Marcian Carisius

Marcian Carisius
Marcian in Josephine's office
Real World Information
Reddit Author	eclipse3000
Game	Dragon Age: Inquisition
Biographical Information
Gender	Male
Race	Human
Class	Mage
Specialization	Rift Mage
Love Interest	No Romance
Age	21–24 throughout DA:I

"You expect us to surrender and kneel. We will not. I am Marcian of House Carisius, of Tevinter, and we do not kneel—we have been brought low and sometimes beaten, but never broken, never truly brought to our knees! The world will know that a man of Tevinter stood against you! That Tevinter itself stood against you! My people will not follow you, and I will be their champion! But you'll face us all. When we choose!"

Marcian Carisius (born Drakonis 15, 9:20 Dragon) is the former Inquisitor of the Second Inquisition, additionally styled the Herald of Andraste. Born to a prestigious noble family of the Tevinter Imperium, the second of seven children but the eldest surviving child, Marcian had a traditional noble childhood and was sent to study at the Circle of Carastes when he was five years old. His development into a promising young Tevinter mage and politician continued uninterrupted until the assassination of his mother and the deaths of three of his cousins in the crossfire when he was 18 years old. Left disillusioned with Tevinter politics, Marcian was sent south to study at the Universtiy of Val Royeaux and develop into a better person, and when the Conclave was called in 9:41 Dragon, he was sent to spy on it. When the Breach was opened, Marcian was the only survivor, and events left him with a mark on his hand that allowed him to close the newly-formed rifts. He subsequently had much influence with the reformed Inquisition from the beginning, and after being named Inquisitor following the Siege of Haven, he led the Inquisition to many victories, including at Adamant Fortress, the Temple of Mythal, and against Corypheus. A controversial leader due to his nationality, championing of Tevinter interests, and use of blood magic, Marcian nevertheless proved himself competent and skilled, and as time went on, he began to grow into the man he believed his country needed him to be.

Following the events of the Exalted Council of 9:44 Dragon, which saw Marcian disband the Inquisition and lose his left forearm due to the damage the Anchor had caused it, Marcian returned home to Tevinter. There, he joined the fledgling Lucerni faction led by magisters Dorian Pavus and Maevaris Tilani, the former a close friend and ally of Marcian's. In Tevinter, he parlayed his fame and victories into considerable political influence, despite not being a magister himself, and he quickly became known as a reformer and voice of reason in Tevinter's increasingly turbulent political situation. Whether his power will have any effect and sway his countrymen into choosing a better path for the country remains to be seen.

Overview

Basic Information

Full Name: Marcian Carisius

Nickname(s): Serpula ('little snake', parents), Altus (Varric)

Alias(es): Stéphane Pélissier (while at the Conclave)

Occupation: Inquisitor, Herald of Andraste, Lord of Teraevyn

Age: 22 as of Molioris, 2036 TE (Bloomingtide, 9:42 Dragon)

Date of Birth: Nubulis 15, 2014 TE (Drakonis 15, 9:20 Dragon)

Nationality: Tevinter

Orientation: Heterosexual

Libido: Average

Religion: Imperial Andrastianism

Threat Level: 7/10. Marcian starts out as a reasonably skilled fighter, a versatile mage with a smattering of experience and a solid understanding of the theory of magic and combat. He is quite talented for a man of his age, having a particularly affinity for the Entropy school and spells of ice, and he has a good handling of blood magic, though his refusal to use demons and sacrifice innocents makes him weaker compared to many of his fellows. In addition, Marcian has been trained in the use of the sword, the dagger, and the spear, though he is no great master of any of these. Over the course of the game, as he gets more experience, Marcian grows into a more tactical and cunning fighter with a better understanding of how to use his abilities to their best extent. He also developes more stamina and a better constitution, and the tutelage he receives from his mage companions allows him to become a much better mage. By the end of the game, he is a very skilled fighter and a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

World State: Playthrough 3 ('Blood Mage')

Physical Information

Voice: Jon Curry

Height: 5'11" / 1.81 m

Eye Colour: Brown

Hair Colour + Style: Black, straight with a slight wave, parted in the middle

Dominant Hand: Right

Body Type: Lean, slightly toned muscles

Distinguishing Features: Haughty demeanour and bearing, facial scars (post-IYHSB)

Accent + Intensity: Tevinter, heavy

Tattoo(s): None

Scar(s): Multiple facial scars post-IYHSB, various other scars over arms, legs, and chest

Piercing(s): None

Glasses? No

Background Information

Place of Birth: Teraevyn, Tevinter Imperium

Current Residence: Skyhold

Language(s): Tevene, Common, some dwarven, Ancient Tevene, and Qunlat, a bit of Nevarran, Orlesian, and Rivaini

Social Class: Nobility, alti

Education: Given a standard Tevinter noble's education, including reading, history, languages, mathematics, genealogies, running a household, handling court, religion, law, administration, etc., by parents and tutors. Trained in magic at the Circle of Carastes and while apprenticed to Magister Raecia Aurarius, learnt blood magic as a teenager from parents. Taught the use of the sword, dagger, and spear by hired instructors.

