#dai erimond

[selfpossesedghost]

Cassandra and Cole - Erimond

Transcript:

Cassandra: Thank you Cole. I appreciate that. What od Magister Erimond? Do you sense a secret pain in him?

Cole: No. Erimond is an asshole.

Cassandra: [Laughs] Well said.

---

Dragon Age Inquisition

[notebooks-and-laptops]

All the brackets for the Who Is The Worst Dude (Gender Neutral) in Thedas Tournament

[spainkitty]

Me doing Revelations again with my Lavellan and I get to Val Royeaux for the almost-hanging scene with the Worst CrewTM to be grouped together ever.

Solas: Ah. Human Justice (derogatory)

Lanil, who has already beheaded two people so far: 🤨

Vivienne: Look at all these plebs, I thought we were better than this

Lanil, TWO PEOPLE BEHEADED, in front of a CROWD at Skyhold, and got APPROVAL FROM VIVIENNE for it: 🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨

Sera: So sad. where's the food

Lanil: Finally, someone with a reaction that makes sense!

[pandoratelenor]

The bad guys of thedas should learn to not throw dragons at grey wardens. It will just start their

"Must kill! Dragon!"

Instinct...

[visceralcoma]

I compiled all the notes we find in the Ossuary Prison when we first recruit Lucanis.

Query on Prison Staff Calivan, The other wardens don’t want to go near that Crow’s cell anymore. Can’t we get someone else to do it? Slaves, maybe

-Ovidius

Inmate Scribbling I am Nyrys I was Nyrys I we were We are Nyrys

Prison Warden’s Orders Ovidius No, we can’t get slaves to do it. We used them all as test subjects. We don’t have the budget for any more. Do you think slaves just grow on trees? Get the juniors to do their jobs.

-Calivan

Felicia, What exactly does she expect me to do? Its been over three hundred days now. It was supposed to take a week, at most! If Zara’s brilliant process failed, how does she expect me to salvage it?

-Calivan

Calivan, There’s been development, and now we need results as swiftly as possible. Push the subjects harder. Do anything you can to intensify their feelings of envy and frustration. I want every single demon you can produce, ready to fight for the glory of Tevinter reborn. Zara Renata

Calivan, You know as well as I do how demanding Zara can be. Nothing less than perfection is ever acceptable. Of course she’s not going to accept that the Crow is a failure of her method. Just kill him. Perhaps the demon will manifest when he dies.

-Felicia Erimond

Ossuary Records on Prisoner 20 Incubation: 18 days Emergence: Rapacity Sent to Vyrantium

Ossuary Records on Prisoner 36 Incubation: 9 days Emergence: Misery Sent to Marnas Pell

Ossuary Records on Prisoner 51 Incubation: 100 days Emergence: Passivity Declared a failure and destroyed

Records from the Ossuary Numbered prisoner cells, each followed by a single word: Cell 1: Despair Cell 2: Shame Cell 3: Horror For page after page after page…

[daitranscripts]

Skyhold Conversation: Here Lies the Abyss

Warden Alistair

Skyhold Masterpost Related Quest: Here Lies the Abyss

The PC can speak to Alistair up on the battlements.

Speaking to Alistair before the Western Approach: Alistair: We should get to that ritual tower in the Western Approach, ideally before it lives up to its name.

Speaking to Alistair after the Western Approach: Alistair: I can’t stand this. How many Grey Wardens died here? And for what? Erimond and the Grey Wardens are definitely holed up at Adamant Fortress, by the way. Don’t know if Hawke told you.

—

Alistair: Need something else?

1 - Dialogue options:

Investigate (Hero of Ferelden survived): Where is the Hero of Ferelden? [2]

Investigate: You fought in the Blight? [3]

Investigate: Tell me about the Wardens. [4]

Investigate (after Western Approach): How could they pay this price? [5]

Investigate (after Western Approach): Who is leading the Wardens? [6]

Investigate: What do the Wardens know? [7]

General: Goodbye. [8]

2 - Investigate: Where is the Hero of Ferelden? PC: Was the Hero of Ferelden involved in all this?

