Confessions of a Thedosian Novelist, Installment 1

Considering FEATURED is the first place a visitor browses, it requires a fast introduction. The reception of visual arts and literature is wildly disparate, hence the method of highlighting particularly commendable works has to vary as well. Today, Thedas-in-love, backed up by our esteemed associates from Dragon-Age, begins a series of special features for our talented writers. A community feature, Confessions of a Thedosian Novelist will aim at giving more insight into the specifics of writing, creating a hub for writers to communicate with their fans.

Our first artist to be interviewed is ThePhoenixKing, a Torontonian graduate of Trent University, working in the Canadian TV industry by day and writing highly engaging Thedosian heroic fantasy by night. Sit back and enjoy Phoenix describing his literary workshop and inspirations as we talk about "The Grey Path", vengeance in grey and heroes of the Fifth Blight, some of whom just happen to be drooling mabaris.

When did you start writing? What pushed you towards this? A home filled with books or something else?

I’ve been a pretty scholarly type from an early age, room filled wall-to-wall with books, particularly science fiction and fantasy, but I only really started getting into writing upon discovering some Harry Potter fanfiction in my first year of high school. Since then, I’ve been harbouring ambitions of becoming a full-time novelist, and my writing has even helped me get my current job in the Canadian TV industry.

How was the idea of TGP conceived?

I had read a few Origins fan-novelizations prior to starting “The Grey Path”, most notably Arthur88’s From-the-Ashes“From the Ashes”, and was inspired from there to try and tackle the adventures of my “canon” Warden, Sagramor. I also really wanted to explore this exciting and wonderful world Bioware had created, and put my own spin on a story (and game) I really adore.

You chose the heroic fantasy subgenre. What guided you?

It’s largely a reflection of my literary tastes; I’m a tremendous fan of both Dan Abnett and Bernard Cornwell and love writing adventure-heavy pieces in the same vein, so it was a good fit. At the same point, I wanted to do a story that was more on the idealistic side of things. As much as I like, say, A Song of Ice and Fire and The Witcher, there’s this nasty, cynical streak that pervades too much of fantasy writing these days, where the characters are too unlikable to be engaging and every choice leads to imminent disaster. For me, it’s much more interesting to see the heroes fight through all these trials and tribulations to order to make a better tomorrow than simply wallow in a world which is uniformly dark and terrible.

What can you tell us about the protagonist, Sagramor Tabris: son, friend, Warden? Anything from his flaws and virtues through relationships with each companion to his life before the red wedding would be great to hear.

From the very beginning, I conceived of Sagramor as the anti-Fenris: a powerful elven warrior who, rather than succumbing to the hatreds and tragedies he had experienced, instead refused to compromise his sense of decency because of other people’s actions. Indeed, for Sagramor, holding onto his sense of tolerance, of the need to treat all races and faiths with respect, is as much a statement of defiance as it is a worldview: he will not engage in the same sort of bigotries as his human persecutors have; he’s a better man than that.

He’s thoughtful, willing to consider alternate viewpoints and conscious of the consequences of his actions, though that is married to a willingness to act decisively and a borderline suicidal sense of determination. He’s very compassionate, even if it does makes things more difficult for him at times, and in his desire to both prove himself and protect those he cares about, he has a tendency to push himself far harder than he needs to. He’s a man devoted to his friends, his people and the Grey Wardens, but is unforgiving of his own failings and often blind to the good he does. Indeed, his compulsion to constantly beat himself up over his past mistakes is perhaps his greatest flaw: he’s willing to see the good in just about everyone, aside from himself.

Sagramor’s also the sort of would-be knight in shining armour who would leap at the chance to defend the honour of a woman he’s only just met, and in the course of that duel employ groin attacks, eye-gouging, kidney-punching, and generally every sneaky, underhanded trick in the book. Some of my inspirations for the character include Richard Sharpe, Captain America, Karl “Helo” Agathon from Battlestar Galactica and Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt from the Gaunt’s Ghosts novels.

TGP starts in a vision: it's a memory of Adaia and little Sagramor then morphing into just his mother urging him to fight on. A very powerful device of binding the reader to you. Will this scene be repeated? During the Siege of Denerim perhaps?

Adaia is a very important figure in Sagramor’s life, even in death, and her teachings have had a profound impact on his personal moral code. You can definitely expect to see more of her in some capacity as the story continues.