Family: See below

Romanced: No one

Pet(s): None

Adopted? No

Rap Sheet: None

Prison Time: None

Personality Information

MBTI/Jung Type: ENTJ "Commander"

Archetype: The Rebel and the Ruler

Enneagram: Challenger; Reformer and Achiever to lesser extents

Moral Alignment: Lawful Evil; eventually evolves into Lawful Neutral and then Chaotic Good

Temperament: Choleric

Angered By: Repeated insults on the basis of his nationality; southern ignorance, judgement, and hypocrisy; assassinations that claim innocent lives; family members being threatened or insulted.

Intelligence Type: Logical-mathematical

Neurodivergence(s): N/A

At Risk: His emotional suppression and inability to handle his emotions in a healthy fashion makes him vulnerable to eruptions when he cannot suppress his problems any longer and makes his issues worse than they would be otherwise. His concurrent fervent belief in Tevinter, awareness of its faults, and confusion about how to save it wreak havoc on his mind and leave him in prime position for an emotional explosion as more and more revelations of Tevinter's atrocities come to light. His constant sarcasm and inability to compromise for the southerners causes him much strife as Inquisitor and gives those around him considerable stress, as he is so hard to deal with and so disruptive to the normal political situation.

Vices and Habits

Smokes? No

Drinks? Yes

Drugs? No

Violent? Only when he needs to be

Addictions? None

Self-Destructive? Not apparently, but his extreme emotional suppression does eventually become this over time.

Habit(s): Shooting his mouth off, unconsciously casting ice spells when under stress, holding himself ramrod straight and like a noble at all times

Hobbies: Researching and practising magic, reading, memorising genealogies, practising politics, (eventually) cooking

Likes: Magic, Tevinter's venerable history and culture, spicy food, snakes, playing politics, scandalising the southerners with his very presence and actions, trolling people, the luxuries accorded to his station, studying history and magic, Tevinter monsoons

Dislikes: Southern food and weather, political corruption and infighting, the magisters ignoring the problems plaguing Tevinter, assassins, the Qun, southern disrespect of history and culture, being feared and hated for his nationality, the templars, the southern Chantry, irresponsibility

Tic(s): None

Obsession(s): None

Compulsion(s): None

Miscellaneous Information

House: Slytherin / Horned Serpent

Zodiac: Draconis

Vice: Pride

Virtue: Diligence

Element: Water

Mythological Creature: Phoenix

Animal: Serpent

Mutation: None

Biography

History

Marcian is the child of a controversial marriage. His parents, Valerian Carisius and Satria Oclatius, came from two almost wholly different worlds—Valerian the scion and heir of one of Tevinter's most ancient and prestigious families, Satria a commoner laetan whose grandparents had been soporati. Their marriage for love was an object of considerable scandal, and rumours abounded for years that the children they produced would be weak, or not even mages at all, because of Satria's common blood. The death of their first child, Fulcinia, in the cradle only fuelled the rumours, and by the time Marcian was born, in Nubulis, 2014 TE, Valerian and Satria were desperate to prove they could form the lineage required of Tevinter nobles, and that Satria belonged in this world. Luckily, Marcian survived his infancy and childhood, was followed by five other siblings, and when they all turned out to be mages, most of the rumours were laid to rest.

Growing up, Marcian had the standard childhood of a Tevinter noble boy. His parents took a more active role in his upbringing than many others, even after his father assumed his grandfather's seat in the Magisterium when Marcian was five, but he was also well cared for by slaves, and he grew up insulated from the problems of Tevinter. From a young age, he was close to his siblings and most of his innumerable cousins, and he adored his parents, wanting nothing more than to meet the exacting, almost perfectionistic standards they had set for him. Not long after his magic came in, Marcian was sent to Carastes to study at the Circle there; his educational career proved to be highly successful. Intelligent, quick-witted, ambitious, competitive, perfectionistic, ruthless, determined to excel, Marcian was everything Valerian and Satria wanted in their eldest. Even though he was pushed further and further because his so-called tainted blood made it so that he had to be better than all the rest, Marcian never crumbled under these expectations, but thrived and rose to every challenge. In his early adolescence, he began to learn the art of ruling and administration from his father, and when he was a teenager, his parents taught him blood magic and sent him to Vyrantium to study under Magister Raecia Aurarius as her apprentice.

Marcian did well in Vyrantium, growing into a promising young mage and politician under Raecia's influence. With most of his education complete, he now began to take a more active role in Tevinter social life, attending soirées and balls with his family and mentor and forming his own webs of friends and rivals. The competiton of the upper classes, the infighting, the corruption—it was all a glorious game to him, an excellent way of weeding out the weak and ensuring only the strongest ruled Tevinter. True, Marcian never cared for those who abrogated their duty for the sake of corruption, as a sense of duty and responsibility had been instilled in him by his father from a young age, but he still enjoyed the competition and looked forward to being a participant himself one day, as opposed to just a spectator. Only when Marcian turned 18 did he learn any differently.

