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Name: Sparky
Age: 24
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1. Character's Name: The Arishok. While this is not his given name, but his title, The Arishok will be what he is referred to.
2. Fandom: Dragon Age II
3. Time Frame: Just before his duel with Hawke
4. Age: Exact age is unknown. But I peg him in his late 30s.

5. Background:

There are only a few things we know for certain about the Arishok's past: 1) He is one of the three ruling forces of the Qunari. 2) Arishok is not his name, but his title. 3) Something was stolen from him and he is barred from his homeland until he is able to reclaim it and the thief.

Everything else, he's kept to himself, because honestly Hawke isn't his best friend so it's not any of his/her business. For a good bit of the game, he doesn't even like Hawke that much.

So sometime before the game begins, the Tevinter Emperium and the Qunari had made arrangements for a very important tome to be returned to the Qunari. Though, before the exchanged could go down, something went wrong and in the ensuing chaos a Rivaini pirate woman stole the tome and ran off with it. Of course the duty-bound Arishok gave chase.

The chase lasted for days on open water with the Qunari hot on the trail of the thief. In the meantime, a storm was brewing. A terrible storm that left both the pirate and the Qunari stranded in Kirkwall. The Chantry, who hate the Qunari for denying their deity, the Maker, immediately took issue with this. But in the interest of peace, Viscout Marlowe Dumar attempted to appease the Arishok and his men by giving them a spit of land near the docks to wait for a rescue ship.

However, this was a lie. The Qunari were really searching for the lost tome and the pirate who had stolen it and they weren't going to leave until the found it, much to the dismay of Kirkwall's citizens. The Arishok is officially introduced when an overzealous merchant named Javaris attempted to negotiate a price for the Qunari's explosive powder, the gaat-lok. The Arishok flat out refused, so Javaris invented a task to prove his worth. But instead of completing the task himself, the dwarf hired Hawke.

The effort was in vain, because the Arishok still refused to sell the gaat-lok and counted Javaris unworthy of the powder because he did not even complete his invented task himself.

Some time later, the same young hero, Hawke, returned to the compound with news that a Sister from the chantry had orchestrated a situation that ended with several (and by several, I mean a lot) of his men dead. The Arishok was impressed by Hawke's ability and honesty about the situation, but this was beginning to strain the Arishok's already thin patience.

Nearly 4 years later, the Qunari still hadn't left. Tensions were running high in city because zealots were doing their damndest to provoke a war between the Qunari and the city. And it was working. Qunari were mercilessly and needlessly killed by Chantry fanatics and Hawke didn't keep it a secret from the Arishok. The Arishok, though appreciative of Hawke's continued openness with him, was really starting to get pissed off.

During this time, a poisonous gas known as saar-qamek was allowed to be stolen. It was a ruse of sorts. The Arishok knew Javaris wanted the recipe for gaat-lok, and therefore switched it with the decoy. He called on Hawke to hunt the thief, as a 'courtesy'. And Hawke did so, albeit not without griping about it. The thief was not who the Arishok expected it to be. Instead of the merchant, Javaris, it was a batshit crazy elf who wanted nothing more than to set off some explosives and finally trigger the war that was brewing under the surface.

A whole lot of people died during this fiasco. Hawke returned with news that an elf, not the dwarf had stolen the gas and was using it to turn people against the Qunari. Kirkwallians were unhappy that their loved ones were converting to the Qun and were reacting in extreme ways. The Arishok simply shrugged it off. It was not his duty to indoctrinate Kirkwall, however he would not turn away Viddathari.

On top of all of that, The Arishok had sent a Qunari delegate and an entourage to educate the Viscount about the price of greed, using Javaris and the stolen saar-qamek as an example (which would've been more effective if Javaris had been the actual thief). When Hawke returned to Dumar's office, s/he was informed that the delegate et al had disappeared quite literally off his doorstep. Hawke of course told the the Arishok who was only getting angrier by the minute.

