Age: Described by herself and others as "young", but clearly grown beyond her early teenage years.
From: At some point after the 'Witch Hunt' expansion.
Inmate/warden: Warden. While Morrigan represents self-interest and uses deception for her own ends, having little or no issue with inflicting death or physical punishment, she isn't necessarily 'evil' (even if she does like to cultivate a reputation for it). Where Morrigan disapproves of altruistic charity and regards love and compassion as a weakness, she still demonstrates a capacity for developing genuine friendship and has battled against darkness - albeit, with very much of a 'fight fire with fire' mentality. She can also experience love, but it confuses her and prefers to mask suspicions of it with comfortable ideals about passion, instead.
Item: Grimoire.
Abilities: While not physically imposing, Morrigan is a capable fighter and certainly not above subtle threats of violence when it suits her. She seems versed in the weapons expected for a world where the sword, mace and catapult are the height of personal combat technology. Nevertheless, her style of physical combat comes more from dexterity, possessing only the strength expected of a woman conforming to her age and build. Morrigan's true preference and speciality is that of magic.
Morrigan's greatest asset is in being an extremely proficient mage, with the somewhat dramatic talent of being able to shift into the forms of different animals (including that of a huge, man-eating spider). The metaphysics of precisely how this is possible have not yet been explained, but has been described as basically learning how to 'copy' an animal's soul. Essentially, to think like one until becoming so. The transformation process causes no discomfort and Morrigan has related frequently doing so in her youth, using the ability to observe ordinary human society from afar. Morrigan has also shown or alluded to being able to take on the form of canines and birds, with a many more probably in her abilities.
However, she is unable to take on the form of, say, rock creatures and, so far, has not been shown able of becoming a dragon (although, this is not out of the realm of possibility, since her mother could).
A varied array of offensive and defensive magical spells are at Morrigan's call, such as the ability to drain a portion of a target's life, freezing a target solid, temporary stunning and more. The majority, however, such as projecting horror, disorientation, hexing and so forth, depend upon a target's will-power to resist them; if high enough, there is a definite chance of failure.
It should be remembered, however, that employing magic uses up reserves of what could be described as 'mana'. This is slowly regenerated and can be enhanced by wearing certain items or ingesting a potion of a processed substance known as lyrium, but intensive use will mean having to wait for a 'recharge', as it were. This isn't to say it physically exhausts her, just that it takes time. Especially for the more spectacular and powerful spells - and any of those could well be interrupted.
If equipped with certain types of staff, Morrigan can also project bolts of energy through it at a target. These aren't enough to kill (successive use of other spells can do that), but will cause some damage.
Morrigan is also a capable herbalist, allowing her to combine certain ingredients to form healing potions and the like. She also claims to know of "fifteen different poisons" which grew locally to her home. Even so, both of these skills may encounter difficulty outside of her world, as they hinge on knowledge of its native flora and fauna native.
Nonetheless, Morrigan is an excellent survivalist after growing up in a desolate wilderness and is quite prepared to undertake measures such as hunting.
For visual reference of Morrigan's typical abilities and physical prowess, the following is best viewed:
Personality: A so-called 'Witch Of The Wilds', Morrigan's upbringing in the Korcari Wilds proved to be a unique one. A certain measure of resentment building up, over the years, for how the being she believed to be her mother, Flemeth, had treated and disciplined her. As a girl, Morrigan quickly learnt the value of deception and how easily men could be distracted and swayed by the right seductive theatrics. Indeed, she seemed to have gained an innately cynical view of how mankind thinks and functions, deciding that survival of the fittest was the most natural of states to exist in. That passions should remain untamed and pursued where possible, but not at the expense of one's own personal dignity.
As she puts it, Morrigan found "a world of people, buildings and things" a very alien concept. If she wished for companionship, she "ran with the wolves and flew with the birds," indicating the ability to change form was already something she practised with ease, even at that early age. More tellingly, she also refers to how, if she would speak, it would be to the trees. But curiosity got the better of her and she remarked upon these things as "simple pleasures", suggesting her world view was starting to hunger for more.
Morrigan first stealthily crept beyond the Wilds in animal form, until coming upon a female noble by a carriage, fitted out in all manner of luxuries. It "dazzled" her and Morrigan decided that this was what "true wealth and beauty must be". Stealing a beautiful, golden mirror from the carriage, Morrigan hugged it to her chest with delight and took it home. Flemeth, however, was furious at the girl for risking discovery at such an early age, teaching Morrigan a lesson by smashing it on the ground. Doing so broke Morrigan's heart, but this seems to be one of the most important events in her life, for she says that without this, she would "not be here today", regarding beauty and love as fleeting and without meaning. By contrast, Morrigan speaks of survival and power being what truly have meaning in life. She believes that such lessons were difficult, but necessary, giving her the necessary resolve she now has.
Even so, she does admit to sometimes wondering what might have become of herself, had she been allowed to keep the mirror...
Before meeting the Grey Warden, depending upon interaction, Morrigan says that she had never known of friendship. Receiving a similar golden mirror is a sentiment which Morrigan regards as touching and confuses her, for she knows not how to react. Her first impulse is even to try and find some way of directly repaying the gesture, not quite able to comprehend how to respond when given a gift for giving's sake, for it hasn't been something she previously experienced.
Above all, Morrigan seeks power and the freedom to wield it, viewing the satisfaction of personal desires as a healthy thing. She is a fearsomely independent woman and other females who give a similar impression are viewed with respect. For someone who lives in a world of swords and castles, she can be sensitive to labelling her according to stereotyped gender expectations, but is by no means above using seductive wiles to taunt and tease others.
It is this latter trait which demonstrates Morrigan's humour as a dark one. If travelling with others (clearly a novelty for her), anyone who seems an easy target or especially self-righteous will be guaranteed to be prodded at with barbed quips. Even making fun of her own reputation to drive home a point she wishes to make. There are rare moments where her own emotional vulnerability are shown, especially when the issue of her mother comes up, but Morrigan prefers to hide them behind some sort of acidic commentary. She also comes across as remarkably intelligent for someone who grew up in the situation she did, enjoying the opportunity to verbally disarm someone with an unexpectedly poignant comment - usually involving bringing up a known weakness of the other person. Her manner of language also indicates she is an avid reader, along with a heavy use of words such as 'tis and 'twould, which differ from Flemeth's own way of speaking, suggesting a highly literate mentality. She also hints that academic matters are well within her intellectual grasp.
