Leliana

Leliana was born in Orlais, and though she is culturally Orlesian, her mother was Fereldan and so she considers herself as such. Leliana's mother, Oisine, was a servant of Lady Cecilie Vasseur, an Orlesian noble. One of Leliana's earliest memories is the scent of her mother's linen dress which smelled like the flower, Andraste's Grace, as they held hands on the terrace of an Orlesian villa with a view of the Waking Sea and gardens of sweet orange and lavender. Though Leliana is uncertain if this powerful memory is real or not, she cherishes the image of her Fereldan mother.

Following the Fereldan victory in the Rebellion, Oisine followed Lady Cecilie back to Orlais. When Leliana's mother died, shortly after her fourth birthday, she was raised by Cecilie (though she did not likely legally adopt her), and in her care Leliana learned much about the royal court and Orlesian culture.

Oisine's death cast a pall over Leliana's normally sunny disposition, however, and in an effort to cheer the girl her new guardian gave her whatever she asked for; Leliana only ever wanted books. As a result, she quickly developed an obsessive interest in Orlesian and Fereldan stories, ballads and songs, as well as any tales she could learn from Cecilie's elven servants. Tutors were soon called for by Lady Cecilie to foster Leliana's passion. Leliana often practiced her dancing on the stone terrace of Cecilie's villa on the Waking Sea, as well.

At sixteen, Leliana made her first trip to Val Royeaux, to attend a soiree with Lady Cecilie. There she met and was impressed by Marjolaine, a wealthy widow and patroness of the arts. Marjolaine began calling upon the aging Lady Cecilie shortly after the soiree, who often left Leliana to entertain the dazzling visitor.

Marjolaine and Leliana, along with Tug and Sketch, arrive on a secret mission to Denerim. Marjolaine gives Leliana various assignments around the city, which she completes with ease and reports back to her. Marjolaine then informs her of another assignment: to plant incriminating documents at the Arl of Denerim's Estate. Leliana infiltrates the estate with Tug and Sketch, witnesses Marjolaine flirt with the guard commander Harwen Raleigh, and plants the documents in the master's bedroom. Her curiosity gets the better of her, however, and upon taking a closer look at the documents, she discovers that they bear the seals of the Orlesian military.

Returning to their hideout, Leliana confronts Marjolaine about this apparent treason, and her mentor agrees to go back to the estate and retrieve the documents. The alarm is raised, however, and Leliana is forced to fight her way out. Upon escaping, Leliana and her companions are betrayed by Marjolaine, who stabs her lover and leaves them at the mercy of Raleigh's guards. Utterly broken, Leliana almost gives in to despair when an unseen benefactor provides her with the means to escape from her cell. Leliana finds and frees Sketch but discovers that Tug had been tortured to death; another prisoner they free, Silas Corthwaite, decides to accompany them to seek vengeance against Raleigh.

After escaping, the band is brought to Lothering by Leliana's benefactor, who reveals herself as Revered Mother Dorothea. Dorothea explains that the Orlesian documents Leliana had seen originally belonged to her and asks her to retrieve them. Leliana and her companions chase after Marjolaine and Raleigh and finally corner them on an unnamed coast. After dealing with Raleigh, Leliana once again confronts Marjolaine. She then returns the documents to Dorothea and joins the Chantry as a lay sister, having found faith in her ordeal.

Leliana first encounters Aedan Cousland - later known as 'The Hero of Ferelden' - at the Dane's Refuge tavern in Lothering. When Aedan is set upon by soldiers loyal to Loghain Mac Tir, Leliana assists Aedan in the skirmish. Following the fight, she explains that the Maker had sent her a vision which meant that she must aid the Cousland in their quest to end the Blight. Despite the Chantry's claim that the Maker does not communicate directly with individuals, Leliana is firm in her belief. This causes Alistair to suspect she was mentally unstable, while Morrigan also doubted her sanity.

To her great delight, Leliana is accepted into the Aedan's party and sets out with his party from Lothering, having previously obtained permission from her Revered Mother to do so. During the quest to recover the fabled Sacred Ashes of Andraste, the Guardian of the Ashes states that the Maker only ever spoke to one mortal, Andraste, and accuses Leliana of inventing her vision. He proposes that she fabricated the tale for attention as she feared her life would become dull in the Chantry when compared to the thrill of a bard's life. Affronted, Leliana makes a flustered denial of the Guardian's accusation.

