The Character Romance thread (Official)

Mostly I just wished that I could let Hakkon turn Orlais into his personal ice rink in the DLC . It would've been a dramatic personality improvement for most of the Orlesians.

Oh please. I was mage enough to defeat the entire Orlesian army single-handedly.

What did Briala do that was so terrible?

I missed the kind of diplomatic options Bounty Hunter had on Alderaan (sigh). But, well, if I were to build Inquisition into a state, I would not start with usurpation of Orlais crown. Overall though, it's hard for the DA protagonists to gain titles. Save for limited options in Origins...

That's the kind of dedication that impresses me. 

Orlais really is a shitty country. It pretty much turns everyone who lives there for a long time into an asshole. Vivienne, Sera, Blackwall, Leliana. All of them did or probably did all kinds of terrible things in that place just because of how miserable and corrupt the country is. No wonder Shroud got the hell out of dodge and joined the Wardens.

That seems to be the choice I fall into because I am bitter about the elf genocide. 

If you think about it, it's the best revenge for that. He wants to be ruler so bad, the idealized sort of "absolute monarchy" where he goes out and starts wars and gets glory. However, when he gets what he wants, it's not at all the way he wanted it, with someone he's prejudiced against being the "true" ruler who tells him what to do. Imagine the constant humiliation he must feel.

That's one reason I like this option. It turns expectations on its head while technically giving them both what they want in theory.

I never said it was stable, just that thematically it was an ironic outcome.

Then again, it could be him that gets killed off once she's sick of being the shadow ruler. After all, she is the better at intrigue, of the two of them.

I think she's smart enough to find a replacement for him soon enough, someone more pliable. Maybe a young relative of his. Then, blackmail the regent. Or, hell, find a way to shock the court and become the regent herself.

To be fair, I think anyone would get tired of being shadow ruler if the actual ruler is Gaspard. Even the most clever, ambitious people would probably ragequit after a year or so.

I didn't read Masked Empire, so I think I lack the context of what's going on behind the scene in the Celene/Briala/Gaspard decision. So I'll usually have all of them work together.