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cityofariel application
→ OOC
□ Name: Tai
□ Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
cocksandtaiwan
□ Journal:hellofoxtrots
→ IC
□ Name: Cullen Rutherford
□ Journal:rutherfurred
□ Series: Dragon Age: Inquisition
□ Canon point: After the siege of Adamant/his lyrium addiction cutscene.
□ History: Here.
Additionally, since Dragon Age is built on decisions, I am listing what kind of Dragon Age world Cullen experienced. I may not list every decision because it wouldn’t be one that Cullen knows about.
Dragon Age Origins: Elven female mage Warden, romanced Leilana, Alistair had old god baby with Morrigan so Warden survived killing Archdemon. All companions recruited/in good favor.
Saved Redcliffe, Connor broken of possession and his mother alive, Arl Eamon saved without defiling the Urn of Ashes.
Brokered peace between Dalish and Werewolves, curse broken.
Branka and Anvil destroyed, Bhelen crowned King.
Sided with Mages at the Circle tower, did not kill mages per Cullen’s request, Greagoir survived.
Warden killed Loghain in Denerim, Alistair made King with Anora.
Archdemon destroyed, never ran into Morrigan with the eluvian.
Awakening, both Keep and Amarinthine saved, Architect destroyed, Nathaniel alive.
Dragon Age 2: Female sassy/sarcastic mage Hawke, romanced Isabela, Bethany and Carver both dead, friends with Varric/kept all companions alive (including Anders).
Act 1: Joined mercenaries, sided with mages in general conversation, saved Saemus, sent Feynriel to Dalish, blackmailed Ser Thrask, Keran reinstated, Karras killed.
Act 2: Killed Gascard, didn’t side with Varnell or Petrice, fought alongside guardsman, freed Feynriel and sent to Tevinter, killed Arishok.
Act 3: Zevran alive and well, Nathaniel saved, handed conspirators to Orsino, reunited Charade and Gamlen, did not approve of Ander’s actions, sided with mages, allowed Emile to go free, let Keran go.
Legacy DLC: Sided with Larius.
Dragon Age Inquisition: Ellana Lavellan, Female dalish elf mage, romanced Iron Bull (and remained with Bull/locked in romance).
All companions recruited.
Chose to side with rebel mages, mages recruited at Redcliffe. Alexius left in service of Redcliffe mages.
Saved all residents of Haven when fighting Corypheus, all upgrades to Skyhold subsequently purchased.
Cassandra, Varric, Solas, Cole, Iron Bull’s personal quests completed as of Cullen’s canon point. Solas was allowed to kill mages, Cole made more human, Bull saved Chargers and sacrificed dreadnought. Cullen encouraged not to take Lyrium, and Leilana encouraged to spare her traitor agents.
Stroud was Hawke's Warden ally. At Adamant, Grey Wardens spared if not fighting, Stroud left behind in Fade, Grey Wardens made allies of Inquisition.
□ Personality:
Cullen is a man sharply shaped by the man he used to be. When we’re first introduced to Cullen, he’s friendly, if somewhat shy. He has a crush on the female mage who becomes the Grey Warden, but, morally, will not flirt back with her if flirted with (he even runs away, and reinforces that he would not have taken her up on the offer later in Inquisition).
Like all Templars, he believes magic was made to serve man. At the first point we meet him, he knows there are Templars that are not good, just like there are mages that are not good, but he is naive enough to not see most of it.
His personality changes after his torture by blood mages at the Circle of Magi. He wants to kill all the mages in the Circle in case they are possessed (a move that is not exactly wrong in the context of the world, but horrid all the same) and was rumored to have gone crazy in Origins ending.
Instead, he heads to Kirkwall, where, while at first distrusting of many mages, conversations he engages in with Hawke reveal that he believes the Order is causing much of the problems with the mages - by abusing and hurting them, the mages are reacting. He is suspicious of Meredith, the Knight-Commander that is corrupted by red lyrium, but he does not react to her extreme prejudices until it is very late.
The brief history lesson is given, because this is what shapes Cullen when we meet him in Inquisition. He is dedicated to the Templar order- even after he leaves it, he believes it is necessary. But he believes that any new Order and Circles would need protection for both Templars and mages alike, and especially for mages. While mages, in his opinion, are still dangerous as apostates (mages living freely out of the circle), he understands why there are many apostates, when the Templars have become so corrupt.
