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The Power of Friendship
Throughout his years in Kirkwall, Hawke met and struck up friendships with an unlikely group of characters, most of whom would have nothing at all in common with one another if not for a mutual friendship with Hawke. Hawke is the kind of guy who makes friends easily and who also takes care of his friends without question. The following is a set of summaries about Hawke's relationships with Carver and his Kirkwall Crew, the people who over time came to be his adopted family.
Carver Hawke
Hawke's relationship with his brother is rocky. Carver, resentful of what he perceives as paternal favoritism seems determined to be bitter and whiny about being lost in his older brother's shadow, and is resistant to Hawke's attempts to reconcile. Despite the huge chip on his shoulder and his penchant for whining, and despite the fact that he is not and never has been as close to Carver as he was to Bethany, Hawke loves his younger brother a great deal and tries to accommodate him as much as he can which lead them both into the Deep Roads. Carver wanted to go, so Hawke brought him along! This turned out to be a very bad idea, as Carver unfortunately contracted the Blight from all the Darkspawn fighting, and had to go away with the Grey Wardens or die. Returning to his mother with the news was less than delightful; Carver hadn't died but by his mother's initial reaction to the news he may as well have, and Hawke once again felt that same sense of failure and guilt which had descended on him when Bethany had been killed. He'd failed his job as the elder brother twice over by not protecting his younger siblings well enough when they'd needed him most. This continues to affect his relationship with Carver.
Aveline Vallen
Hawke actually met Aveline, a fierce warrior fighting darkspawn alongside her templar husband, as he fled Lothering with his family. The couple joined the family on their flight from Lothering, though only Aveline survived the journey. Newly widowed with nowhere else to turn, she accompanied the surviving Hawkes to Kirkwall, where she joined the city guard. She and Hawke have great mutual respect for one another, although she might wish that Hawke would take things a little more seriously than he generally does. Unbeknownst to her, Hawke actually does dial back his usual devil-may-care attitude quite a bit, entirely for her benefit. His respect for her is great enough that he is perfectly willing to drop the sarcasm in favor of sincerity.
Varric Tethras
Self-described as a silver-tongued rogue with a heart of gold, Varric is the younger of two dwarven brothers living in Kirkwall who, when he meets Hawke, are in the midst of organizing a journey into the Deep Roads in search of treasure. Hawke and Varric are like two peas in a pod, and the friendship that quickly grows between them after their initial acquaintance is solid and enduring. They have a similar sense of humor and a mutual appreciation of each other's wit. Hawke never has to hold back when talking to Varric and knows the dwarf feels the same. They have each other's backs in every way, from conspiratorial tall tales to gang fights in dark alleys where the odds are twenty to two.
Isabela
A beautiful pirate captain with an appreciation for fine booty (both kinds), Isabela is another easy friendship built on mutual enjoyment of flirting, sassing, and making money. Although at first she isn't interested in anything beyond a casual friendship plus or minus some mutually satisfactory benefits, Hawke's loyalty despite her light backstabbing during the Qunari ordeal eventually won her over and deepened their friendship beyond the casual sex she prefers for such arrangements.
Merrill
Merrill is a dalish elf and a pariah among her own people, an admitted user of blood magic. Merrill is a bit of an odd duck, even among Hawke's motley crew. Though he has been warned plenty against trusting blood mages, he's willing to give Merrill a chance. While her search for the lost past of the Dalish is fervent and focused, it's different enough from the usual motivation for blood magic (power, strength, and wealth) that he decides to support her. Her quest for power is for the benefit of others, not herself, and while she appears to be somewhat naive, it's obvious to Hawke that she's highly intelligent and capable. As an outcast, she takes up residence in the Kirkwall Alienage after meeting Hawke, and he makes sure to visit her frequently and drag her along on his adventures so that she doesn't get lonely.
