Growing Up in Ferelden (9:06 Dragon to 9:30 Dragon)
Relm was born to Malcolm and Leandra Hawke (nee Amell) in Cloudreach in the sixth year of the Dragon Age. Growing up, she never knew wealth. Clothes were hand sewn and actual toys were few and far between. But her parents always made sure they had a roof over their heads and food on the table. They moved often in her early years. At first, they told her they just didn't like staying in one place for long. But as she grew older, the truth trickled in: they were on the run from templars. Stability was hard to come by, but her parents did their best. Little Relm got used to moving so much, and even grew to enjoy traveling around and seeing new places. What she lacked in consistent companionship she made up for with imagination. She played pretend with invisible friends - usually "fairies" or fun "spirits" she concocted in her head - and went on grand adventures alone.
That changed when she was six. Her mother became pregnant, and the Hawkes finally settled for good in Lothering. Months later, Leandra gave birth to twins: Bethany and Carver. Relm went from being the sole focus of her parents' attention to having to help out with two squalling, icky babies. She took it hard at first, lashing out and throwing fits to garner attention. Over time, she settled down. It also helped that as the twins got older, they became more fun to interact with. Relm began to see them as her siblings and people to love, rather than noisy intruders. She embraced being a big sister, playing with her siblings and teaching them all that she knew.
As Relm grew older, her days romping about with her imaginary friends dwindled. She no longer needed them: she had her siblings and friends, now that she was staying in one place for more than a few months. Up until the age of ten, Relm flourished. She had a lot of friends (even a "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" or two along the way) and was known in the village as a kindhearted, if not slightly mischievous child. Life was easy.
Until the day she accidentally set the apple tree on fire.
Some bugs had taken root inside the tree. Relm tried to shoo them off. They swarmed around her and she swung her arms to swat them away. Next thing she knew, the tree was ablaze and Leandra was screaming from the house. Malcolm rushed out and put it out with a flourish of ice, but the damage was done. The tree was badly damaged, and Relm was now saddled with a power she never asked for. Malcolm hugged her, his fingers digging into her. Relm swore he was shaking.
From then on, her free time got taken up with magic lessons. A lot of her friendships petered out. She became more withdrawn, unsure of herself and what the future held. Malcolm did everything he could to treat her the same as before, but Relm knew that things had changed. Bethany and Carver helped keep her spirits up, asking about what magic she was learning and begging her to show them. She showed them fire and ice, and later on, even how she could heal their scrapes and cuts. Though a part of her felt resentment for the hand dealt to her, she accepted it.
But things got complicated when Relm turned 17 and Bethany showed signs of magic, too. Now her time got split between her own lessons and then helping teach Bethany. Often times she took over them so Malcolm could focus on their farm. Carver began to grow distant and a little surly, jealous of all the time Malcolm spent with his sisters. Bethany struggled with her magic and accepting it, desperately wishing to be normal. Relm tried to help her embrace it by being the example. But it fell short; hard to sell the act when she hardly believed it herself. And Carver lashed out as Relm expounded on the benefits of magic, often rolling his eyes and making faces. All around, her plan backfired.
Still, life carried on. Relm carved out a bit more time for herself to make a few friends and even have her share of trysts. Boys and girls found her pretty, and in interacting with them, Relm uncovered the wit she would later become known for. Making people laugh garnered a lot of positive attention, and attracted a lot of would be suitors. Of course, given Relm was a mage, she kept most at arm's length, content to just have fun with them but not let anything get serious.
Life wasn't easy, but she had her family. The templars barely paid them any mind, and as Relm entered her twenties, she began to think of her future and what she wanted to do with herself. She toyed with the idea of traveling, perhaps by becoming a courier or even gaining employment in some noble family's estate. There was the issue of her being a mage, but she long since learned how to hide it, and she couldn't give up her life because of her secret.
