“The Academie gave me my honor, and the peace of knowing that as long as I am true to it, I may die with a happy heart.”
Ser Michel de Chevin is a chevalier and champion of Empress Celene. A warrior skilled in all forms of combat, he also deeply values the chevalier code of honor. He owns a warhorse named Cheritenne. He was sponsored into the Academie des Chevaliers by Comte Brevin de Chalons, with whom Ser Michel was fostered as a youth.
Background
Michel is the bastard elf-blooded[1] son of an elven mother and a human commoner father. He grew up in the alienage of Montfort with his mother and she provided for him by working in a tavern.[2] Michel's life was one of poverty and fear, for the chevaliers would often kill peasants in the slums.[3] His mother died when he was a child. When he was ten, Comte Brevin de Chalons saw him fighting off three larger boys in an alley to save a friend and ordered his coach to stop and help. Brevin took Michel in to train with his family's guards and after three years, paid an expert in heraldry and legal documents, le Mage du Sang, to make up a title for him.[4] Ever since Michel posed as Ser Michel de Chevin, a distant cousin of to the de Chevins, coming from a dead line of the family so that his assumed identity could not be questioned.
Brevin also paid for his induction into the Academie des Chevaliers, which accepted only those of noble birth. The years in the Academie were the best in his life and he excelled in the martial training. For a final trial, he and the other senior students were taken to the slums after dark to "test their blades" by killing elves.
Michel eventually rose to the position of Empress Celene's champion after her previous one died stopping an assassin and served her faithfully for nearly ten years.
Involvement
Dragon Age: The Masked Empire
Ser Michel accompanies Empress Celene to meet with Chancelier Morrac of the University of Orlais regarding the acceptance of promising commoners and elves who can obtain sponsorship for their applications. Celene suggests that elves are already present at the university, and unwittingly asks an understandably reluctant Michel to identify a mural of the elven Disciple Shartan that had been subjected to iconoclasm following the Exalted March of the Dales. He then escorts Celene to a meeting with Divine Justinia's representative, Leliana.
Later on, at a ball hosted by Empress Celene, Grand Duke Gaspard de Chalons attempts to goad Teagan Guerrin, the Fereldan ambassador, into a duel by insulting Moira Theirin's memory. Celene, however, outwits him by offering her own champion, Ser Michel, in the duel to satisfy Teagan, and Ferelden's, honor. The challenged party has the choice of weapon, and Ser Michel at Celene's behest chooses a feather as the weapon of choice (more specifically the feather of the chevaliers). This harmlessly settles the debt to the delight of some and the outrage of others.
The next morning Melcendre, a bard in Gaspard's employ who had assisted him at the ball the previous night, lures Ser Michel to a tavern in the slums with a note. She attacks him backed by six armed men and manages to neutralize him with choking dust which was based on deep mushrooms. Michel is brought to a warehouse in the alienage of Val Royeaux. Melcendre comes to the warehouse and reveals that she has learned of his past and his elven heritage. Only those of noble blood are allowed into the ranks of the chevaliers and Michel is a commoner and, worse, elf-blooded, information that would disgrace the Empress and destroy his life if revealed. Melcendre intends to provide the information to Gaspard, but Michel knocks her down and strangles her before killing her with her own dagger. Just as Michel is confronted by a group of Gaspard's soldiers, Briala and Felassan appear and help him escape.
During the escape Briala deduces from the chevalier's reactions to the word "knife-ear", something he'd never said to her or any other servant, that Michel is elf-blooded. Briala tells Michel that she will never tell anyone about his secret but that he now owes her one favor that she can call in at any time. Although Michel has no idea what that favor will be, he accepts the deal to protect his status as a chevalier and also as Celene's champion.
Michel later escorts Empress Celene to a play at the Grande Royeaux Theater aimed to weaken her political position by painting her as overly sympathetic to the elves, at a time when the elven slums of Halamshiral are rebelling. This leads Celene to order Michel and her forces to march on the city to crush the rebellion and cement her strength in the eyes of the nobility.
