Returning and new characters for Dragon Age 4

Add in that Varric volunteered to be a part of the Inquisition and accepted all the risks that came with it while the Inquisitor was forced into it because the alternative was to be torn apart by a mob, be executed after a kangaroo trial or be hunted down by some other foe.

Also, thanks Varric for having my Inquisitor's back while your girlfriend threatened her. I would not let that fly if the situation was reversed in the game or in real life. Seriously, it kind of reflects badly back on Varric. Is he just shrugging and fondly going: "Oh, that's my Bianca. Always threatening my friends with bodily harm." 

It probably doesn't help that I am sick of seeing it be treated as romantic or sweet when a character threatens someone else about their loved one's safety when the person they're threatening have done more to ensure the safety of their loved ones than the character themselves has. Seriously, I'd love for a scene wherein one of their loved ones sees this happening and tells them off for it. It's not romantic or sweet: It's just being an asshole. 

Note: I'm not in the crowd that wanted to romance Bianca and I had no real expectations as to what she'd be like so my reaction to her is not influenced by either of those two things. 

Out of curiosity, does this apply to if the relationship between the two characters are friends? For example I liked how Isabela and Leliana were protective of Merrill and Josephine respectively since both pairs had like a sisterly relationship with each other, with the big sister looking out for the little sister in this case. Though I suppose a big difference is in both scenes they also wished you and your LI the best and trust/hope you'll care for them as well. 

One of the characters I'd like to see returning for DA4 would be Ser Barris.

If the game's going to be set in Tevinter him being a templar would be a great boon...also we've never had an actual templar as a party member.

Just an opinion.

Ah, okay. Thank you for answering. 

Here is a video showing a version of that scene with Leliana(this scene unlike the others mentioned you are able to respond):

So;

Isabela threatening Hawke if they hurt Merrill (romantically) is fine.
Leliana threatening the Inquisitor if they hurt Josephine (romantically) is fine.

Whereas;

Bianca threatening the Inquisitor if Varric gets hurt (physically), somehow goes beyond the pale?

Seems legit.

I'd love to see Oghren again, especially if we learn he's finally gotten off  the lash since Awakening.

(If the Wardens made Anders give up Ser Pounce for making him "too soft", them nailing Oghren to the wagon for being "too drunk" seems only fair)

Would kinda like to see what a sober Oghren would be like and how different (or not) he is from the guy we know during Origins/Awakening. I doubt that he'd be much different in terms of his manners and attitude, but I'd like to to think he might have made the effort for the sake of his kid.

His letter from WOT states that he wants to do right by "the nugget", even if he can't be around all the time, so learning that he kept that promise would be rather heartwarming.

Dorian for companion or an advisor-type role.
Harding for companion and love interest (sorry Inquisitor, you had your chance)

Fenris for a side-quest where you help him hunt slavers along the Tevinter/Nevarra border
Krem and Iron Bull for a side-quest in a Nevarran border town, where you are given information to deliver to Dorian.

(It'd have to be Nevarra, because a runaway slave, deserter and ex-Qunari spy aren't likely to risk coming into the Imperium)

Isabela for a chain of side-quests, drawing upon her many contacts.

(She's a high-ranking Admiral within the Felicisima Armada, good friends with Varric, has met Mae and worked as a field agent for the Inquisition. But really, any excuse to have Isabela and Victoria Kruger return is fine by me)

Nathaniel for a cameo as the new Warden-Commander of Ferelden, since the HoF is either dead or busy searching for a cure.

(Last Flight mentioned Ferelden having a new Commander and I think Nathaniel would be a fine choice. Bioware could even break the fourth wall by having Nathaniel unsure how people might react to his appointment, due to having large shoes to fill. Also after the Justice and Anders retcon in DA2, having all the Awakening Wardens alive/recruited wouldn't be unprecedented, not to mention far easier on the writers)

Here's a thought: the Inquisition will likely return as an established and well respected institution of Thedas. And it could actually stand in the way of the new protagonist's mission, even try to stop them at some point.