Surviving out in the Wilds has also given Morrigan a healthy degree of scepticism as to organised religion. Templars hunting for 'apostates' (unregulated practitioners of magic) have, undoubtedly, given her plenty of cause for this and combines with Morrigan's intense dislike of anything which threatens her independence. At several points, she can be heard to engage in highly philosophical and theological banter with Leliana, where it is revealed that, while a user of magic and able to see spirits, Morrigan holds the apparently contradictory position of apparently being an atheist. She reconciles these two things by pointing out that magic is something she can see and control, while mythical legends of a higher being cannot be verified. Something which might well have something to do with the legends associated with herself, which she laughs at others for believing in. Superstition, to Morrigan, is something which only the gullible and misled could blindly put faith in.
Morrigan's philosophical world view is one of self-reliance. She feels that, as nature dictates that the strong survive, should they have the will, that overcoming the tests and trials of life is a necessary thing for all living beings. That if one can attain power, then they should be allowed to wield it as they wish. That if they can't control it, then more fool them for being idiotic and unleashing something which would almost certainly devour them without the necessary countermeasures. However, she also believes that subjugation should be fought against and can't understand why the lower classes don't simply rise up in society to overwhelm those above them.
If someone were to show her pity, Morrigan would look upon it with disdain and call it unwelcome. If invited to a tavern, Morrigan would refuse to take part 'in such foolishness', remembering that there is no fool quite like a drunken fool. For all her contempt of mankind and human nature, however, Morrigan is, nonetheless, intrigued by it. Not quite understanding why, but compelled to investigate, all the same. Even so, legends of possibly having sisters (or half-sisters) provoke a decisive unwillingness to learn whether they are true. Should any exist, Morrigan has no conscious desire to meet them.
That central trait of independence resurfaces several times over her recent journeys, with the matter of even potential future marriage being greeted with an utter lack of interest. Morrigan, instead, speaks of how it isn't necessary for children (using herself as an example) and regards marriage as an amusing mix of someone getting what they desire and yet suffering for it. To tie herself with another in "bonds of servitude" is seen by her as serving no purpose and, thus, seen as irrelevant. Sex requires no official ceremonial for her and this harkens back to Morrigan's view of "hardship and danger" being better than slavery; that to choose freedom over subjugation is always the correct choice, no matter how difficult the consequences would be. Her upbringing might have been lonely, but she speaks of joining with the forest and becoming one with its creatures as being liberating.
Perhaps this is partly why she views love is a weakness, openly declaring how it causes people to become enslaved by emotions, rather than practical solutions for their own survival. "What I know is passion," she says. "The respect of equals." Even when given the proposal of being treated with adoration, Morrigan answers that such things would be annoying and that she has "no wish to be placed upon a pedestal." For her, being told she is beautiful will tell her nothing she is not already aware of and unwanted flattery would be things to guard against, if not simply toyed with.
Strangely, Morrigan does seem to have a thing for cleanliness. Even after being enchanted, she drowsily makes a comment about not wanting to fall asleep on a blood-soaked floor, while the party's war hound giving her attention leads to Morrigan getting frustrated with it, saying that there's a difference between having once run with wolves and wishing for the company of a domesticated canine. A dwarven warrior amongst the travellers also keeps getting suggestive with her, whose hygiene and habits are comically outrageous and dirty, leading Morrigan to keep warning him to leave her be.
It should be remembered, however, that Morrigan best symbolises the world and its internal conflicts.
Morrigan has actually served aboard ship before, during which she gained a reputation for stubbornness and even enacting revenge. Aside from unfamiliar technologies, however, there was nothing which particularly affected her personality or way of going about things. If anything, with so many other members of the crew taking exception to her limited act of vengeance, the mage only had her dislike of social mingling strengthened.
Aside from that, she did make one acquaintance in the form of Morgana, from Camelot and found herself acting as a sort of confidant, from time to time.
And so, dear reader, we embark on a further adventure of blood-curdling tales, poisonous grubs and barbarian hordes readying themselves for plunder...
I write, needless to say, of that most curious of habits known as 'lunch'.
'Tis true, travelling with a lascivious dwarf seemed to ready me for your suppertime efforts. He neither groomed nor washed, insisting upon activities with nugskin rugs best left undescribed... Yet, here, dare I say it, he would find himself in great demand amidst the competition.
I trust there is a prize on offer, yes? For those who fancy themselves the speediest or who can create the largest mess? No...? A pity, then, for there seems to be much expended in these pursuits.
Meanwhile, the library would seem to be adequately stocked with enough history and tales to entertain an entire guild of bards and I applaud many of you for having the decency to remain far away, for fear of compulsion to learn. 'Twould be fearful, indeed, were you to desist with complaints of boredom and strain yourselves by reading. No doubt, our physicians are grateful for the lack of strained eyes and exhausted minds, to say nothing of the tiredness it would provoke.
No, she would not respond to these fool-minded gestures of flowers and other wholesale slaughter of vegetation. Was the work of bards and simpletons - and is easy enough to confuse the two. If, indeed, they not be same... Morrigan, for one, would counsel in favour of a re-examining that, should her opinion ever be asked.
But no, she would not blush like some peasant girl in the presence of muscle in shining armour! She would not show favour to poetry! And she would not be wearing that infernal gift of dress!
Velvet, indeed... Morrigan could just picture a certain red-haired former travelling companion taking joy in holding it to the light, speaking of this and that, how it emphasised one's bosom and all but make love to the troublesome garment before she was done.
Instead, the tokens of affection were gathered up and placed into box. One's first instinct being to set them publicly on fire, but instead being followed through with a more devious train of thought. One involving leaving them at the door of another, complete with bundled poems. Let dawdle-minded fools argue amongst themselves over who wooed who. Perhaps that would teach the offender not to compare her to flowers without taking account of thorns.
Departure: Some mysterious point after the second game... I know she didn't show up during it, but would have knowledge of certain things which went on.
