#This one goes out to Sylvia Feketekuty

[the-ink-repository]

Professor Emmrich Volkarin during a lecture on Wisps, 9:51 Dragon

[felassan]

Some more DA:TV and related snippets from Sylvia Feketekuty, Part 2. rest of post under a cut due to length and spoilers. [Post One, Post Three]

The dev team really wanted to deliver on Emmrich's romance [source]

Sylvia Feketekuty has now left BioWare so there are likely some things she can't answer now "just because I can't look them up with certainty anymore" [source]

When Emmrich is first introduced, he has a skull helmet. Why does it never ever appear for the next 40-100 hours? "The helmet does indeed look wicked! I believe it actually shows up on his shelf in the Lighthouse eventually. (If I had been a smarter writer I would've asked if we could have it appear again, that one's on me.)" [source]

User: "In another post you mentioned shops in Nevarra City near the Necropolis. How far IS Nevarra City itself is from the Necropolis? Do only senior MWs get to go?" / Sylvia: "I'm reluctant to say what the distance is since I never defined it in game so it's Unknown™. But I imagine they can either walk or take a carriage, depending. Also I never imagined junior MWers are forbidden from going into town or such. It could be they have set hours and times where they're allowed. But got to get all those chores done first..." [source, two]

On the DA:I goat scene ([link]) - "The GOAT! God bless them, that was a delight." [source]

Brian J. Audette, on [this thread] - ""Better late than never" addendum to this thread. I just noticed that Isle of the Gods' writer Sylvia is on here now and I'd be remiss not to tag her in this thread. I can't say enough wonderful things about having worked with Sylvia on this mission." [source] / Sylvia: "Thanks Brian! You tackled an absolutely jam-packed mission with aplomb." [source]

Jo Berry: "Thank you for everything and everything else, on both Veilguard and Inquisition. Sunlight on your road, wherever it goes." [source] / Sylvia: "Thank YOU for all your writing Jo. Seriously, you were a godsend on Veilguard and DAI both." [source]

Trick Weekes: "It's been fantastic working with you, Sylvia, and I know you're going to crush it with whatever you do next. Thank you for finally letting me make you "the person who has to do journals so Trick doesn't" on one of our projects." [source] / Sylvia: "Thank you Trick! I'll miss working with you. It was an honour to finally be given the awesome responsibility of the journal system that still haunts my dreams." [source]

John Epler: "sylvia did you see i told the world Emmrich sleeps standing up like a horse" [source] / Sylvia: "It's days later but: yes. Yes I did." [source]

User: "As someone who also has a truly debilitating fear of death, Emmrich is so special to me. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen it represented in such a clear and concise way." / Sylvia: "Thanks, definitely felt that fear myself. I really wanted to express it clearly and was hoping would resonate with others." [source]

User: "Do you have any thoughts or opinions on what nickname Emmrich might have gotten from Varric if he'd ever gotten one?" / Sylvia: "Oh man that's a good question, but ultimately since I didn't write Varric, that must remain a mystery. Nicknames can only be bestowed. ("Bones" like someone suggested below is funny though.)" [source]

User: "If Emmrich's hobby is alchemy/plants, Vorgoth's is art, and Audric's is architecture... what's Myrna's? (Next to Emmrich, she's my favorite Watcher - sorry Vorgoth!)" / Sylvia: "Myrna has a one off line, you may not have heard it yet, where she talks to Vorgoth about getting tickets to the Sword of Drakon.* She enjoys a night out at the theater, whether it's a play or an opera. *(I think that's the play I named, I hope I'm recalling my own line haha.) It's a bit indulgent of me, but I chose Sword of Drakon because it was one of the plays I made up for a series of codices in DAI about Orlesian theater. I had a lot of fun with these and wanted to give them life once more. [link]" [source, two]

User: "During Rook’s disappearance in the prison, how did Emmrich react? Considering their intense romance, did he fall into depression, or did he show a more vulnerable side? Could his fear of death have influenced the situation? In the immortal romance💀, Emmrich promises that nothing will separate them, not in this world or any other. How likely is that? Would he go to great lengths for Rook, even crossing boundaries? Or, at some point, would he accept Rook's death?" / Sylvia: "1) Very strongly! I think it's a bit more interesting if I leave details to your imaginations, but Emmrich feels things deeply and probably had some sleepless nights. 2) So this I can't say much on even though it's a juicy topic. The truth is, I wouldn't even know unless I was actually sitting down to write it. Again, Emmrich feels things very passionately, but this is the kind of scenario where I might want the player's choices to have an effect." [source, two]

User: "Any chance that color scheme [of Emmrich's coat] was based off the corpse flower?" / Sylvia: "I couldn't find anything on the colour scheme and the corpse flower. Afraid this one's a mystery to me." [source]

User: "I'm really curious if there's a Nevarrese language? We have Orlesian, Antivan, Tevene, Qunlat..." / Sylvia: "I wondered that myself, especially given its ancient ties with Tevinter and also Orlais which would certainly have affected the languages of power and influence. Could also have roots with the Planasene. We never talked about one though, as far as I know, so the answer remains...unknown. 💀 (I did introduce tomb-script, the language you see etched into stone in the Necropolis, but I thought of it as more of a specialist's language for occult and magical things specifically.) (If we did define a Nevarran language in some corner of the lore, now I'm going to feel embarrassed, but I don't BELIEVE we did.)" [source, two, three]

User: "I wanted to ask if you have anything you can share about MW grave dowry jewellery - is it the sort of thing they keep on at all times? Also, would Emmrich like jewellery gifts or give them to Rook?" / Sylvia: "I figured it would be something they wear most of the time, or at least in public. You don't want to be without your grave-gold if you pass away! Emmrich would love to get jewellery, especially if it marked a special occasion like his other pieces do! He'd also probably like to gift Rook a piece of grave gold himself, though he knows a non-MW Rook might look at that part askance." [source, two]

User: "Question: how much if anything can you tell us about the circumstances surrounding the emergence of Emmrich's magic and him going to the Mourn Watch? In my mind, his parents' death could certainly be a catalyst for the emergence of mage powers, but I'm so curious why the butcher's boy goes to what seems the equivalent of Nevarran Harvard instead of a regular Circle unless he immediately demonstrated outstanding ability?" / Sylvia: So timeline wise, I think his magic manifested after he was taken in. This part isn't canon, so much as a background thought I had that maybe the spirits of the Necropolis nudged the MW to scoop up this future corpse-whisperer. It seems like a kind of place ripe for that sort of omen. That said, it could've also been a kindhearted Watcher who saw how shattered and alone this young boy was, and thought an upbringing in the Grand Necropolis would be the better place to deal with his grief. It's the kind of thing I want to leave open unless someone goes back one day to fill it out!" [source, two]

User: "what’s the overall Mourn Watch opinion on the whole Weekend at King Markus’s the other Mortalitasi are pulling? I can’t blame Emmrich for not wanting to be involved with that political mess!" / Sylvia: "No clue what you're talking about. King Markus is in the finest of health!!!!! ahahahahaha (To my mind Emmrich's response indicates a tension between the orders, but that they're going along with the polite fiction to avoid a mess. I can't say what the future holds though.)" [source]

User: "Ah, one last note: whoever decided “DA liches are immortal protectors and not always evil?” Chef’s kiss. It’s all I’ve ever wanted!" / Sylvia: "Thanks again! It was in Emmrich's first draft. The other writers and editors gave me good feeback on lichdom and the philosophy behind it especially" [source]

User: "I'm an ICU nurse, and that is imagined to confer a comfort with mortality. Suffice to say Emmrich has been a huge comfort to see." / Sylvia: "Thanks so much. I really wanted him to struggle with it while also engaging with it, because it's something I find hard as well. And I hoped it would find purchase with players." [source]

User: "If you’re willing, can you share a bit about the other orders within the Mortalitasi? Is there a rivalry with the Tevinter Imperium?" / Sylvia: I'm afraid I don't have much, sorry. I left the other Mortalitasi orders a big open canvas in case we wanted to invent more some day. (We've mentioned the palace Mortalitasi are separate from the Mourn Watch, so there's one. As you probably caught, Emmrich's not a fan of theirs.) Is there a rivalry with the Tevinter Imperium? I can't really point to anything in the game talking about that, so I hesitate to call it canon. But to my mind it would be very natural and also very funny. So if that ever manifests, I approve." [source, two]

User: "was any of Emmrich's design or personality modeled on British actor David Niven? I think there is resemblance just wondering if that was intentional." / Sylvia: "Oh I love David Niven. But the more direct actor influence for me was Peter Cushing in a few old Hammer Horror films." [source]

User: "just wanted to say thank you for creating the character of Josephine in Inq!! Helped me learn some stuff about myself when I was younger and meant a lot." / Sylvia: "Thank you so much on all counts! I'm glad the lovely Lady Montilyet was there for you (and enormous credit to her actor, Allegra Clark. She absolutely nailed Josephine, straight away.)" [source]

User, on Emmrich: "He mentions he thought he would marry - is that permitted for Mortalitasi when it wasn't for regular Circle mages? Can they now raise their own children?" / Sylvia: Mortalitasi have a lot of power. I imagine the Nevarran Chantry might grant them permission to marry outside the Circle more regularly than in places where mages are given less respect. (Mages can also marry within Circles, so no permission needed in those cases.) The same might be true for mages raising mage-born children in Nevarra, but I say that with less certainty. I think that's a topic I would've wanted to discuss with the rest of the narrative team." [source, two]

User: "is there a particular reason why emmrich is always wearing a glove on one hand?" / Sylvia: "I like to think it's mostly because he works a lot with his hands. The glove seems useful if he has to, say, grip a rough outcrop of rock when traversing the Necropolis, or deal with a bitey corpse." [source]

User, on Emmrich: "On my 1st run I played a trans Rook and romanced him. It felt incredible how he was so accepting of Rook's identity, and in return she could support him as he did a transition of his own as well. Beautiful mirroring!" / Sylvia: "Thanks very much! If those scenes worked, it's thanks to some people at work who kindly gave feedback that helped get the tone right." [source]

User: "I've been wanting to thank you for writing Luck in the Gardens for 4 years. Hollix was the first time I ever saw a non-binary character given a real voice." / Sylvia: "I loved writing Hollix in that story, they were a treat, and I'm glad they meant a lot to you. (And a shout out to a nb friend who gave me some good feedback on the character, I don't think the story would've been as clear without their help.)" [source]

