Andraste

Andraste is a High Fantasy novel written by little-known writer Marisa Mills.

Andraste is the story of Andraste, the daughter of a Luminousian fairy queen and an elfin prince. She is told since birth that she is The Chosen One destined to destroy the Abatu Empire, which is ruled by her vampiric aunt Sarai. Unfortunately for Andraste, her prophecy is merely part of a ploy to garner support for the Luminousian government, and no one told her. Thus, Andraste travels across the world of Magick, convinced that she's invincible, to gain allies while developing relationships with several characters.

It now has a character sheet.


 * Action Girl: Pick a Nymphian female. Any Nymphian female.
 * Action Aunt: Xandrina, Andraste's surrogate mother.
 * Aerith and Bob: Andraste and Auragonius are appropriately fantasy names. Rhiannon and Elvin aren't as fantastic, but they're still not too modern. But then Clare? Elisa? Blair? Linda? It's sort of justified though, as the most common names do come from the same country.
 * Bad Dreams: Elvin.
 * Big Bad: Sarai
 * Big Screwed-Up Family: Elvin's family for sure.
 * Bittersweet Ending
 * Break the Cutie:
 * Depending on your alternate character interpretations, a lot of others qualify, such as Rhiannon and even Sarai.
 * Character Development: Pretty much everyone, as it's really a character-driven story.
 * The Chosen One: Andraste (supposedly).
 * Dance of Romance: Both subverted and parodied. There are a few dance scenes, and the only romantic one is played for laughs as General Adair tries to flirt with General Hael.
 * Dark and Troubled Past: Elvin.
 * Dreaming of Things to Come: Rette.
 * Elemental Absorption
 * Elemental Powers
 * The Empire
 * Fridge Brilliance: I always thought it was weird that Radiance, who is half-blind, was the most observant, regarding colors, appearances, and such. Then, I realized; she lost one of her eyes, so she realizes just how much her eyesight is worth!
 * Fridge Horror: Elvin tells Andraste he's going to talk with Dyssassa. Their conversation is never shown, but considering that earlier she said she knew 'how to deal with sass', can see a person's every fear, and previously used those powers on him...
 * General Syok says he once had to choose who'd live: Elvin, Elvin's mother, or Elvin's unborn sister. He chose Elvin because his son would have the best chance for a happy life out of them all. It makes you wonder (ignoring the fact that Syok murdered a pregnant woman)...just how terrible were Syok's wife and daughter would've been.
 * Elvin used glamour to hide some bruises on his face, and Syok commented that he was good with it. Exactly what else has Elvin been hiding?
 * Another Elvin one. He's spending his life serving the daughter of two people who stood by and let him be tortured, and their daughter despises him for his lineage.
 * Good Is Not Nice: They don't call Andraste 'Warrior Queen' for nothing.
 * Happily Married: Implied with Rhiannon and Auragonius.
 * I Ate What?: Andraste's reaction to finding out about 'wyvern soup'.
 * Les Yay: Andraste and Radiance take a bath together, though it is, admittedly, seemingly a normal thing for Nymphians.
 * Love Potion: Mentioned briefly in a myth.
 * Mind Rape: The Latlans are known for this.
 * Name'sTheSame: The eponymous character and the Dragon Age religious figure are both named Andraste.
 * Only Known by Their Nickname: Nearly all the Latlans qualify because their names are obnoxiously long.
 * Overly Long Name: Again, the Latlans. Rette's is the worst but Arcassyle Noveclyde Pulynn Argenaddynn is certainly a mouthful, too.
 * Proud Warrior Race Guy: The Nymphians.
 * Renaissance Man: Several of the Luminousian men, who are seen dancing, composing poetry and discussing literature.
 * Also Elvin, who speaks several languages, has knowledge of piracy and sailing, is good at dancing, and is excellent at archery.
 * Royal Blood: Loads of examples, including Andraste, Radiance, Xandrina, Sunfire, Chestnut and Sarai.
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something: Played straight and subverted. Nymphian rulers are well-known for fighting in wars alongside their men, while Luminousian ones normallly appear to do nothing but throw parties and gossip, leaving the fighting to generals.
 * Running Gag: Elvin bringing or getting Andraste drinks.
 * Shrouded in Myth: The Enchantress,.
 * Sibling Rivalry: Syok's children.
 * Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Inverted. Andraste throws her sword in battle, and it doesn't harm her opponent. However, it did work as a distraction, which was what Andraste intended.
 * What Happened to the Mouse??: Possibly a Sequel Hook, but Elvin's necklace is shown to be special. It holds some sort of memory, so powerful that him having it persuades the reluctant Latlan Council to join Andraste's cause. Then, it's never mentioned again.
 * You Have to Believe Me: Elvin tends to tell Andraste this a lot,