Cassandra Pentaghast's History
Background
Born in a carriage halfway between Cumberland and Val Chevin, Cassandra is the seventy-eighth in line to the Nevarran throne. Cassandra was raised in her family's estate in Nevarra City. In 9:10 Cassandra's parents, Lord Matthias and Lady Tigana, took the wrong side in the second attempt to overthrow King Markus Pentaghast and were executed by the king. At the suggestion of his court, King Markus ordered the execution of most of the conspirators' immediate families, fearing reprisals from vengeful relatives down the line. Cassandra and her brother were spared because they were only children at the time and family to the king; most importantly, they had an influential relative to vouch for their behavior. Their father's brother, Vestalus, was a senior member of the Mortalitasi and as such beyond the reprisal of the king, and he took them in as his wards. Cassandra and her brother moved to the Grand Necropolis of Nevarra. Vestalus became prelate of the Mortalitasi in 9:12 Dragon and spent less and less time with Cassandra and Anthony. They grew up isolated, with only each other for company and support. Anthony embraced swordsmanship, dreaming of becoming a dragon hunter, and Cassandra did the same.Cassandra resented her family for keeping her in a gilded cage and became estranged to Nevarra much later on. Vestalus became prelate of the Mortalitasi in 9:12 Dragon and spent less and less time with Cassandra and Anthony. They grew up isolated, with only each other for company and support. Anthony embraced swordsmanship, dreaming of becoming a dragon hunter, and Cassandra did the same. Cassandra resented her family for keeping her in a gilded cage and became estranged to Nevarra much later on. By 9:16 Dragon, Anthony had gained enough fame as a dragon hunter that he was targeted by a group of blood mages who needed dragon blood for their rituals. When Anthony refused to help them, they beheaded him right in front of twelve-year-old Cassandra. Enraged by the lack of justice when the apostates could not be tracked down, she begged her uncle to send her to the Templar Order. He sent her to the Seekers of Truth instead.She left behind her life of privilege and wealth and began Seeker training at the fortress of Montsimmard, apprenticed to a senior member named Seeker Byron, where the majority of the focus was on her religious rather than martial education. Though this frustrated her at first, she eventually embraced her studies and excelled. She underwent her vigil at the age of fifteen in a remote castle in the Blasted Hills of northern Orlais, the youngest Seeker to do so since the Storm Age. Though of noble birth, Cassandra turned her back on a life of wealth and privilege to join the Seekers of Truth. The ancient order serves as a watchful eye over corruption and magical threats, granted ultimate authority in its investigations by the Chantry.
Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker
The events detailed below take place in 9:22 Dragon.
The Seekers, including Cassandra, attack a group of blood mages who abducted an elven girl with a unique ability from the Circle of Magi. Avexis has the ability to control beasts, and is to be used in a ritual to control dragons. The Seekers kill most of the blood mages but their leader Frenic shapeshifts into a crow and escapes.
They rescue Avexis, but High Seeker Aldren refuses to return Avexis to the Circle; he wants to keep her in custody claiming she is too important for the blood mages to be returned. Late at night Cassandra finds Byron taking the girl from prison. This confuses Cassandra as Byron taught her everything she knew as a Seeker and acted as a father figure for her. Cassandra refuses to leave and follows Byron into the woods. Byron speaks of a conspiracy within the Chantry and insists they get Avexis to safety, to a friend he can trust. Cassandra follows despite being told otherwise, but they soon find themselves surrounded by a group of blood mages. Byron is killed and the blood mages take Avexis.
Cassandra sees a mage trying to flee the scene and captures him. He claims he is not one of them but Cassandra doesn't believe him. When they are captured by templars the mage whispers that he was the friend Byron spoke of and eventually convinces Cassandra. Cassandra distracts the templars and frees them, deciding that it's up to her to find proof of the conspiracy to clear her name as she is branded a traitor.
The blood mages are one step ahead of them each time, and find the other mages killed in a Circle safe house. They had just returned from a paranoid elven informant Lazarro, whose house is in a cliff up a mountain and can only be reached by climbing. Lazzaro betrays them and the blood mages attack, but not before he's given Cassandra vital information with a knife pressed against his neck.
The blood mages are planning to attack the current Divine, Beatrix III, on the 10 year gathering. They are attacked by an ogre, and outside they are surrounded by ogres and golems controlled by the blood mages. They escape using a vial Lazarro was planning to use on them, creating a flash bomb effect. Cassandra is wounded and can hardly walk, but not long after their escape they are found by the templars led by Knight-Commander Martel. At the edge of a cliff and with seemingly no escape, Cassandra throws her and the mage off the cliff, falling into the river below. The mage, who by now has introduced himself as Regalyan D'Marcall, helps her into a cave where they get shelter and he treats her wound. Slowly the mage wins her trust, after he expresses his deep regrets when she tells him about how blood mages killed her brother.