Following much discussion with the Warden of her life as a bard, Marjolaine sends assassins to murder Leliana. Upon defeat, the assassins reveal that Marjolaine is in Denerim. Leliana and the Warden thus set out to find her former mentor.

After entering the house and killing her guards, Leliana confronts Marjolaine. Knowing that if she was spared, Marjolaine would continue to pursue her for the rest of her days, Leliana killed her old mentor, encouraged by Aedan to do so.

Leliana is present at the coronation of the new monarch of Ferelden following the death of the Archdemon, Urthemiel and the end of the Blight along with Aedan's funeral after he slayed Urthemiel.

Leliana was appointed Left Hand of the Divine by Revered Mother Dorothea, who had been elected Divine Justinia V. The Divine dispatches Leliana to Kirkwall under the pseudonym of "Sister Nightingale", in order to assess whether an Exalted March against the city would be necessary to suppress the conflict between templars and mages. While tracking down a shadowy apostate group known as "Resolutionists", she encounters Hawke and Prince Sebastian Vael in the Viscount's Keep, and asks them to convince Grand Cleric Elthina to flee Kirkwall and seek shelter in the Grand Cathedral of Val Royeaux at the Divine's invitation.

Leliana attends a party at Chateau Haine as a guest of Duke Prosper de Montfort. During the event, she encounters Hawke and Tallis, a Qunari agent of the Ben-Hassrath and apparently a former associate of Leliana's that she once met in Orlais. If Hawke tries to question if something is amiss, both Leliana and Tallis will be evasive in their reply. Leliana will also advise not tasting the cheese from the Anderfels.

Following Cassandra Pentaghast's interrogation of Varric Tethras, she rendezvouses with the Seeker outside the Hawke Estate. After confirming that Cassandra was unable to locate Hawke, the two agree to return to their other plan.

Leliana continued to serve Divine Justinia V in seeking a solution to the ongoing conflict following the Kirkwall Rebellion.

She encounters Knight Captain Evangeline at a ball held for the Divine and is also present when Rhys, Wynne, Pharamond and Adrian are granted an audience with Justinia upon their return from Adamant Fortress. She restrains Lord Seeker Lambert, preventing him from attacking Rhys.

Leliana participates in the raid on the White Spire in order to free the captured mages, and it is her presence that reveals to Lord Seeker Lambert that Divine Justinia is conspiring against the Templar Order.

She later sings at Wynne's funeral.

Leliana, in the capacity of the Divine's representative, meets with Empress Celene I at the University of Orlais to discuss the continued mage-templar tensions. Although she attempts to maintain anonymity, Celene reveals her knowledge of both Leliana and Justinia's identities and past exploits. The empress goes on to demand that the Divine make an official statement on the mage-templar conflict within three weeks, or she will be unable to restrain the overeager nobles at her court from interfering. Leliana agrees to take this proposal to Justinia.

Leliana later delivers to Celene the Divine's price for helping to quell conflict between mages and templars: the empress must end the elven revolt in Halamshiral. By doing so Celene would demonstrate the same control over her own affairs that she had demanded of the Divine. Given her adventures alongside elves in the past, Leliana regrets the repressive tactics employed against the elven population, but bids Celene good luck before leaving.

Leliana joins the Inquisition as its spymaster, and leads the clandestine division responsible for espionage and assassination. She provides an effective alternative when diplomacy or blunt force fail, collecting information, dispatching agents and scouts, and signing her letters with an ominous nightingale sigil that leaves no question of its author. Given all she has gone through chronologically since Leliana's Song, the carefree bard has changed, and with the responsibilities of the Inquisition, even if Leliana wished to show her softer side, she cannot.

Leliana's focus in the Inquisition's War Table is "Secrets." She brings her old friend, the Antivan noblewoman Lady Josephine Montilyet, into the Inquisition. Grieving for the loss of her dear friend, Divine Justinia V, Leliana struggles with a crisis of faith following the tragedy of the Breach. Leliana is perplexed by the Maker's plan and also disillusioned if it required so much of the innocent faithful to be murdered. Leliana and Cassandra Pentaghast interrogated the captured Herald of Andraste in the aftermath of the Breach. Leliana urged Cassandra to calm her temper when dealing with their prisoner since they need the Herald to seal the Fade rifts. Due to the Herald of Andraste's actions in aiding the reborn Inquisition, they were chosen to lead them as their new Inquisitor.