He believes in doing what is right - although he is arguably the most pragmatic out of any of the advisers, and knows sometimes people must die in order for the movement to survive. He knows the rebel mages are in extremes, which is why he supports the templars when asked whom the Inquisition should ask for help. None the less, he does not express resentment if they are recruited instead - he instead offers to help train the mages and what templars the Inquisition has to work together, and expresses hope when he notices many are getting along.
Cullen has a lot of hope, in this sense. He is hopeful the Templars can break their lyrium leash and reform, he is hopeful that they can work together to defeat Corypheus. This is something that he retains from ten years ago - though no longer naive, he still has hope. Even when things seem hopeless, such as the attack on Haven - Cullen does not lay down and give up. He argues for continuing to fight, to at least go out fighting. It’s a strong resolve that drives Cullen.
Cullen is even willing to stand up against what he views as transgressions - when Meredith tries to invoke the right of annulment, a rite that would make all mages tranquil, losing their magic, emotions and dreams, he stands up to her, defending the mages and templars alike from her behavior. He sides with Hawke if they choose to side with the mages, and helps them escape. It is worth noting, in Origins, that he wanted all mages in the tower dead - so this is a huge character growth.
Arguably, it is why his struggle with lyrium addiction is the most jarring cutscene. Wracked in pain, he argues he should be ‘giving everything’ to the Inquisition, and that he cannot while abstaining from lyrium. Properly encouraged, he can be told that the resolve is the reason he is fit to lead the military arm of the Inquisition, and the reason Cassandra refuses to replace him.
He admits to his own faults and past transgressions, especially if the Inquisitor is a mage. He admits his torture lead him to judge mages unfairly, and that he would have perhaps even judged the Inquisitor as such a few years back, and it’s something he’s careful of doing later.
Cullen is also smart, and quite clever, making him the obvious choice to lead the military arm of the Inquisition. He’s shown besting Dorian (or Leilana!) in chess, but when playing cards, he literally loses the clothes off his back. When properly surrounded by friends, he freely tells tales of his time in the templars, and jokes around with everyone - Qunari, elf, dwarf and mage alike. The Commander is a serious man, but he isn’t presented as someone who cannot have fun.
That makes him an interesting foil to someone he seems to be close to, Cassandra. A Seeker of Truth, which was a kind of guard of the Templars, she is the only person whom he trusts to know that he is suffering lyrium withdrawal. It’s she whom refuses to replace Cullen when he asks, knowing that he is stronger than he thinks he is. Cullen is, in essence, a thoughtful man, gregarious enough to get along, though no fan of politics - Cassandra dislikes all of it, even perhaps best described as “socially awkward”, but they appear to be good friends regardless of it.
Personal questions surprise him a little, especially if they are of a sexual nature. Cullen hasn’t had much chance for romance (I will be playing him as a virgin, as I think he wouldn’t be the type to reach out to sex workers or mages. Maybe templars). Cullen tends to think of himself in terms of how he can be useful to the Inquisition, so an interest in his personal life is surprising. Sometimes it’s welcome, and sometimes it’s amusing (“Yes, but you were there” prompts a sigh from the Commander).
In essence: Cullen is a former Templar who, while not blind to the Orders errors, was fully supportive of it and judgmental of mages. Through his experiences in Kirkwall, he realizes the faults in the Order and himself, and works to make life better for both mages and templars. He chooses to join the Inquisition when Cassandra asks, because he sees a chance to make things better for both sides. He also chooses to “break the least” of the Chantry by refusing lyrium, setting an example of how things can be better for Templars and mages alike.
□ Age: Unknown, going with 34.
□ Gender: Male
□ Appearance: Cullen stands at about six feet tall, and while not the most muscular templar, he is well built. He has amber eyes, dark/dirty blonde hair kept short, light skin, and plenty of scars, the most notable of which bisects his upper lip in the left. He’s always seen in full armor + cloak/jacket with a rather odd furry collar.
