Aurum Lavellan

Aurum Lavellan
Real World Information
Reddit Author	criticalmode
Game	Inquisition
Biographical Information
Gender	Male
Race	Elf
Class	Rogue
Specialization	Tempest
Love Interest	Cassandra
Age	25 (DA:I) 27 (Trespasser)

Aurum Lavellan, born 9:16 Dragon, is the Inquisitor. Intelligent, friendly, and overwhelmingly charming, he does his best to get along with everyone he meets, regardless of differences. Though Dalish, he believes in Andrastism, but considers himself part of both cultures.

Overview

Physical Appearance

Aurum is quite tall for an elf, with broad shoulders and high, narrow hips. Were it not for his ears and vallaslin, he could very easily pass for a slender human. He has pale gray/brown hair, golden eyes, and a warm olive complexion.

His vallaslin, in the pattern of Mythal, is the color of gold, and run along his cheekbones. During his stint as Inquisitor, he accumulates quite a few scars on his body from numerous battles, mostly dragons, though they are usually covered by his clothing. Most prominently, he has burn scars along the left side of his torso just above his hip, and claw marks in his right shoulder. 

Personality

Aurum is, above all, dangerously savvy. He is charming, he is sarcastic, and he is kind, but he is highly intelligent, though his formal education is nonexistent. Years of working as a merchant has trained him to be able to read his fellow beings very well, and anticipate most situations. As a result, he is cool and collected in almost every situation. It is very difficult to catch him off-guard, as he responds so quickly to everything that happens to him.

He is known for his skills as a charmer. Amiable and enthusiastic, Aurum knows just what to say to get people to like him - or, in the very least, he knows how to get people to listen to what he has to say, if only for a while. He adapts quickly to changes in circumstances, and thus handles himself well in mixed company. From ragtag villages to balls in Halamshiral, Aurum knows how to talk to people, and creates bonds with completely strangers. He is extroverted by nature, and talking his way through a situation comes naturally to him.

As an elf trading in human settlements, Aurum has faced a fair amount of discrimination - and has learned to stare it in the face and not blink. When someone talks to Aurum derisively, he has a tendency to ignore it, reverting to cold, blunt conversation. Like Varric, he learned that people are like cats; with work, they either end up purring in his lap or hating him regardless of all he may try to do. If it comes to the latter, Aurum does his best to end the interaction as swiftly and professionally as possible without being rude. Deescalating situations is another specialty of his.

In spite of his smooth, friendly demeanor, Aurum is riddled with self-doubt, and finds he has trouble getting used to the idea that lives depends on his actions. He was a loner in his clan, and used to looking after himself and his clan's wares - never the lives of an entire international organization. He takes caution with his actions as Inquisitor, and relies on his advisors and Inner Circle to function as the checks and balances. Though usually very calm, he finds big battles to be strenuous, and tends to panic in situations like the sack of Haven or the siege on Adamant. He is similarly uncomfortable with romantic commitment, as it is an entirely new labyrinth for him to traverse.

All in all, Aurum just wants to make friends. He wants to do good and be in good company, and these are his greatest desires.

Talents and Skills

Aurum is a dual-wield Tempest, and doesn't remember when he started using knives - only that he always has, as far as he can recall, and potentially always will. He was a skilled hunter for his clan, and one of the few trained in combat. Aurum prefers to be in close quarters, relying on his speed and agility to see him through the worst of fights. He has good aim with his daggers, but prefers to stab and slash as though in a melee.

His Tempest specialization helps with this - Aurum also likes to draw attention from his teammates while he fights, and his potions make him a blazing, speeding spectacle on the battlefield. Mixing the recipes for his flasks is an excellent test of his intelligence, and quite soothing once he memorizes the components and their amounts. He enjoys the spontaneity, the challenge, and the thrill of it all.

Beyond combat, Aurum is a talented whittler. He would carve little toys and trinkets while on long hunts for his clan, and it keeps his hands busy when he needs to waste time. When serving as a merchant for the clan's goods, he would sometimes pick up broken or damaged instruments, repair them, and try to play them, though he was never any good and only knows a few songs on the lute.

