#camris lavellan

[ohsweetflips]

A Letter from Inquisitor Lavellan to the Hero of the Fifth Blight Regarding “Current Events”

i was so captivated by #7 of the rook codex writing prompts, "something written by a character from a previous game about rook," that i immediately had to write it — this became 50% inquisitor and warden soft lore dump, 50% camris' thoughts on rhodes as "rook"

@anderfels thank you for asking to be tagged!!! :D <3

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Electra,

First, some messages that many will chastise me for if I do not immediately inform you of:

-Kira is worried about you, and is thrilled to “finally put that cursed training to use” in defending the clan. As much as they are able to stay out of the conflict, it is unfortunate that some fringe Venatori have proficient scouts. She holds her own, though, and is happy despite the odds. Clan Lavellan is happy to have her.

-Adaranni laments that her and Kira are apparently destined to be saddled with “sisterly worries” over the two of us, and that this is not something she thought would “run in the family.” She teases, but I know my sister — she wants this to be over just as badly as the rest of us. She is, however, doing well; tells me that she is just hunting and raising the kids, but I know she is not staying entirely off the front-lines. Ironically, she does not want me to worry. (She also says hello and that, when this is all over, you should visit.)

-Garlan, Cher, and Illora are thankfully safe. Garlan (almost sixteen now, can you believe it? Dorian laughs at me when I say I feel old) is really coming into his own as a hunter. Makes me proud. Cher is getting a better hold of her magic. She will make for a great First, and I personally think her wit just adds to that. Illora is a bit jealous of her sister’s magic but reads more than any other child — she asks Dorian for books constantly. She has incredible smarts, and I hope she can find something to do with them.

-Parents are healthy and taken care of, and both hope that you are as well. My father says to write when you get the chance.

-Both Dorian and Morrigan say hello. Dorian also politely requests that “the South not fall entirely to ruin” seeing that we have all dedicated many years of our life to its protection. Morrigan wishes that you are well, and hopes to see you again.

Now, the actual reason for why I am writing (do not tell anyone in the aforementioned list): I met Rook.

Varric used to write about them so cryptically and Harding stresses that I should do the same. They have done a good job at keeping them a secret; I would not have been able to point “Rook” out in a crowd if they had not been personally introduced to me. Hiding a very obvious person in plain sight — it will make more sense if you have the chance to meet them.

So, I unfortunately cannot tell you much, but I can tell you this: they are the right person.

They are fierce in everything they do. Loyalty, determination, kindness, fight. They already have some formidable allies (and friends, I should note) and have already made an enemy of the First Warden. I cannot necessarily say that they move gracefully, but they move fast — and headfirst. I can see why Varric and Harding chose them.

They are, however, still claiming that they are not the leader of the Veilguard. They talk a lot about Varric and what he taught them. How they want to make him proud, how they are just doing what he would. He really left an impact of them; he had that effect on people.

They are doing well, despite everything.

[A note in the margins: Have you heard from Hawke? Ever since I wrote to her about Varric, I have received less and less letters from her. Not that I can blame her, but I worry.]

I told Rook that they will make a good leader of the Veilguard, and they said that they are just here to do good. That they will do whatever it takes to help us. All with a smile.

There is an optimism, a hope, a light in their eyes that is both heart-warming and blood-chilling.

They are the age I was when I became Inquisitor. I have seen what can be taken in times like this, and they have already lost so much. I worry how this will change them; I fear what else they will lose.

I am sure you will agree that these past twenty years have taken from us people, dreams, and time that we will never have back. I am no longer the person I was when I attended the Conclave, and while I can never know the horrors of the fifth Blight, I unfortunately imagine that you feel similarly.

We have also found unending joy with our loved ones. I would not trade Dorian for the world, nor do I think you would give up Alistair and Feynrith for anything. They have become the ones who keep us upright. But still — the thought lingers.

Perhaps it is because we found the "right person" for the Veilguard that I worry about this more. The right person to save the world, as we have both learned, is a person who must give up something to do so.

