#Rook Asks

[wickedwitchofthewilds]

Spicy questions for your Rook + their romanced partner ask

Question 3, 11, 26 please!

Thank you!!! 🥰🥰

I answered for Elauthin and Lucanis

3. How often does Rook spend "alone time"

Not super often pre-game because she has a bit of a revolving door of fwbs and a partner that doesn't treat her the best. During the game, when all she has is her fantasies of Lucanis, it's more often. Which is awkward when Spite seeks her out on its own and is very confused as to why she is making those distressed noises and she has to make him promise to not say anything to Lucanis...

He asks Emmrich instead

11. What is Rook's favorite intimate non-sexual thing to do with their partner?

Bathe. She especially loves when they wash each other's hair and while usually she is a wash and go person, Lucanis combs oil through her hair to keep it healthy and helps her braid it after

26. What do they usually do after? Are they a couple that likes to cuddle?

Oh yes. They are constantly touching. Subtly in public and all over each other in private. They like to hold each other for awhile until they both feel too gross to continue, then bathe together, and usually fall asleep

Spicy Rook asks

[rook-laidir]

🌾🍂 from the flower themed Rook asks?

🌾- If there ever was a demon trying to trap/take over Rook, what kind would be the most successful? What would break their hold?

I actually did a scene for exactly this in my fanfic (go read my shit y’all) and it was a desire demon that almost got Rook. She showed them a hidden alcove on a Rivaini beach where they were promised endless amounts of gold and adventure, but that’s not what almost worked. Rook folded almost immediately when the demon turned into Neve and made such sweet promises of staying there forever, having a life together. Rook snapped out of it when they remembered that Neve Gallus would never want to retire quietly on some beach. No, Neve plans on going out kicking and screaming and on the job and that’s the Neve Gallus Rook wants.

🍂- What was it like the first time Rook killed someone? How did they react afterwards.

Rook was only eleven when it happened. Their mother’s old master held a grudge and got word of an escaped slave living with a child in Rivain. The bastard couldn’t even be bothered to come down to get them himself, he just sent some slave catchers to do it for him. He wasn’t specific about dead or alive, so one of them took it upon himself to kill Rook’s mother right in front of them. In a panic, Rook took a dagger from one of the catchers and drove it into the killer’s side. They still remember how he gurgled as he fell. They only wounded a few more of them - they were young and small and outnumbered. It wasn’t terribly hard to bring a little elvhen girl back to Tevinter as a slave. They didn’t kill anyone again until after they’d escaped and joined up with the Lords. Their experiences with killing have so far been much less traumatic since. They don’t love doing it, but they’ll do whatever it takes to survive.

[ofcrowsanddragons]

what is the first thing your Rook does after defeating the gods?

Great question, anon!

Giddy with success, Rook throws themselves into their lover's arms. Lucanis picks them up in a full body hug and twirls them before setting Rook back on their feet.

They straight-up giggle. Shot through with adrenaline, they tumble into Neve and kiss her straight on the mouth.

Oh.

Oh no.

Nothing about training to be a Crow (to be Varric's second, to be Solas's mirror image) prepared them for figuring out how to shrug this off.

(What are a trio of godkillers? The demon and the detective... and whoever Rook is now?)

[thesummerstorms]

🪷🌼🌷 for the rook ask! xx

Rook Asks!

🌼 If someone was to ask Spite what Rook smells like, what would he say?

Rosemary, mint, and ozone. Possibly blood/rust depending on the time of day and whether or not she's on a job.

🌷If Rook needed to get away from their responsibilities for a moment, where would they go? Where is their safe space outside the Lighthouse?

If she only needs to get away for the afternoon, there's a cafe in the less fashionable part of Treviso, on the other side of the Drowned District, that's too old and careworn for most Crows or Antaam to bother with. If Arsinoë climbs the trellis, she can let herself in to a little private terrace where jasmine blooms in the summer. There's a tiny statue of Amrita in one of the niches that is only really obvious as such if you already know what you're looking at. The proprietor, the widower of a tradesman who worked for the Crows, will bring her an adequate cup of coffee and some cheap cantucci or mint tea and rosemary focaccia with olive oil to eat in private, so long at Arsinoë never brings violence or her job with her. As far as Treviso, most of her other, more long-term bolt holes have been taken over or destroyed in the time she was away, although she isn't above finding an inconveniently narrow or high ledge in the Drowned District and camping there with wards and a bedroll if need be. But in Salle, she has a particular fondness for a lending library built in the shell of a gutted monastery. The man who runs the library is the younger son of a younger son of a merchant prince who runs the collection of books for his own entertainment and isn't above turning a blind eye to the occasional Crow or Fledgling sheltering in the old cloister, as long as they stay out of the nave where he keeps the books and have the good sense not to get caught or bloody the place, in which case he won't protect them.

