✗ | He teaches you how to play Chess (DA:I)

The afternoon sun filters through the trees, casting a warm glow over the chessboard as you sit across from him. Though the lesson starts with a focus on strategy and tactics, you can’t help but appreciate the quiet moments shared with the Commander, his usual stoic demeanor softening in the calm atmosphere.

Background:
Born in the Fereldan village of Honnleath, Cullen was the second eldest child of four. Mia was his elder sister, his brother Branson was younger, and his sister Rosalie was the youngest of them all. He was eight years old when he told his brother and sisters that he would become a Templar. Though his siblings took the proclamation playfully, Cullen's intentions did not waver. He started visiting the local chantry in Honnleath, asking the templars there to teach him anything they could. Honnleath had only a few templars, but they humored the boy and taught him basic sword techniques.

From a young age, Cullen had a strong desire to enter a profession that helped people, and he refused to be swayed from the path he had chosen. Despite his siblings' initial teasing, Mia became Cullen's greatest supporter, insisting that the others help Cullen train. When he was thirteen years old, a visiting knight-captain took notice of Cullen's hard work and offered him the chance of formal training. His parents agreed to the request, as the Templar Order was known to be a respectable and honorable profession, and they wanted to give their son the opportunity to have a life that would make him happy.

While not the youngest nor the most prepared of recruits, Cullen found that the training was everything that he had imagined it would be and quickly caught up to his peers, matching their expertise. When the time came to take his final vows at the age of eighteen, Cullen was eager to pledge his life in service to the Maker and take the lyrium that would bind him to the Order. He finally achieved his childhood dream to become a Templar when he was assigned to the Circle Tower at Kinloch Hold, under Knight-Commander Greagoir.

When the Blight came over the land, Cullen's family was forced to flee to South Reach. His mother and father did not survive.