... Well, I always bring you happy news, right, cousin?

I hope one day we can send letters that are not dated by tragedy. I believe our family deserves that.

Send my care and regards to Alistair, Feynrith, Queen Anora, and the princess. In times like these, I can only wish that you all are safe.

I know Denerim is in good hands with you, as it always has been. Leave the South to me, and the North to Rook — despite my worries, I have a good feeling about them.

They might even be the one to end this.

Sincerely yours,

Camris

(A crudely drawn rook chess piece, with an arrow pointing to it and a note: Varric used to draw these on all of his missives about them.)

[alinnsurana]

OC kiss week

Skyhold was a vast fortress. Emairi couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. He found a quiet place to be alone, ironically it used to be an Andrastian chapel but now it was just an empty stone room. Emairi was leaning on the wall, thankful that Mihreen had offered to watch Sulevin for a few hours. He covered a small section of the floor with ice and began sliding around the room. It wasn’t often that he got the chance to be this silly but he allowed himself the indulgence every now and again. It was only when he heard a chuckle that he realized someone had seen him. Emairi jumped in surprise and spun around. It was Camris, newly named Inquisitor.

“Hello Inquisitor, do you make a habit of being a voyeur?” He asked with a smirk.

A blush almost as red as the Inquisitor’s hair spread across his face, “No I uh, you just seemed happy. I didn’t want to ruin that.”

Now Emairi felt bad, he walked over to the Inquisitor and clapped his shoulder,

“You didn’t ruin anything so don’t you worry your pretty little head.” Emairi winked at the Inquisitor, hoping for once he would realize that while almost everything he said was sarcastic his flirting was not.

Camris looked at Emairi with pleasant surprise, “Why Emairi I think that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever called me.”

“I’ve called you an ass,” He said as he slapped Camris’s ass to emphasize the point, “I’d say that’s another nice thing I’ve called you.”

Camris somehow got even redder, but trying to keep his cool he said, “You all talk or is there anything else you can do with that tongue?”

Emairi smirked devilishly, “I thought you’d never ask.” He grabbed Camris by the lapel of his jacket. Their noses crashed into each other before their lips got the chance. Emairi pulled the Inquisitor further into the room and pressed him against a wall. He wanted nothing more than to see Camris’ oh-so-neat bun completely undone. Emairi’s hands found their way into Camris’ bun and managed to set it free. Emairi pulled on his hair and Camris moaned. Emairi locked eyes with the Inquisitor,

“I am going to take full advantage of this knowledge.” He said. Camris pulled Emairi’s face into his own, their teeth clacked and Camris discovered Emairi had a tongue piercing. Emairi bit Camris’ lip. Camris buried his hands in Emairi’s hair causing Emairi to moan into another messy kiss. Emairi pulled on Camris’ hair. Camris tossed his head back, exposing his pale neck. Emairi bit him marking him, claiming him. He breathed frost onto the bite, biting him a second time while Camris’ hands made their way down Emairi’s body. Emairi straightened his back and pressed his body against Camris’ taking note that the Inquisitor had at least one hand on Emairi’s ass,

“My my, the Inquisitor certainly does enjoy being bad doesn’t he?” Emairi asked.

Camris was breathless. Emairi’s eyes had a sinful glint to them and one of his fangs was just slightly visible behind his curled lips.

“Oh Gods yes.” Camris breathed.

“Good thing I have a thing for bad boys.” Emairi said pulling Camris’ face into his again. Right in the middle of the kiss Emairi stepped away, Camris would never admit it but he whined, it was a little pathetic. Emairi smiled,

“I think we should find somewhere a bit more private, and perhaps a bit more horizontal. Don’t you agree?” He asked.

Camris ran his hands through his hair, “Yes, I think that’s a brilliant idea.”