Most importantly, Aurum has a ridiculous talent with words. He was raised speaking King's Common peppered with bits of Elvhen, and had a basic literacy in Common when he started running the trading booth. Writing in the ledgers and trading for books from humans made him fully literate in the written characters of Common as well. He loves poetry and fictional literature, and is quite the wordsmith when it comes to writing letters, reports, stories, and poems of his own - just ask Cassandra, she knows. He also became fully fluent in spoken Antivan, and can get by in conversations in Orlesian and Rivaini, along with some phrases in Tevene. He learns the written traditions of Antivan from Josephine, and began to learn more Elvhen from Solas before the end of the events of Inquisition.

Biography

History

Aurum’s parents were alienage elves from Markham who left the city to join the Dalish clan Lavellan. Aurum was born a Lavellan, but his parents passed when he was very young. He has no memories of them.

Growing up, Aurum was a hunter; he had always had a talent with knives, though he could fire a bow just fine. He was naturally friendly, a skilled conversationalist among a clan of elves who were used to being isolated. When he wasn’t hunting, he was visiting human settlements to trade the clan’s goods, spending days at a time in these villages and cities. He found he had a propensity for language, quickly becoming literate in King’s Common. Suddenly, he could read novels, write letters, keep track of inventory in ledgers - and found that he really enjoyed it. He learned as much as he could in settlements, and became a fluent speaker of Antivan, while also being able to carry conversations in Orlesian, Rivaini, and even some Tevene. He loves to read, and devoured any literature he came across.

In these human settlements, he also encountered Chanters from the Chantry. Overtime, he heard the Chant of Light several times over, and realized how thin his connection with Dalish religion had become. He cared little for the apathetic gods of the Elvish Pantheon, and found hope in Andraste’s story. Unofficially, he converted to Andrastism, a development he kept close to his chest - only Keeper Deshanna knew, and she kept his secret.

Within his clan, rumors began to spread. Aurum was never very close with any of his clanmates due to his line of work keeping him from spending much time with them at all, and his fascination with human culture branded him a pariah. The younger elves spread rumors that he was the child of a half-elf and an alienage elf due to his height and build, though this is biologically impossible; the older elves who knew he came from alienage parents disparaged him, and claimed it was "just his heritage coming through." Needless to say, it did not help Aurum try to stay with his clan.

When Keeper Deshanna sent him to the Conclave to spy on the proceedings, perhaps she knew he wouldn’t come back to the clan - Aurum doesn’t know for sure, and she would never admit it. While spying, Aurum interrupted Corypheus’ plan and became the inadvertent Herald of Andraste.

In another universe, he stayed in Haven the day of the explosion, and Argent Trevelyan became the Herald instead. He becomes an agent of the Inquisition anyway, serving as an ambassador to the Dalish and the Free Marches under Josephine. Occasionally, he does spy work for Leliana under the alias Strider.

In-game

• Allied with the Templars. For Aurum, this was more a political decision than a personal one – as a Dalish elf, he was only affected by the fringe effects of the Mage/Templar War, and thought the Templars would be the more immediate, responsible help in closing the Breach.
• Kept Celene on the throne. Aurum's goal at the Winter Palace was to stop Orlais from descending into chaos, and keeping Celene on the throne was the clearest solution. He spared Briala and Gaspard.
• Recruited the Orlesian Wardens. Hell, if they could help, why not? At this point, the Inquisition was a sizable force already; if the Wardens got out of hand, it would be an easy enough situation to control.
• Drank from the Well of Sorrows. He didn't trust Morrigan, and though not as true a Dalish as his clan wished, he figured he was Dalish enough to speak to his ancestors through weird magic water.
• Disbanded the Inquisition. Importantly, he didn't do it angrily in an attempt to preserve his reputation among the elite of Thedas. Those relationships will probably prove important in his attempts to stop the Dread Wolf.

Post-game

Aurum travels the world with Cassandra, tagging along to help her restore the Seekers on the wishes of Ameridan. He keeps a strong relationship open with the powerful people he met as Inquisitor, in case he must call on their help to gather resources to fight against the Dread Wolf. The resistance builds slowly with Leliana's help, but it builds nontheless.

