#except when it comes to Davrin

[th3moongazer]

A thought I had about Lucanis - you know how acts of service are his love language right. And how he often shows this by preparing food or drink for his friends/the group/Rook.

But like, I feel that in a way it goes both ways. It’s his way of showing appreciation for the group, of doing his part, ‘earning his keep’ maybe in the early days when he felt like he didn’t fit in.

But on the other hand, the fact that the group allows him to do so is such a massive show of trust. I mean, that’s an Antivan Crow, a prolific one, and he’s making you food.

Throughout the game, there are TONS of mentions of Crow murders by poisoning food/drink/etc. I think it happens in banter, it certainly happens in mementos and decor you pick up.

Add on that he isn’t only a Crow but also a demon possessed Crow and companions like Harding definitely were wary of him at first? I dunno, I just feel like it means something that he not only enjoys taking care and cooking for everyone, but that EVERYONE appreciates and eats his food. Maybe I’m wrong but that feels like it means something, for the team but also for Lucanis considering that even the Crows themselves poison/kill each other for power.

(It also makes me wonder if that trust ever had to be earned. If Harding would be conveniently out on days he cooks (though I feel like she’d tell him to his face that she doesn’t trust him yet, she seems direct like that). If he ever brought someone something from the market and found it untouched still a few weeks later. If he “helped” Bellara cook for several days/weeks just so others could be reassured that the food wasn’t tampered with.)

I dunno, just some thoughts I had about him lately. And about what it really means being an Antivan Crow. Bc I can’t believe many people would truly trust them, knowing that at any point, their friends could turn on them if a contract demanded it. After all, Crows always fulfill their contracts.

[flowersforthemachines]

Some facts about Lucanis (and also Spite and the Crows) gathered from the banters

I went through all companion banters on DanaDuchy's channel after playing the game to write down all facts about companions/the world that I haven't seen brought up anywhere in the game as a writing reference (and for funsies).

Note: This list may not be exhaustive. I might have missed some something or didn't write it down because I considered it common knowledge. If you have anything to add, please DM me or send an ask! (do specify what banter the information is coming from, though)

Note 2: Posts from this series (mostly) don't include information from banters specific to quests or between companions and faction members. I plan to do another playthrough to capture more of those and will add any relevant info to the character posts.

Other characters' posts: Bellara, Davrin, Harding, Emmrich, Neve, Taash. I'm also planning a post about just the Lighthouse some time later

About Lucanis: 

Family and the past:

Lucanis learnt to cook while helping the kitchen staff at the villa when he was a little boy. One of his motivations was learning how to make churros

Side note: Lucanis mentions that cioccolata calda was his favourite drink when he was a baby, and he serves churros to a romanced Rook who picks cioccolata calda as their favourite drink. It’s all coming together! 

Lucanis wanted to be a Crow when he was a child (at least most of the time)  

All of Lucanis's relatives were Crows as well, and all of them were killed by a rival Crow house

Lucanis says Caterina would be proud of Illario hiding his plans well, as well as killing her 

Lucanis says that the hard part about setting Illario free would be convincing Caterina 

Lucanis says that nightlife was more of Illario's thing, and he never got out as much

On Crows and Antiva:

Viago still stares daggers at Lucanis for throwing his (Viago's) pet snake out of the window in a dream

Lucanis doesn't like it when people confuse murder and assassination ("Murderers are hobbyists, we are professionals")

Lucanis has taken contracts in Orlais

Lucanis doesn’t know Treviso as well as he once used to 

Heir didn’t train Lucanis

Lucanis says he has never killed an innocent “by his count” (other people may disagree) 

Lucanis doesn’t think of the Crows as a “big organisation” (unlike the Inquisition) because they stab each other too much

Lucanis became a mage-killer at Caterina’s behest (she wanted to tap into new markets)

The nickname “The Demon of Vyrantium” came from Tevinter news-sheets, though Lucanis thinks Viago started it

Lucanis says that there aren't any special tricks to killing mages. Though, if nothing else works, you can try pissing them off, as that could attract a demon that would eat the mage

Lucanis once killed half a dozen venatori while stuck inside an elevator 

Lucanis doesn’t consider himself a gentleman assassin, manners are less important than getting the job done

Lucanis sometimes spares his targets. He mentioned letting go of a servant who killed her master, as well as a 14-year-old boy. He thinks it’s wrong to kill people so young because they still have time to change

Lucanis doesn’t accept contracts without merit, and the merit is decided by the talon of the house

General:

Lucanis can make bread

Lucanis has never been to Ferelden

Lucanis isn’t interested in killing wyverns, just looking at them :)  

Lucanis has a pet snake 

Lucanis stays awake at night by cleaning his gear, exercising, studying Orlesian and knitting ("it’s just another kind of blade work") 

Lucanis doesn’t understand a lot of things people find attractive

(In a conversation with Harding) Thinking about cooking was one of the things that helped Lucanis stay sane in the Ossuary (the other was thinking about killing his enemies) 

(In a conversation with Davrin) Lucanis survived the Ossuary by shutting down and not thinking about anything except escaping

These two points sort of contradict each other. Either an inconsistency or Lucanis describing his experience differently to different people. 

The Wetlands ruined at least one pair of Lucanis’s boots

(If Rook chooses to save Treviso) Lucanis offers to pay for any supplies the Shadow Dragons may need 

Lucanis doesn't get a better bed because he's afraid of accidentally falling asleep 

Lucanis can identify the killer’s weapon and the height difference between them and the target just through the blood splatter left at the scene

Lucanis considers Grey Wardens dangerous 

Lucanis doesn’t like necromancy, because bringing people back to life is a waste of hard work

Lucanis finds the ice coffee from Minrathous offensive (Harding describes it as “snow, but made of coffee, sweet, and with cream and toffee sauce on top”)

Lucanis had never been in a romantic relationship before Rook/Neve

Relationships with other companions: 

Lucanis gets into reading Bellara’s serials (very passionately - they chat about it a bunch)

Lucanis is outraged that the Veil Jumpers don’t get paid for their work and offers Bellara his contract negotiator

Lucanis made biscuits for Assan

Lucanis is sceptical that the griffons will be safe with the Wardens

Lucanis think that Assan shouldn’t go soft (referring to the time he took care of a halla) because he is a predator at heart

(If Emmrich becomes a lich) Lucanis offers to hold a funeral for Manfred

Lucanis and Harding talk a lot about dreams (mostly silly things like showing up naked for the job, getting chased by someone/something etc.)

Lucanis thinks Harding is deadly with her bow

Lucanis offers to pay Harding for being his lookout/aide at the rate of 6000 gold per contract

Lucanis offers the help of his contract negotiator to Neve after he finds out she doesn't have one

Lucanis made deep-fried peppers for Taash

About Spite: 

Emmrich can hear Spite even when he doesn’t take over Lucanis’s body (at least from a close distance)

Spite is impartial to Emmrich, believing him more than Lucanis

Emmrich says it’s impossible to separate Spite and Lucanis without killing them

Emmrich encourages Lucanis to read to Spite to bring them closer. Lucanis agrees to let Spite pick a book

(If Emmrich becomes a lich) Spite asks if he and Lucanis can get rid of their skin too 

(If Manfred is revived at the Necropolis) Spite asks Emmrich to teach him how to use fire magic. Lucanis isn’t thrilled by the idea

Emmrich sets up wards to prevent Spite from leaving the room when Lucanis is asleep

Spite no longer sleepwalks after “Inner Demons” because he apparently understood the concept of space

By the end of the game, Spite has agreed to stop sleepwalking completely

Spite controls the wings (confirmed in banter with Harding) 

Spite wants to try swinging off the astrolabe at the Lighthouse

Spite is very excited about Manfred having hands and feet (Curiosity. Has. Feet!)

Spite finds the wisps in Neve’s room unnerving (as do Lucanis and Neve)

Spite likes to play with whetstones Bellara got for Lucanis (Bellara got them from the Irelin who supposedly got them from somewhere in Arlathan) 

Spite wants to try eating self-lightning candles at Blackthorne Manor

About the Crows: 

Crows frequently visit Nevarra and have received 20 contacts to assassinate the king. The King has been poisoned 7 times

Crows get a lot of contracts for Divine Victoria

Some seers in Rivain are powerful enough that there are contracts on them as well

Caterina once killed a man with a thimble

When Crows kill someone, most of the time they want others to know it was them (rather than presenting the death as an accident) 

The crows buried six different Eight Talons and rarely take contracts in Ferelden after the Zevran fiasco

[knife-eared-jan]

Ok, as much as I have been hyping and playing 12 hours a day since it got out (still in Act 1 though, bc I'm a slowass player and completionist), I feel like I have to say something that is getting hard to ignore at this point... and I wanna preface this by saying that I am loving a lot of aspects of the game and I adore the writing when it comes to the companions, who I am obsessed with.

And maybe this will get better yet, as I generally heard the writing picks up once the story progresses beyond picking up all companions..

But I'm starting to get quite upset at the way the writing just does NOT care about the established lore and the politics of Thedas like at all, when to me - and many others - that richness, nuance and depth of the world is what makes the games so special.

