A b o u t

I am Anders.
I AM JUSTICE.
( This never used to be so hard. )

BASICFULL NAME: Anders. Real name unknown.
REASON AND MEANING BEHIND NAME: His father is originally from the Anderfels and everyone in the Circle knew this bit of information but not his real name and started calling him 'the Ander' which evolved into 'Anders'. Apparently the Circle of Magi are the worst at keeping records.
NICKNAMES: The Ander, Scrawny Headache, Healer, Blondie, Mage ( derogatory ) or an angrily yelled 'YOU! '
BIRTH DATE:Ferventis 16th, 9:05 Dragon.
AGE Verse dependent.
GENDER: Male ( his / he / him )
SEXUALITY: Bisexual
SPECIES: Human
ETHINCITY: Half Ander / Half Fereldan.
NATIONALITY: Ferelden, though he is not especially patriotic
BIRTHPLACE: A Fereldan farming / trading village that is nothing more than a stain on a map somewhere in the Bannorn.
HOMETOWN: Said farming village until he was taken to Kinloch Hold where he spent most of his adolescent and early adult life.
FAMILY:
Father: A hardworking farmer and strictly devout Andrastian. His family had traveled from the Anderfels to settle in Ferelden when he was just a boy. ( I don't know what to make of this theory but it's worth considering. )
Mother: A Ferelden-born weaver / seamstress with Avvar heritage on her mother's side. She was an attractive woman with clever hands and gentle nature. While Andrastian, she had more faith in the fertile soil, the changing of the seasons and omens found in the patterns of birds in the sky.
Siblings: None ever mentioned
Children: None.
( These are all tentative headcanons. He is particularly reticent about his childhood. )
RELIGION: A disillusioned and cynical Andrastian. And, as it turns out, a rather enthusiastic iconoclast.
LANGUAGES: Aside from the common Trade Tongue he knew a small amount of Ancient Tevene and Elvhen ( VERY basic and mostly forgotten by now. Many magical texts and spells are written in these languages so every Circle mage would have had to study these to some extent ). He also knows a little Orlesian, and Modern Tevene ( primarily the most hilariously obscene words and phrases — obviously. ).
AFFILIATION: Ferelden Circle of Magi, Kinloch Hold ( formerly ), Ferelden Grey Wardens based at Vigil's Keep ( briefly ), The Mage Underground ( Indefinitely ).
OCCUPATION: Circle Mage ( former ), Grey Warden ( deserter ), Darktown Healer ( for a time ), Apostate ( For Life ), and at least in the top 10 of Thedas' Most Wanted.
CLASS: A Mage who has a particular affinity with benign spirits associated with Spirit Healing — a dangerous and demanding school of magic in which he is innately talented.
SPECIALIZATION: Primarily he is a Spirit Healer. This changes after merging with Justice who now takes over the role and manifests as a for more aggressive force of Vengeance.PHYSICAL:HAIR COLOUR: copper blonde, that sunlight lightens in gold streaks, usually worn long and pulled back with a tie
EYE COLOUR: warm amber that glows an iridescent color that can only be described as blue when Justice manifests
SKIN COLOR: pale, tans easily with a light smattering of moles and freckles
HEIGHT: 6’2”
WEIGHT: anywhere between 162 – 180lbs
BUILD: relatively tall and lean with broad shoulders and narrow hips ( a stave is heavy ok every day is upper body core strength day )
SCARS: numerous self-healed scars ranging from cuts and stab
wounds, the occasional burn marks to pale lashes crossing his back
TATTOOS AND PIERCINGS: one right earlobe piercing, and a small collection of tattoos hidden under his robes — sacred sigils, runes and symbols and a grey
warden griffon... and, yes, there is a cat
NOTABLE FEATURES: his blonde hair, long, defined nose, sharp features, warm, expressive eyes and killer smile but occasionally the immediate urge to punch him when he starts talking
FACE CLAIM: None yet. Probably never.PERSONALITY:NOTABLE QUIRKS / TRAITS: The Glow™, a body shared with a Fade Spirit, unrelenting Mage Rights Warrior, a preference for feathery pauldrons and a tendency to leave his manifesto and socks in odd places. Also a debatable lack of musical talent and a fondness for cats.
VIRTUES: intelligent, resourceful, disarming, charming, witty, friendly, helpful, selfless, passionate, determined, protective, loyal, optimistic
VICES: evasive, deflecting, moody, petty, catty, single-minded, manipulative, opinionated, suspicious, defensive
GENERAL OUTWARD DEMEANOR: buoyant, aloof and irreverent steadily becoming more sullen, withdrawn and fatalistic
PSYCHE: lingering effects of trauma, periods of depression, mood swings, anxiety and dissociation. These are all present before Justice’s possession and worsened after the spirit moves in. Justice is an ancient spirit barely contained in a fragile human body. Anders loses perspective and himself because of this and suffers greatly as a result. He struggles to maintain a grasp on his identity. while they corrupt and consume each other.SOME NOTES ON MY PORTRAYAL:I am not here to get involved in any discourse. I am not here to pick Anders apart nor will I ignore his many faults. He is a monstrous hypocrite. He says and does horrible, thoughtless things and makes supremely terrible decisions that are impressively wrong. He is deeply flawed and conflicted. I will mention that I have some issues with Hepler’s short story in terms of inconsistencies, overall tone and characterization, and, in part, how he was generally written in Dragon Age II.I take the entirety DA II as simply Varric’s version of events as imagined by a not very imaginative Cassandra. It’s not to say those things never happened, it’s that they may not have happened exactly as he described. Varric is an unreliable narrator, storyteller and, on occasion, an outright liar. He would have exaggerated certain points, down played or over-simplified others and possibly left out many details and nuances altogether and the resulting tale is a distorted version of the truth.( I have yet to play The Veilguard but damn straight he survived and picked up a whole new bag of tricks and trauma along the way. Anders Final Form! )