🪷 Does your Rook have an irrational phobia? (ie spiders or large man-made objects submerged underwater)

I don't think Arsinoë has any fear that rise to the level of phobia or that are particularly irrational. She does still have a hatred-fear-loathing of Templars, despite the fact that very few of the old Order exist in my world state, and of the Rite of Tranquility, but that's solidly grounded in her life experience as an Apostate mage. She also hates the idea of being (physically) trapped. She'd rather die than go back to the days of being barred away in the Circle or be jailed or under house arrest. Lucanis's situation get a lot of horrified sympathy from her because of it. It's one thing if you have a decent chance of getting out, but at a certain point, it's better to die free than live in captivity.

Thank you for the asks!

[theoriginalladya]

HAVE TWO!

🪷 Does your Rook have an irrational phobia? (ie spiders or large man-made objects submerged underwater)

🍀 Has Rook had any near-death experiences? What went through their mind during what they thought was going to be their final moments?

Since you did not specify, I will answer for those to whom it applies:

Does your Rook have an irrational phobia?

I think Kione has an irrational fear of deep water after an incident with him and his twin sister, Pari, during their Crow training years when he slipped off a roof (damned slippery tiles! especially when it rains! lol) and ended up in the water. Kione doesn't know how to swim (he should probably correct that) and it took Pari a bit of time to get off the roof to come help him, but that bit of time was enough to convince him that he was going to drown. (LOL guess this answers the second one, too!)

Kalais is my Veil Jumper and I'm still getting to know him, to be honest. However, I'd say that if he has any they probably have to do with the cities. Dogs.... yeah, let's say he's got an irrational fear of dogs because he was once chased through the streets of a city by a dog that was snarling and barking and growling at him the entire way. He never did figure out why. (he got away because after the dog cornered him, someone heard the barking and came and chased the hound off)

Has Rook had any near-death experiences? What went through their mind during what they thought was going to be their final moments?

Hmmm, the only one I can talk about at the moment (outside of Kione, mentioned above) is Lilya, I think. She, too, is an Antivan Crow. I think in her case, prior to the incident that sends her off with Varric before the game starts, she had a different encounter with a small squad of Antaam. Her job was to lead them away from a larger group (several of the younger, newer Crows were given this task to make the bulk of them easier to manage) but during the process, she got too close. She took quite a beating, only managing to sneak away after a fellow Crow came to her aid and lured them away from her. She eventually crawled back to House de Riva, severely injured and quite embarrassed, and she was all but certain that if she was still breathing when she got there that Viago would kill her for messing up so badly. She has no memory of actually reaching her house; she woke up several days later, quite alive and surprised to find a look of relief on Viago's face. (he denies it and said she must have been hallucinating)

[icescrabblerjerky]

🌹 What’s the first genuine fight Rook got in with their love interest about? How was it resolved?

For any and all Rooks!

For Sema, the first genuine fight was the one she had with him pre-endgame regarding life expectancy. She shuts that down really fucking fast, any time he tries to bring it up later. He's convinced she's closing off options for herself. They also have fights regarding whether or not it would be a good idea to have children - Emmrich is cautiously interested, Rook is undecided, and of course Emmrich is conscious of the fact that the longer they wait the less he'll be in their lives, so it's a continuation of the old fight. This one hasn't been resolved as yet.

Carver and Harding don't fight a lot, they respect each other and they GET each other (both being former Ferelden farmers who have spent a lot of their lives hanging around difficult mages). Harding comes close to having a big fight with him before he finds out what Solas did to him with Varric, because he doesn't (obviously) talk to her about his grief and seems to just go on with life as though Varric hasn't gone. It frustrates her and part of the reason she tries to get closer to him is to find out about why he won't let himself grieve. Obviously that one is resolved when she finds out what Solas did.

Yelena fights with Davrin about being bummed he didn't die when he killed the archdemon. She thinks that's DUMB and he's DUMB. He comes around post game.

Malavai has regular fights with Neve trying to convince her to sleep. He does not win all the time but it feels like a triumph when he does.

