#and him having a room in the chantry

[ll-underestimated-ll]

// Know of Leo's temptation to mockingly lean in with a 'you have to Pay the Tremere? Getgud.'

[skyrim-forever]

Worst Places to Jerk Off in Skyrim

In no particular order, as they are all shit in their own ways :P

Redwater Spring

Unless you are a vampire or werewolf then you are getting all the diseases. And if you are a vampire, don't do that to the food??? Unless, you're into that ��

2. Altar of Molag Bal

I don't even need to say why, y'all already know. If you are so inclined (I'm not kink shaming I'm kink asking why) go to the one in Castle Volkihar at least. Don't do it in Markarth my guy

3. The Dwemer Lockbox at Septimus Signus's Outpost

Okay, this might just be me but it would be impossible to have a good time inside a giant Dwemer mechanism with Hermaeus Mora lurking around. HOWEVER, I am aware I am posting this on tesblr on monsterfucker.com so if you are an enjoyer of tentacles than this may be a top spot. You do you bestie, have fun becoming a Seeker someday <3

4. The Chantry of Auri-El

Gelebor has been through enough

5. Frostfall Lighthouse

You probably don't want to anyways

6. Inside Tel Mithryn with Neloth is there

This also has the caveat as some of you (including myself to an extent) are into Neloth. That said, I feel like he would absolutely destroy you with insults that even if he didn't ban you you'd never come back

7. The Warren

Wahoooo second Markarth location! Incredibly depressing, would not be a good vibe

8. The Chill

It's fuckin cold my guy

9. Yngvild

Also cold but more importantly, Arondil has major issues. The room of dead women, the contents of his journals NOPE I am kinkshaming him

10. The Butcher's murder room in Hjerim

Let's offer the dead some peace since we cannot bring the killer to justice as the quest is always broken!!!

Feel free to add your own picks, we could also do a list of the best places ;)

[sha-brytols]

someone: do you think anders is a good person

the part of my brain that engages in genuine critical media analysis: i think it's disingenuous to label him through the lens of a binary good/evil paradigm because what makes him such an interesting and engaging character is his status inbetween a human with complex emotions and desires and flaws that will never fully align with each other, and the singleminded focus and purpose of a supernatural entity that is literally justice incarnate and has no capacity for nuance and whose very nature is fundamentally incompatible with humanity but the two of them are so deeply connected that they make up a single identity that's constantly at odds with itself and this struggle causes him to act in ways that aren't always clean and often land him and those around him in impossible positions. i think he was morally justified in doing what he did to the chantry but i also believe he understood the magnitude of what he was doing which is why i inherently disagree with the notion that characters like varric or sebastian were wrong in their reactions because that's the very nature of violent revolution—people get caught in the crossfire and are harmed despite their innocence and regardless of the righteousness of the action at large. if someone killed your mom to protect a hundred orphans you probably wouldn't come out of the experience full of love and admiration for the person who killed your mother because regardless of the outcome they still fucking killed your mother. anders destroyed people's homes and lives and there's a conversation to be had about how he gaslit and exploited hawke, his own potential lover, into being an unwitting accomplice even though we know through meta knowledge that he was perfectly capable of doing it on his own and very likely only wanted hawke's involvement because he needed a powerful figure to become the rallying symbol for his cause. the reality is his very nature would have never allowed him to choose hawke and his friends over his goal because to do so would have been fundamentally selfish and antithetical to his newfound identity as one who champions the needs of the many at the expense of the individual. it's a beautifully tragic story about the lengths a person would have to go to in order to enact any sort of meaningful change while constrained in a system that benefits from their powerlessness, and how that process cannot exist without suffering and pain on both the individual and collective level. i also feel like if anders was written by a person with a degree of compassion and awareness for not only the character they were writing but just what living as a vulnerable and targeted minority is like then the narrative and message would have been vastly different than what ended up on screen because, ultimately, the game wants you to look at the stark injustice of a child being ripped away from their family to spend a life locked away in cold isolation where they're at constant risk of exploitation, abuse, death, and even a complete removal of their personhood, and think that there's room for compromise. it's a narrative that perpetuates the myth that passivity and tolerance in the face of oppression is more virtuous than burdening the masses with the discomfort of seeing their own culpability in sustaining it. a better game would have challenged varric and sebastian while also affirming their anger instead of just the latter. a better game would have explored hawke's reaction in a deeper manner that examined their relationship with the system, their own internal biases, and how anders affected their worldview.

the part of my brain that was on tumblr in 2014 and is still extremely petty and spiteful: he should have blown up the conclave while he was at it

[notebooks-and-laptops]

I hate the viper as the black divine btw I hate it I hate it I hate it

And no, it's not because it's a bad idea.

It's because it's an EXCELLENT idea, and the idea that they intended it to be canon (or planned for it to be) is quite frankly an insult to such a complex idea. Especially in the game series that used to explore religion quite seriously and which has decided, in the game about Gods and potentially disproving faith, it no longer actually cares about faith (the MAIN THEME OF THE PREVIOUS GAME).

Like. Firstly narratively the Black Divine being Viper could have had such an impact because you could have built to it. You meet Viper, get to know him... simultaneously you're meeting various imperial chantry officials. Maybe these chantry officials are even aligned with Venatori. They keep alluding to the Black Divine but you never meet him until ACT 3 when it turns out...the black divine was the viper all along.

And one assumes the black divine would turn to a life like the Vipers because they don't think their office is doing any real good. That's!!! Really interesting!!! Someone decked in glory and power realises their own office is a sham that is doing no good not stopping slavery or Venatori and so works to do it from the shadows...that's interesting!!! And has something to say about systematic power structures and how changing a system from the inside can be damn near impossible.

Or maybe he does this because he DOESNT want to risk his seat as the black divine but feels immense guilt about how he's not actually helping the faithful poor in his city. He wants to cling to his power because he believes he can nudge history in the right direction if he does, but simultaneously knows that by not speaking out publiclly on slavery or poverty he's potentially dooming people to death and so needs to sooth his guilt by going vigilanty. Maybe there's an interesting question in there somewhere about living in two worlds and trying to maintain the status quo in one and destroy it in the other.

Also it DIRECTLY parrellels previous characters like Cassandra and Leliana and is a continuation of inquisitions themes surrounding what good can faith ACTUALLY accomplish for people (this even goes back to da2 and Anders)? When does faith break/why? What

Also because it's not explained, it's just kinda stupid. Does Bioware think that high ranking religious officials do nothing all day? They're not billionaires sat in a mansion popping into occasional meetings, they're public figures and political leaders of giant organisations who regularly have to be on show to the masses and to their own advisors. I won't believe that they not only a) have time to be batman AND b) they also have time to just...sit around in some room in the middle of nowhere to be a performative faction leader to the protagonist of a video game they don't know they're in.

Also. Are you telling me. The venatori were going to execute the FANTASY POPE??? And nobody cared??? They were going to publiclly execute the FANTASY POPE and the viper wasn't going to reveal himself and he wasn't going to be recognised and that wasn't going to cause problems? Are you kidding me?

Tblr; the idea that the viper is the black divine is such a good idea it makes me so angry they seemingly couldn't be bothered to actually put the time into it to make it interesting

[thelibrarian1895]

For your consideration

Lucanis proposes to a Mourn Watch Rook, Caterina even gave him the opal ring for the proposal since someone who killed one of the elven gods could be arguably acceptable for her grandson.

Probably

Then it's time to plan the wedding and I would like to offer the idea that Caterina and Teia who, upon learning that Rook has no living parents and was, in fact, found in a crypt in the Necropolis by the undead, might come to the conclusion that since there are no other parental figures involved, they will have full control over the wedding planning as they are grandmother of the groom and groom's basically sister with some input from Rook and Lucanis of course.

Except no

Vorgoth appears in the room that Caterina has dedicated to wedding planning. Vorgoth is there to make sure that the Nevarran and Mourn Watch traditions are also respected. Plus this is their little crypt baby who's all grown up and getting married! Myrna comes in shortly afterwards, it takes her a little longer to travel than it does Vorgoth and now Teia has the bride's basically sister to debate with.

Debates over whether or not skeletons should be ushers or not, picking over every name on the guest list, debates about the size of the guest list, arguing over the location of the wedding (Vorgoth: THE MEMORIAL GARDENS ARE VERY POPULAR FOR SUCH OCCASIONS Myrna: It would be particularly romantic as Emmerich reported Rook would like their remains to be used in the garden after their death Caterina: No, the Dellamortes have been married in the Treviso chantry gardens for generations Teia: will the Chantry be finished cleaning up all the leftover Ventaori things in time? Caterina: I was unaware that we were dealing with any time constraints (Teia changes the subject while they debate whether or not to confess that she suspects Rook might be pregnant and thus they might want to have the wedding quickly since while having a baby first isn't a bad thing, it would make the fitting of wedding outfits difficult (Rook is not pregnant, Rook is throwing up and sickly at the moment because they're trying to develop immunity to common poisons)) catering, discovering that Nevarrans also arrange for the couples' funeral while they're putting together the wedding, determining if one of the couple will be wearing a dress, figuring out who is going to make the outfits for the wedding party (Manfred, who made their own Watcher uniform, is unaware of the careful negotiations and has already measured both Rook and Lucanis and has started to sew a very traditional Watcher wedding outfit that was in style about 2,000 years ago that Manfred thinks it cool/pretty, Manfred started this as soon as Spite told them that Spite, Rook, and Lucanis were officially a thing because I 100% believe that Spite and Manfred gossip with one another and Lucanis figures better Manfred than Spite walking around while Lucanis is asleep and spilling everything to everyone in the Lighthouse, Rook and Lucanis will wear the outfits Manfred makes for the reception), figuring out who is going to be in the wedding party (lots of debating about whether Illario is going to be part of things or not), determining who is going to be walked down the aisle (Rook), determining who is going to walk the person down the aisle (Vorgoth, this is why I say Rook is walked down the aisle), flowers, decorations in general, location for the reception, music, living arrangements in the aftermath of the wedding, conferring about wedding presents so none of them get the couple a duplicate of something, determining who is going to officiate, figuring out who will paint the wedding portraits, whether or not it would be appropriate for any contract to be fulfilled during the wedding (Teia: Unless you refuse to allow guests to bring plus ones, at least one Crow is going to bring a target to the wedding and finish the contract after the vows, it happens every time) what would happen to anyone who might die of "natural causes" during the wedding, wedding favors, Mourn Watch avoiding/ignoring the Crows probing about King Marcus, designing the wedding invitations, scheduling health check ups, seating arrangements, if Antiva or Nevarra have any tradition of dowries or bride prices then Vorgoth and Caterina discuss how that works out, determining where the couple will go for their honeymoon, and of course, determining which side of the family will pay for what and setting a budget, neither side is going to let the other get away with "I pay for it so I decide" though neither side would honestly because while they all have specific visions for their loved one's wedding, they really do want the couple to be happy with how things end up

It's quite possibly the most fun Caterina has had in decades and she and Vorgoth will either best friends or they'll be mortal enemies in the aftermath.

