“Hey, [Cassandra,] that’s some good armor. Some high-ranking women wear ornamental crap with tits hammered into it. One good shot, and all that cleavage gets knocked right into the sternum. Real messy. Good on you for going practical. Leaves something to the imagination, too.” —Iron Bull, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Phew, sorry about all these sporadic updates, folks. Work schedule is a little wonky on the weekends lately, and my internet has been rather crappy as well. To make up for it, I’m going to see about getting in two updates this weekend. (Here’s hopin’.) The above portrait of Dragon Age’s Cassandra Penteghast is by Sir Tiefling, another artist whose work I keep meaning to use more often on Sartorially Smart Heroines. His galleries feature dozens of excellent portraits of characters from across the science-fiction/fantasy spectrum, as well as lovely commissions of other people’s original characters.
So I have to somewhat shamefully admit that of the DA series I’ve only ever played Dragon Age: Origins. I played extensively, mind you, but just never got around to trying DA2 or Inquisition. One of the key characters of those games who I’d like to see in action is the Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast. As a Seeker for the Chantry, Cass is well trained in martial combat and seems most comfortable when wearing full armor. From what little I know of her character, she’s serious and competent but with a justifiable level of swagger.
I don’t know if Cass’s armor here is actually from the game. I’ve seen suits similar to this set, though Sir Tiefling admitted that he didn’t use many visual references for the portrait. But regardless, I think it’s an excellent overall piece and should keep our lovely Seeker safe in the thickest of combat.
Cass’s steel spaulders offer deflection against disabling blows to the shoulders (plus I think people often underestimate the advantage of being able to lower your shoulders and bowl someone over during a fight). Though somewhat ornate, her sculpted cuirass keeps her torso intact during heavy melee. Her segmented tassets keep her hips and upper legs safe without hindering her movement about the battlefield. Meanwhile, Cassandra wears a chain-mail shirt underneath the plate for additional absorption should her enemies manage to cleave the outer layer of armor.
I appreciate Cass’s armor’s attention to joint protection as well. As well as chain mail protecting her arms, our heroine wears vambraces to protect her elbows and forearms. Steel gauntlets protect her hands in a fight, and allow her to grip her sword by the blade or throw a nasty punch if need be. I’m not sure if our Seeker’s upper legs are protected by additional plating, though I suspect they are. Lastly, her knees and lower legs stay safe from enemy blades by steel greaves. Whether traveling the Anderfels or battling apostate mages, I love the overall protectiveness of Cassandra’s armor and love the weathered look of the ensemble.
Huge thanks to the good Sir Tiefling for being cool with me borrowing his art for the blog. Character courtesy BioWare. Thanks, as always, for reading folks! Take care and stay awesome!
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