The Official Francesca Invidus Thread

How refreshing that someone can have a unique magical ability that is not due to elven influence. I hope they keep to the idea that her magic developed in the way it did because she loved beauty and flowers and not because she is elf-blooded. Also, I agree that her father shouldn't be given an "excuse" for his treatment of her, he is simply an abusive arsehole.

Let me talk with Christina and get back to you...

Sorry for the delay… Christina and I both teach (and I’m a Chair and a Dean) at a school that went to remote learning to keep everyone safe during the coronavirus crisis. So things get… busy sometimes.

Okay, so... since she hasn't met most of them, this is what I suspect she would think of the characters and/or them of her. Obviously, circumstances would change things.

Varric - she'd enjoy his stories, and likely be a bit gullible about them.

Iron Bull - she probably wouldn't give him much of a chance to make an impression. Right now, she'd keep her distance from any Qunari.

Dorian - she probably knows his name, but hasn't had much contact with him. I think she was taught to think he was trouble for the family, but she's rethinking her family ties now, so she'd make a point of rethinking him.

Sera - I don't think she'd understand half of what Sera says, so she'd just find her confusing. And I suspect Sera would see her as a spoiled brat in need of a LOT of lessons about how the world really works.

Cassandra - I suspect Cassandra would see her as a naive fool in need of protection, and then come to respect her. But I worry Francesca would be put off by Cassandra's initial reaction, and keep her distance.

Vivienne – She’d get along with Vivienne, but probably would try to remind her to get over herself from time to time.

Cole – She’d be endlessly fascinated by him. If she got a chance to really get to know him, she’d probably get a little protective of him, and treat him like a kid brother.

Blackwall – She’d be deferential to him and treat him with more respect than he’d feel he was due, and that might make him uncomfortable.

Cullen – She’d have kept her distance from him. Maybe others would accept that he’d changed, but I’m not sure she’d want to take her chances with him.

Leliana – She’d admire her. Hardened Leliana would be a bit unapproachable, but otherwise, I think they’d get along. But she’d admire her either way.

Josephine – Francesca is straight, but if she weren’t, I think she’d be a little in love with Josephine. She’d probably still act a little crushed out on her.

Solas – I don’t know that she would have suspected anything about him, but I don’t think she would have gotten along with him. Not sure he’d have paid her much mind, except to be curious about the nature of her magic.

Fen’Harel – She'd fight to oppose his plans, obviously

Scout Harding – I think she’d like Harding, but probably be a bit too spoiled and upper class for Lace’s taste.

Is there any chance we could see her opinion about companions from DAO, please?

nunziodefilippis Since you answered about the DAO cast, when you have time can you and Christina finish off the roster and tell us how Francesca would feel about the DA2 cast please?

Could I also request that you include Dragon Age Awakenings cast as well and differentiate between Anders and Justice as they appear there and Anders once he has merged with Justice.

I don't know, Viv got on very well with Dorian because I think she recognised that in Tevinter they do have Circles where mages can be properly trained but the difference is that in Tevinter parents want they children sent there and it is considered a privilege to be offered a place. She looked down on Solas because she thought he was a self taught hedge mage.

Now I'm assuming that Francesca's father would have wanted her to go to a Circle because all the best people do; she might make useful connections there and she might become less naïve when exposed to the culture there. On the other hand, I suppose he might have considered it a bad thing if he thought she might not be able to deal with interactions there in a manner that befitted his status.

So another question, was Francesca trained in a Tevinter Circle or home schooled?

If Dorian's history is anything to go by, once they start showing magic they are packed off to a Circle of Magi as an apprentice. He was sent to the one in Carastes, said to be the one of the most prestigious in the eastern Imperium and likely the nearest to his family seat in Qarinus. His family were talented mages from an ancient line, so they likely could have educated him at home, although from what he related his mother was never that interested in him personally and left his care to the slaves. Still I formed the impression that a bit like the wealthy packing off their kids to boarding school, Altus families wouldn't dream of home schooling if their kids are talented enough at magic not to disgrace themselves at one of the elite academies, which is how the Circles are regarded. Then when they have passed their apprenticeship, that is when they hope to gain a place at one of the Circles as a fully qualified Enchanter where they can continue their education if they wish at university level.

