Solona Amell, born in 9:11 Dragon, was a rather timid, peaceful soul, who somehow ended up leading a ragtag band of misfits against the Blight, earning herself the title the Hero of Ferelden.
Overview[]
Physical Appearance[]
Solona is about 5'3'' and has a very slight frame. She has large brown eyes and brown hair, which she wears in braids.
Personality[]
The three words that best describe Solona are studious, shy and determined. While in the Circle, she wanted to become the best mage that she could possibly be, and so she studied very hard. She wasn't very good in social situations and preferred spending time in the library with a book to talking to people. She became far more confident later, as she realised that she had it in her to be a leader and to make difficult decisions. She also became far better at interacting with people - out of necessity.
Talents and Skills[]
Solona's frost attacks are particularly powerful, and she can form a stronger barrier than anyone else from the Ferelden Circle. She has absolutely no talent for healing magic, however, much to her annoyance.
Biography[]
History[]
Solona Amell was born in Kirkwall in 9:11 Dragon, the fourth child of Revka and Tamas Amell. She had four siblings, Bertran (born in 9:03 Dragon), Zarina (born in 9:06 Dragon), Matrim (born in 9:09 Dragon) and Nela (born in 9:13 Dragon). She never met her oldest brother, Bertran, as he was taken away to the Circle before she was born. When Solona was three, her older sister Zarina's magic began to manifest, and her mother Revka disappeared a few days later. Tamas Amell left Kirkwall with his four remaining children soon afterwards, and the family eventually settled in Ferelden.
By the time Solona was five, her brother Matrim had also started using magic. Tamas Amell was determined not to lose any more children to the Circle, and so Zarina and Matrim did their best to keep their magic a secret. One day, Solona saw Matrim make a tiny flame appear over his palm. She was captivated and immediately decided that she wanted to do it too. She tried and tried, and one day she succeeded. She ran to show her father, but instead of being excited, Tamas sat with his head in his hands. Solona tried to do as she was told and hide her magic from everyone else, but she found it very difficult. She was proud of her new talent and she wanted to show the world. She was a little too young to understand that most people saw her abilities as a curse rather than a gift. Eventually she decided that she had to show someone or she would burst. Surely it wouldn't hurt to show their neighbour, a kindly old woman who would often visit and bring sweets and cakes for her and her siblings? The old woman screamed and ran inside her house as soon as she saw the flame, and Solona realised that she had made a terrible mistake. The Templars came for her the next day. They were only expecting to find one mage, but Zarina and Matrim both accidentally used magic while the Templars were there, and so they were taken to the Circle too. Solona would never forget the look on her father's face as three of his four remaining children were led away, and the guilt and shame over what she had done stayed with her for the rest of her life.
When Solona first arrived at Kinloch Hold, there was only one other mage who was even close to her age - Jowan - and so the two of them stuck together and quickly became friends. She grew to enjoy life in the Circle, and decided that she would try to be the best mage that she could possibly be. She was a model apprentice in many ways, but she was also rather naive and a bit of a romantic.
In-game[]
When Solona found out about Jowan and Lily, she immediately agreed to help them escape. He was her best friend, and she thought he deserved a chance at true happiness. She was completely horrified to discover that Jowan was a blood mage. She wasn't too happy about leaving the Circle and becoming a Grey Warden at first, but after a few days of travelling with Duncan she realised that life outside the Circle was far more exciting than life in it. After the Battle of Ostagar she decided that, rather than being the best mage she could possibly be, she would try to be the best Grey Warden she could possibly be.