Her tentative plans came crashing down when she was 21. Malcolm fell gravely ill. The illness dogged him for months, slowly sapping his strength until he became bedridden. Despite Relm's efforts to heal him, and calling on the local healers for help, it amounted to nothing. Malcolm passed in his sleep, and Relm got dealt another role she never asked for: head of the household. Leandra despaired over Malcolm's death, and she fell into a terrible depression for months. Her children were forced to pick up the slack and run the household and farm. Neighbors helped, both in physical labor and occasionally monetarily. The family pulled through, and Leandra eventually pulled herself together and began helping again.
Relm adapted to take on her new role. Her humor and wit became her shield, hiding what she was really feeling so she could be as strong as her father had been. Once again, her friendships fell to the wayside. Relm paid little mind to her appearance, doing the bare minimum to take care of herself. She continued teaching Bethany spells, imparting Malcolm's knowledge to her. Carver's bitterness and anger grew, and she butted heads with him often. Leandra swung between depending on Relm for nearly everything and blaming her when things went wrong. A poor harvest? Relm didn't plant the seeds right, not like Malcolm did. A leak in the roof? Relm was slacking on maintaining the home. It took Relm everything she had to not bite her mother's head off. She longed for her old life of sneaking out and gallivanting with people her own age. Yet still, she pressed on, desperate to fill Malcolm's shoes and keep her family afloat.
Three years after Malcolm's death, rumors spread throughout the country. Darkspawn were launching raids in the south. King Cailan called on the nobles to send their soldiers to Ostagar and meet the horde head on. Carver joined the army, desperate to make something of himself and protect his family from the darkspawn. Relm and Leandra both worried, but he was of age and they couldn't stop him. They prayed for his safe return. Their prayers were answered, though not in the way they had hoped.
Carver all but kicked down the door when he returned a few months later, panting heavily and only barely managing to gather his wits to tell them what had happened: the army had fallen and the horde was coming. They needed to leave. Now.
A New Home and A New Low (9:30 Dragon to 9:33 Dragon)
The family barely had time to grab a few precious possessions before they were forced to flee their home and run north. There they came across Aveline Vallen and her husband, Wesley. Despite some friction over being in the company of a templar, they put aside their differences to work together to survive. But despite their best efforts, not all of them made it out of Ferelden. An ogre killed Bethany while she protected Leandra, and the taint in Wesley's body necessitated a quick death with a blade. Their deaths were terrible blows, but they pressed on. A woman claiming to be the legendary Flemeth came to their aid and offered them a deal: she would lead them to safety if they did her a favor. A small token to be given to a Dalish clan near Kirkwall. Desperate to escape, Relm agreed.
A long trek to Gwaren, followed by a longer boat ride north later, the family plus Aveline arrived in Kirkwall. They almost are unable to enter, until Leandra's brother, Gamlen, negotiated a deal with a group of smugglers. They would bribe the authorities to let the family in; in exchange, Relm and Carver had to spent a year of indentured servitude with the group. Leandra balked, but Relm and Carver agreed. The family went to live with Gamlen. To Leandra's disbelief, it wasn't the Amell estate, but rather a hovel in Lowtown. Gamlen gambled away the mansion and fortune. Penniless and on the verge of destitution, the family faced a long, hard year.
Relm and Carver paid back their debt. Relm earned something of a reputation in the interim, often lauded for her hard work and skill. Carver chafed under the weight of being in her shadow. The siblings argued more than ever, though still stuck by each other as they struggled to survive. When their servitude ended, they found themselves free but in need of work. They catch wind of an expedition to the Deep Roads. The word around town said that the mission was bound to be profitable. But when they approached the man in charge of it, Bartrand, he turned them away. Both siblings walked away disheartened, and Relm found herself at her wit's end. Then a shitty day turned even shittier when a pickpocket stole Relm's coin purse. They gave chase, but it seemed certain they lost the thief.
Like he was personally sent from the Maker, a dwarf with a wicked looking crossbow appeared and stopped the thief. He returned Relm's purse to her, and introduced himself as Varric Tethras. Brother of Bartrand, he was in on the expedition, and seemed keen on making sure Relm and Carver were, too. He told them what to do, and offered his help.