They fall asleep and when the Knight-Commander comes in and sees they're gone, he communicates with an Elven stone with Frenic proving to be the traitor within the Chantry. Cassandra manages to get a hold of the stone but is still too injured to fight Martel properly. Regalyan creates a distraction and collapses the tunnel so they can escape. They go on route to approach the High Seeker by entering a secret passage, but he is killed by Martel when he goes to the Divine with the stone as proof against the Knight-Commander.
Martel frames Cassandra and Regalyan for the murder and they are imprisoned. Cassandra learns before her execution that he co-conspired with Callista, the Grand Cleric of Orlais to unleash dragons on the Divine and the gathered Grand Clerics during the ceremony so that Callista would become the new Divine as the only surviving Grand Cleric. However, Regalyan informed Circle mages by sending a bird right before entering the secret passage way, and the mages come to their aid. Cassandra duels the Knight-Commander, accusing him of betraying the Chantry, to which he retorts that he is ushering in a new era for the Chantry, 'one where events like Kirkwall will not be tolerated'. Cassandra ultimately wins the fight by severing Martel's sword arm; she spares his life and orders him imprisoned, intending to put him on trial for his crimes, but when the Knight-Commander breaks free and attacks, Cassandra beheads him. When 4 dragons, controlled by Avexis, who is in turn controlled by Frenic, attack, she jumps on the back of the first one, killing it. When she is on the back of the second dragon, Frenic orders for a high dragon to be summoned for the attack. The high dragon goes straight for the Divine, but Cassandra stops the attack by flying a wounded dragon into the high dragon, collapsing a wall and wounding Callista. Cassandra is aided by the Seekers to bring the Divine to safety. She goes on to aid Regalyan and the Circle mages who confront Frenic. Regalyan manages to get Avexis in his arms and Frenic turns into a Pride demon abomination to defeat the mages and destroy the Chantry after he kills the Grand Cleric of Orlais as she is no longer useful, explaining he took advantage of her ambition to further his own plans. The magic of the Circle mages doesn't hurt Frenic, but Avexis summons the high dragon to burn Frenic. Cassandra leaps on top of him and stabs Frenic in the skull, causing him to fall to the square beneath, dying upon impact with the ground. Cassandra rallies the crowd by shouting "For the Chantry!". The crowd responds in the same way. After the attack Cassandra is seen in Seeker armor again accompanied by Regalyan who is waiting in a dark hallway. Regalyan tells her she is the most beautiful and bravest woman he has ever met. She giggles and tells him this is not the right place or time, but to his surprise gives him a kiss on the cheek. When the door opens Cassandra and Regalyan walk through a crowd, holding hands with Avexis, up to the Divine. Cassandra is proclaimed Hero of Orlais and Right Hand of the Divine by Beatrix III. After the ceremony, the Divine meets with Cassandra in the cathedral. The Divine insists that the attack on the Gathering was only the beginning; a storm is coming and the Chantry must be prepared. Cassandra asks how she can serve as the Divine places a book in her arms.
Dragon Age: Redemption
At some point, Cassandra reportedly fought alongside the reaver Nyree, aiding her in defeating her first dragon, thus allowing Nyree to complete her rite of passage.
Dragon Age II
Following the outbreak of the Mage-Templar War, the Right and Left Hands of the Divine (Seeker Cassandra and Sister Leliana) used the writ Beatrix III left to her successor, Justinia V.
If imported from a World State where the Hero of Ferelden survives the Fifth Blight: In preparation, Cassandra and Leliana first sought out The Warden-Commander to lead the nascent order as the new Inquisitor. Their search was in vain as the Warden had mysteriously disappeared and so they sought out their next candidate: Hawke, The Champion of Kirkwall.
If the Default World State is used or imported from a World State where the Hero makes the ultimate sacrifice: n preparation, Cassandra and Leliana sought out Hawke, The Champion of Kirkwall, as the only candidate to lead the nascent order as the new Inquisitor.
Cassandra interrogated Varric in the old Amell Estate, where he revealed that the Champion has left Kirkwall and disappeared shortly thereafter. As she starts demanding that Varric tell her everything he knows about Hawke, he starts explaining that Hawke and their sibling were fighting darkspawn before a dragon appeared, causing Cassandra to interrupt him, claiming it to be a falsehood, so Varric explained the true story. Cassandra became skeptical at his claim that Flemeth rescued Hawke from the darkspawn, but relented when Varric asked if he was to recount the tale of the Warden. She permitted Varric to continue but warned that she would cancel her interrogation if he claimed that the Hawke family and Aveline Vallen flew to Kirkwall on a dragon.
