Cassandra Pentaghast

Cassandra Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena Pentaghast

Cassandra Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena Pentaghast is a Nevarran of the royal Pentaghast family and Seeker of the Chantry. She has been the Right Hand of the Divine since 9:22 Dragon.
Many Seekers abandoned the Chantry in response to the mage rebellion. Cassandra did not join her comrades in this, instead remaining loyal to Divine Justinia and her efforts to restore order in the face of chaos. She is both pious and driven, the sword in the right hand of the Divine, seeking justice above all else.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

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 Mathias 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 time. 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.
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 began her 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 Orlais, the youngest Seeker to do so since the Storm Age. Though of noble birth, Cassandra Pentaghast 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.

The Day of Black Skies

The Seekers, including Cassandra, attacked a group of blood mages who abducted an elven girl with a unique ability from the Circle of Magi. Avexis had the ability to control beasts, as was to be used in a ritual to control dragons. The Seekers killed most of the blood mages, but their leader shapeshifted into a crow and escaped.
The Seekers rescued Avexis, but High Seeker Aldren refused to return her to the Circle; he wanted to keep her in custody, claiming she was too important for the blood mages to be returned. Late at night, Cassandra found Byron taking the girl from prison. This confused her, as Byron taught her everything she knew as a Seekre and acted as a father figure to her. She followed Byron into the woods, where he told her of a conspiracy within the Chantry, and insisted they get Avexis to safety, to a friend he could trust. Cassandra followed, but they soon found themselves surrounded by a group of blood mages. Byron was killed, and the blood mages took Avexis.
Cassandra captured a mage, Regalyan D'Marcall, trying to flee the scene. The mage claimed he was not one of them, but Cassandra didn't believe him. When they were captured by templars, the mage whispered that he was the friend Byron spoke of. Cassandra distracted the templars and freed them, deciding to find proof of the conspiracy to clear her name.
The blood mages were planning to attack the current Divine, Beatrix III, on the 10 year gathering. The traitor is revealed to be Knight-Commander Martel of the Chantry. Martel framed Cassandra and Regalyan for the murder of the High Seeker. Martel conspired with Callista, the Grand Cleric of Orlais, to unleash dragons on the Divine and the gathered Grand Clerics so Callista would become the new Divine as the only surviving Grand Cleric. Regalyan informed Circle mages, and the mages came to their aid.
Cassandra dueled 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 won the fight, severing Martel's sword arm and ordering him imprisoned, but when he broke free and attacked again, she beheaded him. When four dragons, controlled by Avexis, attacked, she jumped on the back of the first one, killing it. Cassandra then stopped the attack of a high dragon, and aided the Seekers in bringing the Divine to safety.
Cassandra was named the Hero of Orlais and Right Hand of the Divine. She was then given the divine writ to restore the Inquisition.

Formation of the Inquisition

Following the outbreak of the Mage-Templar War, the Right and Left hands of the Divine (Cassandra, and Sister Leliana) used the writ Beatrix left to her successor, Justinia V, as the conclave failed to broker peace. Cassandra and Leliana first sought out the Warden-Commander of Ferelden to lead the nascent order as the new Inquisitor. Their search was in vain, as the Hero of Ferelden had mysteriously disappeared , and so they sought out their next candidates: the Hawke Twins.
When Varric Tethras' story came to an end, Cassandra came to the conclusion that Knight-Commander Meredith was the central cause of the outbreak of the rebellion in Kirkwall. When she asked about the location of either Hawke sibling, Varric admits that he doesn't know, but doubts that his friends are dead. Satisfied, Cassandra released Varric and exited the estate, finding a contingent of Seekers. Leliana asked Cassandra if she was successful in determining the Hawke Twins' whereabouts. Cassandra confirms they have disappeared, and asks Leliana whether they should proceed with their original plan and keep searching or change the plan. Leliana told her to trust in the Maker.
Following the explosion of the Breach, Cassandra interrogated the sole survivor of the conclave explosion that killed Divine Justinia V - Merai Lavellan. She accused her of causing the Breach, due to the mark on her hand possessing the same magic as the Veil tear. However, she gave Merai the chance to prove her innocence by closing the Breach. Upon arriving at the ruins of the Temple of Sacred Ashes, an echo revealed that Merai was in the wrong place at the wrong time when an unknown shadowy figure used the Divine as a sacrifice, but Merai had no memory of the event. Merai closed the first rift, stabilizing the Breach, but not closing it.
In the intervening three days, Cassandra began butting heads with Chancellor Roderick, who was convinced of Merai's guilt, whereas Cassandra believed that Merai was sent by the Maker. She and Leliana invoked 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.
After the Inquisition was forced out of Haven by Corypheus, Merai led the refugees toward Skyhold. Upon their arrival, Cassandra told Merai that everyone had chosen her as their leader, not just because of the Anchor, but because they were an inspiration to them all. Merai became the Inquisitor.
After Varic brought Garrett Hawke to Skyhold, Cassandra confronted him, accusing him of having known Hawke's whereabouts the entire time and kept them a secret - she believed Hawke could have saved Justinia. Merai defused the situation, with Varric leaving stating that if Garrett had been at the conclave, he would have been dead too.
Cassandra later asked Merai for her 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 discovered evidence that Samson and Calpernia had 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 found Cassandra's apprentice, Daniel, who was suffering from being fed red lyrium. He revealed that Lord Seeker Lucius had sold his men to the Promisers and had been operating out of Caer Oswin the whole time. After granting Daniel a mercy killing, Cassandra confronted Lucius and killed him in the ensuing fight.
Back at Skyhold, Cassandra looked through the Book of Secrets kept by the Lord Seeker. She questioned whether she should reform the Seekers. From the book, she had learned that she was secretly made Tranquil and subjected to a Spirit of Faith to be granted her abilities and restore her mind; Lord Seeker Lambert had always known how to reverse Tranquility and covered it up. Merai urged Cassandra to reform the Seekers.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Cassandra did, in fact, manage to find 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.
Cassandra plans to further investigate if the cure can be refined, so that a cured mage may reverse the Rite of Tranquility without the side effects of being overcome with emotions and irrational.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Cassandra believes the Chantry is necessary and can still be salvaged, albeit it would require improvement of its methods. She would recommend the Chantry refocus their efforts to service to the community once again and rid itself of the pageantry and useless traditions - though she is wary of casting aside such institutions as the Circle of Magi and the Templar Order. She would rather reform such institutions than do away with them altogether.

Likes & Dislikes

Cassandra is an avid fan of Varric Tethras' romance serial Swords and Shields.

Social

Family Ties

Cassandra is the seventy-eighth in line to the Nevarran throne and a member of the royal Pentaghast family.

Current Location

Skyhold

Year of Birth

903 41 Years old

Circumstances of Birth

Born in a carriage halfway between Cumberland and Val Chevin

Current Residence

Skyhold

Aligned Organization

The Inquisition

Other Affiliations

• Nevarra
• Seekers of Truth