#*tevinter (tevene is the language)

[witsserviceablesubstitute]

Hear me out: a fix-it fic where Emmrich is installing ghosties further south and stumbles onto Anders/Justice, he helps them heal and seperate, then they find new purpose in the Necropolis for a while.

[galluslonging]

OC Tag Game

Thanks for the tag @biowaredisasterbisexual!

Tagging: @uchidachi, @future-ghoost, @shadowcrow, @fernweald, @hellomehlo, @caughtnyact, and anyone else who wants to join in!

General

Name: Rahim Laidir

Alias: Rook, Trouble, Reemo (familial)

Gender: Cis Male

Age: 31

Place of Birth: Dairsmuid, Rivain

Spoken Languages: Common, Qunlat, some Tevene, very basic Antivan

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual Himbo

Occupation: Lord of Fortune. Before joining Varric, he was one of the best treasure hunters in the Lords and made a decent amount of coin plying his trade. Most of it he sent back to his family in Afsaana.

Favorites

Color: Deep reds and blues, also a crisp white (for his button downs)

Entertainment: Name a drinking game (or make one up) and he will join in. Reading, he'll read anything he can get his hands on.

Past time: Fishing, beach combing, and swimming (he maintains the few times he's nearly drowned have been because of the heavy axe and shield he carries).

Drink: Tea, Spiced Rum

Books: Serials, history books, and recipe books (he's still trying to copy down all his auntie's old recipes because she refuses to part with her book)

Have they…

Passed University: He did not attend university, during the time he might've he was enslaved in Tevinter. He did receive a good education in Rivain until he was about 16.

Had Sex: Yes. He used it as a coping mechanism for some time but has since found a healthier relationship with it. Fun fact: in my headcanon he and Davrin were casually hooking up before things became serious with Neve

Had Sex in Public: Technically...(he will not elaborate)

Gotten Tattoos: He loves them and grew up seeing them on other Rivaini. He now has them in several places. His favorite is the one on his right leg but each of them commemorate his adventures.

Gotten Piercings: Much like tattoos, piercings are incredibly common in Rivain. He got all of his during his tenure with the Lords.

Gotten Scars: Absolutely. Though not all of his scars are associated with good memories- some represent dark times- he views his body as a reminder of the life he has lived and appreciates each mark.

Had a Broken Heart: Of course. Somehow, he remains soft and open.

Been in Love: His first love was an older Lord named Cade. Isabela did not approve of their courtship given their age gap and Cade's own history but a young Rook refused heed her warnings. It took him years to recover from their relationship.

Are they…

A cuddler: He loves cuddling with Neve (cause of course) and enjoys hugs, gentle touches, and other forms of physical connection with those he cares for.

Scared easily: He's always been an inquisitive person and approaches most things with a sense of wonder rather than fear. Seeing those he cares for hurt hasn't gotten any easier though.

Jealous easily: Not at all, he doesn't believe any person can truly 'belong' to anyone and as such has never minded his lovers or friends spending time with others, provided they love him as they always have. This is as much due to his upbringing in Rivain as it is to his time with the Lords.

Trustworthy: He is dependable and in the instances he falls short, he is honest.

Family

Siblings: No actual siblings but he does have an older cousin he considers to be his sister.

Parents: Joan & Sami Laidir (adoptive, biological aunt and uncle). His bio mother was a Seer in Dairsmuid who was murdered during the Annulment of the Circle there. His bio father was purported to be a Grey Warden condemned for deserting.

Children: None that he is aware of. He never saw himself as a father but would consider the idea if it was something Neve might want. He'd consider just about anything for her though...

Pets: He has an orange Tabby named Porridge who lives with his aunt and uncle while he travels. It was nearly impossible to stay away from him during their fight against the gods.

[silent-words]

I imagine a scene during Dragon Age: Inquisition. Cullen Rutherford walks towards the small shrine to Andraste. Before he enters, though, he hears someone praying. He politely leaves that person alone but can't help listening. It's not in Trade language, and neither it is in elven, if Solas' words are any indication of it. He waits, practically enchanted by this prayer. Sometimes it seems he hears the word "Andraste", sometimes the Inquisitor's name.

When it stops, and the person comes out of the shrine, Cullen can't hide his surprise. Because he sees Dorian Pavus. The latter is also shocked, but recovers quickly.

'Are you here to listen to me confessing my sins?' he says with a smirk. 'Very wise of me to use Tevene then.'

'Confessing your sins?!' Cullen shakes his head. He still thinks this is all a weird dream.

Dorian laughs. 'Well, if you want the truth – I was praying. This text is from the Imperial Chant.'

'That blasphemous text?' Cullen says with disgust. 'How can you...' but then he relents. Of course, a person from Tevinter would pray as they were taught. 'I'm sorry. Andraste will listen to those with an open heart.'

'Thank you, Cullen,' Dorian walks past the Commander but then stops. 'Please, don't tell anyone about me praying. I have a reputation to maintain.'

[obibail]

my favorite personal headcanon is that most Tevinter citizens don’t actually speak Trade tongue as a main language, or if they do it’s strictly a public language and not a home language. instead the non-Altus citizenry (esp. grunt military/lower class civilian Soporati, Liberati, and new Laetan) especially in Minrathous and other large cities with trade connections to countries outside Tevinter and/or a history of Qunari occupation speak something closer to Romanian in the home/among themselves

the language still has obvious Tevene/Latin-vaguely Greek roots and is very much a modern/less formal evolution of Tevene but it's got a fair bit of Antivan/Spanish-Italian and Qunlat/Arabic-Turkic influence on top of that. the language has been evolving for centuries but more recent wide-spread public use partially started out as something of a more liberal-minded reclamation of Tevinter roots while not wanting to revert back to speaking like they’re leading the full Latin mass at all times

it’s not nationalism, exactly, but it’s still a love of country, or at least a desire to love your country and reclaim or reshape (rather than entirely reject, by doing something like only speaking Trade) a part of a contentious and problematic heritage and culture without taking a hard right into Venatori-style Tevinter nationalism that either ignores, excuses, or outright exalts all the worst parts of Tevinter history and wants to bring back the Empire at its worst

a lot of Altus/higher socially ranked Laetan/higher military ranked Soporati families (especially ones that skew more conservative) scorn or reject the use of modern Tevene because it’s such a distinct and noticeable move away from ancient Tevene (or at least the version of the language still used in religious, military, and magic practice, as well as debate in both houses of the Senate, probably), and feels - to them - like a rejection of Tevinter history and culture rather than an evolution of it, so it’s very much a Soporati and Liberati thing to speak modern Tevene