Alistair: I’m not sure. After we defeated the Archdemon, [they were] made Warden-Commander of Ferelden. [They] disappeared some time ago, not long before I started investigating rumors of Corypheus. [They] may have joined the Orlesian Wardens after I went into exile. If so, hopefully [they’ll] be on our side. Alistair (Morrigan did dark ritual): But I wouldn’t count on it. When we fought the Archdemon, [they] did things that… [They] walk a dark path.

Alistair (HoF rules w/ Anora): I couldn’t say. I was exiled after [they] decided [they] preferred Anora’s company.

Alistair (romanced but HoF): No, [they] left before any of this began. A mission of [their] own, something personal. We Wardens don’t live that long. The Calling I spoke of, the real one—before it went crazy—eventually it kills us. The thing is, when we killed the Archdemon… we discovered that might not be as set in stone as we thought. So [they’re] searching for a way to end the curse. For both of us. Maybe for us all.

9 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: Why aren’t you together? [10]

Investigate: You can end the Calling? [11]

Investigate: Have you been happy? [12]

Investigate: Could [they] help us? [13]

[back to 1]

10 - Investigate: Why aren’t you together? PC: The way you talk about [them], I’m surprised you aren’t still together. Alistair: Oh, there was a discussion, believe me. Someone had to look into the rumors about Corypheus. We didn’t know what was involved at the time. [They] were going to stay to help, but we had a lead that couldn’t wait. One of us had to go. When I’m done here, we’ll be together again. Forever, this time. [back to 9] ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ 11 - Investigate: You can end the Calling? PC: How can the Calling be stopped? If that actually possible? Alistair: Grand Enchanter Fiona was once a Warden, so I’m told, but had the taint completely drawn out of her. There was also a Warden named Avernus who extended his life far beyond what should have been possible. So we looked into it. We weren’t going to give up without a fight. That’s when we found a rumor that meant going deep into the west. It wasn’t much, but we’ve done more with less. My love will find a way. I’m certain of it. [back to 9] ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ 12 - Investigate: Have you been happy? PC: Have you been happy with [them] in the years since the Blight? Alistair: Happier than I ever dreamed possible. [They’re] more than I deserve… and I hope I make [their] days easier as well. [They] were rebuilding the Wardens in Ferelden, while I hunted darkspawn left over from the Blight. It was hard work for both of us, but we always had each other. [back to 9] ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ 13 - Investigate: Could [they] help us? PC: If [they’ve] been looking for a way to stop the Calling, perhaps [they] could help us. Alistair (after Western Approach): I doubt it. This false Calling that Corypheus created isn’t the same as the real one. Still, it couldn’t hurt to check. [They’re] deep into the west by now, but I have a way to contact [them]. Alistair: I’ll give the information to your people in the war room. If nothing else. I’d like to warn [them] about Corypheus. [back to 9]

3 - Investigate: You fought in the Blight? Alistair: I’m going to be answering that question for the rest of my life. Yes, I was there. It was big. The Hero of Ferelden was brave. But that was ten years ago. “What have you done for use lately, Alistair?” New time, new problems. [back to 1]

4 - Investigate: Tell me about the Wardens. PC: What’s it like being a Warden? Alistair: Oh, it’s wonderful! You get fresh peaches delivered every morning, first choice of local village girls, and bunnies, too! Well maybe it’s not that. Not even close to that. (Sighs.) I watched my brothers die at Ostagar soon after I joined. Never thought I’d see Wardens kill themselves.

Dialogue options:

Special: Why were they after you? [14]

[back to 1]

14 - Special: Why were they after you? PC: Why were the Wardens trying to kill you? Alistair: When Clarel started talking blood magic and demons to deal with the Calling, I said it wasn’t a good idea. First it was awkward silences and some coughing… but when I mentioned Corypheus, things went really wild. The Warden mages said I was interfering, called me a traitor. Funny how often that happens to me. [back to 1]