Made a readmore bc this is kinda long. Camris belongs to @actuallygansey Emairi is my boy. @becausedragonage (tagging u bc i crave validation)

[ghoulaug]

@colorbled 's inquisitor is also super cute

[ohsweetflips]

ten year escalation of my dragon age elf lore

[ohsweetflips]

omg pleaseee elaborate more on your rook & inquisitor whenever you can 🙏 your tags were so fun to read!!

omg thank you 😭😭😭 i love your rook questions of the day so much they're so fun for character development!!! <3

and SO

camris lavellan has basically ten years of lore. him and my warden (my wonderful beloved electra surana) are first cousins, don't meet until after inquisition, and they essentially put together the two tragic pieces of their fathers (twins, camris's still alive, electra's dead for a very long time). they're my beloveds and i have put TIME and ENERGY into them. hawke is my beloved too and i have my own thoughts and feelings and love for hawke, but camris and electra were like my sandboxes.

and then bioware was like "hey so trespasser happened and the inquisitor's storyline is done" and i was like "that's absolute bullshit" and then spent many many years bitter abt that.

and then veilguard was announced and rook was revealed and i was like. fuck it we ball! and i didn't have any ideas for a rook, i kinda made it a point to not plan them until i started playing (bc i honestly did not think i would be able to play veilguard so soon).

but i did know that i didn't want to add more to the surana & lavellan lore. like, electra and camris are my main heroes. electra's younger sister (kira) has her own sideplot in my lore, and so does camris' older sister, adaranni (who is also my secondary inquisitor). i had fleshed out this family tree so much and found ways to connect so much together and it would just feel Wrong to add something more to that.

so i knew that i wanted rook to be their own separate entity, and i knew that (narratively) they were gonna be working for the inquisitor.

so when i first made rhodes (like, first couple hours of the playthrough), i intended for them to be my hero who actually Wanted to be a hero. like knew the inquisitor, idolized him, were so honored to be working for him and alongside varric and lace. and then when i saw that the dialogue was gearing towards rook not knowing A Lot abt the inquisitor/inquisition, i was like, "you know what? fuck it. in trespasser, my inquisitor said that he's going to find people who solas doesn't know, so we are making someone who doesn't know them"

so, rhodes became this character who knows of and respects the inquisition, but really only knows the stories. they were 15-17 during the time of inquisition, if i have my timeline correct of the veiljumpers history, they were just starting as a veiljumper (the tldr with that is that they kinda had to beg strife to let them in bc he wasn't about to let a 15 year old join the veiljumpers, and then realized that this elven kid has like. literally no guardians? it's just them??? and so he took them in and then proceeded to drive them crazy bc he wouldn't let them actually go on missions until they were older), and so they weren't really in tune with the inquisition.

and then, you know, basically ten years later, they're 25, their origin story happens, at this point they're an adult and probably know a bit more about the inquisition/inquisitor, but not anything more than this camris lavellan being a big deal.

and then they meet varric and lace and get on immediately with both of them, and they want to recruit them to help the inquisitor and fight for the good of thedas - and that's really what charms them. i like to think that, through lace and varric, they learn a lot more abt the inquisitor, how he fought for the mages, worked with the dalish, did his best to save everyone he could, took down a would-be god, etc etc etc

and they just think the inquisitor is a really good guy who has shown that he wants to do good and knew when to step away before the power of the inquisition became too much.

and then basically tldr the plot of veilguard comes and goes and rhodes, even though they did escape the prison of regret and save the day (and are very happy with davrin), it's when things start to settle down that the grief and regret for varric and lace come back.

(note: my dumb ass got neve killed and i am walking the fine-line of not sure if that is remaining in canon bc i feel SO BAD but uh. if i'm unable to save neve. rhodes is like 100x worse off)

and that's when we get to camris's side of things! he got enough bits and pieces abt rook throughout veilguard to know that they had the right person on their side: rhodes is forthright, committed, loyal, and is leading the veilguard (allegedly) on their own.

and then he really gets to sit down with rhodes after the fight with elgar'nan and ghilan'nain. and then he learns abt what actually happened with solas and varric. and the complicated feelings they have over lace's death. and the fact that, while they are all the "good" things he learned through passing and letters, he also realized that rhodes is someone who fights like they're not afraid to die, someone who thinks with their fists (or magic) before their mind, and someone who has not struggled before like they did in veilguard.