Although Satria had assimilated well into the world of the Tevinter aristocracy, her common blood had kept her from ever being accepted, and her lack of connections made her a vulnerable target for those who saw her as an upstart and wanted to cut down Valerian's growing influence. In 2032 TE, assassins attacked the family estate at Teraevyn with the intent of taking Satria out. This was done, but the attack was botched, and the lives of three of Marcian's young cousins were also claimed; a fourth was left crippled for life. In the aftermath, Marcian was forced to see for himself just what the infighting of the nobility was doing to Tevinter, and he could no longer ignore the problems he had once been insulated from. Angry, devastated, desperate to change things but not knowing how to do so, Marcian stewed in his grief for a year before his father, equally disillusioned, decided that the answers he needed did not lie in Tevinter. He subsequently sent Marcian south to study at the University of Orlais, hoping that Marcian would find what he sought in a foreign environment.

While Marcian obeyed his father and went south to study, as soon as he was in Orlais, he began to struggle. The environment was too alien in too many ways, and the Orlesians were in many ways not different enough from the Tevinters to help him find what he needed to change both himself and Tevinter. Filled with disdain for his new surroundings, Marcian began to cling to old habits like a barnacle even as he knew he needed to shed them. This dissonance, combined with his severe emotional suppression from a life spent among the Tevinter aristocracy, left Marcian confused, and conflicted, and no closer to finding what he sought. By the time his father asked him to go to the Conclave two years later to spy for Tevinter, Marcian had made little progress, and he very much doubted the Conclave would help him on that front. He could not have been more wrong.

In-game

Quest	Decisions
The Wrath of Heaven / The Threat Remains	Took the mountain path. Rejected the title of Herald of Andraste.
In Hushed Whispers	Conscripted the mages. Alexius forced to research magic for the Inquisition.
In Your Heart Shall Burn	Saved all villagers in the attack on Haven. Declared to stand for Thedas as a mage (headcanon: privately swore to serve as a paragon and source of inspiration for Tevinter).
Here Lies the Abyss	Jana became an agent. Stroud left in the Fade. Allied with the Grey Wardens. Made Livius Erimond Tranquil.
Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts
What Pride Had Wrought
Doom Upon All the World
Companions and Advisors	Cassandra found the Seeker tome and encouraged to abandon Seekers. Cole became more of a person. Cullen encouraged to keep taking lyrium indefinitely. Dorian encouraged to speak with Halward. Sacrificed the dreadnought. Assassination contract on Josephine destroyed. Forced Pel Harmond to work for the Inquisition. Tracked the red lyrium source.
Side Quests	Gained the allegiance of the Hinterlands cultists. Helped the refugees in the Hinterlands. Rescued soldiers from the Avvar. Investigated the ruins in the Hissing Wastes. Fairbanks revealed to be noble.
Judgements	Banished Movran. Executed Gregory Dedrick. Recruited Crassius Servis as an informant. Had Ser Ruth publicly humiliated.
War Table	Sutherland's company succeeded. Inquisition contacted Johi.
DLC

Afterwards

Here's what happened after the events of said game, brosef.