Upon reaching the part of the Champion's story where Hawke joins Varric and Bartrand's expedition into the Deep Roads, Cassandra attempted to deny his version of events, having initially believed that the Champion came to the city to spread subversion against the Chantry. She points out that Hawke just happened to have dealings with the Qunari, a known raider, a blood mage and a rebel Warden all in an effort to obtain wealth. At the end of Varric's retelling of the expedition, Cassandra remarks on the fate of Hawke's sibling. She also starts changing her opinion on Hawke's companions, having assumed that they all came from Ferelden together but Varric insists that's not the whole story.
When Varric finishes with the end of the Qunari attack on Kirkwall, Cassandra's opinion on the Champion changes: she calls a male Hawke heroic for his deeds, whilst for a female she develops respect for what she has done. If Hawke had bested the Qunari Arishok in single combat, she remarks that the tale sounds very romantic.
In Legacy, Cassandra confronts Varric regarding a Grey Warden prison in the Vimmark Mountains and Hawke's actions there. When the Seekers had investigated, they were turned back by the Wardens. By the end of Varric's retelling, Cassandra found it hard to believe that Hawke defeated Corypheus, one of the first darkspawn and allegedly one of the magisters who entered the Golden City. She also noted that the Wardens did not mention the presence of Janeka/Larius at the prison, who left after Hawke defeated Corypheus; according to Cassandra, the Wardens told the Seekers everyone who'd been present at the prison was dead.
In Mark of the Assassin, Cassandra accuses Varric of holding back on her, mentioning that Hawke nearly sparked a war with Orlais. She demanded the true accounts of the events at Chateau Haine, especially regarding Tallis, mentioning that the Seekers had an agent there who lacked any knowledge of the event. Upon reaching the part where Tallis was revealed to be Qunari, Cassandra clarified for Varric that the Qunari were a religion, not a race. When Varric's story ended with the death of Duke Prosper, Cassandra demanded to know who was to appease Orlais after his murder at the hands of the Champion. Varric explained that Prosper was making deals with Tal-Vashoth, possibly on Empress Celene's orders, and thus it would've been scandalous if the truth came out.
When his story comes to an end, Cassandra comes to the conclusion that the Knight-Commander Meredith was the central cause of outbreak of the rebellion in Kirkwall though Varric suggests that either the idol or Anders are equally responsible. When she asked about the whereabouts of Hawke, who she believes can stop the escalating conflict between mages and templars, Varric admits that even he doesn't know it, but doubts that his friend is dead. Satisfied, Cassandra grants the dwarf his freedom and exits the Amell Estate, where a contingent of Seekers are awaiting. Leliana asks Cassandra if she was successful in determining the Champion's whereabouts, and she confirms Hawke's disappearance. She then asks Leliana whether they should proceed with their original plan and keep searching or change the plan. Leliana tells her to trust in the Maker. Cassandra is then seen leaving with the Seekers.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Following the explosion of the Breach, Cassandra interrogates the Inquisitor, the sole survivor of the conclave explosion that killed Divine Justinia V. She accuses them of causing the Breach, as the mark on their hand is of the same magic as the Breach. However, she gives the Inquisitor a chance to prove their innocence by closing it. Upon arriving at the ruins of the Temple of Sacred Ashes, an echo reveals that the Inquisitor accidentally interrupted an unknown shadowy figure's ritual sacrifice of the Divine. However, they claim to have no memory of this event. The Inquisitor succeeds in closing the first rift, stabilizing the Breach but not closing it.