It seemed an insurmountable task: collect a small mountain of sovereigns to join Bartrand as a partner. Relm had a lot of work ahead of her, but at least she had a plan. Thus began her second year in Kirkwall, and when things started getting... colorful.
Hawke's decisions/major events in Act I are as follows:
She met and recruited all the companions
Saved the mages who escaped the Circle by convincing the templars looking for them to look elsewhere
Saved Seamus and returned him to his father
Killed Kelder
Helped Aveline uncover the corruption in the guards and oust the corrupted captain
Saved Feynriel and sent him to the Dalish
Cleared out the Bone Pit, convinced the miners to return, and took on half ownership
Killed Idunna after she tried to kill Hawke
Reinstated Keran to the templars after rescuing him and convincing Cullen he wasn't possessed
Didn't blackmail Ser Thrask
Helped Sebastian avenge his family
Looked into a string of murders, including that of Ghyslain's wife, Ninette. Found her remains but did not tell him how she died
Was given letters written by her father. She gave them to Carver, and from them he learned about his namesake
Found her grandfather's will and presented it to Leandra
Tried to save Ketojan from the Qunari
Brought Carver with her on the Deep Roads expedition. After Bartrand betrayed them and left them all for dead, Carver became stricken with the taint. Thanks to Anders, they found a group of Wardens who took him in. He survived long enough to take the Joining and became a Warden.
From Rags to Riches (9:34 Dragon to 9:36 Dragon)
Though the expedition nearly killed her, and it condemned Carver to a life with the Wardens, Relm came out of it on top. The riches they found in the thaig catapulted her and Leandra out of poverty. Leandra successfully petitioned the Viscount to return the Amell estate to her. Leandra and Relm moved into their new home while Gamlen stayed in his hovel. They went from scraping for every bit of coin to debating what color tapestries best matched the furniture. Though glad not to be facing destitution any longer, Relm felt like a fish out of water. She continued hanging out with her friends and visiting the Hanged Man, despite her new status. Still, she remained busy as ever. People came to her for help. And Relm, ever something of a soft heart, lent aid.
Hawke's decisions/major events in Act II are as follows:
Helped Anders investigate Ser Alrik and his "Tranquil Solution". Killed Alrik and stopped Anders/Justice from killing the mage Alrik had cornered. Talked Anders down later as he struggled with whether or not to leave Kirkwall, and showed him that Meredith and the Divine rejected Alrik's plan
Helped Aveline "court" Donnic Hendyr. With some pushing, convinced her to open up to Donnic and the two began a relationship
Killed Gascard
Helped Merrill get the aruin'holm for her eluvian
Recruited Sebastian and aided him in discovering who was behind his family's murder
Saved Javaris
Helped Fenris track down his former master's old apprentice and helped kill her.
Refused to side with Petrice in her battle against Qunari influence
With Keeper Marethari's help, aided Feynriel and prevented him from being possessed. Let him go free to go to Tevinter
Helped Varric confront Bartrand. When it was discovered the red lyrium idol they found had drove Bartrand insane, Relm talked Varric out of killing him
Slept with Isabela once, for funsies
In her true canon only, not RP:Romanced Fenris. Slept with him for more than funsies. Got her heart broken in the process
Three days later, Leandra was killed by the serial killer who murdered Ninette and other women.
Helped Isabela find her relic. Proceeded to be sad when Isabela took off with said relic
Qunari attacked the city and killed the Viscount. Hawke and company fought them alongside Meredith and Orsino. Isabela returned with the relic and turned it over to the Qunari. When the Arishok threatened to arrest Isabela for what she had done, Relm intervened and dueled him. Relm won... barely.
