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Aveline Vallen is a human warrior. She was fleeing Lothering with her husband Ser Wesley during the Fifth Blight when they were set upon by darkspawn and rescued by the Hawke family. Aveline is the first companion Hawke encounters besides their sibling.

Background Edit

"Aveline Vallen is a soldier, a master of sword and shield, and a tireless guardian... to a point. The daughter of an exiled chevalier, Aveline is not the knight her father wished her to be. Although fully trained in chivalrous combat, she was raised in the shadow of a lost life and will not lose another for the sake of honor. Protecting her adopted home of Kirkwall becomes a chosen duty, not a privileged calling. The people she stands for will not be wasted on lost causes or protecting the foolish from themselves. Pride can be bandaged like any other wound—when threats are dead and everyone is safely home."^[1]

Aveline is the daughter of a chevalier named Benoit Du Lac, who fled from Orlais to Fereldan after losing his patron to assassination. Raising her on stories of knights and adventures, he hoped Aveline would be a knight, even naming her after Ser Aveline, the Knight of Orlais. He eventually sold everything he had to sponsor her into King Cailan Theirin's service.

Aveline met and married Ser Wesley Vallen while in the Fereldan army. However, Loghain's betrayal at the Battle of Ostagar forced them to flee the darkspawn horde. They eventually made their way to Lothering, where they met Hawke.

Involvement Edit

“There are men who embrace destiny; these are the ones that change the world forever.” — Flemeth
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Hawke saves Aveline and her husband, Ser Wesley, from imminent death while escaping Lothering. When Flemeth indicates Wesley will die of the darkspawn taint, either Hawke or Aveline delivers a mercy blow to him. Wesley's death leaves Aveline with few options, and she accompanies the Hawke family to Kirkwall.

Upon arriving at Kirkwall, the group finds the guards must be bribed in order for them to enter the city. Hawke's uncle provides contacts who can help them, in exchange for mercenary services from the Hawkes through the next year. With no other options, Aveline assists the Hawkes in entering the city; if Hawke chooses to help Athenril in dealing with Cavril, the merchant's cheating ways incense Aveline, and she deals with him very effectively.

After entering the city, Aveline joins the city guard to make a living. If Hawke aids her in her companion quests, she will become the Captain of the Guard, replacing the previous captain, who was selling city information to thieves.^[2]. Aveline's guard and possible Guard Captain positions allow her to deal with certain people effectively, namely other guards.

Hawke can also assist Aveline in her relationship with Guardsman Donnic Hendyr; if helped, she marries him at the Hawke Estate. If not, Aveline remains single.

If brought into the Fade during Night Terrors, the desire demon will succeed in turning Aveline against Hawke by using her memory of Wesley; after returning from the Fade, Aveline confesses her worries in Doubts that Linger.

If brought along, Aveline disapproves of accusing Grand Cleric Elthina of wrongdoing in Offered and Lost.

Like other companions, Aveline has a gift, The Shield of the Knight Herself. Regardless of what Hawke has done with Ser Wesley's Shield, Aveline will complain about having to replace it when she is presented with the new shield. To avoid rivalry points, Hawke must explain that the shield is a gift for a friend or take it back.

During The Last Straw, Aveline does not approve of allowing Anders to live; if Hawke does, and puts both Aveline and Anders in the party, she will tell him to turn himself in. Aveline always joins Hawke who sided with the templars. In most cases she also immediately joins Hawke who sided with the mages.

However, Aveline initially refuses to support Hawke who sided with the mages if her Act 3 quest Questioning Beliefs has not been completed and Hawke has 100% friendship or rivalry with Fenris and has completed his last personal quest. Later Hawke meets Aveline in the Gallows courtyard. Hawke can still convince Aveline to join the party at this point. Otherwise Aveline walks away and then shows up inside the Gallows with a group of city guards. She refuses to fight Hawke in battle because she owes her life to Hawke. Instead, she angrily leaves stating that she wants nothing to do with Hawke anymore.

This ending seems to be bugged as of Patch 1.03. Aveline joins Hawke no matter what. ^{[confirmation needed]}

If Aveline decides to help Hawke side with the mages, and has been married to Donnic, Donnic will order the city guard to protect the civilians, keeping them out of the fight. If Aveline did not marry Donnic and decides to help the mages, the guards will participate in the fight, and Aveline will blame Hawke for their deaths.

Friendship and rivalry Edit

See the approval page for more information.

Aveline is a kind and moral person who respects authority and values friendship and family. Friendship is earned when Hawke acts lawfully and helps those in need. She is not unreasonable, however, and will occasionally favor bending the law in order to help her friends (especially Isabela).

Rivalry with Aveline is earned when Hawke ignores people in need, takes illegal or seedy jobs, or takes jobs solely for personal profit.