5 - Investigate: How could they pay this price? PC: How could the Wardens willing sacrifice their own to summon demons? Alistair: I know it sounds nutty. Being a Warden makes us special, but it comes with a heavy price. You have to walk away from your old life and be prepared to do anything to stop the next Blight. And we are they only ones who can, the only ones willing to make the decisions—the sacrifices—to do that. You wouldn’t understand. Or, well, with that mark on your hand, maybe you would. [back to 1]

6 - Investigate: Who is leading the Wardens? PC: You mentioned Warden-Commander Clarel. Is she behind this? Alistair: She’s the one who summoned me and the other Wardens to Orlais when she started hearing the Calling. I don’t know her well. She’s a mage—smart, careful, determined. The sort of mage the the templars told me to keep a close watch over. Makes her the best kind of Warden. Or at least, I would have thought so. Maybe the templars aren’t wrong about *everything.

Dialogue options:

Special: Is Corypheus controlling her? [15]

[back to 1]

15 - Special: Is Corypheus controlling her? PC: Do you think she’s helping Corypheus willingly or was she duped? Alistair: Clarel would never serve somethin that looks like a darkspawn willingly. I heard about an “advisor” of some kind though. Maybe we’ll learn more at the Western Approach. [back to 1] (this is a follow-up conversation to the above that is only triggered after the Western approach? I’m not sure what the deal is here.)

7 - Investigate: What do the Wardens know? PC: Corypheus was held in a Warden prison, right? So the Wardens should know all about him? Alistair: You'd think the Wardens would share information with each other, but they’re really big on keeping secrets. Maybe they think some knowledge is too dangerous? I don’t know. For most Wardens, he’d be nothing more than an old legend, dead long ago. If they knew of him at all. [back to 1]

8 - Goodbye. PC: We’ll talk later. Alistair: Another time, then.

[thatwavephenomenon]

Some notes on my reactions playing Veilguard (Spoilers ahead!!)

Oh my god Varric!!

Sorry Harding you can't accompany me Bioware said Only Two Companions

Bellara. Love her already.

Arlathan Forest gives me DAI Hinterlands vibes. Also why is it so damn bright in there

Love what they're doing with the Blight. Very Resident Evil imo

WHY IS IT SHOWING THE EVENTS FROM THE PAST GAMES I'M SCARED?? I thought they would barely matter anyway??

Morrigan!! Did not expect her so soon. Wait oh she's doing nothing for now okay

Neve is so fucking cool and she's vibing with my sarcastic Rook yay

How did they lose the goddamn dagger it was right in Varric's chest 💀

Protect Harding at all cost (she would dislike me for that)

Why is Rook doing a hero pose. Avengers Moment or what

Harding... girl is going through it goddamn

Solas you're such a bitch lmao

Oh the Ossatuary is BEAUTIFUL if you ignore all the blood and Venatori stuff. damn bastards.

Nice to meet you Lucanis I like you wings and your accent

ERIMOND. I know that name

Stopped taking notes but I'm greatly enjoying the game despite some meh things

[shivunin]

i wanna know about carrion comfort! like the song…

Ty Laura! @layalu also asked for this one c:

This one is based on the quote below from and the song by aeseaes. It is a fic about Fenris being kidnapped at the behest of Magister Erimond while Maria and Varania go on the worst road trip ever to get him back.

Here is a little snippet (CW for gore):

Even before she’d opened the door, she’d known that something was wrong. Inner untidiness aside, Fenris had always taken care to keep the exterior more or less intact. Now, a bloody handprint was smeared across the doorframe. Leaving it like this would invite scrutiny, something he wouldn’t normally allow, so if there’d been a fight he would have cleaned up after himself.  Even then, Hawke did not believe he was gone. Instead, she thought he must be injured inside somewhere, perhaps badly enough that he hadn’t been able to make it to one of his potion caches or her manor. Maria kicked the door open, unheeding of the danger, and dashed into the dim recesses of the entryway.

