• Hello Guest, the Post-Trespasser timeline is open to all characters now. If you want to play your DA:O/DA2 timeline characters in the Post-Trespasser timeline, please check out the thread below. It will give you all the information you need to get up and running in no time:

    Getting your DA:O/DA2 Character ready for Post-Trespasser!

Edwin Thatcher

Posts
65
#1

Name: Rupert Edwin Orland (Edwin Thatcher)

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: 22 Guardian, 9:07 Dragon in Kirkwall

Occupation: Small-time ne’er-do-well

Companion(s): N/A




Though he’s trained himself into a cavalier persona, every now and again Edwin’s blue-grey eyes betray a vast depth of emotion. And sometimes the single dimple on his right cheek isn’t used as a means to charm, but merely as a result of a genuine smile.

For the most part, though, Edwin appears the consummate scoundrel. His 5’11’’ frame is filled out with an athletic build, and his dark brown hair is constantly tousled, matching a scruffy beard. A pair of simple black studs pierce his ears, though they are the only hint of personal expression he permits himself outside of the carefully-considered role he plays.

Rarely is Edwin ever seen without a long-sleeve shirt, even during the oppressive summer months. If he can keep an ever-present barrier over the gruesome burn and knife scars that have mangled his chest, all the better.




Class: Rogue

Specialization: Duelist (Master)

Weapons & Armor: Edwin carries a well-worn pair of steel longswords. There’s nothing particularly special about them--not even a blacksmith’s stamp. He does, however, own an engraved red steel longsword with a bloodstone set into the hilt, “gifted” to him by his father and proof of his lineage. Though he rarely dons armor, it consists of a hardened leather chestpiece, bracers, and cuisse. Usually he foregoes all of the above and just wears a dark leather jerkin over his clothing.

Languages: Common (written and spoken), Orlesian (written and spoken), Antivan (written and spoken)

Non-Combat Skills:

Master: Coercion, Ambidextrous
Expert: Etiquette (Hightown nobility), Historical Lore (Free Marches), Heraldry (Free Marches), Legerdemain, Performance
Intermediate: Contacts, Evaluation, Gambling, Stealth, Writing, Historical Lore (Orlais), Disguise
Novice: Cooking, Traps, Historical Lore (Ferelden)

Combat Skills:

Master: Vendetta, Dual Weapons (Sword)
Expert: Evasive Maneuvers
Intermediate: Riposte, Cutting Barbs, Single Weapon (Dagger), Bows
Novice: Dueling Form, Upset Balance

Armor Proficiency: Medium


Acquaintances and business contacts would describe Edwin as carefree: having not a care for rules, decorum, places, people, or anything else. He projects the image of an unrepentant rogue, and there’s some truth to that persona. Experience has taught him that the majority of people are looking out for their own interests, and most days Edwin’s just trying to do the same.

If pressed about certain issues, Edwin can come across as cynical and jaded. It’s a massive departure from the idealism he aspired to in his youth, but he would say that he’s no longer a privileged and sheltered boy who’s only ever seen the world through a very narrow lens.

There are very few people Edwin trusts, and only one person in the world who sees him for what he is--or at least what he could be if he let go of some of his wounds. The barriers closing him off to the rest of the world are nigh impenetrable, but behind them is a man who cares more deeply than he lets on.


Born Rupert Edwin Orland, Edwin was the first son of Barrett and Madalen Orland. An established noble family, the Orlands made most of their early wealth from the Tevinter slave trade. As such, Edwin’s childhood was one of luxury and privilege. He was tutored from an early age, learning everything a gentleman is expected to know including written and spoken languages as well as the art of defending one’s honor through use of the sword.

Edwin and his brother, Sterling, were raised mostly by the servants of the estate. When his sister Adelaide was born, Edwin took on the tasks that her parents should have handled, helping to take care of her from the time he was eight. He made himself responsible for someone else, and in doing so learned more compassion than his parents ever taught him on their own.

This compassion turned into a fervent idealism as Edwin grew into a teenager. He strongly believed the Orlands should use their substantial wealth--so much of it gained on the backs of others--to help the people of Kirkwall and beyond. When he brought this idea to his father, though, he was promptly dismissed. Barrett was content with his annual charitable contributions and expected his son would grow out of this phase of his life.

But Edwin decided if his father wasn’t willing to help, he would take matters into his own hands. When some of the Orlands’ tenants began raising concerns over too-low wages, Edwin meticulously studied and then forged his father’s signature to authorize a release of more funds with the family solicitor, Carlton. Though the initial forgery was decent, the solicitor saw through it easily, knowing full well that Barrett would never agree to such a thing. He concealed this knowledge from Edwin, though, and went along with the request. As a result, the Orlands’ tenants were able to live comfortably for the first time in an age. Edwin kept up with the forgeries, unknowingly aided by Carlton for nearly two years before Barrett finally looked into the balance of his own accounts.

Furious at this pattern of behavior, Barrett decided Edwin needed a good, old-fashioned lesson in the harsh realities of the world. He purchased a commission in Starkhaven for a son who had absolutely no military experience. It was an easy sell. Starkhaven was experiencing a military power vacuum and its leaders were always looking for more gold to line their coffers. If Edwin never returned… so much the better. The Orland line still had a second heir, after all.

Assigned as a high-ranking member of the Starkhaven militia, Edwin tried his best to lead with honor and integrity. But honor and integrity can only do so much, and when Starkhaven was besieged by a usurper’s forces, he found himself in well over his head.

His lack of military experience directly caused the death of three men under his command. The rest abandoned him, and it wasn’t long before Edwin was pinned down behind enemy lines and forced to fight his way to some semblance of safety. Badly wounded and desperately dehydrated, he stumbled onto a farm and was given shelter by the couple who lived there. They fed him, gave him water, and bandaged his wounds, allowing him the chance to recover in their barn overnight. Grateful for the kindness of strangers, Edwin promised to repay them as soon as he could contact his family, never expecting they would accept a better offer overnight.

He was held for days by enemy soldiers, given little food or water and even less care for his injuries. Battling fever and the ‘interrogations’ of his captors, Edwin only barely managed to escape. He fled to the next town and sought healing, only to find Starkhaven had called upon its Chantry forces to solve the dispute.

Livid and disillusioned, Edwin attempted to contact his family to ask for passage home… only to be deliberately ignored by his father. Still, he was determined to get back to Kirkwall, and did what he had to do to scrounge up funds, making use of his skills in forgery. When he arrived, however, he found his family had already mourned his loss and named Sterling heir. From there, it was painfully easy to understand their intentions. That understanding was the final straw that completely dismantled Edwin’s idealism and put him on a quest for vengeance.

Edwin has operated under the assumed surname of Thatcher for the better part of five years, spending most of that time in Lowtown. His approach to making contacts has been what many would consider reckless, often demonstrating his skills in forgery--and later counterfeiting--right in front of the party he was looking to "befriend." While he's almost exclusively been focused on vengeance, Edwin has begun to question whether ruining those who destroyed him is worth the cost of his own future.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top