SASKIA THE DRAGONSLAYER

CANON CHARACTER FROM THE WITCHER FRANCHISE

she walked with the universe on her shoulders and made it look like a pair of wings

CHARACTER TAG

PLAYLIST

DOSSIER

NAME: Saesenthessis

ALIAS: Saskia the Dragonslayer, Protector of Vergen, The Dragon of Vergen

AGE: Mid to late 20s

RACE: Golden & Green Dragon, can take on a human form

GENDER & PRONOUNS: Female & she/her

ORIENTATION: Bisexual

ZODIAC: Aries (20th April)

NATIONALITY: Aedernian

OCCUPATION: Soldier, rebellion leader, commander, Upper Aedirn's elected queen

FACECLAIM: Léa Seydoux, primarily

HEIGHT: 180 cm / 5’11”
BUILD: Athletic, muscular, statuesque, built for strength and endurance

SKIN: Light, tanned, several small scars all over (post-tw2: a large scar in the middle of her chest from where she was impaled)

HAIR: Blonde, wavy, reaching the shoulder-blades in length, usually gathered in a low ponytail or a braid, kept out of her face with a red- & cream-colored headband

EYES: Deep, dark blue, can turn golden and lizard-like

WARDROBE: Relatively simple and practical clothing when out of armor; beige, dark red, golden or silver accents

HOMETOWN: Vergen

BIRTHPLACE: Caingorn, Hengfors League

MOTHER: Myrgtabrakke, Green Dragon (alive)

FATHER: Villentretenmerth, Golden Dragon (alive)

SIBLINGS: Wera, half-sister-ish (deceased)

ABILITIES: Swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, leadership skills, military tactics, polymorphism, enhanced stamina and strength, nocturnal vision, well-developed sense of smell and hearing, ability to regenerate from most wounds, extended lifespan, fire resistance

LANGUAGES: Common Speech (English)
RELIGION: Largely irreligious

ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Good

MBTI: ENTJ, The Commander: bold, imaginative, and strong-willed leader, always finding a way or making one

ENNEAGRAM TYPE: Type Eight, The Challenger: sees herself as strong and powerful and seeks to stand up for what she believes in
STRENGHTS: Efficient, energetic, confident, strong-willed, just, charismatic, fierce, compassionate

WEAKNESSES: Stubborn, brash, domineering, impatient, callous, self-righteous, headstrong

LIKES: Fighting, flying, intense physical activity of any kind, straightforwardness, challenges, equality and respect among all people, leadership

DISLIKES: Idleness, sycophants, cruelty, academic pursuits, human food, small spaces, being restrained and confined, tyrants, being told what to do

BIOGRAPHY

ORIGINS

Saesenthessis, better known as Saskia among people, is a dragon and the only child of Green Dragon Myrgtabrakke and Golden Dragon Villentretenmerth. She is born during a famous dragon hunt in Caingorn, north of the Kestrel Mountains. The hatchling is in grave danger after Myrgtabrakke is poisoned and the dragon hunters journey to her lair, seeking glory and riches. With help from Geralt of Rivia, among others, Villentretenmerth defeats the attackers and rescues his daughter. The faith of his mate, however, remains unknown.

From then on, Villen takes Saskia in his care. He teaches his daughter about equality, justice, and honor. He teaches Saskia to stand up for herself and others, to help whenever she can, to share, to love, and inspire the same values in others. Saskia's childhood is, for the most part, unremarkable. The little girl takes off every chance she has, roaming the woods, flying as far as her wings take her, running and playing and hunting. It is this rowdiness and free spirit of hers that land her in trouble.

She is about twelve when she ventures into a human village all on her own for the first time. The events taking place here would leave Saskia with deep scars after she is captured by humans and she inadvertently kills them while only trying to scare them off to escape. It takes her a long time to heal, both physically and emotionally, but heal she does.

A few short years later, her father leaves Saskia on her own, not out of negligence or cruelty, but because he taught her everything he deemed important to know and she is ready to fend for herself. Thus, young Saesenthessis begins to travel the world alone.

THE WITCHER 2: ASSASSINS OF KINGS

During her travels, Saskia meets Iorveth, the infamous Scoia'tael commander. Not much is known about their first meeting, but it is clear they respect each other deeply. Together, they come up with an alias– Saskia– and her entire history: she is from Aedirn and there she fought and killed a dragon, giving her the moniker Saskia the Dragonslayer.

Word of her brave deeds and idealistic goals spread quickly throughout the kingdom of Aedirn and beyond, and she attracts many folks from all walks of life. Her ideas about freedom and equality impress people, as well as her compassion, kindness, and integrity, and soon they begin looking up to her as their leader. The city of Vergen in the Pontar Valley becomes the headquarters of Saskia and her allies. Here, she creates a unique situation where dwarves, humans, and elves live together as equals and work together toward common goals.

Following the assassination of King Demavend III of Aedirn, King Henselt of Kaedwen decides to take advantage of the disarray and sends an invasive force to the Pontar Valley, intending to annex it. The late king's son, Stennis, and his noblemen join forces with the Dragonslayer and come to the city of Vergen to stop the invasion.