In the wake of the Breach and the death of Divine Justinia V, Leliana had begun investigating all of the late Divine's known enemies. She was scrutinizing Lady Cybile Maronn of Baisne, a minor but exceedingly wealthy noble. Evidence of plots against the Divine led her to socially and politically destroy Lady Cybile despite not being involved with events at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. Lady Cybile's only son, seeking to appease the Inquisition, handed over a significant portion of his mother's assets including the Assassin Argent's contract in order to avoid following his mother's fate.

As the war council assembles, Cassandra and Leliana suggest approaching the rebel mages for help with the Breach, since they are told by Solas that the Anchor requires the same level of power to create the Breach to completely seal the Breach—power that they believe the rebel mages can provide. Cullen disagrees, suggesting recruiting the templars instead, fearing that pouring too much magic into the Inquisitor's mark may destroy them all; he also believes that the templars' ability to suppress the Breach can suffice in sealing it. Leliana however, argues that his hypothesis about the templars' capability is speculation.

When asked why she's so invested in the rebel mages, Leliana will reveal she supported the Divine's plan to use the Inquisition to challenge the tenets of the Chantry so that the mages would be treated more fairly. She believes that mages deserve their freedom, in inspiring good rather than dictating it, redemption of past sins, and in radical reform for the Chantry to stamp out social inequality for all races and to promote charity.

If the Inquisitor recruited the mages, Leliana and her group are sent alongside Dorian to eliminate the Venatori and their leader, Gereon Alexius, at Redcliffe Castle, where the mages have made their base of operations, functioning under the guise of the Herald negotiating with the Magister. However, when the Inquisitor and Dorian are accidentally sent one year in the future, where the former's absence had allowed the Elder One to conquer southern Thedas, Leliana is captured and tortured for information on how the Herald received the mark. By 9:42 Dragon, she has also been subjected to experiments on Blight sickness and Blight resistance, presumably in order to cure Alexius's son, Felix. As the Inquisitor finds her in the torture room, Leliana takes advantage of her interrogator's distraction to snap his neck with her legs. These experiences leave her traumatized and cold towards Dorian and the Inquisitor.

When the party confronts Alexius, Leliana murders Felix and helps to delay approaching Venatori and demon reinforcements to buy the Inquisitor and Dorian time to get through the time rift and stop this future from occurring. Just as Dorian manages to reopen the rift, Leliana is overpowered by her attackers and killed. Should the Inquisitor, upon returning to 9:41 Dragon, tell Leliana of her future self's sacrifice, she states that she would do so again.

When the Inquisitor takes control of the fortress of Skyhold, Leliana will spend her free time in the rookery, making it a new home. Leliana is more hardened and is willing to respond to betrayal with vicious reprisal. After the attack on Haven, she also berates herself for the sentimentality she has for her agents, believing they lost Haven because she pulled her agents back when her first lookouts went missing.

A spirit posing as Divine Justinia V aids the Inquisitor when they come back to the Fade to recover their missing memories. The spirit aids the Inquisitor in finding the truth of how they obtained their mark and also escaping the Fade once again from the Nightmare demon that serves Corypheus. The spirit once again sacrifices itself to weaken the Nightmare but not before asking the Inquisitor to relay a message to Leliana: "I'm sorry. I failed you, too." After Leliana inquires about the spirit and has its message relayed to her, she responds with a solemn "oh" before composing herself and focusing on her duties. In a later conversation with the Inquisitor, she tries to make sense of Justinia's message and the events that led to her death. She believes that it wasn't Justinia who failed her, but she who failed Justinia.

Leliana—along with Josephine, Cullen, and the Inquisitor's chosen party—will accompany the Inquisitor to the Winter Palace for the quest Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts. There she will advise them to search for the identity of Celene I's arcane advisor, and also to receive any scandalous secrets they may acquire during the ball. Leliana seems familiar with the court intrigues and displays a more approachable demeanor to the guests at the ball.

Late in the game, Leliana receives a posthumous letter from Justinia, directing her to the Chantry in Valence, the place where she met Justinia before she was Divine, so she asks the Inquisitor to accompany her. Arriving at the Chantry, they are greeted by Sister Natalie. As the Inquisitor finds three hidden mechanisms that unveil a hidden box, Leliana grows suspicious of Natalie, who makes a slip of the tongue, prompting Leliana to put a knife to her throat. She deduces that Natalie was sent by Grand Cleric Victoire, who had secretly disparaged Justinia and is anti-Inquisition, to see what secret Justinia kept hidden.