Here, the air was thick with the scent of blood and death. A ring of bodies filled the room past the foyer, some of them missing pieces, some of them just lying empty-eyed in a heap. Maria ignored the lot of them. She’d seen at once that Fenris was not among the bodies and she did not care about the rest in the slightest. Instead, she sprinted first up the stairs to his bedroom, which had been thoroughly ransacked. She paused only long enough to see that the cover of the book she’d given him—the Canticle of Shartan—had been ripped in half and discarded on the floor among drifts of shredded paper.  It was amazing how quickly one can search an entire estate when one’s lover was missing and likely injured. Maria hunted for any errant blood trail, any sign that he had tucked himself away in some secret place and could not call out to her. There was nothing—of course there was nothing—until she came to the back door and saw the overturned crates, the long, bloody drag marks of a limp body, and the empty courtyard beyond.  There was a horrible moment, then, when her mind put together the color of the blood and the state of the bodies. This fight had taken place hours ago, perhaps even a whole day. Wherever he’d been taken—and he had been taken, she assured herself; taken and not killed—he was long gone now.

[thedaselcor]

The markings were a veritable constellation of scars from a life lived far too hard for it’s relatively short duration, but the most immediately informative were the series of brands etched distinctly across her left arm, stretched out and keloid in the way that indicated Sataareth was much much smaller when they had been received. Along with the common “family brand” that most slaves received was the phrase Danger, do not trust in Tevinter Dalish and the following phrases in Common, Tevene,  and Qunlat. Escaped slave. Problems of discipline. Promised reward if returned. Property of Lord Erimond of Vyrantium.

It took all her strength not to stare at the last, to go about whatever tasks she could find on the ship rather than fall prey to the memory of the day one Lord Erimond had succeeded the last, how much worst things had gotten, how certain she had been that all the world could change and leave her forever the property of some Lord Erimond. It had been years, the tide of the Qunari had long since risen and brought her home. Asit tal-eb.

[hoboblaidd]

The Western Approach!

ask meme - inquisition locations

I've never heard this line in game which breaks my heart because it's top 10 Solas lines for me:

This is when I appreciate learning the magic to prevent sunburn on a bald head.

What a dramatic nerd, but also, relatable.

AS A GINGER (I will not let this go), that sun must be awful. I hope he used that spell on everyone that traveled with him, but that seems too considerate for him. He is, as we know, an asshole.

There isn't a lot of elfy stuff in the Approach. But, the Hissing Wastes aren't far on the map, and he said the Wastes used to be a verdant forest. Perhaps the Approach was as well. It may not have been the seat of an elven stronghold, but maybe it was nicer in the days of Arlathan.

Regardless, he's bitchy about the sun and the sand, so I don't think he loves the Western Approach for purely personal reasons.

There are some interesting links to the Blight here, though. The darkspawn infiltration of Coracavus, and then the weird oily black "sea" on the edges of the map past Griffon Wing Keep. Coracavus is a Tevinter prison, but I guess it's possible it could've been built over an elven site. We don't have evidence of that as far as I can remember. The ritual tower where Erimond's at is also weird looking, but seems more Tevintery than elven to me. Again, could've been a spot in the past, but I don't see evidence.

None of this is really enough to draw an inference of a more deep-seated dislike of the Approach. So in sum, he doesn't like it because "sand is coarse and rough and gets everywhere."

[dragonagekeeper]

Disclaimer: This is not recorded in the keep.

Captured as part of the main quest Here Lies the Abyss. Judged for his crimes of conscripting the Grey Wardens to serve Corypheus, and attempted assassination (of the Inquisitor).

Judgment polls / Dragon Age Inquisition Polls

If Erimond is executed:

Seeing his death as the only way to administer justice, the Inquisitor sentences Lord Erimond to death and personally carries out his execution.

If Erimond is imprisoned:

Refusing to grant his wish, the Inquisitor imprisons Erimond in the deepest, darkest cell they can find, claiming that the magister will spend the rest of his days there.

If Erimond is made Tranquil:

As a Mage, the Inquisitor can make an example of Erimond by removing his magical talents, thus depriving him of the weapon he had used to commit his crimes. Erimond reacts with shock and dismay at this judgment, insisting that he would not "lose myself."

If Erimond is passed over to the Grey Wardens:

Recognizing that Lord Erimond had done the most harm to the Grey Wardens, the Inquisitor hands the magister over to their custody, to await whatever fate they have in store for him.