Solona saved as many mages as she could after Uldred's rebellion, and they helped her save Connor from possession. She didn't poison the ashes at Haven, but she told the cultists she would so she wouldn't have to fight them. She made peace between the elves and the werewolves, and she made Harrowmont King of Orzammar because he seemed more trustworthy than Bhelen. She thought the Anvil of the Void was evil, but Oghren persuaded her to give Branka a chance, so she tried to convince Caridin to spare Branka. That did not go well, and she ended up having to kill Caridin in self defense. She persuaded Branka to destroy the Anvil, but wasn't expecting her to commit suicide immediately afterwards. So to her dismay, Solona ended up being responsible for the deaths of two Paragons. She killed Loghain at the Landsmeet and made Anora sole ruler, partly because Alistair had made it very clear that he didn't want to be King, and partly because she didn't want him to be King either. By that point she had fallen in love with him, and she knew that him becoming King would mean the end of their relationship. She agreed to the Dark Ritual, despite her misgivings, because it was the only way she and Alistair could stay together.
After killing the Archdemon, Solona became the Warden-Commander in Ferelden and set about rebuilding the Grey Wardens. She chose to save Amaranthine over Vigil's Keep when the darkspawn attacked, but the Keep also survived. She spared the Messenger, reasoning that he couldn't be evil if he came to warn her about the attack on the Keep, and she also spared the Architect. She didn't entirely trust him and she thought his plan was mad, but what if he was telling the truth and the plan worked? As a Grey Warden, surely it was her duty to do whatever she had to do to stop the Blight, even if that meant allying with an intelligent darkspawn? She had a lot of second thoughts about this decision, but she reasoned that she could track the Architect down and kill him later if it turned out that he was lying.
Post-game[]
Solona stayed on as Warden-Commander, doing her best to rebuild the Wardens and the Keep, and to rule Amaranthine fairly. In 9:40 Dragon, she set off to try to find a cure for the Calling, along with Zevran, Rhodri Mahariel, a few other Wardens, and Ivan, her mabari.
Relationships[]
Solona managed to form fairly good relationships with all her companions. Leliana soon became her closest friend and confidante, and she felt that she could always turn to Wynne for advice. She and Morrigan had quite an antagonistic relationship at first. Solona didn't trust Morrigan because she was an apostate and clearly dabbled in morally questionable magic, while Morrigan thought Solona was a sheltered little Circle mage with no idea of what life was like outside the Tower. Morrigan was surprised when Solona agreed to help her deal with Flemeth, and Solona was surprised by how grateful Morrigan was for her help. After that, they both realised that they had made a lot of unfair assumptions about each other, and eventually they became friends. Solona also got on reasonably well with Zevran in the end, although she was never sure how to react to his flirting. Not wanting to be rude, she would smile and laugh nervously, which only seemed to encourage him. It all came to a head one evening in camp when Zevran offered her a massage. Solona was mortified and tried to explain that she didn't think of him that way and that she hadn't meant to lead him on. Zevran was fine with it, but she still felt guilty. Things were a little awkward between them for a time, but their relationship slowly improved, helped along by Solona's blossoming relationship with Alistair and the appearance of a certain Dalish elf named Rhodri Mahariel. She couldn't figure out what Sten was thinking most of the time, but she had a lot of respect for him and it seemed that he started to respect her too, once he saw how good she was at killing darkspawn. She found Oghren a little difficult to get on with at the beginning, but once she saw past the drinking and the crude jokes she realised that there was a surprisingly sensitive soul inside. It also turned out that she had a much higher alcohol tolerance than anyone expected - which certainly didn't hurt.