Leliana then opens the box, only to find it empty, with an inscription reading, "The Left Hand should lay down her burden." Justinia was releasing her from her service because she feared she was using Leliana.

Back at Skyhold, Leliana has reflected on Justinia's belief that Justinia had corrupted Leliana by employing her as her Left Hand. If Leliana's personality remains hardened, she embraces the ruthless pragmatist she's become and believes it will benefit the Inquisition. If her personality is softened, Leliana remains true to her compassionate nature and believes she is more than what Justinia made her.

Leliana's pet nug Schmooples appears to have died in the intervening years, and Leliana's new pet nugs Schmooples II and Boulette are being cared for by one of her agents, Sparrow. They also helped to repel an attempt by a rival at her home, intended to discover the Nightingale's secrets.

Name: Leliana

Also known as: Sister Nightingale

Born: Orlais, Thedas

Age: 34-35 (Leliana was 24-25 during Dragon Age: Origins)

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Bisexual

Class: Rogue

Specialisation: Bard

Career: Left Hand of Divine Justinia, Spymaster for the Inquisition, former Bard

Height: 5'7

Weight: 61.46 kg (135.50 lbs)

Build: Toned, athletic

Measurements: 37DD-27-37

Hair colour and length: Chin-length dark red hair

Eye colour: Crystal Blue eyes

Leliana's voice is velvety, melodic, and soothing. She has a faint Orlesian accent that adds a touch of elegance to her speech. It's a voice that can easily switch from the sweetness of a bard's tale to the steel of a seasoned warrior when the situation calls for it.

As the Inquisition's "ruthless spymaster" who handles the organization's covert operations, the character has to present herself in a certain way for the organization's sake. Her armor is redesigned and streamlined to "evoke maximum intrigue", while her scarf hood communicates two sides of her character: the devout believer and the rogue. Leliana wears an ashen purple hood to help obscure her face, and her choice of armor reflects her need to remain discreet and incongruous. Her leather tunic is lined with chain mail mesh, which affords essential protection with no compromise on mobility. She wears plate greaves and leg guards to protect herself from low swinging blows. The heraldry of the Inquisition, displayed on the front of her tunic, serves to remind the organization's opponents that "their secrets are never safe".

Leliana is a complex character, shaped by her experiences and the roles she has played throughout her life. At her core, she is fiercely intelligent, resourceful, and pragmatic. She possesses a keen analytical mind and is able to read people and situations with uncanny accuracy. However, beneath this exterior lies a deep well of compassion and empathy. Leliana cares deeply for those around her, particularly her friends and allies. She is fiercely loyal to those she loves and will go to great lengths to protect them, even if it means putting herself in harm's way. At the same time, Leliana is not afraid to make difficult decisions or take unpopular stances if she believes it is necessary for the greater good. She is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her goals, even if it means bending or breaking the rules. Overall, Leliana is a fascinating character who embodies both the light and the dark sides of human nature. She is a force to be reckoned with, and her presence in any story adds depth, complexity, and intrigue.

However, beneath all this, she is empathetic, compassionate, and has a soft side for the ones she cares for. She has a frivolous and playful side, but doesn't show this side often as spymaster.

Bow: Marjolaine's Recurve - Leliana acquired this bow after she killed her former mentor, Marjolaine who kept trying to kill and come after Leliana. Marjolaine taught Leliana more than just social graces, and the younger bard had always coveted this masterfully worked longbow. Beautiful carving and delicate inlays around the grip wordlessly convey one of Marjolaine's great lessons: just because something is deadly, there is no reason it cannot be beautiful.

Note: This was one of the best bows from Dragon Age: Origins

Dual-wield daggers: Leliana uses a pair of quillon daggers made to her specifications. The daggers are sleek and deadly, perfectly suited for the clandestine work she often engages in. The hilts are wrapped in black leather, providing a secure grip even in the most challenging conditions. The blades themselves are narrow and tapered, designed to pierce through armor and flesh with ease. The blades are 11 inches long, 1.50 inches wide at the widest point, and the grip is 3.74 inches long.