The loss of his arm greatly affected him, and left him in a stupor for several months. He eventually began to learn to live in the world with just the one arm, and uses a prosthetic created in a collaboration between Dagna and Bianca when he is on the job or otherwise in the public eye. It's a lyrium-powered prosthetic, and it's not perfect, but it allows him to use two hands if only for a little while.

He and Cassandra eventually get married, though it's more of a formality than anything else. They spend the rest of their lives kicking ass together.

Relationships

Aurum, naturally friendly, gets along with most everyone. Of course, there are some exceptions.

Clan Lavellan

Aurum had little in common with his clanmates, and spent as little time in camp as possible. He was considered an outsider, a rarity among them; though usually out on trips that would benefit the clan, his fascination with human culture labelled him a traitor. As his parents were originally from an alienage, the elders seemed to think he wasn't meant to be a Dalish in the first place; his parentage was kept a secret, but the younger elves in the clan often came up with similar explanations on their own.

Aurum does not miss his clan, nor do they miss him. Keeper Deshanna was the closest to him, and they keep in semi-frequent contact over the course of the Inquisition, particularly during the strife in Wycome.

Inner Circle

• Aurum relies heavily on his three advisors, and is very close with all of them. He has conversations with Leliana about faith that great benefits both of them; he respects Cullen's military prowess and trusts his instincts, though he may not fully understand what his commander is going through; he is a diplomat himself, something Josephine greatly appreciates.
  • He is by far the closest with Josephine. The two share a friendly, upbeat friendship in which they relate over the frustrating habits of their companions. She constantly laments that the Maker sent this perfect diplomat to her, but he must stand in as a leader instead. She teaches him written Antivan, and regularly criticizes his accent when they speak the language.

• Aurum greatly respected Solas. Aurum himself was an outsider to the Dalish, and figured Solas was in a similar situation: another elf rejected by the Dalish for not conforming to their rules. They always seemed to end up in arguments about it, however, since Aurum's personal culture and beliefs were built off of both Dalish tradition and the city life of a merchant. Solas thinks of Aurum as uneducated, a pet project of his; Aurum thinks of Solas as a mentor, highly intelligent but overly prideful and secretive.
  • Above all, Aurum trusted Solas, and was outraged to find that his trust had been broken and he had been used. He was angry the Anchor was killing him and he didn't fully understand, he was angry his Inquisition was being put under scrutiny, he was angry all his work had been influenced and tainted by the work of the goddamn Dread Wolf. He vows to kill Solas.

• Dorian is his snark buddy, and the two often find themselves drinking together. They have little in common, but when they're in a room together, the sarcasm is palpable. Both find the other to be refreshingly entertaining in Skyhold, and tease and rift and flirt constantly. When they drink, they either end up passed out in the library, or coming up with the groundwork for an incredible thesis about the Chant of Light that would grant them tenure at the University of Orlais.
• Varric is another snark buddy, though his relationship is more superficial. Aurum was delighted to meet an author whose works he had read, as he once dreamed of being a writer himself. Aurum frequently reviews his drafts of his stories and offers feedback, usually on how to make things either more dramatic (for crime serials or adventure novels) or romantic/smutty (for Swords and Shields, or anything involving two people kissing). It's a good back-and-forth.
• Aurum agrees to a certain point with Vivienne about how a leader should act, but cares little for her habit of looking down her nose at others. He is but a humble Dalish elf and merchant who had little experience among nobility, and knows if he had not been the Herald, she wouldn't give him the time of day. He finds her a valuable ally, and turns to her if he needs help with political gamblings.
• He appreciates Sera's sense of fun, but wishes it didn't come at the cost of the Inquisition's reputation; he finds Cole's help unique and invaluable, though he doesn't entirely understand. Blackwall's loyalty and frankness was refreshing, but after the Rainier Revalation, Aurum found it difficult to even speak with him, as he values trust above all else. Iron Bull is a good friend to drink with, and they go on dragon-hunting trips often.

Romance

Initially, Cassandra was hostile towards Aurum - it seemed as though she blamed him for the Breach, though he was just as confused as everyone else. She calmed down after they met with the healers in the Hinterlands, during which time Aurum turned on the charming phasers. He knew that his flirtation flustered her, and originally, he was simply flirting to diffuse tension and ruffle her feathers.