Age: Described by herself and others as "young", but clearly having grown beyond her early teenage years. An educated guess would place Morrigan somewhere in her twenties, but it's difficult to specify, since there's no way to know how time functioned in the realm she stepped through a strange magical portal to access.
Abilities: While not physically imposing, Morrigan is a capable fighter and certainly not above making threats of violence, subtle or otherwise, when they suit her (whether for amusement or survival). She seems versed in the weapons expected for a world where the sword, mace and catapult are the height of military technology. Nevertheless, her style of physical combat comes more from dexterity, possessing only the strength expected of a woman conforming to her age and build. Morrigan's true preference and speciality is that of magic.
Morrigan's extreme proficiency at wielding such power is impressive, with the somewhat dramatic talent of being able to shift into the forms of different animals - including that of a huge, man-eating spider. The metaphysics of precisely how this is possible have not yet been explained, but has been described as basically learning how to 'copy' an animal's soul. Essentially, to think like one until becoming so. The transformation process is quick and causes no discomfort; Morrigan having related how she frequently did so in her youth, using the ability to observe ordinary human society from afar. Morrigan has also shown or alluded to being able to take on the form of canines and birds, with a many more probably in her abilities.
However, she is unable to take on the form of, say, rock creatures and, so far, has not been shown able of becoming a dragon (although, this is not out of the realm of possibility, since her mother could). Taking on the appearance of another human being, according to her, is not something which she can do.
A varied array of offensive and defensive magical spells are at Morrigan's call, such as the ability to drain a portion of a target's life, freezing a target solid, temporary stunning and more. The majority, however, such as projecting horror, disorientation, hexing and so forth, depend upon a target's will-power to resist them; if high enough, there is a definite chance of failure.
It should be remembered, however, that employing magic uses up reserves of what could be described as 'mana'. This is slowly regenerated and can be enhanced by wearing certain items or ingesting a potion of a processed substance known as lyrium, but intensive use will mean having to wait for a 'recharge', as it were. This isn't to say it physically exhausts her, just that the availability of magical abilities depends upon how much mana she has. Especially for the more spectacular and powerful spells - and any of those could well be interrupted.
If equipped with certain types of staff, Morrigan can also project bolts of energy through it at a target. These aren't typically enough to kill in a single 'shot', but will cause some damage.
Morrigan is also a capable herbalist, allowing her to combine certain ingredients to form healing potions and the like. She also claims to know of "fifteen different poisons" which grew locally to her home. Even so, both of these skills may encounter difficulty outside of her world, as they hinge on knowledge of its native flora and fauna native.
Nonetheless, Morrigan is an excellent survivalist after growing up in a desolate wilderness and is quite prepared to undertake measures such as hunting.
For visual reference of Morrigan's combat abilities and physical prowess, the following is best viewed (although, keep in mind, that it's more of an overview, not a comprehensive examination of the full scale of what she can do):
Personality: A so-called 'Witch Of The Wilds', Morrigan's upbringing in the Korcari Wilds proved to be a unique one. A certain measure of resentment building up, over the years, for how the being she believed to be her mother, Flemeth, had treated and disciplined her. As a girl, Morrigan quickly learnt the value of deception and how easily men could be distracted and swayed by the right seductive theatrics. Indeed, she seemed to have gained an innately cynical view of how mankind thinks and functions, deciding that survival of the fittest was the most natural of states to exist in. That passions should remain untamed and are pursued where possible, but not at the expense of one's own personal dignity.
As she puts it, Morrigan found "a world of people, buildings and things" a very alien concept. If she wished for companionship, she "ran with the wolves and flew with the birds," indicating the ability to change form was already something she practised with ease, even at that early age. More tellingly, she also refers to how, if she would speak, it would be to the trees. But curiosity got the better of her and she remarked upon these things as "simple pleasures", suggesting her world view was starting to hunger for more.
Morrigan first stealthily crept beyond the Korcari Wilds in animal form, until coming upon a female noble by a carriage, who was fitted out in all manner of luxuries. It "dazzled" her and Morrigan decided that this was what "true wealth and beauty must be". Stealing a beautiful, golden mirror from the carriage, Morrigan hugged it to her chest with delight and took it home. Flemeth, however, was furious at the girl for risking discovery at such an early age and taught Morrigan a lesson by smashing it on the ground. Doing so broke Morrigan's heart, but this seems to be one of the most important events in her life, for she says that without this, she would "not be here, today", regarding beauty and love as fleeting and without meaning. By contrast, Morrigan speaks of survival and power being what truly have meaning in life. She believes that such lessons were difficult, but necessary, giving her the necessary resolve she now has.
Even so, she does admit to sometimes wondering what might have become of herself, had she been allowed to keep that mirror...
Before meeting the Grey Warden, depending upon interaction, Morrigan says that she had never known of friendship. Receiving a similar golden mirror is a sentiment which Morrigan regards as touching and confuses her, for she knows not how to react. Her first impulse is even to try and find some way of directly repaying the gesture, not quite comprehending how to respond when given a gift for giving's sake, for it hasn't been something she previously experienced.
Above all, Morrigan seeks power and the freedom to wield it, viewing the satisfaction of personal desires as a healthy thing. She is a fearsomely independent woman and other females who give a similar impression are usually viewed with respect. For someone who lives in a world of swords and castles, she can be sensitive to labelling her according to stereotyped gender expectations, but is by no means above using seductive wiles to taunt and tease others.
It is this latter trait which demonstrates Morrigan's humour to be a dark one. If travelling with others (clearly a novelty for her), anyone who seems an easy target or especially self-righteous is guaranteed to be verbally prodded at with barbed quips. Even making fun of her own reputation to drive home a point she wishes to make. There are rare moments where her own emotional vulnerability are shown, especially when the issue of her mother comes up, but Morrigan prefers to hide them behind some sort of acidic commentary. She also comes across as remarkably intelligent for someone who grew up in the situation she did, enjoying the opportunity to verbally disarm someone with an unexpectedly poignant comment - often bringing up a known weakness of her opponent. Her manner of language also indicates she is an avid reader, along with a heavy use of words such as 'tis and 'twould, which differ from Flemeth's own way of speaking, suggesting a highly literate mentality. She also hints that academic matters are well within her intellectual grasp.