(Spoilers below)

I looked past the way the elves in Arlathan just seemed to know that their gods are evil and Solas is "kind of a dick" but was right about that. When, you know, that made him basically the Satan of their pantheon up to now.. It was after all the tutorial stage of the game and I understand that you wanna ease newcomers into the lore. I could also handwave it in-universe with Morrigan being there - she could have filled the Veiljumpers in on the discoveries of the Inquisition or even what the Well told her.

It felt a bit weird that our contacts in every other faction just accepted this huge revelation without a blink, but again it was the early stages and I also get that having a discussion about it 6 times with different faction leaders would have been incredibly tedious. So I ignored that. And yeah, at least the First Warden found it hard to swallow.

The fact that they brushed aside the gods finding elven subjects - many of whom after all still worship them - with one sentence from Solas was disappointing though. Instead they chose to ally them with the Venatori and the Antaam who are the pure evil factions with no nuance or motive to side with them besides a comic book level of hunger for power. They didn't even throw in a sentence about the gods maybe speaking to the Venatori through the Archdemons to get them on their side or how it's very ironic that the Venatori, who want to make Tevinter great again, stoop to working with the pantheon of the people they oppress because they see them as lesser and other. No political exploration of the massive lore implications at all.

It really hit me when I picked up Davrin and he commented how Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain blighting the world would really endear us (elves) to the rest of Thedas - this was the first time anyone actually mentioned the political impact of the elven gods being real, freed, evil and blighted on modern day elves at all, when this should be HUGE. It should be ugly. It should be complex. It should be explored in as many examples as bloodmagic and the oppression of mages was in DA2. It should be a central point of Act 1. (This btw made me love Davrin so much in that moment because this was the first time in the game for me when I actually felt like talking to a Dragon Age elf and even just that one line felt like home.)

And now I just did Taash's first companion quest and it seems Qunari lore is also being ignored (except for the gender aspect of it, which I look forward to). Taash's mum was a scholar and had a baby and the only problem about that was that it could breathe fire and was special but otherwise all would have been dandy? Like she would have just been allowed to keep Taash long enough to find that out about her baby if she was living under the Qun? That directly contradicts everything we know about how the Qunari's culture around reproduction and childcare works.

Sorry to be negative and talking myself into a rage - I know it's not something people want to see rn. But like, I realise you have to brush over some lore intricacies for brevity and to make it digestible for new players. But this is a world initially inspired by Wheel of Time and ASOIAF, both of which are interesting because of the depth of ficitional cultures, lore and politics, and hence it's also what gives Dragon Age its appeal. And now they take us to the most politcally interesting areas on the world map and just get rid of all of political depth?

That's really disappointing. Imagine if Winds of Winter dropped all political themes just because there's several previous books and it's been some a lot of years.

Also, I managed to play DA2 before I ever played Origins and they could introduce me to a vast established background of lore just fine back then.

Sorry. Rant over. But I had to get that out of my system.

[dalishious]

About Davrin's little blurb on the official website for Dragon Age: The Veilguard...

"Though he was raised in a Dalish clan, he craved excitement and adventure. He'd rather make history than reflect on it."

There's actually a lot to unpack about these two sentences.

First off, placing the word "though" in front of being "raised in a Dalish clan", gives such a thing a negative connotation. The word "though" is used in a way that sounds like "despite", as in, somehow wanting excitement and adventure must go against being Dalish. This correlates with sentence that follows. "He'd rather make history than reflect on it." The word "rather" is yet again used to separate Davrin from his Dalish origin. All together, this promotional description of Davrin is insisting that he is "not like other Dalish".

Now, obviously the game is not out yet, so we do not have total confirmation on what the nature of Davrin's relationship to his culture is really like. But there is absolutely something to be said about promoting the character this way, regardless of however he actually turns out in game. There is absolutely something to be said about how, as @/the-eldritch-it-gay put in their tags here, why do writers feel the need to make fantasy minorities hate or distance themselves from their culture? As a selling point?

Maybe this is completely misleading bullshit, maybe it isn't. All we have to go by, is what BioWare chose to say here, and their past track record with elves:

Zevran may talk about his mother in a font way, but he still has the line, "Too many of our kind think we deserve pity simply because we have failed to defend ourselves."

Velanna is one of the two elves we've had who is overtly proud of her culture, yet she is treated like she is unreasonable and too angry because of it.

Merrill too, is proud of being an elf, and of being Dalish. The story punishes her left and right for this, treats her like a child, and in the end she is either ostracized from her clan or they end up dead because... she cared too much?

Fenris has pretty much zero engagement with elven cultures, and spends his time ridiculing Merrill for being proud of hers.

Solas complains about the Dalish from the start, and says plainly that he does not see himself as having anything in common with elves of current time. "Oh, you mean elves" he says, when the Inquisitor asks how he feels about his people; the thought does not even occur to him.

Sera is... Sera is a character who could have been a really interesting examination of overcoming internalized racism, if she was written by someone competent with the subject. Instead, she just cringes at everything "too elfy" through the entire main game, and only has a single line in Trespasser that hints that she may have a personal struggle going on. But it's still left unresolved.

That's a lot a lot of negativity. So of course seeing a suggestion that more is to come with Davrin has people wary and tired.

Let us also consider the fact that Davrin is overtly Black as well, and what that means. Acting as if one must disregard history in order to make it, as his description so claims, is bullshit. It sounds too much like promoting gentrification/assimilation in my opinion; the idea that you cannot keep your culture if you want to be successful.

I also think that it goes even deeper, on a meta level - I think that BioWare is afraid people will not be able to like or relate to Davrin, if he is "too ethnic". I think that BioWare is taking this Black character and instead of questioning how he can best represent marginalized fans - particularly Black fans - they are questioning how to make him more relatable to white fans. And the only answer to that is to, of course, make him seem like he is an exception to marginalization through separating him from his people.

I am still holding onto hope that Davrin will overall be an interesting, well-written character. And I sure as hell will still be defending him from the people who are already hating on him or ignoring him completely because of their racialized biases. But that does not exempt BioWare, and specifically his writer, John Dombrow, from any criticism. This is not about Davrin the character, this is about BioWare the company's handling of Davrin the character. And in that regard, they're not off to a great start with this.

[empresskadia]

A/N: Inspired by one of Davrin's romance lines when chatting with Emmrich about Assan being moody because Rook and Davrin are taking up time together. I couldn’t resist expanding on the little griffon's tantrums.

There really wasn’t much to say, or much to explain, other than that Assan had been a moody little griffon for the past three days. He’d nearly taken a bite out of poor Manfred’s hand, knocked over a crate of fresh supplies in the kitchen, and had outright ignored Davrin’s commands with the attitude of a teenager who thought he knew best. During the latest training session, he squawked back at Davrin with all the sass of a sixteen-year-old, before scuttling off to hide behind your legs, glaring at his so-called bodyguard like Davrin was the villain of the piece.

“Is that your idea of discipline?” Davrin had teased, raising a brow as you ran a soothing hand down Assan’s ruffled feathers. “Coddling him only makes it worse.”

You’d rolled your eyes, more focused on the griffon than on the Grey Warden before you. “Maybe he just knows who his favorite parent is,” you’d replied, a smirk pulling at your lips.

But if you were honest, it wasn’t just Davrin who was on the receiving end of Assan’s attitude. Any time you left Davrin’s quarters, Assan was there, watching with an almost suspicious glare, like he couldn’t quite believe you were leaving again. And when you’d kneel down to offer him a pat, the little beast would turn away with a dramatic huff, or worse—fly off to the top of the lighthouse to sulk.

This morning was no exception. You were halfway through lacing your boots when Assan landed in front of the door, puffing up his chest in a clear bid for your attention. Davrin, leaning back on the bed with an amused look, shook his head.

“Jealousy doesn’t suit you, Assan,” Davrin remarked as his eyes flicked back to you. “You’re not the only one who likes having them all to yourself, you know.”

You shot him a look, but the blush creeping up your neck betrayed you. “You’re both impossible,” you muttered, reaching out to scratch the griffon behind his ear tuft. “And you,” you added to Assan, who chirped indignantly, “need to stop throwing tantrums every time we leave the room.”

Davrin’s laughter was warm, the kind that wrapped around you like a comforting embrace. He rose from the bed, crossing the room to stand behind you, one arm slipping around your waist. “Maybe he’s just afraid I’m stealing you away,” he murmured against your ear, the heat of his breath sending shivers down your spine.

“Or maybe,” you countered, turning your head slightly to meet his gaze, “he knows you’re the one stealing me away from him.”

Davrin’s smile softened, his free hand coming up to cup your cheek. “Lucky for him, I don’t mind sharing,” he said quietly, pressing a lingering kiss to your forehead. “But I make no promises about giving you back.”

Assan squawked loudly between you, hopping up and flapping his wings in a dramatic display of protest. You both broke into laughter, and for a moment, it was hard to tell who was more jealous—the griffon or the man.

[littlepetcrow]

So, for the Davrin romancers:

I just replayed the Weisshaupt mission, and I think it’s safe to assume this is the first time a non-Warden Rook learns that when a Warden kills an archdemon, they die in the process. (I always take Lucanis on this mission with me, and when he finds out, he’s genuinely shocked. So surely this isn’t common knowledge.)