Saskia is poisoned during a war council in Vergen. In the end, it is unclear who did it, though there is no lack of suspects: from the monk Olcan who had prophetic dreams about Saskia's double identity and believed her to be an evil beast to Prince Stennis who felt threatened by Saskia’s popularity among people to the duplicitous sorceress Philippa Eilhart.

Philippa Eilhart, under the guise of waking Saskia up from the poison-induced coma, uses a spell on her that brainwashes Saskia and takes control of her, turning her into a tool to be used by the Lodge of Sorceress, both as a charismatic leader and a mighty dragon.

When Henselt attacks Vergen, the battle is won by Saskia and her army, and the invaders are repelled. The free state of Upper Aedirn is founded, with Saskia as its elected queen.

THE THIRD NOTHERN WAR

After the upheaval at Loc Muinne, Saskia returns to Vergen and reveals to her people that she is a dragon. Most of the city's residents embrace her true identity and begin referring to her as The Dragon of Vergen. Her renown grows, as does her newly-founded state, and more people move in and around Vergen, the dwarves of Mahakam backing Saskia up as well.

Not fully recovered from Philippa Eilhart's spell, Saskia (while in dragon form) unintentionally kills a group of dwarves. This only causes Barclay Els, a veteran of the battle at Brenna during the Second Nilfgaard War, to grow in his distrust of Saskia and her leadership.

Sometime later, it is revealed that Barclay Els signed a treaty with Nilfgaard behind Saskia's back, promising neutrality and that the inhabitants of Vergen would let the army pass through their city. Naturally, the Vergeni refuse these terms, and when the Nilfgaardian army marches on, they refuse to let them pass. Despite everyone's best efforts, Vergen is quickly conquered and razed to the ground. Thus, Saskia's independent realm meets its end, along with most of its people.

The distress and pain Saskia feels during these moments are unfathomable, and it is this tragic event that hurts Saskia so much and scrambles her mind so violently that it makes her snap out from under Philippa’s control for good.

POST-CANON

After the Third Northern War ends, regardless of its outcome, Saskia can be found in Skellige, on Ard Skellig. Here, she is trying to gain the support of the islanders and gather a new army in her pursuit to repel the Nilfgaardian invasion and/or to rebuild Upper Aedirn.

VERSES

DRAGON AGE: Human / dragon | Warrior, rebel

Saskia is a warrior (sword and shield, Champion + Reaver specializations) and comes from a modest family of farmers. Her father was born into a wealthy Orlesian family but was disowned and cast off by them after choosing to marry an Avvar mercenary, Saskia’s mother. They found shelter in the Free Marches, where they took to animal husbandry and farming. Saskia was born and raised in Hasmal, where her parents would often help escaped slaves from Tevinter with shelter, food, clothes, money, etc. They both taught Saskia that there is no excuse for such heinous laws and acts and that everyone deserves freedom and a chance at a life of their own choosing. The young girl took their teachings to heart and would later grow up to continue what her parents had left behind after their deaths, and even take it further.

Or so the story she tells most people goes.

She achieved a modicum of renown after winning the Grand Tourney melee one year in her early 20s. Later on, rumors would begin spreading about Saskia having slain a high dragon all by herself, thus earning her the title Saskia the Dragonslayer. At the same time, at the initiative of one of the ex-slaves, an elven man, Saskia offered her childhood home and the lands surrounding it to be used as headquarters for a movement that would later brew into revolt and an attempt at claiming a piece of land from The Silent Plains to form an independent country.

Saskia is not the rebellion leader here, she’s merely following orders as a soldier and guard, securing provisions and safe passage for the others, recruiting, and occasionally taking part in incursions deeper and deeper into Teviter territory. When the War of the Lions breaks out in Orlais, Saskia is tasked with traveling all the way to Orlais and recruiting all those caught in the crossfire, especially the servants of nobility, those living in slums, etc.

In this verse, Saskia can be encountered anywhere in the Free Marches, Orlais, and Ferelden, and can be recruited by either the Warden, Champion, or Inquisitor. She is a dragon, but that fact is a secret she guards closely.

MASS EFFECT VERSION 1: Asari | Justicar

Saskia is asari, with a krogan parent. Her birth name is Saesen T’essis and she was raised on Cyone in the Kypladon system, a fortified and militaristic world. She’s a bit over 200 years old, which is still quite young by asari standards, and still in her ‘Maiden’ stage of life. She took on the name Saskia when she began her Justicar training and has since abandoned all material possessions except for her armor, weapons, vehicle, etc. She gained renown in asari society for being the youngest Justicar in recorded history, successfully completing her training with numerous feats of valor just before turning 200.

She’s more inexperienced than other Justicars but extremely eager to fulfill her duty. She’s more self-disciplined and reserved than Saskia usually is in other verses and she falls under the Lawful Good alignment, rather than Chaotic Good. Otherwise, she’s still strong-willed, energetic, determined, and just a tad bit domineering.