Relationships

• Blackwall: Blackwall and Marcian have an intensely acrimonious relationship and are quite hostile to each other from early on. Much of the dislike stems from differences in personality and station, with Blackwall hating Marcian for being a spoilt, pampered, ruthless Tevinter noble who has no regard for the lives of commoners and little moral code to speak of, while Marcian finds Blackwall exceedingly judgemental, self-righteous, and idealistic. Marcian's growing suspicions of Blackwall's lies and true identity makes him even warier of him, and while they can respect each other for a few things—Marcian, Blackwall's steady dedication to his ideals and moral code, Blackwall, Marcian's appreciation of the Wardens—this is not enough to salvage the relationship. The final nail in the coffin is the revelation of Blackwall's true identity, which turns Marcian's dislike of the man into blistering hatred, and his actions afterwards ensure that they'll never have a chance to mend things with each other.
• Cassandra: Marcian and Cassandra never have a close relationship, though they do end the game as decent friends. Naturally, they get off on very much the wrong foot, with Cassandra being exceedingly wary of Marcian as a ruthless, arrogant Tevinter noble and open blood mage, and Marcian seeing Cassandra as a brutish, thuggish sort with no skill for politics, who has to resort to intimidation and violence to get her way. That Cassandra is a Seeker and so closely connected to the Chantry does not endear her to him; conversely, Marcian's open hatred of the southern Chantry and Circles only intensifies Cassandra's dislike for him. For a time, Cassandra refuses to see Marcian's good qualities, and Marcian refuses to show them to her or acknowledge that she is more than what she seems, but eventually, they come together as a result of events. Marcian relaxes towards her when he realises she's not blind to the Chantry's faults and wants to fix them, even if her ideas for doing so are very nebulous, and he is able to greatly sympathise with her when he learns of her brother's death and her disillusionment towards Nevarran culture. Cassandra, in turn, realises that Marcian does genuinely care, even if he has a strange way of showing it, and that he has good intentions and goals, even if his methods are harsh. She can also relate to him wanting to restore Tevinter, just as she wants to restore the Chantry. This allows them to find common ground, but due to certain personality differences and the disagreements they have regarding the Chantry and each other's methods, they can only ever become casual friends.
• Cole: Marcian and Cole get along poorly, mainly because of personality differences and conflicts in how they approach helping people. Marcian has little problem with Cole per se, but for most of the game, he does not value him as a person and sees him only as a useful tool—which is his view of all spirits. In addition, while he finds Cole's abilities to be quite practical, he steers clear of Cole because he does not want Cole looking into his head and digging up his emotional problems. Cole, meanwhile, intensely dislikes Marcian's ruthlessness, high-handed attitude, and general lack of compassion; while the man is not cruel, his constant trolling and general lack of concern for the southerners grates on Cole. Cole is also frustrated by the fact that he can't get a good read on Marcian, who is oddly good at keeping him out of his head, and he does not appreciate being seen as nothing more than a tool. He likes that Marcian allows him to use his normal methods to help people, but he does not like that Marcian is more concerned with some 'bigger picture' rather than with the very tangible lives and worries of the people he's supposed to protect. Even after Cole becomes more human, this doesn't really change, and they end the game quite distant from each other.
• Cullen: Marcian and Cullen are quite distant from each other throughout the game, neither hostile nor inclined to be friendly. Marcian has no desire to get close to a former templar, especially after he hears of what Cullen did and didn't do in Kirkwall, and he has no patience for men who are purely soldiers, with no political acumen or a desire to play the Game. Cullen's prejudices against mages don't help much, either. At most, Marcian does come to understand that Cullen has a good reason for the prejudices he's trying to shed and that he does feel serious guilt for what happened in Kirkwall, but it's not quite enough to make him friendly—especially when Cullen's conscience seems weak enough that he willingly goes back on lyrium purely at Marcian's behest. Cullen, meanwhile, is very wary of Marcian from the start due to Marcian being a ruthless blood mage who is unrepentant about the methods he uses, all qualities that strike too close to home for him. As they remain distant, Cullen never has the chance to see that there's more to Marcian than this, though he is able to sympathise with him a great deal after the Temple of Mythal shatters Marcian's beliefs, and he is pleased when Marcian emerges from the experience a better man. Ultimately, both hope that the other can do and be better, but that's about it.
• Dorian: From the beginning, Marcian and Dorian gravitate towards each other due to being the only Tevinters in a sea of often hostile southerners, and their mutual goal to salvage Tevinter and shared background as upper-class men only bring them closer together. While there is some tension from them at times due to Marcian being far more traditionally Tevinter than Dorian, for the most part, their mutual isolation, goals, homesickness, dislike of southern weather and food, innumerable talks about what needs to be done to fix Tevinter, etc., allow them to quickly become friends. Both men soon drop their doubts about each other in order to build this relationship further, and while they continue to have arguments—with one of the biggest being about Marcian's inability to understand why Dorian won't hide what he is—their friendship remains solid throughout the game. As they help each other work out what needs to be done, and as Dorian helps Marcian grow and become the man Tevinter needs, they only become closer, and when events at the Temple of Mythal cause Marcian to hit his lowest point, Dorian is one of the few who's able to bring him back from the brink. By the end of the game, they are rock solid allies and best friends, and they fully intend to keep working together when they return to their homeland.
• Iron Bull: Inevitably, Marcian and Bull's relationship starts out intensely hostile, marked by endless insults and a mutual preference for avoiding each other wherever possible. While much of the aggression comes from Marcian alone, there is simply too much bad blood for even the friendlier Bull to immediately like the very Tevinter Marcian. Only over time do they start learning to get along, with the first dragon kill and the drinks they share in the tavern afterwards being the occasion that starts bringing them together. They subsequently begin to warm up to each other, their personalities meshing together surprisingly well, and when Bull goes Tal-Vashoth, Marcian is able to help him through the turmoil by reminding him that he still has a place and people who care for him. In turn, Bull sees that Marcian is honestly trying to be a better man, and he respects him greatly for it. By the end of the game, they've come far enough to call each other friends, and no one is more surprised by this than Marcian himself.
