Sebastian Vael
I thought I’d put some light over onto Sebastian Vael in the game Dragon Age 2. He maybe just a DLC to some but if it wasn’t for Sebastian, I wouldn’t be able to side with the Templars that easily on my third game. I’ve read posts in the SBN forum that they say Sebastian is a prick. I cannot change what they see or think but this is not what I see in him.
Before I continue, let me set some background, I started thinking whether it will be worth it if I get the Exiled Prince DLC or not. I didn’t look for any reviews and just asked an opinion from my officemate, who also plays the game. He didn’t say right away that I should get it but in a way, I asked him in comparison to the DLC “Return to Ostagar” from Dragon Age: Origins then that’s when he said, “Yes, it’s as good as that”.
I played Dragon Age 2 twice (female rogue first; then female mage second) without the DLC. In those play through, I always sided with the mages and hooked up with Anders on both game play; and so I bought the DLC and on my third character, a female warrior, who came across Sebastian in front of the chantry in act 1; still recovering from the emotional strains from my previous game play, I was already predetermined to side with the Templars. I knew that Sebastian doesn’t have any romantic ending thus my character just had a year fling with Fenris and no more than that.
All throughout the game, the chantry boy – as Varric labeled him has a strong belief of what is good; but there is one thing that bothered me in his storyline. At the part where he mentioned that he was thirteen when his grandfather made a promise to give him the Starkhaven Longbow, and he was given to the Chantry sometime after this. There was a dialogue between him and Isabella that he was drinking and whoring before he came to Kirkwall. What age was he between those times? In the world of dragon age, what is the right age that one can be that playful? If I am to put in some scientific knowledge in this, he would be around 12 years old? I’m sorry, around that age I was still thinking of little ponies and friends.
Moving forward, how his attitude between ‘staying in the chantry’ and ‘getting his land back’ as my female Hawke gave him the means to reach the end of his goal fascinated me; when he offered Fenris to convert, it wasn’t about getting more people to believe in the chantry but to give Fenris a peace of mind; and how he mentioned to Aveline that he placed her dead husband’s name up on the memorial wall in the Chantry and the same thing for Hawke’s mother. That’s when I realized, he may not be perfect but he tries to be a good man.
Comparing him between the “angst driven possessed mage” and the “brooding elf”, I’d chose Sebastian anytime; he may be the sanest character in the game and I cannot add in Varric as he’s not counted as Hawke’s love interest. What made Sebastian more compelling to me is that he didn’t have any in-depth romantic scene; that gave the illusion of him being a very romantic and a perfect gentleman; of course, it wouldn’t hurt to wish there should have been something that showed his affection, would it? Like touching Hawke’s chin while saying that he will offer her no less than a Prince (as I swoon to those words). Nevertheless, I fell for his conviction.