Surviving out in the Wilds has also given Morrigan a healthy degree of scepticism as to organised religion. Templars hunting for 'apostates' (unregulated practitioners of magic) have, undoubtedly, given her plenty of cause for this and combines with Morrigan's intense dislike of anything which threatens her independence. At several points, she can be heard to engage in highly philosophical and theological banter with the religious-minded bard, Leliana, where it is revealed that, while a user of magic and able to see spirits, Morrigan holds the apparently contradictory position of apparently being an atheist (at least, in regards to the Chantry's view of the afterlife). She reconciles these two things by pointing out that magic is something she can see and control, while mythical legends of a higher being cannot be verified. Something which might well have something to do with the legends associated with herself, which she laughs at others for believing in. Superstition, to Morrigan, is something which only the gullible and misled could blindly put faith in.
Morrigan's philosophical world view is one of self-reliance. She feels that, as nature dictates that the strong survive, that overcoming the tests and trials of life is a necessary thing for all living beings. That if one can attain power, then they should be allowed to wield it as they wish. That if they can't control it, then more fool them for being idiotic and unleashing something which would almost certainly devour them without the necessary countermeasures. However, she also believes that subjugation should be fought against and can't understand why the lower classes don't simply rise up in society to overwhelm those above them.
If someone were to show her pity, Morrigan would look upon it with disdain and call it unwelcome. If invited to a tavern, Morrigan would refuse to take part 'in such foolishness', remembering that there is no fool quite like a drunken fool. For all her contempt of mankind and human nature, however, Morrigan is, nonetheless, intrigued by it. Not quite understanding why, but compelled to investigate, all the same. Even so, legends of possibly having sisters (or half-sisters) provoke a decisive unwillingness to learn whether they are true. Should any exist, Morrigan has no conscious desire to meet them.
That central trait of independence resurfaces several times over her recent journeys, with the matter of even potential future marriage being greeted with an utter lack of interest. Morrigan, instead, speaks of how it isn't necessary for children (using herself as an example) and regards marriage as an amusing mix of someone getting what they desire and yet suffering for it. To tie herself with another in "bonds of servitude" is seen by her as serving no purpose and, thus, irrelevant. Sex requires no official ceremony for her and this harkens back to Morrigan's view of "hardship and danger" being better than slavery; that to choose freedom over subjugation is always the correct choice, no matter how difficult the consequences would be. Her upbringing might have been lonely, but she speaks of joining with the forest and becoming one with its creatures as being liberating.
Perhaps this is partly why she views love is a weakness, openly declaring how it causes people to become enslaved by emotions, rather than practical solutions for their own survival. "What I know is passion," she says. "The respect of equals." Even when given the proposal of being treated with adoration, Morrigan answers that such things would be annoying and that she has "no wish to be placed upon a pedestal." For her, being told she is beautiful will tell her nothing she is not already aware of and unwanted flattery would be things to guard against, if not simply toyed with.
Strangely, Morrigan does seem to have a thing for cleanliness. Even after being enchanted, she drowsily makes a comment about not wanting to fall asleep on a blood-soaked floor, while the party's war hound giving her attention leads to Morrigan getting frustrated with it, saying that there's a difference between having once run with wolves and wishing for the company of a domesticated canine. A dwarven warrior amongst the travellers also keeps getting suggestive with her, whose hygiene and habits are comically outrageous, leading Morrigan to keep angrily warning him to leave her be.
It should be remembered, however, that Morrigan best symbolises the world and its internal conflicts.
Skills: Primarily a mage, but fully capable of using most weapons expected of a sword and sorcery setting, such as swords and shields, if need be (or using an animal form).
And so, dear reader, we embark on a further adventure of blood-curdling tales, poisonous grubs and barbarian hordes readying themselves for plunder...
I write, needless to say, of that most curious habit known as 'lunch'.
'Tis true, travelling with a lascivious dwarf seemed to ready me for your suppertime efforts. He neither groomed nor washed, insisting upon activities with nugskin rugs best left undescribed... Yet, here, dare I say it, he would find himself in great demand amidst the competition.
I trust there is a prize on offer, yes? For those who fancy themselves the speediest or who can create the largest mess? No...? A pity, then, for there seems to be much energy squandered in these pursuits.
Meanwhile, the library would seem to be adequately stocked with enough history and tales to entertain an entire guild of bards and I applaud many of you for having the decency to remain far away, for fear of compulsion to learn. 'Twould be fearful, indeed, were you to desist with complaints of boredom and strain yourselves by reading. No doubt, our physicians are grateful for the lack of strained eyes and exhausted minds, to say nothing of the tiredness it would provoke.
Example - third-person:
No.
No, she would not respond to these addle-minded gestures of flowers and other wholesale slaughter of vegetation. Was the work of bards and fools - and easy enough to confuse the two. If, indeed, they not be same... Morrigan, for one, would counsel in favour of a re-examining that assumption, should her opinion on the matter ever be asked.
But no, she would not blush like some peasant girl in the presence of muscle in shining armour! She would not show favour to poetry! And she would not be wearing that infernal gift of dress!
Velvet, indeed... Morrigan could just picture a certain red-haired former travelling companion taking joy in holding it to the light, speaking of this and that, how it emphasised one's bosom - and all but make love to the troublesome garment before she was done.
Instead, the tokens of affection were gathered up and placed into box. Her first instinct having been to set them publicly on fire, but opting to follow through with a more devious train of thought. One which involved leaving them at the door of another, complete with the bundled poems. Let dawdling idiots argue amongst themselves over who wooed who... Perhaps that would teach the offender not to compare her to flowers without taking account of thorns.
Notes: If pressed for details, Morrigan shall keep those of her own personal journey with the Warden ambiguous, due to the many paths it can take. However, I can have her refer to my own default experience, if necessary.
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timeasmymeasure
Last Voyages
Date: 2012-07-13 06:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-13 06:08 pm (UTC)Series: 'Dragon Age'.
Age: Described by herself and others as "young", but clearly grown beyond her early teenage years.
From: At some point after the 'Witch Hunt' expansion.