V e r s e s

An epic poem about a hopelessly romantic apostate waging an epic struggle against forces he can't possibly defeat.

CANON

01: Kinloch Hold ( Circle Mage / Wanted Apostate )Those who wield magic are cursed — lock them in towers of iron and stone, clip their wings, ground them into submission. Tell them it’s for their protection ( that it's thier fault ), that they are one slip away from demonic possession — abomination — as Templars wait with swords drawn ready to cut down. Refusing to be broken, unable to submit, Anders escapes ( and never stops trying to escape over and over again ) and each time it takes them longer to catch him.02: Amaranthine ( Grey Warden )"A Grey Warden? Well, that will work! ” All it takes is a generous mouthful of Darkspawn ichor and caution thrown to the wind and he’s a free mage... if you stretch the definition of "free" but those Templar blades are a more immediate concern. How bad could it be?03: Kirkwall ( Darktown Healer ) ( default )Deep in the Undercity buried under miasma and filth, search for a lantern-lit and if your need is great, you will find the Healer within. Hiding among the lost, the broken and the damned, he will heal their wounds, tend to the sick and deliver their children.Sparks of a revolution begin as a Manifesto, words on paper, scorned and ignored, a patient but desperate plea for compromise and peace, for humanity and freedom, as Justice burns within a fragile mortal body of flesh and bone that fights to contain him.There can be no compromise. There can be no peace.

AU

O4: The Storm and what came afterDisappearing in the aftermath of the Chantry explosion, Anders is now a name either cursed or revered as a monster or a hero; a vague silhouette, a distorted reflection shifting and evolving with each increasingly inaccurate retelling of his tale. His Manifesto has given rise to numerous diverse interpretations and many mages wear black Simir feathers in their hair, clothing or attached to their staves as a sign that they fight in his name. He travels with a small group of no more than a dozen mages, remnants of the Mage Underground with varying levels of loyalty and differing agendas. He doesn’t command or lead them ( not willingly anyway ). Their numbers wane either through discontent or death until only a handful remain.( Full Inquisition and Veilguard verse pending )