When everything is done, Teia and Myrna will absolutely be exchanging letters in the aftermath and meet up once a month for brunch/gossip that they can't tell anyone in their own organizations.

In the meantime, Lucanis and Rook are debating if they'd survive eloping (they decide no) and Rook is getting Viago to coach them through building up an immunity to common poisons as well as poisons commonly used by the Crows which is not the same thing (resulting in Teia's misunderstanding) and how to best put the fear of Rook into the Crow houses most likely to cause problems/target them as spouse of the First Talon

Edit: No matter what the wedding planning group decides, all the wisps from the Lighthouse are going to be there at the wedding if only because I adore the mental image of the wisps floating around the ceremony. I think it would be pretty.

Edit: One of the wedding colors is absolutely purple

Edit: Manfred measured Lucanis for his Watcher wedding gear while Lucanis was asleep and Spite was in control and further fittings happen in the same fashion so Lucanis is actually unaware of the Watcher wedding gear until much later, Spite gets him to change into it for the reception. Rook didn't know why Manfred wanted to measure them but was willing to indulge Manfred because Rook finds Manfred adorable and is later delighted by the Watcher wedding gear and was quite pleased during the fittings

Edit: Manfred as the flower skeleton/spirit, Assan as the ring bearer, I love the mental image of Assan with a little bowtie

[internalloops]

DA:TV rant … if you are of the mind that BioWare can do no wrong /its games can be criticize or if you truly enjoying the game and are loving everything that you’ve seen so far this post is not for you. Please move along and if you don’t want me showing up on your feed please block me.  I will not be engaging with any fan that will not allow me to take up space and vent my feelings on the disaster that is this fucking game.

*Also a lot of spoilers!!

.. it’s horrible, like I knew I was going to be disappointed but holy fucking shit …

I’m about to finish act one and .. they destroyed their entire lore … BioWare destroyed their ENTIRE lore /world build of Dragon Age

Minrathous has NO SLAVES !!! They are briefly talked about via shadow dragons but they’re are none visible at all in the city ( but they have the animation to give a poor person “fake money” )

The qunari who literally fought and tried to kill solas in trespasser have been turned into mindless brutes who willingly joined the evil gods … because they command dragons ?

The blight except for one mission is harmless. They purposely turned it into a bio weapon and then (besides the dark spawn spawning from it like something out of an MMO) due to *plot armor, no one actually contracts the blight ???

The black chantry minus one building that you go through in a side quest doesn’t exist? No chantry members , no talk of the black divine ..

Dalish are all engineers now and part of the veil jumpers ( which should not exist lore wise) and all elven magic has been converted into cyberpunk technology and artifacts. Very little talk about their oppression and they are all very willing to drop all their history , even their distrust of solas , to flight the old gods .

Varric Has been demoted to inspirational speaker and narrator he has no other role and the entire team acts like he died , even when he’s in the room with him ( I think BioWare actually planned to kill him but then chickened out ) and is a husk of his former self

Same with Morgan , you can’t interact with her at all and she’s given the same mysterious background as flemeth ( the theory that she carries mythal spirit is very strong right now )

Lyrim potions don’t exist, in fact lyrim doesn’t exist at all besides the dagger. All magic has turned into technology, and if you play as a mage mana just has an automatic replenish rate /cool down effect that you can level up.

Evil gods go back and forth between an actual intense adversary and threat to the world, and a typical Disney villain.

These are just the few I can think of off the top of my head, there is so much more than this …

The game can literally be summed up as Mass effect andromeda x2 with God of war animations and marvel style writing ( not the avengers I’m talking about the recent shit)

Also for the people who want to kill solas or simply dislike him, the game pushes a sympathetic view of him on you ,even your companions who outrightly want to kill him will feel sorry for him. And I’m saying this as a solavellan fan. Yes they’re options to be mean to him and antagonize him, but you won’t get anyone agreeing with your actions ,at best they’ll be neutral about it. Now this might play out differently for those who picked the “chooses to stop him “ option , but for those who’s inquisitions wanted to save him but they wanted their rooks to hate him … you’re not gonna be happy about what you get ..

The only thing that keeping me playing is the reveal of history of ancient elves and Titans and solas’s story. And Assan!! Assan can do no wrong !! Everything else is a slog to get through.

[baphometsss]

On Solas' Mythal regret

Alright so this is just one thing I wanted to get out there. I'm not gonna do one big meta post bc I wanna break down specific things more easily. I hope it's not too jumbled

Spoilers

The Solas / Mythal regret takes place in the Fade.

“What if you left the Evanuris, and remained with me? Surely you must want freedom from this struggle?”

Solas says it not just for Mythal’s sake but for his own; he is essentially begging for her to return to the Fade with him so they can be as spirits again... He doesn’t want to be a person, he never did, and now he can’t return to that life. He was happy in the Fade until she drew him out. Mythal says ‘love’ because she knows that he doesn’t want to be there and she needs to keep him loyal in order to keep the Evanuris at bay. We know that Mythal is manipulative af and this is just more evidence of that.

It’s a regret not just because he couldn’t get Mythal to leave the Evanuris but because it’s the moment he gave up on himself. He knew he couldn’t leave Mythal to do it alone, because he did care for her, but also he was likely bound to her after she pulled him from the Fade. We know that pulling spirits from the Fade makes them lose a part of themselves; in this case, Mythal did this to him deliberately so he would fight in the war.

It was a trauma bond, similar to the bond between Cole, the spirit of compassion, and the real Cole who starved to death in a prison cell. Solas needed to provide Wisdom to prove his purpose, and Mythal kept calling on that. In Veilguard, it’s explicitly stated that as a former spirit, he cannot resist appeals to his true nature. With trauma bonds, you do lose your agency. It’s what they hinge on. The two things combined make for a toxic dynamic.

(I don’t particularly like this personally, but it's what seems to be the intent, but I digress.)

The hidden codex in the Lighthouse’s music room—memories of a duet—is significant in understanding their relationship. To me this is very revealing of their dynamic; Mythal took advantage of Solas when he wasn’t used to having a body and moulded him to be a weapon. She moulded him into the image she wanted him to take, and strung him along the entire time. There’s a big parallel between Divine Justinia/Leliana and Mythal/Solas. Leliana’s personal quest in DAI is about her loyalty to Divine Justinia, whom she sees as a mother and great friend. You can ask her if they were romantically involved, and she says that they were many things to each other, but not that. She too carries a huge amount of guilt for her death, to the point that it can break her if you don’t soften her early on in the game, and she becomes utterly ruthless. The end scene with Mythal releasing Solas from her service has many similarities to Justinia releasing Leliana from hers. Leliana and Justinia were united in part because of their shared spirituality and hopes for the Chantry, and Solas and Mythal were united by the connection they forged as spirits. ‘Being wholly seen…’ Leliana felt the same way about Justinia.

Solas also wore Mythal’s vallaslin, and burned it off his face when he rebelled against the Evanuris. As we know, those are slave markings. He was made to become her servant, and rebelled against her too when he started the rebellion against the Evanuris. (As a side note, and especially if you’ve played BG3, you’ll know how the loss of agency can stick around even after the connection to the abuser has been severed. Astarion’s ‘you made me see that I never stopped thinking of myself as his slave’ really springs to mind here, albeit in a different context.)

This is a big part of why I don’t think he was romantically involved with Mythal. I believe his main role to Mythal in the initial war was as a kind of spymaster, similar to how Leliana is the spymaster for Divine Justinia. Mythal taught Solas to behave in exactly the way she wanted him to.

In fact, in the Inquisitor’s customisation screen when you pick your romance, Solas’s explicitly says that even he didn’t foresee what it would mean to fall in love. So… he canonically hasn’t been in love before. He was not in love with Mythal.

I wanna be clear here; I don’t hate Mythal as such. I mean, I do, because she’s pretty fucked up, but you have to consider her nature. She was a spirit of benevolence. She wanted to take a form because she was afraid of what Elgar’nan would do to the world if she didn’t stop him. Even after taking a body, she can’t change her nature. It became twisted into retribution when she couldn’t stop them from harming the elves or trying to leash the blight. Honestly I could write a whole essay about Mythal too, but I won’t because I still have a ton to write about Solas and Lavellan, but we’ll see.

Anyway I’m gonna leave this one here but I’ll be back with more meta. I have a lot of get through

[the-raven-and-the-tower]

The Venatori were really struggling to keep Lucanis contained.

(A possible reason our favorite possessed Crow was suited and booted and ready to leave when we found him.)

