Sebastian Vael is an interesting character in theDragon Age games. He's not a "full" companion, having been added to the game via DLC, yet his impact onDA2's ending is a surprisingly large one. His character can take multiple paths inDragon Age 2, and depending on which path Hawke steers him down, he'll play a drastically different role in the grand scheme of things come the sequel,Dragon Age: Inquisition.
That's the case with many characters in theDragon Age universe, as the decisions of each main character play into both the way the world shapes, and the subsequent decisions that characters around them make. So, should Prince Sebastian Vael of Starkhaven make another appearance in Dragon Age 4(either onscreen or offscreen, the latter of which was the case forInquisition), things could get a little complicated in determining just what kind of reappearance the Prince would make.
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Vael Family History
The Vael family ruled the Free Marches city-state of Starkhaven for generations before Sebastian Vael came along; by the time ofDragon Age 2, the Vaels of Starkhaven had three sons. The two oldest were the heir and the "spare," as it were, while the youngest was Sebastian himself. Sebastian was known in his younger years for his hedonistic approach to life, spendinghis time and money on drink, women, and other selfish pursuits.
Thus, Sebastian was branded a disgrace by his family exiled from their principality, sent to live at the Kirkwall Chantry as a sworn brother. At first, Sebastian rebelled against his fate and tried to run away from the Chantry; it wasn't his idea of a good life. However, after speaking further with Grand Cleric Elthina, the woman who presided over Kirkwall's Chantry, he had a change of heart and an awakening of faith. Since then, Sebastian remained in the Chantry and as devout as ever...until his family's murder.
In 9:31 Dragon, the Vael family of Starkhaven was slaughtered by Flint Company merceneries, contracted to kill by the Harimanns of Kirkwall. Sebastian and Hawke's paths crossed then, when Hawke took up Sebastian's bounty on the Flint Company and ultimately went with him to face the Harimanns, confronting them about their crimes. After Sebastian's past was laid to restwith Hawke, his future was thrown into question.
Sebastian's Diverging Personality
Sebastian can go down two different paths inDragon Age 2: that of the consumate Chantry brother or that of the returning prodigal son. Those routes are based on the friendship and rivalry system of interpersonal relationships inDA2; the "friendship" route involves encouraging Sebastian to remain true to his vows and not to retake Starkhaven under the Vael banner with such doubt in his heart, while the "rivalry" route involves reinforcing Sebastian's idea that it could be his duty to return to Starkhaven and take the throne for the good of the country and for the sake of his dead family. Ultimately, Sebastian becomes the Prince of Starkhaven and rules the city-state by the timeInquisition rolls around regardless of what Hawke says, but the manner in which Hawke encourages him still affects Sebastian's ruling style and his actions inDA2's sequel.
Hawke's story inDA2 culminates with Anders' destruction of the Chantry, after which Sebastian demands that Anders be punished by way of execution. If Hawke kills Anders, then Sebastian will stick with them no matter who Hawke later sides with (templars or mages); siding with the mages sees Sebastian promising to further combat the tyranny of the templars down the line, while siding with templars sees him promising to combat the threat of maleficarum. However, if Hawke spares Anders, then Sebastian will leave in a fury, vowing to gather an army to hunt him down. These results will also affect war table missions inInquisition.
Prince Sebastian will extend an offer of friendship to the Inquisition in the next game regardless, having retaken the throne in the years sinceDA2's end. However, once the Inquisition accepts, two different things can happen. If Anders is dead, then the next mission concerning Sebastian will be "Aiding Kirkwall," in which Sebastian wishes to support the city's reconstruction and requests that the Inquisition help. Altogether, there really aren't any negative consequences to this mission.
If Anders is alive, then a different mission called "Annexing Kirkwall" will appear in which Sebastian wishes to essentially conquer the city, and demands the Inquisition's help in fending off the resisting forces of Kirkwall - which includes Guard-Captain Aveline, one of Hawke's former companions. Thus, the Inquisition can help him to do so or support Aveline's resistance. Still, this dramatic differences in Sebastian's personality and goals (depending on what the player does) could make a possible presence inDragon Age 4 a little confusing.
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Prince Vael in Dragon Age 4
Basically, Sebastian could be a devout, peace-minded Prince, a vengeance-seeking and angry Prince, an almost-conquerer, or something else entirely, depending on what players have done throughout the two most recentDragon Age games. As such, giving him a specific role inDragon Age 4wouldn't be a simple thing; his potential presence would need at least as many branching options as he has already had in the past.
It's not unreasonable to theorize that he might be involved inDA4 somehow, with the game's probable setting being Tevinter and the Free Marches being Tevinter's southern neighbor - plus Sebastian being the Inquisition's ally. Still, an in-person interaction with Sebastian could be quite different, based on what both Hawke and the Inquisitor chose to do with matters that applied to him.
And of course, that's the case for more than just Prince Sebastian Vael; any number of decisions in previous gamescould be coming back around forDA4. Which decisions those will be and which characters will be making a return, simply remains to be seen.
Dragon Age 4 is in development now.
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