[heylittleriotact]

Back to ask more! If they've not already been done. 🌷🌿🍂🌾

🌷 If Rook needed to get away from their responsibilities for a moment, where would they go? Where is their safe space outside the Lighthouse?

Depends on how much time she has. If it’s only a few hours, you’d find her having a long, hot bath - I’m sure the Lighthouse has either private baths or a communal situation or both. She wants a dark, quiet room with as little visual stimulus as possible - probably only her veilfire wisp as a light source, and sometimes she’ll forego that too and just sit in the steaming, borderline scalding water scented with rosemary and lavender and just let herself be swallowed by darkness, humid air, and the placid lapping of the water against the sides of the bath. It’s quiet. It’s as close to the restfulness of death as she can get without actually dying.

If she’s got at least a night where she doesn’t have to be at the Lighthouse, you’ll find her at the most expensive luxury inn or chateau that gold can buy. We’re talking executive or honeymoon suite at the minimum. She wants to surround herself in comfort and indulgence. She wants someone to bring her food and pour her drinks and roast marshmallows in the fireplace for her while she lounges on a settee in a bathrobe that smells like lemongrass and pretends she’s not a sweaty, aching, fucked up battle-axe of a woman, usually coated head to toe in grave dust, ectoplasm, or some other horror. Let someone else do the work for a fucking change: she’s earned this.

🌿 Does your Rook have any tattoos? What was the moment when they got them like? If they're a Crow where is their de Riva brand located? What vallaslin do they have/how did they earn it if they're Dalish?

No tattoos - they’re somewhat frowned upon in Watcher circles: the dying remnants of a traditionalist view that is dying away with each generation of boring old men that retire from the Watch, taking their archaic ideas of propriety along with them.

She has numerous piercings, though. It’s not uncommon for Reapers in particular to be heavily pierced (in discreet places so as to appear ‘professional’ as public facing professionals). Wearing grave gold as flashy and ostentatious as Emmrich’s is a health hazard for a hands-on Reaper: rings can cause finger breaks or even de-gloving if they snag on something. Bracelets and chains are catching hazards too. If your gold matters that much to you, you attach it to your skin under your armour instead of wearing it on top of it - breaking or losing your grave dowry is considered a mark of carelessness and immaturity that speaks to a lack of reverence for death.

🍂 What was it like the first time Rook killed someone? How did they react afterwards?

She caught a non-Watcher Necromancer attempting to rob a fresh grave in the middle of the night. Usually grave robbers scare easily when a figure clad in armor that looks like a flayed body looms out of the shadows wearing a helmet depicting a snarling skull, but that one didn’t: they put up a fight - summoned a bound spirit and set it on Amina and then proceeded to start agitating other nearby spirits in an attempt to overwhelm her - she had no option but to destroy the Necromancer to interrupt their binding so that the spirits could be placated and the bound one freed.

She thought it would be harder: that’s what she struggled with the most. She wondered if maybe she was missing the part of her that should feel bad for making that decision, and kept that to herself for a very, very long time.

🌾 If there was a demon trying to trap/take over Rook, what kind would be the most successful? What would break their hold?

Despair for sure. As a Reaper she brushes elbows with so much metaphysical darkness: it’s how she’s able to manipulate the Fade as someone who isn’t a mage. By drawing on and channeling intense emotions like fear, sorrow, pain, and rage, she is able to use the concepts of those emotions as a conduit in which to do awesome Reaper shit. Unfortunately it requires her to genuinely *feel* those things, and it’s laborious work that takes its toll without proper management and self-maintenance.

Honestly, I’m not sure what would break the hold of a Despair demon who managed to win her over. I think it would be very difficult in the first place: so much of Watcher training is for worst case scenario eventualities where a Watcher might find themselves unprotected by the ancient wards of the Necropolis, so I think she would stand a better chance than most people at not succumbing to the spirit.

Hmmm… interesting…

[leothelionsaysgrrrr]

🪻and 🍀 for Rexus? 👀

🍀 Has Rook had any near-death experiences? What went through their mind during what they thought was going to be their final moments?

