#dragon age veil

[arduousflame]

Perrepatae’s Vintage

Please also read a short Part 2.

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Viago bit off the cork of the vial with practiced movements. The acrid smell hit hard as he poured the liquid over the gash on Rook’s arm, the wound bubbling instantly with a whitish foam as it reacted to the poison’s residue. Illario. Will. Pay. Rook flinched, her breaths shallow and erratic, her body twisting where she lay in Teia’s lap.

Pain. NO AIR. Help. Rook!

Lucanis could only watch, helpless, as Viago yanked open a second vial. "Dammit, Gwynn, drink!" he cursed, tipping it to his Crow’s lips. Rook choked, spilling the precious antidote between coughs, fighting those who were trying to save her. Teia tried to steady her, holding her head as Viago tried to pour the antidote down her throat.

-------

It had been a dirty fight. Illario’s treacherous coup to seize the First Talon’s seat erupted into chaos—a fierce clash of Crows against Venatori. It wasn’t unexpected. They had come prepared, armored and ready, after Viago and Teia’s missive. Yet, Lucanis had held onto a shred of hope—that the past year of betrayal hadn’t been Illario’s doing. A shred that was torn to oblivion once they had found Caterina alive and as well as can be as a hostage in her own home.

Rook had been quick on her feet, as always. Her magic humming beside Lucanis as she darted in and out of the fray. She kept the Venatori occupied, leaving him to cut them down one by one. But somehow, Illario had slipped through the chaos, exploiting her unguarded left side while Lucanis was locked in battle with a Venatori magister. She was no trained fighter. A Crow in name only, some would whisper. Yet she had proven she could hold her own in the past few months, with Lucanis at her back.

It had been no more than a shallow nick. But with Illario’s blade poisoned, it didn’t need to be more. Viago’s concoctions were nothing short of deadly—undetectable until the damage took hold. Even for one who spend considerable time in House de Riva where paranoia and poison reigned. No healer’s magic could counteract it without antidote, once it spread through the blood, attacking the heart and lungs.

Viago had named this particular poison Perrepatae’s Vintage, its lethal effects compounding the longer it lingered in the victim’s system. Years ago, he had called it his masterpiece—a special commission from the First Talon herself for her mage-killer grandson. Lucanis knew its power too well. Even he hesitated to use it. Death by this poison was no simple mercy but a brutal struggle to breathe and live. A death even Venatori did not all deserve. Something even Viago would reluctantly admit.

Lucanis had always ensured his own vials were accounted for, keeping them close on his person. None had gone missing. Which meant Illario must have gotten his dose from Viago’s backup stash. Whether through thief or traitor, Viago would have to uncover that answer later. The Fifth Talon would not show mercy on the Crow who had betrayed House and Talon.

Rook hadn’t realized she was poisoned. She wouldn’t have connected the subtle tremble in her hands or her magic depleting faster than normal. Fatigue from battle, she’d have told herself. The shortness of breath and heart pounding in her chest? Adrenaline, nothing more.

She wasn’t a fighter by nature. Drawn into the Crows to settle a debt at an age most already went out on their first contracts. Her skills lay in subterfuge, intrigue and forgery, not with blade or staff. But the months spent in skirmishes against the Evanuris had hardened her into a viable spellblade.

The battle ended with Illario on his knees, defeated. As he was dragged away, Lucanis was declared First Talon. There should have been relief, even triumph, as the inner circle retreated deeper into the villa to celebrate.

But then Rook collapsed, her legs giving out as she gasped for air her lungs could no longer hold.

Teia reached her first, her frantic hands trying to steady her. Viago arrived moments later, biting back a sharp reprimand for her carelessness—until his sharp eyes caught the oil-like sheen glistening on the gash in her arm. That unmistakable sign.

Lucanis met his gaze, their silent understanding instant and grim.

Mierda, Rook.