Inmate/warden: Warden. While Morrigan represents self-interest and uses deception for her own ends, having little or no issue with inflicting death or physical punishment, she isn't necessarily 'evil' (even if she does like to cultivate a reputation for it). Where Morrigan disapproves of altruistic charity and regards love and compassion as a weakness, she still demonstrates a capacity for developing genuine friendship and has battled against darkness - albeit, with very much of a 'fight fire with fire' mentality. She can also experience love, but it confuses her and prefers to mask suspicions of it with comfortable ideals about passion, instead.
Item: Grimoire.
Abilities: While not physically imposing, Morrigan is a capable fighter and certainly not above subtle threats of violence when it suits her. She seems versed in the weapons expected for a world where the sword, mace and catapult are the height of personal combat technology. Nevertheless, her style of physical combat comes more from dexterity, possessing only the strength expected of a woman conforming to her age and build. Morrigan's true preference and speciality is that of magic.
Morrigan's greatest asset is in being an extremely proficient mage, with the somewhat dramatic talent of being able to shift into the forms of different animals (including that of a huge, man-eating spider). The metaphysics of precisely how this is possible have not yet been explained, but has been described as basically learning how to 'copy' an animal's soul. Essentially, to think like one until becoming so. The transformation process causes no discomfort and Morrigan has related frequently doing so in her youth, using the ability to observe ordinary human society from afar. Morrigan has also shown or alluded to being able to take on the form of canines and birds, with a many more probably in her abilities.
However, she is unable to take on the form of, say, rock creatures and, so far, has not been shown able of becoming a dragon (although, this is not out of the realm of possibility, since her mother could).
A varied array of offensive and defensive magical spells are at Morrigan's call, such as the ability to drain a portion of a target's life, freezing a target solid, temporary stunning and more. The majority, however, such as projecting horror, disorientation, hexing and so forth, depend upon a target's will-power to resist them; if high enough, there is a definite chance of failure.
It should be remembered, however, that employing magic uses up reserves of what could be described as 'mana'. This is slowly regenerated and can be enhanced by wearing certain items or ingesting a potion of a processed substance known as lyrium, but intensive use will mean having to wait for a 'recharge', as it were. This isn't to say it physically exhausts her, just that it takes time. Especially for the more spectacular and powerful spells - and any of those could well be interrupted.
If equipped with certain types of staff, Morrigan can also project bolts of energy through it at a target. These aren't enough to kill (successive use of other spells can do that), but will cause some damage.
Morrigan is also a capable herbalist, allowing her to combine certain ingredients to form healing potions and the like. She also claims to know of "fifteen different poisons" which grew locally to her home. Even so, both of these skills may encounter difficulty outside of her world, as they hinge on knowledge of its native flora and fauna native.
Nonetheless, Morrigan is an excellent survivalist after growing up in a desolate wilderness and is quite prepared to undertake measures such as hunting.
For visual reference of Morrigan's typical abilities and physical prowess, the following is best viewed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5St9phiHHE
Personality: A so-called 'Witch Of The Wilds', Morrigan's upbringing in the Korcari Wilds proved to be a unique one. A certain measure of resentment building up, over the years, for how the being she believed to be her mother, Flemeth, had treated and disciplined her. As a girl, Morrigan quickly learnt the value of deception and how easily men could be distracted and swayed by the right seductive theatrics. Indeed, she seemed to have gained an innately cynical view of how mankind thinks and functions, deciding that survival of the fittest was the most natural of states to exist in. That passions should remain untamed and pursued where possible, but not at the expense of one's own personal dignity.
As she puts it, Morrigan found "a world of people, buildings and things" a very alien concept. If she wished for companionship, she "ran with the wolves and flew with the birds," indicating the ability to change form was already something she practised with ease, even at that early age. More tellingly, she also refers to how, if she would speak, it would be to the trees. But curiosity got the better of her and she remarked upon these things as "simple pleasures", suggesting her world view was starting to hunger for more.
Morrigan first stealthily crept beyond the Wilds in animal form, until coming upon a female noble by a carriage, fitted out in all manner of luxuries. It "dazzled" her and Morrigan decided that this was what "true wealth and beauty must be". Stealing a beautiful, golden mirror from the carriage, Morrigan hugged it to her chest with delight and took it home. Flemeth, however, was furious at the girl for risking discovery at such an early age, teaching Morrigan a lesson by smashing it on the ground. Doing so broke Morrigan's heart, but this seems to be one of the most important events in her life, for she says that without this, she would "not be here today", regarding beauty and love as fleeting and without meaning. By contrast, Morrigan speaks of survival and power being what truly have meaning in life. She believes that such lessons were difficult, but necessary, giving her the necessary resolve she now has.
Even so, she does admit to sometimes wondering what might have become of herself, had she been allowed to keep the mirror...
Before meeting the Grey Warden, depending upon interaction, Morrigan says that she had never known of friendship. Receiving a similar golden mirror is a sentiment which Morrigan regards as touching and confuses her, for she knows not how to react. Her first impulse is even to try and find some way of directly repaying the gesture, not quite able to comprehend how to respond when given a gift for giving's sake, for it hasn't been something she previously experienced.
Above all, Morrigan seeks power and the freedom to wield it, viewing the satisfaction of personal desires as a healthy thing. She is a fearsomely independent woman and other females who give a similar impression are viewed with respect. For someone who lives in a world of swords and castles, she can be sensitive to labelling her according to stereotyped gender expectations, but is by no means above using seductive wiles to taunt and tease others.
It is this latter trait which demonstrates Morrigan's humour as a dark one. If travelling with others (clearly a novelty for her), anyone who seems an easy target or especially self-righteous will be guaranteed to be prodded at with barbed quips. Even making fun of her own reputation to drive home a point she wishes to make. There are rare moments where her own emotional vulnerability are shown, especially when the issue of her mother comes up, but Morrigan prefers to hide them behind some sort of acidic commentary. She also comes across as remarkably intelligent for someone who grew up in the situation she did, enjoying the opportunity to verbally disarm someone with an unexpectedly poignant comment - usually involving bringing up a known weakness of the other person. Her manner of language also indicates she is an avid reader, along with a heavy use of words such as 'tis and 'twould, which differ from Flemeth's own way of speaking, suggesting a highly literate mentality. She also hints that academic matters are well within her intellectual grasp.
