
❀ @thanflowers ❀
private, indie, selective warden cousland from dragon age
written by bean.❝ be soft. do not let the world make you hard. do not let pain make you hate. do not let the
bitterness steal your sweetness.
blogwide guidelines
▍ ❝ GENERAL.
SELECTIVE AND PRIVATE. this means i’m particular about who i follow and i will only write with mutuals. NOT SPOILER FREE. NO GODMODDING, metagaming, etc. I SHIP CHEMISTRY, and i do not force ships because i’m not a monster. EXCLUSIVITY IS RARE but not unheard of so you can find my mains/exclusives list here▍ ❝ PLEASE DO.
BREAK YOUR REPLIES FOR ME UP INTO SMALLER PARAGRAPHS if we write together, as my adhd makes hugelong paragraphs difficult to read; ASK ME TO TAG YOUR TRIGGERS if i’ve neglected to do so (whether i’m following you back or not); LIKE MY STARTER CALLS, send me memes, turn my meme replies into threads (if we are mutuals); SHOWER ME IN PLOT IDEAS and ooc chatter; HAVE PATIENCE with me on all of the above; FEEL FREE TO UNFOLLOW ME at any time for any reason, as i will be reserving the right to do so myself▍ ❝ PLEASE DO NOT.
USE SUBSMALL TEXT or multiple spaces between words in our threads as i find both difficult to read; UNFOLLOW/REFOLLOW to get my attention (it won’t be the kind of attention you’re hoping for); EXPECT ANY KIND OF IMMEDIACY FROM ME IC OR OOC. i love making friends via roleplay, but i’m one smol nerd just trying to have a good time and i won’t stress myself out by trying to keep up with everything at once. just know it’s not personal, and i’ll get back to you as soon as i have the energy.
▍ ❝ I WILL GLADLY.
TAG NSFW AND TRIGGERS appropriately and accommodate those who ask to the best of my abilities; WELCOME LGBTQIA+ HEADCANONS; USE MY SHITPOST TAG (#blacklist for less soft nonsense.) on most of my inane ooc content so feel free to block it, that’s what it’s there for▍ ❝ I WILL TRY.
TO REMEMBER IF YOU DON'T LIKE TO BE REBLOGGED FROM, but please note that I have ADHD and may forget. Often and repeatedly. (A bit more info about this can be found here.) If being reblogged from on the reblogging website really bothers you, please feel free to block me as needed.▍ ❝ I WILL NOT.
FOLLOW BLOGS THAT DON’T HAVE ANY RULES OR GUIDELINES set up; exceptions to this are reserved for muns i already know aka those whose boundaries i’m already familiar with; FOLLOW MANY BLOGS THAT INCLUDE CHARACTERS from game of thrones and/or house of the dragon, as i’m just not comfortable having a lot of ASOIAF content on my dash; exceptions to this are typically reserved for people i already know and/or multimuse blogs that include other fandoms/muses i’m interested in▍ ❝ MUNDANE.
MY NAME IS BEAN/BEE. they/she. i’m 33, neurodivergent, and twelve different kinds of anxious but i’m working on it. I’M WHITE. in the event that i fuck up and/or swerve out of my lane, i invite my friends and followers of color to let me know. i can and will do better.

penname : bean
age : 33
pronouns : they/she
timezone : est
elspeth cousland
GENERAL .
• name : elspeth máire cousland
• alias : nora mac eanraig
• nicknames : els, elsie, elsa, poppy
• titles : warden, kadan, warden-commander of ferelden, arlessa of amaranthine, champion of redcliffe, hero of ferelden
• gender : nonbinary woman (she/they)
• orientation : aspec demi-bisexual
• species : human
• occupation : grey warden
• face claim(s) : eleanor tomlinson, sophia lillis
• voice claim(s) : kelly macdonaldPHYSICAL .
• eyes : sea green
• hair : ginger red, curly
• height : 5'8"
• build : thin & lith
• skin : pale & freckled
• scars : one in the center of her chest/back; burn scars from the front of her left shoulder around onto her back and down her side; three slashes across her lower back; a thin slice on her left cheek
• clothing : leather armorsMENTAL .
• alignment : chaotic good
• likes : dragons, wine, adventure novels
• dislikes : bloodshed, sad stories

COMBAT STATS.
