Upon one's first encounter during a brawl with Teryn Loghain's men in Dragon Age: Origins at the Dane's Refuge tavern in Lothering, Chantry Lay Sister Leliana seems more than just a little scattered. Entering into conversation with her and inviting her to join the party provokes the Grey Warden player character's companions to mutter under their breath about her being crazy. Given the things Leliana says to the player character, they can hardly be blamed for their reticence.
Leliana believes the Maker sent her a vision, nudging her to join the Grey Warden in their quest to end the Blight. Despite Chantry beliefs firmly stating the Maker does not directly communicate with anyone, the young Lay Sister holds firmly to her convictions. The Maker chose her, and she intends to see his will done.
As the player character comes to know Leliana over the course of their journey, it becomes apparent that, despite her skill and efficiency as an Orlesian bard, the girl is somewhat meek and naïve. Progressing through the game and gaining Leliana's trust eventually triggers an encounter with assassins that prompts her to share a dark tale of betrayal that drove her away from the bard life and into the Chantry. The player discovers Leliana's former lover and mentor, Marjolaine, sent assassins after her, setting her up and framing her.
This quest that can be explored in Origins DLC, Leliana's Song. The Warden can either encourage Leliana to confront and kill Marjolaine, or spare her life and set her free, but either action provokes a crisis of faith for the young woman. Leliana begins questioning whether she is truly faithful to the Chantry or if she only sought refuge from the troubles of her past. The player can encourage Leliana to embrace her ruthlessness, hardening and strengthening her, or they can keep her soft by reaffirming her faith in the Maker.
Regardless of the player's choice, Leliana returns to the Chantry. During the events of Dragon Age 2, it is discovered that she has become Left Hand of the Divine Justinia V. Justinia sends Leliana into Kirkwall under the alias "Sister Nightingale" to assess the situation between the mages and templars and determine whether or not the Chantry needs to launch an Exalted March against the city to restore order.
In-game interaction with Leliana is only launched if the player has The Exiled Prince DLC, and Hawke goes to meet with Sister Nightingale with Sebastian Vael. Leliana is also encountered in the Mark of the Assassin DLC at Chateau Haine as a guest of Duke Prosper de Montfort.
Leliana's duties as Left Hand of the Divine continue through two of the Dragon Age companion novels. In David Gaider's book, Asunder, she is present at ball held in the Divine's honor, and she participates in a raid on the White Spire to free the captive mages from their tormentors. She again appears in Patrick Weekes' The Masked Empire, meeting with Empress Celene at the University of Orlais to discuss the continued strife between the mages and templars.
As the tensions shift into all-out war between mages and templars, an explosion at the Temple of Sacred Ashes takes the life of Leliana's beloved friend, companion and mentor, Divine Justinia V. In her grief, she finds herself joining forces with former-templar, Cullen Rutherford, and former-Seeker of Truth, Cassandra Pentaghast, to begin the formation of the Inquisition.
As the Inquisitor player character gets to know the spymaster, it becomes apparent that the meek bard who struggled heavily with issues of morality in Origins is long gone. Leliana is hard and ruthless, refusing to shy away from the sometimes impossible decisions a woman in her position must make. She doesn't let her guard down, even as she is obviously grieving the loss of the Divine. In the moments where she lets herself grieve, she circles back and begins questioning a Maker who would turn his back on the world and allow such awful things to happen.
When Corypheus attacks the Inquisition and destroys Haven, forcing them to find a new home base at Skyhold, Leliana berates herself for her sentimentality. She almost allows herself to become consumed, seeking vengeance against all who ever plotted against Divine Justinia, but when the Inquisitor encounters the Divine in the Fade, she offers a message for her Left Hand.
Justinia apologizes to Leliana, and says she failed her, but when the Inquisitor relates this message to Leliana, she doesn't know what to make of it. After reflection (and depending on whether or not she was hardened in Origins), Leliana will either further embrace her ruthlessness or thoughtfully determine that she is far more than Justinia's influence. With the Divine dead, the Chantry seeks to replace her, and Leliana becomes one of the candidates.
As Divine Victoria, Leliana works hard to right wrongs and injustices she has always found reprehensible. She dissolves the Circle of Magi and allows mages to live freely, admits non-humans into Chantry priesthood positions and stands firmly behind the Inquisition. Her methods and her ideology are highly opposed, and several factions rise against her, but Leliana remains a force to be reckoned with no matter the challenges she faces.
A Leliana who romanced the Grey Warden player character speaks fondly and often of her love, looking forward to the day they can finally reunite and spend the rest of their days in peace together. Watching her grow and evolve throughout the franchise is a fascinating experience, and one can't help but wonder what lies in store for Leliana, whether she's become Divine Victoria or not, in the upcoming Dragon Age 4.