What did you do today in DA? [Spoilers]

Eleyne was 44 when she left clan Lavellan. She was the Keeper's First although she didn't consider herself as such. She believed she was more of an advisor rather than an apprentice. There was another younger Mage within the clan who was much more appropriate as a successor since the Keeper is only 5 years older than herself. In truth, Eleyne and the Keeper looked after the clan together. The Keeper respected Eleyne's kind approach and her wisdom.

Due to them primarily roaming the Free Marches, clan Lavellan visited the same villages frequently for trade. They had always been a peaceful clan and dealt regularly with humans. When Eleyne was 7, she accompanied one of the hunters to a nearby village to trade pelts. She met a human girl of the same age called Lucy. Lucy was fascinated with Eleyne and Eleyne with her. They quickly became friends and from then on, whenever the clan was wandering close to that village, Eleyne would always go and visit her. Not long after, Eleyne's magic manifested and she became scared of visiting the villages for a time but soon began to miss her friend. The next time they passed Lucy's village it had been 2 years since they last saw each other. Lucy was so happy to see her friend but sad that it had been such a long time. Cautiously, Eleyne explained why. She expected her friend to be frightful but instead, there was no reaction. Lucy simply said "that doesn't change who you are, or the fact that you are my friend. I have missed you." Lucy had not run, screaming "Mage!" at the top of her lungs. Instead, there had been nothing but acceptance. Telling her was a risk but Eleyne was glad she did. Their friendship became stronger because of it. Time went by and the two little girls became young women. Eleyne, a proud and capable member of her clan, and Lucy, a Chantry Sister within the village Chantry. But still their friendship remained strong. They both respected each other's differing beliefs and would discuss them frequently. Lucy would talk about how she enjoyed being a Priestess, but believed that the Chantry was flawed and expressed a desire to change things. Eleyne would tell her of the stories of how the Chantry lead an Exalted March on the Dales and crushed her people. Due to being a Mage herself, Eleyne asked her once for her opinion on Mages and asked if she believed what the Chantry was doing was right, locking them away in fancy prisons and under constant watch by Templars. Eleyne always had an underlying sense of dread when it came to Templars. She had heard what they did to the Mages they considered too dangerous or weak. Humans call it The Rite of Tranquility but severing a person's connection to the Fade, rendering them emotionless husks sounds far from tranquil. The thought always made her shudder. What a terrible thing to do to a person. Lucy said that it would be something she would change, if she could. Eleyne enjoyed her discussions with Lucy, even though they sometimes shared different views.


When Eleyne was 28, she lost the man she loved when the clan was attacked by bandits. She fought fiercely to protect her clan but she got cornered by two of the attackers, one of them an Elf. Tamhel charged at the men and killed them. Afterwards, he approached Eleyne but when he got to her, he fell at her feet. He had been fatally wounded. There was nothing she could do, no amount of magic even the old magic she was taught by the previous Keeper could heal him and he died in her arms. She was overcome with grief. She sought her friend and it was then that Lucy told her more about the Maker. For some reason, she found a lot of comfort Lucy’s words and thought about what she had said when the clan buried Tamhel with an oaken staff. Afterwards, Eleyne had more questions about the Maker. She wondered whether there was room amongst her Gods for one more.


The years again passed and Eleyne's grief healed. She was approaching her 44th year and was sharing most of the Keepers responsibilities by this time. She was very much loved within her clan due to her kind and loving nature. And despite her curiosity surrounding the existence of the Maker, she was still very much devoted to her people's Gods as well as the pursuit of lost Elven knowledge and history.


Life wandering the wilderness had become dangerous since the Mage Rebellion started in the nearby city of Kirkwall and there were talks amongst clan members of possibly leaving the Free Marches to find a safer area to wander.


Eleyne visited Lucy, who was now the Revered Mother of the village Chantry and it was Eleyne's turn to comfort her friend in her grief after hearing about the explosion of the Kirkwall Chantry. Lucy had done the same for Eleyne all those years ago. Lucy mentioned the Conclave and how Divine Justinia was going to try and stop the war by holding peace talks between the Mage and Templar leaders. Eleyne conveyed what she had learned to the Keeper and the Keeper suggested that one of the clan members go to the Conclave to observe the talks and then use the information gathered to determine whether or not they needed to make preparations to travel to another area, far away from the war. Eleyne thought about it and looked at the young hunters and protectors, wondering which one would be asked to go. It would be incredibly dangerous to travel so far alone. It saddened her that such a burden would fall on young shoulders. It was then that she told the Keeper that she wished to go herself. She was capable and could protect herself if necessary but most importantly, she had the most experience with humans and the most knowledge about the Chantry and the religion surrounding it. Such knowledge would surely come in handy. Reluctantly, the Keeper agreed. The following week, Eleyne prepared for her journey. On the night before she left she went to visit Lucy to say her goodbyes but when she got to the gates, Templars blocked her way. Lucy was amongst them and pointed in Eleyne’s direction. It took her a few seconds to realise what was happening, but when she did, she ran as fast as she could but the Templars gave chase and Eleyne was forced to fight them. She went back to the clan, simultaneously seething with anger and weighed down by sadness, wondering why the woman she had come to love as a sister had so suddenly turned on her. Of course, she knew. What happened in the city of Kirkwall had renewed people's fear of Mages. She thought Lucy had understood, she had said she wished things were different for Mages. But ultimately, her dearest and oldest friend had turned on her because of the magic that ran through her veins.


The following day she set off on her travels, her kind heart slightly darkened by betrayal.

Her Keepers last spoken words to her were "Mythal protect you, my dear friend, and may the Dread Wolf never catch your scent".