Rexus has a reputation for being impossible to kill precisely because he’s been in an unreasonable amount of situations that by any stretch of the imagination should have killed him. A lot of them, like the shipwreck, the explosion, the burning/collapsing buildings, the cave-in, or the plague, did kill people, just not him. Other than that, there’s the multiple poisonings, the attempted drownings, the attempted hangings, the snake bite (detailed here), a few defenestrations, a cart he was in tumbling off a cliff, someone tried to throw him off the bridge going into Minrathous once, he’s been run through at least twice, numerous magic- or alcohol-related incidents, he almost got quartered once, he got a Boromir-style chest full of arrows before being left behind to die by the woman he loved, the list goes on. Practically every single time, he survived by a ridiculous amount of sheer dumb luck, and he knows it. He’s smug as all hell about it when someone tries and fails to kill him, of course, but he never developed any delusions of actually being unkillable and has fully expected to die every time.

His thoughts in times like these are usually some flippant variety of being resigned to his fate: this might as well happen, I suppose I deserve this, it’s about time, so this is the one that sticks, and so on and so forth. Something that relieves the terror around the idea of dying, because it was always bound to happen and he was never going to make it to old age anyway.

🪻 What is the most painful injury your Rook has received? How has it affected them once it healed/scarred?

I did answer this once here (why are you guys so interested in this poor man almost dying and being in pain?!!), but wait, there’s more!!

They were just arrow wounds, which he’d had before, but not in his chest, not from someone to whom he’d arguably done more than enough heinous things to deserve it, and not when someone he loved, who’d once thought him worth loving too and had saved him before, chose to leave him to his fate this time because he was no longer worth saving. The wounds took a long time to heal, and left ugly scars. He hated them at first - he hated scars in general and had always made sure the healers working on him didn’t leave any - because they were just a reminder that he hadn’t been worth saving to her, but now they are more of a symbol that even if it wasn’t her, someone out there thought he was worth saving, and so did Silver, and he owed it to them and to everyone he’d ever hurt, her included, to be someone that deserved that.

Got any more?

[cr-noble-writes]

2 and 18 for the Rook questions? :)

2. What is your character’s alignment?

I'd say probably Neutral Good. Callum is a good guy. Being a good person is something that's important to him. I think there are a lot of things that fall into sort of moral gray area for him because as far as he's concerned they're only wrong to do in specific circumstances, and ultimately he's looking out for him and his. He will snag every unattended shiny thing he sees. He punches the First Warden in the face because he won't listen, and Callum has run out of patience for him. He will stop and pet every single cat and dog in the city, and puts money in the plate of every beggar and busker he comes across.

18. What would your Rook be doing if they weren’t recruited by Varric?

Callum's a Lord of Fortune. He likes being a Lord of Fortune. He's on good terms with the Lords. He's an accomplished weather mage. He'd be on a ship doing ethical pirate shit lol

Thanks so much for the ask! Questions are from this post.

[silurisanguine]

Ask game for your Rook- 42 what does she regret and the +1 what does she smell like?

Ah thank you for the asks!! 42 - What does she regret? Teleri regrets not being there to fight for her clan when they were attacked. Seeing as everyone died, she knows that she would have joined them that day if her Keeper and her weren't there. But she was a protector of the clan alongside her brother Meryn and he was a better fighter than her. Together they may have had a chance. She regrets the loss of Harding, wishing there had been some way to have prevented her death. She also regrets not being able to help Neve when Ghilan'nain sent a blighted dragon to Minrathus. But Treviso, her city and Lucanis came first. She doesn't regret not choosing them. +1 - What does she smell like? According to herself and Lucanis? - A perfume oil Teia got her for her name day, that came from Rialto, that is scented with very expensive resins and flower extracts. Lucanis has noted it and told her if she likes it, she will never run out of it. That perfume along with the fine oils she uses to keep her leather armour supple. Taash says it's a unique but pleasant combination she can pick out on the battlefield. According to Spite she smells of chocolate, resilience and woodsmoke.

[iamthelordofcheese]

🌸 and 🌱 for the rook ask game? 👀

Sorry for taking so long to get to this ask game! Nonbinary Rook, early 30s

🌸 Does your Rook have any siblings or close friends they see as such? Where are they during the events of Veilguard?

My rook has one twin brother and one older brother. Twin brother is with the Veilguard, joining once Rooks role as leadership is established and stabilized. On the fence whether Older brother is dead or alive, but he's in Fereldan nonetheless. Rook sees Lace as a sister and has known her since the inquisition.

🌱Was Rook involved romantically with anyone before Veilguard? What was their partner like? How did the relationship end?