The Rise and Fall of a Champion (9:37 Dragon to 9:38 Dragon)
After a lengthy recovery from her duel with the Arishok, Relm was titled Champion of Kirkwall. The title allowed her to live freely as a mage outside the Circle, granted that she didn't break any of its laws. Her reputation bordered on legendary, and with it came mounting responsibilities and expectations. She missed her family terribly, but fortunately her friends were there to keep her company. Life continued on. But mounting tensions between the mages and templars, worsened by Meredith's prolonged stint as acting Viscountess, loomed over Relm and the city. It was only a matter of time before things came to a head.
Hawke's decisions/major events in Act III are as follows:
Relm refused to publicly side with neither Orsino or Meredith
Relm and company found Nathaniel Howe in the Deep Roads and saved him
Took a job from Nuncio helping track down a dangerous criminal. Said criminal turned out to be Zevran. He convinced her to let him go. Nuncio attacked, and Zevran returned to help deal with him. Despite his tempting offer, Relm rejected his advances
While tracking down a legendary gemstone Gamlen once sought, Relm met her cousin, Charade. Desperate to have family, she convinced Charade to meet Gamlen and build a relationship with him.
Tracked down the apostates Meredith requested she find. Killed two of them, but let Emile go
Completed Orsino's request to track down conspirators and turned them over to him
Killed the high dragon at the Bone Pit
After being attacked suddenly by Carta dwarves (and learning the same happened with Carver) she went with her brother and the others to a Carta hide out in the Vimmark Mountains. They learned about her father's past, having found his "will". And when faced with having to free a darkspawn magister from his confines in order to escape, Relm sided with Larius against the Wardens who wanted to control Corypheus.
An elf named Tallis approached Relm and asked for her help in finding a treasure held by an Orlesian duke. Relm went along and helped, though she later discovered Tallis was a follower of the Qun and was looking for a list of Qunari operatives the Duke had obtained. Despite a lot of hesitation, Relm continued to help her and defeated the Duke. Tallis got the list and took off
Relm agreed to escort Fenris to meet his sister, whom he had tracked down. The meeting turned into a surprise encounter with Danarius. Relm refused to turn Fenris over to the magister and they fought and killed him. She then stopped Fenris from killing his sister for betraying him.
In her true canon only, not RP: After the fight, she sat with Fenris and talked about his future. He apologized for walking out on her three years ago. She forgave him and they reconciled.
Helped Isabela deal with Castillion for once and for all
Circumstances led Merrill to having to confront and fight Marethari. When the clan cornered her, Relm talked everyone down and took responsibility for Merrill. They all walked away with their lives
Helped Anders gather ingredients for a potion to help separate himself from Justice. Or so he said
Rather, it was a bomb. Which he planted under the Chantry. Which he blew with the Grand Cleric inside. Thanks, Anders.
When forced to decide between standing with the mages or templars, Relm chose the mages.
Relm spared Anders, though she chewed him out the entire way through Kirkwall for what he did.
Hawke and company confronted Meredith in the Gallows, where they discovered she had been driven mad by the red lyrium that she bought from Bartrand and had fashioned into a sword. A grueling battle commenced, ending with Meredith shattering her sword and turning into a red lyrium statue
Cullen allowed Hawke and her friends to flee, and fearing backlash from the Chantry (like, Exalted March level of retribution) Hawke fled Kirkwall
Life on the Run and the Inquisition (9:38 Dragon to Present)
Relm and her friends traveled together for quite some time. But one by one, everyone went their separate ways. (In her true canon only, not RP:Only Fenris remained with her, and the couple traveled together for a few years, never staying in one place for very long). It was rather reminiscent of Hawke's earliest years. Fortunately, the Exalted March Hawke feared never came to pass. But more disturbing rumors brewed.
In 9:38, things finally came to a head with the mages and templars. Spurred by the incident in Kirkwall and something out of Adamant, the grand enchanter and many first enchanters voted to split from the Chantry. The templars refused. The mages rebelled. War broke out. Hawke was in more danger than ever, and she was forced into the wilderness, well out of the way of templars who were sent out en masse to hunt down the apostate mages. Hawke felt a sense of responsibility for what was happening, and she tried to help the apostates caught up in the war.