But, if so, the implications of everything that comes after are so heavy.

Like, when Davrin asks Rook to “Give Assan a hug for me,” when you SEE how glassy his eyes are, that must hit home for them. Rook literally says “Davrin—” a second before and touches his arm like they want to stop him. Rook knows Davrin is volunteering to die.

AND THEN, when the First Warden interrupts, Rook must have felt a surge of relief. Pure. Selfish. Relief. Because now Davrin doesn’t have to die, right?

Only for that attempt to fail, and when they bring down the archdemon again, they look at each other for a second before Rook tells Davrin to kill it. And he does. But I’ve always wondered, why doesn’t Rook say anything this time? Like “I’m sorry” or “Thank you” or “I’ll take care of Assan”? Rook knows Davrin will die doing this.

But he doesn’t, obviously.

(AND THEN, in the aftermath, when Rook talks to Solas, you can choose the dialogue option to say you would never order one of your companions to do something that would get them killed. You would never make that call. Except you just did.)

SO. Tell me. Where is the fanfiction about Rook going to check on Davrin afterwards and apologizing for giving the order? Where is the 50k hurt/comfort fic that has Davrin yelling about how he was supposed to die, how being a Warden with an expiration date gave him purpose, pushed him, but then Rook is the one breaking down and yelling back that actually, they’re glad Davrin lived, and yeah that’s probably so selfish of them but it has been eating them alive knowing they let him do it? Let him sacrifice himself? Even if it didn’t work? And that shuts Davrin right up because oh shit, Rook is crying now, Rook’s voice is breaking, Rook is devastated at the thought of him dying. And maybe that gives him something else to live for now. Making sure Rook never looks so sad ever again.

Just…food for thought.

[mythalism]

That post you reblogged made me realize that Rook being uncurious and only thinking in straight lines got them recruited because Varric doesn't want someone who could be easily swayed to Solas's side. If the Inquisitor was a romanced Lavellan, I can see Varric viewing his boss as someone who isn't thinking straight when it comes to Solas, and it's probably why even Lavellan herself seeks out Rook's opinion on whether or not to reconcile with Solas, because Rook is expected to be incapable falling for Solas's "charm", which could literally just be Solas telling the truth, but anyway. Realizing this does make the game worse for me, 'cause it feels like a minority's plight being brushed aside in favor of a centrist's need to defend the status quo. Sorry for rambling. Thanks for reblogging that post. :)

i think this is a really interesting watsonian way of looking at this but i agree its ultimately a flop. playing up rook's supposed lack of bias and value as an outside perspective when it came to solas could have been really interesting too if it wasnt being done in a way that was ultimately designed to rob the situation of nuance rather than add it. imagine if alongside harding's rose-colored view of the inquisitor and their relationship to solas you had another companion (or even ghost varric. or advisor!merrill because she should have been there) warning you to be wary of anything they say about him, that they're biased in his favor and untrustworthy.

with a lavellan you could have bellara or davrin warning you of how they grew up hearing the story of how the inquisitor betrayed their people when they fell for the dread wolf's tricks. how the tale of a romanced, vallaslin-less lavellan is now whispered around dalish campfires to elven children as a lesson of exactly what will happen if they ignore the keeper's wisdom and allow the dread wolf to catch their scent. another betrayer who trusted fen'harel and lost their blood writing. who got their clan killed. who lost everything. toss in a couple bad-faith interpretations of the inquisition's greatest PR nightmares and its a perfect mirror of how solas's story was misconstrued in the same way. of course, none of it is the truth. it wasn't really their fault. they didnt know! wait. where have i heard that before...

and then rook goes to meet them - all of these disparate views of who they are fresh in their minds. are they the kind, admirable, worthy, holy savior that harding idolizes? are they a tragic, pathetic fool chasing after a doomed love? are they a fen'harel sympathizing turncoat elf who's about to manipulate you into dooming the world (again)? are they just a person doing their best? (are they just like you?) well. rook is the perfect person to make that judgement! right? because they're so perfectly unbiased and completely objective, because being completely unbiased and objective as a person is possible, right? and because being unbiased and objective IS the goal and is always superior to being swayed by passion or emotion, right? except. now the inquisitor is in front of you and... its kind of hard to tell. they seem like anyone else you've talked to. they seem a little sad and lonely. they are pretty level-headed about the whole thing. more than you expected. an inquisitor with high approval with solas would speak about him positively, maybe a little love-sick, but they dont seem completely bamboozled. one who hated solas would speak of him with disdain, but... how can you be sure they arent just lying? they worked with him for a year. they let him stick around in their inner circle! they could be trying to fool you into a false sense of security!

maybe you have to accept or deny their help, or accept or deny a plan they present. it seems pretty sound, but how can you know? is it all a ploy to betray you and save him? can they be trusted? if you reject them; harding and the other companions that view them positively are furious. how could you have just denied one of the greatest allies to your cause? but if you choose to trust them, the companions who distrust the inquisitor are just as angry. how could you have put the entire fate of the world at jeopardy like this!? your sympathy is going to get everyone killed! they're manipulating you just like he does! how could you trust someone so clearly under solas's thumb!?

no, listen, its ok, rook tells them. they're different, because rook is not biased. thats why varric chose them, remember!? rook has an outsider's perspective, and thats what we needed, remember!? the attachment to solas that the inquisitor had, no matter the strength of it (loathing vs love) was a weakness! dont you see!? rook's outsider, unbiased, objective perspective on the situation was better! only through this perspective could they make the CORRECT choice!

except... you dont know solas. you dont know anything real about him. you dont know what is meaningful to him, his weaknesses, his desires. you dont know him as a person, only as an abstract god-like figure. you dont understand how his brain works. you dont know that he hates tea and can beat anyone in chess. you didnt take the time to understand him. just like you didnt take the time to understand the inquisitor. and now, without the inquisitor's aid you lose valuable information, allies, resources. your final battle gets significantly harder. you are locked out of specific endings. maybe your companions die.

all because you fell into the same trap as solas. you refused to trust. you refused to take the time to understand your opponent. you wrote them off as villainous, untrustworthy, betrayer. you gave myth the weight of history. you tried to do it all on your own. you couldn't acknowledge the bias inherent within yourself. you thought you were the only one who could make the right decision for the world. rather prideful, isnt it?

[mythals-whore]

Facts about Davrin that are my headcanon but are Just True:

He is so into this monster manual that if you ask him about anything related to it you are trapped for at least 45 minutes while he yaps to you about his personal anecdote and what all those other bastards got wrong in their monster manuals

He is a huge nerd

He is a polyglot, totally has a working knowledge of at least five languages (common, Elvhen, Dwarvish, Orlesian, Tevene)

He smells like wood/sawdust (choose whatever wood you feel, but this is true.)

Grew up really scrawny so as soon as he got hot he became a slut. Just absolutely giving it away (and i love that for him)

He is a munch

Likes whiskey (idk he has a cowboy vibe to him, this is just True)

More likely to call a romanced Rook “sweetheart” or “baby” than vhenan.

Makes his bed every morning

Can draw! Mostly sketches, mostly of monsters/animals but could definitely draw other things/learn to paint if he tried.

Is very patient*

*and therefore good with children, but for a very long time after VG says “Assan is more than enough trouble” if you ask him

Doesn’t care much about an official ‘marriage’ but more so because he feels very dedicated to a partner already and doesn’t need the ceremony for it to feel official**

**but if its important to his partner he would absolutely go all out

Snores, but denies it.

Is bad at Wicked Grace but only because he pouts when he gets a really bad hand (he does not know he does this but literally everyone else does)

Has the Thedas equivalent to a burn book with the names of all those monster manual guys he hates, anyone who ever tried to rip him off, and anyone who ever called him knife-ear/rabbit/etc. This man holds a grudge. He will remember the face, the name and the offense.

Big history buff!!

Reads a lot but doesn’t join the book club bc he’s a big non-fiction guy. He’s out here reading the Thedas equivalent to a WWII Biographies/Nature Guides/encyclopedias

Ribs you when training to get a rise out of you

Ribs you in general to get a rise out of you

Is a picky eater (hates broccoli, probably weird about olives) but will eat it anyway.

Was closer to his mom than his dad

Disorganized organization—there is clutter around his room but he knows where everything is

Always gives gold to beggars

Has a massive—

Stares at aromanced Rook’s ass every time they turn around (the glances are decidedly NOT small)

Knows how to cut his own hair/patch his own clothes

Talks you through it

Early riser—if nightmares/Assan wakes him up, he’s up. Does not understand the concept of “sleeping in” (he will happily stay in bed to do other activities)

Has a good singing voice but will not do it for anyone except Assan. And possibly a romanced Rook. Eventually. Maybe.

Makes a quill out of one of Assan’s feathers but swears its for practicality (it is 100% sentimental, he has plenty of other quills)

Okay that feels like a lot. Please feel free to reblog/come to the replies with your Davrin truths(:

[saras-almanac]

I’ve been sitting here still thinking about Veilguard and how it’s sort of an amalgamation of previous games while not understanding why things worked in those games, which leads to those pieces not working for Veilguard. Namely talking about the Factions, the “loyalty missions,” and the world-ending “choice.” As a disclaimer, I understand the development hell that was this production and the issues faced going from single-player to multi-player and then back to single-player, but I still feel like the root of these issues stem from the writing, so take this how you will.