(in my mind slaves either know Tevene and Trade, like Fenris, or only know one (unless they knew it before they were enslaved). no one who willingly owns slaves would lower themself to ever speak, little lone teach, “bastardized”/modern Tevene, and probably come down hard on slaves that do know or learn it)

most Shadow Dragons use it pretty liberally in missives and when speaking to each other about business, especially with the Venatori being one of the major factions that detest it and thus don't know it, and is something that the Shadows leadership that comes from Altus/other higher socially ranked backgrounds have to learn

of the Shadows leadership we meet in Veilguard, Tarquin would probably be one of the only ones that speaks it fluently/has likely spoken it all his life and is comfortable speaking it. Neve would very likely be fluent as well, being from Dock Town and likely being new Laetan. Dorian and Mae might have known some before, but, considering his background, Ashur definitely knew next to none originally

this obviously doesn't change that they're doing good things and that they're making positive change but it would probably be a point of contention somewhere within the group hierarchy that regular Shadows can't easily communicate with their top leadership in a language they consider socially revolutionary/a symbol of a more liberal and modern Tevinter

[mythals-whore]

OC Tag Game!!

Thank you for the tag @rookamell i love to yap about my girl

Name: Cyrilla Mercar

Aliases: Rook, Cyri, Aegis (for reasons you may find out later)

Gender: female

Age: 29

Place of Birth: Minrathous, Tevinter

Spoken languages: Trade, Tevene, a little bit of elven (very bad elven)

Sexual Orientation: Probably bi but she’ll never find out because she likes to play with men’s feelings for fun (:

Occupation: PRE-VEILGUARD: Praetor turned Shadow Dragon, part-time criminal, professional menace to the Minrathous elite/Venatori, VG: Varric's Second, Leader of the Veilguard, POST VEILGUARD: Archon's personal guard (and special advisor), part-time consultant for Minrathous Murders & Monsters (rip MM&M from my cold dead fingers)

FAVOURITE

Color: Red(: mostly bc she thinks she looks good in it (she does)

Entertainment: Loves live music! Fun fact is that she took the quest where you say all the buskers in Minrathous very personally. Also fighting. She loves a good scrap.

Pastime: Plays the piano, but doesn't get a lot of opportunities at it. Vandalism. Going to a dive bar to drink and dance and get in a fight. RIP Cyri you would have loved After Midnight by Chappell Roan(:

Food: Khinkali (they're little dumplings with meat and vegetables in there)

Drink: Whiskey girl

Books: has read a lot of military theory, think Art of War but the Thedas equivalent. If some old Tevinter Legatus wrore a biography, she’s probably read it. And her feelings about it are probably similar to Davrin's feelings on the Monster manual guys. She has specific beef with Archon Hessarian who wrote several canticles for the chant of light and still had time to write an entire novel on his life and strategy in the war with Andraste. It has a lot of overt religious teachings in it and Cyri always thought it was ridiculous that they were forced to study it as some kind of war strategy because it has very little to do with the actual war.

1000% becomes the biggest fan of Bellara's serials though. Finds herself getting way to invested. She says they're over dramatic and cheesy but she fucking loves it.

HAVE THEY

Passed university: Uhm if you count the Tevinter military academy I made up then yes!

Had sex: Yep!

Had sex in public: as in, intentionally in front of people? No. In the backrooms of taverns/back alleys/a balcony/rooftop/Arlathan forest? Absolutely. She loves a messy night out.

Gotten tattoos: No, mostly because they'd make her more recognizable

Gotten piercings: Nah, liability in a fight.

Gotten scarred: Yep!

Had a broken heart: Assuming this means romantically, yes (when she was still pretty young) but she would barely count that. I am going to count losing her entire cohort during the Antaam invasion. Definitely the worse her heart has ever broken

Been in love: she would say no, but the answer is definitely yes she's just deep in denial and the moment she starts feeling anything resembling feelings she runs far far away.

ARE THEY:

A cuddler: Yes but she'd say no. My girl loves to deny herself the simple pleasures.

Scared easily: Yes! One of my favorite character traits about Cyri (that I gave her lmao) is that she's afraid of everything: the underground, heights, drowning, fish etc. But she kinda just does it through gritted teeth.

Jealous easily: Difficult to answer because I would say definitely not BUT um, there are specific instances. She's never been in a committed relationship (before Davrin) so she's never really had cause to be jealous. And also once they're established and there's no more uncertainty where that's concerned I'd say the answer goes back to being no. She knows that man is obsessed with and devoted to her. (gods help anyone who doesn't know it, honestly)

Trustworthy: Actually yes. She can definitely keep a secret and is very reliable, at least to her friends/people she's loyal to. So they have to earn it, but she will 100% come through for you.

FAMILY:

Sibling(s): None!

Parents: Adopted parents are both alive, but she's been somewhat estranged. They thought she was dead for a long time, they got her back for a little while and then she left with Varric and didn't write them because she assumed someone else would. It's a little complicated considering she's like a wanted criminal...

Children: None unless you count Assan, which she wouldn't ONLY BECAUSE she wants to spoil him and not be the disciplinarian so she's only Assan's mom when it's convenient.

Pets: She had a cat growing up that she brought in off the street and hid. she got to keep it. It's gray and very old now. his name is Smoke and he still lives with her parents. and Assan, ofc.