User: "I was curious about Audric from TN, and if he originally was planned to have an appearance in veilguard, and what he's up to now" / Sylvia: "Love Audric, but I never planned to bring him into VG. I'm not AGAINST it, but I didn't want the short stories to feel like required reading for the game, and I liked where his arc ended in DatDM. That said, I dropped in a few references to Audric to let people know he's around and well. And I imagine he's doing what he loves: being a force of order, in the library. (And reading books during the more quiet hours below.)" [source, two]

User: "As a consumer of (and probably future creator of) so called "erotic" fanficfion, I'm wondering how you feel about the fact that fans make it about a character you created?" / Sylvia: "No issues with it whatsoever. We put sex and romance into the game itself, after all. I think people use fan art and fanfiction to extend their time with a story they've grown fond of, or to figure things out. So it feels like a natural extension of that." [source]

User: "Maybe one day my rook will join the mw!" / Sylvia: "Well, the Grand Necropolis is always eager for more company...🪦👻" [source]

User: "did the flame eternal (short story) come first or the flame eternal (quest)? i’ve been wondering if the quest was named after the story or vice versa" / Sylvia: "I wrote the scene first, the short story came after. But I named the quest AFTER the short story had come out, so I'd say the quest is named for the story because I liked the callback." [source]

User: "1.I know John answered already that Emmrich sleeps like a horse but is there really no bed for this man? 2.How would he react to a bouquet made for him?" / Sylvia: "1. Unknown. Perhaps he brings out pillows and a blanket for the slab in his room (after scrubbing it, of course!) Perhaps he goes home to an elaborate silk-covered bed in his Necropolis apartments. Or the horse thing. (TBH: I never decided myself, so I've leaned into impish mystery). 2. Emmrich would be absolutely delighted and flattered by being presented with a flower bouquet." [source, two]

User: "I hope it's okay to pop here but it might interest you to know a lot of us have been headcanoning that he has a secret bedroom behind one of his bookshelves! It seemed to line up with his sensibilities somewhat." / Sylvia: "That would honestly be great. Pull out the right book and snooze time." [source]

User, on the cemetery date: "This makes me feel like Mourn Watchers include the dead in important personal milestones/events and, if so, I love that so much. Like they want to share these events and the joy/love/excitement/etc. with those who have passed (and perhaps linger.)" / Sylvia: "That's absolutely how I thought of it too." [source]

User: "was there any game/book/show/film that inspired the Mourn Watch and Emmrich? When I saw them in the preview content, I got reminded of the Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir and playing through the game cemented those vibes." / Sylvia: "I hadn't read any Locked Tomb when writing Emmrich, I think we must both just have impeccable taste. (I actually tried to stay away from contemporary stuff on necromancy when writing him, out of a superstitious fear I'd be unduly influenced. I do want to talk about influences later though!)" [source]

User, on Josie: "Do you think she’s open to having kids/adopting with the Inquisitor? Lord Ontranto and Yvette are so ahead!" / Sylvia: "I think that falls firmly within the category of what you imagine she and your Inquisitor's romance looks like, which means: absolutely, if that's where you imagine life would take them." [source]

User: "Emmrich, his story & everything surrounding him absolutely played a huge part in helping to lift me up & connecting me with new friends online" / Sylvia: "Thank you! And I'm very glad to hear Emmrich and his fellow Watchers helped you out when you needed it. He'd be pleased to know so himself." [source]

User: "Was it ever considered for him to appear in the game?" / Sylvia: "(short answer is no, but I wanted to let people know Audric's doing well.)" [source]

User: "I enjoyed your short stories in Tevinter Nights. Emmrich mentioned working out in the morning. What does his morning routine look like, and what kind of exercise does he do?" / Sylvia: "Thanks so much! Those stories have a special place in my heart, so that's especially nice to hear. On exercise: He likes a brisk stroll, and does morning stretches, and for something more strenuous, he likes to go swimming. Why? It's a workout where you don't have to worry about sweating. That just seemed to align with his fastidiousness in a funny way to me. (I also imagine exploring the Necropolis keeps him active, climbing all those stairs and crumbling ledges and the outsized walls of hallowed tombs, etc.)" [source, two]

User: "Harding will turn to a MW Rook who's been talking nerdy necro shop with Emmrich, and goes (paraphrasing), "You're so different when you're talking about this stuff than you are when you hang out with us!" and I loved that" / Sylvia: "Yes indeed! And thanks. I really wanted a beat where you realize MW Rook has learned to swap between being a fancy nerd and talking a bit more like "regular" people in Thedas. It seemed like a fun trait for that background." [source]

Sylvia, on how she came to BioWare: "No formal training. The closest to practice I had was running tabletop RPGs for friends, which actually helped me a lot with understanding the different kind of RPG players out there and what people want out of a story. And honestly: I just kept applying, over and over. That was my main virtue. I was rejected the first couple times I applied to BW. And rightly, I think, I wasn't ready and practicing in between really helped me become a stronger writer." [source, two]

Some more on this topic ^ from Sylvia: "To be honest: mostly luck, some perseverance, and then writing skills, in that order. I was rejected at least twice from BW before I got in, and I think they were right to do so. I wasn't ready yet. The third round someone I knew passed on my sample to a writer there, I did two more rounds of samples while taking feedback and revising over the next month. And then I was lucky enough they liked it enough to interview me. I wish I had better advice than perseverance. I think having a small, completed game, even something text based or a mod, isn't bad either. Even if it's short, it shows you finished it. But: my entry was over 15 years ago now, and to be honest I'm not sure what BW's applicant process are anymore. I don't want to be discouraging though. I would say keep applying, and make friends with like minded people who also want to make games, and best of luck." [source, two, three, four]

User: "I've been wondering something about Mourn Watch Rook's background - their bio says they were found as a baby + raised by the MW, and they reference it in-game, but then they also say they were a street kid and left their old life behind to join the MW to Taash. I'm just curious how one - being raised by the MW - lead to the other - street kid era. I just hc'd it as a euphemism for my Rook's party girl phase lol but it did leave me a little confused." / Sylvia: "This is a case of the background changing slightly over time, and me not squaring it in time with dialogue. In my mind: MW IS found by the Mourn Watch, raised by them, and work for them. But MW Rook also had period(s?) growing up where they explored Nevarra city, to explain why they're more. street savvy and worldly than your typical Watchers who never leave the city. I've seen people noting some discrepancies, and in a perfect world I would've caught those lines in time to smooth them out to encompass the whole story. But perhaps your Rook gives slightly different answers to different people for their own, mysterious reasons! (Or, in reality, it's writer error.)" [source, two, three] "Anyhow, I encourage any head canons that help square these discrepancies" [source]

User: "I romanced him on a Rook that I perceived as about 42ish and my running interpretation of the lines acknowledging her being young were either Emmrich not realizing how old she is, a running bit between them, or some cute form of flattery to not remind her of her own age haha" / Sylvia: "That's adorable, I love it" [source]

User: "1. What would Josie's ideal date be? 2. Could adopted kids be heir of the Montilyet estate or would it go to Yvette? 3. What does Josie think of the Crows?" / Sylvia: "1. I think she'd try to structure something, but the Inquisitor taking her away from her strictly scheduled routine to relax would actually be better for her. A picnic in a garden, a stroll around a lake followed by a meal in a quiet little restaurant. Something with a soft evening. 2. I don't think I ever said so in the game, but to my mind Josephine had some nieces and nephews in line to be heir. If she adopted a child and thought they'd be a better candidate, they could absolutely inherit the estate. (And of course, she could bequeath money or personal effects as she liked.) 3. She thinks of them as a necessity in Antiva, and that it's important to appease them. There's probably highly placed Crows she would get along with. But she'd never be comfortable with them. At the end of the day they're contract killers, and she's no lover of violence. (If I actually DID mention who Josephine had lined up to inherit the estate after her, but just forgot, I will ask for mercy because the game came out over 10 years ago.)" [source, two, three, four]

User: "Would you ever consider making a playlist on spotify of the sort of music you could picture Emmerich listening to? Or perhaps sharing any of the music you listened to while writing Emmrich?" / Sylvia: "I actually have an itunes playlist of what I listened to when writing Emmrich on my old computer. If I dig it out, I'll post a screenshot! (A lot of ambient stuff, probably unsurprisingly)" [source]

User: "I utterly, completely adore the way Josephine was written, she's such a wonderful and complex character. Her history as a bard, her ruthlessness, her kindness and sweet nature and how CUTE her romance is." / Sylvia: "Lady Montilyet herself would be flattered to hear you liked it." [source]

User, on Sylvia's comment about Peter Cushing being a go-to for what Emmrich would be like: "This makes me so unbelievably happy given my love for Peter Cushing 😭 my love for Emmrich was inevitable." / Sylvia: "I want to talk a little more about it later but Cushing was such a wonderful actor. Wish we'd had him around even longer." [source]

User, on death and working in death care: "In the end, it’s always about memory." / Sylvia: "That's so true. We want to be remembered, or to have something that lets people know even a little about who we are. (It's why I'm glad newspapers still print obituaries, you can read about the most amazing lives.)" [source]

User: "I was starting to think the game was reading my mind and tailoring to me once he said his favorite color was lilac, and I was given the option to say darker purple." / Sylvia: "I'm glad you enjoyed Emmrich and his romance. And that the bit about colours worked for you, I was trying to think of what would be something fun there, and purple is one of my favorites too. (Fine taste!)" [source]

User: "“Down Among the Dead Men” is one of my favorite chapters from Tevinter Nights. I loved Audric and I was so happy when Myrna mentioned him in Veilguard! Was there any chance he might’ve appeared in game?" / Sylvia: "basically I didn't plan it, but I wanted to let TN readers know Audric is living well" [source]

User: "If Hezenkoss was also you ALL of that was a sheer stroke of brilliance!" / Sylvia: "Thank you! Hezenkoss was me, so glad you liked her. She was a blast to write. Oh my god, I meant to write Hezenkoss was one of my favorites not "me". (I think I snipped out something and consequentially sound like a maniac in that post above. SORRY. She is not me, I wish I had that kind of confidence.)" [source, two]

User, on behalf of their friend: "Well, spontaneously I'd be interested if she can say any more about Emmrich's past romances. Was there someone really serious among them, or all just fun and casual? I'm also curious how the whole mage training works in Nevarra. Are some trained from the start by the Mourn Watch or does everyone go to the Mortalitasi equivalent of a Circle first?" / Sylvia: "1. I think there was probably a mix of more serious romances and more casual ones over Emmrich's life. The serious ones just never panned out. (Until Rook, if you're romancing him.) 2. I pictured the MW taking in promising members from other circles, but I left their selection criteria vague on purpose, in case we needed to define it later. Of course, there's also exceptions. We've seen they take in some orphans or foundlings (MW Rook and Emmrich, for example) when fate, chance, or pity allows it. (I had an idea spirits might sometimes nudge MWers to take in someone, but that's not in the game, so it remains, I suppose now, my own head canon.)" [source, two, three, four]