Slight spoilers for Veilguard as a whole, Veilguard companion quests (Taas and Davrin), and the endings of Veilguard, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3.

First up the Factions for Veilguard

To me, this feels like an attempt to be reminiscent of the Origins in Dragon Age: Origins but without understanding why those Origins worked and, more importantly, what they were intended to do. In Origins, the origin prologue was a way for you as the player to develop your character, see how they lived and their “everyday life,” and how/why they got recruited into the Grey Wardens by Duncan. In short, they are a way to show how your character gets involved in the main plot and shows how their worldview is (or could be) shaped by their lived experiences. In addition, it gives you the player the chance to determine and roleplay exactly how your character feels about the recruitment and the Grey Wardens entirely, not to mention how they react to the world at large.

In Veilguard, the Factions are sort of your origins, but ultimately, they’re just window dressing. You get some different armor and minor skills/bonuses, but that’s about it. Rook is not connected to the main plot in any way at all, except being recruited by Varric off screen. There’s no roleplaying element here because no matter your background, you are effectively kicked out of your faction before the start of the game for “going against orders” and you have absolutely zero chance to explore how Rook feels about this recruitment into Varric’s team because it’s not on screen. It’s all off screen or in the briefest of dialogues but you can’t actually roleplay because they’re all pre-determined dialogue scenes.

These factions feel more like the backstories from Inquisition (which I felt were lacking) but at least in Inquisition, I could create whatever backstory I wanted for my Inquisitor because it didn’t really come up in any way—which is both a positive and a negative. In Veilguard, your backstory doesn’t come up very often at all, has no bearing on the plot or even how people react to you or any recruitment mission, which is similar to Inquisition, but you also have a Rook that is pre-determined with a specific personality, which is a huge problem in a role playing game. Literally, no matter what dialogue option you choose, Rook basically says the exact same thing except maybe adds a little joke or an awkward silence. So there’s no real roleplaying opportunity for them at all, at any point. There’s absolutely nothing to be gained or learned about your character or the world at large within your faction. Which leads into the main questions of this game for me: Why is Rook leading this team? They don’t have more experience than Harding, they’re clearly not a senior member of the organization since we spend a good portion of the first act recruiting the “better” people from each faction, and there’s nothing really to explain why Varric recruited them and then passed the leadership on to them, which is their only connection the main plot. Yes, there’s a story he tells about when they met and how he assumed Rook was going to be someone Solas didn’t see coming, but telling me that doesn’t help me connect to this character and how/why they’re here right now. (We’re not going to touch on how it makes absolutely zero sense for Varric to be leading this team in the first place 10 years after Inquisition… because it doesn’t and it does just feel like a desperate grab for interest, but that’s another post).

Now to go one step further, your Origin actually changed how some of the quests in the main story played out based on your Warden’s connection to those places. If you played as a Mage Amell, going back to the circle tower or running into Jowan again is very different than if you were a Noble Human Cousland. A Dalish Elf Mahariel creates a very different interaction with the Dalish elves than City Elf Tabris, and vice versa as a Tabris in the Denerim Alienage. The world and the characters react to you differently based on your connection to the plot and setting. In Veilguard, there’s none of that. Yeah, there’s a few lines of dialogue, but there’s no connection at all. Why couldn’t my Rook be the person to suggest recruiting someone from my faction? Crow!Rook saying they should talk to the Dellamortes because while the Demon of Vyrantium is dead, they had to know his training methods to kill mages and that would come in handy for a crow!Rook. Warden!Rook being the one to reach out to Antione and Evka as the premier blight experts and they suggest talking to Davrin. Mournwatch!Rook being the one to suggest going to talk to Professor Emmrich Volkarin because he is the person who knows the most about the fade right after they wake up and realize they are in the fade itself. Or a Lord of Fortune Rook realizing that the lyrium dagger is missing and their Lords would either already have it or know where it’s at, therefore the ones brining the Lords into the fold. It’s just really weird that not only does your backstory not affect the plot or your character at all, but then you have Bellara, Harding, and Neve being the ones to suggest and reaching out to the faction you’re apart of and would actually know more than they do. It’s just one thing that they could have done to make it seem like Rook has at least some connection to the world here, but they didn’t do that.

The Loyalty Missions

The fact that the entire second act basically is loyalty missions is… not good. For anyone who hasn’t played the Mass Effect games, this set up is clearly taken from Mass Effect 2’s structure, which is still highly praised as the best Mass Effect game (even if I disagree but that’s not the point here). In Mass Effect 2, the entire premise of the game is Shepherd (your character) gathering a team to take along on a potential suicide mission to another galaxy where they don’t know what they’re going to encounter or find. And because of the reality of this potentially being the end for them, the companions all have loose ends they’d like to tie up—setting up their child for success, saving a father’s legacy, destroying a place where you were tortured, etc. They’re not world-shattering quests or stakes, but they’re all very personal and it’s really down to your play-through and how you want to play your Shepherd. You can be someone who genuinely cares about your companions and is happy to help them settle these final affairs or someone who is annoyed at the fact you are helping them but are doing it anyways. Or you can decide to skip some or all of them, without knowing how or if they will affect anything down the line. (Though it’s not hard to figure out that they are clearly going to have some effect.) Plus just completing the loyalty missions isn’t enough to guarantee your companion’s loyalty—you have to complete it a certain way and/or pass certain dialogue checks along the way. In Veilguard the entire game comes to halt to say “it’s time to care about these companions” while the quests are just triggered by certain quests in act 2 being completed and not through any connection or relationship increase between them and Rook. But for that you’d have needed the ability to actually talk to the companions which the devs behind this game didn’t want to do.

Now for the loyalty missions themselves, I actually don’t necessarily think they all needed to tie to the overarching plot and in theory, it’s fine that they’re personal problems. What’s not fine, is that you basically recruit the best-of-the-best (supposedly) and then they tell you that they can’t focus cause they’ve got stuff on their mind. That honestly makes me question why I recruited them in the first place. The only person I can really understand this idea from is Lucanis as he’s literally been tortured for a year and then continues to torture himself with no sleep, and perhaps whoever’s city was destroyed, but that’s not why anyone’s distracted. And it’s literally every single companion. They literally even have one of the companions tell you directly in case you missed it that “It’s time to stop focusing on the Blighted Elven Gods destroying the world because we have things on our mind and we can’t focus.” Um… the world’s literally being destroyed, the South has been nuked essentially, but sure, let’s stop everything so we can focus on your thing when the world itself might literally not be there when we finish. Again, it just makes me question why I recruited these people in the first place then if they can’t focus on the massive task at hand and the literal world-ending situation they’re in.

And the narration from Varric after every companion recruitment and some missions that basically tells you that something bad is going to happen to them later so you have to pay attention and do their quests is beyond annoying. This is the first Bioware game where I instantly liked all the companions upon meeting them—though Harding quickly started to grate on me as the walking information-dump from Inquisition that wasn’t utilized very well. The point is, I liked all the companions initially, so I was always going to do their loyalty missions. But it just feels like the game kept telling me that it’s important that I care about them, but I don’t actually get to learn about them. (Not being able to talk to the companions is actually the #1 biggest problem in this game for me) We have no conversations, no real discoveries, nothing to be gained. It’s just solving a problem for them and then we move on.

Apart from the set-up, the misstep Veilguard took with these loyalty missions is forgetting that the stakes are very very different in this game. In ME2, the big fight you’re building up to is at the end as well, but it is completely up to you when you decide to go to it because you are actually going to the Collector’s homeworld / galaxy and taking the fight to them so you have time to get yourself and your team and your ship prepared for it. There’s not really a ticking clock or massive devastation and destruction going on in the background, so majority of your quests are recruitment and then loyalty missions, but it works because ME2 is almost entirely focused on the companions and your connection to them.

In Veilguard, the world is literally being destroyed the entire time of the game. The Ancient Blighted Elven Gods escaped the veil prison and have been wreaking havoc on the world at large and deploying blight everywhere. People are literally dying the entire time, and yet the game comes to a screeching halt to tell you it’s time to do the companion missions all the while the world isn’t going to stop being destroyed while I do these missions. So it feels really strange to stop and focus on them—especially when they all sort of have the exact same layout/progression and they’re really not tied to the main story in any way and not really meant to give us more depth or insight into these characters really either. And the fact that every single mission ends with a binary choice that is up to Rook feels… off putting. For me as a player, I didn’t feel like my Rook was qualified at all to make any of these decisions because I was essentially making them for my companions, companions I didn’t feel like I knew very well and didn’t know why they were asking me.

