“If you really fear us so much, then kill us! Don't pretend that killing everything that makes us human isn't the same thing!”
Adrian is a mage from the Orlesian Circle of Magi and the spokesperson for the Libertarians fraternity. She is a tiny woman in mid thirties with a cloud of red curly hair and freckles. Adrian is hot-tempered and headstrong, and as a caster she prefers fire spells.
Background
Adrian was Rhys' lover, but he would never be the leader she wanted him to be, so they remained best friends. She still had some feelings for him. Adrian had no other friends, although Circle mages praised her ability to speak up even when they were too timid.
Involvement
When Lord Seeker Lambert arrives at the White Spire, he interrogates Adrian right after Rhys. She then voices an opinion that Jeannot's attack on the Divine was a Templar plot. When Rhys is sent to the dungeons, Adrian leads a group of mages who demand explanations from the templars. After Wynne's arrival and the commotion in the great hall Adrian insists on following Rhys to the Lord Seeker's office atop the Circle tower. There Wynne reveals her mission - three mages are needed for the ritual, and Adrian volunteers to accompany Wynne, Rhys and Evangeline on their journey to the Adamant Fortress. They leave Val Royeaux and move west on horseback.
When a heavy rain drives the group into a Velun's tavern, Adrian challenges Wynne to a drinking contest and loses. The presence of mages push the locals over the edge, and a tipsy Adrian is also willing to start a fight, but Evangeline prevents a confrontation. Next evening Rhys finally tells Adrian and Wynne about Cole. Adrian realizes that Cole is the murderer. She is wounded by Rhys' lack of trust and deliberately ignores him. However when Rhys attracts a darkspawn attack in the badlands, she comes to his aid.
Inside the fortress the group is joined by Shale. They enter the keep and are overrun by hunger abominations. Adrian summons a firestorm and thus manages to turn the tide, but only Rhys pushing Evangeline to the ground saves the latter from friendly fire. When they find Pharamond in his laboratory, the demon possessing him reveals that Evangeline was sent to kill them and hide their findings. He adds that Rhys knew it but kept silent, since he liked her. The deception leaves Adrian unsympathetic to both Evangeline and Rhys.
Adrian assists with the ritual to send Wynne into the Fade, but is unwillingly drawn through the Veil herself along with everyone present. They emerge in Wynne's dream of the Battle of Denerim during the Fifth Blight and encounter Cole who has been secretly following them. Evangeline intends to kill him and Adrian supports her, but a vision of the Archdemon appears before the templar can proceed. Adrian uses her fire spells to help ward it off. Cole is lost in the battle, and while Rhys and Evangeline go searching for him, Adrian chooses to follow Wynne and Shale so as to punish Rhys for his distrust. She misses him nonetheless. They soon find themselves in Pharamond's nightmare, where Adrian witnesses Wynne call upon her spirit to defeat the demon.
Back in the mortal realm, Evangeline declares that Pharamond must die for his crime, but Adrian attacks her to protect the knowledge he gained. Rhys averts the fight by persuading Evangeline to relinquish her decision to the Chantry, and the group sets off for Val Royeaux. At the camp Evangeline suggests in private that Rhys should take Cole and flee. Adrian overhears the conversation and encourages Rhys to stay and make a stand. She admits that she is jealous of Evangeline. She also reveals to Rhys that his mother is an abomination.
Upon arrival in the capital the group is escorted to the Grand Cathedral. The Divine acknowledging the mages' plight makes Adrian cry, however the supervening apology of the Rite of Tranquility fills her with rage. When Lambert draws his sword, Adrian prepares to fight alongside Rhys, but the Divine and Leliana prevent bloodshed. A mages conclave is appointed in three weeks. Until then Rhys and Adrian are confined to quarters, yet Adrian stays in contact with the Libertarians. She sneaks into Rhys' room and pleads him to convince Wynne, the leader of Aequitarians, to support separation from the Chantry. As Rhys refuses, Adrian kisses him and asks in tears if he still loves her. Silence is the answer.
Adrian attends the conclave, where she keeps at Grand Enchanter Fiona's side. After Fiona proposes that the Circle of Magi should split from the Chantry, Lambert arrives to put an end to the mages' "treason". He announces that Pharamond was stabbed with a dagger found in Rhys' chambers. Rhys denies his involvement, and the mages refuse to hand him to the templars. Adrian survives the ensuing fight and is locked in the dungeons. Leliana and Cole release her along with other mages. They flee the tower via the sewers, leaving a badly wounded Rhys helped by Cole behind.
A month later Adrian has taken refuge at Andoral's Reach together with hundreds of mages, now apostates. First Enchanter Edmonde perished in the escape, and Adrian has been elected the new first enchanter of the White Spire. Rhys confronts Adrian, and she confesses to killing Pharamond and framing Rhys so as to make Wynne abandon her position of compromise. Adrian adds that Pharamond begged to be killed. Rhys states that they are friends no longer and walks away. A new conclave is held the same day, and Fiona calls for a vote on independence. The Loyalists urge mages to submit. Adrian, representing the Libertarians, votes to fight and Rhys, representing the Aequitarians, chooses to side with her.
The whereabouts of Adrian after the vote are unknown.[1]
References
- ↑
Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 204