• combat class : rogue-trained hedge mage
• rogue skills : dual-weapon, archery
• other skills : coercion, herbalism
• rogue specs : assassin, duelist
• mage specs : spirit healer, shapeshifter, battlemage
• unusual traits : empathic perception: elspeth can sense and influence the emotions of others, as well as their auras or energies. (hedge magic)• melee weapons : thorn & fang (twin daggers)
• ranged weapon : breath of the sea wolf (bow)
BACKGROUND.
• birthplace : highever, ferelden
• current residence : vigil's keep, amaranthine
• nuclear family : eleanor cousland (mother ✝), bryce cousland (father ✝), fergus cousland (brother)
• extended family : oren cousland (nephew ✝)
• in-laws : oriana cousland (sister-in-law ✝)
• pets : calenhad (mabari hound; origins-da2);
lugh (mabari hound; inquisition-veilguard)
• significant other : verse dependent (romanced zevran in-game)
• other : empathy (fade spirit)❝ +
POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES : amiable, articulate, benevolent, calm, capable, caring, cheerful, clever, compassionate, considerate, constant, courageous, creative, cultured, curious, dedicated, disciplined, earnest, educated, empathetic, fair, forgiving, generous, gentle, honest, humble, idealistic, insightful, intelligent, intuitive, kind, logical, loyal, optimistic, patient, principled, protective, reflective, reliable, romantic, selfless, sensitive, sentimental, skillful, sweet, sympathetic, trusting, understanding, warm
❝ -
NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES : airy, anxious, cautious, clumsy, compulsive, delicate, dependent, desperate, discontented, disruptive, escapist, fanciful, fawning, fearful, hesitant, indecisive, indulgent, melancholic, naive, paranoid, repressed, shy, stubborn, superstitious, tense, vulnerable, well-meaning, willful
timeline
17 DRAKONIS, 9:10 elspeth cousland is born to bryce and eleanor cousland, happy and healthy. there are no signs or portents to imply the life of adventure that is to come for her.
9:30 DRAGON the fifth blight begins in southern ferelden.
12 SOLACE, 9:30 bryce cousland sends the majority of his family's troops south to aid the king's fight against the darkspawn horde. rendon howe initiates a coup against the cousland family, sending his own troops to slaughter them all. elspeth barely escapes the attack, dragged off by duncan of the grey wardens.
17 DRAKONIS, 9:31 elspeth turns 21 years old without even realizing it, too distracted by her quest to pay much attention to something as trivial as a birthday.
15 BLOOMINGTIDE, 9:31 elspeth manages to rally an army to help her defeat the fifth blight, slaying the archdemon urthemiel.
9:32 DRAGON elspeth takes up the title of warden-commander of ferelden's grey wardens. upon arriving at the keep gifted to the wardens by the queen, she discovers an incursion of darkspawn that must be defeated before she can put her new recruits through the joining ritual.
9:41 DRAGON the divine conclave explosion leaves a giant tear in the sky. elspeth joins the inquisition in an advisory role not long after the survivors of haven arrive at skyhold. she uses the pseudonym nora mac eanraig to avoid pulling focus from the inquisitor's authority.
9:52 DRAGON feeling once again called to action, elspeth joins the veilguard in their efforts to stop the evanuris from drowning the world in blight.
biography
❝ Once upon a time... Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?

universes
▍ ❝ MAIN VERSE.
biography ⭑ headcanons
— #v; in her heart shall burn. prologue. origins. awakening. inquisition. veilguard.
Follows the canon timeline of Dragon Age: Origins. Elspeth is the lone survivor of her family’s slaughter, dragged away by Duncan to join the ranks of the Grey Wardens and eventually become the Hero of Ferelden.
▍ ❝ ALT!MAIN VERSE.
biography ⭑ headcanons
— #v; upon the precipice of change. prologue. da2 companion. inquisition agent. veilguard/rook.
After her magic manifested at a young age, Elspeth was sent to sail with the Mac Eanraigs, her mother's side of the family. There, she took on the name Nora Mac Eanraig and learned to fight and use her magic from the privateers. Eventually, she finds herself in Kirkwall and falls in with Hawke and their companions. She also works with the Mage Underground to help smuggle mages out of Kirkwall.Following the destruction of Kirkwall’s Chantry, Nora joins the mage rebellion under Grand Enchanter Fiona. She is present in Redcliffe and available to be recruited as an Inquisition agent who functions as another companion to the Inquisitor.Not long after the Inquisition is either disbanded or absorbed into the Chantry, Varric taps Nora for her help tracking Solas down and stopping his ritual to tear down the veil. Going by the nickname “Rook,” Nora does her best to help, and makes more than a few mistakes along the way.