Surviving out in the Wilds has also given Morrigan a healthy degree of scepticism as to organised religion. Templars hunting for 'apostates' (unregulated practitioners of magic) have, undoubtedly, given her plenty of cause for this and combines with Morrigan's intense dislike of anything which threatens her independence. At several points, she can be heard to engage in highly philosophical and theological banter with Leliana, where it is revealed that, while a user of magic and able to see spirits, Morrigan holds the apparently contradictory position of apparently being an atheist. She reconciles these two things by pointing out that magic is something she can see and control, while mythical legends of a higher being cannot be verified. Something which might well have something to do with the legends associated with herself, which she laughs at others for believing in. Superstition, to Morrigan, is something which only the gullible and misled could blindly put faith in.
Morrigan's philosophical world view is one of self-reliance. She feels that, as nature dictates that the strong survive, should they have the will, that overcoming the tests and trials of life is a necessary thing for all living beings. That if one can attain power, then they should be allowed to wield it as they wish. That if they can't control it, then more fool them for being idiotic and unleashing something which would almost certainly devour them without the necessary countermeasures. However, she also believes that subjugation should be fought against and can't understand why the lower classes don't simply rise up in society to overwhelm those above them.
If someone were to show her pity, Morrigan would look upon it with disdain and call it unwelcome. If invited to a tavern, Morrigan would refuse to take part 'in such foolishness', remembering that there is no fool quite like a drunken fool. For all her contempt of mankind and human nature, however, Morrigan is, nonetheless, intrigued by it. Not quite understanding why, but compelled to investigate, all the same. Even so, legends of possibly having sisters (or half-sisters) provoke a decisive unwillingness to learn whether they are true. Should any exist, Morrigan has no conscious desire to meet them.
That central trait of independence resurfaces several times over her recent journeys, with the matter of even potential future marriage being greeted with an utter lack of interest. Morrigan, instead, speaks of how it isn't necessary for children (using herself as an example) and regards marriage as an amusing mix of someone getting what they desire and yet suffering for it. To tie herself with another in "bonds of servitude" is seen by her as serving no purpose and, thus, seen as irrelevant. Sex requires no official ceremonial for her and this harkens back to Morrigan's view of "hardship and danger" being better than slavery; that to choose freedom over subjugation is always the correct choice, no matter how difficult the consequences would be. Her upbringing might have been lonely, but she speaks of joining with the forest and becoming one with its creatures as being liberating.
Perhaps this is partly why she views love is a weakness, openly declaring how it causes people to become enslaved by emotions, rather than practical solutions for their own survival. "What I know is passion," she says. "The respect of equals." Even when given the proposal of being treated with adoration, Morrigan answers that such things would be annoying and that she has "no wish to be placed upon a pedestal." For her, being told she is beautiful will tell her nothing she is not already aware of and unwanted flattery would be things to guard against, if not simply toyed with.
Strangely, Morrigan does seem to have a thing for cleanliness. Even after being enchanted, she drowsily makes a comment about not wanting to fall asleep on a blood-soaked floor, while the party's war hound giving her attention leads to Morrigan getting frustrated with it, saying that there's a difference between having once run with wolves and wishing for the company of a domesticated canine. A dwarven warrior amongst the travellers also keeps getting suggestive with her, whose hygiene and habits are comically outrageous and dirty, leading Morrigan to keep warning him to leave her be.
It should be remembered, however, that Morrigan best symbolises the world and its internal conflicts.
History:
http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Morrigan
Morrigan has actually served aboard ship before, during which she gained a reputation for stubbornness and even enacting revenge. Aside from unfamiliar technologies, however, there was nothing which particularly affected her personality or way of going about things. If anything, with so many other members of the crew taking exception to her limited act of vengeance, the mage only had her dislike of social mingling strengthened.
Aside from that, she did make one acquaintance in the form of Morgana, from Camelot and found herself acting as a sort of confidant, from time to time.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-21 11:11 pm (UTC)And so, dear reader, we embark on a further adventure of blood-curdling tales, poisonous grubs and barbarian hordes readying themselves for plunder...
I write, needless to say, of that most curious of habits known as 'lunch'.
'Tis true, travelling with a lascivious dwarf seemed to ready me for your suppertime efforts. He neither groomed nor washed, insisting upon activities with nugskin rugs best left undescribed... Yet, here, dare I say it, he would find himself in great demand amidst the competition.
I trust there is a prize on offer, yes? For those who fancy themselves the speediest or who can create the largest mess? No...? A pity, then, for there seems to be much expended in these pursuits.
Meanwhile, the library would seem to be adequately stocked with enough history and tales to entertain an entire guild of bards and I applaud many of you for having the decency to remain far away, for fear of compulsion to learn. 'Twould be fearful, indeed, were you to desist with complaints of boredom and strain yourselves by reading. No doubt, our physicians are grateful for the lack of strained eyes and exhausted minds, to say nothing of the tiredness it would provoke.
Further examples:
http://community.livejournal.com/dear_mun/35026119.html
http://community.livejournal.com/dear_mun/36424959.html
Example - scene:
No.
No, she would not respond to these fool-minded gestures of flowers and other wholesale slaughter of vegetation. Was the work of bards and simpletons - and is easy enough to confuse the two. If, indeed, they not be same... Morrigan, for one, would counsel in favour of a re-examining that, should her opinion ever be asked.
But no, she would not blush like some peasant girl in the presence of muscle in shining armour! She would not show favour to poetry! And she would not be wearing that infernal gift of dress!
Velvet, indeed... Morrigan could just picture a certain red-haired former travelling companion taking joy in holding it to the light, speaking of this and that, how it emphasised one's bosom and all but make love to the troublesome garment before she was done.
Instead, the tokens of affection were gathered up and placed into box. One's first instinct being to set them publicly on fire, but instead being followed through with a more devious train of thought. One involving leaving them at the door of another, complete with bundled poems. Let dawdle-minded fools argue amongst themselves over who wooed who. Perhaps that would teach the offender not to compare her to flowers without taking account of thorns.