I AM TAGGING: @flowersforthemachines @thedissonantverses @basedonconjecture @complikatedd @gingervitus @cute-ellyna (((: tell me about your ocs let me love them

[hydrocat-oxide]

Short about Rook

Or not short lol

Meet Jirell “Rook” Thorne, the memetic Grey Warden, the world saviour, part-time psychotherapist and stand-up performer.

Class: Warrior (Two-Handed)

Origin: Grey Wardens / Tevinter

Place of birth: Salty Wineyards, Province of Valanta, Tevinter Empire

Place of Death: Dead inside already

Languages known: Common, Tevene

Favourite food: fried rice with saffron

Favourite colour: elven gold

Favourite music: none

Hobbies: elven lol lore, griffons, trying to figure out the mess he got trapped in last decades.

Love interest: Davrin

Trivia:

❖ Rook was born in Tevinter. Though not in the grand Minrathous, but in the province of Valanta, right on the border with the Free Marches. He speaks deliberately slowly and measuredly, trying to mask his distinctive accent.

❖ Rook was literally born into slavery. His master, a Laetan magister-scholar, dreamed of fame as the greatest researcher of the Blight, but ended up just getting infected (what a fool!). Fearing he wouldn’t survive the Harrowing, the master ordered his loyal servant Jirell to drink from the griffon’s cup first. It remains a great mystery how the Knight-Commander allowed this.

❖ Guess who ultimately survived the Harrowing, and who didn’t.

❖ Both did. But Weisshaupt? Only Rook.

❖ He was nicknamed "Rook" for his ability to mimic voices and sounds, much like the bird. The chirping of birds, the meowing of cats, the cackling of a griffon (:D), and, most importantly, the Knight-Commander’s cough, which he used to scare his fellow soldiers when catching them in some unauthorized activity.

❖ Got his vallaslin on the real Arlathven from a real Dalish master when another Warden let him come with them as a guest for knowing more about his culture.

❖ Doesn’t remember it because acknowledged too much about Dalish brews that night.

❖ Jirell smokes constantly. (Though sometimes it definitely smells like elfroot.)

❖ He understands Dalish perfectly but never gives himself away.

❖ He can read Common but… well, slowly.

It’s the official part of his story. And this is apocryphal and headcanonical one if we go deep:

Jirell, the Herald of mysteries, the Voice of the god, the bird, which shouted his secrets for threes.

Once a soldier of Dirthamen, he became one of the firsts who turned their cloak and followed the Dread Wolf — never for altruistic reasons.

When the gods fell, he sank into *uthenera*... only to awaken a decade or two before Solas' return. And then, within mere weeks of wandering this brave new world, he found himself in chains, claimed by slavers.

He's pretty sure he is not the one of Dirthamen's people who’d survived; and his tattoos returning to their place was no accident.

In his time, Dalishes were the same. Forest nomads, sometimes marauders, sometimes sort of gypsies but in Arlathan.

And now they're only remains of Elven culture, history and language. The Dirthamen's sake

But Davrin exists, and Bellara makes her science works and even Neve is okay and maybe this world should not be torn at the seams again

[crowwowo]

OC Tag Game

Tagged by @lyanachaan !! Tysm, I loved reading about Yelena <3 Gotta do miss Alexandra Trevelyan ofc

Tagging @resvarie & @buriedknight

Name: Alexandra Trevelyan

Alias: Ali, Frostbite, Inky

Gender: Cis woman

Age: 28 in 9:40

Place of birth: Ostwick, Free Marches

Spoken Language: Trade/common, some Tevene

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Occupation: (ex) Circle Enchanter, Inquisitor, Comtessa of Kirkwall, post-tresspasser she does lots of traveling helping her old companions with their respective endeavors.

FAVORITE:

Color: Prussian blue, sky blue, wine red. She liked green before the Conclave, but by the end of Inquisition the color nauseates her; in nature it’s ok, but she wipes it from her clothes and daily items.

Entertainment: Singing/playing instruments, she loved playing instruments as a child but stopped while she was in the circle, she picked it back up during Inquisition after Josie bought her a sitar.

Books: If she had to pick genres, history and historical fiction are her favorites. She doesn’t actually love reading herself, but she loves listening to others read to her; this becomes a big pastime especially after her first kid.

Pastime: Playing the sitar, riding on horseback, researching magic

Food: big soups, berries, and pastries fan

Drink: really any cold drinks, all of her cups are half filled with ice, but likes grape juice & cold matcha in particular

HAVE THEY...

Passed university: Does the Circle count as uni? The Harrowing top 10 most stressful final exams…

Had sex: yes

Had sex in public: favorite of the Skyhold rumor mill (She’ll never tell)

Gotten tattoos: no

Gotten piercings: yes! ears + nose ring

Had a broken heart: yes, but not romantically

Been in love: Yes

ARE THEY...

A cuddler: yess, Alexandra’s naturally very cold so cuddling under 10 pounds of blankets and pillows is awesome for her.

Scared easily: Not in particular, but she gets very absorbed into her work/whatever shes doing at present and gets easily startled whenever it’s interrupted.

Jealous easily: When she does get jealous its more so jealousy of others freedom and/or acceptance, leaves her just aching and depressed.