▍ ❝ BALDUR'S GATE 3.
biography ⭑ headcanons ⭑ character sheet
— #v; beacon of hope.
In which Elspeth was a young noblewoman living happily with her family in Baldur's Gate when they were suddenly massacred in the night; a betrayal by a close family friend that Elspeth barely escaped with her life. Not long after, the Nautiloid passes through, picking her up and infecting her with an Illithid tadpole. (Els will act as if she's in the place of the player character/Tav unless interacting with a Tav/Durge character, in which case she will be just another tadpoled companion.)
▍ ❝ MODERN
biography ⭑ headcanons
— #v; the road not taken looks real good now.
Elspeth is the youngest daughter of Lord Bryce Cousland, and quite the philanthropist in her own right. Having gained a significant social media following, she uses her influence and connections to host charity functions focused mainly on LGBTQIA+ issues in the UK.
▍ ❝ STRANGER THINGS.
biography ⭑ headcanons
— #v; as the world falls down.
After her family is killed in a mysterious accident, Elspeth and her sister Elethea are sent to live with a distant relative in Hawkins, where they struggle with their grief and trying to find their place. (In this verse, Els moved to Hawkins shortly before S1 but does not get involved with any of the canon events until a few episodes into S4.)
▍ ❝ STAR TREK.
biography ⭑ headcanons
— #v; fast ships and strange new worlds.
Based primarily in the era of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Coming from a long line of decorated Starfleet officers, Elspeth was considered a legacy at the Academy. After studying science and xenolinguistics, Els is determined to prove herself an asset to Starfleet separate from her family’s ties. Bringing with her a background in psychology and psychotherapy, she travels between starships working as ship’s counselor as and where she’s most needed.
▍ ❝ HORIZON: ZERO DAWN.
biography ⭑ headcanons
— #v; the edge beyond the shore.
Elsa is an Oseram working at the tavern in Chainscrape. Having been taken during the Red Raids, Elsa survived the Sun Ring by cobbling together weapons out of scraps. This amused Sun-King Jiran enough that he kept her alive to do the same for other sacrifices, but no matter what kind of weapons she made for them, it was never enough to save their lives. Elsa didn’t speak much in the years following the liberation, and moved away from her family only because staying close to Meridian was too much for her to process her trauma.
▍ ❝ REGENCY.
biography ⭑ headcanons
— #v; some battles leave no victor.
After the suspicious deaths of her parents and the disappearance of their elder brother, Fergus, Elspeth and her twin brother, Balfour, are left grief-stricken with the weight of a Duchy on their shoulders. Of course, as the male heir apparent, the responsibility mainly fell to Bal, but Els tries to help him share the load as much as she can. Meanwhile their uncle, Rendon Howe, does his best to exert his influence over them both.For her part, Lady Elspeth is nineteen years old and quite content to fade into spinsterhood if that’s to be her fate. She’s certainly not interested in Lord Howe’s attempts to marry her with one of his sons, nor the advances of anyone expecting her to fill a wife-shaped hole in their life.
▍ ❝ GRISHAVERSE.
biography ⭑ headcanons
— #v; like calls to like.
A somewhat later blooming Grisha, Elspeth did not arrive at the Little Palace until the age of fifteen. Being from the Wandering Isle, she chose Ravka as her place of escape knowing her brother Balfour was already there. Her welcome, however, was not as warm as she’d expected, leaving her to find her place at the Little Palace all on her own.
▍ ❝ THE MAGICIANS
biography ⭑ headcanons
— #v; break the world that tried to break you.
Elspeth is a young magician who studied magic at Winchester in England.
▍ ❝ VERSE TWO.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
mains & exclusives
@ENREGARDS.
zevran. affiliate. the assassin who tried to kill her & is part of her found family now.@RADIAKING.
cooper howard. main. fellow warden and reluctant ally.