Dorian was a case in point, though. After getting himself expelled from a number of Circles for his behaviour and running away from a smaller strict private school in Minrathous, it was Alexius who took him under his wing and home schooled him at his estate in Asariel. Then Alexius sponsored him for his tests to be regarded as a fully qualified Enchanter in the Circle of Minrathous.

So there are different options available to Altus families. It is just it would seem more normal for them to opt for Circle schooling and it is only if there is some problem with this that they resort to some other way.

Thank you for that answer. It chimes with what I would have thought was the case. I would imagine that many of the teachers at the Circles are interested in magic for its own sake and dedicated to passing on their knowledge to the next generation. Alexius as a younger man spent much time in the Minrathous Circle as a researcher into the limits of magic, which his family didn't approve of as they thought he should focus less on theory and more on practical applications of magic to pursue political ends. For many years, even after becoming a Magister, he was dedicated to the education of others and involving them in his own research. So I can see how Francesca might have intrigued one of the professors at the university, who recognised her talent and saw her unique approach to magic as a positive. That would also account for how she was able to develop it to the extent that she has.

It is a pity that so many Altus parents seem unable to value their children for what they are. Dorian's father alienated his son for putting political ambition (for that is what marriage is all about in Tevinter) ahead of his son's own desires in life; Alexius' father tried to get him interested in politics by giving him his seat in the Magisterium and then tried to assassinate his grandson Felix for having too little magical ability; Francesca's father was so obsessed with the acquisition of power that he never valued his daughter or realised (to his cost) just how talented she really was.

I have to admit that it is her unique magic, at least so far as the majority of Tevinter mages are concerned, that has encouraged my interested in Francesca, although I also do admire other aspects of her character that have become apparent in the Blue Wraith story.

Yay for her liking Merrill!

And interesting to think about Vaea, Francesca, and the others in their group meeting Velanna and/or Sigrun. 

Most of these I guessed right on, though your comment on Anders has me curious. When you say she would agree with him, would that be just his philosophy or his actions too?
In the comics she always seemed opposed to innocents getting hurt or killed, to the point of even stopping a family friend from hitting the slave who spilled on her dress, so I can't imagine Francesca supporting Anders's plan and action of destroying the Chantry and killing hundreds of people to spark a war that would kill countless more. 

She would absolutely hate his actions. But before that, she'd be pushed away by him contantly lecturing her on an issue she agreed with him 100% about. Only when he took his final actions would she realize her agreement wasn't 100%

The story is defunct now, and was replaced by Blue Wraith's story and the story that will (hopefully, once the pandemic passes) follow it.  So I suppose I can talk about it.

We'd pitched an elf trying to replicate Fenris' origins, and in that story Fenris hadn't aged a day since getting his markings.  Someone would be testing the magic on elves trying to get it right, ostensibly to catch the eye of a returned Elven God (the reader would know it was Fen'Harel, but we would not say his name) by restoring the immortality of the elves through this magic.

And the group would be trying to get Fenris' help, and his price was their help in stopping this ritual from happening.  The elf doing the ritual on other elves, trying to make them immortal again, was Velanna, who (with the assistance of Sigrun) was trying to figure out the ritual because the Calling had come and she didn't want to die. The elves, who Fenris thought were kidnapped, were actually volunteers, but they were still dying.

In the end, Sigrun would realize Velanna (who in that story would have been her lover) was wrong, and helped the team oppose Velanna.  Velanna would see the error of her ways, but go into the Deep Roads to die - the fact that they had just fought each other would have meant Sigrun would not join her.  Sigrun would try to make up for what they did by joining the group until her Calling for the rest of our storylines.

It didn't get very far, and a lot of the details were never pitched to Bioware.  Instead, we came up with a different take on using Fenris' origins and tying it to Francesca's father.  I'm still not sure I could have gone though with making Velanna the villain (if even a well intentioned one) so I'm glad it's defunct.  If we try again with those characters, it'll likely be something entirely different.