It's said every Fereldan hero is made by their dog. It definitely is not different for Sagramor - in fact, Ragnar the mabari is one of the most awe-inspiring warriors of the entire saga. I think everyone agrees his courage in Redcliffe turned the tide of battle. So: Ragnar in the eyes of his partner and each of their companions please.

For Sagramor, Ragnar is an unexpected blessing and a reminder that even in the worst situations, there’s always the potential for good to emerge. He’d never even conceived of owning a dog before, but quick comes to rely on Ragnar as a steadfast and loyal companion in his adventures. As for the rest of the party, it mostly plays out like it does in the game: Sten respects him as a fellow warrior, Leliana adores him as a big silly puppy, Morrigan conceals her grudging affection for the beast behind her usual cold attitude, etc.

Sagramor and Leliana share something special. We mostly see his point of view. The conflicting emotions of the feelings he has for the bard and the memories of the human-elven conflict constitute one of the key plot arcs. You even have an echoing line: "He would not be found wanting". This strengthens in Redcliffe as they all fight the desire demon possessing Connor - and their waking Id as well. Can you comment on this?

I’ve kinda imagined the status of human-elven relations in Thedas as something akin to the Jim Crow-era American South (the nightly curfews over the Alienages certainly evoke the “sundown towns” of that period). As such, the notion of an elven man and a human woman becoming romantic involved is considered morally outrageous by the broader society, and there is a certain transgressive element to their courtship to boot. Sagramor desires Leliana, but as ever, his desire to prove himself (as the quote illustrates) is hampered by what he sees as his own failings and inadequacies (his inability to stave off being enthralled by the Connor-abomination the most recent example).

That being said, the romantic interest between the two characters is strongly rooted in the mutual admiration and respect they have for each other. Too often in fanfiction (and romantic storytelling generally), it seems like the writers are tripping over themselves trying to present the most unlikable, abusive douchebag they can make up as some sort of decent love interest. Sagramor is not some scowling bad boy who needs to be “fixed” by a woman’s love (a trope which I detest with the fury of a thousand burning suns). Leliana falls for him because he’s a good person, and vice versa. As with a lot of your questions, you’ll see it play out as the story continues.

Sagramor is respected by Alistair. Do you consider them brothers-in-arms or just companions through the circumstances? And how will Alistair's family react to him being friends and actually deferring to an elf?

Sagramor and Alistair are brothers, and like all brothers, are going to have their disagreements from time to time. As for Alistair’s family seeing him follow an elf’s lead, they don’t really mind, as it’s clear that Sagramor knows what he’s doing, and is an ally they can rely upon.

Wynne and Sagramor have a lot of respect for each other. Is there a chance of her becoming a mentor for him? There's also the fact Leliana and Wynne are fairly close to judge on the basis of party banter. How does the mage view their blossoming relationship?

Wynne will definitely become a mentor to Sagramor, and her attitude towards his love affair with Leliana plays out much as it does in the game.

Morrigan seems to open up to Sagramor. Her help and feats like staying behind to protect Redcliffe are more than notable. How can we expect the Warden to react to the truth found in the black grimoire: will he defend the witch or strike a bargain with Flemeth?

Sagramor is a man who understands the importance of earning people’s loyalty, of leading by example and of looking out for the welfare of your subordinates, and his sense of responsibility and compassion will not let him leave his friends and comrades hung out to dry.

Sten on Sagramor: a mere bas, kadan or something else entirely? The Qunari seems to have a growing respect for the elven warrior. As they both favour two-handed swords, do they train together? If so, how may such a session look like?

Sten is one of the tougher companions for Sagramor to relate to, especially since the former is particularly rigid and unbending in how he approaches his duties, and the latter is a being driven as much by sentiment as obligation. Gaining his loyalty will be a challenge. As for any sparring sessions, I’d imagine it’d be much the same as most interactions with Sten, the Qunari as unflexible and demanding as ever.

We have not seen interactions with Shale, Oghren and Zevran yet. Any spoilers you can spare?

I’ll leave you with a few cryptic phrases to ponder .

Oghren: Let there be punching.
Shale: Some costs are too high.
Zevran: Trust has to begin somewhere.

Your saga presents a much fresher look on Loghain. Those parts are some of my favourites, showcasing the struggle of this uncharted mind. Just how much is Howe playing Mac Tir out? He's willing to offer his own daughter Delilah to him. I'm sure many would like to hear you talking about those two families, the Howes and the Mac Tirs. As well as all the skeletons hidden in the closets.