Trustworthy: she doesnt like lying but knows she can’t always be 100% honest, especially in politics, so lots of mincing words, white lies, and when in doubt forcing her party members to lie for her

FAMILY:

Siblings: She has 3 older siblings; Roland, Eleanor, and Gwen. While they were all close, Gwen and Ali were particularly tight being the closest in age. After Ali was taken to the Circle Gwen was the only one who visited her and kept contact (though these eventually stopped when he moved to Tevinter). Gwen was the only one she told about the Conclave, and he was the only one who left in search of her once news of the Inquisition spread. Ali misses the rest of her siblings, but Roland & Eleanor seemingly abandoning her to the Circle cut deep, and she held it against them for years. Alexandra loves her family, but that loves been buried under a whole lot of unresolved feelings and pushing them out of her mind

Parents: Bann Trevelyan is a caring father but often absent from his kids day to day life due to his duties- normally this freedom was welcome, but when Ali’s magic manifested Bann Trevelyan abruptly demanded her life be up-rooted to the Circle for everyone’s saftey. This sudden shift greatly upset 16 year old Ali, and she was very broody and resentful. Unbenonced to Ali, her siblings had been formally banned from physically visiting the Circle, with Bann Trevelyan saying it was for everyone’s own good (Gwen routinely snuck out for days on end to visit her). While his actions all came from a place of wanting to protect his family, they only hurt them and caused years of misunderstanding.

Ali’s mother, Juliette is originally from Tevinter, with her marriage to Bann Trevelyan being arranged, though by all accounts loving. Juliette was an extremely doting mother to all of her children and was distraught when Ali’s magic manifested, as she knew Ali would be relocated to the Circle. Ali has found memories of baking and learning to ride with Juliette, and running through the forests and backroads of Ostwick with her siblings.

Children: yes! Garrett II is born within a year after Trespasser (whoops baby), Gwenivere II is born post-tresspasser. Garrett’s full name is Garrett II Pentaghast Trevelyan-Rutherford, and Gwenivere is Gwenivere II Dorian Montilyet Trevelyan-Rutherford. I fear both Cullen and Ali are extremely uncreative with names and just started stealing their friend/families.

Pets: Cullen’s Mabari as well as both of their horses from their Inquisition days.

[biowaredisasterbisexual]

OC Tag Game

Thanks for the tags @hyperions-light and @jouskaroo!!

Tagging: @vael-fire, @northstarfan, @swamp-jello, @mythals-whore, @mageofquandrix (once he gets back), @thedissonantverses, and @galluslonging if you wanna play! And you! Reading this! You can play too!

General

Name: [Redacted] Mercar

Alias: Rook, Trouble

Gender: Cis Male

Age: 31/32

Place of Birth: No one knows, but he was found on a battlefield just outside Ventus

Spoken Languages: Common, Tevene, basic Orlesian, basic Qunlat

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual, though really he could’ve sang My Type by Saint Motel prior to meeting Neve

Occupation: Shadow Dragon, these days, but since that doesn’t pay all that well he also took on random odd jobs and lived off an external source of wealth/income before heading off with Varric

Favorites

Color: Red and Blue

Entertainment: Card games, music, Tevinter spectacles (light shows, martial contests, etc)

Past time: Hanging out with Neve, hanging out with friends, drawing, playing the lute

Drink: Coffee, Water, or if he’s having alcohol Whiskey

Books: He likes adventure books and serials

Have they…

Passed University: He has had the best education that Soporati money can buy - so he topped out at 17

Had Sex: Yes, though he managed a year without since hooking up with strangers on the road with Varric seemed like maybe a bad idea even to him

Had Sex in Public: He asks that ‘public’ be defined before he answers…

Gotten Tattoos: Nope. He thinks they’re cool, and he kind of wants one, but tattoos are identifying and more often than not the goal is not to be identified for him

Gotten Piercings: Nope. He would say he gets stabbed enough without doing it recreationally

Gotten Scars: Most definitely. The most obvious is one on his face, but the worst ones are on his back

Had a Broken Heart: Absolutely. He has lost a lot of people, including loved ones, and his heart breaks every time.

Been in Love: Oh yes. He’d say that maybe it didn’t count earlier, because what he feels for Neve is so much more, but the boy fell in love early and often before her

Are they…

A cuddler: Very much so. Physical touch is grounding for him, it’s a major destresser. He prefers cuddles with Neve, but he’s not above cuddling with one of the others if it’s on offer and Neve isn’t available.

Scared easily: No, fortunately, but the cloud-face incident still nearly gave him a cardiac event

Jealous easily: Not with people he trusts, and he’s long since learned that people he can’t trust probably aren’t worth being jealous over anyway.

Trustworthy: Very, unless whatever job he’s on requires him to betray someone’s trust he generally won’t.

Family

Siblings: None, but growing up he had a sibling-like relationship with his four cousins

Parents: Praefectus Castrorum Chronos Mercar (deceased, adoptive), Diana Mercar (deceased, adoptive), biological parents (unknown)

Children: None, which he suspects is for the best. He’s not even entirely the best at keeping adults alive. He likes kids, though, and he bets a mini-Neve would be the cutest thing he ever saw.

Pets: No, but he’d love one. He thinks a wisp might be easiest if he can get one to stick around outside of the Fade/Fade-adjascent places. But he loves cats and dogs and griffons, too.

[nyx-de-riva]

Meet my Rook!

I was tagged by @alystrin03! Thank you dear, I love doing these kind of tag games so much.

Tagging: YOU!!!!! YOU SEEING THIS??? THEN THAT MEANS I TAGGED YOU SO YOU BETTER DO IT!! And tag me :>

This will be good timeline AU Nyx that is in a relationship with Illario for like 10 years. Cause that's my favorite.

GENERAL

Name: Nyx De Riva

Alias(es): Rook

Gender: Male

Age: 27

Place of birth: on the outskirts of Tevinter, though he doesn't know this.

Spoken languages: Common, Antivan, and Tevene

Sexual orientation: Gay

Occupation: Assassin of the Antivan Crows, leader of the Veilguard.

FAVORITE

Color: Purple and blue

Entertainment: People watching. He finds it soothing and entertaining.

Pastime: Despite his complaints, he actually does enjoy the alchemy that Viago taught him and still does it.

Food: Penne ala vodka, but more specifically Viago's recipe.

Drink: Peppermint tea with lots of cream and sugar.

Books: Adventures of the Black Fox. Found a worn-out copy lying around as a child and grew attached to it.

HAVE THEY

Passed university: He hated it, but he was in circle training for a few years and passed easily, having a natural affinity for lightning magic.