□ Abilities/Powers: Cullen is a former Knight-Commander of the Templars, which grant him special anti-magic abilities and excellent battle skills, considering he is leader of the Inquisition’s military forces. However, these abilities, like magic, are fueled by Lyrium, which templars can become addicted to - and Cullen did reach that stage. He has formally quit using lyrium. Word of mouth in game says that this means he loses his abilities eventually - but another major character claims that lyrium only makes the abilities more effective, and all templars have them. Therefore, I will have Cullen retain his abilities, but they will be on a noticeably lesser scale - and obviously tied to leveling up, as they are still magical abilities.
He will only be able to use his abilities in a limited fashion, since they will essentially be using stamina instead of lyrium. The “cast amounts” also stack - if Cullen uses Wrath of Heaven, it’s likely he could only cast Cleanse or Silence once, at max power, before he’s essentially too tired to use anything again for a while.
Passive: Cullen is resistant to magical attacks, though not immune from possession or the like. When attacking magic users, he also does more damage to them.
Active:
Spell Purge: Removes all “hostile” magic in an area, like glyphs or status effects. At max level, the range will be limited to about one meter outside of Cullen’s self (the max it can be in games is 6m, but it’s a personal range in Origins.) He can only cast this once or twice.
Wrath of Heaven: Summon a pillar of light that stuns enemies. It may also inflict spirit damage if it is indeed Inquisition’s version of Holy Smite, but I will be taking that ability away (explained due to lack of lyrium). It has a 2 meter range of effect and a duration of 4 seconds on effective stun, and is effectively, even at full strength, something Cullen can only cast once.
Silence: Negative energy surrounds an enemy, keeping them from using abilities for a short time. In Ariel, this would effectively work like silence in Final Fantasy, and not for actual physical abilities - so only on magic users. The duration at max I’d like to go for would be about ten seconds. It’s not an ability that Cullen could use more than twice in succession, and would need some time between “successive” castings (a couple minutes at least).
Outside of his templar-specific abilities, Cullen is a sword-and-shield using, highly capable warrior. During the one quest where he is an ally, he moves at average speed, and uses all the abilities afforded to a warrior class (which is mainly offensive rushes). He is also considered a strong strategist.
□ Personal Items:
1. His sword, which is unnamed in game but unique to him.
2. His suit of armor + cloak/jacket thing.
3. A set of casual clothes, in dark brown cotton, though he is rarely seen in them.
□ Name: Tai
□ Contact:
□ Journal:
hellofoxtrots → IC
□ Name: Cullen Rutherford
□ Journal:
rutherfurred □ Series: Dragon Age: Inquisition
□ Canon point: After the siege of Adamant/his lyrium addiction cutscene.
□ History: Here.
Additionally, since Dragon Age is built on decisions, I am listing what kind of Dragon Age world Cullen experienced. I may not list every decision because it wouldn’t be one that Cullen knows about.
Dragon Age Origins: Elven female mage Warden, romanced Leilana, Alistair had old god baby with Morrigan so Warden survived killing Archdemon. All companions recruited/in good favor.
Saved Redcliffe, Connor broken of possession and his mother alive, Arl Eamon saved without defiling the Urn of Ashes.
Brokered peace between Dalish and Werewolves, curse broken.
Branka and Anvil destroyed, Bhelen crowned King.
Sided with Mages at the Circle tower, did not kill mages per Cullen’s request, Greagoir survived.
Warden killed Loghain in Denerim, Alistair made King with Anora.
Archdemon destroyed, never ran into Morrigan with the eluvian.
Awakening, both Keep and Amarinthine saved, Architect destroyed, Nathaniel alive.
Dragon Age 2: Female sassy/sarcastic mage Hawke, romanced Isabela, Bethany and Carver both dead, friends with Varric/kept all companions alive (including Anders).
Act 1: Joined mercenaries, sided with mages in general conversation, saved Saemus, sent Feynriel to Dalish, blackmailed Ser Thrask, Keran reinstated, Karras killed.
Act 2: Killed Gascard, didn’t side with Varnell or Petrice, fought alongside guardsman, freed Feynriel and sent to Tevinter, killed Arishok.
Act 3: Zevran alive and well, Nathaniel saved, handed conspirators to Orsino, reunited Charade and Gamlen, did not approve of Ander’s actions, sided with mages, allowed Emile to go free, let Keran go.
Legacy DLC: Sided with Larius.
Dragon Age Inquisition: Ellana Lavellan, Female dalish elf mage, romanced Iron Bull (and remained with Bull/locked in romance).