Anders
A "former" Grey Warden and apostate living in Darktown, Hawke's somewhat prickly friend Anders is a vocal activist for mage rights who shares his body with a spirit of justice. Technically, a mage who allows himself to be possessed by a demon becomes an abomination, but Justice isn't exactly a demon as he does not reflect one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and abominations tend to violently destroy everything in their path. Considering Anders is living quietly in Darktown and offering a free medical clinic to those in desperate need of healthcare, he doesn't really fit the definition. It's an unusual arrangement to be sure, but Hawke will be the last person to judge, especially considering all the good Anders does. Similar to his friendship with Merrill, Hawke's acceptance of Anders' situation and sympathy to the mage cause earned him a fast friend in his fellow apostate...as well as a lover. Despite Anders warning him multiple times that while he loved Hawke, Hawke would always come second to his cause, Hawke went all in, freely giving Anders his heart. When Anders buried it at the end of DAII under the rubble of the Kirkwall's chantry, Hawke decided to leave it there. He was upset at Anders for using him, but in the end he was even more angry at himself for going all in despite Anders straight up telling him falling in love with him was a bad idea. However devastated he was by Anders' betrayal, he didn't have it in him to straight up murder him in retaliation, which was what Anders had been hoping he would do. So he dragged Anders through the end of the game (forcing him to face the consequences of his actions), and split up with him for good after that.
Fenris
Hawke met the elf Fenris by becoming unwitting bait to a group of Tevinter slavers who were hunting Fenris. Initially irritated at being used as bait for a slaver trap, Hawke was mollified by Fenris' apology and explanation, that being that he was an escaped slave being hunted by his former master and was in need of assistance. Hawke was totally down for helping to free slaves, so he agreed to help Fenris despite his doubts. Despite some awkward tension over Hawke being a mage - mages in Tevinter being the ruling and subjugating class, Fenris has no love for them - the two came to a place of mutual respect and subsequently friendship. Fenris appreciated Hawke's stupid humor, like a moron, and Hawke appreciated Fenris' appreciation of his stupid humor, also like a moron.
Sebastian
The dispossessed prince of Starkhaven and present initiate in the Kirkwall Chantry, Sebastian came into Hawke's merry little band of misfits last; though Hawke had done an errand for the man before his little venture into the Deep Roads, he didn't start getting to know him until after he'd returned from the expedition, a good three to four years after their initial meeting. Of all Hawke's friends, Sebastian is the most straight-edge, as a devout man dedicating his life to the Maker. He still has doubts about how he wants to proceed with his life, however, on one hand wishing to dedicate himself fully to the Chantry, as his parents wished, but on the other hand wishing to take back Starkhaven from the usurpers who murdered his family and do right by his lineage. Hawke, who considers his own family much more important than the Chantry, often encourages him away from a devout life of singing praises of the Maker in favor of actually making a difference and helping actual people. Due to differing priorities, Hawke never gets as close to Sebastian as he does to his other friends. In the end, their differences wind up overcoming their commonalities, and the two part on less than amenable terms.
Carver Hawke
Hawke's relationship with his brother is rocky. Carver, resentful of what he perceives as paternal favoritism seems determined to be bitter and whiny about being lost in his older brother's shadow, and is resistant to Hawke's attempts to reconcile. Despite the huge chip on his shoulder and his penchant for whining, and despite the fact that he is not and never has been as close to Carver as he was to Bethany, Hawke loves his younger brother a great deal and tries to accommodate him as much as he can which lead them both into the Deep Roads. Carver wanted to go, so Hawke brought him along! This turned out to be a very bad idea, as Carver unfortunately contracted the Blight from all the Darkspawn fighting, and had to go away with the Grey Wardens or die. Returning to his mother with the news was less than delightful; Carver hadn't died but by his mother's initial reaction to the news he may as well have, and Hawke once again felt that same sense of failure and guilt which had descended on him when Bethany had been killed. He'd failed his job as the elder brother twice over by not protecting his younger siblings well enough when they'd needed him most. This continues to affect his relationship with Carver.
Aveline Vallen
Hawke actually met Aveline, a fierce warrior fighting darkspawn alongside her templar husband, as he fled Lothering with his family. The couple joined the family on their flight from Lothering, though only Aveline survived the journey. Newly widowed with nowhere else to turn, she accompanied the surviving Hawkes to Kirkwall, where she joined the city guard. She and Hawke have great mutual respect for one another, although she might wish that Hawke would take things a little more seriously than he generally does. Unbeknownst to her, Hawke actually does dial back his usual devil-may-care attitude quite a bit, entirely for her benefit. His respect for her is great enough that he is perfectly willing to drop the sarcasm in favor of sincerity.
Varric Tethras
Self-described as a silver-tongued rogue with a heart of gold, Varric is the younger of two dwarven brothers living in Kirkwall who, when he meets Hawke, are in the midst of organizing a journey into the Deep Roads in search of treasure. Hawke and Varric are like two peas in a pod, and the friendship that quickly grows between them after their initial acquaintance is solid and enduring. They have a similar sense of humor and a mutual appreciation of each other's wit. Hawke never has to hold back when talking to Varric and knows the dwarf feels the same. They have each other's backs in every way, from conspiratorial tall tales to gang fights in dark alleys where the odds are twenty to two.