User: "Emmrich is every bit the warm and kind academic that I looked up to in my undergrad/postgrad days, and I have taken time in the game just to wander the Grand Necropolis and take everything in." / Sylvia: "My pleasure, and thanks very much for saying so. (Props to all my teammates, it took a lot of people to bring those characters and places to life, and they were all so enthusiastic about our weird gothy corner of Thedas.)" [source]

User, on Emmrich's dream: "One of few cases where writers don't go for "actually immortality is lame" lesson to appease the audience for whom immortality is unattainable. Refreshing to have a character who wants to live forever, can do it, and it isn't treated as a mistake. One of the boldest bits of writing in the game." / Sylvia: "Thanks Mary - that was one of my aims, because so many times in stories, immortality is a fool's errand. I wanted it to have its rules, and its price, but not something disastrous or out of reach." [source]

User: "The MW as a whole was beautifully done and the way they handle life and death was deeply healing and aided tremendously in my own personal journey with grief." / Sylvia: "I'm very glad meeting Emmrich and the Watchers helped even a little, that means a lot to hear." [source]

User: "Amazing work in veilguard and inquisition honestly and the flame eternal was such a fun read! Unless it’s been answered before my query is where do the Mourn watchers live/sleep? Is it a case of they live in the higher parts of the Necropolis or do they live in the city and commute?" / Sylvia: "Flame Eternal was a fun one, hadn't written a story that short before but I enjoyed introducing Johanna and Emmrich's dynamic back in their good old days... As to your question, there's one line of banter between Emmrich and Neve that talks about this (so, very easy to miss.) The Mourn Watchers live and sleep in the upper (safer) levels of the Necropolis." [source, two]

User: "does mortal!Emmrich return to the Necropolis or spend more time in the world first? He plays detective with Neve & camps in Ferelden with Harding feels like he’d want to experience more of the world before returning home." / Sylvia: "Impossible for me to say what the future will hold with certainty, but I think Emmrich's enjoying exploring the world too much to go back to living in the Necropolis full time just yet. He'd certainly want to keep visiting regularly, but there's so much more to see." [source]

Sylvia: "The Watchers have a special place in my heart." [source]

User: "I just wanted to say how much I love Emmrich" / Sylvia: "Thank you very much! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed getting to know him." [source]

at this point tumblr stopped letting me add to this post !

[dalishious]

Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights Review

That’s right, I finally finished the whole book! So as promised, here are my thoughts on each story. This post does contain some spoilers, so if you just want to know my overall rating of each story without any details, don’t go past the ‘Keep Reading’ line. However, I won’t be going through the stories in detail—if you’re interested in that, @felassan has written up good in-depth summaries for some of them.

Ordering the stories from my most favourite to least enjoyed, with my personal rating for each:

Eight Little Talons by Courtney Woods - 10/10

The Wigmaker Job by Courtney Woods - 9/10

Luck in the Gardens by Sylvia Feketekuty - 9/10

Down Among the Dead Men by Sylvia Feketekuty - 8/10

Half Up Front by John Epler - 8/10

The Dread Wolf Take You by Patrick Weekes - 8/10

An Old Crow's Old Tricks by Arone Le Bray - 7/10

The Horror of Hormak by John Epler - 6/10

The Streets of Minrathous by Brianne Battye - 6/10

Hunger by Brianne Battye - 6/10

Murder by Death Mages by Caitlin Sullivan Kelly - 5/10

Genitivi Dies in the End by Lukas Kristjanson - 4/10

Three Trees to Midnight by Patrick Weekes - 4/10

Herold Had the Plan by Ryan Cormier - 3/10

Callback by Lukas Kristjanson - 2/10

To put these ratings into perspective, I consider 5 to mean they were just fine, with the lower than that meaning I didn’t like them, and the higher meaning I really enjoyed them. For example, Hunger was okay but nothing I was really invested in, whereas Eight Little Talons had me hanging on every word.

Overall, it was a pretty good read. I really liked how an over-arching theme with most of the stories is characters not being who they appear to be at first.

Three Trees to Midnight by Patrick Weekes

A Tevinter mage and an undercover Dalish elf must work together to escape a Qunari labour camp, after the siege of Ventus.

Main Characters:

Myrion - A Tevinter mage who grew up in slavery, but became a citizen when he was adopted by the owner of the factory he worked in. You’d think that would make him less of an asshole to elves, but no.

Strife - An older elf from the Starkhaven Alienage, he had to flee the city after fighting back against guardsmen beating up elven kids, and ended up joining a Dalish clan.

Bas-taar - The “Keeper of bas,” in charge of the labour camp.

Supporting Characters:

Huntmaster - His job is to hunt down escaped bas... but in actuality, is Saarbrak of the Ben-Hassrath, investigating the Antaam going rogue.

Irelin - A Dalish elf shapeshifter, (she turns into halla, falcon, snowy white owl, and great bear,) assisting Strife’s escape, and goes to pass on a warning to Dalish clans in Rivain of the approaching Qunari.

What held my interest in this story was all the new bits of lore sprinkled through it, more than the actual plot. Things like vitaar designs holding different meanings, healing magic capable of reattaching lost limbs, the guardians of the Arlathan Forest… Little details stitching world-building threads together. Because honestly, I found the story and characters, aside from Strife, lacking. Where it was the first in the anthology, I thought it was just a symptom of being you know, just a short story, but there are many others in this book where the characters are plenty fleshed out in the time given.

But as I said, Strife is an exception to that, and I did actually feel him as a character. He’s this 50 year old man calling his captor “Bas-taard” like he’s not supposed to be keeping a low undercover profile. I did also think Irelin’s brief appearances were cool. Her shapeshifting is a nice nod to that one bit of dialogue in DA:O, where Mahariel can tell Morrigan that the Dalish know similar magics to her shapeshifting.

I get what Weekes was going for, forcing a Tevinter mage and Dalish elf to work together in order to escape. But the problem is, their resolution is presented as if their disdain for each other is on equal grounds. Throughout the story, Strife calls Myrion “shem” and “magister” (he’s not actually a magister, though,) and Myrion calls Strife “knife-ear.” Then towards the end, they do it as a silly joke between friends.

Strife laughed beside him and nocked an arrow. “You’re not so bad, magister.” “Same to you, knife-ear.”

Excuse me, but one of those is just a title, while the other is an actual in-universe racial slur. That’d literally be like someone going “you’re not so bad, rich person” and the rich person responding “same to you, *slur*.”

Basically, it was hard to like a story that revolves around the dynamic between two characters, when said dynamic leaves nothing but a terrible taste in my mouth. I would have given it a lower rating if not for lots of interesting new lore, but that alone isn’t enough to hold a story together.

Down Among the Dead Men by Sylvia Feketekuty

A couple of Mortalitasi go on a hunt in the Grand Necropolis for a prematurely possessed deceased noble, bent on continuing the duel that killed him.

Main Characters:

Audric Felhausen - A new member of the Mortalitasi that was drafted into the Funeral Guard, and killed at Karn’s funeral. Except then he came back.

Myrna - A member of the Mortalitasi’s elite fraternity, the Mourn Watch; guardians and keepers of the Grand Necropolis.

Supporting Characters:

Penrick Karn - A deceased noble who’s corpse was prematurely possessed by a spirit of Pride.

Honestly, I could summarize this one up pretty easily if I wanted to: The aesthetic, man. The aesthetic is so good. The story is told from the perspective of Audric, who in actuality it is revealed is a spirit of Curiosity that has taken on the body and identity of Audric Felhausen. Being a spirit of Curiosity, Audric goes off on tangents of details in architecture—a passion of the human Audric’s—which really helps paint great pictures. The Grand Necropolis made for a really spooky setting; I found myself picturing it a lot like the tombs in Assassin’s Creed: Origins, except magically shifting and changing.

And the Mourn Watch? This is the kind of necromantic magic I hope we can see in game some time. Carriages pulled by skeletal horses, skeletal assistants mixing potions, tracking down corpses with their bones… Additionally, Myrna has a really cool magic lasso of emerald fire.

…Actually, all in all, Myrna was very cool. At one point she stands in front of a giant monster of unknown kind and just calmly shoos it away… holy shit.

Something flopped out of one of the streams, inching forward. Pale blooms stretched and grasped the air. Fingers, Audric realized. Connected fans of scrabbling arm bones. But the streams were too shallow to accommodate that bulk of arms and hooked fingers… “Madam!” “Behind me.” Audric obeyed. Myrna added, “Do not drop my hand.” The thing kept oscillating out of the water, undulating up more and more fused bones, nightmare fronds of something that was never alive. Water poured off a tangle of ribs that crested up before them like a cobra’s hood, crowned by a misshapen thing vaguely resembling a skull. It split open sideways, its gullet spiked all the way down its neck—Myrna slapped it, whip-fast, with an echoing crack. Her hand coruscated with emerald fire. “We are permitted passage,” she enunciated clearly. “Leave.” The thing’s neck curled in confused anger, away from the Mourn Watcher’s flames. It hissed like shifting sand. The spell burning in Myrna’s hand coiled into ropes. A lash or a whip. Strangling cords. “I will not ask again.” The thing fluked back down into the murky waters. Audric realized he had been squeezing the Watcher’s other hand far too tight, and relaxed his grip. “Thank you.” Myrna turned, and only then did she shake her free hand with a wince. “What bones. Like iron.” “Madam?” Audric whispered. “What’s… how did… what was that thing?” “Uncataloged,” Myrna said briskly. “Emmrich will be thrilled to hear of it. Let us depart, quickly.”

In a contrast with the first story, this one has both a good serving of new lore, as well as a more engaging story, to me. And the plot twist that Audric is a spirit was one I genuinely did not see coming.

The Horror of Hormak by John Epler

A couple Grey Wardens investigate a Deep Roads expedition, hoping to rescue their missing allies. Instead they come across the stuff of nightmares in an ancient elven ruin.

Main Characters:

Ramesh - A Senior Warden who’s been with the order for 23 years, hoping to find his friend Jovis.

Lesha - A Tevinter mage warden acolyte who’s only been with the order only 2 years.

Supporting Characters:

Jovis - A Senior Warden who went missing on the expedition. Definitely would have been better off dead.