Exsilium
Date: 2012-07-13 06:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-14 05:03 am (UTC)Canon: 'Dragon Age' computer games.
Departure: Some mysterious point after the second game... I know she didn't show up during it, but would have knowledge of certain things which went on.
Age: Described by herself and others as "young", but clearly having grown beyond her early teenage years. An educated guess would place Morrigan somewhere in her twenties, but it's difficult to specify, since there's no way to know how time functioned in the realm she stepped through a strange magical portal to access.
Abilities: While not physically imposing, Morrigan is a capable fighter and certainly not above making threats of violence, subtle or otherwise, when they suit her (whether for amusement or survival). She seems versed in the weapons expected for a world where the sword, mace and catapult are the height of military technology. Nevertheless, her style of physical combat comes more from dexterity, possessing only the strength expected of a woman conforming to her age and build. Morrigan's true preference and speciality is that of magic.
Morrigan's extreme proficiency at wielding such power is impressive, with the somewhat dramatic talent of being able to shift into the forms of different animals - including that of a huge, man-eating spider. The metaphysics of precisely how this is possible have not yet been explained, but has been described as basically learning how to 'copy' an animal's soul. Essentially, to think like one until becoming so. The transformation process is quick and causes no discomfort; Morrigan having related how she frequently did so in her youth, using the ability to observe ordinary human society from afar. Morrigan has also shown or alluded to being able to take on the form of canines and birds, with a many more probably in her abilities.
However, she is unable to take on the form of, say, rock creatures and, so far, has not been shown able of becoming a dragon (although, this is not out of the realm of possibility, since her mother could). Taking on the appearance of another human being, according to her, is not something which she can do.
A varied array of offensive and defensive magical spells are at Morrigan's call, such as the ability to drain a portion of a target's life, freezing a target solid, temporary stunning and more. The majority, however, such as projecting horror, disorientation, hexing and so forth, depend upon a target's will-power to resist them; if high enough, there is a definite chance of failure.
It should be remembered, however, that employing magic uses up reserves of what could be described as 'mana'. This is slowly regenerated and can be enhanced by wearing certain items or ingesting a potion of a processed substance known as lyrium, but intensive use will mean having to wait for a 'recharge', as it were. This isn't to say it physically exhausts her, just that the availability of magical abilities depends upon how much mana she has. Especially for the more spectacular and powerful spells - and any of those could well be interrupted.
If equipped with certain types of staff, Morrigan can also project bolts of energy through it at a target. These aren't typically enough to kill in a single 'shot', but will cause some damage.
Morrigan is also a capable herbalist, allowing her to combine certain ingredients to form healing potions and the like. She also claims to know of "fifteen different poisons" which grew locally to her home. Even so, both of these skills may encounter difficulty outside of her world, as they hinge on knowledge of its native flora and fauna native.
Nonetheless, Morrigan is an excellent survivalist after growing up in a desolate wilderness and is quite prepared to undertake measures such as hunting.
For visual reference of Morrigan's combat abilities and physical prowess, the following is best viewed (although, keep in mind, that it's more of an overview, not a comprehensive examination of the full scale of what she can do):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5St9phiHHE
History: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Morrigan
Personality: A so-called 'Witch Of The Wilds', Morrigan's upbringing in the Korcari Wilds proved to be a unique one. A certain measure of resentment building up, over the years, for how the being she believed to be her mother, Flemeth, had treated and disciplined her. As a girl, Morrigan quickly learnt the value of deception and how easily men could be distracted and swayed by the right seductive theatrics. Indeed, she seemed to have gained an innately cynical view of how mankind thinks and functions, deciding that survival of the fittest was the most natural of states to exist in. That passions should remain untamed and are pursued where possible, but not at the expense of one's own personal dignity.
As she puts it, Morrigan found "a world of people, buildings and things" a very alien concept. If she wished for companionship, she "ran with the wolves and flew with the birds," indicating the ability to change form was already something she practised with ease, even at that early age. More tellingly, she also refers to how, if she would speak, it would be to the trees. But curiosity got the better of her and she remarked upon these things as "simple pleasures", suggesting her world view was starting to hunger for more.
Morrigan first stealthily crept beyond the Korcari Wilds in animal form, until coming upon a female noble by a carriage, who was fitted out in all manner of luxuries. It "dazzled" her and Morrigan decided that this was what "true wealth and beauty must be". Stealing a beautiful, golden mirror from the carriage, Morrigan hugged it to her chest with delight and took it home. Flemeth, however, was furious at the girl for risking discovery at such an early age and taught Morrigan a lesson by smashing it on the ground. Doing so broke Morrigan's heart, but this seems to be one of the most important events in her life, for she says that without this, she would "not be here, today", regarding beauty and love as fleeting and without meaning. By contrast, Morrigan speaks of survival and power being what truly have meaning in life. She believes that such lessons were difficult, but necessary, giving her the necessary resolve she now has.
Even so, she does admit to sometimes wondering what might have become of herself, had she been allowed to keep that mirror...
Before meeting the Grey Warden, depending upon interaction, Morrigan says that she had never known of friendship. Receiving a similar golden mirror is a sentiment which Morrigan regards as touching and confuses her, for she knows not how to react. Her first impulse is even to try and find some way of directly repaying the gesture, not quite comprehending how to respond when given a gift for giving's sake, for it hasn't been something she previously experienced.
Above all, Morrigan seeks power and the freedom to wield it, viewing the satisfaction of personal desires as a healthy thing. She is a fearsomely independent woman and other females who give a similar impression are usually viewed with respect. For someone who lives in a world of swords and castles, she can be sensitive to labelling her according to stereotyped gender expectations, but is by no means above using seductive wiles to taunt and tease others.
It is this latter trait which demonstrates Morrigan's humour to be a dark one. If travelling with others (clearly a novelty for her), anyone who seems an easy target or especially self-righteous is guaranteed to be verbally prodded at with barbed quips. Even making fun of her own reputation to drive home a point she wishes to make. There are rare moments where her own emotional vulnerability are shown, especially when the issue of her mother comes up, but Morrigan prefers to hide them behind some sort of acidic commentary. She also comes across as remarkably intelligent for someone who grew up in the situation she did, enjoying the opportunity to verbally disarm someone with an unexpectedly poignant comment - often bringing up a known weakness of her opponent. Her manner of language also indicates she is an avid reader, along with a heavy use of words such as 'tis and 'twould, which differ from Flemeth's own way of speaking, suggesting a highly literate mentality. She also hints that academic matters are well within her intellectual grasp.
