Anders/Justice

"No, you are right. Everything has a price, believe me. I know it. I paid it."

Overview
Healer, Abomination, Warden

Physical Appearance
Tall and lightly muscled, the years had not touched him as much as others his age. His golden hair is greying, and he wears it long but tied back.

Personality
Sarcastic, he carries a lot of guilt that he tries to deflect with humor or shameless flirting.

History
Anders was born and raised in a small village in Ferelden. His father had originally come from the Anderfels, but had come to Ferelden as a boy. Anders was well-liked in his village, and could often be seen surrounded by a gaggle of village children. When he was twelve years old, he accidentally set a barn on fire with magic. While his mother still loved him and wanted to protect him, his father grew afraid of him and called the templars. He was handcuffed and taken by the templars to the Circle Tower in Ferelden. The only personal possession he was allowed to keep was a pillow hand-embroidered by his mother.

Upon arriving to the Circle, Anders refused to speak, not even to tell the other apprentices his name. Solona began calling him "the Ander" because of his Anders heritage, and Anders eventually became the only name he'd use. Anders despised the Circle and compared it to a prison. His first escape attempt was made six months after arriving there. When asked why he escaped, he tearfully replied that he had simply wanted to go home. He made at least seven attempts, each time being re-captured. Yet, First Enchanter Irving believed that Anders, however reckless, posed no true threat. Irving thought that his relationship with Solona would eventually temper him.

When Anders was still an apprentice, he met Solona Amell. The two were inseparable for many years. Anders made no "real" escape attempts for a brief while, her pranks and convincing him to see how far he could get being the only attempts. Shortly after Solona's Harrowing, she was conscripted into the Wardens, the pair did not get a chance to say farewell.

Anders's next-to-last escape earned him a year of solitary confinement, in which the only company he had most days was the tower's mouser named Mr. Wiggums. According to Anders, the cat became possessed by a rage demon and took out three templars. The final time Anders managed to run away was right after Uldred's uprising.

Warden-Commander Solona Amell encounters Anders again in Vigil's Keep during the assault on it. He is surrounded by dead darkspawn and templars, but claims he didn't kill the latter. Prior to the darkspawn attack, the templars recaptured him after his latest escape from the Circle and brought him to the Keep.

When the templar Rylock arrived with Anora, she wanted to arrest Anders and claims that he killed the templars who were guarding him. Solona invokes the Rite of Conscription, making Anders a Warden. During the assault on Amaranthine, Anders is gravely wounded and accepts merging with Justice to save no just his life, but the Spirit's as well.

Anders has left the Wardens to live in Kirkwall, where he uses his healing abilities to aid Fereldan refugees free of charge. Hawke is led to Anders by Varric Tethras and Lirene in the search for an entrance into the Deep Roads. Anders offers to trade Grey Warden maps showing such entrances for Hawke's assistance in freeing his friend Karl who seeks to escape the Kirkwall Circle.

Anders traveled with Marian Hawke, her brother Carver and Varric into the Deep Roads, a moved that saved the younger Hawke's life, though left him a Grey Warden. Something Carver eventually forgave him for.

After the death of Karl Anders has joined the mage underground and is helping mages escape the Kirkwall Circle. Anders is still healing the refugees, but is getting few cases. When Hawke comes to visit Anders, he admits that he is losing control over Justice/Vengeance.

Later, Anders asks Hawke to help him investigate the plot of the templar Ser Alrik. Anders believes that he is working on a deliberate plan to turn all mages in the Free Marches Tranquil. Hawke follows Anders as he descends into the tunnels leading to the Gallows that were built by lyrium smugglers. There, they encounter Ser Alrik with a group of other templars threatening to make an escaped mage Tranquil. Angered, Justice takes control of Anders's body and attacks the templars. Once they are dead, the mage calls Justice "a demon", which further angers him.

Years later Anders claims that he seeks to be separated from Justice. He asks for Hawke's help in obtaining ingredients for a Tevinter potion that will let them both free without either being killed. Hawke assists Anders in collecting Sela Petrae and Drakestone.