For example, look at the difference between The Iron Bull and Taash. In Inquisition, you have a mission with the Iron Bull where his people have set up an alliance with the Qunari. But while you’re there fighting the venatori, The Iron Bull’s mercenary company is attacked and he’s left with the choice—let his company die to preserve the Qunari alliance or save his company and ruin the alliance between the Inquisition and the Qunari. He looks to the Inquisitor in this moment because they are the leader of the Inquisition, they have the most to lose here if this alliance doesn’t go through. Not to mention, by this point in the story you have spent time with the Iron Bull and have had enough conversations with him (and approval) to trigger this quest in the first place. So you should already know some of his issues surrounding his struggle with identity and his loyalty to the Qun and his company. So it makes sense that he looks to the Inquisitor and follows their lead because he knows it’s not really up to him because it’s bigger than him or his company. Taash, on the other hand, in a very early conversation basically asks Rook whether they should be more Qunari or Rivani… which is not really an appropriate thing to ask, especially for a Rook who is neither. Not to mention, this whole thing goes directly against Taash’s gender identity discovery of being nonbinary which happened right before this conversation! So to immediately follow that up with a binary choice when there isn’t a need to be either/or and they should feel free to discover and keep whatever parts of each culture they want, is poor writing. (And the fact there isn’t really a need to have this be a binary choice in the first place). In a better comparison, look at Davrin’s final choice of what to do with the Griffins. At least with him asking Rook, he basically makes it clear that he can’t really be objective here and so he’s asking Rook—someone he’s been ride or die with since recruitment—to make the decision for him. This is the only decision in the game where it’s placed on Rook because it’s made clear that Davrin doesn’t think he can be objective in this case and wants to try and make the best choice for the griffins and not be influenced by anything outside that. It’s still not great, but it is the only companion choice for Rook that makes sense and feels in character with what little we know of Davrin.

Not to mention, the loyalty missions don’t really give you any time to roleplay or really discover anything more about Rook because they are always a kind-hearted therapist to all of them. So there’s no tension between them and any of the companions, or even among the companions themselves. If they wanted things to come to a halt, have the animosity between some companions be the reason why things went sour at Weishaupt and it’s why we need to sort this stuff out now because they can’t afford to let their personal feelings get in the way of things. And most importantly, let Rook be the one to say that! Let Rook take charge because after playing the entire game, I’m still unclear why Rook was leading because they made next to no decisions, there’s nothing to indicate they were better skilled or more suited than any of the other companions, and obviously no real connection to the main plot apart from Solas I guess being in their head? But even that is the weakest reason.

World-Ending Choices

So for me, the end game is clearly from ME2 and ME3. You have the assigning companions to certain tasks they will be suited for and hopefully loyal so they can survive from Mass Effect 2—literally almost the exact same thing except the mechanics are slightly different. In ME2, you have to not only send a companion who is adept at this certain task, but is also the best option—of which you usually only have 1-2 and when you have up to 12 possible squadmates the choice can be incredibly tough to narrow down—they also have to be loyal to you and the cause, aka you must have completed their loyalty mission in a way that assures their loyalty. So it’s multi-layered because not only can the ill-equipped member die, but they can actually cause a different teammate to die if they’re in the wrong task. In Veilguard, it seems that so long as their loyal, they have a pretty good shot at surviving no matter the task. (Though I’m still researching this). But even if they fail, the only stakes are that that specific companion dies. It’s not like if we send someone ill-suited to help Morrigan she dies as well, therefore locking you out of the redemption ending with Mythal. Or the person who’s meant to take down the robot thing fails and the robot ends up taking out the entire group fighting it, causing that entire group to be slaughtered and the rest of their members to flee or something. In ME2, you could theoretically lose every single person with you not because you failed to do their loyalty missions, but because you also failed to upgrade the ship or assigned the wrong person. It’s just a much better implemented system than the half-baked piece in Veilguard, while Veilguard continually bragged about massive changes and consequences but… it’s really just which companions might die and that has no effect on anything later down the line.

And the final 3 choices are obviously from Mass Effect 3 and the final decision regarding the Reapers. Now that was not well-liked and I myself don’t love it, but that’s mostly because the game itself is trying to force me into the Synthetic Green ending which feels incredibly invasive and I hate that it’s the “good ending.” Which sort is what Veilguard is trying to do by saying that the “Resolution and Redemption” ending is the best but… the endings don’t hit the way they do in ME3 because they’re all the same. In the Mass Effect trilogy, you spend three games playing as Shepherd, so you know them pretty well and their personality (ignoring the Renegade character assassination in ME3 in some aspects of the story). When you finally get to the end, you know your Shepherd is likely going to their death to try and save the galaxy, so having the final choice boil down to sort of “how is my Shepherd going to die” is huge for the character, as well as the world they leave behind. The way you choose to destroy the Reapers does have massive implications and complications for the galaxy at large and how they might survive going forward.

In Veilguard, there’s only the illusion of choice, because it will always end up with Solas using his life essence to hold up the veil, which… is confusing but okay. (Not to mention a massive massive copout that the late game twist is “the veil is tied to the Ancient Elven Gods” instead of giving any real consequences or discussion to the Veil conundrum). Your “choices” are basically to trick Solas, fight him and force him into the Veil, or giving him redemption to choose to do it himself? But since those are always the same thing, it’s not a choice. (Which is the theme of the entire game honestly). So again, using the mechanics of a beloved game—though wild they chose to implement that ending idea in an arguably worse way—without understanding the reasons behind the use of those choices in ME3 and why they worked for that game (at least theoretically).

I could go no but I think I need to stop here because my brain is mush right now. But there’s just so much to talk about in this game and it’s not necessarily a good thing.

[basedonconjecture]

Y’all got me thinking about gray hair this morning. Like how Davrin has a few of them when you meet him and how they might have appeared earlier than most because he’s a warden with dangerous job and an expiration date but he’s made it this far and if he does have to follow the Calling one day, those grays will remind him how much he got to live before it. How Emmrich’s are a testament to both his prowess as a mage and the life he’s already lived but remind him every day of his mortality and he could cover them up except he doesn’t because it’s the one thing no one can really escape. When they finally appear for Lucanis and Neve, they’ll be markers that they continue to come out the other side of it despite being targets all of the time and the hard lives they lead in service of the places and people they care about. On Harding and Taash, they’ll maybe be reminded of Ma Harding and Shathann and the impact their mothers had on their lives and how they sheltered them as children from a world that would be cruel them so they had a chance to live long enough for their hair to turn gray. Bellara would look at them and see magic in the long silver strands, like the glint off an artifact in sunlight, she’d be reminded of the white bark of the sylvans in Arlathan. She’d think of Cyrian, too, and imagine what he might have looked like with a few grays himself.

Anyway. Gray hair.

[paramortality]

I can't be the only one sitting on this so I'm taking you all down with me

CW blorbo death HC (it's about Laird)

Laird and Emmrich have a long, inseparable 37 years together. Laird, his rusty red mane– now a strawberry silver sunkissed by life and age– can't cope as well as everyone thought he could. Even knowing it was coming for so long, it felt like he hadn't prepared at all when it finally happened. It was peaceful of course; cold in Laird's arms one Wintersend morning.

Lucanis makes the trip from Minrathous with his wife Neve of nearly as many years. Bellara's Aravel is escorted through the Nevarran streets to at Vorgoth's behest as she's an old friend of their son's and ofc a hero of the Veilguard. The blight no longer in the world, Davrin has made it to his greying years with no calling and arrives with the mountain little Assan has become. Laird was there for Shathaan, Harding, and Isabella's funerals, so of course Taash makes a show of force with the Lords of Fortune at their backs to be their for Emmrich's. He was just as gilded as they were, and they found some Nevarran artifacts in some looter's den that needed returning anyways.

The funeral was beautiful, people making pilgrimages thedas-over to pay respect to the now second fallen member of the Veilguard. Laird seemed to be holding it together really well; He'd never tell anyone how bad it hurt. Even if Neve saw through him like a glass house, he'd argue politely he'd be okay. There'd been quiet concerns he'd turn to the lich lords to "fix it" at his lowest moment, but he never visits them. "How many exceptions until tyranny," he reminds himself.

It's not even a full week after the funeral they all receive a letter again. This time in what may be Vorgoth's hand but is too shaky to really be theirs, right? Laird had been found at Emmrich's headstone after being unaccounted for for a couple of days. Shrouds kiss had already started growing unnaturally fast around the headstone and over Laird's shoulders, petals pressed gently against the pages of a memoir of Manfred's development they'd written together in their final years. Manfred was his own man, off in search of a lost hypogeum with his own research team much further down in the Necropolis. He's grief stricken but unsurprised his fathers went one right after the other when a letter finally reaches his expedition camp some days later. His only regret being he missed Emmrich's funeral for simply not knowing. Time loops on that one charnel bridge really delayed the letter's delivery. No one's fault.

All the gang returns, just as they had for Emmrich, but the grief now stacked twice as high. The man who believed in them all, went to hell and back, killed three gods, and was the wind at all their backs as they saved the world together was gone, just like that. If happiness could be a thing in times like this, they hoped the Fade gained two inseparable wisps of curiosity and determination that night. Neve never looked at wisps that pestered her in pairs the same way again.

Taash, trying to keep a stoic face– like the casket before them didn't hold the first person to ever really listen to them, who outed his own gender identity to help them find their own– forces a dry humour smile at the podium and swallows a tightness in their throat. They knew he never wanted his funeral to be doom and gloom.

"Hey. His hands finally stopped rattling. Bet he's happy about that."