timeline

THE BOY AND THE FIREAge 12 (Dragon 9:17)His village knew little of mages or magic beyond fear and superstition and that any child touched by the Fade brought misfortune and misery.He couldn’t tell you how it started but the barn blazed through the night and the Templars came not long after. They tell him not to run. They can knock a fully grown man out cold at 50 paces, so be a good lad. They tell him he will be taken to a tower on a lake where he will be no harm to anyone. They tell him to say good bye to his family; that he will never return. His father hushes his mothers desperate weeping and pulls her away as they clap manacles on his wrists. He is nobody’s son, a cursed child clutching an old embroidered pillow. Frightened and volatile, he could set everything around him ablaze.ISLE OF FLIGHTLESS BIRDSAge 12 – 15 (Dragon 9:17-20)They call him the Ander and soon Anders is the only name he responds to. He doesn’t bother to correct them — his real name belongs to a burned and buried past. Silent, sullen and resistant, it’s not long before he makes his first escape only to be found not long after.He escaped once, he can do it again. While he was on the run, he learned that he could put his magic to good use, that it doesn’t have to be a terrifying affliction. He soon opens up, makes friends, endears himself to the other apprentices and enchanters alike and shows a proficiency in Spirit and Creation. “ He will make a fine Spirit Healer, ” they say and hope this will quell his restlessness. However, the walls still close in and Templar leave marks on soft skin. He runs, again and again and each time it takes longer to find him.Age 15 – 22 (Dragon 9:20– 27)Karl Thekla. All the reasons to stay found in a grey-eyed boy with a gentle smile. His first. He find tenderness, a warm touch, a kindred spirit.However, shortly after their Harrowing, Karl is taken, suddenly and without warning. Untethered and distraught, Anders runs away, yet again. He is caught at West Hill trying to buy passage to Kirkwall, to the Gallows where he knows Karl to be.Age 22 – 24 (Dragon 9:27-29)Worn down and despondent, it is some time before he escapes again, though he doesn’t quite manage to slip from Templar scrutiny. When he is eventually caught, he is thrown into solitary confinement and left there for a year.Age 24 – 26 (Dragon 9:29-31)It isn't long after being released from solitary confinement, that he manages to escape again shortly before Uldred's rebellion and in the chaos that ensues Collective and the general chaos of the Blight and Ferelden’s political turmoil, he manages to evade capture for a long time. He then heads to Amaranthine where he believes his Phylactery to be stored only to be caught again and held at Vigil’s Keep to be returned to the Circle to face an uncertain fate. Fortune seems to favor him when the Warden-Commander conscripts him into the Grey Wardens and beyond the grasp of the Templars.Age 26 (Dragon 9:31)THE STORM AND WHAT CAME BEFORE ITDuring his temporary reprieve among the Grey Warden, Anders befriends a spirit of Justice who had been trapped outside the Fade in the decaying body of the dead Warden, Kristoff. Justice takes an interest in the plight of mages and is disgusted in Anders’ unwillingness to act and see beyond his own personal self interest. Anders merely shrugs this off, but the spirit’s words won’t leave him. He reluctantly joins the Warden to face the Mother and as a result he is called by the Circle of Magi shortly after to deliver a lecture on the nature of the Architect and then asked to train the Order’s next generation of mages. He agrees but there is that restlessness and his unfinished quest. Even though he had found a semblance of camaraderie and safety among the Wardens, this can’t last. The Chantry is also relentless and plant a Templar within the Wardens to keep an eye on him. Soon they are fielding every assignment together, stirring up that irrepressible urge to flee. On one fateful missions, out of desperation, he makes a deal with the spirit: Justice needs a new body to survive outside the Fade and Anders wants to save his friend. Justice, in return, offers to give Anders all he has. The possession is a horribly violent and traumatic one. Disorientated and enraged, Anders kills the Templars and several Grey Warden before fleeing. With nowhere else to go, he heads for KirkwallSEARCH FOR THE LIT LANTERNSTo evade the Kirkwall Templars, Anders finds himself taking refuge among the lost and broken in Darktown. He sets up a clinic where he tends to their sick and injured and delivers their children. In turn, they protect him as best they can from the ever-vigilant Templars, the Coterie and various other gangs, mercenary cutthroats and opportunistic apostate hunters. There is something unmistakably otherworldly about this mage whom they believed was sent in their time of need since the Chantry had failed them.Additional dates of note:
Age 26 ( Dragon 9:31 ) The Deep Roads Expedition.
Age 29 ( Dragon 9: 34 ) The Arishok leads an assault on Kirkwall
Age 32 ( Dragon 9: 37 ) With the aid of several members of the Mage Underground ( because seriously it would be humanly impossible to rig the explosives on his own ), Anders blows up the Chantry of which he takes sole responsibility.
Age 32 – 35 ( Dragon 9:37 – 9:41 ) Anders runs with a small band of surviving apostates and members of the Mage Underground across the Free Marches helping mages who had fled the newly liberated Circles.
Age 36 ( Dragon 9:41 ) He encounters the Inquisition.Age 48 ( Dragon 9:53 ) Events of The Veilguard where you can be sure he is still a menace to society.