Hawke found the delegate, killed by more zealots. S/he returned with the news. Surprisingly the Arishok stayed his hand, but he was dancing on the line between barely contained rage and just goin' gangsta on Kirkwall. He mentioned quite bluntly that he could still fulfill his duty to the Qun just as easily by sifting through rubble.

The tension finally comes to a head when the Viscount's son and recent Qunari convert, Saemus, is murdered in the Chantry by (GASP) more fanatics! Not to mention a companion of Hawke's, Guard-Captain Aveline Vallen showed up to the compound and demanded the Arishok hand over two 'criminals', who may or may not have converted to the Qun to avoid being arrested. The Arishok refused to hand them over. After that, he was pretty much at his boiling point. It was all he could stands and he couldn't stands no more. With one final look at Hawke, the Arishok gave the order: Burninate Kirkwall. And burninate Kirkwall they did.

He had the nobles herded into the Viscount's Keep where he promptly severed the head of the Viscount and tossed it into the crowd. Then he presented the nobles with a choice: Convert to the Qun or wish you had converted to the Qun.

Hawke naturally showed up, being the hero of the story. The Arishok praises Hawke and names them basalit-an, that is worthy of respect because of their honesty and focused determination. Isabela, the Rivaini pirate thief, saunters in a moment later when the Arishok demands to know how this can be resolved peacefully without the tome stolen from him. He had the tome, but he wanted Isabela too. Hawke refused to hand her over and so the Arishok proposed a duel to the death, with Isabela as the prize.

He never did get to hear Hawke's answer, because at that very moment, he's zapped away to Holloway's Keep.


6. Personality:

The Arishok's personality has been heavily influenced by his strong and unwavering belief in what his society calls the Qun. Belief in the Qun is essential to the way of life for the Qunari, though the Qun itself is not a religion nor a deity of any kind, but more like a philosphy. It is a way of life, guidelines that gives life purpose and structure. The Arishok has a thorough knowledge of the Qun, and adheres to it strictly.

So to understand the Arishok, you'd have to have a little understanding of the Qun and what it demands. It demands order, it demands efficiency, and most of all, it demands success. Duty to the Qun is your life as a Qunari. You are essentially a small piece of the larger puzzle. Your role is decided during your childhood and you do not deviate from that role. Your work contributes to the giant machine that is the Qunari society. You work in unison with your brethren to keep the 'machine' going. As a matter of fact, under the Qun there is no time for distractions. You are driven, focused on your role given to you. There is nothing else outside of that. There are no gender roles among the Qunari; Men are good at one thing. Women at another. Your role isn't necessarily determined by gender.

To deny this is to reject the Qun. And rejecting the Qun is worse than death. The Arishok even calls Tal-Vashoth, those who have abandonded the Qun, living insults. They have abandonded their purpose and therefore have chosen not to be.

The Arishok has been bred for his specific role, that is the role of the Arishok. He is a member of the triumvirate, that is the ruling elite among the Qunari. He leads the armies and he has the strongest sense of duty when it comes to his role. The Arishok lets nothing distract him from his duties. He doesn't have time to deal with the incompetent Viscount and his simpering messengers. He doesn't have time to deal with Hawke and his/her incessant questionings. It is not his role to question Viddathari's (new converts) reasons for conversion to the Qun. He doesn't suffer fools for long. Wasting his time is a good way to get on his bad side.

As stoic as he presents himself, the Arishok is not slow to anger. He is, however, slow to express his anger. But when he does, well he'll hit you with the full force allowed by the Qun. He sits and he watches Kirkwall fester and toil around him without purpose and order. This irritates him, so much so that he would like nothing more than to level Kirkwall and submit it to the Qun. But alas, that is not what the Qun demands AND YOU SHOULD ALL BE GRATEFUL. So he has very very very little respect for the way of life in Kirkwall and even less respect for the Viscount. Not to mention a certain sister in the Chantry seemed deadset on provoking the Qunari to action. Unfortunately, her plan worked a little too well, because when the Arishok and his men struck, Kirkwall was pretty much blown sky high.

On the other hand, while unprovoked, the Arishok rarely shows any emotion at all. He does have a role to fulfill and no time to waste on unneccessary things.

