Aveline Vallen

"Protect what matters with everything you have, or you'll have nothing, and deserve it."

Aveline Vallen is a human warrior. She was fleeing Lothering with her husband Ser Wesley during the Fifth Blight when they were set upon by darkspawn and rescued by the Hawke family. Aveline is one of Hawke's companions.

Background
Aveline is a soldier, a master of sword and shield, and a tireless guardian... to a point. The daughter of an exiled chevalier, Aveline is not the knight her father wished her to be. Although fully trained in chivalrous combat, she was raised in the shadow of a lost life and will not lose another for the sake of honor. Protecting her adopted home of Kirkwall becomes a chosen duty, not a privileged calling. The people she stands for will not be wasted on lost causes or protecting the foolish from themselves. Pride can be bandaged like any other wound—when threats are dead and everyone is safely home.

Friendship and rivalry
Friendship with Aveline can generally be earned by doing what is lawful, but even more important to her is protection of the weak and acts of kindness. However, be aware that she also values family and friendship highly, and will occasionally favor bending the law or skirting what's Right in order to support your companions (usually this means Isabela).

Rivalry with Aveline can generally be earned by ignoring people in need or by doing things, especially unlawful things, for profit alone or by paying off other people's greed.

Armor


Aveline's armor upgrades can be found in the following locations:


 * Act 1: Underpadding - Guardsman Pattern, at Armor Shop in Lowtown, increases attack.
 * Act 2: Flex-Chain - Guardsman Pattern, during the Raiders of the Cliffs quest, for an extra rune slot.
 * Act 2: Impact Plating - Guardsman Pattern at Armor Merchant in Lowtown, increases armor.
 * Act 3: Deflecting Joints - Guardsman Pattern, during the Favor and Fault quest, on Jeven's corpse.

Aveline's armor changes to basic guardsmen armor after Hawke's first year in Kirkwall. If Aveline becomes the new guard captain, her armor will change to reflect her new role.

Initial statistics
Talent trees
 * Weapon and Shield
 * Vanguard
 * Battlemaster
 * Defender
 * Warmonger
 * Guardian (specialization)

Quotes

 * (To darkspawn) "You will not have him!"
 * (To Wesley) "They will not have you...not while I breathe."
 * (To Hawke about Carver) "Bit of a tit, your brother."
 * (To Isabela) "Shut up, whore."
 * (To Hawke about Dog) "Just checking on my best guardsmen. He's teaching my men respect... and how to run."
 * (About Fenris) "You talk to him, Hawke. I've had my fill for today."
 * "I stand for all of us!"
 * (If Isabela falls in battle) "Isabela is on the ground... appropriately."
 * (About Leliana) "I'm uncomfortable around Chantry sisters. All because of that red-haired trickster in Lothering."
 * (To Dog) "How about it, boy? Want to chew on some recruits?"

Trivia

 * Lukas Kristjanson wrote Aveline for Dragon Age II.
 * In Dragon Age: Origins, Leliana tells the tale of the female warrior Aveline, Knight of Orlais who fought and was executed, during an arena match, after she was revealed to be a woman. Her courage and skill ensured her knighthood as the first woman ever to receive that honor. Additionally, if Fenris is in your party at the same time as Aveline, Fenris will make a comment that he has heard of a legendary knight called Aveline, but that he was not told the legend, as his masters never told him it. Aveline shows exasperation for her namesake, and when Fenris tells her that Tevinter masters don't typically tell their slaves stories, she says "No offense Fenris, but thank the Maker for that".
 * According to Lukas Kristjanson, if Aveline were a food she'd would be "Steak. Rare. But with caramelized onions and baby corn nibbled from the side like a full cob when no one is looking."
 * Aveline's favorite color is green.
 * Aveline was at Ostagar, and remembers Carver and Hawke (if a warrior or rogue), and is aware that Loghain betrayed King Cailan.
 * Although Aveline is not a romance option, she can be flirted with by both a male and female Hawke during The Way It Should Be in Act 1 and The Long Road during Act 2.
 * When talking about Wesley's death, she says that she does not find the Chantry's doctrine compelling, and says that the Chant is lovely, but perhaps that is all it needs to be.
 * Hawke receives a letter from their cousin in which she asks if it is true that they are sleeping with the captain of the guard after the quest Gamlen's Greatest Treasure.

Bugs

 * When using the skill "Immovable", Aveline has a chance of becoming frozen in place in the combat stance, unresponsive to even manual control. Unlike the skill associated movement reduction, this will not eventually wear off and can only be fixed by leaving the area.
 * When giving Aveline the Shield of the Knight Herself, her dialogue indicates that Ser Wesley's Shield was sold even if it was merely being kept in Hawke's storage chest. (PC/PS3/XBOX360)
 * During the quest Demands of The Qun, when the Arishok attacks the guards in the compound, Aveline's shield will disappear and her sword will revert to the one she carried when first met for the duration of the scene.