Had sex: Too many times, he has a problem.

Had sex in public: Multiple times.

Gotten tattoos: Got a nearly full-body tattoo when he became a fully fledged Crow.

Gotten piercings: I want him to have a tongue piercing honestly, but no he doesn't have any.

Had a broken heart: Never, at least not in his good timeline.

Been in love: He's very much in love.

ARE THEY

A cuddler: He is the clingiest elf you'll ever meet. If he gets comfortable enough, he will cuddle all the time.

Scared easily: Despite his best efforts, he does scare easily outside of contracts.

Jealous easily: Very much so. He is extremely possessive.

Trustworthy: He's very honest, so definitely.

FAMILY

Sibling(s): Unknown, and he's never wanted to figure it out.

Parents: Unknown, and he's never wanted to figure it out. Considers Viago his father figure.

Children: He can't have kids, unfortunately. If life ever settles, he would maybe consider adopting.

Pets: He's always wanted one, like a cat, but he secretly loves Viago's pet snake. He's worried he'll let any animal he owns die.

[gaysebastianvael]

OC Tag Game

Thank you for the tag @thatgaymerguyb! Tagging @pinayelf, @inanshalla, @thevaelguard, @thesecollidinghearts, @lelianasbong, @lelianaslefthand (no pressure, only if you would like to~~~~~)

Name: Rena Achillea Mercar (kept his birth name)

Alias: Rook

Gender: Transgender man

Age: 30

Place of Birth: Unknown, likely Ventus (found alone on a battlefield as a baby.)

Spoken Language: Common, as much Tevene as still in use.

Sexual Orientation: Gay asexual

Occupation: Frequent babysitter for the Lavellan-Pavus family and Shadow Dragon.

Favorites...

Color: Tied between red and purple.

Entertainment: Big fan of solving puzzles.

Pastime: Doesn't bring it up much, but plays piano.

Drink: Likes both strong plain tea and very sweet tea lattes.

Books: Loves to read any and all genres, but especially serials and encyclopedias.

Have they...

Passed University: Has the Tevinter equivalent of a high school diploma, spent much of his school years learning from home due to disability.

Had Sex: Never has and never plans to.

Had Sex in Public: See ^

Gotten Tattoos: No, terrified of needles.

Gotten Piercings: See ^

Gotten Scars: Not if he kills the other guy first! (A few.)

Had a Broken Heart: Had a brief romance developing with Lucanis until he chose to help Minrathous in the double dragon attack. Lucanis broke it off.

Been in Love: Had a few relationships here and there after joining the Shadow Dragons, some more serious than others. Davrin offered a stability and lasting love he'd been missing since leaving Minrathous.

Are they...

A Cuddler: Very physically affectionate. Must be pried off.

Scared Easily: Afraid of nothing but his nemeses: needles and failure. (Debatable.)

Jealous Easily: Tries not to be. Tries really hard.

Trustworthy: Wouldn't be a Shadow Dragon if he couldn't keep secrets. Loyal to a fault.

Family...

Siblings: Adopted only child of high-ranking Soporati Charon Mercar.

Parents: Raised by caretakers and his largely absent single father, finds a more present father figure in Emmrich.

Children: Happily childless.

Pets: Borfthangelus "Borf" Mercar, beloved golden retriever and emotional support animal.

[mageofquandrix]

OC Tag Game

@biowaredisasterbisexual told me about this one, so I snuck on tumblr for a minute to post it.

Today I'm featuring Julien Mercar. There's tidbits about my Ashur/Rook bodyguard AU in there.

General

Name: Julien Mercar

Aliases: Rook, Jules, various Shadow Dragons code names over the years

Gender: male

Age: 36

Place of Birth: Ventus, Tevinter

Spoken languages: Trade, Tevene, a little Nevarran, and can read Old Tevene

Sexual Orientation: bisexual (and demi-biromantic)

Occupation:

Pre-Veilguard, he’s a retired member of the classis (Imperial Navy) who afterwards worked as a ship mechanic and sailor/dock worker while in the Shadow Dragons.

Post-Veilguard - depends, but in the happier versions, he’s the Archon Tilani’s bodyguard and extremely reluctant advisor.

Ashur/Julien AU: former bodyguard for the Divine for a decade (the maximum time) and then Maevaris’ bodyguard/Shadow Dragon.

FAVOURITE

Color: Red and Blue

Entertainment: He loves live music, and sports competitions (‘The Games’), especially track and wrestling. 

Pastime: nights spent wandering Tevinter nightlife, barhopping and running into friends while drinking, eating, dancing. Card games, chess (badly), going to watch sports competitions, playing pickup sports games, going to the bathhouse, running, reading, and long conversations over drinks. 

Food: Meal: grilled white fish with salad (greens and herbs) and a dipping sauce (think nuoc cham.) Snack: Sunflower seeds in the shell, salted or spiced, or any fruit.

Drink: I’m imagining some kind of clear liquor unique to Tevinter, that he drinks in shots, mixed with seltzer and citrus, or with coconut water. He likes to drink for long periods of time without getting wasted, and it’s hot in Tevinter; he doesn’t want something too heavy. He likes it with pistachios.

Books: history, mystery/thriller, and smutty romance. If they’re combined, even better.

HAVE THEY

Passed university: He’s been to military academy for two years between 16 and 18, so sort of?

Had sex: Yep. 

Had sex in public: Yeah - bar bathrooms, alleys, stuff like that. 

Gotten tattoos: Yep! He keeps them covered as a Shadow, and he actually got his favorite tattoo covered up - he had his father’s name, but he was worried about putting his dad in danger.

Gotten piercings: He had one, but he took it out so it wouldn’t get ripped out. 

Gotten scarred: Oh, tons. Especially notable: his left ear, left eye, and left corner of his mouth droop a tiny bit, due to nerve damage paralysis, and he has a long, stitched scar (a 'Soporati special') on the side of his neck and up his scalp.