• Josephine: For much of the game, Marcian and Josephine get along terribly, and this is almost solely because of Marcian. Due to his belief that the Orlesian Grand Game is a pale imitation of Teviner politics, Marcian holds its participants in contempt and sees them as rank amateurs; this includes Josephine. Because of this, Marcian treats Josephine appallingly, frequently insulting her, trolling her, and dumping the consequences of his decisions (and mere existence) on her for her alone to deal with. He delights in her discomfort and thinks nothing of the stress he causes her, and Josephine's insistence on kind-heartedness and diplomacy often seems hopelessly naïve to him. This eventually pushes Josephine to her limits, and she starts to strongly dislike him; she respects him for sticking to his guns and refusing to hide what he is, but more than anything, she wants him to make her job easier. Eventually, when Josephine starts snapping at him more, proves that she can navigate the consequences of his decisions despite the difficulties, and reveals her past as a bard, Marcian begins to respect her more, and his own growth as a person leads him to cooperate with her more often and cease tormenting her. Josephine appreciates this, but by this point, it is too little, too late, and they remain distant.
• Leliana: Marcian and Leliana get along decently for much of the game due to having similarly ruthless personalities and methods. Marcian's preference for Leliana's way of doing things, his similar coldness and emotional suppression, and his enjoyment of politics all endear him to Leliana to some extent, and while she greatly disapproves of his choice to conscript the mages, she becomes closer to him because he tells her what she wants to hear and hardens her. The main sour note in their relationship is Marcian's poor treatment of Josephine, which often angers Leliana; she is also not a fan of his high-handedness and generally arrogant behaviour, which in some respects reminds her of Marjolaine. For his part, Marcian respects Leliana well enough, and he's able to understand and work with her the best of all of his advisors because of their many similarities. He's not inclined to be friends with her, but he also has no compulsion to treat her the way he does Josephine. That said, Marcian still thinks Leliana is excessively idealistic in some of her goals for the Chantry and that she relies too much on others to determine the course of her life and personality, which he sees as a grave weakness. He also strongly dislikes some of Leliana's more vicious ideas, such as holding a child hostage to silence a critic, and when he realises that her influence is getting him to enjoy politicking again, he begins to pull away from her. Leliana is useful, and he cannot change her now, but in the end, she reminds him of everything he has tried to run away from and does not want to become again.
• Sera: Sera and Marcian have a distant and often hostile relationship due to the extreme differences in their personalities and worldviews. To Marcian, Sera is dreadfully coarse, common, and crass—and her being an elf does not help—and after a short time, he also begins to find her intolerably petty, immature, reckless, and irresponsible. As one of the nobles she so despises, her sense of justice is incomprehensible to him, and he holds her to be very small-minded, not so much concerned with helping people as lining her pockets and exacting revenge. To Sera, Marcian is everything she hates in nobles and mages, being ruthless, careless, often callous, and with no real regard for the lives of the little people or his subordinates. He is not openly cruel, but that says very little about him, and while she dares to hope that he's better than most when he acquires Lord Harmond's lands for the Inquisition, this hope is dashed when Marcian upbraids her for her own role in events. Sera being fun-loving while Marcian is more dignified (if a constant wisecracker) is a cause for further clashes between them, as Marcian generally disapproves of Sera's pranks. Because of all this, the two of them get along terribly, frequently arguing whenever they speak to each other, and the sheer number of differences between them means they never have the opportunity to get closer.
• Solas: Marcian and Solas get along poorly for the whole of the game, largely because of Marcian's behaviour more than anything else. From early on, Marcian's prejudices mean he has little interest in Solas or his experiences, which Solas takes offence to; their arguments over slavery and intense disagreement on the nature of spirits serve only to drive the wedge deeper between them. Solas also deeply dislikes most of Marcian's decisions, and as with Dorian, he finds the man impossibly arrogant, crediting his country with magic and deeds that were performed in Elvhenan. Marcian, meanwhile, also finds Solas arrogant and haughty, and ironically enough, their mutual disdain for those around them makes them generally unable to stand each other. Because of this, they never have the chance to get closer and talk with each other about the Fade or magic, and while Marcian eventually grows enough to start valuing Solas and his experiences more, by this point, it's too little, too late. Solas is quite fine with this, however—it makes what he feels he has to do that much easier.
• Varric: Marcian and Varric have a decent but not especially close relationship, being nothing more than casual friends. They get along well enough throughout the game, with Marcian respecting Varric for being a charmer who uses his silver tongue to solve problems and has great loyalty to his friends, and Varric finding Marcian to be a fascinating if unconventional hero and perhaps exactly the man they need. A number of factors prevent them from becoming too close, however; on Varric's end, he dislikes how Marcian puts on airs, hides his feelings behind a mask, and shoves his identity in people's faces, and he especially dislikes Marcian's largely unsuccessful efforts to impede the publication of All This Shit is Weird due to his concern for his reputation. Additionally, he doesn't appreciate Marcian telling him to get over Bianca, although he knows Marcian's concern is genuine. On Marcian's end, he doesn't care for how Varric constantly disrespects and thumbs his nose at Orzammar despite never having lived there, and he strongly dislikes how Varric treats people as characters for his book, rather than as people, and judges their worth based on how interesting characters they would be. Varric deciding to publish his book despite it being filled with lies and exaggerations also angers Marcian, whose reputation is never far from his mind due to the culture he was raised in, and their friendship never quite recovers. Because of this and the fact that they have little to talk about, they never get very close at all.
• Vivienne: All things considered, Marcian and Vivienne have a surprisingly strong relationship. Both are interested in each other from the moment they meet, as they can both tell that the other is a politically savvy, strong-willed, ruthless mage willing to accept a few broken eggs on the path to a broken world. This leaves Vivienne very curious about Marcian and Marcian more willing to respect than Vivienne than any other southern mage. While they heavily disagree on the nature of the Circles, and Vivienne despises Marcian's blood magic, they otherwise get along extremely well, their personalities meshing together nicely. Vivienne eventually takes on a mentoring role to Marcian, helping him with southern politics and when he's more uncertain about some decisions, and she is one of the few people who learns the real reason why Marcian is so invested in the Inquisition. On Marcian's end, Vivienne strongly reminds him of his late mother, which contributes to his admiration of and respect for her, such that she is one of the few people who he will willingly take advice from. Bastien's passing and the aftermath only bring them closer together, as Marcian can relate to Vivienne's grief and knows just what to do to help her, much to her gratitude. By the end of the game, they are very close friends, though they have to hide this connection due to Vivienne being the new Divine.