Rook garnered protection from the Templars through sponsorships, and took up painting in noble courts. They caught the eye of a young noble woman in Orlais 13 years before the events of DATV, a Marquis' daughter with a deep love and obsession for the arts. While she treasured Rook, and taught them the art of fashion and song, the lady had a penchant for treating Rook more like a prized servant than a lover. The relationship ended when the civil war erupted, the Marquis having aligned with Gaspard and Rook was sent to the White spire shortly before the circles fell.

[wickedwitchofthewilds]

the lovers and the chariot for the ask game!

Thank you!

I will be answering for Elauthin

The Lovers: Who is your Rook's most significant relationship within the Veilguard? How do they help Rook feel seen and understood?

She has her own degrees of closeness with the other companions and she truly considers them all a family for better or for worse, but Lucanis is the one who peels back all of the layers of forced positivity, crippling expectations, and self-doubt. He just sees her; a lonely girl who was plucked out of an alienage and yearns for family and a happy-ish ending. Of course he remembers the way she takes her coffee, the tea blend that helps her sleep and the one that helps stop her racing thoughts, and her favorite sweet snack (oat and dried cranberry cookies). But he also knows when she's running short on charcoals and paper. He carries a spare bag every time they go to Rivain because she often forgets her own and he knows she'll want to stop by the shoreline and search for shells and sea glass. He reads to her when she loses her spectacles and eventually keeps a spare pair for her. When her bone cabinet becomes cluttered, he watches her reorganize it for hours while listening to every fact she fires off. She expects his eyes to glaze over at some point but his attention never falters. Elauthin always had to carve out pieces of her herself to accommodate previous friends and lovers but she never has to do that with Lucanis.

The Chariot: How does Rook fight? What are their preferred abilities and damage type?

Elauthin tailors her style to the situation a lot of times. There are battles that require more stealth and she uses her spellblade to inflict quick and total damage. For waves of enemies, she uses her staff and inflicts fire and lightning damage depending on the enemy type and what she can use in the environment to aid her. She definitely prefers to ambush, quickly running in and taking them off guard with a damaging attack so they never really get a chance to catch their breath.

Rook Tarot Asks

[rook-laidir]

15 16 18 vanilla

15. Would your muse ever tempt their partner, e.g. flirting, wearing tight/sexy clothing?

Rook’s a brat, it’s kind of in the job description. They’re much more about flirting and teasing than wearing anything particularly sexy, but they will absolutely flirt at every given opportunity.

16. Does your muse initiate heated/sexual contact, or do they wait for their partner?

Depends on the partner. Rook has no problem taking charge, but is also really really attracted to confidence. If a partner initiates (or bosses them around a little) Rook’s very into it.

18. Does your muse like to be pinned down, or to pin their partner?

If you pin Rook down or against a wall, their brain fully stops functioning. Rook talks a big game until someone gets them on their back. Rook will absolutely give as good as they get, though - or at least attempt. Sometimes they’re already pinned again before they can really try.

[ofcrowsanddragons]

21: What is your Rook's favorite ability?

Void Blade! With skills that add Arcane Bomb stacks to each use, and combined with a dagger that freezes all enemies in range on explosion, the Spellblade Rook on my first playthrough could get in close and deal large amounts of damage to a group of enemies. Easy way to limit output from high-damage enemies, and can be mostly in place by Weisshaupt.

Bonus points when you use Lucanis or Harding's Sunder abilities and activate a combo.

For the Rook in my Magpie Files fic (also a Spellblade), Storm Surge for getting out of a tight spot.

[championofthefade]

which drink did ethiriel pick with lucanis and illario?

Ethiriel went with hot chocolate. It seemed silly at first but I had already had chosen a coffee drinker (Nifft and Olfa) and a tea drinker (Devara) before, so I wanted to see what was different

[somevirtualnolife]

the lovers and the chariot for the rook asks!

Ohhh, thank you for the Rook ask!

Tsura holds Taash incredibly close to her heart. Tsura is also a qunari with a bit of a complex relationship with the Qun and living as Vashoth. They both lean on each other a lot and share their insecurities about their identities, helping them find themselves in the larger scheme of things. Tsura loves Taash vulnerability and has grown to really enjoy their blunt delivery. There's no second guessing with Taash.

Sometimes Tsura also looks at Taash and sees what could have been if her parents had made it to Rivain. She mourns her past a bit, but she also sees such a bright future with them when they take care of the evanuris.

Varric is another important relationship to her in a more familial way. He and Isabela clearly saw something in Tsura that she didn't at the time. She was angrier and had a harder time seeing the bigger picture. I think Varric helped her a lot with that, acting as her mentor