DA4 won't necessarily continue the Inquisitor's story. Just think of DA:I and the Wardens, the very organisation our protagonist was a part of in the first installment of the series (Origins). One game later, the Wardens start as foes of our new protagonist, the Inquisitor. We had to invade their fortress and fight them. It was only after the crisis in the Fade was averted that they stopped attacking your protagonist. Hence why DA4 won't necessarily show the Inquisition in a favourable light. Not after the Epilogue narrated by Morrigan hinted the Inquisition continued to grow in power and influence, and with it now being the Divine's strongest defendant, its association with a traditional, secular power puts the Inquisition in an uncomfortable position: one where you are surrounded by rivals, backstabing allies and enemies everywhere. That is to say, a feared institution, with too much power in its hands. A Leviathan.

Your protagonist could be someone unjustly convicted by the Inquisitor who somehow escaped Skyhold before their sentence was passed. Imagine having to lead a Resistance against the Inquisition alongside other people and interests who were wronged by the institution you worked so hard to build in the previous game? What if you became a rallying cry for those who suffered injustices at the Divine's most powerful ally's hand? What IF the protagonist of DA4 became a leader that rivalled with the Inquisitor, a symbol of freedom against tyranny?  ~william wallace moment

And how would that rivalry between you and the Inquisitor be affected by Solas' schemes? Could his introduction in DA4 actually disrupt that rivalry somehow and force you to reluctantly join forces with the Inquisitor? Or would your protagonist choose to help Solas instead? The plot would then revolve around two core forces: the established order (Chantry + Inquisition) versus a new world born of raw chaos (Solas lifting the Veil). Order vs Chaos (much like in the Elric of Melniboné series, now that I think of it).

There's also the matter of the Qunari invasion, which by DA4 should happen (I mean, c'mon, it has been foreshadowed ever since Origins and still NOTHING ) and how it could destroy Tevinter or strengthen an alliance between some Southern Nations and the Imperium. With the Inquisition being (possibly) allies with Dorian or Calpernia, this could make for an interesting development. Where would the Inquisitor stand in this alliance? Would a friendship somehow ruin another alliance with a Southern Nation, like Orlais or Ferelden?

IMO, I think the first half of DA4 should be dedicated to attending to the remaining political matters in Thedas: the Resistance against the Inquisition (if there will be any), the Qunari invasion, what will happen to the Imperium, what happened to the Wardens and the Circles of magic, asf. Then a MAJOR event could introduce the events of the second half, where the magic bit will consume the plot: Solas could reappear and succeed in lifting the Veil, the Titans could awaken and shake the foundations of Thedas (dwarves would discover their magical abilities everywhere), the remaining Archdemons could wake up from their slumber and terrorize the surface, elves would suffer a transformation fom this raw contact with the Fade and rise against humans everywhere, asf. Would the world end or would our protagonist have some relevance to prevent the Apocalypse, maybe a special power of sorts that was so far ignored?

Anyway, those are just a few ideas, written in a bit of a rush. I wonder what you people think of all this.

She definitely needs to be a Love Interest.

(And wearing her namesake during the romance scene #LaceforLace) :amirite:

Solas, Dorian, Calpernia (Companion and Love Interest please. I really don´t care for Calpernia Marius relationship)
and Sten as the new Arishok are almost as sure as eggs ist eggs.
Bevin or Valora as Cameos would be really surprising and cool.

Along with Stem (The Arishok) I would love to see Rasaan from the comics who is possibly Ariqun cause she was next in line. Maybe even the assassination of the previous Ariqun can be what kicks off the Qunari Invasion and Rasaan takes his role as the game progresses.

Isabela should make a proper return as a Admiral for the Raiders. Raiders and Isabela personally have history with the Qun. So her returning in some form not as a companion but maybe advisor or in general a npc would be a good touch.

Ah, yes! The part where Loghain sold city elves to Tevinter slavers, that is where Valora is from! It's been too long since I played Origins.