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I miss the world responding to whether I'm a human or an elf or qunari or dwarf...I'll be the first to admit to not liking how racism & characters' relationship to their culture has been handled in DA but I'm not sure ignoring it completely* was the move either

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bioware since 2012: honestly we shouldn’t have redesigned the elves. from now on, regular faces for elves only

me:

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Orphan crow Rook had a peculiar habit. Upon returning from a mission—or in the early morning before preparing for one—they would curl up in a ball with a blanket by the hearth in the common room.

The team had always found this quirk both surprising and endearing, but no one had ever asked about it. That is, until Emmrich joined. One morning, over breakfast, he broke the silence with his ever-polite and gentlemanly demeanor.

“Rook, if it’s not too intrusive to ask,” Emmrich began, setting down his tea with a thoughtful expression. “I’ve noticed you have this peculiar routine to start or end your day. May I ask how long you’ve been doing it?”

Rook chuckled lightly at the question. The rest of the team fell quiet, their curiosity evident.

“I’ve done it since I lived in the orphanage, actually,” Rook replied casually, taking a sip of coffee while still fully wrapped in their blanket. “I used to do it whenever I felt lonely or scared. I thought… this must be what it feels like to be held by someone that cares for you.”

The words were delivered with such natural ease, such simple honesty, that they starkly contrasted with the horrified, heartbroken expressions of their teammates.

“Rook!” Harding shot out of her chair so quickly it scraped loudly against the floor. Her eyes were glistening as she threw herself at the blanket bundle, wrapping Rook in a firm, protective hug.

Bellara and Tash followed immediately, equally distraught, piling into the embrace with their leader.

Rook laughed softly, trying to brush off the reaction, but they didn’t push anyone away. Instead, they accepted the affection with quiet gratitude, letting themselves be held.

Bonus 1:

From that moment on, Spite became relentless. Every time Rook was within view, Spite would shout in Lucanis’s mind, “Hurry. Go. HUG HER!”

Lucanis never quite mustered the courage to act on it. But something shifted. Rook’s favorite dishes and desserts started appearing more frequently on the menu, prepared with meticulous care. The cushions on the couch by the hearth—where Rook always curled up—were now kept clean and freshly fluffed.

Bonus 2:

Manfred began joining Rook for their hearth ritual. Every afternoon without fail.

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as much as I get why lucanis is positioned as the one needed to kill ghilan'nain as the mage killer etc, I can't help but feel like it should've been davrin

like. there's something about the dalish elf with andruil's vallaslin, a grey warden, a monster hunter, hunting down the mother of all monsters, who creates monstrosities with the blight, who was once andruil's beloved.

ghilan'nain created the halla. she still cares for the halla, despite what she's become, despite being unable to create them anymore. davrin cared for the halla under his uncle's tutelage. assan cares for and nurses a sick and dying halla. assan, who's name means arrow in elven, when andruil's weapon was a bow, who's hunting instincts give way to something more protective.

davrin was taught the way of the three trees. it was created by andruil. andruil, the goddess of the hunt, also known as the goddess of sacrifice. davrin feels like a weapon sharpened to make that final sacrifice against the blight, a tool that once drove andruil mad, and has twisted ghilan'nain into something unrecognisable. andruil, blood and force, who loved a mortal for her creations and raised her to godhood.

would ghilan'nain see andruil in him? would that offer something more to her character than just oh she's evil?

the dalish tell a legend of ghilan'nain and a hunter who bested her. maybe it was a prophecy instead.

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Inner turmoil

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I know the submarine dragon home base was scrapped for Veilguard - why I'll never understand - but you can see its remnants in the game

The Ossuary? Rook's meditation room with the full wall aquarium?

I think it could have been cool to have the mobile base, maybe one that still has Eluvian portal access. But specifically to have the ability to move bases if you are a distrusting Rook. Changing bases isn't unheard of in Dragon Age after all.

After all is kind of weird to live in Solas's old base while also plotting against him? He's in your head and the fade is shaped by intention and emotion.

On that point though - it could have been interesting if the Lighthouse had instead warped into a (different) Fade Prison.

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Lucanis: I'm gonna marry that idiot one day

Viago: I have a strict no returns policy

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Viago: Might I make a suggestion you possibly won't like?

Rook, grumbling: Do you make any other kind?

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Something I liked about Veilguard is that, even if we didn't play out an origin story like in Dragon Age Origins, we still got moments that referenced a past for our Rook. This moment during act one got me thinking as I flesh out my de Riva's story more.

Rambling under the cut as I try to iron out my thoughts.

In past installments, mage struggles were always discussed even if you yourself didn't play a mage. (I always do though, so correct me if I'm wrong) Origins makes the mage struggle very clear with the Circle Tower at Lake Calenhad. It is your home tower as a Warden Mage, and the scene of devastation within the narrative of the Broken Circle. It is our clearest depiction of life within circles throughout the games as you never get the opportunity to play a circle mage again.

I don't want to broadly talk about mage circles here though, I want to talk specifically about a Crow!Mage in Veilguard. It is interesting that one of the mage specializations we get is specific to the Antivan Crows with "Spellblade". We don't have a clear picture of how Antiva views magic, but do know that they follow the Orleasian Chantry through dialogues throughout the series. And the crows were once a branch of the Chantry. The only circle we have been told about in Antiva is through a conversation between Wynne and Zevran in Origins.

Yes in typical fashion Zevran does end the conversation in jest, but what we can gather from the it is that the Antivan Circle might be similar to that of Lake Calenhad's. "Official Crow business" like "Official Grey Warden business" could be the conscription or purchase of mages from towers. I lean towards this interpretation more than say "Official Crow business" being a contract due to Zevran's casualness about the apprentice. He also isn't known to shy away from calling it as it is with contracts. Along with the knowledge we have about the Crows purchasing young recruits. (specifically elven recruits, but that's more in relation to my Rook - not so much this general analysis and something I'm still ruminating on)

Another point to consider is Lucanis is described as "The Mage Killer" to us as players, though more frequently it is "the Demon of Vyrantium" within the game. (Truthfully I was kind of hoping for some conflict with Lucanis as a mage, something this game seems to be lacking as our mage companions are also outside Circles with no trouble)

I understand that the ending state of Inquisition, no matter who is made Divine, means that the Circle as we know it has shifted. And that Veilguard does take place in the northern parts of Thedas and would thus have different views and practices with mages. It just feels void of a consistent, and to me personally, driving lore piece that the rest of the games have.

This brings me back of course to my Rook de Riva. Ignoring that she is an elf for now and just focusing on the fact that she is a mage. This moment in act one, were you unpack your bag, gives us insight into the mage part of her backstory according to the game. She was an apprentice because this is her final project as one. We don't know of apprentice mages outside of the tower, because mages outside of towers are only known as Apostates with no level distinction. During my first play through, there isn't any other indication of this time period for Rook. She can talk about her understanding of her own magic with Harding and Neve. Or there are the mage specific dialogue options. But it feels like a huge gap in the preset background. There are more elven history dialogue options in comparison. This doesn't mesh with previously established lore. An elven mage warden wouldn't know anything of elven history. An elven mage Inquisitor doesn't know anything about circle life (but also doesn't speak about being a mage in general if its not directly in connection to the mage templar conflict).

This gap gives me room to play, sure, but it also leaves me a little stumped that they went through this effort to give your Rook a "before the narrative" story to ground them more but then seemingly only focused on the very last mission they were on. And I know Mourn Watcher Rook is mentioned to be an orphan abandoned in the Necropolis but what about Crow Rook?

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Amaia "Rook" de Riva | Elven Spellblade of the Crows