A trail of bodies leading to him, a bunch of references to how much havoc he's wreaked, and then a big-ass barrier on the door where they've got him contained in a block of ice like the weirdos they are - baby boy was working on his own breakout long before we got there.

On arrival, we find a scattered trail of dead Venatori guards. Thanks to @wolfsong-the-bloody-beast, we know that somewhere around THIRTY FIVE dead Venatori are scattered around. He was BUSY.

Rook: Someone or something already took down the guards. Neve: Might work in our favor, but something's wrong here.

A bit later, we find this note and even more bodies.

Gee, I wonder why they didn't want to go in the possessed killer Crow's cell. Lucanis and Spite are pissed, they're not accepting visitors.

We find a response to the note, alongside the body of the previous writer (hopefully).

Bonus shot of possible Dead!Ovidius.

There's pretty good evidence to show Lucanis's last couple of days-to-weeks would have been enough to drive him to extremes in order to escape. This note was on a desk in one of the rooms - Calivan would have tortured Lucanis to new lengths in order to break him for Zara.

Adding to that, we know that either out of desperation to break Lucanis and accomplish his task, or needing to gripe to a colleague, Calivan wrote to someone named Felicia Erimond and received "just kill him already" as advice in return.

When Rook and companion finally reach the area where they've managed to contain him (inside of a spelled block of ice ffs), he's at the end of a longggg trail of bodies and behind a very serious barrier.

They need him contained.

Neve: A barrier. Whatever's in there, the Venatori really want it to stay put. Rook: Then we break through.

When we bust through the barrier and are finally facing down the final few Venatori mages between us and our Demon, look at this;

They're casting blood magic around his makeshift ice prison to keep him contained, but as Rook bursts in, they stop --- perhaps allowing Lucanis's escape a moment later.

The Ossuary mage/guard foremost is not interested in discussion when Rook offers not to fight if they'll simply hand over Lucanis. Instead, he leaps right to calling on the Archdemons themselves.

"Razikale, Dragon of Mystery. Lusacan, Dragon of Night. Hear your faithful call—"

Tiny lore drop on those fuckers. Razikale and Lusacan were said by the Chantry to have been "imprisoned underground by the Maker for usurping His worshipers.' At some point in 9:52 Dragon, Razikale was awoken and freed by Ghilan'nain, and Lusacan by Elger'nan. This led to the outbreak of the Sixth Blight. [from the wiki]

When presented with the possibility of Rook & co breaking Lucanis out, the Venatori reaches for the nuke button.

And I mean... can we blame them for being afraid of him? We've seen the bodies, Lucanis was kind enough to leave us quite a resume on the floor all over. Then we get to see him pop out of his ice prison like a demonic jack-in-the-box too and rain fury down on his captors.

Even without facial expressions, all I see in the body language of the Venatori is oh gods it's happening again...

And then they look up to see this charging at them, the last thing so many of their colleagues saw before they died similarly violent deaths. (Also, slowed-down, his ittle run seems less silly somehow, but the trade-off is that the funky physics of the sword he runs belly-first into do stand out a little more.)

and then THIS!

The face of a man who is genuinely surprised by who he's found himself face-to-face with. The first non-Venatori he's seen in 300+ days and not only are they not Crows... they're complete strangers who just waltzed into a secret underwater Venatori prison housed in a crumbling ancient elven temple and asked for him by name?

Not even our famous detective was able to work out his name on her own, so we know it's not information that's easily come by. Clearly this stranger knows who he is and where he was being held --- Lucanis has to be wondering; if that knowledge was out there, why hadn't the Crows found him? And who is this unknown person that just blithely walked in, asked for him by name and was cheeky enough to offer sparing the Venatori a fight if they'd simply hand him over?

It’s been three hundred very bad days for the Demon of Vyrantium and now he having a very confusing one. Plenty more where that came from.

---

In summary, the (updated) theory; (with credit & thanks to @wolfsong-the-bloody-beast for the excellent details they added!)

Lucanis busted out, got access to his gear and was well on his way to breaking out when he was finally cornered where we found him, contained in a block of ice.

When Rook bursts into the room, the mages maintaining the magic on him lose focus and the world's angriest Crow breaks out to complete his escape, finding himself face-to-face with unexpected help.

[galedekarios]

down among the dead men

i finally finished reading sylvia feketekuty's short story in tevinter nights. sylvia feketekuty is also emmrich's writer in dragon age: the veilguard.

i wanted to compile what we learn about emmrich in sylvia's short story.

emmrich likes tea

"What happened then?" the older mage tilted a pot of tea encouragingly toward Audric.

his study is described in detail

Audric shook his head--he didn't feel like tea, particularly--while his eyes soaked in the room. He'd never been in a necromancer's study before. Ornately decorated skulls hung from hooks in the high, dark ceiling. One wall was made up of shelves with books and tiny labeled drawers. The other was fronted by tables full of bubbling flasks, scales, alembics, and tortured-looking glass. A smartly attired servant ground away with a pestle and mortar.

"Excellent question!" Emmrich swirled the tea in his mug, looking entirely too cheerful, Audric thought, for a man framed by so many racks of skulls.

the description of his study in down among the dead men is very, very reminiscent of his room in the lighthouse that bioware revealed a few days ago:

emmrich may have recreated the comforts of his study in nevarra within the lighthouse.

emmrich lets manfred mix tinctures

"Please, don't mind Manfred." The older mage refilled his own cup. "He'll finish mixing that tincture before you know it." Manfred, a clean-boned skeleton, held up a bowl. Audric read something helpful in the cant of its skull. The younger mage looked critical. "It needs half a cup more elfroot." The corpse pulled out one of the drawers on the side of the room, took out a withered root, and shook it inquiringly. "The royal elfroot, please." Manfred moaned and fumbled at more drawers.

emmrich compliments manfred's successes and is proud of him

"Yes! That's the one." The older mage beamed. "Very good indeed, Manfred!"

emmrich's appearance is described as well by audric

Audric dragged his gaze to the older Watcher across from him, with his silvered hair, tidy mustache, and long face full of concern. His expression reminded Audric of the Chantry scholars when they'd caught him reading by candlelight in the library. The good brothers and sisters had kindly tried to dissuade Audric from living in pages for so long he couldn't think straight in the morning.

i think they a phenomenal job bringing emmrich to life (no pun intended).

emmrich is quite informal, cares about putting someone else at ease, he treats audric as he would a living person, never forcing him to arrive at a conclusion or pressuring him

"Is there anything else you can recall about Lord Karn's funeral?" the mage asked gently. "No? I think... not much, sir. Another guard, she, well... Dellah even had to peel him off me, sir." The necromancer waved a hand. "Emmrich will do, please."

macabre sense of humour

"It's... sorry, it's a blur of screams, sir." "Some of it your own, I'd bet," the necromancer joked, but looked so sympathetic Audric relaxed by a degree.

he is indeed a professor/very scholarly

"Myra picked up the curved rib bone. One end was jagged from where Audric's boot had connected with Karn's rib cage. She handed it to Emmrich. "Excellent. Emmrich? This is your remit." "I'll have it ready before sunset." He sighed. "It would be faster if we'd managed to replace the librarian by now. The students have naturally left the books a mess."

this all fits so well with the blurb we were given about him not so long:

"Emmrich is as serious about his duty to protect innocents from the occult as he is about his studies and his interest in the mysteries of the fade."

don't leave the books in disorder, please.

emmrich is renowned to be good at what he does by other mourn watchers

"Myrna seemed content to leave things there, and took something out of a velvet purse. A rib bone. "Emmrich's prepared your trophy for us. His cathexis is very reliable." Audric felt the ground tilt downslope. "Madam?" "His magic." She tapped the rib bone. "This will now guide us to where Lord Karn's fled. Emmrich would join us, but he's been called to other matters."

i had to look up what cathexis means exactly and it's defined as follows:

In psychoanalysis, cathexis (or emotional investment) is defined as the process of allocation of mental or emotional energy to a person, object, or idea. [...] Cathexis comes to us by way of New Latin from the Greek word kathexis, meaning "holding."

myrna uses a skeleton to send a message to emmrich, presumably he might employ similar methods of communication if available

"Good." Myrna sent a mote of light into a nook in the wall. A moment later, a skeleton fell out, hissing and snapping. Myrna snagged it with a collar of green fire, tugged it like a leash. "Does that... hurt it?" Audric asked, more sympathetic to the shambling thing than he'd been a minute ago. "The sensations differ. With some of the dead, one must exert direct control." The skeleton subsided, making a strange whine. "A message," the Mourn Watcher told it. "Find Professor Emmrich Volkahrin. Tell him after some last business in the Winged Halls, we'll be joining him above without delay."

this description reminded me a bit of the brief glimpses we got of emmrich in the very first companion trailer:

emmrich appreciates punctuality & holding oneself to prior commitments

"You heard my message to Emmrich." She crooked a finger, gesturing to Audric. "We'll be expected. It won't be difficult to return from here. Audric looked around. "I can... I'm allowed to come back with you?" "Of course. Myrna lifted her skirts and stepped over a chunk of stone from the fight. "Emmrich will be put out if we don't show up for tea."

emmrich is incredibly kind when dealing with spirits and undead, no matter their rank or standing in life

"They were back in Emmrich's den. Audric had been astonished to see familiar tomes in a neat stack on the necromaner's desk. "Those... are those...?" "Yours, yes. From your home." Emmrich shook his head. "Forgive the liberty, guardsman. After you and Myrna left for the Necropolis, I had to search for a reason you might have returned so unexpectedly." "I believe we found it," Mysrna said, from where she was overseeing Emmrich's manservant transfer the contents of a bubbling beaker into a bowl. Emmrich handed the top book to Audric. It was a gazetteer of Nevarra City, stamped with a crowned skull surrounded by flowers. Audric flipped it open and read the blocky inscription. To our Son with Love. May you be Blessed in your Studied with the Chantry. "All this effort... for me? I'm just a guardsman, sir." Am? Was? Audric pushed doubt aside and held the gazetteer to his chest. He existed, knew what he loved, and that he had been loved, and that seemed enough in the moment. "The great leveler has no favourites." Emmrich smiled. "Neither does the Mourn Watch."

i found this reaction to myrna and audric quite interesting, and i'm not completely sure what to make of it yet:

"You are faced with a choice," Myrna said, coming over. "You have confronted your killer, and recognised your driving passion. You may rest now, guardsman." "Or?" "Or you may work under the auspices of a Watcher," Myrna said. "Under a modicum of magical control. To avoid anomie, the bond must be given freely." "To you, madam?" "If it's satisfactory." The guardsman ducked his head, and because that felt inadequate, knelt on a knee and held out a hand. Myrna, smiling slightly, took it. Emmrich coughed, looking away. "Please, let the poor fellow up. What position were you thinking?" "I thought it was obvious." Audric felt a slow excitement as he heard Myrna say: "We have a great need for someone to take charge of the library."

overall, i really liked this short story.

i loved how audric wasn't aware that he is, in fact, dead and has died a while ago. i loved how both emmrich and myrna didn't correct his assumption, but led him to the realisation. i love all the little insights we got into emmrich as a character, but also nevarra's culture, necromancy and the mourn watch.

it's definitely one of the best in the book. 🖤

[kirain]

Part nineteen of my appreciation project.

