A person’s home can shape the man or woman they become later in life. Although a few details about Dragon Age 2′s leading man Hawke have surfaced, taking a look at the places he calls home may give a bit of insight into not only how he might develop, but tell also of some of the challenges he may face. While most of the game seems like it may take place in a new locale across the Waking See in the Free Marches, even the little we know about that land can give some insight into the life of the hailed “Champion of Kirkwall.”

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Joseph Campbell’s “A Hero With a Thousand Faces” set out a formula for analyzing myth throughout the ages. From the oldest epics through modern-day stories of heroes, the monomyth pattern isn’t perfect but its features can be seen in some capacity in many  stories. Dragon Age, which has been described as an epic, does exhibit many features of the monomyth tradition.

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Change is inherently scary. Change creates uncertainty and most humans (at least almost all that I’ve met) would prefer not to be blind-sided by something they didn’t expect. Human nature also often dictates that when change is on the horizon, fear is a natural response because the brain calculates the possibility of negative results and amplifies those more than potential positive results. Suffice to say, I’m not suprised at the early reactions of many Dragon Age fans who are already prognosticating the doom of the Dragon Age brand and of BioWare’s RPGs. RPGs as a genre are in some trouble, I’d say. But allow me to try to allay your fears and reassure you that although Dragon Age and the RPG genre as a whole may be changing, it’ll all be OK.

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So I must admit to some irritation with the future of the Dragon Age games series. Don’t get me wrong, I am fairly open minded as a gamer, and the story of Dragon Age 2 seems epic in scale — but the fact that the true role playing element of choice has been removed is a bit of a slap in the face to those of us who played and enjoyed Dragon Age: Origins as an RPG. As a sequel to a game that is considered by the creators as the spiritual successor to one of the most popular roleplaying games of all time, I am left wondering this: what crushed that spirit?

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“Everyone can be seduced by the right woman. The trick is predicting who she is and becoming her. Master the game and no one can resist you.” – Leliana

The power of the woman does not necessarily come from nobility or great martial arms. Throughout history, the influence of courtesans and concubines can reach as high as kings and emperors. As exemplified through the bards of Orlais we meet in Origins, Leliana and Marjolaine, the powers of seduction can yield greater results than skulking in the shadows with daggers.

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If you read chilyn’s look at the world of fanfiction, you know that there’s a ton of Dragon Age fiction out there, written by fans for fun, entertainment and at times catharsis in response to the events and characters of the game. But with literally hundreds of stories out there, spanning dozens of sub-genres, it can be hard to know where to start. If you’re interested in getting your feet wet in the world of fanfic, look no further. In what I hope will become an on-going series, Community Spotlight: Fanfiction will take a look at some of the most beloved fanfiction stories in the Dragon Age world, and the authors who write them.

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