Isabela
A beautiful pirate captain with an appreciation for fine booty (both kinds), Isabela is another easy friendship built on mutual enjoyment of flirting, sassing, and making money. Although at first she isn't interested in anything beyond a casual friendship plus or minus some mutually satisfactory benefits, Hawke's loyalty despite her light backstabbing during the Qunari ordeal eventually won her over and deepened their friendship beyond the casual sex she prefers for such arrangements.
Merrill
Merrill is a dalish elf and a pariah among her own people, an admitted user of blood magic. Merrill is a bit of an odd duck, even among Hawke's motley crew. Though he has been warned plenty against trusting blood mages, he's willing to give Merrill a chance. While her search for the lost past of the Dalish is fervent and focused, it's different enough from the usual motivation for blood magic (power, strength, and wealth) that he decides to support her. Her quest for power is for the benefit of others, not herself, and while she appears to be somewhat naive, it's obvious to Hawke that she's highly intelligent and capable. As an outcast, she takes up residence in the Kirkwall Alienage after meeting Hawke, and he makes sure to visit her frequently and drag her along on his adventures so that she doesn't get lonely.
Anders
A "former" Grey Warden and apostate living in Darktown, Hawke's somewhat prickly friend Anders is a vocal activist for mage rights who shares his body with a spirit of justice. Technically, a mage who allows himself to be possessed by a demon becomes an abomination, but Justice isn't exactly a demon as he does not reflect one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and abominations tend to violently destroy everything in their path. Considering Anders is living quietly in Darktown and offering a free medical clinic to those in desperate need of healthcare, he doesn't really fit the definition. It's an unusual arrangement to be sure, but Hawke will be the last person to judge, especially considering all the good Anders does. Similar to his friendship with Merrill, Hawke's acceptance of Anders' situation and sympathy to the mage cause earned him a fast friend in his fellow apostate...as well as a lover. Despite Anders warning him multiple times that while he loved Hawke, Hawke would always come second to his cause, Hawke went all in, freely giving Anders his heart. When Anders buried it at the end of DAII under the rubble of the Kirkwall's chantry, Hawke decided to leave it there. He was upset at Anders for using him, but in the end he was even more angry at himself for going all in despite Anders straight up telling him falling in love with him was a bad idea. However devastated he was by Anders' betrayal, he didn't have it in him to straight up murder him in retaliation, which was what Anders had been hoping he would do. So he dragged Anders through the end of the game (forcing him to face the consequences of his actions), and split up with him for good after that.
Fenris
Hawke met the elf Fenris by becoming unwitting bait to a group of Tevinter slavers who were hunting Fenris. Initially irritated at being used as bait for a slaver trap, Hawke was mollified by Fenris' apology and explanation, that being that he was an escaped slave being hunted by his former master and was in need of assistance. Hawke was totally down for helping to free slaves, so he agreed to help Fenris despite his doubts. Despite some awkward tension over Hawke being a mage - mages in Tevinter being the ruling and subjugating class, Fenris has no love for them - the two came to a place of mutual respect and subsequently friendship. Fenris appreciated Hawke's stupid humor, like a moron, and Hawke appreciated Fenris' appreciation of his stupid humor, also like a moron.
Sebastian
The dispossessed prince of Starkhaven and present initiate in the Kirkwall Chantry, Sebastian came into Hawke's merry little band of misfits last; though Hawke had done an errand for the man before his little venture into the Deep Roads, he didn't start getting to know him until after he'd returned from the expedition, a good three to four years after their initial meeting. Of all Hawke's friends, Sebastian is the most straight-edge, as a devout man dedicating his life to the Maker. He still has doubts about how he wants to proceed with his life, however, on one hand wishing to dedicate himself fully to the Chantry, as his parents wished, but on the other hand wishing to take back Starkhaven from the usurpers who murdered his family and do right by his lineage. Hawke, who considers his own family much more important than the Chantry, often encourages him away from a devout life of singing praises of the Maker in favor of actually making a difference and helping actual people. Due to differing priorities, Hawke never gets as close to Sebastian as he does to his other friends. In the end, their differences wind up overcoming their commonalities, and the two part on less than amenable terms.