@STORMLIT.
catriona cousland. main. dearest sister whom she would die for.@VILIFYME.
nathaniel howe. main. most beloathed recruit of all the recruits (seriously!).
worldstate
▍ ❝ DRAGON AGE: ORIGINSㅤ1. THE ARL OF REDCLIFFE.ㅤㅤ Elspeth accidentally triggers a battle with the Desire Demon possessing Connor, forcing her to kill them both.
ㅤ2. THE BROKEN CIRCLE.ㅤㅤ Elspeth sides squarely with the mages, working to secure the Circle Tower from demons and save whoever can be saved. (In verses with multiple Wardens, she would defer to a Circle Mage Warden on this but will argue if they show little sympathy for their fellows.)
ㅤ3. A PARAGON OF HER KIND.ㅤㅤ Elspeth chooses to destroy the Anvil of the Void and names Harrowmont King of Orzammar. (In verses with multiple Wardens, she would defer to a Dwarven Warden on this, but argue in favor of crowning Harrowmont.)
ㅤ4. NATURE OF THE BEAST.ㅤㅤ Elspeth works to broker peace between Zathrian and Witherfang/the Lady of the Forest. (In verses with multiple Wardens, she would defer to a Dalish Warden on this, but argue in favor of brokering peace between the elves and werewolves.)
ㅤ5. THE URN OF SACRED ASHES.ㅤㅤ Elspeth tells the Cultists she will defile the ashes in order to get past them, but does not actually do so, forcing a battle with them after leaving the Temple of Sacred Ashes.
ㅤ6. THE LANDSMEET.ㅤㅤ Elspeth does an exceptional job of winning over several nobles before the Landsmeet even begins. During which, she ultimately conscripts Loghain and names Anora queen to rule alone. (Would love to explore this with an Alistair who stayed.)
ㅤ7. THE BATTLE OF DENERIM.ㅤㅤ Elspeth takes the time to eliminate all of the Archdemon's Generals before proceeding to Fort Drakon to fight the Archdemon itself. She deals the final blow against it having convinced Loghain to do Morrigan's ritual beforehand.
▍ ❝ ORIGINS: AWAKENING.ㅤ1. THE ASSAULT ON VIGIL'S KEEP.ㅤㅤ Elspeth works her way through the opening battles of Awakening with confidence and concern, offering encouraging words to her recruits whenever possible. She allows Anders to flee the scene and is surprised when he returns to help. Shortly after the dust settles, Els is taken to the dungeons where she finds Nathaniel Howe, and orders him to leave with whatever he can carry. She's far less pleased when Nate returns and asks to be made a Grey Warden.
ㅤ2. THE RIGHTEOUS PATH.ㅤㅤ Upon meeting Velanna and hearing her story, Elspeth convinces her to let the newly minted Wardens help hunt down the Darkspawn that took her sister, Seranni. After awakening in the silverite mine and being freed by Seranni, she and her companions fight their way out of the mine. When Velanna asks to join the Wardens so she can better search for her sister among the Darkspawn, Elspeth agrees.
ㅤ3. LAST OF THE LEGION.ㅤㅤ Elspeth opts to bring Sigrun along with the party down into the Deep Roads, assuming a Legionnaire Scout will be an invaluable help navigating the area.
ㅤ4. SHADOWS OF THE BLACKMARSH.ㅤㅤ Elspeth opts to go inside the estate and speak with the Baroness before deciding whose side to take, hoping that she is a woman who can be reasoned with. While she sympathizes with the Baroness, she ultimately sides with Justice and the villagers in the subsequent battle.
ㅤ5. THE ASSAULT ON AMARANTHINE.ㅤㅤ When the Mother sent her darkspawn to attack both Amaranthine and Vigil's Keep, Elspeth opted to save the city herself, knowing the Keep was well-fortified against such an incursion.
ㅤ6. DEPTHS OF DEPRAVITY.ㅤㅤ TBA!
companion opinions
ㅤCALENHAD.ㅤㅤ (Dog) Before Ostagar, Elspeth had never been imprinted on by a Mabari pup, despite her family raising many of the breed over the years. When she seeks out a special flower to save the life of a hound at Ostagar's kennel, she does so only in the hopes of saving a life. It positively delights her when the Mabari later finds her group, and shows deference to her as his new master.
ㅤALISTAIR.ㅤㅤ While at first his brand of joviality irks her in her grief, Elspeth grows to love and appreciate Alistair for who he is throughout the Blight. When she spares Loghain and conscripts him into the Wardens, it absolutely breaks her heart that Alistair feels he must leave.