In the aftermath of their failure to close the Breach, Cassandra begins butting heads with Chancellor Roderick, who is convinced of the Inquisitor's guilt, whereas Cassandra believes them to have been sent by the Maker. She and Leliana invoke the late Divine's writ to restore the Inquisition, independent of Chantry authority, for the purpose of closing the Breach and finding the true perpetrators behind it. In conversation with Cassandra about her feelings about the Chantry, she reveals that she believes the Chantry is necessary and could still be salvaged, though its methods require improvement. She recommends that the Chantry refocus their efforts on being compassionate to the people of Thedas, regardless of race. Cassandra is conservative about casting aside institutions such as the Circle of Magi and the Templar Order however, and believes they both serve a purpose in society. Cassandra states she would rather reform such institutions, and seems receptive to the mages governing themselves but believes they need the Chantry's assistance to do so. Additionally, she would emphasize the templars' role as protectors of the innocent rather than solely jailers of mages. While Leliana believes the Chantry needs radical reform, Cassandra in contrast believes that incrementalism is the best course of action with regards to reforms. Leliana says she wishes to follow Divine Justinia's legacy, but Cassandra believes Justinia was more moderate than Leliana remembers; Cassandra thinks Justinia would concur with her that the clerics of the Chantry and the people would only accept so much change. Ultimately, Cassandra thinks that the backlash from Leliana's radical changes would lead to chaos. After the Inquisition is forced out of Haven by Corypheus, the Inquisitor leads the refugees towards Skyhold. Upon arrival, Cassandra tells the Inquisitor that everyone had chosen them as their leader, not just because of the Anchor, but because they are an inspiration to them all. As the war council assembles, Cassandra and Leliana suggest approaching the rebel mages for help with the Breach, since they are told by Solas that the Anchor requires the same level of power to create the Breach to completely seal the Breach—power that they believe the rebel mages can provide. Cullen disagrees, suggesting recruiting the templars instead, fearing that pouring too much magic into the Inquisitor's mark may destroy them all; he also believes that the templars' ability to suppress the Breach can suffice in sealing it. Leliana however, argues that his hypothesis about the templars' capability is speculation.Towards this end, the Inquisitor can recruit either the Templar Order to suppress it or the Rebel Mages to increase the power of the Anchor. Their efforts to seal the Breach are eventually successful, leaving a scar in the sky. After Varric summons Hawke to Skyhold, Cassandra confronts him, accusing the dwarf of having withheld knowledge of Hawke's whereabouts the entire time; she believes that Hawke could've saved Justinia. If the Inquisitor intervenes, they can support either one of them or encourage them to cooperate. As Varric turns to leave, he states that if Hawke had been at the conclave, they would have been killed too. Cassandra later asks for the Inquisitor's assistance in investigating the disappearance of her fellow Seekers, suspecting them to be prisoners of Corypheus. Tracking the Seekers to the castle of Caer Oswin, Cassandra discovers evidence that Samson/Calpernia sold the Seekers to the Order of Fiery Promise after learning that the Seekers were resistant to red lyrium. Venturing further into the castle, they find Cassandra's apprentice, Daniel, who is suffering from being fed red lyrium and being implanted with a demon. He reveals that Lord Seeker Lucius sold his men to the Promisers and has been operating out of Caer Oswin the whole time. After granting Daniel a merciful death, Cassandra confronts Lucius and kills him in the ensuing fight. Back at Skyhold, Cassandra looks through the Book of Secrets kept by the Lord Seeker. She questions whether she should reform the Seekers. From the book, she's learned that she and all Seekers were secretly made Tranquil and subjected to the touch of a Spirit of Faith to be granted their abilities and restore their minds; Lord Seeker Lambert had always known how to reverse Tranquility and covered it up. If asked how she would go about reforming the Seekers, Cassandra states she plans to find the scattered Seekers, have them all read the Book of Secrets together, leaving no more secrets between them, and establish a new charter that will be devoted to doing the Maker's work. Although Cassandra is unsure of the specifics of what doing the Maker's work entails, she believes that new Seekers must make a conscious effort of seeking out and defining that purpose. The Inquisitor can choose to support reformation or not.
The Inquisitor can further inquire about the cure to Tranquility in conversation with Cassandra. Cassandra states she plans to further investigate whether the cure can be refined so that a cured mage may reverse the Rite without being overcome with emotions. Should she succeed, she intends to spread news of the refined cure herself.
It is possible to have Cassandra elected as the new Divine, after Justinia V. If chosen, she will be known as Divine Victoria. She will enact reforms for a new Templar Order and a new Circle of Magi. The Seekers of Truth, if she was encouraged to rebuild the order, are rededicated to their purpose of protecting the innocent. Depending on her approval with the Inquisitor, the Chantry could either be steadfast allies to the Inquisition or have a strained relationship with them. Despite her popularity, the new Divine's reforms are seen by some as going too far. Her efforts to stabilize peace were generally successful and southern Thedas saw peace for a time.
Trespasser
Cassandra appears during the events of the Exalted Council, two years after Corypheus' defeat. She appears either as herself or as Divine Victoria.
If the Inquisitor is friends with Cassandra: Cassandra awkwardly gives the Inquisitor advice on marriage, after Varric led her to think the Inquisitor was about to tie the knot. If romanced, she believes that the Inquisitor is proposing to her. If Cassandra was encouraged to rebuild the Seekers, she tells the Inquisitor that she found some surviving Seekers and upheld her promise to show them the Book of Secrets. Those she deemed suitable were allowed to join her in restoring the Seeker order. She now trains new recruits with full disclosure of their secrets, though it is a slow process.
If Cassandra became Divine Victoria: As Divine Victoria, Cassandra sits on the Exalted Council representing the Chantry. According to Mother Giselle, she considers Cassandra's efforts to restore the Chantry and people's faith in it a success.
If Cassandra became Divine Victoria: The Exalted Council remains intact, and Cassandra advises Divine Victoria on important matters. If Leliana is Divine, then she serves for several years, having respect for Leliana and working well with her. If Vivienne is Divine, then she eventually grows disgusted by Vivienne - who she feels is perverting the Chant of Light's intent - and leaves the council.
