The issue is more nuanced in reality, but this is her belief.)PROLOGUE. There are two pieces of cut content I want to add back here. The first is Cassandra defending the PC. In the cutscene where she leads them out of the Chantry in Haven after they wake up, they’re stopped by angry mourners. They’re out for blood, but Cassandra drives them back, stating this not the time and that the player is under her protection. “I will not throw you to the wolves simply to assuage their grief.”The second takes place during the attempt to close the Breach at the very end of the prologue. In cut content, she’s still very mistrustful and accuses the player of fabricating the snippets they see from the Fade. Her tone is more hostile. I just think one more drop of suspicion in addition to what we already get makes sense. This a moment of high stress; she has little reason to trust the player; the Fade is notoriously unreliable, and she as a Seeker would not rely on it. Of course, her stance would evolve after the fact, when the adrenaline dies down and the player nearly dies attempting to seal the Breach. But, in the moment?? These are facts with which to fight.MISCELLANEOUS. There would seem to be cut content of a sparring match. This could have been from her sparring with Blackwall or Bull, or it could have been her sparring with the Inquisitor. I like all options, so I’m keeping all of them, at least in the case of a neutral to warm approval Inquisitor.There would also seem to be cut content from multiple wicked grace matches. I am also keeping this. It would seem she’s played with Varric multiple times … and lost. No surprise she’s bad at gambling.She doesn’t like horses. This just amuses me. Imagine Cassandra having this resigned but still unhappy look on her face every time they have to travel by horseback. (Which is often.) She’s more than accustomed to horses, of course, but that doesn’t mean she has to like them. She will always bring apples for them as if she can bribe them into behaving.We have snippets of stories! Quite interesting ones, too. I assume the intent was to have her tell one during wicked grace night as some other characters do. I love this; I’m keeping it. It’s easy to forget Cassandra is quite capable of loosening up and having fun. She just has to enjoy the company she’s in. Plus she’s bound to have some damn interesting stories.
This details alterations to two major questlines for DA:I.
IN HUSHED WHISPERS. Anyone who is familiar with Fiona’s storyline can tell you the plot of In Hushed Whispers was wildly out of character. That’s not even going into how massive a disappointment it was for the Mage Rebellion as well. Here come the alterations.The Mage Rebellion was cornered by templars, and the Venatori did swoop in using Alexius’ time magic. However, Fiona staunchly refused to indenture her and her people. She was prepared to fight the Venatori off if need be. Ultimately, she and the bulk of the Rebellion were able to leave, but a splinter group led by Linnea were convinced to indenture themselves.The Venatori dug in at Redcliffe, and Fiona and her rebels withdrew to the fortress near Dwarfson’s Pass. They formed a relationship with the refugees there, protecting them and studying the rift in the fortress. The Inquisition will have the opportunity to ally with Fiona to root out Alexius. As part of this alliance, Fiona will become the Inquisition’s Arcane Advisor.If the Inquisition rejects an alliance with Fiona, they will still be able to drive the Venatori from Redcliffe. However, they will be forced to conscript the surviving mages, and they will be locked out of an alliance with Fiona. This leaves the Inquisition with far fewer mages who are moreover discontent and no relationship with the rest of the Rebellion.IN YOUR HEART SHALL BURN. One problem with the game is it’s difficult to take Corypheus seriously. Upping the stakes of the game would help with this. I don’t want to completely rewrite the game, however, so my solution is this.
Haven was attacked shortly after the Breach was closed. This force did consist of whichever group the Inquisitor did not recruit and the respective Vessel (Samson or Calpernia). The dragon, under the control of the Vessel, was also involved in the attack. However, Corypheus himself did not make an appearance, although his name was dropped once. The only people who heard it were the Herald and their party at the end of the battle.The battle and the Herald's heroics still galvanized the Inquisition. Not so for the rest of the world. People still flock to the Inquisition's banners for multiple reasons, but there are many who do not take them or their foe seriously. Likewise there are many who either continue to believe them responsible for the Divine's death or are displeased with their inability to prove the true culprit. This is a particular issue when it comes to acquiring allies and being recognized as legitimate by the powers of Thedas.This necessitates the addition of questlines involving Hawke and the Warden contact. Corypheus' name being dropped does move Varric to contact Hawke, and Hawke contacts the applicable Warden (Stroud, Alistair, or Loghain). Before they can properly connect the dots between the Venatori and the Wardens, they have to confirm the Elder One is Corypheus. They journey to the Warden prison in the Vimmark Mountains that once housed him. This ties into the Inquisitor's investigations into the Vessel, proving to them that Corypheus has somehow survived and is behind all of this. They can then properly connect the dots between him and the Wardens, leading to Here Lies the Abyss.They acquire enough proof that they can better convince others as well, but the effect is not identical to having the monster drop on Haven. The events of Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts sway the imperial court to take the Inquisition seriously, and the Venatori's growing threat in other lands likewise sways them — but doubt in Corypheus himself is still rampant. He works very well from the shadows.Corypheus does not actually reveal himself until What Pride Had Wrought. All those who doubted and ridiculed the Inquisitor must now eat their words. Unfortunately, this is concurrent with the revelation that Corypheus is effectively immortal.I am not currently rewriting any quests after this point, but I would like to revisit The Final Piece and In Your Heart Shall Burn in the future. I feel there should have been more of a struggle to discover how to counter his immortality as well as a hunt to initiate the final confrontation. Something to draw out the suspense and really make the player work for that victory.
This section discusses Cassandra's default involvement in the events of DA:TV. A more detailed summary can be found here. Again, weptfreedom is the default here. The idea is that Cassandra and her Seekers of Truth step up to fill the Inquisitor's role during the Sixth Blight.
Although Cassandra resigned her position within the Chantry, Divine Victoria reached out to her with a proposition. If she would dedicate her Seekers to the hunt for Solas, the Divine would do all she could to avoid escalation of conflict. Cassandra agreed. Publicly, she and the Divine remained in poor standing with another while privately they worked together to avert disaster. Neither Cassandra nor her Seekers rejoined the Chantry, however. They merely coordinated with the Divine and other cells involved in the hunt.When the Sixth Blight swept across southern Thedas, Cassandra was the best option to pull them together. Though she downplays her own legend, she is easily one of the greatest heroes this age has produced, and her reputation is especially strong in the South. She worked to combat the Darkspawn Horde, unite the peoples of the South, and bridge the gap with northern nations, especially Nevarra. She also remained in contact with Rook as they sought to bring down the Evanuris. She was present at the final battle in Minrathous alongside what of her forces could be brought.