[lavender-laudanum]

Lord Inquisitor Geth Trevelyan's Inner Circle: In His Own Words (File 4/12)

*After Geth Trevelyan's death in 9:45 Dragon in Minrathous, the former mighty Lord Inquisitor's journals were found amongst his possessions left behind at his home in Skyhold, deep within the Frostback Mountains. These journals, unedited, were brought into circulation with the help of the Viscount of Kirkwall, Varric Tethras, and by Trevelyan's husband, Dorian Pavus. Along with entries detailing his time leading the Inquisition and much of his life beforehand, which had been shrouded in near-complete secrecy until these documents' release, there were files on each of the members of his so-called "Inner Circle." These dossiers were put together as a standing testimony to Trevelyan's extremely candid personality and radical approach to leadership.*

VARRIC – The Storyteller

*The writing on the pages that describe Varric are, in particular, littered with notes in a multitude of hands, some in Trevelyan’s neat script, but most are not – they are the writings of Sera, The Iron Bull, even Cassandra’s and Solas’. It looks like a hodgepodge of notes, comments and even drawings, rather than the Lord Inquisitor’s personal journal. In its place in Tevinter, the document that holds Varric Tethras’ file is also riddled in much the same way; note after note after note, most in a hand of everyone’s – except Varric himself.*

I know what Varric would like me to write. The dramatic tale of the renowned storyteller himself; always quick to start a hand of Wicked Grace as he is to offer a drink and a quiet talk in a corner of Skyhold's main hall, and the first to offer an offhand comment or a laugh in the face of insanity. That is the Varric that he would like to be remembered as – but as a man who was forced to perform for others, once upon a time, Varric and I quickly came to a mutual understanding: We didn't have to pretend for each other. And so, respecting that, I will remember Varric as he was, as he is; not by the story he would write later.

It was Varric who showed me kindness first, in those earliest days of my time with the Inquisition. He would meet me at dusk and ensured I could sleep, and distracted people so I could eat, both without being watched. He also spoke to me, about anything and everything – I talked more to him in those first few days than I did to anyone else in the full year before. I was never comfortable with total silence myself, and Varric is the same; silence just doesn’t sit right, not when it can be filled.

Varric is also the one who brought a sense of realism to the sometimes-fantastical adventures of the Inquisition – on one memorable occasion he called Erimond a “tool,” in response to his evil machinations. But, beyond his quips, he often had a better grasp of things than he let on. For instance, one of the very first things he asked me at Haven, once we were alone, was if I thought of running. I hadn’t, of course, but he acknowledged something no one else had; that it was unlikely that whatever happened, it would be a miracle if I lived through it.

Looking back, that was an omen, though of what sort, to this very moment I don’t know.

Above all, there was a sadness in Varric, through the time I knew him. A lot of it had to do with Hawke, who is and remains his best friend. Of course, you can’t talk about either man without mentioning the other at least once – the two so desperately tied together that it was impossible to even think about them on their own. Varric had chosen to protect the one man who seemed to be unprotectable, somehow, to the point where his loyalty to the Inquisition, and thus to me, was called into question – though I did not allow it for long.

It's ironic, that the storyteller is one of the most difficult to write about – he eludes description, eludes stories of his own involvement, though without him the Inquisition surely wouldn’t have been what it ultimately became. It’s even more ironic that it was the Dwarf, above everyone else, who brought us our most human moments; moments that gave us some relief in the most damning of times. I will always remember those nights of Wicked Grace, those nights in front of a flickering fire surrounded by laughter, far longer than I’ll remember those cold ones I spent alone at a few of the Inquisition camps across Southern Thedas; a mercy of the kind I had never been freely given before.

That is how I choose to remember Varric. He may be flawed, but we are all flawed, we have all made our fair share of mistakes; we all, through either our own failures or through failure by complicity or ignorance, have regrets. But those aren’t what define us, and I hope our resident storyteller will believe that for himself one day.

Thanks, Varric.

[notebooks-and-laptops]

Honestly Lord Livius Erimond of Vyrantium might be one of inquisitions biggest missteps. Which is kinda wild, because on the one hand he's a very fun, over the top villian, and his existence leads to one of my favourite Cole lines. But on another...