-------

Spite bristled at the edges of Lucanis’ mind, seething. He fought to stay in control, to suppress the urge to turn and crush Illario’s throat. A hesitant touch on his arm steadied him. Bellara stood beside him, worry in her eyes. "Is she going to be okay?"

Viago’s reply was clipped. "Not yet."

Teia’s hands trembled as she stroked Rook’s hair, whispering soft reassurances in Antivan. Bellara’s confusion mirrored Spites’ rising frustration. "Why isn’t the antidote working? Were we too late?" Rook. In PAIN. Stop. Pain. HELP ROOK!

Lucanis pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing deeply, forcing calm into his voice. "Because sometimes the cure is worse than the poison."

Bellara tensed, her grip on his arm tightening. He didn’t know if she sought to steady him or herself.

Rook's writhing gradually slowed, her coughing and gasping subsiding. At last, she seemed to relax. Bellara let out a sigh of relief beside Lucanis, but he remained tense, unwilling to let his guard down just yet. “Oh thank..” Bellara breathed. Just then Rook’s breathing stilled altogether.

With this, the waiting game started.

Teia ran her fingers through Rook’s hair over and over. "Come on, come on now, Gwynn." The worry in Viago’s voice cut through the silence, his quiet plea making Lucanis’ heart falter his chest. “Not like this, you idiot. Not now. Breathe., damn you..”

Seconds dragged by, each one marked by the frantic rhythm of his own heartbeat, while hers remained unyielding, unmoving. It was taking too long.

"Viago..." Lucanis started, stepping forward and shrugging off Bellara’s hold on his arm. But the Fifth Talon was already moving. After a brief nod, Viago sprang into action. With a firm but gentle motion, he eased Rook out of Teia’s lap, laying her fully flat on the ground beside him.

Viago moved closer, placing one palm firmly on her chest, the other interlocking on top. His lips moved in a muttered count as he began the compressions, his movements precise and unwavering. Teia scrambled back to make room. Bellara now reached to find her and clung to the Crow with tears in her eyes.

Lucanis knelt down, taking the spot across from Viago. He forced himself to focus, to suppress the rising dread threatening to overtake him. All the while Spite remained silent. A silence that only deepened his unease. He tilted Rook’s head back with practiced care.

As Viago paused, Lucanis leaned in, sealing his lips over Rook’s to breathe life back into her. Please, come back. A first breath, her chest rose faintly. A second, but the stillness persisted.

“Damn it.” Viago resumed the compressions, his jaw clenched tight, the force of his efforts enough to bruise her ribs. This made both men flinch, but Viago did not hold back. A third breath. A fourth. Still, nothing. Panic flickered in Viago’s eyes, mirrored in Lucanis’ own.

They were losing her.

Viago paused again, his shoulders heaving with exertion. Lucanis didn’t hesitate, bending down once more to breathe for her. Just as despair began to claw at him, a faint shiver rippled through Rook’s body.

Then, a cough. A desperate, gasping breath.

“Maker.” Relief crashed over them like a wave. Viago sagged back, as he sat beside Teia, who dropped down with him. Lucanis barely registered the tears in her eyes as he pulled Rook close, murmuring softly.

"It’s okay, Rook. You’re okay now. I’ve got you."

[nadas-dirthalen]

This complete dissection of triangles made me think of valasslin and where triangles show up in some (not all!) valasslin. And, my friends — I dove too deep.

Walk with me.

I was looking at this picture of Bellara, right?

And I was trying to figure out her valasslin, what it could be. Well, I think, right away, I see Dirthamen. That design on her forehead, to me, looks like two ravens sitting opposite a "third eye." (Forgive the terrible phone-drawing, okay.)

See? Birds. But also, that close, under the branches? Triangles. And under those? Diamonds.

That's what got me thinking about triangles, diamonds, the Veil, and the Fade. All from the above post.