@themournfulwatcher A fic based on their wonderful video edit here. Thank you for feeding the fandom!

The study was quiet, bathed in the dusky gold of the setting sun. Light poured through the arched windows, casting long streaks across the desk and turning scattered notes into constellations of thought. Stacks of papers, half-written drafts, and hastily sketched diagrams were strewn across the surface like the aftermath of a small war. At the centre of it all, Hugo sat hunched over parchment, jaw clenched with focus, eyes sharp under the weight of revelation.

The scratching of his quill had become erratic—scribble, pause, scribble, tear the page. He was naturally patient, but today he swore under his breath, raking a hand through his hair before starting over. The Fade. The gods. The unravelled truth behind Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain. It was too much, and yet not enough. Not yet. Not until he found the words that did their downfall justice.

"Should I discuss the binding now?" he grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "No. I'd better ease readers into it. That's going to be difficult, though. The Chantry won't appreciate it, but if I keep the tone pedestrian..." He sighed. "They'll still pitch a fit. Ugh! What am I doing?"

Beside him, the door swayed open without a sound. Emmrich leaned against the frame for a moment, arms folded, watching the younger man with a soft, knowing smile. The room smelled of ink, sweat, and a faint trace of coffee long since gone cold—the scents of overexertion. He stepped inside, the floorboards creaking under his boots as he approached.

"You know," he said gently, "most people stopped for lunch six hours ago. And dinner, one hour ago."

Hugo didn't look up. "Most people weren't there. They didn't witness what we witnessed."

Emmrich's smile held as he moved behind him, resting his hands on Hugo's rigid shoulders. "You're going to burn out, darling. Your spine feels like it's preparing to rebel."

"I can't stop now," Hugo muttered, stiff under Emmrich's touch despite how good it felt. "If I don't transcribe every detail as soon as possible, I'll forget something important. After everything we learned—the Fade, the gods, Fen'Harel—it's all so..." He broke off, pressing his fingers to his temples. "This knowledge is unprecedented. I can't afford to forget a single moment."

"You won't," Emmrich said, his voice doting as he worked his thumbs into the knots in Hugo's neck. "Your mind is sharper than you give it credit for. And besides, you have the team and me to remind you of anything you miss."

"Easy for you to say," Hugo huffed. "You're an accomplished author of twelve books. Something like this is probably child's play to you."

Emmrich stilled, every movement ceasing as if the air had been knocked from the room. Hugo felt the shift, turned slightly, and caught the look: hurt—silent and unexpected—flashing across Emmrich's face like colour bleeding from a once-vibrant painting.

"No—wait!" Hugo blurted, twisting in his chair. "I didn't mean to sound so dismissive! You're a brilliant author, Emmrich. The best. I respect you more than anyone else in the field, and I know you worked your arse off on every manuscript. I just—" His voice faltered, thick with regret. "I just want to be worthy of that same world. I want to contribute... alongside you."

Emmrich said nothing. Then, slowly, the hurt gave way to understanding.

"Hugo," he tittered, taking the younger man's hands in his own. "You realise you're on the verge of writing a thesis that will put every mage in Thedas to shame, yes?"

Hugo blinked. "What?"

"You have nothing to fret about, my dear. You throw yourself into your work like a man possessed," he said, tugging playfully at his hands. "You obsess. You edit. You frown so intensely, I'm amazed your quill hasn't fled in terror."

He pulled, and Hugo, though reluctant, stood.

"But you know, that's exactly why I love you. The dedication. The care you put into everything you do. It's truly mesmerising."

Hugo felt his cheeks flush, swept up in the way Emmrich looked at him—rapt, proud, and hopelessly smitten.

Damn it.

This handsome, distractingly charming man—his touch was magnetic, his voice like a spell. Somehow, he always knew the perfect words, the right gestures, to pull Hugo away from his tiring pursuits.

"What are you... doing?" he asked, his legs suddenly weak.

Emmrich grinned. "Just urging you to heed the wisdom of a certain accomplished author who, as you noted, has penned twelve books," he teased, nodding to the door. "Come. It's time for a break. You can return to your thesis once you've remembered you're not an indefatigable automaton."

Hugo let himself be led, taking one last look at the scattered chaos of his desk. Then, his gaze drifted to Emmrich, whose fingers gripped him so tenderly that he couldn't help but smile for the first time in hours.

"Fine," he caved, as if he didn't yearn to follow. "But just a short one."

-----

The sea whispered its lullaby against the shore, the steady rhythm of the waves clashing with the unrelenting thoughts that refused to loosen their grip on Hugo's mind.

Together, the two men sat on the beach, the sun sinking into the horizon in a blaze of orange and violet. As they watched, Emmrich squeezed Hugo's hand, their fingers entwined, grounding him. The breeze carried the scent of salt and life itself, the warmth of the day lingering in the sand beneath them.

By all accounts, it was a perfect moment.

Hugo knew it.

He knew it—and still, his thoughts circled back to the parchment he'd left behind. That unfinished paragraph about the Veil, about how it had been manipulated—infused—by the blood of an elven god. He kept cycling through sentence structures, trying to distance the implications from modern-day elves. The last thing he wanted was to hand anyone a justification for further persecution.

He mumbled something under his breath, not realising his teeth were worrying the tip of his thumb. The sky was a brilliant canvas, yet his gaze had dropped to his feet, brow furrowed in silent frustration.

Then, fingers brushed gently through his hair, tucking it behind his ear.

Hugo flinched, looking up to see Emmrich watching him with that familiar smile—part fondness, part exasperation.

"Sorry," Hugo said quickly. "I know I'm not... easy to be with sometimes."

Emmrich's smile softened further. "You just need to stop and smell the roses," he said, glancing out at the dying light. "It's not just about enjoying life—it helps you focus. When I hit a writing block, I do something that makes me happy. Endorphins, serotonin—they lower stress, improve cognitive performance, and aid concentration."

Hugo scoffed, letting his head fall back. "Are you really giving me, a fellow Watcher, a lecture on neurology? Really?"

In truth, he was amused—grateful that Emmrich had whisked him away from that dreary study. He loved him, loved him so deeply it ached. But he'd loved before and lost, always because his work had taken precedence. It was never intentional, but by the time he realised what he'd done, his partners were already gone. He couldn't bear the thought of doing that to Emmrich. Not to the one—the man he wanted, more than anything, to spend the rest of his life with.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "I know I fixate. I know I overwork. I just feel like... if I'm not being productive, if I'm not being useful... what's the point of me?"

Emmrich froze, eyes glinting—and then, without warning, he leaned forward and kissed him.

Hard.

The sudden force of it sent Hugo toppling back with a surprised but muffled squeal. Emmrich followed, pinning him to the ground, one hand wrapped firmly around Hugo's wrist, the other sliding up to his cheek. His mouth claimed Hugo's with ferocious intensity, devouring the apology, the tension, the endless spiralling thoughts.

Hugo's eyes widened, but the shock lasted only a second. He melted beneath him deliriously faster, a soft sound escaping his chest as he arched up into the kiss, all thoughts of the Veil burned away in the heat between them.

"The 'point' of you," Emmrich said, pulling back just enough to meet Hugo's gaze, "is to live. That's why we're born. Everything beyond that, we choose for ourselves. And for me—you are my choice. My purpose. You don't have to prove anything. You could stop working tomorrow, and I'd carry you. Or you could work until your fingers bleed, and I'd bandage them so you can keep going. Whatever your interests, your passions, I'll support you. As long as we're together, my darling, that's all that matters."

"Emmrich..." Hugo choked, blissfully overwhelmed. "I—"

Emmrich shook his head, leaving no room for argument. "You berated me for lecturing you on neurology," he murmured, dipping lower until he hovered over the younger man's face, tantalisingly close. "Would you prefer a lesson on anatomy instead?"

Hugo could barely breathe, let alone think. "Yes..." he wheezed, his voice hoarse.

That was all the invitation Emmrich needed.

Their mouths met again, tongues tangling in a desperate, searing kiss. They rolled in the sand, bodies pressed close, Hugo clinging to him like a man drowning. The roughness of it scratched at Emmrich's patience—his fingers fumbled with the fabric beneath them before he growled and pulled them both upright.

In one swift motion, he hauled Hugo into his arms and slammed him against a stack of old crates near the edge of the beach. The wood groaned behind them, but neither cared. Emmrich's mouth found his again, and Hugo gripped the back of his shirt with shaking hands, moaning as Emmrich's lips wandered from his mouth to his jaw, then to his throat.