All companions recruited.
Chose to side with rebel mages, mages recruited at Redcliffe. Alexius left in service of Redcliffe mages.
Saved all residents of Haven when fighting Corypheus, all upgrades to Skyhold subsequently purchased.
Cassandra, Varric, Solas, Cole, Iron Bull’s personal quests completed as of Cullen’s canon point. Solas was allowed to kill mages, Cole made more human, Bull saved Chargers and sacrificed dreadnought. Cullen encouraged not to take Lyrium, and Leilana encouraged to spare her traitor agents.
Stroud was Hawke's Warden ally. At Adamant, Grey Wardens spared if not fighting, Stroud left behind in Fade, Grey Wardens made allies of Inquisition.
□ Personality:
Cullen is a man sharply shaped by the man he used to be. When we’re first introduced to Cullen, he’s friendly, if somewhat shy. He has a crush on the female mage who becomes the Grey Warden, but, morally, will not flirt back with her if flirted with (he even runs away, and reinforces that he would not have taken her up on the offer later in Inquisition).
Like all Templars, he believes magic was made to serve man. At the first point we meet him, he knows there are Templars that are not good, just like there are mages that are not good, but he is naive enough to not see most of it.
His personality changes after his torture by blood mages at the Circle of Magi. He wants to kill all the mages in the Circle in case they are possessed (a move that is not exactly wrong in the context of the world, but horrid all the same) and was rumored to have gone crazy in Origins ending.
Instead, he heads to Kirkwall, where, while at first distrusting of many mages, conversations he engages in with Hawke reveal that he believes the Order is causing much of the problems with the mages - by abusing and hurting them, the mages are reacting. He is suspicious of Meredith, the Knight-Commander that is corrupted by red lyrium, but he does not react to her extreme prejudices until it is very late.
The brief history lesson is given, because this is what shapes Cullen when we meet him in Inquisition. He is dedicated to the Templar order- even after he leaves it, he believes it is necessary. But he believes that any new Order and Circles would need protection for both Templars and mages alike, and especially for mages. While mages, in his opinion, are still dangerous as apostates (mages living freely out of the circle), he understands why there are many apostates, when the Templars have become so corrupt.
He believes in doing what is right - although he is arguably the most pragmatic out of any of the advisers, and knows sometimes people must die in order for the movement to survive. He knows the rebel mages are in extremes, which is why he supports the templars when asked whom the Inquisition should ask for help. None the less, he does not express resentment if they are recruited instead - he instead offers to help train the mages and what templars the Inquisition has to work together, and expresses hope when he notices many are getting along.
Cullen has a lot of hope, in this sense. He is hopeful the Templars can break their lyrium leash and reform, he is hopeful that they can work together to defeat Corypheus. This is something that he retains from ten years ago - though no longer naive, he still has hope. Even when things seem hopeless, such as the attack on Haven - Cullen does not lay down and give up. He argues for continuing to fight, to at least go out fighting. It’s a strong resolve that drives Cullen.
Cullen is even willing to stand up against what he views as transgressions - when Meredith tries to invoke the right of annulment, a rite that would make all mages tranquil, losing their magic, emotions and dreams, he stands up to her, defending the mages and templars alike from her behavior. He sides with Hawke if they choose to side with the mages, and helps them escape. It is worth noting, in Origins, that he wanted all mages in the tower dead - so this is a huge character growth.
Arguably, it is why his struggle with lyrium addiction is the most jarring cutscene. Wracked in pain, he argues he should be ‘giving everything’ to the Inquisition, and that he cannot while abstaining from lyrium. Properly encouraged, he can be told that the resolve is the reason he is fit to lead the military arm of the Inquisition, and the reason Cassandra refuses to replace him.
He admits to his own faults and past transgressions, especially if the Inquisitor is a mage. He admits his torture lead him to judge mages unfairly, and that he would have perhaps even judged the Inquisitor as such a few years back, and it’s something he’s careful of doing later.
Cullen is also smart, and quite clever, making him the obvious choice to lead the military arm of the Inquisition. He’s shown besting Dorian (or Leilana!) in chess, but when playing cards, he literally loses the clothes off his back. When properly surrounded by friends, he freely tells tales of his time in the templars, and jokes around with everyone - Qunari, elf, dwarf and mage alike. The Commander is a serious man, but he isn’t presented as someone who cannot have fun.