You know, I could easily summarize this one too:

For real though, this story is aptly named, as I had very visceral reactions to more than one of the monsters described here. Especially the Jovis centipede. What the fuck. A thing with a serpent head, halla neck and varterral limbs? Gross. A giant spider with hundreds of venomous serpents in place of eyes? Double gross. A giant centipede with a human body fused where it head should be, like a mermaid except with a grotesque, acidic myriapod? Fuck me running.

This story is a pretty straight-forward monster-fest, following the beats expected of a run-of-the-mill horror. Now, it does this well, so don’t take that as an insult. Once I got the vibe of it, I knew what to expect, and it delivered.

The biggest drawback for this one is I can’t tell you a single thing about either of the two main characters, beyond them being wardens, and Lesha being a Tevinter mage. We don’t even know a race or origin for Ramesh, whom the story is in the perspective of. (By race I mean human/elven/dwarven; with a name like Ramesh I took him to be Indian.) I personally pictured him as a dwarf; I don’t know why. I understand that characters aren’t really high on the list of importance in the horror genre, but I would have liked to at least get a better picture of who these people were. The one thing that does hit pretty well is Ramesh reminiscing of Jovis. Instead of just having Ramesh tell Lesha “Jovis and I are close, and that’s why I care so much about finding him,” Epler actually lets the reader interpret that themselves through actions and memories. It’s also a smart way of giving a little more weight to the reveal that Jovis has been turned into a monster, rather than if he were just some random warden.

The lore in this one has been on my brain ever since reading it, trying to think about all the implications of what they find in the elven ruin. Obviously Ghilan’nain was fucking around big time with the laws of nature, making some monstrous creatures.

Callback by Lukas Kristjanson

Though what remains of the Inquisition has moved on from Skyhold, caretakers remained to look after it. Sutherland and co investigate why the caretakers have ceased contact.

Main Characters:

Donal Sutherland - From DA:I.

Supporting Characters:

Regret - A demon manifested by Solas’ regret, taken the form of a wolf-dragon monster and made itself home at Skyhold.

Shayd - From DA:I.

Voth - From DA:I, but now he talks.

Basically every other NPC in Skyhold.

I know that a lot of people liked this one, but I have to be honest, guys: I found it a pain to get through. The best way I can describe it is like watching a movie cameo compilation. “Here’s Sutherland, you know Sutherland from DA:I! And here’s Dagna, you know Dagna from DA:I! And here’s Harritt, you know Harritt from DA:I! And here’s Cabot, you know Cabot from DA:I! And here’s Elan, you know Elan from DA:I!” Rinse and repeat. It’s just recognizable name after recognizable name, without actually doing anything interesting with any of the characters thrown on the page. Even Sutherland has no personality; he felt like a placeholder for the reader. You need to do more than throw cameos on a page to make me give a shit about what’s happening.

The only character-thing that stuck out to me was at one point, Shayd says “fenedhis.” I don’t know if Kristjanson meant Voth to say it, or if Shayd is perhaps half-elf? But seriously, that this is the only potentially interesting thing done with this long list of characters, that’s just sad.

There is a moment with Voth, where Regret pulls a memory of his past, but I wouldn’t call it interesting so much as it made me roll my fucking eyes.

Voth was lost in the woods, which wasn’t new. He wasn’t good at this. He’d chosen books, neglected his tracking, and his knots never held. Ahead was the open road. He had his satchel and his maps, and he’d find his way to Val-whatever. And he would rarely speak, because then he’d have to tell. And far behind him, a bear in tangled ropes crushed a brother into blood and dirt.

Because of course, of course Kristjanson couldn’t go without writing another character too good for their culture, right?

You know what also makes it hard to give a shit about what’s happening? The fact that the story is only semi-cohesive itself. Admittedly, maybe some of the difficultly I had in following it was from checking my phone while reading it, but I was just so bored I couldn’t stay focused. This is the only story in this entire book that I can say that for.

And before anyone says I set out to dislike this one just because it’s written by my BioWare Nemesis, a) I didn’t even pay attention to the names until starting to write this review, and b) I’ll fully acknowledge that his other story in the book, Genitivi Dies in the End, is at least written competently enough to follow.

Luck in the Gardens by Sylvia Feketekuty

A Lord of Fortune in Minrathous is hired to hunt down a gross head-eating tentacle monster called the Cekorax, (”headsman” in Old Tevene,) because no one else will do anything as it’s only attacking the lower classes.

Main characters:

Hollix - A Rivaini Lord of Fortune who I’d say needs to get a better tactic than luck, if it didn’t actually work out

Supporting characters:

Mizzy - A young girl who’s friends were killed by the Cekorax.

Dorian Pavus - From DA:I.

Maevaris Tilani - From Those Who Speak and Until We Sleep.

What makes this story really stand out is the way in which it’s told. The Lord of Fortune, who’s only identifier in the story is the pseudonym “Hollix,” (Old Tevene for “irrepressible rascal,”) recounts the story to a listener, and it reads just as if you’re hearing someone tell a tale out loud. While I admittedly found it took a few pages to get into, once you place yourself in the seat of the listener, it works really effectively. You would think writing the story this way would make it hard to picture things, but Hollix does not spare details on describing Minrathous, or most disturbingly, the Cekorax.

I really liked how Hollix’s gender fluidity is handled. The only other character to compare them too--and I'm using they/them because supposedly Feketekuty did so on Twitter--is Lisme in Last Flight, and Hollix has the benefit of actually speaking for themself, about themself.

Though this tale, people call me sir and madam, but I've always just thought of myself as myself, and had great fun in the bargain.

The girl gasped. Then her eyes brightened. Imagination had won. “For what, mister?” She looked at the dress. “Missus?” “It's missus when I'm in this outfit.”

I also already mentioned that I like what Feketukuty did with Dorian’s part in the book. And for that matter, also Mae’s presence. See, unlike Callback, which felt like Kristjanson was just throwing characters here and there like performers calling out the city they’re in to get an easy cheer, they had an actual, logical, real reason to be there. They were used effectively, and written well. Hell, I hope if they appear in the next game, she’s given the reigns on them.

I really, really want to know more about these Lords of Fortune. More characters part of this faction appear in other stories in the book, but there isn’t much information on them.

Hunger by Brianne Battye

A couple of wardens decide to take it upon themselves to solve the small Anderfels town of Eichweill’s werewolf problem.

Main Characters:

Evka Ivo - A dwarven warden from Orzammar who’s been with the wardens for 2 years.

Antoine - An idealistic elven warden from Orlais who’s basically a fresh recruit, after barely surviving a darkspawn attack.

Supporting Characters:

Mina Bauer - A young woman from Eichweill who enlists the warden’s help, hoping they’ll find her missing brother.

Willem Bauer - Mina’s brother, a newly turned werewolf.

Renke - The son of a noble who was exiled from the town and ended up possessed by a Hunger demon, leading to the werewolf outbreak.

I found the differences and similarities in the werewolves here compared to the ones we see in DA:O’s quest Nature of the Beast to be interesting. Of course I was mentally referring to that quest throughout the story, what with it being the only other example of werewolf encounters in the franchise thus far. Does this mean the Lady of the Forest was Hunger? Or is more than one classification of spirit/demon capable of producing this curse? And my biggest question is what determines if Hunger curses a person with lycanthropy or vampirism? Because it was already canon that Hunger demons make vampires.

Next are the demons of hunger. In a living host they become cannibals and vampires, and within the dead they feed upon the living. Theirs are the powers of draining, both of life force and of mana. —Codex entry: Demonic Possession (DA:O)

Honestly, that’s my biggest gripe, and I know full well it’s a personal one. We could’ve had vampires. We’ve seen werewolves before, but we’ve only had extremely brief mention above of vampires. Vampires! Please, BioWare!

This may sound strange, but I got some Western genre vibes from this story. Usually I say that as an insult, but this time I just mean in the way of you know, the structure? A couple of heroes walking into a town struck with trouble, and they gotta earn the respect from said town by saving it.

All in all, it was a fine story with no complaints about the writing, but lacklustre in comparison to many of the others in the book, and nothing fresh about it.

Murder by Death Mages by Caitlin Sullivan Kelly

A whodunit in Nevarra where the Mortalitasi are trying to take out Nevarra’s nobility, except they’re not, except they are.

Main Characters:

Sidony - The Mortalitasi from DA:I’s Multiplayer.

Supporting Characters:

Cyrros - An elven secret-dealer (basically a Nevarran Bard).

Antonia - A friend of Sidony’s former mentor.

Nicolas Reinhardt - A power-hungry noble looking to darken the reputation of the Mortalitasi.

I found this story to be overly complicated, with too many things going on. Towards the end there’s three consecutive plot twists, and it’s like, plot twist overkill I guess. I don’t know, this might be a personal taste thing.

Honestly, I don’t even know what to write for this one. It was just kind of... blah? Not in an overly boring way like Callback, but the most middle of the road in the book, for sure. I didn’t find Sidony to be that interesting a character to follow, and I think that has the most to do with it. That, and the ending was really abrupt.

The Streets of Minrathous by Brianne Battye

A private investigator in Minrathous accidentally falls into a plot of the remains of the Venatori, still trying to cling to their failed cult bullshit.

Main Characters:

Neve Gallus - A private investigator who decided fuck the rules, I’m actually gonna go get shit done.

Supporting Characters:

Jahvis - Knight-Captain of the Templars in Minrathous.

Aeila - A Venatori cult leader trying to free a very powerful demon, and that she’ll become the new Corypheus.

Going from Sidony, who I did not find all that enjoyable reading about, to Neve, who’s genuinely intriguing (and a certified badass) was a huge relief. I’d describe her as being Jessica Jones without so much baggage. It’s also great that we have our first female physically disabled protagonist—Neve has a prosthetic leg from the knee-down.

My only complaint about the actual story is that I think I would have liked to see Neve do more investigating, rather than deus ex machina progressing things for her, you know? Her big break is just happening to run into a guy who literally hands her what she needs.

I found the new lore about the Templar Order in Tevinter to be almost hilarious; they’re basically just useless cops adkflaj... no wonder PI’s exist when the actual law enforcement is just a corrupt shield for the rich. (So like I said, they’re cops.)

At first I thought I was about to read a wild take that we should sympathize for the remainders of the Venatori, but nope. They really are just the worst, and behind everything the whole time. What’s also funny is this story comes right before The Wigmaker, where an assassin actually is taking out Venatori.

The Wigmaker Job by Courtney Woods

An anonymous concerned citizen has put a contract on cleaning up the remains of the Venatori, taken up by the Antivan Crows’ super assassin.