IDK man. The wardens have been characterised, repeatedly, as doing incredibly dodgy things throughout both DAO and DAI. They are heroes, yes, but they are also the type of people to kill those who want to back out of their joining ritual and build crazy secret bases where they lock up demons with blood magic they forced a mage to do on threat of him not seeing his wife or child ever again.

I think Inquisition tries to turn the wardens into something much more gallient than they are. It wants them to be on Corypheus side for plot reasons, yes, but it also wants them to have been tricked into doing so, so that the player can still be like 'yay i love the wardens'.

But this was unneccesary! We've already met wardens, well before all this, that were fighting on the side of getting to understand and possibly work for talking darkspawn. That's basically the plot of awakening and of the Legacy DLC. There are wardens who think that talking darkspawn need to be investigated and may even be worth siding with even if those talking darkspawn were responsible for the fifth blight. You, the player, may have made that decision in Awakening.

So like. Just cut Erimond. It would make the whole thing more morally grey and interesting. Clarel doesn't need to be tricked, she doesn't need to 'I will never serve the blight' about it. She can be working directly with Corphyeus because she wants to understand more about talking darkspawn or because he convinced her that darkspawn aren't the real evil but Orlais is, or because she thinks he ALSO wants to kill the old gods or for a million other reasons.

We can have some fucked up messy wardens AND some wardens who think this is stupid hiding out with Alistiar/Loghain or simply submitting to the calling. And we can have them both without some manipulative, over the top, campy villian prancing around and telling everyone how evil and clever he is up until the moment you kill him.

IDK i feel DAI really killed some of the talking darkspawn buildup by the way they wrote Corypheus and the way they had his minions act and they also kinda made the Grey Wardens appear way more put together just 'corrupted by Clarel' etc. when the wardens are historically a very corrupted, actually physically corrupted group who do batshit things to save the world and are basically only tolerated because they're effective at stopping the numerous almost-apocolypses that rear their head from time to time.

[nirikeehan]

Oh my gosh, it’s Friday already? Amazing! Since you’re in the mood for prompts this week, I’d love to read your take on Thalia and Rylen’s friendship. Something sweet along the lines of sharing a favorite food?

Hi Aby, thank you! Just noodling around here, trying to get a feel for Rylen's voice and doing some fun scene setting in the Western Approach. Oh and Thalia gets awkward about her crush on Cullen. 🤷‍♀️

For @dadrunkwriting

WC: 1622

---

The blazing sun hung low on the horizon, washing the forbidding landscape in hues of blood red. Thalia retreated slowly from Griffon Wing Keep’s battlements. As much as the Western Approach fascinated her, she was grateful the day of scouting was done, and she could get out of the scorching heat. 

The Inquisition had set up camp in the fortress, making use of the near-ruin as best it could. Few locations inside the Keep were structurally sound enough to be occupied, but the courtyards and baileys had been deemed fit. The place was alive with tents filled with personnel, stalls for vendors, drilling soldiers and laboring craftsmen, all under the billowing sunshade erected to keep out the elements. 

Thalia had learned quickly no place in the Approach was free from the heat, not really — not until the sun went down. Then the brutally high temperatures would drop, and the night winds would rise, bringing with them the cool respite that escaped them all day. Thalia constantly found herself yearning for nightfall. 

Her stomach rumbling, she walked to the shaded pavilion that served as a mess hall. To say food in the Approach was scarce was an understatement. The Inquisition relied on supply lines to import most anything edible, and even then, it was difficult to keep perishables for very long. For the last week everyone in the keep had been subject to deathroot salad and rock-hard loaves of bread, which had many of the soldiers grumbling. Only cracking open an additional cask of ale had prevented a riot, Thalia suspected. 

Thalia got in line with a mix of soldiers and agents, grabbing a wooden trencher and nodding politely in the direction of the salutes from those who recognized her. She was dirt-streaked and sunburnt, her hair messily gathered at the nape of her neck because she couldn’t bear the effort it took to braid it in the morning with the sun upon her. She certainly wouldn’t mind if she wasn’t recognized right now.