Now, I won't repeat the analysis of the above post (read the whole thing! It's good!) but suffice it to say: I think this valasslin is telling us a story. Namely, Dirthamen is on one side of the Veil — and it's not the Fade side. It's our side, the waking side. (Because triangles in the middle, Dirthamen above, diamonds — the Fade — below).

I think the message to be taken from this valasslin, if there is one, is: Dirthamen is on the waking side of the Veil, and he is watching.

This intrigued me so much, I thought I'd take a peek at my Inquisitor's Dirthamen valasslin. Now, bear with me: the screenshot I used is from That Crestwood Scene, don't judge. It's one I had on hand. (Don't judge the penmanship either, just keep walking with me, that's it.)

For starters, I am interpreting this valasslin as a raven flying down the elf's face. Its beak is on the tip of the nose. Its wings span the cheekbones. Its tail feathers fan out on the forehead, as part of what's inside that (broken) ring. If there is a "third eye" (we'll get to that), it's on the chin.

Once again I'm talking about triangles and diamonds. On the ring that's on the forehead, there is a very notable line of triangles surrounding that (broken) ring. To me, this could symbolize the Veil. And inside the ring? Diamonds, again. To me, this symbolizes that the Fade is inside the ring, which is the Veil.

And the raven is breaking free. Breaking the circle, flying downward.

Now look close. There's a triangle on each wing. There's a triangle in the beak.

And, on the chin, where I haven't written anything? The largest triangle of all is at the bottom of the face, resting under that third eye. Potentially pushed down by it — or, in my interpretation, pushed outward by Dirthamen's magic/wisdom.

To me, these two valasslin tell a story. The Inquisitor's valasslin is its first chapter: Dirthamen breaks free of the Fade. Bellara's is the second: Dirthamen roams the waking world, and he is watching.

Honestly, the fact that Bioware have explicitly said Bellara is a knowledge seeker, regardless of if that knowledge comes from the Evanuris, makes me wonder about this theory even more.

Bellara is a knowledge seeker. She wants to find out what's true, what's not; she wants to find the pieces of who the elves used to be and really understand what their story was, where they came from [...] but also to maybe find a little bit more of who they used to be. Because again, you're dealing with these elves that were around millennia ago that have now reemerged into the world, and who better to teach her who the elves used to be than them.

I'd love to know if any others agree! I'm relatively new here, so if I'm missing lore of any kind, please let me know!

All Frescos: Symbols in Dragon Age Art (Part 1)

When is a triangle not a triangle?

So….Tevinter Nights!  Still reading it, but you know me and maps.  I kind of like them.  And while the book’s map is short on details, it had one very interesting image that caught my eye.  

Let me zoom in a bit for you.

What an interesting depiction of the Veil!  Complete with spikey projections!!  Then I thought…we’ve seen those triangles before. Here they are clearly labeled as a visual representation of the Veil.  And if they represent the Veil between the Fade and the Mortal World then…

….it is very likely that they mean the same thing here.  

So this image may well be meant to show Solas creating the Veil.  

Now that alone might not be groundbreaking.  I think many of us thought that the triangles could represent magic or the Fade, but it seems to be more specific than that.  These triangles are the Veil in Solas’ art.  

Taking this as a working theory, then some interesting tin-foil hat analyses of the his other frescos is possible.  Here is what I am thinking:

Keep reading

[gwinaesfer]

"The Veil Guard didn't actually care about Rook" the Veil Guard was so desperate to get Rook back from the prison they tried to make a ritual dagger of their own to rip the Veil apart and look for them

Rook wasn't their boss, Rook was their home

[skelebellie]

the “and now, i die.” line from rook during weisshaupt is one of the funniest lines in the game because it represent how much they are that guy (tm) that just showed up. they know how ridiculous it is that their trying to fight an elven vape cloud god and it’s neo pet. they just are like “well fuck it, we ball”

[hrtiu]

Me until Veil Guard comes out

[mostwantedpotato404]