Alistair[]
When Solona first went to find Alistair at Ostagar, she thought she would meet somebody like Duncan - a grizzled warrior who had seen a lot of action. She most definitely was not expecting to find someone close to her own age who made jokes all the time and was rather handsome. They hit it off immediately, but it was climbing the Tower of Ishal that truly cemented their friendship. That day it felt like it was the two of them against the rest of the world. She began to develop feelings for Alistair shortly after Uldred's rebellion. He gave her a rose around the same time, and she immediately knew how special the gift was. It became her most treasured possession, and she placed a ward over it so that it would stay perfect forever. Alistair shared her feelings, but nothing happened between them for a while because they were both too shy to say anything. It was fairly obvious to all their companions that they liked each other, and their failure to do anything about it was the source of much amusement. They finally became a couple once Arl Eamon revealed his plan to make Alistair King. The plan did not go down well, and Alistair sulked all the way back to their campsite before disappearing by himself for several hours. Solona eventually went after him, and found him sitting at the top of a hill close by. She tried to cheer him up by trying to convince him that being King wouldn't be so bad. He would be able to do whatever he liked, after all. He laughed bitterly and said that it would be exactly the opposite - he would have no freedom whatsoever. He wouldn't even be abe to choose who he married. He would be forced to marry some rich noblewoman. Solona remarked that she could think of worse things than marrying a beautiful, rich noblewoman, to which Alistair replied "But what if I didn't want to marry a beautiful, rich noblewoman? What if I wanted to marry a beautiful farmer's daughter? Or a tavern waitress? Or a beautiful mage?" He then cleared his throat and asked Solona if she would miss "all this" once the Blight was over. She laughed and said she didn't think she would miss killing darkspawn. Alistair explained that that wasn't what he meant. Would she miss the companionship, the chats by the campfire, him? Solona replied that she probably would miss him a little bit. Alistair responded that that was good, because he would miss her a little bit too. Quite a lot, actually. In truth, he would miss her terribly because he had come to care for her somewhat. A great deal, in fact. Was there a chance - did she think there was a chance that she might one day come to feel the same way about him? Solona replied that she already did, and then she and Alistair finally shared their first kiss.
Solona and Alistair took things very slowly. Neither of them had had any previous relationships, and they were both desperate to avoid pressuring each other. They went for a walk together every evening so that they could talk in private - and kiss as much as they wanted. It was a while before they went much further than kissing, however. The night after they left Orzammar, Alistair disappeared by himself again. He came back a while later and very hesitantly asked Solona if she would spend the night with him. She agreed immediately. It felt like the right time, and for the past few days she had been considering asking him. She suggested going to her tent, but Alistair replied that he had a better idea and led her to small clearing a short distance away, where he had set up his own tent. He explained that he thought it might be nice to be away from everyone else, and Solona could only agree. It was the first time for both of them, and it was far from perfect. It was a little hesitant and awkward in places, but in the end they both enjoyed it. That night was also the first time Alistair told Solona he loved her. She tried to say it back, but she started laughing uncontrollably every time she tried to speak the words. Alistair thought it was adorable and starting saying "I love you" to her over and over again, which only made her laugh harder. The next morning, she finally managed to say "I love you too", much to Alistair's joy.
Solona and Alistair were devastated when Riordan told them how to kill the Archdemon. Even though Riordan said he would try to be the one to kill it, deep down they both knew that he would fail and the burden would fall to one of them. After Solona's chat with Morrigan, Alistair found her lying on her bed staring sadly at the rose he had given her. He tried to cheer her up by telling her there had to be another way, just like there was a way of saving Connor without resorting to blood magic, and another way of ending the Landsmeet without making him King. He was thrilled when Solona told him there was another way - until he realised she was crying. They had a long discussion about the Dark Ritual, and they both offered to make the ultimate sacrifice, but it soon became clear that wouldn't work because neither of them could bear the thought of the other dying. By the end, they were both crying, but they agreed to go through with the ritual because it was their only chance to stay together. Solona drank a sleeping draught after Alistair left, so she wouldn't have to think about what was happening elsewhere in the castle. When she woke up, Alistair was lying next to her, just like any other morning. That was that, and they never spoke of it again.
Alistair and Solona stayed together after the Blight ended. They had to spend a lot of time apart because of their Warden duties, but they made it work. They had a very loving and supportive relationship, and they were always there for each other. The First Warden and most of the other Warden-Commanders didn't approve of their relationship, and so they tried to avoid showing affection in public when foreign Wardens were around. The Ferelden Wardens weren't bothered, and most of them secretly thought it was rather sweet.