One thing I want to emphasize in “The Grey Path” is that Loghain is doing everything of his own volition, even as his mental state starts to crumble a bit. Too many stories paint him as a helpless dupe in order to diminish his culpability, trying to present him as an otherwise harmless man manipulated by Howe into doing all these horrible things. That’s not going to be the case here. While Howe certainly has his own agenda and is more than willing to play on Loghain’s paranoia for his own gain, at the end of the day, he’s only in that position because Loghain put him there in the first place. Loghain ultimately bears the moral responsibility for all his bad choices, and much like Londo Mollari from Babylon 5 (one on my favourite shows), tries to rationalize it away by saying he didn’t have any choices at all. As for Anora and the Howe children, we’ll see their role play out as the story continues, though I can say Thomas Howe will play a major role in the eventual “Rebellion” story set before the Landsmeet.

Raleigh and his ruthless mercenaries are an incredibly emotional element of the saga. Along with Marjolaine, they're the links to Leliana's dark, secretive past. Please tell us more about them and the process of writing them. Apart from this, when can be expect to meet them? How will Sagramor, Leliana and the rest react? How will that influence the group's future?

“Leliana’s Song” was definitely one of the better Dragon Age DLCs Bioware has produced, and bringing the Hard Line into the mix was a good way both to integrate the events of that story into the narrative, as well as demonstrate exactly how ruthless Loghain is in the pursuit of his goals. Their portrayal was inspired by the history of the Thirty Years’ War in Europe, and of the vicious bands of mercenaries that ended up causing so much devastation there, as well as the various bands of sellsword marauders from A Song of Ice and Fire like the Brave Companions. They’re going to play a fairly significant role in Leliana’s character arc: they’re a complication she doesn’t need at a time when she’s at her lowest and most uncertain.

A very intriguing decision was introducing Marian Hawke and her family. It's also tempting to see the impression she leaves on Sagramor. You create a strong link between thd storylines of DAO and DA2 through this little cunning liberty taken with Hawke canonically stating they had not encountered the future Hero of Ferelden, a liberty I, for one, am more than willing to take. Care to elaborate?

Having Hawke and the Warden interact was really one of those story ideas that was simply too cool not to do, no matter what “Mark of the Assassin” said. Having that connection between them established here also opens the door to some further interactions and story possibilities down the line. For example, one story I have planned features the two confronting each other over Anders’ desertion of the Wardens. Besides that, it was a good opportunity to show Hawke being awesome, something that was painfully lacking from the games, especially Inquisition.

Your Zevran and the Crows are different to say the least. Exciting, isn't it? Can you tell us more about the reasoning behind it? Is Zevran going to become a mere token evil teammate or can he find his place with the group? Is he going to survive the encounter at all?

I’m going to avoid having Zevran as a perspective character, as I think there’s a lot of dramatic tension to be had with him, and not knowing which way he’s going to turn is part of the fun. The reader will learn more about the character with the Warden, and he’ll represent an unstable element in the party going forward, a wild card that could mean opportunity or disaster for them depending on how Sagramor approaches his presence there.

Your favourite fragments? Parts you strongly dislike? Things you are most proud of or would rather change? Characters who are the toughest to capture while others pretty much write themselves? Who you would like to bring more attention to? Any trivia or funny anecdotes? Please rave on here .

I’m quite pleased with the way the Battle of Ostagar turned out, and the Hawke/Warden team-up ended up being totally worth the effort. As for weakest sections, I think Zevran’s introduction could have used some revision; I ended up writing it rather hastily and it kinda shows. As for characters, I’ve found Morrigan and Flemeth very easy to write: they’re just so well-realized and acted in the games that they pretty much write themselves.

I’d also definitely love to bring more attention to Arl Eamon going forward; too often he’s presented as this manipulative strawman, demonized for the awful crime of insisting the Alistair puts his country before his cock (the horror!), an interpretation that largely disregards most of his actual characterization. Also expect to see more of Merrill from me, as she’s an awesome character who deserves a chance to shine.

Where are we headed next after Kinloch Hold: Orzammar, the Brecilian Forest, the Korcari Wilds to face Flemeth, Denerim, Honnleath or some other place altogether?

Denerim (with a few diversions along the way).

Excellent - we cannot wait! Last question then. Once TGP is completed, what would you like to tackle, art-wise?

I have plans for an "Awakening" novelization, as well as some more DA2-centric stories in the future.