"More," Hugo gasped, eyes fluttering shut.

Emmrich answered by dragging his mouth lower, his fingers tugging at the hem of Hugo's trousers.

The last sliver of sun vanished beneath the sea, and darkness fell like a curtain—the way both men preferred. Beautiful, secretive.

Only the stars and moon bore witness to the rest.

[mimorugk]

Inquisitor's Question of the Day - part 1

Reuploading my IQOTD from Bluesky to Tumblr. There're 43 questions in here, that I've been answering since January 2025. It's such a fun activity to build my Inquisitor and introduce him to people. All question belong to Bambi (arhimharellan on Bsky). Warning for super long post and strong language.

What is your Inquisitor's name? Does it have a special meaning?

“Hoang” means “gold” in his mother side’s language, an dying tongue that his mother no longer speaks. Gold is also house Trevelyan’s color. As a name, Hoang also means bright as the sun and precious as gold.

2. What is your Inquisitor's class? Does it reflect their personality in any way?

Hoang was raised to be either a Templar or a Chantry brother. He didn’t ask to turned out a mage, nor the Herald. But Knight Enchanter is the something he chose for himself.

It's the family default that Hoang has to learn sword fighting when he was young. He likes it and actually not bad at it. I supposed mages aren’t allowed owning swords in Circles, so Hoang could only spar a bit as a work out. He’s been using a staff until learning about Knight enchanters.

3. How would you describe your Inquisitor’s personality?

Kind, caring, well-mannered, curious, and a people pleaser. He can be quite jealous and competitive, especially when someone has it easy while he has to work so hard. He’s also a perfectionist and wields magic with cautious, instead of pride and style like Vivienne and Dorian. Usually, he’s good with putting on a brave face, acting calm and sophisticate even though he’s nervous most of the time.

All of this because of his sheltered life, his abandonment issue and the way he was raised. Deep down Hoang’s just a vulnerable, insecure man, who’s trying to survive, who cares too much about people.

4. What is your Inquisitor's relationship like with their family?

Complicated. He was conceived before his father married his mom officially, who is a commoner, so Hoang never felt welcomed. It doesn’t help when he’s a mage in a devoted Andrastian/Templar family. At first, visits was frequent. Throughout the years, time between visits start to get longer, letters are no longer responded. Then he was left all by himself. Hoang believes Bann Trevelyan already found out about his son's preference for men. Still, Hoang can't hate his parents, and love his half siblings, sure they feel the same. It’s just the shame, the pain, the mistakes keep piling up and was never resolved. Family is such a complicated thing.

5. Did your Inquisitor have any lovers prior to the events of the game?

Hoang had little experience with romance. It's hard to believe a 30 year-old man like him never had a serious relationship. Sure he has eyes on some fellow mages, even templars when he was in the Circle, but never acted on it, as it is against the rules, and it’s wrong. The closest he could get to a romance is being the sparring partner of a male templar he liked.

Hoang has feelings he couldn’t tell. Desire, needs, and wants he couldn’t name. But Hoang pushed them all down and sometimes the result is a hand down his pants in the quiet of his dorm room.

6. Does your Inquisitor believe that what happened was destiny or a fluke?

Hoang’s been an Andrastian his whole life. He believed in Andraste, in the Maker. He believed than someone has to be chosen, but why *him*? There’s nothing about him that’s worthy. As the events of Inquisition happened, Hoang’s belief started to shake.

7. What drew your Inquisitor to their love interest?

It’s curiosity, turns admiration then attraction. The Iron Bull is everything Hoang isn’t, and that draws him in. Hoang's whole life has been living as how others expected of him, many not even see him as a person, but Bull never treated him as such.

Bull sees through the mage, hangs out with him like one of his friends, and for the first time, Hoang could be comfortable as himself without shame. He doesn't even care if it's just an act by the Ben-Hassrath agent. Then he learns about the vulnerable man behind that casual façade.

They provide each other comfort, keeping the other grounded. They can be who they really are, and complete each other.

8. Who does your Inquisitor struggle to get along with? Why?

A little bit of most people. Mostly, it was Leliana because she’s kinda scary. His first impression on Dorian was great but as soon as he commented about southern mages and slavery…eh. Fortunately, everyone ended up in good terms, except Solas, of course.

9. What religion/philosophy does your Inquisitor believe in?

Hoang was Andrastian for most of his life. He turned away from it after Trespasser and has been an atheist for years by the time of Veilguard. Atheist not in the sense of “I don’t believe Gods exist” but “You might be a god but I don’t worship you and you are not above any of us.”

10. Who is your Inquisitor closest to? Why?

Josie since they’re both nobles and feel related to each other. Hoang likes listening to her gossip and ramble (he’s also a rambler himself). Since he’s the youngest of the Trevelyans, hanging out with Josie feels like having a little sister he never had. They still write to each other years later.

Next must be Cassandra and Vivienne. Hoang admires Cass greatly. Vivienne to him is like a mentor and somewhat a mother figure.

10. Did your Inquisitor side with the mages or the templars? Why?

Templars is the easy answer. Some of the mages were his colleagues but he didn’t know the others. Considering when things happened, a mage is always behind it. However, he knows Templars, he knows what they can do, having being raised among them. Most importantly, he knows magic has is dangerous especially when in the wrong hands, in this case the Venatori. Hoang’s plan is to get to the Templars first, then come back to deal with the mages, a plan that would failed.

11. Does your Inquisitor believe they are the Herald of Andraste?

Hoang denies it all the time, but sometimes he really hopes he was chosen. That he deserves it. That he’s good enough. That everything he’s been through finally means something.

12. What is your Inquisitor's first impression of their advisers?

He warms up to Josephine right away, since they’ve met each other once or twice when they were children. He was cautious about Leliana, because, well, she’s Leliana. She scares him sometimes. Cullen, it’s the respect toward a Templar.

13. Why did your Inquisitor take on the title?

Hoang has no other choice. After Haven, he just wanted to help people, and hoped to redeem the mistake that caused countless mages to die. Plus, it was expected of him, and he always fulfills his duty despite how draining it is, been doing it his whole life.

There’s another reason Hoang won’t admit. He hoped this title could help him become someone else, someone matters, other than “the son Bann Trevelyan doesn’t talk about.”

14. Who did your Inquisitor side with during the events of Wicked Eyes, Wicked Hearts? Why?

Celene on the throne with Briala because Hoang doesn’t trust Gaspard to not invade the Ferelden when he has the power. Still, it was a tough decision and no one win. Hoang thought he was well prepared, that he had the skills to play the Game but shit he was wrong. I mean he was alright, but not that good.

He had to rely a lot on his companions and advisors. Earlier Hoang asked Bull for a dance but by the end of it the guy was too tired, so they just hang out on the balcony and ate the snacks Bull brought. Fuck Orlais and its politic, glad that he’s not from there.

15. What did your Inquisitor decide to do with the Grey Wardens at Adamant? Why?

Recruiting the Wardens. They were at war, there’s a split in the sky, they need every hand possible. Why would the Wardens be punished for their leader’s fault? The Warden were vulnerable, they needed to rebuild, not punishment.

16. Which events of the game affected your Inquisitor the most? Why?

What happened in Redcliffe. Mages, children included are dead, enslaved, corrupted. If he could be faster, choose better... His first big mission and he already fucked it up. What left in Hoang were regret and guilt, that's one of the reasons that made him took in the role Inquisitor.

Falling in love with Bull. When he learned how not to be ashamed of himself and embrace who he is, slowly.

Remember how Hoang wanted to believe that he was chosen? That he matters and everything was worth it? Well that went to the drain after Adamant. He doesn't know what he is anymore.

Losing his faith throughout the events. His family's devoted, he used to sing the Chant with his parents and siblings every night. When he was lonely in the Circle, when he didn't know what to do, he prayed to Andraste and the Maker. Now it's all a lie and none of it matters.

Trespasser, his breaking point. Everything that he's been bottled up, everything he suffered, everything came down and exploded. Hoang disbanded the Inquisition, released himself from duty and released people who served him. It's time for them to rest, and it's time for him to let go.

17. What is your Inquisitor's preferred mount? Why?

Horses is Hoang's thing. They are on Trevelyan's heraldry and everything. Little Hoang watched his father taking care of them, his older siblings sparred on them. He awed at them at the Grand Tourney. He has an Amaranthine Charger named Shae but unfortunately had to leave her behind after Trespasser.

He preferred to stay lowkey, and having a rare horse and a metal arm is huge giveaway. After trespasser, Hoang uses a Fereldan Forder for travelling.

18. Did your Inquisitor drink from the Well of Sorrows? Why or why not?

No. First, it's not something Hoang think he has the right to claim. Second, having the Anchor isn't enough already? Cole and Sera had made the most sense here.

19. Where does your Inquisitor spend most of their time in Haven? Why?

Just anywhere not his room. Early the game, Hoang was used to the dull Circle life, so he tried to find familiarity in Haven, like a routine. He usually goes in Josphine's office to borrow books. He would stop at the stable to pet horses, and the chantry sometimes for prayer.

From the stable, he could watch soldiers, Cass and Cullen, but he doesn't have to talk to them, so it's less lonely from just having people around. Also, the stable is dangerously close to a certain person's tent.

20. Does Varric give your Inquisitor a nickname? Why or why not?

At first it’s only Herald and Inquisitor, later one when Hoang said he just wants Varric being his friend, he started calling him ‘Dimples’. Because, well, the dimples when he smiles. Hoang would take that over ‘Inquisitorialness’.

21. Does your Inquisitor side more often with Leliana, Josephine, or Cullen? Why?

Josie works overtime 😭. Because Hoang trusts her and she goes well with his people pleaser tendency. Leliana is when he needs to be tougher but discreet, to not risk their reputation. Cullen has the least use since his way isn’t align with Hoang’s. Overall it spreads quite even between them.