She accepted her meager fare and retreated to one of the long wooden tables to eat. Usually she passed the time with her companions, but had decided to give Varric and Hawke sometime alone to catch up; Dorian was neck deep in some magical research he promised to share with her as soon as he had a breakthrough; Blackwall complained of a headache and excused himself from her presence early. She suspected there was more going on there — he’d been even testier than usual ever since their confrontation with Livius Erimond out in the sands. But as always with the Grey Warden, when he sheathed himself in his own mental fortifications, it was hopeless to attempt scaling them. 

Thalia dug at her listless bed of greens with a fork and sighed, wishing for the catered comforts of Skyhold. 

“This seat taken?” asked a voice that was at once familiar and foreign. 

Thalia squinted upward. Standing before her was the leader of Griffon Wing Keep’s battalion. 

She straightened. “Knight-Captain Rylen.” 

“Inquisitor.” He saluted. “Forgive me if I’m interrupting.” 

“Of course not,” Thalia said. She smiled ruefully. “Though I’m surprised you recognized me through all the dirt.”

“With all due respect, my lady, it’d take a little more than dust to render you unrecognizable. And it is my job to keep eyes on you at all times.” 

Thalia hesitated, wondering if she should allow herself a chuckle. Rylen had a blunt, pragmatic affect, and she was often unsure if he was slipping in a sly joke amidst the monotone. 

“Fair enough, Knight-Captain. Please, you may sit.” 

Rylen nodded in gratitude and removed his helmet. Beneath was a head of closely cropped dark hair. Some of it stuck to his scalp with sweat. He had a face tanned from the many weeks spent out in the Approach, honest and not unattractive. The tattoos lining his features, which Thalia had noted upon their first meeting, stood out ever more prominently. She bit her lip, thinking of her own tattoo adorning her right eye. He had not remarked upon it before, out of what she suspected was courtesy, and she had done the same to him.

Rylen sat down across from her, stripping off his leather gloves, the chainmail on his shoulders clinking. 

“Is it terribly hot in all that armor?” Thalia found herself asking. She’d taken to wearing linens and silks to stave off the scorching heat, and could hardly imagine anyone standing that much leather and mail. 

“Like standing on the surface of the sun, but I’d rather sweat my bollocks off than be caught unawares if Corypheus decided to pay us a visit.” Rylen hesitated, adding quickly, “Begging your pardon for my language, Your Worship.” 

Thalia snickered. “It’s all right. I am not so offended by a coarse lexicon.”

“Well, thank the Maker for that.” Rylen smiled good-naturedly. “When Cullen first wrote me about you, I worried you’d be too prim and proper for words. Don’t get me wrong, you are prim and proper, but I met a few highborn Ostwick girls back in the Marches, and they were — easily offended, I dare say.”

Thalia knew the type well; she’d spent her childhood with such girls. Despite being estranged from her family for over a decade, she suspected her sister Laela and that ilk hadn’t changed much. “And you said you were from Starkhaven, yes? Do you miss it?” 

“A little, here and there,” Rylen admitted, digging through the leather pouch slung through his belt. “Though working for the Inquisition has been a good deal more exciting than being a Starkhaven Templar ever was.” 

Thalia had nearly forgotten. She remembered Rylen and Cullen were colleagues, but the distinction of Templars and mages seemed so away, with the Circles dissolved and the threat of Corypheus on the horizon. “I can only imagine,” she murmured. 

He set down a flask heavily on the table between them, and beside it a wrapped package. Thalia frowned, her eyebrows shooting up as Rylen unwrapped a pristine wheel of cheese, plump and veined with red wine. “Is that— Tantervale gruyere? All the way out here?”

Rylen shot her a vaguely guilty smirk. “Aye. Been waiting for the requisitions delivery for weeks. And the flask’s got Marcher honeywine, about as chilled as I’ve been able to get it down in the cellars.” He pushed the flask toward her as he broke off a hunk of cheese. “Care for some?” 

“Care for some? I’ve been wasting away on deathroot and scrubgrass salads.” 