Solona dreamt of one day having a family with Alistair, but she knew that it would probably never happen, what with them both being Grey Wardens. But when she found a lead in her quest to cure the Calling, she finally allowed herself to hope. She thought she was close to finding it when she received word from Skyhold that Alistair was lost in the Fade, and then nearly all her hope was gone. Nearly all, because the letter didn't say that Alistair was dead. She clung on to the possibility that he might still be alive and vowed to find him once she had found the cure.
Rhodri Mahariel[]
When Solona visited the Brecilian Forest to ask Zathrian's clan for their aid against the Blight, she met a young Dalish elf named Rhodri Mahariel. He offered to accompany her into the forest to help her deal with the werewolves, and she accepted his help. Once the curse had been lifted, he told her about his encounter with a mysterious mirror and the strange illness that he had been suffering from ever since. After some discussion with Alistair and Wynne, Solona decided that Rhodri must have contracted the taint and that perhaps becoming a Grey Warden would cure him. When Solona and her companions left the Brecilian Forest, Rhodri went with them, accompanying them to Orzammar and helping them fight through the Deep Roads. He went through the Joining Ritual in Denerim and survived, although it was touch and go for a while. Rhodri remained in Denerim for a few weeks after the Blight ended, recovering from the Joining, and then spent several months travelling with Zevran. On returning to Ferelden, he settled into life as a Grey Warden under Solona's command, eventually becoming one of her most trusted friends in the order.
Miscellaneous[]
Solona's greatest fear is Failure.
Solona wears her hair in braids as a tribute to her mother, who always braided her own hair, as well as her daughters'. Solona has very few memories of Revka, but one of the strongest is of sitting on her mother's knee while her mother styled her hair. At the age of fourteen, she went through a phase of trying out a few other styles, but none of them felt quite right, and so she quickly went back to braids.
Solona has a very quiet laugh - so quiet that it's sometimes hard to tell whether she's laughing at all.
If Solona were an animal, she would be a dormouse because she's small and cute, and sometimes she just wants to curl up somewhere warm away from everyone and everything.
Links[]
Reddit Headcanon Threads:[]
Reddit Writing Prompt Threads:[]
A Manifestation of Magic - Solona's father's thoughts following the appearance of his daughter's magic (Prompt: Codex Entry: A story from your OC’s childhood)
A Broken Family - Nela Amell's POV of the Templars coming for her sister Solona (Prompt: 100 Word Drabble: A broken family)
The Harrowing - Cullen's thoughts as Solona prepares to undergo the Harrowing (Prompt: A case of nerves, a harsh glare, pale blue, a glint of steel)
The Tower of Ishal - Solona and Alistair have their own dangerous mission during the Battle of Ostagar (Prompt: Water, grey, surprise, knowledge shared)
Six Sentence Story - Solona and Alistair bond over their shared Grey Warden dreams (Prompt: Six Sentence Stories: Write a story in no more than 6 sentences)
A Rose in Redcliffe - Alistair ponders his growing feelings for Solona (Love Interest and Romance Challenge - Prompt: A rose, a town, a thought, sunlight gleaming, eyes widening)
Letting Go - Solona tries to come to terms with Uldred's rebellion and the aftermath (Prompt: Write an occurrence of your character completely losing it)
A Light in the Darkness - Solona and Alistair grow closer following the mages' recruitment (Love Interest POV Theme - Prompt: For Canon LIs: Take a romance scene from the game and flesh it out. For Non Canon: Expand a scene from the game and expand it into a romance scene)
Overheard - Solona and Leliana overhear a rather interesting conversation between Alistair and Wynne (Prompt: A tavern, an overheard conversation, betting, tired)
Alistair's Confession - Solona and Alistair have a heart-to-heart (Freeform)
In War, Victory - Things finally start to go Alistair's way. A companion piece to Alistair's Confession (Prompt: Take a romance scene from the games and flesh it out, expand on the dialogue, on what goes on, the events that take place)
A New Ally - Solona meets a young Dalish elf named Rhodri Mahariel (Freeform)
A Kiss from a Rose - Solona and Alistair wake up together for the first time (Prompt: A tent, flickering lights, conversation, a flush of the skin, a sweet smile, a scent of a rose)
The Dark Ritual - The night before the battle with the Archdemon, Solona and Alistair face a terrible choice (Freeform)
Waiting by Firelight - Solona waits for Alistair to return (Prompt: Drabble 100 Words: A moment by firelight)
After the Ritual - Following the Dark Ritual, Solona and Alistair have a heart-to-heart (Love Interest POV Theme - Prompt: Whispers, a gentle touch, eyes filled with heart ache, a sob then smile)
Letters and Leavetakings - Alistair sets off on a mission to drive the last remaining darkspawn out of Ferelden, and Solona receives a message from the First Warden (Prompt: "Who are you to think you have the right to make that kind of decision. This is going too far.")