Overall, Leliana's daggers are a testament to her lethal prowess as a spy and assassin, and a constant reminder of the dangers that lurk in the shadows of Thedas. The edges are honed to a razor-sharp point, glinting menacingly in the dim light. The daggers are perfectly balanced, allowing Leliana to wield them with deadly precision. The daggers are a testament to the skill and craftsmanship that went into their creation.

Throwing knives: Leliana uses a set of throwing knives that have ornate engravings and are as beautiful as they are deadly. The throwing knives are perfectly balanced and are perfect for when Leliana needs to silently dispatch a target and are equally useful in combat. She can also lace them with a lethal toxin that is potent and works very fast.

Expert Combatant: As a former Bard, veteran of the Fifth Blight, and having been trained further in combat after becoming the Left Hand of Divine Justinia, Leliana is a highly lethal, skilled, and experienced combatant.

Master Knife Fighter: Leliana's skill with a blade are as sharp and lethal as the daggers she wields. Given her nimbleness and agility as a rogue, spy, assassin, and a former Bard, Leliana is a lethal close-quarters combatant.

Expert Guerrilla Fighter: During her training as a Bard, Leliana learned to be incredibly resourceful and use the environment to her advantage along with dirty tricks to get the upper hand in a fight if needed. She is highly skilled and experienced in this style of warfare.

Expert Marksman: Leliana is highly skilled in the use of a bow and arrow along with throwing knives. She's dead-on target more often than not.

Master spy: Leliana is a master of spycraft, having mastered the art of espionage and intelligence gathering along with improvising and creating oppurtunities as a spy in various situations.

1. Oisine - Late biological mother

2. Unknown biological father

1. Aedan Cousland, aka Hero of Ferelden - Leliana's former lover, Grey Warden, veteran of the Fifth Blight (Deceased)

2. Aedan Cousland's Mabari War Hound - LOVEABLE DOGGO, beloved companion of the Hero of Ferelden, friend of Leliana's, veteran of the Fifth Blight (Deceased)

3. Alistair Theirin - former companion, former Grey Warden, veteran of the Fifth Blight, King of Ferelden

4. Zevran Arainai - Former companion, former Antivan Crow, veteran of the Fifth Blight

5. Oghren - Former companion, former resident of Orzammar and member of the warrior caste, Grey Warden, veteran of the Fifth Blight

6. Morrigan - Former companion, daughter of Flemeth, antisocial apostate mage, veteran of the Fifth Blight

7. Wynne - Former companion, Mage, Senior Enchanter of the Circle of Magi, veteran of the Fifth Blight (deceased)

8. Garrett Hawke - Close friend of Varric Tethras, protagonist of Dragon Age II

9. Varric Tethras - a dwarf who's a member of the Dwarven Merchants' Guild, owner of a unique crossbow called "Bianca"

10. Cullen Rutherford - Former Templar, veteran of the Fifth Blight, co-founder and General of Inquisition

11. Josephine Montilyet - Ambassador, diplomat, co-founder of the Inquisition

12. Cassandra Pentaghast - Chantry Seeker, Right Hand of Divine Justinia

13. Solas - a male Elven mage and apostate, later revealed to be Dread Wolf, aka Fen'Harel

14. Sera - Eccentric Elven rogue and archer, member of Red Jenny

15. Iron Bull, aka Hissrad - Qunari, one-eyed leader of the Bull's Chargers

16. Blackwall (later revealed to be Thom Rainier) - Grey Warden imposter pretending to be Warden Constable Blackwall, former captain in the Orlesian Army, champion of the Grand Tourney of the Free Marches

17. Dorian Pavus - a flamboyant Tevinter Mage

18. Loghain Mac Tir - War hero, Ferelden patriot, Former Teryn of Gwaren, former General of the Ferelden Royal Army, Grey Warden, veteran of the Fifth Blight

19. Revered Mother Dorothea, aka Divine Justinia (Deceased)

1. Marjolaine - Former mentor (Deceased)

2. Corypheus

3. Venatori

4. Darkspawn

5. Archdemons

6. Demons

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• While fairly serious nowadays, Leliana has a frivolous, playful, and soft side and loves Nugs. Aedan Cousland got her a pet nug which Leliana named 'Schmooples'. Schmooples died at some point in the 10 years between the events of Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Inquisition, and Leliana got 2 more pet nugs; naming one 'Schmooples II', and the other one, 'Boulette'.