Quests Edit

Prologue

The Destruction of Lothering

Act 1

A Friend in the Guard

The Way It Should Be

Act 2

Calling on the Captain

The Long Road

Questioning Beliefs

Doubts that Linger

The Shield of the Knight Herself (gift)

The Captain's Condolences

Demands of the Qun

Act 3

Champions and Captains

Favor and Fault

Questioning Beliefs

Mark of the Assassin

A Romantic's Gift

The Du Lac Sign

Gear Edit

Main article: Companion armor

Aveline's armor upgrades can be found in the following locations:

Act 1: Underpadding - Guardsman Pattern, at the Armor Merchant in Lowtown. Increases attack.
Act 2: Flex-Chain - Guardsman Pattern, during the Raiders of the Cliffs quest. Extra rune slot.
Act 2: Impact Plating - Guardsman Pattern at the Armor Merchant in Lowtown. Increases armor.
Act 3: Deflecting Joints - Guardsman Pattern, on Jeven's corpse during the Favor and Fault quest. Increases defense.

Aveline's armor changes from Modified Officers' Issue to Guardsman Plate and Chain after Hawke's first year in Kirkwall. If Aveline becomes the new guard captain her armor changes to Guard-Captain's Ranked Plate, reflecting her new role.

Aveline specific gear

Chevalier's Reach, Aveline's initial weapon

Ser Wesley's Shield, Aveline's initial shield

Shield of the Knight Herself

The Guardian's Weighted Backhander, requires Warrior Item Pack 1 DLC.

Chevalier's Banded Pride, requires Warrior Item Pack 2 DLC.

Signet of the Red, requires Mark of the Assassin DLC.

True Love's Course, requires Mark of the Assassin DLC.

Talent trees Edit

Guardian (specialization)

Quotes Edit

Main article: Aveline Vallen/Dialogue

(To darkspawn) "You will not have him!"
(To Wesley) "They will not have you...not while I breathe."
(To Hawke about Carver) "Bit of a tit, your brother."
(To Isabela) "Shut up, whore."
(To Hawke about Dog) "Just checking on my best guardsman. He's teaching my men respect... and how to run."
(About Fenris) "You talk to him, Hawke. I've had my fill for today."
(In combat) "I stand for all of us!"
(To Hawke) "Shout if you need me, Hawke. I'll always be there for you. Just... knock first."
(If Isabela falls in battle) "Isabela is on the ground... appropriately."
(About Leliana) "I'm uncomfortable around Chantry sisters. All because of that red-haired trickster in Lothering."

Trivia Edit

Lukas Kristjanson wrote Aveline for Dragon Age II.
In Dragon Age: Origins, Leliana tells the tale of the female warrior Aveline, Knight of Orlais who fought and was executed, during an arena match, after she was revealed to be a woman. Her courage and skill ensured her knighthood as the first woman ever to receive that honor. Additionally, if Fenris is in your party at the same time as Aveline, Fenris will make a comment that he has heard of a legendary knight called Aveline, but that he was not told the legend, as his masters never told him it. Aveline shows exasperation for her namesake, and when Fenris tells her that Tevinter masters don't typically tell their slaves stories, she says "No offense Fenris, but thank the Maker for that".
According to Lukas Kristjanson, if Aveline were a food she'd would be "Steak. Rare. But with caramelized onions and baby corn nibbled from the side like a full cob when no one is looking."^[3]
Aveline's favorite colour is green.^[4]
Aveline was at Ostagar, and remembers Carver and Hawke (if a warrior or rogue), and is aware that Loghain betrayed King Cailan.
Although Aveline is not a romance option, she can be flirted with by both a male and female Hawke during The Way It Should Be in Act 1 and The Long Road during Act 2.
When talking about Wesley's death, she says that she does not find the Chantry's doctrine compelling, and says that the Chant is lovely, but perhaps that is all it needs to be.
Hawke receives a letter from their cousin in which she asks if it is true that they are sleeping with the captain of the guard after the quest Gamlen's Greatest Treasure.

Bugs Edit

When using the skill "Immovable", Aveline has a chance of becoming frozen in place in the combat stance, unresponsive to even manual control. Unlike the skill associated movement reduction, this will not eventually wear off and can only be fixed by leaving the area.
When giving Aveline the Shield of the Knight Herself, her dialogue indicates that Ser Wesley's Shield was sold even if it was merely being kept in Hawke's storage chest. (PC/PS3/XBOX360)
During the quest Demands of The Qun, when the Arishok attacks the guards in the compound, Aveline's shield will disappear and her sword will revert to the one she carried when first met for the duration of the scene.
During the final boss battle with Meredith, Aveline may occasionally resist the area-wide stun that applies to all other fighting characters while Meredith monologues in-battle. She will do damage to her target enemy, and may actually fell a stunned statue or two during the monologue.(Not a bug, but passive ability Indomitable which protects her from Stun)