22. Where does your Inquisitor spend most of their time in Skyhold? Why?

Hoang doesn’t like tight, dark space. Unlike Haven, his Skyhold room is huge, which means he spends more time there doing paperwork. If not his room or the war table, Hoang’s on the move. He has a routine he likes to keep, but comparing to Haven, he’s been venturing out more from his comfort.

He goes from places to places, checking on people and offers help, keeping himself useful, basically just overworking. Hoang still pick up books from the library and stops by the stable. Also, he’s been going to the tavern for obvious reason, even though it’s always so chaotic and crowded.

The garden is nice to stay for few minutes, and the battlements is for brooding. I like to think Bull has to lay on top of him, using his body weight to keep Hoang from getting up, just so he can have 10 more minutes of sleep.

23. What would the Nightmare demon have said to your Inquisitor to rattle them the most?

"The family's shame and now a fraud. You never matter, never done anything right. Ah,that's why they abandoned you. Worthless of a man. Are you even a man? Soon, you'll bring them to destruction, then I’ll devour you. I'm sure your whore mother would be proud."

24. What’s your Inquisitor's favorite location to travel to? Why?

Val Royeaux. It lies on the coast of the Waking Sea, has warmer climate with ocean breeze just like Ostwick, so it feels like home. The people are horrible, but the goods are nice to look at. Plus, they have his favorite Antivan wine.

25. Does your Inquisitor take any specific companions with them? Why?

Blackwall, Bull and Sera my beloved 😭😭 Sometimes Cassandra or Vivienne would take Blackwall’s spot. Varric or Cole would take Sera’s. Bull is a permanent member for obvious reason.

26. What motivates your Inquisitor the most?

It’s been validation for a long time. Don't get him wrong, Hoang cares a lot about others, he thrives for people’s well being and justice. But validation and to be wanted is a part of it. It stays deep down inside him and been there the longest. Sadly living to uphold others’ expectation only gets you so far.

At some point he’s lost himself, he exists like an empty shell, doubting his purpose. When Hoang was dragged back into the role in Veilguard, it’s like a nightmare coming back, but he must face it. Now he wants freedom, he wants peace, and Solas the only thing in between. This time he’s prepared.

27. What animal do you associate with your Inquisitor?

This is cliché but I did some personality tests as Hoang, and most of the results are dog. Golden retriever. Loyal, needs close relationships, needs to please others, full of compassion and empathy, doesn’t like changes. I would just keep it until I can think of another animal.

28. What’s your Inquisitor's least favorite location to travel to? Why?

Emprise du Lion. Hoang's mom migrated from south Tevinter, he was born and raised in Ostwick, a city by the ocean. He’s not built for snow and ice. Haven and Skyhold weather is tolerable but EdL is just horrible. He's wrapped in layers of fur it's difficult to move while Bull has his tits out, it's unfair. Fallow Mire gets an honorable mention for obvious reason.

29. What did your Inquisitor choose to do during Iron Bull’s quest?

Something inside Hoang screamed for just sacrificing the Chargers. As Inquisitor, with that much power, you need to make decision nobody can, suffer things nobody can endure. But Hoang Trevelyan isn't a good Inquisitor.

Hoang and Bull share the similarity of being seen as a tool, a symbol. He understands how important it is to find people who's true to you. The Chargers are Bull's family, and Hoang's people. Besides, Hoang has lost too many lives, he couldn't bear to do that to Bull, a man who is so important to him.

He had fear this decision has consequences, but coming back to Herald's Rest, seeing the man he has a crush on drinking and laughing with his found family. Maybe he can endure this consequence. 30. What are some random facts about your Inquisitor?

Accidentally flirted with Cassandra, which led to an awkward convo. It was a misunderstanding.

Favorite desert is Antivan lemon cake, would share it with his horse. Mom's egg tart is also a fav but he hasn't had it in years.

Tried different hobbies but not really stick with one, ended up picking knitting somewhere end-game since he can do that while working, and it's functional.

Competitive when he was a teen. Hoang ruined a classmate’s potion so his can be the best in class. Little fucker got away with it, but did NOT get the highest score.

Clean freak. Hoang dusts the chair before sitting, even brings his own utensil to taverns. Got stared at by his companions the first time he pulled them out.

Loves romance novels, even smutty ones. There was a phrase where he took novels in his dorm room to read through the night, then started fantasizing. He won’t tell anyone, and he will not read them in the open like Cassandra. A noble Inquisitor needs to appear ‘sophisticated’. Then Cole knows, Josie knows, then Dorian. And once they know, everyone know. Cassandra just smirks.

31. What could someone say to your Inquisitor that would hurt them the most?

When he was a child it’s “Why can't you be more like your brother and sister?". Now he’s heard enough from strangers to be bother. It stings, but easily dismissed. However, if the people he cares about say things similar to what Nightmare said, it’s over. It’s not about what is said to him, but about who said it.

32. What is your Inquisitor most self-conscious about?

The good: His look. Doesn’t have the suave but definitely easy on the eyes.

The bad: How easy it is for him to be nervous. His cautiousness when he wields magic, which roots in lack of confidence. How privileged and sheltered he was before Inquisition, which took him awhile to be conscious about.

33. Does your Inquisitor have any special talents outside of fighting?

His ability to focus. As a noble Hoang is well educated, and he wants to be good at everything (fear of not being good enough), so he tried different hobbies. Not a lot of them stand out, but he realizes he can focus really well. That makes him reads faster and uses magic better, making up for the nervousness.

He also likes to pay attention to small details no one cares about. Back in the Circles, he would noticed the change in hairstyles, jewelries on women and compliments them. Niche but Hoang can recognizes the taste of different bottle of wine. If you swap his favorite wine with a similar one he will know.

34. What does your Inquisitor do for fun in their free time?

Free time sounds luxury. Plus, Hoang feels empty if he doesn't do anything. Even in the Circle he still find thing to do. So usually he'd make himself useful, pick up new skills, practice old ones.

He also likes to spend time with his inner circle (they make sure he don't die from overwork). But really, Hoang misses Ostwick. If he had time and can go home right now, Hoang would take Shae the horse for a ride from the hill to the beach and probably just try sitting there. And breathe.

I suppose Hoang is the type of person who has to keep themselves active. If he stops and lies down, he would never wants to wake up, because he doesn't realize how burned out he is.

35. How does your Inquisitor feel about the Tevinter Imperium?

Like most southerners, Hoang holds resentments against the Imperium, not just political, but also personal reason. His mother was still a babe when her parent fled Tevinter to the Marches. Stories about evil magisters destroyed her village and used people for blood magic sticks with Hoang. They also contributes to his fear of magic. Hoang turns out a mage is just ironic. He hates its culture and government, and he *tried* to be fair with people from Tevinter. Discussions with Dorian were awkward. Took him nerves to not be angry when slavery and blood mages were brought up.

Hoang warmed up to Dorian eventually, now that he knows they have the same family problem (homophobia 💕) and share a lot in common.

Bonus lore: There was no mages in Lady Trevelyan’s village nor her bloodline (maybe 1 or 2, but it's been so long since the last one). Therefore her hometown is at the bottom of social hierarchy (above elves since they’re human). Local noble family want their land, and they were considered disposable, hence the destroy of the village.

36. Does your Inquisitor take the time to hunt the dragons in Thedas?

Dragons scared the shit out of Hoang, but ever since Iron Bull told him about the dragon tooth necklace, well guess he has to hunt one now. People do dumb things when they’re in love, and Hoang was so pathetically in love.

He actually enjoyed the hunt, it’s the adrenaline rush. The celebration with Bull is a great bonus, especially when Bull slipped and called Hoang kadan, really made him want to get on his knees and...uh..pray. If Hoang can kill a dragon, he feels like he can do anything.

They hunt dragons when they’re a danger to the area, which is most of the time. His party switches up between Sera, Blackwall, Cole, Viviene and Cassandra with Bull as the permanent one. He loves seeing Bull happy. And, gazing at Hoang's ass and thighs as his coat tail flipped up, while dragon blood spilled everywhere, makes Bull happy.

37. Did your Inquisitor try to impress the court at the Winter Palace? Why or why not?

Hoang did. The Inquisition needs all support it can get, and as his responsibility, Hoang will get it. He even practiced ahead of time with Vivienne and Josie. Viv offered to help with the dancing since it’s been so long. Hoang actually isn't bad at dancing nor the Game especially after 2 wines for confidence boost.

Unfortunately despite how much he tried, Orlais still bite him in the ass 2 years later.

38. Who was your Inquisitor most excited to see again during the events of Trespasser? Why?

Thom. Hoang writes to the others once in awhile, and Bull sticks around between jobs, but he hasn't heard from Thom for so long. It hurts Hoang when discovering his lies, since he admired that man so much. It hurts him even more sending Thom to the Wardens, knowing he'll die eventually, but it must be done. It was a relief that Thom's doing well. Hoang picked up knitting during this time, a hobby he actually enjoys and can do during work, so he brought Thom a little griffon plush. Next is Cole, since the kid seem to struggle with being human.

39. Was your Inquisitor surprised by the reveal of Solas being the Dread Wolf?

Yes and no. Hoang has suspicion, now everything makes sense. Still, mostly anger and feeling betrayed that took over him at the moment. He has every right to, because someone who he spent the first moment of this journey with, someone who called Hoang A TRUE FRIEND, is also the one behind all this.

Solas’s plan angered him the most. He’s the final straw that broke all of Hoang’s patience and tolerance. Oh to think 10 years later when Rook asked about the Inquisitor, Solas still only sees him as “useful”, as if there wasn't anything between them.

40. If your Inquisitor could have one wish, what would it be?

To live like a normal person, no title, no politic. It might sounds selfish, but despite the world needs fixing, he won't be that person anymore. Guess wishes are just wishes.