It was the only time anyone in the world had ever heard Vorgoth laugh.

If y'all need anything I'll be fighting my brain in the Waffle House parking lot for this.

[blackwall-my-tiny-husband]

Davrin day 6- the road less traveled

Once again a big thank you to @datvcompanionweeks for hosting this amazing character week event, here’s another piece for my let’s save davrin idea! ((Somehow this grew much longer than I was expecting but my fics always seem to have a mind of their own.))

Around 2.4K words // Bellara x Davrin post game (silly little art at the bottom)

The other fics leading up to this: HERE and HERE and HERE and my davrin x bellara fic that started it all HERE

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Everyone was gathered around the dining table in the lighthouse, it felt strange everyone being back there all together again. It wasn’t like they didn’t see each other and it wasn’t even like they didn’t all stay in the lighthouse from time to time. But for them to be here at once felt good, like old times again. Except for the seat missing its occupant next to Bellara’s where Davrin once sat.

That and the way that Bellara was wrapped around Assan, the griffin cleaned up, the blight and blood and dirt washed away. The others had been quiet as she told them that Assan had found her, he’d come back. They’d all recognized the implications of those words and there was a crackle of electric tension in the air as they watched the pair.

“We do not know that this means that anyone else survived that.” Lucanis was the first to finally broach the subject. He was hesitant, the others shuffling and uncertain. Bellara looked at her hands and the faint scars from the blight that once ran there.

“But if there’s even a chance…” she trailed off and looked at the table’s occupants, eyes mournful.

“Bellara’s right if there’s even a chance we need to start looking.” Harding was the first to speak up, voice firm with resolution. The elf felt a flare of hope and gratitude for the dwarf. The veil jumper nodded along, “Davrin would never stop looking if it were any of us.”

Several others nodded along but Bellara could tell they were concerned; for her maybe, that it would be a dead end maybe, she couldn’t really be sure. She squeeze Assan a little tighter and the griffin let out a small coo before nuzzling her face.

“Let’s start asking around, Lace is right, Davrin would do it for us. We all have contacts and everyone is eager to help the Veilguard right now might as well use that. See if there’s anything anyone has heard or seen, maybe if we can backtrack where Assan came from we can figure out a place to start.” It was Rook’s stern voice that finally eased some of the worry in Bellara. If Zalan was ready to start calling in favors surely that meant he thought there was something to find, that there was hope.

//

The blight was thick as he sunk into it, letting it all but take him, dropping him down down into the dark. His body was too heavy, the wounds too damaging for him to fight against the pull of the tendrils.

He would have given up completely except he could hear the frantic shrieks of Assan pushing to get to him. And even though his mind felt like it was swimming he couldn’t lose consciousness yet, his cat bird son needed him.

It was a surprise when, as he struggled to get to the griffin, the blight eventually fell away and Davrin felt his body drop and then his back hit the ground and he struggled for air, eyes so heavy as he tried his hardest to concentrate, to look for Assan, but he couldn’t get his arms to move. He couldn’t make his head twist or pry his eyelids open and even as he struggled it grew dark and then everything went black.

//

The blackness of the dark sky surrounding the lighthouse was comforting now that the caretaker had finally fixed the day night cycle, giving their little corner of the fade the appearance of the real world. Bellara liked the soft light from the fade moon and was sitting out in the courtyard with Assan basking in it.

The griffin seemed eternally happy to be back in the place that was probably most like home to the creature. He must have gotten used to being with everyone, even with his wing still mangled now that everyone was back he seemed to be in much higher spirits. Bellara prodded again at the wing, it had to have been injured at tearstone but… with months of it being left unattended, it had healed however it could manage. Which was badly. It caused him pain any time he tried moving it which made her heart sink to see him wince whenever he jostled it.

Emmrich sat down, joining her on the cobbled stones and gave the griffin a pat, the stark bone white of his hand standing out against the dark of the griffin’s feathers.

“You looked like you might need some help out here.” Assan nipped at Emmrich’s fingers playfully and flicked his tail around as the lich folded his hands in his lap. Bellara cringed and gestured to the wings.

“I’m afraid it’ll hurt him for us to try and rebreak the bones but my healing magic didn’t do anything for him and he needs to use his wings. If he can’t fly he’ll be so sad… Davrin will be so sad.” She trailed off into a sullen whisper at the end.

The thoughtful hum that came out of Emmrich reverberated strangely in his voice but finally he leaned forward to gently tap the feathers on the injured wing.

“I can see how the bones are wrong. If you’d like we can sedate Assan and I can correct the bone structure.” He offered but held up a hand when she started trying to thank him. “It will never be the same as it once was, the wing has suffered substantial damage to a lot of the internal structure. But it would be a good start, it would exist without pain at the very least.” And he handed her a tool, one she used every day to tinker with artifacts, a simple wrench and she stared at it in confusion before looking back up at him.

“Strife believes in your ability to create Bellara, he’s been pulling out schematics of wings and winged devices from the Veil Jumper’s cataloged diagrams. He and I both think you can fix Assan.” He closed her hand around her wrench and even though his illusionary face wasn’t on she could tell his skull was encouraging and if he and Strife believed in her she could do it. She gripped the tool, nodded, and got to work.

//

Consciousness was fleeting, pain radiated from his torso and it pulled him back under over and over.

Once he managed to peel one swollen eye open and see dark dripping cave walls.

Once he felt more than saw the sensation of being dragged, pulled against the hard wet ground, a frantic flapping noise before it went silent again.

And once he managed to crack a wet blood filled eye he saw dwarves staring back at him and he wondered how they got wherever he was.

//

Mumbling to herself and trying not to throw the piece of machinery that wasn’t fitting back into the wing structure where it was supposed to slot in the veil jumper took a breath and started sanding down one edge.

Emmrich had brought Assan back from the Necropolis where he’d done the surgery, but he’d been wrong about how much damage had been done to the wing. It had been worse than he’d feared and broken in too many places. It had been beyond saving and with Bellara’s agreement had taken his whole wing off. The tinkerer had gritted her teeth but instead of letting herself feel too sad for too long about the choice she had jumped into working on an entirely new replacement wing.

Strife and Irelin had helped her, putting together from various blueprints a wing schematic for them to cast out of lightweight metals and build from the ground up.

It had been grueling work but they’d finished it. And of course one little gear popped out as soon as she’d fitted it around Assan. Cursing she managed to force it back into place and holding out her hands as though she could ward off anything else bad from happening she stepped back. The griffin‘s new wing was similar in shape to the old one, gears and pieces of artifacts were used for the joints of the wings and enchanted thin sheets of magical almost translucent panels served as feathers. Light enough to fly but strong enough to last in a fight.

Assan tentatively tested the wing, pulling the limb close to his body and then bending and extending it, the pieces moving as they were supposed to and reacting to Assan’s motions as real appendages would. Now they’d just have to practice.

//

He didn’t know where he was. At first he assumed a bed but soon realized he was underground. Dwarves surrounding him and one perking up at seeing him attempting to sit up. She rushed over and helped him; asking him rapid fire questions about if he was feeling better, if the pain was too much, if he could feel all his limbs.

He answered hesitantly but was grateful. He’d been wounded. Badly. But when the dwarves finally asked him what his name was, and what happened, he only drew a blank. He didn’t know what had happened only remembered being almost fatally injured by… some thing that had stabbed him. It was all a blur and he definitely wasn’t sure how he got into the deep roads once the dwarves told him where he was.

Looking around at their makeshift camp he was hit by a pressing need to find someone, to get up and move. He didn’t understand what he was looking for but he glanced around and had only seen armored dwarven warriors. He asked if they found him with anything and they shrugged saying they heard a scuffle in the cave and thought some poor soul was being attacked by an animal and when they got to him he was alone, whatever that had been attacking him scared off.

For some reason he felt a pit roll around in his stomach at that. But he didn’t know why and it upset him that he didn’t know. They finally asked him his name and he stared off at the cave wall for a bit, pondering the question. Nothing was really coming to him just feelings he rolled around on his tongue trying to coax out a word. After quiet minutes the word Arrow came to him, and he whispered the elven name to himself. It meant something but he didn’t think it was his name. After several days sitting in a bedroll healing he finally remembered. He awoke from a nightmare with the sound of someone screaming his name in terror- Davrin.

//

It was slow, so slow. Davrin felt like he was wasting away sitting around and healing. The dwarves moved slowly, giving his body time and he hated it. He didn’t remember much of whatever his past had been but he wanted to get up, stretch, heft weapons in his hand, the urge to help was strong and his ability to do nothing was making him irritable.

The deep roads expedition that had found him gave him weapons to clean, potatoes to peel, and eventually wood to carve. The last one came as a surprise to the group but the medic had been learning and gave her tools to Davrin just to give him something to do and had been happy that he was good at it. She said it was fine for him to keep everything, she hadn’t been enjoying the hobby.

Weeks or maybe months it took for them to get out of the deep roads. But finally when he limped out of the cave and into the sun he wanted to lay down and stretch out like a cat. He felt a hundred times better under the sun’s warmth than he had deep in the caves where he had terrible nightmares that yanked him from sleep every night with a feeling of being watched.