In 9:39, Hawke was approached by Stroud, the Warden who saved Carver. Something was happening with the Wardens, and Stroud feared someone was manipulating them into something terrible. Relm began assisting him with his investigation. She always respected the Wardens, and she wanted to make sure whatever was going on wouldn't affect Carver. When it slowly became clear that her brother might be in danger due to the growing corruption and infighting among the Wardens, she asked Aveline to escort him out of the Free Marches. Carver balked at her interference, but Relm didn't care. She'd face down his irritation later.
In late 9:40, word began to spread of an upcoming Conclave, organized by the Divine in an attempt to reconcile the mages and templars. It was to take place at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, where Andraste rested. Relm hoped for peace, of course, but she had her doubts. But whatever the outcome would have been, it didn't matter. An explosion ripped through the Conclave, killing everyone inside the temple... except one.
A hole ripped open in the sky, and demons poured out of it from the Fade. Smaller such "rifts" appeared all over Thedas. People thought for sure the end had come. But before Hawke had even fully heard all the details, the (immediate) crisis had passed, and hope was restored. A woman by the name of Ilia Trevelyan survived the blast and from it acquired the means to seal the Breach and the other rifts in Thedas.
As the so-called Herald of Andraste and the burgeoning Inquisition began to try and piece Thedas back together, Hawke and Stroud's investigation ramped up when they discovered who was behind the troubles with the Wardens: Corypheus, the darkspawn magister Hawke thought she had killed in the Vimmark Mountains. Somehow he survived, and Hawke knew she needed to help deal with him. He'd been her responsibility.
Eventually, the Inquisition also discovered this, and their efforts focused on taking down Corypheus. Relm came out of hiding and decided to help the Inquisition as their efforts turned towards dealing with the "rogue" Wardens, who had thrown in their lot with an ally of Corypheus. The darkspawn magister was manipulating the Calling, making the Wardens in western Thedas think they were all hearing their Calling at once. Alarmed by this, the Wardens, with the help of Corypheus' ally Erimond, were attempting to raise a demon army to storm the Deep Roads in order to wipe out the darkspawn and remaining Old Gods before they all met their end. Stroud had essentially defected from the Wardens when this begin, calling the plan madness. Hawke was helping him hide while they were carrying out their investigation.
The final showdown with the Wardens and Erimond took place at Adamant Fortress, an old Warden stronghold in western Orlais. Relm traveled with the Inquisition forces to battle the Wardens and take out their demon army. Things took a turn when in the middle of an attack from Corypheus maybe-sort-of Archdemon dragon, Ilia accidentally opened up a rift, sending her, some of her friends, Stroud and Hawke into the Fade.
As they made their way through the Fade, Relm and the others were subjected to the taunts of a powerful demon called Nightmare, a Fear demon that grew strong off the fears of those who were caught up in the recent wars. Ilia regained her memories of what happened prior to the Conclave explosion, where she remembered the Wardens had been there and had aided Corypheus in his plot that resulted in the deaths of hundreds, including the Divine. Relm and Stroud got into an argument before Ilia broke it up.
Eventually they found Nightmare and battled it out with him, eventually taking down the demon. However, just as they were making their escape from the Fade, the Nightmare rose back up. Relm offered to stay behind to take care of it. Corypheus's actions brought about this Nightmare, and the magister was her responsibility, as she was the one who inadvertently let him loose. Stroud offered to do the same, as the Wardens also played a part in this. Ultimately, they left it to Ilia to decide who stayed behind.
For reasons Relm will never understand, Ilia chose Stroud, grabbing Hawke's arm and dragging her through the portal, leaving the Warden to his fate. They emerged back in Adamant, the Nightmare vanquished and the Wardens defeated.
After being patched up, Relm left the Inquisition, as someone had to inform Weisshaupt about what happened with the Wardens in Adamant. She bid farewell to Varric and Ilia, and set out on the long road to the Anderfels.
TBC
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