He can be over-confident, though not necessarily without good reason. The Arishok has had 30+ years of training in his discipline. He knows his weapons and knows how to handle himself. But at the same time, it is likely he has never been questioned by his men, as that would be a waste of time and effort and the Qun does not leave room for waste.

That said, the Arishok and his men do not waste resources, lives included. This, too, is in line with the Qun. When he finally invaded Kirkwall, the nobles were not killed, if it could be helped. They were instead rounded up and taken to the Viscount's Keep and given the choice to submit to the Qun. Even then, the Arishok gave them a choice and allowed them to refuse it if they wished. But they would not like the outcome.


7. Previous Game Developments: N/A

8. Appearance:

The Arishok is a 7 foot tall muscular man with two long horns on his head. His skin is pale, almost ashen, and his chest is painted with intricate designs in red war paint. His hair is silvery white and he wears gold earrings in both ears. His hands are claws and his teeth are sharp. His eyes are dark and he has gold bands on both horns.

9. Abilities:

The Arishok is a warrior with 30+ years of training and it shows. He is classified as a rogue as he is able to wield two weapons: a sword known as Bassrath-Kata and an axe called a Sataareth. He can wield these proficiently either simultaniously or separately. Despite his size, he is rather light on his feet and is able to skewer you on that sword of his if you're not careful. He's got a charge attack which can be dodged if you're fast enough. All of his abilities are natural and he has no magical aptitude. As a matter of fact, his defense against magic is kind of balls.

10. Languages: Common and the Qunari language

11. Items: The Tome of Koslun and his clothes.

12. Weapons: His sword and axe which have been blunted.

13. Writing sample - Third Person:

He left the confines of the compound early that morning, choosing to make the journey to Lowtown's market with the company of a single Ashaad. The people cleared his path and watched him from afar, awed and ignorantly frightened all at once. He barely acknowledged them with a cursory glance. He was not here to intimidate or fight. Buying supplies was a simple task and he thought he'd like the fresh air. If you could call the stale, acidic air of Lowtown fresh.

One year. The dathrasi had probably marked it on their calanders. It had been one solid year since the storm had left the Arishok and the thief he trailed stranded in this festering wound these humans called a city. One year too long, the Arishok thought. He couldn't entirely blame his men for their failure to at least recover the tome.

The humans certainly weren't making the process any easier. Fanatics lined up day in and day out at the compound's gates, shouting curses and damning the Qunari to the basra's imaginary Maker. Retaliation was warranted. But it was not the will of the Qun. Finding the Tome of Koslun was the greater priority.

The Arishok would stay his hand.

A cry from the crowd shook the Arishok out of his thoughts and he turned at the call of Ashaad.

"The Maker blesses the righteous!"

His head tilted, the gold bands bound about his horns glittering in the sun.

"To the Void with oxmen!"

The Ashaad looked at his commander, eyes dark and hand twitching to take the spear strapped to his back. The Arishok met his gaze, his expression flat and uninterested. "No," he said firmly. They had not come here to fight. It was not the demand of the Qun.

The Arishok would stay his hand.

Instead, they would gather their purchase and would take the winding walk back to the compound.

Hawke was there, waiting and the Arishok did not care. And would have continued not to care, had Hawke not mentioned a dead Saarebas and his karataam.

He dismissed Hawke and ordered several Ashaad to scout the Wounded Coast. They needed to find the tome fast. Because the first thread of his patience had unraveled and snap away from the base.

But he would stay his hand. For now.

14. Writing Sample - First Person:

Have you finally realized what you have done? Or would you lay this too at our feet? You have fed until there is nothing left. The grass is dry. The well emptied. This is the result of your chaotic way, basra. You have taken until there is nothing left to give. You still take, even now.

The Qun would have defined your path. But you chose to wallow in your ignorance and you spread it like a disease. What I see here is no different than what you have left behind in that cesspool you have the audacity to call a city.

Leave me. I have nothing more to say. The demand of the Qun is clear.

15. Tattoo: Wrapped around his torso.

16. Room Preference: Stick him anywhere.

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The Arishok

July 2012

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