The dwarves gave him a few supplies and a map of the area and pointed him in a direction to go for the closest town and Davrin was off. Finally excited to be on grass and in the woods again. Every time he saw something- a plant or animal and knew the name he was excited. He learned about himself in increments, in facts he somehow knew, in movements and words that came with no thought. He may not know who he had been but he was determined to work hard and figure it out even if it was one fact at a time.

//

Assan twittered beside her in the wagon the group had borrowed for the trip, looking dejected that he wasn’t flying. But the griffin had managed to pop a few feathers off of the mechanical wing during the trip to Tevinter. And Bellara was finishing up the repair work needed for him to fly again.

Lucanis and Harding were on horses leading the little Veilguard pack while a nuggalope pulled Bellara, Neve, Emmrich, and Assan along with their camp supplies and gear. Zalan and Taash sat at the front of the wagon, driving. Bellara could hear them discussing how close they were getting to the village they finally tracked all the rumors to. She wiped her hands on her skirt, the nervous sweat making it hard to reattach the last feather. This was it, the village was coming into view and if Davrin was alive, if the dwarf they’d spoken to who spoke of a big broad shouldered elf man who knew Darkspawn weaknesses and how to whittle was right, then here was where they’d find their missing friend.

Farm fencing and the sounds of people milling about were becoming clearer as they got closer and Lucanis was leading them on the road into the town, ready to begin asking questions. But the veil jumper twisted her head, hands clasped together looking at the faces of everyone they passed hoping to catch a glimpse of the person she’d know anywhere, whose face haunted her dreams.

Neve suddenly grabbed her shoulder and Bellara turned to look at what had caught the detective’s eye.

There between several houses they could see a small hut on the edge of the town, a man out in the yard hefting an axe over his head as he chopped at a pile of wood. His hair was longer than it had been the last time she’d seen him, the curls looking like they needed cut, he was thinner than she remembered and a little more haggard but she knew his frame, the way his body moved fluidly in anything he did. She’d know him anywhere.

Davrin.

(Enjoy a little … sketch I guess, doodle even of them on their travels to go get their friend)

[flowersforthemachines]

Some facts about Bellara (and also the Veil Jumpers, and other random Elven things) gathered from the banters

I went through all companion banters on DanaDuchy's channel after playing the game to write down all facts about companions/the world that I haven't seen brought up anywhere in the game as a writing reference (and for funsies).

Note: This list may not be exhaustive. I might have missed some something or didn't write it down because I considered it common knowledge. If you have anything to add, please DM me or send an ask! (do specify what banter the information is coming from, though)

Note 2: Posts from this series (mostly) don't include information from banters specific to quests or between companions and faction members. I plan to do another playthrough to capture more of those and will add any relevant info to the character posts.

Other characters' posts: Davrin, Harding, Lucanis, Emmrich, Neve, Taash. I'm also planning a post about just the Lighthouse some time later

About Bellara

Family and past:

Bellara’s mother is a woodworker who sells furniture in Orlais, and her father is an herbalist. He taught her about deadly plants (for her own safety)

Bellara didn’t tell her parents about Cyrian’s (second) death

Bellara once broke both of her arms while racing an Aravel 

Bellara learnt magic from her Keeper and later the Veil Jumpers, but she also studied a lot on her own by reading books and just trying things out

When she was little, Bellara wondered what it’s like to settle down instead of moving all the time (just like Davrin did) 

General:

Bellara can better focus on writing when she has background noise (like Rook talking)

Bellara likes tea (but can also drink coffee after she pulls an all-nighter, which seems to happen pretty often)

Bellara liked Lucanis’s grilled fish

Bellara didn’t know any Qunari recipes before joining the Veilguard

Bellara wouldn’t want to be an assassin, but she would be interested in taking lessons from Crows about assassination techniques

Bellara thinks that most people in Tevinter are condescending, even the nice ones 

Magic and life with the Veil Jumpers: 

Bellara once found an artifact that was basically an ancient elven mechanical toothbrush 

Bellara is a Veil Jumper because Arlathan is her home, and she can’t stand by and do nothing. Also, because of the artefacts

Part of the reason why Irelin and Bellara broke up is that Bellara became too consumed by studying/fixing artefacts 

Bellara and Davrin agree that the Veil Jumpers’ odds are even worse than the Wardens’

Bellara thinks that the ancient Elven magic feels cold

Bellara didn’t find anything on the Devouring Storm in the libraries or Circles. Vorgoth and Myrna never heard of it either 

Life at the Lighthouse: 

Bellara owns a bronze candleholder shaped like a fennec

Bellara thinks that the Fade in the Lighthouse is almost too calm compared to Arlathan

Bellara likes her space in the Lighthouse and feels like “it's been waiting for her”

The Archive sometimes stares at people who come by

Bellara eventually suggests that she and Lucanis completely take over the cooking. Everybody except for Harding dreaded any meal not cooked by them anyway and gleefully agreed

Antoine let Bellara borrow his compound for flaming arrows to see how it reacts in the Fade (she doesn’t speak about the results, but she used at least one compound for testing without incidents and later wants to borrow more) 

Relationships with companions: 

Bellara offers Davrin to listen about his findings regarding the Gloom Howler as he searches for the missing griffons, saying she's a good listener

Bellara asks Neve if she can become a Shadow Dragon and is very excited when she hears “Yes”

However, when Emmrich offers her to join the Mourn Watch, she turns him down saying that the Veil Jumpers need her. 

A writing inconsistency. Probably. 

Neve once saw Bellara poking around Assan, trying to figure out if he was real or some clever mechanical contraption 

Bellara wants to make pillows out of Assan’s molted feathers (but Davrin refuses because he finds it weird)

Bellara made dog biscuits for Assan (that Davrin accidentally ate the first time). The next time she brought a batch, she left them in a box labelled “Assan biscuits inside, do not eat.” Assan liked them!

Bellara once covered Assan in olive oil thinking it could improve his wind resistance and let him fly faster. Didn’t work. 

Bellara offers Emmrich to co-author a paper about ancient elves after they find out elves came from spirits

Bellara asks Emmrich about vampires multiple times. According to him, when a Hunger Demon possesses a corpse, the resulting abomination can seek out blood, sort of resembling a vampire. They can't turn into bats though

According to Neve, some magisters in Minrathous have tried bonding with Hunger Demons which resulted in them having immense power but also a craving for blood 

Bellara and Harding swap books for reading

Bellara gets into lifting using Harding's rocks

Bellara doesn’t think she needs to threaten Lucanis when she finds out he and Neve are dating because Neve could wipe the floor with him herself if she wanted (Lucanis agrees) 

Bellara is fine with Lucanis taking on Ghilan’nain’s contract (“Whatever we were worshipping, it wasn’t her") and cheered him on at Weisshaupt

Bellara asks Neve to beta-read her story

(If Neve and Rook are in romance) Bellara thinks that solving cases together is romantic

(If Neve leaves after Rook chooses to save Treviso) Bellara kept notes of everything that happened while Neve was away to help her adjust after she’s back

About the Veil Jumpers:

Bellara mentioned that a certain elf camped in some ruins, and one day woke up stuck in the clouds. The Veil Jumpers haven’t figured out a way to get them down, so they just send them food and water

Veil Jumpers use some of the artefacts they have recovered as weapons. However, they don’t use them often, since most of them need to be charged after one use, and nobody really knows how to do that 

Veil Jumpers eat whatever Arlathan Forest provides

Though Bellara also mentions she doesn’t forage in the forest anymore. Strife does, however, he always finds something edible

It’s hard to say how many Veil Jumpers are out there because people die/go missing/leave too often to keep a proper count

The Veil Jumpers once found an artefact that caused whoever activated it to get sucked into the Fade. One guy got trapped inside because he used it even if the others told him not to. Bellara is weirdly nonchalant about that whole thing

The Veil Jumpers once found something like an entrance to the Deep Roads on the Southern Edge of Arlathan Forest. The group that found it sealed themselves inside and destroyed the entrance, leaving a note telling the others not to enter. Davrin hypothesises it could be one of the pools similar to the one we saw in the Horrors of Hormak

Ritsivas from the Veil Jupmers is non-binary (mentioned by Harding in a conversation with Taash)  

Misc:

The power crystals are called “June'suledin'bellanaris'ena'ghilan'lasa'shiral”. You may infer the reasons everybody just calls them 'power crystals'

Not all traps in Elven ruins were originally meant to be traps, but their magic is old, so it doesn’t recognise modern people and can backfire. And sometimes magic just degrades over time and accidentally rips the Veil, summoning demons

Andruil’s Gauntlet is an ancient site meant to test hunters who want to wield the mightiest weapons. It’s filled with traps, and no one has made through it in ages. It was made by Andruil’s priests to test the warriors of Elvhenan 

Clans Nuvenis and Sabrae live in Ferelden. Harding’s village traded with the Sabrae in the past

[thesummerstorms]

I really really like very over the top, stereotypically fanficy fanfic tropes. (Getting into SVSSS and its fic made it so much worse tbh.)

But that said: the trope where something happens a character temporarily regresses BOTH physically and mentally to a child? I can't necessarily say the set up is ever gonna read as realistic to me for a DA Fic, but damn can my brain still play the consequences straight.