“Well then.” Rylen wiggled his eyebrows. “Consider this a humble offering for the Inquisitor.” 

Thalia knew the diplomatic thing to do was politely refuse. But she snatched up the flask and drank in the sweet, cool tang of the honeywine, and was instantly reminded of summers spent at her family’s country estate. She sighed wistfully, handing the flask back to Rylen. “I thank you, ser. This is most kind of you.”

Rylen shrugged. “It’s the little things, right? Keeps you sane.” 

They fell into easy conversation, each nibbling on the crumbly cheese and taking sips from Rylen’s flask. As dusk fell, bringing with it a wonderfully cool breeze, and Thalia’s head was pleasantly fuzzy, she said, “Could you tell me more about Commander Cullen? What he was like when you knew him in Kirkwall? He doesn’t speak of it much.” 

Rylen ducked his head, like he was both unsurprised she’d asked and reluctant to speak of it. “It was a dark time, Inquisitor. At this point, people have heard much about the destruction in Kirkwall, but it was nothing compared to seeing it firsthand. The entire infrastructure was in ruins. Everyone who could possibly be put in charge of city leadership was dead. There was no viscount, no First Enchanter, no Grand Cleric, no Templar Knight-Commander. Chaos. Just bleeding chaos, that’s what it was.” He gestured vaguely with the flask in hand. “I’ve never seen anything like it, and we’re at war. I stayed because Cullen seemed to be the only one who didn’t give a rat’s arse — pardon my Orlesian — about the bureaucratic posturing. Just wanted to make the place safe again. Just wanted the civilian suffering to stop.” 

Thalia pressed her lips together. Rylen’s impassioned speech had stirred something within her; certain fluttering admiration she felt when thinking of the Inquisition’s commander. “I have seen those qualities in him as well.”

Rylen tilted his head at her. “Are you sweet on him or something?”

Thalia’s eyes widened. “No!” She lowered her head, hoping he couldn’t see her face redden in the gathering dark. “I mean you don’t— I don’t know what you mean.” How much honeywine had she drunk, to be this inarticulate?

“Forgive me, Inquisitor. I fear that was too bold of me.” Rylen sat up straight, rubbing a calloused hand over his  hair, leaving it sticking up in short spikes. “It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if you were, is what I’m trying to say.” 

“Oh?” Thalia said faintly. “Really?” 

“Really. Poor man’s too closed off by half. I suppose that’s what happens when you spend so much time staring into the abyss, but…” Rylen trailed off. “Never mind. That wine must’ve fermented more on the trip here, to have my tongue this loose.” 

“It’s all right, Knight-Captain.” Thalia cleared her throat. “I… appreciate your counsel.” 

“Don’t tell him I said any of this?” Rylen shot her a guilty look. “I fear he’ll court-martial me if he knew.” 

Thalia let out a surprised laugh. “You don’t have to worry.”

Besides, to tell Cullen any of this, she would have to admit to him that… well… how did she feel about him? She grinned sheepishly. 

“Your secret is safe with me.”

[inclusive-dragonage-mods]

Nexus Hall of shame: Atherisz

The infamous scumbag who made mods letting female characters romance Dorian and male characters romance Sera (unsurprisingly they’re also a Greedfall fan, bleck).

List of their DAI mods:

Ardent Blossom Misc Store

😬Bi Cullen Mod - Sera Male Inquisitor Romance😬

Cullen Dorian Tousled Hair

😬Dorian Romance for Female Inquisitor😬

God Mode Fade Touched - No Mana Cost

Invisible Weapons and Shield

Make Erimond Erasthenes Tranquil

Silent Chanters and some other dialogues

Straight Long Hair for Female Human

Trespasser Skyhold PJ Replacer and Schematics

Unlock Masterwork Crafting in Haven

[icharchivist]

Veilguard Spoilers

Theres a letter about a Venatori talking about the person who is experimenting on Lucanis and it's signed Felicia Erimond and I'm here with my mouth aghast because i remember that one venatori Erimond from dai and i killed him then. Cant believe he has family. More people to kill ten years later i guess.

(Also slotted under : why do i leep getting favs who were experimented on also)