That makes him an interesting foil to someone he seems to be close to, Cassandra. A Seeker of Truth, which was a kind of guard of the Templars, she is the only person whom he trusts to know that he is suffering lyrium withdrawal. It’s she whom refuses to replace Cullen when he asks, knowing that he is stronger than he thinks he is. Cullen is, in essence, a thoughtful man, gregarious enough to get along, though no fan of politics - Cassandra dislikes all of it, even perhaps best described as “socially awkward”, but they appear to be good friends regardless of it.
Personal questions surprise him a little, especially if they are of a sexual nature. Cullen hasn’t had much chance for romance (I will be playing him as a virgin, as I think he wouldn’t be the type to reach out to sex workers or mages. Maybe templars). Cullen tends to think of himself in terms of how he can be useful to the Inquisition, so an interest in his personal life is surprising. Sometimes it’s welcome, and sometimes it’s amusing (“Yes, but you were there” prompts a sigh from the Commander).
In essence: Cullen is a former Templar who, while not blind to the Orders errors, was fully supportive of it and judgmental of mages. Through his experiences in Kirkwall, he realizes the faults in the Order and himself, and works to make life better for both mages and templars. He chooses to join the Inquisition when Cassandra asks, because he sees a chance to make things better for both sides. He also chooses to “break the least” of the Chantry by refusing lyrium, setting an example of how things can be better for Templars and mages alike.
□ Age: Unknown, going with 34.
□ Gender: Male
□ Appearance: Cullen stands at about six feet tall, and while not the most muscular templar, he is well built. He has amber eyes, dark/dirty blonde hair kept short, light skin, and plenty of scars, the most notable of which bisects his upper lip in the left. He’s always seen in full armor + cloak/jacket with a rather odd furry collar.
□ Abilities/Powers: Cullen is a former Knight-Commander of the Templars, which grant him special anti-magic abilities and excellent battle skills, considering he is leader of the Inquisition’s military forces. However, these abilities, like magic, are fueled by Lyrium, which templars can become addicted to - and Cullen did reach that stage. He has formally quit using lyrium. Word of mouth in game says that this means he loses his abilities eventually - but another major character claims that lyrium only makes the abilities more effective, and all templars have them. Therefore, I will have Cullen retain his abilities, but they will be on a noticeably lesser scale - and obviously tied to leveling up, as they are still magical abilities.
He will only be able to use his abilities in a limited fashion, since they will essentially be using stamina instead of lyrium. The “cast amounts” also stack - if Cullen uses Wrath of Heaven, it’s likely he could only cast Cleanse or Silence once, at max power, before he’s essentially too tired to use anything again for a while.
Passive: Cullen is resistant to magical attacks, though not immune from possession or the like. When attacking magic users, he also does more damage to them.
Active:
Spell Purge: Removes all “hostile” magic in an area, like glyphs or status effects. At max level, the range will be limited to about one meter outside of Cullen’s self (the max it can be in games is 6m, but it’s a personal range in Origins.) He can only cast this once or twice.
Wrath of Heaven: Summon a pillar of light that stuns enemies. It may also inflict spirit damage if it is indeed Inquisition’s version of Holy Smite, but I will be taking that ability away (explained due to lack of lyrium). It has a 2 meter range of effect and a duration of 4 seconds on effective stun, and is effectively, even at full strength, something Cullen can only cast once.
Silence: Negative energy surrounds an enemy, keeping them from using abilities for a short time. In Ariel, this would effectively work like silence in Final Fantasy, and not for actual physical abilities - so only on magic users. The duration at max I’d like to go for would be about ten seconds. It’s not an ability that Cullen could use more than twice in succession, and would need some time between “successive” castings (a couple minutes at least).
Outside of his templar-specific abilities, Cullen is a sword-and-shield using, highly capable warrior. During the one quest where he is an ally, he moves at average speed, and uses all the abilities afforded to a warrior class (which is mainly offensive rushes). He is also considered a strong strategist.
□ Personal Items:
1. His sword, which is unnamed in game but unique to him.
2. His suit of armor + cloak/jacket thing.
3. A set of casual clothes, in dark brown cotton, though he is rarely seen in them.