Letters from the First Warden - How Solona and the First Warden became sworn enemies (Prompt: Three letters, written weeks apart, showing an escalation)
Crossing the Veil - Justice POV of the events in the Blackmarsh (Companion Challenge - Prompt: Recruitment/First Meeting POV)
Alistair's Return - Alistair arrives back at Vigil's Keep after a long absence (Prompt: Write a piece that begins with the end of a journey)
Possession - A much changed Anders returns to confront the Warden-Commander (Prompt: A battle of wills, a reunion, hope, sadness and regret)
Coming Home - Solona returns to Vigil's Keep following her quest to track down Morrigan (Prompt: “Every time I see you, I fall in love with you all over again.”)
The Apostate and the Warden-Commander - A series of letters between Warden-Commmander Solona Amell, the Hero of Ferelden, and the apostate mage Anders (Prompt: Tell a story through exchanged letters)
In Peace, Vigilance - Solona and Alistair say goodbye as she leaves to find a cure for the Calling (Prompt: "I'm not ready to say goodbye")
A Lingering Kiss - Solona and Alistair share a brief moment before she leaves to find the cure (Prompt: 100 Word Drabble: A lingering kiss)
Solona's Promise - Solona receives some devasting news from Skyhold (Freeform)
Defining Moments - Five defining moments in Solona's life (Prompt: A series of drabbles: Five defining moments in your OC's story, each at 100 words or less)
Something to Live For - Solona and her companions are ready to return to Ferelden after finding a cure for the Calling. But with Alistair gone, what is the point in carrying on? (Prompt: Dying is easy. Living is harder.)
Turning Points - Solona prepares to enter the Deep Roads one last time (Prompt: Six Sentence Story “Please don’t do this.”)
The First and the Last - Solona's first thoughts on meeting Alistair - and her last thoughts about him (Prompt: Your OC's first thought about their LI and their last one)
Codex Entry: Ivan - A Codex entry for Solona's mabari (Prompt: Codex Entry: Your OC has found a new pet)
Hero - A song about Solona (Bard Style Challenge - Freeform)
The Warden's Song - A song about the events of the Fifth Blight (Prompt: Take events of one of the games - DAO, DA: Awakening, DA2, DAI, with the protagonist, and write it entirely in Song or Poem)
Breaking - A song about Alistair written by Solona (Prompt: Bard Style (Poem, Song, or Storyteller): A poem or a song, written by your OC)
Solona Goes to College - Part 1 (Modern AU Challenge - Freeform)
Solona Goes to College - Part 2 (Modern AU Challenge - Freeform)
Solona Goes to College - Part 3 (Modern AU Challenge - Freeform)
Warden Dreams (Prompt: Modern Day AU: Your OC wakes up from a bad dream)
Non-Reddit links (AO3, DeviantArt, Tumblr):[]
The Way of the Warden - Most of my ficlets about Solona collected together on AO3
Solona Goes to College - Full version posted on AO3
Spotify Playlist for Solona and Alistair
Gallery[]