Main Characters:

Lucanis Dellamorte - Grandson of the First Talon and raised since birth to be an assassin extraordinaire, but secretly has a draw to heroics.

Illario Dellamorte - Also grandson of the First Talon, though far less favoured. A lil jealous of that.

Ambrose Forfex - Crazy motherfucking sick fuck what in the goddamn hell christ almighty fuck shit fuck.

Let’s hear it for the MOTHERFUCKIN CROWS! Sorry, I just... really find the Antivan Crows interesting. You know what helps? Stories like this one and Eight Little Talons.

Anyway, if you thought the Horror of Hormak was disturbing, wait to you read about what’s in Forfex’s basement! But no seriously, my actual face reading about the hanging slaves with their mouths sewn shut and limbs dislocated, used to grow hair like you grow plants:

Lucanis and Illario are fantastic, I loved them both individually and their relationship, with their banter reading a lot like siblings more than cousins. And guys, their banter is golden.

I kept waiting for Illario to betray Lucanis out of jealousy, but no, instead we get a depiction of family rivalry not trumping family love/loyalty for once.

This story is also an interesting look at the complicated situation even Crows higher on the ladder are in. Pretty much all of our knowledge of the Crows before came from Zevran, and it was previously my understanding that his “raising” was unique to having been purchased by the Crows, compared to the nobility that run the organization. But no, the leaders of the Crows apparently raise their own damn kids in the same torturous conditions. At one point, Lucanis reflects on how thankful he is that all his beatings and neglect taught him to survive. Like, my dude. Listen to yourself when you think that... Honestly, I can actually see Lucanis potentially ‘pulling a Zevran’ if you will, even despite being raised right from birth to be an assassin. He’s too heroic. “Death is my calling” may be his perspective now, but I think it would be interesting to see how far that’s pushed.

...Basically what I’m saying is I could hands down, easily enjoy an entire book with these fuckers.

On a final note: The second time I read this one, I did so with music from Assassin’s Creed II playing. I would highly recommend doing so.

Genitivi Dies in the End by Lukas Kristjanson

A group of scholars are commissioned by the Inquisition to seek out the true history of the elven pantheon.

Main Characters:

Philliam, a Bard! - A scholar who’s reputation is only for putting together collections of excerpts from other books.

Brother Ferdinand Genitivi - The most infamous Chantry scholar.

(Formerly) Sister Laudine - A scholar who is highly censored by the Chantry for writing unflattering things about Orlais.

Supporting Characters:

Mateo - A Rivaini Lord of Fortune hired to escort the scholars.

Rasaan - The Qunari tamassran from the comic Those Who Speak.

See, the problem is I don’t even know to write about this one, because the entire story is presented as being an unreliable, untruthful telling of what happened. Similar to Luck in the Gardens, this story is written as a recount of what happened, as the characters are writing it… except it’s commented how they’re straight up lying about what happened, taking great liberties. So now I’m left to say that for example, how can I comment on Laudine secretly being a mage, if I don’t know if she really is or not? It’s a story… about a story.

So, what can I say?

At one point, Genitivi complains about the lack of Chantry shit in an ancient elven ruin... What a pathetic old man. Imagine visiting the Hampi archaeological ruins let’s say and walking around asking “where’s the Christianity?”

Rasaan’s appearance was a surprise. I really feel like she has potential as a reoccurring antagonist, now. I’d like that.

The idea of there being little pockets of Arlathan all over is an interesting, potential explanation for some seemingly random ancient elven remains/ruins in unexpected places. Like when it comes to the Deep Roads for example, what exists as left over from the war between elves and dwarves, and what was literally displaced from the Fade at random?

As for the format of the story itself, it does not work even remotely as well as it did with Luck in the Gardens. Even ignoring the fact that Luck in the Gardens can actually be taken as what happened whereas this one can’t, Feketekuty’s words flows so much better, weaving in and out of the recounting and interjections. The best way I can think of describing it is to say Luck in the Gardens feels like narration over a sequence of events, whereas Genitivi Dies in the End feels like constant, interruptive flashing back and forth. It really breaks up the actual flow of the story, and I didn’t like it. But you know, at least with this one I could actually comprehend what the hell I was reading, unlike in Callback.

Herold Had the Plan by Ryan Cormier

A pair of Lords of Fortune and their hired help are on the run after said hired help stole the Celebrant sword from the Grand Tourney, and the only one with the plan died.

Main Characters:

Bharv - A dwarven veteran Lord of Fortune.

Elim - An elven Lord of Fortune with a talent for perfectly changing accents.

Panzstott - Babyish himbo.

Supporting Characters:

Lucie Gallais - Widow of the champion of the last Grand Tourney, after the Celebrant.

The biggest issue with this story is the same that was in The Horror of Hormak; who the fuck are these characters, and why am I supposed to care about them? But at least the other story has more going on to fall back to, as well as the expectation that as a horror story, the focus is not going to be on the characters, but what happens to them. This story does not have that excuse. Bharv thinks about his daughters repeatedly, and like, that’s it. That’s his character. Elim and Panzstott have at least a little bit of character to them, mind you. I kind of read Elim’s mysteriousness as part of who she is, with the way Bharv thought of her. And as for Panzstott, well, he’s just a big handsome brute who’s very naïve. But with Bharv, I felt like he was more of a reader insert for middle-aged men.

At one point, Bharv and Elim fight a newly introduced creature called a Raytooth, AKA “great ray,” and that was pretty exciting. There’s also the amulet that Bharv took from the Grand Tourney with extreme healing properties to it. How rare or common is such a thing? Because it literally cures him of what would be a fatal wound, which begs the question of why such amulets aren’t standard issue if they’re not extremely hard to make, I guess. But other than this, I found this story to be pretty dull. Not as dull as Callback, mind you; I was able to read without my mind wandering or getting confused, but what you read is mostly just them walking in the woods and hiding from Starkhaven guards. Aside from the ending confrontation, of course.

Vaea’s cameo was nice, though!

An Old Crow's Old Tricks by Arone Le Bray

After a Tevinter centuri attacked the Dalish Clan Oranavra and steal their sacred ironbark halla, a veteran Antivan Crow pays them a visit.

Main Characters:

Lessef - Grandma assassin.

Supporting Characters:

Tainsley - Lessef’s partner and relative of Clan Oranavra.

Chencel, Salentin, and Penteri - Tevinter soldiers that need to die.

Bicklius - Magister centurion who never skips leg day.

Me every time Lessef takes out another soldier:

Lessef is really cool. She’s this old woman who no one expects to kick serious ass, doing flips and shit. Imagine seeing an old woman walk up with a bag of wares, then turn around and strangle you with a Dalish scarf. I especially enjoyed the bit at the end from Tainsley’s perspective, where you can really read the long-lasting affection he has for her in the way he describes her actions. She definitely seems to be more of an informal Antivan Crow, as well? At least, that was my interpretation. Bicklius even comments that she’s different from other Crows. I wonder if perhaps she’s more of a ‘hired employee,’ rather than having been bought by and raised by them, perhaps?

Getting to learn a little bit more about the Tevinter military was also interesting, and I feel could be potentially helpful going into the next game. It’s definitely very Romanesque, which is something we have assumed, but now have confirmation of, you know?

It’s nice to have confirmation that my assumption that arcane warriors can manifest weapons beyond just swords. Bicklius conjures a spirit grapple, which means there’s no reason that in my fic, Ethena can’t conjure a spirit bow!

His arms began to glow with arcane energy as he directed his magic and body to work in concert. Some mages liked the feel and look of an arcane blade, but Bicklius preferred the closeness of a grapple. He liked the feel of calling a thin arcane weapon into being around his fists, the magic licking around his arms and fists as he used the magic weapon to clutch a limb and crush it in his grasp.

You know what’s also nice? That there are actual fucking consequences to killing Dalish elves, for once.

This story is probably the lightest reads in the books, but that’s not an insult! It’s cut to be the perfect length of a short story for someone to sit down and breeze through over a work break. But now, the best of the best…

Eight Little Talons by Courtney Woods

The Talons of the Antivan Crows come together to discuss their defence of Antiva from the approaching Qunari on a secluded island… except when one by one the Talons are murdered in recreations of the Crows most famous murders, their attention has to shift to proving who’s responsible.

Main Characters:

Andarateia “Teia” Cantori - A sugary sweet elf who against all odds and controversy rose through the ranks of the Crows, and made history in becoming Seventh Talon.

Viago “Vi” De Rivia - Surly bastard son of the King of Antiva and master poisoner, who is definitely not at all paranoid of getting poisoned himself at all times, oh no. Fifth Talon.

Supporting Characters:

Caterina Dellamorte - First Talon

Dante Balazar - Second Talon

Lera Valisti - Third Talon

Emil Kortez - Fourth Talon

Bolivar Nero - Sixth Talon

Giuli Arainai - Eighth Talon

Am I bitter that I spent months making a video on all the known lore about the Antivan Crows, only for Tevinter Nights to introduce way more just a few months later? Listen, maybe I would be if I wasn’t happier to just get more information period, and in the form of such awesome stories, too.

Let’s get to the most important thing, first: I adore Teia. Every single addition to her character made me love her more and more as the story progresses. She was an orphan, homeless elf who was taken by the crows at age eight, and decided to climb that ladder and take it over. It’s flat out stated that the Crows only tell their recruits that anyone can become Talon, without it ever actually happening. In reality, it’s only the nobility who rule the Crows with their connections. But she did that. She’s so sweet yet cunning, she wants to believe the best in people, and has a need to be liked by everyone. Also not to even mention the fact that her reputation is killing shitty, cruel men? What an icon. I adore Viago, too. He grew up in a ‘gilded cage’ as Teia put it, where being the illegitimate son of the King of Antiva meant he had to choose between getting locked away in a remote castle somewhere, or joining the Antivan Crows, in order to protect the line of succession. So it was kind of expected for him to rise through the ranks, and yet he’s still resentful of well, being born. He’s pretty much the opposite of Teia personality-wise, with grumpy as his default setting, and expecting the worst from everyone. He doesn’t give a shit about making people like him, because who cares if he knows 10 different ways to poison them beyond recognition. He can also be a lil bitch and it’s hilarious—at one point he gets offended that Teia says he couldn’t possibly be the murderer, thinking she’s insulting his abilities and forgetting that they were together when shit went down.

“It could be me.” Covering her mouth with both hands, Teia doubled over, laughter spilling from her lips. “It’s not you.” He looked as if she’d slapped him. “I’m more than capable of killing everyone here.” “Don’t tell me you’re offended!” “It is offensive,” Viago protested. “Professionally.” Teia leaned closer to see if he was being serious. His tight jaw and furrowed brow bore all the signs of a bruised ego. “I know it's not you because we were together when Lera was murdered,” she explained. “Remember? I tied your cravat.” The flush creeped from Viago's ears to his cheeks. “Yes, well, of course I didn't do it. It's just the principle of the matter.” “You're ridiculous.”

