Kai Trevelyan

Kai Trevelyan never intended to have a complicated life, but Fate apparently had other ideas...

Overview

Physical Appearance

Kai Trevelyan has black hair (or would have if he didn't shave his head) and dark grey eyes. He's not what one would call classically handsome, but makes up for it in intensity. He's of average height with a fairly slim build, smoothly muscled due to years of dance, then ongoing training in combat magic.

Personality

Kai is a powerful and talented mage with a dry wit and an ongoing coffee addiction. Intense and clever with a surprisingly prosaic streak, he's as much a magic nerd as his amatus, Dorian. He insists on wearing all black, has a fondness for schlocky adventure novels, probably drinks too much beer, and when he gets angry he sulks.

Talents and Skills

• Kai is, as mentioned, a highly talented mage and has put a great deal of time, practice and study into improving his craft.

• He's a good writer  — unless the writing in question is a letter to his parents, in which case his ability plummets to that of a sulky twelve-year-old. That physical ability took a serious hit when he lost the  arm, as he's left-handed.

• Kai is an excellent dancer, thanks in part to his parents insisting he take dancing lessons as a boy.
• As well as being adept at negotiation (through what Dorian calls "relentless decency"), he's actually a nice man. Who happens to be very good at killing things.

Biography

History

Born 27 Harvestmere, 9:06 Dragon to Bann Emil and Lady Jasia Trevelyan, Kai was their first, and for twelve years, only child. He came to his magic late at twelve and a half, and managed to keep it hidden for over half a year. Taken to the Ostwick Circle at thirteen, he proved to be both powerful and talented, passing his Harrowing only four years later. Aside from the training, he hated being locked up in the Circle, and when the mage-templar war finally provided the opportunity (eighteen years after he was brought there), he walked away from the Circle to try and construct a life for himself.

For the full story of Kai's pre-game history, see the fics "Departures" (now revised and expanded), "Echoes" and "Harrowing".

There's also a prequel, "Torn"written from Kai's father's POV.

In-game

• Allied with the mages

• Emphatically denied being chosen by Andraste
• Romanced Dorian, got him to try to reconcile with his father
• Banished the Wardens for their own safety (though he really didn't expect all of southern Thedas to consider that a permanent decision)
• Made Celene, Gaspard and Briala play nice together
• Drank from the Well of Sorrows, which would turn out to have long-lasting repercussions
• Made Livius Erimond Tranquil 
• Supported Cassandra as Divine despite being a non-believer
• Pledged to stop Solas
• Disbanded the Inquisition

Post-game

The story of what happened with Kai (and Dorian) post-game starts here, and so far encompasses the fics TRAITOR, Echoes, Hidden, Underground, and Doubt. TRAITOR and Hidden are both novel-length, and much of the action takes place in Tevinter.

Dorian also has his own one shot that takes place within the series here.

Relationships

Blackwall: Kai liked the gruff soldier and continued to have a good relationship with him even after his revelation.

Cassandra: Though he's a non-believer who despises just about everything having to do with the Chantry, they get along remarkably well, in part because they both have a strongly practical streak and are able to put aside their differences.

Cole: Encouraged him to become more human. He liked Cole well enough, but didn't spend a lot of time with him, as he had little to say to him and Cole's ability to read him made him slightly uncomfortable.

Cullen: He likes Cullen, but is a little distant from him due to Cullen's history as a Templar. He respects Cullen and values his opinions, but rarely hung around with him socially.

Dorian: Kai and Dorian were attracted to one another practically from the moment they met, though developing a proper relationship took quite a bit longer. Kai shares and delights in Dorian's wit, magical ability, intellectual curiosity and...well, deep down they're both huge magic nerds. Kai's determination that they were going to maintain their relationship despite whatever social, cultural or physical roadblocks existed impressed and touched Dorian deeply, and led him to work just as hard for it.

Iron Bull: Kai likes and trusts the big Qunari, understanding just how canny he really is. He respects Bull's experience and his opinions, and enjoys his company. He let Bull decide the fate of the Chargers, though he did encourage him to choose them over the Qun, and though they lost touch after the Inquisition, he still considers Bull a friend. 

Josephine: While they're fond of each other, Kai's stubbornness and lack of concern about some aspects of diplomacy and protocol sometimes aggravated her. The situation worsened in the two years leading up to the Exalted Council and eventual disbanding of the Inquisition as Kai grew increasingly impatient with the diplomatic side of his duties and increasingly uninterested in continuing as Inquisitor. 

Leliana: Though he finds her a little unsettling given her deep Chantry ties and equally deep information network, Kai and Leliana get along well. He likes her intellect and occasional flashes of humour, and besides  — she kept her promise and gave him his beloved pet nug, Swivet (post-Trespasser). 

Sera: Kai frankly adores her. He loves her brashness, humour and disdain for phony superiority, even though they occasionally disagree with each other. He appreciated that she never bowed and scraped to him when he was Inquisitor, helping to keep him grounded if he ever got to feeling too important. After the Inquisition ended, he took her up on her offer to become a Red Jenny. As they moved to the same city (along with Dagna, of course), he saw her nearly every day until life took him elsewhere, and they remain close friends. 

Solas: They got on well enough, though they never developed a friendship. Kai always thought Solas's obsession with the Fade was tiresome, and had very  little to say to him. They were cordial, but not close. The revelations of Trespasser deeply angered Kai, and left him with little but contempt for the old god. 

Varric: Kai likes Varric, but the dwarf's steadfast, stated belief that he may in fact be the Herald of Andraste despite his repeated and increasingly angry denials left Kai feeling uncomfortable around him. The relationship between Varric and Kai is perfectly friendly, but they'll never be close friends. 

Vivienne: While Kai can get along with her when she's being witty  — primarily when Dorian is there as a buffer  — he doesn't really like her. They're on such opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to the Circles that being around one another for any length of time will inevitably end up in an argument. Given this fact, he avoided her as much as possible and tried to keep things superficial when he did have to talk to her. His support of the College of Enchanters put him in direct conflict with her after the events of Trespasser.  

Miscellaneous

• A catastrophic armor failure resulted in a Fade demon (a Greater Terror) nearly killing him not long after the Inquisition moved to Skyhold. It took weeks to recover, left him with a spectacular set of scars on his left side, and led him to upgrade to heavier armor. He also became somewhat obsessive about imbuing his favourite leather coat with enough hardening spells to withstand just about anything thrown at it.

• Has a pet nug named Swivet
• Despises wine, much to Dorian's sorrow
• Can't stand spiders, and is none too fond of insects in general

Gallery

• with Dorian
• Kai and Dorian
• Young Kai
• Kai Trevelyan
• Kai - black&white portrait

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