Surviving out in the Wilds has also given Morrigan a healthy degree of scepticism as to organised religion. Templars hunting for 'apostates' (unregulated practitioners of magic) have, undoubtedly, given her plenty of cause for this and combines with Morrigan's intense dislike of anything which threatens her independence. At several points, she can be heard to engage in highly philosophical and theological banter with the religious-minded bard, Leliana, where it is revealed that, while a user of magic and able to see spirits, Morrigan holds the apparently contradictory position of apparently being an atheist (at least, in regards to the Chantry's view of the afterlife). She reconciles these two things by pointing out that magic is something she can see and control, while mythical legends of a higher being cannot be verified. Something which might well have something to do with the legends associated with herself, which she laughs at others for believing in. Superstition, to Morrigan, is something which only the gullible and misled could blindly put faith in.
Morrigan's philosophical world view is one of self-reliance. She feels that, as nature dictates that the strong survive, that overcoming the tests and trials of life is a necessary thing for all living beings. That if one can attain power, then they should be allowed to wield it as they wish. That if they can't control it, then more fool them for being idiotic and unleashing something which would almost certainly devour them without the necessary countermeasures. However, she also believes that subjugation should be fought against and can't understand why the lower classes don't simply rise up in society to overwhelm those above them.
If someone were to show her pity, Morrigan would look upon it with disdain and call it unwelcome. If invited to a tavern, Morrigan would refuse to take part 'in such foolishness', remembering that there is no fool quite like a drunken fool. For all her contempt of mankind and human nature, however, Morrigan is, nonetheless, intrigued by it. Not quite understanding why, but compelled to investigate, all the same. Even so, legends of possibly having sisters (or half-sisters) provoke a decisive unwillingness to learn whether they are true. Should any exist, Morrigan has no conscious desire to meet them.
That central trait of independence resurfaces several times over her recent journeys, with the matter of even potential future marriage being greeted with an utter lack of interest. Morrigan, instead, speaks of how it isn't necessary for children (using herself as an example) and regards marriage as an amusing mix of someone getting what they desire and yet suffering for it. To tie herself with another in "bonds of servitude" is seen by her as serving no purpose and, thus, irrelevant. Sex requires no official ceremony for her and this harkens back to Morrigan's view of "hardship and danger" being better than slavery; that to choose freedom over subjugation is always the correct choice, no matter how difficult the consequences would be. Her upbringing might have been lonely, but she speaks of joining with the forest and becoming one with its creatures as being liberating.
Perhaps this is partly why she views love is a weakness, openly declaring how it causes people to become enslaved by emotions, rather than practical solutions for their own survival. "What I know is passion," she says. "The respect of equals." Even when given the proposal of being treated with adoration, Morrigan answers that such things would be annoying and that she has "no wish to be placed upon a pedestal." For her, being told she is beautiful will tell her nothing she is not already aware of and unwanted flattery would be things to guard against, if not simply toyed with.
Strangely, Morrigan does seem to have a thing for cleanliness. Even after being enchanted, she drowsily makes a comment about not wanting to fall asleep on a blood-soaked floor, while the party's war hound giving her attention leads to Morrigan getting frustrated with it, saying that there's a difference between having once run with wolves and wishing for the company of a domesticated canine. A dwarven warrior amongst the travellers also keeps getting suggestive with her, whose hygiene and habits are comically outrageous, leading Morrigan to keep angrily warning him to leave her be.
It should be remembered, however, that Morrigan best symbolises the world and its internal conflicts.
Weapon: Some form of staff for use by mages.
Skills: Primarily a mage, but fully capable of using most weapons expected of a sword and sorcery setting, such as swords and shields, if need be (or using an animal form).
no subject
Date: 2012-07-14 05:03 am (UTC)And so, dear reader, we embark on a further adventure of blood-curdling tales, poisonous grubs and barbarian hordes readying themselves for plunder...
I write, needless to say, of that most curious habit known as 'lunch'.
'Tis true, travelling with a lascivious dwarf seemed to ready me for your suppertime efforts. He neither groomed nor washed, insisting upon activities with nugskin rugs best left undescribed... Yet, here, dare I say it, he would find himself in great demand amidst the competition.
I trust there is a prize on offer, yes? For those who fancy themselves the speediest or who can create the largest mess? No...? A pity, then, for there seems to be much energy squandered in these pursuits.
Meanwhile, the library would seem to be adequately stocked with enough history and tales to entertain an entire guild of bards and I applaud many of you for having the decency to remain far away, for fear of compulsion to learn. 'Twould be fearful, indeed, were you to desist with complaints of boredom and strain yourselves by reading. No doubt, our physicians are grateful for the lack of strained eyes and exhausted minds, to say nothing of the tiredness it would provoke.
Example - third-person:
No.
No, she would not respond to these addle-minded gestures of flowers and other wholesale slaughter of vegetation. Was the work of bards and fools - and easy enough to confuse the two. If, indeed, they not be same... Morrigan, for one, would counsel in favour of a re-examining that assumption, should her opinion on the matter ever be asked.
But no, she would not blush like some peasant girl in the presence of muscle in shining armour! She would not show favour to poetry! And she would not be wearing that infernal gift of dress!
Velvet, indeed... Morrigan could just picture a certain red-haired former travelling companion taking joy in holding it to the light, speaking of this and that, how it emphasised one's bosom - and all but make love to the troublesome garment before she was done.
Instead, the tokens of affection were gathered up and placed into box. Her first instinct having been to set them publicly on fire, but opting to follow through with a more devious train of thought. One which involved leaving them at the door of another, complete with the bundled poems. Let dawdling idiots argue amongst themselves over who wooed who... Perhaps that would teach the offender not to compare her to flowers without taking account of thorns.
Notes:
If pressed for details, Morrigan shall keep those of her own personal journey with the Warden ambiguous, due to the many paths it can take. However, I can have her refer to my own default experience, if necessary.