Cassandra Pentaghast is a fictional character in BioWare's Dragon Age franchise. She is the "Right Hand" of the Divine, the leader of the dominant religion in the Dragon Age setting, and a Seeker of Truth, an order of said religious organization. The character made her debut in 2011's Dragon Age II, where she appeared as part of the game's framing device. An anime film prequel, Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker, was released in 2012, covering the character's backstory. She appeared again in 2014's Dragon Age: Inquisition, where she serves as a party member. Cassandra makes a cameo appearance in t
Cassandra Pentaghast is a fictional character in BioWare's Dragon Age franchise. She is the "Right Hand" of the Divine, the leader of the dominant religion in the Dragon Age setting, and a Seeker of Truth, an order of said religious organization. The character made her debut in 2011's Dragon Age II, where she appeared as part of the game's framing device. An anime film prequel, Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker, was released in 2012, covering the character's backstory. She appeared again in 2014's Dragon Age: Inquisition, where she serves as a party member. Cassandra makes a cameo appearance in t
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Cassandra Pentaghast is a fictional character in BioWare's Dragon Age franchise. She is the "Right Hand" of the Divine, the leader of the dominant religion in the Dragon Age setting, and a Seeker of Truth, an order of said religious organization. The character made her debut in 2011's Dragon Age II, where she appeared as part of the game's framing device. An anime film prequel, Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker, was released in 2012, covering the character's backstory. She appeared again in 2014's Dragon Age: Inquisition, where she serves as a party member. Cassandra makes a cameo appearance in the first episode of the 2022 Netflix animated series Absolution.
A forceful character was needed to "carry" Dragon Age II's story. The character was designed to be "severe and dramatic", and has a heavily angular face representing her "hard edge". The developers wanted the Seeker armor to be easily recognisable, and it has a "strong and graphic" silhouette. Longer hair proved difficult to animate in the game, leading to her current short hair. It was intended that Cassandra visually display her authority and power. Miranda Raison provides Cassandra's voice in the games and in Absolution, though she does not voice the character in Dawn of the Seeker.
Cassandra received a positive reception in Inquisition, with attention being drawn to her layered personality, as well as her place as one of Inquisition's diverse cast of women. For her earlier appearance in Dawn of the Seeker, she received a more mixed response, with some credit going to her design but her characterization being criticised.
Character overview
The character is presented as a member of the Seekers of Truth, a "quiet" order dedicated to protecting and policing the Chantry, described as "the best of the best" with unique training and access to powerful magic. The order are "granted ultimate authority in its investigations", and answer directly to the Divine. Robert Purchese of Eurogamer roughly equated the Chantry and the Divine to the Christian Church and the Pope, respectively. Originally a noble, the Pentaghasts being the ruling family of Neverra as well as famed dragon hunters, Cassandra joined the Seekers after her brother died. In addition to being a Seeker, she is the Right Hand of the Divine, serving as the physical side in extending the Divine's reach.
Cassandra is "strong, militant, with a very hard line" concerning the Chantry, someone who "won't take no for an answer".
Creative director Mike Laidlaw described Cassandra as being "brash, impulsive" and having "anger management issues", but also being "incredibly dedicated" and in the third Dragon Age game doing "whatever it takes to set the world right". Cassandra's writer in Inquisition, David Gaider, attributed to her "a sense of propriety and duty", though felt she did what she felt was "right and just" over following "law or duty". He described her as "very practical in battle", and primarily focused on protecting the helpless or innocent over style or "showing off". Gaider also drew a distinction between how the character views herself and how others see her, with her appearing "very stern and rigid, perhaps even humorless" despite the occasional "surprise" of a "wry comment" or some small sarcasm.
Concept and creation
BioWare needed a strong character in order to "carry" the story of Dragon Age II, where she acts as an interrogator. This meant she had to be "powerful", "forceful", and "a little bit angry". Dragon Age II itself was a sequel to 2009 game Dragon Age: Origins. For the games, British actress Miranda Raison was chosen to voice Cassandra. Raison uses a made-up accent to voice the character, reflective of her Nevarran origins.
Cassandra was originally written by Jennifer Hepler, though then-lead writer David Gaider took up the character after Hepler left the company during the development of Inquisition. Her hidden romanticism proved an aspect which Gaider felt made her "quite fun" to write, and he commented he had yet to make a character quite like her. BioWare built upon the characters before deciding who the romance options would be, and felt it important to try to make each romantic arc unique and not a retread of past plots. Mike Laidlaw said, "In a lot of ways, I think she represents the opportunity to grow by understanding [and not] getting increasingly lost in the noise of Dragon Age's rising chaos."
Visual design
The character was intended to be "severe and dramatic", with associate art director Matt Rhodes likening her appearance to being "queen of the vampires". The in-universe country Cassandra came from influenced her appearance, Nevarra being closer to the equator and Nevarrans generally having darker-tone skin and black hair as a result. Art director Matthew Goldman attributed her with an "austere" beauty, reflective of her intelligence and devotion to good. Creative director Mike Laidlaw commented that the team "wanted to make sure she was hot. To dial her to eleven, to make her absolutely gorgeous, really enticing—yet at the same time, she's powe
BioWare wanted returning characters to make sense, and had to ask questions like "How did they grow? How did they change in the intervening years?" Laidlaw noted how, after the events of Dragon Age II Cassandra's opinions could change, while Gaider commented that "what we find in Inquisition is a Cassandra who's realizing the world doesn't work like she believed it does", saying that she is walking a path of doubt.
Her voice actor in the games, Miranda Raison, called the character a "toughie", yet noted her vulnerable side. Raison described her as "not just masculine, she's just a girl who's not a girly girl". Both Raison and Gaider noted her hidden sense of romanticism, with Gaider saying that she hides the things she holds passion for due to placing them "on display" feeling very unseemly. In contrast to II, Raison commented that the Cassandra in Inquisition has a more human, if "not exactly softer", side to her, and called her "angrier" in the second game.