Regarding combat, she uses her biotic powers passively to enhance her strength, speed, stamina, etc., and prefers close quarters, her main weapon being a sword, assisted by an advanced VI system. More details about Saskia's sword here. She travels alone, mostly in asari space, but will travel all over the Milky Way and go where duty calls her. She can be recruited by Shepard at any point in their journey.

MASS EFFECT VERSION 2: Human | N7 Slayer Vanguard, Nexus security, Outcast Anarchist, Vigilante

Saskia was an N7 graduate specializing as Slayer and serving under the Systems Alliance until her dishonorable discharge. Later, she enrolled in the Andromeda Initiative for her feats of valor and deadly efficiency, despite her hot-headed and defiant streak. She was part of the Nexus' security and was directly involved in the Nexus Uprising as one of the rebellion's leaders. After following Sloane Kelly on Kadara and helping found the Outcasts, Saskia then grew disillusioned with the organization and its leadership, ending up leaving them to try and make it out on her own. She received the moniker 'the Dragonslayer' and became something of a local legend after defeating an Ancient Eiroch on her own with nothing but a blade. Nowadays she travels between Kadara and Elaaden, acting as a Vigilante and helping out other people however she can.

In this verse, Saska can be recruited by the Pathfinder after she leaves the Outcasts or the Angaran Resistance. She can be found in the wilderness of Kadara and Elaaden.

Alternatively, interactions can take place before the Andromeda Initiative leaves the galaxy.

FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS: Human cyborg | Owner of The Golden Dragon shelter, rebellion leader

Saskia runs a shelter called The Golden Dragon in Freeside, under the facade of being a motel, though it’s a rather well-known fact it’s much more than that. She welcomes and offers protection to all sorts of downtrodden people without asking for much in return. Her story is that the building has been in her family for a very long time and her father passed it on to her a few years back, though nobody seems to remember a time when it wasn’t administered by Saskia. Her shelter runs independently of the Kings or Followers, though she’s cooperated with both in the past.

Saskia gained the respect of the local community after allegedly fighting and killing a deathclaw all by herself, thus earning her the Deathclaw Slayer moniker, though many doubt the veracity of this story. There are of course many more who would see Saskia’s shelter destroyed, but none have been able to disrupt her activity so far. Everyone knows The Golden Dragon is a well-guarded establishment, but if asked, nobody would be able to tell exactly by whom or what it is guarded.

The truth is the Golden Dragon isn’t just a shelter; it’s a brewing rebellion, a network of informants, an army in training, and most importantly it’s a place where people can find hope and purpose. Much like in her original verse, Saskia’s goal is to establish an independent state where everyone can coexist peacefully, especially all those who wouldn’t be so readily accepted somewhere else– ghouls, synths, super mutants, the sick, destitute, elderly, orphans, etc.

Saskia herself isn't what she seems either; she's much older than she looks– she’s over 200 years old in fact. Her father, known to most as Borch Three Jackdaws, is a ghoul. Their story goes a long way back, before the Great War. Saskia is biologically related to her father, just not in the traditional sense.

Back then Borch was known as Villen. As the sole heir of a very old, very rich, very influential family, he chose to use his family’s wealth and status to fund research into nuclear medicine, anticipating a nuclear war. From here, his interest in medicine and science compelled him to get involved in this field as more than an investor. Soon he would become known as a brilliant medic and savant and open a private laboratory equipped with the best technology there was, all within a secure vault.

Mere months before the Great War broke out, Villen met Myrthe, a fellow nuclear medicine scientist and single mother of a 4-year-old girl, Saskia. Villen and Myrthe became lovers quickly, but their newfound happiness wouldn’t last too long. The war broke out while Myrthe was away on a business trip and had left Saskia in Villen’s care. The two of them found shelter in Villen’s vault, but even so, Saskia still became ill from the radiation. Cue many long, painful years during which Villen did everything in his power to keep Saskia alive. Ultimately what it came to was exposing himself to radiation, promoting the ghoulification process, and “lending” Saskia his very genetic code, re-programming everything and hoping that her body would gain the ability to fight back the radiation. Even that wasn’t sufficient to bring her to a stable state, however, and it was at this point when Villen decided to begin replacing the parts of Saskia’s body affected by the radiation with cybernetic implants.

Thus, Saskia became a cyborg, Villen a ghoul, and genetically speaking they’re more twins than father and daughter, but they do regard each other as such after everything they’ve been through. Although she is over 200 years old, Saskia has been out and about in the world for a much shorter amount of time and she has the maturity and life experience of someone in their late 20s.

FAR CRY 5 VERSION 1: Human | professional athlete, rock climber, fighter for the Resistance

FAR CRY 5 VERSION 2: Human | member of Project at Eden’s Gate, Chosen

RED DEAD REDEMPTION: Human | Vigilante, gunslinger paladin

CYBERPUNK 2077: Human | ‘Rockerboy’, rebel, outcast, activist

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