What makes their personalities even better is that they’re opposite to what you’d expect; you’d expect the pampered but caged human noble to be sweet and optimistic, and the poor but streetwise elf to be brusque and pessimistic. It’s better in that it’s a refreshing take, and it makes them all the more complimentary of each other. It also adds a different feeling to the story depending on who’s view we’re following, with the way they see the other Talons. Teia has convinced herself that this is her family—she even doesn’t want to believe that Caterina is capable of the things Viago knows she’s done—while Viago sees them all as threats at worst, business partners at best. And Teia and Viago’s relationship? All the yesses.

Okay, the last thing I want to gush about the main characters before moving on is that I also love that their noteworthy skills aren’t “flashy” ones. As proficient as they are with daggers, it’s obvious that Teia’s massive stats in persuasion is her real weapon, and Viago’s extensive knowledge and abilities with poison.

All the supporting cast is great too, of course. Some got more time to shine than others, what with the whole dying off thing.

This is the story that, as I said up top, had me hanging on every word from start to finish. I was extremely invested in the main characters, (as I’m sure you can tell from that wall of text above, which believe it or not I did trim down,) and the plot itself. A murder mystery where everyone involved is a professional murderer? Oh my god. What a fun way of establishing everyone as a foreseeable suspect. As I read through the first time, I kept rotating who I thought was responsible, mostly going back and forth between Caterina and someone else. I mean hey, the story just before his one established that a woman well into her 70’s is fully capable of being a hard core badass, and Caterina certainly gives off that air, after all, and it is early on established that she is known for beating people to death with her cane. (Which is also nice setup for the end, in that it’s both establishing character and acts as something to callback to.) The motivation behind the killer’s is believable as well, in that they’ve convinced themselves that what they’re doing is for the greater good as much as it is for selfish reasons. (Sprinkled with a dose of naïvety, in believing the Qunari would be cool leaving the Crows to continue under the Qun, LMFAO.) When you take into consideration the mindset that all these people have been indoctrinated into, building up the shape of the organization generation after generation, it’s a little ironic that this is what nearly ended them… I am sorry for the vagueness here, but this is one spoiler I really want to tip-toe around. I equally enjoyed the romantic subplot between Vi and Teia. Every time she purposely made him blush, I found it just as amusing as she did. I also like how this is yet another part of their dynamic that is switched from what is ordinary in literature and other media; usually with romance between a man and woman, it’s the man who’s the suave, cooler than cool one while the woman bats eyelashes all flustered. On the rare occasion it is reversed, it’s usually in the form of the Femme Fatale trope. And while one could argue that Teia would qualify as a Femme Fatale in her scene with Dante, Woods avoids painting her negatively for this. And speaking of Dante, Teia deserves someone who’s gonna treat her well, damnit.

The ending of this story leaves a lot of questions for what’s going to happen to the Antivan Crows. Letters are sent to the houses of the deceased Talons for their heirs to take over, but between this, the Qunari, and possibly Zevran hunting them down, their days are looking pretty numbered. And honestly, before now I would’ve said that they should all die, but it’s more complicated than that. I think now what I’d like to see happen is some major reforms, you know? Just releasing all the Crows from the only life/semblance of family they know would be no solution, nor is killing them all. Maybe look at however the Hose of Repose in Orlais works, dependent on if they’re any better? Get some fucking therapy?

Half Up Front by John Epler

A thief is hired by a mysterious woman to steal what is said to be a magical Chantry artifact, taken by the Qunari, offering to pay enough money for her and her girlfriend to leave Tevinter behind them.

Main Characters:

Vadis - A disowned daughter of a magister who turned to duel-classing as a mage-thief to get by.

Irian Cestes - An elven woman who’s skills apparently put her in high demand of every religious/cultist recruiter there is, but she’s perfectly happy with her mage-thief GF thank you very much.

Supporting Characters:

Mystery Elven Woman - Actually an Agent of Fen’Harel, OOOH.

Gatt - From DA:I.

I’d like to give a round of applause to John Epler, for officially now being the one (1) man at BioWare I trust to write lesbian characters. I don’t know what magic he unlocked for this, but he gets it pretty damn good. (That sparring session, am I right?) And the best part is the full subversion of the Bury Your Gays trope. If he ever wants to change careers from cinematic designer to writer, he’d have my vote of confidence, I’m just saying… Not only that, but I fully plan on using this story as an example of how to handle power dynamics in a relationship, too. When Vadis and Irian started to develop feelings for each other, what does Vadis do? Nothing, until she arranges Irian with a new, high-paying job serving the Magisterium instead of her family. It’s only after Irian no longer works for her Magister father that Vadis and Irian pursue a romance. And when her father was angry at her for getting rid of one of their best servants, then finding out she was in love with said elven servant, Vadis said ‘fuck you’ and left.

Epler stays in his lane when writing about Vadis being disowned by her family. It’s an included part of her backstory, but there’s no attempt to speak for the LGBT+ community who have gone through such hardships. I also appreciate that it’s not presented as pure angst, but with the bright/hopeful angle that Vadis has found a new family with Irian. Again, part of staying in his lane in not profiting off of gay suffering.

My favourite scenes here were the breaking and entering ones, both into the vault and the dreadnought. They’re perfect opportunities to set scenes, what with the characters on high alert and focusing on little details, in a way that doesn’t halt the pacing. I also like how Vadis puts her magic to use in these escapades; both in using little magic tools to the equivalent of Mission Impossible gadgets, like the crystal with dust showing lines of enchanted traps, and her actual magic sensory to detect such things.

I do wish we got to see more of Rivain. Most of the time in Kont-aar is right on the dreadnought, but the brief glimpses of people just living their lives peacefully serves as a good reminder that while in game we certainly see more of the Antaam and Ben-Hassrath, the Qun is not in fact made up entirely of soldiers and spies. Most people are just minding their own business. Just like the Chantry, there are both good and bad parts of the Qun, too.

Oh, but there’s one part that had me floored… You see, apparently as an elf, Irian is capable of walking so lightly that she doesn’t sink through the mud like Vadis wades through. Excuse me, are you saying I had to suffer through the painful sequence of trudging through the snow during DA:I’s In Your Heart Shall Burn as Lavellan for no reason?

The Dread Wolf Take You by Patrick Weekes

Charter calls for a meeting with spies across Thedas and beyond at the Teahouse, a tavern built for secrecy, to gather information on Solas’ plans to end the world.

Main Characters:

Charter - From DA:I, Magekiller and Knight Erant.

Supporting Characters:

Unnamed Carta assassin, Mortalitasi, and mysterious Executor - Meeting attendees.

Solas - From DA:I. Posing as an Orlesian Bard meeting attendee.

Yes, Solas is actually the Orlesian Bard. I’m not that concerned about mentioning this, as I’m pretty sure anyone who’s so much as glanced at Tevinter Nights blogging has been spoiled of this already. This is the story that everyone is talking about, and I mean I get the excitement for the next game that’s really teased here… but come on, man. Are we really gonna ignore the supreme stories from Courtney Woods and Sylvia Feketekuty in this book just because of that, though?  That isn’t to say this story is bad, mind you. Not at all! In fact, I’d consider this to be a good example of the use of unreliable narration, compared to Genitivi Dies in the End. Unlike that story, this one actually explains what was false about the tales told by the assassin, Mortalitasi and of course, Solas in the end. So the narrative device works for the story, but you’re not left guessing what is true and what isn’t.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this story more than Three Trees to Midnight. You can tell Weekes put a lot of thought into the intricacies of this one; skimming through it a second time, it’s incredible picking up all the little hints of things that are off, you know? Much like with Solas in DA:I, suddenly everything adds up once you know who he really is.

Oh, and hey, Solas? I’m thinking at this point it’d be easier if you wanted to make a list of elven artifacts that aren’t yours. The Mask of Fen’Harel? The orb? Eluvian network? Now the red lyrium idol? (Which by the way, is described as “two lovers, or a god mourning her sacrifice.” Can’t say I would have guessed that looking at the thing.) Holy shit, invest in a fucking label maker bud. Stamp a watermark on your shit. Something.

As intriguing as Solas’ plan is though, and about following the history of the red lyrium idol into his hands for whatever it is he needs it for, my real question is this: What the hell is up with the Executors. The implication here is that they’re actually a whole other race, because the whole “shadowy group” is in fact literal. I’m really hoping we’ll eventually get to know more about them, and maybe sometime even meet one.

This also gives me hope that Charter will still be around in times to come, too. She’s pretty damn awesome.

I’m glad I chose to read all the stories in the order they are put in the book, because reading this one last really leaves you with an open-ended look at the future of the franchise.

[thinkdragonage]

Tevinter Nights

Some mild spoilers within my thoughts on the stories below the cut. I also speculate about what characters I think we might see in DA4.

1. “Three Trees to Midnight” by Patrick Weekes

An odd couple sort of story featuring a Dalish elf and a Tevinter mage (not magister!) trying to escape the Qunari. I imagine we might see the Huntmaster again. I enjoyed it. 

2. “Down Among the Dead Men” by Sylvia Feketekuty

Nevarra is fucking creepy! Maybe we’ll see Myrna again, I don’t know. I had a bit of trouble really getting into this one, and I’m not sure why. 

3. “The Horror of Hormak” by John Epler

WHAT THE FUCK. Ok, I’m glad that I didn’t read any of the WTF reactions about this story before I actually read it, because I imagine that this one might suffer from outsized expectations given a lot of the reaction to it. But coming at it unaware... man did this mess with my head. WHAT THE HELL JOHN EPLER. Has definite and dire implications for the world of DA4, so if you read just one story from this collection, perhaps make it this one. (Actually, I wrote this before I finished and now I think the last story is probably the most essential. But if you read only TWO read this one and that other one.) Also, maybe we’ll meet Ramesh again.

4. “Callback” by Lukas Kristjanson

Skyhold! Sutherland! Solas adjacent content! I don’t know if it’s ‘must read’ but I certainly enjoyed it. I enjoyed the Sutherland story line in Inquisition so it was nice seeing this ‘callback’ (and interesting to see what’s happening with Skyhold post-Inquisition).

