lyriumcarved | background, personality, weapons, appearance

Background

Full background information here.

Approval and Disapproval information.

Dialogue

Fenris was born into slavery alongside his mother and sister. But when a chance came to compete and potentially free his family, Fenris took it, winning and earning the lyrium-infused markings. As a result of this procedure, he forgot his memories and his family with it. One particular incident happened on the island of Seheron, where Fenris and Danarius were caught in the midst of a Qunari attack. There was only enough room for Danarius to escape on the ship, so Fenris was left behind to fend for himself. Fenris was injured and taken in by Qunari freedom fighters called the Fog Warriors. They restored him to health and Fenris lived among them for a time, learning about them and their culture... in particular, their beliefs about freedom. It lasted only a few months' time but he grew to admire their ways, the boldness and how free they were with affection. Danarius returned for him, though, and the Fog Warriors refused to give him up without a fight, wounding him in the process. Fenris was ordered by Danarius to kill them all, and he followed this order, believing it was inevitable. But when he saw his former companions dead before him, something snapped in him... and so Fenris went on the run. Danarius was too wounded to follow and he managed to evade the soldiers with him as well. He got a few weeks' lead on Danarius and so his life as a fugitive began.

Personality

Fenris is overall a brooding and angry sort, with a great deal of this rage quietly simmering under the sirface. A lot of his personality is a result of his time as a slave in Tevinter, where he saw the worst of what magisters were capable of. His former master, Danarius, was a particularly cruel man. He has no memories of any time before he got his lyrium tattoos, which also affects him: for instance, for a long time, he could only do as he was told, without even thinking about freedom. That initial lack of independence also made him commit the terrible act of killing the Fog Warriors, an action he deeply regrets afterward. Since that time, he's had a drastic change in personality, becoming intensely focused on fighting for his freedom and keeping it. He abhors slavery, and would be glad to kill slavers and free people from bondage. Anyone who enslaves someone is deserving of death in his mind, and no mercy. Similarly, he dislikes the mistreatment of elves, frequently commenting on how he hates being around the alienages. Yet he's not exactly fond of the Dalish either, claiming they have a "smug sense of superiority." His feelings toward his own race are really quite complicated overall.

Yet because of his bad experiences with magic and mages, he distrusts most all mages on principle. He'll be extremely wary of mages on first meeting them, and isn't afraid to vocalize this displeasure. Often. He is all for keeping the mages shut away in Circles and would prefer this. It's perhaps a weirdly hypocritical stance, to want freedom for everyone but mages, but then again non-magical people aren't in danger of becoming possessed abominations. This loathing of magic fuels a lot of Fenris' intense anger... as he says, "What has magic touched that it doesn't spoil?" Even the lyrium markings on him were done by magic, and as he says, "this magic is not only etched into my skin, but has also stained my soul." The markings themselves apparently hurt him often from this exchange: Bethany: Your markings...do they hurt? / Fenris: You don't want to know the answer to that. He doesn't really like being touched or letting people too close for that reason... and he does try to keep a distance emotionally. (After the fight with Hadriana, when Hawke tries to comfort him, he pulls away). He's stubborn as hell, and doesn't really change his opinion readily... he's the sort who has to see it to believe it (all mages are bad until proven otherwise, to him, for instance... nor does he entirely trust Hadriana when she tells him about his sister). He doesn't forgive easily, either, and nearly kills his sister for her betrayal. He definitely gets something out of his hatred toward his former masters, remarking as much when he gets to crush Hadriana's heart. Yet even Fenris knows that it's not exactly pleasant to live that way, always driven by hatred, and it's a constant subject of his brooding.

Yet there's another side of Fenris which is important to note: a humorous side that's perfectly capable of lightening up. Fenris often exchanges witty banter with the others (Varric in particular makes for some amusing dialogue). In these conversations, he can become anything from sarcastic to outright hilarious ("I run from room to room, choreographing routines"). So he's not all angst and gloom 100% of the time. He even goes to play Wicked Grace at the Hanged Man (he says he never misses it, to Varric), and is shown enjoying the wine left behind at the mansion. He'll even laugh at a witty Hawke's amusing statements too. There's also the possibility of him either having a thing with Isabela, or, of course, romancing Hawke... so it's possible for him to let someone in past those firm defenses.

Appearance

Fenris is an elf with white hair and an overall lanky build. The most distinctive and unusual thing about his appearance are the lyrium-infused tattoos that cover much of his body. Symmetrical and normally a pale whitish color, these markings are hard to miss (though Fenris does tend to dress specifically to mostly hide them, so he can avoid discovery). When his powers are activated, the tattoos take on an eerie bluish glow. A warrior, he tends to wear heavy armor: Grafted Spirit Hide, which he's upgraded to add Reinforced Straps, Tevinter Spirit Symbol, Enchanted Resin, and Lyrium Scales (details linked on this page). His armor is rather unusual in that it doesn't include much in the way of footwear. He also wears the rings, The Band of Emancipation and the Three Wolf Boon, and the amulet, The Lost Memory.

If in a romance with Hawke, he adds a red band around his right glove and the Amell family crest on his belt. (If he gets in a romance with someone else in RPland, it's safe to say he will add some sort of symbol relating to them in much the same manner).

Abilities and Weapons

Fenris is a warrior, with the associated abilities, especially focusing on Two-Handed, Vanguard, and Battlemaster. He has a few additional talents in Defender and Warmonger.

The lyrium infused into his skin makes Fenris an intimidating, ruthless foe. Using the tattoos, he can phase through solid objects: he frequently uses this trick to reach through his enemies' chests to squeeze their hearts. His specialization is called Tevinter Fugitive. I usually play him as friendly with Hawke, so he will normally have Kindred Spirits and the associated boost to magic resistance. A lot of Fenris' talents are fueled by his hatred of his enemies: Veneer of Calm makes his attack damage stronger with every hit, while every kill he makes either plays into Battle Tempo to increase his pace or Inner Reserves, restoring his stamina. In Lyrium Ghost/Specter mode, Fenris' tattoos activate and glow, making him wraithlike and difficult to hit (this is presumably what he's activating when he does his heart-squeeze trick). His Spirit Pulse/Flux unleashes a burst of spirit energy at his enemies, and can potentially stun them. Finally, he can also make use of Deflect, where his tattoos protect him against magic damage.

Basically, when Fenris starts to glow, watch out.

Fenris prefers the large, heavy two-handed weapons, including greatswords, battleaxes and mauls. His favorite is the Blade of Mercy, which was a gift from Hawke.