and in my head, i have this sad dramatic moment of rhodes finally being like "how did you do this for ten years? i could barely do this for one"

and then that's when it kind of clicks for camris that, while being the inquisitor was incredibly difficult and has its lingering effects, he had advisors and armies behind him. the veilguard just had each other, rhodes realized that their mentor died long ago, and the veilguard essentially experienced more loss in a year than camris did in his entire time as the inquisitor.

which all culminates in camris feeling. a type of responsibility? like. he feels like he partially owes it to varric and lace, but he is also seeing someone who was his exact age when corypheus was defeated and knows that that can be an isolating experience. and he sees that the veilguard as a whole has suffered through so much loss and, frankly, does not have as much institutional support, and he wants to try to help all of them out.

edit: i also like to think that both hawke and my warden (who returns from her mission to find the cure for the calling) were both there to support camris post-inquisition, so he is also trying to do for rhodes what hawke and electra did for him

(camris is also so charmed by the veilguard as a whole but this is abt rhodes rn akjdsjkdkj)

so he definitely takes rhodes under his wing and keeps an eye out for them in a very older brother/mentor way, and rhodes likes Actually getting to talk to the inquisitor and meet them as someone more than just "the hero, inquisitor lavellan."

also bc, even if rhodes isn't related to the lavellans/inquisition, i do love them all meeting, camris absolutely introduces the veilguard to members of the inquisition (and camris's family). camris is married to dorian and best friends with josephine, so they're priorities, but i like to imagine little side quests with everyone.

i think, though, camris is super thrown off by rhodes' absolute reckless, impulsive, stubborn behavior SDKJDFJKFKJ like when he was first in haven, camris was terrified to make any big waves. and then i think he probably had some training as the first of clan lavellan to help teach him how to deal with high-ranking people, which helped when he became the inquisitor.

and then there's rhodes who is. nice, yeah! like 75% friendly/diplomatic. but also speaks their mind and has a short temper and rushes head first into 99% of situations and also very clearly has not had to deal with many intimidating, high-ranking people. and they also knocked tf out of the first warden, which they talk abt very casually.

so! camris gets a few grey hairs dealing with a very well-meaning rhodes who is also known to act anywhere from stupidly impulsive to purposefully abrasive, depending on the situation

this can be its whole other side tangent but something i'm leaning into more with rhodes is them having to learn that they can't always just make decisions based off their gut/intuition, but actually trust that other people know what they're doing and that, even if they mean well, they need to listen to others. which ik can be gleaned from veilguard but this is like. side-personal-arc and also i will allow them some regression post-canon lmao

which. point of order. rhodes 100% does not see themselves as a natural leader/hero and actually likes working with others and being someone who helps. they just also leap into action when there's danger, and that sometimes means rushing in before thinking

which. are all fun things for camris to figure out on his own! strife (who i am already thinking of his own personal side character post-canon quest with rhodes), who actually cares for rhodes quite a lot despite the fact that they drive each other up a wall, finds it kinda funny, bc he's been dealing with this for a decade.

but tldr camris actually comes to care a lot for rhodes and looks out for them. he also worries abt them and sometimes has to act as the person keeping their head on straight.

also him and dorian cannot help but be charmed by davrin and rhodes as a couple. dashing dashing warden and hero <3

(i have no clue if any of this makes sense/flows together but older protective brother camris lavella my beloved)

[ohsweetflips]

new character development. rhodes has distinctly sharp canines.

[ohsweetflips]

i really need to let rhodes aldwir cook before i start making so many playlists and stuff for them. like. i had camris lavellan since i was 15. i used to associate the songs "gasoline" and "control" by halsey with him. this is no shade to halsey but those are in fact some of the most 15 year old songs i could've chosen.