Queen Taash

PRINT

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

Viago, when playing as Rook De Riva: you IDIOT you were my favorite fledgling why did you have to make a mess of this now I have to jump through all these convoluted hoops to keep you safe. Teia stop telling Rook how much I missed them it's not funny they could have DIED. also your room is exactly the way you left it please come home

Strife, when playing as Rook Aldwir: Why hasn't this weird bug i kicked out of our camp ages ago died yet :|

[nerd-elf]

I really wish Lucanis listened to Spite sometimes

[karawek]

Veil Jumper 🤸‍♀️

[shewolfofvilnius]

something i don't think gets talked about NEARLY ENOUGH regarding Dragon Age: Veilguard: If you pick certain options and let enough banters play out, MULTIPLE companions will for all intents and purpose signal their plan to change factions post-game.

Taash can become an honorary Antivan Crow and seems to be legit into the idea by game's end (also Harding like the cape). Like, if they were a returning companion in DA5 I could EASILY see them having joined up (or at least become associated).

Bellara can flat out ask Neve to join the Shadow Dragons. (edit: OR apparently can ask to join the Mourn Watch?!?!)

Davrin can signal he's planning to spend a LOT of time with the Veil Jumpers and the griffons once this is all over (and a big part of his banter sequence with Bellara AND his tertiary content with Rook involve his realizing that the Veil Jumpers' aims are different than the Dalish he grew up with).

Like, that's FANTASTIC. No one is ever permanently any one thing, and I love the idea of some of the companions realizing "hey, actually, this works better" and they've built those connections and networks and so hey, Antivan Crow Taash? Sure, Teia will make them a cape. Shadow Dragon Bellara? Hey, they took the ex-templar Rana, they'll easily take her. Etc.

[requiemforthestars]

I cannot help but feel very sad that Bellara and the Veil Jumpers are out there discovering ancient elven artifacts and playing with them meanwhile Merrill was SO punished by the narrative for wanting to do the same

[triaelf9]

"how do you enjoy *insert fandom here* I hear they're the worst"

Find the ppl who enjoy the thing you like the way you do. Ignore, mute or block the ppl who don't.

Ta-Da~

[mourn-and-watch]

just want to remind y'all of some kirkwall-related details that are not at all relevant for the possible events of datv:

meredith stannard is alive and kicking and is also planning a war against tevinter

red templars are in control of the gallows; it's hard to tell what's going on in the city itself, but with varric absent it might be left with no viscount again

there's an elven graveyard on sundermount where ancient elves entered uthenera; it is also possibly dedicated/related to mythal

there was also a demon contained in an idol on top of sundermount who supposedly possessed a great knowledge about arlathan and eluvians

the veil in kirkwall has always been remarkably thin and tevinter magisters were weakening it on purpose during their reign; the whole city was built as an enormous blood magic ritual site

if the veilguard squad is going to travel through the eluvians there's still one in kirkwall. the one that has been plot-relevant since dao

[bioware]

New locations, new companions, new choices - the next Dragon Age is well worth the wait ⚔️ Watch more than 15 minutes of gameplay from the opening moments of Dragon Age: The Veilguard here.

[timethehobo]

Had the thought of what if Manfred really just pantomimes normally, but because The Lighthouse is in the Fade, he can while they’re in there?

[the-overanalyzer]

The factions of Northern Thedas

The Veil Jumpers: You know what's great? Not leaving all this old crap lying around waiting to explode. The Antivan Crows: This invasion is wonderful for us because now we can convince people we're somehow the scrappy underdogs. The Grey Wardens: We cannot catch a fucking break. The Shadow Dragons: We may be bankrolled by aristocrats, but we're still more credible scrappy underdogs than the Crows. The Mourn Watch: The secret to a stable government is state-subsidized goths. The Lords of Fortune: You know what's great? Not living through Act 2 of Dragon Age 2 again.