5. “Luck in the Gardens” by Sylvia Feketekuty

Lords of Fortune - thieves from Rivain, basically, are definitely going to feature heavily in DA4 if the stories in this collection are any sign. And it’s fun to read a first person story told with such character AND ALSO YAY DORIAN PAVUS! Also some really creepy shit in this one, and a cute kid.

6. “Hunger” by Brianne Battye

Oh god I fell so in love with the two wardens in this story. Do you ship them? I ship them. This felt very much like a DA: Origins tale... like it could have happened to Alistair and the Warden easily. We didn’t really learn anything groundbreaking lore-wise (aside from the Wardens all fucking off to Weisshaupt now, but I think we knew that already) but it was still a charming read.

7. “Murder” by Death Mages by Caitlin Sullivan Kelly

Sidony!! I absolutely adored all of the Multi-Player characters so it was a pleasant surprise to see one appear here, and she’s AMAZINGLY GRUMPY. I love her. And yes, DA4 will be filled with Wardens, Lords of Fortune and Mortalitasi (probably companions of all flavors).

8. “The Streets of Minrathous” by Brainne Battye

This one felt like a crime procedural with incompetent Templars taking the place of incompetent cops. (Only they’re not as bad as cops, somehow). It had a very DA2 vibe to it, aside from taking place in Minrathous. A good yarn, but not as memorable as some of the others.

9. “The Wigmaker Job” by Courtney Woods

SPEAKING OF MEMORABLE. This one is just about as horrifying as the Horror of Hormak, though with slightly less lore implications. Oh and yeah, I forgot to mention CROWS. We are definitely getting a Crow companion in DA4 and I’m going to call it now: his name is Lucanis Dellamorte and I’m going to romance the fuck out of him.

10. “Genitivi Dies in the End” by Lukas Kristjanson

One of the very best stories in the lot! An adventuring party made up of some of Thedas’ most famous writers (excluding Tethras, though he does get a mention) goes searching for secrets related to the Dread Wolf. They reveal precious little of actual lore in this story, but I’m sure we’ll hear about their discoveries in the next game. Oh and we will definitely definitely meet Rasaan, the qunari who pursues them, again, though likely as an adversary and not a companion.

11. “Herold Had the Plan” by Ryan Cormier

Just a good yarn with great characters that could have been set in any fantasy world but just happens to be in Thedas. Maybe we’ll get Bharv as a companion but I kind of hope we don’t. 

12. “An Old Crow’s Old Trick’s” by Arone Le Bray

GIVE US LESSEF OF THE ANTIVAN CROWS AS A COMPANION YOU COWARDS. Best Crow ever? I know, I know... Zevran... but Lessef is an old lady! She’s amazing! I love her. Great story.

13. “Eight Little Talons” by Courtney Woods

Another favorite. Someone called this story the horniest of the lot and well... it is about a group of high level Antivan Crows. I’d be disappointed if it wasn’t horny. I’m sure we’ll see some of these folks again once we recruit Lucanis (especially his grandfather). This felt like a classic Agatha Christie tale, so I was bound to love it.

14. “Half Up Front” by John Epler

Oh god I LOVED THIS ONE. Mage and her hot elven girlfriend save a whole town... it’s just great. Oh yeah, have I mentioned the Qunari and the whole rogue Antaam attacks? Definitely going to be a big part of DA4. So many big parts. 

15. “The Dread Wolf Take You” by Patrick Weekes

Holy crap, this one probably has the most clues as to what we’ll be dealing with in DA4. I just finished it and still need to digest it, but I think it was executed really well with the nameless characters and three different narrators. And that ending. Ugh! Also, I love Charter.

Overall, this might be my favorite Dragon Age book yet. Felt like we got a wealth of information and characters to mull over in the coming YEARS while we wait for the next game, more so than just a standalone regular novel would give. 

My only regret is getting a physical copy instead of the kindle version, because you know what? I know I’m going to want to reread sections and that’ll be easier on my old ass eyes on a kindle :P (Also, can search for words/phrases, that kind of shit.) So I might buy it again on Kindle b/c I’m a big sucker. Does anyone want my copy? Assuming you’re in the US please.

[felassan]

Some more DA:TV and related snippets from Sylvia Feketekuty, Part 3. rest of post under a cut due to length and spoilers. [Post One, Post Two]

Ran out of characters or something in post 2. :)

User: "I LOVE the line "a raw, strangling fear, struck somewhere deep past the heart". It's beautiful and it resonates with me since I myself struggle with anxiety. Now for the questions! 1) Can you talk more about the banter between Emmrich and Harding after we start romancing him? What is her motivation behind it? Is she critical of their relationship or is she worried about Emmrich? 2) I love the argument Rook and Emmrich have before Tearstone Island, it gives nice depth to their relationship. But what did Emmrich think he would accomplish with that conversation? Did he want to break up with Rook because he thought it would be easier for him if something happened to Rook? 3) Not a question but I love Hezenkoss. Such a dedicated hater lol. -- Sylvia Feketekuty: "That was one of the first lines where I started to feel I had a handle on his voice in the first draft, so that means a lot to hear. (And thank you for noting the team effort, I got a lot of great feeback from the other writers and the editors on Emmrich. He wouldn't be as good without them.) On to questions: 1) My personal take: I think Harding is worried because she's very perceptively noticed how hard Emmrich's fallen for Rook, and that he's a man of large emotions. (And because they become pretty good friends over the course of the game.) 2) I think Emmrich let his anxieties run away with him, afraid that this romance wasn't, couldn't possibly be the One True Love he so wanted, and that's how his fear expressed itself. (Did he WANT to break up? No, but he was bracing himself in case Rook did think it was only a fling and so on and so forth, they should get it out in the open, and so on.) 3) Thank you! I loved writing her. She will always be a hater until her (un)dying day."" [source, two, three, four, five, six] -- John Epler: "someday we'll get the Hezenkoss/Anaris reluctant team-up the world deserves" [source] -- Sylvia: "Somehow, in the realm of pure imagination, they're already trying to strangle each other." [source] -- User: "Very important question- would Anaris finger gun? (Finger crossbow?)" -- John: "as a man defined primarily by his tremendous insecurities Anaris also takes himself incredibly seriously and unconsciously mirrors Elgar'nan, an elf he both loathes and desperately wishes he were so the real question is, would Elgar'nan finger gun?" [source]

User: "On my 1st run I thought some choices felt like the 'bad' ones and avoided them - Lich Emmerich, Harding's Anger, Qunari Taash etc. But on my 2nd run I was so pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't the case! None of the companion choices feel right or wrong, just different, and that's fantastic." / Sylvia: "Thanks! We tried to make either choice compelling, to have something for different players either way. So I'm so glad to hear that." [source]

User, on Manfred winning a character award: "Congrats Manfred we knew you had it in you!" / Sylvia: "He did it! My little skeleton pal did it! (Especial thanks to the animators and voice actor, Matt Mercer, because like 90% of his personality lives in those gangly limbs and his hissing)" [source]

User: "I just wanted to say that Emmerich and Josephine are so interesting and well-written" / Sylvia: "I feel very lucky I got to bring them into DA, with teams that went for them 100%." [source]

User: "I enjoyed Emmrich's addendum to the codex about Templars in Nevarra: are they primarily there as backup if something goes profoundly wrong? Would they ever get someone who just wants to help down in the Necropolis, pretty please? (also <3 Vorgoth, they're great)" / Sylvia: ""are they primarily there as backup if something goes profoundly wrong?" That was my own take. You don't NOT want Templars, in case some ritual gets disrupted in an utterly disastrous fashion. But other times...the Mortalitasi flex their clout. "Would they ever get someone who just wants to help down in the Necropolis, pretty please?" Some Watchers might not be immune to flattery. I think a few templars could be all right under some circumstances, but that they'd be assigned a mage. (A bit of a reverse of the southern mage-templar pairs.) "(also <3 Vorgoth, they're great)" Thank you! I was so pumped when I saw the final art for them, everything I'd dreamed. (And their voice actor, Brent Mukai, was amazing.)" [source, two, three]

User: "I wanted to ask you what you think nevarran wedding attire might look like? or if you’ve considered it? asking for science." / Sylvia: "Geeze, that's a good question. I imagine the couple would exchange some custom-made grave gold pieces to mark the occasion, given how important it is in Nevarra. But other than that, you should let your imagination run wild." [source]

User: "Is seeing Josephine as Asexual or part of the Ace Spectrum a valid interpretation of her character?" / Sylvia: "Totally, if that's how you want to see the character and relationship. (My policy is generally that if it's not directly contradicted in the game, you can take that kind of thing as a valid read of the character.)" [source]

Sylvia: "I'll say this (spoiler free): there's a scene in "Walking the Graves" where I felt Emmrich's voice finally click for me on the first draft, so that one's special to me." [source]

User: "I remembered some questions I had about Emmrich.. Can he play any instruments? I always invision him playing a pipe organ or maybe violin! If not, are there any he would like to learn? 😊 Also, I was curious, can he ice skate? out on that frozen Nevarran lake in winter" / Sylvia: "Those are interesting questions. Because they're something I never considered or wrote, there's no real canon there yet. I see Emmrich as more an appreciator of music than a musician, but can't rule it out. As for ice-skating, I'm not even sure we've shown that in Thedas. I think Emmrich would enjoy it though. UPDATE: a friend reminded me about this tidbit from World of Thedas 2: "Ice skating – during the winter in Nevarra, people often skate on the frozen over Minanter river." So it's canon now. Emmrich ice-skates. He instantly manifests a scarf when doing so. (I fall on my sword for forgetting this.)" [source, two, three]

User: "about Josephine: what would her ideal/dream wedding be? I was tickled when I read about that in her letter to her Inquisitor I just have to know" / Sylvia: "what a delightful question in turn! I think she'd want a big, flower-filled, no-holds barred wedding at her family's estate. All her relatives, friends she made in the Inquisition, the Inquisitor's relatives (if they have any/keep in touch.) She'd begin planning 16 months in advance." [source]

Sylvia: "Aw thank you! (On behalf of me, and the rest of the team, so many people worked so hard on our eccentric necromancer man.)" [source]

Sylvia: "The Mourn Watch and Emmrich are a bit eccentric, but I really wanted their reverence for the dead (and the living) to feel genuine." [source]

User: "As someone who himself gets awful pangs about the thought of death and nothingness, it was really refreshing to see a character have those same thoughts as me, especially as he also happens to be a Necromancer who is around death daily." / Sylvia: "You're welcome, and thanks for the kind words. It's a familiar thing for me too, so I really wanted to talk about it. I suspect it's far more common than we might think." [source]