Family

• Valerian Carisius (father, Magister and Lord of Teraevyn)
• Satria Oclatius (mother, Lady of Teraevyn, assassinated at 45 in 2032 TE)
• Fulcinia Carisius (sister, Lady of Teraevyn, born in 2011 TE, died in the cradle in 2012 TE)
• Aetia Carisius (sister, Lady of Teraevyn, born in 2016 TE)
• Halestia Carisius (sister, Lady of Teraevyn, born in 2019 TE)
• Julius Carisius (brother, Lord of Teraevyn, born in 2021 TE)
• Neratia Carisius (sister, Lady of Teraevyn, born in 2023 TE)
• Lucian Carisius (brother, Lord of Teraevyn, born in 2026 TE)
• Publius Carisius (p. grandfather, former magister and Lord of Teraevyn, killed in a Qunari raid at 61 in 2019 TE)
• Domitia Amladaris (p. grandmother, former Lady of Teraeyvn, died of illness at 70 in 2030 TE)
• Quintus Carisius (p. uncle, Lord of Teraevyn)
• Caesennia Opimius (p. aunt-by-marriage, Lady of Teraevyn)
• Aternius Carisius (cousin, Lord of Teraevyn and Venatori mage, born in 2015 TE)
• Orania Carisius (cousin, Lady of Teraevyn, born in 2018 TE, killed at 14 in 2032 TE)
• Septima Carisius (cousin, Lady of Teraevyn, born in 2021 TE)
• Gnaeus Carisius (cousin, Lord of Teraeyvn, born in 2024 TE, killed at 8 in 2032 TE)
• Victorinus Carisius (cousin, Lord of Teraeyvn, born in 2024 TE)
• Glicia Carisius (p. aunt, Lady of Carastes)
• Numerius Erucius (p. uncle-by-marriage, Magister, Lord of Carastes)
• Statius Erucius (cousin, Lord of Carastes, born in 2019 TE)
• Roscia Erucius (cousin, Lady of Carastes, born in 2022 TE)
• Hostus Erucius (cousin, Lord of Carastes, born in 2024 TE)
• Terentia Erucius (cousin, Lady of Carastes, born in 2027 TE)
• Traianus Carisius (p. uncle, Lord of Teraevyn)
• Belliena Umbrius (p. aunt-by-marriage, Lady of Teraevyn)
• Luscia Carisius (cousin, Lady of Teraevyn, born in 2023 TE)
• Plancia Carisius (cousin, Lady of Teraevyn, born in 2025 TE, killed at 7 in 2032 TE)
• Icilia Carisius (cousin, Lady of Teraevyn, born in 2027 TE)
• Furius Carisius (cousin, Lord of Teraevyn, born in 2030 TE)
• Jallius Oclatius (m. grandfather, died of illness at 76 in 2033 TE)
• Geminia Viridius (m. grandmother, died of illness at 70 in 2029 TE)
• Auria Oclatius (m. aunt, magister)
• Matius Istacidius (m. uncle-by-marriage)
• Rania Oclatius (cousin, born in 2010 TE)
• Tarius Oclatius (cousin, born in 2015 TE)
• Macrinius Oclatius (m. uncle, revered father of the Caimen Brea chantry)
• Volesus Oclatius (m. uncle)
• Ignia Javolenus (m. aunt-by-marriage)
• Caria Oclatius (cousin, born in 2016 TE)
• Antonia Carisius (cousin, born in 2016 TE)
• Maecenas Oclatius (cousin, born in 2019 TE)
• Laecania Oclatius (m. aunt)
• Severin Alexius (m. uncle-by-marriage, magister after deposition of Gereon Alexius)
• Nicetius Alexius (cousin, born in 2016 TE)
• Marcellina Alexius (cousin, born in 2017 TE)
• Leontius Alexius (cousin, born in 2020 TE)