41. How did your Inquisitor feel about Mother Giselle?

Hoang was honored to have her. He was raised Andrastian, so he respects someone like her. Giselle's been a real help. She made Hoang almost believe he was the Herald. Until he heard the rumors. It's the first time Hoang talked back to a Mother, defending Dorian and himself.

It was jarring and anxious for Hoang, since he's been keeping his preference secret (mostly). After that he remained professional, but tried to avoid her. Giselle isn't a bad person at the core, but he doesn't feel comfortable talking to her anymore.

42. From the beginning of Inquisition to the end of Veilguard, did your Inquisitor's view on Solas change?

Drastically. Hoang respects Solas and learns a lot about magic from him. His POV is fresh, nothing Hoang's ever heard in the Circle. He wouldn't consider Solas a close friend, but a friend nonetheless, and the elf's feeling seem to be mutual. Hoang was wrong. After Trespasser, all Hoang has left was anger.

10 years later, the anger is less intense, but the fire is still there. He deems Solas to be beyond saving and nothing can convince him otherwise. Varric was the proof of it.

43. If your Inquisitor could change one decision they made during the events of the game, what would it be?

He wouldn't bother kissing that many ass in Orlais, and if he can have one more, he would order Leliana to not kill that spy. Hoang was nervous, wondering if he even had the say, he didn't know how things work during those first days, so he stepped aside. When she brought that up later, it hurts. Now she seems fine, but he knows it's his fault that she's hardened.

[pupkinpumpkin]

Oh fuck I completely forgot

K, so, in Asunder, there's a scene where Lord Seeker Lambert comes to Evangeline's room and gives her 4 vials of lyrium for her trip

Later on in Asunder, when the team is coming back from the Western Approach,

1) Evangeline (Or Rhys, I don't remember who) notes that it's been two weeks since they left

2) When Rhys tries to convince Evangeline to run away with him, she shows him 3 empty vials and 1 full vial of lyrium (I think, the 4th vial might also be a bit empty). She says she's addicted and will be useless in a week. She also repeats this later on to Wynne

So we can conclude:

- Once a Templar is addicted, it takes about a week for the withdrawal symptoms to come in. Evangeline doesn't abuse the stuff though, and she shows a lot of restraint, so this might be the wait time for an average Templar, but it's probably much shorter for a Templar who's actively abusing lyrium

- We have no idea if Evangeline's taking lyrium one vial at a time or taking micro doses, but three full vials of lyrium are gone in the span of two weeks, meaning she's taking this shit pretty regularly. To my knowledge, we've never had an idea of how often Templars are taking lyrium, so this is great information to have

I can't remember fully where it's said, so correct me if I'm wrong, but Cullen, when talking about becoming a Templar, says that after their Vigil, they get a philter (a box of stuff that prepares the lyrium), and their first draught of lyrium, so Evangeline probably has this on her during her trip and philters are needed in order to properly take lyrium

Now for the iffy part

- In Origins, Alistair says he's never taken lyrium. This is a lie, but probably one he didn't know about

- The Joining requires lyrium as an ingredient, so Alistair definitely ingested at least a little bit

- Alistair is able to use his powers as a Templar for an entire year

As much as I'd like this to mean Templars definitely don't need to be taking lyrium as often as they do, there could be multiple reasons for this

- The amount of time lyrium works for a Templar simply got retconned and they do actually need to take lyrium often. Boo

- Bc The Joining changes a Grey Warden forever, it's possible that the lyrium is now permanently in a Grey Warden's veins just like the taint is, meaning Alistair could use his Templar powers forever if he wanted

- Alistair is just the Maker's specialist little boy and gets to be exempt from things like withdrawals because of his family's bloodline.

Also, in the Silent Grove, like 8 years after Origins I think, when Alistair, Varric, Isabela, and Maevaris are surrounded by mage occultists or whatever, Alistair uses his Templar powers. Someone asks him how he did this, and he just says something like "I knew we were coming to Tevinter so I decided my Templar powers would be useful, so I got back into practice"

We never find out what this means

Whether he decided to take a little bit of lyrium, or is just cool enough to not need it, is up to anyone

We also have no idea how long Cullen is able to use his Templar powers in Inquisition since I'm pretty sure we never see him in action besides in his personal quest when trying to find Samson, but he'd literally have no reason to use Templar powers on other Templars, so who knows?

So in all, we've basically no clue how often Templars NEED to take lyrium and no official date for how long their powers last after they stop taking it, but we do know ~generally~ how often they're taking it, which I don't believe we knew before

I personally like to think that Templars could just take lyrium like once a year but the Chantry likes to have them on a leash so they make them take it way more often so they get addicted because the Chantry is terrible

But ya, that one line made me spiral

[cherrypikkins]

'A Question of Trust' - Rook x Lucanis Short Fic - Part 3

description: lucanis has no memory of what happened during his most recent sleepwalk. all he knows is that seiren is badly hurt, there's blood on his clothes, and spite is strangely quiet

Continued from Part 2

(cw: blood, injury, brief spoiler mention)

credits to @sakurabunnie for throwing ideas at me :3

Emmrich tends to Seiren, assisted by Manfred. The others convene in the Atrium. The moment Lucanis emerges from the infirmary, all eyes are on him. Mercifully, the unbearable silence doesn't last long, but what follows isn't much better.

Davrin shouts. Taash shouts back at him louder. Assan circles anxiously, ears flat, head low. Harding won't stop staring at Lucanis, her gaze like an arrow, while Bellara can barely glance in his direction. And Neve has that familiar look on her face. She is no stranger to untangling horrifying truths. But this time there is a haunted look in her eyes that carries a different weight. It's not just another case to the hard-boiled detective. Not when friends are involved.

As words are exchanged, Bellara meekly checks in on Lucanis, but he is barely present, his eyes ever drifting towards the archway leading to the infirmary.

Within minutes, Lucanis is sick of the arguing. Of the accusing stares and the uncomfortable glances. The thought of Seiren wounded, unconscious and stricken with some unknown ailment. Her blood on his hands. Her words in his head…

Spite… No, you mustn't…

The gap in his memory plagues him still, but he can't run from the truth. What does Neve call a case like this?

…Ah, yes. Open-and-shut.

Without a word, Lucanis spins on a heel and leaves. The doors to the courtyard fly open as he exits. Davrin is about to give chase, but Taash and Harding stop him.

The discussion resumes without Lucanis. Taash and Davrin continue to argue, albeit more civilly as Harding tries to calm them down. Bellara flits nervously, then notices Neve heading back to the Eluvian room - the scene where it all started.

Though her eyes dart back and forth with indecision, she ultimately breaks away from the group... and follows Neve.

...

Lucanis returns to the dining hall alone. He strides past the table laden with books and half empty wine-glasses and Bellara's meeting notes… and steps into the darkness of the pantry. The door shuts behind him. More than ever, this place feels like his old cell - but maybe this time he belongs there.

He sees his familiar cot, pushed up against the far, far wall - waiting for him. He makes his way over, turns, and sits down. Closes his eyes. Slows his breathing. Purges his thoughts until his mind is one with the dark. Eyes shut, he stares into the void.

Spite stares back.

Lucanis takes a deep breath. Control. Focus. He tells himself.

"You've been awfully quiet since that bloodbath in the Chantry," he begins conversationally, but without mirth. "I think it's time that you and I have a talk."

He can feel his lips curl, baring teeth - but that is all Spite's doing. The usual perks of sharing a body with a demon.

"Talk? You never want to talk." Spite snarls back, using his voice. He is as baleful and grating as ever, but there is a bitterness to his tone that wasn't there before.

"You've been planning this, haven't you?" Lucanis accuses him. "Waiting for everyone in the book club to have their meeting before sneaking out. Clever, even for you. But Rook knew something was wrong. She went looking for you, didn't she? Looking for us."

Spite hesitates.

"Answer me, demon." Lucanis snarls, determined to wrest out the truth by any means necessary.

Spite clenches his teeth, visibly chafing. "Little Crow thinks he has all the answers."

Lucanis can feel his own jaw hurting, but does not flinch for a second.

"Don't play dumb. Everyone knows what happened. You tried to escape into the Crossroads. Tried to operate the Eluvian by yourself, but you didn't know how. That's why it's damaged, isn't it?"

Spite is silent. But Lucanis can feel the demon's rancor growing, a swell of black smoke and embers burning up his lungs and guts. And yet, in his mind, Spite seems to recoil in shame and agony - even breaking eye contact to look down, something he has never done before. But rather than contemplate this, Lucanis presses the attack.

"And Seiren found you," he scorns with cold fury. "She tried to stop you from leaving. And that - that was when you hurt her. You even used some kind of poison to-"

Spite whirls around to cut him off, eyes ablaze.

"NEVER."

The demon's aura erupts into full-blown rage. Lucanis flies back, thrown by an unseen force. The breath explodes from his chest he hits the wall and sinks to the floor. Somewhere around him, he can hear things breaking and falling.

Wreathed in purple veilfire, Spite lunges until he and Lucanis are nose-to-nose.

"NEVER. I would never. Hurt. Rook. EVER."

Lucanis flinches. His concentration shatters, and the demon evaporates in a howling storm of phantom feathers. His eyes snap open. Hyperventilating, he looks around wildly and finds himself haphazard on the pantry floor. His sleeping area is a mess, as if a storm had torn through. The wooden cot lies overturned, his belongings spilled to the floor. The leaves from his logbook are scattered, still drifting in the air. And on the floor around him are pieces of a broken mug. Maybe two.

He notices the pantry door, now inexplicably open. It sways back and forth on its hinges, disturbed by a stray breeze.

Ears ringing, Lucanis rises to his feet, wiping the cold sweat away from his forehead. He makes his way to the door and looks out, only to find the dining hall empty. The desolate wind howls through the rafters overhead.