[ohsweetflips]

and what if i miss my inquisitor. what if i miss my lavellan deeply. what if i can feel my longing for camris lavellan in my bones.

[ohsweetflips]

i’m gonna bang my head on the wall thinking abt how well electra surana would get along with rhodes like. rhodes and camris lavellan are their own very special tier in my heart but. rhodes and electra ;;;

[ohsweetflips]

for your warden!

What is the Warden's name? Does it have a meaning behind it? How do they feel about their name?

26. If the Warden was Captured, did they wait for their companions or did they leave on their own? If they waited, who rescued them and why?

33. Who killed the Archdemon and are they still alive?

1) What is the Warden's name? Does it have a meaning behind it? How do they feel about their name?

omg so "electra" is my warden's name and i don't even remember how i came up with that name, it feels sooooo "i was 15" and i think i might have even got it off a generator or something like that 🤔i think she's overall neutral about her name! but she likes it when alistair calls her "el" :)

26) If the Warden was Captured, did they wait for their companions or did they leave on their own? If they waited, who rescued them and why?

so first time i played origins, i had. i believe it was morrigan and zevran? it might have even been morrigan and wynne. rescue electra and alistair, but the second time i played origins/electra i 1) let myself lose that fight so that i could do the capture/rescue mission and 2) had alistair and electra escape! the two of them are like a well-oiled machine and, while they believe in their friends' capabilities, they weren't about to wait around to be saved

33) Who killed the Archdemon and are they still alive?

electra did! and god willing bioware hasn't killed her yet <3 i personally think she's still alive during/after veilguard (alistair, too) but i think the blight has definitely gotten to her

around the time of veilguard, though, i'd imagine she's doing her best to help camris (lavellan, my inquisitor) while ultimately still aligning herself with assisting alistair/ferelden when she can

bc i love pushing all my heroes together, i like to believe that she will eventually meet rhodes (aldwir, my rook) but honestly i think her and davrin would have A Lot to talk abt bc. if it hasn't already been canonically confirmed, i feel like weisshaupt probably has. uh, a different perception! of the warden who somehow managed to survive killing an archdemon

[ohsweetflips]

the thing abt crafting an entirely new hero is that camris lavellan still stays lowkey losing. like he has a husband and friends and can finally rest and i will still find more ways to hit his knees with an iron pipe.

[ohsweetflips]

pairing: dorian pavus/inquisitor (camris lavellan)

content: pre-relationship, hurt/comfort, takes place before “last resort of good men”

summary: “My friend,” Dorian said, bumping their shoulders together. “While I disagree, and will encourage you to keep speaking, I think you, of all people in Thedas, have a right to complain.”

Camris huffed out another laugh. “You might regret those words, Pavus. I can complain a lot.”

“Do it, then,” Dorian said, his tone gentle. “I rather like talking to you.”

(likes/reblogs appreciated <3)

[ohsweetflips]

what’s up guys new icon just dropped <3

but!!! i am specifically posting this for a reason!!!!! this is actually art of my inquisitor, camris lavellan, that was done for me!! i’ve gotten permission from the artist (@/teeniepoppy on both twitter and instagram, links below) to use this as my icon here as well as post it and, since my actual avatar is cropped, i wanted to show the full version so that you guys can see the beautiful work she did!! :’) she’s a wonderful artist so i really recommend checking her work out!!! i am still blown away whenever i look at this <3

(teeniepoppy on twitter) (teeniepoppy on instagram) 

[ohsweetflips]

me making my lavellan for the first time, age 15: this will have no effect on my life

me now, age 21: brain bored time for lavellan

[ohsweetflips]

on the one hand, my canon inquisitor is so (obviously) tied to dragon age that it would feel weird to use him as a general OC

on the other hand, i love him

[ohsweetflips]

[id: an edited meme of homer and bart simpson. homer, labelled “my inquisitor,” is sitting in a bathtub, unaware of the fact that bart simpson, labelled “me getting ready to add another emotional character arc to the events of the game,” is standing behind him ready to hit him over the head with a chair /end]