As they spent more time together, Aurum realized that Cass exemplified many honorable traits he didn't know he found attractive: loyalty, conviction the likes of which he had never seen, graceful humility, decisiveness. He stopped flirting outright, trying to decide how best to approach her more seriously - he feared his teasing had been too much, and had branded him a flippant asshole in her mind. Thankfully, this was not the case; they had many conversations about faith and the state of the Chantry to and from Val Royeaux, as he was an outsider to Andrastiasm despite his beliefs. The sack of Haven added a level of depth to their friendship, with some near-death experiences and serious thoughts about mortality coming to the forefront. Cass found his sacrifice admirable; Aurum greatly appreciated her steady support during the sack, the worst night of his life.

They both considered the other to be good friends when Cass confronted him about the flirting in Skyhold, during which Aurum insisted that he absolutely did want to court her, regardless of what that entailed. Aurum had absolutely no idea what human courting traditions were like, so he consulted Josephine. With his diplomat's enthusiastic help, he set up a nice poetry-reading in the forest for her, and they ended up sleeping together. It was an unconventional start to their relationship, but neither of them were complaining.

Over the events of the game, Cass' constant presence by his side help keep him stable. A steady romance was something he had never experienced before, and he was incredibly nervous about it; Cass, always direct and to-the-point, was very open about what she wanted from the relationship at what stage, and Aurum was more than happy to learn about serious relationships together with her. Having an emotional constant helped both of them work through their respective issues - Aurum's struggle with self-identity, Cass' waning faith and skepticism of other religions, both of their roles as world leaders, etc.

During the rare times they weren't together in the field, they would write ridiculously romantic letters back and forth. Aurum, a romantic and a wordsmith at heart, took absolute delight in writing her stupidly sappy and smutty letters, even if she could not always write them in return. It works very well for them both.

After the events of Trespasser, Aurum tags along with Cassandra as they rebuild the Seekers and find ways to fight Solas. They get hitched at some point, though it's more a formality than anything else. It's very good. They're very cute.

Miscellaneous

• Aurum is technically ambidextrous, since he’s been dual-wielding since he exited the womb. He writes and performs most simple tasks with his left hand.
• His birthday is Cloudreach 11 (or April 11th, for us earthlings), though he is used to his birthday passing without any fanfare.
• Clan Lavellen suggested that Aurum change his name to "Av'hauen", which literally translates to tongue of plentiful gold. He preferred to keep his human name, much to their displeasure.
• Varric’s nickname for Aurum is “Slick”, referencing both his smooth-talking tendencies and his roguish fighting style. Again, there is irony in the name, as it glosses over Aurum’s more amiable habits and crippling self-doubt.
• Aurum's ears are very slightly lopsided - this is something that bothers him, but everyone else either doesn't notice or has no opinion on the angle of his ears. Cass thinks it's cute.
• Aurum technically does not mind wearing boots, but NEVER wears them while he's in Skyhold. It's his castle. He'll ruin his feet if he wants to.
• With the help of Josephine, Aurum learns all of Cassandra's official names - and once busted them out on her when it was just the two of them in camp. He was promptly punched, but still will occasionally address her in letters by her full name. She hates it.
• He was voiced by the British voice in the game, but his voice would really sound more like Matt Ryan as Edward Kenway, from Black Flag. Their personalities are completely dissimilar, but the voice is what matters.
• If Aurum were a dog, he'd be a border collie - intelligent, social, and full of energy. As a bird, he's a a Bullock's oriole - golden, with a sweet voice.

Links

Reddit Headcanon Threads:

Trust and Loyalty

Literacy and Appearance

Reddit Writing prompt Threads:

stupidly, impulsively (the fated Poetry Scene)

sleeper (introspective thoughts on our favorite charming boy)

lost and found (or: aurum as non-inquisitor, meeting cass)

scars and song (cass' scars, aurum's scars)

shine (Let's Get Funking Married)

Gallery

• aurum regrets ever entering the deep roads
• ameridan regrets everything, aurum regrets everything, cass regrets everything
• golden lighting for a golden boy
• uhhhh scuzi???
• the winter palace is bad except for the lighting. the lighting is very good

1/5