"Lies," he mutters. His throat hurts, as if he was the one shouting at the top of his lungs just now.

But inside, he knows - no matter how hard he tries to convince himself, he can't run from the truth.

(Continued in Part 4)

[glitteringdust]

The fireplace crackles, growing even hotter with each piece of wood Davrin threw in it. Sweat dripped down his face, his neck, his back— shirt long tossed to the side as he split the next unlucky log. His back ached, his arms tired and yet the thwack of axe splitting wood continued.

Rook was gone. Swallowed up by the Dread Wolf's trap, possibly hurt and maybe even dead.

No. Not dead. Decidedly not dead and he refused to believe anything else. He couldn't.

Until then, he kept his hands busy. Kept his mind from thinking of Rook at all despite the glimpses of him everywhere— the sky had been the same shade of blue and pink as Rook’s mismatched eyes, and he swore he could hear his voice in his dreams just before falling asleep. He wasn’t thinking of those things, though, just the simple splintering of wood.

He was certainly not thinking of the yawning void where his presence should be. He had grown used to that sensation, the essence of blight Rook carried was more than familiar to him now. Comforting, to know he was there. Safe, unharmed.

Now… nothing.

He reaches for the next log to find empty air. He sighs. So much for that distraction. He retrieves his shirt from where it landed just in time for a knock on the door. “Davrin? May I come in?” Emmrich was always one to knock, at least.

“Yeah, sure.” He sits at the chair by the desk. The only thing in the room that didn’t remind him of Rook.

Emmrich looks as tired as he sounds, having been working endless hours with Neve on a plan. He eyes the unnecessarily large pile of firewood in the corner of the room, “I see you've been… keeping busy.”

“Not much else I can do. I'm no Fade expert. I have no news for the Grey Wardens. All I have is time.”

“Perhaps enough time to get Assan to cease making such a ruckus outside of Rook's room?”

Oh.

Davrin didn't have the heart to let Assan in there only to be disappointed. Or maybe that was just his excuse to not step foot in that haunted place.

“I'll see to him, make sure he stays here.”

“It might do him some good to see Rook’s not there.”

“Agree to disagree, Emmrich.”

Emmrich gives him a pitying look, but says nothing more before turning to leave. Davrin continues to sit, staring at the floor. Emmrich hadn't only been talking about Assan. The reason Rook's door remained shut was because he could not bear the thought of taking one step in that room.

But it was time.

—

Assan chirps at his arrival before returning to clawing at the door.

“Hey, boy.” He strokes the griffon's face.

The door felt heavier than normal to open, though he's sure it's his imagination. As expected, seeing Rook's empty room all but guts him.

There’s the distinct smell of him, albeit faint since he hadn’t spent a night in here for weeks since they’d made their feelings known. Sharing a bed with him meant growing used to this scent, of earth and rain and something unmistakably sweet. Waking up from nightmares meant Rook’s soft skin against his, arms holding him tight. The soft kisses to rouse Rook when he refused to wake, again when he finally did, and even more just because.

Gone, all gone.

Assan climbs onto the couch, his inquisitive head tilted sideways as he watches and wonders what Davrin is doing standing there doing nothing. He joins the griffon on the couch when he sees it: a letter.

One with his name on it, and Rook’s careful handwriting.

Part of him doesn’t want to open it, afraid of what will be inside. The other part desperately longs to see that familiar script, the words Rook had meant for only him to see.

“What do you say, boy? Should I open it?”

Assan squawks in agreement. Davrin tears open the envelope carefully and begins.

Davrin,

I’ve rewritten this a hundred times, and I’m out of blank paper to write on so I’ll make this one count.

I love you. The kind of love that crosses continents, burns down chantries… the kind that consumes my every thought. I should have said it tonight, during our fight… I should have proven it to you with my entire being. So I say it now, again and again. I love you.

We face the gods tomorrow, and the thought of it puts a bad taste in my mouth. The whole world is counting on this plan, and on us to execute it. But I have a bad feeling something is going to go horribly wrong… I cannot bear the thought of losing you, and I know you feel the same about me.

So I hope you never have to read this. I hope neither of us have to break our promise, and we can spend the rest of our shortened lives together doing whatever the hell we want. I don’t care what it is, as long as I’m with you.

You are, and always will be my heart.

Forever yours,

Kal

The flood starts slowly, then hits him all at once. He cannot stop the dam of tears that spill forth, the sobs that wrack his body. Assan nudges at him with his beak, making his own chirping cries as he tries to understand why Davrin is suddenly falling apart.

Rook knew something was coming. He just didn’t know what.

He folds the letter carefully, sliding it into the pocket of his trousers. It’s a while before the numbness sets in, the ache in his chest a dull throb. But a new flame is lit, one of heated determination. He refuses to give up.

He will do whatever it takes to find Rook.

[cozy-fantasy-stories]

Suvi is *by far* my favorite character in WBN. Like I get Ame and her idealism, and I get Eursulon and his passion, the Fox is hilarious and a fantastic foil.

But Suvi. My god Suvi.

I’m on my first relisten and she’s magnificent at every turn.

Children’s adventure and she stays inside. Does as she’s told. Doesn’t go out in the dark. Cleans up the bathroom! Waits. Alone.

She makes it in time—Grandmother Ren calls her my granddaughter and I am slain. Casts identify on the house!

Immediately says yes to helping Ame find the sword. No question. She doesn’t have to. But she does it.

Leaves a coin for the family and helps with the damn laundry! Do you know how practical that is?!

Immediately solves the being stuck problem for Eursulon. Terrifies that horrible little man with a Wild One under his boot. She rescues the music box, no question. Eursulon is free.

And Emliss.

Emliss.

Terrifying.

She ends Emliss, the Chalice, the shadow. The thing that *kills* Ame in a single turn.

The *indignity* of having to pay a hustler (FINLEY) for her mother’s coat lining. Yeah, okay, Eursulon went and made it all right (bet he never pays her back). But Ame talking about payment when she doesn’t even have money?!

Who fights for Suvi? Who defends her? Who thinks of her?

Ame making assumptions about the Citadel. (yes yes we get it institution bad we know what we’re listening to) But come on! Ame has no knowledge at this stage, just judgement!

Will Gallows. The Ace of Wands.

They never get the sword without Suvi in that room. Ice in her veins. Ice.

Who asked for “I’d like to count you among my friends.” Eursulon has the string in his pocket, but Suvi is the one who bargained for it.

Don’t even get me started on the Chantry and Morrow. I’m not doing it.

She gets them SAFE.

Resolves problems and defends her people with confidence and conviction.

She doesn’t deserve that dressing down from Steel. She doesn’t.

And Ame vanishes.

Off to talk to a murderess goddess that would end Port Talon in a heartbeat.

Of course Suvi goes to rescue her. Immediately! NO QUESTION. You think a search party would have found Ame?! With Orima of the Reaching Green as pissed as she was? HA. (but yes she’s thinking of Steel she doesn’t want to let Steel down not again not Steel)

Three days of walking and walking and walking.

(okay but Aabria having Suvi lose it is freaking brilliant and just absolutely incredible role play absolute perfection what a way to lean in)

And then Steel. Again.

Larger than life.

With the yelling. And the power. And the telemet.

Calls her a princess (dismissive) questions her like a prisoner (her adoptive mother really) and knows about the King of Night (suspicious).

And then.

Naram.

The Wild One heeds a call. The Witch arbiters consequences.

Our Wizard saves the godsdamned day.

She doesn’t run when it’s the derrick that’s at stake. She gets it. Even though she’s said awful things (you get what you get what a LINE trap a spirit and you get what you get bet she feels that way about Eursulon she trapped him she deserves it).

Suvi’s brilliance is not about what she says it’s about what she does. Galani mentions Orima and Suvi immediately moves.

Suvi’s quick thinking saves Port Talon.

Actually saves Port Talon.

She’s the one that does it. She’s the one that leads Orima to Naram. The reaching green and its *stranglers* and its indifferent cruelty to those in its way. ON THREE HIT POINTS.

And then Steel has the AUDACITY to act disappointed. (it’s not at Suvi not really but still).

Impossible odds.

Complex character choices and she carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. Always thinking, strategizing, anticipating.

SUVI.

Love Suvi.

She makes the right choice. Every time.

[vigilskept]

genuinely in disbelief that this is what the devs were talking about when saying they “gave the dalish a win.” it’s so absurd i don’t even know how to go about trying to make sense of it.

how is it a win, exactly, to put an entire culture in a position where they have to abandon their religious beliefs so that they can align with you?

“well now you don’t have to kill them :)”

you didn’t have to kill them before, either. but they had their own motivations and belief systems which could clash with your character. they could be openly hostile to your character from the first meeting. but you had the choice to try to understand them better, and find a way forward that wouldn’t end in bloodshed.

elgar’nan speaks to an elven rook calling them my child. he tells them he empathizes with their pain, the wrongful oppression they’ve suffered in this world. he offers them a place at his side.

to have him extend the same offer to other elves (not ALL of whom are powerless! there are keepers! there are first enchanters! if leliana is the divine? there are CHANTRY MOTHERS) would not have been crueler, it would’ve been the perfect outlet for elven characters to express their pain, their frustration with the state of things as they are/have always been.

and you could (as you’ve ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO) offer these characters understanding. you could reach out, and find a way to work with them too.

it’s not a “win” to have no conflict with dalish or elven characters. it’s not a “win” to have what little inner conflict these characters are allowed to have reduced to a codex entry where an npc struggles with the legacy of arlathan.

the position of the veil jumpers is already so sidelined within the narrative compared to the crows and shadow dragons, there was absolutely room to expand on it.

instead, we had the agents of fen’harel scrubbed from then game, and elves who can’t express any conflicted feelings about the situation outside a codex entry. and somehow this is a win?