Had a broken heart: No Ashur/Rook au - sort of? He’s been in a 12 year old situationship with the Divine and regularly breaks his own heart over it.  

Been in love: Sort of? He’s demi and bi and but didn’t realize he liked men for a long time, so he was in love with a fellow soldier but just thought of him as a friend.  Ashur/Rook au - he’s been in love with the Divine while serving as his bodyguard, but that doesn’t count, right? Everyone is at least a little bit in love with the Divine, right? Right, guys??

ARE THEY:

A cuddler: Absolutely. He loves cuddling and physical affection, even platonically. He’ll cuddle with the guys or with his dad- they take naps on the couch together, which always have Julien with his head on his dad’s chest, and his dad’s arm around his shoulders. They’ve done this since he was a baby. 

Scared easily: No, not at all. He doesn’t like spiders, though - he just kind of grits his teeth and deals with it, but he doesn’t like it. 

Jealous easily: Oh, absolutely. He doesn’t think he is, though, but really he’s just tamping it down.

FAMILY:

Sibling(s): Only child!

Parents: He’s raised by a single father, Anatolius, who is a praetor in the Imperial army. They’re each other’s main family- Anatolius’ only brother died young in the military - so he worries a lot about his dad, and what his dad will do if he dies. 

Children: He would like to have several one day, he’s always wanted to be a father. Not yet, though!

Pets: Various stray cats that he and his dad fed or took for healing if they needed it, and a corn snake! He loves reptiles.

I AM TAGGING: I'm not sure who's done it already, so I'll just tag a few people! @biowaredisasterbisexual @blightedcrow @hyperions-light @vael-fire @thedissonantverses

[davrinsleftpectoral]

Oc meme

I wasn’t tagged in this but I’ve been meaning to share my favorite rooks and well. Here I am with one lol. I also added a section on romance because that’s really important to his story. He’s not my Davrin romancer but one of my two favorite rooks.

General

* Name: Turvi Laidir

* Alias(es): Rook

* Gender: male

* Age: 29

* Place of birth: small fishing village on the tevinter coast

* Spoken Languages: trade, some elvhen, a little tevene

* sexual orientation: straight

* Occupation: beach lol. lords of fortune (pirate?) Post game works the detective agency with Neve.

Romance

* Who was Rook’s first interest in the game: Neve. He popped that bubble at the beginning and was a goner.

* Who did they romance to the end: Neve Gallus

Favorite

* Color: Teal and gold

* Entertainment: drinking games, especially ones that involve jumping off cliffs into water.

* Pastime: spending the day at the beach

* Food: seafood

* Drink: he’s just a basic ale guy, and tea if he can’t sleep

* Books: he’s not much of a reader

Have they

* Passed university: he was sold into slavery at age 10 and his family was relatively poor before that. He can read, but not well. So no he’s not been to university.

* had sex: yes

* had sex in public: on a beach, but not public public

* Gotten tattoos: many, he loves them

* gotten piercings: yes

* Gotten scarred: he has wrist scars from his time as a slave, so he’s always got them covered

* Have they had their heart broken: Yes, he has a habit of going all in quickly

* Been in love: not until Neve. But with her it was pretty much love at first sight.

(Neve got real close one time when I was talking to an npc, and it made me laugh. And my sister drew this for me and it’s just so cute I had to include it)

Are They

* a cuddler: absolutely. He was very touch starved during the time he was a slave and is making up for lost time.

* Scared easily: no. He cares a lot for others so he’s more scared for them than himself

* Jealous easily: no. He loves people.

* Trustworthy: Yes! One of his biggest life philosophies is being kind and caring for/about people. That definitely carries over into being trustworthy too.

Family

* Sibling(s): brother Fetu that is 2 years older and a sister Anela that is 6 years older.

* Parents: Father Tala and Mother Lani

* Children: none

* pets: post game a white kitten named Da’len. He’s also definitely feeding and naming stray cats too.

* Bonus: he was separated from his family when he was 10 and they were split up and sold into slavery. Once Neve finds out he wants to try to find them, she helps him track down what happened to them, and he will reunite with some of them.

Anyway. That’s Turvi. I love him so much and he just loves Neve more than anything. He and Antione are getting together to just gush about their wives. I’ve written a little bit of post game stuff for him as well, but I’m not sure if I’ll share.

Anyway. I’m not tagging but I love seeing these. Please share. Include screen shots! I love seeing them.

[linposter]

OC MEME: Rook

Thank you to @gyldowen-draws for tagging me to take part in a little Rook info-dumpo 💚

GENERAL

Name: [REDACTED] > Rook

Alias(es): Rook, though they've been referred to as 'Hollix' from time to time in their youth.

Gender: Agender

Age: 31

Place of birth: Nessun, Tevinter

Spoken languages: Trade, Tevene, and some Old Tevene

Sexual orientation: Bi (Demi/graysexual)

Occupation: Leader of the Veilguard

FAVOURITE

Colour: Soft purples

Entertainment: Reading / studying magic (nerd) or hanging with Assan

Pastime: More reading, playing piano, stargazing

Food: They are a truly dogshit cook, could not fry an egg if their life depended on it. But, they have a huuuuge sweet-tooth. They love odd, perfume-y flavours like rose or licorice. Their absolute number 1 favourite though is cherry cupcakes, or anything cherry flavoured for that matter 🍒

Drink: Hydration? What's that? Honestly, they'll drink anything put in front of them. Oddly, not a huge fan of sweet drinks? The only exception being sweetened coffee (made with condensed milk) for those late nights plotting Venatori destruction. Lucanis finds it insulting to be in the same room as.

Books: Almost entirely non-fiction or academic. Despite their education on magic being forced up them in their upbringing, they reluctantly find themself enamored with the subject. Since taking on Vengeance and Yearning that interest as only grown; initially for their own survival but now out of pure fascination with the fade.

HAVE THEY

Passed university: As an elf born in Tevinter, that's a bit off the table. However, they have had a university level of education under private tutelage, courtesy of their former master.

