Blaen

Blaen is an Orlesian noble and former Chevalier.

Background
Blaen is a former chevalier but despite that disgrace, has managed to worm his way back into the good grace of a handful of Orlesian nobles. His adventuring days, although short-lived, proved rich in contacts with various shady individuals. Like Blaen, they were willing to resort to anything to make a few more coins, and the ex-chevalier was excellent at leading the disparate groups of criminals without them even realizing they were being led, or that they were all being led in the same directions. When his associates in the Carta proved able to provide him with a steady stream of lyrium, Blaen saw the value of selling it as a drug. He set plans in motion to create a pipeline to get the illicit substance into the hands of more users. To Blaen, more users means more more money.

Blaen enjoys the pretense of honour, manners, and respect, but he lacks in them all and is always the quickest to cast them aside when it means even a marginal advantage for himself. After all, only the winner tells the tale of who was and was not honourable on the field of battle. The newfound respect he has begun receiving in Val Royeaux owes much to his lyrium smuggling and the wealth it bring shim. As a result he protects these two things ferociously and is always looking for more, be it further distribution or more profit. Blaen never forgets slights against him and there is no greater slight in his mind than that of costing him money.

Involvement
By the time of the early Dragon Age, Blaen has managed to leverage his contacts into an exceptionally large and profitable lyrium smuggling operations running across eastern Orlais. Using the Carta and their Bleakwatch gang subsidiaries, Blaen's use of lyrium as a narcotic is proving extremely profitable. Blaen manages to procure the patronage of Lady Sennova, an influential noble in the court to expanding his operation even further. However a failed attempt by the Bleakwatch gang in Halamshiral to establish a side operation of lyrium distribution without Blaen's aid, results in him dispatching his retainers to murder Kynedrin and the other Carta agents responsible. This eventually results in a party of adventurers stumbling onto his operation and pursuing him to Val Royeaux, where they confront him.

Blaen scoffs and remarks that there is far too much money at stake to worry about such concerns. After attempting to to discern if the adventurers are working for a larger organization, Kynedrin eventually threatens Blaen's person, resulting in a melee breaking out in the tavern. Blaen escapes in the chaos.

Blaen admits that he could use some additional manpower and enlists the party to attend Lady Sennova's upcoming gala and provide extra security to allow Blaen to negotiate an extremely profitable contract with a group of hard-line Templars known as 'The purifiers' and their leader, Ser Ardal.

At the gala, while Blaen and Ardal haggle, a group of rogue mages attack the negotiation hoping to kill Ardal and the Templars and claim the lyrium smuggling contract for themselves.

Depending on whom the party supports, Blaen may be slain in the confrontation, complete the contract with either the Templars or the rogue mages or simply retreat and return to his lyrium smuggling operation in a safer locale.