User: "My HOF was a spirit healer, very kind & very curious, & for years I've considered how that special connection to spirits might lend itself to an interest in Thedan necromancy & puzzling out where spirits & souls begin & end. Emmrich, Manfred/Curiosity and the wisps gave me so much to think about!" / Sylvia: "Thank you so much! And that's interesting about your HOF. They may've found some kindred spirits if they ever ventured further north." [source]

User: "No questions other than thank you and the team for Emmrich and Nevarra / The Mourn Watch. Seeing death treated with such kindness, empathy and as beautiful renewal rather than grim end is so refreshing and personal to me, it was a great experience to have!" / Sylvia: "That's one of the things I really wanted to express in Emmrich's arc, so I'm so glad you felt that way." [source]

User: "I feel that my Rook would want to learn more about the Mourn Watch after saving the world." / Sylvia: "Emmrich and the Watchers would love that. Emmrich probably has like, five lectures he could rattle off without preparation for your Rook already, haha." [source]

User: "do you have any favorite tidbits about Audric or Myrna that you can share?" / Sylvia: "As for tidbits, hrm. I did post something on what Audric's up to these days. Nothing surprising, but he's doing well! And I never wrote it in-game, so it lives in the hazy world of "only canon in my head": while Emmrich doesn't come from nobility, Myrna does-the Van Markham branch. She had the finest education, even before the Watchers. She doesn't play it up much, though. Her real passion's her work. And the theater. (I did a small bit about her love of theater here [link or see Post Two]. I think she's a regular attendee.)" [source, two, three]

Sylvia: "I also really wanted to explore more of the Necropolis ever since I first read about it. I'm very lucky the team and I finally got to show everyone the crypts..." [source]

User: "he stories, the worldbuilding, the characters, the locations, I loved it all so much I played my MW Rook twice" / Sylvia: "Nice. The Mourn Watch appreciates your studious interest in the hallowed art of necromancy." [source]

Sylvia: "thank you on behalf of the whole team, as you've surmised there were a lot of people bringing him to life. (Especial props to Nick Borraine, his VA, who's wonderful in the role.)" [source]

Sylvia: "It always makes me happy when people mention the short stories, and glad you enjoyed meeting (and perhaps romancing...) Emmrich." [source]

Sylvia, on Vorgoth: "I'm afraid I deliberately left our cloak-shrouded Watcher a mystery. But I'll say this: I'm sure they'd show your Rook in that picture their art collection, an honor Vorgoth bestows only on those they like or trust." [source]

User: "does the watch have any rules in regards to courtship/marriage between fellow watchers? An does Emmrich lecture at the Necropolis or at the College of Magi in Cumberland?" / Sylvia: "1) I actually got into that a little here [link or see Post Two]. Short story, it's not forbidden for mages within Circles to court or marry, so no particular rules there I think. 2) That is a very good question. Full disclosure, I am answering on the fly with what I think makes most sense. I can see Emmrich doing a bit of both in his younger days. But as he grew older, more specialized in his field, and had more MW responsibilities, he probably worked more out of the Necropolis. (And prefers it anyhow.) By the time DAV starts, it's probably been years since he was in Cumberland." [source, two, three]

User: "Thank you for your moving portrayal of thanatophobia. While most people have some fear of death, it was amazing to see the thanatophobic panic attacks etc portrayed so accurately." / Sylvia: "Thanks - they're not an unfamiliar phenomenon to me, I wanted Emmrich to try to get across that helplessness and wretched terror. (I suspect more people are affected by them than we commonly talk about.)" [source]

User: "whoever decided “DA liches are immortal protectors and not always evil?” Chef’s kiss. It’s all I’ve ever wanted!" / Sylvia: "Thanks again! It was in Emmrich's first draft. The other writers and editors gave me good feeback on lichdom and the philosophy behind it especially" [source]

User: "I wonder, did you prefer writing for either lich Emmrich or mortal? I would imagine it's a bit different." / Sylvia: "I wouldn't say I had a favorite, but it was fun to try to figure out what approach to take in scenes that had split lich/mortal lines. I didn't want Emmrich to be unrecognizable as a lich, but I did want him to occasionally be a little different, slowly absorbing what he'd become. We see him at the start of this new stage of his existence, so I think even by the end of Veilguard he's still just at the very start of adjusting to, and exploring, what he is now. I liked giving him that wonder!" [source, two]

Sylvia: "The Memorial Gardens were the heart of the Necropolis to me, the level artists and level designer and our audio team worked so much magic there. (And the lighting team! First time I saw it properly lit I think I clapped.)" [source]

User: "Also wanted to know if you wrote Josephine’s letter to Inquisitor if romanced?" / Sylvia: "I did write that letter, thanks! It was a joy to return to Josephine, even in a codex sent to her dearest Inquisitor." [source]

Sylvia on where Emmrich sleeps: "As to his sleeping arrangements, I gave a tantalizing (non) answer here [[link] or see [Post Two]]. (Though I think he'd prefer a proper bed, whatever form it takes. Emmrich's too old to be sleeping on cots like a student anymore.)" [source]

Sylvia: "So glad the team and I got to crack open the ancient doors of the Grand Necopolis, I've been curious about it too ever since reading about it eons ago. (And very glad you're liking MW Rook, I really wanted things to feel different when chatting with Emmrich as a Watcher yourself!)" [source]

User: "I enjoyed Johanna IMMENSELY and she is most definitely my favourite villain of all time now, so thank you for her as well!" / Sylvia: "She was a treat to write. (And Hezenkoss would 100% applaud you on your fine judgement and obvious taste.)" [source]

Sylvia on Emmrich's fear: "I'm not unfamiliar with that fear either, and it means a great deal to hear getting to know Emmrich helped you out even a little. (And happy to hear you dug Manfred!)" [source]

Sylvia: "I'm especially glad you liked the battle theme. Our music director instantly got the tone of Emmrich's arc, he and the audio team spun off so many great tracks from that core theme." [source]

User on Emmrich: "He's a brilliant character and everyone involved in his creation should be very proud!" / Sylvia: "There were a lot of people working on him, I was lucky so many people got onboard right away with our professor of necromancy. And I loved writing him chatting with Bellara, the mentor/student relationship was fun to hash out with her writer." [source]

User: "(1/2) Hello Sylvia! Like everyone else, I love Emmrich, but I also wanted to say thank you for your work in DAI. Josie was my first romance in DA and I love her a lot. My question had to do with her codex entry in Veilguard for a romanced Inquisitor: (2/2) Her letter in Veilguard implies she hasn't married yet, 10 years later. Josie is so image-conscious in how she conducts herself, so I was surprised she would put off marriage for that long as the first born noble of her house. Curious what the idea behind it was if you can share." / Sylvia: "Thank you! I'm honored to hear Josepine was your first DA romance. Re: marriage, you're right, that is a big time gap. I basically didn't want to surprise returning players with a marriage that had already happened to their Inquisitor offscreen. I'm sure Josephine has kept busy with world affairs, and so has the Inquisitor, which isn't a bad reason it's taken so long. But I thought it'd be more engaging for players to imagine the proposal, how they'd react, what the wedding would be like, as something good happening to them in the future." [source, two]

User: "I wanted to ask about banter I saw online; why does Taash say Emmrich smells like potash? Isn't that a bad smell, like rotten eggs? He doesn't strike me as a smelly person outside of being around the dead. Maybe Trick would know too" / Trick Weekes: "IIRC, I based it on residual scents that would come from chemicals -- can't remember whether it was what you'd get from working with embalming liquids or something used to style hair. That said, Taash comments on scents non-adaari can't detect, so it's not like he smells bad to normal people." [source] / Sylvia: "Chiming in late, but what Trick said. Taash has an incredible sense of smell, but they're detecting the tiny residuals. (Which is why poor Taash can smell that burial Emmrich helped with, even though he scrubbed down thoroughly afterwards. Gotta keep hygienic!)" [source]

User: "I wish more games had Romances like this, he was just simply perfect. [Emmrich] believably cares for Rook." / Sylvia: "I'm glad that part felt heartfelt, it was one of the cores of his romance for me." [source]

User: "What inspired you to want to go into writing for games? Or just writing in general?" / Sylvia: "I've played games since I was about 5 years old and that's what really did it. I fell in love at once with these cool, weird little worlds you could visit as someone else. As for writing in general, it feels goofy (or ominous) to call it a Calling, but it's just something I've always enjoyed doing. It's also probably what I'm best at, which means I'm unfathomably lucky I ended up at BioWare. I don't think I would've been happy until I was doing game writing somewhere, somehow!" [source, two]

User: "I have two questions about his and Johanna's childhood. 1. How and when did he and her(johanna) meet? 2. What was the story between him and her back then? Sorry if it's too long a question. Thank you! Oh I'm so sorry, how could I forget another important question😭😓 3. How tall do you think he is👀 He's almost as tall as Taash!" / Sylvia: "I have not forgotten the other two questions, I'll get to them later (it's just getting late here) but this one's a little easier. I THINK he's about 6 foot 2 inches without his boots, so about 6 foot 3 with them on. (A character artist would have to confirm or deny if I'm remembering right.)" [source]

Sylvia on her time at BioWare: "So I gt a 5 year award statue that looked like a glass disc, and then we swapped over the to the BioWare Character award statues so I got Wrex as my 10th one. (I think I remember people who'd been around earlier than me with those clocks on their desks!)" [source]

[dalishious]

Would you recommend Tevinter nights more than the other da books? I haven’t read any of them bc I have heard the writing isn’t v good, but the way you talk abt the stories in this one has rlly intrigued me.

Well I would like to say that as far as writing quality goes, most of the books aren’t bad, they’re just okay. Gaider and Weekes both have different strengths and weaknesses too, so it also comes down to what bothers you more. With Gaider for example I personally found his biggest weakness is he clearly has a vision in his head, but isn’t good at uh, sharing that vision. He describes what happens without really giving much detail about how things feel, look, etc. Also, he really dropped the ball when it comes to writing character consistency in Asunder in my opinion. At least with The Stolen Throne and The Calling I could give you a description of what the main characters are all about, but with Asunder the only two I’d consider to be fleshed out are Cole and Adrian. However, I would say Last Flight is really quite good and if you have any concerns about writing quality when it comes to the novels, I wouldn’t count that one among the others. Though again, just my personal opinion.

As for Tevinter Nights, of course the stories vary, but I would say that most of them are very good, yes, to the point where I would say overall it’s the best. I especially loved the stories by Courtney Woods and Sylvia Feketekuty, and also really liked John Epler’s.

TL;DR: Yes, I recommend Tevinter Nights. If you’d like more thoughts but haven’t read my full review yet, it’s here: [Link]