Quotes

• (to Cassandra during the prologue) "Do you really think I need a staff to be dangerous?"
• (to Cullen) "I'm no Herald of anything, particularly not Andraste. She was a mortal woman, and She would never make someone like me her 'chosen one'. And to assume that whoever was seen behind me was someone who hasn't been seen in a thousand years… that's insane."
• (to Solas) "Am I riding in on a shining steed? An Imperial Warmblood would be best for that, of course."
• (to Giselle) "The southern Chantry has rewritten the Chant as much as the Imperial Chantry has. How many Dissonant Verses do you have—how many are Dissonant because they were politically inconvenient? You know, whatever Tevinter's faults, at least we are honest about them. We do not pretend to be beacons of morality then commit the same crimes we accuse others of doing."
• (to Vivienne) "Tevinter's problems do not stem from mages being free. Your non-mage nobles are guilty of similar crimes and vulnerable to the same flaws, as are your templars."
• (to Linnea) "Speaking as a man of Tevinter—most mages there don't enjoy the same freedom the nobles do. Far more likely you'd end up a slave or a pawn in somebody's plot than a magister—and that's assuming you don't get cut down by an abomination wandering the streets that nobody can be bothered to take care of because it hasn't killed anyone important."
• (to Alexius) "Yes, what's better than turning back time? The old Imperium is dead, Alexius. I thought you, of all people, knew that! What happened to turn you to this?"
• (during the ceremony) "With fear running rampant, they need to see a mage—a Tevinter—standing for what is right. I'll defeat Corypheus standing with them, not over them."
• (to Josephine) "I can't permit bad memories to influence the job we must do."
• (to Sera) "It's hard, but you can think bigger. What's a few pranks, getting egg on people's faces, and childish raspberries compared to changing the course of a nation through example and action? […] You don't exactly have the whole world figured out, Sera. What does short-term revenge help in the long run?"
• (to Hawke and Stroud) "Human sacrifice, demon summoning… I thought you southerners knew better. You always bleat about its prevalence in Tevinter, but as soon as you're backed into a corner, how convenient, all your qualms disappear."
• (to Giselle in the library) "De hoc satis! [Enough!] I will hear no more of this. You claim to have my best interests at heart, but you insult him and you insult me by dint of that, and you do so based on centuries of propaganda. You do not know us, and you do not care to know us—only regret that we do not fit your Chantry-approved mould. If 'evil magisters' are all you wish to see, then I have no interest in talking to you further—get out of my face, woman!"
• (in the Fade) "It beats waiting around for demons to find us, right? Or for us to somehow reenact the Second Sin. There. Let's go. This is not how I plan to imitate my ancestors."
• (to Erimond) "You are the worst of us, the exemplar of all that is wrong with our nation and all that our people should oppose. The damage you have done here is beyond all reckoning. That which I will bring down on you is so often abused at home, but I have never seen its use so justified as now. I will remind our people that the Wardens came first from us, and we should still treat them as such. For this, a mage's crime, a mage's punishment. Lord Livius Erimond of Vyrantium, I deny you death. Tranquillity."
• (to Cullen) "Templars make sacrifices so they can serve the people, and that's not something you can run away from. Isn't it more important, now, not to be bound to the templars any longer?"

Dialogue

(at the Singing Maiden)

• Flissa: And you were sent to show us we were wrong to be afraid of the mages. I have always respected magic! I think the Maker blessed your rebellion, and… I mean, I'm Flissa. Can I get you a drink?
• Marcian: [laughing] Believe me, I'm not the Herald of Andraste, and the Maker didn't send me. In fact, I'm sure I'd be one of the last people He'd want to send.
• Flissa: Is this a test? I heard there might be tests of faith. It's all right. Don't say anything.
• Marrcian: What would be the test be, exactly? You're clearly a southerner—and I'm a Tevinter noble. Do you really want someone like me testing you on anything?

───────

(outside Haven)

• Lysette: You are a mage, and magic was meant to serve man, not rule him. Yet here you are, testing that core tenet of the Chantry. I did not join the Order to adjust my faith so easily, but I appreciate what the Inquisition is trying to do, and your role in it. Though you may find not many templars do. We're a distrustful lot by nature.
• Marcian: Spare your platitudes. Magic is meant to serve the greater good, so says the Chantry that I believe in. No tenets are being tested here, though I suppose you'll have to adjust your faith more than you thought you would. I am of the very people you fear most.
• Lysette: Tevinter? This is… unexpected, to say the least. Well, how shall you act, Tevinter? Shall you behave in the way your countrymen do, or will you give us no cause to fear?
• Marcian: I shall behave in the way that is expected of me. Whether you choose to fear me or not is not my concern, though I suspect you will anyway. You southerners are a narrow-minded bunch, and you templars are worst of all.
• Lysette: Not all templars want to make mages into prisoners or villains. Some of us just want to keep a balance and let you practice your craft in safety.
• Marcian: And not all Tevinters wish to rule the world or whatever it is you southerners think of us. If you can do me the decency of remembering that, then I might do the same. Though, personally, I doubt it. You templars have done as little to earn my respect as I have to earn yours.