ㅤMORRIGAN.ㅤㅤ Elspeth is drawn to Morrigan from the moment she appears, likely the magic within her responding to another powerful mage. It is Morrigan who is ultimately able to help Elspeth connect properly with her magic and learn how to use it actively, rather than just through the passive sensing of others' emotions (after Wynne has tried and failed to teach her the Circle's way).
ㅤLELIANA.ㅤㅤ Elspeth doesn't know what to make of Leliana at first, sensing somehow that she is not entirely what she seems. But over time, she grows extremely fond of the bard, and learns to trust her implicitly.
ㅤSTEN.ㅤㅤ Elspeth vehemently disapproves of Sten's actions towards the family that had helped him, but she believes in second chances and when they met, she'd needed all the help she could find. In time, she grows fond of Sten regardless, finding him an interesting conversational sparring partner with his differing beliefs.
ㅤSHALE.ㅤㅤ Again in the interest of gathering all the help she possibly can, Elspeth goes out of her way to visit Honnleath when she hears of the stone golem there. She's more than happy to let Shale make their own decisions upon finding the control rod no longer works, and grows to oddly enjoy their unusual manner of speech.
ㅤZEVRAN.ㅤㅤ Elspeth grows extremely fond of Zevran during the Blight, finding him charming if secretive. When Taliesen comes for him, she lies that he's dead. (In her private canon, Elspeth falls for Zevran over a very slow burn amount of time. I do not hold Zev roleplayers to this unless such a dynamic is mutually agreed upon!)
ㅤWYNNE.ㅤㅤ Elspeth likes Wynne well enough, and even finds some of her more grandmotherly advice to be comforting after the loss of her family. However, she struggles to learn how to use her magic under Wynne's tutelage, as she finds the Circle's methods too rigid and uniform. She needs the freedom to feel her magic, and finds that more easily through training with an apostate whose relationship with magic is more fluid (Morrigan).
ㅤOGHREN.ㅤㅤ While she's not the biggest fan of Oghren's general personality, Elspeth feels a great deal of sympathy for him after learning his story. Despite his crass nature, she comes to consider him a friend, and is even glad to see him at Vigil's Keep when the time comes to rebuild the Ferelden Grey Wardens.
ㅤSER POUNCE-A-LOT.ㅤㅤ Though Elspeth is ostensibly a dog person, she is fond of pretty much any animal, and Pounce is no exception! When Anders disappears, Pounce takes to sleeping on Elspeth's bed along with Calenhad, and she doesn't mind it at all.
ㅤANDERS.ㅤㅤ When the Templars come for him, Elspeth conscripts Anders into the Wardens—but after they're gone, she privately gives him the option to run if he wants to, rather than undergo the Joining. She finds his decision to join up anyway admirable, and over time comes to love him for his humor and charm, while also sympathizing with his traumas.
ㅤNATHANIEL.ㅤㅤ Wanting nothing to do with the Howe family after Rendon's treachery, Elspeth sends Nathaniel away from the Keep with whatever he can carry after releasing him from the dungeons. His return to join the Wardens is both unexpected and unwanted on her part, but she feels she has little choice but to accept him. Over time, she learns to disconnect her anger at his father from her anger towards him, and they are able to heal their families' severed bond together.
ㅤVELANNA.ㅤㅤ Despite initial tensions between them due to Elspeth being a human noble and Velanna a Dalish elf, they soon come to an understanding. Elspeth hears Velanna's wish that she could record the stories of her people and finds her a journal in which to do just that, solidifying their unexpected friendship.
ㅤJUSTICE.ㅤㅤ Elspeth has a lot of sympathy for Justice, understanding that he is a spirit trapped outside his natural habitat of the Fade. She does her best to make him feel welcome despite his appearance and, well, the smell. She does not fear him as others might fear a spirit outside of the Fade, as she can see that he is still in possession of himself and has not been warped into a demon. She admires his commitment to the virtue of justice, though also understands that this is simply part of what it means to be Justice.
ㅤSIGRUN.ㅤㅤ Sigrun is both quirky and spunky, two things that Elspeth very much enjoys in a person. They get along quite well from meeting, and Elspeth takes no small amount of joy in gifting her miniature versions of things that seem to amuse her—like that soap on a rope.