After that, Anders asks Hawke to distract Grand Cleric Elthina for him to get inside the Chantry unseen. Back at the clinic, Anders confesses that he lied and there is no potion, but refuses to reveal his plan. Anders insists that Hawke must help him if Hawke cares for the freedom of mages and for him personally. Hawke tries to talk Anders out of whatever he has planned, but is rebuffed and is forced to back down, seeing how passionate Anders feels about his choice, even if she can tell he regrets it.

In the end, regardless of Hawke's previous actions, Anders blows up the Chantry, killing Grand Cleric Elthina and everybody else inside, forty-seven people. Anders's magical blast was not contained, and the blast also rained debris from the Chantry over half of Kirkwall. Both Meredith and Orsino leave Anders for the Champion to deal with.

Hawke refuses to judge Anders, saying that she is not judge, jury and executioner. She begins to question Anders and he says that Vengeance took him over and expresses deep regret for his actions. He does not trust himself to control Vengeance any longer and begs Hawke to kill him "before there is nothing left of me". He tells Hawke that he wanted to make Thedas see the injustice of the Circle and thus to change the world. Anders still wishes to be killed, seeing it as bringing justice to those who were sacrificed for his cause. Hawke tells Anders that they might have understood if he'd only told them.

Carver Hawke takes Anders to the one person he requested to see, saying he would accept any judgement she saw fit, Warden-Commander Solona Amell. He is taken to Vigil's Keeper, a broken down version of himself. Guilt weighting both him and Justice down, he is almost emotionless. Solona decides that the best course of action, what is most just is that he should live, under heavy guard, at Weisshaupt. Doing what he did best, Healing the sick and injured. She also tasked him with finding a Cure to the Taint.

Its where he stayed until Andryanna was charged with aiding him on his search for a Cure.

In-game
Have crazed from boredom, it was a breath of fresh air when Andryanna walked into his cell, seeking help for Gwyn. He Heals the Templar, and is promptly yelled at for his aid, but notices that Gwyn's blood is different and might be a clue in finding the Cure.

After Maeve tricks Katari, they meet and Anders struggles to try and teach the young Qunari to harness his magic and learn to Heal people. Katari and Andryanna accidentally leave behind the key to his cell, and Anders takes it upon himself to enjoy a nice bath and hot meal before returning to his cell. Rhita followed him the whole time, curious about what his plan was, she was disappointed.

The First charges Anders to travel with the group to Hossberg, seeking the diaries so Andryanna can translate the document to aid them in defeating the Blight before Razikale is released. On the road from Hossberg to Vol Dorma the Wardens all had an Archdemon dream that rattled them, upsetting the careful balance between him and Justice. When Andryanna is badly injured trying to master Fade Step, things come to a head and he has a nightmare, and Justice is forced to take control. When Gwyn tries to behead him, the Spirit of Hope possesses Katari to defend Anders. The first thing Anders hears when he comes to is Katari's voice, pleading to be killed before he can become an abomination for real.

After a screaming match between Sares and Andryanna, she asks if it would be okay to share his Stop word with Sares, in the hope that should he lose control again, someone will be there to contain the damage before it gets bad. He agrees and now is worried Sares will share the phrase with his lover, Gwyn, who might use it against him.

Relationships
Solona Amell - His childhood sweetheart, he loves and greatly respects her. Choosing to follow her orders other any others. They have a long history, and while they did not resume a romantic relationship after Alistair's passing, Anders still carries a torch for her.

Marian Hawke - He harbored a crush on her for years, allowing the bitterness to color his relationship with her after she chose Fenris. Eventually he realized he was trying to recreate the relationship he once had with her cousin, and moved beyond that to just be confused by the slightly insane woman.

The First - They despise each other. He resents having to hold Anders, but knows that if he went against Solona's orders, it would be war among the Wardens.

Andryanna - The little librarian he calls her. He sees a lot of the same steel in her that he saw in Solona. It both encourages him and terrifies him.

Ser Gwyn - He enjoys antagonizing the former Templar, but has genuine respect for the man. Wishes only to aid Gwyn to recover from lyrium addiction.

Sares - The pair have an uneasy truce. Recognizing that there are bigger things at stake.

Katari - He worries greatly about the young mage. Afraid to see him go down a similar path he once traveled.

Miscellaneous
Stop word is "Ophelia", works best when said by someone he trusts.