In the case of my mage Crow Rook:

Rook scrambling up to hide in the rafters somewhere because she's terrified and overwhelmed; everyone except Davrin is freaking out that they've lost her...

But then she voluntarily makes an appearance to very seriously warn Bellara that there are Templars are around. Because in that moment the last thing she remembers is being eight and being dragged across Thedas against her will to a Circle.

Yet she vaguely knows that Templars dislike the Dalish and recognizes that Bellara is a mage. She is worried because Bellara doesn't know and is going to get caught because of how obvious she's being. So of course she has to take the risk to say something.

Lucanis shows up and starts admonishing her in Antivan (he is very stressed) and she visibly relaxes at hearing it. She asks if he's a Crow and, if so, can someone pay him to take her back home to Antiva, since Crows aren't afraid of Templars. (She does not have a financial plan in place. She just wants to Go Home. Lucanis still looks Upset.)

She still won't come within catching distance until Davrin steps in with Assan. (They actually found her first, but he didn't want to spook her/was trying to strategize.)

She eventually decides she will come down from the roof beams (saving everyone's nerves) but only with Assan staying physically between her and the others minus Bellara and Davrin. (Bellara because she's clearly also an Apostate and thereby unlikely to rat her out, Davrin because he has a Griffon and in Rook's mind this is also shortly after the HOF ended the Fifth Blight)

Child!Rook very seriously tells Neve that she is very pretty

Lucanis is stress cooking and baking the longer this situation takes to sort out, and eventually Rook and Assan both take to shadowing him from a slight distance in hopes of treats

Rook peppers him with questions in Antivan that she feels too insecure to ask in a way that everyone would understand. He earns her trust by not lying or sugar coating.

Rook is a little terrified of Emmrich, partially because of the skeletons, more because she has incorrectly put the pieces together and thinks he's akin to a southern Circle's senior enchanter

Rook doesn't trust Harding because Harding (with the best intentions) tried to feed her. Harding just thinks that child Rook was a picky eater.

Taash has said some variation of the phrase "that's messed up" a truly ridiculous number of times since this all started. And some point they and Harding throw together some simple puzzle traps to keep Rook entertained.

At some point, for some reason, she's older (~12 ish,) but not back to normal. Idk, it's how the trope works

Lucanis drags Viago back to the lighthouse in lieu of trying to find the words to explain this back in Treviso, much less to convince Viago he isn't lying or impaired

The second Rook sees Viago step into the library, she shouts his name and makes as if to dart behind him before catching herself

He goes pale and still at the sight of his protege as a literal preteen again. But when he sees her mix of fear/relief he barks out a sharp "Come here"... And steps in front slightly to let her hide behind his cape

It's something he never would have done back then... But this Rook is just young enough not to know that yet and she scrambles to safety

Viago is way more anxious about the security of "child" Rook than he was about actual child Rook de Riva. But after all now he is in a position where he can afford the luxury of caring, of doing something differently

Child!Rook being way too trusting of the Veilguard for a Fledgling who wants to survive. She's eating whatever she's handed, has worked her way up to standing close to Neve and Lucanis now, is willing to curl up and take a nap in a room full of the "strangers" because she was mildly sleepy

Lucanis begging Viago not to correct her on the mild parts of it because it isn't like she's actually a child. Deep down, she's a Crow. She knows. Can't they just... Let the not-actually-a-Fledgling have this comfort? Just this once? Since they can afford to let her be a child now, even if they couldn't have back then?

[datvtranscripts]

The Crossroads Deleted Dialogue

Fade Memories

The Crossroads Masterpost About Deleted Dialogue

—

Rook: Another memory Solas left behind. Stay sharp.

Rook: His memories seemed to… condense into that statuette. There must be more to this.

—

The Labs Below

Rook: If we go down there, we go all the way.

—

Tarasahl: If you're steady on your feet, grab the Wolf's key, and let's go.

—

Rook: They almost made it to the surface.

—

Tarashi: Couldn't… stop myself…

—

The Wolf’s Call

Caretaker: Come. You must see.

Rook: What's over here?

Caretaker: The deepest roots.

—

First memory found: Rook: What is this?

Bellara: How strange… More spirits?

Davrin: Spirits, maybe? Hope they're friendly.

Emmrich: Echoes. Impressions, rather than full spirits.

Harding: Spirits? Maybe?

Lucanis: Spirits, but… Spite says that's not right.

Neve: Spirits. Or something like them.

—

Rook: More spirits from the past.

—

Felassan: Take up your swords, and advance!

—

Rook: So in this memory we're rebels, freeing captive slaves.

—

Rook: This is the past. Solas's past. As if I'm one of the elves who was actually there.

Davrin: Let's see what kind of secrets are worth reliving.

Emmrich: A Fade-imprinted memory. Let us see what haunts the Dread Wolf.

Harding: This could be useful. Let's do a little digging.

Lucanis: His memories? Does Solas know this is here?

Neve: Interesting. Let's see what he hides in his dustier closets.

Taash: Huh. Let's keep going. See what this place remembers.

—

Rook: Come on. We need to play this out and find where Elgar'nan held those captured elves.

—

Rook: Push through to the captives!

—

Rook: That crystal just needs a jolt. Rook: Position is everything…

—

Rook: Solas versus Elgar'nan. That would've been a fight worth seeing.

Bellara: In Dalish legends, Elgar'nan was the most powerful god. No one could beat him. No one.

Davrin: Everything was riding on Solas. If he failed, no way his people would've survived.

Emmrich: Their choices make them destined to fight each other. Again and again, it seems.

Harding: At least Solas stood up to him when it mattered.

Lucanis: Their hatred for each other was thick as blood.

Neve: Fighting each other—it's a pattern they repeat.

Taash: Solas was scared. He knew he couldn't take Elgar'nan in a straight fight.

—

Disrupt and Conquer

Felassan: Come to us and make yourselves known!

—

Spirit Of Chaos: See the Evanuris humbled! Disruption, join us!

—

Rook: One of the last great battles. Spirits versus gods.

Bellara: And we're part of it!

Davrin: With us as the tip of the spear.

Emmrich: Lost to legend, until now.

Harding: The events that made the Dread Wolf a legend.

Lucanis: Is this where his legend started? The Dread Wolf as someone to be feared?

Neve: Solas versus tyrants.

Taash: Just like us. Except for being spirits.

—

Rook: They're pushing back hard. We must be close.

—

Citadel Defender: We can't hold them back!

[baphometsss]

thinking about it, the way solas thinks about/remembers mythal hits really close to home for me

when someone dies, especially if they die prematurely, there's a tendency for those who survive them to kind of... look at them through rose tinted glasses. i had this experience with my brother, who died when he was 22 and very unexpectedly at that. because he died before i really had a chance to spend much time with him (i was 11), i missed out on all sorts of things. both my family and myself have a tendency to ignore all his flaws and the bad things he did because we miss him and wish he was still around to be flawed and do bad things. because then at least he would actually be here.

i think this is what solas is doing with mythal, although it's complicated from their trauma bond and the somewhat abstract way the first elves experienced emotions. it's true what (davrin?) says -- when someone dies before you have a chance to tell them all the things you want to tell them, it stings. mythal and solas had a complicated relationship, and solas really wanted to believe that she would join the rebellion one day. she never did, because of her own pride and refusal to give up godhood, and bc she believed too well in her own ability to control the evanuris from within. to join the rebellion would be like admitting defeat, something she could not do because, as morrigan says, she can't tolerate being wrong. by his own admission, she betrayed him by joining the evanuris. then she died before they had a chance to really iron out their issues, and because solas rebelled against her (in his mind, failing her), it messed with him badly.

so he doesn't allow himself to be angry, because if he really loses it with her (the way he did with the rebel mages in his personal dai quest), what the hell is he supposed to do with that anger? there is no one to direct it at, except the world and himself. he himself is the easiest target, because he already carries so much guilt and shame over the things he's done. but he does direct it outward too. that is at least in part what he's doing when he wants to tear down the veil--not just for mythal, not just to 'repair' his past mistakes, but because he is simply angry and frustrated, too, which blocks his wisdom. and yet, he doesn't feel he has a right to that anger, even though he really does when you think of all the things mythal put him through. he cannot be angry until he has corrected his mistakes he made in failing her.

it's not surprising that he puts her on a pedestal. you do that when you're grieving and hate yourself that much. that's why his perspective is so warped, and why he's an unreliable narrator when it comes to mythal. like i loved my brother, but my recollection of him will always be coloured by his death.

mythal was not the great mother goddess of legend and she was likely not really the person solas portrays her as either. the fragment in morrigan is closest to who the legends portray her as, but it isn't the only part of her either. she was very flawed, and petty, and all the things solas described the evanuris as being. she was a monster in her own way too. but when you're surrounded by far worse monsters, you come out looking okay. that's essentially all mythal had going for her: she wasn't as much of a monster as she could've been.

it speaks volumes about solas's 'grim and fatalistic' outlook when you consider that. the more you learn about solas's past, the more you realise how important the inquisition was to him, how helpless he would've been to have bonded with these mortals who were so free in their goodwill and determination to build a better future--something that was severely lacking in elvhenan.