───────

(during The Threat Remains)

• Roderick: If you are innocent, the Chantry will establish it as so.
• Cullen: Or will be happy to use someone as a scapegoat.
• Marcian: Oh, yes, the southern Chantry, the same one that spent centuries scapegoating my people and mages as a whole, will be so happy to prove the innocence of a Tevinter mage and not burn him at the proverbial stake!

───────

(after the attack on Haven)

• Giselle: Can we truly know the heavens are not with us?
• Marcian: Spare me your southern bullshit, Giselle. I lived because I trudged through a blizzard. The only certainty here is that I did what Tevinters always do—I endured. There is nothing divine in that.

───────

(in the Coracavus holding cells)

• Blackwall: Serpent banners everywhere, chains, blood, rot… typical Tevinter.
• Marcian: Typical? It's not all chains, blood, rot, and banners. Well, maybe banners. We do like our serpents. But this is not all that we are. You'd have to see the Imperium in the flesh for that.

───────

(in the Gull and Lantern)

• Marcian: Don't leave it like this, Dorian. If something happens… you'll never forgive yourself.
• Dorian: What would you know? Your family was always so much happier. Your father bucked tradition so he could marry who he wanted. I would have thought you would understand.
• Marcian: I don't claim to understand everything, but I do understand that the last time I spoke to Mater, we fought. Over something trivial. I don't even remember it now. Then she died. Was murdered. If you leave it like this… it's an ugly regret to carry around.

───────

(at the ritual tower)

• Erimond: That mark you bear? The Anchor that lets you pass safely through the Veil? You stole that from my master. He's been forced to seek other ways to access the Fade. When I bring him your head, his gratitude will be—
• Marcian: I think that's enough evil magister rambling for one day, Erimond. Did nobody ever tell you not to play all your cards at once?

───────

(in the Hissing Wastes)

• Aternius: They'll understand what I'm doing. They have to, they can't not.
• Marcian: Understand what? That you left them? That you joined a cult? That you're away in the south fighting in the name of one of the very magisters whose actions are the reason Tevinter is so reviled? That you're likely to die doing so? That you're obligated to fight me? Yes, what's not for Septima and Victorinus to understand? What's there that they can't accept?

───────

(during Demands of the Qun)

• Gatt: The Tevinter Imperium is bad enough without the influence of this Venatori cult. If this new form of lyrium helps them seize power in Tevinter, the war with Qunandar could get worse.
• Marcian: Oh, yes, Tevinter. A country simply chock-full of slavers and mindless brutes and nothing more. Surely the southerners are just waiting for the Qunari to save them from that.
• Gatt: As a matter of fact, it was for me. The Qunari rescued me from slavery in Tevinter. I was eight. The Qun isn't perfect, but it gave me a better life.
• Marcian: Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise a life without free will and independent thought was such an improvement over life in the household of a magister.
• Gatt: You don't know anything about that magister, lordling.

───────

(before entering the Winter Palace)

• Josephine: I must warn you before you go inside: how you speak to the court is a matter of life and death. It is no simple matter of etiquette and protocol. Every word, every gesture is measured and evaluated for weakness.
• Marcian: [laughing uproariously] You feel the need to tell me that? Oh, ye of little faith, Josephine! Please, remember where I come from. The Orlesians are rank amateurs compared to my people, I assure you.

See also

Reddit

• Places travelled to and languages spoken
• Happy thoughts
• Political disinterest and laughter
• The wrong one
• Character development
• Winter Palace outfit and Envy
• Advice and what he needs to hear
• Voice
• Name pronunciation
• Non-magical fighting and favourite and least favourite scenes
• Journey as a character
• Overwhelmed
• Hanging out spot and combat comments
• Immorality for the greater good and past figures reappearing
• Grievous wound
• Fighting in the mud
• Chores and journals
• Forces, diplomacy, or espionage
• Changing opinions
• Alcohol
• Approval as a companion
• Small things to adjust to, appearance changes, and concealment
• Changing opinions

Non-Reddit

• Tumblr wiki page
• Tumblr tag
• Character sheet
• Family tree
• Hero of Thedas

Gallery

• At the ruins of the temple
• Addressing the Chantry in Val Royeaux
• Arriving at Redcliffe
• Conscripting the mages
• Sealing the Breach
• Facing down Corypheus
• Becoming Inquisitor
• Having a drink with Bull
• "It's not easy to abandon tradition and walk your own path."
• Assaulting Adamant Fortress
• In the Fade
• Banishing the Nightmare
• With Josephine in Val Royeaux
• At the Winter Palace
• Meeting Morrigan

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