When Michel, Celene, Briala and Felassan later become trapped outside of Halamshiral due to the machinations of Gaspard, they decide to join forces to find the Dalish and seek their aid in returning to Val Royeaux. On the way the party is savagely attacked by sylvans and Cheritenne as well as Celene's mount are slain, Cheritenne mercifully at Michel's hands. When they reach the camp of Dalish clan Virnehn, they are treated with scorn and are told that the clan wants nothing to do with them. Michel is bound but later freed and lured by the demon Imshael to the elgar'arla, the stone circle where Keeper Thelhen keeps it imprisoned. Imshael reveals that it was summoned to help the Dalish activate the ancient eluvians. However, Imshael refused, as Thelhen only wants the eluvians awakened but nothing else; Imshael needed someone to make a choice. Imshael offers Michel a deal: it would magically grant Michel the valid identity of Ser Michel de Chevin, with no one ever finding out about him being elf-blooded. Imshael offers to magically alter other people's memories and forge documents to validate his fake heritage. All it wants in return is a choice, and a host, so that it could live outside the Fade.
Michel is soon found by Dalish warriors, who bring him back to the camp. When he reveals that it was Imshael who lured him away, Thelhen became alarmed and left to reinforce the binding circle. The Dalish warleader then accused Michel of endangering his clan. Michel silently indicated to Celene not to show weakness before the Dalish, so she requested that he allow the warleader a companion in the interest of a fair fight. Once the Dalish left them alone, Michel informed Celene of what he had learned from Imshael and they decided to take advantage of this information.
When Briala returned to the camp, they let her in on the secret. Though she believed they could use the information to gain favour with the Dalish, Celene convinced her that the Dalish are indifferent to the city elves. Thus, Briala conceded to their plan to escape and left to convince Felassan to help them. Michel then kills several of the Dalish elves himself to free Celene. He spares the clan's First, Mihris, however, after she tells him he killed her love during the fight.
Returning to the binding circle, instead of accepting the terms of the offer, Michel tries to trick Imshael into giving him the keystone needed to activate the eluvians while not fulfilling his part of the bargain. When the demon puts down the keystone, Michel destroys its prison, believing that the demon would be forced to return to the Fade. Yet by destroying the stone circle, he instead frees Imshael. Imshael goes on to massacre the rest of Clan Virnehn, and the group decide to leave the Dalish to their fate.
Using the keystone given to Celene by Imshael, Michel, Celene, Briala and Felassan enter into the underground chamber housing the nearest Eluvian, which Celene hopes to use to return to the capital ahead of Gaspard and end their conflict. The party eventually encounters Gaspard's entourage, however, which had been pursuing them with Mihris' help, and they agree to a temporary truce as they fight to survive in the distorted world and series of burial chambers to which the central chamber of the eluvians are connected. Though they are opposed, Michel prevents Celene from dishonorably murdering Gaspard during their journey.
After arriving at the central chamber, Ser Michel duels Gaspard to the death for the fate of Celene's kingdom. During the duel, Briala calls in her favor and asks Michel to yield to Gaspard instead of killing him. Michel is honor-bound to that promise and yields. This technically loses Celene's duel and, consequently, Michel's position as Celene's champion.
Briala, who now has control of the eluvians through the keystone, transports Michel and Gaspard outside of Val Chevin. The two men exchange words, Michel asking what would be his fate, knowing full well that the Academie would strip his name from the rolls and have him executed. However, Gaspard refuses to do so, stating that a strong character like Michel is an exemplar of what a chevalier should be, regardless of his blood line, comparing his example to that of Ser Aveline. He tells Michel to find his own path, as he would be executed if Celene lays eyes on him, and Gaspard refused to insult his honour by asking for his service. The two men then part ways. Michel, no longer Celene's champion, decides to dedicate the rest of his life to hunting and stopping Imshael to atone for releasing it.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Michel can be found just outside of Sahrnia, a town located in the Emprise du Lion. If you have Vivienne or Cassandra in your party she will recognize him immediately.
The Inquisitor may recruit Michel as an agent of the Inquisition if he helps Michel defeat Imshael. However, if the Inquisitor accepts a deal with Imshael, the demon will murder Michel.
If Imshael is slain before talking to Michel, he can not be recruited at all.
Quests
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Notes
Trivia
- Ser Michel's armour is based on the heraldry of Empress Celene's family, the Valmonts, which is a golden lion on a field of purple.
References
- ↑ Dragon Age: The Masked Empire, p. 360
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dragon Age: The Masked Empire, p. 223
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Dragon Age: The Masked Empire, p. 202
- ↑ Dragon Age: The Masked Empire, p. 77
- ↑ Dragon Age: The Masked Empire, p. 189