Had sex: Not until the events of Veilguard, no. It's not really something they've taken interest in until they found themself in a relationship.

Had sex in public: Not all the way, but if they'd gotten hands-y with Lucanis in the shadows of the Cantori Diamond well that's nobodies business 👀

Gotten tattoos: Multiple while part of the Shadow Dragons. They're not really attached to them, but it helps to distract from all the slave and battle scars they can't look at.

Gotten piercings: None. They don't see the point, they're just a risk of getting caught on something.

Had a broken heart: Not in the romantic sense, but their heart has broken probably 3 times in their life. Once when they realized the man they had considered their father was actually their owner and had been raising them for slaughter. Again, when the only person they trusted in their small world died in an effort to save them from slavery they didn't even believe they should be saved from. And finally, in the Prison of Regret.

Been in love: Maybe they could have been a long time ago. But, not officially until they met Lucanis.

ARE THEY

A cuddler: Absolutely. Despite not having a lot of interest in sex and generally despises being touched, Rook loves physical intimacy with the people they feel close to. They love any small touches of comfort that help ground them; touches to their lower back, brushing of hands (though it startles them sometimes), and bumping of knees at dinner.

Scared easily: Not really? They're almost constantly anxious about what could happen, leading them to being pretty neurotic. But it doesn't stop them doing what must be done.

Jealous easily: Mmmm, yes and no. I think if anyone came onto Lucanis they'd be on guard - not because they don't trust him, they've hardly trusted anyone more in fact - more so for the fact they think it'd make him uncomfortable and they'd get quite protective.

Trustworthy: Rook isn't an 'honest' person. They'll omit information as they like, dance around truths, and bluntly tell you to your face if they don't think you deserve to know something. However, they will also tell you straight up if you've fucked up, done something wrong, and keep every promise they ever made by any means. So maybe 'trustworthy' isn't the best word, but they are beyond a doubt loyal.

FAMILY

Sibling(s): None

Parents: None, though they once considered their 'master' their father (even if they were scolded for calling him as such).

Children: None. Though Lucanis may 'adopt' the occasional young Crow - a softer First Talon than Catarina was - Rook doesn't have the heart to get in the way of the mans want to nurture. They know Lucanis is aware of the risks of getting close with other Crows, so they simply take a step back, aid where they can, and offer protection as they go off on contracts. When a young freed elf gives Rook a hug for their help, Rook finds themself surprised by how little discomfort it causes.

Pets: None really. Rook enjoys spending time with animals - Assan as an example - but they can't see themself taking on the responsibility of a pet full time. So instead, every cat in Tevinter and Antiva is their pseudo-pet.

If anyone else sees this, it's an open invite to do your own. Please tag me and let me read about all your lovely Rooks <3

[madrabbit014]

OC Meme: Nels Mercar

I was tagged by the awesome @ezriell 💜

GENERAL

Name: Nels Mercar

Alias(es): Rook, Shade, Tribunus

Gender: Nonbinary

Age: 29

Place of birth: Tevinter

Spoken languages: Trade, Elven, Tevene, Orlisian, Antivan, and Qunlat, learning dwarven from Lace

Sexual orientation: Demisexual

Occupation: Retired military. Currently in charge of the Shadow Dragons' covert operations, overseeing the catacombs, and Viper's occasional bodyguard.

FAVOURITE

Color: Purple and Black

Entertainment: Sparing and Dracolisk Riding

Pastime: Drawing and art in general. They're the one responsible for all the Shadow Dragon graffiti in dock town and in the safe house.

Food: They absolutely love sweets. They used to trade their coffee rations with other soldiers for more chocolate rations. They also say their favorite is anything their friends make for them but considering how many times Lace has given them food poisoning, the others have doubts.

Drink: Hot chocolate and spiced apple cider are their favorite non-alcoholic drinks. They are a whiskey drinker and while usually they control themselves really well, they tend to over drink after particularly hard battles.

Books: They aren't a book person and view reading as something they do for work. They do enjoy listening to Lace and Bellara read out loud while they're drawing, and after Nels starts dating Lucanis he occasionally reads to them as well.

HAVE THEY

Passed university: Nels has an odd education. They had to stop their primary lessons early because the magisterium forced them to enlist in the military academy at 14 hoping they'd get themself killed on the battlefield. That didn't happen though and they graduated top of their class at the academy, but it made their actual knowledge base spotty at best.

Had sex: No, they never even had a crush until after meeting Lucanis

Had Sex in Public: No

Gotten tattoos: Yes, they have a number of snake themed tattoos all over their body. Also, their makeup is permanently tattooed onto their face because putting it on every day was too much effort, but they didn't like being bare faced.

Gotten piercings: Their ears are pierced but they rarely wear earrings.

Had a broken heart: The closest they got to a broken heart was when they thought the reason that Lucanis didn't kiss them was because he was turned off by their scars when he saw them up close. They became really self-conscious about their face for a while and Lucanis was mortified when he found out they had misunderstood.

Been in love: Just once with Lucanis. They spent most their teen years around adults and didn't really start spending time with people their own age until joining the Shadow Dragons, and even then they just mostly hung out with Ashur and Tarquin.

ARE THEY

A cuddler: 100%. Nels was the kind of kid that was always in arms length of their favorite stuffed toy and as an adult they found cuddling is one of their favorite things in the world. They'll even cuddle with Lace and Bellara while one of them is reading out loud. After sleeping cuddled up to Lucanis once they aren't able to sleep on their own anymore.

Scared easily: Surprisingly, kinda. They don't handle jump scares well and will punch someone on pure reflex if the jump out to scare them. Also, while they have no problem with spirits, they are scared of ghosts.

Jealous easily: Not really. They are self conscious about a lot of things but they trust Lucanis. Also they usually just assume people are just being nice and can't tell when someone's actually trying to flirt.

Trustworthy: Yes. They consider their word law and will do whatever it takes to keep a promise once they've made it.

FAMILY

Sibling(s): No siblings but they have a LOT of cousins and their youngest aunt is only four years older then them so they had a lot of relatives that are as close as siblings.

Parents: Just their adopted dad Charon

Children: Eventually Nels and Lucanis have five kids together.

Pets: Their Dracolisk, Stormrider

Tagging @akuma-misery 💜

[my-dear-anonym]

Why do we not have more resources for the Tevene language. It upsets me. We have more Elvish than Tevene! And Elvish is supposed to be practically dead, even to the Elves! Tevene is a national language! (not ancient tevene--though i want more of that too.) Nevarran I understand not having much of I guess. We haven't done much with Nevarra or Rivain. BUT I NEED TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE TEVINTER BABES SAY BAD OR SWEET THINGS IN THEIR NATIVE TONGUE OKAY HOW IS A FANFIC AUTHOR SUPPOSED TO FUNCTION ON THESE SCRAPS

[corvus-frugilegus]

OC Tag game

Ty for the chance to babble about Nazri 🥺 @rookamell @flowersforthemachines @rookinthecrownest @teyrnacousland

Tagging: @ofcrowsanddragons @covertleathers @pavuslavellan

General

Name: Nazri Mercar (Jackdaw before they were adopted)

Alias: Rook, Naz, Jackdaw, A few Shadow Dragon code names over the years including a three month stint as 'Comrade Loaves' (not by choice)

Gender: Non-binary, sometimes thinks genders a little silly but appreciates that it brings some people joy

Age: 34-35, they have a birthday at some point over the events of the game

Place of Birth: Lowtown Ventus (coolest place in Tevinter if you ask them)

Spoken Languages: Trade, Orlesian, a bit of Tevene, slowly picking up bits of Antivan

Sexual Orientation: Ehhh [wavey hand gesture]. (bi but demi, so the ehhh is a surprise when it happens?)

Occupation: Shadow Dragon, wanted criminal, Line Cook, Baker, Prep Cook, Dishwasher, Server, that one weird summer they helped out a carpenter.... It turns out Shadow Dragoning doesn't pay so well, especially not in their early days. Naz has worked in kitchens all over Tevinter at this point. They're also from a family of bakers originally and used to help out until things went south and they ended up with the Mercars.

Favourites

Colour: Red and turquoise, the shadows really nailed their colour pallet.

Entertainment: WICKED GRACE. They're a bit of a card shark and prone to cleaning people out.

Pastime: Baking, reading, fighting, piano, Causing Problems On Purpose

Food: Za'atar Manakeesh, Lamb Mantu, Fresh bread

Drink: COFFEE. Shitty Ale.

Books: Romance and Horror. They have a lot to discuss with Bellara.

Have They…

Passed University: Yes! They even reached the rank of enchanter in the Vyrantium circle.

Had Sex: Yeah!

Had Sex in Public: ...In a Chantry Even. 💀

Gotten Tattoos: They've got a huuuge snake snaking up their arm that's nicely and "Venhedis" poked into their thigh by a fellow shadow during a particularly long and dull stakeout. It's starting to fade but the memory is fond.

Gotten Piercings: Yeah, but they have a few flat studs in their ears

Gotten Scars: MANY. They lost their birth family in a Gaatlok blast and have burn scars all over their right side. Plus lots of knicks and scapes and cuts over the years in the shadows. One particularly bad stab scar on their left hip.

Had a Broken Heart: Big Tiiiiime. After Ashur they were pretty sure they'd already found their 'big romantic love' and it was all a wash from there. That was thankfully mostly the drama of youth. But it turns out your heart can keep breaking years later, him getting blighted really opened up an old wound.

Been in Love: Presently Lucanis! He really took them by surprise. They'd heard of his work and knew they'd share an interest in killing Venatori...and then he was warm and funny and caring and very quickly became a person they felt like they could rely on. He's their best friend that they get to kiss sometimes. It's sentimental as hell but he's their home.

Before Lucanis, they'd had a long relationship with Ashur- they broke it off around 5 years before the start of the Veilguard. The tension of their different places in the world, where they each thought the Shadows should put their focus, and having to keep things very quiet because of his position in the world all led to it breaking. But for a very long time they were really happy together. The heartbreak stung. It still does, they never quite found their footing as friends. (Nazri is terrified of losing Lucanis like this, still loving him but not being able to stand being in a room with him. They don't want to repeat the mistakes they made with Ashur.)

Are They…

A cuddler: Like living velcro.

Scared easily: Jumpy, but not like actually scared.

Jealous easily: Nah. Crippling Fomo problem though.

Trustworthy: Yes! They're pretty golden retriever coded.

Family

Siblings: None! A whole wack of cousins though. And lots of aunties, uncles, and cousins who aren't actually related. Mercar family gatherings are more like a Block party.

Parents: Charon Mercar found them in the Ventus streets trying to run a grift when they were a kid. As a gay man who didn't particularly want to get straight married for legacy or whatever, he thought this scrappy kid might do the job. They love each other even if they haven't seen each other much since Nazri joined up with the Shadows. They're looking forward to seeing him once the gods are dealt with.

Children: Undecided! They would in the right situation but that hasn't been their life so far.

Pets: Lucanis's snake!! They also have been adopted by a few of the strays of Minrathous— Most notable among them Archon Radpawnis.

Blank template under the cut!

General

Name:

Alias:

Gender:

Age:

Place of Birth:

Spoken Languages:

Sexual Orientation:

Occupation:

Favorites

Color:

Entertainment:

Pastime:

Food:

Drink:

Books:

Have They…

Passed University:

Had Sex:

Had Sex in Public:

Gotten Tattoos:

Gotten Piercings:

Gotten Scars:

Had a Broken Heart:

Been in Love:

Are They…

A cuddler:

Scared easily:

Jealous easily:

Trustworthy:

Family

Siblings: .

Parents:

Children:

Pets: